Let Them Eat Cake
If you love cake, today's post is sure to please. Check out the Red Velvet Cake, the Black Forest Sheet Cake, and the rest of today's yumminess. Enjoy!
STRAWBERRY CAKE
This is from Laurel Randolph at Simply Recipes. For this recipe, Laurel wrote, "I’m one of three sisters, and all of our birthdays are within a few weeks of each other. My poor mother would make each of us a birthday cake, lighting the candles and going through the whole birthday party rigamarole week after week. She’d ask each of us what kind of cake we wanted, and while we tried to mix things up to keep it interesting, all any of us really wanted was a strawberry cake.
"My mother made countless vibrant pink strawberry layer cakes, and we gobbled them up. I called her up when I started the recipe development process, and she revealed that the strawberry cakes she made for us growing up contained strawberry Jell-O, giving the cake its bright hue.
"When one of my sisters requested a strawberry cake as her wedding cake, my mother went back to the drawing board, making a semi-homemade and superior version using puréed strawberries and strawberry cake mix.
"I wanted to recapture the strawberry cake magic I remember from my childhood in a homemade recipe. It took a lot of testing, but I finally ended up with a cake I’m delighted with—moist, tender, with tons of real strawberry flavor. And it’s incredibly easy to make!"
Prep Time 30 minutes; Cook Time 40 minutes; Cool Time 60 minutes; Total Time 2 hrs 10 minutes; Servings 10 servings; Yield 1 (2-layer) cake
To view this online, go to https://www.simplyrecipes.com/strawberry-cake-recipe-8650303.
Ingredients
For the cake
2-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
3 large eggs, room temperature
2/3 cup strawberry jam, room temperature
1/2 cup sour cream, room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Red food coloring or gel, as desired, optional
For the frosting
1 cup (22g) freeze-dried strawberries
1 (8-ounce) brick cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
3 cups powdered sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
Up to 3 tablespoons milk, as needed
A handful of fresh strawberries, sliced, for decoration
Directions
Preheat the oven to 350°F.
Grease two 8-inch round cake pans. Line the bottoms with rounds of parchment and lightly grease the paper.
Combine the dry ingredients:
To make the cake, sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl.
Make the cake batter:
Add the butter and sugar to the bowl of a stand mixer or a large mixing bowl with a hand mixer. Beat at medium speed until pale and fluffy, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating until well combined after each addition. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl.
Add half of the dry ingredients and mix just until combined. Add the strawberry jam and mix until combined. Mix in the rest of the dry ingredients, scrape down the bowl, then add the sour cream, vanilla, and red food coloring, if using. Mix just until combined and no streaks of flour remain.
Bake:
Divide the batter evenly between the prepared baking pans. Gently spread into an even layer.
Bake until a tester or toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 35 to 45 minutes. Set the pans on a cooling rack and let cool for 10 minutes. Carefully invert the pans on the rack, remove the pans, and peel off the parchment. Let cool completely.
Make the strawberry powder:
Once the cakes are cool, make the frosting. Add the freeze-dried strawberries to a spice grinder or mini food processor and process until a fine powder forms. Alternatively, place the fruit in a zip-top bag and pound using a rolling pin or similar instrument.
Simple Tip!
Make sure that whatever you use to grind up the freeze-dried strawberries is completely dry.
LEMON-ALMOND BUTTER CAKE
This was in The New York Times cooking e-newsletter, and begins, “This buttery almond cake with lemon curd baked inside is like the ultimate citrus tart, without the heartbreak of pie crust. It's fancy enough to be served as a dinner party dessert, yet substantial enough to be served with Sunday brunch. (Bonus: you'll have several tablespoons of lemon curd left over. It's delicious on toast or pancakes.)”
Yield: 8 servings; Time: 2 hours 30 minutes, plus cooling time.
This was featured in “Not The Usual Chef On The Shelf” and can be viewed online here.
