Awesome Easy Frozen Raspberry Layer Cake and Strawberry Shortcake Cupcakes

Photo by Family Features Editorial Syndicate


From Denny: The weather is turning hotter and more humid now that pollen season is gone so what do our minds turn to thinking? Ice cream and frozen cakes! This cake is made with frozen pound cake, ice cream and sorbet. If you don't have any raspberries then substitute strawberries and strawberry sorbet. Isn't it just beautiful?

You could even make this cake for the special daughter or granddaughter in your life who loves the color pink. It's also a very pretty and showy cake for entertaining as school graduations are coming up along with weddings.

And check out this sour cream cupcake recipe from Redbook. Are these guys not clever or what? They updated the strawberry shortcake idea by turning it into a cupcake where you poke holes in the cupcake and drizzle strawberry syrup juice over it to flavor the cake, then top with whipped cream and strawberries. Awesome! Great for parties too.


Frozen Raspberry Layer Cake

From: Country Living

Serves: 8 to 10

Ingredients:

2 (10-3/4-oz.) frozen pound cakes, crusts removed, sliced into 1/4-inch-thick slices
3 cups vanilla ice cream, slightly softened
4 cups raspberry sorbet, slightly softened
1 pint fresh raspberries, rinsed and picked over
3 tbls. Chambord, or other raspberry-flavored liqueur

(From Denny: I love Chambord as it's flavor is more mellow yet intense berry flavor compared to other liqueurs. The expensive is worth the price but do try to use it up inside 6 to 8 months or refrigerate it after opening. Goes great in dark roast coffee too.)


Directions:

1. Prepare the pan: Trace and cut out a 9-inch circle from parchment paper and fit it into the bottom of a 9-inch springform pan. Cut out a 3x27-inch strip of parchment and fit around inside of pan. Tape to secure parchment paper and set aside.

2. Assemble the cake: Cover bottom of pan with a single layer of pound cake slices and spread ice cream evenly over cake. Freeze until ice cream hardens — about 25 minutes.

3. Spread 2 cups sorbet over ice cream, followed by another layer of pound cake slices. Return cake to freezer for 10 minutes.

4. Combine raspberries and Chambord in small bowl. Remove cake pan from freezer and place berries evenly over cake.

5. Top with a final layer of pound cake and remaining sorbet. Wrap tightly with plastic wrap and freeze until firm — at least 4 hours.







Strawberry Shortcake Cupcakes

From: Redbook

Serves: 12

Ingredients:

Cupcakes:

1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
2/3 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1-1/2 tsps. vanilla extract
2/3 cup sour cream

Topping:

1 quart strawberries, cleaned, hulled, thickly sliced
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1 tbl. lemon juice
1-1/2 cups cold heavy cream
3 tbls. confectioners’ sugar
1 tbl. vanilla extract


Directions:

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Line 12 standard muffin cups with paper liners.

2. In medium bowl, whisk to blend flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.

3. In large bowl with mixer on medium, beat butter and sugar until creamy. Beat in eggs, 1 at a time, then vanilla. With mixer on low, alternately beat in flour mixture and sour cream until combined. Continue to beat until batter is smooth.

4. Spoon batter into a zip-top bag. Snip a 1/2-inch corner from bag and fill liners slightly less than 2/3 full. Bake 24 to 26 minutes or until a pick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in pan on a wire rack 5 minutes; remove cupcakes from pan and cool completely.

5. Toss strawberries several times in a bowl with sugar and lemon juice until very syrupy.

6. In large bowl, beat cream, confectioners’ sugar and vanilla until soft peaks form.

7. Use a skewer to poke holes in top of each cupcake. Spoon some syrup from strawberries over top, allowing it to absorb into cupcakes. Top with berries and whipped cream. Put a few sliced berries in the whipped cream and drizzle with remaining strawberry syrup.





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Easy Rich Yellow Loaf Cake with Chocolate Ganache

From Denny: Remember those dense rich flavorful pound cakes your great grandmother used to make in her time? Wonderful rich cakes full of butter - and calories. Well, we don't work on the farm anymore, unable to justify those calories since most of us are desk jockeys these days. How wonderful those cakes must have tasted with fresh homemade creamery butter! I have to go down to the Farmer's Market on weekends to find that "fresh from the farm taste" and quality product.

