Wedding Cake 101 » Wedding Cake Recipes

Lemon Cake with Pineapple Curd

admin — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 14:31:17 +0000

One of my favorite cookbooks is The Cake Mix DoctorThe Cake Mix Doctor by Anne Byrn. Anyone who really knows me would be very surprised by that admission. I cook nearly everything from scratch and rarely use a mix of any kind… except when it comes to making some of Anne’s cakes.

These cakes are absolutely divine. I have yet to make one that I would not consider making again. You would never guess that they include a cake mix. I think it has to do with the fact that she tops everything with something from scratch – whether it’s a homemade frosting or a homemade curd recipe as in this lucious lemon cake…

Lemon Cake with Pineapple Curd

Pineapple Curd:

1 can (15.25 oz.) crushed pineapple packed in juice, undrained

1 stick butter, cut into small pieces

3 large eggs

1 Tbsp. flour

1/2 cup sugar

1 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice

Lemon Cake:

1 package plain lemon cake mix (I use Duncan Hines)

1 pkg. (3.4 oz.) vanilla instant pudding mix

4 large eggs

3/4 cup vegetable oil

1 can (12oz.) 7-Up (or other lemon lime soda)

Combine the pineapple curd ingredients in a non-reacitve saucepan. Cook the mixture, stirring constantly, without boiling for 6-8 minutes, or until thickened. I had to cook for the full 8 minutes. It was about the consistency of pudding when I stopped. Be careful to stir the corners of the pan so that it doesn’t curdle.

Pour the curd into a bowl and immediately cover with plastic wrap – pushing the plastic wrap on top of the curd to prevent a skin from forming. Put the curd in the refrigerator to chill completely (at least one hour). Can be made up to 4 days in advance. Stir before using.

Grease and flour three 9inch cake pans. Preheat the oven to 350degrees.

Put all cake ingredients into a mixing bowl and mix on low for one minute. Scrape the bowl and continue beating for another 2-3 minutes on medium. Divide the batter evenly into the three pans. Place the pans in the oven. Bake 20-25 minutes, or until the cake springs back when lightly touched. Remove the pans from the oven and cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Run a butter knife around the edges and then turn out onto a cooling rack. Carefully flip each cake back over so that they are facing up as they were in the oven. Cool completely.

This cake needs to be stored in the refrigerator. Keep that in mind when selecting a cake plate. To assemble – place one layer on a cake plate. Top with 1/3 of the pineapple curd. Place second layer on top and repeat with the second 1/3 of the curd. Place final layer on top and place remaining pineapple curd on top.

My notes: I had absolutely no problems with this recipe. Everything turned out just as planned. The pineapple curd layer did sink into the cake in the middle layer – which was fine. The cake was pretty to display. Next time I will try leaving out the curd on top and topping with whipped cream and fresh fruit – raspberries maybe – just to jazz it up a bit.

Wedding Cake and Cupcake Recipe

admin — Mon, 09 Feb 2009 05:00:59 +0000

I don’t usually buy Martha Stewart’s “Living” magazine but the great cupcake pictures on the cover of this month’s issue really caught my eye. The first thing I thought of was how easy it would be to adapt those cupcakes for use at a wedding reception.

As you know, wedding cupcakes are all the rage right now. They are easy to make, easy to serve, and look great at the Big Party.

And if you’re thinking of making your own wedding cake or cupcakes, this is an idea that has some great appeal. They can be made a batch at a time and frozen. And nothing could be easier to transport.

So. inspired by the cover on “Living” this month, I decided to make some cupcakes. If you haven’t picked up this month’s issue of Living, do so the next time you’re out. There are some very creative ideas for cupcakes and decorating in that issue. I will be posting more variations on those ideas (frosting and decorating too) for wedding cupcakes coming soon.

I used the wedding cake recipe featured below. Don’t be thrown off by my choice of sprinkles. I was not making these cupcakes for a wedding!

I decided to line my cupcake pans with the standard blue liners. Again, these weren’t for a wedding. If I were making these for a formal celebration I would use plain white cupcake liners, probably Wilton’s white liners as they are heavier. Don’t you just love the blue and the steel gray together though?

I made the recipe below and it made almost 36 cupcakes. I filled the cups with a cookie scoop (such a great tool for this) and filled them about half way. As you can see. they did not dome like standard cupcake mixes do. I like that. It made them very easy to frost.

Here is a cupcake cut in half so you can see what great texture it has. The cupcake itself is a very moist cake with a bit of weight to it. It is perfect for a wedding cake or cupcake.

Whether you’re looking for a wedding cake recipe or just making something special for your sweetie, this recipe is one that you must try.

