Paula Deen Magazine Cake Recipe

Paula Deen...what can I say.....I can feel my arteries clogging when I read one of her recipes....but her recipes and photos of her food look sooooooo delicious. I swear if I ever get to Savannah I will try my best to eat at her restaurant. Maybe I should preregister for coronary bypass surgery before I dine.

I was in JoAnn's (the fabric store) when I spotted an issue of her magazine. I thumbed through it and several pink cakes caught my eye. Knowing I had two quarts of strawberries in the fridge I purchased the mag and promptly set about baking a cake.

Whenever I try a new recipe I am always skeptical unless someone has given me the recipe after THEY tried it. What bothered me was the use of a strawberry flavored box cake mix. Sometimes strawberry or banana flavored food items taste just awful. I used the Duncan Hines strawberry cake mix and was satisfied with the flavor, though I think I will experiment the next time and use a white cake mix in it's place.



The cake is perfect for summer since it is not overly rich and sweet. I also thought that the cake was better the next day. Much like good Ripple wine....a day can make a HUGE difference. LOL

I just realized that I don't have the magazine with me, so I will add the recipe when I get back home tonight.

Strawberry Shortcut Cake

1 box strawberry cake mix (I used Duncan Hines)
1 3 oz package of strawberry flavored gelatin
3 C sliced fresh strawberries
1/4 C sugar
2 tablespoons Cognac (optional...I didn't use)
1 C heavy cream
1/4 C confectioners' sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

bake cake in 13 X 9 inch pan according to instructions on box. Cool completely.

Invert cake onto platter (I left mine in the glass cake pan).

Mix gelatin according to package. Refrigerate until cool but not hard.

In medium bowl combine strawberries, sugar, and cognac. Let stand for 20 minutes.

Beat cream, confectioners' sugar, and vanilla until stiff peaks form.

Use a straw to poke holes throughout the cake. Slowly pour gelatin over cake. I found it absorbs better after the top of the cake is saturated with a little gelatin liquid.

Spread strawberries in a single layer on top of cake. Spread whipped cream on top of strawberries. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours. I found cake really needed this time to absorb all the gelatin.

Garnish with sliced strawberries.

Hint.....my grandmother always chilled her bowl and beaters in the freezer before she whipped heavy cream. I do the same and always use a stainless bowl because it stays cold.

Today's theme is magazines

All of my blogs today cover the magazines that I subscribe to.

Of all the areas that my magazines cover...cooking is by far the smallest. But I'm ready to try some new recipes and I would rather buy a magazine than a whole book just for one or two recipes.

Again when it comes to a good all around magazine....Martha Stewart's Living is tops when it comes to unusual, tasty, and easily prepared recipes. I especially love the recipes for summer drinks, both with and without alcohol.Cook's Illustrated is another. This is the companion magazine to America's Test Kitchen television show. What I particularly like is that they explain WHY a certain ingredient or method needs to be used. This really helps a novice cook like myself to expand her cooking skills.

Also Midwest Living and Country Living both have recipe sections each month. Midwest Living in particular will have recipes that allows the Midwesterner to use currently available produce and fruit.

Angel food cake with strawberries and Hagen Daz

R brought home 2 quarts of strawberries today. Rather than have the store bought little short cakes I made angel food cake from scratch. I love this cake. Once you make it you'll never eat a store bought angel food cake again.

Angel Food Cake Recipe

1 C sifted cake flour

1 1/2 C sugar

1 1/2 C egg whites (10-12 medium size eggs)

1/4 t salt

1 1/2 t cream of tartar

1/2 t almond extract

1 1/2 t vanilla extract

Sift flour and 3/4 C of sugar together. Beat egg whites with salt and cream of tartar in large bowl using high speed setting on mixer, until light and fluffy. Sprinkle remaining 3/4 C sugar over egg whites, 2 T at a tine, beating thoroughly after each addition. Continue beating until stiff peaks form. Fold in extracts. Sift dry ingredients, 2 T at a time, over beaten egg whites. Fold in gently but thoroughly with a wire whip or rubber spatula. I cut a piece of wax paper exactly the size of the bottom of pan. Place in pan before pouring batter into pan. Pour batter into ungreased tube pan. Bake in preheated 350 degree oven for 40 to 50 minutes or until crust is golden brown and cracks are dry. Invert pan immediately. Cool cake in upside down pan for 1 hour.

After the cake is cool, place pan right side up. Run a knife between the cake and pan to make removal easier. Place plate on top of pan and invert the pan and plate. Lift the outer pan from the cake leaving the tube part and cake. Place a knife between waxpaper and pan bottom loosening the cake. The cake should fall onto the plate with the waxpaper still attached. Peel the waxpaper from the cake.

Now time to eat. Add a couple scoops of vanilla ice cream. Add some sliced starwberries. Enjoy.

Oops...I forgot to take a photo. Take my word for it. It was delicious and looked good too. I fibbed...found a photo.

Rhubarb Cake Recipe

In my family the cooking gene was bestowed upon my sister Ranee, I got the tool gene. The other day she emailed me this recipe for rhubarb cake. She must also have the ESP gene because I was contemplating planting rhubarb but I really didn't have any uses for it because R and I are not crazy about rhubarb pie. Oh by the way...she got the ESP gene...I got the ESPN gene.

Here we go.....my first blog recipe compliments of my sister, Ranee.

Rhubarb Jello Cake

1 1/2 c. flour

1 1/2 c. sugar

3 tsp. baking powder

1 1/2 c milk

1 stick margarine or butter

Melt margarine or butter, add other ingredients, making batter. Put into a greased 13x9 pan. Cover with the following fruit mixture 6 C sliced rhubarb, 1/2C sugar, 2 pkg. (3oz ea.) raspberry or strawberry jello. Bake 350 degrees for 50 minutes or until golden serve cold or warm with cool whip or ice cream.

That seems pretty easy and even I could bake this cake.

2 New (Old) Cookbooks

One of the features, that I am looking forward to, when we finish the kitchen is a place to put my cookbooks. Currently all the recipes and books are shoved into a cabinet close to the floor. It will be great to have a place that it relatively at eye level and organized (somewhat).

I really like old cookbooks and when I see one that pique my interest, I buy it or them, whichever the case my be. In this case it was them.

I'll fess up right now....the only reason I purchased the Amana Recipes book was because it was black and white. I thought it would look great on my shelf with toile curtains and such. And I'll confess to the fact that I thought Amana had to do with appliances (in a way....yes) and not the Amana Colony. Interesting concept but I think they would frown on eBay and well I can't live without eBay.

The book does have some interesting recipes and drawings, overall I'm happy with it.

I only had a second to look at the book, Historic Inns, A Cook's Tour. It appears to have photos of garden and interior photos of old inns with a sampling of recipes from each historic inn.

Welcome

I promise I'll have something posted soon. In the mean time visit my other two blogs, Gear Acres and The Gardens of Gear Acres.

Thank you for visiting.

Jan