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Archive for the ‘Cake’ Category

Lemon Bundt Cake

Posted in Cake, Desserts, Entertaining at Home, Recipes, tagged , , , on February 17, 2012| 1 Comment »

I was working on the cover for my Savvy Spring Entertaining book (coming soon!) and I wanted something to feature on the front that was… well… springy!

It needed to shout “Spring” and be colorful and fun.

I found just what I was looking for with this Lemon Bundt Cake.

Bundt Cakes are so easy to make and so, so good with their moist, flavorful texture.

Garnished with lemon slices and a berry, I thought this did a great job of saying “Ah, Spring.”

Our cast of characters.

Mix up your batter. It is going to be really thick, so don't panic.

Pour into a bundt or angel food cake pan that has been properly greased. (Properly vs. improperly, which is what I usually manage)

Bang the pan a bit to get the air bubbles out and even off the top of the batter. Pop into a preheated oven and bake for about 50 minutes or until the top if lightly brown and the edges start to pull away from the pan.

While the cake is cooling prepare to have a divine experience.

Zest a fresh lemon. As the scent fills your kitchen with a divine fragrance that makes your knees week, try not to pass out on the floor. Spouses, children and pets may find that disturbing.

Microwave cream cheese frosting for about 10 seconds or until melted then pour over the top of the cake.

Pour on plenty of frosting. You wouldn't want anyone to get short-changed in the sticky-sweet department.

Sprinkle a little lemon zest on top and enjoy!

Lemon Bundt Cake

1 box Lemon Cake Mix

1 small package instant cheesecake pudding

1 cup sour cream

1/2 cup water

1/2 cup oil

3 eggs

1 tsp. lemon juice

2/3 cup  cream cheese frosting

1 fresh lemon

Strawberries (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Blend cake mix, oil, eggs, sour cream, water and lemon juice on medium speed until combined. The batter is supposed to be super thick, so don’t worry if it seems heavy.

Spoon it into a greased bundt pan, evening it up as best you can (I tap the pan on the counter to get out air bubbles and even up the batter). Bake for one hour or until it starts to pull away from the edges of the pan.

Let cool completely then invert on a cake plate. Zest a lemon and enjoy that mos fragrant experience. You may also want to cut a few thin slices of the lemon for garnish.

Put frosting into a microwaveable pitcher or bowl and nuke it for about 10 seconds. For this recipe I used  Cream Cheese Frosting. That was a very good decision. Pour liberally over the cake, letting it drizzle down the sides. Sprinkle on a little lemon zest.

Serve with a strawberry or two and enjoy this luscious, moist dessert!

She Who Loves Lemon Desserts Way Too Much!

 

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Valentine Heart Cakes

Posted in Cake, Desserts, Entertaining Ideas, Recipes, tagged , , , , on February 14, 2012| 1 Comment »

In honor of today, here is a fun little cake recipe sure to make your sweetie smile.

Ingredients

 

Bake cake according to package directions. I baked mine in little heart-shape pans that are as old as the hills. You could make cupcake or even a layered cake if you choose. You could also bake a sheet cake and use a cookie cutter to cut out heart-shapes.

 

Mix together whipped cream cheese, raspberry jam and cream cheese frosting for the filling.

 

Split the cakes in half and add the filling.

 

Frost with cream cheese frosting, add some festive sprinkles and enjoy!

 

Valentine Heart Cakes

1 cake mix

1 container of whipped cream cheese

1 container of cream cheese frosting

1/2 cup raspberry jam

Sprinkles

Bake cake according to package directions and let cool completely.

While it is cooling, mix together 1/2 cup whipped cream cheese, the raspberry jam and 1/3 cup of the frosting until well-blended.

Split cake(s) in half  and add a layer of filling before reassembling. Frost and decorate then watch your sweetie be surprised at this delicious little treat.

She Who Wishes Everyone a very Happy Valentine’s Day!

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Pumpkin Roll

Posted in Cake, Christmas, Desserts, Entertaining at Home, Entertaining Ideas, Holiday Recipes, Holidays, Recipes, tagged , , , , on December 24, 2011| Leave a Comment »

My sweet Aunt Louise used to make this pumpkin roll. I thought it was divine then and still do. She was one of those special people who just exuded loving kindness. She always looked for the good in others, was generous and giving and gracious.

She shared this recipe with me, taking the time to type it out on a 3×5 index card. That recipe card is now covered in splatters and caked on sugar, but every year when I pull it out of my recipe box, it makes me smile and remember a wonderful lady.

Although she passed away from cancer several years ago, Aunt Louise’s gentle spirit is still greatly missed.

This yummy dessert isn’t hard to make, but like a lot of marvelous things, it does take a little time!

Ingredients

 

Mix dry ingredients and set aside.

 

You will beat the eggs senseless and then some before adding pumpkin and other wet ingredients.

 

Once you’ve got it mixed, pour into a jelly roll pan and bake. Keep an eye on it so it doesn’t get overcooked.

 

Liberally sprinkle powdered sugar over a tea towel.

