Lemon Blueberry Cake

This cake was very easy to make.  I got help from a lemon cake mix.  I thought adding blueberry would elevate it.  I cooked down a cup of frozen blueberries with 2 tsp of sugar for about 10 minutes on medium high heat, mashing while I stirred.  I took it off the heat to let cool and followed the directions on the cake mix box. Once the cake was in the pan, I spooned the blueberries over the batter and used a toothpick to swirl the blueberry into the cake. I baked according the the box directions and this is what I got:

Sunday Dinner

A dear friend is visiting from Alaska so we had some people over Sunday night for dinner. We made cheese Manicotti and another friend made the beautiful desserts.

Instead of ricotta, my friend likes to use Requesón, which is a ricotta-like cheese that can be purchased from a Mexican market. It has a less chalky mouth feel, so the cheese Manicotti is smoother.

I was seriously obsessed with how pretty this turned out. Every time I opened the fridge to get something out I'd say, "That's so pretty!" I'm sure I sounded like a broken record. The layers are pretzel, raspberry jello, blackberries/raspberries/kiwi, and cool whip.

This lemon poppy seed cake was a hit as well. Pretty easy to make yet so delicious. The glaze was originally a little runny and we had used all the powdered sugar. What did we do? We were able to tighten it up with some cornstarch and you wouldn't have even guessed. I'm sure if two of these cakes had been made, there would've still been no leftovers.

The origami napkins were cool.

The entree was rounded out with a salad and sauteed veggies.

Strawberry Filling

Instead of aiming for a post a week, I'm going to try once a month. School, work and church have me plenty busy but I'm sure I can squeeze in one blog post every 30 days.

A dear friend is moving to Alaska on Saturday so I had her, Jordan, over for dinner with a few other friends to say farewell and do a joint birthday for another friend, Jessie, as Jordan will be gone when her birthday rolls around. I made calzones with ground turkey meat, spinach, mushrooms, garlic, onion, some seasonings and cheese with a little tomato sauce. They turned out awesome! Why didn't I take any pictures? That's right, they were consumed too quickly.

I did get pictures of the desserts. Jordan (some may know her as Erika) requested pumpkin pie while Jessie requested chocolate cake with strawberry. I bought a devil's food cake mix for the actual cake but I made the filling myself. Debating on what frosting to buy, Greg suggested getting vanilla, as to make the cake Neapolitan. If it works for ice cream, it was worth a shot.

Strawberry Filling recipe
Ingredients:

2 1/2 cups coarsely chopped hulled strawberries

1/2 cup sugar

2 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch

Directions:

1. Bring all ingredients to a boil in a heavy small sauce pan, stirring constantly and crushing berries slightly with back of spoon.
2. Boil 2 minutes to thicken, stirring constantly (mixture will be slightly chunky).
3. Pour into bowl and cool completely.

It really was just this simple and very tasty. As it isn't strawberry season, I used frozen and they worked just fine. I just made sure they were defrosted first.

When the cakes were cooled after baking, I flipped them out of the pan and put in the layer of strawberries. This being my first time with any sort of filling besides frosting, I over filled it. As I was frosting the rest of the cake immediately after, the filling started oozing out the side, so the vanilla frosting had a pink hue to it. I should have chilled the cake more in the fridge before frosting but live and learn! It still tasted pretty good.

You can see where my hand accidentally grazed the side when I was putting it in the fridge. Oops!

Layer close-up

Dessert

Spiced Pumpkin Cake

The weather is starting to get cold and rainy and what better way to celebrate that fall is finally here than by baking something with pumpkin. My mom sent me a link associated with realsimple.com so I browsed the site and came across this cake recipe for Spiced Pumpkin Cake.

Spiced Pumpkin Cake

Ingredients

• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature, plus more for the pan
• 3 cups all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled, plus more for the pan
• 5 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
• 3 large eggs
• 1 15-ounce can pumpkin puree (1 1/2 cups)
• 1/2 cup whole milk (We have 1% in the fridge so that is what I used.)
  
