Category: Cakes + Cupcakes

Creamsicle Pound Cake

creamsiclepoundcakeThe Good Humor Creamsicle is one of the best ice cream desserts around, an awesome combination of vanilla ice cream and orange sherbet. Now that summer is here (well, technically not until a few weeks from now, but it’s June so let’s go with it), I wanted to bake something inspired by this classic summer treat. Enter the creamsicle pound cake.

Full disclosure: I baked two versions, one with a different recipe and one with the recipe below. The recipe below turned out better – it’s yet another riff on my poppy seed cake, this time with orange zest and fiori di sicilia, a very potent citrus/vanilla extract (of which a little goes a very, very long way) in the batter. If you don’t have fiori di sicilia, you can use 1/2 teaspoon of orange extract instead; the flavor won’t match exactly, but it’ll be close enough.

Ingredients

For the cake

  • 3 cups flour
  • 2 1/2 cups sugar
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 3 eggs, at room temperature
  • 1 1/2 cups whole milk
  • 1 cup vegetable oil
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1/2 teaspoon butter extract
  • 1/4 teaspoon fiori di sicilia
  • zest of 1 medium orange 

For the icing

  • 2 cups powdered sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • scant 1/8 teaspoon fiori di sicilia
  • 3-4 tablespoons orange juice

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a 10-inch Bundt tin.

In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt; set aside. In a large, 4-cup glass measuring cup, whisk together eggs, milk, vegetable oil, vanilla extract, fiori di sicilia, and orange zest. Stir wet ingredients into dry ingredients to completely combine.

Pour batter into prepared tin and bake for 50-60 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean. Cool in tin for about 15 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely.

To make the icing, combine powdered sugar, vanilla extract, fiori di sicilia, and 2 tablespoons orange juice; add enough additional juice to make a thick but pourable icing. Pour over cake and allow to drip down the sides. Allow icing to set before serving.

Store in an airtight container at room temperature for several days; this cake stays moist for a very long time.

White Almond Cake

almondcakeWhite almond cake is a classic, but many of the recipes I found online were the three-layer variety. As a person who doesn’t have three round cake tins (why exactly, I don’t know), I wanted a simple two-layer option and found this recipe at Sally’s Baking Addiction. It’s a basic white cake, but I made it into an almond version for my mom’s (early, because my brother and nephew were in town) birthday celebration this past weekend.

I added strawberry buttercream between my two layers, but wish I’d gone with a much thicker layer of it – it tasted delicious, but there just wasn’t enough. The cake itself is delicious and really tender, so I’ll absolutely make it again. It seems like a great base cake for other flavor ideas, so stay tuned.

Ingredients

For the cake

  • 2 1/2 cups cake flour, spooned and leveled
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 12 tablespoons butter, at room temperature
  • 1 3/4 cups sugar
  • 5 egg whites, at room temperature
  • 1/2 cup sour cream, at room temperature
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1 tablespoon almond extract
  • 1 cup whole milk, at room temperature

For the strawberry buttercream

  • 4 tablespoons butter, at room temperature
  • 1 to 1 and 1/4 cups powdered sugar
  • About 2 tablespoons fresh strawberry puree, to taste*

For the almond buttercream and decoration

  • 1 1/4 cups butter, at room temperature
  • 3 1/2 cups powdered sugar
  • 1/2 tablespoon vanilla extract
  • 1 1/4 tablespoons almond extract
  • 2/3 cup flaked almonds, toasted and cooled

*The more puree you add, the thinner your buttercream will become, so add sparingly along with additional powdered sugar to make a soft, but sturdy buttercream. 

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray two 9-inch round baking tins with baking spray, line with parchment circles, and spray the parchment.

In a medium bowl, whisk cake flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt; set aside. In a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter for 1-2 minutes. Add sugar and beat on high speed for 2 minutes, until fluffy; scrape down the bowl a few times. Add egg whites and beat on high to combine, then beat in sour cream, vanilla extract, and almond extract. With the mixer running on low, slowly add dry mixture until just incorporated, then add milk. Don’t over-mix; once you’ve added the milk, turn off your mixer and finish incorporating everything by hand.

Divide batter evenly between the cake tins; bake for 25-30 minutes, until a cake tester comes out clean. Remove from oven and cool completely in the baking tins.

Once cakes are cool, make the buttercreams. For the strawberry, beat butter on medium speed for 1-2 minutes, then add powdered sugar and beat on low speed until the sugar is fully incorporated into the butter. Add strawberry puree and beat to completely combine; set aside until you’re ready to assemble the cake.

