Lemon Cake with Lemon Buttercream and Raspberry Filling

 

Have you ever come across a recipe over which you become completely obsessed? That happened to me a couple of weeks ago. I had spotted a lemon cake with lemon buttercream frosting that I could not get out of my head. I decided that a thin layer of raspberry preserves would be superb between those layers of frosting, and I became obsessed with making it; it haunted my every waking hour. Despite my obsession, I couldn’t bring myself to make it because I knew it was going to be a project. Over the weekend I simply could not take it anymore, so I made the cake. It took me five hours! FIVE!  It is a good one, I was right about the raspberry filling, but never again am I going to make this cake. In fact, I don’t think I’m ever going to make another cake again. There are four bakeries within a 5-mile radius of my house. Why should I make cake? But if you want to, here…

Lemon Cake with Lemon Buttercream

and Raspberry Filling

Adapted from sprinklebakes

 3 c. sifted flour*

2½ t. baking powder

½ t. baking soda

½ t. salt

1 c. butter, room temperature

1¾ c. granulated sugar

3 large eggs, room temperature

2 t. vanilla extract

1 c. whole milk, room temperature

1 heaping T. lemon zest (about 2 lemons)

1/3 c. fresh lemon juice (about 2 lemons)

Raspberry Preserves

Lemon Buttercream Frosting (recipe below)

  Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray the heck out of three 8-inch cake pans with Baker’s Joy; set aside.

Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt; set aside.

 In stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar together on high speed until smooth and creamy, about 3 minutes, scraping down as needed. On high speed, beat in eggs and vanilla until combined, about 2 minutes. Scrape down the sides and up the bottom of the bowl as needed. With the mixer on low speed, add the dry ingredients just until combined. With the mixer still running on low, add the milk, lemon zest, and lemon juice and mix just until combined. You may need to whisk it all by hand to make sure there are no lumps at the bottom of the bowl. The batter will be a little thick.

 Pour batter evenly into cake pans. Bake for around 21-26 minutes or until the cakes are baked through. To test for doneness, insert a toothpick into the center of the cake. If it comes out clean, it’s done. Allow cakes to cool completely in the pans set on a wire rack. The cakes must be completely cool before frosting and assembling. The baked cakes are fluffy, but they are not thick—about 1 – 1.5 inches.

 *Sift before measuring

 Lemon Buttercream Frosting

1 c. butter, softened

1 heaping T. fresh lemon zest

¼ c. freshly squeezed lemon juice

5 c. confectioners’ sugar

2-3 drops yellow food coloring

 In the work bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat together butter, lemon juice, and lemon zest until thoroughly combined (about 2 minutes.)

 Scrape the mixture down from the sides of the bowl before setting it on the low speed and adding the 5 cups of confectioners’ sugar, 1 cup at a time.

 Once combined, increase the speed to medium-high and mix for another 30-45 seconds until the frosting becomes light and fluffy. Add the food coloring and mix until combined.

 If the mixture is too thick, add more lemon juice; if the mixture is too thin, add more confectioners’ sugar, 2 T. at a time until desired (spreadable) constancy is reached.

 To assemble:

On whatever plate you intend to proffer your cake, place one layer top side down. Spread a layer of raspberry jam on top of this layer. Then, on the top side of your second layer, slather on some frosting. Carefully invert one layer over the other, so that the frosting and jam “kiss.” Continue this process with the remaining layer, and then frost top and sides of your cake. If you intend to pipe rosettes on the top, or do other type of decorating, you will make need to make one and a half times the recipe for frosting.

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Amaretto Pound Cake

As often happens during the month of January, I’ve been going through my kitchen cabinets trying to assess what I have, what I really need, and what I really don’t. In excavating the liquor cabinet I discovered that I had two brand new bottles of amaretto. I’m not entirely sure how that happened, but I vowed to put it to use in a new and different way. For whatever reason I started thinking about my mother’s rum cake and it caused me to wonder how such a cake would be if I replaced the rum with amaretto. These days with the prices of everything so astronomically high, it’s not often that I experiment, but I couldn’t imagine any way in which this wouldn’t work. I was right! If you are an almond lover like I am, you will be over the moon. If not, you’re still going to love it. I allowed it to soak overnight (an absolute must!), and could hardly wait to extract it from the baking pan first thing in the morning. I ended up having a big slice with a cup of coffee. What a way to start the day! I took a hefty slab of it over to my number one son; he and his wife loved it as much as I did. Never have I had a pound cake with such intense flavor as this one.

