Pineapple Cake

My daughter Talley and I had a bit of fun making this pineapple cake.  It was super easy, and fun to make.  We used a Wilton 2D tip to make the cake, and of course, just lopped off the top of a pineapple for the top.  We used buttercream frosting, and just made a cake mix, using six-inch pans.  One cake mix will be enough to make three, six-inch cakes.  Of course, you could have filled it with a pineapple filling; we did not.  We were more interested in just the concept.

My daughter spied a version of this cake on Stevie Henderson's Instagram page (she is a fashion designer).  She had made a cake like this with a face on it for a birthday cake.

Hope you are having a wonderful summer.

I have some ice cream recipes coming up.  Our newest obsession!

Candy Corn Rose Cake

 

Zoulah whipped up this lovely and delicious Candy Corn Rose Cake this weekend.



 She has been one busy witch with making these Jack Skellington Royal Icing Cookies, and so much more.
 

 

This is a fun and easy cake to make.  Yes, it has a lot of frosting, and yes we love buttercream frosting at the Red Couch home.

 

 

 

Zoulah wants to squeal a bit on Joni at this point.  Several years ago Joni made this cake for a friend's birthday.  As she went to take the finished cake out of the fridge, she dropped it!  She then scraped it off where it was damaged and had touched the ground and repaired it to the best of her ability.  Yes, it was sanitary, but no it wasn't perfect.  The Red Couch Family took it to their friend Leroy.  What were they to do?  They didn't have another cake. Leroy praised this cake up and down and said it was the best cake he had ever eaten.  Leroy is just that kind of guy.  Zoulah still cackles about this one.

 

Instructions for Candy Corn Rose Cakes

 

1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2.  Make a white cake mix following the package directions.

3.  Divide the batter into 3 medium-sized mixing bowls.  The cake mix batter Zoulah used yielded 4 cups of batter, so 1-1/3 cups batter for each cake.  Using food-safe coloring, color two of the batters yellow and orange, leaving one batter white.

 

 

 

3.  Flour and grease (or use Baker's Joy) each pan.  Pour batter into  6-inch sized round baking pans.  Bake for 18 to 20 minutes.  Since all ovens vary, just make sure they are done in the center.  Place cakes on a wire rack for about 5 minutes.  Then remove cakes from pans and let sit on wire rack until the cakes are cool.  At this point, you can level your cakes, if you would like.  I did level mine, although the picture below does not reflect the leveling.  If you like, for ease of frosting, put cakes in plastic wrap and place in freezer for at least an hour. 

 

Instructions for Butter Cream Frosting

 

8 cups powdered sugar

1-1/2 cups softened butter

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

6-8 tablespoons water

 

1.  Mix all ingredients well, making sure that the butter is well-mixed. 

2.  Divide frosting into three portions, making sure that you allot more white frosting, as you have to frost the top of the white cake, as well as the sides, in white.

3.  Color two of the frostings in yellow and orange; leave one frosting white.

 

All imperfections will be covered.

 

4.  Place the cakes on a cake stand in this order:  yellow, orange, white, and spread frosting between each layer.  Crumb coat each layer of cake.

5.  Fill three pastry bags with the frosting.  Using a 1 M tip, starting with the bottom yellow level, begin to make roses.  Just google a rose cake with a tutorial if you are unsure of how to do it. You just begin in the center and then circle out.  You can refrigerate the cake in between colors, if your buttercream is getting soft.  Make roses on the orange level, and then on the white level, on the sides and on the top.

6.  Refrigerate to firm up, and then serve.

 

I thought I would show you the Candy Corn Cake as a centerpiece on a Candy Corn Tablescape, because as Zoulah always says, "Cake makes the best centerpieces."

 

 

 

 Zoulah cackles with delight at this tri-colored cake!

 

 

 Zoulah would love you to have a piece of cake.

 

 

 

She thanks you from the bottom of her witchy toes to the top of her witchy hat for dropping by Red Couch Recipes.
 

