Speckled Egg Cake

It's become our tradition to have friends over for Easter Brunch.  This was our fourth year of hosting Easter Brunch, and we love spending it with other friends who don't have family in town.  I'm always in charge of the dessert, and this year I decided to try something really fun!  I had seen this cake on Pinterest and had been saving it for Easter.  I'm really pleased with the way it turned out! 

This is a picture of my cake.  It's a little distorted in this picture - but you get the general idea.  For purposes of pride, I'm not going to post a picture of the original cake I was trying to imitate... just take my word for it - mine's REALLY close!)

SPECKLED EGG CAKE
a DIY by Carrie Sellman
From: thecakeblog.com
Supplies

• cake of choice, assembled and crumb-coated (I made the Southern Living Almond Wedding Cake - so good!)
• buttercream icing (I also used the Southern Living icing)
• food coloring
• 1 T cocoa powder
• 1 1/2 T vanilla extract
• clean paintbrush
• wax paper
• paper towels, for clean up
• speckled eggs

STEP 1: Color your buttercream frosting with a few drops of food coloring. I used 2-3 drops of Americolor Sky Blue gel. When tinting buttercream, I like to add one drop of color at a time until I reach the right shade. If you’ve ever ruined a batch of icing before, you already know the benefit of adding color gradually. And when in doubt, I like to error on the light side. Buttercream naturally darkens slightly as it sets.
STEP 2: Frost your assembled and crumb-coated cake with your pretty blue buttercream. Smooth and shape to your liking. It does not have to be perfect. We’re about to splatter it up!
STEP 3: In a small bowl, mix together 1 tablespoon of cocoa powder with 1 1/2 tablespoons of vanilla extract. Stir well until cocoa is completely dissolved and you have a thin, chocolate paint.
STEP 4: Cover your work area with wax paper. Lightly dip your new (or totally clean, never used for paint) paintbrush into the chocolate. Holding the paint brush with one hand, gently flick the bristles with your other index finger to splatter the chocolate paint. Practice first onto your wax paper until you get the hang of it. No need to move on to the cake until you master the flick. When you’re ready to start speckling, hold the paintbrush fairly close to the cake and start splattering.
NOTE: A little chocolate paint goes a long way. So dip your brush lightly. If your paintbrush becomes ‘clogged’ with paint and is no longer splattering nicely, rinse it with water. Dry with a paper towel. And start again.
STEP 5: Keep splattering away! Move up, down and all around to completely cover the cake.
NOTE: As you work, you will undoubtedly get a splatter that is bigger than you would prefer. Or accidentally get carried away and bump the cake with your paintbrush. (Don’t ask me how I know this!) You have two options here. Either embrace the imperfections and let it go. Or wipe it off quickly with a light dab of water and paper towel. Then go back to speckling. If you look closely, you can see where I wiped one of my oh-no-it’s-too-big splatters. Left-middle. Not too bad of a correction and I think it adds to the speckled egg charm.
STEP 6: Now that you have the hang of splattering, you’ll also speckle the eggs you previously made. While you wait for the cake and the eggs to dry, now is a good time to wipe off any stray splatters on your cake pedestal. Once both the eggs and the cake are completely dry, arrange eggs on top of cake. Use a dab of buttercream to hold them exactly where you want them.
STEP 7: Cut, eat and enjoy!

Mardi Gras King Cake

I started this post several days ago!  But, it's been a long week, and I haven't had much extra time.  It's good to be back to blogging!

Since the Academy Awards were last weekend, my friend, BLC, tagged me in her blog in her "Film Festival" post about her five favorite movies.  (BLC has the greatest blog with tons of fun posts!!)  So, since I've been tagged, I now get to post my five favorite movies!
1. Childhood Must:  Home Alone
2. Chick Flick:  Pride and Prejudice
3. Husband Approved:  Sherlock Holmes
4. True Story:  The Blind Side
5. Holiday:  The Family Stone

Now I'm tagging The Baggetts, Bookworm to Bombshell, Katie Bird Calling, and The Richardsons to share their five favorites!! 

