Holly in the PNW

The girl that can't sit still!

Cakes

Monster Cake

This would be the perfect cake to add to a Halloween party. How cute is this Monster Cake?!

I got to make this cake for a one year old birthday a few weeks ago and I think it would be great for Halloween too! Little Andrew destroyed the cake. He loved every bit of the Monster Cake!

To begin you will need two round 8 inch pans. Spray the bottom of the pans with nonstick already. Cut out parchment paper and lay it at the bottom of the pans. Spray the parchment paper. This helps the cake to release easily from the pans.

Make your batter from any cake mix. I decided to use a boxed cake cause Andrew was going to destroy the cake anyway. Bake the cake per instructions on the box. Let the cake cool before frosting. Make the frosting while the cakes are cooling. You can use paste or food coloring to add to the frosting. Use any color!

When the cakes are completely cooled cut the top of the cakes off so you have a flat surface on each cake. Take one cake and cover the top with frosting. Add the second cake to the top of the other frosted cake. Cover the cake with frosting. It doesn’t need to be perfect.

Cut out the smile for the cake from black fondant and apply it to the front of the cake.

At this point you’ll start to pipe the fur so it becomes a monster. Don’t be scared it’s easy! Using a Wilton 233 M tip and a piping bag, fill the bag half full of buttercream frosting. Pipe and pull at different lengths, in rows starting at the bottom of the cake and work your way up while frosting. This will give the fur a shaggy look. Go around the whole cake. When you get to the top do the same method but only go around the edge one row at a time.

Once you finish frosting the cake make the eyes. Roll white fondant in a ball and add black circles to the eyes. Stick a lollipop stick in the bottom middle of the eyes. Stick them into the top of the cake whenever you want. Roll out white fondant for the two teeth and cut out two small squares. Attach the two squares to the mouth.

Showing is the Wilton tip 233 M, the eyes for the cake and a fondant roller I used to roll of the middle of the eyes and mouth.

Your cake is now complete! I also made mini cupcakes for the adults to eat and added sugar eye balls to the tops. I used black icing for the mouths on the cupcakes.

The cake destroying was the best part of the day from Andrew. He loved it! This was his first little nibble and he was trying to figure it out.

Pretty sure he realized at this point he loved the Monster Cake!

He destroyed almost the whole thing. Great job for a one year old!

 

Cat Cake

In a previous post when I posted my White Chocolate Raspberry Cake I mentioned I was making a cat cake for the Seattle Area Feline Rescue for their Nine Lives Gala. I donated this cat cake for their dessert dash. It was a fun cake to make and I’m so glad I was a part of it.  I hope they raised a lot of money to save some kitties. In this post I will share how I made the cat cake.

I’ll only be sharing what equipment you need. For the cake recipe please use my White Chocolate Raspberry Cake recipe.  A helpful hint when applying the white chocolate to the cake make sure you apply it right after you frost the cake. I waited too long and the white chocolate didn’t stick as well because the frosting harden up a bit.

Equipment needed:

Two 6 inch pans. I use these from Wilton

Two 4 inch pans. I use these from Wilton

Fondant for the ears, tail and collar.

Fondant Heart cut and press for the collar. You can use any decorations you want for the collar.

Fondant roller or rolling pin.  I suggest using the fondant rolling pin since it’s a lot easier to use and the fondant doesn’t really stick to this.

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When rolling out the fondant roll it out to a 1/4 inch thick.  For the ears I cut out two triangles that were  a little more round. Press the triangles together and unfold them to get a crease in the middle of the ears. Cut slits on the top of the cake as the same size of the ears and attach the ears to the top of the cake. The slits help the ears stay in place so they won’t fall over. I used a little bit of water on the outside of the ears and sprinkled them with white chocolate to give them some texture.

Cut a one inch strip of colored fondant and wrap it around the second layer of the cake for the collar. Punch out a heart from the fondant and attach it to the collar.  If the heart doesn’t stick to the collar use a little bit of water so it sticks to the collar.

