Chocolate-Orange-Guiness Cake

Cake Ingredients:

8 ounces butter, room temperature
8 ounces dark brown sugar
10 ounces self-raising flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 pinch salt
2 rounded Tablespoons Cocoa
Grated rind of 1 orange
4 Eggs
1/2 cup Guinness


Icing Ingredients:

4 ounces butter
8 ounces powdered sugar
Orange juice


Instructions:

Preheat oven to 375F.
Grease two 8 or 9-inch cake pans.
Cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
Sift the flour, baking powder, salt and cocoa into a bowl.
Add the orange rind to the creamed butter and beat in the eggs, one at a time, including a spoonful of the measured flour mixture with each one, and beating well between additions. Gently mix in the Guinness, a tablespoonful at a time, including another spoonful of flour with each addition.
If there's any flour left over, fold it in gently to mix;
Blend thoroughly without over-beating.
Divide the mixture between the tins, smooth down, and put the cakes into the center of the pre-heated oven.
Reduce the heat to moderate (350F) and bake for 35-40 minutes, or until the cakes are springy to the touch and pulling slightly away from the sides of the pans.
Remove and cool on a wire rack.

Meanwhile, make the icing:
Cream the softened butter and powdered sugar together
Blend in enough orange juice to make an icing that is soft enough to spread.
Frost between layers and on top of the cakes once cooled.

Option - drizzle some Guiness on top of each cake layer, let it soak in a little bit, and then apply the frosting.

.

Green Cupcakes / Cake for St. Patrick's Day

This recipe adds a touch of flavor, extra moisture and a pastel green color. Of course, you can use any color of Jello you want to match your occasion. For my daughter's birthday cake, I swirled two different colors of jello just before pouring into the pans to make a very brightly marbled cake. This recipe makes 25 to 30 cupcakes, depending upon how much you fill each cup.

Ingredients for cake
1 (18 ounce) white cake mix
Any other ingredients required on the box's instructions
1 large box lime or other green Jello

Ingredients for frosting
1/4 cup boiling water
6 tablespoons butter
3 cups powdered sugar

Directions for baking cupcakes / cake
Preheat oven per box instructions
Prepare cake mix per the box recipe and instructions adding 3/4ths of the jello powder to the dry ingredients. Mix jello powder in well before adding wet ingredients for an even color.
Pour into 2 cake pans or cupcake liners
Bake as directed on box.
Cool in pans
Remove from pans once pans are only slightly warm
Finish cooling on racks and then put into refridgerator.
Option - use 2 or more colors of Jello powder (keep total used at 4 TBSP) and do not mix entirely. You'll have a pretty swirl effect of differing colors.

Directions for making buttercreme frosting
Cream butter and water
Add sugar gradually, scraping the bowl after each addition.
Add the remaining jello powder and mix color in well
Beat until smooth.
Frost cake or cupcakes
Option - sprinkle some green Jello powder on top just before serving. Use just a little bit.

.