Ashley Mac’s Strawberry Cake

Ashley Mac’s Kitchen

Ashley Mac’s strawberry cake is one of the many incredible recipes featured in the new cookbook, ASHLEY MAC’S KITCHEN. The recipes are seriously approachable with celebrations and gatherings in mind. So whether you’re looking for a casserole to share with a friend, a salad to serve at a potluck, or a themed dessert for the season you’re in, ASHLEY MAC’S KITCHEN has it. The book is officially available for pre-order TODAY, which you can do by following this link. If you live in the Birmingham, AL area (hollllaaaa!), you can pick up a book beginning March 20th. There will even be a few book signings too, so keep your eyes peeled for that.

Ashley's Mac's Strawberry Cake by Wood and Spoon blog. This is the recipe for the famous strawberry layer cake from Alabama chain restaurant. The recipe comes from Ashley McMakin's new book! Learn how to make a yummy pink strawberry celebration cake on thewoodandspoon.com

Ashley Mac’s Strawberry Cake

Let’s talk cake. Here, we have a fluffy layered cake flavored with fresh strawberry puree and gelatin. The gelatin may sound kinda weird, but that’s where we get the iconic strawberry flavor, moist crumb, and pretty color. The frosting, in my opinion is the star: cream cheese and butter, powdered sugar, and minced berries. Truly, I could eat this frosting by the spoonful; it’s that good. The cake comes together quickly, and, IMO, is the happiest little thing this side of spring.

Please check out ASHLEY MAC’S KITCHEN, available for preorder, and give the book a try. I truly believe you’re going to love it. Happy Tuesday to y’all and happy baking!

If you like this cake you should try:

Strawberry Rhubarb Layer Cake
Strawberry Icebox Pie
Strawberry Shortcake
Strawberries and Cream Pie
Champagne and Strawberries Cake

Ashley Mac’s Strawberry Cake

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This strawberry cake recipe is famous from Ashley Mac’s Kitchen restaurants!

Author: Ashley McMakin
Prep Time: 20
Cook Time: 20
Total Time: 120
Yield: 1 (9″) Cake
Category: Dessert

Ingredients

For the cake:

1 ¼ cups granulated sugar
1 cup vegetable oil
3 large eggs, room temperature
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 cups sifted cake flour
1 (3 ounce) box strawberry gelatin
3 ½ teaspoons baking powder
¾ teaspoon kosher salt
½ cup whole milk, room temperature
½ cup pureed fresh strawberries

For the strawberry cream cheese icing:

1/3 cup minced fresh strawberries
2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
1 cup unsalted butter, softened
1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
8 cups confectioner’s sugar
6 drops liquid red food coloring

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Instructions

To make the cake:

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit. Spray 3 (9-inch) pans with baking spray with flour. Line the bottom of pans with parchment paper.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitter with the paddle attachment, beat sugar and oil at medium speed until well combined, about 1 minute. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in vanilla.
In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, gelatin, baking powder, and salt. In a small bowl, whisk together milk and strawberries. With mixer on low speed, gradually add flour mixture to sugar mixture alternately with milk mixture, beginning and ending with flour mixture, beating just until combined after each addition and stopping to scrape sides of bowl. Evenly divide batter among prepared pans.
Bake until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, 15 to 20 minutes. Let cool in pans for 10 minutes. Remove from pans and let cool completely on wire racks.
Place 1 cooled cake layer on a cake stand. Spread 1 ½ cups Strawberry Cream Cheese Icing between each layer; spread a thin layer of icing on top and sides of cake to crumb coat. Freeze until icing is set, about 45 minutes. Cover remaining icing and refrigerate while cake sets in freezer.
Spread remaining strawberry cream cheese icing on top and sides of cake as desired. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour or until ready to serve.

To make the frosting:

Let the strawberries drain on a double layer of paper towels.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitter with a paddle attachment, beat cream cheese, butter, and salt at medium-low speed until smooth, 1 to 2 minutes, stopping to scrape the sides of the bowl as needed. With mixer on low speed, slowly add confectioner’s sugar, about 1 cup at a time, beating until just combined. Add food coloring and beat at medium speed until combined, about 1 minute, stopping to scrape the sides of the bowl as needed. Fold in strawberries by hand.

Valentine Sugar Cookie Cake

Leave a Comment / Cakes, Cookies, Cookies and Bars

It’s hearts! It’s flowers! Yep- it must be Valentine’s Day! Today, today celebrate the very best lovey dovey holiday, I’m sharing a valentine sugar cookie cake. It’s a double decker sugar cookie filled and topped with yummy buttercream, and, yes, it’s totally delish. Let’s dive in!

Remember a couple of years ago when those stacked cookie cakes in the shapes of numbers or letters were all the rage? Back then, I joined in on the fun by making cutouts of pie dough and filling them with a whipped cream mixture. It was a yummy trend, but TBH, I’m not over it yet. All those flowers and sprinkles and swirls of frosting are adorable and perfect for this time of year. So I’m bringing it back with this valentine sugar cookie cake. Here, two layers of soft-baked sugar cookie are filled with a simple American buttercream before being piped and stacked together. It’s as cute as it is delicious!

Making the Cake

To make this valentine sugar cookie cake, we start by printing the stencil. Click this link to get the stencil I used, or feel free to make your own! The recipe will provide enough dough for two shapes just smaller than a sheet of printer paper. Print out the stencil at full size and cut out.

Next, make the cookie dough. Here, butter, sugar and egg comes together before a few simple dry ingredients add in. I like to refrigerate the dough for about 30 minutes to an hour to prevent the dough from spreading too much in the oven. Once ready to bake the cookie, roll the dough out on a floured surface and use a pairing knife to trim out your shapes. Bake them on a parchmenet-lined baking pan and set aside.

Assembling the Cake

The frosting for this cake comes together in a bowl with a hand mixer. I use a piping bag fitted with a large round tip to dollop rounds of buttercream on the cooled cake. To do so, place your first cookie on your serving platter. Add small dollops or swirls of frosting all over the cookie. Top the frosting with the second cookie and repeat the buttercream piping for that top layer. Finally, decorate the cookie with your favorite treats: sprinkles, candies, mini cookies, candles, or even flowers! A good mix within your color palette keeps it fun and colorful.

Whatever your plans this Valentine’s Day, I hope you give this fun little cookie a try. If so, let me know what you think! Happy baking and happy (early!) Valentine’s Day!

If you like this Valentine Sugar Cookie Cake you should make:

Alphabet Cream Pie
DIY Cookie Cake
Half Birthday Cake
Sugar Cookie Gift Tag
Lavender Vanilla Bean Sugar Cookies

For the valentine sugar cookie cake heart stencil click THIS LINK.

Valentine Sugar Cookie Cake

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This Valentine sugar cookie cake is a two layer sugar cookie filled with a soft American buttercream frosting!

