Sweets – Cakes

Hummingbird Cake with Bourbon Glaze

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This is a really old traditional “party cake”.  Everyone will KNOW you made it from scratch!

Ingredients:

  • 3 c flour
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1 ½ tsp cinnamon ground
  • ½ tsp salt
  • 1 ¾ c sugar
  • 12 Tab butter, softened (1 ½ sticks)
  • 3 eggs
  • 1 c low fat buttermilk
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 c chopped ripe banana
  • ½ c chopped toasted pecans
  • 1 8oz can crushed pineapple

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 350°.
  2. Coat 2 8×4 loaf pan with baking spray and a light dusting of flour.
  3. Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt in a bowl. Stir to mix with a whisk.
  4. Place sugar and butter in a large bowl, beat with a mixer on medium until well mixed.
  5. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition.
  6. Beat in vanilla .
  7. Add flour mixture and buttermilk alternately to butter mixture, beginning and ending with flour mixture.
  8. Fold in banana, pecans,, and crushed pineapple.
  9. Spoon batter into prepared pan.
  10. Bake at 350° for 45 – 60 minutes or until a toothpick comes out with moist crumbs clinging.
  11. Cool 5 minutes in pans on a wire rack.
  12. Remove from pans.
  13. Cut in half lengthwise and slice into ½ inch pieces crosswise.

Or bake it the more traditional way in 2 9 inch round pans.

Bourbon Glaze

Ingredients:

  • 2/3 c powdered sugar
  • 2 Tab bourbon
  • 2 Tab melted butter
  • ½ tsp vanilla

Directions:

  1. Stir until smooth.
  2. Drizzle over cakes.

Serves: 64 slices.

Source: Cooking Light December 2011

Comment: You can make the cake up to two weeks ahead and wrap tightly in plastic wrap and freeze (without the glaze). Defrost overnight in the refrigerator and glaze.

 

 Key Lime Cheesecake

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We did a taste test.  I made this with regular limes and key limes – no one could tell the difference!

Crust Ingredients:

  • 2 c graham cracker crumbs, crushed (approximately 2 sleeves)
  • ½ c butter, melted
  • ¼ c sugar

Crust Directions:

  1. Butter a 10 inch spring form pan, bottom and sides.
  2. Combine crumbs, melted butter, and ¼ cup sugar.
  3. Press evenly over bottom and half way up the sides of the pan.
  4. Bake 375° for 7 – 8 minutes (no longer.)

Filling Ingredients:

  • 3 (8 oz) packages cream cheese, room temperature
  • 1 c sugar
  • 1 c sour cream
  • ¼ c flour
  • 2 tsp vanilla
  • 4 eggs
  • ¾ c key lime juice

Filling Directions:

  1. Cream room temperature cream cheese well.
  2. Add sugar and cream until smooth, scraping sides and bottom of bowl frequently.
  3. Cream in sour cream, eggs, flour and vanilla.
  4. When smooth once more, stir in lime juice.
  5. Pour over prepared crust.
  6. Return to 375°oven for 15 minutes.
  7. Lower temperature to 250° and continue baking 50 minutes more.
  8. Cool on wire rack in pan for 20 minutes.
  9. Run a knife around edge to loosen cheese cake, but do not remove from pan.
  10. Refrigerate at least 6 hours before serving.
  11. May be garnished with sweetened whipped cream, lime zest or both.

Serves: 12

Source: food.com

 Boston Cream Cupcakes

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Ingredients Cupcakes:

  • 1 ¾ c flour
  • 1 ½ tsp baking powder
  • ¾ tsp salt
  • 1 c sugar
  • 12 Tab unsalted butter softened (1 ½ sticks)
  • 3 large eggs
  • ¾ c milk
  • 1 ½ tsp vanilla
  • custard filling (see below)
  • chocolate glaze (see below)

Directions:

  1. Adjust oven rack to middle position.
  2. Heat to 360 degrees.
  3. Spray muffin tin with cooking spray, flour generously and tap pan to remove excess flour.
  4. In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder, salt.
  5. In a large bowl, beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
  6. Add in eggs one at a time until just combined with butter/sugar mixture.
  7. Stir vanilla into milk and add 1/3 to egg mixture.
  8. Beat in ½ flour mixture until barely combined.
  9. Next add 1/3 of the milk mixture, beat until combined.
  10. Then add the remaining flour, beat until combined.
  11. Beat in remaining milk.
  12. Fill muffin cups three quarters full.
  13. Bake until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. 18 – 20 minutes.
  14. Cool cupcakes in pan 5 minutes, then transfer to rack to cool completely.
  15. Make custard while cupcakes bake.

