Have your Cake and eat it, Too!

A popular adage when I was growing up was that you can't have your cake and eat it, too. That never made sense to me; why have cake if you couldn't eat it, right?

Well, here are some really good cake recipes. You can bake 'em, after which, you can have your cake AND eat it! If you live close by, I might even join you! Enjoy!

ROCKY ROAD CAKE

This is from my e-cookbook, Off The Wall Cooking. It's available for sale on Amazon.com; the link to buy the cookbook is here.

I was taking a speech class at a local junior college. One week we had to give a demonstration speech; one lady demonstrated how to make this cake, passing out copies of the recipe along with pieces of cake. It’s absolutely delicious. The icing can be used on almost any kind of cake; it would be really good on carrot cake!

Ingredients:

Cake:

1 C chopped nuts

1 C raisins

1 C mini-marshmallows

6 oz. package of chocolate chips

4 eggs

1 C mayonnaise

1 package (18.25 oz) Devil’s Food cake mix w/pudding

Icing

1 tsp. vanilla

8 oz. cream cheese

1 stick butter

1 lb. box of Confectioners' sugar

Directions:

Cake: Grease and flour 2 9” pans. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Mix first four ingredients in medium-size bowl.

In large bowl at low speed, mix cake mix, eggs, may & water until blended. Increase speed to medium & beat for 2 minutes. Stir in nut mixture. Pour into greased & floured pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 50 minutes.

Cool in pan 15 minutes on cooling rack.

Icing: Place ingredients in bowl & cream together. When cake is cool, ice. ENJOY!

TIRAMISU

I'm not sure where I got this from. However, the email said, "A tiramisu made with sponge cake and sweetened cream cheese or mascarpone filling." You'll say it's yummy.

Ingredients:

1 sponge cake (10-12 inch), about 3" tall

1/3 cup strong black coffee

5 tablespoons rum or brandy, good quality

1 1/2 pounds cream cheese or mascarpone cheese, room temperature

1 to 1/2 cups superfine or powdered sugar

sifted unsweetened cocoa powder

Preparation:

Cut across middle of sponge cake, making two even layers, each about 1 1/2 inches high. Combine coffee and brandy. Sprinkle enough of mixture over bottom half of cake to flavor strongly. Don't moisten cake too much.

Beat room-temperature cream cheese and 1 cup sugar until sugar is completely dissolved and the cream cheese mixture is light and fluffy. Test for sweetness and add more sugar if necessary.

Spread cut surface of bottom layer with half of the cheese mixture. Replace second layer and top this with remaining cheese mixture. Sprinkle top liberally with sifted cocoa. Refrigerate cake for at least 2 hours before cutting and serving.

POOR MAN'S CAKE

Another cake from my e-cookbook, Off The Wall Cooking. This recipe was from my friend, Maryann. She wrote, "Maybe my cousin's recipe."

Ingredients:

1 C brown sugar

1 C water

1/3 C oil

1 C raisins

1/2 tsp. nutmeg

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

2 C flour, sifted

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

Mix brown sugar, water, oil, raisins, nutmeg & cinnamon in pan. Boil 3 minutes. Cool thoroughly. Add remaining ingredients. Bake in square pan in moderate oven (350 degrees) for 35 minutes.

THE CAKE

One last recipe from Off The Wall Cooking. This recipe was given to my mom by a friend, who worked as a lawyer for years. She was married to an Episcopal priest; both were involved in the civil rights movement.

1 package (18 oz.) yellow cake mix

1 package (small) vanilla pudding

1 egg, unbeaten

3/4 C oil

3/4 C sherry

Preheat oven at 350 degrees. Put ingredients in bowl. Beat for 5 minutes. Pour into greased tube cake pan or mold. Bake for 45 minutes.

CHOCOLATE CARROT CAKE

Not sure where this cake is from. The recipe starts with, "A rich and moist healthy treat." Serves 8

Ingredients:

3/4 cup canola oil

1/2 cup orange juice

1 cup sugar or Sucanet

1/3 cup cocoa powder

1 cup silken tofu

2 cups carrots, finely grated

1 cup whole wheat pastry flour

1 cup Brown Rice Flour

2 teaspoons baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon cinnamon

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix the oil, orange juice, sugar or Sucanet, cocoa powder and tofu in a blender or food processor and then add the grated carrot. In a separate bowl, mix the flours, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon.

Spoon the wet ingredients into the dry and mix just until moistened. Pour batter into a lightly oiled bundt or tube pan and bake for 50-55 minutes. If baking in 2 seperate 8" pans, bake until a toothpick come out clean.

GOOBER CAKE

This comes from Brett Moore, About.com's Gourmet food blog's guide, who attributes this to Vintage Cakes, by Julie Richardson (Ten Speed Press, 2012). The recipe starts with, "In the South, 'goober' is another term for peanuts. This delicious vintage dessert starts with a moist and flavorful peanut butter cake and then adds a wonderful peanut butter frosting and chocolate ganache. Chocolate and peanut butter taste heavenly together but, for something different, you can substitute the ganache with your favorite jam." Don't be intimidated by the length of the recipe. Read through it once or twice, then give it a try. It's worth it.

