A Baptism Cake

This beautiful baptism cake was submitted by Rose Ripplinger, who created it to celebrate her daughter's baptism.  Thank you Rose! 

"We used blue piping gel to make a river, and surrounded it with candy rocks. The dove was made with white chocolate and a bird candy mold." 

If you have a Baptism Cake you'd like share, or are looking for inspiration for an upcoming Baptism Reception, be sure to visit the Baptism Cake Link-up here at Catholic Cuisine!

Bishop's Cake

This afternoon our family had hoped to travel and attend The Ordination of Bishop Liam Cary, the priest that married my husband and I back in 1999.  Unfortunately, my husband had to work today after all, and we had to cancel our travel plans. Thanks to the internet and live streaming, we will still be able to watch the Ordination Mass online!

To celebrate this special occasion we decided to bake a "Bishop's Cake!" This is an old fashioned pound cake, which would also be suitable to make for any of the feasts of bishop saints.

Bishop's Cake

adapted from both The Silver Palate Cookbook and Catholic Culture

Ingredients:

• 1/2 pound(2 sticks) butter, at room temperature
• 2 cups sugar
• 2 cups sifted cake flour
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 5 whole eggs

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350˚ F. Grease and flour a 10-inch bundt pan.

Cream the butter and sugar gradually in mixing bowl until fluffy.

Add the sifted flour to the butter mixture.  Add the lemon juice and vanilla, stir well.   Add the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition.

Pour the batter into the prepared bundt pan and bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.  (After the first 30 minutes, cover loosely with Aluminum Foil) 

Cool in pan for 10 minutes.   Remove from pan and cool completely. Dust with powdered sugar if desired.

Note:  As a variation, sprinkle crushed blanched almonds over the top of the cake right before putting it in the oven to bake.

Divine Mercy Cake

This beautiful cake was submitted by Cynthia Engle, in honor of today's feast of Divine Mercy. Thank you Cynthia!

Anyone can make this cake. All you need is a cross cake mold, cupcake pans, letter shaped cookie cutters and a little imagination.   The cross cake was baked in a Wilton Cross Cake mold, easily accessible at any craft store selling Wilton products. It is also available at various internet sites.

We covered the cake in white fondant, but you can frost it with your favorite icing if preferred. The lily is made from pressed gum drops. If you are not adept at sugar flowers, you can either forgo this step or buy a commercial decoration that fits the theme. The rays are mini cupcakes, frosted and then sprayed with Wilton color spray or red and blue. You can also just use food coloring in your icing, but the spray gives it a more ethereal image. The cupcakes surrounding the cake are full sized cupcakes with “Jesus I Trust In You” spelled out with letters cut from pressed gum drops with letter cookie cutters. An alternative is to cut and bake cookie letters and place those on the full sized cupcakes. We chose to use three different flavors for the Cross, the mini cupcakes and the full sized cupcakes, but you can use one flavor, using commercial cake mixes or a favorite homemade cake of you own choosing.

Arrange the mini cupcakes in cascading rays along the side of the cross and arrange the larger cupcake with the letters to form the message around the cake or wherever it fits best in your space. This is a little time consuming, but very easy and extremely impressive when served.

First Holy Communion Cake and Link-up

As I mentioned in the Baptism Cake post, this past Friday my brother-in-law flew in to offer a traditional Latin Mass during which our two daughters received their First Holy Communions!  Afterwards we had a simple cake reception in the parish hall.

For the girls' First Communion Cake I ordered Costco's Chocolate Cake with chocolate mousse and iced with white buttercream.  (Normally I would have opted for the white cake, but I wanted to have a little variety, since the Baptism Cake was already white.)   Since I wanted to make a white Bread of Life Cake Topper, using my Communion Candy Mold, I needed a contrasting color frosting to place it on.  (I didn't think it would look that great placed on white frosting.   Originally I had planned to make my own cake for my daughter, frosting it soft-pink and placing the chalice on top, but since my options at Costco were limited to white or chocolate, I decided to have them decorate the cake with their "Bouquet" design (which is the same one I had chosen for our last First Communion) with Pink Roses and place the topper into the center of the roses standing up.   Didn't it turn out pretty?!   I also had them write "Adoremus in Aeternum Santissimum Sacramentum" which translates to "Let us for ever adore the Most Holy Sacrament."

Now it is your turn. If you have made a cake for a First Holy Communion reception, we'd love to see it! Please add your link below.

Baptism Cake and Link-Up

This past Friday, on the traditional feast of the Baptism of Our Lord, our newest little blessing was baptized by his Uncle, a priest with the FSSP who flew in for this occasion, in the extraordinary form of the sacrament following a traditional Latin Mass during which our two daughters received their First Holy Communions.  It truly was a day filled with blessings for our family!

Since it had been just over 3 weeks since I delivered our little one, we opted for a simple Cake Reception in the hall at our parish.  I decided to order cakes from Costco, adding my own little touches as well.

For the Baptism Cake I ordered Costco's White cake with vanilla cheesecake mousse and iced with white buttercream.  For the decorations I choose their "Roses" design with White Roses and Dark Green Leaves.  I had them leave the center blank.

