"Southern Classics" White Chocolate Cheesecake Layer Cake

What kind of cakes do y'all think of when you think of the South? Obviously for me it is Red Velvet Cake, Carrot Cake, Hummingbird Cake, Coconut Cake, and maybe a few others that I'm just not thinking of. Well, I already make a different kind of Red Velvet Cake every other week, I know it's getting ridiculous. But, it's my absolute favorite. So, when one of my best friends from high school asked for me to bake her a cake for her birthday this weekend, I decided to let her choose, since ya know... it's her birthday & all. She had tasted Mountain Man's Carrot Cake with Orange-Cream Cheese Frosting when I made it for his birthday, so she wanted that cake again. I didn't want to make the same cake because that just wouldn't be special. I asked her if I could put my little twist on it, and she said that was fine. Well, my twist was going to include Carrot Cake (since she requested it), but it was also going to include Hummingbird Cake + White Chocolate Cheesecake. YES, you heard me right... I didn't stutter. Three different cakes in one glorious birthday cake. If y'all aren't from the South and you haven't heard of Hummingbird Cake. It is like the sister of Carrot Cake. Instead of shredded carrots, the cake has mashed bananas, crushed pineapples, and chopped pecans. It also has cream cheese frosting, just like Carrot Cake, which was kind of the common denominator that I knew would drive these two together. Since they are sort of similar, I thought they would be great together in one cake, and boy was I right. These cakes were born to be layered together. But I couldn't just do any ole' cream cheese frosting... I had to kick it up a notch. Instead of frosting in between each cake, I layered in White Chocolate Cheesecake. YESSSSSS. Cheesecake in a layer cake? Amazing. It tasted exactly like a cake with frosting, but with a little more body and well, deliciousness. To tie it all together, I made a white chocolate cream cheese frosting. This cake was by far my favorite cake that I have baked so far, in all its' Southern glory. Please make this cake for your next party, birthday, holiday, or today... whatever. It doesn't matter. It's worth it. And sorry for the kind of bad pictures, it was hard to get a good lookin' picture when you're celebrating & chowing down at the same time! Enjoy :)

The Whole "Southern Classics" White Chocolate Cheesecake Layer Cake

The Cake Gettin' Sliced Into

Layers of Hummingbird Cake, White Chocolate Cheesecake, Carrot Cake,  & White Chocolate Cream Frosting

"Southern Classics" White Chocolate Cheesecake Layer Cake

For the Hummingbird Cake Layers:

1 ½C AP Flour

½t Baking Soda

½t Salt

1C Sugar

½t Cinnamon

2 Large Eggs, Beaten

½C Vegetable Oil   

1t Vanilla

4oz Crushed Pineapple, Undrained

½C Chopped Pecans

1C Chopped Bananas

For the Carrot Cake Layers:

2 Eggs

½C + 2T Vegetable Oil

1C Sugar

1C AP Flour

1t Baking Soda

1t Baking Powder

¼t Salt

1t Cinnamon

Pinch of Ground Ginger

1 ½C Grated Carrot

½C Golden Raisins

½C Chopped Pecans

For the White Chocolate Cheesecake Filling:

¼C White Chocolate Chips, Melted & Cooled

4 8oz Packages of Cream Cheese, Room Temperature

1C + 4T Sugar

2T AP Flour

4 Eggs, Room Temperature

2t Vanilla

2T Heavy Cream

For the White Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting:

2 8oz Blocks of Cream Cheese, Softened

1 Sticks of Unsalted Butter, Softened

½C White Chocolate Chips, Melted

1t Vanilla

2C Confectioners’ Sugar

Toasted Coconut, For Decoration      

Pineapple Slices, For Decoration

Pecans, For Decoration

White Chocolate Chips, For Decoration

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and spray 7 cake tins (2 Carrot Cake, 2 Hummingbird, & 3 Cheesecake) with Pam and line with parchment, and then set them aside.

