Moist Pumpkin Cake with Honey Cream Cheese Frosting

Wow was this good! I think it is the only pumpkin cake I have ever made and I don't think there is a reason to look for another.

The recipe comes from the Lick the Bowl Good blog (which is another awesome blog name). This site has many good recipes and great photos also. She just came out with a cookbook, which I am going to have to order soon.

Moist Pumpkin Cake with Honey Cream Cheese Frosting from: Lick the Bowl Good
1/2 cup butter, melted
2 1/2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1 tablespoon of pumpkin pie spice
2 large eggs
1 1/2 cups of sugar
1 15 ounce can of pumpkin puree

Frosting
1/2 cup butter, softened
8 ounces of cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup honey

Heat the oven to 350 degrees and butter a 9 inch square cake pan. Mix the dry ingredients together (flour, soda, salt, pumpkin pie spice) and whisk until combined. In a separate, large bowl-mix the all of the remaining ingredients together with a whisk. Once well mixed, add the dry ingredients. Pour into the pan and bake 45 to 50 minutes (do the toothpick test). Cool the cake completely. Mix the frosting ingredients together with a beater (or a whisk,but I prefer the beater)and frost the cake. Make sure you store this in the fridge. It's really dense straight from the fridge and so good!

Lemon Yogurt Cake

I have been eyeing this recipe for a while and it did not disappoint me, but I am a bit of a lemon freak!  I took it to work and the ladies in my department liked it. My boss, who usually eats anything, said he doesn't do lemon. I have one word for that: Weirdo!

It was simple to make and is so moist. The simple sugar poured over the warm cake has a lot to do with that I am sure. The recipe comes from Big Mama's Home Kitchen and she got it from the Barefoot Contessa at Home Cookbook.

Lemon Yogurt Cake
1 1/2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
pinch of salt
1 cup of vanilla yogurt
1 cup sugar
3 eggs
2 teaspoons of lemon zest
1 teaspoon of vanilla
1/2 cup vegetable oil (I used canola oil)

Lemon simple sugar: 
1/3 cup lemon juice
1/3 cup sugar

Lemon glaze:
1 cup powdered sugar
2 tablespoons of lemon juice

Preheat the oven to 350 and grease and flour a loaf pan. Whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt. In a separate bowl, whisk the next 5 ingredients together. Add the dry ingredients, then the oil. Bake 45-48 minutes. While the cake cools for 10 minutes, make the simple sugar by boiling the sugar and lemon juice until the sugar dissolves. You can take the cake out of the pan and pour the sugar over or I just left it in the pan after loosening it. Cool the cake and then mix the glaze ingredients together and pour over the cake. Just a note:  I used 3 lemons to make this recipe.

Italian Cream Cake

This was a very sweet cake! I have seen the recipe on many blogs. I found it in the book: Southern Classic Desserts from the editors at Southern Living. I don't get their magazine in the mail, but I often borrow them from the library. They always have such good recipes.

Italian Cream Cake from: Classic Southern Desserts/Southern Living
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup shortening
2 cups sugar
5 large eggs, separated
1 tablespoon of vanilla
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon of baking soda
1 cup buttermilk (or sour milk)
1 cup sweetened coconut

Frosting:
1 cup chopped pecans
1 8 ounce package of cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 tablespoon of vanilla
1 16 ounce package of powdered sugar

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour 3 9 inch round cake pans. Cream the butter and shortening together. Add in the sugar and then the egg yolks, one at a time. Add vanilla. Mix the flour and baking soda together in a separate bowl. Alternately mix the flour into the butter mixture with the buttermilk. Begin and end with the flour. Add the coconut.  Beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form and carefully fold them into the batter. Pour the mixture into the prepared pans. Bake for about 25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Allow to cool in the pans for 10 minutes and then remove from the pans and cool completely on a wire rack.

Toast the pecans for 8-10 minutes in a 350 degree oven. Cool. Mix the cream cheese and butter until smooth. Add the vanilla and then add the sugar slowly. Once there are no lumps, you can stir in the pecans. Frost your cake!

