Cakes
If you're looking for a dessert to celebrate anything with, cakes are the perfect dessert, including the Chocolate Dump-It Cake and Ambrosia Cake. Enjoy!
SEIS LECHES CAKE
This is from Sam Sifton in The New York Times cooking e-newsletter. Melissa wrote, "This recipe for a tres leches cake (a traditional syrup-soaked confection from Latin America) takes a good thing — namely the combination of milks that saturate its crumb — and doubles it. Instead of just the usual three milks (sweetened condensed, evaporated and heavy cream), it calls for six, adding coconut milk, condensed coconut milk and dulce de leche. Like the original version, it’s a dense, puddinglike cake flavored with cinnamon and rum. But here, notes of coconut and caramel lend complexity and even more richness. Serve this in small squares, preferably with a bitter espresso or some tea to sip between syrupy bites."
Yield: 18 servings; Time: 1 hour, plus cooling and chilling
This was featured in "A Milky Cake Where More Is More", and be viewed online at https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1020805-seis-leches-cake.
Ingredients
5 tablespoons melted unsalted butter, plus more softened butter for greasing the pan
1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon, plus more for sprinkling
1/4 teaspoon grated nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt, plus a pinch
6 large eggs, separated
3 tablespoons whole milk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
1 (14-ounce) can unsweetened coconut milk
1 cup evaporated milk
3/4 cup sweetened condensed coconut milk (a 7-ounce can, or use more regular condensed milk)
2/3 cup sweetened condensed milk
3 tablespoons dark or amber rum
1 cup dulce de leche
1-1/2 cups heavy cream
Preparation
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 9-by-13-inch baking pan. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, 3/4 cup sugar, the baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg and 1/4 teaspoon salt. In a large bowl, whisk together the egg yolks, melted butter, milk and vanilla.
Using an electric mixer fitted with the whisk or beaters, set on medium speed, beat the egg whites until frothy, about 2 minutes. Add the cream of tartar, and beat until thick, fluffy and white but before peaks form, another 2 to 3 minutes. Add remaining 1/4 cup of sugar, a little at a time, and continue beating until the whites are glossy and firm peaks form when the beaters are lifted, another 3 to 5 minutes.
Whisk half the flour mixture into the yolks (it will seem like paste). Whisk a quarter of the egg whites into the yolk mixture to lighten it. Using a rubber spatula, gently fold in another quarter of the whites. Sift half of the remaining flour mixture over the batter and fold in. Fold in another quarter of the egg whites followed by the rest of the sifted flour and finally the rest of the whites. Scrape batter into the pan and smooth the top with the spatula.
Bake until the cake is golden and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 25 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool for 20 minutes.
While the cake is cooling, in a small saucepan over medium heat, stir together the coconut milk, evaporated milk, condensed coconut milk, condensed milk, rum and a pinch of salt. Heat until steaming, stirring to dissolve any lumps.
Use a fork to poke holes all over the top of the warm cake, then cut it into 18 pieces but don’t take the pieces out of the pan. Pour milk mixture evenly over the cake. Cover and chill cake for at least 8 hours or preferably overnight (or up to 3 days).
No more than 4 hours before serving, spread 3/4 cup dulce de leche over top of the cake. Whip the cream with the remaining 1/4 cup dulce de leche until thick and mousse-like. Spread the whipped cream on the cake, and sprinkle with more cinnamon.
CHOCOLATE DUMP-IT CAKE
This is from Amanda Hesser in The New York Times cooking e-newsletter. Amanda wrote, "A couple of years ago, my mother taught me to make her dense but moist chocolate birthday cake. She calls it 'dump-it cake' because you mix all of the ingredients in a pot over medium heat, then dump the batter into a cake pan to bake. For the icing, you melt Nestlé's semisweet-chocolate chips and swirl them together with sour cream. It sounds as if it's straight from the Pillsbury Bake-Off, but it tastes as if it's straight from Payard. Everyone loves it."
Yield: 10 servings; Time: 1 hour 45 minutes
This was featured in "Food Diary; Personal Best", and can be viewed online at https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/9404-chocolate-dump-it-cake.
