Italian Cream Cake, and Buttered Pecans w/Recipe!!

My sister-in-law recently had her birthday.  She really wanted an Italian (Wedding) Cream Cake, but her friends couldn't find one for her.  They ended up getting her chocolate, which she said was very good.  So, when she came to town to visit, I surprised her with her long awaited Italian Cream Cake!  

I found this recipe in an old local cookbook I've had forever.  I love little finds like this.  I've made this cake several times over the years, and it always comes out perfect.  I love to top this cake with buttered pecans, it's the perfect compliment.  I've included all the recipes below with a few minor adjustments.

Austin Heritage Cookbook 

Italian Cream Cake

2 sticks of butter

2 cups sugar

1 tsp. salt

6 eggs, separated

1 tsp. vanilla

2 cups cake flour, sifted with 

1 tsp. soda

1 cup buttermilk

2 cups coconut

1 cup pecan pieces

1/2 tsp. cream of tarter

Cream butter, shortening, sugar, and salt.  Add egg yolks and vanilla.  Add flour alternately with buttermilk.  Stir in nuts and coconut.  In a clean bowl combine egg whites and cream of tarter, beat egg whites until stiff.  Fold in gently.  Pour into a 9x13 inch pan and bake at 350 degrees for 25 to 30 minutes until done.  You can also use three 8" round pans and cook for about 30 minutes.

Cream Cheese Frosting

1/2 lb. cream cheese, softened

1 stick butter, softened

1 lb box of powered sugar

1 tsp. vanilla

Combine all ingredients an spread over cake

Rachel's Buttered Pecans

1 cup pecans

1 tbs. butter

Sauté pecans and butter in a skillet (I like to use my cast iron).  Cook about 10-15 minutes on med high heat.  Once pecans are fragrant and slightly darker they are ready to remove from heat.  Cool on paper towel and they should be slightly crisp once cool.  You might want to make a little extra to make sure you have enough.  I know I do, because my husband always likes to taste them before I can use them.  :)

Red Velvet Cake, With Chocolate Filling and Cream Cheese Frosting (with recipe)

My first Red Velvet Cake.  I used an 8" square pan for the three layer Red Velvet Cake, between each layer was a luscious chocolate filling with mini chocolate chips, and topped with a cream cheese frosting.

After searching the web and my friend's trial with the recipe from Southern Living's Red Velvet Cake being too dry, I found these wonderful recipes for Red Velvet Cake and Cream Cheese Frosting in Nancie McDermott's cookbook Southern Cakes.  This is a wonderful book!  The filling recipe was found in Tish Boyle's The Cake Book.  I love the drizzled chocolate look with the mini chocolate chips.  

This cake came out moist and a beautiful dark red.

Here are the cake and frosting recipes below.  I already found the Red Velvet Cake recipe posted on the web, so I don't feel too guilty posting these recipes here.  This is an excellent cake cookbook.  I have tried several of her recipes and they all are delicious! 

From Nancie McDermott's book Southern Cakes (pg. 103):

Nobody knows for sure where this cake comes from, but lost of people agree with me that it is one magnificent cake.  It's signature carmine coloration is dazzling, and I adore it's tangy little grace not of flavor, created by the unusual combination of vinegar, buttermilk, and cocoa in the batter.  Red food coloring is the not-so-secret ingredient responsible for it's sassy color.  Try gel paste food coloring  if you'd like to experiment with another route to red.

Red Velvet Cake

Cake

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup buttermilk*

2 tablespoons cocoa

One 1-oz bottle (2 tablespoons) red food coloring

1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened

2 cups sugar

2 eggs

1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

1 tablespoon cider vinegar or white vinegar

TO MAKE THE CAKE, heat the oven to 350 degrees F.  Grease two 9-inch round cake pans generously, and line them with waxed paper or kitchen parchment.   Grease the paper and flour the pans.

PREPARE THREE SEPARATE MIXTURES for the batter:  Combine the flour and salt in a medium bowl and use a fork to mix them together well.  Stir the vanilla into the buttermilk.  Combine the cocoa and the red food coloring in a small bowl, mashing and stirring them together to make a thick, smooth paste.

IN A LARGE BOWL, beat the butter with a mixer at low speed for 1 minute, until creamy and soft.  Add the sugar, and then beat well for 3 to 4 minutes, stopping to scrape down the bowl now and then.  Add the eggs, one at a time, beating after each one, until the mixture is creamy, fluffy, and smooth.  Scrape the cocoa-food coloring paste into the batter and beat to mix it in evenly.

ADD ABOUT A THIRD of the flour mixture, and then about half of the milk, beating the batter with a mixer at low speed, and mixing only enough to make the flour or liquid disappear into the batter.  Mix in another third of the flour, the rest of the milk, and then the last of the flour in the same way.

IN A SMALL BOWL, combine the baking soda and vinegar and stir well.  Use a wooden spoon or spatula to quickly mix this last mixture into the read batter, folding it in gently by hand.  Scrape the batter into the prepared pans.

