S'Mores Tall Cake

There are some desserts that you make and then

just dream about until you make them again,

and this S'Mores Tall Cake is one of those.  

I created this for my son in law's birthday

in January, and since hubby and I were 

both trying to be good (after the Christmas gain)

I sliced the delicious cake, wrapped it up,

and sent it away.  Well, next morning he was

begging for some, and I was wishing I had a

bite or two also.  I can't tell you how many times

he asked, so when we were doing dessert with

friends after going out for Valentine's dinner,

I decided we would make this again.

Dark, moist and delicious chocolate cake

(an easy homemade one) filled with Marshmallow

Frosting (easy again),  chopped Hershey's

Milk Chocolate Bars, and crushed graham crackers,

and then frosted with Chocolate Frosting, and garnished

with more Hershey's bars, more graham crackers,

and finally toasted marshmallows.

I am a frosting girl, so I have been known to eat out

the filling layers with just a little bit of cake

attached!  This cake is so moist, that I loved

the cake, the filling and the frosting!

Chocolate Cake

(A variation of the Hershey's Chocolate Cake Recipe)

2 1/2 C all purpose flour

2 1/2 C superfine sugar

1 C cocoa - Hershey's or Dutch processed (I used Dutch processed)

2 tsp baking soda

2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

1 1/2 C buttermilk

1 C boiling water

3/4 C vegetable oil

3 large eggs room temperature 

1 tablespoon vanilla

Preheat Oven To 350. Line bottoms of 3 - 7 inch pans or use 3 - 8 (I used 7 inch and 

purchased online) with parchment paper.  I prefer the 7 inch for a tall cake look

 and it still serves a crowd well.

Sift flour, sugar, cocoa, soda, baking powder and salt together in large mixer bowl. 

In another bowl whisk together buttermilk, oil, eggs vanilla and hot water. 

With mixer on low speed gradually add liquid mixture to flour mix. Mix until smooth 

1-2 minutes.  Scrape bowl. Divide into pans - a little over two cups each. Drop on 

counter a few times to remove bubbles. There are lots of bubbles in this recipe. 

Bake about 30 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. Let cool 10 minutes then run 

knife around edge of pan and turn over into cooking rack. Peel off paper and let cool 

completely. 

Fill with Marshmallow Frosting

Mix in mixing bowl until fluffy.  (This is half my normal Marshmallow Frosting recipe.)

1 - 7 oz jar marshmallow cream

3/4 C softened butter and 1/4 C powdered sugar. Add 1 tsp vanilla. 

Chop 4 Hershey's milk chocolate bars and crush 3 -4 graham crackers. 

On cake platter, place a small dollop of frosting to secure cake.  

Spread half of filling on one layer. Sprinkle chopped chocolate and graham cracker on top. 

Top with second layer and repeat the chocolate and cracker crumbs. Top with third layer

Stick three bamboo skewers in to hold cake in place. 

Chocolate Frosting

Melt 1 C butter. Mix in 1/4 C cocoa powder until blended. Sift 4 C powdered sugar to 

remove lumps.  Add to butter mixture and add 6 tablespoons milk and 1 tsp vanilla. 

Whip in mixing bowl until spreading consistency.

Frost top and sides with this frosting. Garnish with chocolate bars, toasted marshmallows and 

graham crackers. I toasted my marshmallows with a small butane kitchen torch.

 

Indulge in this moist, decadent cake anytime, 

but be sure to save a little for the next day!

Cream Cheese Pound Cake

I promised you the incredible

Cream Cheese Pound Cake

from my Birthday Tablescape

baked in these fun cupcake pans.

This is so buttery and delicious that 

you can get away with little or no frosting.

I just piped some almond flavored frosting

around each tier to make them pretty.

Cream Cheese Pound Cake Recipe

3 C. cake flour

3 C. sugar

1 1/2 C. softened butter (no substitute)

8 oz. cream cheese (don't go low fat on this one)

6 large eggs

1 tablespoon vanilla

In a large mixer bowl cream the butter, cream 

cheese, sugar and vanilla until fluffy.  Add the

eggs two at a time, alternating with the flour

(1 C. at a time).  Mix well and scrape the

bowl down after each addition.

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.

Use the Pam with flour made for baking

and generously spray the pans.  

Let the pans sit for a minute to let the

bubbles settle down.  Spoon in the 

batter to about 3/4 full.  Bake at 325 for

about 20 minutes.  Check to see if they

are baked by using a toothpick inserted

in the center.  If it comes out clean they

are baked.  Let cool in pan for 10 minutes

then gently remove.

I had no problem with removing them.  I love

the baking spray with flour for these kinds of pans.

This recipe made 15 of these

tiered cake cupcakes.

You can also bake it in a bundt pan for 

about 40 minutes.  

