cakes Archives - The Midnight Baker

Victoria Sponge

Judith Hannemann — Sat, 30 Jul 2022 23:00:22 +0000

Victoria sponge is one of the easiest yet elegant British cakes.

Victoria Sponge For Tea Time

The Victoria sponge has got to be Britain’s favorite cake for tea time. First of all, it’s very tasty but did you know it’s one of the easiest things you’ll ever make?

There’s a number of ways you can go about making one. You can start with a from-scratch cake as I do or you can use a cake mix. You can even buy a pound cake from the bakery!

The only thing that is a must is a red jam and whipped cream. The dusting of confectioner’s sugar is also optional.

The Cake

Britons always refer to making a cake batter as “making the sponge.” I have no idea where that came from because they apply it to every cake batter, most of which are not sponge cakes as Americans know them.

British cakes have a slightly different texture to American cakes. They don’t go in for that super-moist texture. Most cakes have body–much like American pound cake. So if you opt to use a mix, then the one to choose is the butter-based yellow or gold mixes. Also if using a mix and round cake pans, you’ll want the 9-inch/23-cm sized pans. My from-scratch recipe uses 8-inch/20-cm pans but you’ll have more batter from a mix so use the larger pan.

For thinner layers using a mix, 10-inch/25-cm would probably be your best bet.

You will also have to level off at least one of the layers so it sits nicely on the serving plate. I do both because I like a flat top as well, so I level both and invert the top layer.

Just a note, but when I bake I generally use the metric system and weigh. This produces consistent results. For US measures see the “NOTES” section in the recipe card.

Red Jam & Cream

Raspberry is traditional, but strawberry is a close second.

The two jams mentioned are used most, but any flavor you like will do..

When it comes to the cream filling, I never skimp and make old-fashioned whipped cream. However, unless you’re going to eat it very soon after you put the cake together, the whipped cream needs to be stabilized. Some do this with cream cheese, but my preferred method is using instant modified food starch–that’s sold under the name of Instant Clear Jel.

The Recipe

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Victoria sponge

Britain's most beloved cake

Prep Time15

Cook Time25

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: British

Keyword: britain's favorite cake, victoria sponge

Servings: 8

Calories: 627kcal

Author: Judith Hannemann

Ingredients

235 g butter very soft
235 g sugar
4 eggs
235 g self-raising flour
1 tsp vanilla

Filling:

1/2 cup raspberry jam
1 cup heavy cream
1 tbs confectioner's sugar

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350F/180C. Grease 2 8-inch cake pans and line the bottom with parchment rounds--grease the parchment too.
Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy; about 4 minutes.
Add the eggs, beating well after each addition, then add the vanilla.
Fold the flour into the butter mixture until you cannot see any flour particles.
Divide the mixture equally between the pans--weighing is the best way if you want it to look even and perfect.
Bake for 20-25 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean. Cool completely--you can safely cool the cakes in the pans.
To assemble, unmold the cakes from the pans, carefully peel off the parchment and level off the top of at least 1 layer so it will be flat on the serving plate. Likewise you can level off the top of the other layer if you want a flat top. If you don't mind a domed top, that isn't necessary.
Beat the cream until stiff peaks form (see post body on how I stabilize the cream). Spread the jan on top of the bottom layer then spread the whipped cream over that. Top with the other layer (leveled side on top of the cream if you want the flat top) and dust with confectioner's sugar if desired.

Notes

US measurements for cake:

1 cup + 1 tbs soft butter, 1 cup + 1 tbs sugar, 1 cup + 3/4 cup + 2 tbs self-raising flour. Other measurements remain the same

Video

Nutrition

The post Victoria Sponge appeared first on The Midnight Baker.

Peach Upside Down Dessert Cake

Judith Hannemann — Tue, 07 Jun 2022 23:00:13 +0000

This peach upside down dessert cake can be made with fresh, frozen or canned peaches. It’s a year-round treat.

Peach Upside Down Dessert Cake–Perfect Dessert

Summer is peach season so lots of desserts feature them.

