The perfect cake for a special celebration in the summer or maybe even Valentine's Day!
I am working in cooperation with Mike's Hard Lemonade this summer.
I am working in cooperation with Mike's Hard Lemonade this summer.
Although being compensated, all opinions are my own.
It
is nearing the end of August, which is unofficially the end of summer
here in the Midwest. Most kids have gone back to school, families
are settling into a more structured routine and those summer
end-of-year parties are happening {Labor Day is coming!}.
Last
weekend was our small town's annual celebration. You
know....carnival,
parade, contests, beer tents, the whole nine yards. We had invited
some of our close friends to stay the weekend with us – as they
also have young kids who LOVE all the cool stuff that was happening.
But...that
also meant...CAKE!
Because
you can't have people over at your house ALL weekend and not serve
them good food right? Besides grilling up a feast – hot dogs,
brats, burgers, plus a killer queso dip and breakfast the next
morning – pancakes and egg casserole, I could not forget dessert.
And
since we were drinking Mike's
Hard Lemonade
already and loving it and I just went all crazy and baked a cake
with it too.
Is
that normal?
It is in my house!
I
have partnered with Mike's
Hard Lemonade
all summer helping to promote their summer flavors while supporting
their
various campaigns. You can read my previous posts HERE
and HERE.
I
had the husband pick up some Mike's
for the weekend festivities instructing him to pick a 'berry'
lemonade flavor. He did good! Soon I was brainstorming a cake with
Mike's
Black Raspberry Lemonade
as the crucial ingredient.
With
many mouths to feed I knew I wanted an impressive double layer cake,
so while the men took the older kids out of the house to some of the
celebrations I got to work.
Afraid
of making a cake from scratch?
Don't be! It really is quite simple. And the pink hue this cake
gets from the frizzly, bubbly alcohol is just plain fun. A bit like
a science experiment!
Raspberry Lemonade Cake
Cake:
1
1/3 c. sugar
6
T. softened butter
1
T. lemon rind
2
t. vanilla
2
eggs
2
egg whites
2.5 cups flour
2.5 cups flour
1
t. baking powder
½
t. salt
½
t. baking soda
1
¼ c. buttermilk
Frosting:
2
T. softened butter
2
t. lemon rind
½
t. almond extract
8
oz. softened cream cheese
3
½ c. powdered sugar
1.
In a stand mixer, mix together the first 5 ingredients.
2.
Add in the eggs one at a time, beating well. Add in the egg whites,
beating well.
3.
Sift together flour, baking powder, salt and baking soda. Add in
flour mixture and buttermilk, alternating, starting
and ending
with flour.
4.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease 2 9-inch round cake pans.
5.
Divide cake batter between the two pans. Gently tap the cake pan on
the counter to remove any air bubbles.
6.
Bake for 20-22 minutes or until spongy and toothpick inserted comes
out clean.
7.
Move to a wire rack and allow to cool completely.
8.
To make the frosting beat the butter, lemon rind, alcohol, vanilla
and cream cheese until fluffy and creamy. Add
in the powdered sugar to combine. Chill
at least one hour.
9.
When
ready to frost the cake, gently remove cake from their cake pans,
placing one on the serving platter. Apply a small amount of frosting
on the top of this cake, spreading evening across and then lay on the
second cake. Frost the sides
of the cake, then the top, smoothing out any blemishes.
10.
Top the cake with fresh berries and keep covered and refrigerated.
This
cake really did WOW us all. It's tangy, spongy, lemony and fruity
all at the same time. The flavored cream cheese frosting brought it
all together.
And
now my mind is wandering.....I could really make this with any flavor
of Mike's! The possibilities are endless Peach! Straight Lemon!
Apple! Yum.
Everyone
loved this cake and it was perfect for our end of the summer weekend
bash. {Yet,
trust me, I'd gladly make it for ANY occasion throughout the year!}
A
big thanks to Mike's
Hard Lemonade
for this partnership over the summer. What fun it's been! More
information can be found at Mike's
Hard Lemonade.
#mikesVIP
