Birthday Halfsies

Celebrating half birthdays continues to be one of my favorite family traditions.  There are no presents, no Pinterest-worthy parties, nothing fancy...just half of a cake, and maybe, if you're lucky, a cut-in-half birthday card.


Even though my mom liked to bake, I remember our half birthday cakes usually being the half Bundt cakes from the grocery store.  See what I mean?  Half birthdays are NOT fancy.  I tend to go the Bundt cake route, too, but not always. 


Bundt cakes can sometimes be dry or dense...too dense.  Not this one.  It's moist, lemony, and topped off with an irresistible lemon cream cheese frosting. 


Here's the rule, though:  you must not present the half birthday person with the whole cake.  Give the other half away.  It's fun; I promise.

Lemon Poppy Seed Cake with Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting 

{makes 1 Bundt cake...give away the other half for half birthdays!}

for the cake:
1 box lemon cake mix
1 box instant lemon pudding mix
3/4 cup vegetable oil
3/4 cup water
4 eggs
2 TBSP poppy seeds

for the frosting:
8 oz. cream cheese, room temperature
1/4 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
zest and juice of 1 lemon
1 lb. powdered sugar
pinch kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon lemon extract (optional)

Grease and flour a Bundt pan.  Preheat oven to 350.

Combine all of the cake ingredients in the bowl of an electric mixer.  Beat on low until combined.  Increase speed to medium-high and mix for 2 minutes more.  Pour into the prepared pan and bake 40-45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.


Cool in the pan for 10 minutes.  Place a wire cooling rack on the bottom of the cake (which is facing up).  Invert the pan onto the cooling rack, remove the Bundt pan and let the cake cool completely.


To make the frosting: Beat the cream cheese and butter together using the paddle attachment of an electric mixer until smooth, combined and fluffy.  Add in the remaining ingredients.  Beat on low until the sugar is incorporated, then increase the speed to medium-high and mix until thickened and fluffy.

Scoop the frosting into a piping bag, cut off the tip and pipe back and forth on top of the cake.
(Obviously, there is a little Nothing Bundt Cakes inspiration happening here.)

Refrigerate to let the frosting set.  Now, if this is for a half birthday, cut the cake in half and give half away.  Ta-da!  You now have a half birthday cake!

*cake recipe adapted from Sample House: Recipes from the Soup Shop and More, frosting recipe is my own.*

Strawberry Layer Cake with Amaretto Swiss Meringue Buttercream

 
One in six people is living at risk of hunger in America. However, there is hope and there are ways to help.  Land O’Lakes has partnered with Feeding America to kick off their second year of the Pin a Meal, Give a Meal campaign.


It is my absolute pleasure to bring you a recipe today as part of the Pin a Meal, Give a Meal campaign.  For each recipe pinned or repinned, Land O’Lakes will donate nine meals (9!) to Feeding America.  It’s so easy to help!


Let’s talk turkey, er, cake. I had a hankering for strawberry cake. I think you’ll love this as much as we do.  This cake screams spring!  Easter, Mother’s Day, ANY day…the pretty pink layers topped with scrumptious buttercream are irresistible.


This is no ordinary buttercream.  It’s an amaretto Swiss meringue buttercream.  Swiss meringue buttercreams are special…silky and fluffy, sweet but not cloying.


And, amaretto?  Well, it’s just delicious, and it pairs beautifully with the strawberry cake.

A note on the strawberries called for in the cake: look for the sweetened sliced strawberries in the freezer section.  At my store, they’re called “Dessert Strawberries.”  That made me smile.


You’ll want to have them thawed and pureed before adding them to the recipe.
 
PS…the extra is really yummy on yogurt or in smoothies.

 

Strawberry Layer Cake with Amaretto Swiss Meringue Buttercream

Makes one 3-layer cake

Ingredients:

For the cake:
3/4 cup Land O Lakes® Unsalted Butter, room temperature
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 3/4 cups granulated sugar
3 ounce container powered strawberry gelatin (not sugar-free)
1 tablespoon baking powder
5 eggs, room temperature
1/2 cup puréed sweetened strawberries (from a thawed container of frozen sweetened strawberries)
1/2 cup milk, room temperature
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
3 cups sifted cake flour
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

For the buttercream:
4 egg whites
1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) Land O Lakes® Unsalted Butter, room temperature and cut into tablespoons
1 1/2 tablespoon amaretto
Pinch kosher salt

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350oF.  Butter three round 8-inch cake pans, line the bottoms with parchment, then butter the parchment.  Flour the pans; set aside.