Ingredients
2 cups sugar
4 ounces unsweetened chocolate
1 stick unsalted butter, plus more for greasing the pan
2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting the pan
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup milk
1 teaspoon cider vinegar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1-1/2 cups Nestle's semisweet-chocolate chips
1-1/2 cups sour cream, at room temperature
Preparation
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees and place a baking sheet on the lowest rack to catch any drips as the cake bakes on the middle rack. In a 2- to 3-quart pot, mix together the sugar, unsweetened chocolate, butter and 1 cup of water. Place over medium heat and stir occasionally until all of the ingredients are melted and blended. Remove from the heat and let cool slightly.
Meanwhile, sift together the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. In a small bowl, stir together the milk and vinegar. Grease and flour a 9-inch tube pan (Tip: Be meticulous, and really work the butter and flour into the crevices of the pan. This is a moist cake, so it really needs a well-prepared pan to keep it from sticking).
When the chocolate in the pot has cooled a bit, whisk in the milk mixture and eggs. In several additions, and without overmixing, whisk in the dry ingredients. When the mixture is smooth, add the vanilla and whisk once or twice to blend. Pour the batter into the tube pan and bake on the middle rack until a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean, about 30 to 35 minutes. Let the cake cool for 10 minutes, then remove from the pan and cool on a rack. (This can be tricky -- if someone is around to help, enlist him.) Let cool completely.
Meanwhile, melt the chocolate chips in a double boiler, then let cool to room temperature. Stir in the sour cream, 1/4 cup at a time, until the mixture is smooth.
When the cake is cool, you may frost it as is or cut it in half so that you have 2 layers. There will be extra icing whether you have 1 or 2 layers. My mother always uses it to make flowers on top. She makes a small rosette, or button, then uses toasted slices of almond as the petals, pushing them in around the base of the rosette.
LEMON POUND CAKE
This is from Betty Crocker, and begins, "Add a splash of sunshine to any spring brunch or dessert spread with this bright lemon pound cake. Yellow cake mix is combined with cream cheese and grated lemon peel for a pound cake that’s rich in flavor and bursting with refreshing citrus notes. With just six simple ingredients and only 15 minutes of prep time, you can whip up this lemon pound cake recipe when you want to bake something homemade, but don’t have all day to do it."
Prep Time: 15 minutes; Total Time: 2 hours 25 minutes; Servings: 12
To view this online, click here.
Ingredients
1 box Betty Crocker™ Super Moist™ yellow cake mix
1 package (3 oz) cream cheese, softened
1 cup water or milk
1 tablespoon grated lemon peel
3 eggs
1/4 cup Betty Crocker™ Rich & Creamy lemon frosting
Directions
Heat oven to 325°F. Generously spray bottom only of 9x5-inch loaf pan with baking spray with flour.
In medium bowl, beat cake mix, cream cheese, water, grated lemon peel and eggs with electric mixer on low speed 1 minute, scraping bowl frequently, then on medium speed 2 minutes, scraping bowl occasionally. Pour into pan.
Bake 50 to 60 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan 10 minutes. Remove from pan to cooling rack or heatproof serving plate. Cool completely, about 1 hour.
In small microwavable bowl, microwave frosting uncovered on High 10 to 15 seconds or until frosting is thin enough to drizzle; stir. Spoon frosting evenly over cake, allowing frosting to drip down sides.
Expert Tips
If you have leftover cake, cut it into slices and place individually in sandwich-size food-storage plastic bags. Seal bags and freeze. You'll have a quick treat when you need it!
For added lemon flavor, sprinkle some extra grated lemon peel over the cake.
For a different look, cut your cake into wedges instead of traditional slices.
This elegant pound cake makes a wonderful hostess gift for any dinner party.
PEANUT BUTTER CHOCOLATE CAKE
This recipe comes from Publix.
Servings: 8; Total Time: about 3 hours; Active Time: 10 minutes
To view this recipe online, click here.
Ingredients
Butter-flavor cooking spray
1 (15.25-oz) box devil's food cake mix
2 cups water, divided
2 large eggs
3/4 cup creamy peanut butter
1 (4-oz) semisweet chocolate bar (or morsels)
1/4 cup peanuts, chopped
8 tablespoons whipped topping
Directions
Coat 4-quart slow cooker with spray. Place cake mix, 1 cup water, and eggs in large bowl; beat with hand mixer until blended. Add peanut butter; mix well and pour mixture into slow cooker.
Microwave remaining 1 cup water on HIGH for 2 minutes or until steaming. Break chocolate into pieces, if needed, then place in water and stir until melted; let stand 1 minute to cool. Pour chocolate over batter in slow cooker.
