Lemonade Cake

This cake is delish with a layer of lemon curd in the middle.  Lemon curd is similiar to lemon pudding but with a tarter taste and not as dense.  The cake is a winner!

LEMONADE CAKE



Cake:

1 1/3 cups granulated sugar

6 tablespoons butter, softened

1 tablespoon grated lemon rind

3 tablespoons thawed lemonade concentrate (Cathy uses fresh lemon juice)

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

2 large eggs

2 large egg whites

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 1/4 cups fat-free buttermilk

1 jar of lemon curd (or make your own)

Cooking spray

Frosting:

2 tablespoons butter, softened

2 teaspoons grated lemon rind

2 teaspoons thawed lemonade concentrate (Cathy uses fresh lemon juice)

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

8 ounces 1/3-less-fat cream cheese

3 1/2 cups powdered sugar

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350°.

To prepare cake, place first 5 ingredients in a large bowl; beat with a mixer at medium speed until well blended (about 5 minutes). Add eggs and egg whites, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour, baking powder, salt, and baking soda; stir well with a whisk. Add flour mixture and buttermilk alternately to sugar mixture, beginning and ending with flour mixture; beat well after each addition.

Pour batter into 2 (9-inch) round cake pans coated with cooking spray; sharply tap pans once on counter to remove air bubbles. Bake at 350° for 20 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pans 10 minutes on a wire rack; remove from pans. Cool completely on wire rack.

To prepare frosting, place 2 tablespoons butter and the next 4 ingredients (2 tablespoons butter through cream cheese) in a large bowl; beat with a mixer at high speed until fluffy. Add powdered sugar, and beat at low speed just until blended (do not overbeat). Chill 1 hour.

Place 1 cake layer on a plate; spread with lemon curd.  Top with remaining cake layer. Spread frosting over top and sides of cake. Store cake loosely covered in the refrigerator.

                  OREO CAKE POPS

Oreo is celebrating an anniversary (probably 200 years.  They've been around as long as me.)  And so they've come out with a new cookie filling- birthday cake.  I suckered for the demo and ended up buying cookies (Two!  Talk about promotion!) and so I was excited to try a new cake pop recipe. 

1 package of Oreos (3 columns worth.  I was using the birthday Oreos which only had two columns so I cut the cream cheese by a third)

1 8- oz. package of softened cream cheese

melting chocolate for dipping

sprinkles of choice or whatever you like to decorate with.

Crush the Oreos up in a food processors (I rolled mine in a giant zip lock.)  The recipe suggested that you separate the cookies before crushing.  Then mix the crumbs with the cream cheese.  I put the mixture in the refrigerator to set up a titch which made for easier ball rolling.  Roll the dough into even sized balls.  You probably want a large marble size.  Don't get too big since these are RICH cookies.  Stick them in the freezer for about 10 minutes to be nice and cold.  Meanwhile, be melting your chocolate.  You can use melting chips, chocolate chips, cooking chocolate.  I had chocolate left over from Christmas candy making so I used that.  Melt carefully in the microwave, stirring often.  You may need to add a titch of cooking oil (although I didn't.)  Make sure you have a stand ready to put the suckers in if you are doing suckers.  Use  Styrofoam block or I just found an old product box and stabbed holes in the top.  Dip your sucker stick in the chocolate, then push into the cake ball.  Then dip the enter ball and swirl in the chocolate.  Hold it upside down to let it drain and when it quits, stick it in the holder.  Some say you need to pop that whole tray into the refrigerator to set up but mine did just fine.  Immediately decorate with sprinkles or drizzle white chocolate across and make a face or stick a birthday candle on top (since this IS a birthday cake pop!)

You don't have to do suckers.  Just make chocolate balls.  Delightful for a small bites dessert.  They were rich but definitely yummy.