Mint Chocolate Chip Cake

What’s in this Mint Chocolate Chip Cake Recipe

How to Make Moist Cake Layers

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 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.

Mint Buttercream

Other St. Patrick’s Day-Inspired Recipes You’ll Love

• Grasshopper Pie Cake
• Pistachio Chocolate Chip Cake
• Green Velvet Cake
• Golden Oreo Cake
• Super Easy Mint Andes Double Chocolate Cookies

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Mint Chocolate Chip Cake

Rich, dark chocolate cake layers with mini chocolate chips and mint buttercream.

Author cakebycourtney

Ingredients

FOR THE CAKE

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 3/4 cups sugar
• 3/4 cup dark cocoa powder
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 cup buttermilk, room temperature 
• 3 eggs, room temperature (I use large or extra large)
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 1 cup hot water, or hot coffee
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract 

FOR THE BUTTERCREAM

• 2 cups unsalted butter, slightly cold
• 6 cups powdered sugar, measured and then sifted
• 6-8 teaspoons pure mint extract, start with 6, you may want more depending on how much you love mint
• 3 tablespoons heavy cream
• Pinch of salt 
• Green food coloring, optional 
• 1/2 cup mini chocolate chips
• *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 1/2 batch.

Instructions

FOR THE CAKE

• Preheat your oven to 325 degrees F. Spray three 8-inch or four 6-inch pans with nonstick spray, line the bottom of the pans with parchment paper and spray again. Set aside.
• In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Stir to combine.
• In a separate bowl, combine the buttermilk, vegetable oil, eggs, water and vanilla. Stir until combined.
• With the mixer on low speed, slowly add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients. Mix for about 30 seconds and then scrape down the sides of the bowl Mix again for 10-20 seconds until the ingredient are combined.
• Evenly distribute the batter among the pans. For three 8-inch pans, I usually get about 15-16 ounces in each pan. For the four 6-inch pans, about 12 ounces in each pan.
• Bake for 20 to 25 minutes
• Let cool in the pans for about 10 minutes before inverting onto cooling racks to cool completely.
• Once cooled completely, the cakes can be individually wrapped in plastic wrap and stored in the freezer for a few days. If you want to store the cakes for longer, wrap each in foil as well. With the foil, the cake layers will be good for about a month. 

FOR THE BUTTERCREAM

• In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter for about 2 minutes.
• Turn the mixer to low and gradually add the sifted powdered sugar.
• Once the powdered sugar has been mixed in, add the mint extract, cream, salt and food coloring (if using). Turn the mixer to medium-high speed and beat for about 5 minutes.
• Remove the bowl from the mixer and use a wooden spoon and mix by hand to stir out the air bubbles. 
• Set aside 2 cups of buttercream and mix in 1/2 cup mini chocolate chips. You'll use this in between the layers.

ASSEMBLY

• Place the first cake layer on a cake board or cake plate top side up. Spread 1 cup of the buttercream mixed with the mini chocolate chips across the cake layer.
• Place the second cake layer on top and spread the remainder of the mini chocolate chip filled buttercream. For the final cake layer, place it bottom side up.
• Apply a thin layer of the buttercream around the entire cake as the crumb coat. Freeze the cake for about 10 minutes to set the crumb coat and lock in those pesky chocolate crumbs.
• Continue to frost the cake with the remainder of the frosting.

The post Easy Mint Chocolate Chip Cake first appeared on Cake by Courtney.

Apple Ricotta Cake with Maple Whipped Cream

Need a decadent and drool-worthy dessert that doesn’t take hours to make and tastes like it belongs in a 5-star restaurant? This Apple Ricotta Cake with apple pie filling, homemade salted caramel and maple whipped cream is it!

And that may sound like a lot, but these four simple elements are actually really easy to make. Plus, there’s no decorating needed for this one. In fact, the messier the better!

How to Make Ricotta Cake

If you haven’t made my Olive Oil Ricotta Cake yet, I hope this cake will convince you to try it.

The texture of this cake is incredible. It’s slightly more dense, but not quite like a pound cake, and it’s super moist. There’s definitely not a strong olive oil taste, just a hint. If you don’t want to use olive oil, grapeseed oil is another great option.

For the ricotta, you can use store bought. Just make sure to use whole milk ricotta if you can. Remember, fat creates and retains moisture in our cakes. We love whole fat products whenever we can use them!

How to Make Apple Pie Filling

• To make the apple pie filling, start by peeling the skin off the apples.
• Dice them and toss them in lemon juice.
• You’ll then combine the apples over the stove with butter, brown sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Cook until just softened. Drain the extra juices. Refrigerate to cool.

How to Make Homemade Caramel

To make homemade salted caramel, you actually don’t have to be too hands-on. In fact, I want you to keep your hands off for the majority of the time!

• You’ll start by combining the sugar, water, and corn syrup (or honey) over the stove on medium heat.
• Stir the mixture until the sugar dissolves and then step back!
• Allow the mixture to boil and cook. Stirring the sugar mixture at this point will encourage crystallization and we don’t want that!
• It will take a few minutes for the mixture to change color, but once it does, stay close by.
• You’re looking for the mixture to turn a dark golden brown, amber color. Check the pictures HERE for guidance.
• Once you’ve reached the right color, you’re ready to start SLOWLY adding warm heavy whipping cream.
• Using warm heavy whipping cream will decrease the chance the mixture hardens.
• Once you’ve added all the cream, you can stir in the vanilla and salt.
• Allow the mixture to cool completely before using in your buttercreams and cakes.

Maple Whipped Cream

This might just be the most exciting part of the cake – maple whipped cream! For this maple whipped cream recipe, you’ll use maple extract, heavy whipping cream, and powdered sugar.

Twp notes about the whipped cream:

• The recipe below creates medium-stiff peaks.
• Plan to make the cream when you’re ready to serve the cake.

Assembly

Assembly for this Apple Ricotta Cake is as easy as it gets. You’ll literally slather one thing on top of the other. Start with the apple pie filling, then drizzle the caramel on top, and finish with the whipped cream.

Serve immediately.

FAQs

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Apple Ricotta Cake with Maple Whipped Cream

Tender ricotta cake with apple pie filling, salted caramel and maple whipped cream.

Course Dessert

Cuisine Cake

Keyword apple pie filling, apple ricotta cake, maple whipped cream, Ricotta Cake

Ingredients

FOR THE CAKE

• 1 1/2 cups (180 g) all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons (6 g) baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon (3 g) salt
• 1/2 cup (109 g) olive oil
• 1 cups (200 g) sugar
• 2 eggs, room temperature
• 1 cup (250 g) ricotta cheese, room temperature

FOR THE APPLE PIE FILLING

• 3 cups (450 g) Granny Smith, apples peeled and diced
• juice of half a lemon
• 2 tablespoons (28 g) unsalted butter
• 3 tablespoons (37.5 g) brown sugar, packed
• 1 teaspoon (2.1 g) cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon (1.1 g) nutmeg

For the Caramel

• 1/2 cup (100 g) granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup (60 g) water
• 1 teaspoon (7 g) light corn syrup or honey
• 1/3 cup (80 g) heavy whipping cream
• 1/2 teaspoon (2.1 g) vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon (3 g) salt

For the Maple Whipped Cream

• 1 cup (240 g) heavy whipping cream
• 1/4 cup (31.25 g) powdered sugar
• 4 ounces mascarpone
• 1-2 teaspoons (4.2 g) maple extract

Instructions

FOR THE CAKE

• Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Prepare one 8-inch cake pan with spray, parchment paper and spray again. Set aside.
• In a medium sized mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside
• Beat the olive oil and the sugar on medium speed in a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment for one minute.
• Add the eggs, one at a time, until incorporated. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.
• With the mixer on low, alternately add the flour mixture and the ricotta, starting and finishing with the flour. Combine until incorporated.
• Pour cake batter into pan and bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out with just a few moist crumbs.
• Let cool in pan for about 5-10 minutes before inverting 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 APPLE PIE FILLING

• Combine the apples and lemon juice in a medium bowl. Toss to coat the apples.
• In a large saute pan, combine the apples, butter, brown sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg over medium heat.
• Cook the apples, stirring occasionally, until softened.
• Drain the excess juice and refrigerate apples in an airtight container to cool and store.

FOR THE CARAMEL

• Combine the sugar, water, and corn syrup in a medium saucepan over medium heat.
• Stir the mixture until the sugar dissolves and then STOP stirring. Stirring creates crystallization.
• Allow the mixture to boil on its own.
• Once the mixture turns amber in color, remove from heat and slowly add warm cream while stirring (heating the cream first ensures you don’t get clumps of caramel).
• Add the vanilla and salt. Stir to combine.
• Cool to room temperature before using.
• Caramel can be made ahead of time and stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator. You’ll need to heat it up slightly to thin it out and make it pourable.

For the Maple Whipped Cream

• This is best made shortly before you're ready to serve the cake.

  In a stainless steel bowl, beat the heavy whipping cream and powdered sugar until medium-stiff peaks form.
• Fold in the mascarpone and 1 teaspoon maple extract.
• Be sure to taste test, you may want an extra teaspoon of maple extract.

Assembly

• Top the cake with the apples, followed by the caramel and the whipped cream. This will look messy and that's exactly how it should be!

The post Moist and Delicious Apple Ricotta Cake with Maple Whipped Cream first appeared on Cake by Courtney.

Black Forest Poke Cake

I’m so excited for you to try my version of this classic cake. I’m using my rich, dark chocolate chocolate cake with a luscious cherry compote and whipped mascarpone frosting. With the cherry compote soaked into every bite, this is truly an irresistibly moist and flavorful treat. Whether you’re a seasoned baker or just looking for a show-stopping dessert that’s surprisingly easy to make, this Black Forest Poke Cake is sure to impress at any gathering. Let’s dive into how you can create this heavenly dessert right in your own kitchen!

What is a Poke Cake?

But first, what is a poke cake? A poke cake is a simple yet ingenious dessert that takes an ordinary cake to the next level by infusing it with extra flavor and moisture. After baking the cake, you “poke” holes all over it using the handle of a wooden spoon or a similar tool. These holes are then filled with a luscious liquid or filling, such as sweetened condensed milk, fruit puree, pudding, or gelatin, which seeps into the cake, creating pockets of deliciousness in every bite. Topped with whipped cream or frosting, poke cakes are incredibly versatile and allow for endless creativity in flavor combinations, making them a favorite for both novice and experienced bakers alike.

Ingredients to Make Black Forest Cake

For my Black Forest Cake, you’ll want to be grab some of the basics like flour, sugar, eggs, baking powder, baking soda, salt, vanilla, and buttermilk. I also HIGHLY recommend that you get a good quality dark cocoa powder. Using a good quality, HIGH FAT cocoa powder in chocolate cake is a game changer. My favorite dark cocoa is Extra Brute Cacao Barry Cocoa Powder. For the filling and frosting, also grab canned cherries, corn starch, heavy whipping cream and powdered sugar.

How to Make Black Forest Poke Cake

Be sure to let the cake cool completely, as well as the compote, before you assemble.

Can This Cake Be Made Ahead of Time?

Yes! In fact, I think this one is even better when it’s made a day before you want to serve it. Giving the cherry compote time to really soak into the cake gives it even more flavor.

To store this cake, cover it with plastic wrap and refrigerate.

My Favorite Poke Cakes

Once you try this Black Forest Poke Cake, I know you’re going to be eager to make another one. Here are two poke cakes you have to try:

1. Chocolate Peanut Butter Poke Cake
2. Pumpkin Poke Cake with Caramel Whipped Cream

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Black Forest Poke Cake

Rich and decadent chocolate cake with cherry compote and whipped mascarpone frosting.

Course Dessert

Cuisine Cake

Keyword Beginner, Black Forest Poke Cake, sheet cake

Ingredients

For the Cake

• 2 cups (240 g) all-purpose flour
• 1 3/4 cups (350 g) granulated sugar
• 3/4 cup (88.5 g) Cacao Barry Extra Brute Cocoa Powder or similar premium brand
• 2 teaspoons (8 g) baking soda
• 3/4 teaspoon (3 g) baking powder
• 1 teaspoon (6 g) salt
• 3 eggs, room temperature
• 1 cup (240 g) buttermilk room temperature
• 1 cup (236.6 g) hot water
• 1/2 cup (109 g) vegetable oil
• 1 teaspoon (4.2 g) pure vanilla extract

For the Cherry Compote

• 24 oz tart canned cherries in water you can also use fresh cherries, pitted
• 3/4 cup liquid from the canned cherries if you use fresh cherries, add 3/4 cup water
• 3/4 cup (150 g) granulated sugar
• 1 tablespoon (9 g) corn starch

For the Mascarpone Frosting

• 1 2/3 cups (416 g) heavy whipping cream
• 1 cup (125 g) powdered sugar
• 1 teaspoon (4.2 g) vanilla
• 8 ounces mascarpone cheese

Instructions

For the Cake

• Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Prepare a 9-inch by 13-inch rectangular cake pans by spraying the bottom and sides with nonstick spray. Set aside.
• In a medium size mixing bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients. Set aside.
• In another medium-size mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs, buttermilk, water, oil and vanill.
• Add wet ingredients to the dry ingredients, and mix on low speed or with a whisk until combined. Batter will be thin. Scrape sides and mix for another 30 seconds. Pour the batter into the cake pan.
• Bake for 30 to 35 minutes (you may need more time depending on your oven), until toothpick comes out with just a few moist crumbs on it. Cool completely.
• Keep the cake in the baking dish for assembly.

For the Compote

• Combine all of the ingredients in a medium saucepan. Heat to a boil. Boil for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. You want the cherries to soften and the liquid to thicken slightly. The liquid part should still be pourable. This is what we want to soak the cake. Let the compote cool before adding to the cake.

For the Mascarpone Whipped Frosting

• In a chilled stainless steel bowl, beat the heavy whipping cream, powdered sugar and vanilla on high speed until soft peaks form.
• Add the mascarpone cheese and beat on high until medium-stiff peaks form.

Assembly

• Using the handle of a wooden spoon or a straw, poke holes all over the cake.
• Using a spoon, pour the juice of the cherry compote over the cake, making sure to get it into the holes.
• Spoon the cherries onto the cake in an even layer.
• Gently spread the mascarpone frosting over the cherries.
• Using a peeler and a chocolate bar, grate chocolate shavings on top of the cake.
• Carefully cover the cake with plastic wrap and refrigerate for about an hour. This allows the cherry juice to soak into the cake.

The post Black Forest Poke Cake first appeared on Cake by Courtney.

Monster Brookies

Happy Friday! It’s been a busy few weeks over here, but I finally got into the kitchen this week and whipped up something that has all of my favorite things. My new Monster Brookies are a combination of a rich and decadent brownie layer, a peanut butter layer, a chocolate chip cookie layer, with mini M&Ms and flakey salt.

These bars are going to rock your world!

I’m not even going to get fancy with a huge blog post because you just need to make these.

Here’s everything you need to know:

• You’re making a brownie recipe and a chocolate chip cookie recipe.
• You’ll bake the brownie layer on its own for 15 minutes and then pile everything on top and bake again.
• These bars are still kinda gooey when they are done baking – give them at least an hour to cool and set.
• Don’t worry that the top looks golden brown and a little crisp. The center will still be soft and you’ll have an awesome texture combo.
• These store great in an airtight container at room temperature. You can microwave them next day for that gooey center, or serve at room temp for a more solid texture.

