Raspberry Limeade Cake

Yesterday was my mother-in-law's birthday and we had a barbecue to celebrate. I made a Raspberry Limeade cake for the occasion. It went perfectly with the other outdoor grub. If you like tart desserts (think Key Lime pie) you'll love the flavor of this cake. Limeade cake and frosting with raspberry lemonade filling. I love summer barbecues!

Mini Tiers for the Bake Sale

The bake sale has come and gone, but I thought I'd quickly post pictures of the cakes I made. They were featured on my facebook page, but just in case you missed 'em. They are both mini tiers, the bottom cake is 6 inches and the top is 4 inches. The strawberry cake is strawberry cake on the inside as well. Made from scratch with real strawberries, no artificial flavors. This is one of my favorite flavors! Especially for the summer!
This cake is rich, dark, devilish chocolate cake with vanilla frosting.

I hope whoever bought them thoroughly enjoyed each bite! They are so cute! I'm hoping someone has me make more of these mini-tiers. Maybe for centerpieces at a reception?

No Kid Hungry BAKE SALE! This Saturday!

I don't know why I've waited so long to post about this! My dear and very talented foodie-friend Tiffiny (she is always there to answer cake q's for me), is hosting a Bake Sale this Saturday, May 22, from 10:30 a.m. - 3:30 p.m. at the Goldenwest Credit Union in Herriman on 13400 S, across from the Smith's.

This is part of Share Our Strength's Great American Bake Sale.

Share Our Strength is a national non-profit organization whose mission is to end childhood hunger in America by providing healthy, nutritious food to children who would otherwise not have access to it. The Great American Bake Sale is just one of Share Our Strength's 5 programs. During the bake-sale season of March 1-October 31, 2010, volunteers all over the country will hold bake sales in an effort to help Share Our Strength reach their goal this year of $1.8 million. It sounds like a lot of money to be raised by selling cookies, but since Share Our Strength was started in 2003, they've raised almost $6 million through the bake sales.

I will have 2 cakes at the Bake Sale to help raise some money. So, if you want some home-baked goods for the Labor Day weekend, and you don't want to bake them, stop on by! It's for a great cause and you get something yummy in return!

What the Sheet Cake?!

Many of you may know this cake as Texas Sheet Cake or Chocolate Sheet Cake or even Buttermilk Brownies (found in Better Homes and Gardens New Cook Book). If you don't know this cake, then you should. It is moist and the perfect amount of chocolatey-ness.

I grew up with this cake. It was guaranteed to be at every Langton family gathering, thanks to my beautiful grandma, and there was always two sheets - one with nuts and one without.

I have found several variations of this recipe over the years and have combined them to make it just right.

Chocolate Sheet Cake

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

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Frosting:

1/2 cup butter

5 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder

6 tablespoons buttermilk

3 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/2 cup finely chopped pecans (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

2. In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, and salt. Whisk together and set aside.

3. In another bowl, mix the buttermilk, eggs, vanilla, and baking soda. Mix with a fork and set aside.

4. In a medium saucepan, combine water and butter. When the butter is just about fully melted, add the cocoa. Whisk together to combine. Bring the mixture just to boiling, stirring constantly. Remove from heat.

5. Pour the chocolate mixture into the flour mixture. Stir together until combined, then pour in the egg mixture. Stir together until smooth.

6. Pour into an ungreased 17x12x1-inch baking pan. Bake 20 minutes. (If using a smaller sized pan, then you may need to bake longer, so measure your pan!)

7. Frosting: When the cake has about 15 minutes left, begin making the frosting. Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium-low heat. (I wash and use the same saucepan as before). Add the cocoa and stir until smooth. Add buttermilk and vanilla and stir. Then add powdered sugar and stir together. Dump in the chopped pecans and stir until well combined.

8. Immediately after removing the cake from the oven, pour the warm icing over the top. Try to distribute the icing evenly as you pour. This will make it easier to spread. The less spreading you do, the better it will look.

Cupcake Bites!!!

I have been wanting to make these for a while now. They are Cupcake Bites. Much like Cake Bites. Only they look like tiny cupcakes. They are completely edible. They are delicious. They are probably the cutest cupcake you'll ever stuff into your mouth.

The flavors pictured include (from left to right): Vanilla cake w/ strawberry flavored coating, vanilla cake w/ butterscotch coating, chocolate cake w/ mint coating, and chocolate cake w/ orange flavored coating.
The green one with the white non-pareils is my favorite. I was gitty when I made the first one. They are sooo cute!

Getting my name out there

About a month ago I was putting up fliers to promote my business. I wasn't having the best luck finding places to stick em (Universities only allow university related fliers to be posted on campus). In my defeat, I stumbled across a little toy store called Funfinity. I noticed they had cake supplies in the window. I walked in and asked if they would post my flier, and a nice old lady said "We'd love to post your flier!" I wasn't too hopeful about it, seeing as it was so small a store, but it lifted my spirits. About a week after that I received an email from the owner of Sweet Creations, the cake and chocolate supply portion of Funfinity. She had seen my flier and visited my website and really liked what she saw. She then told me that she was opening a retail store in Springville for her Sweet Creations, and would like to feature my cakes in her store.

So, starting April 24th my cakes will be featured in Shay Bee's, Sweet Creations new store front, in Springville. I will be featured along with Cake Couture and Sweet Tooth Fairy, which is some hefty competition, so I need to step up my game. I will also have my cake pops there to be sold. I'm working on a cake display for the Grand Opening on the 24th. I'll post more info as it comes.

I will also be sampling my tasty cakes at a fundraiser for the Salt Lake Chamber Women's Business Center on April 21st. Flier pictured above. There should be a nice spread of yummy things to sample. If you're interested, register by visiting www.slchamber.com You'll see my name if you click there, too.

So, things are happening. I'm getting my name out there. All this is good. :)

Thank you!

I hope you all had a wonderful Easter weekend. Today was definitely a happy day for me. I delivered the last of the cake pops this afternoon, and spent the rest of the day with family eating a lot of chocolate.

It was a busy week and I have all of you to thank! So, thank you for your business and support. It means the world to me! I hope you enjoyed your Easter treats. Now, on to the next project!