Versatile Vanilla Cake with Chocolate Frosting

So it was the Bear's third birthday this month. We had celebrations all over the place - the Sunday prior to his birthday was a joint party with his cousin with the in laws; the day of his birthday the Bear and I had blueberry pancakes with birthday candles for breakfast and that evening Papa Bear, the Bear and I went out to dinner for a birthday pirate pack. Then just this past Sunday we had the big birthday bash with friends and relatives. Almost as busy as Christmas!

By the time we got home from our dinner out, it was far too late to give Bear a piece of his birthday cake so we had it the next night - and of course, he loved it. Takes after his Mama, that boy.

I used a Martha Stewart cake recipe from the Everyday Food magazine, which has been torn out and sitting in my recipe binder for well, awhile, and a chocolate frosting recipe I've used in the past with good results. My first priority was a batch of tiny cupcakes for the Bear's preschool class - they turned out so well. I used the mini baking cups from Bake It Pretty and am kicking myself for not snapping a quick picture!

With the remaining batter I made half a dozen regular sized cupcakes and a layered five inch round cake.

Ivonne from Cream Puffs in Venice hosts a semi regular event called Magazine Mondays that I'm submitting this post to - to get us all using the recipes we cut out or save in some way instead of letting them linger and collect dust.

Versatile Vanilla Cake
Martha Stewart
Serves 12

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature, plus more for pans
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled), plus more for pans
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 large eggs plus 3 large egg yolks
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 cup low-fat buttermilk

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter and flour two 8-by-2-inch cake pans, tapping out excess flour. In a medium bowl, whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy. With mixer on low, beat in eggs and yolks, one at a time. Beat in vanilla. Alternately beat in flour mixture and buttermilk, beginning and ending with flour mixture; mix just until combined.

Divide batter between pans; smooth tops. Bake until cakes pull away from sides of pans, 32 to 35 minutes. Let cool in pans 10 minutes. Run a knife around edges of pans and invert cakes onto a wire rack. Let cool completely.

Place one cake, bottom side up, on a cake stand. Tuck strips of parchment paper underneath. Using an offset-spatula or table knife, spread top with frosting. Top with remaining cake; frost top, then sides. (Store unfrosted cakes at room temperature up to 1 day. Once frosted, serve within a few hours.)

Chocolate Frosting
Food.com

1/2 cup butter, softened
2 2/3 cups icing sugar, sifted
1/3 cup heavy cream
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
CHOOSE ONE: 1/3 cup cocoa powder, 1/2 cup cocoa powder or 3/4 cup cocoa powder (depending on how light or dark you'd like your frosting to look and taste)

Sift together icing sugar and cocoa.

Cream butter. Blend in vanilla.

Alternate adding cocoa/sugar mixture with the cream, beginning and ending with dry mixture. Beat until desired texture is achieved.

Versatile Vanilla Cake with Chocolate Frosting

Raspberry Buttermilk Cake

We've been plucking gorgeous ruby raspberries off our canes for a couple of weeks now. The rainy weather has completely changed the fruit schedule for this summer - we've just picked our first strawberry last week!

Our good friends hosted their annual car show and BBQ yesterday and despite the rain, we packed up our regular car and my husband's 1970 Ford Maverick and headed out to the country.

Even though we only had to bring our own chairs and adult bevvys, I wanted to bring something simple as a small contribution - and I wanted to use the few handfuls of fresh raspberries I'd picked just that morning. Enter an easy, no-fuss everyday cake: raspberry buttermilk cake.

As Deb mentions in her post, you aren't limited to raspberries here. Try blueberries, blackberries, strawberries (diced)...whatever type of berry you'd like. This is a simple cake that comes together in a hurry and was perfect for packing along to our rainy day BBQ with friends.

Raspberry Buttermilk Cake
Smitten Kitchen
Makes 1 thin 9 inch cake

1 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
2/3 cup plus 1 1/2 tablespoons sugar, divided
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon grated lemon zest, optional
1 large egg
1/2 cup shaken buttermilk (don't have buttermilk? Make your own by adding a 1/2 tablespoon vinegar or lemon juice to 1/2 cup regular milk. Allow to sit for about 10 minutes)
1 cup fresh raspberries

Preheat oven to 400F. Butter and flour a 9 inch round pan.

Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside. In a large bowl, beat butter and 2/3 cup sugar with mixer until pale and fluffy, about two minutes at medium high speed. Then beat in vanilla and zest, if using. Add egg and beat well.

