Rainbow Cake

Every Saint Patty's day, my office throws a big party. Normally, I wuss out and buy the requisite green cupcakes, or something similar, but NOT this year. This year, I wanted to kick it up a notch.

When searching online for possible food options, I came across a recipe that I absolutely had to recreate: a rainbow "Leprechaun Trap" cake.

This cake is so colorful, so creative, and perfect for a Saint Patty's day celebration. I knew I was setting myself up for a baking challenge, but was willing to take the chance.

Luckily, my cake turned out great! I didn't know how the rainbow would look until I cut into it, but I was pleasantly surprised. It wasn't an easy cake to make, but I followed the instructions almost exactly and had very good results, so I would recommend this recipe to anyone with a creative flair, patience, and a steady hand!!

With out further ado, the recipe for this marvelous cake (taken from the website Not Martha, with a few alterations by me).

Rainbow Leprechaun Trap Cake

I started by whipping up one box of white cake batter, mixing as directed. I added one teaspon of almond extract to my batter, 'cause that's how I roll.

To form the rainbow in this cake, you have to separate your cake batter, color each section, then pour it into your cake pan one color on top of the next.

Separate the batter into eight bowls and use food coloring to dye the desired colors:

• 6 ounces – red
• 5 ounces – orange
• 4 ounces – yellow
• 3 ounces – green
• 2 ounces – blue
• 1 ounce – purple
• 1 ounce – to be kept white
• the rest of the batter, also kept white

To make pouring the batter easier, I filled plastic bags with each color then snipped the corner just before I needed it. I think this gave me a bit more control than scraping it from a bowl, but be aware that it’s difficult to stop the batter once it’s started so get a good hold on the bag before you start — one hand should be on top to squeeze the batter.

First, pour the larger amount of white batter into the pan. Then pour the red batter in, making it a wide ring of batter. Then pour the orange over that, keeping it inside the red.

Pour in each color, creating narrower and narrower rings. As you go along snip smaller corners off the bags, it will help you control the narrower shape you are trying to make.

Last, pour the remaining ounce of white batter on top

Put the cake in the oven, you might consider baking it at 325 instead of the usual 350 as it will dome a bit less when baked at a lower temperature. I set it at 325 and it turned out okay. As for timing, I can't remember how long mine was in the oven, but follow the box instructions and watch it.

After it's finished baking and has cooled completely, level off what will be the bottom of your cake, this will also help shape the base of the rainbow arch as the batter will curve under itself creating more of a rainbow horseshoe. My cake turned out to be very soft, so a piece of of broke when I was cutting the top off. No worries though, if that happens, you can "glue" it back with icing.

To frost the cake I made a half batch of the Magnolia Bakery buttercream frosting recipe found at MarthaStewart.com. First I did a crumb layer, followed by a few minutes in the freezer.

I used a star decorating tip and make various patterns on the cake. You can get creative here and use different tips, or just smooth the icing on with a knife.  

Magnolia Bakery Vanilla Buttercream

Ingredients

• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
• 6 to 8 cups confectioners' sugar
• 1/2 cup milk
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

Directions

1. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine butter, 4 cups sugar, milk, and vanilla. Beat on medium speed until smooth and creamy, 3 to 5 minutes. Gradually add remaining sugar, 1 cup at a time, beating for about 2 minutes after each addition, until icing reaches desired consistency; you may not need to add all the sugar. Store in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

There you have it! A cake that looks awesome and tastes great (as evidenced by the last lonely piece...)

MUSHROOM   STUFFED  MUSHROOMS

 

I lost this tasty recipe for about 20 years (really) but, recently, found it, again, filed under "fungus." (Joke :) Now that I have your attention, I hope you enjoy this recipe as a great appetizer or addition to dinner.

 

3 dozen medium sized mushrooms

1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter (or slightly less, as preferred)

1 tablespoon all purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup light cream

2 teaspoons minced chives (or green onion tops - finely chopped)

1 teaspoon lemon juice

 

Wipe mushrooms with a damp cloth. Remove stems, reserving caps. Finely chop the stems to make about 2 cups. Sauté the chopped stems in butter in a large skillet. Stir in the flour and salt. Add cream and cook, stirring until thick. (As you add the cream, ensure that the mixture remains thick. Stop adding cream if the mixture seems to be too thin. If the stuffing is too thin, the baked mushroom will lose its form.) Stir in the chives and lemon juice. Stuff caps with the cooked filling. Place the stuffed caps on a cookie sheet. (This may be refrigerated for a few hours before baking.) Bake the stuffed caps in a preheated, 400 degree oven for approximately 8 minutes until the filling begins to bubble and the mushrooms are just crisp-tender.

