Cake
If you love cake, today's post is sure to please, with six yummy cake recipes. Check out the Peanut Butter Chocolate Cake, the Stuffed Pinata Cake, along with the rest of today's yumminess. Enjoy!
RHUBARB UPSIDE-DOWN CAKE
This is from Melissa Clark at The New York Times cooking enewletter. For this yummy recipe, Melissa wrote, "Take advantage of rhubarb season with this easy dessert. Baked and unmolded, this cake resembles a pale pink mosaic atop velvet-crumbed and vanilla-infused cake. The rhubarb, which you’ll add in raw, is tangy and tender, firm enough to give you something to chew over. It’s an easy half-hour of prep and another hour and change in the oven, ample time for a light supper, anticipation of dessert hanging in the spring air."
Total Time: 1 hour 45 minutes; Yield: 8 servings
This was featured in "The Upside of Rhubarb", and can be viewed online at https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1013611-rhubarb-upside-down-cake.
Ingredients
2-1/2 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature, more to grease pans
1-1/2 pounds rhubarb, rinsed and sliced into 1/2-inch cubes about 4 cups
2 teaspoons cornstarch
1-1/2 cups granulated sugar
1/2 cup light brown sugar
2 cups cake flour
1-1/4 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
Zest of 1 lemon, grated
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 large eggs
1/3 cup sour cream
2 teaspoons lemon juice
Preparation
Heat oven to 325 degrees. Line the bottom of a 9-inch springform pan with parchment paper. Butter the paper and sides of the pan. Wrap two layers of foil under the pan, and place it on a baking sheet.
In a medium bowl, mix rhubarb, cornstarch and 1/2 cup granulated sugar.
Mix the brown sugar and 1/2 stick butter in a pan over medium heat. Whisk until smooth and bubbling, about 2 minutes. Sift together the cake flour, baking powder and salt.
Whip 2 sticks butter in a mixer with a paddle attachment for 2 minutes. With your fingers, blend the remaining 1 cup sugar with lemon zest until the mixture is uniform in color. Cream together with the butter at medium-high speed until it is light and fluffy, about 4 minutes, stopping to scrape down the bowl halfway through. Add the vanilla and mix well. Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Mix in the sour cream, then the lemon juice. (It’s O.K. if the mixture looks curdled.) With the mixer set to low speed, add the flour mixture, 1/4 cup at a time, until well combined. Scrape down the mixer bowl in between the additions.
Pour the brown-sugar mixture into the cake pan, then spoon in the rhubarb and its juices. Spoon in the batter so it covers all of the rhubarb. Smooth out the top.
Bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes, or until the top of the cake is firm to touch and a toothpick stuck in the middle comes out without any large, moist crumbs.
Place the pan on a wire rack, and cool for 15 minutes. Run a knife around the cake, place a plate on top of the pan and turn it upside-down. Release the cake from the pan while still warm or else it will stick.
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 ANGEL CAKE
This recipes is from Taste of Home. According to Joyce Shiffler of Colorado Springs, Colorado, "When I was married in 1944, I could barely boil water. My dear mother-in-law taught me her specialty – making the lightest angel food cakes ever. This chocolate version is an easy, impressive treat. For many years, it was our son's birthday cake." The link for this is http://www.tasteofhome.com/Recipes/Chocolate-Angel-Cake
SERVINGS: 12-16
CATEGORY: Lower Fat
METHOD: Baked
TIME: Prep: 25 min. Bake: 35 min. + cooling
Ingredients:
1-1/2 cups confectioners' sugar
1 cup cake flour
1/4 cup baking cocoa
1-1/2 cups egg whites (about 10)
1-1/2 teaspoons cream of tartar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup sugar
Frosting:
1-1/2 cups heavy whipping cream
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup baking cocoa
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Chocolate leaves, optional
Directions:
Sift together confectioners' sugar, flour and cocoa three times; set aside.
In a mixing bowl; beat egg whites, cream of tartar and salt until soft peaks form. Add sugar, 2 tablespoons at a time, beating until stiff peaks form. Gradually fold in cocoa mixture, about a fourth at a time.
Spoon into an ungreased 10-in. tube pan. Carefully run a metal spatula or knife through batter to remove air pockets. Bake on the lowest oven rack at 375° for 35-40 minutes or until the top springs back when lightly touched and cracks feel dry.
Immediately invert pan; cool completely. Run a knife around edges and center tube to loosen; remove cake.
In a mixing bowl, combine the first five frosting ingredients; cover and chill for 1 hour. Beat until stiff peaks form. Spread over the top and sides of cake. Store in the refrigerator. Garnish with chocolate leaves if desired. Yield: 12-16 servings.
