Moist Lemon Cake Recipe

Hard to believe that with all the lemon flavored cakes on my blog, I actually don’t have a basic lemon cake recipe. That is, until now!

A lemon cake recipe is long overdue on CakebyCourtney.com and I’m so excited to share with you this delicious, new lemon cake recipe with lemon curd and lemon buttercream.

So what’s different about this lemon cake?

You’ll notice, I have several lemon cake recipes on my blog. Some are light and fluffy, some are slightly more dense, some are flavored with Jell-O, while others are flavored naturally. It’s really fun to create different types of cake recipes that have the same flavor profile, because we all like different flavors and textures of cake.

Here’s a little rundown of the cakes:

So we’ve got a few variations, which hopefully means you find the perfect lemon cake for you!

For my new Lemon Cake recipe, my number one goal was to make sure it was MOIST! Sometimes, cakes with only egg whites, can over bake easily and taste dry. The goal for this one was to make it as fool proof as possible.

Ingredients You Need for Lemon Cake

• Cake flour
• Baking powder
• Baking soda
• Salt
• Unsalted butter
• Granulated sugar
• 3 large lemons
• Eggs
• Buttermilk
• Food coloring, optional

How to Make Moist Lemon Cake from Scratch

To make a moist lemon cake from scratch, be sure to follow these tips:

1. Use room temperature ingredients – any ingredient you store in the refrigerator should be room temperature before you start making your cake. Room temperature ingredients better blend together and are better absorbed by the dry ingredients – which both help to create a high rise and moist cake.
2. Beat the butter, sugar and eggs well – these first few ingredients need to be mixed on a medium high speed for a few minutes before you add anything else. Specifically, start with beating the butter and sugar together on a medium-high speed to lighten the texture and create a little air in the mixture. You’ll then add the eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. THEN, after the eggs are adding, scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl and continue to mix on medium-high speed for a couple minutes. We want the mixture to be smooth, lighter in color, and fluffy in texture.
3. Don’t over-mix the batter when you add dry ingredients – once you start adding dry ingredients, you’ll want to make sure your mixer is on low speed. Over-mixing the cake batter can cause it to be dense and sink because you overwork the gluten (the flour).
4. Be sure not to over-bake the cakes – sometimes are cakes taste dry because we’ve simply over-baked them. As you bake recipes, from me or any author, be sure to watch the baked good during the last few minutes of baking. Take note if your oven bakes faster or slower than given times. You may need to adjust for your oven, since all ovens act so differently.

How to Make Homemade Lemon Curd

Adding lemon curd to any cake is almost unfair to the cake because no matter how delicious the cake is, homemade lemon curd always steals the show!

You will only need a handful of simple ingredients to make the lemon curd:

• Granulated sugar
• Lemon zest from one large lemon
• Lemon juice 
• Eggs
• Egg yolks
• Unsalted butter

First, whisk the sugar, lemon zest, and lemon juice in a medium saucepan. In a separate bowl, whisk together your eggs and egg yolks, and then whisk them into the lemon mixture. Do this before you turn on the stove, or right at the beginning. Adding the eggs too late after the sugar mixture has been heating can create an egg-y flavor in the curd.

Cook the mixture over medium-low heat, whisking constantly until it’s thick like pudding. This usually takes 6 to 8 minutes. Remove the saucepan from the heat and then whisk in the butter, a few pieces at a time, until it is all incorporated.

Once everything is all mixed in together nicely, strain the mixture through a fine-mesh sieve into a small bowl. It helps to push it through with a rubber spatula. Lastly, press plastic wrap directly onto the surface of the lemon curd to prevent a skin from forming. Refrigerate it until it is completely set. I recommend at least 4 hours. But it can be stored for up to 5 days!

Tips for the Best Buttercream Frosting

Making homemade buttercream is a game changer, compared to anything you’ll buy at the store. I have a couple key tips for making the best buttercream frosting every time:

1. Sift the powdered sugar
2. Beat the butter on its own for a few minutes
3. Use a little heavy whipping cream
4. Beat all of the ingredients together on medium-high for a few minutes.

Read more about how to make the best buttercream HERE.

You may notice my lemon curd in this picture is extra bright. I used organic eggs that had a more orange yolk, which added a real pop of color to the curd!

Frequently Asked Questions

More Lemon Cakes to Try!

Cake

Moist and Delicious Lemon Poppy Seed Bundt Cake

Cake

The Best Lemon Blueberry Cake with Lemon Curd and Lemon Buttercream

Cake

Light and Fluffy Lemon Oreo Cake with Lemon Buttercream

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Lemon Cake

Lemon cake layers with lemon curd and lemon buttercream

Course Dessert

Cuisine Cake

Keyword Intermediate, Lemon buttercream, Lemon Cake, Lemon curd

Servings 20

Ingredients

FOR THE CAKE

• 3 cups (345 g) cake flour
• 2 tsp (8 g) baking powder
• 1/2 tsp (2 g) baking soda
• 1/2 tsp (3 g) salt
• 1 cup (226 g) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 2 cups (400 g) granulated sugar
• 1 tbsp (9 g) lemon zest, one large lemon
• 2 eggs, at room temperature
• 2 egg whites, at room temperature
• 1/3 cup (83 g) fresh lemon juice, about three large lemons
• 1 cup (240 g) buttermilk, at room temperature
• 1-3 drops yellow food coloring, optional (I used Americolor Lemon Yellow)

FOR THE CURD

• 1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar
• 1 tbsp (9 g) grated lemon zest, one large lemon
• 1/2 cup fresh lemon juice, about 3 large lemons
• 3 large eggs
• 4 egg yolks
• 4 tbsp (56.5 g) unsalted butter, cold

FOR THE BUTTERCREAM

• 2 cups (446 g) unsalted butter, slightly cold
• 6 cups (750 g) powdered sugar, measured and then sifted
• 2 tsp (8.4 g) lemon extract
• 1/4 cup (57.5 g) heavy whipping cream
• pinch of salt
• *This buttercream recipe makes enough to fill and cover your cake, as decorated above. If you want additional piping, you'll want to make an extra ½ batch.

Instructions

FOR THE CAKE

• Preheat your oven to 325 degrees F. Spray three 8-inch round cake pans or four 6-inch round cake pans with nonstick spray, line the bottoms with parchment paper and spray again. Set aside.
• In a medium-size mixing bowl, combine the flour, salt and baking powder. Whisk to combine. Set aside.
• In a small mixing bowl, combine the buttermilk and lemon juice. Set aside.
• In a bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the butter, sugar and zest together on medium speed, until light and fluffy, about 2 to 3 minutes.
• Scrape down the sides of the bowl and begin to add the eggs and egg whites, one at a time, scraping down the sides and the bottom of the bowl and mixing well between each addition. Mix on medium-high speed until no grains of sugar remain, about 2 to 3 minutes.
• With the mixer on low speed, alternately add the flour mixture and the buttermilk mixture, starting and ending with the flour mixture. Be sure not to over mix. Over mixing your cake batter will cause it to sink. ***As you add the last of the buttermilk mixture, this is a good time to start coloring your batter if you'd like it a brighter yellow.
• Divide the batter evenly between the three pans, about 18 ounces in each 8-inch pan or about 13 ounces in each 6-inch pan. Bake the cake layers for 25 to 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cakes comes out with a few moist crumbs on it. Allow the cake layers to cool in the pans on wire racks for about 10 to 15 minutes. Invert cake layers onto a wire rack to cool completely. TIP: spray your wire rack with nonstick spray to prevent the cake layers from sticking.
• Allow to cool completely before wrapping in plastic wrap and storing in the freezer until ready to decorate.

FOR THE CURD

• This element is best done a day or two ahead of stacking and decorating your cake.
• Whisk the sugar, lemon zest, and lemon juice in a medium saucepan. Whisk in the whole eggs and yolks in a small bowl and then whisk them into the lemon mixture.
• Cook the mixture over medium-low heat, whisking constantly, until it's thick like pudding, about 6 to 8 minutes. Remove from the heat and whisk in the butter, a few pieces at a time until incorporated.
• Strain the mixture through a fine-mesh sieve into a small bowl, pushing it through with a rubber spatula. Press plastic wrap directly onto the surface to prevent a skin from forming. Refrigerate until completely set, at least 4 hours and up to 5 days. 

FOR THE BUTTERCREAM

• In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
• Turn the mixer to low and gradually add the powdered sugar, followed by the cream, salt and lemon extract. Mix until combined. Add yellow food coloring, if using. Mix until incorporated completely. Turn the mixer to medium-high and beat the frosting for about 5 minutes.
• Before applying the buttercream to your cake, use wooden spoon to beat the frosting by hand for about 2 minutes to push out any air pockets. 

ASSEMBLY

• Spread a small dollop of frosting onto a cake board. Place the first cake layer, top side up, on the board.
• Spread about a half cup of frosting over the cake layer and pipe a rim of frosting around the edge of the cake to create a barrier to the filling.
• Spread about ¼ cup of the curd in the center of the cake, carefully spreading it to the edge of the piping.
• Place a second cake layer on top of the piped frosting and filling and repeat step 2 and 3. Place the final cake layer, top side up, on the second layer of filling.
• Lightly coat the cake with a thin layer of frosting to lock in the crumbs. Freeze the cake for about 10 to 15 minutes to set the frosting.
• Finish frosting and decorating the cake with the remaining frosting. Serve a spoonful of the remaining lemon curd with each slice of cake.

The post The Best Lemon Cake Recipe first appeared on Cake by Courtney.

The post The Best Lemon Cake Recipe appeared first on Cake by Courtney.

Coconut Lemon Raspberry Cake

Are you officially ready for summer? With school out in just a couple weeks, summer is the only thing on our mind over here! I love the pool days, the BBQs and all the summer-inspired cake flavors. Another one to add to your summer must-make list: my new Coconut Lemon Raspberry Cake. This one is made up of tender and fluffy coconut cake layers, a tart lemon curd, a sweet raspberry filling and a silky, smooth coconut buttercream. These flavors together are truly magical!

Coconut Cake

The coconut cake layers aren’t new to the blog but are definitely worth keeping in your cake arsenal. They are so tender and moist and pair so well with so many different flavors.

More Coconut Cakes

• Pina Colada Cake
• Chocolate Coconut Cake
• Coconut Key Lime Pie Cake
• Coconut Cream Cake

It’s important to note that these cake layers only rise to about one to one and a quarter inches tall. If you want really thick cake layers, you have a few options:

• 1.5x the cake batter
• Use two 8-inch cake pans, instead of three
• Use three 6-inch cake pans

Lemon Curd

I love making homemade lemon curd! The flavor is 100x better than store bought and the homemade version is so simple. Plan on making the curd a day or two before you assemble your cake so it has time to set in the refrigerator.

Raspberry Filling

This whipped raspberry filling only has three ingredients and is super easy to make. It’s best done in the food processor, but can also be made in a blender. You want the high-speed to help whip the cream.

Coconut Buttercream

I love this coconut buttercream so much! It’s incredibly creamy and smooth, and the flavor is just out of this world. Make sure to refer to the ingredient list below to get the link for the specific cream of coconut to use in the buttercream.

Ingredients You Need for This Cake

• Canned coconut milk – I like Thai Kitchen brand – just be sure to mix the cream and liquid first, then measure
• Cream of coconut – this is different from the canned coconut we use in the cake. Look for the Coco Real brand.
• Cake flour
• Eggs
• Butter
• Coconut emulsion or extract
• Lemons
• Granulated sugar
• Powdered sugar
• Freeze-dried raspberries – I usually find these at Target, Walmart, Trader Joe’s or Amazon
• Heavy whipping cream (fat % above 35) – my favorite brand is Darigold 40% from Costco
• Baking powder
• Salt

How to Pipe Buttercream

HOW TO MAKE THE BEST BUTTERCREAM

To get a light and fluffy, silky smooth buttercream, make sure you follow my tips: HOW TO MAKE THE BEST BUTTERCREAM

• Sift your powdered sugar
• Use slightly cold butter
• Use heavy whipping cream
• Beat for 5 minutes
• Stir by hand

You’ll want to check out the post linked above for more details on each step.

CAKE MAKING TIPS

Don’t forget to follow my go-to tips for getting your cakes to rise and bake well:

• Preheat your oven for 30 minutes prior to baking.
• Use good quality pans like Fat Daddio.
• Spray your pans with nonstick spray and line with parchment paper. 
• Don’t overmix your cake batter once you add the dry ingredients.
• Use room temperature wet ingredients.
• Use fresh baking powder.
• Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out with a few moist crumbs on it

How to Assemble a Cake

I’ve included assembly instructions for how to assemble this cake below, but be sure to watch this quick video for extra help.

Enjoy!

P.S. If you’re looking for some baking equipment to make your life easier, here are some of my favorites!

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Coconut Lemon Raspberry Cake

Coconut cake layers with lemon curd, raspberry cream filling and coconut buttercream.

Course Dessert

Cuisine Cake

Keyword Coconut Buttercream, Coconut Cake, Coconut Lemon Raspberry Cake, Lemon curd, Raspberry Cream Filling

Servings 20

Ingredients

FOR THE COCONUT CAKE

• 1 1/2 cups (300 g) granulated sugar
• 1 cup (226 g) unsalted butter at room temperature
• 6 egg whites at room temperature
• 2 whole eggs at room temperature
• 1 tbsp (16 g) coconut emulsion
• 1 tsp (4.2 g) vanilla extract
• 3 cups (345 g) cake flour
• 1 tbsp (10 g) baking powder
• 1 tsp (6 g) salt
• 1 cup (231 g) canned coconut milk the canned coconut milk usually separates, so be sure to mix the cream and the liquid really well before measuring.

FOR THE LEMON CURD

• 1 cup (230 g) lemon juice I used fresh
• zest of one lemon
• 1/2 cup (100 g) granulated sugar
• 3 eggs
• 3 egg yolks
• 4 tbsp (56.5 g) unsalted butter

FOR THE COCONUT BUTTERCREAM

• 2 cups (452 g) unsalted butter slightly cold
• 1/4 cup (57.7 g) cream of coconut this is from the bottle, not the can
• 6 cups (750 g) powdered sugar measured and then sifted
• 1 tbsp (16 g) coconut emulsion
• pinch of salt
• *This buttercream recipe will make enough to fill and cover your cake. If you want to add additional piping, you'll want to make an extra ¼ to ½ batch

FOR THE WHIPPED RASPERRY FILLING

• 1/2 cup (15 g) freeze dried raspberries
• 1/2 cup (100 g) granulated sugar
• 2 cups (455 g) heavy whipping cream

Instructions

FOR THE COCONUT CAKE

• Preheat your oven to 325 degrees F. Spray three 8-inch with nonstick spray, line the bottom with parchment paper and spray again. Set aside.
• In a medium size mixing bowl, whisk the cake flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
• In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and the sugar together on medium-high speed for three minutes. The mixture should be light in color and fluffy in texture.
• Gradually add the egg whites and whole eggs, making sure to scrape down the sides and the bottom of the bowl between additions. Mix on medium-high for another 2 to 3 minutes after all the eggs are added and the mixture is light and fluffy. You'll notice the volume increase too!
• Add the coconut emulsion and vanilla extract.
• Turn the mixer on low speed and alternately add the flour mixture and the coconut milk, starting and ending with the flour mixture. Mix until combined.
• Evenly distribute the batter in your pans.
• Bake for about 23-25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out with a few moist crumbs on it. Remember, the cake continues to bake in the pan for about 5 minutes while it's cooling.
• Let cool in pans for 15 minutes and then invert onto cooling racks to cool completely.

  NOTE: these cake layers rise to 1 – 1.25-inches tall. If you want thicker layers, you can do 1.5x the recipe.

FOR THE LEMON CURD

• The curd is best made a day ahead of time.
• Whisk the sugar, the lemon juice, and lemon zest in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat.
• In a small bowl, whisk in the whole eggs and yolks in a small bowl and then whisk them into the lemon mixture.
• Cook the mixture over medium-low heat, whisking constantly, until it's thick like pudding, about 6 to 8 minutes. Remove from the heat and whisk in the butter a few pieces at a time until incorporated.
• Strain the mixture through a fine-mesh sieve into a small bowl, pushing it through with a rubber spatula. Press plastic wrap directly onto the surface to prevent a skin from forming. Refrigerate until completely set, at least 4 hours and up to 5 days. 

FOR THE COCONUT BUTTERCREAM

• In a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, combine the butter and cream of coconut. Beat on medium-high speed for 1 to 2 minutes, until light and fluffy.
• With the mixer on low speed, gradually add the sifted powdered sugar, followed by the coconut emulsion and pinch of salt.
• Turn the mixer to medium-high speed and beat the frosting until it is light and fluffy, about 3 to 5 minutes.
• Use a wooden spoon to stir out air bubbles.

FOR THE WHIPPED RASPBERRY FILLING

• In a food processor, pulse the freeze dried raspberries until they resemble powder.
• Add the sugar and the cream and scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula to incorporate the freeze dried fruit.
• Pulse the food processor for 1 to 2 minutes. The texture should thicken like Greek yogurt. Keep chilled until ready to use.

ASSEMBLY

• Place your first cake layer, top-side up, on a cake plate or cake board. Cover the cake layer with about ½ cup coconut buttercream and then pipe a rim around the edge of the cake with more coconut buttercream.
• Spread about ½ cup of the raspberry cream filling over the cake layer, followed by about a ¼ cup lemon curd.
• Repeat steps 1 and 2 for the second layer, and then place the final cake layer on top, bottom-side up.
• Lightly coat the cake with a thin layer of frosting to lock in the crumbs. Freeze the cake for about 10 to 15 minutes to set the buttercream.
• Finish frosting and decorating the cake with the remaining frosting.

The post Light and Fluffy Coconut Lemon Raspberry Cake first appeared on Cake by Courtney.

The post Light and Fluffy Coconut Lemon Raspberry Cake appeared first on Cake by Courtney.

Raspberry Cheese Danish Bundt Cake

My Raspberry Cheese Danish Bundt Cake is inspired by my popular Cheese Danish Cake, which was inspired by the most delicious cheese danish from Farmstead Bakery in St. George, Utah. The Cheese Danish Cake has been such a huge hit and if you haven’t made it yet, I think my mom’s reaction to the cake will definitely convince you to!

As I worked on my new book, “BAKE, by Courtney,” I knew I wanted to create a bundt cake version of the Cheese Danish Cake. As I played around with flavors, I landed on fresh raspberries and a raspberry glaze.

For the Bundt Cake

For the cake, I used the same cake batter from the Cheese Danish Cake, which comes from my Cherry Cheese Pie Cake. These layers are slightly more dense than a typical vanilla cake, but it’s still so tender and moist. We’re using a stick of cream cheese and adding a full tablespoon of vanilla bean paste. The flavor is to-die-for!

Make sure to use fresh raspberries, or sub for another berry like blueberries. Avoid, frozen berries, however, because they’ll release too much water into the cake batter.

Benefits of Making a Bundt Cake

Bundt cakes are known for their distinct ring shape, which is created using a bundt pan with a tube in the center. This unique shape not only makes the cakes visually appealing but also offers several benefits:

1. Even Baking: The hole in the center of the bundt pan allows heat to circulate evenly throughout the cake, leading to consistent baking. This helps avoid undercooked or overcooked areas.
2. Attractive Presentation: Bundt cakes have a beautiful, intricate shape that looks impressive on its own. They require minimal decoration to look stunning, making them a popular choice for parties and events.
3. Versatility: Bundt cakes can be made with a variety of flavors and fillings, from traditional vanilla or chocolate to more exotic options like lemon, almond, or pumpkin. Bundt cakes are great all year and for any occassion!
4. Moist Texture: The design of the bundt pan helps keep the cake moist and tender, as the cake is typically baked more evenly.
5. Simple to Serve: The ring shape of a bundt cake makes it easy to slice and serve uniformly – and we love convenience of serving at parties with big groups.

Which Bundt Pan Should I Use?

For this bundt cake recipe, I used the Nordic Ware Brilliance Bundt Pan. The same of this pan is truly so stunning and I love how the glaze falls between the lines so perfectly, almost like a drip on a layered cake!

How Do I Make Sure My Cake Doesn’t Stick to My Bundt Pan

I have three tips for making sure your cake doesn’t stick to the bundt pan:

• Spray well with nonstick spray
• Dust with flour, or in this case, cocoa powder
• Allow the cake to cool COMPLETELY before inverting the pan into a cake plate to serve.

That last one is key! Give the cake a while to cool before flipping it out. When we try to flip the cake while it’s still warm is when the cake will stick and fall apart.

