Tuesday, March 30, 2010

I'll Have Another Margarita!

I found this refreshing Margarita Cake recipe included with my Wilton Fluted Tube Pan. This cake has a pleasant lime margarita taste and instantly makes me think of Jimmy Buffett. I hope you enjoy it!

Margarita Cake

Recipe from Wilton

Ingredients:
1 package (18.25 oz.) white cake mix
1 can (10 oz.) frozen margaria mix, thawed and undiluted
3 egg whites
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
3 tablespoons lime zest, divided (I used 3 limes and a Microplane Grater/Zester - an awesome kitchen tool)
1 cup confectioners' sugar
Lime juice, as desired

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray fluted tube pan with Pam Baking or Baker's Joy.

In large bowl, combine cake mix, thawed margarita mix, eggs and oil; beat at low speed until moistened. Beat at medium speed 2 minutes. Stir in 2 tablespoons lime zest (I used 2 limes). Pour into prepared pan.


Bake 40-45 minutes or until toothpick inserted in middle comes out clean. Cool in pan on wire rack for 10 minutes.


Remove from pan and cool completely.


In small bowl, combine confectioners' sugar, 1 tablespoon lime zest (1 lime) and enough lime juice to make a glaze (about 2 tablespoons); drizzle over cake. Enjoy!



Buffet Hotel Wilton Nonstick Fluted Tube PanImusa Lime Squeezer, GreenMicroplane Grater/Zester

Tuesday, March 23, 2010

But Why is the Rum Gone?

A Bundt that Jack Sparrow would love... loaded with golden rum, drizzled with a raspberry-rum sauce and then topped with a shiny chocolate glaze. This Bundt is as dark as the Black Pearl and boasts a sweet chocolate and rich rum flavor. To top it off, it's made from a cake mix.

Recipe: Double-Chocolate Rum Cake

The Cake Mix Doctor by Anne Byrn

Ingredients:

Cake:
Pam Baking or Baker's Joy Spray
1 package (18.25 ounces) plain devil's food cake mix
1 package (3.9 ounces) chocolate instant pudding mix
3/4 cup water
1/2 cup gold rum
1/2 cup vegetable oil
4 large eggs
1 package (6 ounces; 1 cup) semisweet chocolate chunks

Raspberry Sauce:
1/2 cup seedless raspberry jam
1/4 cup golden rum

Shiny Chocolate Glaze:
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 cup heavy (whipping cream)
1 cup confectioners' sugar, sifted
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Preparation:

Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly mist a 12-cup Bundt pan with Pam Baking or Baker's Joy spray.

Place the cake mix, pudding mix, water, rum, oil, and eggs in a large mixing bowl. Blend with an electric mixer on low speed for 1 minute. Stop the machine and scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Increase the mixer speed to medium and beat for 2 to 3 minutes more, scraping the sides again if needed. The batter should look thick and smooth. Fold in the chocolate chunks, distributing them evenly in the batter. Pour the batter into the prepared pan, smoothing it out with the rubber spatula. Place the pan in the oven.

Bake the cake until it springs back when lightly pressed with your finger and just starts to pull away from the sides of the pan, 50 to 55 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven and place it on a wire rack to cool for 10 minutes.
Invert the cake onto the wire rack to cool. Meanwhile, prepare the raspberry sauce. Place the raspberry jam and rum in a small saucepan over low heat. Heat, stirring constantly, until the jam is melted, 2 minutes. Poke holes in the top of the cake with a wooden skewer or toothpick. Spoon the hot raspberry sauce over the cake, allowing it to seep into the holes and drizzle down the sides and into the center of the cake. It helps to place the wire rack inside a pan to collect the extra raspberry sauce. Carefully, transfer the cake to a serving platter using 2 large spatulas.
Next prepare the Shiny Chocolate Glaze. Melt the butter in a small saucepan over low heat. Add the cocoa powder and cream and stir until the mixture thickens, 2 minutes. Do not boil. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the confectioners' sugar and vanilla until the mixture is smooth. Spoon the glaze over the cake, allowing it to run down the sides of the cake. Allow the glaze to set and the cake to cool completely before slicing. Enjoy!