The King's Speech seemed to come out on top at the Academy Awards this year.  Kent and I are going to see it tonight, and I can't wait!  So, in honor of The King's Speech, I decided to post the king cake recipe that I used recently.  We had our Supper Club over for dessert after dinner at La Paz the other night.  I'd seen a lot of Mardi Gras decorations lately and decided it was time for a king cake.  I couldn't find a baby to put in it, but it still tasted good!

Mardi Gras King Cake - makes 2 cakes
(Preparation time: 5 1/2 hours)
Ingredients:
1 stick butter plus 1 tablespoon butter
1/3 cup warm water (103-110 degrees)
4 eggs
2/3 cup 99% fat-free skim evaporated milk
1 tablespoon grated lemon rind
1/2 cup sugar
2 tablespoons grated orange rind
2 teaspoon salt
2 pkg. dry yeast
6 cups flour

Directions:
In a saucepan, melt 1 stick butter, milk, 1/3 cup sugar, and salt.  Cool to lukewarm.  In a large mixing bowl, combine 2 tablespoon sugar, yeast, and water.  Let stand until foaming, about 5 - 10 minutes.  Beat eggs into yeast; then milk mixture and rinds.   Stir in flour, 1/2 cup at a time, reserving 1 cup of flour for kneading surface.  Knead dough until smooth, about 5 -10 minutes.  Place in large mixing bowl greased with 1 tablespoon butter, turning dough once to grease top.  Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 1/2 - 2 hours.

Filling:
Mix sugars and cinnamon and set aside:
1/2 cup dark brown sugar, packed
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon cinnamon

1/2 stick butter, melted
2 plastic babies

When dough has doubled, punch down and divide in half.  On a floured surface, roll half of the dough into a thin log and bring the ends together to make an oval.  Push down the dough to make it flat (about 3 inches wide).  Brush with melted butter, leaving the edges dry.  Sprinkle the buttered part of the batter with the sugar mixture.  Then bring the edges of the cake together so that the sugar mixture is enclosed in the center.  Repeat with the other half of the dough for form the second cake.

Place each cake on a 10x15 baking sheet, cover with a damp cloth, and let rise until doubled - about one hour.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Bake for 20 minutes.  Remove from pan.  While warm, place one plastic baby in each from underneath.

Topping:
2 cups powdered sugar
1 tablespoon of milk
1 cup sugar, colored (1/3 cup each of yellow, purple, and green)

Tint sugar by mixing a few drops food coloring into the sugar until desired color is reached.  Mix the powdered sugar and the milk together - you may need to add more powdered sugar or more milk to reach the right consistency.  You're going to drizzle this on the cake, so you want the mixture to be thin enough to drip down the sides a little, but thick enough to stay mostly on the cake.  Then sprinkle with the sugars alternating between colors.

German Chocolate Cupcakes

This is the Martha Stewart recipe for German Chocolate Cupcakes that I used for the Oktoberfest Party.  I actually made them into minicupcakes and didn't split them like it shows in the picture here.  This recipe makes 24 large cupcakes or about 48 mini cupcakes.  The cupcakes were very moist and the icing was amazing!  This would be a great recipe for the fall and winter.  Enjoy!

Photo from MarthStewart.com

German Chocolate Cupcakes
Ingredients:
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature, plus more for tins
2 cups cake flour (not self-rising), sifted, plus more for tins
1 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/3 cups sugar
3 large eggs, room temperature
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 cup buttermilk
5 ounces semisweet chocolate, melted and cooled

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Brush standard muffin tins with butter; dust with cake flour, tapping out excess. Whisk together cake flour, baking soda, and salt.

With an electric mixer on medium-high speed, cream butter and sugar until pale and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating until each is incorporated, scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Beat in vanilla. Reduce speed to low. Add flour mixture in three batches, alternating with two additions of buttermilk, and beating until combined after each. Beat in chocolate until combined.

