Chocolate Ganache Glaze

The icing on the cake is the finishing touch. It’s the final addition, the presentation. A good icing can make or break a tasty cake. Don’t be caught with a “not-so-delicious” icing. Go with what works and then reap the benefits.

One thing that definitely does work is my recipe for a chocolate ganache glaze. One word—wow. This chocolate ganache glaze is a fun and different way to frost nearly any cake! Don’t be limited by what Betty Crocker says. Make your own rules… and your own icing! With this chocolate ganache recipe, it won’t even be hard.

Yield: Enough to cover 9” double layer cake or 12 cupcakes

Ingredients:

• 4 oz. semisweet, bittersweet or milk chocolate, chopped fine
• 4 oz. heavy cream

Directions:

1) Place chopped chocolate pieces in a bowl.

2) In a saucepan, heat cream to simmering. Pour simmering cream over chopped chocolate and stir until smooth.

3) Let sit until it cools to room temperature. Use a ladle to pour ganache over cake cupcakes.

See, now wasn’t that simple. This easy chocolate ganache recipe is so fast, hardly has any ingredients at all! One word of caution; beware. This isn’t frosting you’re dealing with. Be sure not to flip a big dollop on because it (obviously) will go sliding right off your cake. Be careful and your reward will be great… a tasty chocolate ganache glaze to cover any fantastic cake!

Lemon Dotted Birthday Cake

One of my favorite birthday cakes of all times actually comes from a box. This birthday cake takes an everyday white cake and turns it into a lemony explosion of color!

I made this birthday cake for one of my good friends last summer. She loves lemon and so the light lemony flavor was an unexpected treat.

For the candies, feel free to experiment!

Some people like Skittles, gumballs, Lifesavers, Gobstoppers. Have fun with it! If you don’t like fruity candies, try using miniature chocolate (or mint chocolate) chips.

Ingredients:

• 2 packages (18-1/4 ounces each) white cake mix (I’ve always been a Betty Crocker kind of girl!)
• All ingredinets needed to prepare mixes
• Grated peel of 3 lemons
• 2 containers (16 ounces each) lemon frosting
• Pastel-colored coated fruit candies or mini chocolate chips

Directions:

1) Preheat oven to 350°F. Line bottoms of one 6-inch, one 8-inch and one 10-inch round cake pan with parchment paper. Spray pans with nonstick cooking spray.

2) Prepare cake mixes according to package directions, stirring lemon peel into batter. Pour about 1-3/4 cups batter into 6-inch pan, about 2-3/4 cups batter into 8-inch pan and about 4-1/4 cups batter into 10-inch pan.

3) Bake 10-inch cake 28 to 30 minutes and 6-inch and 8-inch cakes 33 to 35 minutes or until toothpick inserted into centers comes out clean. Cool completely in pans on wire racks.

4) Place 10-inch cake upside down on serving plate; frost top and side of cake. If top of 8-inch cake is rounded, cut off top with long serrated knife. Place cake flat side down centered over 10-inch cake. Frost the top and side of cake. If top of 6-inch cake is rounded, cut off top with long serrated knife. Place cake flat side down centered over 8-inch cake. Frost the top and side of 6-inch cake. Decorate with candies as desired.

Yum! This easy lemon birthday cake is fun for people of all ages and taste buds. There are about as many possibilities as there are birthdays! Enjoy this fantastic easy birthday cake recipe.