This simple peach upside down dessert cake is one of those recipes. Since it’s simple to make, you’ll make it often and not only in summer! The reason is that you don’t need fresh peaches to make this cake.

Whatever variety you use, the topping is simply delicious–sweet and a bit tart and oh so buttery. This is sure to become a family favorite.

Rich Cake

There’s nothing light and fluffy about this cake. It’s a dense and rich dessert-textured cake.

Because of this, it doesn’t rise much. So when you go to test it, don’t think something’s wrong because it’s kind of flat. That’s the way it’s supposed to be. But despite it’s texture, this rich cake will literally melt in your mouth.

The cake is also made with the old-fashioned creaming method. And remember when adding the wet and dry ingredients that you begin and end with the dry ingredients.

Any Kind Of Peaches

The really great feature of this peach upside down dessert cake is you’re not limited to what type of peaches to use.

Here, I used sliced canned peaches. You can also use fresh and frozen. That make this very convenient since you can enjoy this dessert in any season.

With canned peaches, you may have to slice thicker slices in half. The can I had were pretty inconsistent in size, but I don’t consider that a huge issue. Same applies to frozen peaches.

The Recipe

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Peach Upside Down Dessert Cake

Easy dessert

Prep Time20

Cook Time50

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Keyword: cakes with peaches, peach desserts, peach upside down cake

Servings: 8

Calories: 416kcal

Author: Judith Hannemann

Ingredients

Cake:

1 1/4 cup flour
1/2 cup butter softened
3/4 cup sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 tsp cinnamon
2 tbs sour cream
1 1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup milk

Topping:

2 cups sliced peaches fresh, frozen or canned
1/4 cup melted butter
3/4 cup brown sugar

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

reheat oven to 350F/180C.
Place melted butter in an uncreased 9-inch/23 cm round cake pan. Sprinkle brown sugar over the butter and arrange peach slices evenly over the top.
Mix the flour baking powder, salt and cinnamon in a small bowl; set aside.
Beat the 1/2 cup butter and the sugar in a large bowl until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg and vanilla.
Mix in the flour alternately with the milk, ending with the flour mixture.
Drop cake batter on top of the peaches and spread evenly over the top.
Bake for 45-50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Let the cake stand for 10 minutes then invert onto a serving plate. Best served warm.

Nutrition

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New York Crumb Cake

Judith Hannemann — Sat, 17 Jul 2021 23:00:26 +0000

New York is famous for many foods, but New York crumb cake is definitely in the top ten.

The Ultimate Crumb Cake

Who doesn’t love crumb cake? I’m sure there’s some but not too many.

New York is famous for a lot of foods–bagels, bialys, pastrami–the list is almost endless. But one thing is certain; New York crumb cake is in the top 10 on that list. Why? Because it’s scrumptious and loaded with crumbs.

One well-known commercial bakery even made a rendition of their top-rated crumb cake with extra crumbs. That’s how much folks love this.

Frankly, I’d buy the “boxed” from this company because it is good, but since it now costs a bomb, I was looking for something great that I could make. Out of all the coffee cakes I’ve made, this one is it.

Crumbs Galore

This cake has enough crumbs to satisfy anyone who loves them.

They’re rich and buttery because there isn’t any fake ingredients in them at all. They have a lot of butter–a full cup. Therefore, the flavor really comes through.

There’s lots of crumbs too. In fact, you may think you’ll never use the whole amount when you mix them up. You will, so don’t give up and cover that entire cake top with them. Trust me, it works.

Cake’s Good Too

Just when you think that the crumb topping is the star of this show, you taste the cake itself and it knocks your socks off.

The texture and flavor of the cake itself is so awesome, I really can’t find the words. Much like the crumbs it’s rich and buttery with a velvety texture. So it’s hard to decide which element is better. I’m going to refrain on a judgement on this because they work so well together. And really, is it necessary? I don’t seem to think so. Just enjoy it!

