One Bowl Gingerbread Cake with Mango Vanilla Jam

One Bowl Gingerbread Cake with Mango Vanilla Jam

Spouse had a birthday last week and I always try to tailor birthday cakes to the person's favorite flavors. Everyone knows how much Spouse loves her gingerbread and I've been wanting to develop a quick, one bowl, simplified version of her favorite cake. It came together in no time plus it turned out beautifully moist and well spiced so I know we will be making it many times in the future.

To compliment the cake I filled it with some very simple to prepare vanilla mango jam and a simple vanilla glaze. Spouse loved it and so did the kids. We normally send out leftover dessert to friends and neighbors but o this occasion, there were nothing but crumbs left on the plate by the next day. Sorry to the "Leftover List", you'll have to wait until next time to sample this one.

Gingerbread Cake

• 1 cup sugar
• 2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
• 3 tbsp powdered ginger
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp ground cloves
• 2 tsp. baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup soured milk
• 1/2 cup fancy or light molasses (not cooking molasses or blackstrap molasses)
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tbsp freshly grated ginger root (optional)

Combine all ingredients in a mixing bowl and beat with electric mixer for 2 to 3 minutes.
Pour into 2 greased and floured 8 or 9 inch cake pans. Line the bottoms with parchment paper circles for easier release.  Bake at 350 degrees F for 30-40 minutes or until toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in the pans for 10 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack to cool completely. Fill between the two layers with Mango Vanilla Jam.

Mango Vanilla Jam

• 3 ripe mangoes, finely diced
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 vanilla bean

Split the vanilla bean lengthwise, scrape out the seed paste with a knife. Add the scraped out seeds, along with the vanilla pod to a small saucepan along with the remaining ingredients. Bring to a very slow simmer for about a half hour or until almost all of the liquid has boiled off. Mash with a fork and set aside to cool completely before using to fill the cake. Spread Vanilla Glaze over the top of the cake, letting it drizzle down the sides. garnish with a dollop of the jam or fresh mango slices in the center of the cake.

Vanilla Glaze

• 2 cups icing sugar 
• approximately 3 tbsp milk
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Mix all together until smooth. If it is too thick to flow properly add a few more drops of milk or if too thin a couple of tbsp icing sugar until you get the right consistency.

Lemon Velvet Cake

Lemon Velvet Cake

It all started with me trying to develop the best Red Velvet Cake recipe I could.  It was such a sucess and I loved the moist, tender texture of that cake so much that I just had to try a White Velvet Cake and then an Orange Velvet Cake. Those turned out to be a couple of the most popular cake recipes ever on Rock Recipes so I couldn't stop there. Keeping the lemon lovers like me in mind, a luscious lemon version was inevitable. The creamy, tangy lemon buttercream frosting goes particularly well with this beautiful lemon cake too.

Am I done with Velvet Cake recipes yet? Maybe not, I have an idea that might work out for yet another version. Here's a clue...think pink. :) 

Lemon Velvet Cake

Recipe by Barry C. Parsons

Developed from an outstanding Red Velvet Cake recipe, this lemon cake is a perfectly moist and tender crumbed cake with a lemony buttercream frosting. An ideal birthday cake for the lemon lover in your life.

Prep time: Approximately 20 minutes
Cook time: 35 minutes
Total time: Approximately 1 hour.
Yield: 12 -16 servings
Ingredients

• 1 1/4 cups sifted all purpose flour
• 1 1/2 cups sifted cake flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 2/3 cup vegetable oil
• 1/3 cup vegetable shortening at room temperature
• 1 tsp good quality vanilla extract
• 2 tsp pure lemon extract
• 3 large eggs
• 1 1/2 cups buttermilk
• zest of two small or one large lemons, grated and finely chopped
• FOR THE FROSTING
• 8 cups icing sugar (powdered sugar)
• 2 cups unsalted butter
• 1 tsp pure lemon extract
• 1 tsp minced lemon zest (optional) 
• aprox 4 tbsp milk

