Strawberry Cream Cake

I was searching around for a white cake recipe for my Dad's birthday when I came across this recipe on Cook's Illustrated website.  The idea of the whole thing just sounded mind blowing.  I mean who would not love a giant size gourmet strawberry shortcake with a cream cheese whipped cream topping.  Heck, the whipped cream recipe alone won me over.  This cake is so light and fluffy that it is great for the warmer months when you just don't want to eat anything that will make you feel like you ate a brick.  Light, fluffy, and fantastic -  A must try dessert!  

Strawberry Cream Cake
Source: Cook's Illustrated

Cake
1 1/4 cups (5 ounces) cake flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon table salt
1 cup (7 ounces) sugar 
5 large eggs (2 whole and 3 separated), room temperature
6 tablespoons unsalted butter , melted and cooled slightly
2 tablespoons water
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Strawberry Filling

2 pounds fresh strawberries (about 2 quarts), washed, dried, and stemmed
4 - 6 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons Kirsch
pinch table salt

Whipped Cream

8 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
1/2 cup sugar (3 1/2 ounces)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon table salt
2 cups heavy cream

Instructions 
FOR THE CAKE: Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 325 degrees. Grease and flour round 9 by 2-inch cake pan or 9-inch springform pan and line with parchment paper. Whisk flour, baking powder, salt, and all but 3 tablespoons sugar in mixing bowl. Whisk in 2 whole eggs and 3 yolks (reserving whites), butter, water, and vanilla; whisk until smooth. In clean bowl of standing mixer fitted with whisk attachment, beat remaining 3 egg whites at medium-low speed until frothy, 1 to 2 minutes. With machine running, gradually add remaining 3 tablespoons sugar, increase speed to medium-high, and beat until soft peaks form, 60 to 90 seconds. Stir one-third of whites into batter to lighten; add remaining whites and gently fold into batter until no white streaks remain. Pour batter into prepared pan and bake until toothpick or wooden skewer inserted into center of cake comes out clean, 30 to 40 minutes. Cool in pan 10 minutes, then invert cake onto greased wire rack; peel off and discard parchment. Invert cake again; cool completely, about 2 hours.
FOR THE STRAWBERRY FILLING: Halve 24 of best-looking berries and reserve. Quarter remaining berries; toss with 4 to 6 tablespoons sugar (depending on sweetness of berries) in medium bowl and let sit 1 hour, stirring occasionally. Strain juices from berries and reserve (you should have about 1/2 cup). In workbowl of food processor fitted with metal blade, give macerated berries five 1-second pulses (you should have about 1 1/2 cups). In small saucepan over medium-high heat, simmer reserved juices and Kirsch until syrupy and reduced to about 3 tablespoons, 3 to 5 minutes. Pour reduced syrup over macerated berries, add pinch of salt, and toss to combine. Set aside until cake is cooled.
FOR THE WHIPPED CREAM: When cake has cooled, place cream cheese, sugar, vanilla, and salt in bowl of standing mixer fitted with whisk attachment. Whisk at medium-high speed until light and fluffy, 1 to 2 minutes, scraping down bowl with rubber spatula as needed. Reduce speed to low and add heavy cream in slow, steady stream; when almost fully combined, increase speed to medium-high and beat until mixture holds stiff peaks, 2 to 2 1/2 minutes more, scraping bowl as needed (you should have about 4 1/2 cups).
TO ASSEMBLE THE CAKE: Using large serrated knife, slice cake into three even layers. Place bottom layer on cardboard round or cake plate and arrange ring of 20 strawberry halves, cut sides down and stem ends facing out, around perimeter of cake layer. Pour one half of pureed berry mixture (about 3/4 cup) in center, then spread to cover any exposed cake. Gently spread about one-third of whipped cream (about 1 1/2 cups) over berry layer, leaving 1/2-inch border from edge. Place middle cake layer on top and press down gently (whipped cream layer should become flush with cake edge). Repeat with 20 additional strawberry halves, remaining berry mixture, and half of remaining whipped cream; gently press last cake layer on top. Spread remaining whipped cream over top; decorate with remaining cut strawberries. Serve, or chill for up to 4 hours.