 Posted with Wow us Wednesdays

 

Apple Spice Cake with Salted Caramel Frosting

 

Fall is officially  here now.  Perhaps you are like our family in the fall.  Every year we make several stops to the same apple farmer.  It just wouldn't be fall unless we were able to buy apples from this farmer.  He sells early apples called A-Connies, very similar to Johnathan apples.  We are on our third box!  My youngest says they taste like sunshine. These apples inspired her to take to the kitchen to make an apple cake.  She topped it with a simple salted caramel frosting that is perfectly suited for this lovely cake. 

 

APPLE SPICE CAKE

From Tessa Huff, The Cake Blog
 

1 cup unsalted butter, softened
2 cups sugar
4 eggs, room temperature
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
3 cups all -purpose flour, sifted
1 tablespoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup milk
3 medium apples, peeled and chopped

 

Directions:  Prepare three (eight-inch) round baking pans and set aside.  Heat oven to 350 degrees.  Sift flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt together.  Set aside.  In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, place butter and mix on medium-high.  Add sugar and mix together until mixture is light and fluffy.  With the mixture on low, gradually add in eggs and vanilla extract.  Starting and ending with the flour mixture, alternate by adding in the dry ingredients and milk.  Stir in the chopped apples to combine.  Pour  batter into prepared baking pans and bake until done about 25 to 30 minutes.  Cool on baking rack.  Make Salted Caramel (see below) and frost cake.  Talley had additional cake mixture, so she baked a little cake and then crumbled the cake on top for a nice, warm look.

 

SALTED CARAMEL FROSTING

She adapted this  cheater version for this Salted Caramel Frosting from Sally's Baking Addiction Blog.  

 

1/2 cup ( 1 stick)  salted butter

1 cup dark brown sugar

1/4 cup half and half

1/4 teaspoon salt

2-3 cups powdered sugar -- She used three. 

    

                         Add brown sugar, and half and half to a medium mixing bowl.  Then add salt and confectioner's sugar, little by little to achieve desired consistency.   Mix until well combined. 

 

This frosting tastes great on these Samoa Cookies.





Thank you for dropping by my Couch. 

It All Started With a Dream of Mint Green Shoes

 

It all started with a dream that my daughter had.

 

In her dream, she bought some mint green shoes..."AND THEY WERE SO CUTE!"

 

 

 

She would have no luck finding mint green shoes in the small village she lives in,  so she travelled to the big cities up north in pursuit of mint green shoes.

 

 

 

Although she looked and looked, her pursuit was in vain, no mint green shoes could be found in the big cities.  She settled for a turquoise pair of shoes'

 

The girl who had the dream had a very special birthday party coming up...she was turning Sweet 16.

 

 

Since she couldn't find mint green shoes, she decided to have a mint green Sweet Sixteen Party.

 

 

 

She and her mother prepared the food with care.  The girl who dreamed about mint green shoes made sure that the cake frosting, the cake pops, and the cookie icing were just the right shade of green...like the green in her dream.

 

 

Her mother tried to make everything "just rosy" for the special girl who had turned 16.  She made a mint green rose cake for the girl who had a dream about the shoes.

 

 

Since the girl couldn't realize her dream of buying mint green shoes, she twisted her dream and had a mint green party.

 

 

And so the beautiful birthday girl with the dream about mint-colored shoes blew out her candles with many good wishes for the future.

 

 

 

And the mint-colored cake tasted very good.

 

 

 The End

 

Posted with the following:

 

MM, Let's Dish, TT 



Cookie Graduation Cake

Hello Friends and welcome to Red Couch Recipes.  My son graduated from High School last Thursday.  Of course we held a party in in his honor and the girls and I made this cookie cake.  It is a chocolate whole wheat cake, my favorite chocolate cake, adorned with No-Fail Sugar Cookies and Royal Icing.

The dinosaur is our mascot, and we are known as the "Dinos."  There are several dinosaur statues that adorn the high school.

This little guy was donated last year by a group of alumni.

