My Extra-Simple Summer Birthday Cake

Ingredients:

• 1 to 2 containers Breyers strawberry ice cream
• 1 to 2 ready-made, store-bought angel food cakes

Directions:

Can you substitute another brand of ice cream? Sure, but don't say I didn't tell you so. Breyers strawberry is light and refreshing, contains real strawberries plus five other ingredients I recognize, and tastes just like strawberry ice cream should. Can you make your own angel food cake? Sure! But...why? My local Publix does a lovely job with that, and I'm already at the store for the ice cream, so.

The "how to" is easy, and you've probably guessed already, but here it is. Let the ice cream sit out on the counter until it's runny. (I used to do this in the microwave, but I must admit the consistency is a little better when it melts on its own.) Open the angel food cake containers.

In a two-piece angel food cake pan, alternate layers of ice cream and torn pieces of cake. Use a rubber spatula to spread the ice cream and level the layers. For a smaller cake, use one cake and one container of ice cream. To fill the pan and make a more spectacular cake, use two of each. You may want to cover the bottom of the pan with plastic wrap, in case it leaks.

Now, put the whole thing in the freezer and go on about your day. When you're ready to plate the cake, remove the outer shell of the pan, turn it over on a cake plate, and stick a warm washcloth in the center tube. Now read a book or something. In a few minutes, you will hear the cake slide off the tube and onto your cake plate. This will make a soft plopping noise. Put your book down and remove the second part of the cake pan. Put your cake back in the freezer until you are ready to serve it.
You can serve it with chocolate sauce, or not, and you can garnish with mint, or not. Birthday candles are highly recommended.

Get the pan: Nordic Ware 2-Piece Angel Food Cake Pan at Target 

Source: thekitchn.com

Coconut-Lemon Cake

This is a classic Christmas white cake in every way, with three golden yellow layers and fluffy white frosting. The homemade lemon filling is a quick and easy stovetop stir-together that can also be used to fill tart shells.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 2 cups sugar
• 4 large eggs, separated
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1 cup milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• Lemon Filling
• Fluffy White Frosting
• 1 cup flaked coconut
• Garnishes: fresh cranberries, fresh boxwood sprigs

Directions:

1. Beat butter at medium speed with an electric mixer until fluffy; gradually add sugar, beating well. Add egg yolks, one at a time, beating after each addition.
2. Combine flour and baking powder; add to butter mixture alternately with milk, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Beat at low speed until blended after each addition. Stir in 1 tsp. vanilla.
3. Beat egg whites and salt at high speed with an electric mixer until stiff peaks form. Stir about one-third of egg whites into batter; fold in remaining egg whites. Spoon batter into 3 greased and floured 9-inch round cake pans.
4. Bake at 350° for 18 to 20 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pans on wire racks 10 minutes; remove from pans, and cool completely on wire racks.
5. Spread Lemon Filling between layers. Spread Fluffy White Frosting on top and sides of cake. Sprinkle top and sides with coconut; garnish, if desired.

Note: Boxwood is poisonous if ingested. If boxwood sprigs are used as garnish, cut small circle of heavy-duty plastic wrap, and position in center of cake before arranging sprigs and cranberries on top of cake. Remove garnish before serving.

Southern Living
OCTOBER 2007

Mile-High White Chocolate Hummingbird Cake

Hummingbird Cake remains the most-requested Southern Living recipe of all time. The origin of the name is unknown, but its signature ingredients—mashed banana, pineapple, coconut and pecans—assure its continued popularity. Eight layers and a spoon-licking white chocolate-cream cheese frosting make this updated version more spectacular than the original. But it's easy as can be because of convenience products such as cake mix, instant pudding mix, and canned pineapple.