Amaretto Pound Cake

 2 c. flour

1½ c. sugar

1 3.4-ounce box instant vanilla pudding mix

2 t. baking powder

1 t. salt

8 T. unsalted butter, softened

½ c. vegetable oil

½ c. whole milk, room temperature

4 large eggs, room temperature

½ c. Amaretto

2 t. almond extract

 Syrup 

8 T. unsalted butter

¼ c. water

1 c. sugar

¼ t. kosher salt

½ c. Amaretto

½ t. almond extract

 Preheat the oven to 325°F. Spray the heck out of a 10- to 12-cup Bundt pan with Baker’s Joy; set aside.

 Place the flour, sugar, pudding mix, baking powder, salt, butter, and vegetable oil in the work bowl of a stand mixer. Beat, at medium speed, until the mixture appears sandy. Beat in the milk, and then beat in eggs, one at a time. Scrape down, and stir in the amaretto and almond extract.

 Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake for 50 - 60 minutes until cake tests done. Remove the cake from the oven. Leave the cake in the pan to cool slightly while you make the syrup.

 To make the syrup:

 In a medium-sized saucepan combine the syrup ingredients, except almond extract. Bring to a rapid boil then reduce to a simmer and cook, without stirring, for about 5 to 8 minutes, until the syrup thickens slightly. Remove from the heat and stir in the almond extract.

 Use a long skewer to poke holes all over the cake. Keep the cake in the pan and slowly drizzle the syrup over the cake (still in the pan). Do this in increments in order to allow the syrup to soak in.

 Cover the pan loosely with plastic wrap and allow the cake to sit overnight at room temperature to soak in all of that luscious syrup. When ready to serve, loosen the edges of the cake and invert onto your serving plate. If the cake won’t release, don't force it. Place it in the oven, turn the oven to 350°F, and warm for about 10 minutes, to soften the sticky syrup. Remove the cake from the oven, and tip it onto the serving plate.

 Store at room temperature, covered, for several days. Freezes well.

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Coconut Sheet Cake

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I am known as a bit of an oddity in my family in that I don’t like pie. I mean, I’ll eat it, occasionally I’ll make it, and I appreciate the artistry involved in creating pie, but if someone told me that I couldn’t have pie for the rest of my life, I would be fine with that. Cake, is another story. For years my favorite was German Chocolate, but recently it has been usurped by white cake. Specifically bakery white cake, more specifically wedding cake. That’s why my recipe for White Almond Cake is one of my favorites, and one of the most read posts on this blog.

Recently I had a craving for coconut cake, and decided to try this recipe that is similar to Tres Leche Cake in that it uses three different kinds of milk. With the first bite I thought of my dad who shared my love for coconut cake. This one is easy to make, and phenomenal! The cake itself is moist and intensely flavorful, the frosting is like a coconut cloud. If you like cake as much as I do, you must try this recipe.

Coconut Sheet Cake a.k.a. Coconut Poke* Cake

Slightly adapted from cookiesandcups.com

 Coconut Cake

1 (15.25- oz) box white cake mix

Ingredients on box to make the cake (oil, egg whites, water)

1 t. coconut extract

½ t. clear vanilla flavoring

½ c. flaked coconut

1 (14- oz) can sweetened condensed milk

1 (15- oz can) Cream of Coconut

 Coconut Cream Cheese Frosting

8 oz. cream cheese, room temperature

1 c. powdered sugar

1½ c. heavy whipping cream

½ t. coconut extract

½ c. flaked coconut to garnish, optional

 

Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray a 9”x13” baking dish with Baker’s Joy; set aside.

Prepare cake according to package directions, adding in 1 teaspoon coconut extract and ½ teaspoon clear vanilla flavorings with the liquids. Fold ½ cup flaked coconut into batter and then spread into prepared pan.

Bake according to package directions. Cake is done when an inserted toothpick comes out clean.

While cake is baking stir together sweetened condensed milk and Cream of Coconut; set aside. When cake is done, poke holes evenly all over the top using a large fork while it’s still hot. Immediately pour sweetened condensed milk mixture evenly on top of cake, and allow cake to cool completely.

To prepare frosting: In a bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment mix cream cheese and powdered sugar together until smooth. Add in heavy cream and extract and mix on medium-high speed until stiff peaks form. Spread frosting onto cooled cake and garnish with flaked coconut.