For the tail use your imagination. All I did was roll the fondant in a strip and I wrapped it around the cake and added some bends and curl to the end of the tail.  To attach the tail cut out a circle in the back of the cake and stick the tail in the circle of the cake.  Apply more frosting around the tail to make sure it doesn’t move. Add more white chocolate if needed.  Here’s a picture for your reference. It’s not perfect but it worked!

Here is more of a side view of the cake so you can see more of the tail.

I’m so happy that I could contribute for such a good cause! Who doesn’t love kitties and cat cakes?!

 

White Chocolate Raspberry Cake

White chocolate raspberry cake is in the works! Last week I got asked to make a cake for the Seattle Area Feline Rescue for their Meowsquerade Gala. They have a dessert dash! How fun is that?! I had an idea so I needed to practice and this is what I came up with. White chocolate raspberry cake. Yummy! I will publish the gala cake once it’s over so please stay tuned.

Sometimes I take the easy road and I like to use box cake mixes. Honestly I love them! They always turn out nice and moist. Let’s face it most of the time the frosting and the filling make the cake anyway.  Bake the cake in two round 6 inch pans. I use these Wilton 6 inch pans. Spray the pans with cooking spray and place parchment paper on the bottom of the pan. Spray the parchment with the cooking spray too. We don’t want the cake sticking to the bottom of the pan. I do this with all my cakes. While the cake is baking make the raspberry filling. I used the same raspberry filling as my vanilla naked cake recipe.

Let the raspberry filling and cake cool completely before you add the filling to the top of cake. While the filling and cakes are cooling shave the white chocolate with a cheese grater/zester. I used a 4 ounce white chocolate baking bar by Ghirardelli. I used a little over half of the shavings on the cake but it’s nice to have extra just in case you need more than you thought.

Make the frosting as per instructions. When the cakes are completely cooled cut the top of the cakes off so you have a flat surface on each cake. Take one cake and cover the top with frosting.  Apply the raspberry filling over the frosting. Try and keep the filling on the lighter side because you need to add the other cake on top of the filling.  If you have too much filling it will spill over the edges and it’s difficult to frost the rest of the cake.

Add the other cake on top of the filling.  Spread the rest of the frosting all over the cake. Try and keep the frosting even. I used this scraper.  Now apply the white chocolate shavings to the frosting.  You need to press the white chocolate against the frosting or it wont stick. Do it gently with your hands. Once it’s all over the cake top with raspberries!

Time to dig in and slice this white chocolate raspberry cake up! I got a lot of compliments and people had two slices (I did too) when I brought it over for a birthday party.

 

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White Chocolate Raspberry Cake

Course Dessert
Keyword White Chocolate Raspberry Cake
Servings 12 slices

Ingredients

Ingredients

  • 1 box white cake mix make as directed on box
  • 1 4 ounce white chocolate baking bar (ghirardelli)

Raspberry Filling

  • 1 tbsp water
  • 8 ounces fresh raspberries or frozen
  • 3 tbsp granulated sugar
  • 1 tbsp cornstarch
  • 1/4 cup water

Vanilla Buttercream

  • 1 1/2 cups unsalted butter room temperature
  • 5 - 6 cups confectioners' sugar
  • 5 - 6 tbsp heavy cream
  • 1 tsp pure vanilla extract

Instructions

Cake

  1. Preheat over to 350 degrees. Spray 2 - 6 inch pans and spray with cooking spray. Place parchment paper on bottom of pan and spray the parchment too. Make the cake as per instructions on the box. Bake for 25 - 30 minutes. To make sure it's done stick a tooth pick into the cake and if it comes out clean the cake is done.

  2. Grate the white chocolate baking bark into a small bowl and set aside. 

Making the Buttercream Frosting

  1. In a large bowl using a hand-held mixer or stand mixer fitted with a whisk or paddle attachment, beat the butter on medium speed until creamy - about 2 minutes.
  2. Add 5 and 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar, 5 Tablespoons heavy cream, and the vanilla extract, with the mixer running on low. Increase to high speed and beat for 3 full minutes.
  3. Add 1/2 cup more confectioners' sugar if frosting is too thin, 1 more Tablespoon cream if frosting is too thick.
  4. Yields about 4.5 cups of frosting.

