Cake! - Double-Post Tuesday

Besides being Taco Tuesday, it's also Double-Post Tuesday. Today's double post is dedicated to that wonderful treat, cake. Here are six cake recipes to help you through the day, including Stuffed Pinata Cake and Red Velvet Cake. Enjoy!

AMBROSIA CAKE

This comes from Melissa Clark in The New York Times cooking e-newsletter. Melissa wrote, “If you love the combination of oranges, coconut and marshmallows found in a traditional ambrosia — the salad or dessert that often also contains pineapple, bananas, cherries and some kind of creamy dressing such as whipped cream or sour cream — you’ll adore this cake. The coconut is baked into the cake layers and used as a sweet, shaggy garnish, while the oranges (in this case, diminutive, seedless clementines) are juiced into curd and sliced fresh for the filling. Then, as a final, fluffy touch, a homemade marshmallow frosting tops it off. It may be a lot of work, but it’s an impressive result. And you can make the curd and cake a few days ahead. Just be sure to make the frosting and assemble everything within 8 hours of serving. Otherwise the fruit starts to break down and the icing may crystallize.”

Yield: 12 servings; Time: 3 hours

This was originally featured in “An Ambrosial Cake, and That’s Just the Filling” and can be viewed online here.

Ingredients

For the Cake:

2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt

1/2 cup whole milk

1/2 cup unsweetened coconut milk

1 tablespoon coconut rum or dark rum (or use 1 teaspoon coconut extract)

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

12 tablespoons unsalted butter (1 1/2 sticks), softened

1/4 cup virgin coconut oil, melted and cooled (or use more butter)

1 1/2 cups sugar

4 large eggs, room temperature, whites and yolks separated

1 1/4 teaspoons finely grated clementine zest (from about 2 clementines)

For the Filling:

1/3 cup fresh clementine juice (from about 4 clementines), plus 2 1/2 teaspoons finely grated clementine zest

1/3 cup fresh lemon juice

4 large eggs

4 large egg yolks (reserve whites for frosting)

7 tablespoons sugar

Pinch kosher salt

12 tablespoons unsalted butter (1 1/2 sticks), cubed

1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the Frosting:

4 large egg whites

1 cup sugar

1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar

Pinch kosher salt

For Decorating and Assembling:

8 to 10 seedless clementines

1 1/2 to 3 cups shredded sweetened or unsweetened coconut, to taste

Strawberries, sliced (optional)

Preparation

Bake the cake: Heat oven to 350 degrees and place a rack in the middle. Butter two 9-inch cake pans and line with parchment paper on the bottom.

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder and salt. In a separate bowl, whisk together milk, coconut milk, rum and vanilla.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat butter, coconut oil and sugar together until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Beat in egg yolks, one at a time, then beat in zest. Beat in half the flour mixture, followed by half the milk mixture. Repeat, beating just until combined and scraping down bowl as necessary.

In a separate bowl, use an electric beater to whisk egg whites just until stiff peaks form. Fold into cake batter.

Divide batter between pans. Bake until lightly golden and toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, about 30 minutes. Transfer pans to a wire rack to cool for 10 minutes, then unmold cakes and cool completely on rack. (Cakes can be made up to 2 days ahead; once cool, wrap in plastic and refrigerate.)

Meanwhile, make the filling: Bring clementine juice and lemon juice to a boil over medium heat in a medium saucepan. In a medium bowl, whisk together eggs, yolks, sugar and salt. Whisking constantly, slowly pour hot juice into eggs, then return mixture to saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until thickened, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat; whisk in butter and vanilla. Push through a strainer set over a medium bowl, and stir in clementine zest. Cover with plastic wrap directly on surface of curd and refrigerate until cold. (Curd can be made up to 5 days ahead.) Or to speed up cooling, set bowl of curd in a larger bowl filled with ice water and stir curd until very cold, 7 to 10 minutes. Cover and refrigerate until needed.

