Raspberry Swirl Pound Cake

This is one of those cakes that looks really impressive, but doesn’t take any time at all.  I have a super narrow bundt pan, so that’s why it has a bit of an odd shape!

This particular cake was on the cover of Cooking with Paula Deen May/June 2013, on sale now, and it caught the eye of my discerning young son.  He was impressed, and figured he could make it to.  So we bought the magazine, a package of raspberries and off we went.

As far as pound cakes go, this one is incredibly moist and has a soft crumb – the kids all gave it rave reviews!

I should note that the raspberries have to cook into a sauce at least 6 hours before baking the cake, so be sure to plan for that.

Raspberry Swirl Pound Cake Adapted from Cooking with Paula Deen Magazine May/June 2013

Raspberry Sauce

1/2 cup sugar

1 cups fresh raspberries

6 Tablespoons water

In a small pan, combine all of the ingredients and cook over medium heat, stirring often crushing the berries.  Cook for about 10 minutes, or until the sauce has thickened.  Pour the berries into a sieve – gently pressing and stirring to get all of the sauce out.  Discard the pulp and seeds.  Let the sauce cool for about 20 minutes, then store covered in the refrigerator for 6 hours, or overnight.

Sour Cream Pound Cake

3 cups sugar

1 1/2 cups butter, softened

1 cup sour cream

1 teaspoon lemon zest

1 teaspoon vanilla

5 large eggs

1 large egg yolk

3 1/4 cups flour

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.

In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, baking soda, and salt.  Set aside.

In a large bowl, beat the softened butter and the sour cream together until combined.*  Add the sugar and beat until light and fluffy.  Add the lemon zest and the vanilla and beat until combined.  Add the eggs and the egg yolk, beating after each addition.

Add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture, and beat just until combined.  Your batter will be lumpy, do not continue to beat until smooth!

Spray a bundt pan with nonstick spray, then add about 1 1/2 – 2 cups of batter to the pan (depending on the size of your bundt pan).  Using a wooden spoon handle, make a trench in the center of the cake batter, all the way around the cake pan.

Next, carefully pour half of the raspberry sauce into the trench – about 3 Tablespoons.  Then spoon more cake batter over the raspberry sauce – using just enough batter to cover it.  The bundt pan should be no more than 2/3 full, to prevent cake overflow.

Next, take a dinner knife and make circles with it in the batter two times, then move on to another section (just pulling your knife through the batter), circling again 2 times, and continue to move until all of the batter has been swirled.

Pour the remaining cake batter into a loaf pan, I used this one.

Place the cakes in the oven for about 1 hour.  Check the cakes by inserting a toothpick in the centers.  After the cakes are done, let them cool for about 10 minutes in their pans, then carefully turn each out onto a wire rack to continue cooling.

Once the cakes are almost completely cool, top with the glaze and serve.

*The cold sour cream will make some of the butter harden, making the batter lumpy, but this is okay!

Glaze

2 cups powdered sugar

1 Tablespoon corn syrup

3 Tablespoons water

1/4 teaspoon almond extract

In a small bowl, whisk the powdered sugar, corn syrup, and water together until smooth.  Add the almond extract and whisk until combined.  For a thicker glaze add more powdered sugar, for a thinner glaze add more water.  For easy clean up, place a piece of wax paper under the cooling rack the cake is on, then pour the glaze on top.

A Special Engagement. . .

My oldest buddy ol’pal, Gina, is getting married!  And boy do I love a good wedding.  They’re such a great excuse for good food, music, and friends to get together and celebrate.

Gina and I grew up together – as in we knew each other when we were babies (our parents were college friends), so we saw each other through the ups and downs of life, and spent many holidays celebrating together.

And while weddings bring out my happy, fun-loving side, the idea of marriage decidedly does not.  Not to be Debbie Downer, but it’s hard.  Am I right?

There’s this little thing I’ve been obsessed with lately.  I call it “celebrating mediocrity.”  You know, like when my husband cooks dinner once a year and then congratulates himself during the entire meal as if he’s never been served amazing food before.

Apparently (unlike me) his hands have been miraculously blessed and anything he touches is awe-inspiring.  To be fair, those are my words, not his (even if they’re spot on, ahem).

