Friday Faves – The Novice Chef makes Churro Cake
Happy Friday everyone!! Who’s ready for the weekend? It’s supposed to be beautiful here in Boston, so I plan to spend some quality time outside. For this week’s Friday Favs, I bring you Jessica from The Novice Chef. Have you guys read her blog? She seriously cracks me up on a daily basis. Between the humor in her posts and her random tweets, Jessica is one sassy lady! And to top things off, her recipes and photos are totally drool-worthy.
If there is proof that God loves us, I am sure it is in the perfect combination of butter and sugar. Just about any recipe that begins with “in a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar” is a guaranteed winner in my book. Sometimes you can pick a bottle of bad wine. Or you try a new restaurant and it’s just…eh. But when you are baking with butter and sugar…magic happens. Even when the recipe is a flop, you still find yourself trying second and third bites over the sink. At least I hope you are that kind of person, it would be awkward if I am the only one with crumbs all over my shirt.
When Jen asked me to guest post for the Friday Favs I knew exactly what I wanted to make for y’all. Churro Cake! …or more precisely named, Cinnamon Vanilla Scented Cake with Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting and a drizzle of Dulce De Leche. In essence, this is the cake that will bring down anyone’s willpower. The soft, tender cake and big wonderful swirls of frosting will be the end of diets everywhere.
Good to the very last bite!
Don’t forget about my Power of Pink Challenge – make something PINK by the end of the month to raise Breast Cancer Awareness!
Churro Cake: Cinnamon Vanilla Scented Cake with Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting
To make the spikes on the buttercream, just tap the cake gently with the back of a small spoon.
Yield: Serves 12-16
Ingredients:
For the Cake
3 cups all-purpose flour
3 teaspoons cinnamon
3 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 (2 sticks) cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 cups sugar
4 eggs
4 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 cup milk
For the Frosting
4 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 cups confectioners’ sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon cinnamon
Directions:
For the Cake
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray three 8 inch round baking pans with Baker's Joy; set aside.
In a medium bowl, combine the flour, cinnamon, baking powder, and salt; set aside.
In a large bowl, or the bowl of a standing mixer, cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, until just combined then stir in the vanilla and oil. Sprinkle 1/3 of the flour mixture over the butter mixture and gently stir in until barely combined. Add half of the milk, mixing until just combined. Repeat these steps with the remaining flour mixture and milk, ending with the flour. Do not over mix.
Fill each baking pan with a third of the batter. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with one or two crumbs clinging to it. Allow the layers to cool completely before frosting.
For the Frosting
Cream the butter and cream cheese together in a large bowl. Add the sugar, one cup at a time, beating well between each addition. Stir in the cinnamon until thoroughly combined. Then stir in the vanilla. Beat the mixture well, until light and fluffy.
Ice onto cake, sprinkle with a little cinnamon sugar and top with a drizzle of Dulce De Leche if desired.
Recipe originally posted on The Novice Chef as cupcakes, adapted from My Baking Dom
I am Jen the Beantown Baker. Engineer by day and baking maven by night. Hubby serves as my #1 fan and official taste tester. We got hitched back in 2006. Barefoot. In the sand. With the waves crashing behind us. It was one of the best decisions we’ve ever made. 
I’m not a huge mushroom fan, but the cranberry risotto sounds absolutely fantastic! Thanks for the idea, Katie :).
What a great recipe Katie!
I am in awe of your description of mushrooms. that recipe is awesome and so is the idea to cook them in butter and red wine! if non mushroom lovers are not converted after this post, there is no help for them!!
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I am a huge mushroom lover. This recipe sounds wonderful!
I am a HUGE fan of mushrooms, I put them in everything! This will probably be dinner tonight!
I’m definitely with you in the first camp, though I will tell you – I’ve converted the boyfriend into a semi-mushroom lover, so maybe there is a person who lies a bit in between after all! This looks heavenly.
I am definitely not a mushroom lover but this recipe looks amazing!
Katie can make these for me anytime! Great recipe and great guest post!
OMG this combines so many of my favorite things into one dish! I’ve already added it to next week’s menu. Thanks so much for introducing me to a fun new blog!
I’m on the verge of being a mushroom lover – when raw the texture creeps me out but I’ve discovered I love the flavor and like them when cooked. I would love to eat this dish!
It is bad that I thought the sneak peak picture looked like mashed potatoes? That can only mean the risotto must be extra creamy!
It is bad that I thought the sneak peak picture looked like mashed potatoes? I think that just means this risotto must be extra creamy!
Thanks Jen for including me in your Friday Faves and for saying such nice things about my writing! This dish was fun to make and was really good on a cold winter night. Thanks all for the comments! Even those from the mushroom haters 🙂
Aren’t portobello mushrooms the best? So many different things you can do with them!
What more Can I say, a combination of my favorite ingredients… Mushroom and risotto! It’s nice to see a lot of mushroom recipe’s this past few days.
What a creative recipe, I love it! Definitely the perfect way to kick off your cool Friday Favs feature 🙂