As for the cake, it is a chocolate whole wheat cake, my favorite chocolate cake, adorned with No-Fail Sugar Cookies and Royal Icing.  This was the first time my little one helped with decorating the cookies.

It was a graduating class of 182.  Both my high schoolers have loved going to this small school.  The boys wore blue gowns and the girls wore white gowns.  When I graduated we all wore black gowns and the boys and the girls were not seated separately.  I loved it when the Class President led them in flinging their graduating hats.  My son is the one who has his hand on his face.

The girls and I hand-cut the C's and the Dinosaurs.  I took apart a balloon weight from the Dollar Store for the centerpiece of the cake.

If you have an occasion you are celebrating, a cookie cake just might fit the bill.  I did bake my cookies a bit longer than usual so that they would be firmer, however, most of the time I love my cookies soft and white on the bottom.  If I did this again, I might make a three-layer cake, instead of a two-layer cake. 

I hope you are having a great summer!  Thanks for dropping by!

Peeps Nest Cake for Easter

A springy welcome to Red Couch Recipes!  Peeps and Easter just go together, don't you think?  I made this cake with my favorite chocolate whole wheat cake, but you could buy a chocolate cake and adorn it with a chocolate nest, Peeps, chocolate shavings, and candy chocolate eggs and in minutes you could have a cute dessert to serve for Easter. 

Here's a top view of the cake.

Recipe for Nedra's Whole Wheat Chocolate Cake and Chocolate Buttercream Frosting

1 cup butter

2 cups brown sugar

2 eggs

2 -1/2 cups whole wheat flour

1/2 cup cocoa

1 cup buttermilk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 teaspoon baking soda

7/8 cup boiling water

Grease and flour a 9 x 13 pan or 2 (8-inch round cake pans). In a large bowl, cream butter and brown sugar. Then add 2 eggs and beat well. In a medium, and separate, bowl, add the whole wheat flour and cocoa together. In a small bowl, add the buttermilk and vanilla together. Then add the flour mixture and buttermilk mixture to the creamed butter and sugar mixture. alternately, starting and ending with the flour mixture. Add to mixture the baking soda. Finally, add the 7/8 cup boiling water all at once and mix thoroughly. Pour immediately into prepared pan(s) and bake at 350 degrees for 45 to 50 minutes if using a 13 x 9 x 2 pan or 25 to 30 minutes if using the 8-inch round pans. Frost with Chocolate Butter Cream Frosting.

Chocolate Butter Cream Frosting

Blend together 3/4 cup room temperature butter, 4 cups powdered sugar, 1/2 cup cocoa powder, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, and 3-4 tablespoons water. You may need to add extr

a water, depending on how thick you want it. You may have extra frosting.

For the chocolate nests, just blow up a balloon and melt some chocolate in the microwave and then spread it on the blown up balloon and invert the balloon on something so that it can dry.  Remember when you are melting chocolate in the microwave, be very careful because chocolate can burn quite easily.  Just melt in 10-15 second segments and then stir inbetween.  For the top of the cake, make sure you don't blow up the balloon too large; you just need a small nest. We just used semi-sweet chocolate chips.

To make the chocolate shavings, just use a vegetable peeler.

Hold the peeler in your hand and make the chocolate into curls.  We used a Hershey chocolate bar.  In the little town we live in, we can't find quality dipping chocolate.  The Hershey's bar worked out fine for small curls. 

Thanks for sitting a bit on my Red Couch where you are always welcome!

Posted with the following:  On the Menu Monday

Meyer Lemon Cream Cake

Welcome to Red Couch Recipes!

This is a little cake that I made recently for a work party and also for a Sunday dinner dessert.  It is such a sweet little cake and tastes divine warmed up in the microwave.  My favorite part of the cake is the whipped cream and lemon curd filling and topping -- just so sweet and tart and yummy.  You would think that something so delicious as lemon curd would have a more appealing name.  There is just something about the word curd..
.