Prep Time: 20 minutes; Cook Time: 35 minutes; Total Time: 55 minutes; Yield: Serves 8 to 10

Ingredients:

3 cups (12 ounces) sifted cake flour

1 tablespoon baking powder

1 teaspoon fine sea salt

1 3/4 cups (12 3/4 ounces) firmly packed brown sugar

1/2 cup (4 ounces) unsalted butter,at room temperature

1/2 cup canola oil

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

1/2 cup (5 ounces) natural crunchy unsalted peanut butter, at room temperature

4 eggs, at room temperature

1 1/4 cups whole milk, at room temperature

For the Chocolate Ganache

1 or 1 1/4 cups heavy cream , depending on the type of chocolate

8 ounces semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, chopped or chipsFor the Peanut Butter Frosting

6 tablespoons (3 ounces) unsalted butter , at room temperature, cut into small cubes

1/2 cup (5 ounces) natural crunchy salted peanut butter, at room temperature

2 1/2 cups (10 ounces) sifted confectioners' sugar

1/2 cup heavy cream

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Preparation:

To make the cake:

Center an oven rack and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Sift together the cake flour, baking powder, and salt in a bowl, then whisk the mixture by hand to ensure that the ingredients are well mixed.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, blend the brown sugar and the butter on medium speed until they are a smooth paste. With the mixer on low speed, drizzle the oil and the vanilla into the bowl until combined. Increase the speed to medium-high and cream the mixture until it is fluffy, about 5 minutes. As you make the batter, stop the mixer frequently and scrape the paddle and the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Blend in the peanut butter on low speed. Blend in the eggs one at a time, adding the next one as soon as the previous one has disappeared into the batter . With the mixer on low speed, add the flour mixture in three parts, alternating with the milk in two parts, beginning and ending with the flour. After each addition, mix until just barely blended and stop and scrape the bowl. Stop the mixer before the last of the flour has been incorporated and complete the blending by hand with a rubber spatula to ensure you do not overbeat the batter.

Divide the batter evenly among the prepared pans (there will be approximately 1 pound 2 ounces per pan) and smooth the tops. Bake in the middle of the oven until the cakes are golden and firm and have small cracks forming on top, 28 to 32 minutes.

Remove the cakes from the oven and promptly run a thin knife around the edges of the pans to help the cakes retract evenly from the sides. Cool the cakes in their pans on a wire rack for 30 minutes. Flip the cakes out of the pans. Let the cakes continue to cool on the rack, top side up, until they reach room temperature.

To assemble the cake, place one cake on a flat plate, top side up. Using about one third of the ganache, spread a thin layer onto the top of the cake. If the ganache is warm, pop the cake in the refrigerator to let the ganache firm up before you proceed. Next, spread a third of the peanut butter frosting-about 3/4 cup-over the ganache. Place the second cake on top of the frosted cake, also top side up. Cover it with a thin layer of ganache and 3/4 cup of peanut butter frosting, as you did with the bottom layer. Top with the third cake (top side up), align the layers, and spread ganache and peanut butter frosting on the top layer, using up the remainder of both the ganache and the frosting.

This cake keeps for up to 3 days at cool room temperature.

To make the chocolate ganache:

Measure the chocolate into a small heat-resistant bowl. If you are using semisweet chocolate , use 1 cup of cream. If you are using bittersweet chocolate, use 11/4 cups of cream. Heat the cream in a saucepan over medium heat, stirring occasionally. When the cream begins to simmer , quickly remove the pot from the heat and pour it over the chocolate. Swirl the bowl to ensure that all the chocolate is coated with the hot cream.

Cover the bowl with a lid to trap the heat, and let it rest for 5 minutes. Remove the lid and begin to slowly whisk the mixture, starting with small circles in the middle and working your way outward until you have a smooth, glossy frosting.

If you intend to use the ganache as a glaze , let it cool at room temperature for about 30 minutes. Pour the liquid ganache over your cake while the ganache is still warm but not hot. If the ganache thickens too much, rewarm it by placing it over (not in) simmering water.

If you plan to use the ganache as a frosting (not a glaze), you can leave the ganache at room temperature, stirring occasionally, until it reaches spreading consistency. The time varies for this depending on your room temperature, but plan for 2 to 3 hours. Alternatively, you can pop it into the refrigerator to hurry this process, gently stirring it with a spatula every 10 minutes or so until it stiffens up to spreading consistency. If the ganache ever becomes too hard to spread, simply put it somewhere warm to soften.

Covered with plastic wrap at room temperature, this frosting keeps for up to 3 days. Makes about 1 1/2 cups (enough to lightly glaze or frost an 8- or 9-inch cake. Note: If you are using the ganache as a frosting (rather than a glaze), make it at least 2 or 3 hours before you'll need it, as it takes time to reach a spreading consistency.

To make the peanut butter frosting:

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and peanut butter on medium speed until smooth. Add the confectioners' sugar, cream, and vanilla and continue beating until the frosting is light and creamy, about 3 minutes. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl, as well as the paddle, as often as necessary to incorporate all the ingredients.

This frosting keeps at room temperature for up to 3 days or can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 7 days. If refrigerated, the frosting will need to be brought back to room temperature and rewhipped before using. Makes about 2 1/2 cups (enough to fill and top but not completely frost an 8- or 9-inch layer cake).