More BUNDT CAKES TO TRY

Copycat Tom Cruise White Chocolate Coconut Bundt Cake

Iced Oatmeal Cookie Bundt Cake Inspired by Mother’s Cookies

Melt-In-Your-Mouth Butter Cake

The Most Delicious Jelly Donut Bundt Cake

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Raspberry Cheese Danish Cake

Moist and tender cream cheese cake with fresh raspberries and a raspberry cream cheese glaze.

Course Dessert

Cuisine Cake

Keyword Bundt Cake, raspberry, Raspberry cheese danish bundt cake

Ingredients

FOR THE CAKE

• 3 cups (360 g) all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon (12 g) baking powder
• 1 teaspoon (6 g) salt
• 8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
• 1 3/4 cups (350 g) granulated sugar
• 1 cup (218 g) grapeseed oil
• 1 tablespoon (13 g) vanilla bean paste
• 3 eggs, at room temperature
• 1 cup (240 g) buttermilk, at room temperature
• 1 cup (about 125 g) fresh raspberries

For the Glaze

• 1 cup (about 125 g) raspberries
• 1 cup (125 g) powdered sugar
• 2 ounces cream cheese

Instructions

FOR THE CAKE

• Preheat your oven to 325 degrees F. Spray a 10 or 12 cup bundt pan with nonstick spray. Coat the inside of the pan with granulated sugar. Set aside.
• In a medium size mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
• In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the cream cheese until smooth.
• Add the sugar and grapeseed oil and continue to beat on medium-high speed until light in color and fluffy in texture, about 2 to 3 minutes.
• Add the eggs, one at a time, making sure to scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl in between additions. Stir in the vanilla bean paste.
• Continue to beat on medium-high speed for about 2 minutes, until the mixture gets smooth in texture and slightly bigger in volume.
• With the mixer on low speed, add ⅓ of the flour mixture, followed by ½ of the buttermilk, another ⅓ of the flour, the second half of the buttermilk, and then the remaining flour mixture. Stir until just combined.
• Gently fold in the raspberries.
• Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 60 to 65 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out with a few moist crumbs on it.
• Remove from oven and place the bundt pan on a cooling rack to cool completely. Allow the cake to cool for about an hour, until it’s room temperature, before inverting the cake on a cake stand. Allowing the cake to cool completely in the pan helps the cake to release from the sides cleanly when it’s time to take the cake out.

For the Glaze

• Puree the raspberries in a blender or food processor. Strain the mixture to remove the seeds.
• In a medium size mixing bowl, stir together the raspberry juice, powdered sugar and cream cheese.
• Drizzle over the bundt cake.

The post The Best Raspberry Cheese Danish Bundt Cake first appeared on Cake by Courtney.

The post The Best Raspberry Cheese Danish Bundt Cake appeared first on Cake by Courtney.

10 Mother’s Day Desserts

My list of 10 Mother’s Day worthy desserts include a little of everything: cakes, bars, pies, as well as desserts that are easy, intermediate and more advanced.

Lemon Oreo Cake

To kick off our list of Mother’s Day desserts, we have to talk about my Lemon Oreo Cake. This cake is made with light and fluffy vanilla cake layers with lemon Oreos in the layers, a lemon Oreo whipped cream filling and a delicious lemon buttercream. I love the tender layers, paired with the texture of the cookies and the silky smooth buttercream.

Better than the Box Brownies

Sometimes mom just needs chocolate! Come to think of it… maybe it’s all the time! If chocolate is the way to mom’s heart, you’ve got to try my Better than the Box Brownies. This recipe took me a lot of time to perfect, but it’s truly the best homemade brownie recipe and will remind you of those delicious dark chocolate Ghirardelli brownies.

Blueberry Cobbler Cake

Another layered cake option is my Blueberry Cobbler Cake. This cake is bursting with flavor and definitely worthy of celebrating mom with.

Strawberry Lemonade Cake

My Strawberry Lemonade Cake is made with tender strawberry cake layers, lemon curd, and strawberry cream cheese buttercream. The flavor will have you so excited for summer and will have mom asking for more!

Olive Oil Ricotta Cake

This is a personal favorite! My Olive Oil Ricotta Cake with strawberry basil compote and lemon mascarpone frosting is actually my favorite non-chocolate cake. I could eat this every day and never get tired of it. With two cups of ricotta in the cake layers, the texture is so moist and rich, but is not overpowered by the cheese. It just creates so much moisture.

Brownie Berry Torte

This dessert actually comes from my mom and will be an instant hit at your house. Grab a box brownie mix, some Jell-O pudding and you’re basically done! Mom’s Brownie Berry Torte is a crowd favorite and can be adapted to fit a lot of different flavor profiles.

Lemon Bars

And while I love that Brownie Berry Torte, no other recipe will make me think of my mom the way her Legendary Lemon Bars do. I’m going to make a bold claim – this Lemon Bar recipe is going to be your new go-to. I guarantee it.

Lemon Poppy Seed Bundt Cake

Sticking with my love of lemon, my Lemon Poppy Seed Bundt Cake is another easy and delicious dessert to make for your Mother’s Day celebration. The cake has a great tender texture with a beautiful natural lemon flavor.

Peanut Butter Pie

Where are my peanut butter lovers at? This one is for you! My Peanut Butter Pie has a crispy pretzel and graham cracker crust, peanut butter filling, caramel, and loads of peanut butter cups and peanuts. You’ll love how easy and delicious this one is!

Lazy Chocolate Cake

Last up, my Lazy Chocolate Cake. No fuss, no stress. One layer of the most delicious chocolate cake you’ve ever had, smothered in chocolate ganache. Just be sure to use my favorite cocoa powder. You’ll find it HERE.

Can’t wait to hear which of my 10 Best Desserts to Bake for Mother’s Day you choose to make!

The post 10 Best Desserts to Bake for Mother’s Day first appeared on Cake by Courtney.

The post 10 Best Desserts to Bake for Mother’s Day appeared first on Cake by Courtney.

Cream Cheese Danish Cake

It might sound like an odd name for a cake, but I truly couldn’t think of a better way to describe the flavor of this cake. After a recent trip to St. George, where Avery and I tried nearly all of the pastries from The Farmstead , I just had to create this cake.

What is a Cheese Danish?

A cheese Danish is a type of pastry made with a buttery, flaky dough that is similar to croissant dough. It is typically shaped into a round or oval shape and has a well in the center filled with a sweet and tangy cheese filling. The filling is usually made with cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla for flavor. The pastry is baked until golden brown and crisp, and it may be topped with a light dusting of powdered sugar or a drizzle of icing for added sweetness.

The cheese Danish from Farmstead, however, is unlike any cheese Danish I’ve ever had! This one had a light and fluffy cheese filling inside a kouign amann-like pastry, and topped with cream cheese frosting. Heaven! Pure heaven!

Look at that!

It was glorious!

While I cheered Avery on at her dance competition, I was simultaneously thinking about how I could turn this into a cake — and I got started on it the day we got home!

What is a Cream Cheese Danish Cake?

Great question! Let’s talk about what I did to create this Cream Cheese Danish Cake (which could also be called a Cheesecake Cake – very similar flavors).

Cream Cheese Cake

For the cake layers, I knew I wanted to use my cream cheese cake layers from my Cherry Cheese Pie Cake. These layers are slightly more dense than a typical vanilla cake, but they’re still fluffy and tender. We’re using a stick of cream cheese and adding a full tablespoon of vanilla bean paste. The flavor is to-die-for!

How to Bake a Moist Cake From Scratch

If you’re unfamiliar with making cakes from scratch, THIS blog post is a must-read!

A quick overview:

• Use real butter
• Measure flour correctly
• Add fat
• Don’t over bake
• Know your oven
• Use light metal pans
• Serve your cake at room temperature

Cream Cheese Filling

This cream cheese filling is essentially just cream cheese. We’re adding just a little sweetened condensed milk for sweetness. It’s not a lot because we want the cheese flavor to stand out here.

Cream Cheese Frosting

To top off this cake, I’ve made my cream cheese frosting with some vanilla bean paste. Remember, cream cheese frosting is not as stable as regular buttercream, so I don’t recommend trying to pipe with it. You can see I opted for a rustic look with this cake. Trying to smooth cream cheese frosting with a scraper can be tricky because the “cheese” element is sticky.

Other Favorite Cake Recipes You’ll Love

• Chocolate Cherry Pie Cake
• Red, White and Blue Berry Cake
• Chocolate Cola Cake
• Creamsicle Cake
• Ice Cream Sundae Cake
• Ultimate S’mores Cake

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Cheese Danish Cake

Cream cheese cake layers, cheesecake filling, and vanilla bean cream cheese frosting

Course Dessert

Cuisine Cake

Keyword cheesecake, cream cheese, cream cheese cake, cream cheese frosting, cream cheese icing

Servings 20

Ingredients

FOR THE CREAM CHEESE CAKE

• 3 cups (360 g) all-purpose flour
• 3 tsp (12 g) baking powder
• 1 tsp (5.6 g) salt
• 8 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
• 1 cup (218 g) grapeseed oil
• 1 3/4 cups (350 g) granulated sugar
• 1 tbsp (13 g) vanilla bean paste
• 3 eggs, room temperature
• 1 cup (240 g) buttermilk, at room temperature

FOR THE CHEESECAKE FILLING

• 8 ounces cream cheese
• 1/4 cup sweetened condensed milk, I use the Eagle brand

FOR THE CREAM CHEESE FROSTING

• 2 cups (452 g) unsalted butter, slightly cold
• 6 ounces cream cheese, slightly cold
• 6 cups (750 g) powdered sugar, measured then sifted
• 1 tbsp (13g) vanilla bean paste
• pinch of salt

Instructions

FOR THE CREAM CHEESE CAKE

• Preheat your oven to 325 degrees.
• Spray two 8-inch round cake pans with nonstick spray, line the bottom with parchment paper, and spray again. Set aside.
• In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
• In the bowl of a stand mixer beat the cream cheese until smooth cream cheese. Add the grapeseed oil and sugar and continue to beat on medium-high speed for 2-3 minutes.
• With the mixer on medium, add the vanilla bean paste, followed by the eggs, one at a time, making sure to scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl between each addition. Once all of the eggs are added, turn the mixer to mediump-high speed and beat for an additional 2 miniutes.
• With the mixer on low, alternately add the flour mixture and the buttermilk in three additions, starting and finishing with the flour. Combine until incorporated, about 20 to 30 seconds.
• Evenly distribute the batter among the two cake pans (about 27 ounces of batter in each pan) and bake for 40 to 45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out with just a few moist crumbs.
• Let cool in pans 5-10 minutes before inverting onto a wire rack to cool completely. Once cooled completely, cut the cakes in half horizontally (this is called "torting" the cake). You can cover with plastic wrap and store in the freezer for several weeks.

FOR THE CHEESECAKE FILLING

• In a medium size mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese and sweetened condensed milk.
• Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.

FOR THE CREAM CHEESE FROSTING

• In a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter and cream cheese on medium-high speed for about two minutes.
• With the mixer on low speed, slowly add the sifted powdered sugar until incorporated. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and continue to mix for another minute.
• Add vanilla bean paste and pinch of salt. Increase the speed to medium-high and beat the buttercream for 3 to 5 minutes.
• Use a spoon to mix the frosting by hand, which will push out the air pockets created by the electric mixer.

ASSEMBLY

• Place the first cake layer, top side up, on a cake board or cake plate. Spread about ½ cup frosting over the first cake layer. Using a piping bag, pipe a rim of frosting around the edge of the cake.
• Fill the cake with ½ – ¾ cup cheesecake filling.
• Place the second cake layer on top and repeat step two. Repeat these steps until you get to the final cake layer (remember, you have four layers now. Place the final cake layer, top side down.
• Apply a thin layer of frosting around the entire. Freeze the cake for about 10 to 15 minutes to set crumb coat.
• Finish frosting the cake with the remaining frosting

The post The Most Delicious Cream Cheese Danish Cake first appeared on Cake by Courtney.

The post The Most Delicious Cream Cheese Danish Cake appeared first on Cake by Courtney.

My Strawberry Shortcake Cake is one of my most popular cakes and is the perfect dessert to make for Mother’s Day next month.

Strawberry Shortcake Cake

My Strawberry Shortcake Cake is made up of tender and fluffy vanilla cake layers, filled with homemade whipped cream and fresh strawberries, and then covered it in a strawberry buttercream. This really is the perfect shortcake for the season!

I went a little untraditional with the addition of the strawberry buttercream, but I think it was a risk well worth it! The flavor is light and awesome!

To start, the cake layers for this one come from my Classic Vanilla Cake. Remember, with a tender, fluffy vanilla cake, it’s easy to over bake the layers and therefore get a dry cake. Here’s what I do in my Strawberry Shortcake recipe to make sure that doesn’t happen:

• First reduce the temperature to 325 degrees F.
• Next add sour cream to increase fat in the batter, which helps create and maintain moisture.
• Use room temperature ingredients.
• Keep your eye on the shortcakes as they bake. Don’t forget to use a toothpick to check when they’re done. When you insert the toothpick in the center of the cake, it should come out with a few moist crumbs on it.
• Don’t over mix the cake batter.

Homemade Whipped Cream Filling

After starting the layers, I move on to the filling. The whipped cream filling is simply stabilized whipped cream. I’ve used it in several recipes, and I have a full tutorial on IGTV that you can watch HERE to help you make the recipe below. A few dollops of this cream will send your bake over the top!

Most importantly, I add gelatin to this Strawberry Shortcake recipe because the gelatin is what helps stabilize the whipped cream. You can also use EZ Gel. This helps it hold up better between cake layers. However, it can sometimes be tricky to use. The key to making sure you don’t get clumps in your whipped cream filling is to not let the gelatin mixture cool too long in the fridge. Above all, you don’t want the gelatin to set too much as it cools and you also don’t want it to be too warm. If it is the wrong temperature when you add it to your whipped cream, the whipped cream will soften.

Strawberry Buttercream

To top this shortcake off, I add a delicious strawberry buttercream, made with a little strawberry jam and freeze-dried strawberries.

The flavor is out of this world delish.

Assembling the Strawberry Shortcake

You want to be sure your cake is staked properly, so take a look at the tips below to refresh your memory.

Enjoy!

More Recipes You’ll Enjoy

• The Best Strawberry Buttercream Frosting for Cake
• Strawberry Cake
• Fun & Easy Patriotic-Inspired Cakes
• Top 5 Favorite Strawberry Birthday Cakes
• Delicious and Easy Biscoff Strawberry Cake

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Strawberry Shortcake

Tender and fluffy vanilla cake layers with a whipped cream filling, fresh strawberries and strawberry buttercream.

Course Dessert

Cuisine Cake

Keyword Strawberry Buttercream, Strawberry Rhubarb Crumble, Strawberry Shortcake, Whipped Cream

Servings 20 people

Ingredients

FOR THE CAKE

• 3 cups (340 g) cake flour
• 1 tbsp. (10 g) baking powder
• 1 tsp. (6 g) salt
• 1 cup (226 g) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1 3/4 cups (350 g) granulated sugar
• 6 egg whites, at room temperature
• 2 tsp. (8 g) clear vanilla extract
• 1 cup (240 g) buttermilk, at room temperature
• 1/2 cup (120 g) sour cream, at room temperature

FOR THE WHIPPED CREAM

• 2 cups (462 g) heavy whipping cream, cold
• 3 tbsp. (44.3 g) water, cold
• 1 tbsp. (9.25 g) unflavored gelatin
• 1/2 cup (62.5 g) powdered sugar, measured and then sifted
• 1 tsp. (4.2 g) vanilla extract
• Diced fresh strawberries

FOR THE BUTTERCREAM

• 1 1/2 cups (327 g) unsalted butter, slightly cold
• ¼ cup (40 g) freeze dried strawberries, pulverized
• 1/3 cup (76 g) heavy cream
• 2 tbsp. strawberry jam
• 4 cups (500 g) powdered sugar, measured and then sifted
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• *This buttercream recipe makes enough to fill and cover your cake. If you want to add additional piping, you’ll want to make an extra ½ batch.

Instructions

FOR THE CAKE

• Preheat your oven to 325 degrees F. Spray three 8-inch or four 6-inch round cake pans with non-stick spray and then line with parchment. Spray again. Set aside.
• In a medium sized mixing bowl, whisk together the cake flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
• In the bowl of an electric mixer, fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and the sugar for two minutes on medium-high speed.
• Scrape down the sides of the bowl and begin to add the egg whites on medium speed, scraping down the sides and bottom of the bowl between addition. Once all of the egg whites are added, mix for about 1 to 2 minutes on medium speed.
• Add vanilla extract and beat until incorporated.
• With the mixer on low speed, add ⅓ of the flour mixture, followed by ½ cup of the buttermilk. Repeat the additions, ⅓ cup flour mixture, ½ cup buttermilk and the final ⅓ cup flour mixture. Only mix until the flour mixture is incorporated, about 30 seconds. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl and mix again for another 20 to 30 seconds on low.

  Fold in the sour cream.
• Pour about 18 ounces of cake batter into each of the three 8-inch cake pans or 13 ounces in each of the 6-inch pans and bake for 25 to 28 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out with a few moist crumbs on it. Let cool in the pans for about 15 minutes and then invert onto a wire rack to cool completely. (Tip: spray your wire cooling racks with nonstick spray).

FOR THE FILLING

• In a small bowl, place the cold water and sprinkle with the gelatin. Let sit for at least 10 minutes. In a small saucepan, bring ⅓ cup heavy cream to a simmer and then stir in the gelatin mixture. Refrigerate, stirring frequently, until cool but not set, about 5-7 minutes.
• In a chilled stainless steel bowl with a chilled whisk attachment, beat the remaining whipping cream, icing sugar, and vanilla until it thickens and soft peaks begin to form, about 1 to 2 minutes. Very gradually add the gelatin mixture and continue beating until medium-firm peaks form.
• Keep covered and chilled until ready to use.

FOR THE BUTTERCREAM

• In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the butter for about 2 minutes. This will soften the butter without it having to be warm.
• With the mixer on low speed, gradually add the sifted powdered sugar, one cup at a time, mixing a little in between each addition.
• Add the freeze dried strawberries and the strawberry jam.
• With mixer on medium speed, add whipping cream and vanilla.
• Turn the mixer to medium-high speed and beat for an additional 5 to 7 minutes. The frosting will become lighter in color and texture.

ASSEMBLY

• Spread a small dollop of frosting on your cake board. This will act like glue to hold your cake in place.
• Place your first cake layer, top side up, on your cake board. Pipe a rim of strawberry buttercream around the edge of the cake.
• Spread about ½ cup of the whipped cream filling over the cake. Placed diced strawberries on the whipped cream and pat into place with your hand. Spread another ½ cup of the whipped cream filling over the strawberries.
• Place the next cake layer on top of the filling and repeat steps 2 and 3.
• Set your final cake layer, top side down, on your second layer of filling. Apply a thin crumb coat over your entire cake. This does not need to look pretty or be even. This coat of frosting is simply to lock in the crumbs. Freeze your cake for about 10 to 15 minutes to set the crumb coat.
• After the crumb coat is set, finish frosting your cake with the strawberry buttercream

The post Light and Fluffy Strawberry Shortcake Cake with Strawberry Buttercream first appeared on Cake by Courtney.

The post Light and Fluffy Strawberry Shortcake Cake with Strawberry Buttercream appeared first on Cake by Courtney.

Inspired by the new Choco Smash Cake at Disneyland California Adventure, my copycat version is filled with brownie, peanut butter filling, vanilla cake, dulce de leche, chocolate crisp pearls, and chocolate buttercream.

What is a Choco Smash Cake?

The Choco Smash Cake is the new dessert offered in Disney California Adventure Park at Pym Test Kitchen. Previously, Pym Test Kitchen offered a Choco Smash Candy Bar, but it was recently replaced by this new cake version of the candy bar.

This multi-layered cake is made up of layers of brownie, white chocolate peanut butter ganache, chocolate crunch pearls, white cake, dark chocolate truffle mousse, and white chocolate caramel bavarian cream, coated in chocolate ganache and topped with roasted peanuts.

Here’s a look at the real deal:

A mouth full, right?!

After learning about this cake from a friend, and seeing it has so many of my favorite things in it, I knew I had to try it during our recent visit to Disneyland with the kids.

My Review of the Choco Smash Cake

To be honest, I can only give this one a 6/10. I actually had no idea there was white chocolate in any of the elements until I was researching it when I got home from the trip. The white chocolate got lost in the mix of peanut butter and caramel, but was also the reason the fillings lacked a lot of flavor. The cake itself was a little dry and I don’t even think it needed the ganache on the outside. I would have preferred more of the chocolate mousse.

But here’s the thing… Disney is making food and treats for a crazy amount of people each day. It’s hard to land everything perfectly fresh and flavorful when there are so many factors of food prep and food rules involved. So, taking that into consideration, they did a good job. I just knew this cake had so much potential and I knew I wanted to make my own version.