To make the almond buttercream, beat butter on medium speed for 1-2 minutes, then add powdered sugar and beat on low speed until the sugar is fully incorporated into the butter. Add vanilla and almond extracts and beat to combine completely.

To assemble, place one cake layer on your serving plate; pipe a circle of almond buttercream at the edge of the cake and fill with strawberry buttercream; this will keep the strawberry from leaking out when you cover the cake in the almond buttercream. Top with the second cake layer, then frost the top and sides with the remaining almond buttercream. Press toasted flaked almonds up the sides of the cake.

almondcakesideA view from the side, with toasted flaked almonds on display. 

Kentucky Butter Cake

kentuckybuttercakeDid this cake originate in Kentucky? I assume so, but really have no idea. The internet was little help – just a ton of recipes for this delicious treat. It’s basically pound cake, drenched in butter rum syrup. You can’t go wrong when drenching things in butter rum syrup.

A word about the drenching, though: I never seem to do it properly. I always poke holes in the cake with a skewer, yet my syrup doesn’t distribute as evenly as I’d like. Regardless, this cake is delicious. There are lots of recipes out there, but mine came from Ask Chef Dennis; I, like Chef Dennis, used dark rum in my syrup, but you can use light rum or rum extract if you don’t have the dark kind. I also doubled the amount of vanilla extract in this recipe, because I do that for most vanilla quantities – I feel like you can never have enough.

Ingredients

For the cake

  • 1 cup buttermilk, at room temperature
  • 5  eggs, at room temperature
  • 4 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 3 cups all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled*
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 2 cups sugar
  • 1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature

*Spoon your flour into the measuring cup, then level it off with a knife. Alternatively, bake by weight, not by volume; three cups of flour is 360 grams. 

For the syrup

  • 8 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1/3 cup water
  • 1 tablespoon dark rum

Preparation

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Grease and flour a 10-cup Bundt pan.

In a large glass measuring cup, combine buttermilk, eggs, and vanilla extract; beat to combine.

In a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, place flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and sugar; beat on low to combine for just a few seconds. Add butter and half the buttermilk mixture and beat to combine for just one minute; scrape the bowl a few times. With the mixer running on low, add remaining buttermilk mixture, then increase speed to medium and beat for three minutes. Batter will be light in color.

Pour into the Bundt pan and bake for 55-65 minutes, until a cake tester comes out clean. Remove from oven and allow to cool in the pan for 10 minutes while you make the syrup.

To make the syrup, combine butter, sugar, water, and rum in a medium saucepan. Bring to a very gentle boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook for about two to three minutes, until the sugar dissolves. Using a skewer, poke holes in the cake, about 3/4 of the way down. Reserve 1/3 cup syrup and pour the remainder over the cake; if it pools on the cake, poke a few more holes. Let cool in the pan for 30 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack or serving plate; place parchment or a rimmed baking sheet underneath if you’re using a wire rack. Pour remaining syrup over the cake and brush it with a pastry brush to distribute. Let cool completely; store in an airtight container. Makes about 16 slices.

Vanilla Caramel Cupcakes

vanillacaramelcupcakesLast week’s chocolate caramel cupcakes were delicious, so a vanilla version seemed like a good idea too. Naturally, it was. The cupcake recipe is one I’ve used before, modified from the original marble cupcake recipe I found at Sally’s Baking Addiction to omit the chocolate batter and just go with vanilla.

I wasn’t sure what to top them with; I thought about Kraft caramel squares, but that seemed too vanilla. Then I considered Rolos for the chocolate element, but then mini Heath bars came to mind and that seemed like the best idea. Toffee is actually a cousin of caramel, cooked longer so it’s a hard, brittle treat, so it sort of made sense to me for these cupcakes. In any case, the end result is very tasty.

Ingredients

For the cupcakes

  • 1 2/3 cups flour (spooned and leveled)
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1 egg, at room temperature
  • 1/4 cup vanilla yogurt
  • 3/4 cup milk
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons vanilla extract

For the frosting and decoration

  • 12 tablespoons butter, at room temperature
  • 3 cups powdered sugar
  • About 1/3 cup caramel sauce*
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 18 Heath bar miniatures  (I found mine at Target)

*I used Smucker’s Salted Caramel Ice Cream topping to save time but you can also make your own caramel sauce. Homemade caramel sauce is absolutely delicious.