Inspired by Charlotte's recent baptismal cake, I ordered the Baptismal Cross Candy Mold to create for the center of the cake!   Charlotte suggested using Dark Blue Candy Melts, which she and her husband even sent us (along with those beautiful flowers for their Godson!) since they aren't available here locally.    I used approximately 1/2 of the 16 oz. bag of candy melts for the cross.   It turned out gorgeous!

Now it is your turn.   If you have made a cake for a Baptism reception, we'd love to see it! Please add your link below.

A Golden Chalice Cake

I wasn't sent the actual directions on how to make this cake, but perhaps it can provide some inspiration!  It was created and submitted by Victoria, from Designer Pastry, to celebrate the arrival of their new Pastor and Parochial Vicar.   Thank you Victoria!

Saint Joseph’s Catholic Church, Tridentine Rite in Richmond, VA celebrated the arrival of their new Pastor Father Robert Novokowsky, FSSP and new Parochial Vicar Father Rudolph Grega, FSSP on Sunday, August 14th, Vigil Feast of the Assumption. The order, the Fraternity of Saint Peter was recently assigned by Bishop DiLorenzo of the Richmond Diocese to take care of Saint Joseph’s parish in Richmond. There was a parish potluck with many tasty dishes. Parishioners who own local bakery Designer Pastry custom designed a two foot tall 3D sculpted golden Chalice cake to commemorate the occasion. Families presented their new priests with well wishes and a spiritual bouquet card filled with promises of prayers, hours of adoration, Mass intentions, rosaries, Divine Mercy chaplets and more. The children of the parish presented their new spiritual fathers with gifts of cute pictures they colored of saints, rosary mysteries and Pope Benedict XVI. A good time was had by parishioners and priests alike.

Kremówka Papieska :: Papal Cream Cake

Back in 1999, during a visit to his old home town of Wadowice, Pope John Paul II mentioned that he was very fond of the cream cake (or kremówka) that, as a child, he and his friends in school would buy from one of the bakers in the town's market after putting their money together.   The next day the entire town was arriving with kremówka, suddenly renamed Kremówka Papieska, the "Papal Cream Cake.

I have been meaning to make this cake for a couple years now, ever since running across the story and recipe at European Cuisines!  With the Beatification of Pope John Paul II coming up on May 2nd, Divine Mercy Sunday, I am finally going to try it out and thought I would share the recipe now, in case any of you would like to prepare it this weekend as well.

Kremowka Papieska - Papal Cream Cake
Source: European Cuisine

For the cake:

8 ounces butter
3 cups flour
3 tablespoons water
3 egg yolks
A pinch of salt

Grease 2 - 8" or 9" baking pans, coat with bread crumbs and set aside.  Cut the butter into the flour with a pastry blender.  Beat the egg yolks into the water: mix into the flour. Mix well. Divide in halves and spread/press each half to completely cover the bottom of one of the baking pans. Bake for approximately 30 minutes in a medium-low oven (325F / 160C): remove and let cool. Remove from pans when cooled.

For the custard cream:

2 cups milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup sugar
1/3 cup flour
A pinch of salt
6 egg yolks

Scald the milk and vanilla. In a heavy saucepan, combine the sugar, flour, salt, and egg yolks. Stir until very well blended (ideally, whisk to make sure there are no lumps). Add milk gradually. Cook over low flame, stirring constantly, being careful to scrape bottom of pan.

Bring to a boil and continue boiling for 3 minutes. Pour cream into a bowl and let cool. Stir occasionally until cold.

When the custard cream is cold, spread over one of the layers of baked pastry. (If the custard is at all runny, put one baked layer back in one of the baking pans and then do the spreading.) Top with the second baked layer. Dust with confectioners' sugar. Cut and serve (possibly with thick whipped cream on top, if you like)

~ • ~ • ~ • ~ • ~ • ~ • ~ • ~ • ~ • ~ • ~ • ~ • ~ • ~ • ~ 

I also recently ran across another variation that looks a little simpler to make, using frozen puff pastry for the dough:

Polish Papal Cream Cake

Source: About.com

2 sheets (1.1-pound package) frozen puff pastry dough, thawed
1 recipe Easy Pastry Cream (see below)
Confectioners' sugar

Preparation:

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Roll out each piece of puff pastry slightly to blend the seam lines. Without cutting all the way through, lightly score each pastry sheet into 9 sections. Sandwich each puff pastry sheet between two pieces of parchment paper and two cooling racks. This will keep the pastry flat but still flaky. Bake 15 minutes, remove top rack and top sheet of parchment paper. Replace rack and continue to bake until golden and crispy throughout, about 15 more minutes. Cool completely.

If you like a thick layer of filling, make a double batch of Easy Pastry Cream.

Using a 13x9-inch pan as a mold, place one layer of cooked puff pastry in the bottom of the pan. Pour hot pastry cream over it, and place second layer of cooked puff pastry on top. Refrigerate until set. When ready to serve, using the prescored marks as guides, cut into 9 pieces. Dust each piece with confectioners' sugar. Refrigerate leftovers.

