Week 5 - Lemon Yogurt Cake

I mentioned in last week's entry that I had made two cakes last week. The second cake I made and am featuring for week 5 is Ina Garten's Lemon Yogurt Cake. Every recipe that I have made of hers has been delicious and this cake got rave reviews from the ladies at our fellowship meeting last Thursday night and from David and Samuel too. Here are a few pics and the easy recipe for delicious, moist Lemon Yogurt Cake. I hope you will bake it soon!
















Lemon Yogurt Cake

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup plain whole-milk yogurt
1 1/3 cups sugar, divided
3 extra-large eggs
2 teaspoons grated lemon zest (2 lemons)
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/3 cup freshly squeezed

For the Glaze:
1 cup confectioners' sugar
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease an 8 1/2 by 4 1/4 by 2 1/2-inch loaf pan. Line the bottom with parchment paper. Grease and flour the pan.

Sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt into 1 bowl. In another bowl, whisk together the yogurt, 1 cup sugar, the eggs, lemon zest and vanilla. Slowly whisk the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. With a rubber spatula, fold the vegetable oil into the batter, making sure it's all incorporated. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for about 50 minutes, or until a cake tester placed in the center of the loaf comes out clean.

Meanwhile, cook the 1/3 cup lemon juice and remaining 1/3 cup sugar in a small pan until the sugar dissolves and the mixture is clear. Set aside.

When the cake is done, allow it to cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Carefully place on a baking rack over a sheet pan. While the cake is still warm, pour the lemon-sugar mixture over the cake and allow it to soak in. Cool.

For the glaze, combine the confectioners' sugar and lemon juice and pour over the cake.

Happy Baking!
Julie

Week 4: Texas Sheet Cake

This week I had the opportunity to make two cakes - one for Student Ministries and the other for our monthly women's fellowship. I made a Texas Sheet Cake for the students as it feeds a large group and it always comes out delicious! Since I made a chocolate cake last week I was going to feature the second cake I made but then I saw it was National Chocolate Cake Day in the USA so I knew which cake I had to share with you this week.
Most of you have probably made this cake, but if you haven't please copy this recipe and bake it the next time you need a cake. You will be glad you did!

Texas Sheet Cake

2 cups sugar
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup shortening
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa
1 cup water
1/2 cup buttermilk
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Chocolate icing

Sift together sugar and flour in a large bowl; set aside.

Combine butter and next 3 ingredients (butter, shortening, cocoa and water) in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly, until butter and shortening melt. Remove from heat and pour over sugar/flour mixture, stirring until dissolved. Cool slightly.

Stir in buttermilk and next 3 ingredients (buttermilk, eggs, baking soda and vanilla).

Pour into a greased and lightly floured jelly roll pan.

Bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes. (Cake will have a fudge like texture)

Chocolate Icing (Make the icing 5 minutes before taking the cake out of the oven and spread it on the hot cake)

1/2 cup butter
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa
1/3 cup milk
1 (16-ounce) package powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup chopped pecans or walnuts (optional)

Combine butter, cocoa and milk in a medium saucepan. Cook over low heat 5 minutes or until butter melts. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Remove from heat and stir in sugar, vanilla and pecans. Beat at medium speed with an electric mixer until smooth and sugar dissolves.

Enjoy and Happy Baking!!!
Julie <3

Week 3: Mississippi Mud Cake

Greetings! I thought I'd let you know one of my main purposes for this blog before I share the next cake and recipe. Several people have asked if we are going to eat 52 cakes this year and if we have a good exercise program. : ) No! We are not going to eat 52 cakes!!! I cannot eat them due to a health condition and David has cut back on his sweets. Each week, so far, we have had opportunity to share the cakes with others or take to an event. This week I volunteered to bring dessert to our small group meeting. So you will not see us, hopefully, gaining a lot of weight due to eating 52 cakes. If you live in the area and would like one of the cakes I bake - just let me know. We'd be glad to share! So, back to my purpose. I wanted to have a place to put my recipes so that years from now they will be accessible to Bethany and our future daughter-in-laws.
I have always loved to bake, whether I can eat it or not. Even though Bethany is in the middle of college classes right now, there will be a day when she will want to bake a cake for her family and friends and she will be able to come here and find just the right one.
The cake I baked this week is also from a cookbook we received as a wedding gift. It is easy to make and quite delicious.