Well, the good news is the pound cake recipe idea has been streamlined calorie wise and is far lighter in texture. I paired this recipe with simple chocolate ganache. There is a video from Southern Living demonstrating how easy it is to make. There are also two ganache recipes, one with butter and the other uses light corn syrup. Take your pick.

Breakfast for the Diva Queen: Loaf Cake French Toast

Use leftover slices of Rich Yellow Loaf Cake to make a decadent breakfast treat. For four (1/2-inch) slices of cake, whisk together an egg and 1/2 cup of milk. Dip each slice in the mixture, turning to coat. Melt a tablespoon or so of butter in a nonstick skillet and cook the slices, turning once, until golden and crisp. Rich Yellow Loaf Cake, cooked this way, is great with strawberries and whipped cream.

Option: Make two smaller loaf cakes rather than the one (9x5-inch) loaf. Enjoy one and freeze the other one for later. Defrost the cake at room temperature before serving.







This new cookbook is available from Amazon and already discounted for sale! Check it out: “Cake Keeper Cakes: 100 Simple Recipes for Extraordinary Bundt Cakes, Pound Cakes, Snacking Cakes, and Other Good-to-the-Last-Crumb Treats”






Rich Yellow Loaf Cake

From: “Cake Keeper Cakes: 100 Simple Recipes for Extraordinary Bundt Cakes, Pound Cakes, Snacking Cakes and Other Good-to-the-Last Crumb Treats” by Lauren Chattman

Serves: 8 to 10

Lighter in texture than traditional pound cake, this golden loaf is still wonderfully rich tasting because it is made with egg yolks.

Ingredients:

4 large egg yolks
2/3 cup milk
2 tsps. pure vanilla extract
2 cups cake flour
1 tbl. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
1-1/4 cups sugar


Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Grease a 9x5-inch loaf pan and dust with flour. Combine the egg yolks, milk and vanilla in a large glass measuring cup and lightly beat. Combine the flour, baking powder and salt in a medium mixing bowl.

2. Combine butter and sugar in a large mixing bowl and cream with an electric mixer on medium-high speed until fluffy, about 3 minutes, scraping down sides of bowl once or twice as necessary.

3. With the mixer on medium-low speed, pour the egg mixture into the bowl in a slow stream, stopping the mixer once or twice to scrape down the sides.

4. Turn the mixer to low speed and add the flour mixture, 1/2 cup at a time, scraping down the sides of the bowl after each addition. After the last addition, mix for 1 minute on medium speed.

5. Scrape batter into prepared pan and smooth the top with a rubber spatula. Bake cake until it is golden and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 1 hour and 10 minutes. Let cake cool in pan for about 5 minutes, invert it onto a wire rack, and then turn it right side up on a rack to cool completely. Slice and serve.

6. Store uneaten cake in a cake keeper or wrap in plastic and store at room temperature for up to 3 days.






Make a simple chocolate ganache to "enrobe" this luscious simple cake:









Chocolate Ganache Icing

From: Southern Living Magazine

Ingredients:

Yield: Makes about 2 cups

Ingredients:

1 (12-ounce) package semisweet chocolate morsels
1/2 cup whipping cream
3 tablespoons butter


Directions:

Microwave semisweet chocolate morsels and whipping cream in a 2-quart microwave-safe bowl at MEDIUM (50% power) 2 1/2 to 3 minutes or until chocolate begins to melt.

Whisk until chocolate melts and mixture is smooth. Whisk in butter; let stand 20 minutes. Beat at medium speed with an electric mixer 3 to 4 minutes or until mixture forms soft peaks.





Chocolate Ganache

From: Gina Marie Miraglia Eriquez

Makes: enough for 24 cupcakes
Active time: 15 min
Start to finish: 15 min

Ingredients:

6 oz fine-quality bittersweet chocolate (no more than 60% cacao if marked), chopped
2/3 cup heavy cream
1 1/2 tablespoons light corn syrup


Directions:

Put chocolate in a large bowl. Heat cream in a medium saucepan over moderate heat until it just comes to a boil, then pour over chocolate and let stand 3 minutes. Whisk until smooth, then stir in corn syrup.





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