Ingredients
For the Lemon Curd:
Grated zest and juice of 2 lemons
3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
4 extra-large eggs
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, cubed
For the Cake:
9 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
1 cup plus 1 tablespoon flour
1 cup plus 1 to 2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
2 extra-large eggs
1/2 cup ground toasted almonds
2 tablespoons toasted sliced almonds
About 1/2 cup heavy cream for garnish
1 tablespoon almond liqueur (optional)
Preparation
For the curd, combine zest, juice, sugar and eggs in a heatproof bowl, and beat well. Add butter, and place over a saucepan full of simmering water. Cook, stirring constantly with a rubber spatula or wooden spoon, until mixture thickens into curd, about 5 minutes. Strain into a bowl, and press plastic wrap onto surface to keep skin from forming.
Refrigerate until cool, at least 1-1/2 hours.
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease 9-inch spring-form pan with 1 tablespoon butter, and dust with 1 tablespoon flour, shaking out excess.
With an electric mixer, cream the remaining butter and 1 cup sugar together until light and fluffy. Sift together the remaining flour, baking powder and salt, and stir in. In a separate bowl, whisk eggs until they start to foam. Do not overbeat or the cake will be tough. Add eggs and ground almonds to batter, and mix well.
Scrape batter into the prepared pan. Drop 8 individual tablespoons lemon curd around perimeter of batter, leaving a 1-inch border, and taking care to space drops evenly. Drop 3 to 4 tablespoons curd into center of batter. Refrigerate remaining curd for another use. Sprinkle cake with toasted almonds and 1 to 2 tablespoons sugar, depending on taste.
Bake until cake is toasty brown on top and a toothpick inserted into cake (not curd) comes out clean, about 40 minutes. Let cool on rack 10 minutes, then remove sides of pan, and cool completely.
Whip cream with almond liqueur. Present cake at table, and offer whipped cream on the side.
BLACK FOREST SHEET CAKE
This is from Samantha Seneviratne in The New York Times cooking enewsletter. For this yumminess, Samantha wrote, "This beauty has all the beloved flavors of the classic Black Forest cake — cherries, chocolate and cream — re-assembled into a casual sheet cake perfect for summer picnics and birthday parties. To make the process even simpler, you can make and refrigerate the cherry jam up to 3 days in advance. Feel free to use fresh or frozen fruit (and there’s no need to thaw first, if using frozen). You can make this cake in the summertime, when fresh cherries are at their peak, or in the dead of winter, when you need something fresh and fruity to brighten your day."
Prep Time: 20 minutes; Cook Time: 65 minutes; Total Time: 1 hour 25 minutes, plus cooling; Yield: 12 servings
This can be viewed online at https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1025668-black-forest-sheet-cake.
Ingredients
For the Cake
3/4 cup vegetable oil, plus more for the pan
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup packed dark brown sugar
1 cup Dutch-processed cocoa powder
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon kosher salt
2 large eggs
1-1/2 cups buttermilk
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
For the Cherry Jam
6 cups fresh or frozen dark sweet cherries, pitted (see Tip)
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 to 2 tablespoons Kirsch, to taste
1/4 teaspoon almond extract
2 teaspoons cornstarch
To Finish
2 cups cold heavy cream
2 tablespoons powdered sugar
Chocolate shavings (optional), for serving
Preparation
Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Oil a 9- by-13-inch baking pan, then line it with parchment paper leaving a 2-inch overhang on the two long sides.
In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, granulated sugar, brown sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt. In a medium bowl, whisk together 3/4 cup oil, the eggs, buttermilk and vanilla. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and whisk just until combined. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and spread evenly.
Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with moist crumbs attached, 26 to 32 minutes. Transfer to a rack to cool completely.
While the cake cools, prepare the cherry jam: In a small saucepan, combine 5 cups of the cherries with the granulated sugar over medium heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, breaking the cherries down with a wooden spoon or potato masher, until the fruit has released its juice, about 6 minutes.