The Recipe

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NY Crumb Cake

Rich and delicious with a ton of buttery crumbs

Prep Time30

Cook Time1

Course: Breakfast, Brunch, Dessert, Snack

Cuisine: American

Keyword: authentic NYC crumb cake, famous ny crumb cake, rich coffee cakes

Servings: 12

Calories: 689kcal

Author: Judith Hannemann

Ingredients

Crumbs:

1 cup dark brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
1 1/2 tbs cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup unsalted butter melted and warm
2 1/2 cups flour

Cake:

2 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 cup unsalted butter at room temperature
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 eggs
1 1/3 cups sour cream
1 tsp vanilla

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

For the crumbs: mix the sugars, cinnamon and salt in a medium bowl. Add the warm melted butter and stir to blend. Add the flour and mix until crumbs begin to form (it will clump). Set aside.
For the cake: Preheat oven to 350F/180C and grease a 9 x 13-inch glass baking dish.
Sift together the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl; set aside.
Beat the butter in the bowl of a stand mixer--the batter is dense so it will require a sturdy mixer--until smooth. Add the sugar and beat until it's light and fluffy.
Add the eggs, beating well after each addition. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl.
Add the sour cream and vanilla and mix until just incorporated. Don't overmix!
Add the flour in 3 additions, beating until just incorporated. Again, do not overmix.
Pour batter into prepared pan and spread evenly in the pan.
Squeeze small handfuls of the crumbs together to form small clumps. Drop the clumps evenly over the batter, covering the top completely. The crumb layer will be thick.
Bake for 50-60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Avoid overbaking.
Cool at least 30 minutes on a rack before serving.

Video

Nutrition

The post New York Crumb Cake appeared first on The Midnight Baker.

Lemon Ricotta Cake

Judith Hannemann — Sat, 01 May 2021 23:00:23 +0000

Everyone will love this lemon ricotta cake since it’s easy to make and even better to eat.

Italy’s Favorite Flavor

Southern Italy loves it’s lemons whether in decor or in food. Some of the best tasting lemon cakes or cookies I’ve eaten come from Italy. They know how to do lemon!

I’m a lemon freak. As a result, I love this lemon ricotta cake because its intensely lemon. It is right up there with Britain’s favorite–lemon drizzle cake. I think it’s the bright tart/sweet flavor that I find so intoxicating.

The ingredients are fairly common and you might have most of them on hand.

Use Up That Ricotta

Did you recently make a lasagna and have ricotta left over? I never use the whole container when I make it so I always have leftover. This is a great place to use it up.

The only caveat here is you have to use the whole milk variety. Apparently you need the full whack of fat for the cake to work. I always buy that variety so I’ve got that covered. However, if you don’t have any on hand and need to buy it, get the whole milk one.

Just an aside–even though Italian cheesecake is made with ricotta, this is not a cheesecake. It’s texture is more like that of a torte. It doesn’t rise much and it’s a bit dense. It’s supposed to be so don’t think that you did something wrong if you make it. That’s the way it’s supposed to be.

Lemons

You’ll need three of these for this cake. It takes the zest of all of them and the juice of one.

What I do here with the bald lemons is I juice them and freeze the juice for future use. Lemon lovers will always find a use for this!

The Recipe

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Lemon Ricotta Cake

Wonderful lemony dessert

Prep Time20

Cook Time40

Course: Dessert, Snack

Cuisine: Italian

Keyword: easy lemon desserts, Italian lemon desserts, ricotta cake

Servings: 8

Calories: 389kcal

Author: Judith Hannemann

Ingredients

1/2 cup olive oil
3 eggs
1 cup sugar
3 lemons zest only
1 lemon juice only
1 cup full-fat ricotta
2 tbs full-fat sour cream
1 1/4 cups sifted flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 tbs baking powder
1 tsp vanilla

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Preheat oven to 375F/190C. Spray a 10-inch/25 cm springform pan with non-stick spray and wrap the outside of the pan in a double thickness of aluminum foil. Place on a baking sheet and set aside..
In a small bowl, stir together the flour, salt and baking powder; set aside.
Place oil, sugar, vanilla, lemon juice and zest in a large bowl. Beat with an electric mixer at medium speed until well combined.
Beat in the eggs, one at a time, until well mixed. Now mix in the ricotta and sour cream, blending well.
Add the flour mixture and beat until just incorporated. Pour batter into the prepared pan.
Bake for 35-40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Cool completely and dust top with confectioner's (icing) sugar.