BAKE at 350 degrees F for 20-25 minutes, until the layers spring back when touched lightly in the center and are just beginning to pull away from the sides of the pans.

COOL THE CAKES in the pans on wire racks or folded kitchen towels for 15 minutes.  Then turn them out on the racks or on plates, remove the paper, and turn top side up to cool completely.

*NOTE: If you don't have buttermilk, stir 1 tablespoon of vinegar or lemon juice into 1 cup of milk and let stand for 10 minutes.

Cream Cheese Frosting (pg. 148)

Makes enough for one 3-layer cake, one 13-by-9 inch cake or 24 cupcakes.

One 8-ounce package cream cheese, softened (1 cup)

1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter

One 1-pound box (3 2/3 cups) confectioners' sugar, sifted

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

IN A MEDIUM BOWL, combine the cream cheese and butter and beat with a mixer on medium speed to mix well.  Add the confectioners' sugar and vanilla and beat at hight speed until the frosting is fluffy and smooth, stopping once or twice to scrape down the bowl and mix everything well.  Spread the frosting on a cooled cake, or cover and refrigerate for up to 3 days.  

Happy Birthday Payton!

Vanilla Cupcakes with Buttercream Frosting - Recipe!!

My aunt Jeanne says this is her favorite cupcake recipe, she loves vanilla! So, even while she was hobbling around after foot surgery she made the effort send me this recipe. I'm so glad she did, it is super yummy!

It's from Martha Stewart,

Billy's Vanilla, Vanilla Cupcakes and Billy's Vanilla Buttercream.

You won't be disappointed!

I made small cupcakes and large cupcakes. The small have sprinkles and the large have none.

In the picture you can see a few of the cupcakes are a bit wide on the tops. I over filled the pan just a little bit and the result was wide tops.  Not exactly how I wanted them to look, but I was pretty happy with them anyway. This was my first time with the large cupcake size.

Large cupcake close up! Yummy!

Here are the small cupcakes up close!

Green and pink are one of my favorite color combinations.

I love followers and comments.

Leave me a comment and let me know which look you like best!

Large/Small?? Sprinkles or none?

Happy Baking!!

Makes about 30 cupcakes

(I added to the directions, hopefully it's more clear)

1 3/4 cups cake flour, not self-rising
1 1/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
2 cups sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) room temperature unsalted butter, cut into 1-inch cubes
4 large eggs
1 cup whole milk
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Directions
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Line cupcake pans with paper liners; set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine flours, sugar, baking powder, and salt; mix on low speed until combined. Add butter, cutting into the flour mixture one piece at a time while the mixer is on low, being careful to not over beat.

In a large glass measuring cup, whisk together eggs, milk, and vanilla. With mixer on medium speed, add wet ingredients in 3 parts, scraping down sides of bowl before each addition; beat until ingredients are incorporated but do not over beat.

Divide batter evenly among liners, filling about 2/3 full. Bake, rotating pan halfway through, until a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean, 17 to 20 minutes. The large cupcakes did have to cook a little longer, just keep testing them until the center comes out clean.

Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Repeat process with remaining batter. Once cupcakes have cooled, use a small offset spatula to frost tops of each cupcake. Decorate with sprinkles, if desired. Serve at room temperature.


Billy's Vanilla Buttercream


Ingredients
Makes enough for 30 cupcakes
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
6 to 8 cups confectioners' sugar
1/2 cup milk
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Directions
In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream butter until smooth and creamy, 2 to 3 minutes. With mixer on low speed, add 6 cups sugar, milk, and vanilla; mix until light and fluffy. If necessary, gradually add remaining 2 cups sugar to reach desired consistency.

Chocolate Swiss Meringue Buttercream Recipe

One of my favorite frostings is Swiss Meringue Buttercream. Now that I have started making cakes and cupcakes from scratch, I have also begun to try new icing/frostings. I will never go back to frosting in a container. There is no comparison! This Buttercream is so silky and delicious, it is a delight!

The recipe below has been adapted from Martha Stewart

http://www.marthastewart.com/recipe/swiss-meringue-buttercream-for-white-cupcakes

and The Cake Book by Tish Boyle.

Ingredients
Makes about 9 cups, enough for about 28 cupcakes
2 1/2 cups sugar
10 large egg whites
4 cups (8 sticks or 2 pounds) unsalted butter, cut into pieces
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

12 oz of bittersweet chocolate

5 tablespoons water

Directions

Chop bittersweet chocolate into pieces. Mix chocolate and water, and melt in double boiler. If you don't have a double boiler, then boil water in a sauce pan and melt chocolate in a stainless steel bowl above the boiling water. When chocolate is melted, set aside and let cool to room temperature.

Place sugar and egg whites in the heat-proof bowl of an electric mixer. Set bowl over a pan of gently simmering water (use the same one you melted the chocolate with), and whisk gently until sugar has dissolved and egg whites are hot to the touch, about 3 minutes or when it reaches 160 degrees using an instant read thermometer. You can test it by rubbing the mixture between your fingers; it should feel completely smooth.