At low speed, mix in flour mixture in three batches, alternating with buttermilk, beginning and ending with flour. Mix until just combined.

Spoon batter into cake pan and smooth top. Scatter raspberries evenly over top and sprinkle with remaining 1 1/2 tablespoons sugar.

Bake until cake is golden and cake tester inserted into center comes out clean, 20 to 25 minutes. Cool in pan 10 minutes, then turn out onto rack and cool till warm, 10 to 15 minutes. Invert onto serving plate or stand.

Raspberry Buttermilk Cake

Triple Chocolate Cupcakes

It was my birthday this past weekend.

The months leading up to it were tinged with this feeling of dread, but when I woke up in the morning on the day of, I didn't feel any different. I'm still not impressed about the number itself but I haven't suddenly become old or noticed new wrinkles, and there hasn't been a moment that I felt sad or depressed.

I was too busy baking triple chocolate cupcakes with an obscene amount of rich, fudgey frosting and a velvety ganache filling, in any case.

Do halve this recipe unless you have quite a few people to share these with. They are terribly decadent and just one is almost too much chocolate, in my opinion!

For the chocolate curls, see the Annie's Eats link below the recipe title; she gives a fabulous mini tutorial - I'm still practicing!


Triple Chocolate Cupcakes
Annie's Eats
Makes 32 cupcakes

cupcakes:
3/4 cup unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder
3/4 cup hot water
3 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 1/4 teaspoons coarse salt
1 1/2 cups unsalted butter
2 1/4 cups sugar
4 large eggs, room temperature
4 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup sour cream, room temperature

ganache filling:
8 ounces bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons heavy cream
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 4 pieces, room temperature

frosting:
14 ounces bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
9 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
9 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
3 cups icing sugar, sifted
6 tablespoons unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder
Pinch of salt
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons sour cream

Preheat the oven to 350F. Line cupcake pans with paper liners. In a small bowl, whisk together the cocoa powder and hot water until smooth. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt; set aside.

In a medium saucepan, combine the butter and the sugar over medium heat. Heat, stirring occasionally to combine, until the butter is melted. Remove the mixture from the heat and transfer to the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Beat on medium-low speed for 4-5 minutes, until the mixture is cooled. Mix in the eggs, one at a time, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed and beating well after each addition. Mix in the vanilla and then the cocoa mixture and beat until incorporated. With the mixer on low speed add in the dry ingredients in two batches, alternating with the sour cream, beating just until combined.

Divide the batter between the prepared cupcake liners, filling them about 3/4 of the way full. Bake 18-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, rotating the pans halfway through baking. Allow the cupcakes to cool in the pan 5-10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

To make the ganache, place the chopped chocolate in a medium bowl. Heat the cream in a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Once boiling, remove from the heat and pour over the chopped chocolate. Let stand about 1 minute. With a whisk, gently stir the chocolate and cream together in small circles. When the ganache has become smooth, whisk in the butter 1 piece at a time until incorporated. Transfer the bowl to the freezer or refrigerator to chill and thicken the ganache a bit. Whisk every 5-10 minutes to help it cool evenly. Once the mixture is slightly thickened and no longer runny, you are ready to fill the cupcakes.

To assemble the cupcakes, cut a cone out of the center of each cupcake with a small paring knife. Cut off the pointed end of the cone and discard (or eat) so you are left with a cap of cake to cover the filling. Drop a spoonful of ganache into the center of each cupcake and recover the hole with the cap.

To make the frosting, melt the chocolate in a heat-proof bowl set over a pot of simmering water. Set aside to cool until just barely warm. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the cream cheese and butter on medium-high speed until pale and fluffy, about 3-4 minutes. Gradually mix in the confectioners’ sugar, cocoa powder and salt. Beat in the melted and cooled chocolate and then the sour cream. Continue beating until the mixture is smooth and well blended. Frost cupcakes immediately.

To make the chocolate curls, warm the block of chocolate just slightly (heat in 5-second intervals in the microwave – be careful not to melt). Use a vegetable peeler to create chocolate curls. Top cupcakes with curls immediately. Reheat chocolate as needed to keep it workable.

Triple Chocolate Cupcakes

Honey Vanilla Pound Cake

The urge to bake something sweet struck suddenly a few mornings ago. Cookies felt like too much work, not in the mood for pie, a tart required pâte brisée and a cake would have been impractical. But wait - how about a pound cake?

