cake Archives | Mama Harris' Kitchen

Mini Whipping Cream Pound Cakes with Butter Rum Glaze

December 19, 2016 by MamaHarris Leave a Comment

Special thanks to Clover Stornetta Farms for sponsoring this holiday themed recipe for Mini Whipping Cream Pound Cakes with Butter Rum Glaze. #CloverCooks

Christmas is just around the corner and I’m doing what I do best this time of year, baking up a storm! This time of year is synonymous to me for goodies of all kinds and I love the scent of fresh baked goods wafting through my home. ‘Tis the season! It’s sort of our family tradition to have fresh baked goods on hand for those unexpected guests, as well as gifting to those special people in our lives.

Next to fresh baked cookies, pound cakes are my favorite things to bake and mini pound cakes are ideal for gifting or serving to a crowd. Whipping cream pound cake is an old fashioned recipe that is based on a classic pound cake using whipping cream in the mix. There are other variants that use sour cream, yogurt, or other ingredients that change the texture and density of the cake. I love this particular variation because the taste of the cake is a bit richer, and it uses cake flour for a more delicate crumb. I added a bit of orange zest for a slight zing in flavor and created a butter rum glaze for a bit of festive holiday flair.

This recipe was created using both organic unsalted butter and organic heavy whipping from Clover Stornetta Farms. I always try to use fresh and local ingredients whenever possible, so Clover products are household staples in our home since they are located right here in Northern California. It was a special treat to find their Limited Edition 100th Anniversary Organic Eggnog, which paired perfectly with that butter rum glaze on these adorable little cakes. If you haven’t tried Clover’s Organic Eggnog I would recommend giving it a go, it’s one of the best eggnog’s I’ve ever tasted. It’s not as thick as other brands and has great flavor that’s neither bland or overpowering.

The pairing of Mini Whipping Cream Pound Cakes with Butter Rum Glaze and Clover Organic Farms Limited Edition 100th Anniversary Eggnog is perfect for your next holiday celebration!

Speaking of recipes that are a part of family tradition, you can even contribute your own favorite recipes to the Community Cookbook by sharing your pictures and recipes with the hashtag #CloverCooks on social media. You’ll also be entered to win Clover products and fun prizes (see more details at the end of this post)!

(Scroll down for recipe measurements and print options)

We’re going to start by creaming the butter and sugar together.

Then adding the eggs and extracts.

Next, we alternate adding the flour and whipping cream, then fold in the zest.

Spray the pan with a quality baking spray, then add the mixture evenly to each cavity in the pan.

We’ll be baking these babies for 20-23 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean when it’s inserted into the center of the cakes.

Let the cakes cool in the pan for a few minutes before flipping them over and cooling completely on racks.

As the cakes cool, it’s time to prepare the glaze. Melt the butter and add the rum while cooking in a small saucepan over low heat. After a few minutes, remove from heat and allow to cool. Slowly mix in the powdered sugar, milk and water, mixing until smooth.

Drizzle the glaze over the cakes ones they’re cool and top with a few sugared berries.

These are best served with delicious egg nog. Enjoy!

Mini Whipping Cream Pound Cakes with Butter Rum Glaze

Save Print

Bring some family traditions to the table this holiday season with these mini whipping cream pound cakes with a butter rum glaze!

Author: Mama Harris' Kitchen

Recipe type: Dessert

Ingredients

Ingredients for Mini Whipping Cream Pound Cakes:

1 stick (1/2 cup) Clover Organic Farms Unsalted Butter, room temperature
1½ cup granulated sugar
3 large eggs, room temperature
1½ cup cake flour
½ cup Clover Organic Farms Heavy Whipping Cream, room temperature
½ tablespoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon almond extract
zest of one small orange

Ingredients for Butter Rum Glaze:

3 tablespoons Clover Organic Farms Unsalted Butter
1½ tablespoon rum
1¼ cup powdered sugar
2 tablespoons milk
1 tablespoon water

Instructions

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
Add the butter to a mixing bowl and beat with a mixer on low until smooth and creamy. Add the sugar and continue to beat together.
Slowly add the eggs, continuing to beat the mixture after adding each egg.
Add the extracts.
Add the flour and whipping cream, alternating a bit at a time of each. Continue to mix on low, just until blended.
Fold in the zest.
Prepare the mini bundt pan by spraying with a quality baking spray.
Add the cake mixture evenly into each cavity of the pan. Allow to bake for about 20-23 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted into the cake.
Allow pan to cool for a few minutes, then flip the pan over on top of cooling racks to let the cakes cool.
While the cakes are cooling, prepare the glaze by melting the butter and adding the rum while cooking over low. Let them cook together for a few minutes, then remove from heat and allow to cool. Add the powdered sugar, the milk and water and mix until smooth.
Gently spoon the glaze over the cooled cakes once the glaze has reached room temperature. Spoon around the tallest part of the cakes in a circular motion, allowing the glaze to drizzle down the cake.
Top with sugared berries, if desired.
Serve with egg nog and enjoy!

What are some of your favorite ways to celebrate this holiday season?

For more recipe inspiration, check out more family traditions here. You can follow along with Clover on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter and tag them in your own #clovercooks creations.

Caramel Apple Cake Mix Waffles

October 14, 2016 by MamaHarris 9 Comments

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #BakeFallFavorites #CollectiveBias

We’re officially in the middle of Fall now, and it’s my favorite time of year. Sure, California weather isn’t always reflective of the seasons, but the scents and flavors of the season are all around. Fall is also when my kitchen heats up with baked goods, I love to come up with new recipes that are fun and tasty that my family can enjoy this time of year. Because of that, I was so excited to see new Fall flavors of Pillsbury™ baking mixes hit shelves for a limited time (from 9/4 through 11/5). With flavors like Halloween, Perfectly Pumpkin or Caramel Apple Cake Mix you’re sure to bake up plenty of fun seasonal goodies in a snap. I have a hankering for waffles and they’re perfect for brunch or even dessert, so I decided to try my hand at some cake mix waffles using the seasonal flavors. In fact, I also used the Cartwheel app for Target get an additional 10% off of all the Limited Edition Fall Flavor Baking Mixes and you can too, as long as it’s between 9/25 through 10/22. So go on and grab your mixes and come back for this super easy recipe!

Not only did I decide to make cake mix waffles, I also wanted to make an easy syrup for the waffles with the frosting. You just take a bit and heat it up, add a little milk to it and drizzle over your waffles for a mouth-watering treat. Add some fresh apples (since I made the caramel apple flavor), some fresh whipped cream and a dusting of cinnamon sugar and you’re set! You could also supplement the whipped cream for some creamy vanilla ice cream to really make this more of a dessert waffle.

The texture of cake mix waffles is a tad bit different than traditional waffles. It’s a bit lighter and spongier, like a cake. It’s not as dense and the edges don’t get as crispy, but if you use a cooking spray it does help to create the crispier edges we all love. I really liked the texture, especially if we’re making these more of a dessert waffle. And the taste is delicious with that touch of caramel apple flavor, without being too overwhelming. Perfection.