Store in an airtight container if you aren't

going to use them that day.

This is how I presented them for the birthday

lunch with a little frosting and some raspberries

garnished with fresh flowers.

This is how hubby used up some of 

the extras, on a bed of whipped cream

with fresh strawberries and strawberry

sauce for a darling Strawberry Shortcake.

I received this recipe about 30

years ago from my parent's 

neighbor, Barb and have been

making it ever since.

I can just imagine these

darling cakes for a wedding

shower or little girl's parties

(that was how I first saw them,

my daughter in law had them for

one of my granddaughter's birthday

parties and each little girl got to

decorate her own - how fun!) or

a lot of other fun celebrations.

Posting with 

Foodie Fridays

Magleby's Chocolate Cake Copycat Recipe

March is birthday month around here and we

have one son turning 30, one son turning 26, 

our baby turning 20 and Grandpa turning 80!

Magleby's Cake is a favorite around

our home so I developed a copycat recipe

for their cake.  It is moist and wonderful

and often requested at

Purple Chocolat Home.

You can make it in a regular 9x13 inch

cake pan, but I like to make one and a half

recipes and stack them tall like

Magleby's does.

If you are a chocolate lover, you will

definitely love this cake.

Mmmmm - absolutely melts in your mouth!

Magleby's Chocolate Cake Copycat Recipe

Cake

(I am going to give you both sets of ingredients - for 2 layers or a

9x13 pan and for 3 layers.)

2 C. sugar  (3 C. sugar)

2 1/4 C. flour  (3 3/8 C. flour)

1/4 tsp. salt  (3/8 tsp. salt)

1 C. butter  (1 1/2 C. butter)

1 C. water  (1 1/2 C. water)

1/3 C. cocoa  (scant 1/2 C. cocoa)

1/2 C. buttermilk or sour cream  (3/4 C. buttermilk)

1 tsp. baking soda  (1 1/2 tsp. baking soda)

1/2 tsp. baking powder  (3/4 tsp. baking powder)

2 eggs  (3 eggs)

1 tsp. vanilla  ( 1 1/2 tsp. vanilla)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Line bottom of 2 - 8 inch round cake pans

or 1 - 13x9 inch cake pans with parchment paper or

3 - 8 inch pans if you are making 3 layers.

Don't grease sides of pans.  They will rise more 

uniformly if you don't grease your pans and just line

the bottoms with parchment paper.

In a large bowl whisk together the sugar, flour

and salt.

Melt the butter in microwave and place it in

a small saucepan with the water and

cocoa powder.  Bring it to a rapid boil 

making sure that you don't scorch the edges in

the pan.

Meanwhile, in a small bowl mix together 

the buttermilk or sour cream and baking soda.

Let this sit until bubbly.

Now remove the butter mix from the stove and

stir it into the flour mixture.

Add the baking powder, eggs and vanilla to the

buttermilk or sour cream mixture.  Blend those

and stir into the flour and cocoa mixture.

Mix with a spoon until thoroughly mixed.

Pour evenly into the prepared pans.  Bake for 

about 35 - 40 minutes.  Check to see if it springs

back and a toothpick comes out clean at 35 minutes.

Let cakes cool for 10 minutes, then run a knife around

the edge of the cake and turn over onto cooling racks

if doing the round cake.  Keep the parchment paper on

until the cake is cooled, then peel it off.

Frosting

1 C. butter  (1 1/2 C. butter)

1/4 C. cocoa  (3/4 C. cocoa)

5 T. milk  (7 1/2 T. milk)

4 C. powdered sugar  (6 C. powdered sugar)

Melt the butter in a small bowl and whisk in

the cocoa powder until it is well blended.

Place the butter mix, milk and powdered sugar

in a large bowl and whisk together until smooth

with no lumps remaining.  Continue to whisk the

frosting occasionally as it cools until it is thick

enough to hold onto the sides of cake. 

Place a small dollop of frosting on cake

plate to secure the cake.  Fill and frost each

layer and then frost the sides and top.  Use the

back of a spoon to create the swirls.

I like to

secure a tall cake with 3 bamboo skewers that

I have cut to the height of the cake before I frost

the top.

Click here for printable recipe.

I had some violets that I had sugared by

mixing powdered egg white and water

and painting it on a clean flower, then I sprinkled

them with sanding sugar and let dry overnight.

I love the flowers against the rich frosting.

The pansies are also blooming so I used purple

and yellow ones to garnish the cake.

Craving another piece!

Lemon Raspberry Cream Cake

This wonderful

Lemon Raspberry Cream Cake

one of my favorite cakes,

one that I often ask for on my birthday.

It is light and luscious with lemon

cream frosting, lemon curd and

raspberry filling.

Top it with fresh raspberries 

and a dusting of powdered

sugar and sprinkles and

it makes a magnificent presentation.