Yep, it’s hard to tolerate.  And when he has taken all of the kids with him to the grocery store because it was the weekend (and I was incredibly sick), old ladies and a few men have stopped to congratulate him on his bravery venturing out alone into the unknown with all of the kids without his dutiful wife.

Are you kidding me?  I sent him with a detailed list.  He’ll be fine.  That right there is “celebrating mediocrity” at its finest.  You will never see an old woman, or a man, stop to awe at me for shopping with my kids.

Nope, I get dirty looks for toddler meltdown in aisle 5.  So, the next time your husband does something mediocre, do what I do and raise an imaginary glass to him to celebrate – facetiously, of course.

Oh, sorry I’ll get down off my soapbox.  Where was I?  I mean before my whole tirade. . .ah, my dear friend Gina.

Yes, I’m so excited for her because she gets to have a wedding all about her, with flowers, and pretty dresses, and presents. . .and at the end of the day, a husband (to wait on, and clean up after, and take to the emergency room after he runs over his foot accidentally with the lawnmower blade – good times).

Let’s try this another way, Bob (that’s not his real name) is so lucky because Gina is one of the most sincere, honest, kind people that I know.  She is funny, and if you’re her friend, she’ll take anyone down who tries to talk bad about you.  She’s just as beautiful inside as she is outside.

I know that she’s going to put everything she has into this marriage, so he better bring it because she deserves nothing but the best.

So what are we waiting for?  Let’s celebrate!  Wouldn’t these be cute as individual servings of wedding cake?

Mini Angel Food Cake Adapted from Norpro Professional Essentials

1 3/4 cups sugar

1/4 tsp salt

1 cup flour

12 egg whites (room temperature)

1/3 cup warm water

1 tsp vanilla

1 1/2 tsp cream of tartar

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Process the sugar in a food processor until fine.  Put half the sugar in a bowl, along with the salt and flour and whisk – set aside.

In a large bowl whisk the egg whites, water, vanilla, and cream of tartar for two minutes.

Using the hand mixer to continue to beat the egg whites, slowly add the remaining sugar while continuing to beat.  Once the egg whites start forming peaks, spoon the flour mixture lightly over the top and using a rubber scraper fold into the batter carefully.  Continue to add the rest of the flour and fold into the batter.

Spoon the cake batter into ungreased cake cups until 3/4 full.  Bake for about 35 minutes, or until there are no crumbs on your toothpick or cake tester.

Immediately turn them over onto a wire cooling rack for at least 20 minutes.  After that time, you may have to loosen them gently from the pan with a nylon scraper (to not scratch the pan).

Store covered when completely cool, or serve.

I ended up with leftover batter and was able to make a pan of mini cakes using this pan.

Sources:
4 inch Silver Cupcake Pick

Mini Angel Food Pan

Individual Pie and Burger Bun Pan

Mr. & Mrs. Stamp

Flourish Frame Rubber Stamp

Mini Wedding Dress Copper Cookie Cutter

Rose Cake

I received a comment from Lisa (Hi!) and she requested some information on this cake - which previously was nothing more than a  photo in a birthday collage I’d thrown together earlier this year.  See, I do read comments!

Anywho, this is the rose cake. . . and I love it.  Like me, you’ve probably seen these rose cakes everywhere, and they are so much fun.  I wanted to do something a little different with mine – I wanted a strawberry cake (something about strawberry just screams summer to me) covered in colored roses.  And I wanted them layered so some actually stand taller than the others, for visual interest.  For the recipes, see below.  For a great tutorial, click here.

To layer the roses (on the top of the cake only), simply pipe a rose over the bare space between roses.

Although this particular cake was a soft Strawberry Cake, I think a lovely white cake (just omit the sprinkles unless you want a “funfetti” cake) would also make for a stunning interior.

Super Soft Strawberry Cake Adapted from Family Circle Magazine

3 1/2 cups cake flour (not self-rising)
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup solid vegetable shortening
2 cups granulated sugar, divided
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 tablespoons strawberry liqueur
1 cup buttermilk
Red food coloring
2/3 cup diced strawberries
6 egg whites
1 teaspoon cream of tartar

Preheat the oven to 350.  Spray three 9 inch (round) cake pans with PAM spray and line with parchment.  Set aside.

