Tuesday, January 20, 2009

A Patriotic Cake for Inauguration Day

It's a brand new year with a brand new president. It seems fitting to celebrate-yet again. Or else I'm just looking for excuses to perpetuate the party. And even though 2009 won't be without bumps and challenges, I also know that it will bring a measure of happiness and blessings to all. One thing's for certain, even in these uncertain times: I would never ever want to be President of the United States. (Why restrict it to the United States? I wouldn't even want to be president of anything, not even a book club, or the PTA, or even Penny Pinchers Anonymous, or the Rare and Exquisite Sock Hunting Club, or the Association of Disgruntled Dishwashers, or the Pink Ladies, etc, etc, etc and so on and so forth.) Nope. Poor presidential guy's got his work cut out for him. No matter who got your X on the ballot, the new Mr. President deserves our hope and respect. So bake up a patriotic cake and tune in to watch history in the making. And sit back and enjoy the fact that you're not in charge. Phew. Lucky for me, It's Tuesdays with Dorie and Mary Ann over at the deliciously prolific Meet Me in the Kitchen chose this adapatable recipe with a surprise filling. (Hence the name Berry Surprise Cake, Penny Pinching Estimate: $6.00 for half batch with frozen berries.) I chose not to use the actual cake portion of the recipe, since many fellow bakers reported problems with sagging middles. (I don't even like the sound of that, especially in January...) Any cake should work just fine, including a store bought angelfood cake if you're short on time. Besides its the creamy filling, berries and whipped cream icing that really make this cake a Yankee Doodle Dandy of a treat.
Bake one tall layer of cake. I used a moist buttermilk recipe from Joy of Cooking to make this 5 inch diameter dimunitive dessert. Slice the layers in half. Excavate a circle of cake to make a nest. Fill it with cream cheese thinned with whipped cream and sweetened with a bit of sugar. Nestle the berries atop the cream cheese filling. Use raspberries and blueberries to be extra patriotic. Mine were of the frozen defrosted variety, the only choice for winter penny pinchers.Replace the top. Frost with sweetened whipped cream and refrigerate until serving time.
Poke in a few American flags and leave it in the fridge till it's time to indulge. Try not to steal any whipped cream, OK? Oh, all right. I won't tell. But steal it from the back so you can still take a good picture.
P.S. I was able to squeeze out a couple of cupcakes for the two little charges, since they like surprises in every other context except food. The rascals.
Coming Next:
That Good For you Creamy Tomato Soup and Rosemary Focaccia

59 comments:

  1. Your cake looks great! I love anything patriotic!

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  2. what a great tribute... i bet all of you are excited for a new chapter in your history... :)

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  3. You're hilarous! I always avert my eyes when the class parent sign-up sheet comes around. "what? oh, gee I didn't see it. What? someone else already signed up, darn it, by golly, that's a bummer." Glad you had a great time at Disney. Hope you had a pineapple float by the Swiss Family Robinson Treehouse. Oh, and a Funnel cake with ice cream between America and Japan.

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  4. Change! Lets pray it's good! Cute cake and I'd love the surprise in the middle.

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  5. I should have made a different cake.

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  6. Raspberries, blueberries, cream cheese, oh my! Lovely idea! So appropriate. Bet it tastes delicious too. Inspires me to make something similiar for my children today to enforce the importance of the day!

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  7. WOW! You succeeded with lots of brio! What nice results!
    Very, very pretty, Prudy!

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  8. Nice cake! I am with you and would not want to be president of anything. The pres sure does have his work cut out for him.

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  9. It was the cake part that did me in (and after that I pouted and did not make the rest of it) so you really have me wishing that I used a cake that I could handle. I am just not cut out for delicate genoise made out of diva eggs (or the presidency of anything). Your cake and your cupcakes look beautiful --love the patriotic decorations! Happy Inauguration Day! Hope that you had a great trip!

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  10. Any excuse to extend the celebrations, indeed! And what kid does like food surprises, anyway? You keep the interesting cake, and give them the cupcakes!

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  11. Can you drop that off at my door? Please!!!!

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  12. I love cake and strawberries you can't go wrong!

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  13. Moist buttermilk cake? You have me sold! That sounds like it worked perfectly with this recipe! I love your little flags, too cute :)

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  14. Amazing-looking cake for a historic inaugural day! BTW, I am bound to include "historic inaugural" in every sentence today. Have a wonderful historic inaugural afternoon.

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  15. Very patriotic! :) Love that you made extra cupcakes for the kiddos! :)

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  16. very patriotic. we thought this cake was delicious.

