After saying I would, for 15 years, I finally did.

We've lived here for 15 years.  For 15 years, I have said that I am going to bake some things to enter into the fair.  I've never done it----until now.  It is amazing what you can finally do when you are no longer working full time--outside of the house that is, 'cause believe me, I AM working!

Tomorrow is the cake competition.  There are several different categories, but I finally narrowed it down and decided to enter 4 cakes.  There were many more that I could have done, but after baking and frosting 4 cakes all from scratch, I had had enough.  My final four are:  Coconut Cream Cake, Chocolate Layer Cake, Glazed Lemon Pound Cake, and Banana Layer Cake with Vanilla Cream Frosting. 

Here's the recipes.  I won't know until tomorrow night if I won anything or not.  I will let you know the results when I get them. 

Up on Wednesday----Breads!

Banana Cake with Vanilla Cream Frosting

Cake:

1 1/3 C sugar

1 C sour cream

2 eggs

4 TBS unsalted, softened butter

4 mashed, overripe bananas

2 tsp vanilla extract

2 C flour

½ tsp salt

1 tsp baking soda

 

Frosting

4 TBS unsalted, softened butter

½ C heavy cream

1 tsp vanilla

3 C confectioner’s sugar

 

Preheat oven to 375.  Cream together sugar, sour cream, eggs, and butter.  Add mashed bananas and vanilla.  Add flour, salt and baking soda.  Mix well.  Pour into greased 9” layer pans.  Bake for 20-25 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.  Cool completely before frosting.  For frosting:  cream butter and powdered sugar together.  Slowly add cream and vanilla.  Beat until smooth.  Add additional sugar if frosting is runny.  Spread on cooled cake. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Chocolate Layer Cake with Chocolate Buttercream

Cake:

2 C all purpose flour

1 C unsweetened cocoa

1 ½ tsp baking soda

½ tsp salt

¾ C softened butter

1 C packed brown sugar

1 C granulated sugar

3 large eggs

2 tsp vanilla

1 ½ C buttermilk

Frosting:

1 C unsalted, softened butter

3 ½ C powdered sugar

½ C cocoa powder

½ tsp salt

2 tsp vanilla

4 TBS milk

Cake:  Preheat oven to 350.  Grease and flour two 9: cake pans.  Combine flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt.  In a large bowl, beat butter and sugars until creamy and fluffy.  Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.  Beat in vanilla until blended.  Add flour mixture, alternating with buttermilk, beginning and ending with flour.  Beat until batter is smooth.  Spread evenly between pans.  Bake 20-25 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.  Cool in pans 10 minutes then invert onto cooling racks.  Cool completely before frosting.  Frosting:  Cream butter in mixing bowl.  Sift in 3 C of powdered  sugar and cocoa.  Mix until till combined.  Add vanilla, salt, and milk.  Beat for 3 minutes.  Add additional sugar as needed to achieve spreading consistency. 

Glazed Lemon Pound Cake

Cake

4 lemons

3 C cake flour

½ tsp baking soda

½ tsp salt

1 C unsalted, softened butter

3 C sugar

6 eggs at room temp

1 C sour cream

 

Glaze

Juice from two lemons

2-3 C powdered sugar

 

Preheat oven to 325.  Grease and flour a bundt pan.  Zest all four lemons.  Cut lemons in half and remove the citrus pulp, catching juice and pulp in a bowl.  Pour juice and pulp in to mixer bowl and combine with sugar.  In a separate bowl, sift together flour, baking soda and salt.  Add butter into sugar and lemon and beat until fluffy.  Add eggs one at a time, beating after each addition.  Add dry ingredients and mix until combined.  Then add sour cream and beat well.  Fold in lemon zest.  Pour batter into baking pan.  Bake until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, about 1 hour.  Let cake cool in pan for 15 minutes then invert on wire rack.  Cool completely before adding glaze.  Using a wooden skewer, poke holes in top of cake.  Make glaze by combining lemon juice and powdered sugar.  Adjust consistency by adding sugar as needed.  Glaze should be thick but pourable.  Pour over half of glaze over cake allowing it to sink into the holes.  After it sets, about 15 minutes, pour remaining glaze over cake. 

Coconut Cream Cake

Cake

1 ½ C butter, softened

1 8 oz softened package of cream cheese

3 C sugar

6 large eggs at room temp

3 C all purpose flour

½ tsp salt

1 TBS vanilla

 

Frosting:

1 8 oz softened package of cream cheese

3 C of powdered sugar

¼ C of unsweetened coconut milk

1 tsp vanilla

1 ½ C of sweetened coconut, divided. 

 

Cake:  beat butter and cream cheese until fluffy.  Gradually add sugar, beating well.  Add eggs one at a time, beating to combine.  Sift together flour and salt.  Add gradually to butter mixture, beating just until blended.  Mix in vanilla.  Pour into greased and floured bundt pan.  Bake at 300 for 1 ½ hour or until toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.  Cool in pan for 15 minutes then invert on to a wire rack.  Cool completely before frosting.  Frosting:  beat cream cheese until fluffy.  Gradually add powdered sugar, beating until combined.  Add coconut milk and vanilla and beat for 3 minutes.  Fold in coconut.  If frosting appears runny, add additional sugar. Toast remaining coconut in oven or on stovetop.  Press cooled, toasted coconut onto tops and sides of frosted cake.