Cover and cook on LOW for 2–2 1/2 hours (or HIGH for 1 1/2–1 3/4 hours) or until toothpick inserted near center comes out with fudgy crumbs. Chop peanuts. Serve cake straight from slow cooker topped with whipped topping and peanuts.
DENSE AND DELICIOUS CHOCOLATE CAKE
This is from the October 2006 issue of Vegetarian Times (page 31), and begins, “Wow the chocolate lovers in your life with this fudgy creation that’s as easy to whip up as a cake mix.” Makes 10 servings.
To view this online, click here.
Ingredients
Chocolate Cake
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup sugar
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/4 cup low-fat buttermilk
1 large egg
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 cup brewed espresso or strong coffee
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
Fudge Glaze
2 Tbs. low-fat buttermilk
2 Tbs. cocoa powder
2 Tbs. unsalted butter
1/2 cup confectioners' sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract
Preparation
Preheat oven to 400F. Coat 9-inch round springform pan with cooking spray. Combine flour, sugar, and baking soda in bowl. Whisk together buttermilk, egg, and vanilla in separate bowl.
Combine espresso and cocoa in large saucepan. Add butter, and bring to a boil over medium-high heat, whisking constantly. Remove from heat, and stir in dry ingredients. Add buttermilk mixture, and whisk until smooth.
Pour batter into prepared pan, and bake 15 to 20 minutes, or until top looks dry but toothpick inserted in center comes out moist.
Meanwhile, make Fudge Glaze: Combine buttermilk, cocoa powder, and butter in medium saucepan, and bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Remove from heat, and stir in sugar and vanilla.
Pierce holes all over cake with skewer or fork. Spread glaze over cake with spatula. Let stand 5 minutes before unmolding, and serve.
AMBROSIA CAKE
This comes from Melissa Clark in The New York Times cooking e-newsletter. Melissa wrote, “If you love the combination of oranges, coconut and marshmallows found in a traditional ambrosia — the salad or dessert that often also contains pineapple, bananas, cherries and some kind of creamy dressing such as whipped cream or sour cream — you’ll adore this cake. The coconut is baked into the cake layers and used as a sweet, shaggy garnish, while the oranges (in this case, diminutive, seedless clementines) are juiced into curd and sliced fresh for the filling. Then, as a final, fluffy touch, a homemade marshmallow frosting tops it off. It may be a lot of work, but it’s an impressive result. And you can make the curd and cake a few days ahead. Just be sure to make the frosting and assemble everything within 8 hours of serving. Otherwise the fruit starts to break down and the icing may crystallize.”
Yield: 12 servings; Time: 3 hours
This was originally featured in “An Ambrosial Cake, and That’s Just the Filling” and can be viewed online here.
Ingredients
For the Cake:
2-3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
1/2 cup whole milk
1/2 cup unsweetened coconut milk
1 tablespoon coconut rum or dark rum (or use 1 teaspoon coconut extract)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
12 tablespoons unsalted butter (1-1/2 sticks), softened
1/4 cup virgin coconut oil, melted and cooled (or use more butter)
1-1/2 cups sugar
4 large eggs, room temperature, whites and yolks separated
1-1/4 teaspoons finely grated clementine zest (from about 2 clementines)
For the Filling:
1/3 cup fresh clementine juice (from about 4 clementines), plus 2-1/2 teaspoons finely grated clementine zest
1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
4 large eggs
4 large egg yolks (reserve whites for frosting)
7 tablespoons sugar
Pinch kosher salt
12 tablespoons unsalted butter (1-1/2 sticks), cubed
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
For the Frosting:
4 large egg whites
1 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
Pinch kosher salt
For Decorating and Assembling:
8 to 10 seedless clementines
1-1/2 to 3 cups shredded sweetened or unsweetened coconut, to taste
Strawberries, sliced (optional)
Preparation
Bake the cake: Heat oven to 350 degrees and place a rack in the middle. Butter two 9-inch cake pans and line with parchment paper on the bottom.
In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder and salt. In a separate bowl, whisk together milk, coconut milk, rum and vanilla.
In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat butter, coconut oil and sugar together until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Beat in egg yolks, one at a time, then beat in zest. Beat in half the flour mixture, followed by half the milk mixture. Repeat, beating just until combined and scraping down bowl as necessary.
In a separate bowl, use an electric beater to whisk egg whites just until stiff peaks form. Fold into cake batter.