Step-by-Step Tutorial for Brownies

Step-by-Step Tutorial for the Cookies

Assembly Tutorial

How to Make Monster Brookies: Video Tutorial

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Monster Brookies

Gooey brownies with peanut butter, a chocolate chip cookie layer, mini M&Ms and flakey salt.

Course Dessert

Cuisine Bars

Keyword Brookies, Brownies, cookies, Monster Brookies

Servings 24 bars

Ingredients

For the Brownie Layer

• 1 1/2 cups (180 g) all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup (88.5 g) good quality dark chocolate cocoa powder
• 1 teaspoon (6 g) salt
• 1 cup (226 g) unsalted butter
• 1 cup (180 g) bittersweet chocolate chips
• 2 cups (440 g) light brown sugar, packed
• 4 eggs
• 2 teaspoons (8.4 g) vanilla extract
• 1 cup (180 g) semi-sweet chocolate chips

For the Cookie Layer

• 3/4 cup (169.5 g) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1/2 cup (100 g) granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup (110 g) brown sugar, packed
• 1 egg, at room temperature
• 1/2 teaspoon (2.1 g) vanilla extract
• 1 3/4 cups (210 g) all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon (4 g) baking soda
• 1 teaspoon (6 g) salt
• 1 cup (180 g) semi-sweet or dark chocolate chips

Fillings and Garnish

• 1 cup (250 g) peanut butter, melted
• 1/2 cup (112 g) mini M&Ms
• Flakey salt

Instructions

For the Brownie Layer

• Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 9″ x 13″ baking dish with nonstick spray. Line the bottom and sides with parchment paper. Spray again. Set aside.
• In a medium size mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, and salt. Set aside.
• In a medium size saucepan, melt the butter and the bittersweet chocolate chips until smooth. Remove from the heat and allow to cool for about 5 minutes.
• Add the brown sugar to the butter and chocolate mixture and stir until smooth.
• Add the eggs, one at a time, stirring well between each addition.
• Stir in the vanilla.
• Add the flour mixture and stir until no streaks of flour remain.
• Fold in the 1 cup of the semi-sweet chocolate chips.
• Pour the batter into the prepared pan.
• Bake the brownies for 15 minutes.
• While the brownies bake, make the cookie dough. (Instructions below)
• When the 15 minute timer is up, remove the pan from the oven. Pour the melted peanut butter on top and gently spread into an even layer.
• Using your hands, break apart the cookie dough (instructions below) and drop on top of the peanut butter and brownie. This does not need to be spread out. It will spread as it cooks.
• Evenly sprinkle the mini M&Ms on top.
• Bake for 30 minutes more minutes.
• The top of the cookie layer will be golden brown. Don’t let that scare you that it’s over cooked. The centers will still be gooey and you’ll get a delicious crunch with each bite, as well.
• Remove the pan from the oven and sprinkle on the salt.
• Allow the bars to cool in the pans for at least an hour.
• The centers will still be gooey after they cool for an hour. If you want the centers more set, allow the bars to sit for an additional hour or two.

For the Cookie Layer

• In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment beat the butter until smooth.
• Add the sugars and beat until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.
• Add the egg and mix until well incorporated. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the vanilla and mix for about 30 seconds.
• With the mixer on low speed, add the flour, baking soda, and salt. Mix until combined. 
• Stir in the chocolate chips.

The post Delicious and Gooey Monster Brookies first appeared on Cake by Courtney.

Grandma’s Vintage Dessert

Hi friends! I’m so excited to share with you another new recipe today! Instead of cake, however, this week’s recipe is my grandma’s Blueberry Delight bars. This recipe is over 60 years old and one my mom remembers having at every Christmas dinner growing up. She actually just discovered the old recipe card when going through my grandma’s recipes not too long ago. She snatched up all the cards with my grandma’s writing and plans to make copies and recipe books with them for her siblings. Don’t you worry, I’m asking for one too! Old family recipes are treasures! Hold on to them forever.

Blueberry Delight

This Blueberry Delight dessert is incredibly easy to make and it’s no-bake! Perfect for the end of summer when it’s too hot to turn on our ovens. Here’s what you need:

• One 11 oz. box of Nilla wafer cookies
• 1 stick unsalted butter
• 1 pint blueberries
• 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 tbsp. lemon juice
• 2 tbsp. corn starch
• 2 cups heavy whipping cream
• 3/4 cup powdered sugar
• 9″x13″ baking pan

Step-by-Step Picture Tutorial for Blueberry Delight Bars

Helpful Tips

While this recipe is pretty foolproof, here are a few tips I think will be helpful to you while you prep and make these bars.

• Make the compote first – the compote is the only thing you’ll be “cooking.” You’ll heat the compote ingredients over the stove to thicken the mixture. This means the mixture will be hot and it for sure needs to cool completely before adding to the bars. I think it’s best to make the compote a day or two early, or at least a few hours before you want to assemble the bars.
• Use a cold stainless steel bowl – about a half hour before you whip your cream, place your stainless steel bowl in the freezer. Starting with a cold stainless steel bowl before whipping your cream helps the cream to thicken faster.
• Chill the bars for a few hours before serving – when mom and I made these bars a couple of weeks ago, we dug in right away. However, mom said they didn’t quite taste the same as they did when she was little. The reason being – we didn’t chill the bars long enough. Give the bars at least three hours in the fridge to chill and set before serving.

That’s it! There are really no other tips to offer because Grandma’s Blueberry Delight is so easy to make.

And stay tuned for next week’s recipe! I’ll have a new cake based on these bars.

Similar Recipes You’ll Enjoy

• Old Fashioned Blueberry Delight Cake
• Florida Orange Flower Cake
• The Perfect Summer Cake: Lemon Blueberry Cake
• Blueberry Streusel Muffin Cake
• No-Bake Caramel Apple Cheesecake Bars with Biscoff Pecan Crust

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Blueberry Delight

No-bake, layered dessert made of Nilla wafers, whipped cream and blueberry compote.

Course Dessert

Keyword Beginner, Blueberry Delight

Servings 15

Ingredients

Blueberry Compote

• 1 pint fresh or frozen blueberries I prefer fresh
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1 tbsp. lemon juice
• 1/2 cup water
• 2 tbsp. corn starch measured and then sifted

Nilla Wafer Crust

• 11 oz. crushed Nilla wafers One 11 oz. box
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter melted

Whipped Cream Filling

• 2 cups heavy whipping cream
• 3/4 cup powdered sugar
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract

Instructions

For the Compote

• Combine all of the ingredients in a medium saucepan. Heat to a boil. Boil for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. You want the blueberries to burst and the liquid to thicken. It should coat your spoon well.
• This is best made ahead of time and can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for a couple weeks.

For the Wafer Crust

• In a food processor or blender, pulverize the cookies to a fine crumb.
• Add the melted butter and stir until the crumbs are wet.
• Pat the crumbs firmly into place in a 9"x13" pan. Refrigerate until ready to use.

For the Whipped Cream

• Combine the whipped cream and powdered sugar. Beat to stiff peaks.

Assembly

• Evenly spread the whipped cream over the crust.
• Gently spread the blueberry compote over the whipped cream.
• Refrigerate for at least 3 hours before serving.

The post Grandma’s Vintage Blueberry Delight Recipe first appeared on Cake by Courtney.

Classic Yellow Cake

Is there anything more classic than a yellow cake with chocolate frosting? I continue to hear that it’s a favorite for so many people, especially the box mix. And while I said goodbye to box mixes years ago, I’ll admit, there’s something pretty alluring about the flavor and texture of a yellow cake mix: rich butter and vanilla extracts in a moist and fluffy cake… you just can’t go wrong (except for the fact that it’s not homemade).

I’ve tried a couple of yellow cake recipes in the past but was never impressed enough to save them. It was time to create my own recipe.

What is Yellow Cake?

Yellow cake is a classic type of vanilla-flavored cake characterized by its rich, golden-yellow color and tender, moist texture. The yellow hue comes from the use of whole eggs and butter, which also impart a rich, buttery flavor. This cake is a popular choice for birthdays and celebrations due to its versatility and ability to pair well with a variety of frostings, such as chocolate, vanilla, or buttercream. Yellow cake is typically made from scratch using simple ingredients like flour, sugar, eggs, butter, milk, and vanilla extract, resulting in a deliciously homey and comforting dessert.

What Makes a Moist Yellow Cake?

To create a tender and moist yellow cake, I use a combination of butter, oil, eggs, egg yolks, and sour cream. Of course there’s sugar, flour and a few other ingredients, but the ones I first listed help to create the moisture thanks to all the fat added. Fat creates and retains moisture in our cakes, so don’t skimp and grab the low fat sour cream. Get the good stuff!

How to Make a Moist Yellow Cake

Let’s make sure you create the most delicious yellow cake layers! Check out my step-by-step video tutorial below:

How to Decorate a Yellow Cake with Chocolate Buttercream

I love pairing these yellow cake layers with my silky, smooth chocolate buttercream. Here’s a step-by-step picture tutorial to walk you through the process:

 I hope you enjoy this classic yellow cake with chocolate buttercream! 

Similar Recipes You’ll Love

• Boston Cream Pie Cake
• Chocolate Chip Cookie Cake with Brown Sugar Frosting
• Sweet and Salty Strawberry Pretzel Delight Cake
• Bright and Colorful Rainbow Sherbet Cake
• Best Cakes for Beginner Bakers

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Classic Yellow Cake with Chocolate Buttercream

Tender yellow cake layers with delicious chocolate buttercream.

Course Dessert

Cuisine Cake

Keyword Beginner, Yellow Cake

Ingredients

For the 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 cup (72.6 g) canola oil
• 1 3/4 cups (350 g) granulated sugar
• 5 whole eggs, room temperature
• 2 eggs yolks, room temperature
• 1 cup (240 g) sour cream, room temperature
• 1 teaspoon (4.2 g) clear vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon (4.2 g) butter extract

For the Buttercream

• 8 oz. (150 g) semi-sweet or dark chocolate chips
• 1/4 cup (57.75 g) heavy whipping cream
• 2 cups (452 g) unsalted butter, slightly cold
• 5 cups (625 g) powdered sugar, measured and then sifted
• 1 tablespoon (13 g) pure vanilla extract
• 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 1/2 batch.

Instructions

For the Cake

• Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Spray three 8-inch cake pans with non-stick spray, add parchment 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, canola oil, and sugar on high until fluffy and smooth, about 3 to 5 minutes.
• Add the eggs and egg yolks, one at a time to the bowl and beat on medium until well incorporated. The mixture should look smooth and fluffy. This will take another minute or two. Stir in the extracts.
• Turn the mixer on low and add 1/3 of the flour mixture to the butter mixture and mix until fully incorporated. Then add half of the sour cream and blend well, followed by another 1/3 of the flour mixture, the second half of the sour cream and lastly, add the remaining flour mixture and mix until incorporated.
• Evenly distribute the cake batter among the three pans and bake for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the middle of the cakes comes out clean or with just a few crumbs. Make sure not to over bake.
• Remove cakes from the oven and let cool in pans for 10 minutes before inverting onto cooling racks.
• Once completely cooled, wrap in plastic wrap and place in the freezer or refrigerator to chill before frosting.

For the Buttercream

• In a microwave safe bowl, heat the cream and then pour it over the 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 bowl fitted with a paddle attachment, combine beat the butter on medium-high until light and fluffy.
• Turn the mixer to medium-low and gradually add the melted chocolate ganache. Stop the mixer and scrape down the sides of the bowl. Beat again for about one minute.
• With the mixer on low speed, gradually add the powdered sugar, vanilla extract, and salt.
• Increase the speed to medium-high and beat for another 2-3 minutes, until light and fluffy.
• Stir by hand to push out air pockets.

Assembly

• After leveling each cake layer, place the first cake layer (top side/crumbly side up) on a cake board that has a little frosting on it (which acts like glue to hold the cake in place).
• Spread about 1 cup of the frosting over the cake layer. Place the second cake layer on top and add another cup of frosting. Make sure to get eye level with the cake to check that your frosting is spread evenly across each cake layer. 
• When you get the final cake layer, place it top side down on the second layer of frosting. Spread a thin coat of frosting around the entire cake to lock in the crumbs. Freeze the cake for 10 minutes to set the crumb coat.
• Continue to frost and decorate the cake with the remaining frosting.

The post The Most Delicious Classic Yellow Cake with Chocolate Buttercream first appeared 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.

Don’t use coffee for dietary or religious reasons? Don’t worry, I’ve got you! Be sure to read the post for coffee alternatives and substitutes.

My love for Biscoff runs deep! Ever since I made my original Biscoff Cake six years ago, Biscoff flavored cakes have been one of my favorite flavors to make. Biscoff, a cinnamon and nutmeg spiced biscuit cookie, is an incredibly versatile flavor and pairs with so many things.

Here’s a sample of what I’m talking about!

Biscoff Inspired Cakes

Recently I asked our community on Instagram what flavor they’d like me to pair with Biscoff next. The top pick: coffee/mocha.

Now, while I’m not a coffee drinker, I do love the flavor in baked goods. It’s just got this warm, rich, slightly bitter (not a bad thing) flavor dimension that complements flavors like chocolate, gingerbread, and caramel so well.

Since Biscoff has a similar flavor profile to gingerbread, I knew the combo of Biscoff and mocha would be a winner… and IT IS!

Biscoff Mocha Sheet Cake

For my Biscoff Mocha Cake, I used my Biscoff cake recipe, along with a mocha flavored caramel, Biscoff spread, Biscoff cookies, and a mocha buttercream – all in a sheet cake! (By the way, how much do we love a sheet cake?! So simple!)

I think you’ll find this cake really easy to make. One thing I wanted to talk about before getting to the recipe are coffee flavoring options and substitutes.

Coffee Flavoring Options & Substitutes

1. Extracts and emulsions: extracts (alcohol based flavorings) and emulsions (water based flavorings) can be used interchangeably and are often found at the grocery store, online and specialty stores like Orson Gygi.
2. Espresso powder: easily found at grocery stores – needs to be dissolved in warm cream before using.
3. Pero: offers a coffee-like taste but is not made from coffee beans. Rather, Pero is naturally caffeine-free and blended from all-natural ingredients, including malted barley, barley, chicory, and rye. I’ve used this a ton and love it as a coffee substitute if you prefer not to use anything with coffee beans.

You will see amounts for each in the recipe.

Baker’s Note: Depending on your love of coffee flavoring, you can adjust the amount of extract, powder, or Pero you use. Start with 1-2 teaspoons and add more, as desired.

Note About the Mocha Caramel Soak

For the mocha caramel soak, make sure to note that we want this to be thinner than when we normally make caramel for our cakes. The consistency should be thin enough to soak into the cake. Also be sure to let the caramel cool to room temperature before using on the cake. This will make it easier to spread the Biscoff cookie butter on top.

How to Bake Moist Cakes

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

• First, preheat your oven for 30 minutes prior to baking.
• Next, beat the butter and sugar for a few minutes on medium-high speed, until light and fluffy.
• Use good quality pans like Fat Daddio.
• Be sure to 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.