Chill cake for at least 2 hours before serving. Store airtight in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

 

*I changed the name of this cake because the words "poke" and "dump" should never be used in association with food. Nope. Never.

 

 

National Dessert Day

Can a day be any sweeter than National Dessert Day? I don’t think so. Now, as you all may know, my favorite dessert is a cookie, but that doesn’t mean that I can’t whip up some tasty pies and cakes. Below are my favorites (and some of the most viewed recipes in the history of the blog). Click on the name of the dish below the picture to go straight to the recipe.

White Almond Cake with Creamy White Almond Frosting

Pattie's "Secret Ingredient" Carrot Cake

Chocolate Stout Cake

Sistine Chapel Sugar Cookies

Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cookies

Toffee Shortbread Cookies

S’Mores Pie

Praline Custard Pie

Plum Streusel Pie

 

Chocolate Espresso Pound Cake

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I have an addiction to decorative Nordic Ware loaf pans. I’m not proud of it, but it is what it is. I just can’t resist those fabulous designs, and now that I have discovered the wonders of Baker’s Joy baking release spray, there’s just no stopping me! Over the weekend I spent a good bit of time in the kitchen, and decided it was time to break that pan in. I did so with this recipe, a combination of a number of pound cake recipes I’ve made in the past. It is dense and chocolaty, and so delicious. Feel free to stir in a half cup of mini chocolate chips (tossed with a tablespoon of flour) if you want it to be extra chocolaty. You could also drizzle it with icing or ganache. I like it plain with a lovely dusting of powdered sugar.

Chocolate Espresso Pound Cake

2 t. espresso powder

 T. hot water

½ c. buttermilk

3 sticks of butter, room temperature

1¼ c. granulated sugar

3 large eggs

½ T. vanilla

½ t. kosher salt

½ t. baking powder

¼ c. + 2 T. cocoa powder

1 c. flour 

Powdered sugar for dusting

Preheat oven to 325° F. Spray a 5” x 9” loaf pan (I used this gorgeous one) with Baker’s Joy; set aside.

In a small bowl dissolve espresso powder in hot water. Stir into buttermilk; set aside.

In the work bowl of a stand mixer, beat butter and sugar together on medium speed until light and fluffy, 5-6 minutes.

Add eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Add vanilla, salt, baking powder, and cocoa powder, and mix until combined.

With mixer on low add flour and buttermilk mixture alternately, beginning and ending with flour. Mix until just combined, scraping the sides of the bowl as needed.

Pour batter into the prepared pan. Bake for 55 to 65 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean. Allow the cake to cool 20 minutes before turning out onto a rack to cool completely. Dust with powdered sugar if using a beautiful Nordic Ware decorative pan like I did, or drizzle with icing or ganache.

White Almond Snack Cake

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I like cake. I like white cake. I like bakery cake. I like wedding cake. My mother found this exasperating, because she didn’t think any of those cakes had much taste. I thought the taste was subtle, but wonderful. I’m not going to give you the whys and wherefores as to how much I love cake; you can read about that in my post about the White Almond Cake. No, today I’m going to give you a mini version of that White Almond Cake in this White Almond Snack Cake. Now, I’m going to be honest with you, it is a bit of work, but then isn’t everything? The plus here is that it only makes a small cake, and you don’t have to deal with stacking layers. This cake also makes wonderful petit fours if you’re looking to do that for a shower, tea party, or children’s party. All you need to do is cut these into small squares. Then get yourself a can of white icing, put it in the microwave for a minute, stir it up, and pour it over all of those little cake cubes. Allow the icing time to dry, and you will have the most precious little cakes, and can decorate them as you see fit. I just used a star tip to decorate this one. I made it for myself, but just because I did, doesn’t mean it can’t be pretty.

White Almond Snack Cake

½ c. butter, softened

1 c. granulated sugar

½ c. whole milk, room temperature

1 t. clear vanilla flavoring

¼ t. pure almond extract

1½ c. cups cake flour

2 t. baking powder

4 egg whites, room temperature

Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray an 8” x 8” pan with Baker’s Joy; set aside.

In the work bowl of a stand mixer, beat butter at medium speed until creamy.  Gradually add sugar, beating until light and fluffy, 5-7 minutes.

Stir together milk, vanilla, and almond extract. Sift together flour and baking powder. With mixer set on low, alternately add flour and milk mixture, beginning and ending with flour. Beat until just blended.