• 1/4 cup molasses
• 1 1/4 cups confectioners’ sugar
• 3 tablespoons lemon juice

I do not have a pre-mixed pumpkin pie spice at home so I made my own.

Ingredients

• 4 tablespoons ground cinnamon
• 4 teaspoons ground nutmeg
• 4 teaspoons ground ginger
• 3 teaspoons ground allspice

In a small bowl, combine all ingredients and mix well. Store in air tight container. Of course you can add more of what you like or less. I added a bit more cinnamon because the allspice was a little strong for my liking.

Directions

1. Heat oven to 350° F. Butter and flour a 12-cup Bundt pan. I used the wrapper from my butter to grease the pan. Instead of flour I sprinkled a sugar and cinnamon mixture. This is a trick I use when I make friendship bread. I figured it couldn't hurt because cinnamon and sugar taste way better than just plain flour.
   
2. In a bowl, whisk together the flour, pumpkin pie spice, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
3. Using an electric mixer, beat the butter and granulated sugar on medium-high until fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes. Beat in the eggs, one at a time. Beat in the pumpkin puree, milk, and molasses (the mixture may appear curdled). Reduce the mixer speed to low; gradually add the flour mixture and mix until just combined (do not overmix). I will be honest here... I started to combine the wet ingredients when I noticed something wasn't looking right. It finally dawned on me that I forgot to cream the sugar and butter! I had put the eggs into only butter. After the eggs were in a gloppy mess with the butter I added the sugar and it was saved. Since the recipe warns it may appear curdled I figured it was ok. Can you imagine what it would have tasted like without the sugar? I don't even want to think about it.
   
4. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 55 to 65 minutes. Let cool in the pan for 30 minutes, then invert onto a wire rack to cool completely. It is a rather sticky, thick batter. I cooked it for about 57 minutes before taking it out to cool.
5. In a bowl, whisk together the confectioners’ sugar and lemon juice until smooth. Drizzle over the cake. Let set before serving. I've tried making glazes in the past and after this recipe, I've learned that I'd been adding too much liquid. Of course you can make it whatever consistency you like, but mine had always been a little on the thin side. But why a glaze you ask when cream cheese frosting is usually traditional? I am not a fan of cream cheese frostings and I like that a glaze is lighter and dairy free. The tartness cuts through the richness of the cake.
   I took the cake to a pot luck this evening and it was a hit! I brought the plate home empty, which is always my goal. It's an easy recipe that yields great results.
   

Happy Birthday Uncle Dean!

Today is Dean's birthday. To celebrate, we had people over last night for what was supposed to be a 'play cards and eat cake' night. Ended up just being a 'eat snacks and chatting fest' but I think everyone had a good time.

Birthday boy!

Not wanting to be overwhelmed with serving an actual dinner, I kept it to finger foods and guests could help themselves.

We had veggies (zucchini, cauliflower and celery), spinach dip, olive-cream cheese tea sandwiches with pumpernickel bread and herbed goat cheese bruschetta.

Our kind neighbors brought over a cheese and salami tray which was great because it fit in beautifully with the spread.

Dean thought there should be a picture of me so here it is.

For dessert we had German Chocolate Cake. We made it for Dean last year and he requested it again this year. We had a few issues last year (over beating the egg whites and the frosting never set up) but practice makes perfect and it turned out great! Next thing I need to work on is how to decorate.

The recipe called for 3 9" round pans. We only had 2 and used a square pan for the third.

This year I cooked the frosting for 30 minutes instead of the 12 minutes which was the suggested time on the recipe. It set up beautifully and I was so happy not to have to frost the cake with a slotted spoon again!

It was moist and the frosting held up well on the cake.

I placed the square layer on the bottom so even with a round cake, if someone wanted a corner piece, they could have one! :-) A Carrie original.

Happy Birthday Uncle Dean!!

Have a Jelly Belly Birthday!