Divide batter between pans. Bake until lightly golden and toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, about 30 minutes. Transfer pans to a wire rack to cool for 10 minutes, then unmold cakes and cool completely on rack. (Cakes can be made up to 2 days ahead; once cool, wrap in plastic and refrigerate.)
Meanwhile, make the filling: Bring clementine juice and lemon juice to a boil over medium heat in a medium saucepan. In a medium bowl, whisk together eggs, yolks, sugar and salt. Whisking constantly, slowly pour hot juice into eggs, then return mixture to saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until thickened, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat; whisk in butter and vanilla. Push through a strainer set over a medium bowl, and stir in clementine zest. Cover with plastic wrap directly on surface of curd and refrigerate until cold. (Curd can be made up to 5 days ahead.) Or to speed up cooling, set bowl of curd in a larger bowl filled with ice water and stir curd until very cold, 7 to 10 minutes. Cover and refrigerate until needed.
Prepare clementines for decorating the cake: Cut the top and bottom off a clementine and set it cut-side down on a cutting board. Use a sharp knife to cut away peel and pith, following the curve of the fruit from top to bottom. Working over a bowl to catch the juices, carefully cut out each segment from the membrane; it should fall into the bowl as you cut. Lay segments out on paper towels to dry slightly while you cut remaining fruit.
Use a large knife to trim tops of cakes to level them, and cut both cakes in half horizontally to make layers.
Place a cake layer on a serving dish and spread a third of the curd over it, leaving a 1-inch border around the edge. Layer a third of the clementine segments on top of curd, spacing them evenly so cake will be balanced. Top with another layer, spread another third of curd over it, and layer with 1/2 cup shredded coconut. Top with cake layer, repeat curd and clementines, saving some clementines for top of cake. Place the remaining cake layer on top, and chill while making frosting.
Make the frosting: Bring a medium pot with 1 inch of water to boil. In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine egg whites, sugar, cream of tartar and salt. Set bowl over simmering water and whisk constantly until eggs reach 160 degrees, or the sugar has melted. Remove from heat, and beat on medium-high speed until stiff peaks form, about 5 minutes.
Immediately spread frosting on cake and press coconut shreds into tops and sides. Top with clementine wedges and strawberries if using; serve within an hour or two. (Or, keep refrigerated for up to 8 hours and wait until just before serving to top with fresh fruit.)
SEIS LECHES CAKE
This is from Sam Sifton in The New York Times cooking e-newsletter. Melissa wrote, "This recipe for a tres leches cake (a traditional syrup-soaked confection from Latin America) takes a good thing — namely the combination of milks that saturate its crumb — and doubles it. Instead of just the usual three milks (sweetened condensed, evaporated and heavy cream), it calls for six, adding coconut milk, condensed coconut milk and dulce de leche. Like the original version, it’s a dense, puddinglike cake flavored with cinnamon and rum. But here, notes of coconut and caramel lend complexity and even more richness. Serve this in small squares, preferably with a bitter espresso or some tea to sip between syrupy bites."
Yield: 18 servings; Time: 1 hour, plus cooling and chilling
This was featured in "A Milky Cake Where More Is More", and be viewed online at https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1020805-seis-leches-cake.
Ingredients
5 tablespoons melted unsalted butter, plus more softened butter for greasing the pan
1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon, plus more for sprinkling
1/4 teaspoon grated nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt, plus a pinch
6 large eggs, separated
3 tablespoons whole milk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
1 (14-ounce) can unsweetened coconut milk
1 cup evaporated milk
3/4 cup sweetened condensed coconut milk (a 7-ounce can, or use more regular condensed milk)
2/3 cup sweetened condensed milk
3 tablespoons dark or amber rum
1 cup dulce de leche
1-1/2 cups heavy cream
Preparation
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 9-by-13-inch baking pan. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, 3/4 cup sugar, the baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg and 1/4 teaspoon salt. In a large bowl, whisk together the egg yolks, melted butter, milk and vanilla.
Using an electric mixer fitted with the whisk or beaters, set on medium speed, beat the egg whites until frothy, about 2 minutes. Add the cream of tartar, and beat until thick, fluffy and white but before peaks form, another 2 to 3 minutes. Add remaining 1/4 cup of sugar, a little at a time, and continue beating until the whites are glossy and firm peaks form when the beaters are lifted, another 3 to 5 minutes.
