Buttermilk Cake Squares
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The recipe calls these squares of deliciousness brownies; however, being the brownie expert I am, and having sampled one or two or three or a lot, I feel the need to clarify: These are not brownies, they are moist, chocolately, yummy pieces of cake topped with frosting you just plop on top of a warm pan of brownies cake. I’m guessing they were named brownies because they’re baked in a pan and cut into squares, but don’t let that fool you. These are cake squares. Yes, that is the official terminology.
Did I mention these cake squares are pretty damn good? Like, really good? Especially when they’re still warm? Well, they are. And they’re super easy to make! A few ingredients on the stove, a few in the mixing bowl (including flour and sugar together, weird, I know!), combine everything, then add in two more things. And the frosting? No need to spread and make it look pretty. It kind of glides all over the warm cake all on its own.
Photos of the process here.
Cake Ingredients
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup water
1 cup butter
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 eggs
1/2 cup buttermilk or sour milk
1-1/2 teaspoon vanilla
Chocolate-Buttermilk Frosting
In a medium saucepan combine 1/4 cup butter, 3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder, and 3 tablespoons buttermilk or sour milk. Bring mixture to boiling. Remove from heat. Add 2-1/4 cups powdered sugar and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla. Beat with an electric mixer on medium to high speed until smooth. If desired, stir in 3/4 cup coarsely chopped pecans.
Cake Preparation
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 15x10x1-inch or a 13x9x2-inch baking pan; set aside. In a medium bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt; set aside.
- In a medium saucepan combine water, butter, and cocoa powder. Bring mixture just to boiling, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Add the cocoa mixture to the flour mixture. Beat with an electric mixer on medium speed until combined. Add the eggs, buttermilk, and vanilla. Beat for 1 minute (batter will be thin). Pour batter into prepared baking pan.
- Bake about 25 minutes for the 15x10x1-inch pan, about 35 minutes for the 13x9x2-inch pan, or until a wooden toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Pour warm Chocolate-Buttermilk Frosting over the warm brownies, spreading evenly. Cool completely in pan on a wire rack. Cut into bars.
The recipe claims to make 24 pieces, but those would be huge squares.
Recipe from Better Homes and Gardens.
Lemon Yogurt Cake
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I had some plain yogurt in my fridge that I needed to use it up, so this recipe was the perfect solution.
I wanted to bring at least one loaf into the office, so I doubled everything and made two loaves, then realized I didn’t buy enough lemons and ended up juicing an orange for the glaze, which worked out just fine. Aside from lots of prep work, the recipe was easy, albeit a little strange–I’ve never heard of folding in oil before!
The cake is good–moist, dense, and definitely very pound cake-ish. Flavor-wise, it is tart and sweet and lemony. I know people raved about this cake, but I liked Ina’s Lemon Cake recipe more. Of course, that one also has way more fat and calories, but who is keeping track, right?
Photos of the process here.
Cake Ingredients
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup plain whole-milk yogurt
1 1/3 cups sugar, divided
3 extra-large eggs
2 teaspoons grated lemon zest (2 lemons)
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/3 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
Glaze Ingredients
1 cup confectioners’ sugar
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
Preparation
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease an 8 1/2 by 4 1/4 by 2 1/2-inch loaf pan. Line the bottom with parchment paper. Grease and flour the pan.
Sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt into 1 bowl. In another bowl, whisk together the yogurt, 1 cup sugar, the eggs, lemon zest, and vanilla. Slowly whisk the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. With a rubber spatula, fold the vegetable oil into the batter, making sure it’s all incorporated. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for about 50 minutes, or until a cake tester placed in the center of the loaf comes out clean.
Meanwhile, cook the 1/3 cup lemon juice and remaining 1/3 cup sugar in a small pan until the sugar dissolves and the mixture is clear. Set aside.
When the cake is done, allow it to cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Carefully place on a baking rack over a sheet pan. While the cake is still warm, pour the lemon-sugar mixture over the cake and allow it to soak in. (I poked holes in the cake then brushed on the mixture.) Cool.
For the glaze, combine the confectioners’ sugar and lemon juice and pour over the cake.
