Is it spring yet? I don’t think that Chicagoland has gotten the memo that it’s March already. Our weather has been very wintery this year and I couldn’t help but want to make something that was fresh, tasty, and hinted of warmer days to come. I decided that it would be the perfect opportunity for me to try my Mom’s Sour Cream Cake recipe.
This month is also my mom’s birthday month so naturally I had to make a cake to celebrate the occasion. I knew that I wanted to use fresh fruit and I knew that I wanted to decorate my first “naked” cake. I’ve been seeing “naked” cakes on magazine covers and wedding spreads and have been intrigued… love their rustic look, but I was freaked out too! How do you make it so that even a “naked” cake is presentable? So, this here is me getting over my fear because I’m quite pleased with how it turned out for my first go. 🙂
Now on to the recipe… my mom has whipped things up from scratch my whole entire life. My friends always joked that if anyone was hungry “just go to Roxan’s house because her mom will feed you”. That is true even to this day. My mom loves to have everyone gathered around the table enjoying tasty food and you will never leave her house hungry.
The challenging thing that my siblings and I have found to be is that my mom’s “recipes” are ALL. IN. HER. HEAD. Need I say more? Seriously, even if she makes something from a recipe, you might as well put “just a suggestion” as a disclaimer because she always tweaks one thing or another and all her measurements are eyeballed.
One of my blogging goals is to capture as many of my mom’s recipes to the best of my ability as I can. Not only can I share them with all of you to enjoy, but my family will be able to use them and cherish them (I hope) as well. She has made this sour cream cake so many times I couldn’t even count. She usually makes it in a bundt pan… sometimes with lemon, sometimes marbled, sometimes with raisins, or sometimes with blueberries. I decided to make it with lemon and fresh strawberries, but you can use any fresh fruit(s) your heart desires. Then to finish it off I made a yummy cream cheese cool whip frosting. My family’s only complaint was that I didn’t make a bigger cake!
Here’s to sunnier days! xox Roxana- The Red Eye Baker
PS No, my mom was not allowed to set foot in the kitchen for her birthday. Of course I was in charge of dessert, my sister made chicken picatta, green beans, and fettuccine alfredo, and my sister-in-law made her awesome stuffed mushrooms. It was a nice, relaxing evening with tasty food and good conversation… just the way my mom likes it. 😉
- CAKE
- 1 c (2 sticks) butter
- 2 ½ c flour
- 1 c sugar
- 1 Tbsp baking powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp salt
- 3 eggs, room temperature
- ½ c sour cream
- ½ c buttermilk
- 1 Tbsp vanilla
- Zest of one lemon
- Juice from one lemon
- Strawberry preserves or favorite fruit spread (optional)
- Fresh strawberries or favorite seasonal fruit
- CREAM CHEESE WHIPPED TOPPING
- 1 (8 oz) package cream cheese, room temperature
- 1 (8 oz) container cool whip topping, thawed
- ¼ c powdered sugar
- 2 Tbsp milk
- 2 oz white chocolate (for baking)
- Preheat oven to 350 F degrees. Grease and flour two 8” cake pans. (I’ve found that for a cleaner cake using a baking spray in lieu of shortening/butter and flour is best. The cake has less crumbs and is much cleaner.)
- Sift together the flour baking powder, baking soda, and salt into a bowl and set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer cream the butter with the sugar then add eggs one at a time beating well after each addition and scraping down the bowl as needed.
- Add the vanilla, lemon zest, and lemon juice and mix just until combined
- With the mixer on low add about 1/3 of the flour mixture and beat on low until just combined. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and add the sour cream.
- Add another 1/3 of the flour mixture, beat until just combined. Then add the buttermilk and the remainder of the flour. Do not over mix.
- Divide the batter evenly into the cake pans and bake for 28 – 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.
- Cool cakes in the pan for 10 – 15 minutes and transfer to a cooling rack. Make sure cakes are completely cool prior to frosting.
- In a microwave safe container, microwave white chocolate and milk for 1 minute.
- Using a hand mixer beat the cream cheese and powdered sugar until smooth, then add the melted white chocolate and mix until well combined.
- Fold in the whip topping.
- Using a cake leveler or serrated knife trim the crown (top) off both cake layers making them even.
- Place the bottom layer of the cake on a cake stand or platter.
- Mix about ¼ c of strawberry preserves with ½ tsp of lemon juice and spread over the first layer of cake. Arrange some sliced strawberries over the cake evenly then top with about half of the whipped topping.
- Place the second layer of cake top side down over the first layer. Top with the remainder of the whipped topping and fresh berries.
- Store cake in refrigerator until ready to serve. Allow to come to room temperature about 30 minutes before serving.
4 Responses
Oh my! this cake looks delicious! I can’t wait to make it! 🙂 Since Easter is just around the corner, this will be the perfect addition to our table! Aren’t moms with “recipe heads” just wonderful? Like your mama, and my mama and grandmama, I tend to store my recipes in my head… Sometimes it stinks because I don’t get the meals exactly the same. I too am an eyeball cook/baker. 🙂 Oh well. 🙂
Thanks Amber! It would definitely be a perfect cake for Easter. When I was tweaking the recipe I also made it with blueberries and it was tasty. 🙂 I pretty much eyeball cook too (Apple doesn’t fall far from the tree), but it certainly gets challenging when you want to recreate something. Lol
Very challenging! It’s funny because when I make a recipe and the family enjoys it, sometimes it can be difficult to recreate it. I never make the same exact meal twice! LOL
I loved reading about your mom. Darn those recipes in people’s heads. My daughter ( cookingwithcarlee.blogspot.com ) have that same problem with her grandmas. My grandma didn’t use recipes either and I would love her recipes. Guess I’ll get them in heaven. Carlee also created a blog so we would have a place to go to find the recipes we are trying to collect from our family members. It has been fun.