Week 52: Sour Cream Pound Cake

Less than two hours until we say, "Goodbye" to 2012 and I just pulled cake #52 out of the oven.
Each year David and I invite a few friends over to watch football and enjoy a New Year's meal.  I decided to make a pound cake. It is one of David's favorite cakes and I thought it would be a great end to this blog.  I had already baked a Million Dollar Pound Cake, a 7-Up Pound Cake and a Cream Cheese Pound Cake so I decided to try Paula Deen's Sour Cream Pound Cake. Her recipe called for one teaspoon of vanilla; but I added 1 teaspoon of pure almond extract along with vanilla.  I will serve fresh berries with this cake tomorrow.
Happy New Year and thank you for following this blog.  My blog for 2013 will be broader than just cakes... 52 Weeks of Favorite Recipes.  I will begin posting new recipes this week!!!   I hope you will follow along on this new blog.

Sour Cream Pound Cake
          (Source: Paula Deen)

1/2 pound (2 sticks) butter
3 cups sugar
1 cup sour cream
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
3 cups all-purpose flour
6 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon almond extract

Directions

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter and sugar together. Add the sour cream and mix until incorporated. Sift the baking soda and flour together. Add to the creamed mixture alternating with eggs, beating each egg 1 at a time. Add the vanilla and pour the mixture into a greased and floured 10-inch tube pan. Bake for 1 hour 8 minutes, or until a cake tester comes out clean. 

Happy Baking Dear Friends!
Julie

Week 51: Red Velvet Cheesecake

Does anyone else prepare the same menu every Christmas?  Yesterday I mentioned that maybe next year I would change up the Christmas menu a bit and the entire family said, "NO!"  I introduced the Red Velvet Cheesecake last year and no one complained when I baked it again this year.  Not only is it a beautiful holiday red; but it is so delicious!  Maybe even the Cake of the Year?!?  

Red Velvet Cheesecake
(Source: Southern Living Magazine, April 2010)


Crust:
17 Oreo cookies
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1/4 cup melted butter
 
 
Stir together Oreo crumbs, melted butter, and 1 Tablespoon granulated sugar; press mixture into bottom of 9-inch springform pan.


Filling:  3 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese, softened 
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar 4 large eggs, lightly beaten 3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa 1 cup sour cream 
1/2 cup whole buttermilk 2 teaspoons vanilla extract 
1 teaspoon distilled white vinegar 2 (1-ounce) bottles red food coloring

Preparation

1. Beat 3 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese and 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar at medium-low speed with an electric mixer 1 minute. Add eggs and next 6 ingredients, mixing on low speed just until fully combined. Pour batter into prepared crust.
2. Bake at 325° for 10 minutes; reduce heat to 300°, and bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes or until center is firm. Run knife along outer edge of cheesecake. Turn oven off. Let cheesecake stand in oven 30 minutes. Remove cheesecake from oven; cool in pan on a wire rack 30 minutes. Cover and chill 8 hours.

 

Vanilla Cream Cheese Frosting:

1/2 Cup butter or margarine, softened

1 (8oz) package cream cheese, softened

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1 pound confectioners sugar

Combine butter, cream cheese, and vanilla in mixing bowl and blend until smooth.

Add sugar gradually until well incorporated.  Spread over chilled cake.

 

Merry Christmas!
Happy Baking!
Julie 

Week 50: Red Velvet Sheet Cake

I have been reading Pioneer Woman's blog for years.  Her posts always made me smile and brightened my day.  I was so happy for her when Food Network added her to their Saturday morning line-up.  She cooks delicious food!  Mid-December she made a Red Velvet Sheet Cake for a church pot luck and I knew I would bake that cake for week 50.  I've made several sheet cakes on 52 Weeks of Cakes and they have all been delicious; but I believe this one takes the prize!  Ree (Pioneer Woman) used a Classic Red Velvet Icing, but I used Cream Cheese Icing since it is a favorite with my gang.

