Lemon "tiramisu"

Looking back over my photos of Easter Sunday I captured lots of people pictures but none of our delicious eats!

Well here is one of our desserts from the day. I'm so glad I went through all of the steps to make it because it is delicious. I would definitely make it again. My kids weren't thrilled with it but I've enjoyed it every day of the Easter octave as it gets better each and every day as the ladyfingers soak up all the liquid!

I was a little too lazy to head to the store and buy a jar or two of lemon curd. And I realize that while I type that it sounds so backwards, but I was making this the night before Easter and I was cozy in my house and.... you get the picture. Homemade lemon curd it was.  I'm SO glad I didn't go to buy it. Do you know how easy it is to make lemon curd? Well, I didn't either. Ina Garten makes it sound simple because it IS simple. A few steps and I had my own lemon curd. 

A few special ingredients are needed to make this special dessert:  Savoiardi (lady fingers), Limoncello (luckily I have a father who makes his own), a good whole milk ricotta, and lemon curd. The rest of the ingredients are just run of the mill pantry items (well, to me at least).

Limoncello and Ricotta Cake

thanks to A Beautiful Bite for the recipe and inspiration

Her pictures are beautiful so do click and check it out, I simply have one photo of the remnants of this dessert (It was just sooooo good, I kept forgetting to take a picture!)

Ingredients:

Lemon Curd:

4 lemons, room temp

1 1/2 c sugar

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temp

4 extra large eggs, room temp

1/8 tsp salt

Ricotta Filling:

32 oz whole milk ricotta

1 1/2 cup confectioners sugar

1 1/2 Tbs lemon zest

1 1/2 Tbs limoncello

For the lady fingers:

(I only had a cup of limoncello- so I halved this recipe and only made 2 layers)

2 cups water

2 cups limoncello

1 1/2 lbs lady fingers- about 3-4 packages

4 cups lemon curd (above recipe didn't make this much, it's very sweet, it was PLENTY)

Whipped Cream topping:

2 cups heavy cream

4 Tbsp sugar (I used powdered sugar)

Directions:

Make the lemon curd:

Remove the zest with a microplane from the lemons and smash it into the sugar with a fork. 

Juice the lemons to make 1/2 cup of juice and set aside.

Using a mixer, cream the butter and sugar and lemon zest. Add the eggs, 1 at a time, then add the lemon juice and salt. Mix until combined.

Pour the mixture into a 2 qt saucepan and cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until thickened, about 10 minutes. The lemon curd with thicken at 175°, or just below a simmer. Remove from heat and cool.

Make the Ricotta filling:

Mix the ricotta, confectioner's sugar, lemon zest and Limoncello. Set aside.

Make the Limoncello syrup by bringing the water and limoncello to a simmer. Continue to simmer for about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and pour into a shallow heat proof dish and let cool a little.

Assembling the "cake"

Dip the ladyfingers into the limoncello syrup and begin lining them up in a 9 x 13 dish.

You only need to dip the bottom half of each cookie and not for very long, they're little sponges, so they soak it up quickly!

Once you have a layer of ladyfingers on the bottom, spread a layer of ricotta on top. Use as much as you'd like- you may have extra.

Another layer of soaked ladyfingers goes on top of the ricotta then spread a good layer of lemon curd on top of that.

If you didn't run of limoncello syrup, I suppose you could make another ladyfinger layer... but I did. 

So, whip  your cream and sugar together and spread the whipped cream on top of the last layer.

Refrigerate until ready to serve!

Make it SOON: Margarita Cake

If only I had a picture of the entire cake to show you... alas, I didn't think about sharing this gem of a cake until AFTER we nearly devoured it all up!

A friend of mine makes a similar cake that is very good too and that's where my fascination with Margarita cake came from in the first place.

I can't recall if I didn't have the recipe or if I decided to make this on the spur of the moment (usually THAT is the answer), but I happened upon the Cake Mix Dr's version of this cake and whoa... it is so super good. I decided to make this for a group of friends of mine who happened to be getting together on the day of the Pope's election. He's from Argentina and well, I decided a Margarita Cake was the BEST way to CELEBRATE! 