Ingredients Custard:

  • 2 c whole milk
  • ¼ c sugar
  • 3 Tab corn starch
  • ¼ tsp salt
  • 2 large egg yolks slightly beaten
  • 1 tsp vanilla (do not use Mexican or Tahitian vanilla – tends to be too floral)

Directions:

  1. In a heavy 2 qt sauce pans, mix all ingredients except vanilla.
  2. Cook over medium low heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture thickens and boils. Boil 1 minute.
  3. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla.
  4. Refrigerate covered with plastic wrap on the surface of the custard.

Ingredients Chocolate Glaze:

  • 6 oz semi-sweet baking chocolate (do not use chocolate chips)
  • 4 Tab butter
  1. Directions:

    Melt together in double boiler.

  2. If too thick to drip down sides of cupcakes, thin with more butter.

Assembly:

  1. When cupcakes and custard are cool, cut off caps of cupcakes and remove some of the insides, being careful not to cut through the bottom.
  2. Fill the cupcakes to over flowing with the custard and replace tops.
  3. Place cupcakes on wire rack over parchment paper or foil.
  4. Spoon chocolate glaze over cupcakes and allow to drip down the sides.
  5. Keep refrigerated until served.

Add a nod to Vermont – serve with Ben and Jerry’s Cherry Garcia ice cream.

Serves: 12

Source: Cooks Country and Donna Barasch

Comments:  These are best served the day they are assembled, but the cupcakes and the custard can be made a day ahead.  Do not make the glaze until just before assembling.  Traditionally, the custard is placed between 2 cake layers and the whole is drizzled with chocolate. This is referred to as a Boston Cream Pie. No one seems to know why it is called a pie and not a cake.

Apple Upside-Down Cake

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Tangy, sweet, spicy, gooey, and super-duper scrumptious. For the best results, spring for the boiled cider: this tasty syrup is the essence of apples. Use it in all your apple desserts, atop oatmeal or ice cream or in yogurt or smoothies. It stays fresh forever in the fridge.

Ingredients: Topping

  • 3 medium apples (Granny Smith, Yellow Delicious, or Gala)
  • 4 Tab butter
  • ¾ c light brown sugar, firmly packed
  • 2 Tab boiled cider or thawed apple juice concentrate
  • 2 Tab cinnamon
  • ½ c light corn syrup
  • ½ pt whipping cream – whipped

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  2. Lightly grease a 10” round 2 inch deep cake pan.
  3. Line the bottom with parchment and butter the parchment.
  4. Slice the top, including the stem, off one of the apples and set it aside before peeling and slicing the rest of the apples into ¼ inch thick wedges.
  5. Place the apple top, stem down in the middle of the pan and overlap the rest of the apple wedges around it.
  6. Prepare the topping by heating the butter, sugar, cider, cinnamon and corn syrup together over low heat, stirring until the sugar is dissolved.
  7. Pour ½ c of the syrup mixture into the prepared pan and set the rest aside.

Ingredients: Cake

  • ¼ c vegetable oil
  • 1 c light brown sugar
  • 2 Tab boiled cider or thawed apple juice concentrate
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 ½ tsp cinnamon
  • ¼ tsp ginger
  • 1/8 tsp cloves
  • ½ tsp salt
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1 ½ c flour
  • 2 medium apples, peeled and finely chopped
  • 3/4 c chopped pecans

To make the cake:

  1. Beat the oil, brown sugar, cider/apple juice, eggs, salt, spices together for 2 minutes at medium speed.
  2. Mix the flour with the baking soda, and stir it into the batter.
  3. Add the chopped apple and nuts, and mix until just blended.
  4. Drop scoops of the batter atop the apples in the pan, gently spreading to cover.
  5. Bake the cake for 35 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted near the center comes out clean.
  6. Remove the cake from the oven, and run a thin spatula around the edge to loosen.
  7. Let the cake cool in the pan for 5 minutes.
  8. Then turn it out onto a serving plate, bottom side up.
  9. Scrape out any sauce that remains and spread it over the cake.
  10. Reheat the reserved topping. If butter starts to separate as you reheat, add water by the teaspoon and stir until the butter rejoins the rest of the sauce.
  11. Pour the sauce over the cake.
  12. Serve cake warm or at room temperature with whipped cream.