And pound cake it was.

In my recipe binder I have a Barefoot Contessa recipe from her book Back to Basics - a honey vanilla pound cake. Easy enough to put together, a minimum of dirty dishes and once baked, easily nibbled by the slice.

Honey Vanilla Pound Cake
Makes one 8 inch loaf
Barefoot Contessa

1/2 pound unsalted butter, at cool room temperature (leave refrigerated butter out for about 1 hour to achieve this)
1 1/4 cups sugar
4 extra large eggs, at room temperature
2 tablespoons honey
2 teaspoons pure vanilla
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
2 cups sifted cake flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder

Preheat oven to 350F. Grease the bottom of an 8 1/2 x 4 1/2 x 2 1/2 inch loaf pan. Line with parchment then grease and flour entire pan.

In the bowl of a mixer, cream the butter and sugar on medium speed for 3 to 4 minutes until light and fluffy. In the meantime, put eggs, honey, vanilla and lemon zest into a measuring cup but do not mix.

With the mixer on medium low speed, add the egg mixture, one egg at a time, scraping down the bowl and allowing each egg to become completely incorporated before adding the next egg.

Sift together the flour, salt and baking powder. With the mixer on low speed, add the flour mixture slowly until just combined. Complete mixing with a spatula and pour into prepared pan. Smooth the top.

Bake for 50 to 60 minutes until a tester inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool 15 minutes in the pan, then turn out onto a rack and cool completely.

I must say - pound cake is like a fine wine. Let it age even just a day and the flavor and texture both improve. This particular recipe wasn't as stunning as I'd hoped - I was looking for a more flavorful cake. I think adding a bit more lemon zest or even extra vanilla would have helped.

Overall, quite enjoyable and the perfect sweet treat to have sitting on the counter for anyone to slice off a piece and enjoy - with tea or a glass of cold milk, or a spoonful of softly whipped cream!

Honey Vanilla Pound Cake

Cocoa-Nana Bread

A night or so ago, I noticed a few bananas in my fruit basket had changed to the over ripe and bake-with category, and made a mental note to bake something with them the next day. As it turned out, later that evening, a post came up in my RSS reader: this week's Tuesdays with Dorie recipe was for a chocolatey banana bread - my over ripe banana problem solved.

This loaf is as dense as they come, thick with chocolate and banana flavors - and perfect with a cold glass of milk. My Cocoa-Nana Bread took an extra 15 minutes to bake through, so be sure to test the center of the loaf with a thin knife rather than judging doneness by the clock alone.

Cocoa-Nana Bread
Dorie Greenspan
Makes 1 loaf

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup semisweet cocoa powder
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking soda
1 stick unsalted butter at room temp
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
2 large eggs
2 ripe bananas, mashed
3/4 cup buttermilk
3 ounces bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped, or 1/2 cup store-bought chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350. Butter a 9 x 5 inch loaf pan and place it on an insulated baking sheet or on two regular baking sheets stacked on top of the other. (This extra insulation will keep the bottom of the bread from over baking.)

Sift together the flour, cocoa, baking powder, salt and baking soda.

Working with a stand mixer, preferably fitted with a paddle attachment, or with a hand mixer in a large bowl, beat the butter at medium speed for about a minute, until softened. Add the sugars and beat for 2 minutes more. Add the eggs one at a time, beating for a minute after each addition. At this point, the batter may look a little curdled -- it's okay. Reduce the mixer speed to low and mix in the mashed bananas. Add the dry ingredients in 3 additions, mixing only until they disappear into the batter. Still on low speed, add the buttermilk, mixing until it is incorporated. Stir in the chopped chocolate. Scrape the batter into the pan.

Bake for 30 minutes. Cover the bread loosely with a foil tent to keep the top from getting too dark, and continue to bake for another 40 to 45 minutes (total baking time is between 70 to 75 minutes) or until a thin knife inserted into the center comes out clean. Transfer the pan to a rack and cool for at least 20 minutes before running a knife around the edges of the bread and unmolding. Invert and cool to room temp right side up.

Cocoa-Nana Bread

Chocolate Mayo Cake

We hosted a lunch yesterday, to celebrate the baptism of our son. Of the several made-from-scratch desserts I baked especially for this event, this cake was my favorite - and it was actually leftovers from the night previous; a dessert I had brought with us to visit with friends. And horrors, it's made from a boxed mix!