Hope you love this one as much as I do!

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Biscoff Mocha Sheet Cake

Biscoff cake with a mocha flavored caramel soak, Biscoff cookie butter spread and mocha buttercream.

Course Dessert

Keyword biscoff, Biscoff Cake, Biscoff Mocha, Biscoff Mocha Sheet Cake, Mocha buttercream, sheet cake

Ingredients

FOR THE CAKE

• 18 Biscoff or Speculoos Cookies
• 2 1/8 cups (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
• 1 cup (220 g) brown sugar, packed
• 2/3 cup (133 g) granulated sugar
• 4 eggs, at room temperature
• 2 cups (480 g) buttermilk, at room temperature

For the Mocha Caramel

• 1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup (120 g) water
• 2 teaspoons (14 g) light corn syrup or honey
• 1 cup (240 g) heavy whipping cream
• 2-3 teaspoons (12 g) coffee extract or emulsion OR 2-3 teaspoons espresso powder (6 g) OR 3 teaspoons Pero for a non coffee substitute
• 1 teaspoon (4.2 g) vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon (6 g) salt

For the Filling

• 1 1/2 cups Biscoff cookie butter
• 6 Biscoff cookies crushed into chunks

FOR THE BUTTERCREAM

• 2 cups (452 g unsalted butter, slightly cold
• 6 cups (750 g) powdered sugar, measured and then sifted
• 5 teaspoons (21 g) coffee extract or emulsion OR 5 teaspoons espresso powder (10 g) OR 5 teaspoons Pero for a non coffee substitute
• 1/4 cup (57 g) heavy cream
• Pinch of salt
• ***If you would rather spread the buttercream on the cake with an offset spatula than pipe it, I would suggest doing half a batch of buttercream.

Instructions

FOR THE CAKE

• Preheat your oven to 325 degrees F. Spray your 9-inch by 13-inch cake pan with non-stick cooking spray, line the bottom 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 sand.
• 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, brown sugar and granulated sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
• Before adding the dry ingredients, continue to beat the wet ingredients for about 1 to 2 minutes on medium-high speed, until the mixture is smooth.
• With the mixer on low speed, add 1/3 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.
• Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes. Cool 15 to 20 minutes on a wire rack before inverting onto a cooling rack to cool completely.

For the Mocha Caramel

• Heat the cream in the microwave for about a minute. If you’re using espresso powder or Pero, whisk in the powder until it dissolves. Set aside.
• Combine the sugar, water, and corn syrup in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir until sugar is dissolved and then stop stirring.
• You want the mixture to cook on its own. Stirring creates crystallization. If you notice sugar crystallizing on the sides of the pan, soak a pastry brush in warm water and run the brush along the sides of the pan where the sugar is building up.
• Once the mixture turns amber in color, remove the pan from the heat and slowly add the cream, while stirring the caramel.
• Add the vanilla and salt, and stir to combine. If you’re using coffee extra or emulsion, add it here as well.
• Cool to room temperature before using. The caramel will thicken as it cools but should still be thin enough to act as a “soak.” If you need to thin it out more, heat another 1/4 cup heavy whipping cream and add the caramel. Stir to combine. Let cool to room temperature again before using.

FOR THE BUTTERCREAM

• In the bowl of an electric mixer, fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter for about 2 to 3 minutes, until light and fluffy and pale in color.
• With the mixer on slow, gradually add the powdered sugar, followed by the heavy cream, coffee emulsion, and pinch of salt.
• IF YOU’RE USING ESPRESSO POWDER OR PERO, heat the cream slightly and whisk the espresso powder or Pero into the heavy cream. Add to the butter and powdered sugar mixture when the cream is at room temperature or cold again.
• Once all of the ingredients are combined, turn the mixer to medium-high and beat for about 3 to 5 minutes.
• 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:

• Once the cake has cooled to room temperature, use a fork to poke holes all over the cake.
• Drizzle the caramel soak over the cake, using a pastry brush or the back of a spoon to spread it around, ensuring it soaks into the holes.
• Using an offset icing spatula or the back of a spoon, spread the Biscoff cookie butter over the cake. If needed, heat the Biscoff spread slightly in the microwave to make it more spreadable.
• Sprinkle on crushed Biscoff cookies and pat them into place gently.
• Using the Wilton 6B piping tip, pipe the buttercream on the cake. Alternatively, use an offset icing spatula to spread on the buttercream.

The post Biscoff Mocha Sheet Cake with a Caramel Soak and Mocha Buttercream first appeared on Cake by Courtney.

Chocolate Orange Cake – Dark chocolate cake layers with a hint of orange zest, covered with a chocolate orange buttercream.

Chocolate Orange Cake 

Oh, this cake was due for an update! I first came up with this recipe years ago when I went to Fox 13’s The Place, a local lifestyle show here in Salt Lake City. It was a super simple recipe back then, and still is today, but one that is totally going to win you over.

Christmastime Chocolate Orange 

My goal was to make the cake taste exactly like the chocolate orange I used to get in my Christmas stocking as a child. It’s a flavor combination that will always make me think of Christmastime. And I think you’ll really like it in cake form!

The Best Chocolate Cake

I used my go-to chocolate cake recipe and added some orange zest for a hint of flavor in the cake.

Remember: it’s super important to use room-temperature wet ingredients to get the best rise out of your cake layers.

How to Make Buttercream Frosting

It’s the buttercream, however, that I think really steals the show. To add flavor to the buttercream, I used orange emulsion by Lorann. Emulsions are a lot like extracts but are water-based. Extracts are alcohol-based. I typically lean toward emulsions because I like the flavoring better, but an extract will work too. Just sub it 1-for-1 in the recipe.

To get a light and fluffy homemade buttercream frosting for this cake, I have a detailed post: HOW TO MAKE THE BEST BUTTERCREAM to give you in-depth instructions for making your buttercream unreal! Here’s a quick overview.

• • Sift your powdered sugar
  • Use slightly cold butter and mix on its own for 2 to 3 minutes
  • Use heavy whipping cream
  • Beat for 5 minutes
  • Stir by hand

I don’t think this cake needs a lot of added decorations, but love how a little rosemary and dried oranges give the brown some contrast.

Excited for you to whip this one up!

For more Christmas cake recipes, check out this post: 10 Cakes Perfect for the Holidays.

For my cookbook and cake tools, make sure to check out Shop.CakebyCourtney.com.

Similar Recipes You’ll Love

• Florida Orange Flower Cake
• Ice Cream Inspired Cakes
• My Top 6 Favorite Christmas Cakes
• 5 Delicious Holiday Cookie Recipes
• Citrus Cranberry Cake

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Chocolate Orange Cake

Dark chocolate cake layers and buttercream with a hint of orange.

Course Dessert

Cuisine Cake

Keyword chocolate buttercream, Chocolate Cake, Chocolate Orange Cake, Orange

Ingredients

For the cake

• 2 cups (240g) all purpose flour
• 1 3/4 cup (350g) granulated sugar
• 3/4 cup (88g) good quality cocoa powder
• 2 tsp (8g) baking soda
• 3/4 tsp (3g) baking powder
• 1 tsp (5.6) kosher salt
• zest of two large oranges
• 1 cup (240g) buttermilk room temperature and shaken
• 1/2 cup (109g) vegetable oil
• 3 large eggs room temperature
• 1 tsp (4.2g) pure vanilla extract
• 1 cup (236g) hot water or hot coffee

For the frosting

• 2 cups (452g) unsalted butter slightly chilled
• 10 ounces (187g) good quality dark chocolate chips
• 1/4 cup (57.7g) heavy whipping cream
• 5 cups (625g) powdered sugar, measured and then sifted
• 2 1/2 tsp (8.4g) orange emulsion
• 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 1/2 batch.

Instructions

For the cake

• Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Spray three 8-inch or four 6-inch round cake pans with nonstick spray. Line the bottom of each pan with parchment paper and spray the pans again.
• 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. Add the zest and mix until combined.
• In another bowl, combine the buttermilk, oil, eggs, coffee or 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 evenly into the prepared pans and bake for about 23 t0 28 minutes.
• Cool in the pans for 10 minutes, then turn them out onto a cooling rack and cool completely.
• Wrap in plastic wrap and chill until ready to use. You're still going to want to level your cake layers to ensure a completely even surface for frosting and stacking.

For the Buttercream

• In a microwave safe bowl, heat the heavy whipping cream for about one minute. Pour the heated cream over the chocolate chips and stir until the chocolate chips are melted. Set aside.
• In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter on medium-high speed for 2 minutes.
  
• Turn the mixer to low and gradually add the powdered sugar, orange emulsion and pinch of salt.
• With the mixer on low speed, add the chocolate ganache. Beat for another 3 to 5 minutes on medium-high.
• Before frosting your cake, give the frosting a good stir with a wooden spoon to push out any air bubbles. 

The post Holiday Favorite Flavors: Chocolate Orange Cake first appeared on Cake by Courtney.

Banana Chai Cake

A simple banana cake with cream cheese frosting is one of my favorite classic cakes. It’s moist, flavorful, and comforting. It’s the type of cake you can always count on and one that always sounds good, no matter the day or the season. In fact, as I looked at my over-ripe bananas the other day, it was the first thing I thought of. As I started on my banana cake, I decided to give it a winter flair and pair it with the spices from my Chai White Chocolate Raspberry Cake.

Toasted Walnut Buttercream

This toasted walnut buttercream adds the most delicious nutty flavor to the cake and pairs so well with the flavors of banana and chai.

Be sure to toast the walnuts to bring out the flavor. You’ll also want to make sure the walnuts are completely cooled before making the nut butter and adding the nut butter to the buttercream.

FAQs

More Cakes to Love

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Banana Chai Cake with Toasted Walnut Buttercream

Moist and flavorful banana chai cake with toasted walnut buttercream.

Course Dessert

Cuisine Cake

Keyword Banana Cake, banana chai cake, walnut 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
• 3/4 teaspoon (4.2 g )salt
• 1 1/2 teaspoons (4 g) ground ginger
• 1 teaspoon (2.64 g) cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon (2 g) cardamom
• 1/2 teaspoon (1.5 g) ground gloves
• 1/2 teaspoon (2.8) g allspice
• 1/8 teaspoon (.6 g) black pepper
• 1/8 teaspoon (.6 g) nutmeg
• 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 (66 g) light brown sugar, packed
• 3 eggs, room temperature
• 1 1/2 cup (360 g) buttermilk, room temperature
• 1 1/2 teaspoons (6.3 g) pure vanilla extract
• 1 1/4 cup (300 g) mashed over-ripe bananas, 3 medium-sized

FOR THE BUTTERCREAM

• 2 cups (300 g) chopped walnuts
• 1 tablespoon (13.6 g) olive oil
• 2 cups (452 g) unsalted butter, slightly cold
• 6 cups (750 g) powdered sugar, measured and then sifted
• 1 teaspoon. (4.2 g) vanilla extract
• pinch of salt
• This makes 6 cups of buttercream, which is enough to fill and frost the entire cake. If you want a naked cake look (as pictured), use a half recipe of the buttercream.

Instructions

For the Cake

• Preheat your oven to 325 degrees F. Spray two 8-inch round baking pan with nonstick cooking spray, line the bottoms with parchment paper, and spray again. Set aside.
• In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and spices. 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. Turn the mixer to medium-high and mix until smooth and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add the vanilla.
• With the mixer on low, add the dry ingredients alternating with the buttermilk mixture into the creamed mixture, starting and ending with the dry ingredients. Mix until just incorporated and remove bowl from stand mixer.
• Stir in the bananas.
• Evenly divide the batter between the two pans and bake for 38 to 43 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with a few moist crumbs on it.
• Cool the cakes in the pans for about 15 minutes and then inverted onto a cooling rack until cooled completely.

FOR THE BUTTERCREAM

• In a saute pan, toast the walnuts over medium heat. Once toasted, let cool completely.
• Once the walnuts are toasted and cooled, combine the walnuts and oil in a food processor and pulse until you've created a nut butter consistency.
• In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the butter on medium speed for about two minutes. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl.
• Add the walnut butter and mix until combined.
• With the mixer on low speed, gradually add the powdered sugar, followed by the vanilla and pinch of salt.
• Turn the mixer up to medium-high speed and beat for about 3 to 5 minutes.

The post Banana Chai Cake with Toasted Walnut Buttercream first appeared on Cake by Courtney.

The Best Sugar Cookie Recipe

Nothing says Christmastime like sugar cookies! While ginger is probably my favorite flavor and smell of the season, sugar cookies are the treat I’ll always associate with Christmas because we made and decorated sugar cookies for neighbors every year growing up.

And let me clarify – mom made the cookies, us kids did the decorating!

I’ve carried on the tradition with my kids, using the best sugar cookie recipe out there. It’s the Rich family cookie recipe from my in-laws and it’s absolute perfection.

For this Peppermint Sugar Cookie, I’m simply adding peppermint extract and some crushed candy cane on top.

What is the texture of this sugar cookie?

This sugar cookie is soft and fluffy. If you want your sugar cookie to be a little crisper (like my mom), then you’ll want to roll the dough a little thinner than I recommend in the recipe.

Does this sugar cookie hold its shape?

It’s so fun to use different shape cut-outs with sugar cookies. These cookies will fluff up a tad and don’t hold sharp, crisp edges unless you roll the dough thinner than I recommend. I recommend using circle cookie cutters or other cookie cutters that don’t have too much detail to them.

How to Make Buttercream Frosting

For the buttercream, we’re using my classic vanilla buttercream recipe and adding a little peppermint extract. You will love how light and fluffy this peppermint frosting is.

To get this delicious homemade buttercream frosting, I have a detailed post: HOW TO MAKE THE BEST BUTTERCREAM to give you in depth instruction for making your buttercream unreal! Here’s an overview with a quick picture tutorial for making the best vanilla buttercream:

• Sift your powdered sugar
• Use slightly cold butter and mix on its own for 2 to 3 minutes
• Use heavy whipping cream
• Beat for 5 minutes
• Stir by hand

To decorate these peppermint sugar cookies, I simply grabbed a small star tip, a piping bag and crushed peppermint candies.

How many sugar cookies does this recipe make?

This recipe makes about 36 medium cookies (about 3-inch circle) or about 78 small cookies (1.5 inch circle). You can certainly split the recipe to make less!

Other Cookie Recipes You’ll Love

• Easy White Chocolate Peppermint Biscoff Cookies
• Best Ever Soft and Chewy Gingersnap Cookies
• Toasted Oatmeal Brown Butter Toffee Cookies
• Peanut Butter Banana Chocolate Chip Cookies

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Peppermint Sugar Cookies

Tender and soft peppermint sugar cookies paired with a peppermint buttercream.

