Strawberry Cake

Better late than never, right? Right.  Happy Belated Valentine's Day. 

This simple recipe is the prettiest cake ever.  

STRAWBERRY CAKE

2 cups white sugar

1 small package (3 oz.) of strawberry gelatin

1 cup butter, softened

4 eggs

2 ¾ cup cake flour

2 ½ teaspoons baking powder

1 cup milk

1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract

½ cup strawberry puree (use unsweetened frozen strawberries)

STRAWBERRY ICING

½ cup butter, softened

¼ cup strawberry puree

1 pound powdered sugar

Cake: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray three 9 inch round cake pans with baking spray. In a large mixing bowl, cream together the butter, sugar and dry strawberry gelatin until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs one at a time, mixing well after each egg. Combine flour and baking powder. Add the flour and milk alternately to the batter beginning with flour and ending with flour. Pour into prepared pans. Bake for 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Cook pans on a wire cooling rack for 8-10 minutes. Turn cake out onto a cooling rack and allow to cool completely before icing.

Icing: Using an electric mixer, cream all ingredients together until smooth. 

Happy May!

May indeed brings welcoming sights for me in Savannah. Finally, my lawn is lush green after enduring months of brown centipede grass. And being surrounded by pale new growth on plants makes me do a jig, just because.  The weather is perfect right now, and there are so many great gatherings happening, like outdoor picnics, and this fun Jack and Jill party hosted by Miss Sophie's place.  

I love how she used these simple but fun props to make the occasion special.  The power of Pinterest!  

And here are some great recipes to get you jump-started to host your next gathering! 

Print These Recipes! 

All recipes by Miss Sophie

Used with permission

Sour Cream Pound Cake

1 ½  cups cake flour

1 ½  cups white sugar

½     cup butter

1      teaspoon vanilla extract

½     teaspoon lemon extract

½     cup sour cream

3      eggs

1/8   teaspoon baking soda

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour an 8x4 inch loaf pan. In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition.  Stir in vanilla extract, lemon extract and baking soda. Add sour cream and flour and mix well. Pour into an 8x4 inch loaf pan. Bake 50 minutes to 1 hour, or until a toothpick inserted into center of cake comes out clean. Let cake cool on a cooling rack before slicing. Serve with sliced strawberries, blueberries or raspberries and whipped cream

Vinegar Cole Slaw

¾ cup vegetable oil

1 cup sugar

1 cup apple cider vinegar

1 teaspoon salt

¾ teaspoon dry mustard

½ teaspoon celery seed

1 medium head of cabbage, chopped

1 sweet onion, chopped

1 large red bell pepper, chopped

Combine cabbage, onion and bell pepper in a medium size bowl. In a saucepan, mix oil, sugar, vinegar, salt, mustard, and celery seed and bring to a boil. Remove from heat and pour hot mixture over cabbage mixture and toss. Cover bowl and refrigerate a minimum of 24 hours and up to 6 days.

Peach Sangria

Break all the rules and serve this sangria in a Mason jar.  Better double it though, your guests will be asking for more!

1 Bottle of Pinot Grigio or your favorite white wine

½ cup Peach Schnapps

½  cup sugar

½ cup water

1 cup of basil leaves

3 sliced peaches

1 cup sliced strawberries

1 orange, sliced                                                                        

1/2 liter of ginger ale

Preparation:

Combine sugar, water and basil in a small saucepan. Heat over medium heat just until sugar is melted, crushing basil with the back of the spoon against the side of the pot. Remove from heat and allow to cool for a few minutes. Pour wine and Schnapps in a pitcher, add sliced peaches, orange and strawberries. Stir in sugar water and basil. Chill mixture for at least one hour. Add ginger ale just before serving.

Communion Dinner 2012-Sunday Dinner and German Chocolate Cake Recipe

 A week ago Sunday was our last Communion Season dinner and we wanted to finish strong after four-dinner-marathon.  And if my church family couldn't remember what they had for four dinners in a row, they will certainly remember this German Chocolate Cake!  !  The cake was so moist and the frosting made with pecans and coconut was outstanding.  Here is what the rest of the menu looked like:

 Communion/Sunday Dinner Menu for 280

(Click hyperlink for recipes)

Pork Tenderloin with Coffee Rub (60 lbs of pork tenderloin)

Pineapple-Papaya Salsa (10 pineapples, 8 papayas, 16 bell peppers, variety colors)

Garden Salad with Buttermilk Ranch Dressing (36 small heads of Romaine, 2 1/2 lbs. tomatoes, 3 large cucumbers, 7 cups of dressing)

French Bread with Cheese Spread (280 pieces, 6 cups of cheese spread)

Watermelon Slices (4 large seedless melons)

German Chocolate Cake (225 pieces)

 The key to making the cake moist and fluffy is not over beating the batter, especially in large volume baking.  Sift the flour, baking soda, and salt together first.  Then we use a hand-held mixer and a large mixing bowl rather than a large commercial mixer.   This gives us much better control and avoid over mixing.

