Heather Rolin: February 2012

Hey everyone!

Happy Monday! Busy morning so far! Yikes! So I had a few minutes to spare before I start making lunch for the boys and get Lance off to school so I can go to my doctor checkup and thought I would come and catch up with some blogging! LOL...

Anyways, a few months back I created a cake for a friend. I used a white cake recipe and added 1 packet of Strawberry Jello to the batter. Then I added instant chocolate pudding to the layers for a nummy yummy flavor combo!!! Hope you give it a try! I also included photos for step by step instructions on assembly! Hope you enjoy & happy baking!!!

Strawberry Cake {adapted from Bakerella's yellow cake recipe}:

1 cup of butter @ Room Temp
2 cups of sugar
4 eggs @ Room Temp
3 cups of All Purpose Flour
1 tsp Salt
3 tsp Baking Powder
1 4 oz. Package of Strawberry Jello
1 cup of whole milk @ Room Temp
1 teaspoon Clear Vanilla Extract
1/2 tsp Clear Almond Extract

Preheat Oven to 350 Degrees. Prepare 9" baking pans {I use Pam for baking & Parchment Paper}.
Mix dry ingredients in a medium bowl. Set aside.
Cream Butter & Sugar in stand mixer for 2-3 minutes. Add eggs 1 at a time. Add Extracts and cream together 3 minutes.
Add flour mixture & milk to stand mixer in batches, beginning and ending with flour.
Add Jello packet to batter.
Once batter is glossy looking, pour evenly into pans & bake for 25-30 minutes. Remove from Oven and allow to cool 5 minutes before removing from pans onto wire racks to cool completely.

For Filling:

Instant Chocolate Pudding, create using directions on package.

For Frosting:

1/2 c. Shortening
4 c. Powder Sugar
1 Tlbsp. Meringue Powder
1 tsp Clear Vanilla Extract
1/2 tsp Clear Almond Extract
6-8 Tlbsp. Water or Milk

Cream shortening. Add Extracts & Meringue Powder and cream for 2 min. Add Powder Sugar. Add water 1 Tlbsp. at a time until desired consistency is reached...Frost & Decorate Assembled Cake...

Step 1: Prepare your cake plate/stand or board. I Used a cardboard cake plate and scrapbook paper.

Step 2: Assemble your cake layers by piping frosting around edges and filling with either frosting or prepared filling. Don't worry about crumbled edges, frosting will cover mistakes...

Step 3: Pipe frosting all over your cake, don't worry about being perfect, you will smooth things over. This is just how I do things instead of using a spachula to apply frosting...

Step 4: Use a scraper to smooth over frosting until smooth, let frosting set for 5 min. until firm. Then smooth over your cake with parchment paper to ensure nice even smoothness over cake...then transfer from turn table to cake plate...

Step 5: Decorate cake as desired. This was for a get well cake...I piped out roses using a firm buttercream and leaves and letters using a smooth, less firm buttercream.