Easy Pastry Cream

2 cups milk
3/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
Pinch salt
5 tablespoons cornstarch
6 large egg yolks (See these leftover egg white recipes.)

Preparation:

In a medium saucepan, bring milk, sugar, vanilla, salt, cornstarch and egg yolks to a boil, stirring constantly with a wire whisk. Reduce heat slightly and continue to boil 1 minute, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon to get in the corners. Take the pan off the heat and plunge it into an ice-water bath or, if you have lumps, strain it through a sieve into a pan or heatproof bowl set in ice water.

If not using the pastry cream hot as in Polish Kremówka Papieska, place a sheet of plastic wrap on the surface of the pastry cream which is cooling in the ice-water bath, and top the plastic-wrapped surface with a layer of ice cubes. Leave the ice cubes in place until the cream cools. Cover and refrigerate for up to 3 days.

~ • ~ • ~ • ~ • ~ • ~ • ~ • ~ • ~ • ~ • ~ • ~ • ~ • ~ • ~ 

And yet another variation can be found at Cafe Galicja, which is located in Pope John Paul II's hometown of Wadowice, Poland!

Additional recipes, to honor Pope John Paul II, can be found in the archives, as well as recipes for Divine Mercy Sunday! 

Resurrection Tomb Cake

"Christ has risen--He has risen indeed!"

Resurrection Tomb Cake

aka Wine Bundt Cake
Very Easy!


Ingredients:

1 box yellow cake mix

1 small box vanilla pudding mix

4 eggs

1 Cup Sherry wine

3/4 Cup vegetable oil

Powdered sugar for topping only

Mix all ingredients together and beat on high for 5 minutes.  Pour into greased bundt pan and bake at 350 degrees for 45-50 minutes.  

Tomb Cake Instructions:

Once cooled, empty cake from bundt pan and cut in half to form tomb shape.  Place upright onto platter and sprinkle with powdered sugar.  Use cookies for the stones and Resurrection Set characters. (Slice extra cake from the other half of the cake and place on a separate plate to serve with the Resurrection Tomb Cake.}

Alleluia!

Extra Note: Just for fun you can also use the same technique with the bundt pan, using Cocoa Krispies, made according to the recipe on the box.  We made this one on Good Friday and sealed the tomb with a cookie stone until time to eat on Easter Sunday! {Be sure to cover with plastic wrap}

Coconut Lamb Cake

The following recipe was submitted by Erin, from Growing with my Girls.  It would be another great option for those of you that would like to make a Lamb Shaped Cake for Easter but do not have a lamb shaped pan.   Thank you Erin!

I thought I'd share this Easter lamb cake - no special pans needed. I made this cake last year for Easter Sunday for the first time, and I think it will become a family tradition!

Coconut Cake

Adapted from King Arthur's Whole Grain Baking

Coconut Frosting:
1 can (14 oz.) unsweetened coconut milk
1/2 cup unsalted butter
5 1/2 cups confectioner's sugar, divided
1 tsp vanilla or coconut extract

Cake:
1 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
3/4 tsp. salt
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 tsp. coconut extract or 1/4 tsp. coconut flavor
5 large egg whites
2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
1 cup plain yogurt
1 cup unsweetened shredded coconut, optional for topping

Directions for frosting:

Set a fine mesh strainer or colander over a bowl and line it with a linen towel. Pour the coconut milk into the lined strainer and let the coconut water drain for up to two hours, until you have a thick lump of coconut cream. After it has drained, cream the butter with 2 cups confectioner's sugar in a large bowl. Beat in the salt and vanilla or coconut extract until smooth. Add the coconut cream and mix, scraping the bottom and sides of the bowl. Add remaining confectioner's sugar until you have a smooth, spreadable frosting. Cover and keep at room temp until ready to use.

**Note: Last year I found a little box of coconut cream at our local health food store and used it rather than draining a can of coconut milk. I added it a few spoonfuls at a time until the taste and consistency were good. The frosting came out thick but spreadable, and very good. This option allows you to skip the draining step if you can find coconut cream at a local store. I can't find it this year!

Directions for cake:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a 9 x 13 inch pan.

Place the coconut and all-purpose flour in a food processor. Process for thirty seconds and set aside.

Cream together butter, baking powder, sugar, salt, and extracts in a large bowl until light and fluffy, at least five minutes. Add egg whites one at a time to the butter mixture, beating well after each. Stir a third of the whole wheat pastry flour into the creamed mixture, then half the yogurt, another third of the flour, the remaining yogurt, and the remaining flour, scraping bowl thoroughly. Add the coconut-flour mixture and stir until batter is evenly mixed. Transfer to prepared 9x13 inch pan. Bake approximately 30 minutes, until the cake begins to pull away from the edges of the pan. Cool on a rack for 15 minutes before removing from pan and then cool completely. The cake may be frozen for 30 minutes before frosting to make assembly easier.