For a true feast for the eyes and the palate, add pretty Fall themed touches to your tableware. I tied up a pretty napkin with sparkly twine and added a glittery gold leaf, this would make a great dessert for a Fall themed dinner party or a fun Fall brunch with friends!

Ingredients for Caramel Apple Cake Mix Waffles:

1 box Pillsbury™ Moist Supreme® Caramel Apple Flavored Premium Cake Mix
1 cup water
1/3 cup vegetable oil
3 large eggs
cooking spray
1/2 cup Pillsbury™ Creamy Supreme® Caramel Apple Flavored Frosting
1 tablespoon milk
apple slices
whipped cream
cinnamon sugar

Directions:

Begin by combining the cake mix, water, oil and eggs in a mixing bowl.

Whisk until smooth, the batter will be thick. Let the batter settle for a few minutes while the waffle iron warms up.

If you can adjust the heat on your waffle iron, set it to a medium/high heat. You don’t want it on the highest setting, but a bit above medium. Spray with a non-stick cooking spray and fill with batter based on the instructions that come with your waffle iron model. Mine used about 3/4 cup of batter.

Heat in the waffle iron until golden. They will be a bit softer than traditional waffles, but the spray will help get a little extra crisp on the edges.

Heat half a cup of frosting in the microwave, ten seconds at a time for a total of about 30 seconds. Stir between each break..

Once the frosting is smooth and melted, stir in the milk to thin it out a bit to create a syrup for the pancakes.

Pour the syrup on each waffle.

Top with apple slices, whipped cream, and cinnamon sugar.

Enjoy!

Caramel Apple Cake Mix Waffles

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 15 minutes

Caramel Apple Cake Mix Waffles

Fall flavors combine with boxed mix for these caramel apple cake mix waffles with cake frosting syrup, the perfect treat for brunch or dessert!

Ingredients

1 box Pillsbury™ Moist Supreme® Caramel Apple Flavored Premium Cake Mix
1 cup water
1/3 cup vegetable oil
3 large eggs
cooking spray
1/2 cup Pillsbury™ Creamy Supreme® Caramel Apple Flavored Frosting
1 tablespoon milk
apple slices
whipped cream
cinnamon sugar

Instructions

Begin by combining the cake mix, water, oil and eggs in a mixing bowl.
Whisk until smooth, the batter will be thick. Let the batter settle for a few minutes while the waffle iron warms up.
If you can adjust the heat on your waffle iron, set it to a medium/high heat. You don't want it on the highest setting, but a bit above medium. Spray with a non-stick cooking spray and fill with batter based on the instructions that come with your waffle iron model. Mine used about 3/4 cup of batter.
Heat in the waffle iron until golden. They will be a bit softer than traditional waffles, but the spray will help get a little extra crisp on the edges.
Heat half a cup of frosting in the microwave, ten seconds at a time for a total of about 30 seconds. Stir between each break..
Once the frosting is smooth and melted, stir in the milk to thin it out a bit to create a syrup for the pancakes.
Pour the syrup on each waffle.
Top with apple slices, whipped cream, and cinnamon sugar.
Enjoy!

https://mamaharriskitchen.com/2016/10/caramel-apple-cake-mix-waffles/

What do you love to bake with Pillsbury?

There will be a second offer for Cartwheel users between the dates of 10/27 – 10/30, so be sure to get your hands on these flavors! You can find the Limited Edition Fall Flavors on display near the food section at Target on a special end cap. For more fun Fall baking ideas with Pillsbury, you can follow along on Facebook.

Raspberry Chocolate Mousse Cake

May 16, 2016 by MamaHarris 6 Comments

May is a really hectic month around here. I feel like I say that every year, but it’s so true.

The month begins with a bang, it’s my husband’s birthday, my birthday, Mother’s Day, the kids have finals, there’s graduations and end of year festivities and summer is just around the corner. It’s also the month that we get tired of boring birthday cakes. By the time my birthday rolls around, our family has already celebrated 6 birthdays. Not even counting our parents, our friends or anyone else, that’s just my husband, myself and our kids. Add Valentine’s Day and Easter and we are completely done with cake and sweets.

However, I try to keep it interesting by creating new ways to enjoy these special days. Whether it’s cupcakes or cheesecake instead of birthday cake, or even just ice cream, our family really makes an effort to make every birthday special. For my birthday our oldest son took us out to brunch, then Mr. Harris bought dinner from my favorite Italian restaurant and brought it home. No dirty pots and pans, delicious food, happy family. It was so lovely.

While I didn’t make my own birthday cake on my birthday, this is a cake I’ve been wanting to make for a while now. A simple yellow cake with raspberry compote and chocolate mousse between each layer. Topped with crispy sugared raspberries and chocolate curls and shavings, it’s an impressive cake that sounds harder to put together than it really is. That’s what makes it so impressive!

I’m not much of a cake decorator, in fact I’ve been saying for quite some time that I’ll take some cake decorating classes, but I love the look of a naked cake. That is where it’s just frosting or icing between each layer, but the actual cake looks exposed. It’s easy, it’s rustic looking and no matter what it’s a pretty presentation. You can clean up the edges for a more professional appearance or keep the little fruity drips in there depending on what you like.

No pressure! That’s why I love this sort of cake, it’s perfectly imperfect. Happy celebrating!

Birthday Cake Ingredients:

2 1/4 cups cake flour
3 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
3 sticks (1 1/2 cups) unsalted butter
2 1/4 cup granulated white sugar
3 whole eggs
6 egg yolks (reserve the egg whites for the sugared raspberries)
1 1/2 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cup buttermilk

Chocolate Mousse Ingredients:

1/2 cup hot water
4 tablespoons cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon instant espresso
1 1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
2 cups heavy cream
2 tablespoons fine sugar

Raspberry Compote Ingredients:

1 1/2 cup raspberries
1/2 cup granulated white sugar
2 tablespoons water
1 cup fresh raspberries

Sugared Raspberries

1 cup raspberries
egg whites (reserved from cake)
fine sugar

Chocolate Shavings & Curls

Semi-Sweet Baker’s Chocolate

Directions:

Begin by preheating the oven to 350 degrees. Sift the flour with the baking powder and salt three full times, then set aside.

Add the butter and sugar to a large mixing bowl and cream with a mixer for 6-8 minutes.

Add each egg, then yolks one at a time while the mixer is still on low. Add vanilla.

Slowly mix in the dry batter, then add the buttermilk.

Grease and flour three 9 inch round cake pans, then split the batter up between the three pans.

Bake in the preheated oven for 22-25 minutes.

Brush firm raspberries with egg whites, then dust them with fine sugar. Let set for a few hours in refrigerator before adding to cake.

Using a vegetable peeler on the side or back of a block of baker’s chocolate, create chocolate shavings and curls. Carefully place the chocolate pieces on wax paper and refrigerate until ready to use.