With an electric mixer, cream together the butter and oil until fully blended.  Add in the sugar, strawberry gelatin and baking powder.  Beat several minutes on medium speed until combined and fluffy.

Add in the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.  Scrape down the bottom and sides of the bowl as needed. 

In a large measuring cup, combine the strawberry purée, milk and vanilla.

Add in the flour in three additions, alternating with the liquid mixture.  Begin and end with the flour, adding the salt with the last addition.  Beat just until incorporated.

Pour the batter evenly into the prepared cake pans, smoothing the tops with an offset spatula.

Bake the cakes for 25-35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, or with a few loose crumbs.

Cool in the pans on a cooling rack for 10 minutes.  Remove the cakes from the pans, peel off the parchment paper, and then set right-side up on the cooling rack to cool completely.

For the frosting, place the egg whites and sugar in a bowl of a stand mixer.  Place the bowl over a pan of simmering water, not touching the water.  Whisk constantly until the sugar is dissolved and the mixture comes to a temperature of approximately 160oF.

Immediately place the bowl on the stand mixer and whip on high using the whisk attachment until the frosting has become thick and glossy, forming a stiff peak.  Continue to whip the frosting until the bowl feels room temperature to the touch…a total of about 10 minutes.

Switch the whisk attachment to the paddle attachment.  With the mixer on low, drop in the butter, one tablespoon at a time, beating until smooth after each addition.  If the frosting appears curdled or clumpy at any time, increase the speed to medium-high and beat until smooth.


Once all of the butter has been incorporated, mix in the amaretto and pinch of salt.

To assemble, spread about 2/3 cup frosting in between each layer of cake.  Use the remainder to cover the sides and top of the cake with an offset spatula.

Store in the refrigerator.


Thank you for helping us reach our goal to donate 2.7 million meals! You can pin this recipe to contribute 9 meals to Feeding America. Pin more recipes from Land O’Lakes here to contribute even more meals.  

If you don’t have a Pinterest account…and boy, are you in for some fun…creating one is free and easy.  Visit  https://pinterest.com/join/signup to learn how.


{$1 helps provide 9 meals* secured by Feeding America® on behalf of local member food banks. The Land O’Lakes Foundation guarantees a minimum of 2.7 million meals* (monetary equivalent of $300,000.00) to Feeding America and member food banks from March 28 through May 31, 2014}

Bake at 350 has partnered with Land O'Lakes for an exclusive endorsement of Land O Lakes® Butter for the Kitchen Conversations blogger program. This blog post is sponsored by Land O'Lakes.

The Pioneer Woman Cooks: A Year of Holidays PLUS a Boozy Pudding Cake!

I can't wait to share this book with you today.  It's Ree's latest:

The Pioneer Woman Cooks: A Year of Holidays

The book is so beautiful that it's not with my cookbooks...it's on my coffee table. 

I think this holiday book may be my favorite.  Of course, I said that about Ree's last one and the one before that, but I really, really love this book.

The Pioneer Woman Cooks: A Year of Holidays is divided up by, you guessed it, holidays.  You'll find recipes for Valentine's Day, Cinco de Mayo, Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year's Eve...and everything in between.  All total: 140 recipes, all presented in Ree's signature step-by-step style.

You know I went right for the dessert pages, right?

I don't know what this says about me, but this Halloween "Cheese Ball of Death" really speaks to me.  Any recipe that calls for a gummy tarantula has to be a winner.

Of course, you'll find lots of pictures of the ranch and cowboys.

Do you read cookbooks like novels?  Me, too.  I love those little intro parts before the recipes.  Well, Ree writes them like no other.  I had the best time reading through the book and hearing Ree's voice in my head.  (Does that sound weird?)

Anyway....stay tuned because Ree is giving away three, yes THREE, signed, yes SIGNED, copies of her book in just a bit.

Now, let me introduce you to a cake.  A boozy cake.  A boozy cake from Ree's book that is responsible for my extra three pounds this week.

I made Ree's cake, and *promised* myself that I would have just a sliver after taking the pictures.  You can see in one of the pictures that the first slice out was really small.  That was my slice.

THEN, I decided that you really couldn't see the beautiful, moist cake, so I sliced off another piece...this time a pretty big honkin' piece.

I took the pictures, stood (I didn't even bother sitting) over the table, and INHALED both pieces.  Inhaled, I tell you.

This cake in fantastic.  I'm not sure of it's the booze, or the brown sugar pecans on the top, or the one and a half sticks of butter that are melted and poured over the cake after it bakes, or what.  The combination of it all is magical.