Making the Raspberry Filling

  1. Place raspberries, 1 tablespoon water, and white sugar in a blender and pulse several times to chop raspberries; blend until pureed, about 30 seconds.
  2. Whisk cornstarch with 1/4 cup water until thoroughly combined; pour mixture into the raspberry mixture in the blender and blend again until smooth.
  3. Pour raspberry mixture into a saucepan and simmer over low heat until thickened, about 5 minutes. Let the raspberry filling cool.

Assemble and decorate the cake:

  1. First, using a large serrated knife, slice a thin layer off the tops of the cakes to create a flat surface. Discard or save and eat later.

  2. Place 1 cake layer on your cake stand, cake turntable, or serving plate. Spread frosting evenly on top. Spread the raspberry filling right on top of the frosting several spoonfuls until the frosting is covered with the filling. Use your own judgement on how much to use.

  3. Top with 2nd cake layer and evenly cover the top with more frosting and cover the rest of the cake with frosting.

  4. Use a bench scraper to smooth out the frosting on the sides of the cake. Top with raspberries. 

 

Red Velvet Cake Roll

It was my friend’s birthday and we both love red velvet cake so I thought I would try to master my cake rolling skills. These cake rolls are a bit finicky. So I decided to make this red velvet cake roll and see if my rolling skills were better than my last one that I made it July.

Make your red velvet cake batter as per instructions. Let it cool and roll it up. Some recipes say to use a thin towel which I did this time around but I think parchment paper works better. I didn’t get step by step pictures because I have a 4th of July Cake Roll that has them. Click the link on how to roll the red velvet cake roll. 4th of July Cake Roll

While the cake is cooling make the cream cheese frosting. Once the cake is cooled unroll it and apply the cream cheese frosting on top of the red velvet cake roll. Roll it back up without the towel or parchment paper. Don’t get discourage if the cake breaks it will still roll up nicely and the cream cheese frosting will keep it all together.

Add more powdered sugar to the top of the roll if you want. Slice up the red velvet cake roll and share away. People loved the cake roll idea when I served it at the birthday party.

 

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Red Velvet Cake Roll

Course Dessert
Keyword Red Velvet Cake Roll
Servings 12 slices

Ingredients

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup minus 1 Tablespoon all-purpose flour
  • 3 tbsp unsweetened natural cocoa powder
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 4 large eggs room temperature
  • 1/2 cup granulated sugar
  • 1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
  • 2 tbsp vegetable oil
  • 2 tbsp milk
  • 1 tsp white vinegar helps the red color stand out
  • 1 tbsp red food coloring or paste
  • 2 tsp pure vanilla extract

For Rolling

  • 1 cup confectioners' sugar

Cream Cheese Frosting

  • 6 ounces block cream cheese softened to room temperature
  • 1/4 cup unsalted butter softened to room temperature
  • 1 3/4 cups confectioners' sugar
  • 1 tsp pure vanilla extract

Instructions

Directions: Read all instructions before starting

  1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray a 10x15 inch baking pan with nonstick spray so the parchment paper sticks. Then line it with parchment paper so the cake seamlessly releases when it's done. Spray or grease the parchment paper too.

  2. Sift the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt together. Set aside.

  3. Using a hand mixer or a stand mixer fitted with whisk attachment, beat the eggs for 5 minutes on high speed. They will be light and very fluffy. On medium speed, beat in the granulated sugar, brown sugar, oil, milk, vinegar, food coloring, and vanilla until combined. 

  4. Stop the mixer, pour in the sifted dry ingredients, then beat on low until the batter is completely combined.

  5. Spread batter evenly into prepared pan. Give the pan a shake to make sure the batter is level and reaches the corners. Bake for 17 minutes or until the cake springs back when you poke it with a finger.

  6. Meanwhile, lay a thin kitchen towel or parchment paper flat on the counter. Sprinkle with 1 cup of confectioners' sugar. Once the cake comes out of the oven, immediately invert it onto the towel or parchment paper. Peel off the parchment paper then, starting with the narrow end, begin rolling the cake up with the towel. Do this slowly and gently. The cake will be warm as it just came out of the oven.

