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Tag Archives: Frosting

Zucchini Fudge Cake

Posted on June 25, 2010 by Jennifer

Last Saturday, our friend Phap came over to help James pull up the ruined laminate flooring. Phap is quite the eater and whenever he comes over I always send him home with food. For dessert, I made this delicous cake. I did not tell them the name of the cake until after they had eaten their slice. James, my non-vegetable eating husband, found it to be pretty tasty. Phap tore it up and had devoured the 4 slices I sent home with him by the next day. I also took the cake over to Ranger and Clarisse’s house and they enjoyed the cake as well.

Zucchini Fudge Cake

Zucchini Fudge Cake

Source: The Taste of Home Baking Book

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup butter, softened
  • 2-1/2 cups sugar
  • 4 eggs
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 3 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 cup baking cocoa
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 3/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup buttermilk
  • 3 cups shredded zucchini (I used 2 zucchini)
  • 3-1/2 cups prepared chocolate frosting (see following recipe I used)

Directions:

In a large mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in vanilla. Combine the flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt; add to the creamed mixture alternately with buttermilk, beating well after each addition. Stir in zucchini.

Pour into three greased and floured 9-inch round baking pans. Bake at 350°F for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. (Since I placed all 3 pans on the same rack, I rotated them about halfway through baking.) Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks to cool completely. (I let cool about 1.5 hours before frosting.) Spread frosting between layers and over the top and sides of cake.

Yield: 10-12 servings

Chocolate Buttercream Frosting

Source: Betty Crocker’s Cookbook (2000 binder edition)

Ingredients:

  • 4-1/2 cups confectioner’s sugar
  • 1/2 cup butter, softened
  • 3 teaspoons vanilla
  • 3 ounces unsweetened baking chocolate, melted and cooled
  • 1/4 cup milk

Directions:

In medium bowl, mix confectioner’s sugar and butter with electic mixer on low speed. Stir in vanilla and chocolate. Gradually beat in just enough milk to make frosting smooth and spreadable. If frosting is too thick, beat in more milk, a few drops at a time. If frosting becomes too thin, beat in a small amount of powdered sugar.

Yield: almost not enough to frost my cake

Posted in Baking & Cooking | Tags: Cakes, Frosting | 5 Comments |

Lemon Cherry Cake

Posted on May 23, 2010 by Jennifer

Not yesterday, but the previous Saturday, we went to Sprout’s Farmers Market (a grocery store, not a true farmers market) to buy avocados, since they ran a one-day special of 4 for $1 and I thought it would be a great food to introduce to Jessica. While there, we browsed the bakery section, since they also had sourdough loafs for $1. James saw a bunch of lemon desserts and got a hankering for something lemony so I said I’d bake him something and picked up some lemons while we were there. Once home, I browsed one of my cookbooks and came up with four options for him to choose from. Lemon Cherry Cake was the furthest from what he was craving, but it sounded intriguing, so he picked it. Plus, we had also picked up some fresh California cherries while at Sprout’s.

We actually baked the cake together last Sunday. I pitted and chopped the cherries and zested and juiced the lemon while James mixed the batter. The result was delicious, although both the lemon and cherry flavors are very subtle.

Lemon Cherry Cake

Lemon Cherry Cake

Source: The Taste of Home Baking Book

Cake Ingredients:

  • 1-1/2 cups coarsely chopped fresh or frozen pitted sweet cherries
  • 3/4 cup butter, softened
  • 1-3/4 cups sugar
  • 3 eggs
  • 1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 2-1/2 cups all-purposed flour
  • 2-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1-1/4 cup milk

Frosting Ingredients:

  • 1 8-oz. package cream cheese, softened
  • 2 tablespoons lemon juice
  • 2 teaspoons grated lemon peel
  • 3-1/2 to 4 cups confectioner’s sugar

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375°F. Grease a 13-in. x 9-in. x 2-in. baking pan. (I used a stoneware pan.)