While the cakes are baking, begin making the chocolate mousse by dissolving the cocoa powder and instant espresso in the hot water.

Using a double boiler, or a microwave safe bowl and a microwave, melt the chocolate chips carefully, stirring every so often just until smooth.

Combine the hot water mixture with the chocolate mixture and stir well until combined completely.

In a mixing bowl, combine the cream and sugar and whip on high until stiff peaks form.

Add the cream mixture to the chocolate mixture and fold together. Refrigerate until ready to use.

For the raspberry compote, combine 1 1/2 cups raspberries, 1/2 cup sugar, and 2 tablespoons of water over medium heat. Stir every so often, removing from heat once mixture thickens and can coat the back of a spoon or spatula.

Blend well, then run through a sieve to remove any seeds.

Combine the blended mixture with 1 cup halved raspberries, and set aside until ready to use.

Once the cake is done, remove from pans and let cool completely on racks.

Score the top of the cakes with a sharp knife to get them level, if needed.

Spread half of the raspberry compote on top of the first cake, then top with 1/3 of the chocolate mousse.

Add the second cake, then top with the rest of the raspberry compote, then another 1/3 of the chocolate mousse.

Spread the last 1/3 of the chocolate mousse on top of the third layer.

Add the raspberries and chocolate curls and shavings to the top of the cake, I like this cascade of raspberries on one side with the shavings on the other. Decorate in a pattern you enjoy, get creative!

Add some festive birthday flair and get ready to celebrate!

Enjoy!

Raspberry Chocolate Mousse Cake

Raspberry Chocolate Mousse Cake: Classic yellow cake topped with a simple raspberry compote, chocolate mousse, sugared raspberries and chocolate shavings.

Ingredients

For the Birthday Cake:

2 1/4 cups cake flour
3 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
3 sticks (1 1/2 cups) unsalted butter
2 1/4 cup granulated white sugar
3 whole eggs
6 egg yolks (reserve the egg whites for the sugared raspberries)
1 1/2 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cup buttermilk

For the Chocolate Mousse:

1/2 cup hot water
4 tablespoons cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon instant espresso
1 1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
2 cups heavy cream
2 tablespoons fine sugar

For the Raspberry Compote:

1 1/2 cup raspberries
1/2 cup granulated white sugar
2 tablespoons water
1 cup fresh raspberries

For the Sugared Raspberries

1 cup raspberries
egg whites (reserved from cake)
fine sugar

For the Chocolate Shavings & Curls:

Semi-Sweet Baker's Chocolate

Instructions

Begin by preheating the oven to 350 degrees. Sift the flour with the baking powder and salt three full times, then set aside.
Add the butter and sugar to a large mixing bowl and cream with a mixer for 6-8 minutes.
Add each egg, then yolks one at a time while the mixer is still on low. Add vanilla.
Slowly mix in the dry batter, then add the buttermilk.
Grease and flour three 9 inch round cake pans, then split the batter up between the three pans.
Bake in the preheated oven for 22-25 minutes.
Brush firm raspberries with egg whites, then dust them with fine sugar. Let set for a few hours in refrigerator before adding to cake.
Using a vegetable peeler on the side or back of a block of baker's chocolate, create chocolate shavings and curls. Carefully place the chocolate pieces on wax paper and refrigerate until ready to use.
While the cakes are baking, begin making the chocolate mousse by dissolving the cocoa powder and instant espresso in the hot water.
Using a double boiler, or a microwave safe bowl and a microwave, melt the chocolate chips carefully, stirring every so often just until smooth.
Combine the hot water mixture with the chocolate mixture and stir well until combined completely.
In a mixing bowl, combine the cream and sugar and whip on high until stiff peaks form.
Add the cream mixture to the chocolate mixture and fold together. Refrigerate until ready to use.
For the raspberry compote, combine 1 1/2 cups raspberries, 1/2 cup sugar, and 2 tablespoons of water over medium heat. Stir every so often, removing from heat once mixture thickens and can coat the back of a spoon or spatula.
Blend well, then run through a sieve to remove any seeds.
Combine the blended mixture with 1 cup halved raspberries, and set aside until ready to use.
Once the cake is done, remove from pans and let cool completely on racks.
Score the top of the cakes with a sharp knife to get them level, if needed.
Spread half of the raspberry compote on top of the first cake, then top with 1/3 of the chocolate mousse.
Add the second cake, then top with the rest of the raspberry compote, then another 1/3 of the chocolate mousse.
Spread the last 1/3 of the chocolate mousse on top of the third layer.
Add the raspberries and chocolate curls and shavings to the top of the cake, I like this cascade of raspberries on one side with the shavings on the other. Decorate in a pattern you enjoy, get creative!
Add some festive birthday flair and get ready to celebrate!
Enjoy!

https://mamaharriskitchen.com/2016/05/raspberry-chocolate-mousse-cake/

Do you have a favorite way to celebrate special birthdays?

For our birthday month, my friend Mandi from Chewsy Lovers and I are celebrating all month long with fun recipes and celebration ideas. Follow along with our hashtag #SprinklesandMAYhem and be sure to tag us in anything you recreate!

Strawberries and Cream Angel Food Cake with Toasted Coconut

May 28, 2015 by MamaHarris 8 Comments

Disclosure: This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Driscoll’s.
As always, all opinions are mine alone.

Did you know that May is National Strawberry Month?

I’m sure you probably didn’t, but that’s why you have me here. To remember all these crazy food holidays and make yummy items in celebration of them. Sounds good, right?

Well, today’s recipe does not disappoint. Strawberries always remind me of the simplicity of childhood. Every child (it seems) loves strawberries, I know I did. One of my fondest memories is visiting my aunt in the summertime when strawberries were HUGE, plump, and perfectly hued in that color that only strawberries are.. and my aunt would sit me down at her kitchen table with a bowl of strawberries and some sugar to dip them in. My eyes would roll back and I’d be in heaven for at least 30 minutes while I enjoyed my special treat.

Through the years many of my favorite recipes have always includes these beautiful berries, like cheesecake topped with fresh strawberries, lemonade freckled with this pretty fruit, these big beautiful berries dipped in chocolate or even a big beautiful strawberry margarita.

Today, however, I decided to celebrate a little differently. Remember those angel food cakes you can find during this season in the fruit aisle. You typically cut them up and add them to a dish with some fresh strawberries and whipped cream? It’s a delicious treat, but sometimes there’s nothing like homemade. So I decided to make my own angel food cake and fresh whipped cream for my own special strawberries and cream angel food cake and get a little fancy with some sprinkled toasted coconut.

Of course, it was heavenly.

I love how it’s not perfect. I’m not a cake decorator, but I love to bake. This is perfect, because you literally cut the cake in half, plop some cream and berries on top, then add more berries and cream to the top half too. It’s deconstructed and sort of “rustic”, which I love because it’s gorgeous, easy and so delicious. It makes quite a pretty presentation and my family couldn’t wait to dig in!