Nutrition Facts
One serving: Calories: 244; Fat: 9 g; Saturated Fat: 5 g; Cholesterol: 31 mg; Sodium: 194 mg; Carbohydrate: 39 g; Fiber: 1 g; Protein: 4 g
STUFFED PINATA CAKE
This is from The Food Network, and begins, “Your guests will certainly be delighted by the sight of this bright cake. But make sure they don't put their cameras away too soon: once you cut into it, a candy surprise comes spilling out!”
Total: 3 hours 15 minutes; Active: 1 hour 5 minutes; Yield: 8 to 10; Level: Intermediate
To view this online, go to http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/stuffed-pinata-cake.
Ingredients
Frosting:
1 cup sugar
2 teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
Pinch fine salt
6 large egg whites
4 sticks (1 pound) unsalted butter, cut into 1-1/2-inch chunks, at room temperature
5 cups sweetened shredded coconut
Filling and Decoration:
Blue, orange, yellow, purple and pink food coloring
2 cups of your favorite small and soft candies (none in wrappers), such as gummies or candy-covered chocolates
Cake:
12 tablespoons (1-1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature, plus more for greasing the pans
2-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon fine salt
1 cup whole milk, at room temperature
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
3 large eggs plus 1 large egg yolk, at room temperature
1-1/2 cups sugar
Directions
For the cake: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease two 9-inch round cake pans with butter and line the bottom of each with parchment.
Whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl. Whisk the milk, vanilla, eggs and egg yolk together in another medium bowl. Beat the butter and sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer on medium high until light and fluffy. Add about a third of the flour mixture and beat on medium low until incorporated. Now add a third of the egg-milk mixture and continue to beat on medium low until incorporated, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Repeat with the remaining flour and egg-milk mixtures, finishing with the flour.
Divide the cake batter evenly between the prepared cake pans and bake until the cake bounces back when pressed and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 35 to 40 minutes. Let cool completely in the cake pans on a rack.
For the frosting: Bring a few inches of water to a boil in a saucepan that can hold a heatproof stand mixer's bowl above the water.
Add the sugar, lemon juice, salt and egg whites to the mixer bowl and whisk together by hand. Set the bowl above the boiling water and whisk until the mixture is warm to the touch and the sugar completely dissolves. Transfer to the stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment and beat at medium-high speed until cool and the whites hold stiff peaks, 10 to 15 minutes.
Toss in a couple of chunks of butter at a time, making sure the pieces are incorporated before adding more. After all the butter is added, continue beating on medium-high speed. The mixture will deflate and appear curdled. Continue beating until the frosting comes back together to a smooth and spreadable consistency. (If the frosting is very soft or begins to break, refrigerate until set but still spreadable, then beat until light before using.)
For the filling and decoration: Dye the coconut: Have ready 5 resealable plastic bags or plastic containers. Put 1-1/2 cups of the coconut in one container with 6 to 8 drops of blue food coloring. Put 1 cup of coconut in the second container with 5 to 6 drops of orange food coloring, 1 cup of coconut in the third with 5 to 6 drops yellow food coloring and 1 cup of coconut in the fourth with 6 to 8 drops purple food coloring. Put the remaining 1/2 cup coconut in the fifth container with 4 to 5 drops pink food coloring. Seal each container and shake vigorously until the coconut is evenly dyed. Add more food coloring 1 drop at a time as needed to get bright, vibrant colors.
Assemble the cake: Cut a 4-inch circle out of the center of each cake (reserve the small cut-out cake rounds). Put one of the cake rings on a cake stand or serving platter and frost with about 1 cup of frosting. Put the other cake ring on top and push down slightly. Fill the hole with candy. Cut one of the reserved cake rounds in half horizontally to make 2 thinner rounds. Use one to fill the hole on top of the cake. Frost the top and sides of the cake with the remaining frosting.
Cut a strip of parchment about 30 inches long and 3 inches wide. Wrap this parchment around the cake like a collar, leaving 1 inch of frosting exposed around the bottom perimeter of the cake. Pack some of the blue coconut onto the exposed frosting to make your first strip of color. Lift the collar up another 1 inch and do the same with the orange coconut. Remove the collar and fill the remaining inch of frosting with the yellow coconut. For the top, make 1-inch-wide rings, starting on the outside and working your way in, with the purple, pink, blue and orange coconut until the top is completely covered. Let sit at room temperature for at least 1 hour before serving.
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 to 2-1/2 hours (or HIGH for 1-1/2 to 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.
CELEBRATION CAKE
This comes from Seattle’s own Macrina Bakery. I’m on their mailing list (they send out the yummiest recipes!), and I highly recommend signing up.
