Lydia's Cake

Lydia's Cake was a hit. I thought about getting a picture of sliced cake when it was too late. Oh well, it was enjoyed!

The finished cake. The icing is lightly sweetened and made with cream cheese and whipped cream.

One of the perks of volunteering at the Wednesday Community Meal is that there are a lot of birthday celebrations and a lot of cake.

This past Wednesday, to celebrate the birthday of longtime volunteer Lydia, I made a vanilla almond cake soaked with orange juice and zest, raspberries and strawberries and iced with a lightly sweetened whipped cream and cream cheese icing.

I created the cake just for Lydia because she prefers simple cakes topped with whipped cream and fruit. In honor of Lydia, I've documented this recipe for future use and have aptly named it Lydia's Cake.

I hope you give this cake a try. You can use fresh or frozen fruit in the recipe which makes it great for celebrations anytime of the year.

Lydia's Cake

For the cake:
2/3 cup shortening
1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
2 1/2 cups granulated sugar
4 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 teaspoon almond extract
2 cups milk
4 large eggs

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and grease, flour and line with parchment paper two 8-inch cake pans that are at least 4-inches deep.

Cream together the shortening, butter, sugar, vanilla and almond extract. Add the milk, eggs, salt and baking powder and mix again. Finally, add the flour and mix until well combined.

Pour the batter evenly into the prepared pans and bake for 50 to 55 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

Let the cakes cool for 10 minutes before removing them from the pans. Cool the cakes completely before filling and icing.

Lining the bottom of the cake pans with parchment paper makes removing them from the pans very easy.

Filling:

1 lb. raspberries
1 lb. sliced strawberries
Juice and zest of one orange
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2/3 cup granulated sugar

Combine all of the ingredients in a large bowl and mix well.

You can use frozen or fresh fruit to make the raspberry, strawberry and orange cake filling.

To assemble:

Line one of the cleaned baking pans with plastic wrap. Make sure the pan is completely covered and leave enough plastic wrap draping down the sides so that it can be folded over to top the assembled cake.

With a serrated knife, slice the cakes in half. Put one layer in the bottom of the pan and top with 1/3 of the filling. Add the second layer and press down the cake with the back of a spatula.

One layer of cake is in the pan and ready for 1/3 of the filling.

Top this second layer with another 1/3 of the filling and add the third layer. Press down again.

Finally top the third layer with the remaining filling and add the top layer. This is a tall cake and it will poke out of the top of the pan but that's okay. Press the cake down and fold over the plastic wrap to completely cover.

Put the cake in the freezer to set for 30 minutes before icing.

Creamy Icing:

1/2 stick unsalted butter, room temperature
1 box cream cheese (8 oz) room temperature
2/3 cup powdered sugar
1/3 cup heavy whipping cream

Whip together the butter and cream cheese until smooth. Add the powdered sugar and whip again.

Finally, add the heavy cream and whip until light and spreadable.

To ice:

Remove the filled cake from the pan and place on a serving platter.  Ice the entire cake starting at the top and pulling the icing down over the sides of the cake. Refrigerate the cake before serving.

To ice the cake, start at the top and pull the icing down over the sides. A spinning cake stand is always helpful.