 

FIX-AHEAD MASHED POTATO CASSEROLE

This recipe is as popular with my family as Lola Hahn's Chocolate Chocolate Cake.  (Okay, that might be a stretch.) However, it has "served" many for many years...and it's, always, delicious.  (My favorite combination is meat loaf and these potatoes. Savory, hot, comfort food!)  You'll find that this casserole travels well, too.  Take it prebaked or bake until hot when you arrive at your destination. 

Ingredients:

3 pounds potatoes (about 4 large)

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons butter

2,  3-ounce packages cream cheese, softened

2/3 cups commercial sour cream

1/4 cup milk

3/4 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon butter, melted

1/2 teaspoon paprika

Clean the potatoes.  Place potatoes in a saucepan.  Add water to cover and 1/2 teaspoon salt.  Bring to boil; cover, reduce heat to medium, and simmer approximately 25 minutes or until potatoes are tender.  Drain.  Peel potatoes; place in a large mixing bowl, and mash with a potato masher. Add 2 tablespoons butter and the next  4 ingredients, mixing until all ingredients are blended.  Spoon the mixture into a lightly greased 12 X 8 X 2 inch baking dish.  Brush top of mixture with melted butter; sprinkle with paprika.  Bake immediately, or cover and refrigerate.  If refrigerated, let stand at room temperature 30 minutes before baking.  Bake at 350 degrees, uncovered, for 30 minutes or until hot and a little bubbly.  (Yield:  6-8 servings.)

Note:  The above "whole" potato cooking process is per the original recipe.  When I make this dish, I seldom cook the whole potato but choose, instead, to chop the potato into 1 to 1 1/2 inch chunks before boiling.  This reduces the cooking time.  Also, most often, I prefer pealing the potatoes for this recipe.  However, leave the peel on the potatoes, if you want more color and texture in the dish. 

La Madeleine Potato Soup

(I love this soup and know you will, too!)

3 large leeks

1 med-large onion

3 tablespoons butter or vegetable oil

3 ribs celery

6-8 medium potatoes (or a few more, as needed)

dried parsley (2 tablespoons)

garlic powder (2 tablespoons)

dried thyme (1teaspoon +)

Caraway (optional)

Chicken bouillon or broth  (liquid 48 ounces; add more broth as needed)

Chicken bouillon cube (or two +, as needed for flavor)

Black pepper

Salt (to taste at end of cooking time)

Milk (not fat free) – quantity determined by soup consistency you prefer (2-4 cups??)

½ pint half and half 

Leeks:  Trim off the wilted end of the green  stalks and the white bulbs.  Using a knife, carefully slice each leek, lengthwise – almost all the way through.  Using your hands, pry the leek apart at the split and run water into the split area in order to wash any sand from the leeks.  Chop the leeks into small chunks/slices.  Onion:  Dice medium to fine. 

Celery:  Pull the “strings” from the celery.  Chop the celery into fairly small pieces.

 

 Scrub each potato under water until clean.  Chop each potato into ¾ inch to 1 inch pieces. 

(I like to leave the skin on the potato, but you can peal it off, as you prefer.) Put potatoes in medium sized soup pot.  Cover potatoes with water and boil on medium until fork tender.  Drain potatoes.  Set aside.  

Using the same soup pot, combine the butter/oil, leeks, onion, and celery.  On simmer, cook these ingredients until they are soft.  Add the potatoes, parsley, garlic powder, thyme, pepper.  Add enough liquid chicken bouillon to cover the potatoes and vegetables.Simmer these ingredients for approximately 1 hour.  Stir the bottom occasionally.  Add more liquid (chicken broth) to allow the mixture to simmer and cook. 

When the above ingredients are thoroughly cooked/tender, mash the ingredients in the pot.  I leave the potatoes fairly chunky.  You can do this or puree, as you prefer.   

Add milk and the half-and-half to the mixture until it reaches the consistency you like.  (Turn down the heat a little so the mixture won't burn on the bottom of the pan.) Taste for needed salt, pepper for flavor and/or other spice to enhance flavor, as you like it to taste.   (Sometimes, I add a splash of Worchestershire...just because.)

 

DON'S CORNBREAD 

Each fall, Don and his buddy, Mike Stewart, travel to Arizona for the NASCAR race.  Besides the thrill of the lengthy road trip with Mike (Evidently, Arizona doesn't have airports.;) and the obvious NASCAR fun and challenge with Mike and Mike's parents (Peggy and Stu - the original NASCAR fans!), a favorite trip event is eating...and eating well.  This cornbread recipe is a product of one of Don's NASCAR eating adventures.  If asked, it might be difficult for Don to choose a favorite:  Tony Stewart or this cornbread recipe.  So, Ladies and Gentlemen...start your ovens!  This is a winning recipe!