Prepare clementines for decorating the cake: Cut the top and bottom off a clementine and set it cut-side down on a cutting board. Use a sharp knife to cut away peel and pith, following the curve of the fruit from top to bottom. Working over a bowl to catch the juices, carefully cut out each segment from the membrane; it should fall into the bowl as you cut. Lay segments out on paper towels to dry slightly while you cut remaining fruit.

Use a large knife to trim tops of cakes to level them, and cut both cakes in half horizontally to make layers.

Place a cake layer on a serving dish and spread a third of the curd over it, leaving a 1-inch border around the edge. Layer a third of the clementine segments on top of curd, spacing them evenly so cake will be balanced. Top with another layer, spread another third of curd over it, and layer with 1/2 cup shredded coconut. Top with cake layer, repeat curd and clementines, saving some clementines for top of cake. Place the remaining cake layer on top, and chill while making frosting.

Make the frosting: Bring a medium pot with 1 inch of water to boil. In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine egg whites, sugar, cream of tartar and salt. Set bowl over simmering water and whisk constantly until eggs reach 160 degrees, or the sugar has melted. Remove from heat, and beat on medium-high speed until stiff peaks form, about 5 minutes.

Immediately spread frosting on cake and press coconut shreds into tops and sides. Top with clementine wedges and strawberries if using; serve within an hour or two. (Or, keep refrigerated for up to 8 hours and wait until just before serving to top with fresh fruit.)

GRANNY’S CHOCOLATE CAKE

This is from Melissa Clark in The New York Times cooking e-newsletter. Melissa wrote, “This cake recipe was adapted from the chef Larry Forgione, who served his grandmother's cake recipe at his restaurant An American Place. The dessert proved so popular that every time he tried to take it off of the menu, he said his customers threatened to riot. It's a perfect proportion of crumb to buttercream, ideal for birthdays or other celebrations where layer cake is required.”

Yield: 8 to 10 servings; Time: 1 1/2 hours, plus cooling

This was featured in “Endangered: The Beloved American Layer Cake” and can be viewed online here.

Ingredients

Butter and flour for preparing pans

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

q/w teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 1/4 cups buttermilk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

11 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature

1 1/2 cups sugar

2 large eggs

4 ounces unsweetened chocolate, melted

Chocolate frosting (see recipe, which follows)

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter 3 9-inch round cake pans, and line the bottoms with wax or parchment paper. Lightly butter the paper. Dust pans with flour, and shake out excess.

Sift together the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. In a small bowl, combine buttermilk and vanilla.

In a large bowl, using an electric mixer set at medium-high speed, cream the butter. Slowly add the sugar, and continue beating until well blended and light colored. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add dry ingredients alternately with the buttermilk mixture in 2 or 3 additions, beating well after each addition. Beat in the melted chocolate until well blended. Spoon batter into prepared pans, and smooth tops with a rubber spatula.

Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in center of a cake layer comes out clean. Let cake layers cool in the pans on wire racks for 10 minutes, then invert onto other racks and peel off the paper. Invert again, and let cool completely on the racks. Frost with chocolate frosting.

CHOCOLATE FROSTING

This is also from Melissa Clark in The New York Times cooking e-newsletter. Melissa wrote, “Here is a buttercream frosting like your grandmother might have made. Pair it with chocolate cake for a rich birthday treat.”

Yield: 2 cups; Time: 20 minutes.

This was also featured in “Endangered: The Beloved American Layer Cake” and can be viewed online here.

Ingredients

2 1/2 sticks unsalted butter

1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1 cup confectioners' sugar, sifted

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

6 egg yolks

1 1/4 pounds semisweet chocolate, melted and cooled

Preparation

In a saucepan over medium heat, melt butter with 1/3 cup water and the cocoa, stirring until smooth. Remove from heat, and let cool.

Add confectioners' sugar, salt and vanilla, and stir until smooth. Stir in egg yolks until smooth, and then chocolate. Use immediately.

STUFFED PINATA CAKE

This is from The Food Network, and begins, “Your guests will certainly be delighted by the sight of this bright cake. But make sure they don't put their cameras away too soon: once you cut into it, a candy surprise comes spilling out!”