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line two cupcake tins with paper liners; my batch made 18 cupcakes. Fun fact: if you place the cupcake liners in the wells on the outside of each tin, your cupcakes can rise higher. Science, man.

In a large bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt; set aside. In a microwave-safe bowl, melt butter, then add sugar and stir to combine; mixture will be grainy. Refrigerate for 1 minute, then remove and add egg, yogurt, milk, and vanilla. Stir into the flour mixture until no lumps remain.

Using a 2-inch cookie scoop, scoop batter into tins and fill about 2/3 to 3/4 full. Bake for 20-24 minutes, until a cake tester comes out clean. Remove from oven and place cupcakes on wire racks to cool completely.

To make frosting, beat butter and powdered sugar on low speed until the sugar is fully incorporated into the butter. Add caramel sauce and vanilla and beat to combine completely. Fit a large piping bag with a large closed star tip (I use the Wilton 1M) and pipe swirls of frosting onto each cupcake. Top with a mini Heath bar; store in an airtight container at room temperature for 2-3 days.

Chocolate Caramel Cupcakes

chocolatecaramelcupcakesThis weekend I’m off to State College to see one of my oldest (meaning I have known her for 21 years, not that she herself is old) and dearest friends, Carrie. We met back in 2003 at the National Building Museum in DC and bonded over being from Pennsylvania; she is an Erie native now living in Happy Valley, despite not being a football fan. These treats are for her and her family; she too is a baker, as are her boys.

Rain is expected in State College this weekend, so our plans are TBD. But one thing I’d like to do is visit the Penn State Creamery, as I’ve never had their ice cream before. I’ve never made my own ice cream either, but you never know when that might enter the repertoire.  For now, I’ll stick to my oven.

Ingredients

For the cupcakes

  • 1 1/2 cups flour
  • 3 tablespoons cocoa powder
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 tablespoon vinegar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
  • 1 cup water

For the frosting and decoration

  • 12 tablespoons butter, at room temperature
  • 3 cups powdered sugar
  • About 1/3 cup caramel sauce*
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 14 Dove Milk Chocolate Promises candies

*I used Smucker’s Salted Caramel Ice Cream topping to save time but you can also make your own caramel sauce. Homemade caramel sauce is absolutely delicious. 

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line cupcake pans with paper liners; this recipe makes 14 cupcakes.

In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, cocoa powder, sugar, baking soda, and salt. Mix until well-blended, then make three wells for the wet ingredients.

Place vinegar, vanilla, and vegetable oil into the wells; add water and mix until the batter is smooth. The mixture will bubble up slightly when you add the water, so just keep mixing until you get a smooth consistency in the batter, which will be fairly thin.

Using a 1/4 cup measure, fill cupcake wells about half full. Bake for 15-19 minutes, until a cake tester comes out clean. Cool in pan for a few minutes, then remove from pan and cool completely on wire racks. Cool completely before frosting.

To make frosting, beat butter and powdered sugar on low speed until the sugar is fully incorporated into the butter. Add caramel sauce and vanilla and beat to combine completely. Fit a large piping bag with a large closed star tip (I use the Wilton 1M) and pipe swirls of frosting onto each cupcake. Top with a Dove chocolate; store in an airtight container at room temperature for 2-3 days.

Chocolate Chip Loaf Cake

chocolatechiploafcakeSometimes simple treats are the best. This chocolate chip loaf cake from Sally’s Baking Addiction is very simple, and also absolutely delicious. I think it could be for breakfast or a snack, whatever you prefer.

I don’t bake a ton of loaf cakes, but they’re really easy and I feel like I’m going to adapt this recipe to incorporate a few different flavors moving forward; I would love to include some orange zest for a chocolate orange flavor, so we’ll see how that turns out next time. I can also see removing the chocolate chips and turning this into a lemon cake, or even just a vanilla version. Time will tell.

Ingredients

  • 1 3/4 cups flour
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 12 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
  • 3/4 cup sugar
  • 2 eggs, at room temperature
  • 1/4 cup sour cream, at room temperature
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1/2 cup whole milk, at room temperature
  • 1 cup miniature chocolate chips

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Generously grease a 9 x 5 loaf tin or spray with baking spray. Technical note: my loaf tin is 9.25 x 5.25, so I cut down on my baking time by just a bit.