Pass the cherry mixture through a fine-mesh sieve, reserving the syrup in a medium bowl and setting aside the cooked cherries. (Reserve the saucepan.) Measure out 1/2 cup of the syrup. (If you have more, store the rest in the refrigerator for another use.) Transfer 1 tablespoon syrup from the 1/2 cup to a small bowl, then stir the Kirsch and almond extract into remaining syrup; set aside to cool completely.
Add cornstarch to the reserved 1 tablespoon cherry syrup in the small bowl; whisk to combine. Transfer it to the saucepan, add the cooked cherries and cook over medium, stirring, until the mixture has thickened, 3 to 5 minutes. Transfer to a bowl to cool completely.
To finish: Using an electric mixer on medium, beat the cream and powdered sugar until you have medium-stiff peaks, about 2 minutes. Transfer cake to a serving plate. Poke the cake evenly all over with a toothpick then brush it with about 1/2 cup of the cherry-Kirsch syrup. Spread the cherry jam evenly on top and then top with the whipped cream. Top with the remaining 1 cup of cherries and some of the remaining cherry syrup; top with chocolate shavings, if desired. Serve right away.
Tip
If you don’t have a cherry pitter, you can use a chopstick or a pastry tip to force the pit out.
CHERRY-COLA DUMP CAKE
This yumminess comes from Betty Crocker, and begins, "Super easy to prepare: Just mix devil's food cake mix with cola and pour over cherries. Bake for one hour and voila!"
Prep Time: 5 minutes; Total Time: 60 minutes; Servings: 9
To view this online, click here.
Ingredients
1 jar (16 oz) maraschino cherries with juice (without stems)
1 box Betty Crocker™ Super Moist™ devil’s food cake mix
1 cup cola-flavored carbonated beverage
Directions
Heat oven to 350°F. Into ungreased 13x9-inch (3-quart) glass baking dish, “dump” cherries with cherry juice.
In medium bowl, mix cake mix and carbonated beverage. “Dump” mixture over cherries.
Bake 35 to 40 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool about 15 minutes before cutting and serving cake.
Expert Tips
Serve with whipped cream and additional cherries.
You could substitute cherry pie filling in place of the maraschino cherries and juice.
RHUBARB CAKE
This is from Emily Weinberger on the Food Network site. The recipe begins, "Greek yogurt is the secret to this rhubarb cake, producing a sweet and tangy batter. The crunchy topping--spiced with nutmeg and ginger--gives off serious coffee cake vibes. It's perfect for breakfast with a mug of tea and makes a showstopping and delicious dessert for a dinner party."
Active Time: 30 minutes; Total Time: 2 hours 40 minutes (including cooling time); Yield: 10 to 12 servings; Level: Easy
To view this online, go to https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/food-network-kitchen/rhubarb-cake-12470457.
Ingredients
Crumb Topping:
3/4 cups all-purpose flour
2/3 cup packed light brown sugar
1/3 cup old-fashioned oats
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
Pinch of ground nutmeg
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
Cake:
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature, plus more for greasing the pan
2 cups all-purpose flour (see Cook's Note)
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup granulated sugar
3 large eggs
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup plain whole-milk Greek yogurt
3 stalks rhubarb (about 7-1/2 ounces), sliced 1/8 inch thick (about 3 cups)
Directions
For the crumb topping: Combined the flour, brown sugar, oats, ginger, salt and nutmeg in a small bowl. Add the butter and mix thoroughly with your fingers or a fork until all the butter has been evenly distributed and incorporated into the flour. Form into small to medium clumps with your fingers. Set aside.
For the cake: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter an 8-inch square cake pan.
Whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl.
Beat the butter and granulated sugar together in a large bowl with an electric mixer (or using a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment) on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in the vanilla.
Reduce the mixer speed to low and mix the flour mixture in 3 parts, alternating with the Greek yogurt in 2 parts, beginning and ending with the flour and beating until just incorporated. Fold in the rhubarb using a rubber spatula. Take care not to overmix the batter.