Mississippi Mud Cake

Ingredients:
















1 cup butter (2 sticks)
1/2 cup cocoa
2 cups sugar
4 eggs, slightly beaten
1 and 1/2 cups flour
pinch of salt
1/2 cup pecans, chopped
1 teaspoon vanilla
miniature marshmallows
Chocolate Frosting

Melt butter and cocoa together. Remove from heat, let cool ten minutes and stir in sugar and eggs, mixing well. Add flour, salt, nuts and vanilla; mix well. Spoon batter into a greased 13x9x2 inch pan and bake at 350 degrees for 35-45 minutes. Sprinkle marshmallows on top of the warm cake.
















Cover with Chocolate Frosting:

1 (16 ounce) box powdered sugar
1/2 cup milk
1/3 cup cocoa
4 tablespoons butter, softened

Combine all ingredients and mix until smooth, spoon over marshmallows and spread. Frosting will harden as it cools.

Happy Baking!
Julie

Week Two: Million Dollar Pound Cake

Welcome to 52 Weeks of Cakes!
For week 2 I decided to make a family favorite. Bethany heads back to college today and I wanted to make a cake that was easy to send along with her... Million Dollar Pound Cake.

I discovered this delicious and easy recipe in a Southern Living magazine early in our marriage and have been baking it ever since.
In the fall of 1996 a woman asked me to bake Gingerbread Men to sell at a holiday bazaar. I asked her if I could make pound cakes instead. She said, "Yes!" So I baked ten Million Dollar pound cakes and ten chocolate pound cakes. I was pleasantly surprised when they all sold and I had orders for many more before that Christmas.
I hope you will add this recipe to your recipe file and let me know if you bake it!

Million Dollar Pound Cake

1 pound butter (4 sticks, room temperature)
3 cups sugar
6 eggs
4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup milk
1 teaspoon almond extract
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
Cream butter in a large mixing bowl; gradually add sugar, beating well at medium speed of an electric mixer. Add eggs, one at a time, beating after each addition.
Add flour to creamed mixture alternately with milk, beginning and ending with flour. Mix just until blended after each addition. Stir in flavorings.
Pour batter into a greased and floured 10 inch bundt pan. Bake at 325 for one hour and ten minutes or until a wooden pick or wire cake tester inserted in cake comes out clean.
Cool cake in pan 10-15 minutes; remove cake from pan and let cool completely before covering.

Enjoy!
Happy Baking!
Julie

Week One: Oatmeal Cake

I was blessed to have a mom who loved to cook and baked delicious cakes! One of my favorite cakes she baked was an oatmeal cake. While perusing a cookbook we received as a wedding gift, The Cotton Country Collection, I came across an oatmeal cake that sounded very similar to the one she used to make for us. So, last Sunday I made it and served it during the college football festivities on Monday. The gang loved it and I know you will too! The icing is divine!!!

Oatmeal Cake

1 and 1/2 cups boiling water
1 cup quick cooking oatmeal
1 and 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup white sugar
2 eggs
1/2 cup vegetable oil (I used Canola)
1/2 chopped pecans

Pour boiling water over oatmeal and let stand while preparing the following: Sift together flour, cinnamon, baking soda and salt; add these dry ingredients to sugars eggs and oil; then add oatmeal. Mix well. Stir in chopped pecans. Pour into a greased 13x9 inch pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 to 40 minutes.

Topping (Divine Icing):
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup evaporated milk
1 stick butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup chopped pecans
2 cups shredded coconut

Dissolve the sugar in the milk. Add butter and cook. Stir almost constantly until mixture boils and becomes thick. Remove from heat and add vanilla, nuts and coconut. Pour over hot cake.

Happy Baking!!!
Julie

52 Weeks of Cakes

As I was waking up the morning of January 2nd I had the wonderful idea of starting a blog featuring a new cake each week of 2012. I had baked an oatmeal cake on January 1st so I already had my first cake baked and ready to serve during the college football games that afternoon.

The first name, for my blog, that came to mind was 52 Cakes; but it was already taken. I thought of many more, but each one had already been claimed. I called my friend Amy as she is very creative and I knew she would help me. Sure enough! She came up with 52 Weeks of Cakes. So here we are! I hope you will stop by regularly as I will baking a cake each week and will share the recipes with you!

Happy Baking!!!
Julie