1 cup butter, softened

1 cup granulated sugar

4 eggs

1 (15 oz) can cream style corn

½ (4 ounce) can chopped green chili peppers, drained

½ cup shredded Monterrey jack cheese

½ cup shredded Cheddar cheese

(You may use 1 cup of the packaged, shredded cheese – like Mexican cheese mix or other)

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 cup yellow cornmeal

4 teaspoons baking powder

¼ teaspoon salt 

Preheat oven to 300 degrees.  Lightly grease a 9X13 inch baking dish or put a tablespoon of butter in a cast iron skillet.  (Put the pan/skillet in the hot oven for about 3-5 minutes before pouring the mix in the pan/skillet.  You want the pan to be hot when you pour the mix in the pan so the cornbread will develop a crust.) 

In a large bowl, beat together butter and sugar.  Beat in eggs one at a time.  Blend in cream corn, chilies, cheeses.   

In a separate bowl, stir together flour, cornmeal, baking  powder, and salt.  Add flour mixture to wet corn mixture.  Stir, but don't make it too smooth.  This should look somewhat thick.  Pour batter into the prepared, hot pan or skillet.

Bake in a preheated oven for one hour or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the pan comes out clean.  The surface will be med/dark golden brown and may be cracked.   

IF USING THE SKILLET, watch out for the hot container. 

IF YOU THINK THE BUTTER QUANTITY IS TOO RICH, USE ½ THE BUTTER AND LESS SUGAR TO TASTE.

 

 

BANANA BREAD

(This is a family favorite!)

Cream together:

1 cup granulated sugar

2 eggs

1/2 cup butter - softened

2 teaspoons vanilla

Add:

1 1/2 cup all purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup mashed, ripe bananas

1/2 cup sour cream

 Blend ingredients thoroughly.  Mixture will be thick and chunky.  (Don't over blend.)

This makes one large loaf or multiple, small loaves and/or muffins. 

Lightly spray PAM in the baking container before filling with the mixture.  Bake the loaf in a preheated 350 degree oven.

Start checking the smaller loaves and muffins at approximately 20 minutes, but they may take take more baking time before done.  The larger loaf (and, possibly, the smaller loaves) will bake for up to 45 to 60 minutes (or longer) - depending on your oven.  After the first batch, you'll know exactly how long to bake this great bread.  A toothpick inserted in the middle of the loaf/muffin should come out slightly damp, but clean.  The baked bread should be golden brown on the top.

This bread freezes well.

 

 

ANN HASKOVEC'S CHOCOLATE SHEET (SHEATH) CAKE

(Yes, Don, this is another one of your favorites.  And, you might agree that, while it is not a necessity, a bowl of homemade vanilla ice cream is a natural addition to Mom's tasty cake.  Just sayin'.)

Cake ingredients:

Thoroughly mix the flour and sugar together in a medium bowl. Set aside.

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 cups granulated sugar

Combine the 4 ingredients below in a medium saucepan.  Bring to a rapid boil, stir, then pour the hot mixture into the flour/sugar mixture.  Stir (or beat) until all ingredients are incorporated and the mix is smooth. 

1 stick butter

1/2 cup Crisco

4 tablespoons dry cocoa powder

1 cup cold coffee 

(Don't love coffee? Don't let this ingredient distract you since the coffee flavor is barely discernible in the recipe  unless you make an extra-strong cup.)

Additional ingredients:

Pour the buttermilk into a bowl or measuring cup.  Thoroughly stir in the baking soda.  Allow about 5 minutes for the mixture to increase in volume. 

1/2 cup buttermilk

1 teaspoon baking soda

Add:

1-2 teaspoons vanilla

2 eggs - beaten well

Pour the additional ingredients into the flour/sugar/chocolate blended ingredients.  Stir (mix) thoroughly.  Pour this mixture into a lightly greased (I use PAM.) baking pan or dish - approximately 16X11 in size.  Bake at 350 degrees in a preheated oven for approximately 20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.  

Icing:

1 stick butter - softened

4 tablespoons dry cocoa powder

6 tablespoons milk

Put these three ingredients (above) in a saucepan  and bring to a boil, stirring constantly.  Remove the pan from the heat and add:

1 box powdered sugar

1-2 teaspoons vanilla

1 copped finely chopped nuts (like pecans or walnuts) - optional

Beat the above icing ingredients together until smooth.

Carefully spread the icing on the cake while the cake is hot.

 

Wow!  Thanks, Mom!