Well, I knew it was gonna happen.  Listen guys, I’m practicing.  I even said that from the beginning, right?  I know a lot of folks were super nice, and gave their votes of confidence, swearing I didn’t need to – that they’d buy my cakes now.  But guess what?!    It has been confirmed.  I need to practice.

The Twinkie cake was a yummy and stellar idea in theory.  I mean, what can go wrong?  How could a giant version of a twinkie be bad?  Let me tell you:  It can be dry. Just ask my friends who had the cake.    Making a sponge cake with cream filling is a delicate matter and I, unfortunately missed the mark.

Now, when I embarked on this 52 cake journey, I didn’t think about how sad I would feel when it came time to let everyone know I made a bad cake.  And worse, I didn’t consider how deep my heart would sink knowing that my not-so-good cake was a part of a special family celebration.     But, I’m thinking about it now…  I assure you…

Friends, I know this to be true: God can use all things to draw me to Himself, even cake baking.  I have been reminded of so much over the weekend.  Even when I fail at baking, I am still cherished and treasured by my Heavenly Father.  Who I am does not revolve around being good at something, or being good at all for that matter.  Rather I must continue to find my identity in Christ.    These things are true no matter how many people know I made a bad cake.    Paul’s words in Phillipians could not be more true, even on my cake adventure – He is faithfully continuing His work in my heart!

After much debate with myself,  I’m going to give the recipe here, in case you want to give it a shot!  You may have better finesse with the sponge cake and filling than I did!

Very Vanilla “Twinkie” Bundt Cake
dapted from Pure Vanilla by Shauna Sever

3 cups cake flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons butter, softened
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste {optional}
2 cups sugar
1/2 cup vegetable oil
3 eggs + 4 egg yolks
1 cup buttermilk

1. Preheat oven to 325. Prepare a bundt pan by spraying with non-stick cooking spray or brushing with melted butter. Set aside.

2. In a medium bowl, stir together flour, baking powder and salt.

3. In the bowl of a stand mixer {or a large bowl}, beat together butter, vanilla extract and vanilla bean paste until smooth. Slowly pour in sugar until well combined and fluffy.

4. Add vegetable oil and beat until incorporated. One by one, add eggs and egg yolks, beating well after each addition.

5. Carefully add 1/3 of the flour mixture to the wet mixture, then 1/3 of the buttermilk, alternating until all of the flour and buttermilk is added. Mix until just smooth and incorporated.

6. Pour or spoon batter into prepared bundt pan evenly. Smooth out the top. Bake for 60 to 70 minutes or until the top is golden brown and a skewer or knife inserted in the center comes out clean.

Remove from oven and allow to cool for about 45 minutes to an hour before attempting to remove from pan. There have been many a bundt cake casualty from impatient bakers trying to flip over a still-warm bundt.

For Marshmallow Filling

1 stick butter, softened
1 7.5 ounce container of marshmallow creme
1 teaspoon vanilla extract OR vanilla bean paste if you like the little specks like I do. 🙂

Beat all ingredients together until well mixed. Transfer to a piping bag with a round tip, or a zip top plastic bag with one corner snipped.

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I will say here that I used a bismarck tip to fill the cake – and this was the first time ever that I attempted to fill a cake, or any baked good for that matter.  I’m still mulling over how I can accomplish this skill differently and be successful!  I’ll keep you posted.

Hey!  In case I haven’t said it recently – I’m so glad you’re on this adventure with me!  🙂

I have strong, hearty memories of food from my childhood. They are as clear and present in my mind as though they happened yesterday, or maybe last week.

When I think about celebrations and special foods my mom made there is one cake that stands out!  Chocolate Cherry Sheet Cake.  Rich and moist filled with cherry pie filling, it was smothered in chocolate sauce.  It not only smelled fantastic while it was baking, the first bite was even better.

I know now why Chocolate Cherry Sheet Cake was a go-to recipe that mom made often: it was my dad’s favorite!  Now, my dad loves all things chocolate and cherry. Every Christmas you can be sure he gets a box or two of chocolate covered cherries from us!

For me, as a wife-mom-friend baker, often it is more than just creating a simple pleasure.  Sometimes I imagine I’m a kitchen warrior, favorite red spatula in hand, fighting off this crazy outside world with a sweet little morsel of peace and calm, warm from my oven.  If you are my loved one, I will discover your favorite and I will bake it again and again so you will know, no matter what: you belong here.  you are special. you are loved.  

Anyway- when mom asked if I might be able to squeeze her in on the “cake-a-week” list because my aunt and uncle were coming in from Ontario, I was quick to say yes!  And what did I decide to try?    This one’s for my dad, who has great affection for chocolate covered cherries:   Chocolate Covered Cherry Bundt.  Its my alternative to mom’s Chocolate Cherry Sheet Cake.  From the looks of things, it turned out pretty well!  Can’t wait to see what dad thinks!

