Chocolate Frosted Yellow Cake Ice Cream

Ugggghhhh, forgive the delay.

BUT.
Take that, Ben and Jerry!

Back story: Jon and I got an ice cream maker as a wedding gift.  Never have you ever seen a more thrilled couple.  Ice cream is the only dessert that Jon can't resist, and I'd been wanting to make my own fun flavors for years!  But alas, the contract was offered, life got crazy, and I left home for seven months before that beautiful piece of Cuisinart machinery could be used.

Naturally my first mission upon coming home was to use it.
Once I remembered how to use a kitchen, that is.

And can I just say...this was the first thing I made post-Hawaii that didn't involve pumpkin or cinnamon?  Going an entire calendar year without fall made me crave fall flavors as soon as I hit the mainland.

Pumpkin oatmeal, pumpkin waffles, snickerdoodle cake, and a huge batch of turkey pumpkin chili later, I was finally satisfied.
But I wanted to make something complicated.
And the ice cream maker was calling to me.

The two of us got hit by a major (and majorly random) Boston Cream Pie craving, so my adventure started with the flavors of yellow cake and chocolate ganache.  I came across a recipe for cake batter ice cream, which was always my favorite flavor at Cold Stone, and started playing with add-ins from there, eventually deciding on the yellow cake base from Country Living's Boston Cream Pie and homemade hot fudge sauce from the best cookbook of all time: How to Cook Everything.

I made the custard, which took about twice as long as I expected.  I baked the cake, which turned out beautifully.  I made the fudge, which took too long cause I kept stirring when I wasn't supposed to (lesson learned).  And finally, all of the pieces were ready to become ice cream.  I assembled the machine, added the custard, and turned it on.

...And nothing happened.

Turns out you really ought to read directions for machines before you use them.  I hadn't let the bowl freeze completely.  Woops.
It worked much better the next morning.

And voila!  2 quarts of gourmet, completely from scratch ice cream!
...which I realized after my first bowl was a rip-off of Perry's Piece of Cake.
Guess my idea wasn't that unique, but making it was way more satisfying than just buying a carton.
Plus, I still have leftover cake!

We're never buying ice cream again.

Just...pardon the iPhone Instagram photo.  I try not to eat ice cream in the middle of the afternoon, and natural light isn't exactly abundant at...night.

Chocolate Frosted Yellow Cake Ice Cream
Yield: approx. 2 quarts

Components:
1 recipe cake batter ice cream
1 recipe Boston Creme Pie base, baked in one 8" layer
1 recipe hot fudge (recipe below)

Instructions:
Cook the cake batter custard until thick enough to coat the back of a spoon - this could take several minutes longer than you expect, so have patience! - and chill for at least two hours, up to overnight.
Bake the cake and allow it to cool completely before cutting half of it into 1/2" to 1" chunks.  Save the rest for sundaes or just plain snacking.
Cook and cool the hot fudge.
Freeze the custard base according to instructions in your ice cream maker.  Once the base is mostly solid, add the cake chunks while the machine continues to churn.  Turn off the machine and transfer the ice cream into a large freezer-safe container.  Drizzle thick ribbons of the cooled fudge on top and swirl in gently with a rubber spatula.  Transfer the ice cream into the freezer for at least another two hours, then scoop and enjoy!

Homemade Hot Fudge Sauce
From How to Cook Everything by Mark Bittman
Ingredients:
4 oz semisweet or bittersweet chocolate
4 tbsp unsalted butter 
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup water
Pinch salt
1/3 cup corn syrup
1 tsp vanilla extract

Instructions:
Combine the chocolate, butter, sugar, salt, and water in a small saucepan over low heat until smooth.  Add the corn syrup, bring to a boil, and allow to cook for 5-10 minutes - WITHOUT STIRRING (don't be like me!) - until the sauce is thick and shiny.  Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla.  Serve hot over ice cream or allow to cool to room temperature for use inside the ice cream!

