Rainbow Cookie Cake

I don't know if any of you have ever had or heard of Rainbow Cookies, but I have, and so has my sister. We grew up in New York, and the chocolate covered, tri-color and jam-sweetened cookies were a favorite treat of ours from the Italian bakery.
So, when I was thinking of what I could give her for her 21st birthday, this popped into my mind, and I knew right away that she would love it!Actually she's not much of a chocolate person, nor a dessert person for that matter, so I ended up eating her piece and mine, so you can trust me when I tell you; this cake doesn't just look good; it tastes great! Just like those cookies I used to love...just bigger!
RAINBOW COOKIE CAKE
- 3 sticks butter, softened
- 1 1/2 c sugar
- 6 eggs
- 12 oz almond paste, grated
- 1 tbspn almond extract
- 3 c flour, sifted
- 3 tspn baking powder
- red, green, yellow food coloring
- 1/4 c raspberry jam
- 1/4 c apricot preserves
For the ganache:
- 1 c light cream
- 12 oz semisweet chocolate

Cream butter and sugar until fluffy; about 5 minutes. Add in eggs and beat until smooth. Next add in grated almond paste and extract and beat until well combined; about 3 minutes.
In a separate bowl mix dry ingredients, and then add gradually to the wet mixture.
Divide the mixture among 3 bowls, and dye with the respective colors. Pour into cake pans and bake at 350 for about 20 minutes. Let cool 5 minutes, before turning out onto a wire rack to cool.
Meanwhile, heat cream in a small sauce-pan until just about to boil and then pour it over the broken up chocolate, stirring constantly until completely smooth. Allow to cool to room temperature.
Spread the red layer with the raspberry jam, top with the yellow layer, spread that with the apricot jam, and then top with the green layer. Pour on the ganache and spread it all over, and decorate at will. Let the cake sit outside (if it's cool) or in the fridge until the ganache sets before serving. Slice it up and enjoy!

Banana Chocolate Chip Cake w/ Mocha Whipped Cream Cheese Frosting

I was commissioned to make up a cake for a surprise party.
She likes chocolate, banana bread, and mocha.
Easy enough.
But baking for 40 people is no joke.
I was baking, literally, all day.
But it was worth it.
This cake was awesome. And I don't like cake.

BANANA CHOCOLATE CHIP CAKE
(makes 2 thin cake layers)
- 1 stick sweet cream butter
- 1 c sugar
- 3 eggs, separated
- 1 c mashed ripe banana
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 2 c flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 c buttermilk
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1 c dark chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 35o, grease and flour cake pans. Cream butter and sugar and then beat in the egg yolks, then the mashed banana and the cinnamon until well mixed. This will infuse the banana flavor all through the cake. In a separate bowl, sift and whisk together all dry ingredients, then add to the wet mixture and stir gently until all mixed. Beat the egg whites until soft peaks form and then fold them into the batter, then toss the chocolate chips with a tablespoon of flour and mix them in as well. Pour into the prepared cake pans and bake for 25-30 minutes until the toothpick trick comes out clean, and let the cakes cool for 10 minutes before you removing them from the pans and leaving to cool completely before icing.

...and speaking of icing:

Mocha Whipped CreamCheese Icing
- 1 pckg cream cheese, softened
- 1 1/2 c whipping cream
- 3 tbsp cocoa powder
- 1 1/2 tsp instant coffee powder
- 1 to 2 c powdered sugar

Beat whipping cream on high till stiff peaks form. In another bowl beat cream cheese and then add the cocoa and coffee powders, mix well, and then beat in the sugar. Finally, gently fold in the whipped cream, cover with plastic wrap, and allow to set for at least 2 hours in the fridge before using.

* extra frosting can be frozen and scooped out like ice cream for those of you who want to take that brave and delicious, but diabetes inducing step. i did. no regrets. no re grets ;)

Vegan Pineapple Downside-Up Cake

All the goodness of a Pineapple UpsideDown Cake, with all the life sucked out of it.
HAAHAHA. just kidding
it's good as hellVegan Pineapple Downside-Up Cake
- 1/3 c vegan butter (Nature's Balance)
- 1/3 c dark brown sugar
- 1 tsp rum extract
- 1 can sliced pineapple in juice
- 1 jar maraschino cherries

- 1 c white flour
- 3/4 white whole wheat flour
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp cinnamon

- 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 1 tsp each Coconut and Vanilla extracts
- 1/2 c water
- 1/2 c pineapple juice (reserved from can)
- 1/4 c + 2 tbsp canola oil

Preheat oven to 350. In a bowl, mix together the water, pineapple juice, oil, vinegar and coconut and vanilla extracts, and in a separate bowl mix the flours, salt, baking soda and cinnamon. Pour the wet mixture into the dry and stir gently till well mixed.
In a 10 inch cast iron skillet, melt the vegan butter and then stir in the brown sugar, and continue stirring constantly as the mixture begins to thicken so that the caramel doesn't burn. Add in the rum extract, and when the caramel is bubbly and thick enough to coat a spoon, remove the pan from the heat. Next, arrange the pineapple slices and cherries in the caramel in whatever design you like, spray the exposed sides of the skillet with cooking spray and then pour the cake batter evenly over top.Bake the cake for 25 to 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.
When cake is finished, run a knife around the edges of the skillet and let sit to cool for 20 minutes or so and then carefully put a large plate over top of the skillet and turn the whole thing over to release the cake, Pineapple or Downside up. Let the cake cool to room temperature and then cover and let it chill in the fridge as the caramel seeps down into the cake. Serve with vegan vanilla ice cream, vegan whipped topping or a vegan (but not virgin) Pina Colada and ENJOY!!!!!!!