1-2-3-4 Cake!

I've been wanting to find a new cake recipe to use in my "just because cakes" or for making cupcakes.  The one I've been using for years is GREAT for carving or stacking, which up until I had my son was most of what I was making.  Anyway, I decided to start with the stack of recipes I got from grandmother and, once again, she delivered.

This recipe is simply entitled, but really it should be called "Fluffy, yummy cake."  I didn't even have any need to alter it from the original card.  Well, that's not entirely true... I always add extra vanilla ;)

Ingredients:

• 1 cup softened butter
• 2 cups sugar
• 3 cups flour
• 4 eggs (room temperature is best)
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 cup whole milk (room temperature is best)
• 2 rounded tsp baking powder
• 2 tsp vanilla

Directions:

1. Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffly (approx. 5 mins or more on medium)
2. Add in eggs one at a time.
3. In a seperate bowl, combine flour, baking powder, and salt.
4. Measure out milk, add vanilla to milk.
5. Add milk and flour mixtures alternately to first mixture, flour last.  Mix well in between additions.
6. Bake in 8" tins at 375 degrees for 30 minutes or until toothpick in center comes out clean.

Festive Cake

Yes, it's another from my grandmother, but really?!  I mean, they are so yummy!  This one is perfect for any time of the year to take to a dinner with family and friends.

Ingredients

• 3 cups flour
• 2 cups sugar
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 cup chopped almonds
• 3 eggs
• 1 1/2 cups vegetable oil
• 1 tsp almond extract
• 2 cups chopped bananas
• 1 8 oz can crushed pineapple

Directions

• In large bowl mix flour, sugar, soda, salt, and cinnamon.  Stir in almonds.
• In another bowl, beat eggs slightly, combine with oil, almond extract, bananas, and undrained pineapple. 
• Add to dry ingredients.  Mix thoroughly, but Do Not beat.
• Spoon into greased bundt pan, bake at 325 for 80 mins.

Chai Cake

After the success of the Lemonade Cake, I decided to use it as inspiration to make a cake using my favorite Chai concentrate.  The results are what I think is the most perfect spice cake I have ever had.  The spices aren't too strong or overwhelming.  They are just...  soothing to the tongue!


Ingredients

• 1 cup butter (soft)
• 4 eggs (room temp)
• 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 Tbsp baking powder
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp ginger
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 cups sugar
• 1 cup milk
• 1 cup Chai concentrate (I used Tazo)
• 1 tsp vanilla

Directions

• Grease bundt pan (or two 9 x 2 inch pans if you prefer)
• Combine flour, baking powder, cinnamon, ginger, and salt.  Set aside
• Preheat oven to 350.
• In a large mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar til fluffy (approx 2 min).  Add eggs one at a time.
• In large measuring cup, combine milk, chai, and vanilla.
• Alternately add flour and liquid mixture to butter mixture on low til just combined. Make sure to add flour last.
• Pour into pan and bake for an hour, or until toothpick comes out clean.
• Let cakes sit for 5 min, turn out of pan, and then wrap in plastic wrap and place in fridge to cool.

Lemonade Cake

I've made this cake twice now and it has been a hit both times.  It's just so refreshing!  I recommend icing with a lemon buttercream icing (just replace the vanilla with lemon extract).

Ingredients

• 1 cup butter (soft)
• 4 eggs (room temp)
• 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 Tbsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 cups sugar
• 1 1/3 cups milk
• 1/3 cup frozen lemonade concentrate, thawed
• 1 tsp pure lemon extract

Directions

• Grease two 9 x 2 inch round pans.  Line bottoms with parchment paper; grease paper.  Flour pans, tapping out excess.
• Combine flour, baking powder, and salt.  Set aside
• Preheat oven to 350.
• In a large mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar til fluffy (approx 2 min).  Add eggs one at a time.
• In large measuring cup, combine milk, concentrate, and extract.  Mixture will look curdled.
• Alternately add flour and liquid mixture to butter mixture on low til just combined. Make sure to add flour last.
• Pour into pans and bake for 35 min.
• Let cakes sit for 5 min, turn out of pans, and then wrap in plastic wrap and place in fridge to cool.

Applesauce cake

I have now made this recipe three times and it has been a huge hit with everyone!  This is definitely a new fall favorite.  But lets be honest, I like fall flavors all year round :) However, per my usual habits I changed a few things.

- Used butter instead of shortening
- Reduced the amount of clove to 1 tsp
- Increased the cinnamon to a heaping 1 Tbsp
- Did not add nuts or raisins.
- Use no sugar added plain applesauce.  The recipe itself calls for more than enough sugar that you don't really need to add more to it!

The last time I made it, I also baked it into loaves instead of a cake pan and put a Cinnamon icing on it top.  For the cinnamon icing I used 2 sticks (1 cup) softened butter, 1 tsp cinnamon, 1 tsp vanilla, 4 Tbsp milk, 4 cups confectioners sugar.

Ingredients:
  2 1/2 cups flour
  2 tsp baking powder
  1 heaping Tbsp cinnamon
  1 tsp cloves
  1 tsp salt

  2/3 cup butter
  2 cups sugar
  2 eggs
  2 cups applesauce

Combine first five ingredients in a small bowl and set aside.  Cream butter and sugar til light and fluffy.  Add eggs one at a time, then mix in applesauce.  Add in dry mixture til fully incorporated.  Pour into greased pan and bake at 350 til done (amount of time depends on what size pan you use.  For loaves I did 30min, for a 9inch round pan it took closer to an hour.

Banana Bread - the Original

Before my grandmother passed away, she let me go through her recipe cards and pick out my favorites.  Having her recipes in her handwriting is one of my greatest treasures.  One of my goals is to try out all the recipes.  So, when a bunch of bananas got over-ripe... Banana Bread!  Now this is more like banana cake. It has a TON of sugar.  This time I stuck to the recipe, mostly - I added cinnamon and used butter instead of shortening and no nuts because then Tom wouldn't eat it.  But otherwise withheld my usual inclination to change everything.  I wanted to see what the original recipe was like before I went mucking with it.

Well, the result was SUPER YUMMY!  It's all I want to eat!  However, next time I'm going to cut the sugar in half and be more purposeful about how I put it all together; cream butter and sugar, mix dry ingredients together first, etc.  We'll see if there's a difference and I'll post it here!

Click on picture for larger view.

What the card says:

   1 1/2 cups sugar

   1 3/4 cups flour

   1 tsp vanilla

   1 tsp salt

   1 tsp soda (aka. baking soda)

   2 whole eggs

   1 cup chopped nuts

   1/2 cup shortening (or butter)

   1 cup mashed bananas

   4 tablespoons milk

 Bake in a 350 oven for 40 - 45 min.  Use tube pans or loaf pans.