2. To Make the Hummingbird Cake Layers: Combine the first 5 ingredients in a large bowl and add the eggs and oil, stirring until dry ingredients are moistened (do not beat). Stir in the vanilla, pineapple, pecans, and bananas. Pour the batter into two prepared cake tins. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until a wooden toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in the pans on wire racks for 10 minutes and then remove from the pans and cool completely on the wire racks. *Wrap the cakes in plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight to help with stacking*

3. To Make the Carrot Cake Layers: In a large bowl, beat together the eggs, oil, white sugar, and vanilla. Mix in the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon. Stir in the carrots, and the fold in the pecans, and golden raisins. Pour the cake batter into the other 2 prepared cake pans. Bake in the preheated oven for 20-30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Let cool in the pan for 10 minutes, and then turn out onto a wire rack and cool completely. *Wrap the cakes in plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight to help with stacking*

4. To Make the White Chocolate Cheesecake Filling: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line 3 cake pans with parchment paper and spray with Pam. In the bowl of a standing mixer, beat the cream cheese on low speed until creamy, and then slowly add in the sugar, mixing slowly until smooth. On low speed, mix in the flour. Turn off the mixer and scrape down the bowl and beater with a rubber spatula. Add one egg at a time; making sure each egg is completely incorporated before adding the next. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Mix in the vanilla and cream until the mixture is smooth. Using a large spoon, fold in the melted white chocolate until just incorporated. Pour the batter equally into the prepared pans and bake for about 30-45 minutes or until the center is set when you slightly shake the pan. Allowing to cool completely before removing from the pan. Place into the refrigerator and chill the cheesecakes overnight before assembling the cake.

5. To Make the White Chocolate-Cream Cheese Frosting: Beat together the cream cheese and butter until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes. Add in the melted white chocolate and vanilla. Next, beat in the sifted confectioners’ sugar until blended and smooth. Chill the frosting in the refrigerator for about 15 minutes in order to set up a little.

6. To Assemble the Cake: Place one layer of humming bird cake and layer on some of the cream cheese, followed by one layer of the cooled cheesecake, another layer of cream cheese frosting, a layer of carrot cake and some more cream cheese frosting. Repeat this process until all the cake has been used. Finish by spread the cream cheese frosting up the sides and on the top in a smooth, even layer (swirling decoratively). Press the toasted coconut onto the sides of the cake and top with the different garnishes on top of the cake. Put the cake in the refrigerator to set up the frosting, about 30 minutes. But then let the cake come to room temperature for about 15 minutes before eating.

*Check out Sweets for a Saturday for this recipe, as well as many others!!*

Clayton's Carrot Cake with Orange-Cream Cheese Frosting

Finally, I have a new recipe for everyone! I haven't had my computer cord, and I have been stuck in Atlanta at my parent's house trying to figure out why I am sick. But since I have been home, we have celebrated 2 birthdays. I turned 22 last week and Mountain Man turned 24 this week. Ahh, we're getting so old it's terrifying. Anyway, I was so set on making myself a triple chocolate mousse cake for my birthday, but since I wasn't feeling well, my parents ordered my favorite Red Velvet Cake from Piece of Cake in Atlanta. If you ever need a moist, delicious cake... go there! They have so many varieties, you really can't go wrong (I would definitely recommend their Red Velvet, Carrot, Caramel, and any poundcake). But I started to feel a little bit better around Clayton's birthday, so we decided to have a small birthday party and cook some BBQ ribs, Jalapeno Popper Mac n' Cheese, Broccoli Coleslaw, and Carrot Cake. Carrot Cake is probably Mountain Man's favorite cake, and for some odd reason, I had never made carrot cake before, probably because I hate it (I don't like a lot of crap in my cake... I like just plain ole' cake). So he requested a super chunky carrot cake with a lot of cream cheese frosting, but I decided to do a little somethin' somethin' extra. I incorporated crystalized, dried orange segments and reconstituted them in orange liquor (as a play on how some people use crushed pineapple). I also continued the orange theme by making an orange-cream cheese frosting. So here's the recipe for MM's Carrot Cake, and I'll be posting the Jalapeno Popper Mac n' Cheese next. Enjoy!

