Strawberry Cake

This easy strawberry cake will have your guest licking their plates.  It is very moist and has great strawberry flavor!  The pipeable cream cheese frosting is delicious also.

I love making strawberry desserts in the summertime!  Don't you?

Ingredients:

• 2 sticks unsalted butter (1 cup), room temp
• 2 cups sugar
• 1 pkg. (3oz) strawberry gelatin
• 4 eggs
• 2 3/4 cup sifted cake flour*
• 2 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1 cup whole milk, room temp
• 1 tbsp vanilla 
• 1/2 cup strawberry puree**
• fresh strawberries for decorating, optional

 Directions:

1. Place eggs, butter and milk on counter at least two hours before baking.  It takes awhile for them to reach proper room temperature.
2. Preheat oven to 350°.  Grease, flour and line two 9 inch round cake pans.  I like to spray nonstick cooking spray, line with parchment paper, spray again and flour.  Shake off excess flour.  If you take the time to do this extra step, your cakes will always come out of your pans.
3. Cream butter, sugar and gelatin in mixer until light and fluffy.  Add eggs one at a time until just mixed.
4. In a separate bowl, combine flour and baking powder.  Add to batter alternating with milk.  Always begin and end with flour.  This helps from a flour cloud in your kitchen.  Don't over mix! Over mixing makes for tough cakes.
5. Stir in vanilla and strawberry puree.
6. Pour evenly into prepared pans and bake for 25-30 or until toothpick comes out clean.  Allow to cool in pans over cooling rack for 10 minutes before inverting.  Let cakes cool completely before frosting.  I used this pipeable cream cheese frosting.  Strawberry buttercream would also be great.

* sifted cake flour means sift before measuring.  It makes a difference
** for strawberry puree: add a bag of frozen strawberries and sugar to blender and puree.  Omit sugar if buying sweetened berries.  Add a little sugar and taste as you go.  I think I added 1/3-1/2 cup of sugar.

Sorry the cake is so messy in this picture.  I was too full on cake to clean it up.

Pecan Cake

 Cake Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups unsalted butter, room temp
• 2 1/4 cups sugar
• 4 egg whites
• 3 tsp vanilla extract
• 3 cups AP flour
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 2 3/4 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 1/2 cups milk

Icing Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup butter
• 3/4 cup shortening
• 6 cups powdered sugar
• 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 3-4 tbsp water or milk

Pecan Filling:

• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 3/4 cup dark corn syrup
• 1/3 cup cornstarch
• 4 egg yolks
• 1 1/2 cups half and half
• 1/8 tsp salt
• 1 cup toasted pecans, chopped
• 3 tbsp butter
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

I started off by making the pecan filling the day before.  It takes at least 4 hours to chill but lasts in the fridge for 7 days. 

Directions:

1. For pecan filling:  Whisk together first 6 ingredients in a 3 quart saucepan until smooth.  Bring to a boil, whisking constantly.  Boil until thick, takes about 1-2 minutes.  Remove from heat.
2. Whisk in pecans, butter and vanilla.  Place a sheet of wax paper on top of the filling. This keeps it from getting a yucky skin.  Chill for at least 4 hours.  
3. For the cake:  Preheat oven to 350°.  Line three 8 inch cakes pans with parchment paper and grease well.
4. Beat butter and sugar in mixer until fluffy.  Scrape sides of bowl as needed.
5. Add egg whites and vanilla and beat until just mixed.
6. In separate bowl, combine flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt.  Add 1/3 third of the flour mixture to the mixer.  Blend until just mixed.
7. Add half of the milk and blend until just mixed.  Repeat with flour, milk and end with flour.  The batter with be thick and smell delicious.
8. Divide batter evenly between the three cake pans.  Bake for 30 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.
9. Cool cakes pans on wire racks for 10 minutes.  Then remove cake from pans and transfer to wire racks.  Cool completely before assembling.  
10. For the frosting:  Beat butter and shortening in mixer until smooth.
11. Add 3 cups of powdered sugar and blend until smooth.
12. Add vanilla extract and 2 tbsp of water or milk.  Blend until smooth.
13. Add remaining powdered sugar and blend until smooth.
14. Add remaining water or milk.  If you like a thinner frosting, add more water or milk.  
15. Assemble your cake.  Decorate as you please. This cake is a winner so share it with your friends and family.

 Eat and enjoy! :) 

Bloody Red Velvet Cake

Cake Ingredients:

• 2 3/4 cups sifted AP flour
• 1/4 cup cocoa powder, sifted 
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 3/4 tsp sea salt
• 2 cups sugar
• 1 1/2 sticks or 3/4 cup unsalted butter, room temp
• 1/3 cup veg oil
• 3 eggs
• 2 egg yolks
• 1 oz red food coloring
• 1 1/3 cups buttermilk
• 1 tbsp vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 tsp vinegar

Cream Cheese Filling:

• 8 oz cream cheese, room temp
• 1 stick or 1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temp
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 3-4 cups powdered sugar

Click here for vanilla buttercream

  ( It's enough to frost the outside of two cakes.  You can halve the recipe.)

