Cake!

Today, we're dealing with cake! How to frost a cake, as well as six yummy cake recipes. Enjoy!

First off, I want to share an article and video on frosting cakes. It come from Melissa Clark in the The New York Times cooking e-newsletter, and is titled (naturally) How to Frost a Cake.

You may be thinking, “Excuse me, but I’ve been frosting cakes since the first time I baked a cake when I was a kid.” I know that was my first thought. But seriously, how often have you baked a cake that tasted yummy, only to frost it and have it look a little less than fantastic? Yup, happens all the time - at least when I’m frosting that cake! So, to view the article and videos, click here.

COCONUT LAYER CAKE

This comes from Melissa Clark in the The New York Times cooking e-newsletter. Melissa wrote, “This impressive and wonderfully moist layer cake is less sweet than the usual coconut affair, thanks to a tangy cream cheese frosting on top and dose of orange juice in the batter. This is a great dessert to make in advance. You can bake the cake layers up to 3 days ahead and store them, well-wrapped in plastic, in the refrigerator. The frosted cake will keep for 2 days in the fridge as well, either under a cake dome or overturned bowl, or loosely tented with foil. Just make sure to bring the cake to room temperature before serving.” Time: 2 hours, plus cooling; makes 8 to 12 servings.

To view this online, click here.

Ingredients

For the Cake:

2 sticks unsalted butter, softened, plus more for pans

2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for pans

1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt

2 teaspoons baking powder

3/4 cup granulated sugar

3 eggs, separated, plus 3 whites

1 1/2 cups cream of coconut

1 1/4 cups unsweetened coconut milk

2 tablespoons coconut or dark rum

7 tablespoons freshly squeezed orange juice

3 cups unsweetened shredded coconut

For the Frosting:

2 sticks unsalted butter, softened

2 cups cream cheese, at room temperature

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

7 1/4 cups/2 pounds confectioners’ sugar

2 3/4 cups unsweetened shredded or flaked coconut, toasted

Preparation

Make the Cake:

Grease 3 8-inch cake pans and dust with flour. Heat oven to 350 degrees.

Whisk together flour, salt and baking powder in a bowl and reserve. Place butter and sugar in the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with paddle attachment and beat until fluffy, about 2 to 3 minutes. Add 3 egg yolks, 1 at a time, beating after each addition and scraping down sides of bowl with spatula. Lower speed and gradually add flour mixture. Batter will be thick and pasty.

Whisk together cream of coconut, coconut milk, rum and orange juice. Alternately add shredded coconut and the orange juice mixture to the batter.

In the clean bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whip 6 egg whites until soft peaks form. Gently fold into batter.

Divide batter evenly among prepared pans. Bake for 45 to 60 minutes. Cool in pans on wire rack. Unmold cakes once cool.

Make the Frosting

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and cream cheese. Add vanilla extract. Gradually add confectioners’ sugar, scraping down sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Mix until combined and fluffy.

Spread 1/4-inch-thick layer of frosting on top of the first layer of cake. Sprinkle with toasted coconut. Place next cake layer on top and repeat with frosting and coconut. Repeat with the third layer, spreading frosting on top and around sides of cake. Hold cake steadily in one hand and use other hand to pat remaining coconut onto edges of cake.

ROCKY ROAD CAKE

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! For the longest time, several members of my family wanted this for their birthday cakes. It can be found at my e-cookbook, Off the Wall Cooking.

1 C chopped nuts

4 eggs

1 C raisins

1 C mayonnaise

1 C mini-marshmallows

1 C water

6 oz. package of chocolate

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

Grease & 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 (for Rocky Road Cake)

1 tsp. vanilla

1 stick butter

8 oz. cream cheese

1 box confectioners sugar

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

TROPICAL CARROT CAKE WITH COCONUT CREAM CHEESE ICING

This comes from Carroll Pellegrinelli, About.com's Desserts/Baking expert. She writes, "I grew-up eating this cake. It's so sinful, and yet, filled with good things for you. I've had house guests request Tropical Carrot Cake for breakfast. I think this carrot cake recipe is by far the best you'll ever have." Prep Time: 30 minutes; Cook Time: 60 minutes; Total Time: 90 minutes

To view this online, click here.

Ingredients

The Cake Recipe:

2 cups sugar

3 cups flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon cinnamon

2 cups grated carrots

1-1/3 cups vegetable oil

4 eggs, slighly beaten

1 cup chopped and toasted walnuts or pecans

1 - 20 ounce can crushed pineapple, drained

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 teaspoon lemon extract

1/2 teaspoon almond extract

The Frosting Recipe:

1/2 cup butter, softened

1 - 8 ounce cream cheese, softened

1 - 16 ounce box powdered sugar, sifted

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 cup chopped and toasted walnuts or pecans

1 cup flaked coconut

Preparation

The Cake Recipe:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour two bread loaf pans. Combine dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Add carrots, oil and eggs. Beat well, until mixed. Add other ingredients and stir. Put into baking pans. Bake for 1 hour or until done. Completely cool cakes before frosting.

The Frosting:

Combine butter and cream cheese; cream until light and fluffy. Add sugar and vanilla, mixing well. Stir in pecans and coconut. Spread on each cake. Store cakes in the refrigerator.

Note: This cake freezes beautifully. Place on foil covered baking sheet. Freeze until hard. Remove from freezer and wrap in plastic wrap and then in foil. Return to freezer. Unwrap totally and then defrost cake.

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

To view this online, click here.

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).

RED VELVET CAKE

This can be found at my e-cookbook, Off the Wall Cooking.

We lived in Connecticut for several years while I was growing up. During this time, a lady called the local radio station and said she’d recently returned from a trip. During a stay in a fancy hotel with her husband, she had this cake in their restaurant. Returning home, she wrote to the hotel and requested a copy of the recipe, saying she’d pay for it. She received a copy of the recipe, along with a bill for $300. (This was during the mid-1960s.) Furious over the bill, she proceeded to read the recipe over the air.

Ingredients for the cake

1/2 C butter (note)

1/4 tsp. salt

1 1/2 C sugar

1 C buttermilk

2 eggs, well beaten

1 T vinegar

1 tsp. vanilla

1 tsp. baking soda

2 T cocoa

2 1/4 C flour (sifted)

2 oz. red food coloring

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease & flour two 8" round pans. Cream butter & sugar. Add eggs. Make paste of food coloring & cocoa. Add to 1st mix. Add salt & buttermilk alternately with flour. Add vanilla. Dissolve soda in vinegar & add this last. Blend all ingredients, as little as possible. Pour into pans & bake for 30-40 minutes. When cool, split each layer horizontally.

Frosting For Red Velvet Cake

1 C butter (note)

1 C milk

1 C sugar

1 tsp. vanilla

5 T unbleached flour

Directions

Cream butter with sugar. Cook flour & milk in saucepan until very thick, stirring the whole time. Cool. Combine 2 mixes & add vanilla, using electric mixer. Spread on cake.

NOTE: Butter must be used in the frosting, otherwise the frosting will liquefy & refuse to harden. In the cake itself, though, margarine may be used. Also, if two 9" round pans are used, layers don’t need to be cut in half.