Cocoa Glazed Banana Bundt Cake

Et voila, the first cake I baked in our new apartment!

This gorgeous thing was the product of a very domestic day alone - my wonderful husband was at work for two days straight in Pittsburgh, so my kitchen and I got reacquainted in a very intense way.  After the cake came out of the oven, those insane sprinkly pancakes found themselves on the stovetop, and broccoli fritters made it to the dinner table a few hours later.

First of all: SO. MANY. DISHES.
Second of all: SO. MUCH. DELICIOUS.

This cake is chock full of scrumptious, moist, banana flavor and the quick-and-easy glaze tastes like hot fudge.  The baking method for the cake is easily one of the most interesting I've ever encountered: the cake stays in the oven for nearly two hours at a low temperature, then immediately makes its way into the freezer for an additional hour.  The resulting cake is insanely moist and flavorful, and the outside doesn't get super dark like many banana cakes are wont to do in a hot oven.  Though it took time to bake, I was absolutely thrilled with the quick prep (especially with my new KitchenAid 6-quart pro!!) and the delectable result.  Thank goodness I found some people to help me consume it, or this delicious cake would have become 10 new delicious pounds around my waist!

I highly recommend this recipe.  If muffins or banana bread sound boring the next time you have overripe bananas, go for cake!

Banana Bundt Cake
Source: adapted slightly from My Baking Addiction

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups mashed ripe bananas
2 cups white whole wheat flour
1 cup all-purpose flour
1-1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 cups granulated sugar
3 large eggs
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups buttermilk

Directions:
Place a rack at the center of the oven and preheat to 275˚F.  Thoroughly grease and flour a 12-cup nonstick bundt pan, or use a baking spray with flour to coat it.

In a small bowl, mash the bananas.
In a medium bowl, mix together the flours, baking soda, and salt.


In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or in a large bowl with a hand mixer, cream together the butter and the sugar until pale, light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.  Add the eggs one at a time, beating well until fully incorporated, then stir in the vanilla.  Alternately add the buttermilk and the flour mixtures to the bowl of the mixer, mixing until combined and smooth.  Stir in the mashed bananas.


Transfer the batter to the prepared bundt pan.  Bake in the preheated oven for about 1 hour 40 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean.  
Immediately transfer the pan to the freezer for about 1 hour.  Remove the pan from the freezer to a rack for at least 3 hours.


When ready to serve, invert the cake onto a serving plate or cake stand and prepare the glaze.


Simple Cocoa Glaze

Ingredients:
1/2 cup powdered sugar
3 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tsp pure vanilla extract (I used Mexican vanilla)
2-3 tbsp half and half or whole milk


Directions:
Combine powdered sugar and cocoa powder in a bowl and whisk together thoroughly.  Switch to a spoon and add vanilla.  Gradually add the milk or half and half until a thick but pourable glaze is formed.  Spoon over the top of the cake and allow the glaze to drip down the sides.  Give it an hour or so to set slightly, then slice and serve.  Enjoy!

Birthday Cake Pancakes with Adults-Only Vanilla Cake Glaze

 My birthday was a week ago.

There was no cake.
Which was totally my own fault - my layer cake pans were in storage and I totally ran out of time to make myself a cake anyway.
And don't get me wrong, my birthday was incredible!

That morning, I had to wake up super early to drive half an hour to a class I was assisting with.  Before I woke up, Jon had left the apartment, and he came back with my favorite pancakes as a surprise.  When I got back from work that night, a dinner of pan-seared salmon with pesto and parmesan-crusted baked zucchini was almost ready - I'm blessed with a husband who can cook really well!  And then, before the night was over, he took me downtown to The Chocolate Bar for drinks and dessert.  The day was not extravagant or big or blown-up, but because I got to spend so much time with my new husband, it was perfect.

BUT.
Birthday with no cake?  Weird!
So this weekend, I made up for it.

I present to you: Birthday Cake Pancakes.
Also known as the best pancakes EVER.