Author: Kate Wood
Prep Time: 30
Cook Time: 15
Total Time: 45 minutes
Yield: 4-6 Servings
Category: Dessert

Ingredients

For the cookies:

½ cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon cream of tartar
½ teaspoon baking soda
1/8 teaspoon salt

For the frosting:

¾ cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 pounds confectioner’s sugar
2 large pasteurized eggs
3 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
¼ teaspoon of salt
Milk, as needed
Food coloring, if desired

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Instructions

To prepare the cookies:

In the bowl of a stand mixer or a large mixing bowl, combine the butter and sugar, creaming on medium speed until the mixture is light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add the egg and vanilla and stir to combine for an additional 30 seconds. Scrape the sides of the bowl.
In a separate bowl, combine the flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture and mix slowly until well incorporated. Scrape the sides of the bowl as needed. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap, and chill in the fridge for an hour to set up.
When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line a large baking sheet with a sheet of parchment paper. Generously flour a work surface and roll the dough out to just under 1/4” thick using a floured rolling pin. Use the stencil to trim out a heart, then regather the dough, roll it out again and trim out another heart. Transfer the dough shapes carefully to the baking sheet, spacing them out at least 2” apart. Place the whole pan in the freezer for 5 minutes (or fridge for 10) to set the shaped dough and then bake in the oven for about 13 minutes, or until the edges of the cookies are set but not yet golden. Allow to cool on the pan briefly and then remove to a cooling rack to cool completely.

To prepare the frosting:

In a large bowl, combine the butter, confectioner’s sugar, egg, vanilla, and salt, mixing until well combined. Add milk by the tablespoon until the frosting is thick but smooth, similar to the consistency of a thick cake buttercream. Use gel food coloring to dye the frosting.

To assemble the cake:

Spread a small dollop of frosting on your serving platter and place the first cookie on top. Transfer half of the frosting to a piping bag fitted with a large round (1M) tip (Feel free to use another decorative tip as desired). Pipe rounds of frosting all over the cookie and then top it with the second cookie. Repeat this process with the second cookie. Use sprinkles, flowers, or small candies to decorate the top of the cake.

Sugar Cookie Double Doozies

These cookies are a favorite of my husband, and for good reason. Here, soft and chewy (even slightly salted?) sugar cookies sandwich a thin layer of sweetened American buttercream. I adapted the cookie recipe from a favorite snickerdoodle recipe in order to achieve that pretty crinkle top and background tangy flavor. They are DELICIOUS. The frosting sweetens the cookies without overwhelming them and they stay soft for a few days.

To make these sugar cookie double doozies, we start with the cookies. First, butter and sugar cream together before egg and vanilla add in. The dry ingredients include cream of tartar and baking soda which allows these cookies to bake like snickerdoodles. Finally, round of dough roll in colored sanding sugar before baking into soft round cookies.

Sugar Cookie Double Doozies by Wood and Spoon. These are copycat cookies of Great American Cookie Company's famous double doozies! Two soft and chewy sugar cookies sandwich a layer of vanilla buttercream. These cookies around crowd pleasers and incredibly fun to eat! Learn how simple this fun recipe is on thewoodandspoon.com

The frosting is equally simple with just a little butter, sugar, salt and milk. I opted to pipe the frosting in between the cookies, but even just a schmear with a knife would do. These are delightfully simple and fun to make!

I hope you get a change to try these sugar cookie double doozies. Keep your eyes peeled in the coming months for more basic recipes. In the meantime, Happy Monday and Happy Baking!

If you like this recipe you should try:

Pumpkin Whoopie Pies
Pastel Lofthouse Cookies
Painted Sugar Cookies
Funfetti Cookies

Sugar Cookie Double Doozies

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These sugar cookie double doozies are chewy sugar cookies filled with a simple buttercream!

Author: Kate Wood
Prep Time: 15
Cook Time: 20
Total Time: 35 minutes
Yield: 12
Category: Dessert

Ingredients

For the cookies:

½ cup unsalted butter
¾ cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup plus 6 tablespoons all-purpose flour
¾ teaspoon salt
¾ teaspoon cream of tartar
½ teaspoons baking soda
¾ cup colored sanding sugar

For the frosting:

6 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
1–1/2 cups confectioner’s sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon milk

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Instructions

To prepare the cookies:

In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar together on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the egg and vanilla extract, stirring on medium for another minute. Add the flour, salt, cream of tartar, and baking soda, stirring on low just until combined. Use a small cookie scoop to portion out 2-teaspoon sized rounds of dough. Roll them quickly to make them round and then roll each dough ball in in the colored sugar. Place on a parchment paper lined baking sheet and refrigerate until firm, about 30-45 minutes.
When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Bake the cookies for about 10 minutes or until the edges are barely beginning to set. The cookies will appear slightly underdone. Allow to cool completely prior to filling each with the frosting.

To prepare the frosting:

Combine all of the ingredients in a large bowl and stir on medium until it smooths into a fluffy frosting. Add a teaspoon or two of extra milk as needed to thin out the frosting. Sandwich the cookies with frosting and enjoy!

Mini Yellow Cake

How to Make It

The first thing you need to know about this mini yellow cake is the composition of the cake layers themselves. Yellow cakes attribute their color, flavor, and fluff to egg yolks and butter. With those two ingredients, this cake has a tender crumb and rich flavor. The frosting here is a bit different too- in lieu of a powdered sugar and cocoa powder tooth ache, I opted for a chocolate ganache-esquire frosting that is silky and fudgy without being too sweet. YUM.

Mini Yellow Cake by Wood and Spoon blog. This tiny yellow cake is perfect for small celebrations, small batch bites, and smash cakes! Learn how simple it is to make a moist yellow cake from scratch with a fudge chocolate stovetop frosting on thewoodandspoon.com

So what if you’re not after a super mini yellow cake? Simply double the recipe, bake the cake in 2- 9” pans at the same temperature, and once a toothpick inserted comes out clean, call it a day! I love having a tiny cake recipe in my back pocket, but we can easily adapt to make more cake for more friends. After all, sometimes more is more!

So happy Thursday, happy 2022, happy whatever the heck today is. But most of all, happy baking this mini yellow cake!

If you like this mini yellow cake you should try:

Smash Cake Tutorial
Almond Toffee Cake
Milk Chocolate Chip Cake
One-Bowl Chocolate Cake
Brownie Batter Cake
Mini Layer Cakes

Mini Yellow Cake

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This mini yellow cake packs all the flavor, fluff, and festivity of any standard cake- just in half the size!

Author: Kate Wood
Prep Time: 15
Cook Time: 25
Total Time: 240
Yield: 4-5 Servings
Category: Dessert

Ingredients

For the cake (Adapted from Rose Levy Beranbaum):

½ cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
¾ cup sugar
3 large egg yolks, at room temperature
1–1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1–1/2 cups cake flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
½ cup milk

For the frosting:

½ cup unsalted butter, diced
1 cup heavy whipping cream
1 cup powdered sugar
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
Pinch of salt

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Instructions

To make the cake:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Farhenheit. Lightly grease 2-6” round cake pans and cut out rounds of parchment paper to fit inside of the bottoms.
In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar on medium speed, scraping the bowl occasionally, until light and fluffy, about 4 minutes. With the mixer on low, add the yolks one at a time, followed by the extract. Scrape the sides of the bowl and stir in any unincorporated bits. In a small, separate bowl, stir together the cake flour baking powder, and salt. Add half of the mixture to the butter, stirring on low until nearly integrated. Add the milk and stir. Scrape the bowl and add in the remaining dry ingredients. Fold the mixture until smooth.
Divide the batter between the two pans and bake in the preheated oven for about 22-23 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Allow to cool completely.

To make the frosting:

Combine all of the ingredients in a medium-sized saucepan over low heat. Stirring consistently, melt the ingredients until the mixture is nearly smooth. Remove from heat and allow the mixture to melt completely. Pour the mixture into a bowl and place in the fridge. Allow to cool, stirring ever 15 minutes or so, until the mixture comes to a thickened, fudgy consistency. Then frost the cake. Level the cakes using a serrated knife and use and offset spatula to smooth the frosting on top of the first layer. Place the second cake on top and finish frosting as desired.