I cut the cake freehand with a serrated knife, but I looked at the shape drawn on page 62 in the little book Lent Begins at Home. You can see in the picture above that I used some scraps from the top edge of the cake to form an ear and the tail, which I then put in the appropriate places before frosting. The cake can be put back in the freezer briefly if desired, so the crumbs from the cut edges will be less of a concern. Spread frosting all over the lamb and then make a face using two chocolate chips for eyes and a pink jelly bean (you can probably snitch one from the kids' Easter candy! ;) as a nose.

The optional coconut listed at the end can be sprinkled over the frosting. This gives the lamb cake a woolly, textured appearance, like in the photo below, which was taken without a flash and more clearly shows the coconut on top.

Have a blessed and happy Easter!!

Lenten Chocolate Cake

The following recipe for Lenten Chocolate Cake was submitted by Abigail Burke. Thank you Abigail!

"I was raised in the Eastern Orthodox Church, and during Great Lent we followed a strict fast of no meat or dairy products (with the exceptions of Sundays). My parents, as well as other members of our church, were creative in coming up with recipes for families during this time. For example, if a birthday fell during Lent we made Lenten Chocolate Cake. It's a cake that requires no dairy or animal products. It's surprisingly moist and tasty. Here is the recipe--hope you enjoy!"

Lenten Chocolate Cake

Ingredients: 

3 cups flour
2 tsp baking soda
6 Tbsp good unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tsp salt
2 cups sugar
3 Tbsp vinegar (any flavor will do; I generally use apple cider vinegar)
2 tsp vanilla
3/4 cup cooking oil
2 cups cold water

Directions: 

Sift the flour, baking soda, cocoa, salt and sugar together in a large bowl.

Add the vinegar, vanilla, oil, and water to the dry ingredients and mix well. Because of the soda and vinegar combination you'll see some bubbles and that's normal.

 Pour batter in a greased 9 x13 pan and bake at 350 for 45 minutes.

You may make a butter cream frosting using margarine instead of butter if you like (to keep the cake dairy free) or dust with powdered sugar to serve. It also goes well with fresh fruit.

A Lamb Shaped Cake for Easter

You still have time to order a lamb shaped cake pan, if you'd like to make this cake for Easter and still need the pan!

Last year I purchased a Nordic Ware 3-D Spring Lamb Cake Mold, to use for our Easter Cake, and it turned out so cute!  I just used a boxed pound cake mix, and made sure to grease and flour the pan really well, and thankfully had no complications removing the lamb from the pan.

Other Cake Pan Options Include:

• Wilton Standup Lamb Pan
• SCI Scandicrafts Lamb Mold 11-inch, 8-Cup 
• Kitchen Supply Small Lamb Cake Mold
• Kitchen Supply Large Lamb Cake Mold

 Lamb Cake served with Fresh Strawberries and Whipped Cream

Here are the Preparation, Baking and Decorating Instructions from NordicWare, for any of you that may have the pan, but are missing the directions:  

Preheat oven to 375˚F.  Generously grease inside of the molds (top and bottom halves) with solid vegetable shortening.   Dust with flower.  Pour prepared batter in bottom half of mold (approximately 3 cups).   Place top mold over bottom half, interlocking seams.  (Top half has vent holes to permit steam to escape.)   Place mold on cookie sheet and bake 375˚F for 45-55 minutes, or until cake tests done.  (Test with toothpick through vent hole.)  Remove mold from oven.  Cool 5 minutes.   Turn mold before standing in upright position.  Trim bottom of cake if surface is not flat.  Place a dab of icing on plate and stand mold in upright position.  Frost with fluffy icing and decorate with jelly beans, raisins, cherries, or chocolate chips for the eyes and nose.   (Best results cool cake in refrigerator or freezer before frosting, this makes a firmer surface for icing.)  To enhance this delightful cake mold, place green tinted coconut around base of lamb; add jelly beans and a colorful bow at the neck.  

* Pound cake mixes (16 oz. size) can be used in molds.  Mix per directions on package.

* If using regular cake mixes (pudding added) decrease liquid by 1/4 cup.  Use excess batter for cupcakes. 

If you end up making this cake, be sure to take pictures to share since we will be hosting another "Celebrating Easter" link up on Easter Monday!  

Bride's Cake with Blueberry Filling

For our feast day treat, we opted for a Bride's Cake with blueberry jam filling and white chocolate frosting. I'm not sure why it's called a bride's cake, but we liked the idea of it since Our Lady is the chaste spouse of the Holy Spirit.

Bride's Cake ~ adapted from The Cake Mix Doctor

1 package plain white cake mix

1 C. whole milk

1 stick butter, melted

3 large eggs

2 tsp. vanilla extract

1/4 C. blueberry jam

Mix together cake mix, milk, melted butter, eggs and vanilla on low speed for one minute. Scrape bowl and mix on medium speed for another 2 minutes. Pour cake batter into 2 9"inch cake pans that have been greased and floured or sprayed with non-stick spray with flour. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 30 minutes or until cakes spring back when lightly touched. Cool in pans for 10 minutes. Remove from pan and cool on rack completely.

