Weekend Dessert - Strawberry Champagne Cake and Strawberry Champagne Buttercream Frosting Recipe

Strawberry Champagne Cake and Strawberry Champagne Buttercream Frosting Recipe

By Christan Monin

For Easter I wanted to make a spectacular treat for my guests, and after careful contemplation I decided to make a Strawberry Champagne cake. I thought this was perfect for two reasons. First, it has been a long winter full of no fresh berries. The stores are replenishing their shelves with lush, ripe berries, and I want in! Secondly, I thought the strawberries mixed with champagne would be the perfect celebratory cake to eat when I watched Prince William and Princess Kate marry. Yes, I woke up at 4 am to watch the festivities, and yes, I ate strawberry champagne cake at 8 am! I had planned on having a glass of gorgeous pink strawberry flavored champagne along with my slice of cake, but, alas, I couldn't bring myself to do it so early in the day.

Anyway, I searched online and found a recipe that looked pretty good. And then I made it spectacular by adding my own special touches. I also have a favorite buttercream frosting recipe that I always use, and I used it for this cake, and added extra delicious ingredients. There is much debate when it comes to changing a recipe -- some are for it, and some are against it. I think it is essential to keep your liquid to dry ingredients about the same as it calls for in the recipe. But when it comes to adding fresh fruit, chocolate, nuts, I say knock yourself out! Eyeball it, make sure it looks (smells) right, and go to town. These small touches really make a recipe spectacular.

To make the cake even more special I decided to add fresh strawberries and ganache to the center instead of just the strawberry buttercream frosting. This is a good idea in theory, however, I do not recommend using fresh fruit in a cake. I ended up having little streams pouring out of my cake, and I had a very sticky puddle on my cake platter. The sugar in the frosting brings out the juices in the fresh fruit. If you are intent on using fresh berries (as am I) I would recommend making a strawberry (or any other fruit or berry) sauce. This way you will still have the fresh ingredients without the sticky mess.

The cake was a hit! My family loved it, and my uncle even said that it would have to be his next birthday cake (what a compliment!). I think of all the desserts I have made, this is a fan favorite.

Strawberry Champagne cake:

1 cup (2 sticks) butter

2 cup sugar

2 egg

3 cups cake flour

2 tsp baking powder

½ tsp salt

½ cup champagne

½ cup pureed strawberries

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 ½ cup chopped fresh strawberries

4 egg whites

Cream butter and sugar until light and smooth. Add the egg and mix until completely incorporated.

In a separate bowl combine and sift the flour, baking powder, and salt. In a dish combine the puree and champagne. Alternate adding the flour and strawberry mixtures to the butter mixture. Start and end with flour for a fluffy cake. Add the vanilla. Add the strawberries mixing until just incorporated. Fold in half the egg whites, then fold in the remainder.

I like to put the batter into a piping bag to fill the cupcake tins. Batter should reach just over ¾ of the tin.

Bake at 350 for 35 minutes.

Strawberry Buttercream Frosting

1 cup butter

1 package (2 pounds) powdered sugar

heaping 1/3 cup pureed strawberries

1 tsp vanilla

chocolate shavings for garnish

Cream the butter until light and fluffy. With continuous mixing, add a bit of the powdered sugar (add some of the strawberry puree if it gets too thick). Keep adding the sugar in small increments until completely blended with the butter. Add the remainder of the strawberry puree and the vanilla. If the frosting is still thick, add some champagne! Add chocolate shavings on top of the frosted cupcake for a decadent treat!

Happy baking!

For a modified cupcake variation of this recipe see my website: http://bodhibaker.blogspot.com/2011/04/strawberry-champagne-cupcakes.html

See my website for other recipes: http://www.squidoo.com/bodhi-baker

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Zucchini Chocolate Cake That Will Have Your Friends Coming Back For Thirds - Healthy And Quick!

Zucchini Chocolate Cake That Will Have Your Friends Coming Back For Thirds - Healthy And Quick!