[Note: the cake recipe calls for rum and I used Kahlua...did you know Kahlua is rum and coffee liqueur?  You do now!]


Christmas Rum Pudding Cake
{from The Pioneer Woman Cooks: A Year of Holidays}

Cake:
1/2 cup lightly packed brown sugar
1/2 cup finely chopped pecans
1 box yellow cake mix
1 (3.4 oz.) package vanilla cook-and-serve pudding mix
4 eggs
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup canola oil
1/2 cup dark rum (or Kahlua)

Glaze:
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) butter
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/4 cup water
3/4 cups dark rum (or Kahlua)

Preheat oven to 325.  Thoroughly grease a Bundt pan.  Sprinkle the brown sugar and pecans in the bottom of the pan.

In a bowl of an electric mixer, beat the cake mix, pudding mix, eggs, water, oil, and rum.  Mix until smooth and totally combined.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 50-60 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean.

When the cake has about 10 minutes to go, make the glaze.  Melt the butter and sugar in a saucepan over medium heat.  Then add the water and bring to a boil.  Boil for 4-5 minutes, or until thick.

Turn off the heat and add the rum.  Turn the heat back on and cook for 1 minute more.

Remove the cake from the oven and let it cool in the pan for 5 minutes.

Use a skewer or toothpick to poke holes all over the surface of the cake.  Drizzle half of the glaze over the cake and down the sides.  Let it sit in the pan for 10-15 minutes, letting the glaze soak in.

Carefully invert the cake onto a serving platter.  Slowly drizzle the remainder of the glaze over the top, giving the cake a chance to absorb as much as possible.

Let the cake sit for a couple of hours to make sure it's really moist and rummy...or Kahlua-y in my case.

Eat.  Two pieces...while hovering over the table.  It's too good to waste time sitting, people.

Alright...who wants a SIGNED copy?  You do!!!  
 (Would this not be the BEST Christmas gift?!?)
 
To enter:  leave a comment on this post telling me your favorite holiday food tradition.

For an extra entry: leave a SEPARATE comment telling me if you've ever tried a recipe from Ree's blog, TV show, or cookbooks.

Entries accepted through 11:59CST, November 20th.  Good luck! :) 

The Pioneer Woman Cooks: A Year of Holidays...you're going to LOVE it!!!

Mother Knows Best: Italian Cream Cake

Back when I was in first or second grade, a boy in my class decided to start calling me "Bridget Tee-tee."
{Potty humor is all the rage with the elementary set.}

See, my first name ended with a T and my last name started with a T.  Get it?  What a clever guy.  I didn't find it so funny.

I came home from school crying to my mom about the unfortunate "tee-tee" teasing going on.  My mom asked who was saying it.  I told her...Guy Hartfield.  She gave me some sage advice,
"The next time he says that, call him Guy FARTfield."

Now, I grew up in a house where *ahem* farts were referred to as toots, so I had no idea what it even meant.  Sure enough, the next day at school as we lined up for music class, Guy sidled up along side me and called me "Bridget Tee-tee" just loud enough where the other kids could hear.  Unsure, I told him to "Be quiet, Guy Fartfield!" The other kids laughed and I never, ever heard a word about "tee-tee" again.

Morals of the story:

• Don't mess with the girl with curly hair...or her mom.
• Mother knows best.

Which brings me to this Italian Cream Cake.  My mother made it a lot when we were growing up.  I grumbled and complained because, hello?  You're making a cake without any chocolate?!?

Turns out, mom was right.  This cake is utterly delicious.  Now, Italian?  I'm not so sure.  I mean, when I think of pecans, coconut, and cream cheese, Italy doesn't immediately spring to mind. 

Mom's recipe came from the River Road Recipes 2 cookbook.  If you're from the south, I bet you or your mom have at least one RRR cookbook in your collection. They're the Junior League of Baton Rouge cookbooks, and they are winners.

I changed the recipe up a bit...replacing the margarine with butter, adding a little salt, toasting the pecans, etc.  Oh, and since this IS Italian Cream Cake, I updated the frosting with lots of creamy mascarpone.

Italian Cream Cake
{3-layer cake, serves 12}

for the cake:
2 cups sugar
1/2 cup (1 stick) salted butter, room temperature
1/2 cup vegetable or canola oil
5 eggs, separated and at room temperature
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup buttermilk, room temperature
2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup angel flake coconut
1 teaspoon vanilla

for the frosting:
1 & 1/2 cups chopped pecans
12 oz mascarpone, room temperature
4 oz. cream cheese, room temperature
2 TBSP unsalted butter, room temperature
1 lb. + 1/4 cup powdered sugar, divided
pinch kosher salt
1 teaspoon vanilla

Butter three 9" round cake pans, line the bottoms with parchment.  Butter the parchment and flour the pans.  Set aside.  Preheat oven to 350.