The frosting will take much longer when cooking recipe x10.  Use the heaviest gauge aluminum stock pot you can find in your kitchen.   Cook the ingredients in low-medium heat until frosting turns light golden color and thickens, it takes good bit of patience but so worth it!  Are you measuring baking ingredients by weight yet?  Oh, this is a must if baking in large volume!  Here is the conversion chart you can use.  

German Chocolate Cake
Adapted from Allrecipe

• 1/2 cup water
• 4 (1 ounce) squares German sweet chocolate
• 1 cup butter, softened
• 2 cups white sugar
• 4 egg yolks
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 2 1/2 cups cake flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 4 egg whites
•  
• Filling:
• 1 cup white sugar
• 1 cup evaporated milk
• 1/2 cup butter
• 3 egg yolks, beaten
• 1 1/3 cups flaked coconut
• 1 cup chopped pecans
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
•  
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.  With vegetable oil spray, spray 9x13 pan ( or three 9 inch round pans).  Sift the flour, baking soda and salt together and set it aside.  

In a small sauce pan, heat water until steaming.  Add chocolate and stir to melt.  Off the heat, cool and add vanilla extract.   

Using a hand held mixer, beat egg whites until stiff peaks form.  Set aside.  

Cream butter and sugar until pale yellow and fluffy in a large bowl. Add egg yolks, one at a time.  Stir in melted chocolate mixture.  Alternate flour mixture and buttermilk, being careful not to over mix.  Using a rubber spatula, quickly fold in beaten egg whites until white streaks disappear.  

Pour into prepared pan(s) and bake until a toothpick inserted comes out clean, about 30 minutes.  Cool for about 10 minutes and turn out onto wire rack. Cool while making the frosting. 

For Filling:  In a large sauce pan, combine sugar, evaporated milk, butter, egg yolks, and cook over low/medium heat, stirring until thickened.  12-15 minutes.  Off the heat, add vanilla extract, coconut and pecans.  Cool before icing the cake. 

For large volume baking tips:

• 5-12x24x2 steam pans used
• Above recipe x2 makes 1 steam pan, which yields about 45 pieces per pan.  
• Cakes can be baked ahead and frozen up to 2 weeks
• Dry ingredients for the frosting can be measured days ahead and frosting made on the day of serving.
• Frosting recipe x10 took about 45 minutes to thicken 

Apple Stack Cake with Miss Sophie

Hey, guys!  It's Wednesday and Miss Sophie has an awesome apple cake recipe for you.  And it was so fun to make something I have never made before and photograph it.   This Appalachian Apple Stack Cake is good; not just your average, sort of "good", but down-to-earth, "I-love-my-mema" kind of good.  

The filling is made with dried apples and cooked with brown sugar, molasses and spices.  

Click to read more  about this beautiful cake and its intriguing history behind it from Miss Sophie on Savannah Morning News.

Print This Recipe!


Apple Stack Cake
Recipe of Miss Sophie with a little modification
Used with permission

Dried Apple filling:
3 (6 ounce) packages dried sliced apples, coarsely chopped
6 cups water
1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground allspice
½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 tablespoon lemon zest
2 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

Cake:
1/3 cup vegetable shortening
1/2 cup sugar
1 large egg
4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup molasses
2 1/2 teaspoons sugar for sprinkling

Preparation

For dried apple filling:
Stir together apples and 6 cups water in a large saucepan or Dutch oven. Bring to a boil; reduce heat, and simmer 30 minutes or until tender. Stir in sugar, spices, lemon zest, and lemon juice. Return mixture to a boil; reduce heat, and simmer, stirring occasionally, 10 to 15 minutes or until most of liquid has evaporated. Cool completely.

For the cake:
Beat shortening at medium speed with an electric mixer 2 minutes or until creamy. Gradually add 1/2 cup sugar, beating 5 to 7 minutes. Add egg, beating until yellow disappears.

Combine flour and next 3 ingredients. Stir together buttermilk and molasses in a large measuring cup. Gradually add flour mixture to shortening mixture alternately with buttermilk mixture, beginning and ending with flour mixture; beat until blended. The dough will be like cookie dough.

Divide dough into 5 equal portions It is easier to roll out the dough into a disc with a rolling pin to fit the size of your pan than to press into pan.  Place each thin disc in a 9-inch greased and floured cake pan or cast-iron skillet, and firmly press the edge of the dough with floured fingers into the edge of the pan. Prick dough several times with a fork. Sprinkle each layer evenly with 1/2 teaspoon sugar. Repeat with remaining dough.