Whisk half the flour mixture into the yolks (it will seem like paste). Whisk a quarter of the egg whites into the yolk mixture to lighten it. Using a rubber spatula, gently fold in another quarter of the whites. Sift half of the remaining flour mixture over the batter and fold in. Fold in another quarter of the egg whites followed by the rest of the sifted flour and finally the rest of the whites. Scrape batter into the pan and smooth the top with the spatula.
Bake until the cake is golden and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 25 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool for 20 minutes.
While the cake is cooling, in a small saucepan over medium heat, stir together the coconut milk, evaporated milk, condensed coconut milk, condensed milk, rum and a pinch of salt. Heat until steaming, stirring to dissolve any lumps.
Use a fork to poke holes all over the top of the warm cake, then cut it into 18 pieces but don’t take the pieces out of the pan. Pour milk mixture evenly over the cake. Cover and chill cake for at least 8 hours or preferably overnight (or up to 3 days).
No more than 4 hours before serving, spread 3/4 cup dulce de leche over top of the cake. Whip the cream with the remaining 1/4 cup dulce de leche until thick and mousse-like. Spread the whipped cream on the cake, and sprinkle with more cinnamon.
CHOCOLATE DUMP-IT CAKE
This is from Amanda Hesser in The New York Times cooking e-newsletter. Amanda wrote, "A couple of years ago, my mother taught me to make her dense but moist chocolate birthday cake. She calls it 'dump-it cake' because you mix all of the ingredients in a pot over medium heat, then dump the batter into a cake pan to bake. For the icing, you melt Nestlé's semisweet-chocolate chips and swirl them together with sour cream. It sounds as if it's straight from the Pillsbury Bake-Off, but it tastes as if it's straight from Payard. Everyone loves it."
Yield: 10 servings; Time: 1 hour 45 minutes
This was featured in "Food Diary; Personal Best", and can be viewed online at https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/9404-chocolate-dump-it-cake.
Ingredients
2 cups sugar
4 ounces unsweetened chocolate
1 stick unsalted butter, plus more for greasing the pan
2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting the pan
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup milk
1 teaspoon cider vinegar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1-1/2 cups Nestle's semisweet-chocolate chips
1-1/2 cups sour cream, at room temperature
Preparation
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees and place a baking sheet on the lowest rack to catch any drips as the cake bakes on the middle rack. In a 2- to 3-quart pot, mix together the sugar, unsweetened chocolate, butter and 1 cup of water. Place over medium heat and stir occasionally until all of the ingredients are melted and blended. Remove from the heat and let cool slightly.
Meanwhile, sift together the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. In a small bowl, stir together the milk and vinegar. Grease and flour a 9-inch tube pan (Tip: Be meticulous, and really work the butter and flour into the crevices of the pan. This is a moist cake, so it really needs a well-prepared pan to keep it from sticking).
When the chocolate in the pot has cooled a bit, whisk in the milk mixture and eggs. In several additions, and without overmixing, whisk in the dry ingredients. When the mixture is smooth, add the vanilla and whisk once or twice to blend. Pour the batter into the tube pan and bake on the middle rack until a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean, about 30 to 35 minutes. Let the cake cool for 10 minutes, then remove from the pan and cool on a rack. (This can be tricky -- if someone is around to help, enlist him.) Let cool completely.
Meanwhile, melt the chocolate chips in a double boiler, then let cool to room temperature. Stir in the sour cream, 1/4 cup at a time, until the mixture is smooth.
When the cake is cool, you may frost it as is or cut it in half so that you have 2 layers. There will be extra icing whether you have 1 or 2 layers. My mother always uses it to make flowers on top. She makes a small rosette, or button, then uses toasted slices of almond as the petals, pushing them in around the base of the rosette.
LEMON POUND CAKE
This is from Betty Crocker, and begins, "Add a splash of sunshine to any spring brunch or dessert spread with this bright lemon pound cake. Yellow cake mix is combined with cream cheese and grated lemon peel for a pound cake that’s rich in flavor and bursting with refreshing citrus notes. With just six simple ingredients and only 15 minutes of prep time, you can whip up this lemon pound cake recipe when you want to bake something homemade, but don’t have all day to do it."
Prep Time: 15 minutes; Total Time: 2 hours 25 minutes; Servings: 12
To view this online, click here.
Ingredients
1 box Betty Crocker™ Super Moist™ yellow cake mix
1 package (3 oz) cream cheese, softened
1 cup water or milk
1 tablespoon grated lemon peel
3 eggs
1/4 cup Betty Crocker™ Rich & Creamy lemon frosting
Directions
Heat oven to 325°F. Generously spray bottom only of 9x5-inch loaf pan with baking spray with flour.