Although I don't believe anything could ever top Beatty's Chocolate Cake; for a wonderfully quick and easy dessert that's moist, flavorful and absolutely delicious, this cake...takes the cake.

Hellmann's Chocolate Mayo Cake
Hellmann's
Makes one, 2 layer 9 inch cake

1 box devil's food cake mix
1 cup Hellmann's mayonnaise
1 cup water
3 eggs
1 teaspoon cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350F. Grease and lightly flour two 9 inch round cake pans, set aside.

Beat cake mix, mayonnaise, water, eggs and cinnamon for 30 seconds in a large bowl with electric mixer on low speed. Beat on medium speed, scraping sides occasionally, for 2 minutes. Divide batter between the two prepared pans.

Bake 30 minutes or until toothpick inserted in centers comes out cleanly. Cool 10 minutes on wire rack, remove from pans and cool completely.

Chocolate Frosting
Makes 2 cups

1/2 cup butter, softened
2 2/3 cups icing sugar, sifted
1/2 cup cocoa powder, sifted
1/3 to 1/2 cup heavy cream
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla

Cream the butter in a large bowl. Blend in the vanilla and alternate the cocoa powder and icing sugar with the cream.

Beat with an electric mixer, adding enough cream to reach desired texture.

Chocolate Mayo Cake

Beatty's Chocolate Cake

This Ina Garten recipe has been waiting patiently for me to make it, ever since I stopped short on it in one of the Barefoot Contessa's cookbooks.

Rich, dense but not too much so, moist, dark and so chocolatey that you'll wonder why you've ever bothered with boxed mixes - there's absolutely no comparison.

It's Chocolate Cake, of course - Beatty's Chocolate Cake.

The cup of hot coffee in the cake batter really does enhance the chocolate flavor...although we preferred it the next day, after a good chill in the fridge. The coffee overpowered the chocolate flavor the day of making, and while it wasn't terrible (it's chocolate cake, after all!), it was just too strong for us. After it's refrigerator stay, the coffee just sinks into the cake; the frosting firms up, and all in all, renders it a truly deep and delicious cake.


Beatty's Chocolate Cake
Barefoot Contessa At Home
Serves 8

butter, for greasing pans
1 3/4 cups all purpose flour, plus more for pans
2 cups sugar
3/4 cup good cocoa powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup buttermilk, shaken
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 extra large eggs, at room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup freshly brewed hot coffee
1 Recipe Chocolate Buttercream, follows

Preheat oven to 350F. Butter 2 (8 inch) round cake pans. Line with parchment paper, butter again and flour both pans.

Sift and combine flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder and salt in large bowl. In a medium bowl, combine the buttermilk, oil, eggs and vanilla. With a mixer on low speed, slowly add the wet ingredients to dry. With mixer still on low, add the coffee and stir just to combine, scraping the bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula.

Pour the batter into the prepared pans and bake for 35 to 40 minutes, until a cake tester comes out clean. Cool in the pans for 30 minutes, then turn them out onto a cooling rack and cool completely.

Place 1 layer flat side up on a flat plate or cake pedestal. With a knife or offset spatula, spread the top with frosting. Place the second layer on top, rounded side up, and spread the frosting evenly on the top and sides of the cake.

Chocolate Frosting

6 ounces good semisweet chocolate
1/2 pound (2 sticks or 1 cup) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 extra large egg yolk, at room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups sifted icing sugar
1 tablespoon instant coffee powder

Chop the chocolate and place it in a heat proof bowl set over a pan of simmering water. Stir until just melted and set aside until cooled to room temperature.

In a large bowl, beat butter on medium high speed until light yellow and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the egg yolk and vanilla and continue beating for 3 minutes. Turn the mixer to low, gradually add the icing sugar then beat at medium speed, scraping down the bowl as necessary, until smooth and creamy.

Dissolve the coffee powder in 2 teaspoons of the hottest tap water. On low speed, add the chocolate and coffee to the butter mixture and mix until blended. Don't whip! Spread immediately on the cooled cake.

Beatty's Chocolate Cake

Edna Lewis's Summer Apple Pie

Happy Father's Day!

We enjoyed a fantastic evening with my husband's family - my mother in law's homemade hamburgers, green salad and baked potatoes; and for dessert, two desserts including this Summer Apple Pie from Edna Lewis. I've renewed The Taste Of Country Cooking from the library three times, and have come to the realization that I must own it. Molly claims to read sections of it at the change of each season, and I understand why.