Make this for your next pool party, barbecue or summertime soiree and your guests will be begging for the first piece … and the recipe!

Angel Food Cake Ingredients:

1.25 cup sifted cake flour
1.75 cup granulated white sugar
12 egg whites
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cream of tartar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Whipped Cream Ingredients:

2 cups heavy whipping cream
6 tablespoons powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Strawberries & Cream Angel Food Cake with Toasted Coconut Ingredients:

prepared Angel Food Cake
prepared whipped cream
16 oz strawberries, rinsed and hulled, then sliced – leave a few untouched as garnish or extra
1-2 tablespoons toasted coconut

Directions:

Begin by preheating oven to 325 degrees.
Measure cake flour in a mixing bowl, and 3/4 cup of sugar. Sift together three times, then set aside. Carefully break apart eggs one at a time over a small dish, separating yolks from whites, then place each egg white in a larger bowl. This will help prevent any yolks or shells getting in the whites. Add egg whites to mixing bowl, and mix on medium/high with measured salt. Once egg whites are frothy like the picture shown, begin to slowly add the cream of tartar.

Continue to mix the whites with cream of tartar on high until mixture thickens and soft peaks form. Slowly add the remaining one cup of sugar 1/4 cup at a time while continuously mixing. Once soft peaks are evident and all sugar is mixed in remove from mixer.
Slowly fold in the vanilla extract with a spatula.

Fold in a little bit of the flour mixture at a time with a spatula. Be sure to use an over and under motion, and pay close attention that flour mixture is folded in well. Once the last bit of flour has been added, fold a few extra times after the flour has disappeared.

Pour into an ungreased tube pan, cutting through a bit with the spatula and bake on the lower rack in preheated over for about 55-60 minutes.

Once top of cake is golden and a toothpick comes out clean, remove from oven.

Slide a long cake spatula around the sides of the cake, being careful not to cut it or scratch your pan. This will help loosen it from the pan. Immediately turn cake upside down on the “legs” of the pan over a plate or cake round. Let it loosen naturally and come out.

While the cake is cooling, prepare the whipped cream. Add all ingredients to a mixing bowl and beat on medium/high until stiff peaks form. Set bowl aside or refrigerate until ready.
Once cake has cooled sufficiently, take a serrated knife and cut cake in half straight across. Place top of cake on a plate nearby.

Spread half the whipped cream on top of lower half of the cut cake, then carefully arrange about half of the strawberries on top.

Place the top half of cake back on top of the cream and berries.

Now take the other half of the whipped cream and spread it on the top half of the cake, sprinkling the toasted coconut on top and more of the sliced berries in a cute pattern.

Add some large berries in the center of the cake as garnish, or as extra berries that can be grabbed and served with each slice.

Cut with a serrated knife.

This would be great served with more berries, some yogurt or even ice cream.

Enjoy!

Even your littlest guests are sure to enjoy themselves!

Strawberries and Cream Angel Food Cake with Toasted Coconut

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 60 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour, 20 minutes

Yield: 12 serving

Serving Size: 1 slice

Strawberries and Cream Angel Food Cake with Toasted Coconut

Need an easy dessert that makes a big impression? Try this strawberries and cream angel food cake with toasted coconut, it's perfect for every occasion!

Ingredients

Angel Food Cake Ingredients:

1.25 cup sifted cake flour
1.75 cup granulated white sugar
12 egg whites
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cream of tartar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Whipped Cream Ingredients:

2 cups heavy whipping cream
6 tablespoons powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions

Begin by preheating oven to 325 degrees.
Measure cake flour in a mixing bowl, and 3/4 cup of sugar. Sift together three times, then set aside.
Carefully break apart eggs one at a time over a small dish, separating yolks from whites, then place each egg white in a larger bowl. This will help prevent any yolks or shells getting in the whites.
Add egg whites to mixing bowl, and mix on medium/high with measured salt.
Once egg whites are frothy like the picture shown, begin to slowly add the cream of tartar.
Continue to mix the whites with cream of tartar on high until mixture thickens and soft peaks form. Slowly add the remaining one cup of sugar 1/4 cup at a time while continuously mixing. Once soft peaks are evident and all sugar is mixed in remove from mixer.
Slowly fold in the vanilla extract with a spatula.
Fold in a little bit of the flour mixture at a time with a spatula. Be sure to use an over and under motion, and pay close attention that flour mixture is folded in well. Once the last bit of flour has been added, fold a few extra times after the flour has disappeared.
Pour into an ungreased tube pan, cutting through a bit with the spatula and bake on the lower rack in preheated over for about 55-60 minutes.
Once top of cake is golden and a toothpick comes out clean, remove from oven.
Slide a long cake spatula around the sides of the cake, being careful not to cut it or scratch your pan. This will help loosen it from the pan. Immediately turn cake upside down on the "legs" of the pan over a plate or cake round. Let it loosen naturally and come out.
While the cake is cooling, prepare the whipped cream. Add all ingredients to a mixing bowl and beat on medium/high until stiff peaks form. Set bowl aside or refrigerate until ready.
Once cake has cooled sufficiently, take a serrated knife and cut cake in half straight across. Place top of cake on a plate nearby.
Spread half the whipped cream on top of lower half of the cut cake, then carefully arrange about half of the strawberries on top.
Place the top half of cake back on top of the cream and berries.
Now take the other half of the whipped cream and spread it on the top half of the cake, sprinkling the toasted coconut on top and more of the sliced berries in a cute pattern.
Add some large berries in the center of the cake as garnish, or as extra berries that can be grabbed and served with each slice.
Cut with a serrated knife.
This would be great served with more berries, some yogurt or even ice cream.
Enjoy!

https://mamaharriskitchen.com/2015/05/strawberries-and-cream-angel-food-cake-with-toasted-coconut/

What are some of your favorite summertime desserts?

Check out more recipe ideas at Driscoll’s or follow along on twitter, facebook, pinterest, instagram and youtube for some more great ideas!

A Cake Decorating Girls Brunch!

December 22, 2014 by MamaHarris 3 Comments

Disclosure: I participated in an Influencer Activation on behalf of Influence Central for Cake Boss. I received product samples and a promotional item to thank me for participating. As always, all opinions are mine alone.

This time of year is a big one for baking, as evidenced by the amount of sweet treats on Pinterest whenever I visit. It seems everyone is looking for the perfect dessert in preparation for Christmas. I have a secret to admit though, that you may already know.

I’m terrible at decorating cakes. *insert sad face here*

I love to bake, it’s actually my favorite part of being a creator in the kitchen. I even come up with some pretty delicious cake and cupcake recipes. The problem? I can never do them justice. I’m naturally a bit of a shaky hand person, and all that fancy icing and fondants scare me. I’ve watched Cake Boss for years and though I’m often impressed and even intrigued with what Buddy Valastro and his crew do, I never thought I could come close to those amazing creations.