Caramel Cake, Daring Bakers Style

Happy Daring Bakers post day to all my fellow food loving friends. This month our challenge was to make a very sweet and indulgent sounding caramel cake with caramelized butter frosting. This cake came together very smoothly for me and baked up beautifully. The smell and taste of the caramel syrup made me crave caramel corn very much, I'll have to make some soon. :) The icing came together very smoothly also. I did not use the entire pound of powdered sugar. I would say I used between 9 and 10 ounces though. I also added much more heavy cream to the frosting than called for to try and counteract all the grittyness of the powdered sugar. I also forgot to add in the salt, oopsie.

I took this cake to my aunt's house for Thanksgiving and it was a hit with everyone that tried it. The cake was so moist and light with the perfect hint of caramel sweetness. I will admit, I was a little scared about the frosting. It tasted amazing but I wasn't so sure I would like it on the cake. I thought it would still have the powdered sugar grit taste to it but all in all you could barely tell. The cake tasted so light, obviosuly it was far from being healthy but it was the perfect ending to a very filling Thanksgiving meal. I am glad that I got a chancet o make this cake. It was amazing and I might even make it again. My friend was already hinting that it would be great for her son's birthday party. :) Please excuse my sloppy swirly frosting job. I decorated it on Thanksgiving morning when I was also cooking up 3 batches of garlic knots and some green bean casserole from scratch.


A big thank you goes out to this months hosts, Dolores of Chronicals in Culinary Curiosity Alex of Brownie of the Blondie and Jenny of Foray into Food. As always check out the Daring Bakers Blogroll to see the other beautiful cakes made by the very talented DB'ers.
- One year ago the Daring Bakers tackled Tender Potato Bread. -


Caramel Cake With Caramelized Butter Frosting
Source: Shuna Fish Lydon, as published on Bay Area Bites

Ingredients
10 Tablespoons unsalted butter at room temperature

1 1/4 Cups granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/3 Cup Caramel Syrup (see recipe below)
2 each eggs, at room temperature
splash vanilla extract
2 Cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup milk, at room temperature

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350F
2. Butter one tall (2 – 2.5 inch deep) 9-inch cake pan.
3. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream butter until smooth. Add sugar and salt & cream until light and fluffy.
4. Slowly pour room temperature caramel syrup into bowl. Scrape down bowl and increase speed. Add eggs/vanilla extract a little at a time, mixing well after each addition. Scrape down bowl again, beat mixture until light and uniform.

5. Sift flour and baking powder.
6. Turn mixer to lowest speed, and add one third of the dry ingredients. When incorporated, add half of the milk, a little at a time. Add another third of the dry ingredients, then the other half of the milk and finish with the dry ingredients. {This is called the dry, wet, dry, wet, dry method in cake making. It is often employed when there is a high proportion of liquid in the batter.}

7. Take off mixer and by hand, use a spatula to do a few last folds, making sure batter is uniform. Turn batter into prepared cake pan.
8. Place cake pan on cookie sheet or 1/2 sheet pan. Set first timer for 30 minutes, rotate pan and set timer for another 15-20 minutes. Your own oven will set the pace. Bake until sides pull away from the pan and skewer inserted in middle comes out clean. Cool cake completely before icing it.

9. Cake will keep for three days outside of the refrigerator.


Caramel Syrup
Source: Shuna Fish Lydon, as published on Bay Area Bites

Ingredients
2 cups sugar
1/2 cup water
1 cup water (for "stopping" the caramelization process)

Directions
1. In a small stainless steel saucepan, with tall sides, mix water and sugar until mixture feels like wet sand. Brush down any stray sugar crystals with wet pastry brush. Turn on heat to highest flame. Cook until smoking slightly: dark amber.
2. When color is achieved, very carefully pour in one cup of water. Caramel will jump and sputter about! It is very dangerous, so have long sleeves on and be prepared to step back.
3. Whisk over medium heat until it has reduced slightly and feels sticky between two fingers. {Obviously wait for it to cool on a spoon before touching it.}
Note: For safety reasons, have ready a bowl of ice water to plunge your hands into if any caramel should land on your skin.

Caramelized Butter Frosting
Source: Shuna Fish Lydon, as published on Bay Area Bites

Ingredients
12 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 pound confectioner’s sugar, sifted
4-6 tablespoons heavy cream
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2-4 tablespoons caramel syrup
Kosher or sea salt to taste

Directions
1. Cook butter until brown. Pour through a fine meshed sieve into a heatproof bowl, set aside to cool.
2. Pour cooled brown butter into mixer bowl.
3. In a stand mixer fitted with a paddle or whisk attachment, add confectioner's sugar a little at a time. When mixture looks too chunky to take any more, add a bit of cream and or caramel syrup. Repeat until mixture looks smooth and all confectioner's sugar has been incorporated. Add salt to taste.
Note: Caramelized butter frosting will keep in fridge for up to a month. To smooth out from cold, microwave a bit, then mix with paddle attachment until smooth and light.