In medium bowl, beat cake mix, cream cheese, water, grated lemon peel and eggs with electric mixer on low speed 1 minute, scraping bowl frequently, then on medium speed 2 minutes, scraping bowl occasionally. Pour into pan.
Bake 50 to 60 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan 10 minutes. Remove from pan to cooling rack or heatproof serving plate. Cool completely, about 1 hour.
In small microwavable bowl, microwave frosting uncovered on High 10 to 15 seconds or until frosting is thin enough to drizzle; stir. Spoon frosting evenly over cake, allowing frosting to drip down sides.
Expert Tips
If you have leftover cake, cut it into slices and place individually in sandwich-size food-storage plastic bags. Seal bags and freeze. You'll have a quick treat when you need it!
For added lemon flavor, sprinkle some extra grated lemon peel over the cake.
For a different look, cut your cake into wedges instead of traditional slices.
This elegant pound cake makes a wonderful hostess gift for any dinner party.
PEANUT BUTTER CHOCOLATE CAKE
This recipe comes from Publix.
Servings: 8; Total Time: about 3 hours; Active Time: 10 minutes
To view this recipe online, click here.
Ingredients
Butter-flavor cooking spray
1 (15.25-oz) box devil's food cake mix
2 cups water, divided
2 large eggs
3/4 cup creamy peanut butter
1 (4-oz) semisweet chocolate bar (or morsels)
1/4 cup peanuts, chopped
8 tablespoons whipped topping
Directions
Coat 4-quart slow cooker with spray. Place cake mix, 1 cup water, and eggs in large bowl; beat with hand mixer until blended. Add peanut butter; mix well and pour mixture into slow cooker.
Microwave remaining 1 cup water on HIGH for 2 minutes or until steaming. Break chocolate into pieces, if needed, then place in water and stir until melted; let stand 1 minute to cool. Pour chocolate over batter in slow cooker.
Cover and cook on LOW for 2–2 1/2 hours (or HIGH for 1 1/2–1 3/4 hours) or until toothpick inserted near center comes out with fudgy crumbs. Chop peanuts. Serve cake straight from slow cooker topped with whipped topping and peanuts.
DENSE AND DELICIOUS CHOCOLATE CAKE
This is from the October 2006 issue of Vegetarian Times (page 31), and begins, “Wow the chocolate lovers in your life with this fudgy creation that’s as easy to whip up as a cake mix.” Makes 10 servings.
To view this online, click here.
Ingredients
Chocolate Cake
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup sugar
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/4 cup low-fat buttermilk
1 large egg
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 cup brewed espresso or strong coffee
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
Fudge Glaze
2 Tbs. low-fat buttermilk
2 Tbs. cocoa powder
2 Tbs. unsalted butter
1/2 cup confectioners' sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract
Preparation
Preheat oven to 400F. Coat 9-inch round springform pan with cooking spray. Combine flour, sugar, and baking soda in bowl. Whisk together buttermilk, egg, and vanilla in separate bowl.
Combine espresso and cocoa in large saucepan. Add butter, and bring to a boil over medium-high heat, whisking constantly. Remove from heat, and stir in dry ingredients. Add buttermilk mixture, and whisk until smooth.
Pour batter into prepared pan, and bake 15 to 20 minutes, or until top looks dry but toothpick inserted in center comes out moist.
Meanwhile, make Fudge Glaze: Combine buttermilk, cocoa powder, and butter in medium saucepan, and bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Remove from heat, and stir in sugar and vanilla.
Pierce holes all over cake with skewer or fork. Spread glaze over cake with spatula. Let stand 5 minutes before unmolding, and serve.
AMBROSIA CAKE
This comes from Melissa Clark in The New York Times cooking e-newsletter. Melissa wrote, “If you love the combination of oranges, coconut and marshmallows found in a traditional ambrosia — the salad or dessert that often also contains pineapple, bananas, cherries and some kind of creamy dressing such as whipped cream or sour cream — you’ll adore this cake. The coconut is baked into the cake layers and used as a sweet, shaggy garnish, while the oranges (in this case, diminutive, seedless clementines) are juiced into curd and sliced fresh for the filling. Then, as a final, fluffy touch, a homemade marshmallow frosting tops it off. It may be a lot of work, but it’s an impressive result. And you can make the curd and cake a few days ahead. Just be sure to make the frosting and assemble everything within 8 hours of serving. Otherwise the fruit starts to break down and the icing may crystallize.”