Course Dessert

Cuisine Cookies

Keyword Peppermint, Peppermint Sugar Cookies, Sugar Cookies

Servings 2 dozen, depending on size of the cookie cutter

Ingredients

For the Cookies

• 1 1/2 cups (339 g) unsalted butter, slightyly cold
• 2 cups (400 g) granulated sugar
• 4 large eggs room temperature
• 1 teaspoon (4.2 g) vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon (4.2 g) peppermint extract
• 5 cups (600 g) all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons (8 g) baking powder
• 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
• 3 tablespoons (44.3 g) heavy whipping cream
• 1 teaspoon (4.2 g) peppermint extract
• Pinch of salt

Instructions

For the Cookies

• Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Set aside.
• In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
• Add the eggs, vanilla and peppermint extract. Mix until incorporated.
• With the mixer on low speed, add the flour, baking powder and salt. Mix until just incorporated.
• Cover and refrigerate for at least one hour.
• Roll the dough out to about 1/4 inch thick. Use cookie cutters to cut shapes and place the cookie dough 1 inch apart on the baking sheet.
• Freeze the cut dough for 10 minutes and then bake for 6 to 7 minutes.
• Cool completely before frosting.

For the Buttercream

• In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter on medium-high speed for about 2 minutes, until light and fluffy.
• With the mixer on low speed, gradually add the powdered sugar, heavy cream, peppermint and salt. 
• Turn the mixer to medium-high speed and beat for an additional 3 to 5 minutes, until nearly white.
• Before frosting or piping, mix the frosting by hand with a wooden spoon or spatula to push out the air pockets.

The post Mini Peppermint Sugar Cookies with Peppermint Frosting first appeared on Cake by Courtney.

I’m so excited about this cake, you guys! It not only tastes amazing, but thanks to Sweetapolita’s black fudge frosting recipe, you can actually get a true black frosting without the fear of dying all your guests’ teeth black.

You’ve had that fear before, right? No? Just me?

Black Frosting Attempt #1

It actually wasn’t just a fear. I actually did dye all my guests’ mouths black at Westin’s 3rd birthday party. At the time Westin was hugely into superheroes and asked for a Batman cake. Not knowing nearly as much as I do now, I thought using a vanilla buttercream base was the best way to tint any frosting. Ha!

I had to use SO much black food gel to turn that white frosting black that a single bite of the cake quickly tinted everyone’s mouths’ completely black. I couldn’t believe it! Well, actually I could based on how much food gel I knew went into that frosting – so I guess a better way to say it is, I was so embarrassed!

Since then, I haven’t even thought about making black frosting. That is, until now.

Black Frosting Attempt #2

Last year, one of my favorite cake bloggers, Sweetapolita, published her Glam Rock Cake. It’s a black chocolate cake with black chocolate frosting. It’s gorgeous! But more importantly, it uses very little black food gel and claims it won’t dye your mouth black! I’ve been dying to test out this recipe and Halloween seemed like the perfect time!

Why Attempt #2 Works

The key to making this frosting truly black, is black cocoa powder. Guittard makes a Noir cocoa powder but you have to buy it in a pretty big package. I’d recommend getting THIS black cocoa powder from Amazon. As an alternative, you can use dark cocoa powder like Cacao Barry Extra Brute Cocoa Powder  but it’s likely you’ll have to use a little more black food gel.

Another crucial step to this frosting recipe is the waiting time. After you mix your ingredients and add the black food gel, you need to let the frosting sit for a while. The frosting will darken as it sits. Sweetapolita recommends waiting about 15 minutes when you use the black cocoa powder. I tried this frosting with a dark cocoa powder and learned that you’ll need much more time for the frosting to turn black. If you’re using dark cocoa powder instead of black cocoa powder, I’d suggest making the frosting a day before and letting it sit overnight in the fridge to turn black without having to add too much food gel.

If you store your frosting in the refrigerator overnight, you’ll need to get the frosting back to room temperature before frosting your cake. I don’t recommend heating your frosting, but instead, letting it get to room temperature by sitting at room temperature for a few hours.

Clearly, that all sounds like a lot of extra time. Thus, I highly recommend using the black cocoa powder to make your life a lot easier. 

Inside the Cake

I used my whipped vanilla buttercream to till the cake, with orange, green and purple food gel to tint each layer.

Cutting into this cake might have been my favorite part of making this cake. I mean, look at those colors and how beautifully they contrast with the black cake!

The black cake is just a little twist off of my favorite chocolate cake recipe you see on here all the time.

Westin wanted to show off his white teeth here, but I spy some chocolate cake still in his mouth!

I can’t wait for you to make this cake and to see what you do with your black frosting!

Helpful Videos

For a little extra help, I’ve put together a quick video to show you how the frosting is made, as well as a time-lapse video showing you how to assemble the cake.

Enjoy!

More Tips & Recipes You’ll Enjoy

• Black and White Cake
• Easy and Delicious Black Buttercream That Won’t Stain Your Teeth!
• How to Make Red and Blue Buttercream That Won’t Stain Your Teeth
• 5 Easy Halloween Cakes
• Best KitchenAid Black Friday Deals

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Black Chocolate Cake

Black Chocolate Cake.

Rich dark chocolate cake layers with whipped vanilla buttercream and black fudge frosting.

Ingredients

• For the Black Chocolate Cake
• 1 3/4 cups plus 2 tablespoons (225 g) all-purpose flour
• 2 cups minus 2 tablespoons (375 g) granulated sugar
• 3/4 cups 88.5 g good quality black or dark cocoa powder (like THIS or Extra Brute Cocoa Powder)
• 2 teaspoons 8 g baking soda
• 3/4 teaspoon 3 g baking powder
• 1 teaspoon 5.6 g kosher salt
• 1 cup 240 g buttermilk, room temperature
• 1/2 cup 109 g vegetable oil
• 3 large or extra large eggs at room temperature
• 1 teaspoon 4.2 g pure vanilla extract
• 1 cup 236.6 g hot water
• 1 teaspoon food gel in Super Black
• For the Black Fudge Frosting
• 2 cups 452 g unsalted butter, slightly chilled
• 5 cups 625 g powdered sugar, measured and then sifted
• 1 cup 118 g premium black or dark cocoa powder (like THIS or Hershey’s Extra Dark Cocoa Powder)
• 3/4 cup 177.5 g hot water
• 1 1/2 teaspoons 6 g pure vanilla extract
• Generous pinch of salt
• 8 ounces 150 g premium dark chocolate, chopped or chips, melted
• 1-2 teaspoons 3-6 g food gel in Super Black
• *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 1/2 batch.
• For the Colored Vanilla Buttercream
• 1 cup 226 g unsalted butter, slightly chilled
• 4 cups 500 g powdered sugar, measured and then sifted
• 1/2 teaspoons 2 g pure vanilla extract
• Pinch of salt
• 2 tablespoons 28.9 g heavy whipping cream
• Purple green and orange food gel

Instructions

• For the Black Chocolate Cake
• Preheat the oven to 360 degrees F. Spray four 6-inch round cake pans with nonstick spray. (You can also use three 8-inch pans). Line the bottom of each pan with parchment paper, then spray the pans again.
• 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. Mix until just incorporated. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the food gel and mix for another 20 seconds. 
• Pour the batter into the prepared pans (about 11 to 12 in each of the 6-inch pans or 15 to 16 ounces in each of the 8-inch pans) and bake for 16-18 minutes.  
• Cool in the pans for 10 minutes, then turn them out onto a cooling rack and cool completely.
• Level each cake layer as needed and then wrap in plastic wrap and chill until ready to use. 
• For the Black Fudge Frosting
• In a bowl of stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment beat the butter on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about two minutes.
• In a small mixing bowl, combine the hot water and cocoa powder. The mixture will be thick like a paste. Set aside.
• In a microwave safe bowl, heat the chocolate chips until melted and smooth. Let cool slightly, but not all the way to room temperature.
• Reduce the mixer’s speed to medium and slowly stream in the melted chocolate, making sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl occasionally so the chocolate doesn’t harden around the sides of the bowl.
• Add the cocoa paste (cocoa and water mixture), followed the vanilla and salt.  Beat until incorporated, about 1 minute.
• Decrease the speed to low and gradually add the powdered sugar. Once the powdered sugar is incorporated, add the black food gel and then beat for about two minutes. The color will likely be grey. Don’t worry. Your next job is to be patient!
• Let the frosting sit for at least a couple of hours (even a full day is great) because the color will take awhile to process and it’s best to let it sit rather than adding more and more coloring right away.
• If you’ve let the frosting rest for plenty of time and it’s still not black, add one more teaspoon of black food gel and let it rest a bit more.
• If your frosting is too soft, cover it with plastic wrap and let it chill in the refrigerator a bit.
• For the Colored Vanilla Buttercream
• In a bowl of stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment beat the butter on medium speed until light and fluffy, about five minutes.
• With the mixer on low speed, slowly add the powdered sugar, followed by the vanilla, salt and heavy whipping cream. Turn the mixer to medium-high and beat the frosting for about five minutes, until lighter in color and texture.
• Divide the frosting in small mixing bowls and tint the frosting  your desired colors
• Assembly
• Place a cake board onto your turntable. Apply a small dollop of frosting onto the cake board and smooth it out with an offset icing spatula. Place the first cake layer on top of the thin layer of frosting which will act like glue to hold the cake in place.
• Evenly spread your first color of frosting on the cake layer, making sure to get eye level with the cake to ensure you’re layer of frosting is even.
• Continue to stack and frost the layers until the last cake layer, which you’ll place top side (crumb side) down on the last layer of colored frosting.
• Apply a thin coat of black frosting around the entire cake, making sure to cover the entire cake from top to bottom. Freeze the cake for 10 to 15 minutes to lock in the crumbs.
• When the frosting is set and the crumbs are locked in place, continue to frost the cake with the remaining frosting. 

The post Black Chocolate Cake first appeared on Cake by Courtney.

The Most Delicious Caramel Cake

A classic Caramel Cake is LONG overdue on CakebyCourtney.com, so I am beyond thrilled to share this recipe with you today. I have a caramel cake recipe I’ve used in other cakes before, but I’ve always felt like I could do better. I also saw that some of you struggled with that recipe and there was no way I was going to stand for that!

Instead, I decided to come up with an entirely new recipe and create a classic Caramel Cake, as well as update ALL my other recipes that have caramel cake layers. Now that this recipe and post are complete, I’ll be moving on to make those updates.

And to show you just how excited I am about this cake, I had to post this picture!

This is that look after the first bite when I’m just thinking, “yeah, this is it! I did it!” and there’s a little happy dance going on in my head!

Ingredients

Make sure you have the following ingredients on hand. These are ingredients I’m assuming just aren’t in your pantry normally. For the full list of ingredients, be sure to read the recipe below.

• Dulce de Leche – I use THIS brand
• Whole milk
• Granulated sugar
• Powdered sugar
• Eggs
• All-purpose flour
• Baking powder
• Salt
• Unsalted butter
• Light corn syrup
• Vanilla extract

For the Cake

In order to create a strong caramel flavor in the cake layers, I actually use dulce de leche. Not only is the flavor and texture of this cake amazing, but the color of the cake we get from the dulce de leche is gorgeous! You’ll also be using whole milk in this cake to create a ton of moisture.

For the Buttercream

For the buttercream, you can make your own caramel, as seen in the recipe below, or you can sub the homemade caramel and use 1/2 cup dulce de leche. The caramel gives the buttercream a little more salty/sweet flavor than the dulce de leche, but the dulce de leche provides a beautiful, smooth buttery flavor.

How to Stack and Crumb Coat

I love how simple this cake is to stack and decorate. Be sure to always start with a crumb coat, as seen below, to lock in the crumbs from the cake. This ensures you don’t have any crumbs getting into your final coat of frosting.

How to Decorate Your Cake

To create these indented stripes, simply flip your offset icing spatulas horizontally against the cake, and then while holding the spatula in place, spin the turn table.

Use your leftover caramel to decorate the top of the cake.

Transferring Your Cake

To transfer my cakes, I use a cake lifter from Shop.CakebyCourtney.com to help support the cake.

TIP: freeze your finished cake for about 10 to 15 minutes to set the buttercream and then run a knife around the bottom of the cake to release it from the cake board. This technique will help ensure you don’t ruin the bottom edges of your cake.

I know you’re going to love all the caramel in this cake and these layers will be a new favorite!

Make Ahead Tips

• Cake layers – The cake layers are a great element to make ahead of time. I like to let me layers cool to room temperature and then wrap them well with plastic wrap. Let the layers thaw for about an hour before you decorate the cake.
• Buttercream – the buttercream recipe can be made a week ahead of time and stored in airtight containers in the fridge. Make sure to let the buttercream gets back to room temperature and beat it again for a few minutes to restore the fluffy texture.
• Caramel – the salted caramel can also be made ahead of time. I store mine in a mason jar in the fridge. You’ll need to reheat slightly before using to soften the caramel.

I can’t wait to see your finished product of the most delicious caramel cake! Make sure to tag me on IG so I can see them: #cakebycourtney @cakebycourtney.

Enjoy!

More Recipes Like This

• Chocolate Dulce de Leche Cake
• No-Bake Dulce de Leche Cheesecake with Golden Grahams Crust
• The Most Delicious Coconut Caramel Cake
• Tres Leches Cake
• 3 Amazing Chocolate Cake Recipes from Scratch

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Caramel Cake

Caramel cake layers with caramel buttercream and a drizzle of caramel.

Course Dessert

Cuisine Cake

Keyword Beginner, Caramel Cake

Servings 20

Ingredients

FOR THE CAKE

• 1 cup (226 g) unsalted butter at room temperature
• 1 1/2 cups (300 g) granulated sugar
• 4 large eggs at room temperature
• 1 tsp (4.2 g) vanilla extract
• 3 cups (360 g) all-purpose flour
• 1 tbsp (10 g) baking powder
• 1 tsp (5.6 g) salt
• 1 1/4 cups (300 g) whole milk at room temperature
• 13.4 can (380 g) dulce de leche THIS is the brand I use

FOR THE CARAMEL & BUTTERCREAM

• 1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar
• 8 tbsp (113 g) water
• 4 tsp (28 g) light corn syrup
• 3/4 cup (173 g) heavy whipping cream at room temperature
• 2 tsp (8.4 g) vanilla extract
• 2 tsp (11.2 g) salt
• 2 cups (452 g) unsalted butter slightly cold
• 6 cups (750 g) powdered sugar measured and then sifted
• *This buttercream makes enough to fill and frost the cake. If you want to add any piping to the top of your cake, I recommend making an extra 1/4 to 1/2 batch.
• **If you don't want to make your own caramel for the buttercream, you can use dulce de leche

Instructions

FOR THE CAKE

• Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Spray three 8-inch cake pans (or four 6-inch pans) with nonstick spray, line the bottom with parchment paper and spray again. Set aside.
• In a medium sized mixing bowl, combine the flour, baking powder and salt. Whisk to combine and then set aside.
• In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the butter and the sugar. Mix on medium-high speed for about 3 to 5 minutes, until the mixture is light and fluffy.
• Add the eggs, one at a time, scraping down the sides and bottom of the bowl to make sure all of the butter and sugar are mixed well with the eggs. Add the vanilla.
• With the mixer on medium-high speed, add the dulce de leche and mix for a couple minutes. The mixture will get a little lighter in color.
• With the mixer on low speed, alternately add the dry ingredients and the milk, starting and ending with the dry mixture. Mix until just combined.
• Pour the batter into your three 8-inch pans (or four 6-inch pans) and bake until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out with a few moist crumbs on it, about 25 to 30 minutes.
• Allow the cakes to cool in the pan on wire racks for about 10 to 15 minutes and then invert onto wire racks (TIP: spray the racks with non stick spray) and allow to cool completely.
• Cakes can be made ahead of time and wrapped in plastic wrap and frozen until ready to use. Be sure to give the cakes about 30 to 60 minutes at room temperature before stacking and decorating.