Ingredients:

• 1 (8-oz.) can crushed pineapple in juice
• 2 (18.25-oz.) packages white cake mix (we tested with Duncan Hines)
• 2 (3.4-oz) packages vanilla instant pudding mix
• 6 large eggs 
• 2 1/2 cups milk, divided 
• 2 cups canola oil 
• 4 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon almond extract
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1 (4-oz.) white chocolate baking bar, finely chopped (we tested with Ghirardelli)
• 1 cup flaked sweetened coconut
• 2 cups chopped pecans, toasted 
• 2 cups chopped banana (about 3 medium)
• White Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting
• Garnish: toasted pecans

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350°.
2. Drain pineapple, reserving juice for another use. Squeeze pineapple well using several thicknesses of paper towels to remove excess moisture.
3. Combine cake mix and next 7 ingredients in an 8-qt. mixing bowl. Beat at low speed with an electric mixer 2 minutes; beat at medium speed 3 minutes. Fold in pineapple, white chocolate, and next 3 ingredients. Pour batter into 4 greased and floured 9-inch round cake pans.
4. Bake at 350° for 34 to 36 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pans on wire racks 10 minutes. Remove from pans to wire racks, and cool completely. Wrap and chill cake layers at least 1 hour or up to 24 hours.
5. Using a serrated knife, slice cake layers in half horizontally to make 8 layers. Place 1 layer, cut side up, on cake plate. Spread with 1/2 cup White Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting. Repeat procedure 6 times. Place final cake layer on top of cake, cut side down. Spread remaining frosting on top and sides of cake. Cover; chill in refrigerator overnight. Garnish, if desired. Store in refrigerator. 
6. Cover cake in an airtight container and freeze up to 1 month in advance. Thaw in refrigerator overnight before serving.

Note:

  To prepare a 4-layer White Chocolate Hummingbird Cake instead, use half of all ingredients in both cake and frosting recipes. Follow cake recipe as directed in Steps 1 through 4, except use only 2 greased and floured 9-inch round cake pans. In Step 5, slice the 2 cake layers in half horizontally to make 4 layers. Follow White Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting recipe as directed except microwave white chocolate morsels in Step 1 for only 1 1/2 minutes. Assemble cake as directed. Both the 8- and 4-layer versions of this delicious cake slice best after they have chilled overnight.

Oxmoor House
MARCH 2008

Cheesecake-Stuffed Dark Chocolate Cake

Start with a package of devil's food cake mix for this decadent cake that's filled with chopped frozen cheesecake bites and chocolate candy bars. The over-the-top cream cheese frosting is drenched with dulce de leche caramel sauce and topped with chocolate cookies.

Ingredients:

• Unsweetened cocoa
• 1 (18.25-oz.) package devil's food cake mix
• 1 (3.4-oz.) package chocolate instant pudding mix
• 3 large eggs 
• 1 1/4 cups milk 
• 1 cup canola oil 
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 teaspoons chocolate extract (optional)
• 1 teaspoon almond extract
• 3 (1.55-oz.) milk chocolate bars, chopped (we tested with Hershey's)
• 3 (16-oz.) cans homestyle cream cheese frosting
• 3 (7.75-oz.) boxes frozen cheesecake bites, coarsely chopped (we tested with Sara Lee)
• 1 (12-oz.) jar dulce de leche caramel sauce (we tested with Smucker's)
• Double chocolate rolled wafer cookies, coarsely broken (we tested with Pirouline)
• Chocolate fudge rolled wafer cookies, coarsely broken (we tested with Pepperidge Farm)

Directions:

1. Grease 2 (9") round cakepans, and dust with cocoa.
2. Beat cake mix and next 7 ingredients at low speed with an electric mixer 1 minute; then beat at medium speed 2 minutes. Fold in chopped milk chocolate bars. Pour batter into prepared pans.
3. Bake at 350° for 32 minutes or until cake springs back when lightly touched. Cool cake in pans on wire racks 10 minutes; remove from pans, and cool completely on wire racks. Wrap and chill cake layers at least 1 hour or up to 24 hours. (This step enables you to split cake layers with ease.)
4. Using a serrated knife, slice cake layers in half horizontally to make 4 layers. Place 1 layer, cut side up, on a cake plate. Spread with 1/2 cup cream cheese frosting; sprinkle with one-fourth of chopped cheesecake bites. Repeat procedure with remaining 3 layers, frosting, and cheesecake bites, omitting cheesecake bites on top of last layer. Frost sides and top of cake with remaining frosting. Drizzle desired amount of caramel sauce over cake, letting it drip down sides. Chill until ready to serve. Decorate cake with rolled wafer cookies and remaining chopped cheesecake bites. Store in refrigerator.