By Angie Halten

This is quite simply the most delicious Gluten Free Cake i have ever had the pleasure of sharing with anyone. It is so moist and delicious, I don't even tell my friends that it isn't Gluten Free! They never notice a difference, and if they do it doesn't stop them from getting seconds and thirds.

I like this recipe because it stores easily, and even after being in the fridge for a while it can come out and make great leftover dessert. I'm positive you'll be pleased with the outcome, it's actually very healthy for a cake, and you can use applesauce instead of zucchini if you like for a new taste!

Very moist and delicious.

Ingredients:

1 stick (½ cup) butter

1 tablespoon shortening

1 ½ cup plus 3 tablespoons sugar

2 jumbo eggs**

1 cup unsweetened pureed fresh zucchini* (or applesauce if you prefer)

1 ½ cup Gluten Free Flour Mix (any kind)

½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder

½ teaspoon xanthan gum

¼ teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking powder

½ teaspoon baking soda

Directions:

Cream together the butter, shortening and sugar until smooth. Add the eggs and beat well. Add all the remaining ingredients and beat until smooth.

Bake in greased & floured 8" x 8" square baking pan for 45 minutes (If you bake in glass, reduce the heat by 25F). If you would prefer to make muffins then simply paper line muffin tins, fill 3/4 full and bake for approximately 30 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.

For baking temperatures click on the link below.

For Baking temperatures for Zucchini Chocolate Cake click on the link today! Sample pictures available also:)

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Best Dessert Ideas for New Year's Eve

Best Dessert Ideas for New Year's Eve

By Jay Wesley

Are you having a New Year's Eve party but are unsure what desserts to serve? This is actually the easiest part of planning and not something you should worry about. Desserts are what many look forward to after every meal and finding delicious treats to offer guests or family and friends is actually quite fun and exciting. To help you in your task, here are the best dessert ideas you can serve on New Year's Eve.

Cakes

Serving cake is a great option for dessert especially with the different kinds to choose from. A favorite of many is chocolate fudge cake, but of course there are plenty others to choose from such as vanilla, white chocolate, banana caramel, chocolate truffles, chocolate raspberry, hazelnut, marble cake, and many more. Just about any cake is available to suit your taste palette, which is why this is a great dessert idea for New Year's.

Cheesecake

Other than cakes, a favorite New Year's dessert is cheesecake, which certainly no one can resist. There are different kinds of cheesecake from the famous New York style cheesecake, Oreo, Hershey's, chocolate, strawberry, raspberry, blueberry, cherry, mocha, key lime, vanilla, peanut butter, and a lot more that you can choose from. With cheesecake, the list is endless and the best part is, you can easily order online for cheesecake delivery and get all your dessert in an instant with no trouble at all. If you can't decide on just one cake, you can order an assortment of snack-size or mini cheesecakes that come in all flavors to ensure that you and your guests get the best of everything.

Brownies and Cookies

Brownies and cookies will always be yummy desserts on everyone's list. Chocolate fudge brownies and mouth-watering cookies in all flavors are an instant hit no matter what the occasion. Simply order a party pack online that contains a variety of brownies and cookies and you can easily serve this as a dessert on New Year's Eve.

Tarts and Pies

Tarts and pies are also great dessert ideas that can easily impress guests on New Year's Eve. Tarts come in a variety of fruit flavors from apple to berries, pecan, and even caramel. If you are a fan of pies, these are also yummy treats you can serve from apple, pecan, chocolate fudge, and many other flavors.

With all these New Year's dessert ideas, certainly you have a lot on your list. If you have a large guest list, having one of each kind of dessert for variety would be an excellent choice. Whichever one you choose will surely be delicious and one that all your friends and family will enjoy during this holiday season. To save you time and trouble, you don't even have to make these desserts yourself. You can easily order and buy cheesecake online and have it delivered to your doorstep before the big night. During this time of year, make your job easier for you by visiting the online cheesecake store to get delicious dessert ideas.

Jay Wesley writes mostly about food and entertaining. For more recipes, tips, and articles and to buy delicious cheesecake, brownies, cookies, and more, visit Cheesecake.com at http://www.cheesecake.com.

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