Olive Oil Citrus Cake

This week's cake is a Citrus Olive Oil cake.  I know, does not sound all that great right?  It is...very yummy.  Very fresh and so yummy, and so super easy!

Citrus Olive Oil Cake

Adapted from Giada De Laurentis

Makes on 8 inch cake | Preparation: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly oil an 8-inch-diameter cake pan

Ingredients:

Cake:

• 1 1/2 cups aal-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup sugar
• 3 large eggs
• 2 teaspoons orange zest
• 2 teaspoons lemon zest
• 1/4 cup whole milk
• 3/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

Citrus Glaze:

• 3 cups powdered sugar
• 4-5 tablespoons lemon juice

Instructions

1. Add flour, baking powder, and salt in a bowl and whisk to blend; set aside… Using an electric mixer or a food processor beat the sugar, eggs, and zests in a large bowl until pale and fluffy. Add in milk and beat until combined. Keep the mixer or food processor running and gradually add in oil and continue to beat until combined. Turn off mixer or food processor. Add in flour mixture into wet ingredients and using a sturdy wooden spoon or spatula fold and mix until combined.
2. Pour batter into prepared cake pan or Bundt pan and bake until a tester inserted into the center of the cake comes out with moist crumbs attached, about 35 minutes. Transfer to a rack and cool completely before glazing.
3. To make the citrus glaze:
4. Add powdered sugar and lemon juice in a bowl and mix to combine. Pour finished glaze over cooled cake and set aside for 30 minutes for glaze to set.

Everybody who tried it liked it.  The cake is now almost gone!

 

Other news...This last weekend we went to Kansas City for Toni's graduation.  Had a great time.  We are all so proud of her.  She has worked very hard, most of the time working 2 jobs and taking care of her 3 kids and often other kids as well!  She has come a long way and is now working towards her Masters in Psychology. 

The Family before going in...

Toni and her Fiance Bobby

The Family with the Graduate!

Auntie with the Graduate

And...it cannot be a party without a cake...ICE CREAM CAKE!! 

 

 

 

Cake #5-Carrot Cake

I missed baking a cake last week.  Just too much going on and just did not have the money for the ingredients.  This week however, I made a delicious Carrot Cake.  Now I am not much on Carrot cake because well, who puts carrots in a cake?  That is just much too healthy, although I have to say that this is probably NOT a healthy cake, but it sure tastes good.  Even looks pretty.

 

 

 

 

Carrot Cake with Brown Butter Cream Cheese Frosting

Ingredients

Cake

1 pound carrots, finely grated

3 large eggs, room temperature

2 c. sugar

1 1/2 c. canola oil

1/3 c. buttermilk

1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

2 c. all-purpose flour

1 c. whole wheat flour

1 tsp. baking soda

2 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. ground cinnamon

1 tsp. ground ginger

1/8 tsp. ground cloves

Frosting

2 sticks of unsalted butter (room temperature)

16 oz. cream cheese (room temperature)

1 tsp. vanilla extract

dash of sea salt

3-4 c. powdered sugar

Garnish

1/4 c. shredded coconut, toasted

Instructions

1.       Cake. Preheat oven to 350°. Line two 9" round cake pans with parchment paper. Whisk together carrots, eggs, sugar, oil, buttermilk, and vanilla extract. (To grate carrots, use grater, VitaMix, or foor processor.)

2.       In another bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and spices. Stir flour mixture into carrot mixture until well combined.

3.       Distribute batter evenly between the pans. Bake for 30-40 minutes or until cake tester comes out clean. Allow cakes to cool completely before icing. To remove cake from pan, loosen edges with an offset spatula and discard parchment paper.

4.       Frosting. Place one stick of butter in a small saucepan. Cook on medium-high heat until butter is browned, about 5 minutes. Pour into small bowl and refrigerate for 15 minutes to cool.

5.       Once cooled, cream together browned butter, regular butter, and cream cheese until smooth. Add vanilla extract and salt. Mix.

6.       Add powdered sugar one cup at a time. Mix well between each addition. After 3 cups, taste to see if additional sugar is necessary.

7.       Assembly. Place bottom layer of cake on cake stand, leveling the top if necessary. Add a layer of icing. Place second layer on top, leveling if necessary. Dirty ice the cake. Place in refrigerator for 20 minutes to chill. Finish icing the rest of the cake using an offset spatula. Using the back of a spoon, drag circles in the top of the cake for the swirl effect.

