CAKES AND CUPCAKES
Strawberry Champagne Cupcakes
Cupcake Ingredients
Cupcake Frosting Ingredients
Garnish Ingredients
Cupcake Instructions
Frosting Instructions
- 1 box white cake mix
- 1 1/4 cups rose champagne
- 1/3 cup vegetable oil
- 3 egg whites
Cupcake Frosting Ingredients
- 3-4 tbsp champagne
- 3 sticks butter
- 4 1/2 to 5 c. powdered sugar
- 1/4 - 1/2 c. white cake mix (dry)
- A few drops of pink food coloring
Garnish Ingredients
- sliced strawberries
- sprinkles
Cupcake Instructions
- 1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line muffin tin with mini cupcake liners.
- 2) In large bowl, mix cake mix and champagne. Then add in oil and eggs.
- 3) Distribute evenly among cups about 3/4 full.
- 4) Bake for 12-15 minutes until toothpick inserted comes out dry.
Frosting Instructions
- 1) Mix softened butter with powdered sugar until smooth.
- 2) Add in dry cake mix and then tablespoons of champagne until the frosting is a medium-thick consistency.
- 3) Pipe frosting onto cooled cupcakes.
- 4) Sprinkle cupcakes with sugar and insert a quartered strawberry in the center.
Red Velvet Sheet Cake
Ingredients
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Thoroughly spray a large (18 x 12) sheet cake pan (or you can use a slightly smaller jelly roll pan) with nonstick baking spray. Be sure to get in all the corners of the pan.
Sift together cake flour and salt. Set aside.
In a separate bowl, stir together buttermilk, eggs, vanilla, and baking soda. Add vinegar and stir. Set aside.
In a separate small bowl, mix together cocoa and red food coloring. Set aside.
Cream together shortening and sugar until fluffy. Alternate adding the flour mixture and the buttermilk/egg mixture until all combined. Pour the red mixture in and beat until combined.
Pour batter into prepared sheet cake pan. Use a large offset spatula or knife to even out the surface. Bake for 20 minutes. Remove pan from oven and allow cake to cool in the pan for 20 minutes. Place a large cutting board on top of the cake pan, then invert the cake, allowing it to turn out onto the cutting board. Allow cake to cool completely before icing.
(Ice with Tasty Kitchen recipe "That's the Best Frosting I've Ever Had". It's perfect with this cake.)
- 1 cup Shortening
- 1-3/4 cup Sugar
- 2-1/2 cups Cake Flour
- 1-1/4 teaspoon Salt
- 2 whole Eggs
- 1 cup Buttermilk
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
- 1 teaspoon Baking Soda
- 1-1/2 teaspoon Vinegar
- 1-1/2 ounce, fluid Red Food Coloring
- 1-1/2 teaspoon Cocoa Powder
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Thoroughly spray a large (18 x 12) sheet cake pan (or you can use a slightly smaller jelly roll pan) with nonstick baking spray. Be sure to get in all the corners of the pan.
Sift together cake flour and salt. Set aside.
In a separate bowl, stir together buttermilk, eggs, vanilla, and baking soda. Add vinegar and stir. Set aside.
In a separate small bowl, mix together cocoa and red food coloring. Set aside.
Cream together shortening and sugar until fluffy. Alternate adding the flour mixture and the buttermilk/egg mixture until all combined. Pour the red mixture in and beat until combined.
Pour batter into prepared sheet cake pan. Use a large offset spatula or knife to even out the surface. Bake for 20 minutes. Remove pan from oven and allow cake to cool in the pan for 20 minutes. Place a large cutting board on top of the cake pan, then invert the cake, allowing it to turn out onto the cutting board. Allow cake to cool completely before icing.
(Ice with Tasty Kitchen recipe "That's the Best Frosting I've Ever Had". It's perfect with this cake.)
Vanilla Cupcakes with Vanilla Cream Cheese Icing
Ingredients
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line 18 muffin cups with cupcake liner papers.
Cream shortening and sugar until fluffy. Set aside.
Sift together flour and salt. Set aside.
Mix eggs, buttermilk, vanilla, baking soda, and vinegar in a separate bowl.
