Lemonade Cake

I can't tell you the last time I bought a drink mix at the grocery store. Concentrated, powder, or bottled drinks haven't been on my grocery list for YEARS. Not kidding, my son won't drink juice because I just don't buy it and I gave up soda 6 years ago.

 Well....guess what was in my buggy last weekend? Frozen lemonade.

This cake is very light and has a nice thin layer of frosting. I'm not a 5 mile thick icing kinda gal. My teeth hurt just thinking about it. (Ahem, Wal-Mart cake.)

This is a perfect cake for a backyard barbecue or pool party. Fresh and lemony with just the right amount of tartness and sweetness. Enjoy!

Blueberry Coconut Cake

It's a sad day. This my last lemon blueberry recipe...for a while. My favorite thing about this cake is the large amount of berries. It makes for a dense cake that was great chilled. I'm not a huge frosting fan, so this tart lemon glaze was PERFECT atop the toasted coconut. Yum. 

Red Velvet Cupcakes

If there is one dessert that my husband requests that I make, it is red velvet cupcakes. Cupcakes that taste like chocolate, but don't look like chocolate is just plain fun. I top these cupcakes with my signature "best cream cheese icing ever" and then try to restrain myself from eating 8 cupcakes.

 

Red Velvet Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Icing

  Ingredients

• 2 1/2 cups flour
• 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 (3.4 oz) package Jell-o Chocolate Instant Pudding Mix
• 1 cup butter, softened
• 2 cups sugar
• 4 eggs
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 (1 ounce) bottle red food coloring
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
•  
• Vanilla Cream Cheese Icing:
• 2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
• 2 sticks of butter, softened
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 cups confectioners' sugar
• 
  
• Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line cupcake tin with muffin cups. Set aside.
2. Mix flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, pudding mix, and salt in medium bowl. Set aside.
3. Beat butter and sugar in large bowl with electric mixer on medium speed 5 minutes or until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs, one at a time. Mix in sour cream, milk, food coloring and vanilla. Gradually beat in flour mixture on low speed until just blended. Do not overbeat. Spoon batter into lined muffin cups, filling each cup 2/3 full.
4. Bake 20 to 25 minutes or until toothpick inserted into cupcake comes out clean. Cool in pans on wire rack 5 minutes. Remove from pans; cool completely. Frost with Vanilla Cream Cheese Frosting.

1. Vanilla Cream Cheese Icing: Beat cream cheese, softened, butter, sour cream and vanilla extract in large bowl until light and fluffy. Gradually beat in confectioners' sugar until smooth.

Fresh Orange and Vanilla Cake

This weekend we celebrated my Granddad's 83rd birthday! The (delicious) dinner theme was Mexican! I think I ate my weight in guacamole. No kidding. I made refried beans from scratch and this cake! I'm a BIG fan of cream cheese anything, but turn it into a frosting...yes, I'm in. I am not, however a fan of super sweet frostings. This, to me is THE perfect frosting. Not too sweet, with a good amount of tang from the cream cheese. This is a 3 layered cake with just a hint of orange mixed with a deliciously moist vanilla cake. 

In the words of my aunt Vicki, "This is the best cake I have ever eaten in my life."

Enough said.

Happy Birthday, Granddad. 

Please visit my link parties page to see who I linked up with this week!

Made From Scratch Strawberry Cupcakes

Strawberry cake is probably my favorite cake. Strawberry cake that doesn't come from a box IS my favorite cake. This recipe is a bit time consuming, but the product is well worth it. The additional of real strawberries and whipped egg whites makes this cake batter flavorful and light. Topped with cream cheese butter cream icing, you will be in love this Valentine's Day. (Who's gonna be the first to make fun of me for that??)