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  17. Congratulations, I think you've chosen a good president!

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  18. Any president would be lucky to have a slice of that cake!

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  19. I am looking forward to your creamy tomato soup recipe

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  20. Your cake looks fabulous. What time is the party at your house ;-)

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  21. Your cake looks darling. And delicious, too! Happy inauguration Day! And I'm with you, I don't want to be president of anything, either! I don't even want to be a participant half the time. Especially in January!

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  22. Your cake and cupcakes look gorgeous. I love the flags and also your comment about sagging middles in January. LOL.

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  23. I had the same idea about how this cake could easily double as a patriotic tribute!! Your filling looks delicious- I was lucky to find some cheap fresh strawberries but I'd love to do this over in the summer with a mix of berries like you did. I was lucky and had no trouble with Dorie's cake- but I must say that I was tempted to use a store bought angel food one when I first read the recipe!! So cute with the American flags on the top!

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  24. Your cake looks wonderful! I wouldn't like to be the president of anything either, but good luck to Obama! I've been enjoying the events unfold on television this evening :)

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  25. Your cake looks delicious. I love that it looks like a slice of summer. Which is nice to know that summer really does truly exist. In the middle of winter I'm sure summer must have been of figment of my imagination. Wish I was there with you to have a bite!

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  26. How very patriotic of you!! Looks great , very yummy

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  27. Ohh your cake looks fabulous Erin!! I love the mixed berries. I watched the inaugeration on the telly today. I thought he gave a really good speech. I am like you, I avoid being president of anything if I can help it!

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  28. What a cute cake. You are so creative, and what a great idea to be patriotic today.

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  29. The cake is perfect for today!! I love it!

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  30. Prudy- love the patriotic cake. Today was so amazing.
    I love that you made this all look so easy!

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  31. With the flags on top. certainly patriotic. haha.

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  32. That looks wonderful! I'm so depressed. Ben told me all my baking was wrecking his diet so I'm on a pie/ cookie/ anything decent desperate hunt!

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  33. erin, i want to move across the street from you so that i can drop by and munch on your lovely goodies all the time. i love cooking and baking and all that jazz, but keeping up with you is exhausting! or maybe it's just the pregnancy talking. this cake looks marvelous and my charges would have enjoyed it during the inauguration this morning--which they watched without a single patriotic treat in hand.

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  34. Ohhhh, Prudy your cake looks divine! I hope you and your cute kids had a wonderful inauguration day!

    XOXOXOXO
    Jen

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  35. I should have used an alternate cake recipe - great idea! Yours looks like it turned out fabulously!

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  36. A great looking cake for such a historic time in American history.

    Rosie x

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  37. I'm glad to see that this worked well with the frozen berries. I thought about it, but then went in a different direction. I love the cupcakes for the kids. =) Gillian liked my cake, but Brianna wasn't too sure...

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  38. What a great way to celebrate! Finally change, is right!
    Hope all is well, I never see you much anymore. Have a wonderful week!

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  39. Love your patriotic cake! I am going to steal the idea of buying an angel food cake and making it a surprise!

    I wish I had one of those cupcakes while I was glued to CNN yesterday!

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  40. Time to move on and support a new President. You're right... I wouldn't want to be the president of anything either. Okay, okay. Maybe a spouse club or somethin... I can handle angry women. An angry country? NO WAY!

    ~Cat

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  41. Your tiny cake is absolutely adorable! Great job!

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  42. Hey tomorrow on Studio 5 they are talking about Utah food blogs and they showed yours as part of their teaser. Are you gonna be on there? I don't know what context they are doing the story.

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  43. Knowing everyone was having problems with the cake, I wish I would have made a different one, because the concept of hiding cream and berries in a cake is great, but the cake itself wasn't so great.
    Great job.

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  44. Your cake looks divine! I just starting visiting your blog this month and I've made several of the recipes you've shared....I've loved them all. I will definitely try this one as well! Thanks for sharing!

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  45. Your cake looks fantastic! I completely agree about presidential endeavors! I made OOobama bars and cupcakes too! :)

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  46. Laura:
    I didn't know anything about it, but my husband caught a blurg at work. I'm curious to see tomorrow's show.

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  47. They all look very patriotic, Prudy! Great job, as usual! :o)

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  48. Well you are just the smartest! What great ideas.

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  49. Well, I didn't get around last week for the cake, so I am catching up a bit. Yours look so sweet and lovely. I love the little size...and that filling!

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