Cream together the sugar, butter and oil.  Add in the egg yolks, one at a time, beating well after each addition.

Stir the soda into the buttermilk.  Add the flour and buttermilk alternately, beginning and ending with the flour.  Add the salt with the last addition of  the flour.  Fold in the coconut and vanilla.

Beat the egg whites in a separate bowl until stiff peaks form.  In three additions, fold into the batter.

Pour into the prepared pans and bake for 25 minutes or until done.  Remove to wire cooling racks and let cool in the pans for 10 minutes.  Remove from the pans and let cool completely.

make the frosting:
Place the pecans on a cookie sheet in a single layer.  Bake at 350 for 4-6 minutes, until fragrant and toasted.  Remove from the pan and let cool completely.

Cream together the mascarpone, cream cheese and butter.   Beat in the 1 pound of sugar, pinch salt and vanilla until smooth and combined.  Remove 1/2 cup of frosting for piping and stir in the remaining 1/4 cup sugar to thicken.

Stir the pecans into the remaining frosting.

Spread about 1/2 cup of frosting between each layer of the cake.  Use the remaining to go around the sides and top of the cake.  Pipe a border with the reserved frosting.

(Note: this frosting makes just enough to cover the cake.  You will not have thick layers of frosting, but it is very rich, so that's ok.)

Mom, you were right.  I should have never doubted you. {About anything.}

***Guy Hartfield, wherever you are, sorry to out you on a baking blog.  I'm sure we've all learned from this experience.***

Give your cake...and eat it, too!

Sometime last year, I was on Instagram lamenting the fact that I was baking a cake for an event or a bake sale, and I wouldn't be able to taste-test it.  Oh, about eleventy-billion people chimed in suggesting that next time, I make a cupcake with a portion of the batter.

I am not the sharpest tool in the shed...that thought had never occurred to me.

{This is one well-used, well-loved muffin tin.}

It's my new rule now.  If I'm dropping a cake off someplace, I make a cupcake, too.  It serves two purposes: 1. to make sure it tastes ok.  2. I get to eat cake.

We'll be using instant espresso powder to make this Mississippi Mud Cake into a MOCHA Mississippi Mud Cake.  Look for it near the Sanka in your coffee aisle...or on Amazon.  It looks like this:

This Mocha Mississippi Mud Cake was actually heading to a funeral reception.  If you like to bake or cook, check into the funeral food ministry at your local church.  Food equals comfort, and it's such an easy way to give.  I think sometimes we get so wrapped up in trying to "give big" that we forget that the little acts of giving count for something, too.

Mocha Mississippi Mud Cake

for the cake:
1 & 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
1 teaspoon espresso powder
2 sticks salted butter, melted
1/2 cup dutch-process cocoa powder
4 eggs, room temperature
2 cups sugar
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1 & 1/2 cups unbleached, all-purpose flour


for the topping:
1 (10 oz.) bag mini marshmallows
1/2 stick salted butter
1/2 cup milk
1/2 teaspoon espresso powder
1/2 cup dutch-process cocoa powder
4 cups powdered sugar

Preheat the oven to 350. Lightly grease a 9 x 13" pan. (If making a cupcake, line one muffin tin with a cupcake liner.)  Set aside.

In a small bowl, stir together the vanilla and espresso powder until combined.  Pour the vanilla/espresso mixture into a large bowl and add the melted butter, cocoa, and eggs.  Stir until well combined.

Stir in the sugar.  Add in the salt and flour and stir until no lumps remain.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan (and cupcake liner, if using).  Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.  (Start checking the cupcake at about 18-20 minutes.)

Remove from the oven and place on a wire cooling rack.  Immediately scatter the marshmallows over the warm cake.  Set aside.

{Sing it with me: "I always feel like somebody's watching meeee...."}

Make the topping: in a medium saucepan, combine the butter, milk and espresso powder over medium heat until the mixture comes to a simmer.  Remove from the heat and whisk in the cocoa powder.  Return the pan to medium heat and whisk constantly until smooth.

Whisk in the powdered sugar 1 cup at a time.  Continue whisking and cooking until the mixture has come to a simmer.  Pour the hot topping evenly over the marshmallows.  Cool completely before serving.

The cake may be kept in the refrigerator for 1 week.

{Recipe adapted from Cake Ladies Mississippi Mud Cake}

Have (or give) your cake and eat it, too?  You bet!

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