Copycat Choco Smash Cake

For my Copycat Choco Smash Cake, we’re using the original as major inspiration. The main difference in my Choco Smash Cake recipe is you won’t find any white chocolate. I played around with a few options (caramelizing white chocolate, making a ganache, etc.) and ultimately felt like the caramel flavor was getting lost among all the other elements. Instead, you’ll see we’re using dulce de leche – straight from the can.

The other thing I wanted to point out – you can use your favorite box brownie mix (mine is the Ghirardelli Dark Chocolate Brownie Mix) OR my homemade version of my favorite boxed brownie. You’ll find that recipe HERE. To simplify, I used the box mix for my cake.

Elements in the Choco Smash Cake

• Brownie
• Peanut Butter Filling
• Vanilla Cake
• Dulce de Leche
• Chocolate Crisp Pearls (another option are these Valrhona chocolate and caramel combination crisps.)
• Chocolate Buttercream

As you can see from the pictures, I switched up my layering just a bit. I wanted to make sure the peanut butter and caramel elements didn’t blend. For me, I love when I can distinctly taste each element of a cake, without anything overpowering another element.

Brownie Layer

As I mentioned earlier, you can make the brownie layers from a box or from my homemade recipe for my copycat Choco Smash Cake. Either way, you’re going to split the brownie batter between two 8-inch round cake pans. I use the same Fat Daddio cake pans for the brownie element as I do my cake. Once the brownie layers are baked, you’ll let them cool a bit and then turn them onto a cooling rack to cool completely.

TIP: when you line the bottom of the cake pans in preparation to bake the brownies, it’s helpful to have some of the parchment come up the sides. This allows you to pull the brownies up, out of the pan. I’ve noticed that if I just use parchment on the bottom of the pan, I struggle to get the brownies out when I flip the pan over.

How to Make Moist Vanilla Cake Layers

These cake layers are really easy to whip up, but can easily be a “Pinterest fail” if you forget to follow these steps for making moist cake layers from scratch:

• Use real butter
• Measure ingredients correctly
• Use room temperature butter
• Add fat
• Use light metal pans
• Mix on high at the beginning (with butter, sugar, oil and eggs)
• Mix on low at the end (when you add flour)
• Don’t overbake

For more details on these tips, be sure to read my blog post about How to Bake Moist Cakes from Scratch.

Chocolate Buttercream Recipe

The goal for your chocolate buttercream should be a smooth, silky, easily spreadable consistency. It’s this amazing consistency that makes smoothing out your chocolate buttercream while decorating so much easier. Compared to other chocolate buttercream recipes I’ve tried, this is the smoothest and tastiest one around.

To make this chocolate buttercream recipe, you’ll start by heating the dark chocolate with the heavy whipping cream until you’ve created a smooth chocolate ganache. Let it cool to room temperature while you sift the powdered sugar.

The next step is to beat the butter on it’s own for just a bit to soften it up. While the butter is mixing, add the chocolate ganache, followed by the powdered sugar, vanilla and salt.

The color of the chocolate buttercream lightens a bit while you mix it. As it rests, it will darken.

This buttercream is the perfect finishing touch to my Copycat Choco Smash Cake.

FAQs

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Choco Smash Cake

Inspired by the Disneyland California Adventure cake, my copycat version is made with layers of brownie, peanut butter filling, vanilla cake, dulce de leche, chocolate crisp pearls, and chocolate buttercream.

Course Dessert

Cuisine Cake

Keyword Choco Smash Cake, Disneyland Cake, Disneyland Treat

Ingredients

Brownies

• 1 box Dark Chocolate Ghirardelli Brownie Mix
• OR
• 1 batch Homemade brownies, my favorite recipe

Vanilla Cake

• 3 cups (345 g) cake flour
• 2 teaspoons 8 g baking powder
• 1 teaspoon 6 g salt
• 1 cup (226 g) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 3/4 cups (350 g) granulated sugar
• 1/3 cup (72.6 g) vegetable oil
• 4 eggs, room temperature
• 1 1/4 cup (300 g) buttermilk, room temperature
• 1 tablespoon (12 g) vanilla extract

Filling

• 1 13.4 oz dulce de leche
• 1/2 cup Chocolate Crisp Pearls, this is the brand I use

For the Peanut Butter Filling

• 1 cup 230 g heavy whipping cream
• 1/2 cup (62.5 g) powdered sugar
• 1 teaspoon (4.2 g) vanilla extract
• 1 cup (250 g) peanut butter smooth

For the Chocolate Buttercream

• 1/3 cup (77 g) heavy whipping cream
• 10 oz. dark or semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 2 cups (452 g) unsalted butter, slightly chilled
• 5 cups (625 g) powdered sugar, measured then sifted
• 1 teaspoon (4.2 g) pure vanilla extract
• Pinch of salt

For the Garnish

• salted roasted peanuts

Instructions

For the Brownies

• Follow the instructions on the box, except you'll bake the brownies in two 8-inch round cake pans for 20 minutes. See note above in the blog post for prepping your pans.
• Allow to cool completely before using.

For the Cake

• Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Prepare two 8-inch cake pans with non-stick spray, parchment paper on the bottom of the pan, and another coat of spray. Set aside.
• In a medium size bowl, whisk together the cake flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
• In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter, oil, and sugar on high until fluffy and smooth, about 3 minutes.
• Add the eggs, one at a time to the bowl, making sure to scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl between additions. Add the vanilla. Continue to beat on medium-high speed for an additional two minutes. The mixture should be smooth and fluffy.
• Turn the mixer on low and alternately add the flour mixture and the buttermilk, starting and finishing with the flour mixture. Mix until just incorporated.
• Scrape down the sides of the bowl and mix on low for another 30 seconds.
• Evenly distribute the cake batter among the two 8-inch pans and bake for about 35 minutes, or until toothpick comes out with just a few moist crumbs on it.
• Remove cakes from the oven and let cool in pans for 15 minutes before inverting onto cooling racks.
• When cakes are completely cooled, divide the layers in half horizontally using a serrated knife of cake leveler. You’ll have four thin cake layers. Wrap the cakes (2 layers can be wrapped together like a full cake layer), and freeze for at least an hour before stacking. The cake layers are easier to handle, assemble and frost when they are chilled.
• You can also freeze the cake layers for several days. Just be sure to let them thaw for about 30-60 minutes before using.

For the Peanut Butter Filling

• In a stainless steel bowl, beat the heavy whipping cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla on medium-high speed until still peaks form.
• Fold the peanut butter into the whipped cream.
• I like using this right away (so you can make it when you're ready to assemble your cake), but you can also make it ahead of time and refrigerate until ready to use.

For the Buttercream

• In a microwave safe bowl, heat the chocolate chips and the cream for about one minute. Stir until mixture is smooth. Allow to cool slightly.
• In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter for about 2 minutes on medium-high speed.
• With the mixer on low speed, add the cooled ganache. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl and then mix on medium-high speed for about a minute, until the mixture is smooth.
• Gradually add the powdered sugar, one cup at a time, followed by the vanilla and salt.
• Buttercream can be store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for a week.
• When you’re ready to frost the cake, bring the frosting back to room temperature and mix by hand with a wooden spoon to push out all of the air pockets.

Assembly

• Place one brownie layer on a cake board or cake stand. Evenly spread half of the peanut butter filling over the brownie layer.
• Place the first cake layer, top side up, on the peanut butter filling. Cover the cake with half of the dulce de leche. Sprinkle on the chocolate crisp pearls and gently pat into place.
• Place the second cake layer on top of the filling.
• Evenly spread 1 cup of the chocolate buttercream on top of the cake and then top with the third cake layer.
• On the third cake layer, evenly spread the rest of the dulce de leche and more chocolate crisp pearls.
• Place the fourth cake layer on top and cover with the remaining peanut butter filling.
• Finish stacking the cake by placing the second brownie layer on top of the peanut butter filling.
• Cover the entire cake with a thin layer of buttercream. Freeze the cake for 10 to 15 minutes to set the crumb coat.
• Once the crumb coat is set, finish frosting the cake with the remaining buttercream.

The post Best Ever Copycat Disneyland Choco Smash Cake first appeared on Cake by Courtney.

The post Best Ever Copycat Disneyland Choco Smash Cake appeared first on Cake by Courtney.

Why Sugar Free?

This is a recipe that has been frequently requested over the years – a sugar free cake!

To be honest, I’ve pushed this request to the back burner for a while because I didn’t want to come across as if I was making a “diet friendly” cake. I whole-heartedly believe in balance and moderation, and that cake, in it’s full fat, full sugar, full carb form, should be part of that balance.

However, I realize there are many cake lovers reading this who want to have cake in its truest form, but can’t due to health reasons. So, today, this cake is for you!

Sugar Replacements for Baking

As I started out on this cake, I knew from previous experiments with sugar replacements that I wasn’t a fan of Splenda or Stevia. I find they leave an after taste and are definitely noticeable in the recipe.

Just like when I made my Dairy Free and Egg Free Vanilla Cake, I wanted to make sure this cake taste as close to the real deal as possible. I just don’t think flavor and texture should ever be compromised, even in a healthier version.

So, with Splenda and Stevia already a no for me, I grabbed coconut sugar (which isn’t sugar free but is lower on the glycemic index) and monk fruit.

What is Monk Fruit?

Monk fruit is a small round fruit in the gourd family. It is considered a healing herb in Eastern medicine and has been used since its discovery to treat all kinds of ailments. Unlike other fruits, monk fruit’s sweetness comes from antioxidants called mogrosides. Monk fruit extract is all-natural, so there are not the same drawbacks of other artificial sweeteners.

Monk fruit extract is rated a zero on the glycemic index and has zero calories and zero carbs, so it won’t spike blood sugar. Diabetics can incorporate it into their diet more easily than sugar.

Recipe Testing

Round 1

In my first attempt, I thought about just doing a low-sugar cake and used a combination of coconut sugar and monk fruit. The result was a slightly golden brown colored cake that had a bit of a brown sugar flavor to it. I didn’t hate it, but it wasn’t the classic vanilla cake flavor I was going for. I do think coconut sugar would make a great substitute in any of my cakes that call for brown sugar, like my Biscoff Cake.

Round 2 and 3

For my second round, I used all monk fruit. Unfortunately, in this round, the cake sunk a bit. So, in round three, I increased the amount of cake flour by ¼ cup to help stabilize the cake more. It baked beautifully!

You’ll find that the “crumb” of this cake is quite fine, but isn’t not super airy. It’s a really nice, tender, flavorful cake.

How to Make a Sugar Free Cake

Ingredients You’ll Need

• Lakanto sugar free monk fruit sweetener and powdered sugar version – this brand is specifically important because there are fewer additives compared to other monk fruit sweeteners.
• Unsalted butter
• Cake flour
• Eggs
• Vanilla extract
• Baking powder
• Salt
• Buttermilk
• Sour cream
• Grapeseed oil

To make this Sugar Free Vanilla Cake, you’ll start by beating the butter, monk fruit, and oil together on medium-high speed until it becomes light and fluffy. You’ll then add the eggs, one at a time, beating well between each addition and then adding vanilla.

You’ll then turn the mixer to low speed and alternately add the flour mixture and buttermilk, followed by folding in the sour cream.

How to Make Swiss Meringue Buttercream

Swiss Meringue Buttercream is a buttercream made by heating egg whites and sugar together over a double boiler, whipping them until medium-stiff peaks form, and then adding butter and flavoring.

While SMB is a bit more involved than my usual American Buttercream, and can sometimes be a little tricky, once you master the steps to a Swiss Meringue Buttercream, you’ll love it. It’s a lot lighter in texture and flavor than an American Buttercream, which is why I don’t often use it. My family and I love the richness of an American Buttercream.

And before we get into some of the key points for making Swiss Meringue Buttercream, I have to introduce you to Tessa Huff of Style Sweet. She is a dear friend and taught me everything I know about SMB!

Tips for Making Swiss Meringue Buttercream

• Make sure your mixing bowl is completely clean and dry before making this buttercream.
• Egg whites should be completely free of any yolk.
• Whisk the sugar and egg whites together before heating over the double boiler.
• Use a candy thermometer to check the temperature of the egg and sugar mixture. It’s ready when the thermometer reaches 160 – 170 degrees F.
• Use the whisk attachment to beat the egg whites and sugar mixture.
• Switch to the paddle attachment when you add the butter and flavoring.
• You’ll know the meringue is ready for butter when the outside of the mixing bowl is no longer warm to the touch. Use your inner wrist to check.
• Butter should be room temperature when you add it. If it’s not, and it’s too cold, the meringue will start to curdle.
• If the buttercream looks soupy, refrigerate it for about 10 to 15 minutes and then mix again.

Cake Making Tips

Don’t forget to follow my go-to tips for getting your cakes to rise and bake well:

• Preheat your oven for 30 minutes prior to baking.
• Beat the butter and sugar for a few minutes on medium-high speed, until light and fluffy. 
• Use good quality pans like Fat Daddio.
• Spray your pans with nonstick spray and line with parchment paper. 
• Don’t overmix your cake batter once you add the dry ingredients.
• Use room temperature wet ingredients.
• Use fresh baking powder.
• Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out with a few moist crumbs on it.

If you’re interest in dairy and egg replacements, be sure to check out the links below.

More Cakes to Love

Egg-Free and Dairy-Free Vanilla Cake

Egg-Free and Dairy-Free Chocolate Cake with Chocolate Frosting

The Most Delicious Gluten Free Vanilla Cake with Mixed Berry Buttercream

Simple and Delicious Gluten Free Baked Apple Crisp Bites

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Sugar Free Vanilla Cake

Sugar free vanilla cake with a sugar free swiss meringue buttercream.

Course Dessert

Cuisine Cake

Keyword monk fruit cake, sugar free cake, sugar free vanilla cake, swiss meringue buttercream

Prep Time 1 hour 30 minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes

Total Time 1 hour 50 minutes

Servings 20

Ingredients

FOR THE CAKE

• 1 cup (226 g) unsalted butter room temperature
• 1 1/2 cups (350 g) Lakanto monkfruit sweetener Use THIS brand
• 1/3 cup (72.6 g) grapeseed oil
• 3 large whole eggs at room temperature
• 3 large egg whites at room temperature
• 3 1/4 cups (373 g) cake flour
• 3 teaspoons (12 g) baking powder
• 1 teaspoon (4 g) salt
• 1 tablespoon (12 g) vanilla extract
• 1 cup (240 g) buttermilk at room temperature
• 1/4 cup (60 g) sour cream at room temperature

FOR THE BUTTERCREAM

• 1/2 cup (115 g) egg whites
• 1 1/3 cups (280 g) Lakanto monkfuit powdered sugar or, you can use a blender or food processor to blend the monkfruit granules to create a monkfruit powdered sugar.
• 2 cups (452 g) unsalted butter at room temperature
• 1 tablespoon (12 g) vanilla extract
• *This buttercream recipe makes enough to fill and cover your cake. If you want to add additional piping, you’ll want to make an extra ½ batch.

FOR THE DRIP

• 1 cup (150 g) white chocolate chips I prefer Guittard White Cookie Drops (Orson Gygi(
• ¼ cup (57.75 g) heavy whipping cream

Instructions

FOR THE CAKE

• Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Prepare two 8-inch or three 6-inch round cake pans with non-stick spray, parchment paper on the bottom of the pan, and another coat of spray. Set aside.
• In a medium size bowl, whisk together the cake flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
• In the bowl of a stand mixer, fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter, oil, and monkfruit on high until fluffy and smooth, about 5 minutes.
• Add the eggs and the egg whites, one at a time and beating well between each addition, to the bowl and beat on medium until well incorporated. It may look curdled, don't stress.
• Turn the mixer on low and add ⅓ of the flour mixture to the butter mixture and mix until fully incorporated. Then add half of the buttermilk and blend well, followed by another ⅓ of the flour mixture, the second half of the buttermilk and lastly, add the remaining flour mixture and mix until incorporated.
• Add the vanilla extract and beat on low until incorporated. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and mix on low for another 30 seconds. Fold in the sour cream.
• Evenly distribute the cake batter among the two 8-inch or three 6-inch pans and bake for 35 to 40 minutes, until toothpick comes out with just a few moist crumbs on it.
• Remove cakes from the oven and let cool in pans for 10 minutes before inverting onto cooling racks.
• When cakes are completely cooled, I like to wrap each cake layer individually with plastic wrap and stick it in the refrigerator or freezer until I’m ready to frost. The cake will be easier to work with if it’s cooled a bit. If I’m making the cake a day or two before I actually need to frost it, I put it in the freezer to ensure freshness. If I’m frosting same-day, I’ll just put it in the refrigerator to chill until needed.

FOR THE BUTTERCREAM:

• In the bowl of your electric mixer, or any heat proof bowl, combine the egg whites and monkfruit. Whisk until combined.
• Heat about 1 to 2 inches of water in a medium pot over medium heat. Place the metal mixing bowl, or other heat proof bowl, over the pot to create a double boiler. Stir continuously, until the mixture because smooth, light in color, frothy and reaches 160 – 170 degrees F on a candy thermometer.
• Once the mixture has reached the desired consistency, use a whisk attachment to beat the mixture until you reach medium-stiff peaks, about 10 minutes. It takes a bit of time, so be patient. You'll know it's ready for the next step when you touch the outside of the bowl with your inner wrist and it's room temperature. If it's still warm, keep beating until there's no heat coming off the bowl.
• Once you've reached medium-stiff peaks, change to the paddle attachment and then gradually add the butter in small squares, followed by the vanilla. Continue to beat for about 3 to 5 minutes until smooth and silky.

ASSEMBLY

• Place the first cake layer, top side up. Add about 1 cup of frosting. Spread over the cake layer as evenly as possible. Make sure to get eye level with the cake to ensure the frosting is spread evenly over the cake.
• Place second cake layer on top and apply a thin coat of frosting around the entire cake to lock in the crumbs. Freeze for about 10 minutes.
• After the crumb coat is set, continue frosting and decorating the cake.

The post Light and Fluffy Sugar Free Vanilla Cake that Tastes Like the Real Deal first appeared on Cake by Courtney.

The post Light and Fluffy Sugar Free Vanilla Cake that Tastes Like the Real Deal appeared first on Cake by Courtney.

Lemon Oreo Cake

I’m so excited to share my new Lemon Oreo Cake with you. If you’ve tried my Golden Oreo Cake or even my Cookies and Cream Cake, you are going to love this cake! We’re using the same filling from those cakes with the lemon Oreos.

The base of the cake is light and fluffy with a hint of lemon extract and more lemon Oreos. I think you’ll love the texture of the cake with the cookies in it.

We’ll top this bright and happy cake off with lemon buttercream.

Ingredients You Need for this Lemon Oreo Cake

• Cake flour
• Baking powder
• Salt
• Unsalted butter
• Sugar
• Lemon extract or lemon emulsion
• Egg
• Buttermilk
• Lemon Oreos

How to Make Moist Cake Layers from Scratch

When making the cake layers, don’t forget to follow my go-to tips for getting your cakes to rise and bake well:

• Preheat your oven for 30 minutes prior to baking.
• Use good quality pans like Fat Daddio.
• Spray the pans with nonstick spray, line with parchment and spray again.
• Use room temperature wet ingredients.
• When mixing the butter, sugar, and eggs, be sure to mix until completely smooth, light in color and fluffy in texture.
• Don’t overmix your cake batter once you add the dry ingredients.
• Use fresh baking powder.
• Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out with a few moist crumbs on it.

Oreo Whipped Cream Cheese Filling

If you haven’t tried this whipped cream cheese filling, be prepared to fall in love! This tangy, sweet filling pairs so well with the lemon Oreos. It’s also great with peanut butter Oreos, regular Oreos, and golden Oreos! In fact, I’m pretty sure it’s a perfect pairing to any Oreo flavor!

Ingredients You’ll Need for this Recipe

• Cream cheese
• Heavy whipping cream
• Powdered sugar
• Lemon Oreos

How to Make the Whipped Cream Cheese Filling

To make this filling, you basically have three steps:

• Whip the heavy whipping cream to stiff peaks
• Beat the cream cheese and powdered sugar until smooth
• Fold the whipped cream and Oreos into the cream cheese mixture

NOTE: you can make the filling ahead of time and store it in the refrigerator until you’re ready to assemble your cake. HOWEVER, do not add the Oreos until you’re ready to assemble.

Alternatively, you can also assemble the entire cake ahead of time and freeze it. The cookies will keep most of their crunch this way too.

Lemon Buttercream

The lemon buttercream on this Lemon Oreo Cake is truly the cherry on top! This light and fluffy lemon buttercream isn’t too strong, but instead, adds just another subtle layer of the lemon flavoring to this delicious cake.