Whisk the cake flour, baking soda, and salt together in a medium bowl; set aside.  In a large bowl, cream the shortening and 1 ½ cups of sugar together.  Beat in the vanilla and the liqueur until combined.

Next, in three additions beat in the flour mixture alternating with the buttermilk – beginning and ending with the flour mixture.

When the flour and buttermilk are completely incorporated, add the diced strawberries and a few drops of red food coloring.*

In a large mixing bowl, beat the egg whites until foamy and add the cream of tartar, and gradually add the remaining ½ cup sugar.  Continue beating until stiff peaks have formed.

Gently stir some of the stiff egg whites into the batter.  Then fold in the remaining egg whites until completely incorporated.

Divide the batter between the three prepared cake pans and bake in the oven for about 25 to 30 minutes, or until done.  Let the cakes cool for 10 minutes in the pan (placed on top of a cooling rack).  After 10 minutes, turn the cakes out onto the wire rack to continue cooling.**

*The cake lightens up after baking, so I like to add enough color for the batter to be a shade or two darker than my desired color.

**My sister-in-law (Hi Lisa!) shared this tip with me – it not only keeps your cake really moist, but it also helps when assembling layer cakes.  Instead of cooling on the wire rack after the 10 minute cooling period in the pan, turn the cakes out onto plastic wrap and carefully (they’re hot!) wrap them up.  Then wrap each layer in foil and stack them on a cutting board (or cookie sheet) and place them in the freezer for at least an hour.

Click here to get the recipe for my favorite Italian Meringue Buttercream.  It’s delicious and the perfect consistency for piping frosting.

Fishing Pole Cupcakes (for a Fishing Party)

I saw these cupcakes here, and fell in love with them.  I knew they’d be the perfect sweet ending for my son’s Fishing Party.

I used my favorite chocolate cake recipe, filled them with freshly sweetened whipped cream (because everyone loves a surprise cream center), and topped them with ganache.

Then I frosted them with my favorite frosting recipe (tinted blue) and decorated with pretzel rod and goldfish connected with a white frosting “fishing line.”  Super easy!

Ribbon Cake

This cake looks deceptively plain.  But inside there are two layers of cake (1 chocolate and 1 white), and the middle is filled with layers of sliced strawberries and custard, all covered in luscious whipped cream.  Yum!

To make the cake, you need one layer of white cake and one layer of chocolate cake.  Using a cake ring, cut each cake to size.  Place the cake ring on top of a cardboard cake round, then place one layer of cake in the bottom of the ring.  Next, thinly slice strawberries and layer them on top of the layer in the cake ring.  Set aside.

Prepare your favorite custard, or mine, then quickly cool it down by placing the custard (in a bowl) inside of another bowl full of ice water.  Stirring constantly.  When the custard is cool, but still pourable, measure out about 1 1/4 cups of custard and pour it over your strawberries.  You may need to use more (my cake was 7 inches), you’ll want to use enough to completely cover the top of your strawberries.

Smooth out the custard, then place the other cake layer on top, pushing gently.  Cover the entire cake/ring/cardboard with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.

Before decorating, run a knife around the edges of the cake ring to loosen, and gently push the cake out of the bottom of the ring – directly onto the serving platter.  Then decorate with sweetened whip cream.  Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Linking to Something Swanky, BruCrew Life, Crazy for Crust, Tidy Mom, Six Sisters’ Stuff

Earth Day Birthday Party!

Happy Earth Day!  We celebrated another birthday this weekend, and it was lots of fun.

There was strawberry cake covered in colored buttercream roses (original tutorial seen here).  There were snack necklaces, dirt pudding cups, citrus punch, and painted terra cotta pots as party favors.

The kids had a lot of fun putting this party together.  They made the dirt pudding cups, the citrus punch, the snack necklaces, and they painted the terra cotta pots.  I’ll be posting the super-easy recipes for the punch and pudding in a few days.  Consider letting your kids help you throw your next party!

Bunny Butts, Carrot Tops, and Speckled Eggs

I can’t believe it. . .Easter is almost here!

This week, I was asked to make cupcakes for my son’s class, and I went overboard (as you can see).  I can’t help it – when I get inspired, I run with it!

That inspiration came from some very talented bloggers churning out fabulous ideas.  With that said, it’s only right to give credit where credit is due.  So, let’s get to it!

