Maraschino Cherry Cake

Source: heartwarmingvintage.blogspot.com via Lindsey on Pinterest

We're having the missionaries over for a Boxing Day supper tonight. I'm baking a ham that I bought from Piper's Farm (and it looks mighty good too!) and I have a Pork Pie from Piper's Farm as well, and am doing an assortment of side dishes . . .



Potato Scallop, Green Bean Casserole, carrots, swede and parsnips (leftover from yesterday), Pineapple Slaw, some great homemade biscuits and cornbread and then for dessert, the piece de resistance . . .

A delicious Maraschino Cherry Cake!



Oh sure we also have the resident mince pies, leftover Christmas pud and Christmas Cake . . . but I know that these things are not really a favourite of North Americans, although I also know the lads would eat them to be polite . . . I wanted to make them something special though that they would enjoy.



This is an oldie but a goodie . . . once again a recipe from my Big Blue Binder.



It's a deliciously light and moist cake, stogged full of pretty red maraschino cherries and toasted pecans!



Slathered and filled with oodles of scrummy Vanilla buttercream icing!



I think . . . it just may go down a real treat! (I used the Opie's Maraschino Cherries that you can get over here. The syrup on them is not as thick as the one from back home, but it will do!)



I hope the lads enjoy! I do sooooo love to spoil them. Hmmm . . . I wonder what they'll think about the missing piece??? Cook's treat!



*Maraschino Cherry Cake*
Makes one 8-inch round layer cake
Printable Recipe

Two delicately pink layers of cake flecked with bits of red maraschino cherry and toasted pecans. What's not to like?

12 ounces (weight) of plain flour ( 2 1/2 cups)
7 ounces (weight) caster sugar (1 cup)
1 TBS baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2 fluid ounces of maraschino cherry juice from the jar (1/4 cup)
6 fluid ounces of milk (3/4 cup)
1 tsp pure vanilla essence
1/2 tsp pour almond essence
4 TBS unsalted butter, softened
2 ounces (weight) of white vegetable shortening (1/4 cup)
4 large free range egg whites
18 maraschino cherries, quartered and dried with some kitchen toweling
2 ounces (weight) of chopped toasted pecans (1/2 cup)

To frost:
your favourite vanilla buttercream of cream cheese frosting

Preheat the oven to 180*C/350*F/ gas mark 4. Butter two 8 inch cake tins. Line the bottoms with baking parchment and butter the paper. Set aside.

Whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt and sugar. Whisk together the milk, cherry juice and essences.

Put the flour mixture into a bowl along with the butter, shortening, and milk mixture. Beat together until smooth. Add the egg whites and beat for 3 minutes at medium speed until light and fluffy. Fold in the quartered cherries and pecans.

Divide the mixture equally amongst the cake tins. Smooth the tops over and give them a tap on the counter to settle out any air bubbles. Bake in the centre of the heated oven for 30 minutes until wthe tops spring back when lightly touched, and a toothpick inserted in the centre comes clean. Cool in the tins for 10 minutes before inverting onto a wire rack to finish cooling completely. Peel off baking paper.

Once completely cooled fill and frost with your favourite icing. Delicious and pretty!

*Perfect Vanilla Buttercream Icing*
Makes enough to fill and frost a layer cake
Printable Recipe

8 ounces (weight) butter, softened (1 cup)
12 ounces icing sugar, sifted (3 cups)
1 tsp vanilla essence
1 to 2 TBS double cream

Beat the butter and sugar together on low until well blended and then continue to beat on mdeium for another few minutes until it begins to become fluffy. Beat in the vanilla and 1 TBS cream, only adding the second one if needed until you have a frosting of spreading consistency.



Cooking in The Cottage today, some delicious Haricots Verts with Pancetta and Pinenuts!

Courgette (Zucchini), Cardamom and Lime Loaf

So yesterday I was invited out for a girlie day crafting with two fab friends. I was asked to bring cake for our picnic lunch, and so I was quite happy to comply!



Crafting, girlie friends, cake . . . sounds like a fabulous combination don't you think???



I wanted a portable cake though, because I knew I was going to be travelling first by train and then by car and I didn't want anything that was going to get squashed or ruined in the process, in other words . . . something that would hold up.



Loaf cakes are the perfect thing for such occasions. You can cut them into slices and then sandwich the slices together with the icing in the middle. Easy to handle, and easy to eat, with little or no mess! The perfect picnic portable!



This is one of my favourite loafs to make, next to banana or carrot . . . oh and lemon, let's not forget that. Cougettes make a lovely loaf cake, which always turns out moist and delicious.



I added cardamom and lime to this one to give it just that little bit extra zip and tang. The frosting in the middle? A delicious cream cheese, also flavoured with lime.

Altogether scrummy and the perfect treat for three crafting gals I think!

Cake sandwiches! I love them!



*Courgette, Cardamom and Lime Loaf*
Makes one 9 inch loaf, serving 8 to 10
Printable Recipe

Moist and nicely spiced. I like to sandwich slices together with cream cheese icing to wrap up and take along to picnics!

250g of grated courgettes (2 medium zucchini, grated)
100g caster sugar (1/2 cup)
100g butter (scant 1/2 cup)
100g runny honey (1/3 cup)
3 large free range eggs, beaten
3/4 tsp ground cardamom
the zest and juice of one unwaxed lime
325g of self raising flour (generous 2 1/2 cup)
75g of ground almonds (3/4 cup)
3 TBS thick Greek Yoghurt

Icing:
100g of icing sugar, sifted (generous 3/4 cup)
75g of butter, softened (1/3 cup)
75g of low fat cream cheese, softened (1/3 cup)
juice and zest of one unwaxed lime

Preheat the oven to 180*C/350*F/ gas mark4. Butter a 9 inch loaf tin and line with parchment paper. Butter the paper. Set aside.

Cream the butter and sugar together until light and creamy. Beat in the honey and the eggs. Fold in the cardamom, lime zest and lime juice. Squeeze as much liquid as you can from the courgettes and fold them into the creamed mixture along with the flour and ground almonds. Stir in the yoghurt. Spread the batter in the prepared tin, smoothing the top off.

Bake for one hour until baked all the way through and well risen. A toothpick inserted in the centre should come out clean. Place (still in the tin) on a wire rack to cool completely.

To make the Icing, beat all the ingredients together until smooth. Cut the cold cake into slices and sandwich them together with some of the icing to serve. Alternately you can just spread the icing on top of the loaf and cut into slices to serve.