Notes

To make a larger, 2 layer, 9″ cake, simply double the ingredients for the cake and bake in 2 (9″) pans! Bake at 350 degrees until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.

One-Bowl Chocolate Cake

3 Comments / Cakes

Happy Sunday, you crazy kids. I hope this weekend finds you at rest and hungry for dessert, because today we’re making a seriously simple one-bowl chocolate cake. We all need a no-fail, go-to chocolate cake recipe, and today’s recipe is becoming my new favorite. Before we dive in, I wanted to share a few other things I’ve been enjoying in my home, closet, toiletry bag, and more. Without further ado, here it is: my favorite things!

Things I’m Wearing:

After a few months of Alabama heat, I’m looking forward to anything that even slightly resembles fall and the cooler weather I hope it brings. On my wish list: new loafers. These Sam Edelman loafers, shown in both classic and updated looks, come in the softest black leather that didn’t even kind of pinch my heels. I love these with a pair of jeans or a tailored skirt! I’ve also been on the hunt for a new pair of white tennies. These classic canvas shoes from Superga come in a variety of colors, and, for those looking for a little more height, a platform heel option. Sign me up!

Things for the Kitchen:

Anyone else dying to start entertaining again? ME TOO. Although COVID has kept many of us from hosting friends and family, it can’t keep us from dreaming about those future gatherings. I’m been loving the glassware options available at Crate & Barrel lately, and the pieces below are currently in my shopping cart. I’m thinking a casual girls night-in: cheese and champagne for starters, Irish coffee and caramel corn for dessert. *Chef’s Kiss*

Things I’m Reading:

I’ve been a reading machine this year thanks to a few good friends who send their favorite book titles my way. This summer, I knocked out a few reads that I’ll be recommending to basically everyone from here on out. The titles below, The People We Meet on Vacation, The Four Winds, and Girl with a Louding Voice, are all way different from one another but wonderful in their own right. For a light read, go for the first option; for a beautifully written sob-fest, opt for one of the other two.

Things in My Toiletry Bag:

I’ve got two new faves to share here. First up, a travel blow dryer. Last New Year’s Eve, I traveled with friends to Blackberry Farm and fell in love with the blow dryer in the bathroom. I loved it so much that I called back last month to find out what kind it was so I could purchase it for home. This travel drier from GHD is high-powered and totally worth the splurge.

Another new favorite is this Osea Cleansing Milk. I’ve been trudging through the murky waters of adult-onset rosacea these past few months, and finding products that are gentle enough for my newly sensitive skin has been a challenge. I love this cleanser for its simple ingredients and calming effects. If anyone else has another favorite for rosacea- HIT ME UP!

One-Bowl Chocolate Cake

With all the chocolate cakes on this site, do we really need another? Well, I’d argue YES. This is a one-bowl situation that is so simple I had to photograph my kiddos making it. Truly, it’s a measure and dump kind of thing. The end-product is a moist and fluffy chocolate cake that is sweet, not too rich, and the perfect vehicle for my favorite milk chocolate buttercream.

To make it, we start with the dry ingredients. Flour, sugar, cocoa powder, and leavening are stirred together in a bowl. Next come the liquid ingredients: buttermilk, oil, eggs, coffee, and vanilla extract. Stir the batter until no lumps remain and bake in two pans inside of a preheated oven. Once cooled, the cakes cake be leveled and frosted with an oh-so decadent whipped milk chocolate buttercream. Frost the cake in your desired manner and keep it at room temperature until you’re ready to serve. Lucky for you, this one-bowl chocolate cake stays moist for days.

In a pinch, you can substitute regular milk for the buttermilk, hot water for the coffee, and dark or black cocoa powder for the regular unsweetened cocoa powder. You can also opt for dark or semi-sweet chocolate in place of the milk chocolate in the buttercream! One of my favorite things about this one-bowl chocolate cake is that it’s extremely adaptable- feel free to make it your own!

I hope you’ve enjoyed this round-up of my favorite things. If you have time this weekend, give this one-bowl chocolate cake a try! It’s DIVINE. Happy Sunday and HAPPY BAKING!

If you like this one-bowl chocolate cake you should try:

White Chocolate Cake
Milk Chocolate Chip Cake
Flourless Chocolate Cake
Chocolate Caramel Crumble Cake

One-Bowl Chocolate Cake

Print Recipe

★★★★★

5 from 2 reviews

This chocolate cake features a fluffy milk chocolate buttercream and can be made from start to finish in a single bowl!

Author: Kate Wood
Prep Time: 25
Cook Time: 30
Total Time: 120
Yield: 9 Servings
Category: Dessert

Ingredients

For the cake:

2 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups granulated sugar
2/3 cup cocoa powder
1–1/2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons baking powder
2–1/4 teaspoons corn starch
1 teaspoon salt
2 eggs room temperature
1 cup buttermilk, room temperature
½ cup black coffee, hot
1/2 cup (120 mL) vegetable oil
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract

For the frosting:

6 ounces milk chocolate, gently melted
1–1/2 cups unsalted butter, at room temperature
3–1/2 cups powdered sugar
¼ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
5 tablespoons of heavy cream or milk

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Instructions

To prepare the cake:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray 2 (8″) round cake pans with baking spray and line the bottoms with parchment rounds.
In a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, combine all of the dry ingredients and stir until combined. Add all of the wet ingredients and mix on medium speed for just shy of 1-2 minutes, scraping the bowl (and bottom of bowl!) twice throughout.
Pour equal amounts of batter in both pans. Carefully place in the oven and bake for about 23-25 minutes, or until center is just barely set and toothpick comes out of cake almost clean. Allow to cool in the pans and on a cooling rack for 20 minutes and then remove from pans to continue the cooling process. Cake will stay fresh for several days if covered, or, for one month if wrapped well in saran wrap and frozen in freezer.

To prepare the frosting:

In a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, cream the butter on medium speed for two minutes. Scrape the sides of the bowl and add the powdered sugar, beating on medium for another minute and a half. Add the salt, vanilla, and cream and beat to combine for 30 seconds. Fold in the melted (but not hot!) chocolate quickly until incorporated. If your chocolate was too hot and the mixture seems too thin and loose, you can place it in the fridge to firm up a bit or add a smidge of powdered sugar.

To assemble the cake:

Use a serrated knife to cut the domes off the tops of the cake. Tops of the cake should be flat prior to assembling. Place a bit of frosting on you plate or cake board that you wish to frost your cake on and set your first layer on top. Use an offset spatula to spread a hefty dollop of frosting on top of the first layer. Place the next layer on top and repeat this process. Frost the sides of the cake and decorate as desired. Cake is should be stored covered tightly with plastic wrap and is best eaten within 2 days of making.

Pastel Lofthouse Cookies

2 Comments / Cookies and Bars

Can I tell you a secret? One of my favorite parts about being a Mom is getting to be the one who makes a mess of excitement around the holidays. Christmas, birthdays, and, hey, even Easter always seem like the perfect opportunity for fun little treats and bits of happiness. This year, Aimee and I worked together to make these pastel Lofthouse cookies for her school Easter egg hunt, and it delighted me to no end. Although the party wasn’t for me, it might as well have been, because I loved every. minute. of. it. Today, I’m going to share the recipe with you in hopes that, if you find yourself with a few extra minutes this week, you might make a couple of these cookies to share with your own families and friends.

