Lisa’s Shower Cake Recipes

 

LEMONADE CAKE

in the background of the above photograph with the raspberries

Ingredients

Cake:

1 1/3  cups  granulated sugar

6  tablespoons  butter, softened

1  tablespoon  grated lemon rind

3  tablespoons  thawed lemonade concentrate

2  teaspoons  vanilla extract

2  large eggs

2  large egg whites

2  cups  all-purpose flour (*I used bread flour & it was fine.)

1  teaspoon  baking powder

1/2  teaspoon  salt

1/2  teaspoon  baking soda

1 1/4  cups  fat-free buttermilk

Cooking spray

Frosting:

2  tablespoons  butter, softened

2  teaspoons  grated lemon rind

2  teaspoons  thawed lemonade concentrate (*I use regular lemonade; pink is too sweet & takes away from the flavor of the cake & the frosting.)

1/2  teaspoon  vanilla extract

8  ounces  1/3-less-fat cream cheese

3 1/2  cups  powdered sugar

Raspberries for garnish

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350°.

To prepare cake, place first 5 ingredients in a large bowl; beat with a mixer at medium speed until well blended (about 5 minutes). Add eggs and egg whites, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour, baking powder, salt, and baking soda; stir well with a whisk. Add flour mixture and buttermilk alternately to sugar mixture, beginning and ending with flour mixture; beat well after each addition.

Pour batter into 2 (9-inch) round cake pans coated with cooking spray; sharply tap pans once on counter to remove air bubbles. Bake at 350° for 20 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pans 10 minutes on a wire rack; remove from pans. Cool completely on wire rack.

To prepare frosting, place 2 tablespoons butter and the next 4 ingredients (2 tablespoons butter through cream cheese) in a large bowl; beat with a mixer at high speed until fluffy. Add powdered sugar, and beat at low speed just until blended (do not overbeat). Chill 1 hour.

Place 1 cake layer on a plate; spread with 1/2 cup frosting. Top with remaining cake layer. Spread remaining frosting over top and sides of cake. Store cake loosely covered in the refrigerator.

 

The Perfect Chocolate Cake

CAKE:
Solid vegetable shortening for greasing the pans

Flour for dusting the pans

1 package (18.25 ounces) devil's food cake mix with pudding

1 cup sour cream

3⁄4 cup water

1⁄2 cup vegetable oil

4 large eggs

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

room-temperature semisweet chocolate to grate on top

DIRECTIONS

1. Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly grease three 9-inch round cake pans with solid vegetable shortening, then dust with flour. Shake out the excess flour. Set the pans aside.

2. Place the cake mix, sour cream, water, oil, eggs, and vanilla in a large mixing bowl. Blend with an electric mixer on low speed for 1 minute. Stop the machine and scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Increase the mixer speed to medium and beat 2 minutes more, scraping down the sides again if needed. The batter should look well combined. Divide the batter among the prepared pans, smoothing it out with the rubber spatula, and place them in the oven. If your oven is not large enough to hold them on one rack, place two pans on the center rack and the third in the center of the highest rack.

3. Bake the cakes until they spring back when lightly pressed with your finger, 20 to 25 minutes. Be careful not to overcook the layer on the highest oven rack. Remove the pans from the oven and place them on wire racks to cool for 10 minutes. Run a sharp knife around the edge of each layer and invert each onto a rack, then invert again onto another rack so that the cakes are right side up. Allow to cool completely, 30 minutes.

4. Meanwhile, prepare the Sweetened Cream by whipping heavy whipping cream with 2 T sugar.

5. To assemble, place one cake layer, right side up, on a serving platter. Spread the top with half of the whipped cream, spreading it to within 1⁄2 inch of the sides. Place the second layer, right side up, on top of the first layer and spread with the remaining whipped cream, spreading it to within 1⁄2 inch of the sides. Place the third layer on top, and cover the cake lightly with waxed paper. Place it in the refrigerator to chill.

6. Prepare the Chocolate Ganache.

7. To finish the assembly, spread the top and the sides of the cake with the frosting, using clean, smooth strokes. Slice and serve. Store this cake, in a cake saver or under a glass dome, in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.

Chocolate Ganache

From the kitchen of The Cake Mix Doctor

Difficulty: Easy

This frosting can be used on the cake of your choice. This recipe makes two cups, enough to thinly frost a two- or three-layer cake.

Ingredients

3/4 cup heavy (whipping) cream

8 ounces semisweet chocolate, finely chopped

Cooking Directions

Place the cream in a small heavy saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a boil, stirring. Meanwhile, place the chopped chocolate in a large mixing bowl. Remove the pan from the heat and pour the hot cream over the chopped chocolate. Stir until the chocolate is melted. I just put the cream in the microwave in my glass measuring cup (Lisa, do you have any?) & do it for 30 seconds at a time.

To use this ganache as a glaze, let it stand at room temperature for 10 minutes before spooning over a cooled cake. To use the ganache as a frosting or filling, let it stand at room temperature for four hours, or chill it until it thickens and is spreadable.

Now suppose your day is crazy & you make the ganache but then step away to help Christopher’s friend mow the lawn, run to the pool to share a key & chat, & run to Zaxby’s for a snack. The ganache will set up hard; just add a smidgen of heated heavy cream to the ganache & mix again. The color will be a bit darker but it will spreadable.

The Cake Mix Doctor, c. 2000

Lion House's Strawberry Filled Cake

4 eggs

1 cup sugar

1 tsp. vanilla

¾ cup flour

¼ cup cornstarch

1 ½ tsp. baking powder

¼ tsp. salt

1 quart strawberries, mashed
1 cup sugar
1 pint whipping cream, whipped and sweetened with about 3 T. sugar per pint

Preheat oven to 350-degrees. Grease and flour an 8-inch round springform pan. Beat eggs until light and fluffy. Add sugar gradually, beating until thick. Add vanilla. Sift flour with cornstarch, baking powder, and salt and fold carefully into egg mixture. Pour into prepared pan and back for 30 minutes. Cool and remove from pan. Split into three layers. *This is an angel-food cake.
Mix mashed strawberries with sugar. Whip the cream and sweeten to taste. Place the first layer of cake on a serving plate. Spread 1/3 of strawberries on layer. Spread about ¼ of the whipped cream on top of the berries. Repeat with the second layer. Spread the rest of the strawberries on the third layer, then frost the whole cake with the rest of the whipped cream. Chill until serving. Refrigerate any leftovers. Serves 12.

Bridal shower guests – so much fun to hang out with great women & celebrate the wedding of this beautiful young lady! This picture came out better than I hoped!!!

These young women said, “What you really need is a picture of someone shoving cake in their mouth!” And then Jacqueline was willing to pose.