Spoon the batter (it will be thick) into the prepared pan and smooth with an offset spatula. Sprinkle on the crumb topping, distributing it evenly.
Bake until the topping is golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out with just a few moist crumbs, 1 hour to 1 hour 10 minutes. Let the cake cool completely in the pan on a wire rack, about 1 hour.
Cook’s Note
When measuring flour, we spoon it into a dry measuring cup and level off excess. (Scooping directly from the bag compacts the flour, resulting in dry baked goods.)
RED VELVET CAKE
We lived in Connecticut for several years while I was growing up. During this time, a lady called the local radio station and said she’d recently returned from a trip. During a stay in a fancy hotel with her husband, she had this cake in their restaurant. Returning home, she wrote to the hotel and requested a copy of the recipe, saying she’d pay for it. She received a copy of the recipe, along with a bill for $300. (This was during the mid-1960s.) Furious over the bill, she proceeded to read the recipe over the air.
Ingredients
1/2 C butter (see note)
1/4 tsp. salt
1-1/2 C sugar
1 C buttermilk
2 eggs, well beaten
1 T vinegar
1 tsp. vanilla
1 tsp. baking soda
2 T cocoa
2-1/4 C flour (sifted)
2 oz. red food coloring
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease & flour two 8" round pans. Cream butter and sugar. Add eggs. Make paste of food coloring and cocoa. Add to first mix. Add salt and buttermilk alternately with flour. Add vanilla. Dissolve soda in vinegar and add this last. Blend all ingredients, as little as possible. Pour into pans and bake for 30-40 minutes. When cool, split each layer horizontally.
FROSTING FOR RED VELVET CAKE
Ingredients
1 C butter (see note)
1 C milk
1 C sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
5 T unbleached flour
Cream butter with sugar. Cook flour and milk in saucepan until very thick, stirring the whole time. Cool. Combine 2 mixes and add vanilla, using electric mixer. Spread on cake.
NOTE: Butter must be used in the frosting, otherwise the frosting will liquefy and refuse to harden. In the cake itself, though, margarine may be used. Also, if two 9" round pans are used, layers don’t need to be cut in half.
STRAWBERRY CAKE
This is from Laurel Randolph at Simply Recipes. For this recipe, Laurel wrote, "I’m one of three sisters, and all of our birthdays are within a few weeks of each other. My poor mother would make each of us a birthday cake, lighting the candles and going through the whole birthday party rigamarole week after week. She’d ask each of us what kind of cake we wanted, and while we tried to mix things up to keep it interesting, all any of us really wanted was a strawberry cake.
"My mother made countless vibrant pink strawberry layer cakes, and we gobbled them up. I called her up when I started the recipe development process, and she revealed that the strawberry cakes she made for us growing up contained strawberry Jell-O, giving the cake its bright hue.
"When one of my sisters requested a strawberry cake as her wedding cake, my mother went back to the drawing board, making a semi-homemade and superior version using puréed strawberries and strawberry cake mix.
"I wanted to recapture the strawberry cake magic I remember from my childhood in a homemade recipe. It took a lot of testing, but I finally ended up with a cake I’m delighted with—moist, tender, with tons of real strawberry flavor. And it’s incredibly easy to make!"
Prep Time 30 minutes; Cook Time 40 minutes; Cool Time 60 minutes; Total Time 2 hrs 10 minutes; Servings 10 servings; Yield 1 (2-layer) cake
To view this online, go to https://www.simplyrecipes.com/strawberry-cake-recipe-8650303.
Ingredients
For the cake
2-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
3 large eggs, room temperature
2/3 cup strawberry jam, room temperature
1/2 cup sour cream, room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Red food coloring or gel, as desired, optional
1 cup (22g) freeze-dried strawberries
1 (8-ounce) brick cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
3 cups powdered sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
Up to 3 tablespoons milk, as needed
A handful of fresh strawberries, sliced, for decoration
Directions
Preheat the oven to 350°F.
Grease two 8-inch round cake pans. Line the bottoms with rounds of parchment and lightly grease the paper.
