time for dessert!

it's time for a new cake. any suggestions?

i was thinking of some kind of vintage-y cake, like lady baltimore or hummingbird.

or should we have pie instead...?

anybody have any good recipes they would like to share? i am posting several next week and it would be nice to have enough recipes to make a complete meal. i will put all the recipes on a separate entry, searchable by name, type and course. sound good?

i will start it woth grandma's cake. remember, there is no shame is making a masterpiece with a boxed cake mix. it's all cake in the end. plus it's the good frosting that makes a cake good. i always try to use white or butter recipe. they seem to have a less chemically taste to me. one of my husband's aunt makes this cake but sometimes she pokes holes in the top and lets the juice soak in the cake after she ices the top. she always has a nice coating of shredded angel flake coconut over the top. after that rupert murdoch song, she would sometimes add a can of crushed drained pineapple to the top to make a "pina colada cake". gotta love old lady cake!

Grandmother's Cake Recipe
(Julia Ewan for The Washington Post)

10 to 12 servings

This is the cake that my grandmother served my mother for her 15th birthday and that I served my daughter when she turned 15. My grandmother would make this cake by hand, but I take advantage of modern electric mixers and parchment paper. The frosting, a seven-minute icing also from my grandmother's book, has a marshmallow-like flavor and consistency.

For an elegant presentation, you can create a four-layer cake by splitting each layer in half. If you do that, double the amount of frosting. Adapted from "The American Woman's Cook Book," by Ruth Berolzheimer (Avon Books, 1941).

~ Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. 

~ For the cake:
3 cups sifted cake flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 teaspoons baking powder
2 cups heavy cream
4 eggs, beaten thick and lemon-colored
2 cups sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

~ For the frosting:
1 egg white
3/4 cup sugar
3 tablespoons cold water
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Use a boxed cake mix or,

Lightly grease two 9-inch-round cake pans or line them with parchment paper.In a medium bowl, sift the flour, salt and baking powder together. Set aside.

Using a hand-held or stand mixer on high speed, whip the cream until soft peaks form. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating until light and foamy. Add the sugar, then the vanilla extract. Gently incorporate the flour mixture into the egg mixture. Place half of the batter into each of the prepared cake pans and bake 30 to 35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake has only loose crumbs attached. Transfer to a wire rack. After about 20 minutes, invert the cake layers on the rack to cool completely.

~For the frosting: Place the egg white, sugar and water in the top of a double boiler or in a large bowl set over simmering water. With a hand-held mixer, beat on low speed for 7 minutes or until the mixture thickens and appears glossy. Add the vanilla extract and beat to incorporate.

Place one of the cooled cake layers on a serving platter. Spread on a thin layer of the frosting, then gently place the other cake layer on top. Spread the remaining frosting on the top and sides. Serve immediately or cover loosely with waxed paper and refrigerate until ready to serve.

~ Per serving (based on 12): 437 calories, 5 g protein, 67 g carbohydrates, 17 g fat, 125 mg cholesterol, 10 g saturated fat, 272 mg sodium, 0 g dietary fiber

french buttercream dream

butter cream cake


ingredients:
3 eggs
½ cup sugar
1 cup flour -- sifted
4 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon strong vanilla extract*

directions:
beat the eggs and sugar together for 5 minutes.
add the flour, melted butter and the coffee extract, beating well with each       addition.
pour into a small buttered square pan.
bake in a moderate oven (350ºF.) ½ hour.
when done, invert the pan on a cake rack and let cool.
when the cake is cold cut it into two layers.
spread one with the filling and put the layers together.
spread the rest of the filling over the top. 



french buttercream frosting

ingredients:
1 cup sugar
3 tablespoons corn syrup
1/2 cup water
3 eggs
1 pinch salt
1 pound butter
1 t. strong vanilla extract*

directions:
put sugar, corn syrup and water in a saucepan over high heat.
meanwhile, beat eggs and salt until fluffy.
when all of the sugar is dissolved and the mixture is boiling, pour over beating eggs.
cut butter into cubes.
when the eggs-sugar bowl is lukewarm to the touch, slowly add butter while continuing to beat until fluffy and smooth.
add vanilla and mix 

* i bought a bottle of vanilla pods, which was a bit pricey. i add one to a bottle of cheap vanilla and added a vanilla pod. after letting it sit in the back of the cabinet for a few months, it is just as strong as the good expensive vanilla. you can reuse the pod. right now i have a bottle i am using and a bottle that is "aging" in the back of the cabinet.