White Chocolate Frosting

6 oz. white chocolate, chopped

8oz. cream cheese, softened

1/2 stick butter, softened

1 tsp. vanilla extract

2 1/2 C. confectioner sugar

Melt the white chocolate and allow to cool. Beat together cream cheese and butter until blended. Add cooled white chocolate and beat again until blended. Whip for one minute more or until frosting is fluffy.

You should know that this cake will not be a pure white cake and the frosting, depending on the color of your white chocolate will be a very pale yellow.

To decorate our cake, I made a stencil out of cardstock using a fancy font and wrote "Let it be done..." in blue sprinkles. It might have been easier to simply put "fiat" or "yes". If you try this, you should know that your frosting needs to be chilled, but not firm. You will get sprinkles on other parts of your cake and all over your kitchen but it looks pretty when you are finished. The cake, not necessarily your kitchen. Just add some sprinkles of your own so that the ones that got spilled look like they are supposed to be there! : ) The frosting might get roughed up when you pull the card stock stencil away. Just let it chill again and then smooth it out. Since I had some lily lollipops left over, I decided to remove them from their sticks and add them to our cake.

Happy Solemnity of the Annunciation!

A St. Joseph's Day Baby Shower

I am in the middle of preparing to host a baby shower for a dear sister-in-law who is expecting her third child soon. Since we know the baby is a boy we opted to have the shower on the Solemnity of St. Joseph, so that we could celebrate the wee little one and this dearly beloved saint all at the same time. Since it is St. Joseph's feast day and he is so loved by the people of Italy, I decided on an Italian theme for the shower. My SIL wants to have a girl's luncheon more than an official shower, so you won't see any typical baby themed treats. I've been working on the plans and wanted to share them with anyone looking for a new way to honor St. Joseph or maybe just a fun Italian dish to try. Here are some recipes for the food I am planning on serving:

~ Spinach Potato Frittata ~

 an Italian frittata is like a quiche with less cream and no crust. It's supposed to be a hearty, rustic dish, not light and airy.

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 6 small red potatoes, sliced
• 1 cup torn fresh spinach
• 2 tablespoons sliced green onions
• 1 teaspoon crushed garlic
• salt and pepper to taste
• 6 eggs
• 1/3 cup milk
• 1/2 cup shredded Cheddar cheese

1. Heat olive oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Place potatoes in the skillet, cover, and cook about 10 minutes, until tender but firm. Mix in spinach, green onions, and garlic. Season with salt and pepper. Continue cooking 1 to 2 minutes, until spinach is wilted.
2. In a medium bowl, beat together eggs and milk. Pour into the skillet over the vegetables. Sprinkle with Cheddar cheese. Reduce heat to low, cover, and cook 5 to 7 minutes, or until eggs are firm. 

I have tested this recipe already and it is delicious! For convenience sake, I am going to cook all the veggies first and then transfer them to a quiche pan and let it cook in the oven until firm.

~ Pesto Crostini ~

 ...crostini is basically toasted bread with cheese or savory spices on top

Make you favorite pesto, spread it on a slice of bread and toast it with a slice of tomato and some mozzarella cheese. Let the slices broil until the cheese is melted. I like to toast the bread slices first and then toast it again to get the cheese bubbly.

~ Cream Puff Cake ~ 

...This cake looks like a giant cream puff which is a traditional dessert served on St. Joseph's feast day. 

• 1 cup water
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 4 eggs

• 1 (8 ounce) pkg cream cheese
• 4 cups milk
• 1 (3.5 ounce) pkg. each french vanilla, white chocolate, & cheesecake pudding mix
• fresh whipped cream
• 1 jar Nutella or melted chocolate chips

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. In a large heavy saucepan, heat butter and water to boiling over medium-high heat. Add flour and reduce heat to low. Cook and stir until it forms a ball and pulls away from the pan. Remove from heat and transfer to a large bowl. Beat in eggs, one at a time, beating well after each egg.
3. Spread in bottom and up the sides of a springform pan or two pie plates. Bake at 400 degrees for 25-35 minutes. Cool completely. Spread a layer of Nutella or melted chocolate over the shell flattening any large bubbles that might have baked up in the middle.
4. To make the filling: In a large bowl, combine cream cheese with a little of the milk until blended. Slowly add the rest of the milk and beat until smooth. Add pudding mix and beat until thickened. Spread over cooled shell. Top with whipped cream
5. As a note... the filling made enough for two while the dough really only made one. I made two by making two batches of dough but only one batch of filling. The original recipe called for spreading the dough in a 9x13 inch pan but I wanted a round pan so that it would look more like a giant cream puff. In a 9x13 pan, this amount of filling might be just enough.

~ Italian Sodas ~

Another SIL is actually in charge of making these, but here is a recipe you can try. I also plan on serving a cold pasta primavera salad and fruit on the side. And I'm making bouquets of lily shaped candy lollipops to send home with each of the ladies.

St Nicholas Cake!

We made our cake for St. Nicholas today since tomorrow will be a school day!

