Tag Archives: Frosting

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

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