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt; set aside. In a mixer, cream butter and sugar on medium speed until fluffy, about two minutes. Scrape down the bowl and add eggs, beating for one minute. Add sour cream and vanilla and beat to combine; the mix will look curdled, but that’s okay. Add flour mixture and beat on low speed, adding milk with the mixer running, until just combined. Finish mixing with a spatula to make sure there are no pockets of flour remaining, then fold in chocolate chips.

Pour batter into loaf tin and bake for 50-70 minutes, until a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean. My cake was done around the 55 minute mark. Remove from oven and cool in the tin for about 15 minutes, then turn onto a wire rack and cool completely before serving.

Vanilla Bundt Cake with Chocolate Glaze

vanillabundtwithchocolateglazeFor me, finding a great recipe is like a gift from the universe. This vanilla Bundt cake is adapted from my poppy seed cake recipe, which I traditionally bake as a condolence gift when someone loses a loved one. The lemon version is my celebration cake, baked for births and birthdays and other happy occasions. I’ve also made an orange version, and now vanilla with a traditional chocolate glaze. It kind of reminded me of a chocolate-glazed cake donut, a classic, delicious treat.

Ingredients

For the cake

  • 3 cups flour
  • 2 1/2 cups sugar
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 3 eggs, at room temperature
  • 1 1/2 cups whole milk
  • 1 cup vegetable oil
  • 2 tablespoons vanilla extract (or vanilla bean paste)
  • 1 teaspoon butter extract

For the glaze

  • 2 tablespoons cocoa powder
  • 1 cup powdered sugar
  • 2 tablespoons melted butter
  • 2 tablespoons hot water
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a 10-inch Bundt tin.

In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt; set aside. In another large bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, vegetable oil, and extracts. Stir in flour in three batches, mixing to combine completely.

Pour batter into prepared tin and bake for 50-60 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean. Cool in tin for about 15 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely.

To make the glaze, combine all ingredients and stir until smooth; pour over cake and allow to set before serving.  Store in an airtight container at room temperature for several days; this cake stays moist for a long time.

Guinness Chocolate Cake

guinnesschocolatecakeHappy St. Patrick’s Day, friends. What better way to celebrate the feast day of Ireland’s famous patron saint than by baking a cake with Guinness, Ireland’s famous stout?

I’ve baked a lot of cakes in my life, and this one is among the absolute best. It has great texture – very soft and fluffy – with a hint of stout against the chocolate. I adapted the original recipe from fellow baking blogger Baker By Nature to include a simple Bailey’s glaze, rather than buttercream and whiskey caramel…though that would have been delicious, too. If you’re having a Guinness today in honor of St. Patrick (and you should), enjoy.

Ingredients

For the cake

  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 cup packed light brown sugar
  • 2 cups flour
  • 1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 2 teaspoons espresso powder
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 5 eggs, at room temperature
  • 1 cup full-fat sour cream, at room temperature
  • 8 ounces Guinness
  • 3/4 cup vegetable oil
  • 1/2 cup whole milk
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

For the glaze

  • 2 cups powdered sugar
  • 4 1/2 tablespoons Bailey’s Irish Cream

Preparation

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Spray a 10-cup Bundt pan with nonstick baking spray, the kind that has both flour and oil in it.

In a large bowl, whisk the sugar, brown sugar, flour, cocoa powder, espresso powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt together. In another bowl, whisk the eggs, sour cream, Guinness, oil, milk, and vanilla together; add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir until just combined. Batter will be very thin and bubbly.

Pour into the prepared pan and bake for 45-50 minutes, until a cake tester comes out clean (mine was done at 45 minutes). Remove from oven and cool in the pan for about 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely.

To make the glaze, stir powdered sugar and Bailey’s together; place in a piping bag and pipe over the cake. Allow the glaze to set before cutting. Store at room temperature for 2-3 days.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cupcakes

chocolatechipcookiedoughcupcakesWho invented the cookie dough cupcake? I have no idea…but they’re delicious. I draw the line at making frosting with flour in it, though. I know you can heat-treat it in the oven and everything, but for me, a chocolate chip buttercream – like this one, from Boston Girl Bakes – is totally fine. I adapted her cupcake recipe to not include the edible cookie dough, but I added chocolate chips to the frosting, so technically these are just a chocolate chip cupcake with chocolate chip frosting. They’re still delicious.

One thing to note – I over-baked my cupcakes by a few minutes, so if I make these again I’ll dial it back to the timing below.