  7. Allow the cake to cool completely rolled up in the towel or parchment paper.

  8. Make the frosting: In a large bowl using a hand-held or stand mixer fitted with a paddle or whisk attachment, beat the cream cheese for 1 minute on high speed until completely smooth and creamy. Beat in the butter until combined. Add the confectioners' sugar and vanilla and beat on medium-high speed until combined and creamy.

  9. Gently and slowly unroll the cake. Flatten it out and spread frosting evenly on top, leaving about a 1/2 inch border around the cake. Gently and slowly roll the cake back up, without the towel or parchment paper this time. Make sure you're rolling it tightly. Some frosting may spill out the sides.

  10. Dust with more confectioners' sugar, if desired.

Blackberry Cake

My friend’s mom loves to bake just as much as me and she sent me this blackberry cake recipe and wanted me to put it on the blog. I’ve been picking so many blackberries so this was perfect timing. I told her of course I would do that since she is so amazing and she’s pretty much a second mom to me.  This blog post is for you Joanne!  She made up an amazing moist, fluffy, whipped cream blackberry cake.  It will melt in your mouth especially that homemade whipped topping.

Make the cake mix as directed on the back on the box. I used Betty Crocker’s Super Moist French Vanilla cake. I’m sure any vanilla cake box will work.  While the cake is in the oven make the blackberry mixture.  Combine the blackberries, sugar and cornstarch in a medium size pot and bring to a boil.  You can mash the berries with a spoon if you prefer not to have bigger berries in the filling. I smashed them up a little bit. You want the mixture to be a little runny so it soaks into the cake.

Set the mixture aside and let it cool. Once the cake is done let it cool for about 15 minutes. Poke holes all over the cake. I used a straw to get bigger holes.  Let the cake completely cool along with the blackberry mixture.

Once cooled pour the blackberry mixture all over the cake. Spread with a spatula.

Make the whipped topping by combining the heavy cream and powdered sugar. Do not over whip or it will start to turn into butter.  Once it’s all whipped together spread all over the blackberry mixture. I used a pipping bag and tip for mine but you can use a spatula to spread the whipped cream all over.  Add blackberries to the top of the whipped cream. The Blackberry cake is now complete!

Now slice that cake up and enjoy the softness of this delicious cake!  Happy Labor Day Weekend!

Make sure to store the cake in the fridge after serving. It still tastes delicious after a couple of days.

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Blackberry Cake

Course Dessert
Keyword Blackberry Cake
Prep Time 45 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 15 minutes
Servings 12 slices

Ingredients

  • 1 box Vanilla Cake Mix Bake as directed

Blackberry Mixture

  • 3 cups fresh blackberries
  • 1/2 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 1/2 tbsp cornstarch

Whipped Topping

  • 16 ounces heavy cream (make sure it's very cold)
  • 1/2 cup powdered sugar
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract

Instructions

  1. Bake the cake as directed on the box

Blackberry Mixture

  1. In a medium sauce pot combine the blackberries, sugar and cornstarch and bring to a boil.  You can mash the berries with a spoon if you prefer not to have bigger berries in the filling. I smashed them up a little bit. You want the mixture to be a little runny so it soaks into the cake. Let it completely cool.

  2. Once the cake is out of the oven let it cool for about 15 mintues and poke holes all over the cake. I used a straw.  

  3. Pour the blackberry mixture all over the cake once the mixture is cooled.

Whipped Cream

  1. Combine heavy cream, powdered sugar and vanilla into a mixing bowl with the whisk attachment. (Tip: I stick my bowl and whisk into the freezer for about 10 minutes to make sure it's very cold)

  2. Whip on high speed. Cream will initially bubble a little bit, then start to thicken.
  3. Whip on high speed until stiff peaks form, for a total whipping time of about 5-7 minutes. When you remove the whisk and get little peaks that don’t tip over, you are done. Make sure not to over mix! It quickly goes from smooth whipped cream to curdled whipped cream, so watch it closely.

 

Cake Roll for 4th of July

Who doesn’t want a Cake Roll for 4th of July?! The 4th of July is just around the corner and I decided to make a cake roll! This cake roll is fun to make and it’s so patriotic with the red, white and blue colors for the 4th of July.  Let’s get rolling!