If I’m ever out in Seattle, I fully intend to pay a visit to any of their bakeries…
According to Macrina’s Leslie Mackie, “This is one of my favorite birthday or special occasion cakes. The natural sweet flavor of toasted coconut layered with fresh summer berries and lemon cream makes for a light yet decadent summer treat.”
To view this online, click here.
INGREDIENTS: COCONUT CAKE
1 cup shredded, unsweetened coconut 1 cup coconut milk
5 egg whites
1 teaspoon pure almond extract
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2-1/4 cups cake flour
1-3/4 cups granulated sugar
1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon baking powder 1 teaspoon salt
12 tablespoons (1-1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temp.
2 pints fresh raspberries (for assembly)
LEMON CREAM
3 egg yolks
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup lemon juice
3 tablespoons unsalted butter 1 cup whipping cream
WHITE CHOCOLATE FROSTING
12 ounces white chocolate chips
8 ounces unsalted butter, room temp. 1 pound cream cheese, room temp.
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
DIRECTIONS: COCONUT CAKE
Preheat oven to 325°F. Spread coconut evenly on a rimmed baking sheet and toast for 3 minutes. Toss with tongs to toast evenly and return to the oven for 3 minutes. Remove from oven and transfer to a bowl. Set aside.
In a medium bowl, combine the coconut milk, egg whites, and almond and vanilla extracts. Mix with a whisk and set aside.
Sift flour, sugar, baking powder and salt into the bowl of a stand mixer. Add the toasted coconut and mix on low speed using the paddle attachment for 30 seconds. Cut butter into small cubes and add to the flour mixture. Mix on low speed until it is coarse and crumbly with no visible pieces of butter, approximately 4 minutes. Add half the wet ingredients and mix on medium speed for 30 seconds. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula and add the remaining wet ingredients, mixing for another 30 seconds. Scrape the bowl again to ensure it is well incorporated.
Prepare a 12" x 18" baking sheet pan with 1/2" rim by brushing it with oil and lining the bottom with parchment paper. Pour batter into prepared pan and bake on the center rack for 25 minutes or until the top is golden brown. When cool, run a knife around the edge of the cake and invert onto another sheet pan. Gently remove parchment paper and then cut three 7" circles of cake. You will have excess cake scraps, which make great trifle with fresh berries and whipped cream. Cover cake circles until ready to assemble layer cake.
RHUBARB UPSIDE-DOWN CAKE
This is from Melissa Clark at The New York Times cooking enewletter. For this yummy recipe, Melissa wrote, "Take advantage of rhubarb season with this easy dessert. Baked and unmolded, this cake resembles a pale pink mosaic atop velvet-crumbed and vanilla-infused cake. The rhubarb, which you’ll add in raw, is tangy and tender, firm enough to give you something to chew over. It’s an easy half-hour of prep and another hour and change in the oven, ample time for a light supper, anticipation of dessert hanging in the spring air."
Total Time: 1 hour 45 minutes; Yield: 8 servings
This was featured in "The Upside of Rhubarb", and can be viewed online at https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1013611-rhubarb-upside-down-cake.
Ingredients
2-1/2 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature, more to grease pans
1-1/2 pounds rhubarb, rinsed and sliced into 1/2-inch cubes about 4 cups
2 teaspoons cornstarch
1-1/2 cups granulated sugar
1/2 cup light brown sugar
2 cups cake flour
1-1/4 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
Zest of 1 lemon, grated
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 large eggs
1/3 cup sour cream
2 teaspoons lemon juice
Preparation
Heat oven to 325 degrees. Line the bottom of a 9-inch springform pan with parchment paper. Butter the paper and sides of the pan. Wrap two layers of foil under the pan, and place it on a baking sheet.
In a medium bowl, mix rhubarb, cornstarch and 1/2 cup granulated sugar.
Mix the brown sugar and 1/2 stick butter in a pan over medium heat. Whisk until smooth and bubbling, about 2 minutes. Sift together the cake flour, baking powder and salt.
Whip 2 sticks butter in a mixer with a paddle attachment for 2 minutes. With your fingers, blend the remaining 1 cup sugar with lemon zest until the mixture is uniform in color. Cream together with the butter at medium-high speed until it is light and fluffy, about 4 minutes, stopping to scrape down the bowl halfway through. Add the vanilla and mix well. Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Mix in the sour cream, then the lemon juice. (It’s O.K. if the mixture looks curdled.) With the mixer set to low speed, add the flour mixture, 1/4 cup at a time, until well combined. Scrape down the mixer bowl in between the additions.