So what are Lofthouse cookies? You might have seen similarly soft, round, and sprinkled cookies in the bakery section of your local grocery store. Usually sold in seasonal colors, those original Lofthouse cookies are hugely nostalgic for a lot of us who grew up loving ultra-sweet processed snacks. These pastel Lofthouse cookies, while still equally soft, sweet, and frosted, are a homemade version that offer the opportunity for customized colors and sprinkles of your choice! Here, we opted for spring pastels and a light sprinkle of nonpareils, and I have to say, they make an adorable snack for kiddos (and grown-ups!).

Making Homemade Lofthouse Cookies

To make these pastel Lofthouse cookies, we start by creaming together butter and powdered sugar. Next comes an egg, vanilla, and all of the dry ingredients. You’ll notice cornstarch here which may seem a little strange, but don’t fret- the cornstarch helps to keep these cookies light and airy. The dough does need a brief chill before small rounds can be rolled and gently pressed with the bottom of a glass. The cookies won’t budge much from their shape once they go in the oven, so be sure to keep them uniformed and crack-free.

Once baked, the cookies get the royal treatment with a crazy-delicious buttercream frosting. It’s here were the cookies begin reminding me of my Mimi’s soft frosted sugar cookies that we eat around Christmas. All the flavors blend so well together, and the frosting adds a pop of color and just the right amount of sweetness. Once frosted, the cookies can be enjoyed immediately or even frozen! To freeze Lofthouse cookies, allow the frosting to set completely and then stack in freezer-safe containers with sheets of wax paper in between each layer. Seal the container to protect them from the freezer and enjoy within a month.

I hope you all enjoyed an Easter full of hope, joy, and (well, obviously) cookies. Happy baking!

If you like these pastel Lofthouse cookies you should try:

Soft Frosted Sugar Cookies
Painted Sugar Cookies
Meringue Cookies
Mini Layer Cakes
Funfetti Mini Cakes

Pastel Lofthouse Cookies

Print Recipe

★★★★★

5 from 1 reviews

These pastel Lofthouse cookies are mini versions of the original famous cookies- soft texture, fluffy frosting, and loads of sweet flavor!

Author: Kate Wood
Prep Time: 10
Cook Time: 15
Total Time: 25 minutes
Yield: 48 Mini Cookies
Category: Dessert

Ingredients

For the cookies:

1 cup (230 gm) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1–1/2 cups (170 gm) powdered sugar
1 large egg
1–1/4 teaspoons vanilla extract
½ teaspoon almond extract
2–3/4 cups (330 gm) cake flour
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 teaspoon cream of tartar
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt

For the frosting:

¾ cup (170 gm) unsalted butter, at room temperature
3 cups (340 gm) powdered sugar
¼ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon almond extract
1–1/2 – 2 tablespoons milk
Food coloring and sprinkles, if desired

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Instructions

To make the cookies:

In a large bowl, cream the butter and powdered sugar together with a mixer on medium speed until smooth, about 1 minute. Scrape the sides of the bowl and add the egg and extracts, beating on medium just until combined. Add the cake flour, cornstarch, cream of tartar, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Stir on low just until combined and a dough comes together. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and place in the fridge to chill until it comes to a play-doh consistency, about 1 hour. When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 375 degrees and line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Use a small cookie scoop or a spoon to portion out 1-1/2 teaspoon sized rounds of dough. Roll them in your hands briefly to smooth and place 2” apart on the prepared pans. Flour the flat bottom of a glass or measuring cup and gently press each round of dough down until it is just over ¼” thick. Bake in the oven until the edges and tops are barely set, about 7-8 minutes. Allow to cool completely prior to frosting.

To make the frosting:

In a large bowl, cream the butter on medium speed until smooth and pale. About 2 minutes. Add the powdered sugar, salt, vanilla, almond extract, and 1 tablespoon of milk. Stir together on low until combined and then beat until smooth. Add additional milk to bring the frosting to your desired consistency. Add food coloring and spread on the cookies, adding sprinkles if desired.

Creme Brûlée Cake

24 Comments / Cakes, Uncategorized

Happy Sunday, Friends! It’s been a while since I checked in on a Sunday, but I figured your day of rest on this long weekend may need a little reading and recipe inspiration. Cue this creme brûlée cake.

I made this cake a few weeks ago for a friend’s birthday, and it was a reminder of why I’m so head-over-heels in love with baking. He called to thank me for the cake and instead of just saying, “It was good!” or “Thanks for the cake!” he told me that the gesture made him feel special. He was just grateful. Y’all, THIS is why we share our gifts with people. It’s not to show off or fill a slot on a birthday menu- it’s to love people! It’s to let them know they were worth your time and resources. To give them a big hug in the form of whatever your gifting is. We share those skills and the things we’re good at to remind people they matter to us. We do it to love them.

If you’re on this site, I have to believe you’re into baking and that you just might need a little push to get out there and share your stuff with the world. Can I just sign up to be the one to encourage you to do it? Who cares if your frosting looks weird or if the cookies are a little burnt? What does it matter if your pie lattice is short of perfect? Take the initiative to share whatever it is you’re working with to the people around you and just wait till you see the difference it makes.

“Love only grows baby sharing. You can only have more for yourself by giving it away to others.” -Brian Tracy

Reciprocating love that we’ve been on the receiving end of is a natural thing. When we extend ourselves on behalf of another person, it does something for them- it let’s them know you value them, and that pipeline of love becomes a revolving door of kindness within the relationship and to others that are in proximity. In a world where it’s increasingly common to be ugly to one another, don’t you kinda want to be the person who’s just out there sharing the love? I do. I want to be the person that loves big. If that happens to involve macarons and pies and creme brûlée cake, well, I’m all the more for it.

Creme Brûlée Cake

This creme brûlée cake has fluffy butter cake layers, a creamy vanilla bean custard, and a flavorful burnt sugar buttercream frosting. The flavors, when blended together, sing of the traditional creme brûlée dessert they were inspired by, and the soft textures yield a creamy mouthfeel that is similarly representative. This cake is best made slightly ahead of time as the custard benefits from chilling in the fridge and the frosting requires a few extra steps. When broken down, the cake is complex, yes, but still very attainable even for new bakers.

This creme brûlée cake also has a bit of a choose your own adventure kind of vibe too. I initially set out to utilize the egg whites leftover from making the custard, so a burnt sugar Swiss meringue buttercream was born. But look, y’all- I am TERRIBLE at making Swiss meringue buttercream. Like, terrible. So I also tested this cake with a simple burnt sugar American buttercream too, because I have a feeling I’m not the only one. You can use whichever you please- they’re both terrific tasting.

Give this creme brûlée cake a try and let me know what you think! Shout out to the creme brûlée lovers who are going to be really into this treat. Happy long weekend and happy baking!

If you like this creme brûlée cake you should try:

Tiramisu Cake
Bruleed Key Lime Pies
Pumpkin Cake with Burnt Sugar Frosting
Creme Brûlée Frozen Custard

Creme Brûlée Cake

Print Recipe

★★★★★

5 from 2 reviews

This creme brûlée cake has burnt sugar frosting, a vanilla bean custard filling, and fluffy butter cake layers!