Linking up to: Sweets for a Saturday

Carrot Cake

I have been wanting carrot cake for months now. Having people over was the perfect excuse to make it. This is moist without being too greasy, as I have heard some carrot cake recipes can be. I did use a little less oil than the recipe. The recipe comes from my Family Circle magazine from the November 1, 2011 issue. As soon as I saw the recipe, I ripped it out to make. It only took me 6 months to actually make it.

Carrot Cake: FamilyCircle.com

2 1/2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon of pumpkin pie spice
1 teaspoon of cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cup sugar
1 1/4 cup oil ( I used 1 cup)
4 eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
3 large carrots, finely shredded (1 1/2 cups)
1  8 ounce can of crushed pineapple (do not drain the juices)
1/2  to 1 cup of chopped walnuts ( I used 1/2 cup)

Frosting:
16 ounces of cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup (4 tbsp) butter, softened
3 cups of powdered sugar
1 teaspoon of vanilla

Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease 3 cake pans with shortening or cooking spray. Line with wax or parchment paper and grease that to.

In a bowl, whisk the flour through the salt. In a separate bowl, mix the the sugar, oil, eggs and vanilla. I just mixed the batter with a spoon. Slowly add the flour mixture. Stir in the carrots, pineapple (with juices) and the walnuts. Divide batter between the 3 pans. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes. Toothpick will come out clean. Cool cakes. Mix the cream cheese and butter with a mixer. Add the vanilla and then slowly add the powdered sugar, beating until smooth. Frost the cake and refrigerate for 1 hour or more until set. Refrigerate any leftovers.

Linking up to: Sweets for a Saturday

Neapolitan Cake

This is my birthday cake from last year. Months before my birthday, I search for the best cake to make. This Neapolitan cake was it for me once I saw it. The year before was the Chocolate Guinness Layer Cake I posted. The year before that was a Strawberry Layer Cake. Mmm. I need to make that one again.  Searching for a good Strawberry Layer Cake recipe led me to my first food blog and then I was hooked on food blogs.

Do I look like I am going to fly away or what?

The cake recipe come from Annie's eats and I am going to send you there because this is an extensive recipe. I didn't have any problems with it and I loved the taste of each kind of cake. I didn't use her frosting recipe though. I used a Paula Deen recipe for Strawberry Cream Cheese Frosting. It's posted below.

Neapolitan Cake Recipe From: Annie's eats

Strawberry Cream Cheese Frosting From: Paula Deen
1/4 cup butter, softened
1 8 ounce package of cream cheese, softened
1 10 ounce package frozen strawberries in syrup, thawed and pureed
1/2 teaspoon strawberry extract
7 cups powdered sugar

Beat the butter and cream cheese together until smooth. Add 1/4 a cup of the strawberry pureed (use the rest for something else). Add the extract and then slowly add the sugar. Frost your cake.

So good!

Peanut Butter Cup Chocolate Cake

I made this for a co-worker's birthday. She loves peanut butter cups. I found the idea for this on flickr. I followed the recipe for the frosting, but used a different cake recipe. Her picture is great.

Peanut Butter Cup Chocolate Cake adapted from flint knit at flickr

Hershey's Perfectly Chocolate Cake from : Hershey's of course!

2 cup sugar
1 3/4 cups flour
3/4 cup cocoa
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1 cup of milk
1/2 cup vegetable oil ( I use canola)
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 cup of boiling water

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and grease and flour 2 9 inch round pans.

Mix the sugar through the salt together. Add in the milk through the vanilla and beat with a mixer for 2 minutes. Stir in the boiling water and then pour into the pan. This batter is very thin. Bake for 30-35 minutes. Cool in pans 10 minutes and then on wire racks.

Frosting

1 cup creamy peanut butter
1 cup of butter, softened
 3 tsp vanilla
4 cups of powdered sugar

Beat the butter and peanut butter together until smooth. Add the vanilla and then slowly add the powdered sugar.

I doubled the original recipe for the peanut butter frosting. She had a chocolate ganache in the middle of the layers. I just filled and frosted it with the peanut butter frosting. Frost and decorate with cut up peanut butter cups. Freeze them first or they will become a huge mess!

Tiramisu

So, I have had Tiramisu at restaurants, but I am not crazy about the whole lady finger thing. This recipe uses a Hot Milk Sponge Cake in place of the lady fingers. It's so good and not really hard to put together. It holds up very well in the fridge for several days.