Combine the dry ingredients:
To make the cake, sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl.
Make the cake batter:
Add the butter and sugar to the bowl of a stand mixer or a large mixing bowl with a hand mixer. Beat at medium speed until pale and fluffy, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating until well combined after each addition. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl.
Add half of the dry ingredients and mix just until combined. Add the strawberry jam and mix until combined. Mix in the rest of the dry ingredients, scrape down the bowl, then add the sour cream, vanilla, and red food coloring, if using. Mix just until combined and no streaks of flour remain.
Bake:
Divide the batter evenly between the prepared baking pans. Gently spread into an even layer.
Bake until a tester or toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 35 to 45 minutes. Set the pans on a cooling rack and let cool for 10 minutes. Carefully invert the pans on the rack, remove the pans, and peel off the parchment. Let cool completely.
Make the strawberry powder:
Once the cakes are cool, make the frosting. Add the freeze-dried strawberries to a spice grinder or mini food processor and process until a fine powder forms. Alternatively, place the fruit in a zip-top bag and pound using a rolling pin or similar instrument.
Simple Tip!
Make sure that whatever you use to grind up the freeze-dried strawberries is completely dry.
LEMON-ALMOND BUTTER CAKE
This was in The New York Times cooking e-newsletter, and begins, “This buttery almond cake with lemon curd baked inside is like the ultimate citrus tart, without the heartbreak of pie crust. It's fancy enough to be served as a dinner party dessert, yet substantial enough to be served with Sunday brunch. (Bonus: you'll have several tablespoons of lemon curd left over. It's delicious on toast or pancakes.)”
Yield: 8 servings; Time: 2 hours 30 minutes, plus cooling time.
This was featured in “Not The Usual Chef On The Shelf” and can be viewed online here.
Ingredients
For the Lemon Curd:
Grated zest and juice of 2 lemons
3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
4 extra-large eggs
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, cubed
For the Cake:
9 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
1 cup plus 1 tablespoon flour
1 cup plus 1 to 2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
2 extra-large eggs
1/2 cup ground toasted almonds
2 tablespoons toasted sliced almonds
About 1/2 cup heavy cream for garnish
1 tablespoon almond liqueur (optional)
Preparation
For the curd, combine zest, juice, sugar and eggs in a heatproof bowl, and beat well. Add butter, and place over a saucepan full of simmering water. Cook, stirring constantly with a rubber spatula or wooden spoon, until mixture thickens into curd, about 5 minutes. Strain into a bowl, and press plastic wrap onto surface to keep skin from forming.
Refrigerate until cool, at least 1-1/2 hours.
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease 9-inch spring-form pan with 1 tablespoon butter, and dust with 1 tablespoon flour, shaking out excess.
With an electric mixer, cream the remaining butter and 1 cup sugar together until light and fluffy. Sift together the remaining flour, baking powder and salt, and stir in. In a separate bowl, whisk eggs until they start to foam. Do not overbeat or the cake will be tough. Add eggs and ground almonds to batter, and mix well.
Scrape batter into the prepared pan. Drop 8 individual tablespoons lemon curd around perimeter of batter, leaving a 1-inch border, and taking care to space drops evenly. Drop 3 to 4 tablespoons curd into center of batter. Refrigerate remaining curd for another use. Sprinkle cake with toasted almonds and 1 to 2 tablespoons sugar, depending on taste.
Bake until cake is toasty brown on top and a toothpick inserted into cake (not curd) comes out clean, about 40 minutes. Let cool on rack 10 minutes, then remove sides of pan, and cool completely.
Whip cream with almond liqueur. Present cake at table, and offer whipped cream on the side.