When I learned that Michael’s had a full selection of Cake Boss bakeware as well as cake mixes, icing, and even fondant, I was inspired. Not only are there mixes, there’s also plenty of tools and fun stuff to play with. I received a TON of Cake Boss goodies that were perfect to set up a little cake decorating party with a few friends, and I thought it’d be fun to make it a brunch, with easy finger foods, coffee, tea, and mimosas. I invited a few of my blogger friends that live close by, as well as my mother in law and my daughter was there to play too. Mr. Harris took the little guys to the bounce house at the mall to give us a few hours of girl time and we had so much fun!

When I received the packages, I was so overwhelmed and this isn’t even the full line of Cake Boss products!! There was everything from cake pans (which I desperately needed), these adorable flower cakelette pans, a cake carrier and a cake decorating turntable. As if those items alone weren’t super generous, I also received a decorating tip set complete with icing bags, a fondant smoother and fondant cutter, an icing spatula and a “spoonula”, along with tons of icing, fondant and fun tools to use with the fondant like a letter impression set, a fondant ribbon cutter and an acrylic fondant rolling pin with an adorable flower and dot pattern. I also received the 4-piece Cake Boss mug set, dessert bowl set with matching dessert plate set and two sets of the 4-piece prep bowl set. There was also tons of sprinkles (yay!) and last but not least there were boxes of Cake Boss Divine White Cake Mix which includes Buddy’s “secret” for velvety moist cake -a pouch of custard crème!

I made the cakes the night before my brunch so they’d be all ready to decorate when everyone arrived. I tried the cakelette pan as well as the 9 inch cake pans, and both cooked the cake evenly and they were so easy to plop the cake right out and cleaned right up with no staining or residue. I know some of you bakers understand that, you know those pans that just stain no matter what… well not these!

I also used the dessert plates and mugs for everyone’s place settings and the bowls were used for the food as well as little things like holding sprinkles or melting icing. The dessert bowls are ceramic, but the smaller prep bowls are plastic and have a rubber grip on the bottom so they don’t slip while you’re cooking or baking. I loved that! I placed the food at a smaller table near our big “work” table where we started with decorating the little cakes and worked our way up to the big cakes.

We really had a lot of fun, and my friend Kesha at Home Life With Mrs. B was the pro of the group. She had taken some cake decorating classes and she showed us all about the tips and how to use them, as well as tips for the unsteady hand – I desperately needed those! Stephanie at Spanglish Spoon was brave and tried the fondant, and she had fun using the fondant ribbon cutter and the fondant smoother and the fondant cutter to make her creation. Her and my daughter RiRi worked together to make the cute little dots and it turned out really cute! My mother in law and I lightly decorated but I was having fun chatting away, watching them work, and of course taking photos of everything.

I gave away generous gift bags packed with items my guests could enjoy and try out even more at home, and I also have a lot of items left over that I can’t wait to play with even more. This was such a fun experience and I’d definitely recommend a fun cake party as a way to get together with your friends or even for kids. Once the boys came home they wanted to decorate some cakes too, so of course we let them. So fun!

Here’s a ton of photos, we really did have a blast and I’m already thinking of ways that we can do this again!

A Cake Decorating Girl's Brunch! #CakeBossParty #CakinWithMama #IC #sponsored - Mama Harris' Kitchen

My mother in law beginning her cake decorating.

Red Moscato Mimosas were a hit!

Frostings and fondants! These dollar store baskets stacked with cake decorating items placed in the center of the table really set the tone for the day.

Stephanie icing the cake on the decorating turntable.

Cutting the fondant stripes.

Fun polka dots!

RiRi’s decorated little cakelette.

Stephanie’s cute mini cake.

Love the multi-colored icing swirls on all of the dishes!

A shot of the ladies!
L-R: RiRi, My mother in Law, Me, Stephanie, and Kesha!

Once everyone left D-Man decorated his own cake. Can’t have too many sprinkles, ever!

Have you decorated with fondant? What’s your favorite item that I shared from this line?

Strawberry Soda Mini-Cakes

September 23, 2014 by MamaHarris 3 Comments

I can admit that I’m a little confusing. I mean, for the past month I’ve been sharing all of these Fall recipes to prepare for the cooler months, and then now on the first day of Fall I share this very summery recipe. Hear me out though!

I just realized I had this post sitting in my drafts since July, which was back when I had made it. I have this notebook that I scribble recipes in when I’m testing them out because in actuality I’m like all those other cooks who will just throw a little bit of this and a little bit of that in a recipe with no measurements. I learned the hard way how difficult it is to replicate those recipes with no notes, so keeping a pen and pad in the kitchen forces me to do just that in case the recipe is magic and needs to be shared. However, my little ones love to draw and scribble too and sometimes they steal those notepads. I couldn’t find it for a few months, and the other night I finally did! I came on here to put in the recipe and discovered I had already saved all the ingredients and measurements months ago! I was ahead of myself and I didn’t even know, too funny right? Has that ever happened to you?

Summer is prime time for strawberries, and back in July I had a lot. Since I’m also in California, they’re everywhere and super cheap that time of year. For years I’d been wanting to make a cake with strawberry soda, much like my super popular 7-Up Cake (you should go check out that recipe for the comments alone, seriously they always make me cry. Best comments ever!) I love making cakes in my bundt pan, and I found this adorable pan for mini-bundts. So I created my own strawberry soda cake recipe specifically for the mini-bundt pan. If you don’t have a mini pan, you could just double the recipe and prepare it in a regular sized bundt pan.

I based this recipe on my 7-Up cake and also borrowed the idea for strawberry gelatin powder as an addition from a strawberry cupcake recipe I made a few years ago from Land O’ Lakes. I love the pretty pink color it adds while still keeping the texture light. Of course this recipe also includes tiny chunks of strawberries in addition to pureed strawberry, both in the cake and in the glaze. It’s delicious and super cute in the mini form.

Strawberry Soda Mini-Cakes Ingredients:

1.5 sticks butter, room temp
1.5 cups white granulated sugar
3 large eggs
1.5 cups all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup sliced strawberries, pureed
1/4 cup chopped strawberries
1/2 tablespoon strawberry gelatin powder
1/4 cup PLUS 2 tablespoons strawberry soda

Strawberry Soda Cake Glaze Ingredients:

2/3 cup powdered sugar
1 tablespoon milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon strawberry puree
1 tablespoon chopped strawberries

Directions:

Begin by preheating your oven to 325 degrees.

Rinse your strawberries and remove the stems, then place them in a food processor.I basically added a bunch of strawberries and blended on pulse to get the chopped strawberries. Measured out how much I needed for the chopped strawberries for both the cake and the glaze, then pureed the rest and measured that out for the pureed strawberries for the cake and glaze. You might find a better method, but this worked perfectly for me.

Once you have your chopped strawberries measured and your pureed strawberries measured, set them aside for now.

In a mixing bowl add the butter and sugar. Cream on low for about 8 minutes then begin to add the eggs one at a time while still mixing on low.