White Almond Sour Cream Wedding Cake Recipe

1 box white cake mix (Betty Crocker or Pillsbury)

1 cup flour

1 cup sugar

3/4 tsp. salt

1 1/3 cups water

1/8 cup vegetable oil

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1 tsp. almond extract

1 cup sour cream

4 large egg whites

Place all dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl and stir together with a whisk. Add remaining ingredients and beat on medium for 2 minutes. Pour into greased and floured cake pans or cupcake tins. Fill about half way full.

Bake in a preheated 325 degree oven until tests done.

Almond Wedding Cake Recipe with tips

admin — Fri, 30 Jan 2009 05:00:59 +0000

Here’s a great cake that would look (and taste) marvelous topped with whipped cream and strawberries (instead of the called for frosting). Or make a small layer cake like the one below. Think about how easy this one would be to make – buttercream frosting, a red ribbon at the base of each layer, some dots made with a pastry bags (at the seams and on the sides) and then strawberries.

Although this is not a true pound cake (not enough butter – and from Paula Deen at that!), it is a fabulous cake. It bakes up very well, has great texture and tastes amazing. Note that it calls for a tube pan. That is the only thing I have used for this but I am sure you could very easily make this in a layer cake pan (just watch the time – it won’t take as long due to the thinner layers).

Although I have yet to experiment with the extract, I think you could successfully omit the orange and substitute in vanilla if you’re so inclined. You could actually do 1 tsp. vanilla if you wanted to cut back on the almond to 1/2 tsp.

Tips: if your eggs at at room temperature they will incorporate into the batter much better; and I have read that using extra large eggs is a baker’s secret – haven’t tried it yet but will soon

Almond Pound Cake Recipe

adapted from Paula Deen

1/2 pound (2 sticks) butter, plus more for pan
3 cups sugar
1 cup sour cream
3 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for pan
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
6 eggs
1/2 teaspoon orange extract
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
Almond Buttercream Frosting, recipe follows

Cook’s Note: This is the basic recipe for a sour cream pound cake with almond buttercream frosting. This recipe would have to be modified to make into a wedding cake.

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Butter and flour a tube pan and set aside.

In the bowl of a mixer, cream butter and sugar together and then add sour cream. Sift flour and baking soda together. Add to creamed mixture, alternately with eggs, 1 at a time, beating after each addition. Add extracts and stir to combine. Pour into prepared pan and bake for 1 hour and 20 minutes. Cool cake in pan for about 10 minutes and then unmold and cool completely on a wire rack. Frost cake when completely cooled.

Almond Buttercream Frosting:
3/4 cup butter (1 1/2 sticks), softened
3 to 4 cups confectioners’ sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons almond extract

With an electric mixer, cream butter in a large mixing bowl. Slowly beat in the sugar until smooth and creamy and sweetened to your liking (about 2 minutes). Add almond extract and stir to blend. Frost cake when fully cooled. If you are not using the frosting immediately, store it, covered, in the refrigerator and then bring it to room temperature just prior to using.
Yield: 3 cups

Rose Bundt Cake and Coconut Wedding Cake Recipe

admin — Tue, 20 Jan 2009 05:00:59 +0000

Looking for a simple and quick wedding cake alternative?

A simple and easy way to make a beautiful cake is to start with the Nordic Ware Rose Bundt Cake pan.

The Nordic Ware bundt cake pans are high quality and the cakes come out of the pans with ease (be sure to use Baker’s Joy spray to coat the pan).

As you can see from the finished cake, you won’t need to mess with decorator’s icing. A simple glaze would be just enough to sweeten the cake. Or, better yet, a dusting of powdered sugar would be beautiful.

Coconut Bundt Cake With Powdered-Sugar Glaze

Canned coconut milk is available in the Asian, Indian or Mexican foods aisle at the market. Be sure to get coconut milk (there are lots of different coconut products in cans).

3 cups cake flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup butter, at room temp
2 1/2 cups sugar
6 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon coconut extract
1 1/4 cups unsweetened coconut milk, divided
2 cups flaked coconut
1 3/4 cups powdered sugar
sweetened flaked coconut (to garnish)

Preheat oven to 350°F.
Butter and flour a 12 cup bundt pan.
Sift flour and salt together.
Beat butter and sugar in a large bowl until fluffy.
Beat in both eggs and extracts.
Mix flour mixture into the batter alternatively with one cup of the coconut milk
Fold in two cups of flaked coconut.
Transfer batter to the prepared bundt pan and bake until top is golden brown (about 1 hour and ten minutes).
Cool in cake pan for about five minutes then invert onto cooling rack.
Whisk powdered sugar and remaining 1/4 cup of coconut milk.
Spoon glaze over cake and sprinkle with additional coconut.

recipe adapted from Epicurious.com

Solo Almond Bundt Cake

admin — Sun, 11 Jan 2009 00:14:37 +0000

I recently found this recipe online and decided I would have to give it a try. The real reason I wanted to make it is because I have seen the Almond Filling in the supermarket so many times but had no idea who used it and what he/she would use it for. Kind of like Nutella…

The almond filling is found in the baking aisle with the canned pie filliings (at least that’s where it is in here in Ohio). It’s a smaller can as far as size goes. And it was towards the top of the shelf – giving me another reason to wonder who uses this stuff.