It's Funfetti in pancake form!
Could anything BE more perfect??

Um, yes.

Birthday Cake Pancakes with a boozy Vanilla Cake Glaze.
SWOON.

Cake mix.  Vanilla.  Sprinkles.  Topped with powdered sugar, more vanilla, half and half, and CAKE VODKA.

Please, for the love of all that is good, invite some girlfriends over and chow down on these suckers.
And depending on how much glaze you use, you might wanna pick a chick flick and stay put for a while ;)

Birthday Cake Pancakes
Source: barely adapted from My Life as a Mrs. via Rachel Cooks' pancake party
Serves: 4-6

Ingredients:
1 cup cake flour
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup yellow cake mix
1 tbsp sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
2 eggs, beaten
1-1/2 cups buttermilk
1/2 cup milk
2 tbsp butter or coconut oil, melted
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup rainbow sprinkles
Butter, for the griddle
Adults-Only Vanilla Cake Glaze, for serving (recipe below)

Directions:
In a large bowl, whisk together the flours, cake mix, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.  In a medium bowl, beat together the eggs, milks, butter or coconut oil, and vanilla.  Add the wet ingredients to the dry and mix together until combined.  Fold in the sprinkles.
Heat a skillet or griddle over medium-low to medium heat.  Preheat the oven to its lowest temperature setting and have an oven-safe plate ready.  Add a bit of butter, allow it to melt, and spread it out.  Using a 1/4-cup measure, add the batter in rounds and allow them to cook until the edges are set and the tops are covered in popped bubbles.  Flip and continue to cook until the pancakes spring back when pressed with a spatula.  Remove pancakes to the plate and place in the preheated oven while you cook the remaining batches of pancakes, adding a little bit more butter to the pan or griddle before each batch.  Serve with syrup or glaze and ENJOY!

Adults-Only Vanilla Cake Glaze

Ingredients:
1 cup powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1-1/2 to 2 tbsp cake flavored vodka
1-2 tbsp half and half

Directions:
Using a spoon, stir together the ingredients, starting with the lowest recommended amount of liquid and adding more if necessary, until a smooth and slightly thick glaze is formed.  Spoon liberally over Birthday Cake pancakes and enjoy!

Cherry Vanilla Cake with Almond Streusel

What do you do when you have fresh cherries in the fridge?

Snack on them.  Endlessly.

At least, that's my husband's philosophy.  He's a snacker by nature - he will walk by the fridge about 15 times a day just to grab a handful of strawberries or a couple cherries.  If I look in the refrigerator at the end of that day, I'll be shocked by the depleted store of fruit!

See, I buy food with a purpose.  I try to only shop once a week, buying exactly what I think we'll need for meals and structured snacks for the week.  Fruit, for me, goes into cereal, salads, or baked goods, and I try to have the amount in the fridge that I'll need for whatever project I have in mind.
So you can imagine that having a snacker for a husband...complicates things sometimes.

It has, however, alerted me to the kinds of things that he really likes.
It works like this: if it disappears under my nose, it's a favorite.  So based on that criteria, I try to use the supply that's left to make little treats that he'll like.

Like this cake, for example.

I felt the urge to bake, saw this gorgeous cake pop up on Two Peas and Their Pod, and decided to adapt the recipe to what I had on hand.  The cherry supply - which started at close to three pounds - had been drastically depleted by snacking, but I had exactly enough left for the cake!

I changed the recipe up a bit to include only what I had in stock, but whether you use the original recipe or my adaptation, I can pretty much guarantee you'll be happy.  The original recipe uses almond extract in the cake, almond paste in the streusel, and an almond glaze.  I left off the glaze entirely, swapped out the almond extract for an extra dose of Tahitian vanilla extract - which is heavenly when combined with fruit - and used slivered almonds to add a crunch to the streusel topping.