My friend Megan celebrated her 27th birthday over Memorial Day weekend. As she was debating whether to have 2 parties within a matter of weeks (bday and graduation) I asked her if she did have a birthday party, if I could make her cake.

I am not so talented with decorating but I hear practice makes perfect. Seeking inspiration, I recalled an incident where I saw first hand (and survived!) how she acts around popcorn flavored jelly bellys, and decided to make this the inspiration for the cake.

Components of the cake were the base (which I did not make from scratch for she requested a funfetti cake), fondant (my first time making the stuff!), rice krispies treats, and frosting (from scratch and pre-packaged). The idea of the cake was to have a base and 3 fondant covered jelly bellys on top.


I was out of town most of Memorial day weekend in Reno with other friends. Her birthday party was on the Monday we got back. I prepped the cake the day before leaving and popped the cake and rice krispies into the freezer and kindly asked Dean and Greg to take them out before I got home so they had time to defrost. The fondant I just placed in the fridge.

Knowing that corn syrup is the main ingredient for marshmallows, I looked for a fondant recipe that used them, as that is what I had in the pantry. I came across this website that I used for guidance. To be honest, I don't really even like fondant but I heard that it is very forgiving of mistakes when covering up imperfections.

Marshmallow Fondant ingredients
16 ounces white mini-marshmallows
2 to 5 tablespoons water
2 pounds icing sugar
1/2 cup Crisco shortening

Looks pretty simple, right? Melt the marshmallows in the microwave or in a sauce pan with 2 tablespoons of water. After it is melted, place 3/4 of a 2 pound bag of the sugar into the pan and mix a little (coat spoon with Crisco). I then put the concoction into a kitchen aide mixer and had it do a majority of the work as it can take up to 8 minutes to 'get a firm smooth elastic ball so that it will stretch without tearing when you apply it to the cake'. I greased up the kneading hook and sprayed the inside of the bowl with vegetable oil as I hear that it can be super sticky. I added a few drops of yellow food coloring. After all, what color is buttered popcorn? In hindsight, I would have put more coloring in but now I know for next time! If it is a little loose, add more sugar. If it is too dry, add more water, a tablespoon at a time. When it began to be a homogeneous clump of sugary goodness, I took it out from the mixing bowl and placed it onto the greased counter where I kneaded it a little by hand. I wrapped it in plastic wrap and placed into the fridge until I needed it in less than a week's time. Not to toot my own horn, but Greg and I usually have pretty good luck having baked goodies turn out great on the first try. The actual decorating part, well, that still needs practice.

I get back into Fremont and my friend Erika was there to help me decorate the cake on the actual day of the party.

We used the funfetti frosting on the base of the cake. Not remembering that I needed extra frosting for the rice krispies treats, we had to make some frosting from scratch. Powdered sugar, milk and butter worked great. I was not shy to put the food coloring into this frosting. Erika frosted up everything and I laid the fondant onto the treats. The day was pretty warm and always being critical of my work, I felt that it was going to melt into a soupy mess so after the decorating was complete (as good as it was going to get) I put the cake in the fridge to set.

Turns out I am not the only person that isn't a fan of fondant. Erika heard a girl at the party say, "I don't usually like fondant but this tastes pretty good." I'll take that as a compliment any day!

As I look at the pictures over a month later, I realize the cake turned out well for it being my first time working with fondant. I like to learn something each time I bake or cook. I need to cut myself a little more slack when trying things out for the first time and need to remind myself that even if I don't get it right the first time, it doesn't mean I should just give up and never try again. And I still need to remember that things usually take longer than expected to be completed. :-)

Happy Birthday Megan!

Lemon olive oil cupcakes

Having received more lemons from another source, I made the same recipe as last time. But this time I put the batter in a mini-cupcake pan. I sprinkled sugar on top before baking and it gave them just the right amount of sweetness that I decided not to glaze them.

They did not survive the evening.

Aren't they cute?

