A Patriot's Red White and Blue Cake

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...When I was quite young and still rebellious, my mother freely gave advice I chose not to hear. I know there was a list of dos and don'ts for social interactions, and I suspect the situation I found myself in this weekend might never have happened, if I had been paying attention to what she said. The Silver Fox and I were invited to a party, and rather than just accept, I, of course, asked if I could bring anything. Turns out, I sure could. The list included burger buns and a cake that was holiday appropriate. Now, I don't usually do holiday appropriate. Once my children were grown, recipes for lamb and flag cakes were retired. I probably could have resurrected my recipe for a flag cake, but I didn't think anyone in the 60+ crowd was pining for it. So, I decided to make an ordinary cake that would be simply decorated to make a symbolic nod to the 4th of July. I have long cherished a recipe for a pure white cake that would make a perfect base for my extravaganza. A cake, if it's to be pure white, must be made with white shortening and a clear extract of one type or another. I can hear some of you groaning, but that's the only way it can be done. I decided to use pie filling to provide the play of red and blue against the white because I had it in the pantry and wanted to use it up. Red and blue jam would also have worked nicely. My plan included using whipped cream or topping to ice the layers because that was the simplest way to carry on the red white and blue theme. If you decide to make a cake like this, I must warn you the both pie filling and jam have a tendency to bleed into the cake layers. Had I used a buttercream frosting I could have created a light sealing coat that would make the layers impervious to a bleeding filling. That, alas, cannot be done with whipped cream. The cake, which had terrific flavor and a lovely crumb, was well received and had enough holiday flair to please the hostess for which it was made. Those of you who need a quick and relatively easy holiday dessert, might find this one perfect for your purposes. Here is how the cake was made.

Golden Butter Cake

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...Those of you who made the Daffodil cake that was featured earlier in the week, have six egg yolks taking up space in your refrigerator. I know I did in mine. I spent some time this afternoon searching for a single recipe that would use them all in a one-shot.  I finally found one for a yellow layer cake on the Joy of Baking site that was perfect for my purposes. The recipe is easy to follow and the cake is simple to make. This is not a fancy cake, but if you are looking for a large layer cake that your family will enjoy, this one will do nicely. For best results, be sure ingredients are at room temperature, sift both cake flour and confectioners' sugar before measuring and do not over-bake the cake. Mine was done in about 25 minutes and at that point it was still moist and had a lovely crumb. The rich chocolate icing is especially nice for a cake of this type. If you are a chocolate lover, I think this fudgy frosting will become a favorite of yours. It, too, is remarkably easy to make. So, if those leftover yolks are driving you crazy and you need a plan, I hope you'll give this recipe a try. Here is how the cake is made.

White Chocolate Cake with Coconut Pecan Frosting

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...If you have a fondness for German chocolate cake, I suspect you'll love this variation which is made with white chocolate. The cake was the entry of Cheryl Adkins who won 1st place and best of show in the cake division at the Ohio State Fair this summer. Her cake is not difficult to make and the use of white chocolate makes it a bit unusual. If you enjoy really sweet desserts, I urge you to give the recipe a try. Its assembly is straight forward, but you'll want to make sure the pans you use are generously greased. Based on the difficulty I had releasing the layers, I'm also recommending the pans be lined with parchment paper. I have no other cautions to share with you. This is a lovely cake that will appeal to any of you who have a sweet tooth and like "from scratch" desserts. Here is how the cake is made.