Nutrition

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British Apple Cake

Judith Hannemann — Tue, 09 Jun 2020 23:00:24 +0000

Try this easy British apple cake for your next dessert.

A Very British Cake

I am a big fan of British cuisine–and the old-time dishes. Lots of Brits are into really nouvelle cuisine at the moment, but the old standbys remain popular. There’s good reason for it–they’re delicious!

This cake is no exception. This is a dessert cake. It’s very moist because of the amount of apple in it. It’s very much like a bread pudding–it’s dense but very tender. It melts in your mouth.

The English are not into layer cakes as we are here in the USA. Their traditional cakes are usually one big “layer” as in the photo above. And their cakes have moxie; they are not full of air and they don’t have a gossamer texture either. They’re solid. If you’ve ever eaten the famous Madeira cake, you’ll know what I’m getting at.

The traditional British cake tin is 7-inches. That’s not a standard size here so I’ll give bake times for an 8-inch springform pan as well.

Not Too Sweet

Another thing I like about this cake is that it’s not overly sweet. That’s surprising for something of British origin since the Brits are really into “sweet.” They’re the world’s largest consumer of candy so that should tell you something.

If you use apples that are tart, the cake will have a little bite too. I like using granny smiths, but any eating apple will do here.

My mother never peeled the apples, so I’m assuming that’s the way the old timers made this. I did peel the apples mainly because I always found peel in this cake to be a bit offputting to it’s nice flavor. The only thing I didn’t peel were the apples for the top decoration.

Sugar And Spice

This British apple cake uses two ingredients that are so typically British. They are available in the US but there’s great substitutes for them.

The spice in this cake is something called “mixed spice.” Yes, that’s what it’s called–for reals. However, pumpkin pie spice is a great substitute for it so use that since it’s widely available here.

Another typical British ingredient is demerara sugar. If you take sugar in your coffee and you can get demerara, try it. It will give your coffee a caramel-like flavor. I found this–in Walmart of all places–but Sugar In The Raw is the closest American product. However, plain old brown sugar will do too but you won’t get the crunch in the topping.

The Recipe

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British Apple Cake

A great apple cake from jolly old England

Prep Time15

Cook Time1

Course: Dessert, Snack

Cuisine: British

Keyword: apple dessert cakes, traditional british cakes

Servings: 12

Calories: 304kcal

Author: Judith Hannemann

Ingredients

200 g/7 oz of butter softened
200 g/7 oz soft brown sugar
200 g/7 oz self-raising flour
1 1/2 tsp ground mixed spice see NOTES
4 eggs beaten
4 small apples like gala or granny smith peeled and diced
1 large apple like gala or granny smith, cut in thin wedges
Demerara sugar for sprinkling over the top

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350F/180°C spray a 7 inch (18cm) round springform cake pan with non-stick spray. Mix the ground mixed spice with the flour
Place all of the ingredients, except the apple, into a large bowl or food mixer and beat together for 2–3 minutes until well mixed. Add the 4 diced apples and stir into mix
Spoon the cake mixture into the prepared pan and arrange the sliced apples over the top before sprinkling some Demerara sugar over the top of the cake and apples
Bake in the oven for 55–60 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in the middle of the cake comes out clean
Allow the cake to cool in the pan for a few minutes before turning out on to a wire rack; allow to cool completely before slicing and serving

Notes

Pumpkin pie spice is a great substitute.
For 8-inch springform pan, bake for 45-50 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean

Nutrition

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Crockpot Apple Coffee Cake

Judith Hannemann — Wed, 08 Jan 2020 00:00:45 +0000

Yes you can bake in your crockpot! This apple coffee cake is a great place to start.