Divide batter evenly among prepared cups, filling each three-quarters full. Bake, rotating tins halfway through, until a cake tester inserted in centers comes out clean, 20 minutes. Transfer tins to wire racks to cool 10 minutes. Run a small offset spatula or knife around the edges to loosen; turn out cupcakes onto racks and let cool completely. Cupcakes can be stored up to 3 days at room temperature in airtight containers.

To finish, use a serrated knife (and a gentle sawing motion) to split cupcakes in half horizontally. Spread a heaping tablespoon of frosting on top of each bottom half; replace top halves. Spread more frosting on top of each cupcake. Serve immediately.

Coconut-Pecan Frosting
Ingredients:
3 large egg yolks
1 can (12 ounces) evaporated milk
1 1/4 cups packed light-brown sugar
1 1/2 sticks (12 tablespoons) unsalted butter, cut into small pieces and brought to room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 2/3 cups (7 ounces) sweetened flaked coconut
1 1/2 cups (6 ounces) pecans, toasted and coarsely chopped

Directions:
Combine egg yolks, evaporated milk, and brown sugar in a saucepan. Add butter, and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until thick, about 10 minutes. Pour through a fine sieve into a bowl.

Stir in vanilla, salt, coconut, and pecans. Let cool completely. Frosting can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 1 day; bring to room temperature before using.

Thelma's Cake - from Melissa

This is a recipe for a wonderful chocolate chip bundt cake. It is so yummy and really easy to make! The hardest part is definitely grating the chocolate - but it's worth it! Melissa and Ryan have brought it to several family functions (it's one of his family's recipes). But, I finally got the chance to make it for get-together with friends a few weeks ago. It's super moist and great for any time of the year!

Thelma's Cake
Ingredients:
1 box yellow cake mix
1 box vanilla pudding mix
4 eggs
1 cup oil
1 cup milk
1 German Chocolate bar (grated)
1/2 bag chocolate chips

Directions:
Mix the first 5 ingredients well. Then fold in chocolate (grated and chips). Cook in a well greased bundt pan at 350 degrees for 50 minutes or until well done. Sprinkle with powdered sugar after cooking, if desired.

Cheesecake - from Kate W. B.

Kate brought this wonderful cheesecake to our graduation cookout last weekend. This is a great recipe because you don't have to bake the cheesecake in a waterbath like some cheesecake recipes - and it still has the great cheesecake texture! She brought cut strawberries to top off her cake - yum!
*If you want to hear more from Kate, check out her fun blog, "Bookworm to Bombshell.*

Cheesecake
You need two 9-inch graham cracker crusts(Keebler).

Filling:
3 packages (8oz.) cream cheese
1 cup of sugar
3 eggs
1/2 tsp. vanilla

Whip cream cheese(softened), adding sugar. Beat until smooth. Add eggs one at a time while beating. Add vanilla. Pour into pie shells. Bake at 375 degrees for 20 minutes.

Topping:
1 pint sour cream (16oz.)
3 tablespoons sugar
1/2 tsp. vanilla

Whip sour cream. Mix in sugar and vanilla. Pour over baked pies. Bake for 5 minutes at 500 degrees. Cool and enjoy! Refrigerate.

Triple Chocolate Layer Cake

This is one of the first layer cakes that I ever made. It's a great one to start with if you've never made a layer cake before because the frosting isn't too difficult to make. Some chocolate cakes use a boiled icing (I once almost set my kitchen on fire making boiled icing!). This recipe comes from Easy Cakes and is really yummy!

Triple Chocolate Layer Cake

Cake Ingredients:

3 cups self-rising flour

2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

a good pinch of salt

2 cups sugar

1 cup sunflower oil

2 extra-large eggs, beaten

1 cup milk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips, plus extra to decorate (or you can use shaved chocolate for a more elegant look)

Frosting Ingredients:

1 stick plus 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, at room temperature

2 3/4 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted

6 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder, sifted

1/4 cup milk (whole milk works best for baking but 2% will work if you have it!)