Serves: 10 – 12

Source: King Arthur Flour

 



 

 

Butter Almond Cake

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This cake was created by Marcella Sarne, who entered it in a baking context sponsored by C&H Sugar and won, to the tune of a grand-prize custom kitchen. Sprinkling salt over the batter together with the toasted almonds and sugar is genius. Covered and stored at room temperature, this cake keeps well for several days.  (October 2019) Margie made the cake with almond flour and gave this advice:  Next time I would increase flour by 1/4 or 1/2 c and drop the oven to 325°. She made it in a pie pan.

Ingredients:

  • 3 heaped tablespoons sliced almonds
  • 3/4 c (1½ sticks) unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled
  • 1 1/2 c granulated sugar, plus 1 tablespoon for finishing
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 tsp pure almond extract
  • 1 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
  • 1/2 tsp fine sea salt
  • 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • A pinch of sea salt flakes, like Maldon

Directions:

  1. Preheat the oven to 350˚ F.
  2. Butter and flour a 9-inch fluted tart pan with a removable bottom. (or 9″ round cake pan)
  3. (Spread the sliced almonds in a single layer on a baking sheet and toast them in a preheated oven for 5 to 7 minutes, until fragrant. They should color only lightly.)
  4. Whisk together the melted butter and 1½ cups sugar in a large bowl.
  5. Add one egg, whisk until fully incorporated.
  6. Then add the other and whisk some more.
  7. Add the almond extract, vanilla and salt, and whisk well, until smooth.
  8. With a rubber spatula, fold in the flour until just combined.
  9. Spread the batter evenly in the prepared pan and scatter the toasted almonds, sea salt flakes, if using, and 1 tablespoon sugar over top.
  10. Bake for 35 minutes, until the cake peeking through the almonds takes on a faintly rosy color (this cake blushes more than it browns), and a tester inserted into the center comes out clean.
  11. Cool on a rack until nearly room temperature, then ease the cake out of the pan and cool the rest of the way.

Serves: 8 to 10

Source: Marcella Sarné, winning a C+H Sugar baking competition.

This cake comes out a brownie consistency, so can be served in wedges or in bite-sized chunks. Serve plain or with fresh fruit.

 

Margie’s Sprinkle Cake

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The daughter does good things!!

Ingredients:

  • 2 lbs frozen cherries
  • almond extract
  • 1 box chocolate cake mix
  • 1/2 lb butter
  • chocolate chips
  • slice, diced, or chopped almonds

Instructions:

  1. Sprinkle the cherries on the bottom of a greased  9 x 13 pan.
  2. Sprinkle with vanilla extract.
  3. Sprinkle with 1/2 box of cake mix.
  4. Chunk a stick of butter and sprinkle over the top.
  5. Sprinkle the rest of the cake mix.
  6. Chunk and sprinkle the other stick of butter.
  7. Bake at 350° for 50 minutes
  8. Sprinkle a couple of handfuls of chocolate chips on top.
  9. Sprinkle a hand full of almonds on top.

Serves:  12

Source:  Margie’s kitchen – with no time left to make dessert!

Chocolate Amaretto Cheesecake

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An old family favorite.  

Ingredients:

Shell:

  • 1 c graham cracker crumbs
  • ¼ c unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 2 T sugar
  • ¼ c unsalted butter

Filling:

  • 1 lb cream cheese, softened
  • ½ c superfine granulated sugar
  • 3 large eggs
  • 1 c sour cream
  • 8 oz semisweet chocolate, melted and cooled
  • 1 t vanilla
  • 1 t almond extract
  • 1/3 c Amaretto

Topping:

  • 2 oz semisweet chocolate
  • 2 T unsalted butter
  • ½ c heavy cream, well chilled
  • 1 T powdered sugar
  • 2 t Amaretto
  • ¼ c sliced almonds, toasted lightly

Instructions:

  1. Preheat oven to 300°.
  2. Make the shell:
    1. Combine graham cracker crumbs, cocoa, sugar and butter.
    2. Press the mixture into the bottom and 1 inch up the sides of a 10 inch creased spring-form pan.
  3. Make filling:
    1. Beat cream cheese with sugar until smooth.
    2. Beat in eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
    3. Stir in sour cream, chocolate, vanilla, almond extract, and Amaretto.
  4. Turn filling into shell.
  5. Bake for 1 hr.
  6. Turn off oven and let cheesecake cool in the oven for 1 hour.
  7. Let cheesecake cool completly on a rack
  8. Chill it, covered loosely, for at least 12 hours.
  9. Make the topping:  Melt chocolate and butter in double boiler set over barely simmering water..
  10. Spread mixture over cheesecake and chill for 1 hour.
  11. In a chilled bowl beat the cream with the sugar and Amaretto until it holds stiff peaks.
  12. Pipe cream on cheese cake with decorator tip.
  13. Sprinkle with almonds.
Serves:  12-16 (don’t count on leftovers)
Source:  Originally from The Amherst Shore Country Inn via Gourmet.