Pour the brown-sugar mixture into the cake pan, then spoon in the rhubarb and its juices. Spoon in the batter so it covers all of the rhubarb. Smooth out the top.
Bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes, or until the top of the cake is firm to touch and a toothpick stuck in the middle comes out without any large, moist crumbs.
Place the pan on a wire rack, and cool for 15 minutes. Run a knife around the cake, place a plate on top of the pan and turn it upside-down. Release the cake from the pan while still warm or else it will stick.
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 ANGEL CAKE
This recipes is from Taste of Home. According to Joyce Shiffler of Colorado Springs, Colorado, "When I was married in 1944, I could barely boil water. My dear mother-in-law taught me her specialty – making the lightest angel food cakes ever. This chocolate version is an easy, impressive treat. For many years, it was our son's birthday cake." The link for this is http://www.tasteofhome.com/Recipes/Chocolate-Angel-Cake
SERVINGS: 12-16
CATEGORY: Lower Fat
METHOD: Baked
TIME: Prep: 25 min. Bake: 35 min. + cooling
Ingredients:
1-1/2 cups confectioners' sugar
1 cup cake flour
1/4 cup baking cocoa
1-1/2 cups egg whites (about 10)
1-1/2 teaspoons cream of tartar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup sugar
Frosting:
1-1/2 cups heavy whipping cream
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup baking cocoa
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Chocolate leaves, optional
Directions:
Sift together confectioners' sugar, flour and cocoa three times; set aside.
In a mixing bowl; beat egg whites, cream of tartar and salt until soft peaks form. Add sugar, 2 tablespoons at a time, beating until stiff peaks form. Gradually fold in cocoa mixture, about a fourth at a time.
Spoon into an ungreased 10-in. tube pan. Carefully run a metal spatula or knife through batter to remove air pockets. Bake on the lowest oven rack at 375° for 35-40 minutes or until the top springs back when lightly touched and cracks feel dry.
Immediately invert pan; cool completely. Run a knife around edges and center tube to loosen; remove cake.
In a mixing bowl, combine the first five frosting ingredients; cover and chill for 1 hour. Beat until stiff peaks form. Spread over the top and sides of cake. Store in the refrigerator. Garnish with chocolate leaves if desired. Yield: 12-16 servings.
Nutrition Facts
One serving: Calories: 244; Fat: 9 g; Saturated Fat: 5 g; Cholesterol: 31 mg; Sodium: 194 mg; Carbohydrate: 39 g; Fiber: 1 g; Protein: 4 g
STUFFED PINATA CAKE
This is from The Food Network, and begins, “Your guests will certainly be delighted by the sight of this bright cake. But make sure they don't put their cameras away too soon: once you cut into it, a candy surprise comes spilling out!”
Total: 3 hours 15 minutes; Active: 1 hour 5 minutes; Yield: 8 to 10; Level: Intermediate
To view this online, go to http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/stuffed-pinata-cake.
Ingredients
Frosting:
1 cup sugar
2 teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
Pinch fine salt
6 large egg whites
4 sticks (1 pound) unsalted butter, cut into 1-1/2-inch chunks, at room temperature
5 cups sweetened shredded coconut
Filling and Decoration:
Blue, orange, yellow, purple and pink food coloring
2 cups of your favorite small and soft candies (none in wrappers), such as gummies or candy-covered chocolates
Cake:
12 tablespoons (1-1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature, plus more for greasing the pans
2-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon fine salt
1 cup whole milk, at room temperature
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
3 large eggs plus 1 large egg yolk, at room temperature
1-1/2 cups sugar
Directions
For the cake: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease two 9-inch round cake pans with butter and line the bottom of each with parchment.
Whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl. Whisk the milk, vanilla, eggs and egg yolk together in another medium bowl. Beat the butter and sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer on medium high until light and fluffy. Add about a third of the flour mixture and beat on medium low until incorporated. Now add a third of the egg-milk mixture and continue to beat on medium low until incorporated, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Repeat with the remaining flour and egg-milk mixtures, finishing with the flour.
Divide the cake batter evenly between the prepared cake pans and bake until the cake bounces back when pressed and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 35 to 40 minutes. Let cool completely in the cake pans on a rack.
For the frosting: Bring a few inches of water to a boil in a saucepan that can hold a heatproof stand mixer's bowl above the water.
Add the sugar, lemon juice, salt and egg whites to the mixer bowl and whisk together by hand. Set the bowl above the boiling water and whisk until the mixture is warm to the touch and the sugar completely dissolves. Transfer to the stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment and beat at medium-high speed until cool and the whites hold stiff peaks, 10 to 15 minutes.