Lemon Olive Oil Cake

A year ago, had someone told me that olive oil in a cake was a good idea, I would've called them crazy. { And yes Crazy, I know you bake with olive oil. :) } I have even seen olive oil ice cream on a cooking show. It wasn't til after a trip to Berkeley last year when the thought of olive oil in sweets didn't appall me. We (family) were on a walk and stopped by a food market which had samples of olive oil for the taking. To my surprise, it was actually quite fruity, even sweet!

I was browsing a friend's blog recently and glanced at some of the blogs she follows. I clicked on this link and it took me to a blog with a Meyer lemon olive oil cake recipe on the front page. The neighbors next door had dropped off a plate of homegrown lemons and I had been waiting for inspiration to bake using the lemons! The lemons from next door are very aromatic and full of flavor. I bought a bottle of Spanish Extra Virgin Olive Oil at Trader Joe's (only $5.99) that claimed to be 'fruity' just for this recipe.


Meyer Lemon Olive Oil Cake
Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup olive oil (extra-virgin if desired), plus additional for greasing pan
• zest of 2 lemons (I used the neighbor's lemons, doesn't have to be Meyer)
  
• juice of 2 lemons
• 1 cup flour
• 5 eggs yolks
• 4 egg whites
• 1/2 tsp salt
  
• 3/4 cup sugar
  

Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease spring form pan with some oil.

Finely grate lemon zest and whisk together with flour. Halve lemons, squeeze the juice and watch out for seeds.

(I did this part by hand and my arm got quite the workout) Beat together yolks and 1/2 cup sugar in a large bowl until thick and pale. Add olive oil (3/4 cup) and lemon juice, beating until just combined (mixture may appear separated). Stir in flour mixture (do not beat) until just combined.

(Used electric mixer for this portion) Beat 4 egg whites with 1/2 teaspoon salt in a large bowl at medium-high speed until foamy, then add 1/4 cup sugar a little at a time, beating, and continue to beat until egg whites just hold soft peaks, about 3 minutes.

Gently fold one third of whites into yolk mixture to lighten, then fold in remaining whites gently but thoroughly.

Transfer batter to spring form pan and gently rap against work surface once or twice to release any air bubbles.

Bake until puffed and golden and a wooden pick or skewer inserted in center of cake comes out clean, about 45 minutes. (I cooked mine for 40 minutes and it was plenty done, I could have taken it out sooner). Cool cake in pan on a rack 10 minutes, then run a thin knife around edge of pan and remove side of pan. Cool cake to room temperature and transfer cake to a serving plate.

I made a glaze to put on top of the cake to make it look pretty and shiny. It consisted of a cup of confectioner's sugar, 1/2 cup of lemon juice and a splash of vanilla extract. Depending on the consistency you want, you can put more lemon juice or more sugar into the mixture. Mix together and pour over the cake.

It isn't a sweet cake (until you put the glaze on) and the lemon is subtle in flavor. Must have been palatable since Greg asked for a 2nd serving. We aren't dessert people but tonight this cake hit the spot.

Playing with color

My friend Erika remembered a cake I had made several years ago while I was still living in San Jose. I couldn't recall it until she posted this picture.

At this point in time, I for the most part was still making cakes from box mixes. I also only had a bundt pan. I came across some food coloring and was attempting to make my own frosting. Green being my favorite color, that was naturally the first color to play with. My cakes today taste pretty good, but decorating is still an area I need to work on. :-)

This cake was made for the OSU v Michigan game on November 18, 2006. What was the score of that game again? :-)

Happy Birthday Dean!

A few days before Dean's birthday, I asked him what cake he would like. He responded by requesting a poppyseed cake with penuche frosting or German chocolate. While at the store shopping for ingredients, Greg wanted to make the latter. The one and only time I have made chocolate cake from scratch was 2 years ago. The flavor was good but it was very dense, a small piece went a long way. So my goal this time around was to make a lighter in texture cake. Greg and I picked up the green Baker's chocolate box and bought the ingredients on the back side. This would be a first time making a frosting that didn't include cream cheese or confectioner sugar.