Red Velvet Cheesecake
Source:  Ree Drummond... The Pioneer Woman

2 1/2 cups cake flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup buttermilk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 whole eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons vinegar
1 1/2 teaspoons cocoa powder
1 1/2 fluid ounces red food coloring
1 cup shortening
1 3/4 cup granulated sugar

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Thoroughly spray a large (18-by-12-inch) sheet cake pan (or you can use a slightly smaller jelly roll pan) with nonstick baking spray. Be sure to get in all the corners of the pan.
Sift together the cake flour and salt. Set aside. In a separate bowl, stir together the buttermilk, vanilla, baking soda and eggs. Add the vinegar and stir. Set aside.
In a separate small bowl, mix together the cocoa and red food coloring. Set aside. Cream together the shortening and sugar until fluffy. Alternate adding the flour mixture and the buttermilk/egg mixture until all combined. Pour in the red mixture and beat until combined.
Pour the batter into the prepared sheet cake pan. Use a large offset spatula or knife to even out the surface. Bake for 20 minutes.
Remove the pan from the oven and allow the cake to cool in the pan for 20 minutes.
Place a large cutting board on top of the cake pan, then invert the cake, allowing it to turn out onto the cutting board. Allow the cake to cool completely before icing.

Cream Cheese Icing

1/2 cup butter, room temperature
1   8 ounce block of cream cheese, softened
1 pound box of powdered sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

 Combine butter, cream cheese and vanilla in mixing bowl, blending until smooth.  Add sugar gradually until icing comes together.  Spread over cooled cake.

Enjoy!
Happy Baking!
Julie

Week 49: Brownie Cheesecake

I found the recipe for week 49's cake in Better Homes and Garden's Holiday Baking magazine.  I do not usually buy magazines at the grocery store but I am so glad I bought this one.  There are over 23 recipes in the magazine that I plan to try.  

The magazine uses a homemade brownie recipe for the crust; but to save time I just purchased my favorite brownie mix, baked them, let them cool and then made crumbs in my food processor.
This is one cake I will make again as it was enjoyed by all!

Brownie Cheesecake
(Source: Better Homes and Gardens Holiday Baking Magazine, 2012)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

 Crust:  3 cups brownie crumbs
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup butter, melted

Place 2 cups of the coarsely chopped brownies in a food processor.  Cover and process with on/off pulses to form crumbs.  Add melted butter and sugar and process just until combined.  Press mixture onto the bottom and 1 and 3/4 inches up the sides of a 9 inch springform pan.  Chill while preparing filling


Filling: 3  8 ounce packages cream cheese, at room temperature
3 eggs, lightly beaten
5 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, chopped
1 ounce unsweetened chocolate, chopped
1 cup sugar
2 Tablespoons all purpose flour 
1 teaspoon vanilla or 1 tablespoon coffee liqueur 
1/4 cup buttermilk

In a small heavy saucepan cook and stir bittersweet chocolate and unsweetened chocolate over low heat until melted: cool slightly.
In a large mixing bowl beat cream cheese, sugar, flour and vanilla with an electric mixer on medium speed until smooth.  With the mixer running, slowly add melted chocolate, beating on low speed just until combined.  Stir in eggs and buttermilk.    
Pour filling into crust lined pan, spreading evenly.  Place springform pan in a shallow baking pan.  Top with the remaining 1 cup coarsely chopped brownie crumbs. Bake for 35-40 minutes or until 2 1/2 inch area around the outside edge appears set when gently shaken.
Cool in springform pan on a wire rack until completely cooled.
Cover and chill for at least 4 hours before serving.

Enjoy!
Happy Baking!   
Julie 
 

Week 48: Pumpkin Cheesecake

I trust all of you had a wonderful Thanksgiving!  Thanksgiving is right at the top of my favorite holidays! We truly have so much to be thankful for!
I begin preparing the food for this special day a few days before Thanksgiving.  This year the very first thing I prepared was a delicious pumpkin cheesecake. 

