Red & Blue Giants Cake Bars

Yesterday, the Giants beat up on the Falcons.

I'm so happy they did.

Because, you see, I made a blue and red cake for my G-men. That's how I celebrate. With cake.

And if they did not, in fact, beat up on the Falcons, I would feel majorly slightly embarassed to share this cake with you.

It's pretty. And yummy. And the reason that I'm 20 lbs. overweight. Let's pretend that doesn't exist for today.

Because this cake is so soft and fluffy. It's topped with sweet vanilla buttercream. And I actually got the cake color right on this one. Very unlike my Jets cake of yore. Yikes. I'm glad that we were invited to our friends John & Laura's party for the game so that I could redeem myself with this! Plus I got to see my friend Kristen whom I've not seen in quite a while and celebrate in our Giants gear.

 

But back to the cake. After mixing in a heckuva lotta food coloring, I layered the cake batter into a long pan. It swirled on its own. Purdy. If you (gasp) are not in fact a Giants fan, you could easily adapt this cake to fit your own team or holiday or anything you want, really!

Red & Blue Giants Cake Bars
for the cake:
*Adapted from Softasilk Raspberry Laced Vanilla Cake
baking spray with flour
3 C cake flour (I used SOFTASILK®)
1 Tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 C butter, softened
1 1/4 C sugar
4 large eggs
2/3 C milk
1 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
red food coloring (as desired, I used half a small bottle)
blue food coloring (as desired, I used a quarter of a small bottle)

frosting:
3/4 C butter, softened
3 C confectioners' sugar
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
2-3 Tbsp milk
sprinkles, as desired

Heat oven to 350°F. Coat a 13x9" pan with baking spray with flour (make sure it's with flour!) Set aside.

In a mixing bowl, whisk together the cake flour, baking powder, salt and baking soda. Beat butter and sugar in a stand mixer or with an electric hand mixer until fluffy. Beat in eggs, milk and 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla on medium speed until blended, scraping bowl. Gradually add flour mixture, beating until just blended. Separate batter in half, adding red food coloring to one and blue to the other, mixing each one well (Note: I mixed each one separately in  my mixer, cleaning it out in between mixes). Spread the red batter evenly in the pan. Top with blue batter and carefully spread. Bake for 19-23 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. The batter will naturally swirl together in the baking process. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to finish cooling.

Now, make the frosting. Beat the butter until fluffy. Add the confectioners' sugar, 1/2 C at a time until completely combined. Add milk as necessary to thin out. Beat in the vanilla extract. Mix on high speed for a few minutes until the frosting is light and fluffy. Spread over the top of the cake (carefully!). Sprinkle with sprinkles. Cut into bars.

Eat many.

I really love this cake. It's going into my permanent collection as a base white cake. Yum.

So that's my tale of celebrating the Giants! Now I just have to top this for next week's game...

Questions of the Day:

What's your favorite kind of cake? I love chocolate with vanilla buttercream!

Have you ever made a sports-themed food? I've made a (failed) Jets cake and Giants & Jets popcorn mixes!

Glazed Blood Orange Loaf Cake

Do you ever get something into your head and simply cannot rest until you make it/do it?

 

I do.

 

I've been wanted to make a light, bright, fresh citrusy cake for some time now. I'm not even a particularly huge fan of citrus fruits, though I do recognize their need in my kitchen. But I was longing for an aromatic cake filled with zest and indicative of summer. It may or may not have been caused by watching Jersey Shore and longing for some of my own summery shore time. Without the spray tans and fake boobs.

 

So for my mother-in-law's birthday on Sunday, I finally went ahead and researched a good citrus cake. Of course, any time I get an idea in my head, I must consult with Ina. She's my girl for all recipes. I simply cannot make something without checking her recipe list first, if even to simply compare. And wouldn't you know, she has a recipe for lemon cake. My heart skipped a beat.

 

Instead of lemon though, I wanted to try something a bit less tart...orange, perhaps? I sent Shaun out grocery shopping on Saturday night and I didn't realize until I had started baking that he didn't pick up any old orange. I cut them open and found this.

 

After zesting and juicing, it felt like a party at Dexter's house.

 

But seriously, the blood oranges made this cake just a hint orangey, which was absolute perfection. And see that gorgeous pink glaze? It's 100% au naturale from the blood orange juice. Gorgeous, no?