Chunky Carrot Cake with Orange-Cream Cheese Frosting

For the Carrot Cake:

4 eggs

1 ¼C Vegetable Oil

2C Sugar

2t Vanilla

2C AP Flour

2t Baking Soda

2t Baking Powder

½t Salt

2t Cinnamon

¼t Ground Ginger

3C Grated Carrot

1C Pecans, Chopped

½C Golden Raisins

½C Dried Chopped Oranges, Reconstituted in Orange Liquor & Juice

½C Toasted Coconut

For the Orange Cream Cheese Frosting:

3 8oz Blocks of Cream Cheese, Softened

1 ½ Sticks of Unsalted Butter, Softened

2 ½C Confectioners’ Sugar, Sifted

2T Orange Zest

1T Orange Liquor & Juice, From Reconstituted Dried Oranges

2t Vanilla

Directions:

1. Preheat an oven to 350 degrees F. Line 3 cake tins with parchment paper and then spray with Pam.

2. In a large bowl, beat together eggs, oil, white sugar, and vanilla. Mix in flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon. Stir in carrots. Then fold in pecans, golden raisins, and reconstituted oranges. Pour the cake batter into the prepared pans.

3. Bake in the preheated oven for 20-25 minutes each, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Let cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack and cool completely.

4. To Make the Frosting: beat together the cream cheese and butter until creamy, then add in the orange zest, orange liquor & juice, and vanilla. Next, beat in the sifted confectioners’ sugar until blended and smooth. Chill the frosting in the refrigerator for about 20 minutes in order to set up a little.

5. To assemble the layer cake, frost the top of one cake, place the other cake on top, and repeat. Frost the sides and top, swirling decoratively. Press the toasted coconut onto the sides of the cake for presentation. Refrigerate the cake for 30 minutes to set up the frosting, but then let the cake come to room temperature (about 10-15 minutes) before eating. 

6. Serve and enjoy!

Slice of Carrot Cake

Carrot Cake Layers

source: carrot cake. orange cream cheese frosting. 

Broccoli Coleslaw

With our California Club Sandwiches, we brought chips, fresh strawberries, m&m cookies, and a homemade Broccoli Coleslaw. One of my best friends, Sydney, was kind of the inspiration of this side dish. This last summer, a big group of my friends and their parents got together and had a cookout just to catch up, and everyone pitched in and brought a different dish.

Me & Syd

Sydney's mom brought this broccoli salad that had broccoli florets, crumbled bacon, raisins, and chopped onion. It was just a really good alternative to just plain ole' coleslaw or potato salad. However, when I texted Syd to figure out the recipe, she had no idea how to make it :( I just decided to make my own recipe for it. While I was at the grocery store, I was about to reach for the broccoli florets, and then I saw a bag of shredded broccoli cole slaw, so I thought this would be really similar to a regular coleslaw recipe, just in my own different way. I hope you'll be using this recipe for your next picnic or cookout! Enjoy :)

Creamy Broccoli Coleslaw

For the Dressing:

½C Mayo

¼C Sour Cream

2T Cider Vinegar

2T Brown Sugar

Salt & Pepper, To Taste

For the Coleslaw:  

Coleslaw Dressing

1 Bag of Shredded Broccoli Coleslaw

5 Slices of Bacon, Cooked & Crumbled

½ Sweet Vidalia Onion, Chopped

½C Raisins

Directions:

1. To make the dressing: whisk together the mayo, sour cream, vinegar, sugar, salt, and pepper until smooth and creamy.

2.  Next add in the full bag of shredded broccoli coleslaw, crumbled bacon, chopped onion, and raisins. Toss all of the ingredients together and let it sit overnight (it tastes better if the flavors have time to merry together). 

3. Serve cold and enjoy!

source: broccoli salad