(I am not ashamed to say I LOVE an excuse to make a CAKE!)

Three words to describe this cake:

Moist

Lemony

"glaze-from-on-high"

Okay, that last one is more than a word, but really, the glaze/icing part of this is boozy and tart and all that!

Margarita Cake

from The Cake Mix Doctor

The Cake:

1 box of yellow or lemon cake mix- I always reach for lemon supreme- Duncan Hines, I believe

1/2 package vanilla instant pudding mix (4 TBS)

1/3 cup sugar

2/3 cup water

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1/3 cup fresh lime juice - I have been using the little bottle of lime juice from the produce section- works well in a pinch, but you still need a lime for the cake/glaze!

1/4 cup Tequila

2 Tbs Triple Sec

1 tsp grated lime zest

4 large eggs

Glaze:

1 1/4 cups powdered sugar, sifted (may have skipped that)

1 Tbs each of tequila, triple sec, & lime juice

1-2 tsps lime zest

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350°. Grease and flour (very well) a 12 cup bundt pan. 

*don't skip the greasing and flouring step... the last time I made the cake, I did this step but must not have checked to make sure I did it very well and my cake stuck. It still tasted great, but it looked a little less appetizing. 

2. Place the cake mix in your mixer and turn it on low to break up any lumps. Then add the pudding mix (4 Tbs only!) through the eggs into the mixer. Turn on low and mix a minute or two. Scrape down the sides and mix on medium for 2 minutes until all ingredients are fully incorporated. Remove the bowl from the mixer and using a rubber spatula, scrape all around the bowl making sure all the dry ingredients are fully incorporated into the wet. The batter will be thick and should be smooth.

3. Pour into your prepared Bundt pan and place in the oven for 40-45 minutes. The top of the cake (well, bottom since it's in a bundt pan) should spring back when you press on it. Insert a toothpick to make sure it's down- it will come out clean with a few dry crumbs on it.

4. Let the cake cook on a wire rack 10-15 minutes- another important step. (Rushing this step may have been the other reason my cake stuck a bit.)

Run a knife along the sides of the pan and don't forget the middle part! Tap the pan on the counter a few times and then invert it onto your cake plate. Before you lift it, I tap the top with the handle of a spatula. Let the cake cool again- 25 minutes longer.

5. While the cake cools, make your glaze. Place powdered sugar, triple sec, tequila and lime juice in the mixer bowl. Add lime zest if you'd like. (I added lime zest to this as well- the original recipe says to garnish with lime slices, but I like the flecks of green zest in my glaze). Whisk until the powdered sugar is incorporated into the wet ingredients. Spoon over the COOLED cake. (alternatively, you can poke holes into the top of the cake and then spoon the glaze over the cake). Let the glaze set for 10 minutes and then serve!

A bundt cake like this will serve 12-16 people- all depending on thick you make your slices!

Chocolate Blackout Cake ~ 11.15.11

Right, so if you haven't figured this out yet, we LOVE chocolate around here. So, when "birthday season" rolls around, it is usually the most requested kind of cake.

Thankfully, there are so many different KINDS of chocolate cake one can make! I happened upon this lovely recipe last week and decided to try it for my 7 year old's birthday. It's not a quick cake and there are a few steps to get right and all, but it was worth it and birthdays only come once a year, so we should make them special!

The recipe comes from America's Best Lost Recipes, from the editors of Cook's Country Magazine. Chocolate Blackout Cake was a forerunner to Death by Chocolate confections and came from a bakery in Brooklyn, NY called Ebinger's. It has decadent layers of fudgy, chocolate cake held together by a rich, creamy pudding that couples as a frosting! Chocolate Blackout Cake was developed during World War II and is so named after the blackout drills performed by the Civilian Defense Corps.A Blackout was performed so ships when sailing off to battle could not be spotted by enemy planes. City lights were turned off and windows were covered with black material. They had drills like fire drills to practice for the real thing. The cake derived its name from it's intensely dark appearance and some say, the crumbled cake crumbs on top are reminiscent of aciety skyline.

