Cakes

It's time to check out a few Cakes again. (Yay!) Check out the Secret-Ingredient Lemon-Blueberry Pound Cake, the Chocolate Guinness Cake, or, if sherry is your think, The Cake. Then check out the other cakes in today's post. Enjoy!

ALL-IN-ONE CHOCOLATE CAKE

This comes from Nigella Lawson, from The New York Times' cooking newsletter. If you haven't signed up for their newsletter, I highly recommend it. Nigella writes, “This is the perfect chocolate cake: beautiful, melting, intense but not heavy. The batter comes together quickly in a food processor, and the cake bakes at 350 degrees for a while, giving the baker time to assemble the frosting, which is given a luscious sheen by a bit of corn syrup. Use the best chocolate you can find for the frosting, and gild it however you like: with a few flowers, some birthday candles or nothing at all.” Time: 1 hour 15 minutes; 10 to 12 servings

To view this online, click here.

Ingredients

For the Cake:

Butter for greasing baking pans

1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 cup sugar

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/3 cup best-quality cocoa powder

6 ounces (1-1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature

2 large eggs, at room temperature

2 teaspoons vanilla

3/4 cup sour cream, at room temperature

For the Frosting:

6 ounces good-quality semisweet chocolate, broken into small pieces

3 ounces (3/4 stick) unsalted butter

1 tablespoon light corn syrup

1/2 cup sour cream

1 teaspoon vanilla

2-1/2 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted

Preparation

For cake: heat oven to 350 degrees. Butter sides of two 8-inch cake pans, and line bottoms with parchment paper. In the bowl of a food processor fitted with a knife blade, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, cocoa powder, butter, eggs, vanilla and sour cream. Process to make a smooth, thick batter.

Using a rubber spatula, divide batter between pans, and smooth tops. Bake until a cake tester inserted in center comes out clean, 25 to 35 minutes; do not overbake. Transfer to a wire rack to cool for 10 minutes before removing from cake pans.

For frosting: Combine chocolate and butter in a large heat-proof bowl, and heat until melted in a microwave oven or over a pan of simmering water. Remove from heat, and allow to cool for 5 minutes. Stir in corn syrup, sour cream, and vanilla. Whisk in confectioners' sugar until very smooth. Frosting should be thick and spreadable. If necessary, add a teaspoon or two of boiling water to thin it, or additional sifted confectioners' sugar to thicken.

Cut four strips of waxed or parchment paper, and place them side by side on a cake plate, covering the surface. Place one cake layer domed-side down on plate.

Spoon about a third of the frosting onto center of cake, and use a knife or a spatula to spread it evenly. Place the other cake on top, domed side up. Spoon another third of frosting on top of cake, spreading to make swirls or a smooth finish. Spread sides of cake with remaining frosting, and allow to sit for a few minutes until set. Carefully remove paper strips. Place cake under glass or in an airtight container, and set aside in a cool place until serving.

THE CAKE

This recipe was given to my mom by a friend, who worked as a lawyer for years. She was married to an Episcopal priest; both were involved in the civil rights movement.

This is one of the recipes from Off The Wall Cooking.

Ingredients

1 package (18 oz.) yellow cake mix

1 egg, unbeaten

3/4 C oil

1 package (small) vanilla pudding

3/4 C sherry

Directions

Preheat oven at 350 degrees. Put ingredients in bowl. Beat for 5 minutes. Pour into greased tube cake pan or mold. Bake for 45 minutes.

FABULOUS VEGAN FUDGE CAKE WITH BITTERSWEET ICING

This recipe, from the September 2012 issue of Vegetarian Times, page 66, begins, “'I’ve tried vegan cake recipes in the past, but didn’t like the sour taste of the vinegar that is usually used to activate the leavening,' says single mom and café manager Shelly Platten. 'I tinkered with some recipes that didn’t use vinegar to come up with a fudgy, satisfying cake.'” Serves 8.

To view this online, click here.

Ingredients

1-1/4 cups Bob’s Red Mill organic unbleached white flour

1-2/3 cups Florida Crystals organic cane sugar, divided

1-1/3 cups Chatfield’s cocoa powder, divided

1 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

1 cup Silk vanilla soymilk, divided

1/3 cup plus 1/4 cup canola oil, divided

1 cup toasted chopped hazelnuts

Directions

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line 9-inch round pan with parchment paper, and spray with cooking spray.

Whisk together flour, 1 cup sugar, 2/3 cup cocoa, baking soda, and salt in bowl. Whisk together 2/3 cup soymilk, 1/3 cup oil, and 1/2 cup water in separate bowl. Stir soymilk mixture into flour mixture. Spread in prepared pan, and bake 25 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes. Unmold onto plate.

Warm remaining 2/3 cup cocoa, 2/3 cup sugar, and 1/4 cup oil in saucepan over medium heat. Pour in remaining 1/3 cup soymilk, and cook 1 minute, or until smooth. Spread icing over warm cake, and sprinkle with hazelnuts.

from the September 2012 issue, p.66

nutritional information

Per Slice:

Calories: 525; Protein: 5 g; Total Fat: 25 g; Saturated Fat: 2 g; Carbohydrates: 67 g; Cholesterol: 0 mg; Sodium: 315 mg; Fiber: 7 g; Sugar: 43 g

CHOCOLATE GUINNESS CAKE

This is from Nigella Lawson at The New York Times cooking enewsletter. For this recipe, Nigella wrote, "For me, a chocolate cake is the basic unit of celebration. The chocolate Guinness cake here is simple but deeply pleasurable, and has earned its place as a stand-alone treat."