Ingredients You’ll Need for this Recipe

• Unsalted butter
• Powdered sugar
• Heavy whipping cream
• Lemon extract
• Salt
• Food coloring, optional
  

How to Make the Best Buttercream Frosting

To get this delicious buttercream, make sure you follow my tips: HOW TO MAKE THE BEST BUTTERCREAM

• Sift your powdered sugar
• Use slightly cold butter
• Use heavy whipping cream
• Beat for 5 minutes
• Stir by hand

You’ll want to check out the post linked above for more details on each step to make sure you get the best buttercream frosting. And remember, these steps can be used for any buttercream recipe on my blog.

Other Oreo-Inspired Cakes You’ll Love

Delicious Golden Oreo Cake

Decadent and Delicious Peanut Butter Oreo Cake

The Most Delicious Mocha Caramel Oreo Cake

Strawberry Lemonade Cake with Sweet and Tart Lemon Curd Filling

Print

Lemon Oreo Cake

Light and fluffy lemon Oreo cake layers with a whipped cream cheese and lemon Oreo filling and lemon buttercream

Course Dessert

Cuisine Cake

Keyword Lemon, Lemon buttercream, Lemon Cake, Lemon Oreo, Lemon Oreo Cake

Servings 20 people

Ingredients

FOR THE CAKE

• 3 cups (345 g) cake flour
• 2 teaspoons (8 g) baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon (3 g) salt
• 1 cup (226 g) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 3/4 cups (350 g) granulated sugar
• 2 eggs, room temperature
• 2 egg whites, room temperature
• 1 teaspoon (4.2 g) lemon extract
• 1 1/4 cups (300 g) buttermilk, room temperature
• 12 Lemon Oreos, crushed into chunks

FOR THE FILLING

• 3/4 cup (173 g) whipping cream
• 2 cups (250 g) powdered sugar
• 6 ounces cream cheese
• 8 Lemon Oreos, broken into chunks

FOR THE BUTTERCREAM

• 2 cups (452 g) unsalted butter, slightly cold
• 6 cups (750 g) powdered sugar, measured and then sifted
• 2 teaspoons (8.4 g) lemon extract
• 1/4 cup (57.75 g) heavy cream
• pinch of salt
• *This buttercream recipe makes enough to fill and cover your cake. If you want to add additional piping, you’ll want to make an extra ½ batch.

Instructions

FOR THE CAKE

• Preheat your oven to 325 degrees F. Spray three 8-inch with non-stick spray and then line with parchment. Spray again. Set aside.
• In a medium sized mixing bowl, whisk together the cake flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
• In the bowl of an electric mixer, fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and the sugar together for 2 to 3 minutes on medium-high speed.
• Scrape down the sides of the bowl and begin to add the eggs on medium speed, scraping down the sides and bottom of the bowl between addition. Stir in the lemon extract. Continue to mix the batter on medium-high speed for about 2 minutes. The mixture should be light and fluffy in texture.
• With the mixer on low speed, add ⅓ of the flour mixture, followed by ½ of the buttermilk. Repeat the additions, ⅓ flour mixture, second half of ½ buttermilk and the final ⅓ flour mixture. Only mix until the flour mixture is incorporated, about 30 seconds. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl and mix again for another 20 to 30 seconds on low.

  Fold in the crushed lemon Oreos
• Evenly divide the batter between the three pans (about 18 ounces) and bake for 25 to 28 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out with a few moist crumbs on it. Let cool in the pans for about 15 minutes and then invert onto a wire rack to cool completely.

  (Tip: spray your wire cooling racks with nonstick spray).

FOR THE FILLING

• In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whisk the heavy whipping cream on high for about 3 to 5 minutes, until the cream forms stiff peaks. Transfer the cream to another bowl and set aside.
• In the now empty bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the cream cheese for a couple minutes until smooth. Gradually add the powdered sugar. Beat for a couple minutes until smooth.
• Fold in the whipped cream to the cream cheese mixture until no streaks of whipping cream remain.

  Fold in the lemon Oreos.
• NOTE: Best to make right before you assemble the cake so the cookies don't get soggy. If you want to make this ahead of time, just leave out the Oreos until you're ready to assemble.

FOR THE BUTTERCREAM

• In the bowl of a stand mixer, fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter for about 2 minutes, until light and fluffy and pale in color.
• With the mixer on low, gradually add the powdered sugar, followed by the heavy cream, lemon extract, and pinch of salt.
• Once all of the ingredients are combined, turn the mixer to medium-high and beat for about 3 to 5 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and beat for a couple minutes more.
• Before using the buttercream, make sure to beat it by hand with a wooden spoon or large spatula to help push out the air pockets.

ASSEMBLY

• Place the first cake layer top side up, in the center of the cake board. Pipe a rim of buttercream around the edge of the cake and then fill the center with about 1 cup of the filling.
• Place the second cake layer on top of the buttercream and filling. Repeat piping and filling.
• Place final cake layer, top side down.
• Crumb coat the entire cake with a thin layer of the buttercream and freeze for about 10 to 15 minutes to set this layer of frosting. 
• Once the crumb coat is set, continue to frost the cake with the remaining buttercream.

The post Light and Fluffy Lemon Oreo Cake with Lemon Buttercream first appeared on Cake by Courtney.

The post Light and Fluffy Lemon Oreo Cake with Lemon Buttercream appeared first on Cake by Courtney.

Rocky Road Cake Recipe – Updated

I’m thrilled to relaunch my Rocky Road Cake Recipe today! I actually made this cake on a whim a YEARS ago. Ryan and I were down in Provo for a BYU basketball game, and per usual, we stopped by Rockwell Ice Cream on our way home. I got my go-to combination of Rockwell Road and S’mores ice cream flavor. I haven’t always been a rocky road fan, but Rockwell uses homemade marshmallow cream, and candy bar style toffee and peanuts in their version of this classic combo – and it’s heaven!

I loved the idea of the toffee mixed in with the chocolate, peanuts and marshmallows so much that I used it in my cake creation of this amazing ice cream flavor.

The Best Chocolate Cake Recipe

My cake layers in this creation are my favorite dark chocolate cake. It’s so easy to make and fool-proof! Just make sure you’re always using fresh baking powder and baking soda, and you don’t over mix your batter. It’s a truly a rich, moist dark chocolate that won’t sink!

Rocky Road Filling

The filling for this cake is a simple ganache, filled with toffee bits, salted peanuts and marshmallows. It’s simple but so delicious.

If you make the filling ahead of time, it will harden just a bit. To make it spreadable, just microwave it for about 20 seconds.

The Most Delicious Chocolate Buttercream

Truly the only chocolate buttercream recipe you’ll ever need! It’s silky smooth and has the best chocolate flavor thanks to good quality, dark chocolate. If you have any questions about making this buttercream, I’ve answered them all HERE. This blog post is one worth saving.

More Cakes to LOVe

Dark Chocolate Salted Caramel Cake

The Ultimate Chocolate Cake

The Most Delicious German Chocolate Cake

Almond Joy Cake

Print

Rocky Road Cake

Rich, dark chocolate cake layers, filled with chocolate ganache, marshmallows, peanuts and toffee bits, covered with a silky chocolate buttercream.

Course Dessert

Cuisine Cake

Keyword chocolate buttercream, Chocolate Cake, Rocky Road, Rocky Road Cake

Ingredients

For the Cake

• 2 cups (240 g) all-purpose flour
• 1 3/4 cups (350 g) granulated sugar
• 3/4 cups (88.5 g) good quality dark cocoa powder, I use Extra Brute Cacao Barry
• 2 teaspoons (8 g) baking soda
• 3/4 teaspoon (3 g) baking powder
• 1 teaspoon (6 g) kosher salt
• 1 cup (240 g) buttermilk, room temperature
• 1/2 cup (109 g) vegetable oil
• 3 large eggs, at room temperature
• 1 teaspoon (4.2 g) pure vanilla extract
• 1 cup (236.6 g) hot water (or hot coffee)

For the Filling

• 1 1/2 cups (225 g) semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 3/4 cup (173.25 g) heavy cream
• 1 1/2 cup (75 g) mini marshmallows
• 3/4 cup (112.5 g) chopped peanuts
• 3/4 cup (112.5 g) toffee bits

For the Buttercream

• 2 cups (452 g) unsalted butter, slightly cold
• 10 oz. good quality chocolate of your choice, I use dark or semi, melted and cooled
• 5 cups (625 g) powdered sugar, measured and then sifted
• 2 teaspoons (8.4 g) pure vanilla extract
• Pinch of salt
• 1/4 cup (57.7 g) heavy cream
• *This buttercream recipe makes enough to fill and cover your cake. If you want to add additional piping you’ll want to make an extra ¼ batch.

Instructions

For the Cake

• Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Spray three 8-inch round cake pans with nonstick spray. Line the bottom of each pan with parchment paper, then spray the parchment paper. Set aside.
• In a medium size mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
• In another bowl, combine the buttermilk, oil, eggs, water (or coffee) and vanilla. Whisk until combined.
• With the mixer on low speed, slowly add the wet ingredients to the dry, scraping the bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula.
• Evenly divide the batter into each of the three pans (about 15 to 16 ounces of batter in each 8-inch pan). Bake for 23 to 28 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with just a few moist crumbs on it.
• Cool in the pans for 10 minutes, then turn them out onto a cooling rack and cool completely. (I like to spray my cooling racks with nonstick spray to ensure non of the cake sticks to the racks).
• If needed, level your cake layers to ensure a completely even surface for frosting and stacking. After leveling you can wrap each cake layer in plastic wrap and freeze until ready to use.

For the Filling

• Heat the cream in a microwave safe bowl for about one to two minutes. Pour the heated cream over the chocolate chips in a medium sized bowl. Let sit for about five minutes.
• Stir the chocolate and cream until nice and smooth. Add the marshmallows, peanuts and toffee bits and stir until combined.
• Let the filling cool before using.

  If you make the filling ahead of time, you will want to heat it up slightly to make it spreadable again.

For the Buttercream

• In a microwave safe bowl, heat the chocolate chips and heavy cream for about 40 to 60 seconds. Stir until smooth. Let cool slightly.
• In a bowl fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter on medium speed for about two minutes.
• With the mixer on low speed, slowly add the chocolate ganache and stir until smooth. Gradually add the powdered sugar and mix until combined.
• Add the vanilla and salt. Turn the mixer to medium-high and beat the buttercream for another 3-4 minutes until light and fluffy. 
• Before frosting your cake, use a wooden spoon to hand mix the frosting to push out air bubbles.

Assembly

• Place the first cake layer on a cake board or cake plate, top side up.
• Pipe a rim of frosting around the edge of cake layer before adding the filling. This creates a nice barrier so the filling stays in place.
• Spread half of the filling within the frosting barrier. 
• Place the second cake layer on top and repeat steps 2 and 3.
• Place your final cake layer, top side down, on top of the filling. Spread a thin layer of buttercream around the entire cake. This is the crumb coat and will help lock crumbs into place. Freeze for about 10 minutes to set the crumb coat.
• Continue to frost the cake with the remainder of the chocolate buttercream, saving about a half cup of buttercream to do the design show above.

The post The Only Rocky Road Cake Recipe You’ll Ever Need first appeared on Cake by Courtney.

The post The Only Rocky Road Cake Recipe You’ll Ever Need appeared first on Cake by Courtney.

Excited to share with you my Lemon Blueberry Cake recipe. The combination of lemon and blueberry is such a classic duo and is good in so many forms: pancakes, muffins, baked french toast, and of course, cake!

Lemon Blueberry Cake

This popular flavor combination has been done by many before, but I love how each cake or muffin or pancake recipe is a little different. One of my favorite versions of a Lemon Blueberry Cake is from Sweetapolita. Rosie’s recipe is one of the first cakes I ever made and I’ve always loved her flavor combinations and sprinkles!

Cake Layers

My version of a Lemon Blueberry Cake is inspired by Rosie’s cake. I’ve altered my lemon cake layers from my Lemon Bar Cake. The one difference you’ll see between the Lemon Bar Cake and this Lemon Blueberry Cake is that I’m not using lemon pudding mix. Instead, I’ve subbed some of my buttermilk with fresh lemon juice. The texture and flavor are just as awesome as the Lemon Bar Cake. I just decided to give you another option for a lemon cake in case you can’t get your hands on lemon pudding.

When you’re making the cake layers, make sure you allow for plenty of time (a couple of hours, usually) for the wet ingredients to get to room temperature. Room temperature ingredients are better absorbed by dry ingredients, and that helps your cake to rise better.

Size Matters

Also, try to find the smallest blueberries possible. The smaller the blueberries, the better they’ll stay in place as they bake in the cake batter. You’ll also want to make sure you dust your blueberries in flour to help prevent them from sinking, as well.

You can see some of my blueberries held great in their spot and some of the bigger ones definitely fell to the bottom.

The Most Delicious Lemon Buttercream

The buttercream for this cake is the same buttercream I use in my Lemon Bar Cake. To get a bright yellow color, you’ll want to add some yellow food coloring. I like using Americolor food gels. For the cake layers and buttercream, I added a few drops of “lemon yellow.”

Assembly

Don’t forget to:

• Chill your cake layers before assembly
• Pipe a rim of buttercream around the edge of your cake layers
• Not to overfill your cake layers with too much lemon curd. Save leftover curd to serve with each slice of cake (or to use on toast in the morning!)
• Apply a crumb coat before your final coat of frosting

Video Tutorial

Tools

You can find the spatulas and scrapers I used over on SHOP.CAKEBYCOURTNEY.COM.

You’ll also find my first cookbook, “CAKE, by Courtney” with this recipe and so many more HERE.

More Cakes to Love

Mom’s Legendary Lemon Bars

• Mom’s Legendary Lemon Bars
• The Best Homemade Lemon Curd Recipe
• 3 Delicious Ways to Use Lemon Curd
• Blueberry Streusel Muffin Cake
• 5 Easy Lemon Cake Recipes From Scratch

Print

Lemon Blueberry Cake

Lemon cake layers with fresh blueberries, lemon curd and lemon buttercream

Course Dessert

Cuisine Cake

Keyword Intermediate, Lemon Blueberry Cake, Lemon Cake

Servings 20

Ingredients

FOR THE CAKE

• 1 cup (226 g) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1 3/4 cups (350 g) granulated sugar
• 1 tbsp (9 g) lemon zest, one large lemon
• 1/2 tsp (2.8 g) salt
• 3 tsp (12 g) baking powder
• 3 cups (345 g) cake flour
• 6 eggs whites, at room temperature
• 1/2 cup lemon juice about three large lemons
• 3/4 cup (194 g) buttermilk, at room temperature
• 1 cup (140 g) blueberries, try to find the smallest ones
• 3 drops yellow food coloring, optional (I used Americolor Lemon Yellow)

FOR THE CURD

• 1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar
• 1 tbsp (9 g) grated lemon zest, one large lemon
• 1/2 cup fresh lemon juice, about 3 large lemons
• 3 large eggs
• 4 egg yolks
• 4 tbsp (56.5 g) unsalted butter, cold

FOR THE BUTTERCREAM

• 2 cups (446 g) unsalted butter, slightly cold
• 6 cups (750 g) powdered sugar, measured and then sifted
• 2 tsp (8.4 g) lemon extract
• 1/4 cup (57.5 g) heavy whipping cream
• pinch of salt
• 4 drops yellow food coloring, optional (I used Americolor Lemon Yellow)
• *This buttercream recipe makes enough to fill and cover your cake, as decorated above. If you want additional piping, you'll want to make an extra ½ batch.

Instructions

FOR THE CAKE

• Preheat your oven to 325 degrees F. Spray three 8-inch round cake pans or four 6-inch round cake pans with nonstick spray, line the bottoms with parchment paper and spray again. Set aside.
• In a medium-size mixing bowl, combine the flour, salt and baking powder. Whisk to combine. Set aside.
• In a small mixing bowl, combine the buttermilk and lemon juice. Set aside.
• In a bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the butter, sugar and zest together on medium speed, until light and fluffy, about 2 to 3 minutes.
• Scrape down the sides of the bowl and begin to add the egg whites, one at a time, scraping down the sides and the bottom of the bowl and mixing well between each addition. Mix on medium-high speed until no grains of sugar remain, about 2 to 3 minutes.
• With the mixer on low speed, alternately add the flour mixture and the buttermilk mixture, starting and ending with the flour mixture. Be sure not to over mix. Over mixing your cake batter will cause it to sink. ***As you add the last of the buttermilk mixture, this is a good time to start coloring your batter if you'd like it a brighter yellow.
• Coat your blueberries in a tablespoon of flour and then gently fold them into the cake batter.
• Divide the batter evenly between the three pans, about 18 ounces in each 8-inch pan or about 13 ounces in each 6-inch pan. Bake the cake layers for 25 to 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cakes comes out with a few moist crumbs on it. Allow the cake layers to cool in the pans on wire racks for about 10 to 15 minutes. Invert cake layers onto a wire rack to cool completely. TIP: spray your wire rack with nonstick spray to prevent the cake layers from sticking.
• Allow to cool completely before wrapping in plastic wrap and storing in the freezer until ready to decorate.

FOR THE CURD

• This element is best done a day or two ahead of stacking and decorating your cake.
• Whisk the sugar, lemon zest, and lemon juice in a medium saucepan. Whisk in the whole eggs and yolks in a small bowl and then whisk them into the lemon mixture.
• Cook the mixture over medium-low heat, whisking constantly, until it's thick like pudding, about 6 to 8 minutes. Remove from the heat and whisk in the butter, a few pieces at a time until incorporated.
• Strain the mixture through a fine-mesh sieve into a small bowl, pushing it through with a rubber spatula. Press plastic wrap directly onto the surface to prevent a skin from forming. Refrigerate until completely set, at least 4 hours and up to 5 days. 

FOR THE BUTTERCREAM

• In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
• Turn the mixer to low and gradually add the powdered sugar, followed by the cream, salt and lemon extract. Mix until combined. Add yellow food coloring, if using. Mix until incorporated completely. Turn the mixer to medium-high and beat the frosting for about 5 minutes.
• Before applying the buttercream to your cake, use wooden spoon to beat the frosting by hand for about 2 minutes to push out any air pockets. 

ASSEMBLY

• Spread a small dollop of frosting onto a cake board. Place the first cake layer, top side up, on the board.
• Spread about a half cup of frosting over the cake layer and pipe a rim of frosting around the edge of the cake to create a barrier to the filling.
• Spread about ¼ cup of the curd in the center of the cake, carefully spreading it to the edge of the piping.
• Place a second cake layer on top of the piped frosting and filling and repeat step 2 and 3. Place the final cake layer, top side up, on the second layer of filling.
• Lightly coat the cake with a thin layer of frosting to lock in the crumbs. Freeze the cake for about 10 to 15 minutes to set the frosting.
• Finish frosting and decorating the cake with the remaining frosting. Serve a spoonful of the remaining lemon curd with each slice of cake.

The post The Best Lemon Blueberry Cake with Lemon Curd and Lemon Buttercream first appeared on Cake by Courtney.

The post The Best Lemon Blueberry Cake with Lemon Curd and Lemon Buttercream appeared first on Cake by Courtney.

Lemon Biscoff Cake

Last week in cake class at Orson Gygi we made my Lemon Bar Cake. It has the most delicious lemon cake layers baked on a shortbread crust and is filled with lemon curd. Between classes, Heather (who runs the classes and is basically family!) grabbed a Biscoff cookie from the pantry and encouraged me to dip it in the lemon curd.

What a combination! Like, wow!

I immediately was thinking of how to make a cake with these two flavors and the texture of the Biscoff cookie.

I originally thought of using my Biscoff cake layers, but Heather convinced me to go with my lemon ricotta cake layers from my Olive Oil Ricotta Cake, and I am so happy I listened.

This Lemon Biscoff Cake is beyond delicious and each flavor and texture really stand out and compliment one another.

Lemon Ricotta Cake

These cake layers are my favorite. I have used them in several cakes because the texture and flavor is so versatile. Here are just a few of my faves:

Cakes with Ricotta Cake Layers

Old Fashioned Blueberry Delight Cake

Olive Oil Ricotta Cake with Strawberry Basil Compote

Sweet and Savory Apple Ricotta Bacon Cake

Berry Good Hazelnut Ricotta Cake

You’ll notice the weight of the cake is heavier than most of my other cakes. We can thank the two cups of ricotta for that! The ricotta helps to create a moist and tender texture. While I’d call this a dense cake, it’s not a small, tight crumb (like a pound cake). Rather, it’s a bigger, slightly loose crumb with some denseness to it.

NOTE: you can swap the grapeseed oil for a light olive oil.