Alternate adding flour mixture and buttermilk mixture to the shortening mixture, mixing after each addition. Mix until totally combined.
Pour batter into cupcake liners. Bake for 17 to 20 minutes, or until just done. Remove from oven, then remove cupcakes from pan and let cool completely. Ice when cooled and decorate with sugar sprinkles, berries, candied ginger, etc.
ICING
Mix all ingredients in a mixing bowl until totally combined. Ice cooled cupcakes.
- CUPCAKES
- 1 cup Vegetable Shortening
- 1-3/4 cup Sugar
- 2-1/2 cups Cake Flour
- 1-1/4 teaspoon Salt
- 2 whole Large Eggs
- 1 cup Buttermilk
- 2-1/2 teaspoons Vanilla Extract (or The Caviar From 1 Vanilla Bean)
- 1 teaspoon Baking Soda
- 1-1/2 teaspoon Vinegar
- Icing
- 1 stick Butter, Softened
- 1 package (8 Ounce) Cream Cheese, Softened
- 4 cups Sifted Powdered Sugar (more If Needed)
- 1/4 teaspoon Salt
- 3 teaspoons Vanilla Extract (or The Caviar From 1 Vanilla Bean)
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line 18 muffin cups with cupcake liner papers.
Cream shortening and sugar until fluffy. Set aside.
Sift together flour and salt. Set aside.
Mix eggs, buttermilk, vanilla, baking soda, and vinegar in a separate bowl.
Alternate adding flour mixture and buttermilk mixture to the shortening mixture, mixing after each addition. Mix until totally combined.
Pour batter into cupcake liners. Bake for 17 to 20 minutes, or until just done. Remove from oven, then remove cupcakes from pan and let cool completely. Ice when cooled and decorate with sugar sprinkles, berries, candied ginger, etc.
ICING
Mix all ingredients in a mixing bowl until totally combined. Ice cooled cupcakes.
Perfect Pound Cake
Ingredients
Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
Cream butter. Add sugar, 1 cup at a time, mixing after each addition. Add eggs, 1 at a time, mixing after each addition. Add butter and lemon extracts and mix well. Add flour, 1 cup at a time, mixing well after each addition. Add soft drink, then mix together until combined. Scrape sides of bowl, then mix briefly.
Pour into a greased Bundt pan and bake for 1 hour to 1 hour 10 minutes, until the cake is no longer jiggly.
Remove cake from oven and invert pan until cake drops out. Slice and chow down!
- 3 sticks Butter
- 3 cups Sugar
- 5 whole Eggs
- 1 teaspoon Butter Flavoring
- 2 teaspoons Lemon Flavoring
- 3 cups All-purpose Flour
- 1 cup Sprite, 7-UP, Or Sierra Mist
Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
Cream butter. Add sugar, 1 cup at a time, mixing after each addition. Add eggs, 1 at a time, mixing after each addition. Add butter and lemon extracts and mix well. Add flour, 1 cup at a time, mixing well after each addition. Add soft drink, then mix together until combined. Scrape sides of bowl, then mix briefly.
Pour into a greased Bundt pan and bake for 1 hour to 1 hour 10 minutes, until the cake is no longer jiggly.
Remove cake from oven and invert pan until cake drops out. Slice and chow down!
Strawberry Sparkle Cake
Ingredients
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Combine cake flour and salt and sift together five times. Set aside.
Beat egg whites until frothy (lots of bubbles but still liquidy and loose.) Add cream of tartar and beat on high until stiff.
With mixer on medium-low, slowly sprinkle in sifted sugar as it mixes in.
Remove bowl from mixer and fold in sifted flour gently until it's all combine. Sprinkle vanilla into the bowl and fold gently.
Spoon batter into tube pan---make sure there's no grease or butter in there! Smooth the top and bake for 35-45 minutes, or until a wooden skewer stuck all the way to the bottom comes out clean. (Don't open the oven while it's baking!)
Carefully remove the cake from the oven and immediately invert it on a wine or vinegar bottle. Let it cool completely while hanging upside down. Once totally cool, remove it from the pan.