When we got home, we organized the ingredients, preheated the oven, got out the Kitchen aide mixer and began to make the cake. (Yes, I was checking off the back of the box as I went along in the store).

Original BAKER'S GERMAN'S Sweet Chocolate Cake
Recipe for the cake:

1 pkg. (4 oz.) BAKER'S GERMAN'S Sweet Chocolate

1/2 cup water

2 cups flour

1 tsp. baking soda

1/4 tsp. salt

1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened

2 cups sugar

4 eggs, separated

1 tsp. vanilla

1 cup buttermilk (As we bought a quart of buttermilk, it left us wondering what we were going to do with the other 3 cups. Upon opening the green box at home, there was a tip regarding buttermlik. After reading I recall having heard it before. A substitute for buttermilk is to have a cup of regular milk and add 1 Tbsp. of lemon juice or vinegar to cup of milk and let sit for 10 minutes.)

PREHEAT oven to 350°F. Cover bottoms of 3 (9-inch) round cake pans with wax paper; grease sides of pans. Microwave chocolate and water in large microwaveable bowl on HIGH 1-1/2 to 2 min. or until chocolate is almost melted, stirring after 1 min. Stir until chocolate is completely melted.

MIX flour, baking soda and salt; set aside. Beat butter and sugar in large bowl with electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy. Add egg yolks, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Blend in melted chocolate and the vanilla. Add flour mixture alternately with the buttermilk, beating until well blended after each addition. So far so good! Greg usually does the dry ingredients while I do the wet and we work together to combine the two.

BEAT egg whites in small bowl with electric mixer on high speed until stiff peaks form. Gently stir into batter. Pour evenly into prepared pans. "What are those white lumps?" you may be asking yourself. That would be the 'stiff peak' egg whites which were a little too stiff. Who knew one could over beat egg whites?? We didn't realize they were over beaten until after we had put it into the batter. Instead of being nice and silky and smooth, it was clumpy and making a crunch sound as we tried folding the egg whites into the batter. So needless to say, we learned something that day. :)

BAKE 30 min. or until toothpick inserted in centers comes out clean. Immediately run small metal spatula around cake layers in pans. Cool in pans 15 min.; remove layers from pans to wire racks. Remove and discard wax paper. Cool cake layers completely. Spread Coconut-Pecan Filling and Frosting between cake layers and onto top of cake.

We only had 2 8-inch round pans so we got out the spring-form pan for the remainder of the batter. So in the end, we had 2 cakes. 1 single layer cake and the double layer we presented to Dean as his birthday cake.

Coconut-Pecan Filling and Frosting
Recipe for frosting:

4 egg yolks

1 can (12 oz.) evaporated milk

1-1/2 tsp. vanilla

1-1/2 cups sugar

3/4 cup (1-1/2 sticks) butter or margarine

1 pkg. (7 oz.) Coconut flakes (about 2-2/3 cups)

1-1/2 cups Chopped Pecans

BEAT egg yolks, milk and vanilla in large saucepan with wire whisk until well blended. Add sugar and butter; cook on medium heat 12 min. or until thickened and golden brown, stirring constantly. Remove from heat.

ADD coconut and pecans; mix well. Cool to room temperature and of desired spreading consistency.

"Cool to room temperature and of desired spreading consistency." Yeah... that never happened. I cooked the frosting on medium heat for 12 minutes as instructed. This being the first time to make it, it appeared to be a little runny but I assumed it would thicken up nicely after the addition of the coconut and pecans. It never thickened up. I ended up using a slotted spoon so the cake would not become soggy.

Sad, soupy looking frosting. :(

The 2nd cake I took to a church activity as we have plenty of the 1st cake left over and birthday cookies that are being sent off to Lindsie today. It must've been ok since it was the first thing to disappear from the food spread.

Dean seemed to enjoy it still!

Finished product

In the end, Greg and I were able to learn a few things from this baking project that we will never forget! I accomplished one goal, as it was a much lighter cake than 2 years ago, but there is always room for improvement.