Tiramisu  From: Better Homes and Garden Cookbook (another favorite cookbook of mine)

First make the Hot Milk Sponge Cake:

2 eggs-at room temperature (about 30 minutes sitting out)

1 cup of flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup milk

2 tablespoons of butter

Grease a 9 x 9 square pan. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Mix the flour and baking powder together. In another bowl, beat the eggs 5 minutes -until thick. Slowly add sugar, while beating for another 5 minutes (until light and fluffy). Add in the flour and beat until just combined.

In a small sauce pan heat the milk and butter, stirring until the butter melts. Add this to the batter and pour into the baking pan.  

Bake for 20-25 minutes and cool in the pan.

The rest of the recipe:

1/3 cup sugar

2 tablespoons of instant coffee or espresso powder ( I use instant coffee)

2 tablespoons of rum (you can use 1/2 teaspoon of rum extract)

2  8oz packages of cream cheese at room temperature (or 16 oz of mascarpone cheese)

1/2  cup of sifted powdered sugar

1 teaspoon of vanilla

2 oz of semisweet chocolate, grated

1 cup of heavy whipping cream

2 tablespoons of strong coffee ( I just make some with instant coffee and a couple of tablespoons of hot water)

1/2 oz semisweet chocolate, grated

For syrup-In a small pan mix the regular sugar, the instant coffee and 1/3 cup of water. Heat to boil and boil for 1 minute. Stir in the rum or extract and allow to cool. 

For the filling-Mix together the cream cheese, powdered sugar and vanilla. Stir in the 2 oz of grated chocolate.

For the topping-In a chilled mixing bowl with chilled beaters, mix the whipping cream and the strong coffee until soft peaks form.

To assembling-Evenly cut the cake horizontally into 3 layers. ( Yes, this is tricky!) Put one cake layer to the 9x9 pan and brush the top with a 1/3 of the syrup. Layer with half of the filling, another cake layer, more syrup, the rest of the filling, the last of the cake and then the last of the syrup. Spread on the topping and sprinkle with the 1/2 oz of grated chocolate. Cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours, overnight is even better.

I usually make a double batch of the syrup because the cake really soaks it up fast, plus more flavor isn't going to hurt anything. 

I am linking up to Sweets for a Saturday

Guiness Chocolate Cake

I don't like Guiness, or beer for that matter, but I love this cake!

 The fluffy frosting above.

I found this recipe on the Cookie Madness blog and made it for my birthday a year and a half ago. I made it a while back for the head of my department for his birthday. It was well received at the office and at home.

Chocolate Guinness Layer Cake  from:  Cookie Madness (adapted from Epicurious)

1 cup of butter

1 cup of Guinness Stout

3/4 cup Hershey's Dark Cocoa

2 cups flour

2 cups sugar

1 1/2 teaspoon baking soda

3/4 teaspoon salt

2 large eggs 

2/3 cup sour cream

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour 2  8 inch cake pans. 

Melt the butter over medium heat. Add the stout and cook until it starts to simmer. Turn the heat to low and add the cocoa. Whisk ingredient together and remove from heat. Whisk the flour through salt together in a bowl. In another bowl beat the eggs for 5 minutes until thick. Add the sour cream, then the stout mixture. Add the flour mixture and stir until well combined. Bake the cakes for 28-32 minutes.

Even though the cake was great, the best part was this frosting: 

Malted Chocolate Frosting from: Cookie Madness (adapted from Dorie Greenspan)

6 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate ( I used semisweet)

1/3 cup light brown sugar

1/2 cup of malted milk powder ( I used Carnation)

1 tablespoon of cocoa

1/4 cup boiling water

1 cup of butter, softened

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon of vanilla

2 1/4 cups powdered sugar

Melt the chocolate and half of the brown sugar in a double boiler or a glass bowl over simmering water (or carefully in the microwave)

Mix the rest of the brown sugar with the malted milk, cocoa and boiling water until smooth.

Beat the butter, then add in the melted chocolate, the malted milk and the vanilla. Slowly add in the powdered sugar until smooth. Chill the frosting for at least 60 minutes, then beat with a mixer until light and fluffy. What a great cake! I think I need to make it again soon.