8.       Garnish. Sprinkle with toasted coconut if desired.

9.       Refrigerate. Serve cake at room temperature.

Another part of the weekend was going to Lanie's school for the Open House.  It is a very cool school.  They are in what used to be a rectory so it is small.  There are 4 classrooms-all kindergarten classes.  The Principal gave us the tour and said it was very "High Tech".  They have IPODS for each kid so they all learn to use them. School starts August 12.  Now the only problem is whether she will be able to use the Adams name or if she will have to stay with Jaquez.  I am hoping to have all the money together to at least start the process so that we will have gotten through the Custody hearing part.  If we at least have that portion done, she can start as Alannah Adams.  I am still about $300 short for that.  My attorney should be back in town in a week or so and I hope that we will get a court date in July but that means I have to come up with that other $300 by then.  Also, if anyone has any connections with people who do Home Studies, please contact me with that information as I will need to schedule one of those too!

 

Have a great week!

Redeemed myself with cake #4!!

I redid cake #4. 

 

This is when I was putting it together.

 

After I frosted it...

 

And then we cut into it.

 

So now after 4 people have tried it, it is a hit.  When my sister had it the first time, she said that it was a menstrual cramp reducing cake.  I guess I need to market it such!! 

 

Anyway, the cake part is very good and I like it a lot.  The icing is rather rich but all icings are for me.   Next week is a Carrot Cake.  

Cake #4 out of 52...oops!

This cake is very labor intensive.  The recipe is as follows: 

Filling & Malted Chocolate Frosting

Yield: 12 to 16 servings

Prep Time: 1 hour 30 minutes

Cook Time: 35 minutes

Total Time: 4 hours

An amazing six-layer chocolate cake with a toasted marshmallow filling and a malted chocolate frosting. This is one for the ages!

Ingredients:

For the Cake:
2½ cups + 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
3 cups granulated sugar
1 cup + 1 tablespoon Dutch-process cocoa powder
1 tablespoon baking soda
1½ teaspoons baking powder
1½ teaspoons salt
3 eggs, at room temperature
1½ cups buttermilk, at room temperature
1½ cups strong black coffee, hot
¾ cup vegetable oil
4½ teaspoons vanilla extract

For the Toasted Marshmallow Filling:
16 large marshmallows
1 cup powdered sugar
1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
1 (7½-ounce) jar Marshmallow Fluff

For the Malted Chocolate Frosting:
2 cups unsalted butter, at room temperature
4 cups powdered sugar
¾ cup Ovaltine Classic
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
Pinch of salt
8 ounces semisweet or dark chocolate chocolate, melted and cooled
½ cup heavy cream

Directions:

1. Make the Cake: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease three 8-inch round cake pans, line the bottoms with rounds of parchment paper, grease the parchment, then flour the insides of the pans, tapping out excess; set aside.

2. In the bowl of an electric mixer (or large mixing bowl if you're using a hand mixer), sift together the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder and salt. In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, buttermilk, coffee, oil and vanilla.

3. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix for 2 minutes on medium speed. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl and mix for an additional 20 seconds (the batter will be very thin).

4. Divide the batter evenly among prepared pans. Bake for 20 minutes and rotate the pans in the oven. Continue to bake until a toothpick inserted into the center of one of the cakes comes out almost clean (with a few moist crumbs), about 12 more minutes. Cool the cakes (in the pans) on wire racks for 20 minutes, then carefully turn them out onto cooling racks to cool completely.

5. Make the Toasted Marshmallow Filling: Place the marshmallows on a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil and sprayed with nonstick cooking spray. Place on the lowest rack of oven, and broil marshmallows until nice and brown on top, keeping an eye on them the entire time so they don't burn. Remove pan from oven and gently turn the marshmallows over, and broil until the other side is golden brown.

6. Beat the butter and powdered sugar on low speed until blended together, about 1 minute. Add the vanilla extract and increase the speed to medium-high; beat for 3 minutes. Stop the mixer, add the Marshmallow Fluff and toasted marshmallows, and mix on the lowest speed for about 1 minute, scraping the sides of the bowl as necessary.

7. Make the Malted Chocolate Frosting: Beat the butter and powdered sugar on low speed until blended together, about 1 minute. Add the Ovaltine, vanilla and salt, and continue to beat on low until well combined, about 1 to 2 minutes. Add the melted chocolate and beat on medium speed until smooth, about 2 minutes. Add the heavy cream and beat on medium-high speed for another minute.