Crockpot Cake Baking

Bet you didn’t think you could bake in your crockpot, did you?

I always used to think that too. For me, slow cooker cooking meant stews and soups and the like. However, my sister uses her crockpot for a lot of things you would never think of doing in there. And yes, she bakes in it. Makes a super banana bread in there. I have to admit that if you want a nice, moist cake, a crockpot coffee cake is perfect. I’ve done my sister’s banana bread and even made lemon bars in mine.

This crockpot coffee cake is another perfect cake to make in your slow cooker. Let it cool a bit and slice it like a cake. It can also be served in a bowl warm as a dessert!

Doctoring The Cake Mix

I discovered years ago that the secret to getting a mix to taste almost homemade was using evaporated milk as the liquid. There’s also some sour cream and spice, but those are minor additions.

You may like to substitute another flavor cake mix for the yellow. I used a “butter recipe” mix and it worked out fine. Spice cake mix would probably work too.

This could probably be done with chocolate cake mix and cherry pie filling for a Black Forest type of cake. If you try that, let me know how it came out since I have not done that–yet.

Crockpot Size

This recipe calls for a rather small-size crockpot–4Q/4L. I’m pretty sure this size isn’t that popular anymore. Most of my friends have 6-7 quart models. I’m sure it can be made in a large one, but it will bake in far less time. I would check on it in half the given time in the recipe. You’d probably be pretty safe with a standard 5Q/5L model without any real reduction in time.

The “toothpick” test works with slow cooker baking, so make sure to check it that way to be sure.

The Recipe

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Crockpot Apple Coffee Cake

Yes, you can bake in your slow cooker!

Prep Time10

Cook Time2 30

Course: Dessert, Slow Cooker, Snack

Cuisine: American

Keyword: apple cake recipe, coffee cake recipe, crockpot cake, crockpot coffee cake, slow cooker baking

Servings: 12

Calories: 239kcal

Author: Judith Hannemann

Ingredients

1 box yellow cake mix
2 eggs
3 tbs soft butter
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup evaporated milk
1/2 tsp cinnamon
pinch of nutmeg
1 can apple pie filling 20 oz size
3 tbs brown sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Coat the insert of a 4-qt slow cooker with non-stick pray. Cut a piece of parchment to fit the bottom of the cooker and put it in place at the bottom
In a medium bowl, beat cake mix, eggs, butter and sour cream until smooth. Add the milk gradually then beat for 2 minutes on high speed. Stir in the 1/2 tsp cinnamon and the nutmeg. Set aside.
Using a food processor, sharp knife or potato masher, crush the pie filling to make smaller pieces. Stir in the cinnamon and brown sugar.
Spoon half the pie filling mixture in an even layer at the bottom of the slow cooker then top with half the cake batter. Spoon the remaining pie filling on top then the remaining batter, smoothing the top.
Cover and cook on hight for 2 1/2 hours. Remove the insert and lid and cool for 15 minutes. Invert onto a serving platter.

Notes

Cake mix box sizes vary—you will need the 2-layer size.

Nutrition

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Lemon Drizzle Cake

Judith Hannemann — Sat, 07 Sep 2019 23:00:24 +0000

Lemon drizzle cake is intensely lemony. It’s one of Britain’s most popular cakes.

Lemon Drizzle Cake: A Food Of My People

Lately I’ve been hearing my ancestral voices. Britain and my relatives have been on my mind for a while so I guess that’s the reason. I really wanted to be there in late August for my youngest nephew’s 40th birthday (I still can’t believe it), but it just didn’t work out.

Naturally, lots of foods I grew up with were constantly in my head too. Since I love the taste of lemon to excess, the first entry just had to be lemon drizzle cake. I joked around with people I gave some to by saying it was a “food of my people.” The joke is that no one actually considers Britons as “ethnic” in any way, but I guess we are to some degree. Anyway, the joke fit and the cake is scrummy!!!