Once thick and smooth, begin to add the flour a little bit at a time.

Add the vanilla, the chopped and pureed strawberries all one at a time. Finish it off with the strawberry gelatin powder.

Continue to mix on medium-low until everything is just combined and it’s a lovely pink color.

Finally, add the strawberry soda.

Spray your pan well with a good non-stick spray that includes flour. This will help make sure there is no sticking, it’s a common problem in bundt cakes and I address it in my 7-Up cake recipe post.

Gently spoon in your mixture, making sure it’s evenly distributed. This mixture will make exactly 6 mini-bundts.

Pop it in the oven and set the timer for 35 minutes. Check every ten minutes after that, until done. For me it was about 45-50 minutes, but it varies depending on your oven.

While the cakes are baking, or while they’re cooling combine all the glaze ingredients and stir it up until it’s fairly smooth.

Remove the bundts from the pan and place on a sheet lined in parchment or wax paper.

Gently drizzle the glaze over each mini-cake.

These would also look adorable with the centers filled with strawberries like my Berry Overload Bundt Cake.

Once they cool the glaze will harden just a bit and not be as sticky. These are so cute and would be adorable served for brunch or with tea or coffee.

Enjoy!

Strawberry Soda Mini-Cakes

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 50 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour, 5 minutes

Strawberry Soda Mini-Cakes

These strawberry soda mini-cakes are based on my popular 7-up cake, with real strawberries in the cake and glaze. Double recipe for a traditional size cake.

Ingredients

For the Strawberry Soda Mini-Cakes:

1.5 sticks butter, room temp
1.5 cups white granulated sugar
3 large eggs
1.5 cups all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup sliced strawberries, pureed
1/4 cup chopped strawberries
1/2 tablespoon strawberry gelatin powder
1/4 cup PLUS 2 tablespoons strawberry soda

For the Glaze:

2/3 cup powdered sugar
1 tablespoon milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon strawberry puree
1 tablespoon chopped strawberries

Instructions

Begin by preheating your oven to 325 degrees.
Rinse your strawberries and remove the stems, then place them in a food processor.I basically added a bunch of strawberries and blended on pulse to get the chopped strawberries. Measured out how much I needed for the chopped strawberries for both the cake and the glaze, then pureed the rest and measured that out for the pureed strawberries for the cake and glaze. You might find a better method, but this worked perfectly for me.
Once you have your chopped strawberries measured and your pureed strawberries measured, set them aside for now.
In a mixing bowl add the butter and sugar. Cream on low for about 8 minutes then begin to add the eggs one at a time while still mixing on low.
Once thick and smooth, begin to add the flour a little bit at a time.
Add the vanilla, the chopped and pureed strawberries all one at a time. Finish it off with the strawberry gelatin powder.
Continue to mix on medium-low until everything is just combined and it's a lovely pink color.
Finally, add the strawberry soda.
Spray your pan well with a good non-stick spray that includes flour. This will help make sure there is no sticking, it's a common problem in bundt cakes and I address it in my 7-Up cake recipe post.
Gently spoon in your mixture, making sure it's evenly distributed. This mixture will make exactly 6 mini-bundts.
Pop it in the oven and set the timer for 35 minutes. Check every ten minutes after that, until done. For me it was about 45-50 minutes, but it varies depending on your oven.
While the cakes are baking, or while they're cooling combine all the glaze ingredients and stir it up until it's fairly smooth.
Remove the bundts from the pan and place on a sheet lined in parchment or wax paper.
Gently drizzle the glaze over each mini-cake.
These would also look adorable with the centers filled with strawberries like my Berry Overload Bundt Cake.
Once they cool the glaze will harden just a bit and not be as sticky. These are so cute and would be adorable served for brunch or with tea or coffee.
Enjoy!

Notes

Adapted from my 7-Up cake recipe and Land O' Lakes Strawberry Cupcakes recipe.

https://mamaharriskitchen.com/2014/09/strawberry-soda-mini-cakes/

What are some of your favorite types of bundt cakes?

Baked Spice Cake Doughnuts made with Olive Oil

August 29, 2014 by MamaHarris 8 Comments

Did you know that August is National Olive Oil Month? Not only is that a thing, but Pompeian is doing their part to celebrate. In honor of National Olive Oil Month, Pompeian is encouraging people to take the Pompeian Pledge by swapping butter for olive oil in everyday recipes.

I took the pledge myself, and have had fun throughout the month of August swapping out butter for olive oil in some of my favorite recipes. I thought a great challenge for this would be to use it in baked goods like cake or cookies. So I decided to make some Baked Spice Cake Doughnuts, which is slightly reminiscent of my Pumpkin Spice Bread Muffins and my Carrot Cake Cupcakes, without pumpkin or carrots of course. To take it an extra step, instead of icing the doughnuts I wanted to coat them in cinnamon sugar. Typically you would brush melted butter on the doughnuts before coating them in cinnamon sugar, but this time I brushed them with more olive oil.

You have to trust me on this, the blend of rich spices in the doughnuts, combined with the slightly nutty taste from the olive oil makes these a winner perfect for the coming Fall season. Purely delicious! I found that I quite like the crumble in these doughnuts, which is a direct result of using olive oil instead of butter in the mixture.I also found that the trick to the swap is to use a lighter virgin or extra virgin olive oil for a more delicate taste in baked goods. Pompeian also has a handy butter to olive oil conversion chart you can use for your own recipe swaps.

Now I’m challenging YOU to swap butter for olive oil, go ahead and take the challenge! 1,000 people who take the pledge will be randomly selected to win a coupon for a free bottle of Pompeian Extra Virgin Olive Oil, along with a free movie rental.

Baked Spice Cake Doughnuts Ingredients:

2 cups all purpose flour
1 cup granulated white sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon all spice
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
2 large eggs
1-1/4 cup milk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1-1/2 teaspoon Pompeian Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Cinnamon Sugar Coating Ingredients:

1-1/2 cup granulated white sugar
1-1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3/4 cup Pompeian Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Directions:

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and then spray your doughnut pan with your favorite non stick baking spray.

Combine the dry ingredients (flour, sugars, baking powder, salt and spices). Stir until well combined.

In a separate bowl, combine the eggs with the liquids, whisking until well combined.

Sift the dry ingredients a little bit at a time into the wet ingredients until thoroughly combined.

Once mixed together, fill up the doughnut pan cavity until about 3/4 full.

Bake in the preheated oven for about 17 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into a doughnut comes out clean.

Remove from oven, and transfer doughnuts to a wire rack to cool completely.

Mix together the cinnamon and sugar for the coating, and pour the oil into a small bowl.

Once the doughnuts are completely cooled, brush them all over with olive oil.

Toss the coated doughnut in the cinnamon sugar mixture until completely coated.
You can do this in a bowl, or use a large freezer bag with the cinnamon sugar inside. Just gently toss each doughnut around until completely coated.