Time: 1 hour 15 minutes; Yield: One 9-inch cake or 12 servings

This yumminess was featured in "AT MY TABLE; A Feast for a Holiday, Or Everyday Exulting", and can be viewed online at the bottom of the article or at https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1875-chocolate-guinness-cake.

Note: Take time to read the article; very interesting!

Ingredients

For the Cake

Butter for pan

1 cup Guinness stout

10 tablespoons (1 stick plus 2 tablespoons) unsalted butter

3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa

2 cups superfine sugar

3/4 cup sour cream

2 large eggs

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

2 cups all-purpose flour

2-1/2 teaspoons baking soda

For the Topping

1-1/4 cups confectioners' sugar

8 ounces cream cheese at room temperature

1/2 cup heavy cream

Preparation

For the cake: heat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 9-inch springform pan and line with parchment paper. In a large saucepan, combine Guinness and butter. Place over medium-low heat until butter melts, then remove from heat. Add cocoa and superfine sugar, and whisk to blend.

In a small bowl, combine sour cream, eggs and vanilla; mix well. Add to Guinness mixture. Add flour and baking soda, and whisk again until smooth. Pour into buttered pan, and bake until risen and firm, 45 minutes to one hour. Place pan on a wire rack and cool completely in pan.

For the topping: Using a food processor or by hand, mix confectioners' sugar to break up lumps. Add cream cheese and blend until smooth. Add heavy cream, and mix until smooth and spreadable.

Remove cake from pan and place on a platter or cake stand. Ice top of cake only, so that it resembles a frothy pint of Guinness.

SECRET-INGREDIENT LEMON-BLUEBERRY POUND CAKE

This is from the Pillsbury emailing list. It begins, "We bet you’d never guess the secret ingredient in this lemon-blueberry pound cake! This genius twist on the classic dessert only takes 15 minutes to prep, and it’s all thanks to sugar cookie dough (yes, sugar cookie dough!). With just a few additional ingredients—sour cream, egg, lemon zest and fresh blueberries, to be precise—this one-bowl cake is ready for the oven. And don’t forget the sweet-tart lemon glaze—it takes this delicious treat to the next level."

Prep Time: 15 minutes; Total Time: 1 hour 55 minutes; Makes 6 servings

To view this online, click here.

Ingredients

1 roll (16.5 oz) refrigerated Pillsbury™ Sugar Cookie Dough

1/4 cup sour cream

1 egg

1 tablespoon grated lemon zest

2/3 cup fresh or frozen (do not thaw) blueberries

1 cup powdered sugar

2 to 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Directions

Heat oven to 350°F. Spray 8x4-inch loaf pan with cooking spray; lightly flour.

In large bowl, break up cookie dough. Add sour cream, egg and lemon zest. (DO NOT EAT RAW COOKIE DOUGH AFTER COMBINING WITH EGG.) Beat with electric mixer on medium-low speed 2 to 3 minutes or until smooth. Fold in blueberries. Spoon mixture evenly into pan.

Bake 40 to 50 minutes or until golden brown and toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 5 minutes. Run knife around sides of pan to loosen cake. Remove cake from pan; place on cooling rack.

In small bowl, mix powdered sugar and 1 tablespoon of the lemon juice; continue adding lemon juice, 1 teaspoon at a time, until desired drizzling consistency. Spoon glaze over hot cake. Cool 45 minutes before serving.

Tips from the Pillsbury Kitchens

tip 1

If you are using frozen blueberries instead of fresh, add about 10 minutes to your bake time.

PEANUT BUTTER SHEET CAKE

This is from Baking at Home. Prep Time: 20 minute; Cook Time: 25 minutes; Total Time: 45 minutes; Yield: 24

To view this online, go to https://bakingathome.com/recipe/peanut-butter-sheet-cake/.

Ingredients

Cake

2 C. all-purpose flour

2 C. granulated sugar

1 tsp. Clabber Girl® Baking Soda

1/2 tsp. coarse salt

1 C. water

1/2 C. unsalted butter

1/2 C. Crisco® All-Vegetable Shortening

1/2 C. peanut butter

2 eggs

1/2 C. buttermilk

1 tsp. Spice Islands® Pure Vanilla Extract

Frosting

6 Tbsp. unsalted butter

2 Tbsp. peanut butter

6 Tbsp. milk

1 lb. powdered sugar, sifted

1 tsp. Spice Islands® Pure Vanilla Extract

1 C. chopped peanuts

1/2 tsp. coarse salt (optional)

Directions

Preheat oven to 350°F and spray a 15x10x1-inch pan with Baker’s Joy® No-Stick Spray with Flour.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, soda and salt; set aside.

In a small saucepan, combine the water, butter and shortening and turn on medium heat.

Cook until the butter and shortening are melted and the mixture just starts to boil; remove from heat.

Stir in the peanut butter until smooth.

In a small bowl, whisk together the eggs, buttermilk, and vanilla until blended. Pour into the peanut butter mixture and whisk until smooth.

Gently stir in the dry mixture until all the flour is incorporated.

Pour into prepared pan and bake for 20-25 minutes or until the cake springs back when touched or a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

During the last 5-10 minutes of baking, prepare the frosting.

In a medium saucepan, combine the butter, peanut butter and milk.

Heat on medium heat until melted and smooth. Bring just to a boil and immediately remove from heat.

Add the powdered sugar, vanilla and peanuts and stir until you have a creamy frosting.

When the cake is done, pour the frosting over the warm cake and spread the frosting to the edges.

Sprinkle with coarse salt if desired.

Allow to cool before cutting.

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