Weigh Weigh Weigh

That bears repeating; loudly–WEIGH INGREDIENTS.

Before I started weighing ingredients when I baked, I didn’t get consistent results. The major reason is flour. A “cup” of flour can vary wildly by how it’s measured. Unless a recipe is specific and tells you to “lightly spoon into the cup,” it’s sort of up to you. If you dip-and-sweep, that weighs a heck of a lot more than lightly-spooned flour. This produces very inconsistent results.

However when you weigh your ingredients, 8 ounces of flour is always 8 ounces of flour so you get the same results every time. Another added benefit is that weighing is much less labor intensive; it goes very quickly. And there’s less cleanup too.

So do yourself (and your baking) a big favor and buy a digital kitchen scale, Many are under $10 and once you start weighing and seeing the results, you’ll wonder why you didn’t do it sooner.

A Nice Extra Touch

If you grow lemon verbena or lemon balm, add a tablespoon to the cake batter. That idea is not mine; it comes from Britain’s goddess of baking Mary Berry.

The added herb also adds a small pop of color to the cake and will make it even more lemony.

The Recipe

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Lemon Drizzle Cake

This cake is a British favorite!

Prep Time10

Cook Time40

Course: Dessert, Snack

Cuisine: British

Keyword: british cake recipe, easy dessert recipes, lemon cake recipe

Servings: 12

Calories: 384kcal

Author: Judith Hannemann

Ingredients

8 oz butter at room temperature plus extra for greasing
8 oz sugar
10 oz self-raising flour
2 tsp baking powder
4 eggs
4 tbs milk
2 lemons finely grated zest only

For the glaze:

6 oz sugar
2 lemons juice only

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350F/180C. Grease a 13 x 9-inch pan with butter and line the pan (up the sides too) with parchment and grease that with butter too.
Measure all the ingredients into a large bowl and beat for 2 minutes, or until well blended. Turn the mixture into the prepared pan and level the top.
Bake for 35–40 minutes, until the cake has shrunk a little from the sides of the pan and springs back when lightly touched with a fingertip in the centre of the cake.
To make the glaze. Mix the sugar with the lemon juice and stir to a runny consistency.
Leave the cake to cool for 5 minutes in the pan, then lift out, with the lining paper still attached, and place on wire rack set over a tray.
Brush the glaze all over the surface of the warm cake and leave to set. Remove the lining paper and cut into slices to serve

Notes

*Post contains affiliate link(s)

Video

Nutrition

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Apple Cider Donut Cake

Judith Hannemann — Sat, 20 Oct 2018 23:00:58 +0000

If you love apple cider donuts, you’ll flip for this cake!

Great Donut Taste In A Cake

This cake tastes exactly like apple cider donuts! It’s probably less fat too–although I’m not entirely sure.

I consider myself somewhat of an expert on apple cider donuts as I used to make them commercially at one time. Background here is that my late husband was recovering from open-heart surgery so he couldn’t work; I had to. Anyway, as there were no local jobs in engineering and I needed specific hours that I could be home for him, I took a job as a baker at a local supermarket. Yeah, I know–a real career change!

Anyway, the cider donuts were a fall staple at that store so I improved on the standard recipe. All the customers said those donuts hit the jackpot. The truth is, they started with a mix where I doctored the spices.

Mace: A Donut Essential

This spice is essential for donuts. It gives them that donutty taste.

For those who don’t know this little factoid, mace is the outer covering of nutmeg. I never knew that until very recently and it was Clarissa from Two Fat Ladies who informed me (and millions of other viewers too).

You also need nutmeg in equal portions to the mace. It’s a one-to-one ratio.

The other secret to the great taste here is the fresh apple that’s cooked in the cider itself. Essentially, you’re making applesauce, but it’s an applesauce with a lot of kick. You cook it down until the cider is reduced–and reductions have intense flavor. Where you may be tempted for convenience sake to substitute store-bought applesauce–don’t. It’s worth the time to do the apple/cider reduction.