How to Make Lemon Curd

Lemon curd was a must for this cake since it was the combination of the Biscoff cookie and the lemon curd that inspired this one. If you’ve never made lemon curd before, you’re in for a treat! Once you make homemade lemon curd, you’ll never go back to store-bought. Homemade is easy to make and tastes 100x better than anything you’ll get at a store.

You will only need a handful of simple ingredients to make the lemon curd:

• Granulated sugar
• Lemon zest, from one large lemon
• Lemon juice 
• Eggs
• Egg yolks
• Unsalted butter

You’ll need 3 large lemons for the amount of lemon juice needed for this recipe. And the unsalted butter should be cold and cut into small pieces when adding it to your lemon mixture. Other than that, the recipe is pretty straightforward!

• First, whisk the sugar, lemon zest, and lemon juice in a medium saucepan. In a separate bowl, whisk together your eggs and egg yolks, and then whisk them into the lemon mixture. 
• Cook the mixture over medium-low heat, whisking constantly until it’s thick like pudding. This usually takes 6 to 8 minutes. Remove the saucepan from the heat and then whisk in the butter, a few pieces at a time, until it is all incorporated.
• Once everything is all mixed in together nicely, strain the mixture through a fine-mesh sieve into a small bowl. It helps to push it through with a rubber spatula. Lastly, press plastic wrap directly onto the surface of the lemon curd to prevent a skin from forming. Refrigerate it until it is completely set. I recommend at least 4 hours. But it can be stored for up to 5 days!

How to Schedule Baking the Lemon Biscoff Cake

Beyond that, this cake is actually quite simple to make:

• Biscoff cookie crust
• Lemon ricotta cake layers
• Lemon curd
• Lemon buttercream

ENJOY!

Print

Lemon Biscoff Cake

Lemon ricotta cake layers baked on a Biscoff cookie crust with lemon curd and lemon buttercream.

Course Dessert

Cuisine Cake

Keyword biscoff, Lemon, Lemon Biscoff Cake, Lemon buttercream, Lemon curd, Lemon Ricotta Cake

Servings 18

Ingredients

FOR THE BISCOFF COOKIE CRUST

• 25 Biscoff cookies, finely ground
• 1/2 cup (113 g) unsalted butter, melted
• 1/3 cup (66.7 g) granulated sugar

FOR THE LEMON RICOTTA CAKE

• 3 cups (360 g) all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon (12 g) baking powder
• 1 teaspoon (6 g) salt
• 1 cup (218 g) grapeseed oil
• 1 3/4 cups (350 g) granulated sugar
• 3 eggs, room temperature
• 1 tablespoon lemon zest
• 2 cups (480 g) ricotta cheese

FOR THE LEMON CURD

• 1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar
• 1 tablespoon lemon zest
• 1/2 cup (55 g) lemon juice, about 3 lemons
• 3 large eggs
• 4 egg yolks
• 4 tablespoons (56.5 g) cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

FOR THE LEMON BUTTERCREAM

• 2 cups (452g) unsalted butter, slightly cold
• 6 cups (750 g) powdered sugar, measured then sifted
• 2 teaspoons (8.4 g) lemon extract
• 4 tablespoons (60 g) heavy whipping cream
• Pinch of salt
• Yellow food coloring, optional
• *This buttercream recipe makes enough to fill and cover your cake. If you want to add additional piping you’ll want to make an extra ½ batch.

Instructions

FOR THE BISCOFF COOKIE CRUST

• Preheat your oven to 375 degrees F. Spray three 8-inch round cake pans with non-stick spray, line with parchment, and then spray again. Set aside.
• In a medium size mixing bowl, combine the Biscoff cookie crumbs, melted butter, and sugar. Stir until all the crumbs are damped by the melted butter. Alternatively, you can add the melted butter and sugar to your food processor after you've pulverized the cookies.
• Divide evenly between the three pans (about 5 ounces in each pan) and press down firmly with your hand or the back of a measuring cup to form the crust.
• Bake for 5 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool while you make the cake batter.

FOR THE LEMON RICOTTA CAKE

• Preheat your oven to 325 degrees F.
• In a medium size mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
• In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the grapeseed oil and sugar on medium speed for about 2 minutes. Stir in the lemon zest.
• Add the eggs, one at a time, until incorporated. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and continue to beat the minxture for an additional 2 to 3 minutes. The mixture should be smooth and look lighter in color.
• With the mixer on low, alternately add the flour mixture and the ricotta, starting and finishing with the flour. Stir until incorporated.
• Evenly distribute the batter among the three cake pans on top of the crusts (about 16 ounces of batter in each pan) and bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out with just a few moist crumbs.
• Remove from oven, and let the cakes cool in pans for 15 minutes before inverting the layers onto a wire rack to cool completely. Once cooled, you can cover with plastic wrap and store in your refrigerator overnight or freezer for longer.

FOR THE LEMON CURD

• Whisk the sugar, lemon zest, and lemon juice in a medium saucepan. Whisk in the whole eggs and yolks in a small bowl and then whisk them into the lemon mixture.
• Cook the mixture over medium-low heat, whisking constantly, until it’s thick like pudding, about 6 to 8 minutes. Remove from the heat and whisk in the butter, a few pieces at a time until incorporated.
• Strain the mixture through a fine-mesh sieve into a small bowl, pushing it through with a rubber spatula. Press plastic wrap directly onto the surface to prevent a skin from forming. Refrigerate until completely set, at least 4 hours and up to 5 days.

FOR THE BUTTERCREAM

• In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
• Turn the mixer to low and gradually add the powdered sugar, followed by the cream, salt and lemon extract. Mix until combined. Add yellow food coloring, if using. Mix until incorporated completely. Turn the mixer to medium-high and beat the frosting for about 5 minutes.
• Use a spatula to beat the buttercream by hand to push out any air pockets.

ASSEMBLY

• Spread a small dollop of buttercream onto a cake board. Place the first cake layer, top side up, on the board.
• Spread a thin layer of buttercream (only about a half cup) over the cake layer and pipe a rim of buttercream around the edge of the cake to create a barrier to the filling. Spread about ¼ cup of the curd in the center of the cake, carefully spreading it to the edge of the piping.
• Place a second cake layer on top of the piped buttercream and filling and repeat step 2. Place the final cake layer, top side up, on the second layer of filling.
• Lightly coat the cake with a thin layer of buttercream to lock in the crumbs. Freeze the cake for about 15 minutes to set the buttercream.
• Remove the cake from the freezer and contiue decorating the cake with the remaining buttercream. Serve a spoonful of the remaining lemon curd with each slice of cake, or add it to the top of the cake as pictured.

The post Lemon Biscoff Cake with Lemon Buttercream and Lemon Curd first appeared on Cake by Courtney.

The post Lemon Biscoff Cake with Lemon Buttercream and Lemon Curd appeared first on Cake by Courtney.

Lemon Pretzel Cake

This flavor combination has been on my list for a while now, thanks to a family food wars night with the kids. The challenge was to make a dipping sauce for homemade pretzels. Westin made a lemon sauce and it was a total winner with the pretzels. Ever since, I’ve been dreaming up ways to use the two flavors together in a cake.

Cake Layers

For the cake layers, I went with pretzel! Yup! Pretzel. Just like we use crushed Biscoff cookies in the Biscoff Cake, we’re using crushed pretzels in the cake layers for this one. I think you’ll love the flavor and the fact that it’s not overly sweet. It balances really well with the other flavors and elements.

Lemon Pretzel Filling

And you know me, I love a crunch in my cakes. I originally thought about doing a pretzel crust, but the more I thought about it, a lemon pretzel crunch filling (inspired by Milk Bar) just felt right.

You’ll want more pretzels, milk powder, lemon zest, sugar, and butter for this filling. Warning you now… you will eat half of this as a snack while you’re making this cake. But don’t worry, there will be enough for the cake and for snacking

Lemon Curd

How to Make Lemon Curd

If you haven’t made homemade lemon curd before, you’re in for a treat! Not only is it incredibly delicious, it’s actually quite easy to make. I have detailed instructions in my cookbook, as well as on my blog post for my Lemon Bar Cake.

Tips for the lemon curd:

• Make the lemon curd a few days in advance.
• DO NOT put too much curd in between the layers so it doesn’t lose stability. Instead, use only about ¼ to ⅓ cup curd in the cake and serve extra on the side of each slice.

Lemon Buttercream

How to Make the Best Buttercream Frosting

To get this delicious buttercream, make sure you follow my tips: HOW TO MAKE THE BEST BUTTERCREAM

• Sift your powdered sugar
• Use slightly cold butter
• Use heavy whipping cream
• Beat for 5 minutes
• Stir by hand

You’ll want to check out the post linked above for more details on each step to make sure you get the best buttercream frosting. And remember, these steps can be used for any buttercream recipe on my blog.

How to Cake It: Step-by-Step Picture Assembly Tutorial

I don’t know about you, but I’m a visual learner and love picture tutorials. Take a look below for a step-by-step tutorial for stacking and decorating my Lemon Pretzel Cake.

Can I make this cake as a 9-inch by 13-inch sheet pan cake?

For sure! In fact, you can turn any of my cakes into 9-inch by 13-inch cakes, or even bundt cakes and cupcakes. The only thing that really changes is the bake time:

• 9″ x 13″ – you’ll generally increase the bake time by about 10 to 15 minutes
• Bundt pan – a bundt cake bakes almost twice as long as the layers. Plan for 50 to 60 minutes, in most cases
• Cupcakes – for cupcakes, you’ll want to decrease the bake by 5 to 10 minutes

Remember, each recipe is a little different, so bake times will vary. The best way to know your cake is done is to insert a toothpick in the center of the cake. When you take that toothpick out, it should have a few moist crumbs on it.

Other Cakes You’ll Love

• Lemon Blueberry Cake
• Chocolate Pretzel Cake
• Lemon Oreo Cake
• Coconut Lemon Raspberry Cake
• Lemon Poppy Seed Cake

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Lemon Pretzel Cake

Pretzel cake layers, lemon curd, lemon pretzel crunch filling, and lemon buttercream.

Course Dessert

Cuisine Cake

Keyword Lemon, Lemon buttercream, Lemon curd, Lemon Pretzel Cake, Pretzel

Ingredients

FOR THE CAKE

• 2 cups (100 g) pretzel sticks, finely ground
• 2 1/4 cups (270 g) all-purpose flour
• 1 3/4 teaspoons (7 g) baking powder
• 3/4 teaspoon (3 g) baking soda
• 3/4 teaspoon (4 g) salt
• 1 cup (226 g) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 2/3 cup (133 g) granulated sugar
• 1 cup (200 g) brown sugar, packed
• 4 eggs, at room temperature
• 2 cups (480 g) buttermilk, at room temperature

FOR THE LEMON CURD

• 1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar
• 1 tablespoon (9 g) grated lemon zest one large lemon
• 1/2 cup lemon juice about 3 lemons
• 3 large eggs
• 4 egg yolks
• 4 tablespoons (56.5 g) cold unsalted butter cut into small pieces

FOR THE LEMON PRETZEL FILLING

• 1/2 cup (113 g) unsalted butter, melted
• 1 1/2 cups (75 g) milk powder, divided
• 1 1/4 cups (150 g) crushed pretzels, mostly pulverized but some chunks are okay
• 4 teaspoons (10.4 g) powdered sugar
• 1 tablespoon (6 g) lemon zest
• 6 ounces (112.5 g) white chocolate

FOR THE LEMON BUTTERCREAM

• 2 cups (452 g) unsalted butter, slightly cold
• 6 cups (750 g) powdered sugar measured and then sifted
• 2 teaspoons (8.4 g) lemon extract
• 4 tablespoons (57.75 g) heavy whipping cream
• Pinch of salt
• Yellow food coloring optional
• *This buttercream recipe makes enough to fill and cover your cake. If you want to add additional piping you’ll want to make an extra ½ batch.

Instructions

FOR THE CAKE

• Preheat your oven to 325 degrees F. Spray three 8-inch pans with non-stick cooking spray, line the bottoms with parchment and spray again. Set aside.
• Place the pretzel sticks in a food processor or blender and pulse until the pretzels are finely ground and resemble flour. When you remeasure, you should have about a cup.
• In a medium-size bowl, combine the pretzel crumbs, all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Whisk until the ingredients are well-blended.
• In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted the paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugars on medium speed until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
• With the mixer on low speed, add ⅓ of the dry ingredients and mix until combined. Slowly add half of the buttermilk and mix until incorporated. Continue alternating the flour and buttermilk until it has all been incorporated. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and slowly mix for another 20-30 seconds.
• Divide the batter evenly among your pans and bake for about 25 to 30 minutes. Cool 10 minutes on a wire rack before inverting onto cooling racks to cool completely.

FOR THE LEMON CURD

• Whisk the sugar, lemon zest, and lemon juice in a medium saucepan. Whisk in the whole eggs and yolks in a small bowl and then whisk them into the lemon mixture.
• Cook the mixture over medium-low heat, whisking constantly, until it’s thick like pudding, about 6 to 8 minutes. Remove from the heat and whisk in the butter, a few pieces at a time until incorporated.
• Strain the mixture through a fine-mesh sieve into a small bowl, pushing it through with a rubber spatula. Press plastic wrap directly onto the surface to prevent a skin from forming. Refrigerate until completely set, at least 4 hours and up to 5 days.

FOR THE LEMON PRETZEL FILLING

• Heat the oven to 275 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.
• In a medium sized bowl, combine 1 cup milk powder, pretzel crumbs, lemon zest, and sugar. Toss with your hands to mix. Add the melted butter and toss, using a spatula or spoon, until the mixture starts to come together and form small clusters.
• Spread the clusters on a parchment lined sheet pan and bake for 15 to 20 minutes. The crumbs should be sandy at that point. Cool the crumbs completely.
• Crumble any clusters that are larger than ½ inch in diameter, and put the crumbs back in the medium bowl. Add the ½ cup milk powder and toss together until it is evenly distributed throughout the mixture.
• Pour the white chocolate over the crumbs and toss until your clusters are covered. The crumbs will keep in an airtight container in the fridge or freezer for up to 1 month.

FOR THE BUTTERCREAM

• In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
• Turn the mixer to low and gradually add the powdered sugar, followed by the cream, salt and lemon extract. Mix until combined. Add yellow food coloring, if using. Mix until incorporated completely. Turn the mixer to medium-high and beat the frosting for about 5 minutes.
• Use wooden spoon to beat the frosting by hand for about 2 minutes to push out any air pockets.

ASSEMBLY

• Spread a small dollop of frosting onto a cake board. Place the first cake layer, top side up, on the board.
• Spread a thin layer of frosting over the cake layer and pipe a rim of frosting around the edge of the cake to create a barrier to the filling.
• Spread about ¼ cup of the curd in the center of the cake, carefully spreading it to the edge of the piping.
• Sprinkle about a half cup to three-quarters cup of the lemon pretzel filling over the lemon curd. Gently pat into place.
• Place a second cake layer on top of the piped frosting and filling and repeat these steps.
• Place the final cake layer, top side up, on the second layer of filling.
• Lightly coat the cake with a thin layer of frosting to lock in the crumbs. Freeze the cake for about 10 to 15 minutes to set the frosting.
• Finish frosting and decorating the cake with the remaining frosting. Top with more lemon curd and lemon pretzel crunch filling.

The post The Best Lemon Pretzel Cake with Lemon Curd first appeared on Cake by Courtney.

The post The Best Lemon Pretzel Cake with Lemon Curd appeared first on Cake by Courtney.

My Better Than Anything Cake has been the back-to-back champ, but it’s time for a new winner! In fact, Better Than Anything isn’t even in the bracket this year! If you’ve played before, you’ll also see that we switched up the divisions. Instead of splitting it up by flavor categories, we drew cakes at random.

I’m excited to see how it goes this year!

How to Play

• Download the bracket below.
• Look through each division and pick a winner from each pairing. You’ll then move those winners to the next round and pick a winner from that pairing. Keep going until you have a champion.
• You’ll fill out the entire bracket – GUESSING which cake will win each pairing and which cake you think will win overall. (The winner of each matchup is decided by voting in my Instagram stories – so you’re guessing which cake most people will vote for).
• Once you make your guess for the winning cake, COMMENT BELOW WITH YOUR WINNER. This gives us a time stamp to make sure you entered before the competition starts on March 18th – which means we won’t count entries posted after that date.

How It Works

• Starting next week (March 18th), I’ll post the cake pairings in my Instagram stories for everyone to vote on.
• Winning cakes will be chosen from that voting process (BY YOU) and I’ll announce in IG stories and here on the blog the updates so you can make sure to check out how you’re doing on your bracket.
• Once we get to the final winner, I’ll take a look at your guesses below and from those who guessed correctly, I’ll RANDOMLY SELECT ONE WINNER.

What Does the Winner Get?

• The randomly selected winner will receive BOTH of my cookbooks, access to my 3-Month Cake Camp, a cake tee, and a set of my icing spatulas from Shop.CakebyCourtney.com.

Reminder:

• Print the bracket
• Make your selections
• Comment below with what you cake you think will be the overall winner BEFORE MARCH 18th.
• Check out stories next week to start the voting process
• Have fun!

Round 1 West Winners

• Chocolate Caramel Coconut Cake
• Creme Brulee Cake
• 7 Layer Bar Cake
• Peach Crisp Cake
• Strawberry Lemonade Cake
• Twix Cookies and Cream Cake
• Chocolate Cheesecake Cake
• Peanut Butter Poke Cake

Round 1 East Winners

• Golden Oreo Cake
• Toffee Caramel Graham Cake
• Grasshopper Pie Cake
• Brooklyn Light Show Cake
• Strawberry Biscoff Cake
• Tonight Show Cake
• Cookies and Cream Cake
• Everything but the Kitchen Sink Cake

Round 1 South Winners

• Ultimate S’mores Cake
• White Chocolate Coconut Bundt Cake
• Lemon Biscoff Cake
• Butterscotch Chocolate Chip Cake
• Churro Cake
• Strawberry Shortcake Cake
• Pumpkin Poke Cake
• Chocolate Dulce de Leche Cake

Round 1 Midwest Winners

• S’moreo Cake
• Coconut Lemon Raspberry Cake
• Caramel Apple Cheesecake Cake
• Biscoff Brownie Cake
• Tuxedo Cake
• Peanut Butter Oreo Cake
• Magnolia Cookie Cake
• Red Velvet Cookie Cake

ROUND 2 WINNERS

West

• Chocolate Coconut Cake
• Seven Layer Bar Cake
• Twix Cookies and Cream Cake
• Chocolate Cheesecake Cake

East

• Toffee Caramel Graham Cake
• Brooklyn Light Show Cake
• Tonight Show Cake
• Cookies and Cream Cake

South

• S’mores
• Lemon Biscoff
• Strawberry Shortcake
• Chocolate Dulce de Leche

Midwest

• S’moreo
• Coconut Lemon Raspberry
• Peanut Butter Oreo
• Magnolia Cookie

Sweet 16 Winners (the Elite 8)

• Seven Layer Bar
• Twix Cookies and Cream
• Toffee Caramel Graham
• Tonight Show
• S’mores
• Chocolate Dulce de Leche
• S’moreo
• PB Oreo

The Final Four

• Twix Cookies and Cream
• Tonight Show
• S’mores
• PB Oreo

IN THE FINALS

• Tonight Show Cake
• S’mores Cake

WINNER: ULTIMATE S’MORES CAKE

The post Cake by Courtney 3rd Annual Cake March Madness first appeared on Cake by Courtney.

The post Cake by Courtney 3rd Annual Cake March Madness appeared first on Cake by Courtney.

Reinventing Carrot Cake

I don’t know about you, but I haven’t always been a fan of carrot cake. Growing up, I would eat (or not eat, in reality) the very traditional version: spiced carrot cake layers with raisins and nuts, covered in cream cheese frosting. I would always take one bite and push my plate away. Nuts, no thank you. Raisins, no thank you. Not in my cakes!

It wasn’t until a couple years ago that I decided to try out a couple of new carrot cake recipes from some of my favorite bakers, including Sweetapolita and Milk Bar’s Cristina Tosi. I was originally drawn to the Sweetapolita recipe because Rosie doesn’t use nuts or raisins in her cake. She also includes candied ginger and orange zest, and used a white chocolate buttercream. All of which I love and knew would taste amazing together in a cake.

Rosie’s cake didn’t disappoint in the least. It quickly changed my opinion of carrot cake and became my go-to Easter cake.

Then, last year, I decided to try out Milk Bar’s Carrot Cake. I have loved so many of the Milk Bar cakes and was eager to see how Cristina reinvented this traditional cake. Unfortunately, I was a bit disappointed. The cake itself was pretty much a typical spice cake, and the cheesecake filling was a little overwhelming. I did love the graham cracker frosting and graham crust though! Just all together, the cake wasn’t my favorite.