Bake at 400° for 10 minutes or until golden brown.  Three 9-inch pans fit in a oven rack.  Repeat procedure as needed to bake in pans. Remove layers from pans; cool completely on wire racks. The cake will be the texture of dried biscuit.

Spread 1 1/2 cups Dried Apple Filling between each layer to within 1/2 inch of edge, beginning and ending with a cake layer. (Save your prettiest cake layer for the top).  Loosely cover cake, and let stand 1 or 2  days at room temperature.

Personal Note: I had my doubts about this cake at first, but after one full day, the cake absorbed the delicious spiced apple filling, and turned it into wonderfully moist and tasty cake.  

Spiced Pumpkin Cake and Thanksgiving Journal

“Eucharisteo—thanksgiving—always precedes the miracle.” - Ann Voskamp

Several months ago, I read this book written by Ann Voskamp. It is the best book I have ever read on the topic of Thanksgiving. And taking on the dare to live thankfully and intentionally, I began a gratitude journal, counting and writing down the gifts that God bestows me every

day of my life.


Thank you, Lord for.....

#567 talking and laughing together with my two teenage sons until midnight

#568 a newly painted laundry room

#579 a driving teen daughter going to the grocery store for a gallon of milk

#580 the family dog's wagging tail

#581 the cool weather, 70's in November

Though I have neglected to count thousands of other blessings during these past months, this has been a wonderful way to force my busy mind and body to stop and to remind myself of the gifts. And to give thanks.

And I am grateful to share this easy and delicious pumpkin cake recipe with you today. My church family loved this moist and wonderfully fragrant cake topped with cream cheese frosting.


Quick tip: For large volume baking, combine flour, spices, salt and baking powder and soda in a large bowl. In another bowl, we use this 20-quart bowl, beat with hand mixer sugars, oil, pure pumpkin, vanilla extract, and eggs. Then, we sift the flour into the wet mixture and fold until whites of flour are almost gone.

Spray lightly with oil 23x12x2 pans, and equally dived the batter. Baking time is a little longer on these large, rectangular pans. Make sure toothpick tester comes out clean.

The cake was better and more moist days after baking!

#582 for friendships made through this blog....

A sincere thank you, my dear friends who read this blog. You are an incredible blessings and encouragement to me. Happy Thanksgiving!

Print This Recipe!

Spiced Pumpkin Cake

Cake:
3 cups all purpose flour (15 oz)
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons ground ginger
1 3/4 teaspoons ground allspice
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 cup (packed) golden brown sugar
1 cup canola oil
4 large eggs
1 15-ounce can pure pumpkin
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon grated orange peel

Frosting:
1 8-ounce package cream cheese, room temperature
10 tablespoons (5 oz) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 tablespoon dark rum (optional)
2 teaspoons vanilla extract or vanilla paste
4 1/2 cups(18 oz) powdered sugar (measured, then sifted)

For cake:

Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 350°F.

Butter two 9-inch-diameter cake pans with 1 1/2-inch-high sides. Line bottom of pans with parchment paper; dust pans with flour. Sift 3 cups flour and next 7 ingredients into medium bowl. Using electric mixer, beat both sugars and oil in large bowl until combined (mixture will look grainy). Add eggs 1 at a time, beating until well blended after each addition. Add pumpkin, vanilla, and orange peel; beat until well blended. Add flour mixture;using a rubber spatula, fold in the flour mixture. Divide batter between prepared pans. Smooth tops.

Bake cakes until tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 1 hour. Cool cakes completely in pans on rack. Run knife around cakes to loosen. Invert cakes onto racks; remove parchment paper. Turn cakes over, rounded side up. Using serrated knife, trim rounded tops of cakes to level.

For frosting:
Using electric mixer, beat cream cheese and butter in large bowl until smooth. Beat in dark rum (if using) and vanilla. Add powdered sugar in 3 additions, beating just until frosting is smooth after each addition (do not overbeat or frosting may become too soft to spread). Place 1 pumpkin cake layer, flat side down, on platter. Spread half of cream cheese frosting over top of cake to edges. Top with second cake layer, trimmed side down. Spread remaining frosting over top (not sides) of cake.

Make Ahead Tips:

This cake be made and fully assembled and frozen up to 2 weeks or refrigerated up to 3 days. Cover well with food service film and put another cover of foil and wrap tightly. Bring to room temperature before serving.

To make sheet cakes as shown above in 24x12x2 pans, multiply recipe x2 per pan and frosting recipe x 1.5