I love. love. love. the bunny butt.  It’s so cute.  I saw these cookies over on Lizy B Bakes.

The green “grass” was inspired by Katrina’s cupcakes at In Katrina’s Kitchen.

And last, but not least, I saw these adorable speckled egg cookies on Bridget’s website – Bake at 350.  Follow the link to her site to see the tutorial.

Happy Baking!

Linking to Tidy Mom

My Birthday Cake

This cake is super special, not because it’s a secret recipe or anything like that.  It’s special because this cake was made for my birthday by my husband and kids.  I can’t even remember the last time that someone made me a cake!If you’re interested in the cake recipe, you can find it here.  The frosing recipe is below.  Just a quick note that this frosting is not tooth-achingly sweet, and has a nice light whipped texture with a very slight grain (due to the powdered sugar).

I loved it and thought it was super simple to whip up – my husband (who is sensitive to grainy texture) didn’t like even the hint of grain from the sugar.  With that said, if you like buttercream frosting with powdered sugar you’ll probably like this one.

Whipped Chocolate Buttercream Frosting slightly adapted from Sweetapolita

2 cups unsalted butter (4 sticks), softened

2 cups powdered sugar

4 teaspoons vanilla extract

8 ounces of semi-sweet chocolate, melted and slightly cooled

pinch of salt

In a large bowl, beat the butter and powdered sugar together until creamy.  Add the vanilla, the cooled chocolate, and the pinch of salt.  Beat until smooth and satiny.  It’s ready to use!  Decorate your favorite layer cake or cupcakes.

Gluten Free Angel Food Cake

This is what happened to the rest of my fresh strawberries – Angel Food Cake!  Love it, love it, love it.

Gluten Free Angel Food Cake Adapted from The Gluten-Free Kitchen

1/2 cup cornstarch*

1/3 cup potato starch*

3/4 teaspoon guar gum

3/4 cup sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

Combine all the ingredients above together in a medium bowl; whisk, and set aside.

1 1/4 cup egg whites

1 Tablespoon water

1 teaspoon cream of tartar

2 teaspoons vanilla

1/3 cup sugar

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  In a really large bowl, add the egg whites, water, cream of tartar, and vanilla - beat until really foamy.  Slowly add the 1/3 cup of sugar and continue to beat until the egg whites are stiff.

Then fold the flour mixture into the stiff egg whites.  Continue to fold until there are no lumps – this takes awhile!  Scoop batter into an ungreased angel food cake pan (with removable bottom), smooth the top and place in the oven for about 35 minutes.

When the cake is done, carefully turn it upside-down with the tube resting on a glass bottle (I used an old Starbuck’s Frappuccino bottle - the tube fit perfectly inside the bottle opening) on top of a cooling rack.  Let cool until the cake falls out of the pan!  Mine only took about 8 minutes.

Serve with sweetened whip cream and strawberries!

*Just a note about measuring.  I put my measuring cup right into the bag (or box) and scoop and level - some people call this the “scoop and swoop” method.

Confetti Sprinkled Cupcakes with Snowman Cookie Toppers

I had another birthday party this weekend – and I’m exhausted!  I’m an introvert, so the socializing bit is always hard on me.  It’s not that I’m shy, because I’m decidedly not that, it’s just that I need time to myself to recharge.

Moving on!  I wanted a white cake with rainbow sprinkles baked in, and I had to frost it with my favorite Italian Meringue Buttercream.  Then, I decided to add the snowman topper to compliment the gingerbread playdough party favor.

Confetti Sprinkled White Cake Adapted from Clinton St. Baking Company

2 1/4 cups cake flour

1 1/2 cups sugar

1 Tablespoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, softened

1 cup whole milk

1 Tablespoon canola oil

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

4 large egg whites

3 Tablespoons of confetti/rainbow sprinkles

Cream the butter & sugar.  Add the egg whites, two at a time, beating well after each addition.  Beat in vanilla and oil.  Combine the flour, baking powder, sprinkles and salt; add to the creamed mixture alternately with the milk.

Pour into muffin liners and bake at 350 degrees for about 18 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.  Cool for 5 minutes, then remove from the pan.

*The cookies are baked sugar cookies frosted with royal icing.  So it was like eating two desserts in one!