To make the filling, sprinkle the jello powder into a bowl and pour in 2 1/2 cups of boiling water. Stir to dissolve, then add the bag of frozen sliced strawberries. Stir to cool the mixture and set it aside.
Turn the cake upside down so that the end that was stuck to the bottom of the pan is now facing up. With a serrated knife, carefully cut the top 1-inch of cake from the top. Remove it and lay it beside the cake. Next, with a small paring knife, make two concentric cuts in the cake: one cut is 1 inch from the outside rim, the other cut is 1 inch from the inside rim. (Be careful not to cut all the way through to the bottom of the cake! Leave about an inch from the bottom.)
Tear out a trench in between the two cuts and save the torn cake pieces for another use.
By now, the strawberry mixture should be cool and somewhat gelatinous. IMPORTANT: If mixture is not thick, stick it in the freezer for 15 minutes or until it thickens and sets. Carefully spoon the mixture into the trench in the cake, filling it all the way to the top and ever-so-slightly above to allow for a little settling. Place the top of the cake back on top, lining it up just right.
Refrigerate cake for a couple of hours (or you can stick it in the freezer for an hour or so if you're in a hurry!)
To serve, whip together the cream and sugar until stiff. Spread all over the cake. Cut into slices and serve! Note that once you make a cut, the filling will slightly seep out of the remaining cake, but not overly so.
This is a fun, festive, fresh, fabulous cake!
- Angle Food Cake
- 15 whole Egg Whites, At Room Temperature
- 1 teaspoon Cream Of Tartar
- 1-1/2 cup Plus 2 Tablespoons Sugar, Sifted Three Times
- 1 cup Cake Flour
- 1/4 teaspoon Salt
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla
- Filling
- 1 package (3 Oz.) Strawberry Jello
- 2-1/2 cups Boiling Water
- 1 package (1 Pound) Frozen Sliced Strawberries
- Icing
- 1-1/2 cup Heavy Cream
- 2 Tablespoons Sugar
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Combine cake flour and salt and sift together five times. Set aside.
Beat egg whites until frothy (lots of bubbles but still liquidy and loose.) Add cream of tartar and beat on high until stiff.
With mixer on medium-low, slowly sprinkle in sifted sugar as it mixes in.
Remove bowl from mixer and fold in sifted flour gently until it's all combine. Sprinkle vanilla into the bowl and fold gently.
Spoon batter into tube pan---make sure there's no grease or butter in there! Smooth the top and bake for 35-45 minutes, or until a wooden skewer stuck all the way to the bottom comes out clean. (Don't open the oven while it's baking!)
Carefully remove the cake from the oven and immediately invert it on a wine or vinegar bottle. Let it cool completely while hanging upside down. Once totally cool, remove it from the pan.
To make the filling, sprinkle the jello powder into a bowl and pour in 2 1/2 cups of boiling water. Stir to dissolve, then add the bag of frozen sliced strawberries. Stir to cool the mixture and set it aside.
Turn the cake upside down so that the end that was stuck to the bottom of the pan is now facing up. With a serrated knife, carefully cut the top 1-inch of cake from the top. Remove it and lay it beside the cake. Next, with a small paring knife, make two concentric cuts in the cake: one cut is 1 inch from the outside rim, the other cut is 1 inch from the inside rim. (Be careful not to cut all the way through to the bottom of the cake! Leave about an inch from the bottom.)
Tear out a trench in between the two cuts and save the torn cake pieces for another use.
By now, the strawberry mixture should be cool and somewhat gelatinous. IMPORTANT: If mixture is not thick, stick it in the freezer for 15 minutes or until it thickens and sets. Carefully spoon the mixture into the trench in the cake, filling it all the way to the top and ever-so-slightly above to allow for a little settling. Place the top of the cake back on top, lining it up just right.
Refrigerate cake for a couple of hours (or you can stick it in the freezer for an hour or so if you're in a hurry!)
To serve, whip together the cream and sugar until stiff. Spread all over the cake. Cut into slices and serve! Note that once you make a cut, the filling will slightly seep out of the remaining cake, but not overly so.
This is a fun, festive, fresh, fabulous cake!