Author: Kate Wood
Prep Time: 60
Cook Time: 40
Total Time: 180
Yield: One 8″ layer Cake
Category: Dessert

Ingredients

For the cake:

1 cup (230 gm) unsalted butter
1–3/4 cup (350 gm) sugar
1 large egg plus 4 large egg yolks, at room temperature
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
3 cups (410 gm) cake flour
1 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon baking powder
¾ teaspoon salt
1–1/4 (300 gm) cups whole milk, at room temperature

For the custard:

1–1/2 cups (360 gm) half and half (or a mix of whole milk and heavy cream will work!)
½ vanilla bean (or ½ teaspoon vanilla bean paste or extract)
2 large egg yolks (Save the whites for the buttercream!)
6 tablespoons sugar
3 tablespoons cornstarch

For the burnt sugar crunch:

1 tablespoon butter
1 cup (200 gm) sugar
¼ cup (60 gm) water
½ teaspoon baking soda

For the Swiss meringue buttercream (See notes for alternative buttercream!):

6 large egg whites, at room temperature
1–3/4 cups (350 gm) sugar
15 tablespoons of unsalted butter, at room temperature
1–1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
¼ teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon cream

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Instructions

To make the cake:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease three 8” round cake pans and line the bottoms with a round of parchment paper.
In a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, cream the butter and sugar on medium speed for 5 minutes. Scrape the sides of the bowl and add the egg and egg yolks one at a time, mixing until combined after each addition. Add the vanilla. Scrape the sides of the bowl and stir in half of the dry ingredients on low speed. Add half of the milk and scrape the bowl again. Repeat this process with the remaining dry ingredients and milk. Fold in any unincorporated bits and divide the batter between the three pans. Bake in the preheated oven for about 20-22 minutes OR until a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean. Allow to cool completely.

To prepare the custard:

Pour the half and half into a heavy-bottomed saucepan over low heat and add the vanilla bean, scraping the insides into the liquid. Bring to a simmer and then turn the heat off and allow the vanilla to infuse into the liquid for 15 minutes. Be sure to stir occasionally.
Meanwhile, vigorously whisk or beat the yolks with the sugar on medium speed until it lightens in color and becomes slightly fluffy. Add the cornstarch and stir to combine.
After 15 minutes of infusing the half and half, remove the vanilla bean and carefully pour about ¾ cup of the warm liquid into the egg mixture, whisking or mixing quickly all the while to prevent the eggs from curdling. Pour the egg mixture plus the ¾ cup of added liquid back into the saucepan with the remaining half and half. Whisk to combine and then turn the heat to medium-low. Keep stirring until the mixture comes to a low bubble and begins to thicken. Once thickened to a runny mayonnaise consistency, quickly remove from heat. Feel free to strain the mixture with a fine wire strainer as needed. Set aside in a heat-safe bowl and cover with a piece of plastic wrap to cool completely. The custard can be made a day or two in advance.

To prepare the burnt sugar crunch:

Liberally butter a half sheet pan with rimmed sides that is lined with a full sheet of foil.
In a medium, heavy-bottomed saucepan combine the sugar and water over medium heat, stirring together occasionally until the sugar dissolves. Once the mixture gets hot enough it will begin to bubble. Increase the heat to medium-high and avoid stirring it any more. You can gently swirl the pan occasionally to keep the mixture from burning in one spot. Continue cooking over heat until the mixture turns amber colored, about 10 minutes. It may barely begin to smoke. Remove the pot from heat and carefully whisk in the baking soda quickly. Dump the mixture out onto the pan and barely spread it out with a spatula. Don’t overwork it though as this will deflate all the bubbles. Allow the mixture to cool completely prior to breaking and using in the custard. You’ll want to make the crunch within a day of frosting the cake and keep it in a sealed bag as the crunch will absorb moisture from the air and get chewy/sticky over time.

To prepare the buttercream and assemble the cake:

Prepare a double boiler. Place a small to medium-sized saucepan with an inch of water on the stove. The pot needs to be slightly smaller than the bowl of your stand mixer to ensure that the bottom of the bowl doesn’t touch the water in the pan. Clean the bowl of your stand mixer well to ensure no trace of fat or grease is in the bowl- this can prevent your egg whites from thickening. I like to squeeze the juice of a half of a lemon into the bowl and use a paper towel to wipe down the insides of the bowl as well as the whisk attachment. Once the bowl is clean, add the room temp egg whites and sugar to the bowl. Turn the burner on to medium heat and station yourself at the stove to stir the eggs regularly. Over the course of about 3-5 minutes, the sugar in the egg whites will dissolves. Once the mixture reaches about 160 degrees farenheit (or when you notice the sugar has dissolved in the eggs- you can carefully feel for this as well!), remove the bowl from the double boiler and place it on the mixer. Using the whisk attachment, whip the egg mixture on medium speed (I use 6 on my Kitchen Aid) for about 15 minutes or until the eggs have developed STIFF peaks. The bowl should be room temperature to the touch and glossy peaks should stand up on the end of the whisk when you scoop them out of the bowl. (Note: sometimes my mixer overheats and the warm eggs have a hard time standing up perfectly straight. Use your best judgment. If the bowl is cool and the eggs are standing up but the mixer is really hot it can make your whites droopy. But don’t underbeat! You frosting will not come together if so!) Scrape the whisk clean and then put the paddle attachment on the machine. Running on medium speed, add the butter 1 tablespoon at a time scraping the sides of the bowl as needed. Once the butter has all been added whip for an additional 3 minutes until the mixture has fluffed up. Here’s where things can get dicey: If your butter is too cold, you can end up with a curdled lumpy looking mixture in your bowl. You’ll know if it’s not right. Remove a cup of the mixture from your bowl and put it into another. Microwave that cup of liquid for about 15 seconds to carefully warm and then add it back to the mixer. Whip again to see if it comes together and repeat if it continues to look the same. If your mixture is runny and loose, it could be your meringue or butter was too warm. Place the entire bowl in the fridge to cool down for about 30 minutes and then rewhip. It should come together but repeat as needed. Once light and fluffy, add the vanilla and salt. Then, break off about half of the burnt sugar crunch and process it in a mini chopper or blender until it’s reduced to a sandy powder- avoid clumps! Add ¼ cup of the sandy powder to the buttercream and whip until combined. Feel free to add a tablespoon of cream as needed if the mixture is too thick. Frosting is best use immediately, so get started assembling!
When ready to assemble the cake, use a serrated knife to level the tops of the cakes. Place a small bit of buttercream on an 8” cake board or plate and then place your first layer of cake on top. Put about half of the buttercream into a piping bag fitted with a large round tip (alternatively you can use a quart-sized Ziploc with the end snipped off) and pipe a dam of frosting about 1/2” tall around the perimeter of the cake. Be sure the ends of the dam meet well so that your filling doesn’t squish out the sides of the cake. Spread half of the custard into the center of the dam and then top it all with a second layer of cake. Repeat this process and then use the remaining frosting to ice the cake. Decorate as preferred and enjoy! Cake is best served the day it is assembled and should be stored in the fridge. Allow the cake to come to rom temp before serving.

Notes

To be honest, Swiss meringue buttercream always feels like a lot of work for me, but I love finding use for all those extra egg whites. If you’re uncertain, you CAN do this cake with a traditional American buttercream too! Cream 2 cups of room temperature unsalted butter until pale and fluffy, about 4 minutes on medium speed. Add 1 cup of burnt sugar powder (made by processing the burnt sugar crunch!) and 4-1/2 cups powdered sugar. Add this slowly, on low speed, over the course of a minute. Scrape the sides of the bowl and add ¼ teaspoon of salt and a tablespoon of cream as needed to smooth it out. You can add additional powdered sugar to thicken it up or additional cream to thin it out. Enjoy!