FOR THE CARAMEL & BUTTERCREAM

• 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 (I like to let mine get nearly bronze). 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 completely before making the frosting.
• Once the caramel sauce is cooled completely, divide it in half and reserve one half of the caramel drizzle in the cake. Use the other half for the frosting (see below).
• In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the butter, powdered sugar and caramel together and beat until smooth. If the icing seems to stiff, add a bit of cream – just a little at a time until it reaches a smooth, spreadable consistency of your liking.

ASSEMBLY

• Place the first cake layer in the center of the cake board. Using an offset palette knife, spread about 1 cup of the buttercream evenly across the cake layer. Drizzle with about a tablespoon or two of caramel sauce.
• Place the second cake layer on top of the frosting. Frost the top of the second cake and drizzle with another tablespoon or so of caramel.
• Place the third cake layer, top side down.
• Crumb coat the entire cake with a thin layer of frosting and freeze for about 10 to 15 minutes to set.
• Once the crumb coat is set, continue to frost the cake with the remaining frosting, and then use the remaining caramel sauce as a drip. 

The post The Most Delicious Caramel Cake first appeared on Cake by Courtney.

Peanut Butter Obsession

By now, you probably know my deep love for peanut butter. Correction – obsession for peanut butter would be more accurate! I could eat it with just about anything. Once, I even had it on a burger at Lucky 13 in Salt Lake. And it was so good! 

One of my favorite ways to enjoy peanut butter is in a traditional peanut butter and jelly sandwich. My go-to method is with smooth Skippy peanut butter, strawberry jam and white bread. Hmmm. (I’m having flashbacks to my childhood just thinking about it). I never get tired of a PB&J sandwich! So, turning it into a cake was the obvious next move for me.

Peanut Butter and Jelly Cake

A couple years ago, I tried a couple peanut butter cake recipes, but wasn’t impressed with them. The recipes I tested came out dry and didn’t have enough peanut butter flavor. I decided to come up with my own recipe by combining ideas from others and adding a few things of my own. I’m so pleased with how the cake layers came out! 

To make sure the cake layers came out tender, I used cake flour. From the other recipes I tried, I noticed that all-purpose flour with the peanut butter created a cake that was too dense. In my recipe, I also use buttermilk, a generous serving of peanut butter and a teaspoon of cinnamon! Oh man! That cinnamon is a game changer. It’s just a hint but I think makes the cake what it is.

The cake is also moist with the perfect peanut butter flavor.

Peanut Butter Buttercream

For the filling, I use my mom’s homemade strawberry jam. There’s nothing else like it, if you ask me. If you don’t have homemade jam on hand, don’t worry. Your favorite store bought jam will work great too.

For my peanut butter frosting, I adapted one I already use and love from Annie Eats. Instead of whipping the cream and folding it in at the end, I just added a little cream at the end and whipped the frosting mixture like I usually do. It’s still creamy and smooth, and just as delicious – it just has a little more stability to it. 

One bite of this cake and I think you’ll agree, it’s definitely a peanut butter and jelly sandwich in cake form! What could be better than that? Look at these layers!

I can’t wait for you to try it out! If you love peanut butter, you’re going to go nuts for this cake!

And here’s a quick look at how to assembly this cake:

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• Easy Peanut Butter and Jelly Bars
• The Ultimate Chocolate Peanut Butter Cake
• Peanut Butter Cake with Chocolate Buttercream
• Sweet and Savory Honey Fig Goat Cheese Cake

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Peanut Butter and Jelly Cake

Peanut Butter and Jelly Cake.

Peanut butter cake layers with strawberry jam and peanut butter frosting.

Course Dessert

Cuisine Cake

Prep Time 1 hour hour

Cook Time 23 minutes minutes

Total Time 2 hours hours 23 minutes minutes

Author Courtney Rich

Ingredients

FOR THE CAKE

• 3 cups (345 g ) cake flour
• 3 teaspoons (12 g) baking powder
• 1 teaspoon (5.6 g) coarse salt
• 1 teaspoon (2.6 g) cinnamon
• 1 cup (226 g) unsalted butter at room temperature
• 1 cup (250 g) peanut butter
• 2 cups (400) g granulated sugar
• 4 eggs at room temperature
• 1 cup (240 g) buttermilk at room temperature
• 1 tablespoon (13 g) vanilla extract

FOR THE BUTTERCREAM

• 5 cups (625 g) powdered sugar, measured and then sifted
• 1 1/2 cups (339 g) unsalted butter, slightly chilled
• 1 cup (250 g) creamy peanut butter
• 1 tablespoon (13 g) pure vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup (57.75 g) heavy whipping cream
• Pinch of coarse 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 1/2 batch.

Extras

• Seedless strawberry jam
• Lightly salted peanuts optional

Instructions

FOR THE CAKE

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Spray three 8-inch or four 6-inch pans with nonstick spray, line the bottoms with parchment paper and spray again. Set aside.  
• Sift together the flour, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon. Set aside.
• In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, mix together the butter and peanut butter until creamy. Add in the sugar and mix on medium for about 3 minutes. 
• Decrease the speed to low and add in the vanilla and eggs, one at a time. Stop the mixer and scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl.
• With the mixer on low, add in half of the flour mixture, then stream in the buttermilk and mix until incorporated. Add in the remaining flour and mix until combined. 
• Evenly divide the batter between the cake pans and bake for about 30 to 35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cakes comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack for 10-15 minutes before removing the cakes from their pans.

FOR THE BUTTERCREAM

• In the bowl of electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the butter and peanut butter. Beat on medium-high speed until smooth, about 45 seconds.
• Add the powdered  sugar to the bowl and mix in, slowly at first until incorporated, then increasing the mixer speed to high. Blend in the vanilla extract, salt and heavy whipping cream, and continue to whip on high speed until very fluffy, about 4-5 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. 
• To remove air bubbles from the frosting, use a wooden spoon to stir and push out the air bubbles.

ASSEMBLY

• Place your first layer on the cake board. Spread about 1/2 cup of peanut butter frosting on the cake and then pipe a border of the peanut butter frosting around the edge to create a wall for the jam. Fill the center with about 1/2 cup strawberry jam and carefully spread it around. Don’t add too much jam or the cake will be unstable as you continue to stack and frost.
• Place the second layer of cake on top of the first layer and repeat step one.
• Place the third layer of cake, bottom side up, on the second layer and spread a thin layer of frosting around the entire cake to create a crumb coat. Freeze the cake for 10 to 15 to set the crumb coat.
• After the crumb coat is set, continue to frost the cake with the remaining frosting. 
• If you use a cake board on top of the cake like I did in my video above, you’ll want to freeze the cake again for another 20 to 30 minutes after you’ve frosted the sides and before you take the cake board off the top. This will ensure you get sharp edges when you cut it off with a knife. You’ll then add frosting to the top of the cake after you’ve removed the cake board.

The post Peanut Butter and Jelly Cake first appeared on Cake by Courtney.

Lemon Poppy Seed Bundt Cake

This Lemon Poppy Seed Cake is one of my favorite cakes on the blog. I’ve made it as a layered cake and used it as the base of my Orange Poppy Seed Cake and my Grapefruit Poppy Seed Cake. Now, it’s a bundt!

I shared a video on my IGTV with the tutorial and recipe but didn’t get a chance to write the blog post with all the details until now.

Lemon Poppy Seed Cake

The recipe for this bundt cake is simply my Lemon Poppy Seed Cake, but with a glaze instead of buttercream. I know many of you have already fallen in love with this cake recipe from the layered version, so I know you’ll absolutely die over this bundt cake version, as well.

And if you haven’t tried this cake or even a layered cake yet, I think you’ll find that this bundt cake is not only delicious but super easy too!

The recipe for this Lemon Poppy Seed Bundt Cake is the exact same as the layered cake, but the time and temperature we are baking the bundt cake are different. When we combine the wet and dry ingredients it will be a lot! Because we have too much batter in one pan, we have to bake at a lower temperature for a longer time so we get a more even bake on this cake. This is a rich and dense cake that tastes divine!

How to Make Sure Your Cake Doesn’t Stick to Your Bundt Pan

The key to making sure your Lemon Poppy Seed Bundt cake doesn’t stick to the pan is twofold:

• Make sure to spray your pan with nonstick spray and dust it with flour.
• Allow your cake to cool completely for at least 30 to 60 minutes before you invert it onto a wire rack.

Lemon Butter Glaze

The glaze is super simple, but don’t let that fool you! This glaze is what makes the cake, in my opinion. You’ll simply combine melted butter, lemon juice, and powdered sugar. That’s it!

You’ll see in the picture above that I’ve placed my Lemon Poppy Seed Bundt Cake on a cooling rack on top of a jelly roll pan. I did this so that I could coat my bundt cake with the lemon butter glaze several times. After the first glaze, scoop the leftover glaze back into your bowl and pour it over the cake again. I did this about four times. I then placed my cake on a cake stand with a rim and poured the glaze over the cake one more time. This will then allow the cake to soak up the glaze from the bottom, as well. This is the bundt pan I use. A fun thing I learned- a bundt pan is a type of tube pan! A tube pan is perfect for pound-style or butter cakes.

Alright, you’re all set to whip up this delicious and easy bundt cake.

Enjoy!

More Recipes You’ll Love

• Light and Fluffy Lemon Poppy Seed Cake – Updated
• Summertime Orange Almond Poppy Seed Cake with Almond Buttercream
• 5 Easy Lemon Cake Recipes From Scratch
• Grapefruit Poppy Seed Cake
• Florida Orange Flower Cake

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Lemon Poppy Seed Bundt Cake

Tender and moist lemon poppy seed cake with a lemon butter glaze.

Course Dessert

Cuisine Cake

Keyword Bundt Cake, Lemon Poppy Seed, Lemon Poppy Seed Bundt Cake, Lemon Poppy Seed Cake

Ingredients

FOR THE CAKE

• 1 cup (226 g) unsalted butter at room temperature
• 1 3/4 cups (350 g) granulated sugar
• 6 egg whites at room temperature
• 1 cup (240 g) sour cream at room temperature
• 1 cup (230 g) lemon juice
• zest of one large lemon
• 3 cups (345 g) cake flour
• 1 tbsp (10 g) baking powder
• 1 tsp (5 g) salt
• 3 tbsp (27 g) poppy seeds soak in water for an hour before making the cake

FOR THE GLAZE

• 1/2 cup (113 g) unsalted butter melted
• 1/2 cup (120 g) lemon juice
• 2 cups (250 g) powdered sugar measured and then sifted

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, salt, lemon zest and poppy seeds. Whisk to combine. Set aside.
• In the bowl of an electric mixer, fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and the sugar together on medium speed for about 2 to 3 minutes.
• Add the egg whites, in three additions, making sure to mix well between each addition and scraping down the sides of the bowl.
• Add the sour cream and mix.
• With the mixer on low speed alternately add the flour mixture and the lemon juice to the butter mixture, starting and finishing with the flour mixture. Mix until combined.
• Pour the batter into your prepared bundt pan. Bake for about 45 to 50 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 in the bundt pan for at least 30 minutes 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 GLAZE

• Combine all the ingredients in a mixing bowl and whisk until smooth.

ASSEMBLY

• Place the bundt cake on a cooling rack that is set on top of a cooking tray. Pour the glaze over the cake. Once you've used all the glaze, scoop the leftover glaze on the cookie sheet, back into a cup to pour over the cake again. You'll repeat this 3 to 4 times.
• After you've coated the cake 3 to 4 times, place your bundt cake on a cake stand with a rim. Pour the glaze over the cake one more time. Now the cake will soak in the glaze a bit before serving.

The post Moist and Delicious Lemon Poppy Seed Bundt Cake first appeared on Cake by Courtney.

Strawberry Dark Chocolate Truffle Cake

Another favorite cake around here for the Valentine’s Day is my Strawberry Dark Chocolate Truffle Cake. This decadent dessert is made with my moist and rich dark chocolate cake layers, silky smooth strawberry buttercream, dark chocolate ganache, and fresh strawberries. One bite and you’ll instantly be thinking you’re diving into a See’s Candy truffle. 

The Perfect Chocolate Cake

Strawberry Buttercream

This strawberry buttercream is something special! The smooth texture and incredible flavor comes from using LorAnn Oils Strawberry Emulsion. Because we’re using an emulsion instead of strawberry puree, the buttercream holds together so well. 

In addition to powdered sugar, butter and heavy whipping cream, make sure you get the emulsion. It’s essential for the flavoring. You’ll find it on Amazon, as well as Michael’s and Orson Gygi. 

Other Valentine’s Cakes You’ll Love

• Raspberry Chocolate Truffle Cake
• Rich and Decadent Chocolate Blackberry Cake
• Red Velvet Cookie Cake
• Red Velvet Cake with Marshmallow Filling 
• Pink Pavlova

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Strawberry Dark Chocolate Truffle Cake

Rich dark chocolate cake layers with strawberry buttercream and chocolate ganache.

Course Dessert

Cuisine Cake

Keyword chocolate, Chocolate Cake, Chocolate Strawberry Cake, Strawberry, Strawberry Buttercream, Strawberry Dark Chocolate Truffle Cake

Servings 1 3-layer, 8-inch cake

Ingredients

For the Cake

• 2 cups (240 g) all-purpose flour
• 1 3/4 cups (350 g) granulated sugar
• 3/4 cup (88.5 g) good quality 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, room temperature
• 1/2 cup (109 g) vegetable oil
• 3 large eggs, room temperature
• 1 teaspoon (4.2 g) vanilla extract
• 1 cup (236 g) hot water or coffee

For the Buttercream

• 2 cups (452 g) unsalted butter, slightly chilled
• 6 cups (750 g) powdered sugar, measured and then sifted
• 1 teaspoon (4.2 g) strawberry emulsion
• 2 tablespoons (28.87 g) heavy whipping 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 1/2 batch.

For the Ganache

• 8 oz dark chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup (120 g) heavy whipping cream, (If you want a thinner consistency to your chocolate ganache to be able to do the drip technique, use 1 cup cream with 1 cup chocolate chips)

Garnish and Filling

• Strawberries

Instructions

For the Cake

• Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Spray three 8-inch or four 6-inch round cake pans with nonstick spray, line with parchment paper, then spray the parchment paper as well. Set aside.
• 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. Mix lightly 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, and mixing for 30 more seconds on medium-low speed.
• Pour the batter into the prepared pans (about 15 to 16 ounces in each 8-inch pan or 10 ounces in each 6-inch pan) and bake for 25 to 30, until a toothpick comes out with a few moist crumbs on it.
• Cool in the pans for 10 minutes, then turn them out onto a cooling rack and cool completely.
• Wrap in plastic wrap and chill until ready to use. You’re still going to want to level your cake layers to ensure a completely even surface for frosting and stacking. 

