Pineapple Spice Cake with Brown Sugar Buttercream
I was flipping though the latest issue of the Hallmark magazine when I stumbled across several recipes for Cakes in-a-jar gifts. These are those homemade mixes you see layered in mason jars, requiring only the addition of the wet ingredients to finish off the batter. Hallmark has five of these recipes on their webpage, including printable gift tags that include instructions on preparing each of the mixes.
I've never experimented with these types of mixes before, but I must say I was really pleased with the outcome of my cardinal expedition. I plan on trying more in the future. It kind of reminds me of sand art!
The mix was created by blending the dry ingredients and layering each in the jar. I used a wide-mouthed funnel to transfer each layer from the mixing bowl to the jar. It's important to remember to tap the jar on the counter after each layer to settle the ingredients; otherwise you may run out of jar space. The article also states that if you're going to make one for yourself, you can skip the layering steps and just throw everything into a plastic bag. Since I had never created one of these jars before, I decided to make one up. Although in my trip to the store to buy a mason jar, I quickly discovered that I couldn't buy just one jar, so I ended up purchasing an entire case of them. I guess people will be getting these as gifts in my future! For this recipe, you can make 2 8 or 9-inch cakes, 1 9x13" cake, or I'm assuming 24 cupcakes. I opted for 2 of the 8-inch cakes and then halved each of those to end up with a 4 layer cake.
I really wasn't sure what to expect, but wow, was I delightfully surprised. This really has to be one of the best spice cake bases I've ever had. It tastes so much better than the boxed spice mix kind. My husband happily agreed. The pineapple isn't overpowering at all. You can see little bits of it throughout the cake and it compliments the cake really well without stealing the stage.
The recipe suggested using either brown sugar or caramel icing. I opted to go with a brown sugar buttercream that I found in the Martha Stewart Baking Handbook. The icing had a great creamy texture and a wonderful, slightly sweet flavor. I had to double the recipe to have enough for each of my layers. The recipe is below also on their website.
Pineapple Spice Cake (Cake in-a-jar mix)
Blend the ingredients for each layer separately. Put Layer 1 in the bottom of a widemouthed 1-liter jar or canister. Build up to Layer 5 (or 6). Even and settle each layer by rapping the jar gently on the counter.
Assembling Instructions:
LAYER 1
1 cup sifted cake flour
1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon allspice
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
LAYER 2
1 cup plus 6 tablespoons sifted cake flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
LAYER 3
1/3 cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons cake flour
LAYER 4
1 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup buttermilk powder or nonfat milk powder
LAYER 5
1/2 cup finely diced dried pineapple (3 ounces)
Baking Instructions:
In mixer bowl, blend cake mix ingredients briefly.
Beat in ¾ cup butter and ½ cup water. Beat on medium for
1½ minutes. In small bowl, beat 3 eggs with ¼ cup water and 2 teaspoons vanilla. Add egg mixture to batter in three batches, beating well after each.
Scrape batter into two parchment- lined 8- or 9-inch round (or square) pans, a greased 9 x 13-inch pan or paper-lined muffin cups. (I just sprayed non-stick spray in my baking pans)
Bake for 20 to 30 minutes at 350°F. Cool in pans for 10 minutes. Invert onto racks to cool completely.
Brown Sugar Buttercream
Makes about 2 cups.
2 large egg whites
1/2 cup packed light-brown sugar
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) cold unsalted butter, cut into tablespoons
Put egg whites and sugar into the heatproof bowl of an electric mixer set over a pan of simmering water. Cook, whisking constantly, until sugar has dissolved and mixture is warm to the touch (about 160 degrees).
Attach the bowl to the mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Beat on high speed until stiff (but not dry) peaks form. Continue beating until mixture is fluffy and cooled, about 6 minutes.
Switch to the paddle attachment. With mixer on medium-low speed, add butter, several tablespoons at a time, mixing well after each addition. (If the frosting appears to separate after all the butter has been added, beat on medium-high speed until smooth again, 3 to 5 minutes more.) Reduce speed to low; mix to eliminate any air bubbles, about 2 minutes. Stir with a rubber spatula until frosting is smooth.