Recipe from Food Network/Ina Garten.
Chocolate Cupcakes with Salted Caramel Frosting
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When I received an invitation to my friend’s New Years Eve party, I immediately knew I wanted to try some sort of chocolate cupcake with salted caramel frosting.
Afterall, everyone loves the salty sweet combination, and even if they didn’t like it, since it’s New Years Eve they should have consumed enough alcohol to pretend to like it. Fortunately for me, there was no pretending, and guests were even asking if they could take cupcakes home with them. Success!
Since I already have the perfect (and one bowl!) chocolate cupcake recipe, I used that. For the frosting, I spent a bit of time Googling different recipes and finally decided on Chockylit’s recipe. It was a little time consuming because you have to make the salted caramel before starting the frosting, but it’s definitely well worth the time it took.
Photos of the process here.
In other news, notice the bright blue background and lack of kitchen sink in the photo? My parents bought me this mini photo studio for Hanukkah, so now I can post photos that don’t include my ugly stained Formica counter top. You can thank me (and my parents) later.
Salted Caramel Ingredients
4 tablespoons water
1 cup sugar
2 tablespoons light corn syrup
1/2 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons butter
1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon salt, kosher or sea
- Combine the water, sugar, and the corn syrup in a deep saucepan and cook over medium heat.
- Stir together with a wooden spoon until the sugar is incorporated.
- Cover the saucepan and let it cook over medium heat for 3 minutes.
- After 3 minutes, remove the lid, increase the heat to medium-high, and bring to a boil. Do not stir from this point on, but it is important to carefully shake the pan so that one area of the caramel doesn’t burn.
- Continue to cook until the caramel turns an even amber color then remove from the heat and let stand for about 30 seconds.
- Pour the heavy cream into the mixture. Wear oven mitts, stand away from the pan, and be careful. The mixture will bubble up significantly.
- Stir the mixture, again being careful. Add the butter, lemon juice, and salt. Stir until combined.
- Measure 1 cup into a Pyrex measuring cup. Stirring occasionally, allow to cool until thick like molasses and warm to the touch, about 20 minutes.
Salted Caramel Frosting Ingredients
2 sticks butter
8 ounces or 1 package of cream cheese
5 to 6 cups powdered sugar
1 cup salted caramel
- Bring butter to room temperature by letting it sit out for 1 or 2 hours.
- Beat butter and cream cheese at medium speed until creamy.
- Sift 3 cups of powdered sugar into the butter/cream cheese mixture and beat to combine.
- Add 1 cup of the salted caramel and beat to combine.
- Sift 2-3 cups of powder sugar, in 1 cup increments and beating between each, until you arrive at the thickness and sweetness you desire. (I used a total of 6 cups and it was easy to pipe.)
Frosting recipe from Cupcake Bakeshop by Chockylit.
POM Velvet Cake
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A few months ago, the nice people at POM sent me a ton of POM juice to try out. Not being a juice fan (I much prefer the fresh seeds), I decided to try one of the many recipes on their site that uses the juice. And as soon as I saw the recipe for this cake, I knew it must be made. Come on, who wouldn’t get excited about “velvet cake” that doesn’t using food coloring?
And it’s good. Unfortunately, aside from a barely noticeable red hue, the POM juice didn’t do much for the color, and the flavor is that of…chocolate cake. I noticed that instead of a couple of tablespoons of cocoa powder like most red velvet cakes, this recipe calls for 3/4 cup. No wonder it tastes so chocolately. But fortunately for me, chocolately means good!
Cake Ingredients
juice from 1 large POM Wonderful pomegranate* or 1/2 cup POM Wonderful 100% Pomegranate Juice
2-1/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup unsalted butter at room temperature
1-1/2 cups granulated sugar
3 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
1 cup half-and-half
Icing Ingredients
1 cup arils from 1–2 large POM Wonderful pomegranates (Pomegranates aren’t in season, so I skipped this)
12 oz. cream cheese at room temperature
1/2 cup unsalted butter at room temperature
1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla
1 lb. confectioner’s sugar, sifted
1/8 teaspoon salt
Cake Preparation
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Prepare fresh pomegranate juice.*
- Line the bases of two round 9” x 2” baking pans with either parchment or wax paper. Grease paper but do not line or grease sides of pans.