To tempt:

Another late afternoon feast would be the melons my father had gathered in the early morning from the melon patch while the dew still lingered on them. He would put them in a tub or water or underneath the shrubbery until we were ready to eat them. Before he ever sliced open a melon, he would always plug it - by cutting out a small piece which he would taste to see if it had the proper flavor. If it didn't, he would cast it aside until he found a good one. We would all be served in our turn and we would enjoy each bite, discussing which condiment made the melon even sweeter - salt or pepper. After the feast, the rinds were saved and made into pickle or preserve, and the rest went into the swill for the hogs. Then we would go off to do our evening chores.

Absolutely glorious writing!

I'm looking forward to making this pie again in the fall, when the local apples will be at their peak. The baby and I are sure to come home from the farmers market, loaded down with crisp, sweet apples - this is such an honorable way to showcase their beauty.


Summer Apple Pie
-Edna Lewis, The Taste Of Country Cooking-
Makes 3, 7 or 8 inch pies.

Pastry:
3 cups sifted unbleached flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup lard, chilled
1/2 cup ice water

Applesauce:
1 1/3 cups sugar
pinch salt
1 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
3 pounds apples, peeled, sliced and cooked as below

Place flour and salt into a large bowl. Add the chilled lard, and using your fingertips or a pastry blender, mix well. This blend will not be as dry as a butter mixed pastry. When well blended add all of the water and mix until the water is all absorbed. This will make the dough a bit sticky. Sprinkle over lightly with flour and roll into a ball. Leave to rest in a cool place for about 15 minutes.

To make applesauce, pare, halve, quarter and core each apple. Place them into a saucepan. Sprinkle 1/3 cup sugar and salt over apples. Cover and cook for about 10 minutes over medium heat. Remove cover. Enough water should have developed to cook the apples - shake the saucepan to stir. Leave uncovered and continue cooking gently until all the juice has dried down and the sauce is thick. Remove from heat and set aside until ready to use.

Divide the dough into pieces to fit the bottom of each of three pie plates and a little less for the top crust. This is a soft dough and it is best to roll it out and place it in the pie plates, then chill until needed. The top pie crusts can be rolled out, placed on wax paper and set to chill as well. It is important to remove the top crust from the refrigerator ahead of time in order for it to warm up. If not, it will become brittle and break in half. The bottom crust should remain chilled until it is filled.

Add sugar and nutmeg to applesauce. Mix well and spoon 1 1/2 cups into each pastry lined pie plate. Moisten the rim of the pie shell and place on the top crust; seal the two by pressing the rims together. Make 5 or 6 vents in the top of the crust - the more vents there are in a two crust pie the crispier the crust will be. Bake about 45 minutes in an oven preheated to 425C. When done, remove from oven and set on a rack to cool.

When completely cooled, stack all three pies on top of one another. Cut into wedges to serve, along with ice cream or whipped cream.

Note: I found that 3 pounds of apples did not make enough applesauce to fill each pastry shell with 1 1/2 cups, so I made another, smaller batch using 4 apples. This made just enough applesauce. Depending on the type of apples you use, taste the sauce before adding the additional 1 cup of sugar - you may or may not need that much. I used Granny Smith apples and did not need to add a full cup of sugar.

The pastry recipe is better than anything you've ever made - perfectly flaky yet tender, with good flavor and turns a beautiful golden after baking. It's become my go to pie crust recipe.

Edna Lewis's Summer Apple Pie

Best Ever Carrot Cake

There are times (a multitude, really) when a boxed cake mix will not do.

The labor involved with creating a moist, many textured cake such as this, lends a part of your soul to the end result as you chop and grate and fold.


Best Ever Carrot Cake

2 cups flour
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
2 tsp cinnamon
1 3/4 cups white sugar
1 cup vegetable oil
3 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
2 cups shredded carrot
1 cup flaked coconut
1 cup chopped walnut (optional)
8 ounces crushed pineapple, drained

Preheat oven to 350. Grease and flour a 9x13 pan. Mix flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt and cinnamon. Make a well in the center and add sugar, oil, eggs and vanilla. Mix till smooth. Stir in carrots, coconut, walnuts (if using) and pineapple. Pour into pan and bake for about 45 minutes, the center may sink a bit. Frost with either store bought or homemade cream cheese icing.

Best Ever Carrot Cake