Repeat until all the doughnuts are covered and coated.

Don’t they look so good?

Serve warm. They are amazing served with coffee or tea.

Enjoy!

Baked Spice Cake Doughnuts using Olive Oil

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 17 minutes

Total Time: 32 minutes

Yield: 1 dozen regular size doughnuts

Baked Spice Cake Doughnuts using Olive Oil

Delicious baked spice cake doughnuts covered in cinnamon sugar, using Pompeian Extra Virgin Olive Oil instead of butter!

Ingredients

For the Baked Spice Cake Doughnuts

2 cups all purpose flour
1 cup granulated white sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon all spice
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
2 large eggs
1-1/4 cup milk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1-1/2 teaspoon Pompeian Extra Virgin Olive Oil

For the Cinnamon Sugar Coating

1-1/2 cup granulated white sugar
1-1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3/4 cup Pompeian Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and spray your doughnut pan with your favorite non stick baking spray.
Combine the dry ingredients (flour, sugars, baking powder, salt and spices). Stir until well combined.
In a separate bowl, combine the eggs with the liquids, whisking until well combined.
Sift the dry ingredients a little bit at a time into the wet ingredients until thoroughly combined.
Once mixed together, fill up the doughnut pan cavity until about 3/4 full.
Bake in the preheated oven for about 17 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into a doughnut comes out clean.
Remove from oven, and transfer doughnuts to a wire rack to cool completely.
Mix together the cinnamon and sugar for the coating, and pour the oil into a small bowl.
Once the doughnuts are completely cooled, brush them all over with olive oil.
Toss the coated doughnut in the cinnamon sugar mixture until completely coated.
You can do this in a bowl, or use a large freezer bag with the cinnamon sugar inside. Just gently toss each doughnut around until completely coated.
Repeat until all the doughnuts are covered and coated.
Serve warm. They are amazing served with coffee or tea.
Enjoy!

https://mamaharriskitchen.com/2014/08/baked-spice-cake-doughnuts/

Are you up for the challenge? Follow Pompeian on Facebook for giveaways and prize packs for the remainder of the month!

What will you make while swapping butter with olive oil?

My Most Popular Recipes from 2013

December 30, 2013 by MamaHarris 3 Comments

During this past year my blog has seen a tremendous amount of growth. Not only in traffic but also adjustments that I’ve made and incorporated.

In looking at the past years stats and fun stuff I’ve gathered a list of the top 10 most popular recipes from the past year. Some of them have surprised me and some make me smile.

I’m looking forward to all the good food and new recipes that will be coming in this next year and I hope that you continue to come back and share all this good eating with me!

10. The Most Addictive Chocolate Chip Cookies – This is no surprise, it’s the most requested cookie in my house. In fact, I just made three batches the other day by request. These are those cookies that you crave once you get a taste, and they’re almost sinful to have in your house because they’ll be long gone before you can even stop yourself from reaching for the cookie jar. You’re welcome. 🙂

9. Buffalo Chicken Casserole – This is another one that’s not at all a surprise! It’s easily my family’s most favorite casserole. In fact, I made this Christmas Eve for our full house and everyone was happy!

8. Simple Spanish Rice – This is a bit of a surprise. I didn’t realize Spanish rice was so popular! This recipe has taken me a few tries to perfect, adding a bit of this, substituting that. I finally got it perfect and my family loves it every time I make it.

7. Marble Cake with Caramel Frosting– This one comes as a surprise too! Especially because my cake decorating skills could definitely use some improvement, but this cake was delish!

6. Delicious Butterscotch Cookies – Another surprise. I’m excited there’s so many butterscotch fans! It’s always been a favorite of mine!

5. Classic Deviled Eggs – I know there’s so many ways you can get creative, but sometimes you just want to come back to the original, classic and simple. This is also a good base to use to add the more creative touches. RoRo’s favorite is deviled eggs, so this makes me smile.

4. Easy Holiday Recipes for Entertaining – This one comes as no surprise! I’ve seen it repinned many, many times on Pinterest and both recipes are so easy and majorly delicious!

3. Pulled Pork Slow Cooked in Beer – This one is also no surprise, everyone should make this with their least favorite beer! It’s a great way to get something great out of a not so great tasting beer. It’s also a family favorite.

2. Fish Tacos with Creamy Fish Taco Sauce – These are a staple in our house! We love us some fish tacos and I’m so happy it’s one of my most popular recipes of the year. These are SO GOOD!

1. Chicken Pot Pie with Pillsbury Pie Crust – This is my number one recipe for the year by a landslide! It’s no wonder, pot pie is the ultimate comfort food and it’s great with the Pillsbury Pie Crust!

Thank you for including me in your family meals by using my recipes and continuing to share my ideas, photos and food. Cheers!

Marble Cake with Caramel Frosting

April 9, 2013 by MamaHarris 8 Comments

Last Thursday was RoRo’s second birthday, and even though he’s just a little guy I wanted to make the day special for him. I decided we would make all his favorite foods for his big day. That included waffles and scrambled eggs served with sausage on the side for breakfast, grilled cheese sandwich and strawberries on the side for lunch, deviled eggs to snack on, and spaghetti for dinner.

I had thought about what to make him for his cake or celebration, and I browsed the baking aisle for cakes and frostings, but just never decided on one. I considered making my 7-Up cake, but wanted something more special since I tend to make that for any occasion since Big G loves it so much. I considered cupcakes or even just cookies, and never decided on anything to buy. When I got home from the store the night before RoRo’s birthday, my husband asked if I got him a cake mix or anything. I said no, and he made me feel guilty! So I decided to see what I could make with what I had in my pantry. I love a challenge like that, I do keep my pantry fully stocked with all baking items, seasonings, and sometimes baking chips or other similar items. That way, in a pinch I can whip up most things I want without running to the store! I searched for some recipes online and decided to make a marble cake (based on this yellow cake recipe) with caramel frosting.

I found a lot of marble cake recipes, but most used cocoa powder. Since I had chocolate chips on hand, I decided to see how it would go and it was great. The cake was moist and had a light texture that is sometimes hard to find in a homemade cake. The frosting I liked a lot, but you definitely need just a thin layer. It can be a bit difficult to work with because of the ingredients, so it does harden quickly. I need to work on my decorating skills and maybe get some better cake tools that allow it to spread easier and quicker! I used shallow 8 inch cake pans, so it made 3 thin layers of cake and there was a lot of frosting left over. I was satisfied and it was delicious!

Marble Cake Ingredients:

1 cup butter
1-3/4 cup white sugar
4 large eggs
2 egg yolks
1 tablespoon vanilla
3 cups cake flour (if you don’t have cake flour, find a great substitute recipe here)
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1-1/2 cup buttermilk (if you don’t have buttermilk on hand, here’s a great substitute for it)
3/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Caramel Frosting Ingredients:

1 pound box of powdered sugar, sifted
1 cup butter
2 cups light brown sugar
1/4 cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:

Preheat oven at 350 degrees.
Start by beating the butter and brown sugar on high for about 6 minutes or until creamy.