Almond Toffee Cake

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It’s been a long time since I’ve posted a layer cake which is weird kind of since we’re all about celebrations here. As the ever-wise Julia Child once said, “A party without a cake is just a meeting,” so let’s celebrate, shall we? I have a seriously yummy (and celebratory!) almond toffee cake to share with you today, and I can’t wait to dive in!

To be clear, we’re not celebrating anything super specific. Earlier this week I received some good(ish?) news about a project I’ve been working on. It wasn’t anything big, just encouragement that I really needed. A friend and her family came over for dinner later that evening, and we decided the news was worth celebrating, not because I had reached any specific end goal but because I had endured long enough to see signs of breakthrough. Initially I thought it may be premature to ring the bells for just a glimpse of light at the end of the tunnel but I also know that sometimes we need to celebrate that fact that we’re still standing. So celebrate I did.

“What a good day to be proud of all the progress I’ve made.”

Life isn’t all just peak and valley moments. There’s plenty of opportunities for little victories in between, and I think if we don’t stop to acknowledge where we are we rob ourselves the opportunity to experience joy. To be proud of ourselves. To be grateful for how far we’ve come. A friend of mine recently shared a quote that I thought was fitting: “What a good day to be proud of all the progress I’ve made.” Isn’t that the truth? We’re always in progress, and that process is definitely worth celebrating.

So here’s a raised glass to you, your progress, and the shoulders you stood on to get where you are today. My hope is that you’re inching closer to victory every day, even if it feels like you’re moving at a snail’s pace. Don’t miss your opportunity to be proud of your successes, you perseverance, and everything in between. Now let’s pick up our forks and chew on this almond toffee cake. I promise you’re going to love it.

Almond Toffee Cake

I love toffee- crunchy yet intensely buttery and smooth all at the same time. Here, in this decadent star of a dessert, fluffy layers of vanilla cake sandwich a sweet chocolate frosting and bits of caramelized almond crunch. This cake has a really well-rounded flavor and texture to boot, so if you like a dessert that has it all you’ve come to the right place.

If’ you’ve never made toffee before, trust me when I say YOU CAN DO THIS. The process can be a little intimidating, but if you read through the instructions and prepare for the candy-ing process well you’ll be just fine. This almond toffee is ridiculously worth the effort, and with any luck you’ll have a little extra leftover to munch on while you frost your cake. I call that a win.

I’m sharing today’s recipe with my friends at Kerrygold. The butter flavor in the dessert is so prominent that using a premium butter was a must. With butter in both the cake layers, toffee, and frosting, this almond toffee cake is seriously buttery and the perfect treat to transition into this fall season with. After all, it’s always butter season, right? Many thanks to Kerrygold for sponsoring this post and celebrating with me. I hope you’ll count up your little victories in the coming weeks and take an opportunity to celebrate with this almond toffee cake. If you get a chance to try it, let me know what you think! Happy baking and tune in next week for another double header of recipes!!

If you like this almond toffee cake you should try:

Pecan Toffee Blondies

Espresso Toffee Chocolate Chips

Chocolate Caramel Crumble Cake

Milk Chocolate Chip Cake

Almond Toffee Cake

Print Recipe

★★★★★

5 from 2 reviews

This almond toffee cake features fluffy vanilla layers, a toffee crunch filling and a fudgy chocolate frosting!

Author: Kate Wood
Prep Time: 40
Cook Time: 30
Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
Yield: 10
Category: Dessert

Ingredients

For the cake:

1 cup (230 gm) unsalted butter
1–3/4 cup (350 gm) sugar
1 large egg plus 4 large egg yolks, at room temperature
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
3 cups (410 gm) cake flour
1 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon baking powder
¾ teaspoon salt
1–1/4 (300 gm) cups whole milk, at room temperature

For the almond toffee:

1 cup (230 gm) salted butter
½ cup (100 gm) sugar
½ cup (100 gm) brown sugar, packed
1 cup roasted almonds, chopped

For the frosting:

1 pound semisweet chocolate, chopped or in chips
1/3 cup (70 gm) brown sugar
2 cups (480 gm) heavy whipping cream
¼ cup (55 gm) salted butter, at room temperature

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Instructions

To make the cake:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease 2 8” or 9” round cake pans and line the bottoms with a round of parchment paper.
In a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, cream the butter and sugar on medium speed for 5 minutes. Scrape the sides of the bowl and add the egg and egg yolks one at a time, mixing until combined after each addition. Add the vanilla. Scrape the sides of the bowl and stir in half of the dry ingredients on low speed. Add half of the milk and scrape the bowl again. Repeat this process with the remaining dry ingredients and milk. Fold in any unincorporated bits and divide the batter between the two pans. Bake in the preheated oven for about 35-37 minutes or until a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean. Allow to cool completely.

To prepare the almond toffee:

Prepare a large rimmed sheet pan with a sheet of aluminum foil that is greased with butter. Set aside. In a medium-sized heavy bottomed saucepan melt the butter over medium-high heat. Add the sugars and stir until dissolved. Reduce the heat to medium low and cook, stirring constantly, until a candy thermometer reads a temperature of 300 degrees. Immediately remove the pan from the heat and stir in the almonds. Spread the mixture into a layer on the buttered foil and allow to cool completely.

To prepare the frosting:

Pour the chopped chocolate/chips into a large mixing bowl. In a saucepan over medium heat, warm the cream and brown sugar together until the milk is almost starting to bubble around the edges and the sugar is dissolved. Pour the cream over top of the chocolate and cover the bowl with a sheet of plastic wrap. Allow to rest 5 minutes and then whisk to combine into a smooth and thick chocolate mixture. Stir in the butter and allow the mixture to set. I like to put the whole bowl into the fridge and stir it every 10 minutes until the mixture is a thick, fudge-like consistency. Once it’s thick enough to spread, remove from the fridge and prepare to frost your cake! If you happen to over-chill your ganache, just heat it barely in the microwave until it’s loosened up. Re-whisk and allow it to thicken up again if needed.

To assemble the cake:

Level the tops of the cakes with a serrated knife. Line a cake stand or serving plate with a cardboard cake round and spread a little of the ganache frosting into the center of the board. Place your first cake layer in the center and spread about 1/3-1/2 cup ganache on top. Smooth and sprinkle the crumbled toffee on top. Dollop a few small dots of ganache on top of the toffee and press the next cake layer down on top. Smooth more ganache on top and spread it all over the cake. You can place your cake in the fridge to set up. Sprinkle the top of the cake with more toffee and serve with additional chopped toffee. Store the cake covered in plastic wrap and keep the toffee tightly sealed. Cake is best enjoyed within two to three days.

Milk Chocolate Chip Cake

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We’ve got a lot to talk about today. Not only are we cruising on through #monthofchocolate with another rich treat, but we’re also partying over the 3-year anniversary of this blog! There’s no better way to celebrate life’s big stuff than with cake, so today I’ve got a milk chocolate chip cake to throw your way. You’re going to love it.

Three Years!

To be honest, I’m not sure I expected this blog to last 3 years. When Wood & Spoon blog went live in February of 2016, I knew it was the right thing for that season of my life, but I had no idea what the future looked like. I was so covered up in fear and timidity that I forgot to have foresight for the coming years. In retrospect, not having a specific vision kinda forced me to dive into things I normally would not have. I tried some different things, experimented with new writing, baking, and photography styles, and put myself out there for jobs and opportunities that came my way because every open door seemed like it could be the right fit. The first 3 years of this site was made up of a ton of learning and mistrial, and I’m extremely thankful for that.