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:

To make the cake, sift the flour, cocoa, salt, and sugar into a large bowl, and make a hollow in the center. Pour the oil, beaten eggs, milk, and vanilla into the hollow in the dry ingredients - mix gradually with a wooden spoon. Add the chocolate chips and stir well. Divide the mixture between the 3 prepared pans (use 3 pans that are each 8 or 9 inches in diameter - grease the bottoms and line with parchment paper).

Bake in a preheated oven at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean. Let the cakes cool in the pans for 10 minutes, the carefully invert onto a wire rack and let cook completely.

Meanwhile, to make the frosting, put the soft butter in a bowl and use a wooden spoon or electric mixer to beat until creamy. Gradually beat in the confections' sugar, cocoa, milk, and vanilla to make a thick, smooth frosting.

When the cakes are completely cold, use the frosting to layer them. Spread about one-sixth of the frosting on the top of one cake. Gently set a second cake on top and spread with another one-sixth of the frosting. Top with the last cake, then coat the top and sides with the rest of the frosting. Decorate with extra chocolate chips.

Store in an airtight container and eat within 4 days.

(Image from MarthaStewart.com)

Strawberry Cake

I've been meaning to write this post for a long time and realized yesterday that I never had. It comes from one of my favorite cookbooks - A Cookbook for My Southern Daughter by Patsy Smith. As I've said before, I've had this cookbook since Junior High School and could not even say how many of these wonderful recipes I have used! This is one of the first cakes that I started making. It is so easy! It's not difficult since it uses a cake mix but still tastes made-from-scratch since you add in fresh ingredients.

Grandmother's Strawberry Cake

Ingredients:

1 pkg. white cake mix

4 eggs

1/2 pkg. frozen strawberries

1 small pkg. strawberry jello

1 cup vegetable oil

Directions:

Combine all ingredients; beat. Cook in 9" layers. (I've also made a sheet cake before and it turns out so well!)

Icing

Blend:

1/2 pkg. frozen strawberries

1 stick butter, melted

1 box powdered sugar

(I have actually never made this icing, but I'm sure it's wonderful. I always use this cream cheese icing.)

Chocolate Chip Cake

I wanted to post this recipe this week because it is perfect for a Valentine's Day dessert! I made it for Kent one year when we were in college (see picture). My friend, Jennifer, got this recipe from her mom. It is super easy to make and is so rich and chocolatey! I added strawberries and raspberries for a little color - but there are a lot of options!

Chocolate Chip Cake

Ingredients:

1 box of chocolate cake mix

1 package of chocolate chips

1 small box of instant chocolate pudding

1 cup of sour cream

1 cup of oil

1/2 tsp. of baking powder

1/2 tsp. of vanilla

4 eggs

Directions:

Mix all of the ingredients except the chocolate chips. Pour half of the batter in a greased bundt pan. Then pour in about half of the chocolate chips. Pour in the rest of the batter. Bake at 350 degrees for 55 minutes. When the cake finishes baking, allow it to cool for 10 minutes. Then turn it out on a serving plate. Using the remaining chocolate chips, melt some in the microwave to drizzle over the top and save some to sprinkle over the top. Garnish with fruit.

Red Velvet Cake

This dessert is a must for any Christmas party. I made it last year when we had some friends over around Christmas. I am planning to make red velvet cupcakes this year for a girls Holiday party! This is a really easy recipe, even if you've never made a layered cake before. It comes from Patsy Smith's cookbook, A Cookbook for my Southern Daughter.

Red Velvet Cupcakes

Ingredients:

2 1/2 cups flour

1 1/2 cups sugar

1 teaspoon soda

1 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons cocoa

1 cup buttermilk

1 1/2 cups vegetable oil

1 teaspoon vinegar

2 eggs

1 (1 oz) bottle of red food coloring

1 teaspoon vanilla

Method:

Sift together dry ingredients. Add other ingredients in order and mix thoroughly. Bake in 2 greased and floured 8 inch pans. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes. Frost.