Total: 3 hours 15 minutes; Active: 1 hour 5 minutes; Yield: 8 to 10; Level: Intermediate

To view this online, go to http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/stuffed-pinata-cake.

Ingredients

Frosting:

1 cup sugar

2 teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

Pinch fine salt

6 large egg whites

4 sticks (1 pound) unsalted butter, cut into 1 1/2-inch chunks, at room temperature

5 cups sweetened shredded coconut

Filling and Decoration:

Blue, orange, yellow, purple and pink food coloring

2 cups of your favorite small and soft candies (none in wrappers), such as gummies or candy-covered chocolates

Cake:

12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature, plus more for greasing the pans

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon fine salt

1 cup whole milk, at room temperature

1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract

3 large eggs plus 1 large egg yolk, at room temperature

1 1/2 cups sugar

Directions

For the cake: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease two 9-inch round cake pans with butter and line the bottom of each with parchment.

Whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl. Whisk the milk, vanilla, eggs and egg yolk together in another medium bowl. Beat the butter and sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer on medium high until light and fluffy. Add about a third of the flour mixture and beat on medium low until incorporated. Now add a third of the egg-milk mixture and continue to beat on medium low until incorporated, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Repeat with the remaining flour and egg-milk mixtures, finishing with the flour.

Divide the cake batter evenly between the prepared cake pans and bake until the cake bounces back when pressed and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 35 to 40 minutes. Let cool completely in the cake pans on a rack.

For the frosting: Bring a few inches of water to a boil in a saucepan that can hold a heatproof stand mixer's bowl above the water.

Add the sugar, lemon juice, salt and egg whites to the mixer bowl and whisk together by hand. Set the bowl above the boiling water and whisk until the mixture is warm to the touch and the sugar completely dissolves. Transfer to the stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment and beat at medium-high speed until cool and the whites hold stiff peaks, 10 to 15 minutes.

Toss in a couple of chunks of butter at a time, making sure the pieces are incorporated before adding more. After all the butter is added, continue beating on medium-high speed. The mixture will deflate and appear curdled. Continue beating until the frosting comes back together to a smooth and spreadable consistency. (If the frosting is very soft or begins to break, refrigerate until set but still spreadable, then beat until light before using.)

For the filling and decoration: Dye the coconut: Have ready 5 resealable plastic bags or plastic containers. Put 1 1/2 cups of the coconut in one container with 6 to 8 drops of blue food coloring. Put 1 cup of coconut in the second container with 5 to 6 drops of orange food coloring, 1 cup of coconut in the third with 5 to 6 drops yellow food coloring and 1 cup of coconut in the fourth with 6 to 8 drops purple food coloring. Put the remaining 1/2 cup coconut in the fifth container with 4 to 5 drops pink food coloring. Seal each container and shake vigorously until the coconut is evenly dyed. Add more food coloring 1 drop at a time as needed to get bright, vibrant colors.

Assemble the cake: Cut a 4-inch circle out of the center of each cake (reserve the small cut-out cake rounds). Put one of the cake rings on a cake stand or serving platter and frost with about 1 cup of frosting. Put the other cake ring on top and push down slightly. Fill the hole with candy. Cut one of the reserved cake rounds in half horizontally to make 2 thinner rounds. Use one to fill the hole on top of the cake. Frost the top and sides of the cake with the remaining frosting.

Cut a strip of parchment about 30 inches long and 3 inches wide. Wrap this parchment around the cake like a collar, leaving 1 inch of frosting exposed around the bottom perimeter of the cake. Pack some of the blue coconut onto the exposed frosting to make your first strip of color. Lift the collar up another 1 inch and do the same with the orange coconut. Remove the collar and fill the remaining inch of frosting with the yellow coconut. For the top, make 1-inch-wide rings, starting on the outside and working your way in, with the purple, pink, blue and orange coconut until the top is completely covered. Let sit at room temperature for at least 1 hour before serving.

THE CAKE

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.

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

1 package (18 oz.) yellow cake mix

1 egg, unbeaten

3/4 C oil

1 package (small) vanilla pudding

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.

RED VELVET CAKE

Another one of the recipes from 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.

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

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

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.