Angel Food Cake with Strawberry Buttercream Frosting

This is a perfect frosting for angel food cake and for a little girl turning 1.  Happy Birthday, Catherine.

Angel Food Cake
From allrecipes.com

Ingredients

• 10-12 eggs
• 1 1/4 cups confectioners' sugar
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons cream of tartar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup sugar

Directions

1. Separate eggs; discard yolks or cover and refrigerate for another use. Measure egg whites, adding or removing whites as needed to equal 1-1/2 cups. Place in a mixing bowl; let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, sift confectioners' sugar and flour together three times; set aside. Add cream of tartar, extracts and salt to egg whites; beat on high speed. Gradually add sugar, beating until sugar is dissolved and stiff peaks form. Fold in flour mixture, 1/4 cup at a time. Gently spoon into an ungreased 10-in. tube pan. Cut through batter with a knife to remove air pockets. Bake at 350 degrees F for 40-45 minutes or until cake springs back when lightly touched. Immediately invert pan; cool completely before removing cake from pan.  Frost with strawberry frosting.  Refrigerate.

Footnotes

Nutritional Analysis: One slice equals 101 calories, trace fat (0 saturated fat), 0 cholesterol, 59 mg sodium, 23 g carbohydrate, 0 fiber, 3 g protein. Diabetic Exchanges: 1-1/2 starch.

Strawberry Buttercream Frosting

This is an adaptation of Wilton's buttercream frosting

1 carton frozen strawberries with or without sugar, thawed 
4 c powered sugar
1/2 c butter at room temperature
1/2 Spectrum organic butter flavored shortening OR  1/2 butter at room temperature
1 t. vanilla


In large bowl, cream shortening and butter with electric mixer. Add vanilla. Gradually add sugar, one cup at a time, beating well on medium speed. Scrape sides and bottom of bowl often. When all sugar has been mixed in, icing will appear dry. Add 1/2 cup of strawberries, using only the berries and draining the liquid.   Beat at medium speed until light and fluffy. Keep bowl covered with a damp cloth until ready to use. For best results, keep icing bowl in refrigerator when not in use. Refrigerated in an airtight container, this icing can be stored 2 weeks. Rewhip before using.  Adjust sugar/strawberry amount to desired consistency.




 

Chocolate Cake

Once you make this you will never go back to cake mix again. But if you do use boxed cake mix, be sure to add an extra egg. It will make the cake much more moist.

Dark Chocolate Cake

From allrecipes.com
Serves 12
Makes 3-9 inch round pans

Ingredients

• 2 cups boiling water
• 1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup butter, softened
• 2 1/4 cups white sugar
• 4 eggs
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease 3 - 9 inch round cake pans. In medium bowl, pour boiling water over cocoa, and whisk until smooth. Let mixture cool! Sift together flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt; set aside.
2. In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs one at time, then stir in vanilla. Add the flour mixture alternately with the cocoa mixture. Spread batter evenly between the 3 prepared pans.
3. Bake in preheated oven for 25 to 30 minutes. Allow to cool (about 10-15 mins). Remove from pans. When completely cooled, frost.

Nutritional Information without frosting

Amount Per Serving Calories: 427 | Total Fat: 18.3g | Cholesterol: 111mg

The following recipe is for a 2 layer cake. One and one-half times or double the recipe for this chocolate cake.

Chocolate Buttercream Frosting
from Wilton

I add 1 t. butter flavor OR replace the shortening with butter flavored shortening.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup solid vegetable shortening
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter or margarine, softened
• 2/3 to 3/4 cup cocoa or three 1 oz. unsweetened chocolate squares, melted
• 1 t. vanilla extract
• 4 cups sifted confectioners' sugar (approximately 1 lb.)
• 3-4 tablespoons milk

Makes: About 3 cups of icing.