Though Ebinger's never published their recipe, the bakers at Cook's Country tested and streamlined this version that I know you chocolate lovers out there will thoroughly enjoy!


Chocolate Blackout Cake
from America's Best Lost Recipes

Pudding
1 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon table salt
2 cups half-and-half
1 cup whole milk
6 ounces unsweetened chocolate , chopped
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Cake
8 tablespoons unsalted butter (1 stick), plus extra for greasing pans
1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour , plus extra for dusting pans
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon table salt
3/4 cup Dutch-processed cocoa powder (I used Hershey's)
1 cup strong black coffee, room temperature
1 cup buttermilk
1 cup packed light brown sugar
1 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract 

1. For the Pudding: Whisk sugar, cornstarch, salt, half-and-half, and milk in large saucepan. Set pan over medium heat. Add chocolate and whisk constantly until chocolate melts and mixture begins to bubble, 2 to 4 minutes. (It should have a pudding consistency- mine took MUCH longer than 2-4 minutes and this step is crucial to your pudding being pudding, so make sure that milk is warm enough and you keep stirring until it thickens and the chocolate melts.) Stir in vanilla and transfer frosting to large bowl. Place plastic wrap directly on surface of pudding and refrigerate until cold, at least 4 hours or up to 1 day.

2. For the cake layers: Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 325 degrees. Butter and flour two 8-inch cake pans. Whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in bowl, set aside. ( I realized I only had 9-inch cake pans and I used what I had, but 8-inch would be preferable here)

3. Melt butter in large saucepan over medium heat. Stir in cocoa and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Off heat, whisk in coffee, buttermilk, and sugars until dissolved. Whisk in eggs and vanilla until combined, then slowly whisk in flour mixture.

4. Divide batter evenly between prepared pans and bake until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, 25 to 35 minutes. Cool layers in pans 15 minutes, then invert onto wire rack. Cool to room temperature, at least 1 hour.

5. To assemble the cake: Cut each cake in half horizontally. Pick the least ‘good-looking’ cake layer and crumble into medium crumbs and set aside. Place one cake layer on serving platter (I put down waxed paper first in strips so that my cake platter would be "clean" after the crumbles were added) or cardboard round. Spread 1 cup pudding over cake layer and top with another layer. Repeat with 1 cup pudding and the last cake layer. Spread remaining pudding evenly over top and sides of cake. Sprinkle cake crumbs evenly on the side of cake, pressing lightly to adhere crumbs. Serve. (Cake can be refrigerated for up to 2 days.)

alternatively, you could just keep the crumbled cake part on the sides and leave the top a smooth pudding layer to write a message!

:source:

Chocolate Birthday Cake ~ 10.31.11

This year, for my son's 9th Birthday, I decided to make LMLD's birthday cake for all occasions as I had happened upon it the day before I was ready to make his cake! It was a HIT! Rich and chocolately and made from scratch. I made this the day of the birthday party AND I had an open house that same day as well. SO- don't think scratch = extra time in the kitchen. It came together quickly and I just "built" the cake at my mom's house later in the day so I didn't have any "accidents" with this HIGH layer cake on the way there.

Auntie Leila gives such lovely descriptions of her cake on LMLD and I'm intrigued by the way she made her version with a ganache and layer of apricot preserves! She also gives lots of substitutions(like olive oil or coconut oil for the butter) for ingredients on her post about this cake- which can be very helpful!
Since I was not running to the store and had ALL of the ingredients for the original recipe, I made it just this way...