My dear friend, Amy Roland, shared this recipe with me years ago after her mother had prepared it for their Thanksgiving dessert.
As you can see I wrapped the spring form pan in several layers of heavy foil.  Then I set it in a large baking dish and poured water into the large pan, about half up the side.  Doing this prevents the cheesecake from wrapping and the several layers of foil keeps the water out of my cake.  I made this cake on the Tuesday before Thanksgiving, put it in the refrigerator once it had cooled completely and gave a thankful sigh of relief knowing my dessert for Thursday was complete.  I do hope you will bake one for your family and friends.  It is truly a crowd pleaser!

Pumpkin Cheesecake
Source: Amy Roland


Crust:
1 and 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 stick butter, softened
Combine crumbs, sugar and butter and press into a buttered, large  spring form pan.


3 bars of cream cheese, at room temperature
3/4 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup regular sugar
5 large eggs, at room temperature
1 16 oz can of pumpkin
1 and 1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1/2 cup whipping cream

Beat the softened cream cheese with the sugars until creamy.  Add eggs one at a time beating after each addition.  Add pumpkin, spice and whipping cream and mix well.
Pour into your pan and bake for 90 minutes at 325°.

Prepare topping of:
3/4 cups of brown sugar
6 T. butter chilled
1 and 1/2 cups of chopped pecans

Using a pastry cutter or two forks mix together and place on top of cheesecake and bake for another 15 minutes.

Happy Baking!
Julie

Week 47: Fresh Strawberry Upside Down Cake

Week 47's cake was baked by my sweet friend, Amy Swartz. Do you have a friend who enjoys all the same things as you?  Last December we were at her niece's birthday party and we sat next to each other during dinner.  I enjoyed our conversation so much and felt such a kindred spirit with her. Amy has baked just about all of the cakes I have featured on 52 Weeks of Cakes. When she shared this cake that she had made with me, I knew I had to feature it on my blog. She described the cake as, "Extremely simple and oh so good!" Amy had one piece of cake left and was kind enough to take this picture for me!

Fresh Strawberry Upside Down Cake
Source: Amy Swartz


Ingredients:

2 cups crushed fresh strawberries
1 (6 ounce) package strawberry flavored gelatin mix
3 cups miniature marshmallows
1 (18 ounce) package yellow cake mix, batter prepared as directed on package

Instructions:

1. Preheat an oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. Spread crushed strawberries on the bottom of a 9x13 inch baking pan. Evenly sprinkle strawberries with the dry gelatin powder, and top with mini marshmallows.
3. Prepare the cake mix as directed on the package, and pour on top of the marshmallows. Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 40 to 50 minutes. Cool in the pan for 15 minutes. Run a knife around the pan to loosen the sides, and turn the cake out onto a serving tray. Store cake in the refrigerator.

Thank you, Amy!

Happy Baking!
Julie

Week 46: Candy Snack Cake

I made this delicious chocolate cake a few weeks ago.  I was wanting to bake a cake for my guys as they were watching college football and found this recipe on Pinterest.  It is very similar to a Texas Sheetcake; except the icing included three melted Snicker bars.  I will definitely bake this cake again!

Candy Snack Cake
Source:  Paula Deen

1 cup butter, softened

1 cup sugar

4 large eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup all purpose flour

1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

Chocolate Frosting, recipe follows

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line 9-inch baking pan with heavy-duty aluminum foil.
In a large bowl, combine butter and sugar. Beat at medium speed with an electric mixer until fluffy. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in vanilla extract.
In a small bowl, combine flour, cocoa, baking powder, and salt. Gradually add to butter mixture, beating until combined. Spoon batter into prepared pan.
Bake for 22 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Spread chocolate frosting over hot cake. Let cool completely. Cut into squares and serve with whipped cream, if desired.

Chocolate Frosting:

• 1/4 cup butter
• 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa
• 3 tablespoons buttermilk
• 2 cups confectioners' sugar
• 3 (2.07-ounce) Snickers bars cut into 1/2-inch pieces 

In a medium saucepan, melt butter over medium-low heat. Add cocoa, buttermilk and 1 cup confectioners' sugar. Stir in candy bars and allow to melt. Stir in remaining confectioners' sugar and immediately spread over hot cake.
Yield: 1 cup

Will add two pictures in a little while.
Happy Baking!
Julie