Pat cherries dry with paper towels; set aside. In a large mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in lemon peel and vanilla. Combine the flour, baking powder and salt; add to creamed mixture alternately with milk, beating well after each addition.

Pour into prepared pan. Sprinkle with cherries. Bake at 375°F for 30-35 minutes or until toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack.

For frosting, in mixing bowl, beat cream cheese, lemon juice and peel until smooth. Beat in enough confectioner’s sugar until mixture achieves desired consistency. Spread on cake. Store in refrigerator.

Yield: 12-15 servings

Posted in Baking & Cooking | Tags: Cakes, Frosting | 3 Comments |

Kristy’s 2008 Birthday

Posted on December 30, 2008 by Jennifer

My friend Kristy’s birthday was October 8th. Since she works at AMD with my husband, I baked up a cake for him to take to the office.  Kristy likes angel food cake, but I didn’t  have quite enough eggs, so I baked a chiffon cake, which requires about a third less eggs. According to Kristy and James, the cake was a  gastronomic success, regardless of my cake leveling skills. If I make it again, I would use a bit more orange juice in the glaze.

Orange Chiffon Cake

Orange Chiffon Cake with Orange Glaze

Orange Chiffon Cake

Source: Betty Crocker’s Cookbook

Ingredients:

  • 2 cups all-purpose flour or 2 1/4 cups cake flour
  • 1 1/2 cups sugar
  • 3 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 3/4 cup cold water
  • 1/2 cup vegetable oil
  • 2 tablespoons grated orange peel
  • 7 large egg yolks (with all-purpose flour) or 5 large egg yolks (with cake flour)
  • 1 cup large egg whites (about 8 )
  • 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
  • Orange Glaze

Directions:

Move oven rack to lowest position. Preheat oven to 325°F.

Mix flour, sugar, baking powder and salt in large bowl. Beat in water, oil, orange peel and egg yolks with electic mixer on low speed until smooth.

With clean beaters, beat egg whites and cream of tartar in large bowl with electric mixer on high speed until stiff peaks form. Gradually pour egg yolk mixture over beaten egg whites, folding in with rubber spatula just until blended. Pour into ungreased angel food cake pan (tube pan), 10×4 inches.

Bake about 1 hour 15 minutes or until top springs back when touched lightly. Immediately turn pan upside down onto heatproof funnel or bottle. Let hang about 2 hours or until cake is completely cool. Loosen side of cake with knife or long metal spatula; remove from pan.

Spread Orange Glaze over top of cake, allowing some to drizzle down side.

Yield: 12 servings

Orange Glaze

Source: Betty Crocker’s Cookbook

Ingredients:

  • 1/3 cup butter or stick margarine
  • 2 cups powdered sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon grated orange peel
  • 2 to 4 tablespoons orange juice

Directions:

Melt butter in 1 1/2-quart saucepan over low heat; remove from heat. Stir in powdered sugar and orange peel. Stir in orange juice, 1 tablespoon at a time, until smooth and consistency of thick syrup. Glazes one 12-cup bundt cake, 10-inch angle food or chiffon cake or top of an 8- or 9-inch layer cake.

***

I made her the following card using a Stamp Something sketch challenge. I’m really happy with how it turned out, maybe my best card yet. A great technique I used in making this card is the easy peasy bow embellishment. I then decided to decorate a paper mache box I had picked up at Hobby Lobby to match the card and house Kristy’s gift, a Stampin’ Up stamp set she had pointed out to me.

Kristy's Birthday Card

Kristy's Birthday Card

Stamps: SU Knobbly Gnomes
Cardstock: Stampin’ Up Real Red, Whisper White; striped and textured paper from my scrapbooking stash
Ink: Stazon black
Accessories: Stampin’ Up Real Red eyelets, Real Red grosgrain ribbon; various colored pencils; dimensionals

Card and Decorated Box

Card and Decorated Box

Posted in Baking & Cooking, Crafty Goodness | Tags: Birthday, Cakes, Cards, Frosting, Sketch, Stampin' Up | Leave a comment |

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