This cake roll will add extra pizazz to your 4th of July parties!

Start off my mixing the cake ingredients. I used Duncan Hines classic white cake mix but I’m sure you can use any brand of cake mix.  In the picture below you will also see the Wilton colored paste that I used.

Here is the outcome of the colors once divided up after mixing the cake roll batter.

Here comes the fun part. Pour each batter color into a sandwich bag. Start layers of colored stripes at an angle across the pan. Alternate blue and red until complete. Now Bake!

When it comes out of the oven immediately flip it over onto a new piece of parchment paper. Let it cool for ten minutes.

After 10 mins roll the cake roll.

Once completely rolled put the cake roll in the refrigerator for an hour. It may cool longer than an hour.

Unroll the cake roll and top the cake with the cream cheese frosting. The cake might split when you unroll it but take your time and be careful.  You can cover the splits with the filling.  Once the filling is spread over the cake roll tightly for the last time.

Slice up the cake roll and serve to all your friends and family at your 4th of July BBQ!  Happy 4th!

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Cake Roll - 4th of July

Course Dessert
Prep Time 40 minutes
Cook Time 12 minutes
Resting 1 hour
Total Time 52 minutes
Servings 10 slices

Ingredients

Ingredients

Cake

  • 1 box white cake mix
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1 cup all purpose flour
  • 1 cup water
  • 3 eggs
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 cup plain greek yogurt

Filling

  • 1 package cream cheese 8oz room tempature
  • 1 cup powdered sugar
  • 6 tbsp butter softened
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract

Instructions

  1. In a large mixing bowl, combine cake mix, sugar and flour. Mix to combine.

  2. Add in water, eggs, vanilla extract, and yogurt to the dry ingredients and mix well using an mixer. Mix for approximately two minutes or until well blended

  3. Line the bottom of a 10 x 15-inch jelly roll pan with parchment paper spray the parchment paper with baking spray.

  4. Divide batter equally among 2 bowls.
  5. Use red and blue color paste to each bowl of batter until you get a rich color. Paste will give a darker color than standard coloring. I like to use Wilton paste.

  6. Pour batter into individual sandwich sized zip-lock bags, zip to close.

  7. Snip the tips off the bags and start layers of colored stripes at an angle across one pan. Alternate blue and red until complete. You will have a lot left over batter. Make another cake roll if you wish or make cupcakes with the remaining batter.

  8. Bake for about 10 - 12 minutes.

  9. Immediately flip cakes out of their pans, peel off the parchment paper, flip over onto a clean piece of parchment paper and immediately roll up the cake along with the parchment paper. Let it sit at room temperature for 10 minutes, then refrigerate for one hour or more until cool.

Cream Cheese Filling

  1. Make the filling by beating cream cheese, powdered sugar, butter, and vanilla until well blended.

  2. When the cake is cooled, unroll carefully, peeling the parchment paper off as you go.

  3. Spread the frosting over the top of the cake, then tightly re-roll.

  4. Refrigerate until ready to serve, cut into slices to serve.

Vanilla Naked Cake with Raspberry Filling

Vanilla Naked Cake with Raspberry Filling will make any Easter a better one! Making this will make everyone’s belly extremely happy after your home cooked meal. This cake is heavy and delightful and it won’t disappoint.

Three layers of vanilla naked cake with raspberry filling and vanilla frosting between each layer.

I dyed hard boiled eyes with shaving cream and food coloring to add decorations to the vanilla naked cake. This is a great project for kids.  Dyed Eggs

You can decorate naked cakes with several options such as edible flowers, berries, nuts, seeds, fresh herbs, sprinkles or anything you can think of. I even used edible green Easter grass that I found at my local Fred Meyer.

This was probably one of the best cakes I’ve made. It was moist and dense at the same time with great flavoring. Be prepared to eat more than one piece!