I saw a recipe for a Santa Claus cake in a Pillsbury Holiday magazine and decided to make it and just change the hat to make him St. Nicholas!
You'll need:
Any cake mix (we chose Red Velvet), and the ingredients to make that cake
White frosting
2 gumdrops
1 small marshmallow
Coconut
Yellow and red licorice pieces
Red sprinkles

Bake the cake according to the directions in a 13x9 cake pan.
Cool and cut in the above way


Frost and decorate!
The kids can't wait to dig in!
Happy Feast of St. Nicholas!

Saints on The Clouds of Heaven Cake

This post was written by Robina, at Motherly Loving, and submitted for publication here at Catholic Cuisine. Thank you Robina!


For the Solemnity of All Saints, I made this cake which is meant to be a Saints on The Clouds of Heaven Cake. The cake inside is blue for the blue sky and the marshmallow fluff meringue frosting is swirled like fluffy clouds. I used this recipe (which I quoted below with my changes).  The Saints are meant to be standing on or floating above the Clouds of Heaven.

I made the following variations from the original which I included in the tweaked recipe below:

I only made 3 layers with 2/3 of a white box cake in each pan.  I used only blue food coloring.  I used almond flavoring instead of lemon.  I used applesauce instead of oil and it was so moist and delicious (I will never use oil again).  I decorated the top with some small plastic statues of Mary & St. Joseph and some skewered felt Saint Softies.

Clouds of Heaven Cake:

(tweaked from recipe for Cakerrific Cake from How Does She)

You will need:

Food Coloring (I just use the normal watery kind)

1 Jar of Marshmallow Fluff

2 WHITE Cake Mixes

Applesauce (or oil)

Eggs

Powdered Sugar

Butter

Almond Flavoring

Circle Cake Pans (you can try different shapes, it just makes it harder to stack)

Empty Cereal Box (or any box big enough to trace the pan)

STEP 1- Use the cardboard to trace the pan once, Cut out, and set aside.

STEP 2- Mix first cake, following instructions on the back of the box, making sure NOT to use yokes (it will mess up your colors). 

STEP 3- I also substitute applesauce instead of using oil. 1cup oil = 1cup applesauce.

STEP 4- Divide batter into three bowls, and add the coloring. I used 20 drops of food coloring for each cake. Pour into buttered and floured cake pans and bake.You can follow the baking instructions on the box, just remember each cake is 2/3 of the batter, and not 1/2, so it will take a little more time. Repeat this process with the third cake as well.

STEP 5- Once they are cool enough, release the cake from the pan; run your knife around the outside put your hand on top of the cake, and pop it out.  Next, partially freeze the cakes, this will make them easier to level (step six). I like to put them separately onto paper plates, and let them rest in the freezer for a half hour or so. That means while you are cooking the second two cakes, the first two can be resting in the freezer, and so on, and so forth.

STEP 6- Stacking and leveling the cakes requires a little patience, and a big knife! First take your big bread knife and cut the rounded part of each cake off.  Once you have all six tops off, make sure they are level, and trim off a little more if necessary. Then lay your cardboard circle down on a big plate. (you will want to freeze the stacked cake before you finish frosting it, so don’t use your cake plate yet).

Frostings:

#1 - Almond Frosting:

1 lb Powdered Sugar

1 stick of Butter

1 tsp Vanilla

1 tsp almond Flavoring

1/4 cup water

—Mix Well—

#2.- Crummy Almond Frosting  

same as #1., just cut the recipe in half, and add some water to make it runny enough for your crumb coat (step7 ).

#3.-Marshmallow Fluffy Perfection

(recipe on STEP 8)

O.k. back to STEP 6- Spread a little smidgen of the Almond Frosting on the cardboard round, then place your first cake down.  Next, spread a generous 1/4′ish inch layer of the same frosting on the first layer, then place the next cake round down.

Repeat these steps till the cake is stacked. Be sure to frost the top of the cake with your Almond Frosting cause it tastes so yummy!!!

Once you have your cake to this point, just pop it in the freezer for a half hour while you make frosting #2.

STEP 7- Coating the cake with Crummy Almond Frosting. Depending on the day, you will need to add more or less water. Don’t worry, if it gets too runny just add some more powdered sugar.  

Next, spread #2. frosting over the whole cake.  The frosting will get all crummy by the time you’re finished with the crumb coat, which is the whole point. So, to sum things up, the “crumb coat” stops the “crummy cake” from ruining the “real frosting,” which is the Marshmallow Fluffy Perfection!  

Once it is all covered, (yes it will look that ugly), pop it in the freezer overnight, or for a few hrs till the crumb coat hardens.

STEP 8- Here is how you make Marshmallow Fluffy Perfection. 

Pour 1/2 cup Sugar, 2 Tbsp Water, and 2 Egg Whites in medium saucepan.   Cook over low heat, beating continuously with electric mixer on high speed until soft peaks form.  Add Marshmallow Creme(7-oz jar, 1&1/2 cups); beat until stiff peaks form.  You really want them to be quite stiff. If you don’t do it long enough, the pretty swirls won’t hold their shape. Remove it from the heat and add 1 tsp vanilla.