BLACK FOREST SHEET CAKE
This is from Samantha Seneviratne in The New York Times cooking enewsletter. For this yumminess, Samantha wrote, "This beauty has all the beloved flavors of the classic Black Forest cake — cherries, chocolate and cream — re-assembled into a casual sheet cake perfect for summer picnics and birthday parties. To make the process even simpler, you can make and refrigerate the cherry jam up to 3 days in advance. Feel free to use fresh or frozen fruit (and there’s no need to thaw first, if using frozen). You can make this cake in the summertime, when fresh cherries are at their peak, or in the dead of winter, when you need something fresh and fruity to brighten your day."
Prep Time: 20 minutes; Cook Time: 65 minutes; Total Time: 1 hour 25 minutes, plus cooling; Yield: 12 servings
This can be viewed online at https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1025668-black-forest-sheet-cake.
Ingredients
For the Cake
3/4 cup vegetable oil, plus more for the pan
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup packed dark brown sugar
1 cup Dutch-processed cocoa powder
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon kosher salt
2 large eggs
1-1/2 cups buttermilk
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
For the Cherry Jam
6 cups fresh or frozen dark sweet cherries, pitted (see Tip)
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 to 2 tablespoons Kirsch, to taste
1/4 teaspoon almond extract
2 teaspoons cornstarch
To Finish
2 cups cold heavy cream
2 tablespoons powdered sugar
Chocolate shavings (optional), for serving
Preparation
Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Oil a 9- by-13-inch baking pan, then line it with parchment paper leaving a 2-inch overhang on the two long sides.
In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, granulated sugar, brown sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt. In a medium bowl, whisk together 3/4 cup oil, the eggs, buttermilk and vanilla. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and whisk just until combined. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and spread evenly.
Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with moist crumbs attached, 26 to 32 minutes. Transfer to a rack to cool completely.
While the cake cools, prepare the cherry jam: In a small saucepan, combine 5 cups of the cherries with the granulated sugar over medium heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, breaking the cherries down with a wooden spoon or potato masher, until the fruit has released its juice, about 6 minutes.
Pass the cherry mixture through a fine-mesh sieve, reserving the syrup in a medium bowl and setting aside the cooked cherries. (Reserve the saucepan.) Measure out 1/2 cup of the syrup. (If you have more, store the rest in the refrigerator for another use.) Transfer 1 tablespoon syrup from the 1/2 cup to a small bowl, then stir the Kirsch and almond extract into remaining syrup; set aside to cool completely.
Add cornstarch to the reserved 1 tablespoon cherry syrup in the small bowl; whisk to combine. Transfer it to the saucepan, add the cooked cherries and cook over medium, stirring, until the mixture has thickened, 3 to 5 minutes. Transfer to a bowl to cool completely.
To finish: Using an electric mixer on medium, beat the cream and powdered sugar until you have medium-stiff peaks, about 2 minutes. Transfer cake to a serving plate. Poke the cake evenly all over with a toothpick then brush it with about 1/2 cup of the cherry-Kirsch syrup. Spread the cherry jam evenly on top and then top with the whipped cream. Top with the remaining 1 cup of cherries and some of the remaining cherry syrup; top with chocolate shavings, if desired. Serve right away.
Tip
If you don’t have a cherry pitter, you can use a chopstick or a pastry tip to force the pit out.
CHERRY-COLA DUMP CAKE
This yumminess comes from Betty Crocker, and begins, "Super easy to prepare: Just mix devil's food cake mix with cola and pour over cherries. Bake for one hour and voila!"
Prep Time: 5 minutes; Total Time: 60 minutes; Servings: 9
To view this online, click here.
Ingredients
1 jar (16 oz) maraschino cherries with juice (without stems)
1 box Betty Crocker™ Super Moist™ devil’s food cake mix
1 cup cola-flavored carbonated beverage
Directions
Heat oven to 350°F. Into ungreased 13x9-inch (3-quart) glass baking dish, “dump” cherries with cherry juice.
In medium bowl, mix cake mix and carbonated beverage. “Dump” mixture over cherries.
Bake 35 to 40 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool about 15 minutes before cutting and serving cake.
Expert Tips
Serve with whipped cream and additional cherries.
You could substitute cherry pie filling in place of the maraschino cherries and juice.