Easy Chocolate Buttermilk Cake
from Like Mother, Like Daughter


Ingredients:
2 cups sugar
1 cup unsalted butter (2 sticks), melted
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa
2 tsp baking soda
1 1/4 tsp salt
3 large eggs
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups buttermilk
optional: fresh whipped cream; strawberries

1. Preheat oven to 350°
2. Grease and flour a large bundt or 2- 9" layer pans. I also used parchment rounds on the bottom of my cake pans which I greased as well. Didn't want any mishaps!!
3. Mix the sugar and melted butter together in your mixing bowl. Add the dry ingredients and the buttermilk, vanilla and eggs. One bowl. That easy. Just don't overmix, just until it's incorporated and smooth.
4. Pour the batter into your pans (I use an ice cream scoop and do even amts in each pan until all the batter is used up!) and smooth the top with a spatula.
5. Bake about 30 minutes for layer cakes and 40 minutes for a Bundt. Test with a toothpick in the center to check for doneness.
6. Let cool for about 10 minutes in the pan before inverting. Then let cool completely before frosting your cake.

Easy fresh Whipped Cream
2 pints whipped cream
1/3 cup powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla

1. Using a large bowl, add your cream and begin to whisk briskly until it starts to froth and come together- soft peaks.
2. Sprinkle in powdered sugar and add vanilla.
3. Continue whisking until stiff peaks form (if you overmix you'll get butter, so stop before it's too late!).
4. Taste for sweetness.
5. Chill or spread on your favorite cake

Apple Spice Cake ~ 10.29.11

 

This delightful apple cake is a snap to put together. Just mix in the ingredients and pour into your greased bundt pan. Bundt cakes (if you grease properly and flour properly) - always come out looking so beautiful and fancy. The aroma that will fill your home as this cake bakes will definitely warm up your taste buds.

Be sure to make some caramel sauce (or buy a jar in a pinch- I love Tastefully Simple Creamy Caramel Sauce). I just happened to have a jar of Aldi's brand in my pantry, so that's what worked out for me the day I made this for our church group.

Once you make this, you'll agree this cake is worthy of a celebration- which was why I originally tried it! For my son's 4th birthday party we made this to go along with other fall treats. But it's just as great for a Sunday brunch, too.

Enjoy!

Apple Spice Cake
originally posted at She's a Crafty Pumpkin, Oct. 28, 2006
courtesy Dorothy Mae Brown, via Martha Stewart dot com

1 1/3 c vegetable oil
3 cups all purpose flour
1 Tbs cinnamon
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
2 cups sugar
3 eggs
3-4 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and cut into half inch pieces (I've used MacIntosh, too)
1 cup assorted nuts (optional)
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
Caramel Sauce

--Preheat oven to 350°. Spray a 12-cup bundt pan with cooking spray; set aside.
-- Sift together flour, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt; set aside. 
 --In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine vegetable oil, sugar, and eggs; mix on high speed until lemon yellow. 
--With mixer on medium speed, gradually add in dry ingredients until just incorporated. 
--Add apples and, if desired, nuts, to batter; mix to combine. Add vanilla, mixing until incorporated.
--Pour (it's rather thick, so use a spatula) batter into prepared pan, and bake until a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean, 75 to 90 minutes. 
--Remove from oven, and cool slightly on a wire rack.
 --Invert cake onto rack; turn cake right-side up to cool completely on rack, and serve drizzled with caramel sauce.


Serves 10. (I've sliced into several more slices than that before, too)

Back to school BIG cookie ~ 9.4.10

I happened upon this recipe the other day and I've always wanted to make a really BIG cookie. They're so pricy at the store and I don't like all the icing (I know I iced mine) or what they usually say. SO, I made one from scratch. Actually, I made three.... one for Gl's first day. One for M's first day and one for my friend who just had a baby a few days before her kids went back to school. I made it for her dessert when I brought dinner over to her. The first one I made on a foil lined pizza pan and the other two I made on my pizza stone. All three turned out perfectly. BUT I  will say this recipe makes more dough than necessary. I froze the extra in case I needed some cookies or wanted to make a smaller BIG cookie one day.

The icing... I had in the freezer leftover from the cakes I made this past year. It was the perfect amounts needed to pipe my little messages and a little border around the outside, too. So glad I don't throw stuff away... just popped them into baggies and defrosted them while the cookie cake baked. Snipped off a corner and voila! Instant piping bag!