The day I made this, I left it on the counter to cool while I went to work.  Jon got home before I did, and let's just say I'm lucky I came home to a whole cake!  He told me it took all his willpower to keep his hands off of it, but I don't think he regretted the wait when we cut into it after dinner: it was soft, moist, and bursting with flavor.  Neither one of us was displeased with the idea of having a piece every night after :)

I don't have a cherry pitter, so pitting and halving the cherries was thus a lengthy and messy process.  It was totally worth it for such a delicious and versatile cake, but I'd definitely suggest investing in one!  It takes the cake from a special occasion cake to something you could make and eat any night!

Or any morning.
Say, a lazy Friday morning while watching Boy Meets World in your pajamas.

Not like I actually do that...or anything...

Cherry Vanilla Cake with Almond Streusel
Adapted from Two Peas and Their Pod

Ingredients:
For the cake:
6 tbsp unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
1 tsp Tahitian vanilla extract
1/2 cup buttermilk
1-1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1-1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1-1/2 cups sweet cherries, pitted and halved

For the streusel:
2 tbsp cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
1/4 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1/4 cup light brown sugar
1/4 cup blanched slivered almonds


Directions:

To make the cake, preheat the oven to 350˚F with a rack placed in the center.  Butter the bottom and sides of a 9" springform pan and set aside.
In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream together the softened butter and sugar until pale yellow and very fluffy.  Add the egg, vanilla extract, and buttermilk and mix until combined.
In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt.  Gradually mix the dry ingredients into the wet until just combined.
Transfer the batter into the prepared pan.  Smooth the top and arrange the cherries on top of the batter.
To make the streusel, crumble together the butter, flour, and brown sugar with clean hands.  Add the almonds and toss together, then cover the top of the unbaked cake with streusel.
Bake at 350˚ for 10 minutes.  Then, lower the oven temperature to 325˚ and bake for another 40-45 minutes, until the top is golden brown and firm to the touch.  Allow to cool completely in the pan.  Slice and serve as desired, for breakfast, brunch, or dessert.  Enjoy!

Just Because...

I haven't stopped looking at these since the day I saw the first one.

All these beautiful photos of the best day of my entire life ©Ayres Photography, Hamburg, NY

Pumpkin Cake Squares

I'm back!

And it feels amazing.  I've missed this so much.

The second of this semester's three shows ran this past weekend, and what an experience that was.  After what seemed like the world's longest rehearsal process, we finally opened a world-premiere musical revue of David Shire's music to a packed house and enthusiastic praise.  Furthermore, David Shire and his wife Didi Conn, also known as Frenchie in the film version of Grease, came all the way from New York City to see the premiere!  Performing for and meeting them was unforgettable, especially seeing how touched David was to see what our directors did with his music.  The looks on their faces made the insanity of the last two and a half months worth it :)

And Didi is officially the cutest person alive.  Seriously.

If you feel so inclined, you can read more about the whole experience in Playbill.  And look at my picture.  Sorry, I'll stop now.

The hardest day of tech week is always Sunday: the "10-out-of-12".  As actors, we spend 10 hours of a 12-hour block working onstage.  I'd worked them as a technician before, and they're always rough.  So, since we had the previous day off from rehearsal (or at least from the musical - I was rehearsing for another show that morning), I decided to bake something for the cast to make the long day a little easier.

Let's just say they were grateful.

The cake squares are personal servings of fall flavor.  The cool, creamy, vanilla mascarpone frosting adds the perfect sweet contrast to the moist and spicy pumpkin cake.  If you don't keep mascarpone on hand like I do (yes, I'm crazy) then go ahead and substitute cream cheese, but I think the mascarpone is beyond worth it.  It's a fantastic fall snack, or it could be a great last-minute addition to your Thanksgiving dessert table - it only takes 15 minutes to get it into the oven!  I guarantee any friend or relative would be grateful to help you eat it.

Pumpkin Cake Squares with Mascarpone Frosting
Source: adapted from Brown Eyed Baker, originally from How To: Simplify
Yield: 1 9x13" pan

For the pumpkin cake squares:
Ingredients:
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 15oz can pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling)
1-2/3 cups granulated sugar
1 cup vegetable oil (I used canola)
2 eggs
1/2 cup egg whites (about 4 large, but I used the stuff from a carton!)