In a separate bowl, beat egg whites at medium speed until stiff peaks form; gently fold into batter. Pour batter into prepared pan.

Bake at 350°F for 35-38 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan on wire rack for 10 minutes.

Frost with Almond Butter Cream Frosting

Almond Butter Cream Frosting

3 c. confectioners’ sugar

1/3 c. unsalted butter, room temperature

1 t. clear vanilla flavoring

½ t. pure almond extract

1 to 2 T. whole milk

Beat together sugar and butter in a large mixing bowl until creamy. Add remaining ingredients and beat at high-speed for five minutes, until light and fluffy, add more milk to thin, if necessary.

Chocolate Covered Cherry Cake

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Today I was craving chocolate cake, but I wasn’t craving the work that goes into my favorite chocolate cake, the Guinness Stout cake. So I started looking online to see if I could come up with something interesting, easy, and delicious. I found a recipe for this cake online (and changed it up, like I do) and expected something entirely different than what I got. I was expecting it to taste like a less-than-sweet Black Forest Cake. I couldn’t have been more wrong. The cherry pie filling is completely absorbed by the cake mix, combining the two into the richest, most decadent chocolate cake that you can imagine. This is so good that it’s almost unbelievable. It takes no time to do, everything is stirred together in a bowl keeping work at a minimum, and all is dumped into a pan. I don’t think I am ever going to be caught without a box of chocolate cake mix or a can of cherry pie filling in my pantry ever again. Admittedly, it’s not the prettiest of cakes, but those of us who have a simple exterior, nearly always have a fabulously delicious interior. To die for!

Chocolate Covered Cherry Cake

For the cake:

1 (15.25 oz) box chocolate cake mix

1 (21 oz.) can cherry pie filling

2 eggs

1 t. vanilla extract

2 t. almond extract

For the frosting:

1 c. sugar

1/3 c. milk

5 T. butter

1 c. bittersweet (60% cacao) chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350° F and grease and flour 9”x9”x2” baking pan; set aside.

In a large bowl combine cake mix, pie filling, eggs, extracts, and, using a wooden spoon, mix by hand until well blended. Spread batter into the prepared pan. Bake for 35-45 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

For the frosting, place sugar, milk and butter in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil stirring gently. Boil for one minute, stirring constantly. Remove pan from heat and stir in chocolate chips until smooth. Pour the frosting over the warm cake.

Let cool at least 90 minutes before cutting.

Chocolate Cream Cheese Pound Cake

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When a friend of mine tagged me in a Williams-Sonoma Facebook post featuring a Nordic Ware Heritage Bundt pan she had no idea what she had set in motion. For the first time ever I own a Bundt pan that is not only beautiful, but actually releases the cake with its lovely, swirled design. After the great success I had with the Cranberry Orange Bundt Cake, I was eager to try another one. When I stumbled upon this recipe I had to give it a try. The original actually calls for a tube pan, but I used this anyway, and, as you can see, it worked just perfectly. I also, as I am wont to do when making a chocolate cake of any kind, added some espresso powder to boost the flavor. This is a wonderful, dense, and chocolaty pound cake. I drizzled ganache over the top, but I think it would be equally good with a dusting of powdered sugar and a scoop of ice cream.

Chocolate Cream Cheese Pound Cake

Yield: 16 servings

For the cake:
1 lb. unsalted butter, softened
3 c. sugar
8 oz. cream cheese, softened
6 large eggs
3 c. flour
½ c. dark cocoa powder
½ t. salt
1 t. baking powder

½ t. espresso powder
½ c. whole milk, warm
1 t. vanilla extract

For the ganache:
1 c. semi sweet chocolate chips
1 c. heavy cream

For the cake: Preheat oven to 325°F. Butter, cream cheese, and eggs should be at room temperature. Cream together butter, sugar, and cream cheese until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. In a bowl, combine flour, cocoa, salt, baking powder and espresso powder. Add alternately with milk to creamed mixture, beginning and ending with dry ingredients. Stir in vanilla. Pour into greased and Bundt pan. Bake for 1 hour and 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Remove the cake from the oven and cover with foil until completely cool.

To make ganache:

Place chips and cream in a microwave safe bowl, and heat on high at 30-second intervals, stirring after each, until the chocolate is melted and cream is incorporated. Drizzle immediately over the cake.