Daring Bakers-Opera Cake

I have to admit when I saw this month's challenge for Daring Bakers-Opera Cake, I was intimidated. My favorite thing to bake is cake and so I was also excited. This recipe sounded so complicated that I decided to half the recipe just in case the flavors I chose wouldn't taste good together. Boy was that a mistake! This was the most delicious cake that I have ever tasted! It was amazing. I wish I would have made the full recipe, but I guess I will get the chance later because I am definitely going to make this one again. This challenge was chosen by the co-founders of DB, Ivonne- Cream Puffs in Venice and Lis-La Mia Cucina. It was also co-hosted by Fran-Apples Peaches Pumpkin Pie and Shea-Whiskful. I used macadamia nuts, ground into meal (more like paste, but it worked!) and lime zest in the jaconde, lime zest and juice to flavor the syrup and opted for a strawberry buttercream that I have used before. I omitted the glaze and topped it off with the white chocolate mousse, which was so delicious that I didn't flavor it with anything else.
I made 1 10-inch round and 12 cupcakes. The cupcakes didn't turn out so well but still tasted great. I cut small circles out of the round and once I tasted all the components, I used all the scraps of cake because it was too good to throw out!

This was great tasting and fun to make. I took it to a family get together and it was devoured. I made the full recipe for the mousse and buttercream so I had to make another cake to use those (check it out below- next post) Can't wait until our next challenge!

The recipe is really long, so I didn't add it to the post. If you are interested in the recipe, leave me a comment and I will add it. Now head on over to the Daring Baker's Blogroll and check out everyone else's take on this cake!

White Cake with Lime Zest, Strawberry Buttercream and White Chocolate Mousse

I had leftover strawberry buttercream and white chocolate mousse from the Daring Bakers challenge and decided to make a white cake mix ( I needed something super fast- I prefer homemade cake), to which I added the zest of 1-2 limes and then I decorated it and added fresh strawberries and took it to a family party. Yummy!

Lots-of-Ways Banana Cake with Strawberry Buttercream Drizzle- featuring my 2 latest obsessions, Baking with Dorie and Cardamom

I know, I know. This is the 10th cake that I have made in less than a week. But it is addicting! And this time, I had a good excuse. I was making dinner to take to someone who just had a baby, so that means we only had half as much cake to eat.
This recipe comes from Baking, from my home to yours- by Dorie Greenspan. To say that I am in love with this cookbook, wouldn't really be a lie. She writes foolproof recipes and they are so easy (so far) and delicious.
The inspiration to make this cake, came to me when I read her words above this recipe, " The inspiration to bake a banana cake always seems to strike when a bunch of bananas are mottling on the counter." I had 4 black bananas that had a very small moment of opportunity left in them. Also, this recipe comes with so many options, you can make it with whatever you have on hand. It calls for nutmeg, but I used Cardamom instead, because everytime I open that little spice jar, I am seriously transported to another place.

Lots-of-Ways Banana Cake
2 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/4 tsps baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp freshly grated nutmeg (or cardamom-this suggestion is from me!)
1 1/2 sticks (12 Tbls) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup (packed) light brown sugar (or granulated sugar)
3/4 cup sugar
2 large eggs, at room temperature
1 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
2 Tbls dark rum or Malibu coconut rum (optional) I used 3 tsp rum extract
About 4 very ripe bananas, mashed (you should have 1 1/2-1 3/4 cups)
1/2 cup canned unsweetened coconut milk, regular (stir before measuring) or "lite" (or whole milk, buttermilk, sour cream, or plain yogurt)
1 cup sweetened shredded coconut, preferably toasted (or an equal amount of moist, plump fruit, such as currants, raisins, chopped apricots, cranberries, blueberries, or halved cherries, or a combination or coconut and dried fruit)

Getting Ready: Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Butter two 9-x-2-inch round cake pans, dust the insides with flour and tap out the excess. (I used Crisco Baking Spray with Flour). Put the pans on a baking sheet.

Whisk the flour, baking soda, salt and nutmeg together.

Working with a stand mixer, preferably fit with a paddle attachment, or with a hand mixer in a large bowl, beat the butter until creamy. Add the sugars and beat at medium speed for a couple of minutesm then add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition, followed by the vanilla and rum. You'll have a beautiful satiny batter, Now lower the speed and add the bananas-the batter will curdle, but that's fine; it will come back together as you add the remaining ingredients. Still on low speed, add the dry and liquid ingredients alternately, adding the flour mixture in 3 portions and the coconut milk in 2 (begin and end with the dry ingredients). Mix just until everything is incorporated. Switch to a rubber spatula and gently stir in the coconut. Divide the batter evenly between the two pans.

Bake for about 45 minutes (mine were done in 42), or until the cakes are a deep golden brown. They should start to pull away from the sides on the pans and a thin knife inserted into their centers will come out clean. Transfer the cakes to a cooking rack and cool for 5 minutes, then unmold and invert onto another rack to cool to room temperature right side up.

You can frost this as a 2-layer cake, but I just sprinkled both with powdered sugar and then thinned out my leftover Strawberry Buttercream (recipe located in earlier post) with a couple Tbls of milk, drizzled it over the cakes, added a dollop of whipped cream and a couple strawberries. Delicious! It is a good thing we gave one layer away because the one we had left disappeared quickly. Yummy!

Beautiful Golden Brown Color

Our Delicious Dessert- Thank you Dorie!

The Winner of our Cake Taste Test- Strawberry-Lime Layer Cake

On Friday night we celebrated my little brother's 16th birthday and had a Cake Taste Test. We tested 8 cakes and voted for our favorites. This is the winner- a light, white cake with lime zest, frosted with strawberry buttercream and whipped cream

Strawberry Lime Layer Cake (cake recipe from Betty Crocker)

1 box white cake mix

water, egg whites, and oil called for on cake mix box

2 Tbls grated fresh lime peel

1 recipe Strawberry Buttercream Frosting

2 1/2 cups sliced strawberries

1 cup whipping cream

Prepare cake according to box directions, stirring in lime peel after cake is mixed. Bake as directed at 350 degrees in 2 9-inch round pans. Cool in pan, on wire rack for 10 minutes. Cool completely after removing from pan, at least 1 hour.

When cool, place 1 cake round on platter. Cut top with serrated knife, if needed, to make the top even. Spread a thick layer of Strawberry Buttercream on top, just to edges. Cover with thinly sliced strawberries. Place the other cake layer on top, upside down (you might also want to trim the top of this cake layer, so that it will fit better). Spread Buttercream on top, just to edges.

In a chilled metal bowl, beat whipping cream with electric mixer on high speed until stiff peaks form. Frost sides of cake with whipped cream. Refrigerate at least 1 hour before serving. Garnish with sliced strawberries and fresh mint right before serving. Store covered in the refrigerator

My Strawberry Buttercream Frosting

1/2 cup butter, softened (1 stick)

1/2 cup finely chopped strawberries

4 cups powdered sugar

1-3 Tbls skim milk

1 1/2 tsp strawberry extract

In a medium bowl, beat butter with electric mixer on low speed about 30 seconds, to soften, then on high speed until fluffy. Add chopped strawberries and powdered sugar; beat on low speed until sugar is incorporated; increase speed to medium and beat until frosting is fluffy, stopping to add milk (until consistency is thin enough to spread, but still thick and creamy) and strawberry extract.