Back to School Cookie Cake
(from here, with a different name)

Cream these in your mixer:
2 sticks of butter, softened
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar

Add to creamed butter mixture:
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp water- just doing what I'm told...

Mix well, then add:
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 cups flour
2 cups oatmeal- I used quick cooking
4 handfuls of chocolate chips- I'm really precise about this... kidding

Dump your mixture onto a pizza stone OR prepared pizza pan (I lined mine with foil and sprayed it well with cooking spray).
Bake at 350 for 10 minutes then check every 2-3 minutes until golden brown. (Mine took about 18 minutes)

Let cool then decorate!

The kids were really excited to have a cookie cake on their first day of school and this recipe was indeed stellar!

Recipe Review: Cinnamon Streusel Layer Cake ~ 3.1.10

Yesterday we celebrated the 11th birthday of one sweet little niece of ours, Caterina!

Being Caterina's Godmother puts me in a wonderful predicament each and every year.... making a cake! A responsibility that I have deemed upon myself, mind you.  I have grown quite fond of cakes over the past several years and was excited that C was up to trying something a little bit different for her birthday this year.

I clipped this recipe a few months back because I do love what Ms. Byrn's does with a cake mix! Many of my favorite cake/cupcake recipes have emerged from her book Cupcakes from the Cake Mix Doctor and this one is entering the recipe box files of my "tried and true" recipes! My favorite part was the slightly crunchy streusel layer in between the creamy layer of frosting right smack dab in the middle of the cake! YUM!

Next time I'll.... add toasted chopped pecans in between the cakes. I may try our favorite buttercream frosting, too. I love a good cream cheese frosting (and this one is good), but I like it better with carrot cake.

Giving this recipe: 4 thumbs up!

See, you can make a yummy cake from a box!


Cinnamon Streusel Layer Cake

•Vegetable oil spray, for misting the pans
•3/4 cup packed dark or light brown sugar plus 3 tablespoons for the topping
•8 tablespoons (1 stick) butter, at room temperature
•2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
•1 package (18.25 ounces) plain yellow cake mix
•1 cup sour cream (regular or reduced-fat)
•1/3 cup vegetable oil
•1/4 cup water
•3 large eggs
•Cream Cheese Frosting (see recipe at bottom)

Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly mist 2 9-inch round cake pans with vegetable oil spray. Using a pencil, trace the bottom of 1 of the cake pans onto 2 pieces of parchment paper. Cut out the round pieces of paper and place them in the bottom of the 2 prepared cake pans.

Place 3/4 cup of the brown sugar, the butter, and 1 teaspoon cinnamon in a small mixing bowl and beat with an electric mixer on medium-low speed until creamy and smooth, 1 minute. Put half of the streusel mixture in each prepared cake pan. Using a rubber spatula, spread the streusel out to within 2 inches of the edge of the pans. Set the pans aside.

Place the cake mix, sour cream, oil, water and eggs in a large mixing bowl and beat with an electric mixer on low speed until the ingredients are just incorporated, 30 seconds. Stop the machine and scrape down the side of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Increase the mixer speed to medium and beat until smooth, about 11/2 minutes longer, scraping down the side of the bowl again if needed. Transfer 1 cup of the batter to a smaller bowl and set aside. Divide the remaining cake batter evenly between the 2 cake pans, spreading the batter over the streusel.

Stir the remaining 3 tablespoons of brown sugar and the remaining teaspoon of cinnamon into the reserved batter until well blended and smooth, about 1 minute. Drop the cinnamon-flavored batter by heaping tablespoonfuls onto the batter in the pans and swirl it to the edge of the pan, being sure not to disturb the streusel layer. Place the pans in the oven side by side.

Bake the cake layers until the tops spring back when lightly pressed with a finger, 30 to 35 minutes. Transfer the cake pans to wire racks and let the cake layers cool for 5 minutes. Run a sharp knife around the edge of each cake layer and give the pans a good shake to loosen the cakes. Invert each layer onto a wire rack to cool completely, streusel side up, about 20 minutes longer. Peel off and discard the parchment paper circles.