Red White and Blue Explosion

These cupcakes look like some crazy 4th of July firework exploded on them. Let's just say that I was trying to play around with swirling things. I tried to swirl some color into the actual cakes, to make them festive, but I managed to forget what I had planned to do in my head and do it the wrong way which resulted in color only on the top of the cake. So the tops of the cakes themselves are festive. Some are red, some are white and some are blue. Then I felt antsy, I thought, "oh boy, won't it be fun to have red white and blue frosting all on top of one cupcake". Ha, what a mess I made. LOL


These cupcakes were moist and wonderful. One guest described them as tasting like a big fluffy sugar cookie and I had to agree, they kind of do. I am just glad that my guests actually thought it would be fun to have red and blue (purple perhaps) tongues. :)


White Cupcakes
Source: A Baker's Field Guide to Cupcakes By Dede Wilson

Yield: 12 cupcakes

Ingredients
12 paper liners
1 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 large egg whites
3/4 cup milk, at room temperature
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature, cut into small pieces
3/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350. Place paper liners in all wells of one 12-cup cupcake tin.
2. Whisk flour, baking powder, and salt together in a small bowl to aerate and combine; set aside. 3. Whisk egg whites and milk together in a small bowl to combine; set aside.
4. In a large bowl with an electric mixer on medium high speed, beat butter until creamy, about 2 minutes. Add sugar gradually, beating until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes, scraping down the bowl once or twice. Beat in vanilla extract. Add the flour mixture in 4 additions, alternately with the egg white-milk mixture. Begin and end with the flour mixture, and beat briefly until smooth on low-medium speed after each addition.
5. Divide batter evenly among cupcake wells. Bake or about 20 minutes, or until edges turn light golden brown; a toothpick inserted in the center will show a few moist crumbs.
6. Cool pan on rack for 5 minutes, then remove cupcakes to a cooling rack to cool completely.

Recipe Notes: This is a simple, moist white cake that can be varied endlessly. The cupcakes will keep for 2 days at room temperature in an airtight container or for 1 week frozen in an airtight container.

Buttercream Icing
Source: Wilton.com

Yield: 3 cups icing

Ingredients
1/2 cup solid vegetable shortening
1/2 cup butter or margarine
1 teaspoon Clear Vanilla Extract
4 cups sifted confectioners' sugar (approx. 1 lb.)
2 tablespoons milk

Directions
1. Cream butter and shortening with electric mixer.
2. Add vanilla.
3. Gradually add sugar, one cup at a time, beating well on medium speed. Scrape sides and bottom of bowl often. When all sugar has been mixed in, icing will appear dry.
4. Add milk and beat at medium speed until light and fluffy.

Recipe Notes: Keep icing covered with a damp cloth until ready to use. For best results, keep icing bowl in refrigerator when not in use. Refrigerated in an airtight container, this icing can be stored 2 weeks. Rewhip before using.

Merry Christmas (cookies)

A couple of years ago my husbands grandmother came down to Indiana for Christmas and she brought these joyous cookies with her and I just loved them. So last month when I was up in Michigan visiting her I asked her for the recipe. She told me the story behind the recipe and that it came out of the Betty Crocker cookbook that she received at a young age. She was kind enough to gently get the book down and make a copy of the recipe for me. I then googled it so I could find a link to source the recipe too.

These cookies remind me of a moist delicious sugar cookie with just the right amount of a lemon kick to them. They are really easy to make and take minimal ingredients. I know you are asking if I really used shortening (AKA "white devil") and yes, I did. I did not want to mess with the "science" of the recipe but I plan to try making them at a later date with either margarine or butter. At first my frosting (glaze) looked wonderful but for some reason it now looks funny. So please excuse the fact that it looks all weird. :)

Merry Christmas Cookies
(Source: WhatsCookingAmerica via Bettty Crocker Cookbook circa 1960's)

Ingredients:
1/3 cup vegetable shortening
1/2 cup sugar
1 egg
2/3 cup honey
1 teaspoon lemon extract
2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt

Directions:
- In a large bowl, cream vegetable shortening, sugar, egg, honey, and lemon extract until light and fluffy. Sift in flour, baking soda, and salt; stir until well blended. Refrigerate dough at least 1 hour or overnight.
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Lightly grease cookie sheets.
- On a lightly floured board, roll dough to 1/4-inch thick; cut into desired shapes with cookie cutters. Place 1 inch apart onto prepared cookie sheets.
- Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until edges are light brown. Remove from oven and cool on wire racks. When cool, frost with Milk-Frosting and decorate as desired.

