i have complained before that
no one seems to want a birthday cake for their birthday. when my birthday rolls around i finally have an excuse to make a layer cake. i wanted a cake with berries and no i did not care that berries are not in season!
i have made this cake before and it was good but i wanted to change a few things up. the original recipe was lacking in flavor and the single cake layer split in two was just not enough cake. i also increased the amount of whipped cream and used frozen berries for folding into the whipped cream. it worked much better. it is now a very good layer cake!
i am getting used to a new oven at our
new place and i slightly over baked the cake. so watch that carefully. i would start checking the cakes around 15 minutes and then check it every couple minutes. it seems to turn that corner quickly.
i love that this cake uses whip cream as a frosting. i am not a big frosting fan but i love whipped cream. the whipped cream is light and not too sweet and the lightness is a perfect combination with the delicate berries and the vanilla cake. i added some lemon zest to the cake to boost the flavor and increased the vanilla a bit. between the layers of vanilla cake the combination of the berry whip cream and the macerated berries is perfect. you get the big flavors of the berries and the creaminess of the whip cream. a pretty darn good combination in my opinion. this cake is reminiscent of strawberry shortcake.
i am not a big fan of birthdays but having a reason to bake a cake makes it worthwhile. it is also fun when your sweetie buys you really pretty flowers!
vanilla layer cake with berries and whip cream frostingcakes2 cups all purpose flour
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
8 tablespoons melted butter
2 large eggs
1 cup whole milk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
zest of 1 lemon
berry whip cream frosting1 10 oz bag frozen stawberries - thawed
1 10 oz bag frozen raspberries - thawed
1 tablespoon sugar
2 cups heavy cream
2 tablespoons confectioners sugar (powdered sugar)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
toppingfresh strawberries - pint
fresh raspberries - pint
1 tablespoon sugar
toppingslice the strawberries and combine in a bowl with the raspberries. sprinkle the sugar on top of the berries and gently stir. let macerated (sit at room temp) while you prepare the cake.
frozen berrieschop the strawberries if they are large (which they probably will be). you want them in small pieces because they will be folded into the whip cream. combine the raspberries and strawberries in a bowl. sprinkle with 1 tablespoon of sugar. mix to combine. set aside.
cakespreheat oven to 375 degrees. prepare two 9 inch cake pans by buttering the pans, lining the bottom of the pans with parchment paper. then butter again and dust with flour. tap out the excess flour.
whisk flour, sugar, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl.
in a large glass measuring cup or bowl whisk butter, eggs, milk, vanilla and lemon zest until smooth.
combine the wet ingredients into the dry. mix until just combined. do not overmix.
divide the batter equally between the two pans. bake for 20 minutes (make take up to 25 minutes). check at 15 minutes by inserting a toothpick into the center of the cakes. it should come out clean.
cook on drying rack for 10 minutes. turn out of pan, remove parchment paper and flip upright. cool completely.
whip cream frostingin a stand mixer whip the heavy cream. when it starts to have bubbles add the confectioners sugar and vanilla. beat until stiff.
gently fold half of the frozen berries into the whipped cream. set aside the remaining half.
assemblyplace one layer of the cake on a cake plate or stand. with a skewer poke holes in the cake. this will allow the juices from the frozen berries to penetrate the cake. put the remaining frozen berries on top of the cake and spread them out with the back of a spoon or spatula to cover the cake.
put about 1/3 of the whip cream mixture on top of the berries and gently spread it out to cover.
place the other cake layer on top. scoop another third of the whip cream on top of the cake and gently spread it out over the cake. gradually add more of the whip cream to the top gently coaxing it over the edges. with an off-set spatula bring the whip cream down over the edges. smooth the whip cream over the whole cake.
take the fresh berries and their juices and mount them on top of the cake. the juices will run over the sides.
eat right away - it does not last very long!
recipe adapted from here
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these carrot cake cookies almost converted me from a pumpkin lover to a
carrot cake lover. yes, they are that good. the cookie itself is soft
and moist - yet strong enough to hold up as a sandwich cookie. i added
more spice to the mix because that is how i roll. i think it is a major
improvement over the original recipe. i usually could leave the frosting
out of the equation but in this case - the frosting makes these
cookies. the cookie itself is not very sweet and the creamy sweetness of
the cream cheese frosting balances out the cookie with the perfect
amount of sweetness to compliment the spices in the cookie. these carrot
cake cookies would be the perfect picnic or backyard barbecue dessert. 
i love the idea of using rice krispies in a cookie. i have adapted the
recipe a bit by adding toffee and cinnamon but i think the rice krispies
are what make them special. the cookie itself is crisp but the middle
is still chewy. the toffee melts the perfect amount to be chewy but
still hold that toffee texture i love. ever since i made 
these cookies are INCREDIBLE! i am not exaggerating - they are
perfection. the crispy cookie and the white chocolate would be amazing
on their own but the addition of the sea salt - oh my! the salty crunch
on top makes these cookies one of the best i have ever made.Session dataSession data 
these peanut butter and jelly bars fit the bill perfectly. not only are
they simple to make - you can easily double the recipe for a large
crowd. i need my peanut butter to be chunky - the smooth stuff just
doesn't feel like peanut butter to me - so i substituted chunky for
smooth. any kind of berry jam will work great and for those of you
grape jelly fans - that would work as well. i added a bit on honey to
the batter and honey roasted peanuts to the top because i think peanut
butter and honey are naturals together. 
the mixed apple pie was probably one of my favorite pies i have
made because each apple was so different - different flavor and
texture. they combined perfectly. the all butter pastry crust was flaky
and i had a lot of fun making up the top crust. i have done lattice - i
have done full crust - i have done crumble topping. i wanted something
special this time. i took the top crust and cut out circles with a
biscuit cutter and overlapped the circles. it looked like a flower. i
will be using that one again - it makes a traditional pie new again. 
this cake met every expectation i had and then some. i used a different
recipe for the cake because i have one i love and the baked recipe makes
a three layer cake which i thought was overkill. i made everything else
from the baked recipe. this was not an easy cake for me to make as i
seem to be cursed when it comes to caramel but it was worth all the
effort. the balance of the sweet & salty flavors is perfection. the
cake itself is pure decadence but with fleur de sel and caramel it puts
it into a whole other world.
i get why people love these brownies and i am sure they are equally
fabulous on their own but i am telling you they are a little slice of
heaven when marbled with a cream cheese swirl. i upped the amount of
espresso powder and decreased the sugar by a bit because i do that in
most recipes. both adaptations worked really well and i think they
enhanced the deep chocolate flavor in these brownies. 