Christmas with Southern Living 2007, Oxmoor House
2007

White Chocolate-Almond Cake

Offer your holiday guests a present in the form of cake. This recipe features classic chocolate cake layers, a vanilla buttercream frosting, and white chocolate-almond candy that’s chopped and sprinkled over the top of the cake.

Ingredients:

• Chocolate Velvet Cake Batter
• 1 (12-ounce) package white chocolate morsels
• 1 cup coarsely chopped slivered almonds, toasted
• Vanilla Buttercream Frosting

Directions:

1. Spoon batter evenly into 3 greased and floured 8-inch square pans. Bake at 350° for 25 to 30 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pans on a wire rack 10 minutes. Remove from pans, and let cool completely on wire rack.
2. Melt white chocolate morsels in a microwave-safe bowl at HIGH for 30-second intervals until melted (about 1 1/2 minutes total). Stir until smooth, and spread in a 1/4-inch-thick layer on an aluminum foil-lined baking sheet. Sprinkle evenly with almonds. Chill 30 minutes or until firm. Remove from baking sheet, and chop.
3. Spread Vanilla Buttercream Frosting between layers and on top and sides of cake. Press chopped white chocolate mixture into top and sides of cake. If desired, tie a decorative ribbon around sides of cake.

Southern Living
DECEMBER 2003

Peppermint-Hot Chocolate Cake

We took every beloved flavor from the holidays and put them in a single cake. The results are heavenly. Be our guest!

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup boiling water
• 1 (4-oz.) milk chocolate baking bar, chopped
• 1 cup butter, softened
• 2 cups sugar
• 4 large eggs, separated
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup buttermilk
• Fudge Filling
• Peppermint-Cream Frosting

Directions:

1. 1. Preheat oven to 350°. Grease and flour 3 (8-inch) round cake pans.
2. 2. Pour boiling water over chocolate in a heatproof bowl. Stir until chocolate is melted and smooth. Cool to room temperature (about 30 minutes).
3. 3. Beat butter at medium speed with a heavy-duty electric stand mixer until creamy; gradually add sugar, beating until light and fluffy. Add egg yolks, 1 at a time, beating until blended after each addition. Add melted chocolate and vanilla, beating until blended. Combine flour and next 3 ingredients; add to butter mixture alternately with buttermilk, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Beat at low speed just until blended after each addition.
4. 4. Beat egg whites at medium speed until soft peaks form; gently fold into batter. Pour batter into prepared pans.
5. 5. Bake at 350° for 20 to 30 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pans on wire racks 10 minutes; remove from pans to wire racks, and cool completely (about 40 minutes).
6. 6. Meanwhile, prepare Fudge Filling; spread between cake layers. Spread frosting on top and sides of cake.

Britainy Shaw, Burleson, Texas, Southern Living
DECEMBER 2012

Birthday Cake In A Jar

Go ahead sweetie, it’s your birthday! Your loved one can celebrate their special day wherever they go with this portable celebration in a jar. Just add candles!

Ingredients:

• 1 yellow cake mix, prepared according to package directions
• 1/4 cup rainbow sprinkles
• 1 jar vanilla frosting, tinted into two colors

Directions:

Stir the rainbow sprinkles into the prepared cake mix. Bake according to package directions in a 9×13 baking dish. Once the cake is cooked and cooled, tear it into large, crumbly pieces.
Assemble the birthday cake in a jar by placing a small amount of cake into the bottom of four small canning jars. Top with one color of frosting, a bit more cake, and the second color of frosting.  Top each jar with a seal and lid. Store in the fridge for up to 2 days.  Serve with candles and a lot of birthday wishes.
Want to send your cake via snail mail? Feel free to pack it tightly and pop it in the mail, but you’ll want to make sure it arrives at your destination within 3 days for maximum freshness.
Makes four cakes in jars.

Source: babble.com