Dark Chocolate Cake with Ganache Frosting
Ingredients
Directions
- 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature, plus more for pans
- 1/2 cup unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa (spooned and leveled), plus more for pans
- 2 cups all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled)
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/2 cups packed light-brown sugar
- 2 large eggs plus 2 large egg yolks, room temperature
- 6 ounces bittersweet chocolate, melted
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 cup low-fat buttermilk
- Dark-Chocolate Ganache
Directions
- Preheat oven to 350. Butter two 8-inch round cake pans; dust with cocoa, tapping out excess. Line bottom of each pan with a round of parchment paper; set aside. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, and salt; set aside.
- In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs and yolks, one at a time, beating well after each addition; beat in chocolate and vanilla. With mixer on low, alternately add flour mixture in three parts and buttermilk in two, beginning and ending with flour mixture.
- Divide batter between prepared pans; smooth tops. Bake until a toothpick inserted in center of a cake comes out clean, 40 to 45 minutes. Cool in pans 15 minutes; run a knife around edge of each pan, and invert cakes onto a wire rack to cool completely.
- Set a rimmed baking sheet upside down on a work surface. Place one cake on sheet, and spread top with 1/3 of ganache. Place second cake on top, and spread remaining ganache over top and sides of cake. Using two wide metal spatulas, carefully transfer frosted cake to a serving platter.
Classic Vanilla Butter Birthday Cake
Ingredients
Instructions
- For the cake:
- 4 large eggs (separated), at room temperature
- 3 1/2 cups (420 g/14.5 oz) sifted cake flour
- 4 teaspoons (20 g) baking powder
- 1/2 (3 g) teaspoon salt
- 1 cup (227 g/2 sticks/8 oz) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 2 cups (400 g/14 oz) granulated sugar, divided
- 2 teaspoons (10 mL) pure vanilla extract
- 1 cup (250 mL) milk, at room temperature
- 1/4 teaspoon (1.25 mL) cream of tartar
For the frosting:
- 1 cup (227 g/2 sticks/8 oz) unsalted butter, softened
- 6 cups (750 g/1 lb + 10 oz) icing sugar (confectioners')
- 1/2 cup (125 ml) whipping cream (35%)
- 2 tablespoons (30 mL) pure vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon (15 mL) water
- a pinch of salt
Instructions
- For the cake:
- Preheat oven to 350°F (180° C) and place rack in center of oven. Butter and flour three - 8 inch round cake pans. Line bottoms of pans with parchment paper and grease and flour parchment paper.
- While eggs are still cold, separate them, placing the yolks in one bowl and the whites in another bowl. Cover the two bowls with plastic warp and allow the eggs to come to room temperature before using, about 30 mins.
- In a medium mixing bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder and salt.
- In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the butter until soft (about 1-2 minutes). Add 1 1/2 cups of the sugar and beat until light and fluffy (about 5 minutes).
- Add egg yolks, one at a time, beating after each addition. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the vanilla and beat until combined.
- With the mixer on low speed, alternately add the flour mixture and milk, in three additions, beginning and ending with the flour.
- In the clean bowl of your electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the egg whites until foamy. Add the cream of tartar and continue beating until soft peaks form. Gradually add the remaining 1/2 cup sugar and continue to beat until stiff peaks form.
- With a rubber spatula gently fold a little of the whites into the batter to lighten it, and then fold in the remaining whites until combined. Do not over-mix the batter or it will deflate.
- Divide the batter evenly between the three prepared pans and smooth the tops with an offset spatula.
- Bake in preheated oven for approximately 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean. Cool the cakes in their pans on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Place a wire rack on top of the cake pan and invert, lifting off the pan gently. Once the cakes of completely cooled, wrap in plastic and place the cake layers in the freezer for at least an hour (to make filling and frosting the cakes easier).
For the frosting:
- In an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and icing sugar on low speed until just combined. Increase speed to medium and beat until well-incorporated, about 3 minutes.
- Add the vanilla, water, whipping cream and salt, and whip on med-high speed until fluffy and smooth--about 3 more minutes. If consistency is too thick, add more water 1 teaspoon at a time, then whip again for 30 seconds or so. If your frosting is too thin, you can add more icing sugar a few tablespoons at a time until you achieve desired consistency.