For the Buttercream

• In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter for about one minute on medium speed.
• With the mixer on low speed, gradually add the sifted powdered sugar and mix until combined.
• Add the strawberry emulsion and salt. Mix on medium-low speed until combined.
• With the mixer still on medium-low speed, add the whipping cream. Turn the mixer to medium speed and beat the frosting for about 3 to 4 minutes, until light and fluffy.
• Remove the bowl from the stand mixer and use a wooden spoon to stir the frosting by hand to push out any air bubbles. 

For the Ganache

• Combine the chocolate chips and heavy cream in a microwave safe bowl and place in the microwave. Heat for 30 seconds, stir the mixture and heat for another 30 seconds. Using a whisk, mix the melted chocolate and cream until it comes together to create a smooth, silky ganache. Let the ganache cool to room temperature before using on the cake. 

Assembly

• Level each of the cake layers. Spread a small amount of frosting on a cake board to help hold the cake in place.
• Place the first cake layer, bottom-side down, in the center of the cake board. Using an offset palette knife, spread about 1/2 to 2/3 cup frosting evenly across the cake layer. If using fresh strawberries, sprinkle 1/2 cup strawberries on the frosting and gently push them into the frosting.
• Place the second cake layer on top of the strawberry frosting layer and repeat step 2.
• Place the final cake layer, bottom-side up, on top of the second strawberry frosting layer and give the cake an even crumb coat, making sure to fill in uneven areas of the cake to create an even foundation for your main frosting.
• Freeze the cake for 10 minutes to set the crumb coat.
• Continue to frost the cake and then spread or drip ganache. 

The post Strawberry Dark Chocolate Truffle Cake first appeared on Cake by Courtney.

Happy Tuesday, friends! I hope the start of the new year hasn’t felt too stressful and you’re ready to dive into cake.

Chocolate Sour Cream Cake

Today’s cake is one of my vintage cake revivals. You may remember that last year I dove into vintage cakes from my vintage cookbook collection. Chocolate Sour Cream Cake was one that I repeatedly found in my collect, so I decided to make my own version and give the old classic an update.

You’ll find this recipe below, as well as in my new COOKBOOK.

Original Recipe

Similar to the Florida Orange Cake I made last year from the vintage cookbooks, the chocolate sour cream cake from my vintage books was shortening-based and didn’t have a lot of liquid or fats, aside from the sour cream. The original recipes also didn’t have very much cocoa – which I understand, because these recipes were created in the 1940s, in the middle of a war when a lot of ingredients were rationed.

In fact, the more I make recipes from this cookbook, the more I appreciate the women’s resourcefulness during this time. While ingredients like shortening and water aren’t my go-to add-ins for cakes, these bakers were able to make do with what they had and created beautiful cakes that I have no doubt were the talk of the town!

The picture below shows you the difference my updates made in this cake. The cake on the left is from a recipe in my vintage books. The cake on the right is my new chocolate sour cream cake.

So let’s talk about the updates I made.

Updated Recipe

I baked the cake on the left according to the original recipe. It turned out a little dry and bland but wasn’t too far off from the texture and flavor I expected. Only a few small tweaks were needed.

• Buttermilk – I added some buttermilk to the recipe to help add moisture. Like sour cream, this acidic ingredient helps to tenderize the gluten in the flour, which gives our baked goods a softer texture and more volume.
• Oil – In place of shortening, I decided to try out vegetable oil. I use it in my chocolate cake and it works great with the buttermilk, eggs, and water to create moisture. You can also use butter or another type of oil as a substitute for the shortening.
• Cocoa Powder – to give the cake a slightly richer chocolate flavor, I added cocoa powder to the recipe. I usually use THIS more expensive, dark cocoa powder in my chocolate cakes, but wanted to stay true to the budget-conscious mind of 1940, and used basic, inexpensive Hershey’s unsweetened cocoa.

The end result of round two was a tender, moist and extra-rich chocolate cake. The overall texture, of the original recipe and my updated recipe, is slightly denser and brownie-like compared to my go-to chocolate cake. (Just a heads up).

Note: This cake is baked in an 8″ x 8″ square pan. Be sure to spray the bottom and sides of the pan, add some parchment to the bottom and spray again – just like we do with our round cake pans.

Can I double this recipe?

Yes, you can absolutely double this recipe and create a 9″ x 13″ cake or a two-layered 8-inch round cake. Be sure to add a little extra time for baking.

Chocolate Sour Cream Buttercream

You are going to love this buttercream. It’s silky, rich with flavor, and has the most delicious balance of bittersweet chocolate and tangy sour cream.

Not only is this Chocolate Sour Cream Buttercream divine, it’s easy to make and pipes beautifully.

How to Make the Best Buttercream Frosting

To get this 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 (in this recipe, we’re using sour cream instead)
• 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.

IMPORTANT For chocolate buttercream specifically, remember to heat the cream and chocolate together first. You’ll then stir the mixture until it becomes a smooth ganache. Once the ganache has cooled slightly, you’ll add the mixture to the butter and continue making the buttercream according to the instructions.

More Recipes You’ll Enjoy

• The Perfect Pound Cake Recipe
• Red Velvet Cake with Chocolate Sour Cream Frosting
• Light and Fluffy Lemon Poppy Seed Cake – Updated
• Super Easy Mint Andes Double Chocolate Cookies
• Grandma’s Vintage Blueberry Delight Recipe

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Chocolate Sour Cream Cake

Course Dessert

Cuisine Cake

Keyword chocolate, chocolate buttercream, Chocolate Cake, Chocolate Sour Cream Cake

Ingredients

For the Chocolate Sour Cream Cake

• 1/2 cup (95 g) vegetable oil
• 1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar
• 2 eggs, room temperature
• 1/2 cup (120 g) sour cream, room temperature
• 1/2 cup (120 g) buttermilk, room temperature
• 2 ounces (56 g) unsweetened chocolate baking squares, melted
• 1/3 cup (33 g) cocoa powder
• 2 cups (226 g) cake flour
• 2 teaspoons (8 g) baking powder
• 3/4 teaspoon (3 g) baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon (2.5 g) salt

For the Chocolate Sour Cream Buttercream

• 1/2 cup (113 g) unsalted butter, slightly cold
• 4 ounces unsweetened chocolate baking squares, melted
• 3 cups (375 g) powdered sugar, measured then sifted
• 1/4 cup (60 g) sour cream
• 1/2 teaspoon (2 g) vanilla extract
• pinch of salt

Instructions

For the Chocolate Sour Cream Cake

• Preheat your oven to 325 degrees F. Spray an 8″ x 8″ square baking pan with nonstick spray, line the bottom with parchment paper and spray again. Set aside.
• In a medium size mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
• In a small bowl, combine the sour cream and the buttermilk. Stir to combine. Set aside.
• In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the oil, sugar and eggs on medium speed for about two minutes, until light and fluffy in color and texture.
• Add the melted baking chocolate and stir to combine. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl. Mix for another 20 to 30 seconds.
• With the mixer on low speed, add 1/3 of the dry ingredients, followed by half of the buttermilk and sour cream mixture, 1/3 of the dry ingredients, the second half of the buttercream and sour cream mixture and then the final 1/3 of the dry ingredients. Mix just until combined.
• Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for about 25 to 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes outs with just a few moist crumbs on it.
• Let cool completely before frosting.

For the Chocolate Sour Cream Buttercream

• In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter for about 2 minutes on medium-high speed.
• Turn the mixer to low speed and slowly add the melted chocolate. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and mix well.
• Gradually add the powdered sugar, vanilla and pinch of salt. Add the sour cream.
• Turn the mixer to medium-high speed and beat the frosting for about 5 minutes.
• Evenly spread over the cake layer once the cake has cooled completely.

Notes

NOTE: This cake can be made into a two layer 8-inch round cake by doubling the batter and buttercream. 


The post Easy and Delicious Chocolate Sour Cream Cake first appeared on Cake by Courtney.

Chocolate and peanut butter are my love language! Separate or together, there’s really no day or time I’ll say no to either. Put them together and I’m even more obsessed! I’ve used these flavors in two other cakes: Chocolate Cake with Peanut Butter Frosting and Peanut Butter Cake with Chocolate Buttercream… but it was time to finally combine both flavors and add them both to the cake layers and buttercream.

How to Make Chocolate Peanut Butter Cake

You will love how easy this cake is to make. We have two elements: cake layers and buttercream.

We’ll start by making the chocolate peanut butter cake batter and baking it in three 8-inch cake pans for about 30 to 35 minutes.

Ingredients You’ll Need for the Chocolate Peanut Butter Cake

• Unsalted butter
• Peanut butter
• Granulated sugar
• Eggs
• Cake flour
• Dark cocoa powder
• Salt
• Buttermilk
• White distilled vinegar
• Baking soda

I’m sharing my go-to tips for making moist cakes from scratch below but just wanted to take a minute to talk about number 4 on that list: beat butter, sugar, and eggs on high for a few minutes.

With this type of cake batter, it is super important to spend some time beating these three ingredients on medium-high. We want to create volume in the batter at this point, so mix at a 6-8 on your Kitchen Aid, until the mixture is lighter in color and bigger in volume.

Once you add the dry ingredients, however, make sure to mix on low so you don’t over-mix your batter. Over-mixing your batter will cause it to be dense.

At the end, you’ll fold in the baking soda and vinegar mixture. This will help the cake layers to rise beautifully.

HOW TO MAKE MOIST CAKES FROM SCRATCH

• Preheat the oven 30 minutes before baking.
• Use room temperature ingredients.
• Spray your pan. Line with parchment paper.
• Beat butter, sugar, and eggs on high for a few minutes.
• Turn the mixer to LOW once you add dry ingredients.
• Bake at 325 degrees F. (This is my new normal and gets beautifully level cakes!)
• Don’t overbake your cake layer. When you insert a toothpick into the center of the cake it should come out with a few moist crumbs on it.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Buttercream

This chocolate peanut butter buttercream is pure decadence! We’re using my favorite chocolate buttercream recipe and adding peanut butter to it. It’s simple and it’s delicious.

Ingredients You Need for the Frosting

• Unsalted butter
• Peanut butter
• Dark chocolate chips
• Heavy whipping cream
• Powdered sugar

HOW TO MAKE THE BEST BUTTERCREAM FROSTING

To get a light and fluffy homemade buttercream frosting for this cake, I have a detailed post: HOW TO MAKE THE BEST BUTTERCREAM to give you in-depth instructions for making your buttercream unreal! Here’s a quick overview.

• Sift your powdered sugar
• Use slightly cold butter and mix on its own for 2 to 3 minutes
• Use heavy whipping cream
• Beat for 5 minutes
• Stir by hand

Other Cakes You’ll Love

• Chocolate Cake with Peanut Butter Frosting
• Peanut Butter Cake with Chocolate Frosting
• Peanut Butter Oreo Cake
• The Most Delicious Chocolate Cake
• Decadent Snickers Candy Bar Cake

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The Ultimate Chocolate Peanut Butter Cake

Chocolate peanut butter cake layers with chocolate peanut butter buttercream.

Course Dessert

Cuisine Cake

Keyword chocolate, Chocolate Cake, Chocolate Peanut Butter Cake, Peanut Butter

Servings 20 people

Ingredients

FOR THE CHOCOLATE PEANUT BUTTER CAKE

• 3 1/4 cups (373.75 g) cake flour
• 3/4 cup (75 g) dark cocoa powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoons (8 g) salt
• 3/4 cup (169.5 g) unsalted butter at room temperature
• 1 cup (240 g) smooth peanut butter
• 1 3/4 cups (350 g) granulated sugar
• 5 large eggs at room temperature
• 2 cups (480 g) buttermilk at room temperature
• 1 1/2 tablespoons (21 g) white distilled vinegar
• 2 1/2 teaspoons (10 g) baking soda

FOR THE CHOCOLATE PEANUT BUTTER BUTTERCREAM

• 1/4 cup (60 g) heavy whipping cream
• 8 ounces dark chocolate
• 2 cups (452 g) unsalted butter slightly cold
• 5 cups (625 g) powdered sugar measured then sifted
• 1/2 cup (120 g) smooth peanut butter
• *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 1/2 batch.

Instructions

FOR THE CAKE

• Preheat your oven to 325 degrees F. Spray three 8-inch round pans with nonstick spray, line the bottom with parchment paper and spray again. Set aside.
• In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, salt, and cocoa powder. Set aside.
• In the bowl of an electric mixer, fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the butter, peanut butter, and sugar. Beat on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and mix again for another minute.
• Add the eggs, one at a time, being sure to mix and scrape down the sides of the bowl between each addition. Once all of the eggs are added, continue to beat on medium-high speed for about two mintues, until the mixture gets lighter in color and bigger in volume.
• With the mixer on low speed, add 1/3 of the flour mixture, followed by 1 cup of the buttermilk. Continue with another 1/3 of the flour, the second half of the buttermilk and then the remaining flour mixture. Stir until combined.
• In a small bowl, combine the vinegar and baking soda. The mixture will bubble. Add the mixture to the cake batter and stir on low until combined. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and mix again for another 20 seconds.
• Divide the batter evenly between the prepared pans (21 ounces in each of the 8-inch pans). Bake for about 30 to 35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with a few moist crumbs on it.

  Allow to cool in pans for 15 minutes before inverting onto wire racks to cool completely.

FOR THE BUTTERCREAM

• Heat the cream and chocolate chips together in the microwave for about 45 to 60 seconds. Stir the mixture until the chips are melted. If the chocolate isn't melting enough, heat the mixture again for another 30 seconds. Stir until smooth. Set aside to cool. We want the ganache to be close to room temperature before adding it to the butter.
• In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and peanut butter on medium-high until it's light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
• With the mixer on medium speed, gradually add the ganache mixture, scraping down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed. Beat until silky, smooth.
• With the mixer on low speed, gradually add the powdered sugar. Turn the mixer to medium-high and beat the buttercream for about 3 to 5 minutes.

FOR ASSEMBLY

• Place the first cake layer top side up, in the center of the cake board. Evenly spread 1 cup of the buttercream over the cake layer.
• Repeat for second cake layer.
• Place the final cake layer, top side down, on the second layer of filling.
• Apply a thin layer of buttercream around the cake. Freeze the cake for 15 minutes to set the crumb coat.
• Once the crumb coat is set, continue frosting the cake with the remaining buttercream.

The post The Ultimate Chocolate Peanut Butter Cake first appeared on Cake by Courtney.

I love revisiting some of my older cake recipes and introducing them to so many of my new friends here. This coconut cake is a few years old and has been on my list to revisit for months now.

Coconut Cake

I originally came up with this recipe a few years ago for a friend’s wedding. I remember it being full of flavor. However, it was a little more dense than I imagine the perfect coconut cake to be. With the idea of lightening the texture a bit, this cake has been on my mind for a while now.

Recipe Testing

As I looked at my old coconut cake recipe, I spotted a major problem. The quantity was off for three 8-inch pans. I also noticed that in the original recipe, I had a lot of liquids and fats and not quite enough flour. This was probably why it was on the denser side. When I started my first round of recipe revisions, I  added more flour and sugar right off the bat. I also tried using cream of coconut (the bottled kind I like for my frosting), instead of the canned coconut – simply because I love the flavor in my frosting.