 The cake is made with Meyer lemons.  If you haven't tried them, you should try them.  They taste like a mix of lemon and orange and they are juicy, but they are not as tart as traditional lemons.   Would you chocolate lovers hate me if I say that I like lemon desserts better than chocolate?  It's true!  I am a big citrus fan!  If you can't find Meyer lemons, traditional lemons will still be delicious.

 Meyer Lemon Cake Recipe

Recipe adapted from Silver Palate Cookbook

8 tablespoons butter (1 stick), softened

3/4 cup granulated sugar

2 eggs, separated

Grated zest of 4 Meyer lemons

1 -1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup fresh Meyer Lemon Juice

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease 2 (9-inch) round cake pans.  I always use Baker's Joy when making cakes. Cream the butter and gradually add the sugar, beating until light. Beat in egg yolks, one at a time, and the lemon zest. Mix the flour with baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add dry ingredients alternately with the lemon juice to the batter. Beat the egg whites until stiff and fold them into the batter. Pour batter into the prepared pan.  Bake for 22 to 25 minutes or until sides of  cake pull away from the pans or until cake tester comes out clean.  Place cakes on cooling rack and take out of pans after 10 minutes.  Cool and then top with lemon cream below.

Lemon Curd Cream

=Mix one part lemon curd with 1 part freshly whipped cream.  You wouldn't want to make this with an artificial whipping cream!  I used 2/3's ciup lemon curd and 2/3's cup whipping cream.  I used Trader Joe's lemon curd as I had some on hand as  Jeannie, my sister, had sent me some in the mail.  The Trader Joe's Lemon Curd is especially delicious.  You can find other brands lemon curd at most stores.  I have used Richardson's Lemon Curd before and it is good.  Spread have of lemon curd cream between the layers of the cake and spread the remaining half of the lemon curd on the top of the cake.  Decorate with a sugared lemon peel.

Notes:  This is a small cake.   There is not a lot of batter to divide between two layers.  My daughter Tati, 15 years-old, loved this cake warmed up in the microwave.  Well, truth be told, she loves all cakes warmed in the microwave. 

Thanks for sitting a spell on my couch.

Posted with the following:

I'm Lovn It, Foodie Friday, Weekend Wrapup, Met Monday, Made By You Monday

Raspberry Buttermilk Cake

Seriously, when you add buttermilk to any dessert recipe, I am in!  This recipe,  inspired by a Gourmet 2009 magazine, didn't disappoint.  I found a sale on raspberries recently and bought 24 clam shells.  After making 3 batches of jam, eating them, and using them in my Buttermilk Pie Recipe, I scoured the Internet for a cake recipe.  When I saw the word buttermilk in this recipe, I knew it was the recipe for me.

Also click here to enter my giveaway for a 4 pack of Girard Dressing; the dressing really is delicious!

Like everyone else, I love cake and desserts in little individual pots -- they just taste better that way, don't you think?  I used 5 small ramekins from Pier 1.  I don't know what size these ramekins are considered so I measured the fluid capacity, in case you are interested in making individual cakes.  The ramekins hold to the indentation 1/2 cup, to the rim they almost, not quite, hold 1 cup.  This cake makes 6 servings, you may want to use six ramekins, but I loved how the cake spilled over the top of the ramekins when I used five.  You could also use other berries, peaches, etc.

Raspberry Buttermilk Cake Recipe

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 stick unsalted butter, softened

2/3 cup plus 1 1/2 tablespoons sugar, divided

1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1 large egg

1/2 cup well-shaken buttermilk

1 cup fresh raspberries -- about 1 clam shell.

1.  Preheat oven to 400°F with rack in middle. Butter and flour a 9-inch round cake pan or 6 ramekins. 

2.  Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

3.  Beat butter and 2/3 cup sugar (reserve 1-1/2 tablespoon sugar to sprinkle on top of cake batter before baking) with an electric mixer at medium-high speed until pale and fluffy, about 2 minutes, then beat in vanilla. Add egg and beat well.

4.  At low speed, mix in flour mixture in 3 batches, alternating with buttermilk, beginning and ending with flour, and mixing until just combined.

