It's Coming!

Her Royal Highness, the Queen of all Southern Cakes
(sorry Emma Rylander Lane, but you know it's true)

The Coconut Cake
My coconut cake

Gran began the obsession 20 years ago

(really, has it been that long? Now I really feel old!)

She casually produced a glorious coconut cake and I've been in love ever since.

I will post my version for Thanksgiving. I'm also making one for our Christmas Party at church. They are asking us to make a dessert from our "heritage" - while most of the ladies are making something from outside the country, I'm sticking with my deep Southern heritage, thank you. So this baby will be coming with me to the party. She's a party girl, after all. I've even got a pretty cake stand for her. Actually, she needs a red one. Anyone know where I can get a red cake stand?

So watch for it!

Fresh Gingerbread with Lemon Icing

It's fall in Seattle, even if others are enjoying 80 degree weather still. It's cold and rainy and I have begun to crave apple pies, pumpkin anything and this gingerbread. I've programmed my daughter to love it as well.
I gladly give all credit for this to the lovely Nigella Lawson. This was the first recipe I tried 10 years ago when I bought her book How to Be a Domestic Goddess. I'm still working on my domestic goddessness, but this cake gets me a little closer every time. Yes, you use fresh ginger, but you can get it anywhere these days. You don't need the lemon icing, but it's tangy sweetness plays off the gingerbread.

For the gingerbread:
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons brown sugar
3/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon light corn syrup
3/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon molasses
2 teaspoons fresh ginger, finely grated
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons milk
2 large eggs, beaten to mix
1 teaspoon baking soda, dissolved in 2 tablespoons warm water
2 cups all-purpose flour
cake pan, approximately 12 x 8 x 2 inches, greased and lined with foil or parchment paper

For the icing:
1 tablespoons lemon juice
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons confectioners' sugar, sifted
1 tablespoon warm water

Preheat the oven to 325°F.

In a saucepan, melt the butter along with the sugar, syrup, molasses, ginger, and cinnamon. Off the heat, add the milk, eggs, and baking soda in its water.

Measure the flour out into a bowl and pour in the liquid ingredients, beating until very well mixed (it will be a very liquid batter). Pour it into the pan and bake for 3/4 - 1 hour until risen and firm. Be careful not to overcook it, as it is nicer a little stickier, and anyway it will carry on cooking as it cools.

And when it is cool, get on with the icing. Whisk the lemon juice into the confectioners' sugar first, then gradually add the water. You want a good, thick icing, so go cautiously and be prepared not to add all the water. Spread over the cooled gingerbread with a palette knife, and leave to set before cutting.

Carrot Cake with Citrus Cream Cheese Frosting

There are carrot cake people, and I have never been one of them. I didn't like carrot cake for the longest time until a friend asked me to make her one. So, in my typical fashion, I set out to make "the ultimate" carrot cake. I listed all the things I didn't like about carrot cake: pineapple, raisins, too much cinnamon, stringy carrots. And I took all those things out.

It's important to chop the carrots after you grate them. Just makes for a finer crumb on the cake. And it is always important to have things at room temperature when you are mixing them together. They come together so much better, although it's not the end of the world if you forget to set your eggs out. Just run some warmish water in a bowl and set them in. Your cake will survive, and you will still eat it!

Ingredients:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
2 tsp. baking soda
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
4 large eggs, room temperature
1/2 cup butter, melted and cooled
3/4 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup full fat buttermilk
2 tsp. vanilla
3 cups grated and chopped carrots
1 cup chopped pecans

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350. Spray baking pans with nonstick coating, or butter and flour them.

In a bowl, combine the flour, cinnamon, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Whisk to combine. Set aside.

In a mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, lightly beat the eggs. Add the melted and cooled butter along with the sugars and whisk to combine.

Add the vanilla to the buttermilk.

Add the flour to the egg/sugar mixture alternately with the buttermilk, beginning and ending with the flour. When it has just come together, add the chopped carrots and nuts. Mix just until combined.

Pour into 2 (for a 4 layer cake) or 3 (for a 3 layer cake) 8" or 9" baking pans. Bake in center of oven 25 to 30 minutes.