Yield: 12 servings; Time: 3 hours
This was originally featured in “An Ambrosial Cake, and That’s Just the Filling” and can be viewed online here.
Ingredients
For the Cake:
2-3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
1/2 cup whole milk
1/2 cup unsweetened coconut milk
1 tablespoon coconut rum or dark rum (or use 1 teaspoon coconut extract)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
12 tablespoons unsalted butter (1-1/2 sticks), softened
1/4 cup virgin coconut oil, melted and cooled (or use more butter)
1-1/2 cups sugar
4 large eggs, room temperature, whites and yolks separated
1-1/4 teaspoons finely grated clementine zest (from about 2 clementines)
For the Filling:
1/3 cup fresh clementine juice (from about 4 clementines), plus 2-1/2 teaspoons finely grated clementine zest
1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
4 large eggs
4 large egg yolks (reserve whites for frosting)
7 tablespoons sugar
Pinch kosher salt
12 tablespoons unsalted butter (1-1/2 sticks), cubed
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
For the Frosting:
4 large egg whites
1 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
Pinch kosher salt
For Decorating and Assembling:
8 to 10 seedless clementines
1-1/2 to 3 cups shredded sweetened or unsweetened coconut, to taste
Strawberries, sliced (optional)
Preparation
Bake the cake: Heat oven to 350 degrees and place a rack in the middle. Butter two 9-inch cake pans and line with parchment paper on the bottom.
In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder and salt. In a separate bowl, whisk together milk, coconut milk, rum and vanilla.
In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat butter, coconut oil and sugar together until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Beat in egg yolks, one at a time, then beat in zest. Beat in half the flour mixture, followed by half the milk mixture. Repeat, beating just until combined and scraping down bowl as necessary.
In a separate bowl, use an electric beater to whisk egg whites just until stiff peaks form. Fold into cake batter.
Divide batter between pans. Bake until lightly golden and toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, about 30 minutes. Transfer pans to a wire rack to cool for 10 minutes, then unmold cakes and cool completely on rack. (Cakes can be made up to 2 days ahead; once cool, wrap in plastic and refrigerate.)
Meanwhile, make the filling: Bring clementine juice and lemon juice to a boil over medium heat in a medium saucepan. In a medium bowl, whisk together eggs, yolks, sugar and salt. Whisking constantly, slowly pour hot juice into eggs, then return mixture to saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until thickened, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat; whisk in butter and vanilla. Push through a strainer set over a medium bowl, and stir in clementine zest. Cover with plastic wrap directly on surface of curd and refrigerate until cold. (Curd can be made up to 5 days ahead.) Or to speed up cooling, set bowl of curd in a larger bowl filled with ice water and stir curd until very cold, 7 to 10 minutes. Cover and refrigerate until needed.
Prepare clementines for decorating the cake: Cut the top and bottom off a clementine and set it cut-side down on a cutting board. Use a sharp knife to cut away peel and pith, following the curve of the fruit from top to bottom. Working over a bowl to catch the juices, carefully cut out each segment from the membrane; it should fall into the bowl as you cut. Lay segments out on paper towels to dry slightly while you cut remaining fruit.
Use a large knife to trim tops of cakes to level them, and cut both cakes in half horizontally to make layers.
Place a cake layer on a serving dish and spread a third of the curd over it, leaving a 1-inch border around the edge. Layer a third of the clementine segments on top of curd, spacing them evenly so cake will be balanced. Top with another layer, spread another third of curd over it, and layer with 1/2 cup shredded coconut. Top with cake layer, repeat curd and clementines, saving some clementines for top of cake. Place the remaining cake layer on top, and chill while making frosting.
Make the frosting: Bring a medium pot with 1 inch of water to boil. In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine egg whites, sugar, cream of tartar and salt. Set bowl over simmering water and whisk constantly until eggs reach 160 degrees, or the sugar has melted. Remove from heat, and beat on medium-high speed until stiff peaks form, about 5 minutes.
Immediately spread frosting on cake and press coconut shreds into tops and sides. Top with clementine wedges and strawberries if using; serve within an hour or two. (Or, keep refrigerated for up to 8 hours and wait until just before serving to top with fresh fruit.)
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