5.  Spoon batter into cake pan, smoothing top. Scatter raspberries evenly over top and sprinkle with remaining 1 1/2 tablespoons sugar.  I used about 6 raspberries for each little ramekin. 

Waiting to be baked.

6.  Bake until cake is golden and a wooden pick inserted into center comes out clean, 25 to 30 minutes. Cool in pan 10 minutes, then turn out onto a rack and cool to warm, 10 to 15 minutes more. Invert onto a plate.  I baked the ramekins for about 23 minutes.  I left the cake in the ramekins for serving. 

Thanks for stopping by Red Couch Recipes.

Posted with the following:  Wow Us Wednesdays, Foodie Friday, Weekend Wrapup, Sweets for a Saturday, Take-A-Look Tuesday

Aunt Mary's Birthday Cake with Two Cream Frosting

When I was growing up, we were fortunate to live near my Aunt Mary and Uncle John's family.  Aunt Mary and Uncle John had ten children and our family had five children.  We celebrated many birthdays together; we also played countless games of flashlight tag together.  During the game, one could hear "One, two, three I see Joni" or "Olley olley umphrey all home free."  Those of us hiding would taunt the person on goal with noises or calls of "hootie - whoo."   

When we went to Aunt Mary's home (Uncle John died when I was very young), it seemed to me that we would always have a three layer birthday cake.  I always loved it.  Later in life I talked to Jacqueline about Aunt Mary's cake, and she said it was just a three layer cake with whispped cream and bananas.  I have made my  version of "Aunt Mary's Birthday Cake" a couple of times for my family and we love it.  Aunt Mary's cake definitely didn't have a two cream frosting, but this frosting works so well with this cake.

Aunt Mary's Cake makes an impressive party cake.

For the white cake, this time I used a recipe from a Better Homes and Garden's magazine -- it was a delicious, moist white cake!  Aunt Mary always colored her layers:  white, pink, and green.

This photo provides a better shot of the bananas peeking out.

My Version of Aunt Mary's Birthday Cake

You will need three layers of white cake, 2-3 bananas, and a batch of Two Cream frosting.

Recipe for Classic White Cake

The secret is to make sure you don't over bake your cake.  Take the layers out a minute or so before you "think" they are done.

6 eggs

3 cups all-purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon baking powder

3/4 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup butter, softened

2-2/3 cups sugar

2 teaspoons vanilla

2 cups buttermilk

Separate eggs.  Allow egg whites to stand at room temperature for 30 minutes (reserve yolks for another use).  Meanwhile, grease three 8 x 1-/2 -inch round cake pans.  Line bottoms of pans with parchment paper.  Grease parchment paper and lightly flour pans; set aside.  In medium bowl stir together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt; set aside.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  In large mixing bowl, beat butter with electric mixer on medium to high speed for 30 seconds.  Add sugar and vanilla; beat until well combined.  Add egg whites all at once; beat on medium-high for 3 minutes.  Alternately add flour mixture and buttermilk to butter mixture, beating on low after each addition just until combined.  Divide batter into prepared pans. 

Bake in preheated oven 30 to 35 minutes or until a wooden toothpick or skewer inserted near centers comes out clean.  Cool cakes in pans on wire racks for 10 minutes.  Remove layers from pans.  Cool thoroughly on racks.

Two Cream Frosting

1 cup Whipped Cream

1 cup Sour Cream -- don't use low fat

5-6 tablespoons sugar

Whip cream in a medium bowl and then gradually add the sugar.  Fold in sour cream. 

Assembly of Cake

Place one layer of cake on cake stand; frost top of cake and add sliced bananas.  Place second layer on top of first and frost top of cake and add sliced  bananas.  Place third layer on top of second layer then frost all layers of cake.  For stability, you may wish to insert three to four thin wooden dowels or skewer.

Refrigerate cake two hours before serving.  This will allow the frosting to harden.  The cake also tastes marvelous the next day.  Because of the cream, any leftovers must be refrigerated.

Posted with the following:

Weekend Wrapup, I'm Lovin' It, Feature Yourself Friday