However, with the addition of granulated sugar and the bottled cream of coconut (which also has a lot of extra sugar), my cake sank. The flavor was awesome, but the cake sank and that was a no-go.

Round 2

I cut back on the granulated sugar (which tends to weigh cakes down), took out the coconut oil (not sure it was really adding anything), and kept the bottled cream of coconut. The cake still sank a little. It was also a bit overly sweet, so I decided to go back to the canned coconut cream I originally used. The canned coconut cream isn’t as sweet, but has a delicious coconut flavor.

Round 3

For round 3, I used a cup of canned coconut cream, cake flour, granulated sugar, all egg whites and a little more baking powder. This combination of ingredients are what I hoped would help get my cake to rise nicely, taste amazing, and have a light and fluffy texture.

And sure enough, success!

I am so pleased with how my new version of my Coconut Cream Cake turned out. The flavor is truly amazing and the texture is now light and fluffy! I’ve added my coconut buttercream to cover the top and sides from my Almond Joy Cake and am personally rating this cake a 10!

Enjoy!

Similar Recipes You’ll Love

• Coconut Cake with Chocolate Coconut Buttercream
• Light and Fluffy Coconut Lemon Raspberry Cake
• Seven Layer Bar Cake
• The Perfect Coconut Key Lime Pie Cake
• Banana Lemon Cream Cake with Caramel, Coconut and Pecan Buttercream

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Coconut Cream Cake

Tender and fluffy coconut cake layers, with coconut buttercream and toasted coconut.

Course Dessert

Cuisine Cake

Keyword Coconut, Coconut Cream Cake

Servings 1 3-layer, 8-inch cake

Ingredients

For the Cake

• 1 1/2 cups (300 g) granulated sugar
• 1 cup (226 g) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 4 large egg whites, room temperature
• 2 whole eggs, at room temperature
• 1 cup (231 g) canned coconut milk (the cream and the liquid mixed together)
• 1 tablespoon (16 g) coconut emulsion
• 1 teaspoon (4.2 g) vanilla extract
• 3 cups (345 g) cake flour
• 1 tablespoon (12 g) baking powder
• 1 teaspoon (6 g) salt

For the Buttercream

• 2 cups (452 g) unsalted butter, slightly cold
• 1/4 cup (57.75 g) cream of coconut (in the bottle, not the can)
• 6 cups (750 g) powdered sugar, measured and then sifted
• 1 tablespoon (16 g) coconut emulsion
• 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 1/2 batch.

For the Garnish

• 1 1/2 cups (225 g) sweetened shredded coconut, toasted

Instructions

For the Cake

• Preheat your oven to 325 degrees F. Spray three 8-inch round cake pans with nonstick spray, line the bottom with parchment paper and spray again. Set aside.
• In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and the sugar together on medium-high speed for two minutes.
• 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 2 minutes after all the eggs are added. The mixture should be smooth and fluffy.
• Add the coconut emulsion and vanilla extract.
• In a medium size mixing bowl, whisk the cake flour, baking powder, and salt.
• 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 the tops are slightly golden brown and the edges of the cake start to pull away from the sides of the pan. 
• Let cool in pans for 10 minutes and then invert onto cooling racks to cool completely.

For the Buttercream

• In a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, combine the butter and coconut cream. 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 extracts and salt.
• Turn the mixer to medium speed and beat the frosting until it is light and fluffy, about 2 to 3 minutes.
• Use a wooden spoon to stir out air bubbles.

Assembly

• Level each cake layer with a knife or leveling tool.
• Place your first cake layer, right-side up, on a cake plate or cake board. Cover the cake layer with about 3/4 cup frosting.
• Repeat step 2 for the second layer, and then place the final cake layer on top, bottom-side up.
• Apply a thin layer of frosting around the entire cake to create a crumb coat. Chill the cake in the freezer for 10 minutes.
• After the crumb coat is chilled, continue frosting the cake and decorate with toasted coconut. Alternatively, you can add toasted coconut in between each cake layer if you don’t want it on the outside of the cake.

The post Coconut Cream Cake first appeared on Cake by Courtney.

As soon as fall arrives, it’s time to embrace all things cozy—warm spices, pumpkin-flavored everything, and, of course, baking! One of the best ways to capture the essence of the season is by making a Pumpkin Bundt Cake. This cake is a showstopper: its beautiful shape, rich flavors, and moist texture make it perfect for any autumn gathering or simply enjoying with a cup of coffee at home. Plus, Bundt cakes are deceptively simple to make, requiring minimal effort but delivering maximum wow-factor.

In this blog post, I’ll guide you through making the best pumpkin Bundt cake with tips for achieving the perfect texture, flavor, and presentation. Whether you’re a pumpkin spice aficionado or just looking for a comforting dessert to warm up your kitchen, this cake is sure to hit the spot.

Pumpkin Bundt Cake

Pumpkin adds a natural sweetness and incredible moisture to baked goods, making it an ideal ingredient for cakes. In this Bundt cake, it creates a rich and tender crumb while pairing beautifully with fall spices like cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves. The Bundt shape also provides a stunning presentation with minimal effort—simply pour the batter into the pan, bake, and you’re left with an elegant, cake that’s ready to impress.

Other Pumpkin Cake Recipes You’ll Love

The pumpkin cake is my tried and true pumpkin cake recipe from several recipes you’ll find on my site, including:

• Pumpkin Gingersnap Cake
• Pumpkin Pie Cake
• Pumpkin Cake with Maple Cream Cheese Buttercream
• Pumpkin Cake with Chocolate Ganache

Clearly, I love this cake!

Two Tips for Removing the Cake

• TIME: Allow your cake to cool completely, about an hour, before flipping the cake onto your cake stand. If you try to take your cake out of the pan too early, it’s likely to stick to the sides of the pan and break.
• PAN: Make sure you have a good quality pan. I like THIS bundt pan and haven’t had a single issue getting my cake to fall from the pan after I’ve let it cool completely.

Butter Rum Sauce

For the sauce, I made my mom’s Butter Rum Sauce. It’s a recipe she’s had in her kitchen for years and it was the perfect match to this pumpkin cake. The recipe only calls for one teaspoon of rum extract, but if you love that flavor, add some more!

You’ll simply heat the sauce ingredients over the stove and then let it cool just a bit before pouring it over your cake. This sauce doesn’t sit on the cake. Instead, it will run down the cake and create a pool of buttery goodness for your cake to soak in. Just make sure to scoop some extra sauce onto each slice as you serve.

Butter Rum Sauce Alternatives

If you don’t love a butter rum sauce, you can have the cake plain (i.e. like pumpkin bread), or try some of these options:

• Chocolate ganache
• Cream cheese buttercream
• Caramel drizzle

Enjoy!

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Pumpkin Bundt Cake with Butter Rum Sauce

Moist and flavorful pumpkin cake with butter sauce flavored with rum extract.

Course Dessert

Cuisine Cake

Keyword Beginner, Bundt Cake, Butter Rum Sauce, Pumpkin Bundt Cake

Prep Time 1 hour hour 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time 50 minutes minutes

Total Time 2 hours hours 40 minutes minutes

Servings 20

Ingredients

FOR THE CAKE

• 1 1/2 cups (300 g) granulated sugar
• 3/4 cup  (165 g) light brown sugar packed
• 5 large eggs at room temperature
• 1 cup (218 g) vegetable oil
• 1 1/2 teaspoons (6.3 g) vanilla
• 2 cups (450 g) pumpkin purée 
• 3 cups (360 g) all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 tablespoons (18 g) baking powder
• 3 teaspoons (7.8 g) ground cinnamon
• 1 1/2 teaspoons (3.9 g) ground ginger
• 1 teaspoon (2.64 g) nutmeg
• 1 teaspoon (5.6 g)salt

FOR THE SAUCE

• 1 cup (226 g) unsalted butter
• 1 1/2 cups (300 g) granulated sugar
• 12 oz evaporated milk
• 2 tsp (8.4 g) pure vanilla extract
• 1 tsp (4 g) rum extract

US Customary – Metric

Instructions

FOR THE CAKE

• Preheat 325 degrees F. Spray your bundt pan with non-stick spray, toss some flour around the edges and set aside.
• In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the sugar and eggs together on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add the oil and vanilla and beat on medium until combined, about 30 seconds. Add the pumpkin filling and mix until combined, about another 30 seconds. 
• In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, ground ginger, nutmeg, and salt, and with the mixer on the lowest speed, gradually add to the pumpkin/egg mixture.
• Pour the batter into your bundt pan and bake until a knife or toothpick inserted into the center comes out with a few moist crumbs on it, about 50 to 55 minutes.
• Let the cake cool completely before turning it on to a cake plate.

FOR THE SAUCE

• Combine ingredients in a medium saucepan. Stir and bring to a boil. Remove from heat and let cool slightly before pouring over your bundt cake.

The post Easy Peasy Pumpkin Bundt Cake with Butter Rum Sauce first appeared on Cake by Courtney.

Angel Food Cake

You know I love my tall, decadent, layered cakes, but every once in a while it’s fun to switch things up and make an old classic. I’ve always loved angel food cake, but have never made my own! It wasn’t until I was browsing through my vintage cookbooks and saw angel food cake in every single vintage book I had, that I decided it was high-time I tackle this light and fluffy classic cake.

Angel food cake gets its well-known height and texture from a combination of egg whites, cake flour and sugar. We also use cream of tartar as a whipping agent that helps stabilize our egg whites. The biggest difference between angel food cake and a traditional cake is that there’s no fat in an angel food cake. No egg yolks. No butter. Not buttermilk. No oil.

What You Need to Know About Angel Food Cake

As you might have seen on my Instagram account, making this cake wasn’t quite as easy as I expected. It wasn’t because this is a hard cake to make. In fact, there are only a few ingredients and there’s no decorating. Seems simple enough, right? Well, the trouble came because I didn’t know everything there is to know about making an angel food cake. Once I learned all of the do’s and don’ts, this cake was pretty basic.

So, to make things as simple and as fool-proof as possible for you, here’s everything you need to know about angel food cake:

• Room temperature egg whites – just like we do with my regular cakes, we want room temperature egg whites for this cake too.
• Higher oven temperature – I tested the cake a few times at a lower temperature (325 degrees F) and simply couldn’t get the cake to stick to the sides of my pan (even when I didn’t spray the pan). Using a higher temperature (375 degrees F) helps the cake to cook a little more quickly on the sides, which in turn helps the batter to stick to the sides so it doesn’t fall out when you flip it over for cooling later.
• Whip egg whites to soft peaks – this is different from stiff peaks that you may be used to seeing in recipes for meringues. We want soft peaks to ensure the right texture in the cake as it bakes. If you beat the egg whites to stiff peaks, your angel food cake will have a gummier texture. For reference, the picture below shows you how the egg white mixture folds over on the top of the whisk. As you run your whisk through the egg whites and pull it out, the peaks should gently fall over. This is soft peaks.

• Use cream of tartar – cream of tartar is an acid and stabilizes the egg whites. Without cream of tartar, your cake will collapse. Other acidic ingredients aren’t quite as strong, so I wouldn’t recommend substituting cream of tartar with anything.
• Sift some of the sugar and flour several times – four to be exact. This ensures you don’t have any clumps and that the consistency of your batter will be light and smooth.
• Gently fold the dry ingredients into the egg whites – to do this, you’ll actually add the dry ingredients in four separate additions, sifting each addition one more time as you add it in. My vintage cookbooks recommend using 10 strokes as you fold each time. I think they wanted to be super precise so bakers didn’t risk over-mixing and losing the fluffy texture of the whites.

• DO NOT spray your pan with nonstick spray, line the bottom with parchment or use a nonstick pan – we want the cake to stick to the sides and bottom of the pan so that while it cools, it holds its shape.
• Run a knife through the batter – once you’ve poured the cake batter into the tube pan and gently leveled the top with your spatula, use a kitchen knife and swirl it through the batter once or twice to remove any big air pockets.
• Bake the angel food cake until it’s a dark golden brown on top – I noticed that during my trial rounds, one of the reasons my cake wasn’t sticking to the pans and would sink was because I didn’t cook the cake long enough. In my fifth attempt, I bumped my temperature up to 375 for most of the bake time, and then, as the cake started to brown more and more on top, I reduced the temperature (without removing the cake or opening the oven door) to 350 for the remaining 10 minutes.
• Cool the cake upside down – your tube pan should have “feet” and/or a center tube that is taller than the sides of the pan. This is to allow the cake to have some room from the counter surface to cool. We want to cool the cake upside down so that the weight of the cake doesn’t fall in on itself. Cooling the cake upside down ensures that it holds its shape and air circulates underneath it.

• Once the cake is cooled, cut it out of the pan – using a sharp knife, gently run the knife around the edges of the cake and the center tube. Flip the cake over onto your cake stand and pat the top a few times to release the top of the cake.

Once I nailed all these tips and tricks, the final product took my breath away! Look how tall the cake rose and how light and fluffy those crumbs are.

I made a simple homemade whipped cream and served each slice with fresh peaches.

I’m so excited for you to try this cake. I think you’ll the hint of citrus I added to the batter. If you don’t want the lemon and orange extract, you can certainly replace them with vanilla extract.

Enjoy!

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Angel Food Cake

Light and fluffy angel food cake with a hint of citrus and fresh whipped cream.

Course Dessert

Cuisine Cake

Keyword Angel Food Cake, Beginner

Servings 16

Equipment

• Tube Pan

Ingredients

FOR THE CAKE

• 1 3/4 cup (350 g) granulated sugar divided
• 1 cup (113 g) plus 2 tablespoons cake flour
• 1/4 tsp (2 g) salt
• 1 1/2 tsp (5 g) cream of tartar
• 1/2 tsp (2 g) lemon extract
• 1/2 tsp (2 g) orange extract
• 13 large egg whites at room temperature

FOR THE WHIPPED CREAM

• 1 cup (231 g) heavy whipping cream cold
• 1/2 cup (62.5 g) powdered sugar measured and then sifted
• 1 tsp (4.2 g) vanilla extract

GARNISH

• Fresh berries or peaches

Instructions

FOR THE CAKE

• Preheat your oven to 375 degrees F.
• Combine one cup of the sugar, all of the cake flour, and salt in a small bowl. Whisk to combine and then sift the ingredients through a mesh strainer, four times. Set aside.
• In the bowl of a stand mixer, fitted with the whisk attachment, whisk the egg whites on medium-high speed. After a minute or so, you'll see that the egg whites start to foam a little. At this point, add the cream of tartar and the orange and lemon extracts while the mixer is going.
• As the egg whites start to froth even more, very slowly add the reserved 3/4 cup of sugar while the mixer is still on medium-high speed.
• You're looking for the egg whites to get white in color and create soft peaks. This means that as you pull the whisk attachment out of the mixture, the egg whites lift with the whisk but then as they pull away, the peaks fall softly and don't stay in a stiff peak. Notice in the picture how the egg whites fold over on the end of the whisk attachment. If you over beat the egg whites to stiff peaks, this will result in a gummy, chewy texture in the cake.
  