Toss in a couple of chunks of butter at a time, making sure the pieces are incorporated before adding more. After all the butter is added, continue beating on medium-high speed. The mixture will deflate and appear curdled. Continue beating until the frosting comes back together to a smooth and spreadable consistency. (If the frosting is very soft or begins to break, refrigerate until set but still spreadable, then beat until light before using.)
For the filling and decoration: Dye the coconut: Have ready 5 resealable plastic bags or plastic containers. Put 1-1/2 cups of the coconut in one container with 6 to 8 drops of blue food coloring. Put 1 cup of coconut in the second container with 5 to 6 drops of orange food coloring, 1 cup of coconut in the third with 5 to 6 drops yellow food coloring and 1 cup of coconut in the fourth with 6 to 8 drops purple food coloring. Put the remaining 1/2 cup coconut in the fifth container with 4 to 5 drops pink food coloring. Seal each container and shake vigorously until the coconut is evenly dyed. Add more food coloring 1 drop at a time as needed to get bright, vibrant colors.
Assemble the cake: Cut a 4-inch circle out of the center of each cake (reserve the small cut-out cake rounds). Put one of the cake rings on a cake stand or serving platter and frost with about 1 cup of frosting. Put the other cake ring on top and push down slightly. Fill the hole with candy. Cut one of the reserved cake rounds in half horizontally to make 2 thinner rounds. Use one to fill the hole on top of the cake. Frost the top and sides of the cake with the remaining frosting.
Cut a strip of parchment about 30 inches long and 3 inches wide. Wrap this parchment around the cake like a collar, leaving 1 inch of frosting exposed around the bottom perimeter of the cake. Pack some of the blue coconut onto the exposed frosting to make your first strip of color. Lift the collar up another 1 inch and do the same with the orange coconut. Remove the collar and fill the remaining inch of frosting with the yellow coconut. For the top, make 1-inch-wide rings, starting on the outside and working your way in, with the purple, pink, blue and orange coconut until the top is completely covered. Let sit at room temperature for at least 1 hour before serving.
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 to 2-1/2 hours (or HIGH for 1-1/2 to 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.
CELEBRATION CAKE
This comes from Seattle’s own Macrina Bakery. I’m on their mailing list (they send out the yummiest recipes!), and I highly recommend signing up.
If I’m ever out in Seattle, I fully intend to pay a visit to any of their bakeries…
According to Macrina’s Leslie Mackie, “This is one of my favorite birthday or special occasion cakes. The natural sweet flavor of toasted coconut layered with fresh summer berries and lemon cream makes for a light yet decadent summer treat.”
To view this online, click here.
INGREDIENTS: COCONUT CAKE
1 cup shredded, unsweetened coconut 1 cup coconut milk
5 egg whites
1 teaspoon pure almond extract
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2-1/4 cups cake flour
1-3/4 cups granulated sugar
1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon baking powder 1 teaspoon salt
12 tablespoons (1-1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temp.
2 pints fresh raspberries (for assembly)
LEMON CREAM
3 egg yolks
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup lemon juice
3 tablespoons unsalted butter 1 cup whipping cream
WHITE CHOCOLATE FROSTING
12 ounces white chocolate chips
8 ounces unsalted butter, room temp. 1 pound cream cheese, room temp.
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
DIRECTIONS: COCONUT CAKE
Preheat oven to 325°F. Spread coconut evenly on a rimmed baking sheet and toast for 3 minutes. Toss with tongs to toast evenly and return to the oven for 3 minutes. Remove from oven and transfer to a bowl. Set aside.
In a medium bowl, combine the coconut milk, egg whites, and almond and vanilla extracts. Mix with a whisk and set aside.
Sift flour, sugar, baking powder and salt into the bowl of a stand mixer. Add the toasted coconut and mix on low speed using the paddle attachment for 30 seconds. Cut butter into small cubes and add to the flour mixture. Mix on low speed until it is coarse and crumbly with no visible pieces of butter, approximately 4 minutes. Add half the wet ingredients and mix on medium speed for 30 seconds. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula and add the remaining wet ingredients, mixing for another 30 seconds. Scrape the bowl again to ensure it is well incorporated.
Prepare a 12" x 18" baking sheet pan with 1/2" rim by brushing it with oil and lining the bottom with parchment paper. Pour batter into prepared pan and bake on the center rack for 25 minutes or until the top is golden brown. When cool, run a knife around the edge of the cake and invert onto another sheet pan. Gently remove parchment paper and then cut three 7" circles of cake. You will have excess cake scraps, which make great trifle with fresh berries and whipped cream. Cover cake circles until ready to assemble layer cake.
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