Milk Frosting

Ingredients
1 cup powdered (confectioners') sugar
1/2 teaspoon lemon extract
1 to 1 1/2 tablespoons milk
Food coloring of your choice

Directions
-In a small bowl, combine powdered sugar, lemon extract, and enough milk to make frosting easy to spread. Tint, if desired, with a few drops of food coloring.

Pumpkin please

Another amazingly good recipe from Delish! I have had the urge to bake something with pumpkin for a while now but was never able to crawl out from behind the schoolbooks to do so. This weekend I decided that I was going to take time for myself and not even think about or do anything related to school. Wow, what a nice feeling that is. I can't wait until I can make that feeling permanent. Anyway, I saw Ash make this recipe a few weeks ago and decided that I wanted to try it. It is just like a pumpkin roll without the fuss and extra [wait]time of rolling it up. Wow, this is excellent! My husband and I loved it.


Pumpkin Sheet Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
(Source: Ash at Delish)

Cake:
4 eggs
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup applesauce
2 cups pumpkin
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda

Icing:
8-ounce package cream cheese, softened
1 cup sifted confectioners’ sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.Using an electric mixer at medium speed, combine the eggs, sugar, oil, apple sauce and pumpkin until light and fluffy. Stir together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, salt and baking soda. Add the dry ingredients to the pumpkin mixture and mix at low speed until thoroughly combined and the batter is smooth. Spread the batter into a greased 13×10″ baking pan. Bake for 30 minutes. Let cool completely before frosting.

To make the icing: Using an electric mixer in a medium bowl, beat cream cheese until smooth. Add the sugar and mix at low speed until combined. Stir in the vanilla and mix again. Spread on cooled cake.

And for all you Pampered Chef lovers out there, this cake fit perfectly in my large bar pan! That stone was one heck of a good investment!!

Cupcake time

Last Tuesday I picked up a cupcake cookbook while I was attending an essentail knife skills class at a local cooking store. I opened the sample book on display, drooled a little, grabbed a copy and headed towards the register. Once I actaully looked through the book I was in awe at all the recipes. There are 7 basic cupcake recipes, 8 different glaze/frosting/icng recipes, and 60 "specialty" cupcake recipes!!! Wow, I will be in cupcake heaven.

This morning I let my husband do the honors of picking the first cupcake recipe for me to make. Well first I bribed him by making him breakfast in bed. ;) He picked one for Chocolate Turtle Cupcakes. His mom and dad were coming over for dinner and he knew they would love that one.
If you want to make the Chocolate turtle cupcakes you will need all 3 of the following recipes. But you can make the brownie cupcakes all by themselves or just use the ganache recipe if you want to do that.

I am not sure if I slightly overcooked the cupcakes or if they would always be like this but some of them were stuck to the wrappers pretty good. So just make sure you do not overbake the cupcakes. Maybe even use a foil liner instead of the paper.

Brownie Cupcakes
(Source: A Bakers Field Guide to Cupcakes; By Dede Wilson)

This is a classic brownie batter in a cupcake shape. These cupcakes are very rich and fudgy and bake up with a flat top. The cupcakes will keep for 2 days at room temperature in an airtight container or for 1 week frozen in an airtight container.

Yield: 18 cupcakes

Ingredients:
18 paper liners
8 oz. semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature, cut into pieces.
2 cups firmly packed light brown sugar
4 large eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract
¼ tsp salt
1 cup all purpose flour
¾ cup pecan halves (optional), toasted and finely chopped.

Directions:
1) Preheat oven to 350 F. Place paper liners in all wells of one 12 cup and one 6 cup cupcake tin.

2) Melt chocolate and butter together in top of large double boiler or in large bowl in microwave; stir until smooth and combined, then cool to lukewarm.

3) Whisk in brown sugar until well blended. Then whisk in eggs one at a time, allowing each one to become absorbed before adding next one. Whisk in vanilla extract and salt. Add flour and nuts, if using, at the same time and fold until no streaks of flour remain.