• Once your egg whites have reached soft peaks, turn your mixer off, remove the bowl from the stand. You'll then sift the dry ingredients into the egg whites in FOUR additions, folding gently between each addition. In my vintage cookbook, it specifically says "fold with 10 strokes of your spatula" each time. Make sure you're scraping the bottom of the bowl, as well as the sides, to gently incorporate all of the dry mixture into the egg whites.
• Pour the batter into your tube pan. The pan SHOULD NOT be sprayed with non stick spray or lined with parchment paper. Remember, you want the cake to stick to the sides of the pan a bit.
• Once the batter is poured evenly in the pan, run a knife through the batter a couple times to help get rid of any air pockets.
• Bake the cake for 25 minutes. At 25 minutes, reduce oven temperature to 350 and continue to bake for another 10 to 15 minutes. My cake took a total of 38 minutes.
• Remember, do not open the oven door at any point during the baking time.
• Once the cake is baked, gently turn the tube pan over onto a cooling rack. Tube pans usually have "feet" or a tube in the middle of the pan that's taller than the sides of the cake. This allows the pan to rest on a cooling rack, while allowing air to flow from the bottom and help cool the cake.
• Cool the cake completely, about an hour. Once the cake is cooled, turn the pan back over. Using a sharp knife, carefully cut the cake away from the sides and middle of the cake pan. Turn the cake over into a cake plate or cake stand and pat the top to remove the cake from the pan.
• Serve with fresh whipped cream and berries or peaches.

FOR THE WHIPPED CREAM

• In a cold stainless steel bowl, combine the cream, powdered sugar and vanilla. Whip on high until soft peaks form. Keep cold until ready to use.

The post The Perfect Angel Food Cake first appeared on Cake by Courtney.

Breakfast is by far my favorite meal of the day! I love all types of breakfast foods, including breakfast cakes. (Too obvious? Haha!) But seriously, when I can have cake for breakfast, I know it’s going to be a good day!

Cinnamon Swirl Breakfast Loaf

Today, I shared my new Cinnamon Swirl Breakfast Loaf on The Today Show. The idea of the cake was actually theirs! The producer asked if I could turn one of my cakes into a healthier breakfast option and you better believe I was excited for that challenge.

I had just made a delicious cinnamon loaf with espresso buttercream from The New Way to Cake by Benjamina Ebuehi and had the thought that my Churro Cake could be a great breakfast cake too.

Healthier Ingredient Alternatives

If you’ve made my Churro Cake before (or any cake really), you know that they’re full of sugar, flour and butter. All the good stuff life has to offer

Well, for my breakfast loaf, I wanted to create something that felt more like breakfast food. Getting rid of the buttercream and the cinnamon ganache from the cake recipe was an obvious first step. From there, I made a few changes to the ingredients, but really kept the bones of my Churro Cake recipe the same.

• In place of the all-purpose flour, I used Kamut flour. Kamut flour is an ancient grain that hasn’t been genetically modified and is easier on the digestive system. You can read more about the benefits of Kamut flour HERE. I buy the Food Nanny Kamut Flour (Liz and Lizi are the ones who introduced it to me).
• In place of some of the granulated sugar, I used coconut sugar. Coconut sugar is not as refined as white sugar, it’s easier on the gut, and actually has nutrients in it. I only subbed part of the sugar with coconut sugar, but you could do a full one-for-one sub. You’ll notice it makes the batter much darker but still gives it a great flavor.
• In place of the buttermilk, I used plain Greek yogurt. This gives the loaf a little extra protein while helping to create moisture.

Just a few small changes and this Cinnamon Swirl Breakfast Loaf is totally breakfast-ready! We didn’t compromise at all on flavor, either.

Enjoy!

https://www.today.com/video/cake-for-breakfast-courtney-rich-makes-cinnamon-swirl-loaf-86617157599

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Cinnamon Swirl Breakfast Loaf

A tender and flavorful cinnamon sugar loaf bread.

Course Breakfast

Cuisine Cake

Keyword Beginnger, Churro Cake Loaf, Cinnamon Bread, Cinnamon Swirl Breakfast Loaf

Prep Time 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time 40 minutes minutes

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup cup brown sugar packed
• 2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 3/4 cup unsalted butter at room temperature
• 1/2 cup coconut sugar
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 3/4 cups Kamut flour
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 3 eggs at room temperature
• 3/4 cup plain Greek yogurt preferably full fat

Instructions

• Preheat your oven to 350°F. Spray a 9- by 5-inch loaf pan with nonstick spray, line the bottom and sides with parchment paper and spray again. Set aside.
• In a small mixing bowl, combine the brown sugar and 1 teaspoon cinnamon. Stir to combine. Set aside.
• In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt and remaining 1 teaspoon cinnamon. Set aside.
• In a bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the butter, coconut sugar and granulated sugar for about 2-3 minutes on medium-high. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and mix again for another 2 minutes.
• With the mixer on medium speed, add the vanilla and eggs, scraping down the sides and bottom of the bowl between each addition.
• With the mixer on low speed, alternately add the flour mixture and the Greek yogurt, starting and ending with the flour mixture.
• Pour half of the batter into your loaf pan. Sprinkle 3/4 of the brown sugar-cinnamon mixture over the batter. Gently spread the remaining batter over the brown sugar-cinnamon mixture and sprinkle with the remaining brown sugar-cinnamon.
• Bake for 40-45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the loaf comes out with a few moist crumbs on it.
• Let cool in the pan for about 15 minutes before inverting to cool on a wire rack. Serve warm or at room temperature.

The post As Seen on the Today Show: Cinnamon Swirl Breakfast Loaf first appeared on Cake by Courtney.

I’m excited to start a new week with a new cake. Today’s cake is inspired by another vintage recipe. I ordered a few more books from ETSY, and one of the collections happened to be books from Canada, one of which was written by the Canadian flour brand, Robin Hood. They’re known for their pre-sifted all-purpose flour. As I scrolled through the book, this Cherry Almond Cake caught my attention pretty quickly. I’ve never done these flavors together!

Cherry Almond Cake

My first attempt, as always, was using the exact recipe from the cookbook. I wasn’t wild about using maraschino cherries in the cake batter but went with it. (Something about the texture of those cherries… not my fave).

But who knows? Maybe I’ll be pleasantly surprised. Plus, I think it’s important to always try someone else’s recipe, as is, so you know what it’s supposed to taste like before you make changes.

As I expected, I didn’t love the cherries in the cake. But it wasn’t just the cherries. There was something about the texture of the cake that was off for me too.

Rounds 2 and 3

It ended up taking me three additional rounds of baking to get this cake where I knew it needed to be. For rounds 2 and 3, I was using cake flour, a full cup of butter (instead of 1/2 cup butter and 1/2 cup shortening), played around with the eggs, and kept the temperature low, per the original recipe.

The end result for both of those rounds was a sunken cake with a texture that was not tender enough.

I never mind a failed attempt, though. It’s the thought of learning from my mistakes that gets me even more excited for the finished product that I know I’ll eventually get to.

Round 4

So as I thought about rounds 1, 2, and 3, I thought back to the Edna Lewis recipe I posted on my Instagram account the other day. (You can check it out HERE). Edna’s cake was very similar to what I knew this cake was supposed to taste like, minus the flavorings. I decided to return to her recipe and compare it to what I was working with here from Peter Pan Flour.

One thing I noticed right away was that Edna was using all-purpose flour. I had been using cake flour. Not sure why I just reach for that first. I think I was just thinking that instead of sifting my all-purpose flour, I’d use cake flour and skip that step. Well, I know better!

I should have used all-purpose flour.

I should have also cut down on butter right away. One cup of butter was too much for the amount of flour and sugar in this recipe.

So with Edna’s recipe as my base, I added some almond extract, vanilla extract, and lemon zest and baked the cake at a higher heat than the cookbook suggested and got the exact cake I had hoped for. It’s definitely a denser cake, but it’s so tender and delicious. You’ll want to just eat the cake on its own!

Compote and Buttermilk Whipped Cream

To add the cherry element, I made cherry almond compote with fresh cherries, almond extract, and lemon juice. Don’t be afraid to double this recipe. It’s so tasty and would be a delicious addition to a sandwich or avocado toast!

The buttermilk whipped cream is one that I used on my Strawberry Rhubarb Crumble. I love how the tangy buttermilk pairs with the tart cherries.

Enjoy!

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Cherry Almond Cake

Tender almond cake with cherry almond compote, buttermilk whipped cream and toasted almonds.

Course Dessert

Cuisine Cake

Keyword Almond Cake, Beginner, Cherry Almond Cake

Ingredients

FOR THE COMPOTE (best to make a day ahead)

• 3 cups (467 g) pitted, whole cherries
• 1/2 cup (100 g) granulated sugar
• 1 tbsp (7.5 g) corn starch
• 2 tsp (8 g) almond extract
• 1 tbsp (14.4 g) lemon juice

FOR THE CAKE

• 2 cups (240 g) all-purpose flour
• 1 tbsp (10 g) baking powder
• 1/2 tsp (2.5 g) salt
• 1/2 cup (113 g) unsalted butter at room temperature
• 1 1/3 cups (267 g) granulated sugar
• 1 tsp (4 g) almond extract
• 1 tsp (4.2 g) vanilla extract
• zest of one large lemon
• 3 eggs at room temperature
• 1/2 cup (120 g) buttermilk

FOR THE WHIPPED CREAM

• 1/2 cup (120 g) buttermilk cold
• 1 cup (231 g) whipped cream cold
• 1/2 cup (125 g) powdered sugar measured and then sifted

FOR THE TOASTED ALMONDS

• 1/2 sliced almonds

Instructions

FOR THE COMPOTE

• Combine all of the ingredients in a medium sauce pan over medium heat. Stir occasionally while the cherries start to softed, about 3 to 5 minutes.
• Place the mixture in a blender or food processor and pulse a couple times. You don't want to blend the compote for too long, otherwise you won't have any of the cherry chunks.
• Return to the saucepan and simmer over low heat for about 10 minutes, while the mixture thickens.
• Turn the heat off and let cool a bit. Store in a air tight container overnight.

FOR THE CAKE

• Preheat your oven to 375 degrees F. Spray an 8" spring form pan or cake pan with nonstick spray, line the bottom with parchment paper and spray again. Set aside.
• In a medium sized mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
• In the bowl of an electric mixer, fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar together for about 2 to 3 minutes, until light in color and fluffy in texture.
• Add the eggs, one at a time and scraping down the sides and bottom of the bowl between each addition. Add the almond extract, vanilla extract and lemon zest. Mix until combined.
• With the mixer on low speed, alternately add the flour mixture and the buttermilk, starting and ending with the flour mixture. Mix until just combined.
• Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out with a few moist crumbs on it.

FOR THE WHIPPED CREAM

• Combine all of the ingredients in a stainless steel bowl and whisk on high until stiff peaks form. Cover and refrigerate until you're ready to use.

FOR THE TOASTED ALMONDS

• Over medium heat, toast the almond slices in large pan so the almonds are in one layer. Toss continually so they don't burn.

The post Cherry Almond Cake first appeared on Cake by Courtney.

Vintage Cakes

Time for a little mid-week pick-me-up with my first Vintage Cakes post. When my friend, Alexis, first gave me a collection of used cookbooks from the early 1900’s that she found on ETSY, I was so eager to dive in and look for recipe inspiration. I didn’t expect, however, that I’d be so drawn to the idea of actually baking everything in the books, as-is! But as I looked through each recipe’s ingredients and instructions, I was just too curious not to try one of the recipes as it was written in 1940.

Florida Orange Flower Cake

The first cake that caught my eye was a Florida Orange Flower Cake (I love the names of the cakes in these vintage cookbooks, by the way!). I haven’t done an orange cake in a while and the idea of starting with something basic and budget-friendly just felt like the perfect fit.

Round One

During round one of this Florida Orange cake, I followed the recipe and instructions exactly.

• 1/2 cup shortening
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 eggs
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 cups sifted cake flour
• 1/2 cup orange juice
• Bake at 350 for 30 minutes

I was immediately worried about some of the ingredients, and definitely that bake time and temperature. But, I had to remind myself, ovens were different back then and so were ingredients. This particular cookbook was published in 1940 – in the middle of a war! Some ingredients were probably really expensive and rationed, so bakers had to find inexpensive substitutes.

Anyway, I went ahead with the recipe and recorded everything in THIS Instagram video.

The bake time was definitely too long for my oven and the cakes didn’t rise well. Additionally, as the cakes cooled, they definitely tasted dry.

Round Two

In round two, I changed only a few things. My goal in re-working these “vintage” cakes is to keep the integrity of the recipe as much as possible. I just want to enhance the recipe a bit.

In order to enhance the cake, without changing the recipe too much, I switched out the shortening for butter, added buttermilk, a little more flour and one extra egg. The added egg and flour help to stabilize the cake so it doesn’t sink. And then the butter and buttermilk create a little more moisture.

Don’t those layers look delicious! I showed a great comparison of the original recipe cake layers and my updated version on Instagram in the link above. You’ll definitely want to take a look.

Perfect Cake Layer Tips

• Don’t overmix the cake batter once you add the flour mixture
• Use good quality pans, like Fat Daddio
• Make sure cold ingredients get to room temperature before using
• Use fresh ingredients
• Don’t use bake even strips (at least for my cakes)

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Florida Orange Flower Cake

Tender and fluffy orange cake layers with orange flavored whipped cream and fresh oranges.

Course Dessert

Cuisine Cake

Keyword Florida Orange Flower Cake, Orange Cake, Vintage Cakes

Servings 16 people

Ingredients

FOR THE CAKE

• 1/2 cup (113 g) unsalted butter at room temperature
• 1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar
• zest of one large orange
• 3 eggs at room temperature
• 1/2 cup (120 g) buttermilk at room temperature
• juice of one large orange
• 2 cups (226 g) cake flour
• 2 tsp (8 g) baking powder
• 1 tsp (5.6 g) salt

FOR THE WHIPPED CREAM

• 1 cup (231 g) heavy whipping cream
• 1/2 cup (70 g) powdered sugar
• 1 tsp (4 g) orange extract
• zest of one large orange

GARNISH

• sliced oranges

Instructions

FOR THE CAKE

• Preheat your oven to 325 degrees F. Spray two 8-inch round cake pans with nonstick spray, line the bottom with parchment paper, spray again and set aside.
• In a medium sized mixing bowl, whisk together the cake flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
• In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter, sugar and zest on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about two minutes.
• Add the eggs, one at a time, making sure to scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl between each addition.
• With the mixer on low speed, alternately add the dry ingredients with the buttermilk and orange juice, starting and ending with the flour mixture. Mix just until the dry ingredients are incorporated.
• Bake the cake layers for 20 to 23 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out with a few moist crumbs on it. Let the cakes cool in their pans for about 10 minutes and then invert them on to wire racks to cool completely.

  TIP: spray your wire racks with nonstick cooking spray.

FOR THE WHIPPED CREAM

• Combine all the ingredients in a chilled metal bowl and beat with a whisk attachment until stiff peaks form.

ASSEMBLY

• Place one cake layer, top side up, on a cake stand. Evenly spread half of the whipped cream on top of the cake layer and then arrange half of the orange slices on top.
• Place the second cake layer, top side down, on the filling. Evenly spread the remaining whipped cream on top of the cake and arrange the remaining orange slices on top.

The post Florida Orange Flower Cake first appeared on Cake by Courtney.