Pull the cake out of the freezer, and transfer it onto the cake plate. Oh wait, put two pieces of parchment paper down on the cake plate before you transfer the cake. This way you can do your decorating without messing up the cake plate. Next you will want to smear dollops of frosting onto the cake.

Once the entire cake is covered, take the spatula and make the frosting swirl around in random circles. The frosting will look all bubbly, but once it rests, the little bubbles just fade “perfectly” away.

Slowly pull out the parchment paper, and now you get to decorate.

Spinning Sun Cake

Several other contributors here have posted "Miracle of the Sun" cakes in the past. It's a fun way to celebrate either the May 13 Feast of OL of Fatima or the anniversary of the sun miracle itself - October 13.

Here is our addition to the miracle sun cakes. It's really easy and a hit with the kids as you can imagine. I just used a round, double layer cake. It was lemon with lemon frosting to get the yellow sun effect. I put it on our lazy suzan, inserted several candles into the side of the cake, lit them. Then spin the lazy suzan gently to make the sun cake spin. It looks pretty cool in the dark, too.

So commemorate the day the sun danced above Fatima, Portugal in October 1917 with a sun cake. Any cake would work. Use a simple one like this or one of the more elaborate ones psoted here in the past. Enjoy.

Pray, Eat, Love~The Rosary

Feast of Our Lady of the Rosary

~October 7th~

"To recite the Rosary is nothing other than to contemplate with Mary the face of Christ"
~ Pope John Paul II, Rosarium Virginis Mariae, 3

I know there is a movie and a book that came out with the title "Eat, Pray, Love." I have heard a bit about them but have not seen the movie or read the book. I couldn't help but use a similar play-on-words with this post! When we made these edible Rosary delights, followed by praying, eating, and loving, I thought about that recent movie and book title. The prayer came first, then we indulged in some "sweet" Rosaries. The love is automatic, both giving and receiving, when you pray the Rosary, right? Hence the title of Pray, Eat, Love~The Rosary.

For the Rosary Cake 

(Pictured Above)

We used mini M&M's for the 53 Hail Mary beads, as well as the beginning Our Father, Glory Be, and the Crucifix...

Then we used a regular-sized blue(for Our Lady) M&M to mark the 5 decades~

We are saying that the "M's" on the M&M's stand for Mary!

*A blue border around the cake also represents the color of our Blessed Mother*

Since October is dedicated to the Holy Rosary, we thought it appropriate to bring in some Autumn celebration at the same time!

Try this Autumn Candy Rosary

~Pray, Eat, & Love~

Now we're ready to pray, eat, & love...We just did all 3 right in one sitting!

This was the yummiest Rosary we've ever tasted and prayed at the same time...

Our family had a ball taking turns eating a candy after each prayer.

~ I know many of you have done the same thing with other versions of edible Rosaries ~

"The Rosary is a powerful weapon to put the demons to flight and to keep oneself from sin…If you desire peace in your hearts, in your homes, and in your country, assemble each evening to recite the Rosary. Let not even one day pass without praying it, no matter how burdened you may be with many cares and labors." Pope Pius XI

Poor Man's Cake for St. Francis of Assisi

St. Francis of Assisi is one of the better known Catholic saints (in my opinion), known to be a peace maker and a lover of animals. Personally, I think he should be known as the patron saint of the poor, as he gave away his life as the son of a wealthy cloth merchant to live as a beggar among the poorest people of Assisi. St. Anthony of Padua, a follower of St. Francis and fellow Franciscan, is the patron of the poor, so I suppose he followed very closely in Francis' footsteps.

I was thinking about St. Francis' feast day next week and popped over here to Catholic Cuisine to see what the other lovely contributors had previously posted. I saw the Tonsure Cake that Annie posted last year and thought immediately of a cake that my grandma used to make that I love. It is, appropriately, called a "Poor Man's Cake." It is called a Poor Man's Cake because when my grandma was young, butter and eggs -- traditional cake ingredients -- were dear (expensive), and raisins, nuts, and spices were plentiful. Today the reverse is true, so it's not really a Poor Man's Cake any more, but I love the story behind the origin. Because this cake is baked in a bundt pan, or ring pan, it would make a great Poor Man's Tonsure Cake for St. Francis' Feast Day. This is a very old-fashioned cake, rich with spices, and my family loves it. I hope yours does, too.

Poor Man's Cake

3 cups flour
2 cups water
⅓ cup shortening
½ lb. raisins (I estimate this to be about 2 cups)
1 cup brown sugar
1 t. cinnamon
1 t. ground cloves
1 t. baking soda
½ t. baking powder
1 cup walnuts

Grease and flour bundt or ring pan.
Heat oven to 325 degrees F.

Place water, shortening, raisins, sugar, cinnamon and cloves in saucepan over medium heat. Cook to boiling and boil for 5 minutes.
Cool completely.