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350˚F with a rack on the middle position.  Grease a 9x13" pan and set aside.
In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the flours, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and spices.  Set aside.
In a large bowl, combine the pumpkin, sugar, oil, eggs, and egg whites until smooth and uniform.  Pour the dry ingredients on top of the pumpkin mixture and gently stir or whisk to combine until smooth.
Transfer the batter to the greased pan and smooth the top, making sure the batter is distributed evenly.  Bake in the preheated oven for 30-40 minutes, or until a thin knife inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.  Transfer to a rack to cool completely before frosting.

For the Vanilla Mascarpone frosting:
Ingredients:
8 oz mascarpone cheese, softened
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
3 cups powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract (I recommend Nielsen Massey Tahitian Pure Vanilla)
approximately 1 tbsp half-and-half (I used fat free)

Directions:
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or in a large bowl with a hand mixer, cream together the butter and mascarpone on medium speed until smooth and fluffy.  Decrease the mixer speed to low and add the powdered sugar one cup at a time until fully incorporated and smooth.  Add the vanilla extract and the half-and-half.  Increase the speed of the mixer to medium and whip until desired consistency is reached, adding more half-and-half one teaspoon at a time if necessary.  Spread evenly onto the cooled cake.  Slice into squares and enjoy!

Vanilla Bean Bundt Cake

One show down, two to go!
My first show of the semester - the university company's dance concert - ran this weekend, and it was truly a fantastic run.  I'm so grateful to be in a company with the talented dancers I share the stage with.  And getting to do a CRAZY duet with my best friend was even better!  I am pretty glad the show's over, though - now that I'm in heavy rehearsals for the musical and I've started the choreographic process for the student showcase, it's nice to have one less thing on my mind!

As a general rule, during show season, I try to cut back on desserts.  Teeny tiny costumes don't mix well with food babies or love handles, so generally dessert is the first thing to go.

That effort was completely unsuccessful.
Completely.

This particular cake was one of many downfalls.  I took this to a potluck, hoping that I wouldn't come home with much leftover...and then had to bring a third of the cake back and set it alongside the rest of the batches of giant chocolate chip cookies and pumpkin scones.

I think I gained 3 pounds that weekend.  And I would not have gained said three pounds had every single recipe not been delicious.

This is the kind of cake that lends itself to very easy snacking.  It's a sturdy cake that you can hold in your hand while taking bite after delicious bite until it's all gone...and you feel the urge to grab another piece.  It's chock full of moisture, thanks to the yogurt, and every bite bursts with sweet vanilla.  And the glaze?  Oh, the glaze...it was the perfect saccharine compliment to the mildly sweet cake, adding little sparks of sugary goodness here and there.  I could not get enough of that glaze.

Neither could Jon, cause he kept taking huge bites with all the glaze on them when we split a piece.  Which led to splitting another piece.

Approach this cake with caution, folks.  It's almost too delicious.

Vanilla Bean Bundt Cake with Vanilla Glaze
Source: adapted from Epicurious and The Pioneer Woman via Sweetapolita

Ingredients:
For the cake:
3 cups all-purpose flour (preferably unbleached)
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
2-1/4 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature
1-3/4 cups granulated sugar
1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise
1 tbsp high-quality vanilla extract
4 large eggs
1/2 cup low-fat vanilla yogurt
1/2 cup milk

For the glaze:
1/2 cup milk (use what you have on hand, but whole would be better)
1 tbsp pure vanilla extract
Approximately 1 cup powdered sugar, more as needed