- In a large mixing bowl, mix flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt in mixing bowl and set aside.
In a separate mixing bowl, beat butter and sugar until fluffy, about 3 minutes at medium speed. - To the bowl with the butter mixture, add eggs one at a time, beating after each one. Add vanilla extract.
- Pour half-and-half into a large measuring cup and add in vinegar and pomegranate juice; stir.
Add one-third of the flour mixture to the butter and sugar mixture. Mix on low speed, alternating with the half-and-half and ending with flour. Beat for 2 minutes at medium speed. - Divide batter into cake pans and bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until cakes test done using a toothpick inserted near the center. The toothpick should be free of wet batter when withdrawn.
- Allow cakes to rest in cake pan for 15 minutes or until pans are cold to the touch.
- Invert cakes onto a cooling rack.
Icing Preparation
- Score 1–2 fresh pomegranates and place in a bowl of water. Break open the pomegranates under water to free the arils (seed sacs). The arils will sink to the bottom of the bowl and the membrane will float to the top. Sieve and put the arils in a separate bowl. Reserve 1 cup of the arils from fruit and set aside. (Refrigerate or freeze remaining arils for another use.)
- Blend cream cheese and butter in mixing bowl.
- Add vanilla. Beat at medium speed.
- Add confectioner’s sugar and salt. Beat until fluffy.
- Place one layer of cake on a cake plate and spread with one third of the icing.
- Sprinkle with 1/2 cup of arils.
- Cover with second layer of cake and ice with remaining icing.
- Garnish with remaining arils.
* For 1 cup of juice, cut 2–3 large POM Wonderful Pomegranates in half and juice them with a citrus reamer or juicer. Pour the mixture through a cheesecloth-lined strainer or sieve. Set the juice aside.
Recipe from POM Wonderful.
Strawberry Buttermilk Cake
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I was down in San Diego visiting my parents for Memorial Day weekend when this recipe showed up in my Google Reader. It was 9 at night and my parents, sister, and I were all sitting around watching TV, stuffed from dinner and a party earlier in the day. I made this cake thinking we would taste it before bed and eat some of it the next day.
Which we did. Actually, we finished it the next day. And made two more as well. Oh yes, it was that much of a hit! The second time around, I made it a lot healthier by making a few substitutions: I replaced the butter with applesauce (tablespoon for tablespoon), the sugar with Splenda, and the flour with whole wheat flour. And it still got two thumbs up from everyone! It’s light, moist, delicious, and incredibly simple to make.
Notes: Since I was baking at my parents’ house and didn’t have my cake pans, I used a pie pan and it turned out just fine. I also made my own buttermilk (using Lactaid!) by adding 1/2 tablespoon of vinegar to the 1/2 cup milk and let it sit for 10 minutes. And finally, you can substitute any berry you wish.
Ingredients
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 stick unsalted butter, softened
2/3 cup plus 1 1/2 tablespoons sugar, divided
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest (optional)
1 large egg
1/2 cup well-shaken buttermilk
1 cup fresh strawberries (you can use any berry you want)
Preparation
Preheat oven to 400°F with rack in middle. Butter and flour a 9-inch round cake pan.
Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt and set aside. In a larger bowl, beat butter and 2/3 cup (146 grams) sugar with an electric mixer at medium-high speed until pale and fluffy, about two minutes, then beat in vanilla and zest, if using. Add egg and beat well.
At low speed, mix in flour mixture in three batches, alternating with buttermilk, beginning and ending with flour, and mixing until just combined.Spoon batter into cake pan, smoothing top. Scatter raspberries evenly over top and sprinkle with remaining 1 1/2 tablespoons sugar.
Bake until cake is golden and a wooden pick inserted into center comes out clean, 20 to 25 minutes (mine were all done in about 18 minutes). Cool in pan 10 minutes, then turn out onto a rack and cool to warm, 10 to 15 minutes more. Invert onto a plate (I skipped this part and just cut, sliced, and served–much easier).
Recipe adapted from Smitten Kitchen.