Mix flour and baking powder in a large bowl.
Dissolve baking soda in 1 t. water.
Add raisin mixture and baking soda mixture to flour mixture. Add nuts.

Spoon into prepared pan. Bake for 50 minutes to one hour, until toothpick comes out clean (my ring pan requires less time than a bundt).

Cool 15 minutes.
Turn out of pan and cool completely on a baking rack.

Frost with butter or cream cheese frosting of your choice, or top with the thick butter glaze below.

Glaze:
2 T. butter, melted
2 c. powdered sugar
2-4 T. milk
1 t. vanilla extract

In a bowl, mix melted butter with powdered sugar, 2 T. milk, and vanilla until blended (no lumps) and a thick drizzling consistency, adding a little more milk if necessary.
Spoon over the crown of the cake, allowing it to drip down the sides.

If spice cake isn't your thing, you might try these Lemony Sunshine Cupcakes in honor of St. Francis' Canticle to the Sun.

Apple Cake for Michaelmas

The following recipe was submitted by Abigail Burke, from Elk Grove, CA, for publication here at Catholic Cuisine. Thank you Abigail!

Michaelmas (September 29th, now known as the Feast of the Archangels) is often associated with the end of the harvest, so you can make a lot of wonderful autumnal dishes for this feast. Although apple and blackberry pie is the traditional dessert for Michaelmas (see Joanna Bogle's Feasts and Seasons), here is another option using harvest apples:

Apple Cake with Carmel Glaze

For Cake:

1 cup cooking oil
2 cups sugar
3 cups flour
2 eggs, beaten
1 tsp baking soda
2 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup chopped walnuts
3-5 cups peeled and chopped fresh apples

Combine the oil and sugar. Add well beaten eggs and vanilla. Sift together flour, salt, and baking soda, then add dry ingredients to sugar mixture. Stir in chopped walnuts and apples. Pour into bunt pan and bake at 325 until done, about 65 minutes.

For Glaze:
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup butter
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 cup cream

Place butter and sugar in a double boiler and allow to melt, blending well. Add cream and bring to a boil. Cool, then add vanilla. Pour over cooled cake.

Hope you enjoy!

Magdalenas for the Feast of St. Mary Magdalen

The following recipes in honor of the upcoming feast of St. Mary Magdalen, which is celebrated on July 22nd, were submitted by Amy Eastman from Tampa, Florida. Thank you Amy!

"Magdalenas” are small sweet cakes that are rich-tasting, but light and fluffy. The Spanish traditionally eat them at breakfast with "café con leche," and they are said to have originated in Aragón. "Magdalenas" are not often prepared in homes today, but are sold in supermarkets and bakeries everywhere. These little cakes would be a great addition to any breakfast or a Sunday champagne brunch.

Magdalenas

Ingredients:

4 eggs
1 cup granulated sugar
1 4 oz. stick unsalted butter
1 2/3 cups unbleached white flour
1 Tbsp baking powder
zest from 1 lemon
1 Tbsp milk
Preparation:

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit (200 degrees Centigrade). Measure 1/4 cup sugar into small bowl and set aside.

In a medium-size mixing bowl, beat the eggs with 3/4 cup sugar. Beat until the mixture is light.

In a small sauce pan, melt the butter on medium on the stove top. Or, melt it in the microwave. Make sure that the butter cools slightly and is not bubbling. As you continue to beat the egg mixture, slowly pour in the melted butter, making sure to mix thoroughly. Stir in the lemon zest and milk.

Measure out the flour into a separate bowl. Add the baking powder to the flour and mix thoroughly.

While stirring the egg mixture, add in the flour mixture. Continue to stir until all ingredients are mixed well. The batter will be very thick.

Place paper liners in to cupcake pan. Use a large serving spoon to spoon batter into pan, filling each one half full. Batter will more than double in size when baked. Use a teaspoon to sprinkle each magdalena with a bit of the reserved sugar.

Place pans on the middle shelf of the preheated oven for 18-20 minutes, until magdalenas have turned a golden color. Remove from oven and allow to cool for 5 minutes before taking out of the pan to cool further.

Serves 9. Yield is 18 magdalenas.


The following is a more authentic recipe for the Magdalenas...it's the olive oil that makes this recipe more authentic, but the taste is a little different. My tastebuds like butter better! This recipe is also from the Poor Clares of Santa Ana convent, thus even more authentic!

Magdalena Sponge-Cakes

Ingredients:

2 eggs
3 cups extra fine sugar
2 cups of milk
2 cups of mild extra virgin olive oil
6 scant cups of flour
1 tsp baking powder

Preparation:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Arrange 2 dozen cupcake paper liners on baking trays.

Beat the eggs and sugar together in a food processor to give a pale yellow batter that leaves ribbon trails.

Stir in the other ingredients, alternating the milk and oil with the flour to avoid curdling, and beat well again.

Spoon into the paper cups, but no more than two-thirds full to leave space for rising. Bake for about 20 minutes or until golden and risen.

Servings: Makes about 2 dozen magdalenas

Other ideas for the feast of St. Mary Magdalen can be found here!