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Strawberry Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Butter Cream Icing
originally from Apron of Grace

Ingredients

Strawberry Cake
• 1 cup Butter
• 2 & 1/2 cups Sugar
• 2 Egg Yolks
• 5 Egg Whites
• 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
• 1 teaspoon Red Food Coloring
• 1 & 1/4 cups Pureed Strawberries
• 3 cups Cake Flour, sifted
• 1 teaspoon Baking Powder
• 1 teaspoon Baking Soda
• pinch Salt
• 1 cup Buttermilk

Cream Cheese Butter Cream Icing
• 2 - 8oz Cream Cheese, room temp
• 1 cup Butter, room temp
• 1/3 cup Heavy Whipping Cream
• 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
• 1 teaspoon Red Food Coloring
• 1 lb. Powdered Sugar

Directions

Cake

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a medium bowl, beat butter with sugar for 3 minutes.Add egg yolks one at a time, then the vanilla, food coloring and strawberries, beat for another 3 minutes. 

Sift dry ingredients and add to butter/egg mixture alternately with buttermilk, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients. Mix just till combined. 

In another bowl and clean beaters, beat egg whites till stiff and add in an increment of 3 to cake batter, being sure to fold in thoroughly but gently. Bake for 18 -20 minutes 

Icing


In a medium bowl, add cream cheese and butter, whip till light and creamy, about 3 minutes. Add liquids and blend. Slowly add powdered sugar while mixing, until medium stiff consistency forms. Whip for several minutes.

Grab the button and meet back here February 1st!

Baked Cake Doughnuts

Well....I did it, I finally made doughnuts. I don't like calling them donuts. I saw the heart shaped doughnut pan and was sold. They were actually quite easy and bake very quickly. They are a cake doughnut, so they are denser than a fried glazed doughnut, but still airy and sweet. The recipe calls for buttermilk, but I didn't have any on hand. Google told me I could make a buttermilk substitute, and with a 5 star rating, I was all in. Add 1 tablespoon vinegar to a 1 cup measuring cup. Add enough milk to bring the mixture to the 1 cup line. Let set for 5 minutes. That's it! Use what you need for your recipe! 

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Baked Cake Doughnuts

Ingredients

Doughnuts
2 cups cake flour
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup buttermilk
2 eggs
2 tablespoons butter, melted

Cinnamon Glaze
1 cup powders sugar
3-4 tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon cinnamon

Chocolate Glaze
1 cup powdered sugar
3-4 tablespoons milk
1/4 cup cocoa powder

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Spray doughnut pan with nonstick cooking spray. In large bowl, sift together cake flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Add vanilla, buttermilk, eggs, and butter. Beat until combined well. Fill each doughnut cup approximately 1/2 full. Bake 4-5 minutes or until the top of the doughnuts spring back when touched. Let cool in pan 2-3 minutes before removing. Repeat with remaining batter. Finish doughnuts with desired toppings and glaze.

To make the glaze:

In a small bowl, stir together choice of glaze ingredients until well combined. Use immediately. Dip one half of each doughnut into glaze. Let dry on wire rack.

Grab the button and meet back here February 1st!

Cinnamon Roll Cake

The cake is incredibly simple and tastes just like a cinnamon roll fresh out of the oven. I actually made the recipe and a half so I could make a 9x9 for my family and a 9x12 for my co-workers.

 It stayed fresh a lot longer than I expected and is SO moist! It might have something to do with the yummy glaze poured on top once the cake comes out of the oven. This makes a great weekend breakfast cake, similar to the Apple Cream Cheese Coffee Cake I shared a few weeks ago.

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Cinnamon Roll Cake 

Prep Time: 15 minutes 


Bake: 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes


Cool: 3-5 minutes


Yield: 15-20 servings 

Ingredients

Cake:
3 c. flour
1/4 tsp.salt
1 c. sugar
4 tsp. baking powder
1 1/2 c. milk
2 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla
1/2 c. butter, melted

Topping:
1 c. butter, softened
1 c. brown sugar
2 Tbsp. flour
1 Tbsp. cinnamon

Glaze:
2 c. powdered sugar
5 Tbsp. milk
1 tsp. vanilla

Mix all ingredients except for the butter. Slowly stir in the melted butter until well incorporated. Pour into a greased 9x13 pan. 

For the topping, mix all the ingredients together until well combined. Drop evenly over the batter and swirl with a knife. Bake at 350 for 28-32 minutes. While warm drizzle the glaze over the cake.

Enjoy while warm! 

Please visit my link parties page to see who I linked up with this week!

Also, have you heard about the upcoming Find Some Love Fest? Grab the button and meet back here February 1st!