This is perfect any time of year

but especially in spring and summer

when you want that

light lemon taste.

Lemon Raspberry Cream Cake

2 Betty Crocker French Vanilla Cake Mixes

1/2 C. mayonnaise

Raspberry Jam

2  10 oz. jars Lemon Curd

(I like Dickinsons or Trader Joe's)

2 C. heavy whipping cream

Powdered sugar

Sprinkles (opt.)

Crushed Lemonheads (opt.)

Make the cake mixes according to package 

directions but adding 1/2 C. mayonnaise.

Line bottoms of 3 8 inch pans with parchment

paper.  Do not grease pans.

Divide the cake mix between the three

pans.  You will have a little left over to

make a small 6 inch cake.

Bake for about 30 minutes or until

cake springs back and toothpick comes

out clean.

Let cool 10 minutes then run the knife

around the edge of the pan and turn

out onto a cooling rack.

(Lining the pans with parchment and not

greasing the pans will make your cakes

come out much flatter.)

When cool, remove the parchment paper.

Place the 2 C. whipping cream in a large

mixer bowl with one jar of lemon curd.

Beat until fairly stiff peaks form.

Divide the bowl of frosting into thirds with

your knife - using 2/3's for the sides and 1/3

for the top. 

Place a small dollop of frosting on cake platter

and place first layer on upside down.  

Cover with raspberry jam to about 1 inch

from the edge.  You don't want to go

farther or the jam will leak out into your frosting.

Place second layer on top of the first layer

with top side up.  Cover with second jar of

lemon curd, going only out to within one

inch of the edge again.

Place third layer on top, top facing up.

Cut off 3 bamboo skewers and insert

them into the cake to hold the cake together.

Press them down into the cake.

Use a knife or offset spatula to apply the cream

to the sides of the cake, pushing gently down

to the cake plate.  You will use about 2/3's of

your frosting for this.

Then spoon the remaining third of frosting

onto the top of cake, mounding some in the

center.

Spread the frosting to the edges.  

Mound a package of fresh raspberries

on the top of the cake.  

Place powdered sugar in a fine mesh sieve

and sprinkle over the berries and cake platter.

Finish off with a garnish of sprinkles and

crushed Lemonheads if desired.  

Refrigerate.

Serves 16

Click here for printable recipe.

The mint leaves were the only ones alive

in my garden!

My daughter made this for my birthday one year

and as it was set on the counter, it slide right

off and flipped over.  We had to just scoop it

up and eat it anyway.  Of course we took pictures!

I will be posting this with

Foodie Friday

The Scoop

Inspire Me Tuesday

Pretty In Purple

Do you remember when I had a luncheon and

I taught my guests how to do the ombre rose cake

and then we ate it for dessert?

(Follow the link above for the tutorial.)

Well, they had such a fun time taking turns trying

to frost the cake that they have gone home and

made their own.  The gorgeous lavender one

above was made by Barb for her daughter's

birthday. 

This stunning yellow one was made by Breta

for one of the kiddie's birthdays.

Annette and her girls made one just like this one of

mine in pink and sent me a photo of it.

Isn't it fun that we can take a photo with our 

phones and send them right out to our friends.

I am so proud of all of them and this is

making me crave a slice of cake!

It is really fun to get together and try to

learn something new.  Give it a try

with friends or family.

Birthday Kids

Sometimes it is hard for a grandmother to know what to give her

grandchildren so this year I decided to try something new with

two of my grandchildren who have birthdays on the same day -

money cakes - one for a girl and one for a boy.

I made six inch cakes using three layers in graduating colors and

then frosted them in the appropriate colors.

Before frosting them I covered their money in foil and stuck

the little packages in the cakes.

My youngest daughter has a birthday the day before these two.  Two

years in a row we had someone expecting a baby on her birthday

and both times she said she didn't want anyone born on her birthday

(her birthday is a big deal to her!)  Both babies respected her

request and were born the day after, the little boy born to my

oldest daughter and the little girl born the next year to my oldest

son.

We still laugh at that.

You should have seen how excited they were when they walked in

and saw the two cakes.  They immediately figured out that they

each got their own.

After the candles were lit and the birthday songs sung,

each was so excited to find the surprises grandma

had told them that were hidden in their cakes.

I had envisioned it that they would just make a mess and 

tear the cakes

apart with their hands but grandpa and mom cut the cakes into

slices as they searched for the surprises.  

She came dressed in her new Merida dress from the Disney movie

Brave.  She is licking the cake and frosting off the foil before

she opens it.

They were pretty excited with their money cakes.  The little 7 year

old granddaughter was wondering if she could have a money 

cake for her birthday.  Maybe grandma has started a

new tradition.

Happy birthdays to wonderful grandchildren.