Directions:
Place a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 350˚F.  Grease and flour a 10-15 cup Bundt pan and set aside.
Whisk together the flour, baking powder and soda, and salt.  Beat the butter and sugar together in a large bowl with a mixer at medium speed until pale, creamy, and fluffy.  And beautiful.  Scrape the seeds from the vanilla bean and add them, along with the vanilla extract, to the butter mixture, beating until well incorporated.  Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. 
Mix the yogurt and milk together, then add alternately with the flour to the butter mixture, beginning and ending with the flour.  Only mix until just combined. 
Pour the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top.  Gently tap it on the counter to get rid of air bubbles.  Bake in the preheated oven for about 1 hour, until a toothpick or thin knife inserted into the center comes out clean.  Cool in the pan on a rack for an hour, then invert the cake onto the cooling rack and cool to room temperature.
To make the glaze, mix together the milk and the vanilla extract.  Measure out the powdered sugar and gradually add the vanilla milk until the desired consistency is reached - it should feel too thick at first, but still be pourable.  Pour over the top of the cooled cake and allow to set.  Don't be stingy - use as much glaze as you want!  It'll make you happy.  Enjoy!

Hot Fudge Pudding Cake

UPDATE: Come join the fun at the My Baking Addiction and GoodLife Eats Holiday Recipe Swap sponsored by Scharffen Berger!  I entered this recipe in the chocolate recipe swap - there's potentially winnings!  And this would be a great dish to pull out of the oven at a family gathering :)

Get-togethers with friends are really the best occasions to bake.
I gather with people I love, laugh, and enjoy our time together.  I see the looks on their faces as they sample my latest creation.  The dessert is shared and loved by all.  And I walk away with very few leftovers to tempt me in the days to come!
It's a total win-win situation.

Friday night, I gathered with the same group of folks who helped me consume those chocolate peanut butter cupcakes I made a few weeks back.  The friend hosting the gathering offered the use of his kitchen, ingredients, and convection oven - who was I to say no?  So I looked for a recipe that would be delicious, boy food, and relatively quick and easy to throw together.  And I came up with this!

I had bookmarked this recipe from Tracy over at Sugarcrafter probably close to a year ago and for some reason never made it.  But when I found it among my bookmarks I knew it would be perfect.  Rich, chocolatey, meant to be gooey, and only required to cool for 15 minutes before serving?
SOLD.

And I wasn't the only one sold on it.
It started like this:

 Progressed to this:

And then to this:

So it's safe to say the dessert was well received.

This has officially entered my repetoire of easy last-minute desserts.  It's a fabulous, simple, crowd-pleasing pantry recipe.
Unless you don't like chocolate.  In which case, I pity you.  And...sorry.  Just eat the ice cream?

Hot Fudge Pudding Cake
Source: adapted from Sugarcrafter , originally adapted from Hershey's 

Ingredients:
1 cup all-purpose flour
1-1/4 cups granulated sugar
1/2 cup Hershey's Special Dark cocoa, divided
2 tsp baking powder
1/8 tsp salt
1/8 tsp cinnamon
1/2 cup milk
1/3 cup butter, melted
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup (packed) light brown sugar
1-1/4 cups hot water

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350˚F (convect at 325˚F).
Whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, half the sugar, and half the cocoa powder.  Stir in the milk, butter, and vanilla, whisking until totally smooth.  Pour into an ungreased 9-inch square baking pan.  Mix the remaining sugar and cocoa powder together with the brown sugar and sprinkle the mixture evenly over the top of the mixture in the pan.  Pour the hot water over all.  Do not stir.  (That last bit was stated emphatically.  Stirring = bad.)
Bake for 35-40 minutes (or convect for 25-30 minutes) or until almost set.  Remove from the oven, place on a cooling rack, and allow to cool for 15 minutes before serving directly from the pan - with a spoon - and topping with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.  Enjoy!

Italian Cream Cake

Necessary Background Information: I've always been a chocolate girl by inclination.  Not chocolate candy as much, though - just chocolate baked goods.  If a dessert has chocolate in it, it gets preference over the others.  I get chocolate cake cravings on a regular basis, and sometimes all I want in life is a jar of Nutella and some pretzels to dunk into it. 