 

Roll pumpkin roll into towel and let cool completely.

 

When cool, spread on cream cheese filling and reroll.

 

Refrigerate wrapped in plastic wrap until ready to serve, then slice.

 

When cool, spread on cream cheese filling and reroll.

Enjoy!

Louise’s Pumpkin Cake Roll

Cake:

3 eggs

1 cup sugar

2/3 cup canned pumpkin

1 tsp. lemon juice

3/4 cup flour

2 tsp. cinnamon

1 tsp. ginger

1/2 tsp. nutmeg

1 tsp. baking powder

1 cup finely chopped walnuts

Filling:

1 cup powdered sugar

1 8 ounce package cream cheese, softened

1/4 cup margarine or butter

1 tsp. vanilla

1/4 cup candied cherries

In a large mixing bowl, beat the eggs with a mixer on high for five minutes. Gradually beat in the 1 cup of sugar. Stir in pumpkin and lemon juice. In a small bowl, stir together flour and other dry ingredients. Fold into pumpkin mixture. Spread batter in a greased and floured 15x10x1 jelly roll pan. Sprinkle with nuts. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes. Immediately invert cake onto a flour-sack towel sprinkled with powdered sugar. Roll cake and towel up together. Cool completely. Unroll cake. In a mixing bowl beat 1 cup powdered sugar, cream cheese, butter and vanilla with mixer on medium speed until smooth. Spread over cake. Reroll cake, cover and chill in refrigerator until ready to serve. Cut into 1-inch slices and garnish with cherries. Makes 10-12 servings.

* Note: You can substitute pecans for walnuts or make without nuts. You can also garnish with a dollop of whipped cream, glazed nuts or a sprinkle of cinnamon.

She Who Wishes You a Very Happy Christmas Eve!

 

 

 

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Holiday Cake Balls

Posted in Cake, Christmas, Desserts, Entertaining at Home, Holiday Recipes, Holidays, tagged , , , , on December 9, 2011| Leave a Comment »

I’ve been dying to make cake balls for a couple months. Don’t ask me why. It’s just one of those weird things that  infiltrate my brain at 3 a.m. and won’t let me rest.

I decided to make a batch for a holiday party and I will state the following about the process:

1. It was easy

2. It was tasty

3. It was messy

4. It took a little bit of time

Overall, a very fun project and one that would be great if you had an afternoon to spend with your kiddos, dipping the balls.

For the sake of easy handling, I decided to put the balls on sticks and now, I guess, I should really call them cake pops.

Ingredients

Once the cake is baked and cooled, you are ready to start the process. I forgot to include a can of frosting in the ingredient list!

Dump the entire cake into a large bowl and break apart.

Add in half a can of frosting and mix together until ball starts to form. It will feel moist and sticky.

Form cake balls. I made mine fairly big because I wanted to have fewer to dip. I'm a lazy slug that way. I'm also incapable of making perfectly round balls, so pardon my somewhat oddball shaped creation.

 

Cover a styrofoam block with foil.

 

Melt the candy coating then dip in ends of lollipop sticks.

 

Harpoon cake balls with sticks and let rest until candy has hardened.

 

Cover cake balls with candy coating. I used a spoon to drizzle over the balls. Gently tap stick on edge of bowl to get off excess coating.

 

While candy coating is still warm, decorate balls with your choice of sprinkles, crushed peppermint, chocolate shavings or whatever tickles your fancy. Poke sticks into foam and let set until coating has hardened.

 

Serve and enjoy!

 

Holiday Cake Balls

1 cake mix (baked according to package directions)

1 can frosting

1 package candy coating (I used Almond Bark)

Sprinkles or other decoration

Lollipop sticks

Bake the cake according to package directions. Cool completely.

In a large bowl, break up entire cake then mix in 1/2 of the can of frosting. I used chocolate just because I need chocolate like most people need air, but you could choose any flavor cake and frosting.

You may have to get your hands into the project to get it thoroughly mixed and you most definitely will get hands-on- involvement when you form the balls. The size is totally dependent on how big you want to make them. I’d stick in the ballpark of between one to two inches diameter.

Once the ball are formed, melt the candy coating. I did just a few bricks at a time so the whole bowl of coating wouldn’t get hard before I was done. You can just pop it into the microwave in 30-second intervals until it is melted. Do not reheat it as it gets gunky and icky quickly. Use it up then melt the next round.

When  the candy coating is ready, dip in the ends of the sticks then stab them into the balls. Let them sit until the coating is nice and firm. This is very important. If you don’t do this, your sticks may fall out and that would be tragic.

Once the balls are ready for dipping, use a spoon to swirl coating over the balls. Tap the edge of the stick lightly on the bowl to get off excess coating. Cover the ball in sprinkles, crushed candy canes, whatever sounds good and looks tasty. Then poke a hole with the stick into the foam black and let rest until the coating is good and firm.

Repeat until all balls are coated. You can put these in the freezer, wrap in individual cellophane bags or share them for devouring as soon as you are finished.

Enjoy!

She Who Liked These Way Too Much

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