While the cakes cool, make the Cream Cheese Frosting.

To assemble the cake, transfer 1 layer, streusel side up, to a serving platter. Spread the top with about 1 cup of the frosting. Place the second cake layer, streusel side down, on top of the first layer and frost the top and sides with the remaining frosting. Place the cake, uncovered, in the refrigerator until the frosting sets, 15 minutes, then slice and serve.

Cream Cheese Frosting
I used 1/3 less fat and it was just fine. I also tinted about a cup of the frosting and used it to pipe a message on her cake.

•8-ounce package cream cheese, at room temperature
•4 tablespoons ( 1/2 stick) butter, at room temperature
•3 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted
•2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

Place the cream cheese and butter in a medium-size bowl and beat with an electric mixer on low speed until combined, 30 seconds. Stop the machine. Add the confectioners' sugar a bit at a time, beating with the mixer on low speed until the confectioners' sugar is well incorporated, 1 minute. Add the vanilla, then increase the mixer speed to medium and beat the frosting until fluffy, 1 minute longer. Use the frosting at once.

see here and here for some past cake creations

Let us eat Cake! ~ 4.7.09

March brought a lot of new recipes through the Crafty Cafe and I'd like to share a few of those with you... eventually. Today, since it's the day after my birthday AND my premiere post over here in the Cafe, I'll talk about dessert first. Is there really any better way to begin?

Three cakes have waltzed in and out of the Crafty kitchen in the past 3 weeks and they are all worth mentioning, eating and making again and again and again.

I'll work my way backwards through my cake baking, let's call this a cake walk, shall we?

For the twin's birthday party last week, I found this monkey cake via Parenting's website. When I get the creative spark to make something I just google whatever it is and find something I like. I googled "how to make a monkey cake" and found this:


"PERFECT!," I declared, 4 days before the birthday party.

That's just how I roll.

The cake part was a recipe from My Kitchen Cafe. She has never led me astray and this cake was so perfectly moist and delicious, hence the name of the cake,

Super Moist Fudge Bundt Cake.
from Erin W. and Melanie C. & My Kitchen Cafe blog


1 devils food cake mix
1 4-serving instant chocolate pudding mix
4 large eggs
1 cup sour cream (not low-fat or fat-free)
1/2 cup warm water
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 1/2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips


Place all ingredients except chocolate chips in a large mixing bowl.

Blend with an electric mixer for 1 minute. Stir down sides.

Continue to mix on medium speed for 2-3 minutes.

Stir in chocolate chips.

Pour batter into prepared (i.e. greased and floured) bundt pan.

Bake 45-50 minutes at 350 degrees. Cool 20 minutes.

Invert onto serving platter.

**if you're making this in 2 9-inch cake pans, you'll only bake it for somewhere between 22-28 minutes.keep checking with a toothpick to make sure it comes out clean and be careful not to stick it into a gooey chocolate chip!

In a word, mmmmmmm.

But to better describe it I'll add that it is super easy to make. I used a Dark Fudge/Chocolate cake mix, as that is what I had on hand. The key to the chocolately-ness of this cake is the chocolate chips. They added that something special to it and put it over the top. I baked mine in 2 9-inch baking pans so that I could make my cake a double layer cake. The batter was nice and thick, too. Perfect for licking off of the beater!

To frost, I made a simple chocolate buttercream frosting: butter, cocoa, powdered sugar, milk, vanilla (?). simple stuff. much better than buying the can. again, trust me.

Cake number 2 hails from an issue of Country Living magazine.


Go here for the recipe for Praline Turtle Cake

Sweet, sweet, sweet is the best way to describe this cake. I liked the picture from the website better than mine it wasn't as appetizing. I would certainly make this again, but it wasn't as well received by the little people as the Monkey Cake up above.

The best part of this cake is that you only need a bowl and a spoon to stir it all together. No mixer at all!