Add in each egg and yolk one at a time, blending with the mixer thoroughly before adding the next.
The add in vanilla, mix well.

In a separate bowl combine the cake flour baking powder and salt. Once combined add 1/3 of the mix to the batter and mix on low.

Add in 1/3 of the buttermilk, mix well, and then alternate the dry mix and the buttermilk 1/3 at a time until the last of it is just combined.

Place the chocolate chips in a microwave safe dish, and pop it in the microwave about 25 seconds at a time. Stir liberally between heatings until chocolate is smooth.

Divide cake mix in half in two bowls. Once the chocolate is melted, let it cool for a minute or two and then add to one of the bowls of cake mix. Fold the chocolate in, then mix with a spoon or hand whisk until completely combined.

Grease and flour your cake pans, or use a spray with flour and then using a spoon add each mix a little at a time to create a different pattern I used a large serving spoon and added each a bit at a time keeping somewhat of a pattern.

Then, using a butter knife, do a quick up/down swirl pattern cutting into it about 5 or 6 times letting the knife cut into the mix all the way down to the bottom of the pan.

They should look something like this. Now put in the preheated oven and bake for about 25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean when poked in the middle.

While the cakes are baking you can get started on the frosting.
Start by sifting the sugar into a bowl. Set aside.

Add the butter and brown sugar to a heavy bottom saucepan and cook over medium/low heat. Stir often until well blended and a deep brown color.

Stir in the heavy cream and mix well.

Continue to cook over heat, and bring to a full boil, stirring occasionally.
Remove from heat, then stir in the vanilla. Let cool.

While the caramel is cooling, the cakes are cooling as well.
I slice off the tops of the cakes with a sharp serrated knife so they can stack evenly.

Once the caramel sauce has cooled, stir just a bit and pour into the sifted powdered sugar.
Beat on high until creamy.

Looks good. Keep your mixer handy, as you’re icing the cake the mixture tends to harden fast, if this happens drop just a little drop or two of whipping cream and mix, then continue to frost the cake.

Add a slather of icing between each cake layer.
Then begin to spread the frosting to the top and sides of the cake.

I really need to work on my cake decorating skills, luckily RoRo didn’t seem to mind the lumpiness!

Happy Birthday to RoRo!!! <3

He was more interested in candles at this moment than cake.

RoRo’s slice, he loved it!

I made my Banana Pudding too and served them together.

Success! I love how all the swirls were so different and the way the patterns went. Very cool!
Enjoy!

Fun with Tie-Dye and Food Coloring

February 19, 2013 by MamaHarris 7 Comments

Last night I (finally) watched my wonderful Valentine’s gift from Melissa at Painting Mariposas in the Sky. It was the movie Julie & Julia and I absolutely loved it. I feel like ever since 2013 began I’ve been consistently busy with everything and haven’t really had a chance to sit down and share the recipes on my blog that I originally intended. There’s still some changes I’d like to make around these parts, things I would like to add as well as many recipes I still have to share with you!

Unfortunately I’m a bit behind on things, I wish I could be like my friend Marilla at Cupcake Rehab who was already testing St. Patrick’s Day recipes before Valentine’s Day was even over, eventually I believe I’ll get there! For Valentine’s Day I helped my daughter RiRi create some cute tie-dye Valentine’s day cupcakes. I bought this food dye with the intention of making similar cupcakes for D-Man’s birthday party, but I ran out of time and in retrospect we didn’t need cupcakes anyway! So it worked out, and I was left with two boxes of white cake mix and two packages of vanilla frosting. So when RiRi said she wanted to put some things together for her closes six friends, we decided to do the tie-dye theme for them, but in Valentine’s Day colors rather than the primary colors I was going to do for D-Man.

RiRi is in seventh grade now, and this is her first year not passing out Valentine’s to each of her classmates. She decided to put together a little gift bag for each of her friends with candy, chocolates, a card and a cupcake. Since I used box cake mix and packaged frosting, this isn’t necessarily a recipe, rather a fun project to do with the kids!

What You’ll Need:

1 mixing bowl
1 box white cake mix (plus ingredients listed)
2 smaller bowls
food dye in your choice of colors, I like the color gels pictured below
1 package cake frosting, preferably a white like vanilla or cream cheese flavors
…and a bit of time, patience and creativity. Sprinkles help too!

Duff Primary Color Gels

We started with the white cake mix, and the red food dye. Once everything was mixed together, we added two additional bowls. We separated the cake mix between the three bowls, one we kept white, one we just added one drop of red food gel coloring, and the last bowl we added about 10-12 drops of red to get a nice rich color.

We placed the Valentine’s Day themed cupcake liners in the muffin tin, and layered each color one by one with a spoon. We did the following three methods of layering to make them all a bit different.

Pink on the bottom, then red, then white.
White on the bottom, then pink, then red.
Red on the bottom, then white, then pink.

Once the colors were stacked we just put a toothpick in and mixed it up just a little to get a slight swirl effect.

I’m honestly not sure which was my favorite mixture to look at, I think they were all really cute!

Once the cupcakes were all baked, we opened up the frosting container and just dropped a few dots of red food dye in. I have a frosting syringe, so I just scooped some frosting with the dotted food dye into it, and when it came out through the icing tip it was a pretty tie-dye almost candy cane like effect. We dusted the top with some red sprinkles and larger heart shaped ones and her cupcakes were ready to go!

A closer look at the insides shows the layers of colors.

I have a confession to make though. Remember I mentioned I had bought two boxes of the cake mix?

We ended up having to use both. I left my RiRi in charge of following the box directions, and the first time she didn’t pay attention to the recipe calling for egg whites. If you use the whole egg, the cake isn’t white. We didn’t want to chance it, so we started over with the second box and used the whites with that.

We didn’t want to waste the first box, so I sprayed my heart shaped cake pan and dumped the cake mix in. I added a bunch of red dye drops and mixed it up just a bit and threw it in the oven to bake.

Once the cake was cooled and we finished making all the cupcakes, I did the same effect with the frosting and spread it over the cake. Since it was smoothed onto the cake rather than piped on, it didn’t have the same tie-dye effect, but it was pretty nonetheless! It was also more Valentine’s goodies for our kiddo’s!

The yellow cake mix didn’t even look bad with the red food dye, just something to remember.

It was a fun, impromptu treat that we all enjoyed!

Our Valentine’s goodies were a hit. Her friends loved them and we enjoyed the leftover ones. It was a fun project that we would definitely do again, maybe red and green for Christmas, or green and white for St. Patrick’s day, or all sorts of colors to create a rainbow? The possibilities are endless, and with the food gel we only used a few drops so I still have a lot of color to play around with in the future!

While we’re on the subject of Valentine’s Day, check out the gorgeous roses Big G brought to me! Love!

Disclosure: This is not a sponsored post. All thoughts are my own.