RHUBARB CAKE
This is from Emily Weinberger on the Food Network site. The recipe begins, "Greek yogurt is the secret to this rhubarb cake, producing a sweet and tangy batter. The crunchy topping--spiced with nutmeg and ginger--gives off serious coffee cake vibes. It's perfect for breakfast with a mug of tea and makes a showstopping and delicious dessert for a dinner party."
Active Time: 30 minutes; Total Time: 2 hours 40 minutes (including cooling time); Yield: 10 to 12 servings; Level: Easy
To view this online, go to https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/food-network-kitchen/rhubarb-cake-12470457.
Ingredients
Crumb Topping:
3/4 cups all-purpose flour
2/3 cup packed light brown sugar
1/3 cup old-fashioned oats
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
Pinch of ground nutmeg
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
Cake:
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature, plus more for greasing the pan
2 cups all-purpose flour (see Cook's Note)
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup granulated sugar
3 large eggs
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup plain whole-milk Greek yogurt
3 stalks rhubarb (about 7-1/2 ounces), sliced 1/8 inch thick (about 3 cups)
Directions
For the crumb topping: Combined the flour, brown sugar, oats, ginger, salt and nutmeg in a small bowl. Add the butter and mix thoroughly with your fingers or a fork until all the butter has been evenly distributed and incorporated into the flour. Form into small to medium clumps with your fingers. Set aside.
For the cake: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter an 8-inch square cake pan.
Whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl.
Beat the butter and granulated sugar together in a large bowl with an electric mixer (or using a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment) on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in the vanilla.
Reduce the mixer speed to low and mix the flour mixture in 3 parts, alternating with the Greek yogurt in 2 parts, beginning and ending with the flour and beating until just incorporated. Fold in the rhubarb using a rubber spatula. Take care not to overmix the batter.
Spoon the batter (it will be thick) into the prepared pan and smooth with an offset spatula. Sprinkle on the crumb topping, distributing it evenly.
Bake until the topping is golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out with just a few moist crumbs, 1 hour to 1 hour 10 minutes. Let the cake cool completely in the pan on a wire rack, about 1 hour.
Cook’s Note
When measuring flour, we spoon it into a dry measuring cup and level off excess. (Scooping directly from the bag compacts the flour, resulting in dry baked goods.)
RED VELVET CAKE
We lived in Connecticut for several years while I was growing up. During this time, a lady called the local radio station and said she’d recently returned from a trip. During a stay in a fancy hotel with her husband, she had this cake in their restaurant. Returning home, she wrote to the hotel and requested a copy of the recipe, saying she’d pay for it. She received a copy of the recipe, along with a bill for $300. (This was during the mid-1960s.) Furious over the bill, she proceeded to read the recipe over the air.
Ingredients
1/2 C butter (see note)
1/4 tsp. salt
1-1/2 C sugar
1 C buttermilk
2 eggs, well beaten
1 T vinegar
1 tsp. vanilla
1 tsp. baking soda
2 T cocoa
2-1/4 C flour (sifted)
2 oz. red food coloring
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease & flour two 8" round pans. Cream butter and sugar. Add eggs. Make paste of food coloring and cocoa. Add to first mix. Add salt and buttermilk alternately with flour. Add vanilla. Dissolve soda in vinegar and add this last. Blend all ingredients, as little as possible. Pour into pans and bake for 30-40 minutes. When cool, split each layer horizontally.
FROSTING FOR RED VELVET CAKE
Ingredients
1 C butter (see note)
1 C milk
1 C sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
5 T unbleached flour
Cream butter with sugar. Cook flour and milk in saucepan until very thick, stirring the whole time. Cool. Combine 2 mixes and add vanilla, using electric mixer. Spread on cake.
NOTE: Butter must be used in the frosting, otherwise the frosting will liquefy and refuse to harden. In the cake itself, though, margarine may be used. Also, if two 9" round pans are used, layers don’t need to be cut in half.
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