The Crowning Glory

You’ll love the sugar coating for this cake. It’s not merely cinnamon sugar because there’s yet another hint of nutmeg. There’s a bit of salt too, which is strange at first, but many people actually put a pinch of salt on an apple because it brings out a lot of flavor.

The Recipe

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Apple Cider Donut Cake

If you love apple cider donuts, you’ll flip for this cake!

Prep Time30

Cook Time45

Total Time1 15

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Keyword: apple cider, apple cider donuts, cheesecake recipe, fall desserts

Servings: 12

Calories: 358kcal

Author: Judith Hannemann

Ingredients

For the Cake:

8 tbs unsalted butter at room temperature
1 large Granny Smith apple about 8 ounces, peeled, cored, and roughly chopped
1 1/2 cups apple cider
1/2 cup milk at room temperature
2 1/2 cups flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground mace
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
3 eggs at room temperature
1/4 cup oil
1 tsp vanilla

For the Sugar Coating:

6 tbs sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp nutmeg
1/8 tsp salt

Instructions

Adjust oven rack to middle position and preheat oven to 350°F. Spray a bundt pan with non-stick spray.
In medium saucepan, bring chopped apple and cider to boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium and simmer until most of the cider has been absorbed and apples are easily smashed with a fork, 10 to 12 minutes. Remove pan from heat, cool 5 minutes, and mash with the back of a spoon. Measure out 1 cup apple mixture and stir in milk; set aside.
In medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, nutmeg, and mace; set aside.
In large bowl, beat butter, sugar, and brown sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add oil and beat until incorporated, about 1 minute.
Decrease mixer speed to low and add flour mixture in three batches, alternating with apple mixture, scraping down sides and bottom of bowl with rubber spatula as needed. Increase speed to medium and beat mixture just until combined, about 20 seconds. Add vanilla and beat once more, just to combine, about 10 seconds.
Scrape batter into prepared pan. Bake until cake tester inserted in cake comes out clean, rotating cake halfway through baking, 35 to 45 minutes. Transfer cake to cooling rack set inside baking sheet and cool in pan 10 minutes, then invert directly onto cooling rack.
For the Cinnamon Sugar Coating: Combine sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt in small bowl. Sprinkle warm cake with cinnamon sugar, using fingers to rub it onto sides.
Cool cake completely, about 1 hour.

Video

Nutrition

*Adapted from Serious Eats

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Texas Sheet Cake

Judith Hannemann — Tue, 24 Jul 2018 23:00:15 +0000

Texas sheet cake is great for serving a large crowd and pot lucks!

Crowd Pleaser

From all that I’ve read, this cake is a real crowd pleaser at picnics and pot lucks. It’s pretty easy to make so if you need to feed a lot of people for dessert, this could be your answer.

I admit I have no idea how this cake got the name of Texas Sheet Cake, since there’s nothing particularly Texan about it. Maybe it just originated there!

You Could Call It A Cookie…

Because this sheet cake uses melted butter as the shortening, it produces a denser texture.

In fact, when I first tried this, if I hadn’t known that the recipe name was “cake,” I’d think of this as a softer bar cookie. The crumb is compact so it can be cut in smaller portions. It’s rich too, so a smaller serving would satisfy most people.

Because a little of this goes a long way, it’s a good choice when you have to serve a lot of people.

The Frosting

The original recipe tells you to stir the nuts into the frosting then spread it on top of the cake.

I followed these instructions and found it to be, let’s say, difficult. So what I would do is spread the frosting on top of the cake then sprinkle the nuts on top. Then, press them lightly into the frosting so they stay put.

One last word about the frosting–add the confectioner’s sugar gradually and only until you get a nice creamy and spreadable consistency. Otherwise the frosting will get hard and not spread well.

The Recipe

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Texas Sheet Cake

Texas sheet cake is great for serving a large crowd and at pot lucks!

