So first up is the June Berry Ice Cream cake! You'll need the basic chocolate cake recipe which is HERE and you'll also need the assembly instructions HERE. This wasn't that hard at all, in fact, the hardest part was getting the ice cream to spread on my cake. Mine was too melty so it started to over moisten the cake and it started to stick to my spatula as I attempted to spread it. If I ever did this cake again, I'd haul myself over to Dairy Queen and get some soft serve strawberry ice cream and avoid all of this setting my ice cream on the counter in the hopes that I'll come across it at the perfect time where it's just spreadable and not too melted. Plus, then I could get myself a delicious ice cream treat and not be so sad when I forget about my cake in the freezer and it becomes solid. As easy as the directions were on this, it required way too much attention. Too long on the counter an your ice cream is a mess, too long in the freezer and your cake is solid, too long between serving time and assembly and it's inedible for the next hour or so while your ice cream melts and your cake decides to thaw much much later. In the original recipe you add a little vanilla extract to the whipping cream as you whip it up to perfection, I added almond extract to mine and it was one of the most delicious things I've ever eaten. I love that you don't have to cook the strawberries! It's really nice for warm days when you can make the cake part ahead of time and don't have to turn on the stove to create the rest of the cake. It does require some time for the ice cream to solidify, about 4 hours the recipe says, so plan accordingly. Overall it was pretty delicious and super easy to create, I'm not a fan of the ice cream and cake combo though, so I won't be making it again.
July's cake was a Pina Colada cake! Which was much yummier then it sounds. I was slightly horrified at the thought of this, I'm not a pina colada fan at all, although I do love pineapple and coconut. You'll need the basic vanilla cake recipe HERE and the assembly instructions HERE.
This cake started out just fine until I began brushing the pineapple juice on the cakes, I wasn't sure if I had to brush the entire 1/4cup of pineapple juice on the cakes or what, that just seemed like so much juice so I didn't use it all. I ended up with just a hint of pineapple and only slightly soggy cakes. I used the juice brushed sides as the inside because they were soaked with sticky juice and every time I touched them huge chunks ripped off, I wasn't going to try to frost that junk. Then you've got to cook some dried pineapple down in some coconut cream and pineapple juice, I wondered why it wouldn't just be cheaper and easier to do this with canned pineapple, but I followed the recipe. However, I think it would work just as nicely if not better, with regular canned pineapple, Just drain a little over half the juice out and use the same amount of coconut cream. Anyway, my dried pineapple was soft but not mashable so I ended up with a ton of large pineapple chunks. Again, crushed canned pineapple would have been nicer. This mixture is freakishly sticky, so as soon as you scoop it out, run hot water in your pan and over the utensils you used with it. I used a non stick sauce pan, I would highly recommend that. Also, wipe down your work surfaces the second you've put the pan in the sink, it doesn't matter if you can see any juice anywhere or if you know you haven't spilled any, you have and it's everywhere. You'll thank me when you don't glue your elbow to the counter while you're trying to mix your frosting. Back to the dried pineapple, I had never had this before and it was delicious! There is supposed to be pineapple on top but I ate all the extra and wasn't going to the store for more. If you have a hard time finding the cream of coconut junk, check in your alcoholic drink mixers section. You know, where they have margarita mix and stuff. You could probably find it at a liquor store as well.
This was another butter based frosting, which I find disgusting because I can always taste the butter, so I added a little more coconut cream to it and mixed like there was no tomorrow. It was sooooo good. I could still taste the butter though, and it ended up a little on the salty side, I'd skip the salt all together in this frosting. Overall the filling had a super subtle coconut/pineapple flavor, the vanilla cake had a hint of pineapple, and the frosting was divine, it was a yummy cake! The flavors were more subdued and less in your face like I thought they would be, which worked out really nicely. I would definitely make this cake again, maybe with other fruit, strawberry would be lovely in place of the pineapple with a few tweaks, maybe with sweetened cream instead of cream of coconut. That would be fun to try before the end of this summer!
Let me know if you try any of these cakes, how they turned out, any problems you came across!
July's cake was a Pina Colada cake! Which was much yummier then it sounds. I was slightly horrified at the thought of this, I'm not a pina colada fan at all, although I do love pineapple and coconut. You'll need the basic vanilla cake recipe HERE and the assembly instructions HERE.
This cake started out just fine until I began brushing the pineapple juice on the cakes, I wasn't sure if I had to brush the entire 1/4cup of pineapple juice on the cakes or what, that just seemed like so much juice so I didn't use it all. I ended up with just a hint of pineapple and only slightly soggy cakes. I used the juice brushed sides as the inside because they were soaked with sticky juice and every time I touched them huge chunks ripped off, I wasn't going to try to frost that junk. Then you've got to cook some dried pineapple down in some coconut cream and pineapple juice, I wondered why it wouldn't just be cheaper and easier to do this with canned pineapple, but I followed the recipe. However, I think it would work just as nicely if not better, with regular canned pineapple, Just drain a little over half the juice out and use the same amount of coconut cream. Anyway, my dried pineapple was soft but not mashable so I ended up with a ton of large pineapple chunks. Again, crushed canned pineapple would have been nicer. This mixture is freakishly sticky, so as soon as you scoop it out, run hot water in your pan and over the utensils you used with it. I used a non stick sauce pan, I would highly recommend that. Also, wipe down your work surfaces the second you've put the pan in the sink, it doesn't matter if you can see any juice anywhere or if you know you haven't spilled any, you have and it's everywhere. You'll thank me when you don't glue your elbow to the counter while you're trying to mix your frosting. Back to the dried pineapple, I had never had this before and it was delicious! There is supposed to be pineapple on top but I ate all the extra and wasn't going to the store for more. If you have a hard time finding the cream of coconut junk, check in your alcoholic drink mixers section. You know, where they have margarita mix and stuff. You could probably find it at a liquor store as well.
This was another butter based frosting, which I find disgusting because I can always taste the butter, so I added a little more coconut cream to it and mixed like there was no tomorrow. It was sooooo good. I could still taste the butter though, and it ended up a little on the salty side, I'd skip the salt all together in this frosting. Overall the filling had a super subtle coconut/pineapple flavor, the vanilla cake had a hint of pineapple, and the frosting was divine, it was a yummy cake! The flavors were more subdued and less in your face like I thought they would be, which worked out really nicely. I would definitely make this cake again, maybe with other fruit, strawberry would be lovely in place of the pineapple with a few tweaks, maybe with sweetened cream instead of cream of coconut. That would be fun to try before the end of this summer!
Let me know if you try any of these cakes, how they turned out, any problems you came across!
Enjoy!
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