Cream Cheese Frosting

Ingredients:

1/2 cup margarine

8 ounces cream cheese

1 box powdered sugar

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

1 cup chopped pecans

Method:

Let margarine and cream cheese soften at room temperature. Cream well; add sugar and continue beating until smooth. Add vanilla and nuts. Spread on cake. (Nuts are optional.)

Elegant Layered Apple Cake

This recipe comes from The Junior League Centennial Cookbook - so you know it has to be good! I made it this weekend for my church's cake baking contest that was part of their 31st birthday picnic celebration. And my cake won the "best taste" category! I was so excited, so I thought I would share the recipe! It's wonderful for Fall and makes a great presentation.

Elegant Layered Apple Cake
Ingredients:
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 cups grated pared tart apples (I used Granny Smith)
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
2 cups granulated sugar
1 1/2 cups vegetable oil
2 eggs

Frosting Ingredients:
1 (8 0z) package cream cheese, softened
8 tablespoons (1 stick) butter, softened
1 box (1 pound) confectioners' sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup finely chopped walnuts

Method:
Grease well and flour three 9-inch cake pans. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt; set aside. In a small bowl, combine the grated apples, nuts, and lemon rind. In a large bowl, combine the granulated sugar, oil, and eggs; mix well with a wooden spoon. Add the dry ingredients, mixing until smooth. Incorporate the apple mixture; stir until well combined. Spread evenly into the prepared pans. Bake the 30 to 40 minutes or until the surface springs back when pressed lightly. Cool the cake in the pans for 10 minutes. Remove from the pans and cool thoroughly on wire racks.
Prepare the frosting: Cream the cheese and butter together and beat in the sugar and vanilla until smooth. Spread between layers, on sides and top. Press nuts around sides of the cake. Refrigerate until serving time.

Pound Cake

I thought I would use this first recipe post to publish my favorite pound cake recipe. A good pound cake is something everyone should know how to make. I have taken this recipe to church dessert gatherings, family reunions, and even used it as a breakfast food when we have guests over! It is also a wonderful base for strawberry shortcake! The cream cheese makes this one very moist and flavorful.

I first started using this recipe about four years ago. Kent kept talking about what a wonderful pound cake his mother made while we were dating. When I asked her for the recipe she gave me the cookbook, Calling All Cooks (the yellow edition). This is a great cookbook! I loved the cake and kept thinking that the only one I had ever had that compared to this one was the one my grandmother used to make. About a year ago I was looking through one of her old cookbooks and came across her pound cake recipe - it was exactly the same one! So, I highly recommend this recipe!

Cream Cheese Pound Cake:

1 (8 oz) pkg. cream cheese

6 medium eggs

3 c. granulated sugar

3 sticks margarine

1 tsp. vanilla

3 c. cake flour (box kind)

Soften and mix cream cheese and margarine; stir in sugar. Add eggs and vanilla; blend until smooth. Stir in cake flour. Blend mixture until doughy texture. Pour in bundt pan and bake for 1 1/2 hours at 300 degrees.

Glaze (if desired):

1/2 box confectioners sugar

1/2 stick butter

1 (30x) pkg. cream cheese

1 tsp. vanilla

1 Tbsp. milk

Cream and blend together until fluffy.

Notes:
Cooking time will depend on the oven, sometimes it takes closer to two hours. Make sure that the cake has room to expand upwards in the oven. If there is a rack close above the cake it may burn the top. I have never made the glaze because I think the cake is so good on its own. But, there are a lot of ways to dress it up! A stand mixer is the best thing to use but hand mixers work well, also. Make sure to spray the bundt pan well so that the cake comes out smoothly. It makes a wonderful presentation. If the cake sticks to the pan, you can go ahead and cut it into serving-sized pieces so that no one will ever notice! Happy baking!