Chocolate Covered Cherry Bundt Cake

(oh, and I used MyRecipeMagic.com’s recipe as a reference point, but really the cake is just my mom’s recipe.)

Cake Ingredients:

1 devils food cake mix
1 Can (20 oz) cherry pie filling
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla

Chocolate Glaze Ingredients:

1/2 cup half n half
1 1/2 tbsp sugar
6 oz of semi sweet chocolate chips
2 tbsp corn syrup

Instructions: Preheat oven to 350.  Prepare bundt pan with baker’s spray or butter and flour.  Combine cake ingredients and scoop into the pan.  Bake for about 45 minutes, maybe a bit longer.

When the cake has cooled for about 20-30 minutes, remove from the pan.   Once it is cool to the touch make the glaze. First, put the chocolate and syrup in a medium sized mixing bowl.  Put halfnhalf and sugar in a small sauce pan, heating over medium heat until cream is hot and sugar is dissolved.  Pour the milk mixture over the chocolate until the glaze is smooth.  Drizzle over the cake.

Cake no. 5  :   Toffee Caramel Crunch bundt 

(taken from Carlsbadcravings.com)

Well, I’m just gonna come out and say it.  I regret giving this cake away.  Now I know, I know, I know, I can’t eat all of the cake that I bake this year.  But let me tell you: I want to.    This one is definitely going on the “keeper” short list!  It was gooey, sticky, sweet and basically amazing.  At least that’s what I heard, since I didn’t actually taste it.     But, You can see for yourself in the photos…

Oh my goodness, I can’t wait to make it again so I can have a piece.  or two.  or three.  Maybe you should make it for your super bowl party.  It is definitely a crowd pleaser.

Ingredients:

• 1-1/2 cups unsalted butter, softened,
• 2 cups light brown sugar, packed
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 5 large eggs
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup whole milk
• 1 8 oz.  bag of toffee bits (I use Heath Bits O’ Brickle Toffee Bits)
• 1 cup pecans, chopped
• nonstick cooking spray
• 1 Recipe Easy Creamy Caramel Sauce

Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup butter
• 1 1/2 cups light brown sugar, packed
• 2 tablespoons water
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1-2 – 3/4 cup evaporated milk
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract

Instructions:

1. Add butter, brown sugar, water, and salt to medium saucepan and heat over medium heat, stirring until butter melts.
2. Bring to boil for 5 minutes (it will bubble a lot!), stirring occasionally.
3. Remove from heat and stir in 1/2 cup evaporated milk and vanilla. Add additional evaporated milk to reach desired consistency.

It sort of goes without saying that I am a full-fledged, no apologies, chocolate lover.  Mostly I wish I could just make all different kinds of chocolate cake.  But, I know that is not reasonable.

However, since I did make cakes that were not chocolate in any way for weeks 2 and 3, I felt it was time for some kind of chocolate cake again.  Really perfect timing because I came across a recipe for a chocolate chip bundt cake.  I found it on the blog: anitalianinmykitchen.com

My thoughts on the cake? In an effort to be truthful I’ll tell you, since we’re friends:  It was sweet and dense and soft, like a pound cake.   But, it might have been just a little too heavy for me. too something. I can’t put my finger on the exact reason, but I wasn’t totally sold on this cake.  And since I’m looking for just the right cakes that everyone will love, I’m not sure I’ll make it again.      But, you could try it – who knows?  You might like it!

(Also, just so you know, my kids made 2 demands: that we keep this week’s cake, and it had to be the heart shaped bundt.  So, there you have it! )

Creamy chocolate Chip Bundt Cake

Ingredients

Instructions

Cake #2

Banana Cake with Brown Butter Frosting

First, a few thoughts: I was able to take my cake to a meeting and share it with friends.  I could see first hand that I had made a few errors – I mixed just a bit too much and over baked by a hair.  The cake was not as soft and moist as I wanted – but, it was still yummy.  Also, in impatient fashion, I did not mix my frosting enough, so it was more lumpy than I wanted.  But, this is why I’m practicing, right?  To learn and make a better bundt cake- that is my goal!

So, the recipe I’m sharing with you here is based on what I would do differently to make the cake just right!  It is taken and edited from my recipe for Monkey Squares.

Ingredients:
1 ½ cups sugar
1 cup sour cream
½ cup butter, softened
2 eggs
4 small ripe bananas, mashed
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 cups flour, I used super fine cake flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
¾ teaspoon salt
½ cup chopped walnuts