8. Assemble the Cake: Slice each cake layer in half horizontally so you have six cake layers. Place your first layer face-up on a cake plate and cover with one-third of the Toasted Marshmallow Frosting. Place another cake layer face-up and cover with about ¾ to 1 cup of Malted Chocolate Frosting. Repeat, alternating marshmallow and chocolate filling layers, until you come to your cake final layer, which you will place face-down. Frost the entire outside of cake with the remaining Malted Chocolate Frosting.

Cake is best served the same day it is made, but leftovers can be stored at room temperature or in the refrigerator, well-wrapped, for up to 3 days.

As I said this cake is very labor intensive and I bombed!  This is what it is supposed to look like...

 

This is what it looked like when I was trying to put it together.  Do you think I can make it look like the above picture?

 

 

This is what it looked like when I frosted it...

 

And this is what it looked like after my family attacked it.  They said that it tasted delicious.  The cake part is very moist and I would actually like to use that again in other cakes.

 

I am going to redeem myself.  I made the cake portion yesterday again and put them in the refrigerator to set and will frost them tonight.  But...this time I am keeping them in the whole layer cake so it will be three layers instead of 6 and I think it will hold together better.  I will post those results tomorrow. 

 

 

I like the marshmallow portion, it was easy just multiple steps.  Toasting them in the oven was really cool and gives a whole new way to make S'mores!  This is also a very rich cake, the frosting and the marshmallow filling is very sweet and rich.  Small pieces are plenty!

Third cake of 52...

This week was the Famous St. Louis specialty, Gooey Butter Cake. The recipe is as follows. 

 

 

Gooey Butter Cake

Yield: 1 9 x 13-inch cake

Ingredients

For the cake:
3 tbsp. milk, at room temperature
2 tbsp. warm water (105-110˚ F)
1¾ tsp. active dry or instant yeast
6 tbsp. unsalted butter, at room temperature
3 tbsp. sugar
1 tsp. salt
1 large egg
1¾ cups all-purpose flour

For the gooey butter topping:
3 tbsp. plus 1 tsp. light corn syrup
2 tbsp. water
2½ tsp. vanilla extract
12 tbsp. (¾ cup) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1½ cups sugar
1 tsp. kosher salt
1 large egg
1 cup plus 3 tbsp. all-purpose flour

Confectioners’ sugar, to serve

Directions

·         Butter a 9 x 13-inch baking dish. To make the cake dough, combine the milk, water, and yeast in a small bowl or liquid measuring cup. Mix to dissolve the yeast in the water and set aside to let foam slightly, a few minutes. In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine the butter, sugar and salt. Beat on medium-high speed until light, about 2 minutes. Blend in the egg. Beginning and ending with the flour, alternately add the flour and the milk mixture, until a smooth dough is formed. Transfer the dough to the prepared pan and stretch and nudge the dough until it covers the bottom of the pan in an even layer. Cover the pan with a clean kitchen towel or plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until puffed and about doubled in volume, approximately 2-3 hours.

·         Preheat the oven to 350˚ F. To make the topping, combine the corn syrup, water and vanilla in a small bowl and whisk to blend. With an electric mixer, beat together the butter, sugar and salt on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Blend in the egg. Alternately add the flour and the corn syrup mixture until just smooth, scraping down the bowl as needed.

·         Drop large dollops of the topping over the surface of the dough and gently spread the topping into an even layer. Bake until light golden brown, about 25-30 minutes. The edges will be brown and set, but the center will still be light and gooey. Allow to cool briefly in the pan before slicing and serving, at least 30 minutes. Dust with confectioners’ sugar before serving. 

      Everyone who tried this cake was impressed and said it was wonderful.  I, however, am not a fan.  I do not like the "gooey" part.   I took a picture but it did not come out very well. 

      BTW, this cake was made at the end of a very long weekend that I had spent cleaning and moving furniture around the entire house! 

      I did however, take some pictures of my garden.

 

 

 

 

On one side is herbs: Rosemary, Cinnamon Basil, Spearmint, Chocolate Mint, Thyme, Chamomile and Taragon.  The other side is Tomatoes, Peppers, Carrots and Onions.  All are growing great!

 

 

Lanie and her favorite Minnie Mouse

 

Cheesey Lanie

 



Next week is a 6 layer chocolate cake with layers of marshmallow in between the layers and a chocolate malt icing.  Looking forward to that one!