Transfer bowl to mixer stand. Using the whisk attachment, beat on high speed until mixture has cooled completely and formed stiff and glossy peaks, about 10 minutes.

The picture above is just after eggs have reached 160 degrees, and placed in the mixer. Below the mixture has reached stiff peaks.

Now, add the butter, one piece (1 tbs) at a time, while the mixer is on medium. Don't worry if the buttercream appears curdled after all the butter has been added; it will become smooth again with continued beating. Beat mixture on high for 1 minute. Add vanilla, and beat just until combined.

Add melted chocolate to buttercream and whisk on medium high until mixed. Remove from mixer and with a rubber spatula scrape sides and incorporate everything into meringue.

Perfect Chocolate Swiss Meringue, a delicious topping for a deep chocolate cupcake! Enjoy!

I love comments and followers!

Persian Love Cake Recipe

Persian Love Cake
(One of 10 Favorite Cakes from Epicurious.com)

This delicious cake starts with candied rose petals. I used a pastry brush to brush on foamy egg whites. Next I sprinkled both sides with sugar and left them to dry overnight. Here in humid TX, it did take all night and most of the next day to completely dry. The petals with loads of sugar came out the best. I used a cake cooling rack to dry them on. Below are my dry petals!

The cake itself was so easy to mix. I used several more eggs, than the original recipe, to make the cake more light and airy.

Here is the saffron whipped frosting. It came out a beautiful soft yellow.

I cut each cake layer in half, applied the sugar syrup, and saffron frosting.

Once the cake was frosted, I placed the candied rose petals and roses on the top.

I made a little extra cake batter to make a few cupcakes for the family. 

We love you GG and Gpa!!

My finished cake. What a fun and unique flavor combination! I brought the cake to our Retrouvaille CORE and Discernment Saturday night. Everyone felt the Love. :)

The original recipe is at: http://www.epicurious.com/articlesguides/howtocook/dishes/cakerecipespersianlove

Or my slightly altered recipe below:

Ingredients:

Candied rose petals
2 large egg whites
1/2 cup sugar
Petals from 2 organic roses

Cake
1 cup (100g) cake flour
14 tablespoons baker's sugar or superfine sugar, divided
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon coarse kosher salt
6 large eggs, separated
1 tablespoon cream of tarter per 1 cup egg whites
6 tablespoons water
1/4 cup canola oil
1 teaspoon grated lemon peel
1/4 teaspoon whole cardamom seeds (removed from about 5 green cardamom pods) ground in a pestle and mortar

Frosting
3 cups chilled heavy whipping cream, divided
Lg pinch of saffron threads
2/3 cup powdered sugar
2 teaspoons rose water
2 tablespoons natural unsalted pistachios

Sugar Syrup
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup sugar
1 Earl Gray tea bag

Preparation:

Candied rose petals: Whisk egg whites in small bowl until foamy. Using pastry brush, brush rose petals on both sides with egg whites; sprinkle on both sides with sugar.  Dry on nonstick rack at least 6 hours or overnight.

Cake: Preheat oven to 325°F. Butter two 8-inch-diameter cake pans with 1 1/2-inch-high sides. Line pan bottoms with parchment paper; butter parchment. I used two square 8x8 inch pans with 2 inch high sides.

Sift flour, 7 tablespoons baker's sugar, baking powder, and salt into large bowl. Whisk yolks and next 4 ingredients in small bowl until smooth. Add yolk mixture to dry ingredients; whisk until smooth. Beat egg whites and cream of tarter, in medium bowl until soft peaks form. Gradually add 7 tablespoons baker's sugar; beat until whites resemble thick marshmallow fluff. Fold whites into batter in 3 additions. Divide batter between prepared pans. Bake until cakes are golden and tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 25 minutes. Cool in pans on racks 15 minutes. Turn out onto racks, peel off parchment, and cool completely. (Can be prepared 1 day ahead. Wrap and store at room temperature.) Before frosting and cutting the cake layers, chill for 45 minutes.

*Sugar Syrup: Bring water to boil in a small saucepan, add sugar and stir to dissolve. Place tea bag in sugar/water mixture and steep for 15 minutes. Remove tea bag and allow to cool to room temperature.

Frosting: Combine 1/2 cup cream and saffron in small saucepan. Bring to simmer. Remove from heat; let steep 20 minutes. Chill until cold. Beat remaining 2 1/2 cups cream, powdered sugar, and rose water in large bowl until soft peaks form; strain in saffron cream. Beat until peaks form.

Remove cake from the refrigerator, and cut cake layers in half horizontally. Place first half of cake layer on platter cut side up. Using a pastry brush, brush sugar syrup all over the top of the layer. Next, spread about 1/2 cup frosting on layer.  Repeat with 3 of the cut layers. With the final (4th) cake layer, place flat side up. Spread remaining frosting over top and sides of cake. Chill at least 1 hour and up to 6 hours. Garnish cake with rose petals and pistachios.

*Sugar Syrup is from The Cake Book by Tish Boyle