This coming weekend is my birthday, and it's a big one - my 21st!
Finally.
Since my birthday's in the middle of the summer, and Virginia's not known for amazingly mild summers, I've had store-bought cake or ice cream cake (all chocolate of course) for the vast majority of my birthdays.  Last year I made my own cake (and what a cake that was!) but this year, I really wanted a homemade cake that I didn't have to bake myself.  My mom volunteered and had me choose exactly what I wanted.

Wonder of wonders: I chose something with no chocolate in it!

And what a fantastic choice that was.

As she was making the cake, my mom told me the story of a family vacation she took in Texas.  For most of the trip, she felt awful, and the only thing she could stomach was this Italian Cream Cake.
So she had it for three meals a day.
Not like she would ever let me get away with that, but it was a cute and envy-inspiring story.  And after tasting the cake, I fully understand why.

This is the most addictive cake I've ever tasted.

Three layers of moist vanilla buttermilk cake are held together by thick layers of vanilla cream cheese frosting, and all of the above are chock full of chopped pecans and angel flake coconut.  It's both light and satisfying, and no matter your sugar tolerance or flavor preference it's just plain amazing - my best friend can't usually finish a full slice of layer cake, and my dad doesn't like coconut...and both of them adore this cake.  I could easily eat this cake for three meals a day.

Not that I will.

I just could.

See?  The cake even wants to eat itself!

Italian Cream Cake

Source: my mother's Aunt Sis

Ingredients:
For the cake:
5 eggs
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup shortening
2 cups sugar
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 cup buttermilk
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 cup flaked coconut
1 cup chopped pecans

For the frosting:
8oz cream cheese, at room temperature
4 tbsp (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 lb (approximately 4 cups) powdered sugar
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 cup flaked coconut
1 cup chopped pecans

Directions:
To make the cake, preheat the oven to 350˚F.  Grease and flour three 9" round cake pans.
Separate the eggs.  Beat the egg whites to stiff peaks and set aside.  In a large mixing bowl, or in the bowl of a stand mixer, cream together the butter and shortening until smooth and fluffy.  Add the sugar and beat until smooth.  Add the egg yolks and beat the mixture till well-combined.
Sift together the flour and baking soda.  Add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture alternately with the buttermilk and mix until everything is combined and smooth.  Scrape down the bowl as needed.  Stir in the vanilla, coconut, and pecans.  Fold in the beaten egg whites.
Divide the batter evenly between the three cake pans and bake for approximately 25 minutes, or until lightly browned.  Remove from the oven and allow to cool 10 minutes in the pan before turning the cakes out onto racks to cool the rest of the way.
To make the frosting, cream together the cream cheese and butter.  With the mixer on the lowest speed, gradually add the powdered sugar.  Once combined, beat on medium-high speed for around 1 minute.  Beat in the vanilla, then stir in the coconut and pecans.
To assemble, place one layer of cake on a cake plate or cardboard cake circle.  Frost the top of the layer with a generous amount of the frosting and place a second layer on top of the first.  Repeat with the second and third layers.  Frost the top and sides of the entire cake generously.  Enjoy!

**NOTE: This frosting recipe makes just enough to fill and frost the cake.  We ended up making an extra half recipe, and I highly recommend you do the same.  The frosting's WAY too good to skimp on it :)

Father's Day Brownie Torte

As a starving student - not quite an accurate term, but I'm definitely on a budget - and a lover of all things kitchen-y, baked things are my typical gift to family members and close friends for special occasions.  Since Sunday was Fathers' Day, I had an excuse to bake!  Love those.

My dad's pretty flexible with the sort of thing he'll eat - as in anything - but he did mention a brownie cake as something he'd really enjoy.  As soon as I heard that, my brain popped straight over to the most insane brownie confection I'd ever seen.  The recipe was by The Pastry Queen and had started to make the rounds in the blogosphere, where everyone who'd ever made it raved about it.  Thus, natural choice.