My Take on the Classic: Carrot Apricot Cake with White Chocolate Pretzel Crack Filling

As I was thinking about creating my own carrot cake recipe this year, I knew I wanted to do something with fruit. I racked my brain for something that I hadn’t seen used with carrot cake (i.e. no pineapples, no oranges, no strawberries) and something that would compliment the cake well. I landed on apricots and was so excited about it. But, if you caught my Instagram stories recently, you saw my excitement was squashed a bit when I realized I didn’t time my seasons right with this one! No fresh apricots in March. Duh! What was I thinking!

Well, that wasn’t going to stop me. I went with my backup plan and snagged some canned apricots to make my compote. It worked beautifully.

White Chocolate Pretzel Filling

The other element I wanted to add to this traditional cake was some kind of texture, and not in the form of nuts. While talking to my mom about some ideas, she suggested trying something with pretzels. I wasn’t sold on it right away, but the more I thought about the crunchy, salty pretzels in this cake, the more the idea grew on me. I just needed to add them the right way.

As I was thinking of how to create the right pretzel filling, I remembered Milk Bar has a recipe for Milk Crumbs, which is basically flour and milk powder baked in butter and covered in white chocolate. (Seriously heaven!). I played around with the recipe a little and subbed crushed pretzels for the flour and came up with the White Chocolate Pretzel “Crack” Filling. You guys! This stuff is no joke! If I were you, I’d make double the recipe called for because you’ll not only want to add more to each slice of cake as you serve it, you’ll want to snack on this stuff all day long.

I then decided to go with a white chocolate buttercream like Rosie did in her cake. It’s a little less traditional and pairs perfectly with the apricot compote and white chocolate pretzel filling.

Of course, if you love the traditional cream cheese frosting on your carrot cake, go right ahead and whip up THIS frosting recipe instead. It’s amazing

Have I sold you on it yet? I really hope so because I can’t wait to hear what you think!

Enjoy and have a wonderful Easter weekend.

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Carrot Apricot Cake

Carrot cake layers with an apricot compote, a white chocolate pretzel filling, and white chocolate buttercream.

Course Dessert

Cuisine Cake

Keyword carrot cake, white chocolate buttercream

Ingredients

FOR THE CAKE

• 5 cups (420 g) freshly grated carrots
• 2 1/2 cups plus 2 tablespoons (315 g) all purpose flour
• 1 tbsp (12 g) baking powder
• 1 tsp (4 g) baking soda
• 1 tsp (6 g) salt
• 1 tsp (2.6 g) ground ginger
• 1 cup (226 g) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1 1/2 cups (300 g) granulated sugar
• 4 eggs, at room temperature
• 1 tsp (4.2 g) vanilla
• 1 cup (240 g) buttermilk, at room temperature

FOR THE WHITE CHOCOLATE PRETZEL FILLING (adapted from Milk Bar)

• 1/2 cup (62.5 g) milk powder
• 1/2 cup (60 g) crushed pretzels, I pulverized mine in my magic bullet
• 2 tablespoons (16.9 g) cornstarch
• 2 tablespoons (25 g) sugar
• 5 tablespoons (70.6 g) butter, melted
• 1/4 cup (31.25 g) milk powder
• 3/4 cup (127.5 g) white chocolate, melted
• I suggest doubling the filling to snack on!

FOR THE APRICOT COMPOTE

• 2 cans apricots, drained or 2 cups fresh apricots, diced
• 1/2 cup (100 g) sugar
• 2 teaspoons (16.8 g) cornstarch, sifted

FOR THE BUTTERCREAM

• 2 cups (452 g) unsalted butter, slightly chilled
• 5 ounces white chocolate, melted
• 5 1/2 cups (687.5 g) powdered sugar, measured and then sifted
• Pinch of salt
• 1/4 cup (57.75 g) heavy whipping cream
• 1 teaspoons (4.2 g) pure vanilla extract
• *This buttercream recipe makes enough to fill and cover your cake. If you want to add additional piping, you’ll want to make an extra ½ batch.

US Customary – Metric

Instructions

FOR THE CAKE

• Preheat your oven to 325 degrees F. Spray each of the three 8-inch or four 6-inch cake pans with nonstick spray, line the bottoms with parchment paper and spray again. Set aside.
• Grate the carrots using a food processor. Measure out 5 cups.
• In a medium size mixing bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and ginger. Stir until blended. 
• In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add the sugar and beat on medium for about 3 minutes. 
• Beat in the eggs, followed by the vanilla. (Don’t worry if it seems curdled).
• With the mixer on low, gradually add about one third of the flour mixture. Beat until just mixed, followed by half the milk. Repeat additions, ending with the flour. Stir in the carrots.
• Divide batter between pans, about 16 to 17 ounces of batter in each 8-inch or 12 ounces in each 6-inch pan. Spread as evenly as possible to the side of the pans.
• Bake for about 30 to 35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cakes comes out with just a few moist crumbs on it. 
• Let the cakes cool for about 10 minutes in their pans before inverting onto wire racks to cool completely.
• Can be decorated once cooled completely, or to store them for up to a week, wrap each layer in plastic wrap and freeze. Before frosting the frozen cake layers, take them out of the fridge about an hour beforehand so the layers aren’t too cold (which will harden your frosting as you start to decorate).

FOR THE WHITE CHOCOLATE PRETZEL FILLING

• Heat the oven to 300 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.
• In a medium sized bowl, combine ½ cup milk powder, pretzel crumbs, cornstarch, sugar and salt. Toss with your hands to mix. Add the melted butter and toss, using a spatula or spoon, until the mixture starts to come together and form small clusters.
• Spread the clusters on a parchment lined sheet pan and bake for 15 minutes. The crumbs should be sandy at that point. Cool the crumbs completely.
• Crumble any clusters that are larger than ½ inch in diameter, and put the crumbs back in the medium bowl. Add the ¼ cup milk powder and toss together until it is evenly distributed throughout the mixture.
• Pour the white chocolate over the crumbs and toss until your clusters are covered. Then continue tossing them every five minutes until the white chocolate hardens and the clusters are no longer sticky. The crumbs will keep in an airtight container in the fridge or freezer for up to 1 month.

FOR THE APRICOT COMPOTE

• Combine the apricots and sugar in a small saucepan. Stir occasionally while the mixture comes to a boil. Once the mixture boils, turn the heat to low and let it simmer for about 5 minutes. Add the sifted cornstarch and stir until well blended. 
• Pour the mixture into a blender and puree. 
• Let cool completely before using in the cake. 
• Best to make the compote a day or more ahead of time and store in an airtight container in the fridge.

FOR THE BUTTERCREAM

• In a microwave safe bowl, heat the cream and then pour it over the white chocolate to melt. Stir until the mixture is smooth and silky. If needed heat the mixture for another 20 to 30 seconds and stir until the chips are melted. Set aside.
• In a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the butter on medium-high speed for about two minutes.
• With the mixer on low speed, slowly add the sifted powdered sugar until incorporated. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and continue to mix for another minute.
• Slowly add the warm white chocolate while mixing on medium-low speed.
• Add the vanilla and increase the speed to medium-high and beat the frosting for five minutes, until light in color and texture. 
• Remove the bowl from the mixer and use a wooden spoon and mix by hand to stir out the air bubbles. emove the bowl from the mixer and use a wooden spoon and mix by hand to stir out the air bubbles.

ASSEMBLY

• Level each cake layer with a knife or cake leveler, if needed.
• Place your first cake layer, right-side up, on a cake plate or cake board. Cover the cake layer with a thin layer of frosting, allowing some of the frosting to go over the edge of the cake, and then pipe a rim around the cake to act as a barrier to the apricot compote.
• Pour and spread about ¼ to ½ cup compote over the cake layer. Cover with the white chocolate pretzel “crack” filling. 
• Repeat step 2 and 3 for the second layer, and then place the final cake layer on top, top side down. Frost the entire cake with a thin coat of frosting to lock in the crumbs. Freeze the crumb coat for 10 to 15 minutes. 
• After the crumb coat is chilled, continue frosting the cake.

The post Delicious Carrot Cake with Apricot Filling and White Chocolate Buttercream (no nuts, no raisins!) first appeared on Cake by Courtney.

The post Delicious Carrot Cake with Apricot Filling and White Chocolate Buttercream (no nuts, no raisins!) appeared first on Cake by Courtney.

Carrot Cake: The Easter Dessert

Hard to believe Easter is less than a week away, right?! What better way to celebrate than with my Classic Carrot Cake recipe. I know this Easter will look a bit different for most of us than in years past, but the meaning stays the same… as do the desserts!

For me, carrot cake is the quintessential Easter dessert. In fact, I think Easter is the only time of year we ever had carrot cake. But here’s the thing – I never liked carrot cake. Not until I made my Carrot Cake with White Chocolate Buttercream, that is. Every carrot cake I ever had growing up had nuts and raisins in it. And I think you know how I feel about that: eew, gross!

But when I made my first carrot cake, based off a Sweetapolita recipe, I realized two things: one, carrot cake doesn’t HAVE to have nuts and raisins and two, carrot cake is actually really good!

Untraditional Recipe

The first carrot cake I published on my blog is definitely untraditional, and I think that’s why I like it so much. My recipe is based off a compilation of a couple adapted recipes from some of my fave bakers: the cake is adapted from Rosie of Sweetapolita and the white chocolate pretzel crack filling is adapted from Christina Tosi of Milk Bar.

I was first attracted to Rosie’s carrot cake because it didn’t have any nuts and raisins, and because she used ginger! I love ginger! Also, I love adding texture to my cakes, but not in the cake layers. So adding Christina’s white chocolate pretzel crack filling was almost a no-brainer.

In addition to the cake and the filling, I decided to add an apricot compote (you can also use apricot jam) and a white chocolate buttercream. Again, I was purposely going against the norm.

The result, a deliciously unique and moist carrot cake!

Classic Carrot Cake

And while I absolutely love that unique carrot cake, I’ve been feeling for a while now that a classic, more traditional carrot cake was calling my name. So, here we are! Today I’m sharing my new Classic Carrot Cake recipe with you.

Traditional Ingredients

Spices

• This carrot cake is more traditional in flavor with spices like cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and cloves.

Oil and Applesauce

• I also use a combination of oil and applesauce for fat and to create a beautiful moist cake. You can certainly use all oil in place of applesauce or sub the applesauce for crushed pineapple.

Freshly Grated Carrots

• It’s SUPER important to use FRESHLY grated carrots in your carrot cake recipes. Freshly grated carrots have more moisture than the pre-shredded carrots. We want a moist cake! That moisture also means the carrot pieces will soften. If you use pre-shredded carrots, you’ll have crunchy carrot pieces in your cake.

Cream Cheese Buttercream

• Sticking to traditional elements, I’m using a cream cheese buttercream with my Classic Carrot Cake instead of my white chocolate buttercream. To ensure the cream cheese flavor doesn’t overpower the cake, I don’t use a lot of cream cheese – just enough to give it a perfectly tangy but not overwhelming cream cheese flavor. See my frequently asked questions about how to get the best frosting results.

Nuts and Raisins

• As I mentioned above, I left nuts and raisins out of my cake layers. However, that doesn’t mean you have to if you love that kind of texture in your classic carrot cake. If you want to add nuts and raisins, I’d start with a half cup of each.

Carrot Cake Cupcakes

If you’d like to turn this Carrot Cake recipe into cupcakes, no problem! A full batch of the batter will make about 24 to 26 standard size cupcakes. You can also split the batch and make a half batch. I did that with my cupcakes yesterday!

For carrot cake cupcakes, you’ll want to bake at 325 degrees F. for a little less time than the cake recipe calls for. Mine were perfect and moist at 20 minutes. If you’re doing a full batch, and baking two cupcake pans at a time (on the same rack), the bake time will vary slightly. Keep your eye on them, but know they’ll take a few minutes longer.

BAKING TIP: I don’t ever recommend baking cake layers or cupcakes on different racks. You always want to bake them on your middle rack. If you can’t fit all of your cake pans or cupcake pans on the same rack in your oven, it’s ok to leave cake batter on the counter while you wait to bake. Just make sure to cover the cake pan or cupcake pan with plastic wrap while you wait.

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Classic Carrot Cake

Deliciously moist spiced carrot cake layers with a perfectly tangy cream cheese buttercream.

Course Dessert

Cuisine Cake

Keyword carrot cake, classic carrot cake, cream cheese frosting

Servings 20 people

Ingredients

FOR THE CAKE

• 1 cup (218 g) vegetable or canola oil
• 1/2 cup (125 g) applesauce can substitute with crushed pineapple
• 1 cup (200 g) packed brown sugar
• 1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar
• 6 eggs at room temperature
• 2 tsp. (8.4 g) vanilla extract
• 3 cups (360 g) all purpose flour
• 2 tsp. (5.3 g) ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp. (1.2 g) ground nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp. (.8 g) ground ginger
• 1/4 tsp. (.8 g) ground cloves
• 1 Tbsp. (10 g) baking powder
• 1 tsp. (4 g) baking soda
• 1 tsp. (5.6 g) salt
• 4 cups (400 g.) freshly grated carrots

FOR THE BUTTERCREAM

• 1 1/2 cups (339 g) unsalted butter slightly cold
• 6 oz. (170g) cream cheese slightly cold
• 6 cups (750 g) powdered sugar measured and then sifted
• 3 tbsp. (45 g) heavy whipping cream
• 1 tsp. (4.2 g) vanilla extract
• pinch of salt

Instructions

FOR THE CAKE

• Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Spray three 8-inch round cake pans with nonstick spray, line the bottoms with parchment paper and spray again. Set aside.
• In a medium size mixing bowl, combine the flour, spices, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Whisk to combine. Set aside.
• In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the oil and sugars. Beat on medium speed for about two minutes.
• Add the applesauce and vanilla and then stir to combine.
• With the mixer on medium speed, gradually add the eggs, making sure to scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl between additions. Once all of the eggs are combined, beat the mixture for about a minute on medium speed.
• With the mixer on low speed, gradually add the flour mixture.
• Fold in the carrots.
• Evenly divide the cake batter between the three prepared pans (about 20 ounces of batter in each). Bake for 25 to 27 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with a few moist crumbs on it.
• Let the cake layers cool in the pans on cooling racks for about 10 to 15 minutes. Invert the cake layers onto the cooling racks to cool completely.
• Level cake layers, if needed.
• Cake layers can be made ahead of time. To store: let cake layers cool to room temperature and then wrap well with plastic wrap and freeze. Before you decorate your frozen cake layers, let them thaw at room temperature for about 30 to 60 minutes prior to decorating.

FOR THE BUTTERCREAM

• In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine the butter and cream cheese. Beat on medium speed for about two minutes. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl.
• With the mixer on low speed, gradually add the powdered sugar, followed by the cream, vanilla and pinch of salt.
• Turn the mixer up to medium-high speed and beat for about 3 to 5 minutes.

ASSEMBLY

• Place the first cake layer, top side up, on a cake plate or cake board.
• Evenly spread about 1 cup of buttercream on the cake layer. Place the second cake layer on top of the buttercream and spread another 1 cup of buttercream over the second layer.
• Place the third cake layer top side down.
• Apply a thin layer of buttercream over the entire cake. This is the crumb coat. Freeze the crumb coated cake for about 15 minutes to set the crumb coat.
• Once the crumb coat is set, continue decorating the cake with the remaining buttercream.

The post The Best Classic Carrot Cake Recipe for Easter first appeared on Cake by Courtney.

The post The Best Classic Carrot Cake Recipe for Easter appeared first on Cake by Courtney.

Shamrock Shake Bundt Cake

In need of an easy recipe for your St. Patrick’s Day celebrations? I’ve got you covered! This Shamrock Shake Bundt Cake is not just delicious and cute, it’s a breeze to make. Plus, you’ll love how simple the decorating is!

The cake itself is a light and fluffy white cake with a couple teaspoons of mint extract. I added a couple drops of green food coloring too!

Ingredients You’ll Need for this Recipe

• Cake flour
• Baking powder
• Salt
• Unsalted butter
• Granulated sugar
• Eggs
• Mint extract
• Vanilla extract
• Sour cream
• Buttermilk
• Green food coloring, optional

How to Make Moist Cake Layers from Scratch

When making the cake layers, don’t forget to follow my go-to tips for getting your cakes to rise and bake well:

• Preheat your oven for 30 minutes prior to baking.
• Use good quality pans. For this bundt cake, I used THIS 10-cup bundt pan.
• Spray the bundt pan with nonstick spray and dust well with flour
• Use room temperature wet ingredients.
• When mixing the butter, sugar, and eggs, be sure to mix until completely smooth, light in color and fluffy in texture.
• Don’t overmix your cake batter once you add the dry ingredients.
• Use fresh baking powder.
• Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out with a few moist crumbs on it.

Vanilla Buttercream

I love this vanilla buttercream for just about every cake. It’s light and fluffy and compliments so many flavors.

Ingredients You’ll Need for this Recipe

• Unsalted butter
• Powdered sugar
• Heavy whipping cream
• Vanilla extract
• Salt

TOOLS: To pipe the buttercream on the cake, you’ll want a silicone piping bag and a round piping tip.

How to Make the Best Buttercream Frosting

To get this delicious buttercream, make sure you follow my tips: HOW TO MAKE THE BEST BUTTERCREAM

• Sift your powdered sugar
• Use slightly cold butter
• Use heavy whipping cream
• Beat for 5 minutes
• Stir by hand

You’ll want to check out the post linked above for more details on each step to make sure you get the best buttercream frosting. And remember, these steps can be used for any buttercream recipe on my blog.

Other Mint Cakes You’ll Love

• Grasshopper Pie Cake
• Mint Chocolate Chip Cake
• Fresh Mint Chocolate Chip Cake
• Mint Oreo Cake

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Shamrock Shake Bundt Cake

Tender and moist mint bundt cake with vanilla buttercream.

Course Dessert

Cuisine Cake

Keyword Bundt Cake, Mint Cake, Shamrock Shake Bundt Cake, Shamrock Shake Cake, Vanilla Buttercream

Ingredients

FOR THE CAKE

• 3 cups (345 g) cake flour
• 1 tbsp (10 g) baking powder
• 1 tsp (5 g) salt
• 1 cup (226 g) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1 3/4 cups (350 g) granulated sugar
• 3 eggs, at room temperature
• 2 egg whites, at room temperature
• 2 tsp. (8.4 g) mint extract
• 1 tsp (4.2 g) vanilla extract
• 1 cup (240 g) buttermilk, at room temperature
• 3/4 cup (180 g) sour cream, at room temperature
• green food coloring, optional

FOR THE BUTTERCREAM

• 2 cups (452 g) unsalted butter, slightly cold
• 6 cups (725 g) powdered sugar, measured and then sifted
• 1/4 cup (57.75 g) heavy whipping cream
• 1 tsp (4.2 g) vanilla extract
• pinch of salt

Instructions

FOR THE CAKE

• Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Spray your bundt pan (I use this one) with nonstick spray, coat with flour and set aside.
• In a medium size mixing bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, and salt. Whisk to combine. Set aside.
• In the bowl of an electric mixer, fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and the sugar together on medium speed for about 2 to 3 minutes.
• Add the eggs and egg whites, in three additions, making sure to mix well between each addition and scraping down the sides of the bowl. Stir in the extracts.
• With the mixer on low speed alternately add the flour mixture and the buttermilk to the butter mixture, starting and finishing with the flour mixture. Mix until combined.
• Fold in the sour cream and food coloring.
• Pour the batter into your prepared bundt pan. Bake for about 50 to 55 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out with a few moist crumbs on it.
• Let the cake cool completely in the bundt pan before inverting onto a wire rack. Trying to remove the cake from the pan too quickly is usually what causes the cake to stick and fall apart. I left my cake in the pan for an hour before flipping it.

FOR THE BUTTERCREAM

• In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter on its own for a few minutes. The butter will get lighter in color and fluffier in texture.
• With the mixer on low speed, gradually add the powdered sugar, followed by the cream, vanilla and salt.
• Turn the mixer to medium-high and beat the buttercream for about 3 to 5 minutes, until it's nearly white in color and fluffy in texture.

The post Easy and Delicious Green Shamrock Shake Bundt Cake first appeared on Cake by Courtney.

The post Easy and Delicious Green Shamrock Shake Bundt Cake appeared first on Cake by Courtney.

Tender and fluffy lemon cake layers with lemon white chocolate buttercream and a lemon white chocolate wafer cookie crunch filling make up the most delicious Lemon KitKat Cake inspired by Lemon KitKat candy bars.

Lemon KitKats

During a recent visit to the grocery store, I found myself meandering down the candy aisle. Not something I usually do, but it’s nearly Easter, which means Easter candy! How could I resist?! I quickly locked eyes on a bright yellow bag of KitKats. Before you question my pick in candy, you must know – these weren’t just any KitKats. No, these were special. These were LEMON KitKats.