As uncertain as the past was, the future is even more so. I’ve reached a point where I don’t really want to walk through every single door that opens up for me. I’d like to be able to pick and choose opportunities based on what suits my family and lifestyle as it stands each day, and I want to reach for a few really great opportunities as opposed to every tiny okay one.

Part of what I’ve learned in the past 3 years is that it’s okay to say no to some of the good things that come our way, particularly when you’re holding out for something great. Self-doubt kept me from fully embracing some of the goals and dreams that I had for some time, but 3 years of hoofing it on this site has given me a snapshot of what I’m capable of and the value that my time and energy has.

As For the Future…

This all goes to say that I have no idea what this next year will look like. You can certainly count on more recipes, more incoherent baking banter, and more cute babies, but my hope is that you’ll see a lot of new stuff too.

I recently had a woman ask me how my website was doing, and I told her that I was enjoying it but that it was a work in progress. Her response was, “We’re all a work in progress. Surely you can be excited that you haven’t accomplished all you’re going to in your lifetime! You story isn’t over yet.” This comment made me smile all over, because I know she’s right. Every sentence and chapter of our story is significant and holds a million things that we can treasure and thrive in. It’s a gift to be a work in progress, and I’m happy to be one here.

Milk Chocolate Chip Cake

This milk chocolate chip cake is easily a new favorite of mine. My favorite cake on this site has long been the white chocolate cake that I shared here moons ago. Now, this milk chocolate chip cake has a sneaky lead, and once I tell you all about it, I think you’ll agree. The cake in this dessert is fluffy, egg white-based layers speckled with chocolate chips. The beaten egg whites in the batter keep the layers delicate and soft, while the mini chocolate chips add flavor and texture.

Although the cake is fab, the filling is equally delicious. I used some ganache know-how to whip up a milk chocolate ganache. It stays soft and truffle-like at room temperature and adds some serious richness to this cake. This recipe yields just enough ganache to appropriately fill the cake, but even so, I couldn’t help sneaking a few nibbles.

The star of this cake, without question, is the frosting. This is a whipped milk chocolate frosting, and it is the BOMB. It may have been the pregnancy hormones talking, but this frosting tasted seriously similar to a Wendy’s Frosty. I’m in no way disappointed. It’s creamy, mild in flavor, and perfectly sweetened, and while Frosties may have little appeal to you, I can promise that this buttercream will not disappoint. It’s awesome.

Sizing this Cake

I decided to arrange this cake into 6” stacks, but you can whip this up in another size. Keep in mind that your baking time will differ depending on the pan you prepare it in. Bake your layers until they have started to turn golden and a cake tester inserted comes out clean. Just take care to not overtake it as white cakes tend to dry out a bit faster than cakes with egg yolks in them.

Thank you for spending your time and ingredients on this site. The readers of these pages have made this such a rewarding experience. I have loved getting to connect with some of you all over the past few years. I look forward to loads more in year 4 and can’t wait to see where we are in February of 2020. In the meantime, give this milk chocolate chip cake a try and let me know what you think. Happy baking, friends!

If you like this milk chocolate chip cake you should check out:

Peanut Butter Chocolate Cheesecake

Chocolate Chip Bundt Cake

Chocolate Caramel Crumble Cake

Cream Cheese Chocolate Chip Biscuits

Milk Chocolate Chip Cake

Print Recipe

★★★★★

5 from 4 reviews

This milk chocolate chip cake is a fluffy white cake with mini chocolate chips, a milk chocolate ganache filling, and a whipped milk chocolate frosting. Creamy, decadent, and seriously delicious!

Author: Kate Wood
Prep Time: 30
Cook Time: 30
Total Time: 120
Yield: 1 Cake
Category: Dessert

Ingredients

For the cake:

¾ cup egg whites (I use ones directly from the carton), at room temp
1 cup (230 gm) unsalted butter, at room temp
1–1/2 cups (300 gm) sugar
3 cups plus one tablespoon (400 gm) cake flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup (240 gm) milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup mini chocolate chips

For the ganache:

4 ounces chopped milk chocolate
2 ounces heavy cream
pinch of salt

For the frosting:

6 ounces milk chocolate, gently melted
1–1/2 cups (345 gm) unsalted butter, at room temperature
4 cups (460 gm) powdered sugar
¼ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
5 tablespoons of heavy cream or milk

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Instructions

To prepare the cake layers:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and prep your pans by greasing them and lining the bottoms with rounds of parchment paper. You can bake this recipe in three 6” pans or two 8 or 9” pans.
In the clean bowl of a stand mixer or a large mixing bowl, beat the egg whites on medium-high speed until stiff peaks form. Set aside in another bowl while you continue prepping the cake.
In the same stand mixer bowl you whipped the egg whites in, cream the butter and sugar for 2 minutes. Scrape the sides of the bowl. Combine 3 cups of the flour, baking powder, and salt and add half of this mixture to the butter mixture. Stir on low to almost combine and then add half of the milk and the vanilla. Stir to combine and then add the remaining half of the dry ingredients followed by the remaining half of the milk. Once almost combined add the mini chocolate chips and fold in. Use a rubber spatula to gently fold in the egg whites being careful not to overwork the batter. Divide equally among your pans and bake in the oven- about 28 minutes for three 6” pans of 25 minutes for two 8” pans. Bake until a toothpick inserted comes out clean, but be careful to not overbake! The tops will be golden and set when the cakes are done. Set aside to cool completely before assembling the cake.

To prepare the ganache:

Place the milk chocolate in a small mixing bowl and gently heat the cream in the microwave or on the stove until just barely bubbling. Pour the cream over the chocolate and cover the bowl with plastic wrap for about 3 minutes. Remove the plastic wrap after 3 minutes and use a whisk to combine until smooth. Set aside to cool while you make your frosting.

To prepare the frosting:

In a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, cream the butter on medium speed for two minutes. Scrape the sides of the bowl and add the powdered sugar, beating on medium for another minute and a half. Add the salt, vanilla, and cream and beat to combine for 30 seconds. Fold in the melted (but not hot!) chocolate quickly until incorporated. If your chocolate was too hot and the mixture seems too thin and loose, you can place it in the fridge to firm up a bit or add a smidge of powdered sugar.

To assemble the cake:

Use a serrated knife to cut the domes off the tops of the cake. Tops of the cake should be flat prior to assembling. Place a bit of frosting on you plate or cake board that you wish to frost your cake on and set your first layer on top. Use an offset spatula to spread a hefty dollop of frosting on top of the first layer. Fill a piping bag or a quart sized plastic bag with some of the frosting and pipe a circle border/dam around the perimeter of the frosting cake top. Make sure it is about ½” tall so that your ganache will stay inside the dam. Spread just enough ganache inside the dam, but not too much so that the ganache overflows the top of the dam. Place the next layer on top and repeat this process until your cake layers have been used up. Use the remaining frosting to frost your cake as desired. Cake is should be stored covered tightly with plastic wrap and is best eaten within 2 days of making.

Notes

You can use fresh egg whites here if you’d like!
If you opt to bake 6” cake layers, take care to not overbake the cake. If you’re worried about the cake being dry, simply cut the domes off the tops of the cakes and use a basting brush to “paint” milk on top of the flat cake. The milk won’t change the flavor of the cake but will help it to moisten up again.

Honey Cake with Figs and Whipped Cream Cheese

14 Comments / Cakes

The other day, my mom and I were talking about this blog and how things had been going. She mentioned that she had noticed there hadn’t been as much narrative attached to the recipes, and after some consideration, I realized she was right.

