Buttermilk Cake with Cider Icing

I recently bought one of those little recipe books that they place by the check-out stand at the grocery store.  I'm a sucker for those little books. I still have some from the 1970s and '80s 😊  This one is a Taste of Home collection called "Fall Baking."  I love Taste of Home so I knew it had to be good! A photo of this cake was on the cover and it caught my eye for sure.

So I made this today and it is DELICIOUS! Easy to make too. You do have to go buy some buttermilk. REAL buttermilk (not milk with vinegar added) After all, the cake features this ingredient!  You need cream cheese and apple juice or cider as well. 

Ingredients:

1 cup butter, softened

2-1/3 cups sugar

1-1/2 tsp vanilla

3 large eggs, room temp

3 cups all purpose flour

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1 cup buttermilk

Icing:

4 oz. cream cheese, softened

1/4 cup butter, softened

1 cup powdered sugar

1/4-1/2 cup apple juice or cider 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour a 10-inch fluted tube cake pan, or use PAM or Baker's Joy.

Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the vanilla and eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.

In a smaller bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and baking soda. Add it to the creamed mixture alternately with the buttermilk. The batter will be thick.  Pour into prepared pan.

Bake 45-50 min. until golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.  You may need to cover the top with a piece of foil (arch it up to keep it off the batter) about 15 minutes before it's done. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes before removing to a cooling rack.  Cool completely before icing.

When ready to ice, mix cream cheese, butter and powdered sugar. Add cider bit by bit until it reaches a pour-able consistency. I had to use the whole 1/2 cup.  Pour in a ring around the top and let the icing flow over the sides. Sprinkle with some nutmeg if desired. This actually really adds to the flavor!

Happy Baking!

Sherry Cake

As promised, here is the recipe for the cake that killed my mixer. :-)

This is another recipe that has been in our family for years. Along with the Banana Cake, it shares the spotlight for birthday celebrations. It's another very simple recipe that calls for cake mix and pudding mix, and a generous amount of Cream Sherry :-) If you don't have any Cream Sherry on hand, this cake and the Chocolate Sherry Cream Bars are great reasons to go buy some.

This cake has a strong sherry flavor (obviously) and is tender and moist, yet firm enough to just slice and eat while holding it in your hand.  I've never done that myself, just sayin' you COULD if you wanted to...

Sherry Cake

1 pkg. yellow cake mix
1 pkg (3.5 oz) lemon pudding mix
4 eggs
3/4 cup oil
3/4 cup Cream Sherry
3/4 cup chopped walnuts
1 tsp vanilla
1 pinch nutmeg
Powdered Sugar for dusting on top

Preheat oven to 350-F. Grease and flour a bundt or tube pan (or use PAM cooking spray for baking).

Put everything in a mixing bowl and beat for 5 minutes. That's it. Pour batter into pan and bake for 45-50 minutes. Remove from oven and cool in the pan for about 5 minutes. Invert on wire rack to cool completely, then shake some powdered sugar on the top.

Happy Baking!