Directions

1. Grease and flour 2 nine inch round cake pans and line the bottom with 2 circles of parchment paper. Sift together both flours, baking soda. baking powder, salt and sugar, Set aside.
2. In the bowl of an electric mixer beat together the vegetable oil, shortening, vanilla and lemon extract. Beat well at high speed with whisk attachment until light and fluffy
3. Beat the eggs in one at a time.
4. Fold in the lemon zest.
5. Fold in the dry ingredients alternately with the buttermilk.
6. I always add dry ingredients in three divisions and liquid ingredients in 2 divisions. It is very important to begin and end the additions with the dry ingredients. Do not over mix the batter. As soon as it has no lumps in the batter, pour into the two prepared 9 inch cake pans.
7. Bake at 325 degrees F for 30-35 minutes or until a wooden toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow the cake to cool in the pans for 10 minutes before turning out onto wire racks to cool completely.
8. FOR THE FROSTING: mix together the icing sugar, lemon zest and butter until it becomes sort of crumbly.
9. Add the lemon extract and a little of the milk.
10. Beat until smooth and fluffy, adding only enough milk to bring the frosting to a creamy spreadable consistency.
11. Fill and frost the cake. Garnish with candied lemon zest if desired.
12. To make candied lemon zest, remove the zest with a sharp vegetable peeler in long strips, avoiding as much of the white pith as possible.
13. Bring one cup of water and one cup of sugar to a slow boil.
14. Add the pieces of lemon zest and boil for about 15 minutes. Drain the lemon zest on a wire rack.
15. When cool, cut them in strips and roll in fine sugar. 

For the other recipes in our Velvet Cakes Collection click the photo below.

Lemon Velvet Cake

Double Chocolate Black Forest Cake

Double Chocolate Black Forest Cake

It's official, we now have 2 teenagers in the house! Number one son celebrated his 13th birthday this past weekend and got to choose his birthday cake. He chose chocolate and cherry and I immediately thought black forest cake but with such beautiful, ripe, sweet cherries on hand I wanted to use them in their natural state rather than making a cooked filling. Instead I layered them with whipped chocolate ganache frosting and plain layers of whipped cream in this utterly decadent cake. I think the cherries on top makes for a beautiful presentation too. Who wouldn't want this as a birthday cake?! 

The recipe here is all ages friendly but if you want to add some Kirsch or other cherry liqueur to the cake by sprinkling about an ounce or so of the liqueur on each of the cake as you construct it.

Chocolate Cake

• 2 cups sugar
• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 3/4 cup cocoa
• 2 tsp. baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup soured milk (just add a tablespoon of lemon juice or plain vinegar to a cup of milk)
• 1 cup black coffee
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

Combine all ingredients in a mixing bowl and beat with electric mixer for 2 minutes.
Pour into 2 greased and floured (or dusted with cocoa) 9 inch cake pans. Bake at 350 degrees F for 30-35 minutes or until toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool completely on a wire rack. When completely cooled, split the two layers into four with a sharp serrated bread knife.

Whipped Chocolate Ganache

To prepare the filling/frosting, melt together in a double boiler

• 3 cups dark chocolate chips
•  1/2 cup whipping cream

Stir constantly over a gentle simmer in the double boiler, just until melted and smooth throughout. You do not want this mixture to get hot, it should be just at the melting point and only lukewarm to the touch.

Transfer to a large mixing bowl.

In a separate bowl, whip to firm peaks:

• 2 cups whipping cream

Add the whipped cream to the chocolate mixture in four portions, folding gently after each addition until the whipped cream is completely incorporated into the chocolate. 

At this point you will probably have to chill this frosting for a half hour or more in the fridge if it is too soft to work with. Just give it a quick fold with a rubber spatula every 10 minutes so that it cools evenly in the fridge.

Vanilla Whipped Cream

• 2 cups whipping cream
• 4 rounded tbsp icing sugar (powdered sugar)
• 2 tsp vanilla extract

Whip together to firm peaks.

• 1 pound ripe fresh cherries, pitted
• chopped chocolate for garnish

To construct the cake, split the two layers of cake into four using a sharp serrated bread knife. Place the first layer of  cake onto the cake plate and cover with a little of the vanilla whipped cream followed by the next layer of cake. Spread a thin layer of the whipped chocolate ganache on this layer and place a layer of pitted cherries on top followed by more whipped ganache to completely cover the cherries.

Add the next layer of cake, more of the vanilla whipped cream and the final layer of cake. Frost the entire outside of the cake with the remaining whipped ganache frosting and place another layer of pitted cherries on top of the cake. Garnish with borders of vanilla whipped cream and with chopped chocolate on the sides.