Pirates of the Caribbean - The Curse of the Black Pearl (Two-Disc Collector's Edition) The Cake Mix Doctor And a Bottle of Rum: A History of the New World in Ten Cocktails

Monday, March 15, 2010

Choco-Cinna-Mocha Goodness from Bon Appétit



This is a rich and delicious cake that is simple to prepare. The ingredients are basic pantry staples and budget friendly. I used Starbucks Via instead of instant espresso powder and found the cake to have a rich coffee flavor. The only accompaniment needed is a glass of cold milk.

Recipe: Chocolate-Cinnamon Bundt Cake with Mocha Icing

Bon Appétit

Ingredients:

1 cup boiling water
1/2 cup natural unsweented cocoa power (I prefer Scharffen Berger)
4 packets Starbucks Via, divided
2 cups unbleached all purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt
2 1/2 cups (packed) golden brown sugar, divided
1 cup vegetable oil
1 tablespoon vanilla
2 large eggs
1 1/4 cups semisweet chocolate chips, divided
1/4 cup unsalted butter, room temperature

Preparation:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees, Generously spray a 12 to 15 cup nonstick Bundt pan with Pam Baking or Baker's Joy. Whisk 1 cup boiling water, cocoa powder, and 2 packets of Starbucks Via in a 2-cup glass measure. Whisk 2 cups flour, baking powder, cinnamon and salt in medium bowl.
Using electric mixer, beat 2 cups brown sugar, 1 cup vegetable oil, and 1 tablespoon vanilla in large bowl to blend. Add eggs; beat to blend. Beat mixture until smooth, about 30 seconds longer. Beat in half of flour mixture, then cocoa mixture. Add remaining flour mixture; beat to blend. Fold in 1 cup chocolate chips. Transfer batter to prepared Bundt pan.

Bake cake 50 minutes. Cool the cake 10 minutes in the Bundt pan on a wire rack. Invert cake onto rack; cool 15 minutes longer.


Meanwhile, stir remaining 1/2 cup brown sugar, 2 packets of Starbucks Via and 2 tablespoons water in small saucepan over medium heat until sugar melts. Remove from heat. Add butter and remaining 1/4 cup chocolate chips; stir until butter and chocolate melt. Cool slightly. Using spoon, drizzle icing over cake. Cool cake completely, slice and serve.

Scharffen Berger Natural Cocoa Powder - Unsweetened (6 ounce) by igourmet.comStarbucks VIATM Ready Brew Italian Roast Coffee by Starbucks CoffeeBon Appetit (1-year)

Monday, March 8, 2010

Streusel Coffee Cake

This is a simple cake that is great for breakfast and brunches. I think it tastes best when warm from the oven and accompanied with a mug of coffee.

Recipe: Streusel Coffee Cake

Allrecipes.com







Ingredients:
1 cup butter (room temperature)
2 cups white sugar
4 eggs (room temperature)
2 cups sour cream (I used light sour cream)
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
4 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 cup white sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 cup chopped walnuts

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 10 inch Bundt pan with Pam for Baking. In a medium bowl, mix the flour, baking powder and baking soda together and set aside. In a separate bowl combine the 1/2 cup sugar, cinnamon and nuts. Set aside.
In a large bowl or mixer, cream butter and 2 cups white sugar until light and fluffly.
Add eggs, sour cream and vanilla extract and mix till combined.
Add flour mixture and beat until well combined. Pour half of batter into the prepared Bundt pan. Sprinkle half of the nut mixture on top of the batter in the pan.
Add remaining batter and sprinkle with the last of the nut mixture.

Bake at 350 degrees for 45 to 60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into cake come out clean. I needed to bake my cake for about 75 minutes.
Cool pan on wire rack for 15 minutes, remove from pan. Continue to cool cake on wire rack. I sprinkled my warm cake with powdered sugar and served. Overall this is a satisfying cake, however I am not convinced this is the best recipe for Streusel Coffee Cake.

Wilton Pure Vanilla ExtractWilton Sugar ShakerBaker's Secret 10-by-16-Inch Nonstick Cooling Rack, Set of 2