Citrus Cream Cheese Frosting:

24 oz. cream cheese, room temperature
4 1/2 cups powdered sugar, sifted (or at least break up the big clumps!)
zest of 1 medium orange
3/4 c. butter (1 1/2 sticks), room temperature
1 1/2 t. vanilla

In a mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the cream cheese until smooth. Add the softened butter and orange zest. Beat until fragrant. Add the sugar and vanilla. Beat to combine.

Seriously, I'm not going to tell you how to assemble a cake. You know how to do that, right? Layers and frosting and all?

German Chocolate Cake

Aaron declared this the best one yet - I've been working on it for nine years now!

The Cake:

2 c. + 2 T. sugar
1 3/4 c. all-purpose flour
3/4 c. + 1 T. cocoa powder
1 1/2 t. baking powder
1 1/2 t. baking soda
1 t. salt
2 large eggs
1 c. whole milk
1/2 c. vegetable oil
2 t. vanilla extract
1 c. boiling water

Preheat oven to 350 F. Prepare 2 8" baking pans.

Sift sugar, flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt together into the bowl of an electric mixer. Using the paddle attachment, mix ingredients together on low speed.

In a large bowl, mix together eggs, milk, oil and vanilla. Add to flour mixture and beat on medium speed for 30 minutes. Scrape down sides of bowl and continue mixing on medium for 2 minutes. Add boiling water and stir to combine. Pour into prepared pans.

Bake until tops are firm, about 25 minutes. Let cool completely.

The filling:

1 1/2 c. sugar
3/4 c. butter
1 1/2 c. evaporated milk
1 1/2 t. vanilla
5 large egg yolks
2 c. flaked coconut
1 1/2 c. pecans, chopped

Mix sugar, butter, milk, vanilla and egg yolks in 2-quart saucepan. Cook over medium heat about 12 minutes, stirring occasionally, until thick.

Stir in coconut and pecans. Cool until spreadable.

The frosting:

1 c. butter
1/2 c. whole milk
1 c. cocoa powder
4 c. powdered sugar
2 T. vanilla
1/2 t. salt

Melt the butter over low heat in a medium saucepan. Add the milk, cocoa, and powdered sugar and whisk until glossy. Remove the saucepan from the heat and whisk in the vanilla and salt.

Pour into a bowl and let cool until spreadable.

Pineapple Upside Down Cake

Not to worry, Aaron's German Chocolate Cake will make it's appearance on Saturday. But I really wanted somethingish sweet and this is always so simple to throw together. I'm a "no cherry" person - I think it's because of Aaron. He doesn't like maraschino cherries. But I don't mind - just one more spot that gets all butter/brown sugary awesome.

I also like using my silicone baking pan. I don't like using it for much else, but it does come out nice and clean.

Pineapple Upside-Down Cake

Pineapple topping:
One 20-ounce can pineapple rings, with their juice
1/2 c. butter
1 1/3 c. brown sugar, light or dark
maraschino cherries, if using

Cake:
1 1/2 c. all-purpose flour
3/4 c. sugar
1 1/2 t. baking powder
1/2 t. salt
1/2 c. milk
4 T. butter, softened
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/3 c. pineapple juice

Heat oven to 350 F.

To make the topping, drain the pineapple well, reserving 1/3 c. for the cake batter. Melt the butter in a skillet over medium heat. Pour into 9" cake pan and sprinkle brown sugar on top. Place the pineapple rings carefully on top of the brown sugar. Place a cherry in the center of each ring, and set the pan aside.

To make the cake, in a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, baking powder and salt, using a fork to mix them together well. In a mixer, cream together the butter and sugar for about 5 minutes. Add the egg, then the vanilla extract. Dump in the flour, then the milk and mix on low speed for 30 seconds. Add the pineapple juice and mix to combine.

Carefully pour the batter over the pineapple and spread it evenly to the edges of the pan. Bake at 350 F for 35-40 minutes or until golden brown and springs back. Cool for 5 minutes on a wire rack, the invert onto a serving plate.

Happy baking!

Ways to Deal with an Obsession

I *heart* cake. I've always loved it. My mom makes an awesome chocolate cake. My grandma makes a great coconut cake. I love making cakes. So I'm going to blog about it. It's the perfect time. My partner in cake crime, Aaron, has a birthday coming up. He always always always wants German chocolate cake. That will be my first cake feature.