Instructions

Stiff Consistency: In large bowl, cream shortening and butter with electric mixer. Add cocoa and vanilla. Gradually add sugar, one cup at a time, beating well on medium speed. Scrape sides and bottom of bowl often. When all sugar has been mixed in, icing will appear dry. Add milk and beat at medium speed until light and fluffy. Keep bowl covered with a damp cloth until ready to use. For best results, keep icing bowl in refrigerator when not in use. Refrigerated in an airtight container, this icing can be stored 2 weeks. Rewhip before using.
Darker Chocolate Icing: Add an additional 1/4 cup cocoa (or one additional 1 oz. square unsweetened chocolate, melted) and 1 additional tablespoon milk to Chocolate Buttercream Icing.
For Thin (Spreading) Consistency Icing: Add 3-4 tablespoons light corn syrup, water or milk.

I gained 2 pounds this week.

I wonder if this had anything to do with it.

Cassata alla Siciliana

This is no-bake!
from Bon Appetit October 1977
12 servings

1 9x5-inch pound cake
2 c. ricotta cheese
4 1-ounce squares semisweet chocolate (I used 4 oz of semisweet mini chips).
1 t. orange extract
1 1/2 cups raspberry jam ( an 18 oz. jar will do the trick)
2 c. chocolate frosting or whipped cream.
Toasted whole almonds (optional garnish)

Bake or buy a pound cake. Chill for one hour. Sara Lee frozen pound cake works great. No need to chill. Just slightly thaw. Trim edges and uneven places so that cake is level on all sides and top. Slice the cake horizontally into 1/2-inch slices and place base layer of the cake on the serving platter.

I used 2 Sara Lee pound cakes and cut them in half to make a total of 4 layers. I wouldn't recommend doing this. Stick to the recipe.

Force cheese through a sieve into a bowl. Beat until smooth. (OK this is so 70's). I found my ricotta cheese to be so smooth I didn't need to do anything to it. I beat it but it looked the same. If yours isn't so smooth, use a food processor.

Chop chocolate into fine bits in blender or food processor. (Not necessary with mini chips.) Mix chocolate bits with jam and orange extract. Spread the base layer with a portion of the ricotta cheese and spread cheese with the raspberry-orange-chocolate mixture. Repeat using all layers of cake, all of cheese and all of the raspberry mixture, ending with a top layer of plain cake.

As you can see, the jam mixture dripped down the side quite a bit. I am wondering if it is because I used a generic jam. I am going to use name brand the next time. The next time I need to put on weight that is.

To hold the cake together I stuck in 2 bamboo kabob sticks. Then found out later I couldn't get it into the fridge so I had to break them off at the top. Whole lotta not smart goin on.



Press the filled cake gently. Use a spatula to even up sides. Cover with plastic wrap. Just poke the plastic through the sticks. Refrigerate for 24 hours.




Before serving, frost cake with a favorite chocolate frosting or whipped cream. Garnish with almonds if desired.
Chocolate Buttercream Frosting
from Wilton

I add 1 t. butter flavor OR replace the shortening with butter flavored shortening.

1/2 cup solid vegetable shortening
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter or margarine, softened
2/3 to 3/4 cup cocoa or three 1 oz. unsweetened chocolate squares, melted
1 t. vanilla extract
4 cups sifted confectioners' sugar (approximately 1 lb.)
3-4 tablespoons milk
Makes about 3 cups of icing. For this cake, this is enough to frost it and decorate it on one side with over the top flourishes for blog purposes.

Stiff Consistency: In large bowl, cream shortening and butter with electric mixer. Add cocoa and vanilla. Gradually add sugar, one cup at a time, beating well on medium speed. Scrape sides and bottom of bowl often. When all sugar has been mixed in, icing will appear dry. Add milk and beat at medium speed until light and fluffy. Keep bowl covered with a damp cloth until ready to use. For best results, keep icing bowl in refrigerator when not in use. Refrigerated in an airtight container, this icing can be stored 2 weeks. Rewhip before using.

Darker Chocolate Icing: Add an additional 1/4 cup cocoa (or one additional 1 oz. square unsweetened chocolate, melted) and 1 additional tablespoon milk to Chocolate Buttercream Icing.
For Thin (Spreading) Consistency Icing: Add 3-4 tablespoons light corn syrup, water or milk.