 Glazed Blood Orange Loaf Cake
*Adapted from Ina Garten
For the cake:
4 blood oranges, zested & juiced
2 lemons, zested & juiced
2 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 1/2 cups granulated sugar, divided
4 eggs
3 C flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp kosher salt
3/4 cup freshly squeezed orange & lemon juice, divided
3/4 C buttermilk
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
For the glaze:
2 C confectioners' sugar
3 tbsp orange/lemon juice
milk (add for consistency)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour 2 loaf pans. Zest the fruit and set aside. You should get about 1/3 C of zest.

Now juice the fruit and set the juice aside. In a stand mixer (or with a hand mixer), cream the butter and 2 cups of granulated sugar, about 5 minutes. Add the eggs 1 at a time and then mix in the orange & lemon zest.

In a separate bowl, sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a bowl. In a glass measuring cup, combine 1/4 C of the fruit juice, buttermilk and vanilla extract.

Add the flour and buttermilk mixtures to the sugar mixture, alternating a third at a time. Begin and end with the flour. Divide the batter between the 2 pans.

Cook for 45-50 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes and move to a wire rack, which I set over a tray to catch syrup drippings. Meanwhile, in a saucepan, mix 1/4 C of the fruit juice, 1/4 C water and 1/2 C sugar and cook over medium heat until the sugar is dissolved. Prick holes all over the top of the cakes and pour the syrup over them (here's where the tray comes in handy).

Let the cakes completely cool and make the glaze.

Whisk together the confectioners' sugar and fruit juice, adding a splash of milk until it's thin enough to pour, but not too runny. Move the cakes to plates and pour the glaze over the cakes, letting it get all down the sides. Pretty.

Slice up and enjoy!

So what do you think? Have you ever worked with blood oranges? Do you like fruity desserts? And most importantly, do you watch Jersey Shore?

Irish Oatmeal Cake + Irish Cream Frosting

Well friends, we're a week away from St. Patty's Day and just in case you are hosting a party or simply celebrating your Irish (or non-Irish) heritage, this cake is tops for any occasion. Let's face it, everyone's Irish on St. Patty's day, right? Even if only for the beer.

Since I have already brought you Irish stout cupcakes and the best ever Irish soda bread, this year I knew I had to change it up a bit. After a bit of brainstorming, I realized that I just had to make something with Irish oatmeal. It's one of my favorite ways to eat oats. And of course, it wouldn't be a celebration without some cake. Am I right or am I right?

This cake is extremely moist and sweet. As Shaun (aka Mr. No Sweets) claimed, it's comparable to eating a soft oatmeal cookie with sweet frosting. And I couldn't find a thing wrong with that claim. The cake has a great textrue while tasting like oatmeal with cinnamon. But in a cake form. Oh and the Bailey's frosting? I mean, you cannot go wrong with this one. Pour yourself a whiskey and cut a giant slice of cake because friends, it's time to celebrate the Irish the best way I know how...with food!

 

Irish Oatmeal Cake + Irish Cream Frosting
*Adapted from McCann's Irish Oatmeal
For the cake:
1 C quick cooking Irish oatmeal (I used McCann's)
1 1/2 C boiling water
1 C brown sugar (I made my own)
1 C granulated sugar
1/2 C butter, softened
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 1/2 C all purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp vanilla extract
pinch of salt
For the frosting:
4 tbsp unsalted butter, softened
4 oz cream cheese, softened
2 C confectioners' sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tbsp Bailey's Irish coffee creamer (or 1 tsp Bailey's Irish Cream liquer)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Combine the boiling water and oatmeal; set aside for 10 minutes. Next, add the butter and mix together until combined. Add brown sugar, sugar, vanilla extract and eggs. Mix well. Pour in the flour, baking powder, cinnamon and salt. Mix gently until completely combined. Pour into a greased 9x9" baking dish. Bake for 40 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack.

While it's cooling, make the frosting. Mix the butter and cream cheese together until fluffy. Add the sugar, 1 cup at a time and mix on medium-high until combined. Add vanilla and Bailey's, until your desired flavor is reached. I used the coffee creamer because I had it on hand, but the liquer would have been divine as well (Note: Use significantly less liquer than creamer since it's more concentrated flavor).

Spread over the cooled cake and serve!

So there you have it. A quick and simple sweet cake that's perfect for any St. Patty's Day celebration. Or a Tuesday night. Or any day that's not St. Patty's Day. So what do you think? Do you celebrate St. Patty's Day?