Ina Garten's Lemon Yogurt Cake

Its quit an attractive cake,you could also use a loaf pan instead of a bundt

    Baking,my friends is addictive as the old saying goes "once you pop you just can't stop"
    Oh boy that is so true !!
     I had wanted to bake this cake for a very long time and after Mum's birthday ,the baking bug bit me hard LOL, so I finally got around to it.I love watching Barefoot Contessa on Food Network,she is just such a classy lady and her food looks quite tasty!!

  The cake was very easy to make, I used limes instead of lemons ,the flavour was sweet and sharp, if you love limes you would've liked it, it is not for the faint of heart, that sourness is definitely there. I preferred it after three days(yes it was still very moist) with a cup of  unsweetened mint tea, by that time the flavour had definitely mellowed,and it was not quite as acidic.This is a perfect tea time cake,try letting it sit for about 2 days if you don't like the sharp taste of limes or lemons :)

Ina Garten's Lemon Yoghurt Cake

11/2 cups all purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons salt
1 cup plain whole milk yoghurt
1 1/3 cups sugar divided
3 extra large eggs
2 teaspoons grated lemon zest
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
2 cups vegetable oil
1/3 cup freshly squeezed orange juice

FOR THE GLAZE
1 cup confectioners' sugar
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed and strained lemon juice

METHOD
Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease and flour a bundt pan.
Sift together the flour ,baking powder and salt into a bowl
In another bowl  whisk together the yoghurt,eggs,lemon zest,1 cup sugar and vanilla
Slowly whisk the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients.
With a rubber spatula fold the vegetable oil into the batter,making sure it is all incorporated
Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for about thirty minutes or until a knife is inserted and it comes out clean.
meanwhile cook the 1/3 cup lemon juice and the remaing third cup sugar,until the sugar dissolves and the mixture is clear. Set aside.
When the cake is done ,allow it to cool in the pan for 10 minutes.While the cake is still warm pour the lemon sugar syrup over it.Allow it to cool .
For the glaze mix both the confectioners' sugar and lemon juice and pour over the cake.Serve!!

                     

My Mother's Birthday

 
   Honestly, we had stopped baking for a while ,so we wanted to jump on the old baking wagon again,sharpen our skills. After all if you don't use it you lose it!!!! LOL
 My mother is a tough critic,she wanted a fruitcake,hated the pudding-y texture that most Jamaicans love in a fruitcake ,"Fruitcake is supposed to be a cake ,not a pudding"were her exact words, therefore with that said, I was on a mission to please her with my fruitcake.So I used a pound cake recipe and added soaked fruits (it had been soaking for about 2 years...yummyyy) after it came out of the oven ,for about four days I kept adding wine and rum to seal in the moisture and covered it in plastic wrap .It was amazing ,the flavour was very rummyyyy :) haha and very sweet,it was lovely,and  Mummy  was very impressed.I must warn it takes a whole lotta elbow grease to fold the fruits and egg whites into the batter so brace yourselves!!

   I thought it would be a fun idea to trick her into thinking I didn't make a fruitcake but instead a chocolate one and surprise her with the fruitcake at the restaurant.She was SO HAPPY to see this cake brought out by the waiters, and the waiters were so impressed that they whipped out their phones and started taking pictures.It was a marvellous moment for us,young bakers,we felt so proud of ourselves :)

   Now,let me tell you,this was no ordinary chocolate cake it was ,OUT OF THIS WORLD!!! the absolute best recipe ever, I modified it from another blog http://www.kevinandamanda.com/recipes/dessert/the-best-chocolate-cake.html by melting the chocolate chips,because I didn't want to be biting into them as i ate the cake, instead ,i would rather a very fudgy, super moist cake I then frosted it with chocolate Swiss meringue butter cream and dark chocolate shavings.From now on I will definitely be using this chocolate recipe as my go to favourite ,easy chocolate cake.You guys have to , I mean, HAVE TO ,give it a try ,trust me ,it will not disappoint!! BTW the date is wrong!!!!

THE BEST EVER CHOCOLATE CAKE!

The Best Chocolate Cake Ever

Isn't the finish of this frosting awesome??so GLOSSY i loved working with it!!

JUST LOOK AT HOW DARK AND MOIST IT LOOKS!!!

1 box devil’s food cake mix
1 small pkg Jello instant chocolate pudding mix
1 cup sour cream
1 cup vegetable oil
4 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup milk
1 tsp vanilla
2 cups mini chocolate chips

METHOD 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a very large bowl, mix together everything except chocolate chips. Batter will be thick. Melt the chocolate chips in a heavy bottomed pot. Pour batter into cake pan of choice (I normally use two 9-inch pie pans). For cooking time, I use the cooking times on the back of the devil’s food cake box as a guide and usually add 10 mins to whatever it says. Then I do the toothpick check, and if it’s not done, I check on it every 5 mins after that. It usually takes around 45 mins for two, 9-inch pie pans. 

 Swiss Butter cream

5 large egg whites

1 cup plus 2 tbsp granulated sugar

1lb (four sticks) unsalted butter

2tsp vanilla extract

METHOD

wipe the bowl of the electric mixer wth paper and vinegar ,to remove any grease.Add egg whites and sugar and whisk over a pot of simmering wateruntil the saugar has dissolved completely.To test lift mixer with whisk and feel for any sugar grains,if mixture is smooth it is finished.With whisk attachment whip mixture until thick and glossy,switch to a paddle attachment and add butter in chunks until incorporated,and mix until it has reached a silky ,super smooth texture.Add vanilla and cocoa powder and mix again

Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to one week,leaving out at room temperature when needed rewhipping in the mixer with the whisk attachment until the mixture is thick ,smooth and glossy.

FRUIT CAKE

1lb butter

1lb sifted cake flour

1lb granulated sugar

1tsp vanilla

2cups or more of fruits(chopped raisins.prunes and currants in rum and wine)-the amount of fruits is optional

METHOD

1.Cream butter with vanilla and sugar until fluffy

2.Beat egg yolks until thick and add to creamed mixture

3.Fold in stiffly beaten egg whites ,mixing thoroughly.

4.Fold in flour  and fruits and beat vigorously for 15minutes or longer.

After covering the fruit cake with fondant and forming our bow with little rolling pins (these had to be in for about a night until the fondant was dried)