 

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Vanilla Naked Cake with Raspberry Filling

Course Dessert
Prep Time 45 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Total Time 6 hours
Servings 12 servings

Ingredients

Cake

  • 3 3/4 cups all purpose flour sifted
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 3/4 tsp baking soda
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 1/2 cups unsalted butter room temperature
  • 2 cups granulated sugar
  • 5 large eggs room temperature
  • 1 tbsp pure vanilla extract
  • 1 3/4 cups buttermilk room temperature

Vanilla Buttercream

  • 1 1/2 cups unsalted butter room temperature
  • 5 - 6 cups confectioners' sugar
  • 5 - 6 tbsp heavy cream
  • 1 tsp pure vanilla extract

Raspberry Filling

  • 8 ounces fresh raspberries or frozen
  • 1 tbsp water
  • 3 tbsp granulated sugar
  • 1 tbsp cornstarch
  • 1/4 cup water

Instructions

Making the Cake

  1. Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Grease and lightly flour three 9-inch cake pan.

  2. Whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together in a large bowl. Set aside.
  3. Using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a paddle or whisk attachment, beat the butter and sugar together on high speed until smooth and creamy, about 3 minutes. Scrape down the sides and up the bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula as needed. 

  4. On medium-high speed, add 1 egg at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in the vanilla extract. Scrape down the sides and up the bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula as needed. 

  5. With the mixer on low speed, add the dry ingredients in three additions alternating with the buttermilk, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients, and mixing each addition just until incorporated. Do not overmix this batter. The batter will be smooth, velvety, and slightly thick.

  6. There is about 8 cups of batter total, so each layer will be 2 and 2/3 cups. Pour/spread batter evenly into prepared cake pans. 

  7. Bake for around 25-26 minutes or until the cakes are baked through. To test for doneness, insert a toothpick into the center of the cake. If it comes out clean, it is done. Allow cakes to cool completely in the pans set on a wire rack. The cakes must be completely cool before frosting and assembling.

Making the Buttercream Frosting

  1. In a large bowl using a hand-held mixer or stand mixer fitted with a whisk or paddle attachment, beat the butter on medium speed until creamy - about 2 minutes. 

  2. With the mixer running on low, add 5 and 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar, 5 tablespoons heavy cream, and the vanilla extract. Increase to high speed and beat for 3 full minutes. 

  3. Add 1/2 cup more confectioners' sugar if frosting is too thin, 1 more tablespoon cream if frosting is too thick. 

  4. Yields about 4.5 cups of frosting.

Making the Raspberry Filling

  1. Place raspberries, 1 tablespoon water, and white sugar in a blender and pulse several times to chop raspberries; blend until pureed, about 30 seconds.
  2. Whisk cornstarch with 1/4 cup water until thoroughly combined; pour mixture into the raspberry mixture in the blender and blend again until smooth.
  3. Pour raspberry mixture into a saucepan and simmer over low heat until thickened, about 5 minutes. Let the raspberry filling cool.

Assemble and decorate the cake:

  1. First, using a large serrated knife, slice a thin layer off the tops of the cakes to create a flat surface. Discard or save and eat later.  

  2. Place 1 cake layer on your cake stand, cake turntable, or serving plate. Spread 1 and 1/2 cups of frosting evenly on top. Spread the raspberry filling right on top of the frosting (several spoonfuls) until the frosting is covered with the filling. Use your own judgement on how much to use. 

  3. Top with 2nd cake layer and evenly cover the top with another 1 and 1/2 cups of frosting and more raspberry filling. 

  4. Top with the third cake layer. Spread the remaining frosting on top and all around the sides using an icing spatula.

  5. Use a bench scraper to smooth out the frosting on the sides of the cake. 

  6. Decorate the cake with garnishes.

  7. Refrigerate the cake for 2-3 hours or up to 1 day before slicing and serving. If chilling for more than a few hours, loosely cover with plastic wrap after 1 hour of refrigeration (the frosting will "set" after about 1 hour and the plastic wrap won't really ruin your frosting at that point). And if you're chilling for more than a few hours, I suggest decorating with garnishes right before serving.

  8. Cover and store leftover cake at room temperature for 1-2 days or in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.

Recipe Notes

6 hours of total time includes resting time for the cake and raspberry filling to completely cool.