Ingredients

For the cupcakes

  • 1 1/2 cups flour
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 cup miniature chocolate chips
  • 8 tablespoons butter, melted and slightly cooled
  • 1 cup white sugar
  • 2 eggs, at room temperature
  • 1 egg white, at room temperature
  • 1/2 cup milk, at room temperature
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla extract

For the frosting

  • 1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed
  • 1 1/4 cups (2 1/2 sticks, 20 tablespoons) butter
  • 2 1/2 cups powdered sugar
  • 2 tablespoons heavy cream
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • pinch of salt
  • 1/4 cup miniature chocolate chips

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line two cupcake tins with paper liners; my recipe yielded 16 cupcakes.

In a medium bowl, whisk together butter and sugar, then whisk in eggs and egg white. Stir in milk and vanilla.

In another medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt, then stir in chocolate chips. Add wet ingredients and stir to combine completely.

Divide batter between the cupcake wells, filling each about 2/3 full. Bake for 16-18 minutes, until a cake tester comes out clean. Remove from oven and remove cupcakes from the tins; cool completely on a wire rack.

To make frosting, beat brown sugar and butter until light and fluffy. Add powdered sugar, mixing on low speed to completely combine.  Beat in heavy cream, vanilla, and salt, then stir in chocolate chips.

Frost cupcakes using an offset spatula. Store at room temperature.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Swirl Cupcakes

chocolatepbswirlcupcakesOver the summer I made marble cupcakes with swirled chocolate/vanilla frosting, and a chocolate/peanut butter version also seemed like a really good idea. While swirled frosting looks fancy, I promise, it’s not. All you need are two different kinds of buttercream, a sheet of plastic wrap, and a piping bag. For real, that’s all.

This recipe uses a classic chocolate cupcake I’ve made a million times, along with my standard chocolate buttercream and a peanut butter buttercream I found at Sally’s Baking Addiction and tweaked slightly. These cupcakes are for my brother, Andy, who is visiting from North Carolina for the holidays.

Ingredients

For the cupcakes

  • 1 1/2 cups flour
  • 3 tablespoons cocoa powder
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 tablespoon vinegar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
  • 1 cup water

For the frostings and decoration

Chocolate Buttercream

  • 8 tablespoons butter, at room temperature
  • 1 3/4 cups powdered sugar
  • 1/4 cocoa powder
  • 1/2 tablespoon vanilla extract
  • 2-3 tablespoons heavy cream

Peanut Butter Buttercream

  • 5 tablespoons butter, at room temperature
  • 1 cup creamy peanut butter
  • 1 1/2 to 1 3/4 cups powdered sugar
  • 1/3 cup heavy cream
  • 1/2 tablespoon vanilla extract
  • pinch of salt

Miniature Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups, for garnish

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line cupcake pans with paper liners; this recipe makes 13-15 cupcakes, depending on how much batter you place in each well.

In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, cocoa powder, sugar, baking soda, and salt. Mix until well-blended, then make three wells for the wet ingredients.

Place vinegar, vanilla, and vegetable oil into the wells; add water and orange zest and mix until the batter is smooth. The mixture will bubble up slightly when you add the water, so just keep mixing until you get a smooth consistency in the batter, which will be fairly thin.

Using a 1/4 cup measure, fill cupcake wells about half full. Bake for 15-17 minutes, until a cake tester comes out clean. Cool in pan for a few minutes, then remove from pan and cool completely on wire racks. Cool completely before frosting.

Make the frostings: for chocolate buttercream, place butter in a mixing bowl and beat for a few minutes using the paddle attachment. Add powdered sugar and cocoa powder and beat on low speed until the sugar and cocoa are fully incorporated into the butter. Add vanilla extract and beat; add heavy cream 1 tablespoon at a time; you may not need all 3 tablespoons.

For the peanut butter buttercream, place butter and peanut butter in a mixing bowl and beat for a few minutes using the paddle attachment. Add 1 cup powdered sugar and beat until the sugar is fully incorporated; add heavy cream, vanilla, and salt and beat to combine. Add remaining 1/2 to 3/4 cup powdered sugar – start with less, as you may not need it all. You want a smooth, pipeable consistency that isn’t too dry, which peanut butter frosting can be.

To frost: Place a sheet of plastic wrap on your counter top and spoon the frostings side by side down the length of the sheet. Wrap it up, snip off one end, and place it in a piping bag fitted with a large star tip like the Wilton 1M. Pipe a swirl onto a plate first, until both kinds are visible. Pipe swirls onto cupcakes and top with mini Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups.