Cake
If you're looking for a dessert that seems perfect for a celebration, Cake just might be it. Since tomorrow's the 4th of July, it seems to be a perfect day to celebrate.
While we're at it, how about a little music from Kool & the Gang? Here's Celebrate to get you in the mood. Go ahead, try to sit still...
Then it's time to check out Playing for Change's version of Celebrate. This is sure to lift your mood.
Okay, now that you've got some music to celebrate with, here are six cake recipes to help you through the weekend, including a Chocolate Guinness Cake and Coffee Walnut Layer Cake. Enjoy!
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.
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.
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.
LACY VALENTINE CAKE
This was from Fr. Dominic Garramone (aka The Bread Monk). I first ran across his show, Breaking Bread with Fr. Dominic, years ago on PBS. The show has since left television (at least, as far as I can tell), but you can still check out his recipes and books on his website (above).
Yield: 2 coffee cakes.
Ingredients
1/2 cup warm water (100 to 110 degrees)
2 packages FLEISCHMANN'S Active Dry Yeast
1/2 cup warm milk (100 to 110 degrees)
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon butter or margarine, softened
2 eggs
1-1/2 teaspoons salt
4-1/2 to 5 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup chopped maraschino cherries, drained
1/2 cup chopped slivered almonds, toasted
Almond Icing (recipe follows)
Directions
Place warm water in large, warm bowl. Sprinkle in yeast; stir until dissolved. Add warm milk, 1/2 cup sugar, 1/4 cup butter, eggs, salt and 1-1/2 cups flour; blend well. Stir in enough remaining flour to make soft dough. Knead on lightly floured surface until smooth and elastic, about 4 to 6 minutes. Place in greased bowl, turning to grease top. Cover; let rise in warm, draft-free place until doubled in size, about 1 hour.
Pat maraschino cherries between paper towels to remove excess moisture. In medium bowl, combine cherries, almonds and 1/4 cup sugar; reserve.
Punch dough down. Remove dough to lightly floured surface; divide in half. Roll one piece to 24x7-inch oblong. Melt remaining butter; brush half on dough to within 1/2 inch of edges. Sprinkle half of cherry mixture on surface. Beginning at long end, roll up tightly as for jelly roll. Pinch seam to seal; carefully roll back and forth to stretch to 26-inch rope. Place, seam side down, on greased baking sheet. Form into ring; pinch ends together to seal. Shape into heart. With sharp knife, cut slits starting at outside edge of heart, 2/3 of the way through dough, at 3/4-inch intervals. Turn each section on its side to show filling. Repeat with remaining dough, butter and filling. Cover; let rise in warm, draft-free place until doubled in size, about 1 hour.
Bake at 350 degrees for 20 to 25 minutes or until done; switch positions of sheets in oven halfway through baking time for even browning. Remove from sheets; cool on wire racks. Frost with Almond Icing.
Almond Icing:
Combine 1-1/2 cups powdered sugar, sifted, 1/2 teaspoon almond extract and 2 to 3 tablespoons milk. Stir until smooth.
SECRET-INGREDIENT LEMON-BLUEBERRY POUND CAKE
This is from Pillsbury, and 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.
COFFEE WALNUT LAYER CAKE
This is from Nigella Lawson in The New York Times cooking enewsletter. For this recipe, Nigella wrote, "This is a subtle cake: the coffee tempers the sweetness, and the buttery sweetness keeps it all mellow. Even if you don't make cakes, this one is a cinch. Don't be alarmed if the two sponge layers look thin when you unmold them. They are meant to be, because the cake gains a lot of height with its frosting. This cake is all about old-fashioned, homespun charm, so don't worry about how messy it looks: however the frosting goes on is fine. If you want to fully cover the sides of the cake, make a double batch of the frosting."
Time: 1 hour; Yield: 8 to 10 servings
This was featured in "AT MY TABLE; A Different Feast: It's Time for Tea", and can be viewed online at https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/8463-coffee-walnut-layer-cake.
The article that the recipe was featured in is really interesting. It also has a couple of other recipes in the article. Thanks, Nigella.
Also, you might want to check out "How to Frost a Cake", a guide by Melissa Clark. It's very helpful, even for those of us who have been baking cakes forever. (Thanks, Melissa!)
Ingredients
For the Cake
Butter for pans
1/2 cup walnut pieces
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
2 sticks (8 ounces) unsalted butter at room temperature
1-2/3 cups flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 large eggs
2 tablespoons milk at room temperature, more as needed
1 tablespoon instant coffee dissolved in 1 tablespoon boiling water
For the Frosting
2-1/2cups confectioners' sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
1-1/2 sticks (6 ounces) unsalted butter at room temperature
1 tablespoon instant coffee dissolved in 1 tablespoon boiling water
1/4 cup walnut halves, for decoration
Preparation
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Butter two 8-inch cake pans, and line base of each with parchment paper. In food processor, combine 1/2 cup walnut pieces and sugar. Process to a fine powder. Add butter, flour, baking powder, salt and eggs. Process to a smooth batter.
Add 2 tablespoons milk to coffee mixture and pour this down feed tube with motor running. Mixture should be just soft enough to drop from a spoon; if not, add more milk. Divide cake batter between two pans. Bake until risen and springy to touch, about 25 minutes. Cool on a rack for 10 minutes, then remove from pan and place on rack. Remove parchment paper. Cool completely. You may want to level them if they domed in the oven.
For frosting: Place confectioners' sugar and salt in food processor and pulse until lump-free. Add butter and process until smooth. Add coffee mixture down feed tube and pulse until well blended.
Place one cake upside down on a plate or cake stand. Spread with about half the frosting. Place second cake right side up on frosting, and cover top and sides in a swirly pattern. Place a walnut half in center of cake, and gently press remaining halves into top of cake, around the edge.
While we're at it, how about a little music from Kool & the Gang? Here's Celebrate to get you in the mood. Go ahead, try to sit still...
Then it's time to check out Playing for Change's version of Celebrate. This is sure to lift your mood.
Okay, now that you've got some music to celebrate with, here are six cake recipes to help you through the weekend, including a Chocolate Guinness Cake and Coffee Walnut Layer Cake. Enjoy!
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.
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.
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.
LACY VALENTINE CAKE
This was from Fr. Dominic Garramone (aka The Bread Monk). I first ran across his show, Breaking Bread with Fr. Dominic, years ago on PBS. The show has since left television (at least, as far as I can tell), but you can still check out his recipes and books on his website (above).
Yield: 2 coffee cakes.
Ingredients
1/2 cup warm water (100 to 110 degrees)
2 packages FLEISCHMANN'S Active Dry Yeast
1/2 cup warm milk (100 to 110 degrees)
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon butter or margarine, softened
2 eggs
1-1/2 teaspoons salt
4-1/2 to 5 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup chopped maraschino cherries, drained
1/2 cup chopped slivered almonds, toasted
Almond Icing (recipe follows)
Directions
Place warm water in large, warm bowl. Sprinkle in yeast; stir until dissolved. Add warm milk, 1/2 cup sugar, 1/4 cup butter, eggs, salt and 1-1/2 cups flour; blend well. Stir in enough remaining flour to make soft dough. Knead on lightly floured surface until smooth and elastic, about 4 to 6 minutes. Place in greased bowl, turning to grease top. Cover; let rise in warm, draft-free place until doubled in size, about 1 hour.
Pat maraschino cherries between paper towels to remove excess moisture. In medium bowl, combine cherries, almonds and 1/4 cup sugar; reserve.
Punch dough down. Remove dough to lightly floured surface; divide in half. Roll one piece to 24x7-inch oblong. Melt remaining butter; brush half on dough to within 1/2 inch of edges. Sprinkle half of cherry mixture on surface. Beginning at long end, roll up tightly as for jelly roll. Pinch seam to seal; carefully roll back and forth to stretch to 26-inch rope. Place, seam side down, on greased baking sheet. Form into ring; pinch ends together to seal. Shape into heart. With sharp knife, cut slits starting at outside edge of heart, 2/3 of the way through dough, at 3/4-inch intervals. Turn each section on its side to show filling. Repeat with remaining dough, butter and filling. Cover; let rise in warm, draft-free place until doubled in size, about 1 hour.
Bake at 350 degrees for 20 to 25 minutes or until done; switch positions of sheets in oven halfway through baking time for even browning. Remove from sheets; cool on wire racks. Frost with Almond Icing.
Almond Icing:
Combine 1-1/2 cups powdered sugar, sifted, 1/2 teaspoon almond extract and 2 to 3 tablespoons milk. Stir until smooth.
SECRET-INGREDIENT LEMON-BLUEBERRY POUND CAKE
This is from Pillsbury, and 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.
COFFEE WALNUT LAYER CAKE
This is from Nigella Lawson in The New York Times cooking enewsletter. For this recipe, Nigella wrote, "This is a subtle cake: the coffee tempers the sweetness, and the buttery sweetness keeps it all mellow. Even if you don't make cakes, this one is a cinch. Don't be alarmed if the two sponge layers look thin when you unmold them. They are meant to be, because the cake gains a lot of height with its frosting. This cake is all about old-fashioned, homespun charm, so don't worry about how messy it looks: however the frosting goes on is fine. If you want to fully cover the sides of the cake, make a double batch of the frosting."
Time: 1 hour; Yield: 8 to 10 servings
This was featured in "AT MY TABLE; A Different Feast: It's Time for Tea", and can be viewed online at https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/8463-coffee-walnut-layer-cake.
The article that the recipe was featured in is really interesting. It also has a couple of other recipes in the article. Thanks, Nigella.
Also, you might want to check out "How to Frost a Cake", a guide by Melissa Clark. It's very helpful, even for those of us who have been baking cakes forever. (Thanks, Melissa!)
Ingredients
For the Cake
Butter for pans
1/2 cup walnut pieces
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
2 sticks (8 ounces) unsalted butter at room temperature
1-2/3 cups flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 large eggs
2 tablespoons milk at room temperature, more as needed
1 tablespoon instant coffee dissolved in 1 tablespoon boiling water
For the Frosting
2-1/2cups confectioners' sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
1-1/2 sticks (6 ounces) unsalted butter at room temperature
1 tablespoon instant coffee dissolved in 1 tablespoon boiling water
1/4 cup walnut halves, for decoration
Preparation
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Butter two 8-inch cake pans, and line base of each with parchment paper. In food processor, combine 1/2 cup walnut pieces and sugar. Process to a fine powder. Add butter, flour, baking powder, salt and eggs. Process to a smooth batter.
Add 2 tablespoons milk to coffee mixture and pour this down feed tube with motor running. Mixture should be just soft enough to drop from a spoon; if not, add more milk. Divide cake batter between two pans. Bake until risen and springy to touch, about 25 minutes. Cool on a rack for 10 minutes, then remove from pan and place on rack. Remove parchment paper. Cool completely. You may want to level them if they domed in the oven.
For frosting: Place confectioners' sugar and salt in food processor and pulse until lump-free. Add butter and process until smooth. Add coffee mixture down feed tube and pulse until well blended.
Place one cake upside down on a plate or cake stand. Spread with about half the frosting. Place second cake right side up on frosting, and cover top and sides in a swirly pattern. Place a walnut half in center of cake, and gently press remaining halves into top of cake, around the edge.
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