Then I looked at the ingredient list.
Oh my.
My healthy eating habits took one look at the recipe and knew they didn't stand a chance.
But they'd die happy.
You'll see when you get to the recipe portion.

The original recipe called for instant espresso powder in the filling and frosting, but alas, my mother is so anti-coffee that espresso ceased to be an option, and thus the original toffee bits called for didn't seem to fit either.  However, we did have some gorgeous Madagascar Bourbon vanilla beans and extract in the pantry, so the torte got a huge kick in the butt of vanilla.  And I'm certainly not complaining about that - the sweet mildness of the vanilla kept the insanely fudgey brownie layers from feeling too rich.  It turned out absolutely delicious!  Dad and I are still enjoying it.

My waistline, however, is not - thank God for Exercise TV!  Does anyone want to help me eat this??

Annie of Annie's Eats - the blog that can do no wrong from my point of view - has the original recipe posted on her page.  I've posted my vanilla version below, including a garnish that I ran out of time for but think would be gorgeous and tasty.  Enjoy!

Vanilla Fudge Brownie Torte


Yield: about 20 servings
Ingredients:

For the brownies:
2 cups (4 sticks) unsalted butter
16 oz. bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
3 cups sugar
8 large eggs
2 tbsp. vanilla extract
2½ cups all-purpose flour
½ tsp. salt

For the frosting:
3 cups chilled heavy whipping cream
1/3 cup confectioners’ sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract (I used Madagascar Bourbon Vanilla from Nielsen Massey)
1 vanilla bean, split and scraped


For the filling:
16 oz. mascarpone cheese
½ cup confectioners’ sugar
1½ tbsp. vanilla extract
Pinch of salt
1 cup reserved frosting (above)

For garnish:
1½-2 cups white chocolate shavings
Sliced fresh strawberries


Directions:
To make the brownie layers, preheat the oven to 350˚ F.  Grease and flour the edges of three 9-inch round cake pans and line the bottoms with parchment paper.  Combine the butter and chocolate in a large heatproof bowl set over a few inches of simmering water.  Continue heating until the butter and chocolate are melted and smooth, stirring occasionally with a spatula.  Remove the bowl from the heat and set aside.  Transfer the chocolate mixture to a large mixing bowl.  (If your heatproof bowl is very large, transfer to a new bowl is not necessary.)  Whisk in the sugar, eggs and vanilla extract until the mixture is smooth and glossy, about 1 minute.  Stir in the flour and salt, and mix just until the dry ingredients are incorporated.
Divide the batter evenly between the prepared baking pans.  Gently smooth the batter in the pans.  Bake 20-25 minutes, until the brownies are just firm to the touch.  Transfer to a wire rack and let cool in the pans 30 minutes.  Then run a knife around the edge of each pan and invert the brownies onto the rack to cool completely.
To make the frosting, add the chilled heavy cream to the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment.  Whip on medium-high speed until medium-soft peaks form.  Blend in the sugar, vanilla extract, and vanilla bean seeds, whipping just until combine.  Continue to whip until stiff peaks form.  Reserve and refrigerate 1 cup of the frosting for use in the filling.  Set aside the rest of the frosting.
To make the filling, in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the mascarpone, sugar, vanilla and salt.  Beat on medium speed until well blended and fluffy, about 2 minutes.  Gently fold in the reserved 1 cup of frosting with a spatula.
To assemble the torte, lay 1 of the brownie rounds to a large serving platter.  Spread half of the filling mixture evenly over the top.  Layer with another brownie round, and the remainder of the filling.  Top with the final brownie layer.  Cover the top and sides of the cake with the frosting.  Garnish with the white chocolate shavings to cover the top and sides of the cake.  Use any remaining frosting to pipe decorative swirls around the top edge of the cake and decorate with fresh strawberry slices, if desired.  Refrigerate until ready to serve.


Source: adapted from Annie's Eats, originally from The Pastry Queen by Rebecca Rather