You do need to heat the butter, brown sugar and sweetened condensed milk on the stove for a bit, but it's not hard at all.

Using the parchment paper on the bottom of the pan made clean-up easy and enabled the cake to pop right out of the pan.

As is often the case for me, I just made my own quick fudge sauce instead of buying a bottle at the grocery store. I had all the ingredients in my pantry/fridge and there were no extra added perservatives thrown in to boot!

Chocolate Sauce

4 oz German chocolate
3 Tbs water
1/4 cup sugar
dash salt

Combine above ingredients in a saucepan and melt over low until nice and smooth.
Remove from heat and add:
1/4 tsp vanilla
1 Tbs butter

Makes 3/4 cup of chocolate sauce. Perfect amt for the Praline Turtle Cake recipe above!

Last, but definitely NOT least was the Italian Cream Cake I made for my cousin Karen's Surprise Party last month.

I've had this cake dog-eared for years but never brought myself to bake it because of this one ingredient: coconut oil. I absolutely LOVE coconut. Mounds, Almond Joy, macaroons, mallo-cups, coconut shrimp... you name it, I love the flavor, texture and scent. However, there are many people in my life that do not have the same affinity towards it (my dad, my husband and my aunt, Marsha). SO, it has taken me this long to find someone who truly appreciates the coconut for it's worth and yummy flavor. I was thrilled to make this cake for the occasion.

This is a Cooking Light magazine recipe and although mine was a bit crumby, the flavor does not disappoint! Another double layer cake-- my 9 inch pans certainly got a workout these past 3 weeks- and this one takes a bit more work b/c you have to beat the egg whites- nothing my kitchen aid can't handle, though.

Italian Cream Cake
Source: Cooking Light

Ingredients
CAKE:

Cooking spray
2 teaspoons cake flour
1/3 cup butter, softened
1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
2 large egg yolks
2 cups cake flour (about 8 ounces)
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup low-fat buttermilk
1/4 cup finely chopped pecans, toasted
1 teaspoon coconut extract
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
6 large egg whites

FROSTING:1 tablespoon butter; 1/2 cup (5 ounces) 1/3-less-fat cream cheese; 3 1/2 cups powdered sugar; 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preparation:
Preheat oven to 350°.
To prepare cake, coat bottoms of 2 (9-inch) round cake pans with cooking spray (do not coat sides of pans).
Line bottoms of pans with wax paper. Coat wax paper with cooking spray, and dust with 2 teaspoons flour; set aside.
Place 1/3 cup butter in a large bowl; beat with a mixer at medium speed until creamy. Gradually add granulated sugar, beating well.
Add egg yolks, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
Lightly spoon 2 cups flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife.
Combine 2 cups flour, baking soda, and salt; stir well.
Add flour mixture and buttermilk alternately to butter mixture, beginning and ending with flour mixture.
Stir in pecans, coconut extract, and 1 teaspoon vanilla.
Beat egg whites with a mixer at high speed until stiff peaks form (do not overbeat).
Fold egg whites into batter; pour batter into prepared pans.
Bake at 350° for 23 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pans 5 minutes on a wire rack. Loosen cake layers from sides of pans; remove from pans. Remove and discard wax paper. Cool completely.

To prepare frosting, place 1 tablespoon butter and cream cheese in a large bowl; beat with a mixer at high speed until fluffy. Gradually add powdered sugar, beating at low speed until smooth (do not overbeat). Add 1 teaspoon vanilla; beat well.

Place 1 cake layer on a plate; spread with one-third of frosting. Top with other cake layer.
Spread remaining frosting over top and sides of cake.

**I toasted some coconut and sprinkled that on top of the cake to gild the lily just a bit.
Serves: 16
Nutritional Info: CALORIES 322 (25% from fat); FAT 8.8g (sat 4.6g,mono 2.8g,poly 0.8g); IRON 1.4mg; CHOLESTEROL 45mg; CALCIUM 33mg; CARBOHYDRATE 56.6g; SODIUM 221mg; PROTEIN 4.7g; FIBER 0.5gWW Points: 7