Prep Time20

Cook Time22

Total Time42

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Keyword: cake recipe, Texas sheet cake

Servings: 20

Calories: 359kcal

Author: Judith Hannemann

Ingredients

Cake:

2 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking soda
1 cup butter cubed
1 cup water
2 large eggs
1/2 cup sour cream
2 tsp almond extract

Frosting:

1/2 cup butter cubed
1/4 cup heavy cream or half-and-half
4-1/2 cups confectioners' sugar
1/2 tsp almond extract
1 cup chopped walnuts

Instructions

Preheat oven to 375°. Grease a 15x10x1-in. baking pan.
In a large bowl, whisk the first five ingredients. In a small saucepan, combine butter and water; bring just to a boil. Stir into flour mixture. In a small bowl, whisk eggs, sour cream and extract until blended; add to flour mixture, whisking constantly.
Transfer to prepared pan. Bake until golden brown and a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, 18-22 minutes. Cool on a wire rack 20 minutes.
For frosting, combine butter and milk in a large saucepan; bring just to a boil. Remove from heat; gradually stir in confectioners' sugar and extract. Spread over warm cake. Sprinkle nuts over the top.

Nutrition

*Adapted from Taste of Home

The post Texas Sheet Cake appeared first on The Midnight Baker.

Quick Cream Cheese Pound Cake

Judith Hannemann — Tue, 29 May 2018 23:00:30 +0000

This quick and easy pound cake gets rave reviews but it’ll be your secret that it starts with a mix!

Delicious Cake The Easy Way

I was craving a cream cheese pound cake a while ago. However, I wasn’t craving making it from scratch as I was particularly lazy that day.

So having Google as my bestie when it comes to finding stuff I want, I searched and found this cake on Genius Kitchen. The recipe got rave reviews and I had all the ingredients so why not? I also wanted to use my NordicWare Heritage pan that I’d just rediscovered and dusted off. I’m at that stage now where I have things I’ve completely forgotten about and that cake pan was one of those things!

Minor Adjustments

The original recipe called for vanilla and almond extract. However, I thought the amount of almond extract was particularly low, given the size of the cake. So what I did since I’m a lover of almond and not so much a lover of vanilla was doubled the amount of the almond extract. I’ve done this in other recipes so I know omitting the vanilla won’t produce strange flavors.

Likewise if you are the opposite of me and prefer vanilla to almond, just omit the almond and double the vanilla. Same goes for any extract you like.

Simple Finishing Touch

You can serve this cake totally unadorned if you wish. It’s flavor really speaks for itself.

However, given that my very simple cake looked so elegant baked in that Heritage pan, I wanted to make it look special so I dusted it with some confectioner’s sugar. That was just the touch it needed!

It would also be nice with a simple and tart lemon glaze. If you choose to use the glaze, poking a few holes with a cake tester would let the flavor infuse.

The Recipe

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Quick Cream Cheese Pound Cake

This quick cream cheese pound cake gets rave reviews but it’ll be your secret that it starts with a boxed cake mix!

Prep Time10

Cook Time45

Total Time55

Course: desserts

Cuisine: American

Keyword: boxed cake mix, cream cheese, pound cake

Servings: 12 -16

Calories: 357kcal

Author: Judith Hannemann

Ingredients

1 box butter cake mix 2-layer size
8 oz cream cheese at room temp
1/2 cup vegetable oil
4 eggs
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup water
2 tsp almond extract

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 10-inch tube pan with non-stick or baking spray
Bring cream cheese to room temperature. (This will keep the batter from becoming lumpy.).
Place all ingredients in large mixing bowl.
Mix with electric mixer on low for one minute until all combined.
Mix at medium for two minutes.
Batter should look uniform and thick.
Bake at 350°F for about 45 minutes or until cake springs back when touched.

Nutrition

*Recipe adapted from Genius Kitchen
*Post may contain affiliate links (see Privacy Policy concerning 3rd-party sites)

The post Quick Cream Cheese Pound Cake appeared first on The Midnight Baker.