Notes:

  • This is a “start the previous day” (at least) recipe.
  • I also have used 1 1/2 c chocolate Nilla waffers and 1/4 c butter for the shell.  Or you can or substitute Oreo cookie crumbs, pulsed in the food processor – no need for cocoa or sugar.
  • I don’t worry about unsalted butter or superfine sugar.
  • Sometimes we don’t get the cream whipped or the almonds toasted – oh well.

Fudge Truffle Cheesecake

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This is better than wonderful and very quick and easy.

Ingredients:

Chocolate Crumb Crust:

  • 1½ c vanilla wafer crumbs (about 45 wafers)
  • ½ c confectioners’ sugar
  • 1/3 c unsweetened cocoa
  • 13 c c butter, melted

Cake:

  • 3 (8oz) packages Cream Cheese, Softened
  • 1 (14oz) can Eagle Brand Sweetened Condensed Milk (not evaporated milk)
  • 1 (12 oz) package semi -sweet chocolate chips, melted
  • 4 eggs
  • ¼ c coffee flavored liqueur, optional (but don’t leave it out!)
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract

Instructions:

  1. Preheat oven to 300°
  2. Mix the wafer crumbs, sugar, cocoa and butter.
  3. Press firmly on the bottom of a 9″ spring-form pan.
  4. Beat cream cheese until fluffy.
  5. Gradually beat in condensed milk until smooth.
  6. Add remaining ingredients: mix well.
  7. Pour into prepared pan.
  8. Bake 1:05 or until center is set.
  9. Cool. Chill.
  10. Refrigerate leftovers.  (There will not be any!)

Serves: Makes one 9″ cheesecake – serves 2 maybe 3 … 🙂

Source: My file drawer

Spiced Pumpkin Cake

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Very moist pumpkin spice cake.  First tried for Thankgiving Dinner, 2007

Ingredients:
3 c flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tbsp ground cinnamon
¼  tsp ground clove
1¾  tsp ground allspice
1 tsp salt
½  tsp ground nutmeg
—
1½  c sugar
1 c (packed) golden brown sugar
1 c butter (melted)
—
5 large eggs (at altitutde; 4 at sea level)
29 oz. pumpkin
1 tbsp vanilla extract
1 tbsp grated orange peel
¾ c raisins (optional)
¾ c sweetened flaked coconut, plus extra for garnish (optional)

Instructions:

  1. Preheat oven to 350F.
  2. Butter a 9×13 pan.
  3. Sift flour and spices into a medium bowl.
  4. Beat both sugars and oil into a large bowl until combined into a grainy mixture.
  5. Add eggs one at a time, beating until well blended after each addition.
  6. Add pumpkin, vanilla, orange peel, and beat until well blended.
  7. Add flour mixture, and beat until just incorporated.
  8. (Optional) Stir in raisins and coconut.
  9. Pour into pan; bake for about 1 hour (when tester inserted into center comes out clean).
  10. After cool, top with a frosting.

This cake comes out incredibly moist — it almost seams undercooked, but it’s not.  It can be made a day ahead of time, covered and refrigerated; let stand at room temp an hour before serving.

Variations:  This recipe is originally designed as a layer cake — using 15 oz. of pumpkin, and putting into two 9″ cake pans.  Originally set to use 2 tsp ginger instead of cloves, and canola oil instead of butter.

Source:  Bon Appetit, 10/2007

 

 

 

Cream Cheese Frosting

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This frosting was originally from a Bon Appetit Spiced Pumpkin Layer Cake, but has been tweaked a bit by Margie and Ginger, and can be used on a variety of cakes.

Ingredients:
8 oz. cream cheese, room temp.
10 tbsp (1¼ sticks) unsalted butter, room temp.
—
¼ c spiced rum
1 tsp vanilla extract or paste
—
4½  c powdered sugar

Instructions:

  1. Beat cream cheese and butter with an electric mixer in a large bowl until smooth.
  2. Beat in rum and vanilla.
  3. Add powdered sugar (best to do in three additions, beating just until frosting is smooth after each addition; if you overbeat the frosting will become too soft to spread).

Source:  Bon Appetit, 10/2007