If you’re new here, I must inform you that my love of lemon desserts and treats has grown immensely over the years – thanks to my mom’s influence. (She loves all things lemon and makes the most delicious lemon bars – which inspired my Lemon Bar Cake). I used to pick chocolate without hesitation, but now, lemon flavored desserts have me thinking twice about my usual quick jump to chocolate or peanut butter (my other go-to). Sometimes the freshness and tartness of lemon really hits the spot.

And this cake does just that!

Lemon KitKat Cake

To recreate the Lemon KitKat candy bar in a cake, I made lemon cake layers, a lemon white chocolate buttercream, and a lemon white chocolate wafer cookie crunch filling.

The lemon cake is fluffy and moist, thanks to a combination of egg whites, lemon instant pudding mix, and a heaping one and a quarter cup buttermilk! I think the lemon instant pudding mix is a must, but if it’s something you can’t get your hands on, add an extra teaspoon of lemon emulsion and the zest of one lemon to the cake batter in place of it.

For the buttercream, we’re using my white chocolate buttercream and a bit of lemon emulsion (you can also use extract). This replicates the white chocolate coating on the outside of the KitKat bars and is an extremely delicious combination.

Wafer Cookie Crunch Filling

To mimic the crunch of the wafer from the KitKat bar, we’re taking some inspiration from Milk Bar and making a crunch filling. Christina Tosi, founder of Milk Bar, often takes elements like pretzels and potato chips, bakes them with butter, brown sugar, and milk powder, and then coats the clusters with white chocolate to give her cakes a layer of texture that doesn’t get soggy.

For the wafer cookie crunch, you’ll want to grab wafer cookies like Loacker lemon cream-filled wafer cookies. If you can’t find lemon flavored wafer cookies, you can absolutely use vanilla wafer cookies, like Voortman’s. With the vanilla wafer cookies, you’ll want to add the zest of a second lemon to the recipe below.

Once we bake the crushed wafer cookies with milk powder and butter, we get crunchy clusters that we’ll then coat with white chocolate. Once that white chocolate hardens, it ensures the clusters maintain their crunch.

One note about the filling – it’s highly munchable. Try to save a little for the cake

How to Make a Moist Cake from Scratch

Don’t forget to follow my go-to tips for getting moist cakes that rise well:

• Preheat your oven for 30 minutes prior to baking.
• Use good quality pans like Fat Daddio.
• Spray your pans with nonstick spray and line with parchment paper. 
• Make sure to beat the butter, sugar, oil and eggs really well. The mixture should be smooth in texture and nearly doubled in volume when you’re done mixing. THIS ONE IS IMPORTANT!
• Don’t overmix your cake batter once you add the dry ingredients.
• Use room temperature wet ingredients. Not cold at all.
• Use fresh baking powder.
• Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out with a few moist crumbs on it. REMEMBER: the cake continues to bake for a few minutes while it cools in the pan.

More Lemon Cakes to Love

The Most Delicious Lemon Bar Cake

The Best Lemon Blueberry Cake with Lemon Curd and Lemon Buttercream

Strawberry Lemonade Cake with Sweet and Tart Lemon Curd Filling

Light and Fluffy Coconut Lemon Raspberry Cake

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Lemon KitKat Cake

Lemon cake layers with wafer cookie crunch and white chocolate lemon buttercream.

Course Dessert

Cuisine Cake

Keyword Kit Kat, Kit Kat Cake, KitKat, Lemon Cake, Lemon Kit Kat Cake, Lemon white chocolate buttercream

Prep Time 1 hour

Cook Time 30 minutes

Total Time 1 hour 30 minutes

Servings 18

Author Courtney Rich

Ingredients

FOR THE CAKE

• 3 cups (345 g) cake flour
• 2 teaspoons (8 g) baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon (3 g) salt
• 3/4 cup (169.5 g) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1 3/4 cup (350 g) granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup (2 oz.) instant lemon pudding mix
• 6 large egg whites, at room temperature
• 1 1/4 cup (300 g) buttermilk, at room temperature
• 1 teaspoon (4.2 g) lemon extract
• Yellow food coloring optional

FOR THE WAFER COOKIE CRUNCH FILLING

• 1 1/2 cups (75 g) milk powder, divided
• 8.8 ounces (250 g) lemon wafer cookies, crushed but not finely ground
• zest of one lemon
• 1/2 cup (113 g) unsalted butter, melted
• 6 ounces white chocolate chips, melted

FOR THE LEMON WHITE CHOCOLATE BUTTERCREAM

• 6 ounces white chocolate chips
• 1/4 cup (60 g) heavy whipping cream
• 2 cups (452 g) unsalted butter, slightly cold
• 6 cups (750 g) powdered sugar, measured then sifted
• 2 teaspoons (8.4 g) lemon extract
• Pinch of salt
• Yellow food coloring, optional

Instructions

FOR THE CAKE

• Preheat your oven to 325 degrees F. Spray three 8-inch round cake pans with nonstick spray, line the bottoms with parchment paper, and spray again. Set aside.
• In another medium size bowl, whisk together the cake flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
• In a bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter, sugar, and pudding mix together on medium-high speed, until light and fluffy, about 2 to 3 minutes.
• With the mixer on medium speed, add the egg whites, one at a time, making sure to scrape downt he sides and bottom of the bowl between additions. Stir in the lemon emulsion.
• Continue to beat on medium-high speed for about 2 minutes, until the mixture gets smooth in texture and slightly bigger in volume.
• With the mixer on low speed, alternately add the flour mixture and the buttermilk, starting and ending with the flour mixture. Mix until combined. Fold in food coloring, if using.
• Divide batter evenly among your pans, about 16 ounces of batter in each pan.
• Bake the cakes, about 20 to 25 minutes. Let cool on wire racks for 10 minutes before inverting them onto cooling racks to cool completely.

FOR THE WAFER COOKIE CRUNCH FILLING

• Preheat your oven to 275 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.
• In a medium size mixing bowl, stir together 1 cup of the milk powder, the wafer cookies, and lemon zest.
• Pour in the melted butter and stir the mixture until the wafer cookies are "wet."
• Spread the cookie clusters on the baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes. Let cool completely.
• In a medium size mixing bowl, combine the baked cookie clusters and the additional ½ cup milk powder.
• Pour the white chocolate over the crumbs and toss until the clusters are covered. Spread the clusters are parchment to dry.

FOR THE BUTTERCREAM

• In a microwave safe bowl, combine the white chocolate and heavy cream. Heat in 30 second intervals, stirring between each, until the white chocolate is melted and the mixture is smooth. Set aside to cool.
• In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter on medium-high until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
• Gradually add the white chocolate ganache and mix until the mixture is smooth. Turn the mixer off and scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl.
• With the mixer on low, gradually add the powdered sugar, followed by the lemon extract and salt. Mix until combined. Add yellow food coloring, if using. Mix until incorporated completely. Turn the mixer to medium-high and beat the frosting for an additional 3 to 5 minutes.

ASSEMBLY

• Spread a small dollop of frosting onto a cake board. Place the first cake layer, top side up, on the board.
• Evenly spread about 1 cup of buttercream over the cake. Cover with the wafer cookie crunch. Pat the clusters into place.
• Place a second cake layer on the filling and repeat step 2.
• Place the third cake layer, top side down, on top of the second layer of filling. Lightly coat the cake with a thin layer of buttercream to lock in the crumbs. Freeze the cake for about 10 to 15 minutes to set the frosting.
• Finish frosting and decorating the cake with the remaining buttercream. Top with more wafer cookie clusters.

Notes

*If you can’t find the lemon flavored wafer cookies, you can use vanilla wafer cookies. Add the zest of a second lemon to the recipe. 

**These cake layers bake about 1.25″ tall. If you want thicker cake layers, you can use two 8-inch pans or 1.5x the recipe. For both, the bake time will increase about 10 minutes.

The post Best Ever Lemon KitKat Cake with Lemon White Chocolate Buttercream first appeared on Cake by Courtney.

The post Best Ever Lemon KitKat Cake with Lemon White Chocolate Buttercream appeared first on Cake by Courtney.

Family Food Wars

A couple years ago, Westin challenged me to a bake off. It was late one Sunday afternoon and I was exhausted. I said “no, not tonight.” He asked again, a little more pleading in his voice. I said “no” again, promising we’d do it another night. He asked one more time and suddenly I felt the pull to say, “yes.”

It was the start of our Family Food Wars.

The first time it was Westin against me, with Avery and Ryan as judges. Avery wanted in on the action and took my place as competitor against Westin. I became the “host” and mentor, and Ryan stayed in his place as judge.

We’ve kept it going on and off for nearly 2 years now.

The challenges have ranged from making appetizers with only 5 ingredients, using pudding in a dessert, making a no-bake dessert, creating something healthy in less than 30 minutes… and most recently: create a cookie recipe from scratch.

For this week’s challenge, I thought it would be fun to push the kids’ and see what they could do with one task and a few clues. I’ve always learned best by trial and error. I think it’s so neat to learn how things work by experimenting.

I gave them the challenge, along with this worksheet.

Before the kids start putting ingredients together, they read through the steps and clues to help determine how much of each ingredient to put in and what flavors they wanted to work with.

I helped a little, but didn’t give them exact measurements they should use.

The results were so impressive!

Make sure to check them out on IG:

The post Family Food Wars: Create Your Own Cookie Recipe first appeared on Cake by Courtney.

The post Family Food Wars: Create Your Own Cookie Recipe appeared first on Cake by Courtney.

Chocolate Coconut Caramel Cake (Girl Scout Cookie Cake)

If there’s one cake you absolutely need to try, this is the one! In fact, Ryan gave it the number one spot on his cake list (and he’s one of my toughest critics, so that should tell ya something right there).

Like many of you, the Coconut Caramel Girl Scout cookie is my favorite of the bunch. I look forward to it every March! And I’ve been wanting to make a cake inspired by this cookie since I did my Mint Chocolate Chip and Cookie Cake last year (another favorite Girl Scout Cookie).

Inspiration

When I start thinking about new cakes, my first goal is always to make a cake that tastes great! I hope to put together flavor and texture combinations that will WOW you. Since there’s so much going on in the cookie itself, it was important to be to capture all those same flavors and textures in the cake. In my mind, I broke down the cookie into the four parts – chocolate, shortbread, coconut and caramel. I then thought about how best to build the cake with so many flavor and texture elements. In my opinion, building the cake like a Milk Bar cake was the only way to go.

The Milk Bar style of cake is unique because you stack it inside acetate paper, and there’s no outer coat of frosting. The acetate helps support the cake and all the different layers of filling and frosting. After you stack the cake, you then refrigerate or freeze it to set and stabilize. When you’re ready to serve, you just remove the acetate paper and have this beautiful, naked cake look.

Flavors and Textures

One of the reasons I love this cake so much is because of all the flavors and textures going on. You have bittersweet chocolate cake and chocolate ganache, salty and buttery shortbread cookie crumbs, silky shortbread frosting, and then a crunchy and chewy toasted coconut caramel filling. It’s the best of everything, if you ask me. Just make sure to get all the flavors and textures in every bite. Your mouth will thank you!

One thing to note is that this cake cuts best when chilled a little bit. See my notes in the assembly section of the recipe about how to store and serve the cake.

Step-by-Step Tutorial

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Chocolate Coconut Caramel Cake

Layers of chocolate cake, chocolate ganache, shortbread cookie crumbs, shortbread cookie frosting, and toasted caramel coconut filling.

Ingredients

FOR THE CHOCOLATE CAKE

• 1 1/4 cups (150 g) all-purpose flour
• 1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar
• 1/3 cup (35 g) dark cocoa powder
• 1 teaspoon (4 g) baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon (2 g) baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon (3 g) kosher salt
• 1/2 cup (120 g) buttermilk, at room temperature
• 1/4 cup (55 g) vegetable oil
• 2 eggs, at room temperature
• 1/2 teaspoon (2.1 g) pure vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup (118 g) hot water

FOR THE GANACHE

• 1 cup (170 g) dark or semi sweet chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup (115.5 g) heavy whipping cream

FOR THE SHORTBREAD CRUMBS

• 1/4 cup (50 g) granulated sugar
• 3/4 cup (169.5 g) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 2 cups (240 g) all-purpose flour

FOR THE SHORTBREAD BUTTERCREAM

• 1 1/4 cups (150 g) shortbread cookie crumbs
• 1/2 cup (120 g) milk
• 1 teaspoon (6 g) salt
• 6 tablespoons (84.75 g) butter, slightly chilled
• 1 1/2 cups (187.5 g) powdered sugar

FOR THE COCONUT FILLING

• 1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup (118 g) water
• 2 teaspoons (14 g) corn syrup
• 2/3 cup (154 g) heavy whipping cream
• 1 teaspoon (4.2 g) pure vanilla extract
• 2 teaspoons (12 g) salt
• 14 oz. bag of sweetened shredded coconut

US Customary – Metric

Instructions

FOR THE CAKE

• Preheat the oven to 360 degrees F. Spray a quarter sheet pan and line it with parchment and spray again. Set aside.
• In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Mix for about 30 seconds.
• In a separate bowl, combine all of the wet ingredients and whisk for a few seconds.
• With the mixer on low speed, slowly add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients. Once all the wet ingredients are added, continue to mix on low speed for 30 seconds. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and mix for another 15 to 30 seconds. Don’t over beat this batter.
• Pour the batter into a quarter sheet baking pan. Bake the cake for 16-18 minutes.

FOR THE SHORTBREAD BUTTERCREAM

• Combine the shortbread cookie crumbs, milk, and salt in a blender. Turn the speed to medium-high and puree until smooth and homogenous. This should take about 1 to 3 minutes, depending on your blender (I use a Magic Bullet). If the mixture does not catch on your blender blade, turn the blender off, take a small teaspoon, and scrape down the sides of the canister, remembering to scrape under the blade, then try again.
• In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the butter and powdered sugar, and beat together on medium-high for 2 to 3 minutes, until light and fluffy. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula and mix for another 20 seconds.
• On low speed, add the contents of the blender to the butter and powdered sugar. After 1 minute, crank the speed up to medium-high and let the mixture beat for another 2 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. If the mixture is not a uniform, very pale, barely tan in color, give the bowl another scrape-down and another minute of high-speed paddling.
• Use the frosting immediately, or store it in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 1 week.

FOR THE GANACHE

• In a microwave safe bowl, heat the cream for about 1 minute. Pour the cream over the chocolate and let sit for about 5 minutes. Mix the chocolate and cream until smooth and shiny. If needed, microwave the mixture for an additional 30 seconds.
• Let cool slight before adding to the cake.

FOR THE SHORTBREAD CRUMBS

• Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.
• Combine the sugar and butter in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Stir in the flour. If the mixture is too crumbly, you can add another tablespoon of butter.
• Sprinkle the shortbread cookie dough crumbs evenly over the baking sheet. 
• Bake for about 20 minutes, until lightly golden brown on top. Cool completely before using. 

FOR THE COCONUT FILLING

• Mix sugar, water and corn syrup in a small saucepan.
• Bring the water and sugar mixture to boil over medium heat, but DO NOT STIR. (Stirring encourages crystallization). Let the mixture cook until it caramelizes into a golden brown color. It happens quickly, so keep an eye on it.
• Remove the caramelized sugar syrup from the heat and slowly mix in the cream. Pour in just a tiny bit at a time, especially at the beginning, and mix to combine. You can start adding more and more as you go along.
• Mix in salt and vanilla. Stir to combine.
• Set the caramel sauce to the side and let cool while you toast the coconut.
• Set your oven to 425 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment and pour all of the coconut evenly onto the baking sheet. Bake the coconut for about 10 minutes, or until golden brown. Remove from oven and toss, and then toast for another 10 minutes, or until golden brown all over. Let cool completely.
• Combine the caramel and the coconut. You’ll use about ⅓ of the mixture for each layer of the cake.

ASSEMBLY

• For the cake, put a piece of parchment or a silpat on the counter. Invert the cake onto it and peel off the parchment or silpat from the bottom of the cake. Use the cake ring to stamp out 2 circles from the cake. These two full circles will be your top 2 cake layers. The remaining cake “scraps” will come together to make the bottom layer of the cake.
• You can see pictures from the Milk Bar website HERE or check my Instagram and YouTube for videos.
• For the first layer, clean the cake ring and place it in the center of a sheet pan lined with clean parchment. Line the cake ring with one strip of acetate.
• Place the cake scraps together inside the ring and use the back of your hand to tamp the scraps together into a flat even layer.
• Use the back of a spoon to spread one-third of the chocolate ganache in an even layer over the cake. 
• Sprinkle about ⅓ of the shortbread cookie crumbs evenly over the ganache. Use the back of your hand to anchor them in place.
• Use a piping bag to pipe about 1 cup of the shortbread cookie frosting into the shortbread cookie crumbs.
• Sprinkle ⅓ of the toasted coconut caramel filling over the frosting. 
• For the second layer, gently tuck the second strip of acetate between the cake ring and the top ¼ inch of the first strip of acetate, so that you have a clear ring of acetate 5 to 6 inches tall – high enough to support the height of the finished cake.
• Set a cake round on top of the coconut filling, and repeat the process for layer 1 (if 1 of your 2 cake rounds is jankier than the other, use it here in the middle and save the prettier one for the top).
• For the third layer, nestle the remaining cake round into the coconut filling, cover the top of the cake with the remaining ganache, shortbread cookies, shortbread frosting and coconut filling. 
• Transfer the sheet pan to the freezer and freeze for a minimum of 12 hours to set the cake and filling. The cake will keep in the freezer for up to 2 weeks (make sure to wrap in plastic wrap). 
• At least 5 hours before you are ready to serve the cake, pull the sheet pan out of the freezer and, using your fingers and thumbs, pop the cake out of the cake ring. gently peel off the acetate, and transfer the cake to a platter or cake stand. Let it defrost in the fridge for a minimum of 4 hours (wrapped well in plastic, the cake can be refrigerated for up to 5 days).

The post Chocolate Coconut Caramel Cake (Girl Scout Cookie Cake) first appeared on Cake by Courtney.

The post Chocolate Coconut Caramel Cake (Girl Scout Cookie Cake) appeared first on Cake by Courtney.

Like each and every one of my cakes, I’m just as excited to share this cake with you as all the others. I know the flavor sounds “interesting,” as most of you have described and it is. It’s so interesting and it’s so good!

Cake Inspiration

I love getting cake inspiration from unlikely places. Remember my Lemon Ricotta Olive Oil Cake? That one is based off an appetizer from ABC Kitchen. My Butternut Squash Gingersnap Cookie Cake is based off ice cream from Van Leeuwen. My Triple Chocolate Pecan Pie is based off Ryan’s mom’s famous Pecan Pie she serves every Thanksgiving. In my mind, just about anything can be a cake flavor!

The idea for my Ricotta Beet Cake comes from a donut. And not just any donut. Literally one of the best donuts I’ve ever had. It’s the ricotta beet donut from Doughnut Project in West Village, New York. During a visit to New York several years ago I made my first visit to the Doughnut Project and got a dozen donuts to try. Ryan and my friends thought I was a little crazy getting a ricotta beet donut but I love trying the most unique flavors. And it turns out, it was hands-down my favorite flavor in the bunch. Ever since, I’ve had the flavors on my list of cakes to make.

Homemade Ricotta

After making the Ricotta Olive Oil Cake, I knew I had the perfect base for this cake. The cake layers have two cups of ricotta cheese in them. It provides and incredibly moist and rich texture in the cake. However, something I really noticed about store-bought ricotta while making that cake is how grainy the texture is. You’ll never notice it in the cake layers. It blends beautifully. But I knew there was no way store-bought ricotta would work in the filling I wanted to recreate from this donut.

The filling in the Doughnut Project donut is smooth and creamy. No grainy texture whatsoever!

So, I knew I had to make homemade ricotta! I had been told it was pretty easy to tackle, so I went for it. And low and behold, it’s SUPER easy to make and so much better than store-bought ricotta.

I’ll walk you through all the steps to making your own ricotta below, but a few things you’ll need:

• Cheese cloth or thin dish towel
• Mesh strainer
• Large bowl
• Heavy cream
• Whole milk
• White wine vinegar

I would suggest making the ricotta a day or two ahead of time so it has time to thicken and chill.

Whipped Ricotta Filling

The homemade ricotta will be used in the filling. Once the ricotta is made and has chilled for a couple days, you’ll simple puree it with a bit of orange extract and powdered sugar in your food processor.

I then fold in a little heavy whipping cream right before I start to assemble my cake. Don’t add the whipped cream too early because it kind of deflates if it sits in the fridge too long.