You see, from day one this site has not existed merely to fill bowls and spoons with calorie-packed cakes and frosting-swirled treats. I wanted Wood and Spoon to be a place where people could come to nourish their bellies but also their hearts too. It’s safe to say that this blog will never have the easiest recipes, the best shortcuts, or be regarded as the premier resource for baking how-to’s, but I’ll be damned if you leave these pages feeling anything less than encouraged and inspired to create in your own homes. In our weird sort of internet kind of way, I want us to be friends and to engage with stories and food in a way that will impact you in your own world. Does that make sense?

I guess what I’m trying to say is that we can be transparent here. We can share cookies and recipes, but moreso than that, I want us t0 share words and memories like two friends would over cups of coffee at the kitchen counter. I want to invite you into my world, my kitchen, in hopes that you feel the freedom to do the same in your own circles. If you leave this site with an idea to create and the gumption to love the ones around you via food, well, my job is done.

Joy

So for the sake of transparency, I want to talk about joy. I heard someone recently say that joy is the unicorn of emotions. It’s hard to capture it, to feel it all the time, or to understand what it’s all about. Nonetheless, when you see it, you know what you’ve witnessed. Joy has been the elusive theme of my life for a few months now, and I constantly find myself on the hunt- looking for it around each corner, trying to figure out how to bottle up that magic for myself.

I see joy on the faces of my toddlers as they race around our yard and dance about our living room. We witness it in airports as families welcome home long-awaited brothers and sisters. I feel it in church, in the the crescendo of a good song, and even sometimes in the confines of my kitchen, that little sanctuary where, every once in a while, I capture a memory of someone I love through a single bite of food.

“It’s not until I look up to catch a breath that I realize what I’ve been missing.”

Joy eludes me when I lose touch with my willingness to receive it. I tend to put my head down and rush from task to task, deadline to deadline. I’m constantly existing in the process but never really looking up long enough to enjoy it. This way of life buries me, and it’s not until I look up to catch a breath that I realize what I’ve been missing.

So that has been me these past few months. This site and the stories we share are hugely important to me, but I needed to slow down to make room for other things. For all the times I said “No” to testing recipes, editing photos, or checking my email for the millionth time, I said “Yes” to something I needed more. I said “Yes” to my children and to later dinnertimes, to popsicles in the backyard and dreaming about the future with my husband. I said “Yes” to some things that make me really joyful.

Honey Cake with Figs

One of the recipes I did take time to love on is this honey cake with figs and whipped cream cheese. Every year, like clockwork, my father-in-law’s fig tree produces a bounty of fruit that is so beautiful, it’s almost a travesty that the harvest is so short. After last year’s honey mascarpone tart, I knew I wanted to capture that summer essence in a beautiful and simple cake. This honey cake with figs and whipped cream cheese is what I came up with; I think you’re going to like it.

For starters, we’ve got a single layer cake, rich and heavy from the addition of honey. To lighten it up, a cream cheese whipped cream, barely tangy and totally cloud-like, goes on top. The cake is adorned with some over-the-top toppings too. Juicy figs are sliced and sprinkled with candied walnuts and a drizzle of honey. Truly, this honey cake with figs and whipped cream cheese is as yummy as it is beautiful.

A Few Pointers:

I’ll spare you the details on how to make this cake and will instead give you some tips for success here. First, be sure to assemble the cake with its toppings just before serving. While the cream cheese does help make the whipped cream more stable, it still will eventually fall. Additionally, the figs will release juices once cut and coated with sugar. If you want to avoid a sticky mess, be sure to assemble close to consumption time.

For a more honey-forward cake, you can sub some of the sugar out for additional honey. Keep in mind that this substitution will change the texture of the cake. See the notes section of the recipe for more on that. Finally, do not skip the nuts here. This barely-sweet cake benefits from the texture and flavor that the sweet morsels of walnuts provide; they are the real hero here.

Finally, I want to introduce you to a new friend: Diamond of California Nuts! I am thrilled to have partnered with my long-time go-to. Over the coming year we are going to create some seriously delicious things with these nutty beauties. Please welcome them into your own kitchens. And thank you in advance for supporting the brands that makes the magic on this site possible. Happy baking to you all!

If you like this honey cake with figs and whipped cream cheese you should check out:

Pistachio Honey Bars

Honey Mascarpone Tart with Figs and Salty Graham Cracker Crust

Honey Salted Almond Ice Cream

Strawberry Fig Pop-Tarts

Honey Cake with Figs and Whipped Cream Cheese

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This honey cake with figs and whipped cream cheese is a simple summer cake topped with candied walnuts, tangy whipped cream, and sweet fruit.

Author: Kate Wood
Prep Time: 40
Cook Time: 40
Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes
Yield: 9
Category: Dessert

Ingredients

For the cake (Adapted from Vintage Cakes by Julie Richardson):

¾ cup (170 gm) unsalted butter, at room temperature
½ cup (170 gm) honey
1 cup (200 gm) sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 large eggs, at room temperature
2 cups (280 gm) all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
¾ teaspoon salt
½ cup (120 gm) buttermilk, at room temperature

For the whipped cream:

6 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
½ cup (60 gm) confectioner’s sugar
1–1/2 cups (360 gm) heavy whipping cream
2 tablespoons buttermilk (optional)

For the candied walnuts:

1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 cup brown sugar sugar
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 cup chopped walnuts

For the topping:

Figs, or another chopped fruit of your choice
Extra honey for drizzling
Candied Walnuts

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Instructions

To prepare the cake:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and grease the bottom of a light-colored 9” (springform would work here as well) pan, lining the bottom with a round of parchment paper. In a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, cream together the butter, honey, sugar, and vanilla extract. Start on low speed to combine and then increase to medium-high (I use 6 on my mixer) for 6 minutes, or until light and fluffy. Scrape the sides of the bowl and add the eggs one at a time, stirring on low after each addition to combine. Scrape the sides of the bowl. In a small bowl, stir to combine the flour, baking powder, and salt. Add half of the dry ingredients to the butter and honey mixture, stirring on low to almost combine. Scrape the sides of the bowl, stir in the buttermilk, and then add the remaining dry ingredients, stirring only until incorporated. Spread the batter into the prepared pan and baking in the preheated oven for about 40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted just barely comes out clean. Allow to cool completely before topping with the whipped cream, figs, and walnuts. You can also drizzle additional honey as desired. Serve immediately.

To prepare the whipped cream:

In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese and sugar until smooth. Slowly drizzle in the whipping cream a tablespoon at a time until it is all incorporated. Scrape the sides of the bowl as needed. Increase the speed on your mixer and whip on medium-high speed until stiff peaks form. Give the mixture a taste- if you would prefer it to be a little bit tangier, add in about 2 tablespoons of buttermilk. This will thin the mixture out a bit but will add yummy flavor. Spread on top of the cake and serve immediately!

To prepare the walnuts:

Combine the butter, vanilla, sugar, cinnamon, and salt in a medium, non-stick over medium heat until the butter has melted. Add the nuts and stir regularly using a rubber spatula until the nuts have toasted and the sugar has begun to melt, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and spread out the nuts to cool on a sheet of parchment paper.

Notes

For a more honey-forward tasting cake you can use 2/3 cup of honey and only ¾ cup of sugar in the cake. This will yield a more heavy, dense feeling cake, but the honey flavor is more prominent. I like to use the original recipe and then drizzle extra honey on additional pieces as desired.
Dark colored pans will brown this cake a ton! I prefer to use a light-colored pan, but both will work.

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