Birthdays!

 A homemade cake is something I love to make. I've struggled a bit lately, not sure if it was the lack of baking during closures or just a hectic life. Below are the cakes my family loves for their special day!



Mark & Christian

Heath Bar Cake - so good and gooey and better if you make it a day ahead so the sticky sweetness gets a chance to ooze into every nook and cranny of the cake.

Ingredients

  • 1 box of Devil's Food Cake Mix and all necessary ingredients to make the cake
  • 1 jar of caramel sauce
  • 1 can of condensed milk
  • 1 - 12 ounce Cool Whip defrosted
  • 4 - 5 Heath Bars crumbled

Preparation

  • Devil's Food Cake box (make and bake according to directions)
  • Remove from oven and use a fork or wooden spoon to poke holes all over the cake
  • Pour caramel topping all over cake, let sit for a few minutes
  • Pour condensed milk all over the cake
  • Refrigerate
  • When cooled, layer with Cool Whip
  • Sprinkle with Heath Bar crumble
I sometimes add Bit a Brickle on top of the cake before I bake. I also use Bit a Brickle if the store doesn't have Heath Bars.


Ariana

Cream Cheese Pound Cake - rich and tasty, this simple treat is soooo good. The crispy outside hides a soft and sweet cake that is too hard to resist.

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2  cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 1 8-ounce package cream cheese, room temperature
  • 3 cups sugar
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 6 large eggs, room temperature - separate egg yokes from whites
  • 1 table spoon vanilla extract
  • 3 cups sifted Cake Flour

Preparation 

Preheat oven to 325 degrees
Butter and flour 12-cup Bundt pan (or use baking spray). Using electric mixer, beat butter and cream cheese in large bowl until fluffy, about 4 minutes. Add sugar and salt; beat 5 minutes, occasionally scraping down sides of bowl. Separate eggs and with a mixer, whip the egg whites with a pinch of sugar until they are fluffy.  Set aside. Add egg yokes to batter 1 at a time, beating until blended after each addition. Beat in vanilla. Beat in flour at low speed until batter is smooth (do not overbeat).  Fold in egg whites careful not to deflate them. 
 
Add to Bundt pan and giggle to smooth out and get rid of air bubbles.  Bake for 1 hour and 20 - 30 minutes.  Cake is done when you use a cake tester and it comes out clean.  Cool cake in pan on rack 15 minutes. Turn cake out onto rack; cool completely.


Giuliana

Italian Lemon Olive Oil Cake Recipe with Berries & Mascarpone - this cake takes work, but it is worth it friends. The lemon, mascarpone and blackberries truly make a delicious adventure for the palate. And it is so beautiful, you may hesitate to cut into it for just a second. Please note: I love to make my own lemon curd, but if I'm short on time, I buy it.

Ingredients

Cake

  • 1 cup extra virgin olive oil
  • 1/3 cup ricotta cheese
  • 2 cup all purpose flour
  • 5 eggs 
  • 1.25 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1/4 tsp baking soda
  • Zest from 1 lemon
  • A pinch of sea salt
  • 1 lb blackberries

Blueberry Sauce

  • 1/2 lb blueberries
  • 1/2 lemon juiced
  • 2-3 tbsp wild honey
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
Marscarpone Cream
  • 4 large egg yolks organic pasture raised
  • 4 tbsp granulated sugar
  • 3/4 lb mascarpone cheese
  • 1.5 cup whipped cream ( Stiff )
  • zest from 1 lemon
 Lemon Curd
  • 1/2 cup lemon juice freshly squeezed
  • Zest from 1 lemon
  • 5 large egg yolks organic pasture raised
  • 1/2 cup granulated sugar
  • 5 tbsp butter cut into 5 pieces.

Preparation

Blueberry Sauce

Start by adding the blueberries with the lemon juice, vanilla and honey to a small sauce pan. Bring to a simmer and cook for a couple of minutes, just until the blueberries burst. Remove from flame and adjust sweetness to your taste with more honey. Refrigerate until ready to use.  Lemon CurdTo make the lemon curd, prepare a double boiler with 2 inches of water in the bottom pan. Bring to gentle simmer.Add the egg yolks, sugar, lemon zest and lemon juice to the top pan. Whisk together over the steam until combined well. Keep whisking for a few minutes until the curd has thickened and coats the back of a spoon. About 5 to 10 minutes or so. Turn off the flame and whisk in the butter until melted. Transfer the curd to a bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate until cooled completely. It should be very thick at this point.  *I apologize for the formatting - just wasn't cooperating for me today!

Cake 
Preheat your oven to 325"F.
Prepare a 10 inch spring form pan by lightly buttering it with a dab of butter. Place on a baking sheet
  • In the bowl of a mixer add the eggs, lemon zest and sugar and using the whisk attachment beat them together until well combined. A few minutes.
  • Pour in the olive oil and continue whisking on medium low speed until all incorporated. Add the ricotta cheese and sea salt and whisk till combined.
    3. Add the flour, baking powder, baking soda and slowly mix or fold everything together until incorporated.
    4. Transfer the cake batter into the buttered spring form pan.
    5. Bake the olive oil cake in the preheated oven for about 45 minutes to 1 hour, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out almost clean.
    6. Transfer the cake to a cooling rack and allow to cool completely. 
     
     
    Mascarpone Cream 
    Add the egg yolks and sugar to a large mixing bowl. 
    Use a mixer with a whisk attachment to cream the sugars and egg yolks until fluffy and pale in color. 
    Add the lemon zest and spoonfuls of the mascarpone cheese until incorporated. 
     Using a spatula fold the whipped cream (must be stiff) into the whipped mascarpone cheese until combined. 
    Make sure to not over mix. 
    Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to use. It should not be runny, it should be thick and creamy. 
     
     Assemble the Cake
     
    • Once cooled off, remove the cake from the spring form pan by releasing the sides first, then remove the bottom.
    • Very carefully slice a thin layer off of the top to remove the top crust and expose the inside of the cake.
    • Extra carefully slice the cake in half using a serrated knife.
    • Place the bottom part on a plate or cake stand.
    • Using a small spatula spread the chilled lemon curd on top of the olive oil cake. Spoon half of the mascarpone filling on top, or as much as you feel comfortable working with. If it seems like too much for you, simply save some for later use. Then top it with half of the blueberries from the blueberry sauce and some of the fresh blackberries. Reserve as much of the liquid from the blueberry sauce as possible for the next layer.

    • Add the next olive oil cake layer and spoon all the remaining blueberries with the sauce on top. Add the remaining whipped mascarpone (or however much you feel comfortable working with) and with the back of a spoon or spatula rustically spread it over the top. Place the fresh blackberries all over the top, reserving some to decorate the sides of your olive oil cake.
    • Garnish your lemon olive oil cake with edible flower blossoms and enjoy chilled.
     

No comments:

Post a Comment