Ricotta Cake

As I mentioned above, you can use store-bought (or homemade) ricotta for the cake layers. The recipe for the cake layers is nearly identical to my Olive Oil Ricotta Cake. I switched out the olive oil for grapeseed oil, which is a light oil (not as heavy as EVOO or vegetable oil). If you don’t want to use grapeseed oil or can’t find it, you can use light olive oil. I also switched lemon zest for orange zest. Orange is an incredible companion to beets! I think you’ll love the hint of orange throughout the entire cake.

Beet Frosting and Puree

Alright, on to the beet flavor! I was so excited to incorporate beets into this cake – not because I love beets, but because I love a challenge! Doughnut Project has a beet glaze on their donut. It’s not a strong beet flavor, but you pick it up just a bit with each bite. The beets also create a beautiful, rich magenta color!

I roasted my beets with some olive oil, thyme and orange zest. These flavors aren’t super strong but are a great accent to the beets. After roasting the beets, you’ll puree them with some orange juice. You’ll then add a couple tablespoons of the puree to the frosting and then use the remaining puree to make a sweetened beet sauce to serve with each slice of cake. I chose not to add the beet puree in the cake itself so people could choose whether or not they want that extra flavor. I think you’ll want it!

The post The Most Delicious Ricotta Beet Cake first appeared on Cake by Courtney.

The post The Most Delicious Ricotta Beet Cake appeared first on Cake by Courtney.

Chocolate Toffee Graham Cake

I am so excited about my new Chocolate Toffee Graham Cake! Not only does it include the best chocolate cake recipe, it also has the most delicious graham cracker crust, with a no-bake toffee cheesecake filling, and salted caramel buttercream. So many flavors and textures that pair so beautifully together.

Let’s break it down some more!

The Best Chocolate Cake Recipe

This chocolate cake is truly the best of the best. It’s rich in flavor and so incredibly moist. I use it for so many of my cakes and it really can’t be beat. Plus, it’s so easy to make!

PRO TIP: to ensure a moist chocolate cake, make sure you’re using a good quality chocolate that is high in fat. I recommend Extra Brute Cacao Barry Cocoa Powder. The flavor and quality is phemoninal!

This cocoa powder stores great and you’ll use it in so many of my recipes:

Chocolate Desserts You’ll Love

Decadent and Delicious Flourless Chocolate Cake for Valentine’s Day

Best Chewy Brownies from Scratch

Chocolate Ganache Cake (a.k.a Lazy Chocolate Cake)

Best Ever Chocolate Bundt Cake Recipe

Graham Cracker Crust

For the graham cracker crust, you’ll actually make this element first. You will want to bake this for a few minutes on it’s own and then you’ll pour the chocolate cake batter right on top and bake them together.

The flavor of this crust is enhanced with a hint of coffee flavoring. I don’t drink coffee, but I love the complimentary flavor it adds to desserts. For this cake, the hint of coffee flavoring enhances the chocolate flavor, while also contrasting the sweetness of the filling and buttercream.

I actually don’t drink coffee, so I use a non-coffe substitute called Pero, which is made of barely, has no coffee in it, and gives the same awesome flavor for baked goods. You’ll find Pero at your local grocery store near the coffee.

Toffee Cheesecake Filling

This no-bake toffee cheesecake filling sets this cake apart and truly makes it next-level decadent! The filling is so easy to make and there’s no baking necessary. Mix some sugar with cream cheese, beat heavy whipping cream, and then fold the two together. It’s that easy! Sprinkle in the toffee chips and some mini chocolate chips (optional) and you’re set!

Salted Caramel Buttercream

To finish off this cake, we’re making homemade salted caramel and adding it to our buttercream. If you’ve never made homemade salted caramel, be sure to check out this POST for all my tips. It’s actually so easy to make.

NOTE: for the caramel drip – I actually used caramel baking chips. ½ caramel baking chips with 2-4 tablespoons heavy whipping cream. Using caramel baking chips instead of the caramel you make works really well as a drip because it won’t run all the way down the side of the cake.

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Chocolate Toffee Graham Cake

Graham cracker crust with chocolate cake baked on top, with toffee cheesecake filling and caramel buttercream.

Course Dessert

Cuisine Cake

Keyword caramel buttercream, cheesecake, chocolate, Chocolate Cake, Chocolate Toffee Graham Cake

Ingredients

FOR THE GRAHAM CRACKER CRUST

• 3 cups (360 g) finely ground graham cracker crumbs , (about 27 whole rectangular crackers)
• 3/4 cup (170 g) unsalted butter, melted
• 1/2 cup (100 g) granulated sugar
• 2 teaspoons instant coffee granules or PERO (non-coffee sub)

FOR THE CAKE

• 2 cups (240 g) all-purpose flour
• 1 3/4 cups (350 g) granulated sugar
• 3/4 cup (88.5 g) dark cocoa powder
• 2 teaspoons (8 g) baking soda
• 3/4 teaspoon (3 g) baking powder
• 1 teaspoon (6 g) salt
• 1 cup (240 g) buttermilk, at room temperature
• 1/2 cup (109 g) vegetable oil
• 3 eggs, at room temperature
• 1 teaspoon (4.2 g) pure vanilla extract
• 1 cup (236.6 g) hot water

FOR THE CHEESECAKE FILLING

• 8 ounces cream cheese
• 1/4 cup (50 g) granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup (120 g) heavy whipping cream
• 1/2 cup (80 g) toffee baking pieces, I use the Heath Bar brand
• 1/4 cup (40 g) mini semi-sweet chocolate chips, optional

FOR THE CARAMEL

• 1/2 cup (100 g) granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup (60 g) water
• 1 teaspoon (18 g) light corn syrup
• 1/4 cup (57.7.5 g) heavy cream
• 1 teaspoon (4.2 g) vanilla
• 1 teaspoon (6 g) salt

FOR THE BUTTERCREAM

• 2 cups (452 g) unsalted butter, slightly cold
• 6 cups 750 g powdered sugar, measured then sifted
• 1/2 cup caramel, recipe below
• *This buttercream recipe makes enough to fill and cover your cake. If you want to add additional piping you’ll want to make an extra ½ batch.

Instructions

FOR THE CRUST

• Preheat your oven to 375 degrees F. Spray three 8-inch round cake pans with non-stick spray and then line with parchment. Spray again. Set aside.
• In a medium sized bowl combine whisk together the melted butter and PERO or coffee granules until dissolved. Stir in the the graham cracker crumbs and sugar until all the graham cracker crumbs are damped by the melted butter.
• Divide evenly between the three pans and press down firmly with your hand or the back of a spoon to create a solid crust.
• Bake for 6-8 minutes, until golden brown. Let cool while you make the cake batter.

FOR THE CAKE

• Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
• Combine the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, and salt into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment and mix on low speed until combined.
• In another bowl, combine the buttermilk, oil, eggs, water, and vanilla.
• With the mixer on low speed, slowly add the wet ingredients to the dry, scraping the bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula.
• Pour the batter into the pans on top of the graham cracker crust (about 16 ounces in each pan) and bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out with a few moist crumbs on it.
• Cool in the pans for 15 minutes, then turn them out onto a cooling rack and cool completely.
• Wrap in plastic wrap and chill until ready to use.

FOR THE CHEESECAKE FILLING

• In a medium size mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese and sugar until smooth, about 2 minutes. Set aside.
• In a chilled stainless steel bowl, beat the heavy whipping cream until stiff peaks form.
• Fold in the heavy whipping cream into the cream cheese mixture. Gently fold in the toffee chips and mini chocolate chips.
• Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator until ready to use.

FOR THE CARAMEL

• Mix sugar, water and corn syrup in a small saucepan.
• Bring the water and sugar mixture to boil over medium heat, but DO NOT STIR. (Stirring encourages crystallization). Let the mixture cook until it caramelizes into a golden brown color. It happens quickly, so keep an eye on it.
• Remove the caramelized sugar syrup from the heat and slowly mix in the cream. Pour in just a tiny bit at a time, especially at the beginning, and mix to combine. You can start adding more and more as you go along.
• Mix in salt and vanilla. Stir to combine.
• Let cool to room temperature before using in buttercream.

FOR THE BUTTERCREAM

• In the bowl of an electric mixer beat the butter on medium-high for 3 to 5 minutes.
• On low speed, gradually add the powdered sugar. Increase the speed to medium-high and beat for another 5 minutes, until light and fluffy.
• Turn the mixer to medium and gradually add the caramel. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and mix again on medium-high for a couple minutes until the caramel is incorporated.
• Remember to mix the frosting by hand with a wooden spoon or large spatula to push out the air to create a silky-smooth frosting.

Assembly

• Spead a dollop of buttercream on a cake board or cake stand. Place your first cake layer, crust side down, on the cake board.
• Pipe a rim of buttercream around the top edge of the cake layer.
• Fill and spread evenly with half of the cheesecake filling.
• Repeat these steps for the second layer.
• Place the final cake layer, crust side down, on the second layer of filling.
• Apply a thin layer of buttercream around the cake. This is the crumb coat. Freeze the cake for 10 to 15 minutes to set the crumb coat.
• Once the crumb coat is set, continue to frost the cake with the remaining buttercream.
• NOTE: for the caramel drip – I actually used caramel baking chips. ½ caramel baking chips with 2-4 tablespoons heavy whipping cream. Using caramel baking chips instead of the caramel you make works really well as a drip because it won't run all the way down the side of the cake.

The post The Best Chocolate Toffee Graham Cake (a.k.a The Favorite Child) first appeared on Cake by Courtney.

The post The Best Chocolate Toffee Graham Cake (a.k.a The Favorite Child) appeared first on Cake by Courtney.

Banana Nutella Cake

For me, banana and Nutella go together like peanut butter and jelly. They’re a match made in heaven and truly make some of the most delicious desserts and snacks. For this cake, I wanted to keep it simple. We’re making just two layers of cake and decorating it with a rustic, slathered-on look.

Ingredients for Banana Cake

For the banana cake layers, make sure you grab these ingredients:

• All-purpose flour
• Baking soda
• Baking powder
• Salt
• Unsalted butter
• Vegetable oil (you can also use canola, avocado, or coconut oil)
• Granulated sugar
• Brown sugar
• Eggs
• Buttermilk
• Vanilla
• Over-ripe bananas

How to Make Banana Cake

To make my banana cake recipe, you’ll start by combining the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium size mixing bowl. Whisk the ingredients together to combine and then set that aside.

In your stand mixer, fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter, sugars, and oil together on medium-high speed until light and fluffy. During this phase of mixing, we want to create some volume in the mixture and emulsify the ingredients. This is what’s going to help your cakes rise nicely.

REMEMBER: using room temperature ingredients is KEY for this process to work.

After the butter mixture is creamed, you’ll add the eggs and vanilla. Make sure to mix again on medium-high until the mixture is smooth.

At this point, you’ll then turn the mixer to low as you alternately add the dry ingredients and the wet ingredients.

OVERMIXING the cake batter at this point will create a dense cake because you’re over-working the gluten in the flour. Low speed is your best friend.

Mix in the bananas and get ready to bake.

What Pans Should I Use for Banana Cake

For this cake, I used my 8-inch by 3-inch Fat Daddio cake pans. We’re splitting one full recipe into two pans, so it’s going to rise and we don’t want it to spill over the edges. If you only have 8-inch by 2-inch pans, use three of them and bake for about 10 minutes less.

Nutella Buttercream

This Nutella buttercream is so dreamy! You’ll be using Nutella, as well as some hazelnut extract. You are going to love how it amps up the flavor just a bit.

More Cakes You’ll Love

Banana Nutella S’mores Cake

Decadent and Delicious Chocolate Strawberry Nutella Cake

Triple Chocolate Banana Cake

Unforgettable Banana Caramel Biscoff Cake

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Banana Cake with Nutella Buttercream

Moist and flavorful banana cake layers with a silky, smooth Nutella buttercream.

Course Dessert

Cuisine Cake

Keyword Banana Cake, Nutella Buttercream

Ingredients

For the Cake

• 3 cups (360 g) all-purpose flour
• 3/4 teaspoon (3 g) baking powder
• 3/4 teaspoon (3 g) baking soda
• 1 teaspoon (6 g) salt
• 3/4 cup (169.5 g) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 1/2 tablespoons (20 g) vegetable oil
• 1 1/2 cups (300 g) granulated sugar
• 1/3 cup (73.3 g) light brown sugar, packed
• 3 eggs, room temperature
• 1 1/2 cup (360 g) buttermilk, room temperature
• 1 teaspoon (4.2 g) pure vanilla extract
• 3 medium-sized over-ripe bananas, mashed

FOR THE NUTELLA FROSTING

• 5 cups (625 g) powdered sugar, measured then sifted
• 2 cups (452 g) unsalted butter, slightly chilled
• 1 cup (240 g) Nutella
• 1 teaspoon (4.2 g) pure vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon (1.1 g) hazelnut extract
• 2 tablespoons (28.87 g) heavy whipping cream

Instructions

For the Cake

• Preheat your oven to 325 degrees F. Spray two 8" x 3" or three 8" x 2" pans with nonstick cooking spray, line the bottoms with parchment paper, and spray again. Set aside.

  NOTE: if you only have 8"x2" pans, I would make this into a three layer cake. If you split this recipe just between two 2-inch high pans, it might overflow.
• In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
• In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter, oil, and sugars on medium-high speed until pale and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Lower the speed to medium and add the eggs, one at a time, mixing until each is fully incorporated before adding the next (about 30 seconds). Add the vanilla.
• With the mixer on low, add the dry ingredients alternating with the buttermilk mixture into the butter mixture, starting and ending with the dry ingredients. Mix until just incorporated and remove bowl from stand mixer.

  Using a large stainless steel whisk, stir/whisk the mashed banana into the mixture–you can use use some strength and blend well, ensuring all of the ingredients are well mixed. (If you don't have a large stainless whisk, you can fold the banana mixture in using a rubber spatula until incorporated.)
• Divide the batter evenly between the pans, using a kitchen scale for the best accuracy.
• Carefully level the cake batter with a spatula or the back of your sppon, and bake until a toothpick or skewer comes out clean, about 40 to 45 minutes for two 8-inch pans and 30 to 35 minutes for three 8-inch pans.
• Let pans cool on wire rack for 10 minutes, then invert cakes onto racks, gently, peeling away parchment rounds. Let cool completely.
• When the cakes are completely cooled, level the cake layers if necessary
• The cake layers can be made up to a week in advance. If you plan to make it in advance, cover each cake layer with two layers of plastic wrap. When you’re ready to frost your cake, take the cake layers out of the freezer an hour before you decorate.

FOR THE NUTELLA FROSTING

• Combine the butter and Nutella and beat on medium-high speed for 2-3 minutes.
• With the mixer on low, gradually add the powdered sugar, a little at a time until incorporated. Beat for another 2-3 minutes.
• Add remaining ingredients and beat for another two minutes, until light and fluffy. Best used right away.
• Remove the bowl from the mixer and use a wooden spoon and mix by hand to stir out the air bubbles.

ASSEMBLY

• Place the first cake layer, top side up, in the center of a cake board or cake stand.
• Evenly spread 1 cup of buttercream over the cake layer.
• Place second cake layer, top side down, on top of the buttercream.
• Cover the entire cake with a thin layer of buttercream. Freeze the cake for 10 to 15 minutes to set the crumb coat.
• Once the crumb coat is set, finish frosting the cake with the remaining buttercream.

The post Easy Two Layer Banana Cake with Silky Smooth Nutella Buttercream first appeared on Cake by Courtney.

The post Easy Two Layer Banana Cake with Silky Smooth Nutella Buttercream appeared first on Cake by Courtney.

Ice Cream Standards

BISCOFF CAKE

Tips for This Cake

• Make things ahead of time. The cake layers and filling can be done days in advance. When the cake layers are room temperature, wrap them well in plastic wrap and freeze them. Remove them from the freezer about 30 to 60 minutes before decorating. The filling can be stored at room temperature, covered, for a day or in the refrigerator for up to a week.
• When making the white chocolate frosting, you’ll want to add the white chocolate to the butter while the white chocolate is still a bit warm. If it’s too cool, the cold butter will harden it and you’ll get chunks of white chocolate in your frosting.
• This is my favorite brand of white chocolate. I use it for the frosting and the drip.

Video Tutorial

Print

Biscoff Cake

Tender Biscoff cake layers, filled with a creamy Biscoff cookie spread, Biscoff cookies, covered with a white chocolate frosting.

Course Dessert

Cuisine Cake

Keyword Biscoff Cake, white chocolate buttercream

Servings 1 4-layer 6-inch or 3-layer 8-inch round cake

Ingredients

FOR THE CAKE

• 18 Biscoff or Speculoos Cookies
• 2 cups plus 2 tablespoons (255 g) all-purpose flour
• 1 3/4 teaspoons (7 g) baking powder
• 3/4 teaspoon (3 g) baking soda
• 3/4 teaspoon (4.5 g) salt
• 1 cup (226 g) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 2/3 cup (133 g) granulated sugar
• 1 cup (220 g) brown sugar, packed
• 4 eggs, at room temperature
• 2 cups (480 g) buttermilk, at room temperature 

FOR THE FILLING

• 1/2 cup (113 g) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1 cup (250 g) Biscoff spread or other cookie butter
• 1 cup  (125 g) powdered sugar, measured then sifted

FOR THE BUTTERCREAM

• 2 cup (452 g) unsalted butter, slightly chilled
• 6 cups (750 g) powdered sugar, measured then sifted
• 1/2 teaspoon (2.1 g) vanilla
• 6 ounces white chocolate
• 1/4 cup (57.75 g) heavy whipping cream 
• *This buttercream recipe makes enough to fill and cover your cake. If you want to add additional piping, you’ll want to make an extra ½ batch.

FOR THE DRIP

• 1 cup (150 g) white chocolate chips
• 1/3 cup (77 g) heavy whipping cream 

GARNISH

• 6 Biscoff Cookies

US Customary – Metric

Instructions

FOR THE CAKE

• Preheat your oven to 325 degrees F. Spray three 8-inch pans with non-stick cooking spray, line the bottoms with parchment and spray again. Set aside.
• Place the Biscoff cookies in a food processor or blender and pulse until the cookies are finely ground and resemble flour.
• In a medium-size bowl, combine the Biscoff crumbs, all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Whisk until the ingredients are well-blended. Set aside.
• In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted the paddle attachment, beat the butter and both sugars on medium speed until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Continue to beat for about two minutes, until the mixture looks lighter in color and fluffier in texture.
• With the mixer on low speed, add ⅓ of the dry ingredients and mix until combined. Slowly add half of the buttermilk and mix until incorporated. Continue alternating the flour and buttermilk until it has all been incorporated. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and slowly mix for another 20-30 seconds.
• Divide the batter evenly among your pans and bake for about 30 to 35 minutes. Cool 10 minutes on a wire rack before inverting onto cooling racks to cool completely. 

FOR THE FILLING

• In a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter and Biscoff spread or cookie butter on medium speed until light and fluffy.
• Gradually add the powdered sugar and beat for 2-3 minutes. 

FOR THE BUTTERCREAM

• In a microwave safe bowl, heat the cream and then pour it over the white chocolate to melt. Stir until the mixture is smooth and silky. If needed heat the mixture for another 20 to 30 seconds and stir until the chips are melted. Set aside.
• In a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the butter on medium-high speed for about two minutes.
• Slowly add the white chocolate (which should still be warm) while mixing on medium-low speed. Using warm white chocolate will soften your butter but is important because it won't harden when it hits the cold butter like room temperature white chocolate will. If your buttercream feels soft after it's all mixed, just refrigerate the buttercream to harden it just a bit.
• With the mixer on low speed, slowly add the sifted powdered sugar until incorporated. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and continue to mix for another minute.
• Add the vanilla and increase the speed to medium-high and beat the frosting for five minutes, until light in color and texture. 

FOR THE DRIP

• Heat the cream in a microwave safe bowl for 60 seconds. Pour the cream over the white chocolate chips and let sit for five minutes. Stir until smooth. Cool slightly.
• Best to use the drip on a chilled cake. 

ASSEMBLY

• Level each cake layer with a knife or cake leveler.
• Place the first cake layer on a cake board and top with ½ or ⅓ (depending on if it’s 8-inch or 6-inch cake layers) Cookie Butter Filling. Crumble two cookies into small pieces and press into the Cookie Butter Filling.
• Repeat step two with the remaining cake layers. Place the final cake layer top-side down.
• Apply a thin crumb coat around the cake and chill for 10 minutes in the freezer to set.
• Finish frosting the cake with the white chocolate frosting. Chill for another 10 minutes and apply the drip.

The post The Most Delicious Biscoff Cake with Biscoff Filling first appeared on Cake by Courtney.

The post The Most Delicious Biscoff Cake with Biscoff Filling appeared first on Cake by Courtney.