Red Ganache:

• 12 oz red candy melts
• 1/3 cup heavy cream
• red food coloring

Directions:

1. Grease and flour 3 9" round cake pans lined with parchment paper.  Preheat oven to 350°.  
2. Add sifted flour, baking soda and salt to a bowl.  Sift in cocoa powder and whisk until all combined.
3. Beat sugar and butter in mixer until fluffy.  Add eggs one at a time.  Next add egg yolks and vegetable oil and mix until just combined.  Add in food coloring.
4. Add vanilla extract and vinegar to the buttermilk and whisk together.
5. Add 1/3 of flour mixture to wet ingredients.  Add 1/2 of buttermilk into wet ingredients.  Scrape sides of bowl.
6. Continue adding 1/3 of flour mixture and the rest of buttermilk.  Scrape sides of bowl.
7. Add the last bit of flour mixture and mix until combined.
8. Divide evenly between cake pans and bake for 26-30 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.  Cool in pans for 10 minutes, then remove onto cooling racks to cool completely.  
9. While cakes are cooling, beat cream cheese and butter together until smooth and creamy.  Add vanilla and powdered sugar.  Beat until creamy.
10. Assemble cakes and frost the outside.
11. To make ganache: Chop candy melts and add to a clean bowl.  Heat heavy cream and red food coloring on stove until hot.  Add to candy melts and stir until melted.  Pour in a squeeze bottle and decorate your bloody cake!

  

Eat and enjoy!
       

7-up Citrus Cake

This buttery citrus cake is a perfect compliment to the end of a rich meal.  It's dense but the lemon and lime helps to balance the cake out.  

Cake Ingredients:

• 3 sticks butter, room temp
• 3 cups sugar
• 5 eggs, room temp
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• 2 tbsp lime juice *
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 cup 7-up
• 3 cups AP flour
• zest from 1 lemon and 1 lime

Glaze Ingredients:

• 2 cups powdered sugar
• 1Tbsp lemon OR lime juice
• 2 Tbsp 7-up

 Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 325° F.  Grease and flour a bundt pan REALLY WELL.  
2. In your mixer, beat butter and sugar until creamy.
3. Incorporate eggs one at a time until completely blended.
4. Add vanilla, citrus juice and zest.  Blend until combined.
5. Alternate flour and 7-up to the mixture, beginning and ending with flour.
6. Pour batter into bundt pan and bake for approx. 65 minutes.  Do the toothpick taste before removing from oven.
7. Allow to cool for 20 minutes then invert onto plate and cool completely.
8. Wisk together glaze ingredients and drizzle onto cake.  Let harden before slicing.

Get yourself a slice and enjoy!

* click here to get the most out of your limes.  

  

Butter Pecan Cake

Frosting:

2 tbsp unsalted butter

1 1/2 cups chopped pecans

12 oz cream cheese, softened

1/2 cup unsalted butter ( 1 stick), room temp

1 lb powdered sugar

2 tsp vanilla extract

Cake:

6 oz white chocolate, chopped

1/2 cup boiling water

1 cup unsalted butter (2 sticks)

 4 eggs, separated

1 1/2 cups sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 cup buttermilk

1 tsp baking soda

3 cups sifted cake flour

To make the frosting:

  Melt 2 tbsp of butter in pan, add pecans and cook over medium heat until toasted.  This may take approx. 10 minutes.  Be sure to keep an eye on those suckers! They can go from raw to toasted to burnt very quickly!  Remove from heat and cook completely.

   Beat cream cheese and 1/2 cup butter until creamy.  Gradually add sugar and beat until fluffy.  Stir in buttered pecans and vanilla, cover and chill at least one hour.

To make the cake:

  Put chopped white chocolate in bowl and pour boiling water over the chocolate.  Stir until smooth and set aside to cool.

  Preheat oven to 350°.  Grease three 9 inch round pans and line with wax paper.  Then grease and flour the wax paper.  If you don't do this, you may end up with cake crumbs.

  Combine buttermilk and baking soda and set aside.

  Beat butter until creamy.  Gradually add sugar beating until fluffy.  Add egg yolks one at a time until incorporated.  Stir in chocolate and vanilla.  You may now add the cake flour to the mix alternating with buttermilk.  Make sure to begin and end the flour.  Mix on low until all blended together.

  In another bowl, beat the egg white with stiff peaks form.  Gently fold it into the cake batter.  Evenly distribute the batter to the three cake pans.

  Bake 20-23 minutes or until a tooth pick comes out clean.  Cool the cake in the pans for about 10 minutes.  Then you may turn them out onto a wire rack to cool completely.  This may take approx.  30 minutes to 1 hour.  Frost and enjoy the delicious taste of Butter Pecan Cake.  Store in fridge.  

I only made my cake with 2 layers.  I had a little accident with the third layer.  Oh well, I prefer a higher frosting content on my cake anyway!!