When I opened the can I was surprised. I had envisioned this stuff as being a pale tan paste. It is much different. It is more of a pecan pie filling kinda thing – except with ground almonds. And it REALLY smells like almonds… and playdough. Yes, playdough. It smelled so much like playdough that I had a hard time taking a swipe of the batter to see what it tasted like. I did finally taste it (who can go without tasting the batter?) and it was really nice – great flavor. And the finished product is missing that smell so no fears.

I am a sucker for recipes that come off the label – and this one is inside the label on the can. How do they actually expect someone to make something off the in side of the label when you have no idea what other ingredients you will need to buy… that’s something a market specialist should really analyze.

I was lucky enough to know what was in the recipe before going into the store so I was able to make this today. The recipe was easy to follow. Nothing was complicated at all.

The cake pops right out of the pan and did not crumble.

The glaze (I made chocolate) was a nice consistency and it held onto the cake before pooling on the plate.

And, best of all, this cake is soooo good! It is moist and heavy, almost like a pound cake. It holds together really well and looks pretty on the plate.You can really taste the almond. It’s a keeper.

Solo Almond Bundt Cake

10 to 12 servings

1 cup butter or margarine, softened
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
3 eggs
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 can Solo or 1 jar Baker Almond filling
1/4 cup milk

Chocolate Glaze
1 cup confectioners’ sugar
2 Tablespoons Dutch-process cocoa
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1-2 tablespoons buttermilk or low-fat milk

Almond Glaze
1 cup confectioners sugar
1/4 teaspoon almond extract
2 tablespoons light cream

Preheat oven to 350° F. Grease and flour 10-inch tube pan or 12-cup Bundt pan and set aside.

Beat butter and granulated sugar in large bowl with electric mixer until light and fluffy. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in almond filling until blended. Stir flour, baking powder, and salt until mixed. Add to almond mixture alternately with milk, beginning and ending with dry ingredients. Beat until blended. Spread batter evenly in prepared pan.

Bake 50 to 55 minutes or until cake tester inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan on wire rack 10 minutes. Remove from pan and cool completely on rack.

To make glaze, combine ingredients in small bowl, and stir until blended and smooth. Spoon or drizzle over top of cake. Let stand until glaze is set.

Or top with fresh fruit and whipped cream!

A Lesson on How to Make Your Own Wedding Cake

admin — Sat, 10 Jan 2009 15:14:44 +0000

If you’re looking for some great tips and information on the how to make your own wedding cake, this is a fabulous video. These ladies show it all – from the wedding cake recipe, to the frosting of the cake, to the decorating.

The wedding cake recipe and frosting recipe they use are included in the video so get your pen and paper ready!

Coconut Mania with Wedding Cake Recipes

admin — Sun, 21 Dec 2008 23:53:42 +0000

We are very lucky to have a fabulous grocery store near us – Jungle Jim’s. Actually, I don’t know that I should call it a grocery store. It’s more of an experience. They call it “a food lover’s paradise” and I must say that I agree. It boasts to have over 6 acres of floor space… and, no that’s not a typo – 6 acres. They actually offer paid tours of the place – no kidding. It is spectacular.

The reason for my trip today was to find some coconut cream to try a new wedding cake recipe out for myself. The recipe contributor mentions in her notes that “coconut cream” is not the same as “cream of coconut” and one can not be substituted for the other. The cake got rave reviews and sounds sublime so I decided that I would need to make the trip to Jungle Jim’s to try to find coconut cream.

Jungle Jims has a section for every nationality of food you can think of. Belgium, Irish, English, Thai… you get the drift. Well, I started out thinking it might be in the Latino section of the store since that is where I often find cream of coconut at our local everyday grocery store. I found all kinds of coconut in cans there but no coconut cream.

A quick question to the lady handing out salsa samples (which were quite yummy) and we headed over to the India section. I did find whole nutmeg which will be great for my Christmas baking and did find LOADS of cool Indian ingredients but no coconut cream.

The organic foods section had a variety of coconut as well. Throughout the store we found coconut oil, coconut milk, coconut water, coconut chutney, and cream of coconut. But we never did find coconut cream.

So, I decided not to make that recipe because no matter how good it turns out I could not recommend it to anyone because if Jungle Jim’s does not carry it in their 6+ acres of foodstuffs, you will probably have trouble finding it as well.

So, I am still on the hunt for a great coconut cream cake recipe and will keep you posted!

Does anyone happen to know where one can find coconut cream, by the way???