4) Divide batter evenly among cupcake wells. Bake for about 25 minutes, or until inserted in center shows many moist crumbs. The tops will be dry and crackled in appearance and slightly puffed.

5) Cool pans on racks for 5 minutes, then remove cupcakes to cooking racks to cool completely.

Cupcake tips:
-With brownies it is hard to gauge doneness – they will seem wet in the center compared to some other cupcakes – but they are done!
-You may leave out the nuts, of course, or substitute mini chocolate chips or white chocolate chips, or chopped cherries, or whatever add-in you like.

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Chocolate Turtle Cupcakes
(Source: A Bakers Field Guide to Cupcakes; By Dede Wilson)

Description: The basic brownie cupcake recipe is enhanced with caramel, pecans, and bittersweet chocolate ganache to make a cupcake with the flavors of chocolate turtle candies.

Field notes: Anything with chocolate and caramel is worth eating, as far as I am concerned. While the basic recipe for brownie cupcakes yields 18, by the time you add all the extra nuts, chips, and caramel in this recipe, you end up with 2 dozen cupcakes.

Lifespan: Cupcakes may be baked 2 days ahead; glazed cupcakes are best served the same day. Store at room temperature in airtight container.

Yield: 24 candy-like cupcakes

Ingredients:
24 brown paper liners
24 Kraft caramels
1 cup semisweet chocolate morsels
1 batch batter from “Brownie Cupcakes”
1 batch Ganache Glaze and Frosting
2/3 cup pecan halves, toasted and chopped.

Directions:
1) Preheat oven to 350. Place paper liners in all wells of 2 – 12cup cupcake tins.

2) Chop 12 of the caramels into ¼-inch dice. If the caramel is sticky, spritz your knife with non-stick cooking spray. Fold chopped caramels and chocolate morsels into the cupcake batter. Divide batter evenly among cupcake wells. Bake for about 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in center shows many moist crumbs. Cool pans on racks for 5 minutes, then remove cupcakes to cooling racks to cool completely.

3) Melt remaining 12 caramels in top of double boiler or in microwave. Rewarm ganache if necessary to bring it to a fluid state. Drizzle ganache with fork or teaspoon over all and top with remaining buts. Chill cupcakes briefly, until caramel and ganache are set. Cupcakes are not ready to serve.

Cupcake tips
-The caramel, nut and ganache toppings can be layered repeatedly until you have as decadent a topping as you desire. Depending on how decadent you are, you might want extra caramels, nuts, and ganache.

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Ganache Glaze and Frosting
(Source: A Bakers Field Guide to Cupcakes; By Dede Wilson)

This ganache is the darkest, richest, most chocolatey icing in the book. If you use it right away, while it is liquid, you can coat the tops of cupcakes with it for a smooth, shiny, glazed appearance. If you let it lest overnight at a cool room temperature (or refrigerate it briefly), you can place it in a pastry bag fitted with a decorating tip and pipe rosettes, big swirls, or small bead shapes, or even use it for writing or other decorative details. The ganache will keep for 1 week refrigerated in an air tight container or for 1 month frozen in an airtight container.

Yield: 1 ½ cups glaze or frosting

Ingredients:
2/3 cup heavy cream
10 oz semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped.

Directions:
1) Place cream in a medium-large saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat.

2) Remove from the heat and immediately sprinkle chocolate into cream. Cover and allow to sit for 5 minutes. The heat of the cream should melt the chocolate. Gently stir the ganache until smooth. If the chocolate is not melting, place over very low heat, stirring often, until melted, taking care not to burn the chocolate.

3) The ganache is ready to use. You may dip the tops of cupcakes upside down into the ganache, gently swirling them around, before flipping upright. Or you may apply liquid ganache with a spoon directly onto the tops of cupcakes. Alternatively, you may allow the ganache to firm up overnight at room temperature or until it is a spreadable consistency (Between mayonnaise and peanut butter). At this point you may apply it with an icing spatula or place in a pastry bag with decorating tip of choice. If it becomes too firm, or if you would like to return it to a liquid state, simply place over a warm burner or microwave briefly.

Cupcake tips:
- If you are using this as a fluid glaze and it seems thick, just add a little extra cream, a teaspoon at a time until you reach the desired texture. Also, upon reheating, if the texture of the ganache is not smooth, dribble in a tiny bit of cold heavy cream and whisk together until smooth. Keep in mind that different chocolates will produce different textures with this recipe, as well as different flavors.