Would You Believe?

It’s National Popcorn Day. I know I’ve already talked about NOT making popcorn for National Popcorn Day even though it’s also an important birthday. What can I say? Can’t have a birthday without Birthday Cake.

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Mother Mary Ombré Rosette Cake

Before we get into today’s recipe, I ask that you respect my beliefs. If you are offended by Catholic teachings, that’s okay. This isn’t the forum for argument. You need not read further. We will be getting back to non-religious cooking soon enough. If you want to learn more or simply want to bake a pretty cake, stick around.

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Celebrating Life with a Cherry on Top

Is today National Spumoni Day? Yep, we’ve already established that. Spumoni is a blend of flavors in a gelato or ice cream. Traditionally those flavors are a fruit, a nut and a pedestrian flavor such as vanilla or chocolate. Yet there is nothing ordinary about Spumoni. It inspires such deliciousness.

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Italian Cannoli Cake

Leave the gun, take the Cannoli. What could be more Italian than a Cannoli? While I can think of a lot of things, none is more delicious or closer to my dessert loving heart than Cannoli.

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Holy Week and a Purple Passion Cake

We are fast approaching the end of the Lenten Season. In less than a week, we will celebrate Palm Sunday, and the beginning of Holy Week leading to the joyful celebration that is Easter Sunday.

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French Vanilla Peanut Butter and Jelly Cake

April 2 is National Peanut Butter and Jelly Day. This food holiday is a classic favorite of many, and for good reason. The average American will eat over 2,000 peanut butter and jelly sandwiches by the time they graduate from high school. Hum, that’s a lot of sandwiches. Guess Hubby’s not the average American because he’s never eaten a Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwich even once. Strange man eats Peanut Butter and Butter Sandwiches.

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My Ugly Sweater Cake

Hey Everyone! I know, it’s after Christmas. But I just had to share the Ugly Sweater Cake with you. I did the baking, Kiddo did the decorating. It came out great! While I could have waited a year to share, who knows what I’ll have planned next year.

Merry Christmas! Continue reading “My Ugly Sweater Cake”

French Vanilla Christmas Cake with Buttercream Frosting

Today is the Feast Day of Saint Nicholas. It seems only fitting that on the feast day of the Patron Saint of Children, that I share with you a delicious cake recipe. This cake is a blank slate for children of all ages to decorate. Great fun for the entire family.

In the past, I have risen before the sun to bake a cake for whatever “special” occasion was at hand – from family birthdays to the 4th of July. The cake was made from scratch, and depending upon the recipe, involved sifting and measuring and all sorts of mulit-steps. Once the cake was baked, I then spent hours frosting and piping to create my master piece. While everyone was “wowed” I was exhausted. Then it hit me, it really didn’t matter how elaborate the piping or details – in the end it was cut into pieces and quickly disappeared into the satisfied tummies of my well-fed family.

Once that light came on, things changed. A few years back I  decided to tackle the dessert with a slightly different approach – one that works well for just about any any special occasion that involves children.

First, I baked a cake from a box (yeah, I know . . . but with a few alterations, it was buttery, moist and delicious). The cake itself wasn’t much work, baking in about 35 minutes. The cake was allowed to cool 10 minutes in the pan, then inverted onto a cutting board, to be inverted a second time on the cake board, thus turned right side up. Once the cake had fully cooled (about 2 hours), Kiddo made the frosting. (Team effort all the way). I frosted the cake and brought it to the party “naked”.

Over the years, I’ve made a number of Gingerbread Houses. In so doing, I’ve collected a few reusable pieces from my Gingerbread village. Here’s the fun part – I brought those food-safe decorations to our Christmas gathering and put the children (in this case my young niece) in charge of decorating the cake. My instructions were simply – I spread out all the pieces (she elected not to use everything) and told her whatever she did would be “beautiful” – have fun and be creative. Putting my niece in charge let her be a part of the kitchen festivities that occupy so much of our time during the holidays. It gave her a sense of pride when the cake was placed front and center on the table, receiving all the praise from those gathered. She placed candles on her creation, we sang Happy Birthday to Jesus and had a wonderful dessert.

French Vanilla Christmas Cake with Buttercream Frosting
Ingredients – Cake
2 Boxes French Vanilla White Cake Mix
6 Eggs
½ Cup Vegetable Oil
½ Cup Butter, melted
2 Cups Water

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Prepare 13×15 baking pan with Wilton’s Cake Release. Set aside until ready to use.

In a mixing bowl, beat vegetable oil, butter and water until blended. Add eggs, one at a time and incorporate into liquid.

Add cake mix, beat 30 seconds on low, then slowly increase speed and beat 2 minutes on medium, until well blended.

Pour batter into the prepared pan. Tap lightly on the counter to release any air bubbles that may have gathered in the batter.

Place cake in oven and bake until just done, about 30-40 minutes. Check after 30 minutes and continue to cook until cake is just cooked, checking often to avoid over-cooking.

Remove cake from oven, cool in pan 10 minutes.

Remove cake from pan, invert onto large cutting board, then invert again onto cake board so that cake is right-side up.

Allow to cool completely before frosting.

Ingredients – Buttercream Frosting
½ Cup Solid Butter-Flavored Vegetable Shortening
1 ½ Cup Butter, softened
2 Teaspoons Vanilla Extract
8 Cups Sifted Powdered Sugar
6 Tablespoons Heavy Cream (approximately)

Cream vegetable shortening and butter in a mixing bowl. Add Vanilla extract.

In a separate bowl, sift powdered sugar. Add sugar to creamed butter mixture 1 cup at a time.

Whip, scraping down sides of bowl as necessary, until all the sugar has been added. Frosting will appear dry and stiff.

Add cream, one tablespoon at a time, until desired consistency is reached.

Frost top of cake, then continue down the sides. If desired, pipe a border around the bottom of the cake.

Using food-safe decorations from a craft or bakery store, decorate as desired. See the cake as a wonderful, blank canvas and get creative. (Great project for kids – let them express themselves).

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