Macsmom,
Happy birthday!!!! you are a kind, talented and giving person, I wish you lots of joy, and many more sweet years to come. I'm way too far away from you to deliver a cake to your door. I don't think it will survive in the mail. I will be blowing out my birthday candles as well on St. Paty's Day so I will make a wish for the both of us.

Happy early bday. I know what it's like to make your own cake. Thankfully I share mine w/ my mom, so it's "her" cake, but mine too. I did get an oreo Baskin Robbins cake for my 30th last year. I had strep the day before & could barely get out of bed to pee, let alone make a cake. But it's nice to not have to do it for yourself all the time.

That said I made a different version of the dreamsicle. I made a lime version (substituted the orange "stuff" w/ lime) & was very pleased w/ the flavor, but had a few ?s. Does the dreamsicle normally rise really well? It seemed more dense than my others. Should I omit the pudding? Try egg whites instead of whole eggs? I did use 1/2 box BC yellow (didn't want it to be green) & 1/2 box DH white (trying to use up that DH supply). Could the yellow mix have done it? Or using 1/2 DH? It made about 8 c of batter & I baked 2 8" squares. The Wilton chart says 4 c batter per 8 x2" pan. They rose to about 1 3/8" high & mine usually rise above the pan. I was a little dissappointed in the height, but don't know the culprit. I'm guessing the DH b/c it seems more "wet" like they use to when I used DH mix exclusively.

I may do a raspberry version & use just a BC white mix & see how it does. What do you guys think?

Anyone have ideas for substitutions in a dark chocolate raspberry cake? I have mastered the dark chocolate WASC, I am just unsure of what to substitute to add raspberry flavor (extract maybe)? TIA

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!

(Thanks again for all your help - you've been fabulous!)

cakegirl - try using raspberry yogurt somewhere in there, fold in some raspberries and use a raspberry flavoring like lorann or if you have it a compound. Also, if you are using MacsMoms recipe consider omitting the chocolate extract because you are trying to bring up another flavor in addition to Chocolate. HTH

cakegirl11,
I have recently made a dark, fudgy, chocolate cake and made a raspberry sauce to brush over it, like a simple syrup. Just warm rasp jam in the microwave, add a little chambord liquor if you wish, and press through a small strainer to get the jelly globs out. It will kind of glaze the cake, but also sink in if it's warm enough. I've also made the rasp. conserve from the Cake Bible. Just empty a full bag of frozen rasp in a strainer, over a bowl, overnight to catch the juices. Then there is a cooking process, but just using that strained juice is unbelievable rasp flavor! Great mixed into buttercream, ganache and chocolate frosting, too! I've gotten a truer flavor adding flavors (like the raspberry) after baking, not mixing into the batter. Hope this helps

I want to try the Orange Dreamsicle cake...but could find Orange sherbet that it calls for Any idea where can I find this...or what brand do you guys use?

Thanks in advance!

My grandma used to have sherbet all the time, it had less fat in it than ice cream I guess is why. Anyway, it was and is always with the ice creams in the freezer section of the grocery store. They should have at least one flavor, if not several. Sherbet has milk instead of cream, so just check on the label if a product isn't labeled as sherbet. They are such pretty colors!

Coffeemate makes a chocolate raspberry creamer. If you can get your hands on that it may help with a chocolate raspberry cake.

sweetiesbykim, thanks for the raspberry sauce idea, it sounds delish! I will definately try that. I love raspberry and chocolate and find it hard to get a strong raspberry flavor that stands out against dark chocolate cake.

Thanks Steffla & MacsMom for answering my questions.

I am going to give the cakes a try for the Sunday birthday party. I hope it turns out.

Any last helpful hints on the WASC Chocolate version? I have never doctored up a box cake like this.

anyone have a good recipe for pina colada cake? I need a good recipe for carving since I'm making a purse out of it for a girl who loves her chanel purses and pina coladas! Thanks!

Wow!! I was just going to see if anyone had any good ideas for flavor combinations for a bridal show (my first) that I'm part of this coming weekend --This thread was amazing -- took me over and hour to get through it!!

Thanks to Macsmom (and many others) I'm thinking of doing these flavors:

Orange Dreamsicle
Pink Champagne
Tropic Breeze (maybe)
White Chocolate Raspberry (my must popular cake)

Can anyone else offer any other suggestions? -- I want to do something with chocolate (perhaps Chocolate covered strawberry)

Macsmom--if you're still up to answering questions!! LOL! I can't get Lorann oils before this weekend (have to order online). Any suggestions for the champagne flavor?

Thanks in advance to everyone for your help!

wow ,it take me days to finish reading this
thank you so so so much MacsMom for shareing your wonderful recipes
I just made Orange creamsicle cake and OMG came out perfect
My dd dosn't like cake so much when she smell this cake she saied can I have tiny piece after thet she eat almost half of the cake
and she saied mummy this is the best cake I ever taste in my life (she is 7)
I told her a very nice lady in Cake central (she knews all about cake central!!!!!!)give us her wonderful recipes . she saied mummy did you say thank you to her .
Thank you again and again
I wish you best of the best in life and in your business, you such a nice lady
and Happy Birthday to you
Farnaz

From page 54:

Pina Colada: My WASC version uses coconut creamer and pineapple juice, pina colada yogurt (three 6 oz containers), and LoRann pina colada flavoring. I use the same coconut mixture as the almond joy and cheat with the pineapple filling, too, buying pastry filling.

I've also found the chocolate flavoring at Williams Sonoma in the past. So, if you have one near by you might check it out.

farnazmom3, how well did your dreamsicle cake rise? Was it dense or a lighter crumb?

dandelion56602 the cake cames out perfect rised very well and had lighter crumb than most cakes but I cut the sugar and orange sherbet.
I afraid became to sweet, I use 1\\2 cup sugar and 1 1\\2 cup sherbet
but I have to say my cake had more room for more sugar,but this way my in lows eat the cake without saying you make us FAT lol
they like less sweet cakes

Cheesecake Lovers - addendum. I realized I did the chocolate part all wrong...

2 boxes white cake mix
2 c flour
2 c sugar
1 pkg cheesecake pudding mix
1-1/2 t salt
1 pkg light cream cheese
6 eggs *Blend eggs into softened cream cheese before adding to batter.
1-1/3 cup Italian Sweet Cream coffee creamer (Coffee Mate)
1-1/3 cup water
1/4 c oil
2 t vanilla extract
2 t butter flavoring

Chocolate Swirl
2 (8oz) cream chz
2 eggs
2/3 c sugar
1 t vanilla
1 bag chocolate chips, melted

*Combine chocolate mix and marble into white batter, being careful to keep it away from the sides of pan.

I may have to work with this, perhaps blending in a little white batter into the chocolate mix, in case the chocolate part sinks and the cakes bake up funny.

But it is soooo good! I made an extra cupcake from last weekends teaparty cake--I tasted a bite then practically shoved the rest in my mouth!

This post gets better & better with advice that will be used for years let alone the recipes posted along the way.

Macsmom, I wish you a very Happy Birthday. I would fly out there to make you a cake but unfortunately time and money are never a plenty!

I received my Amoretti order. I asked for 30 samples to give out to my cake club and that is what I got along with about 150 flyers and additional booklets. I was really blown away. The booklets were the product catalogues along with their brochures filled with suggestions and various recipes. They are the World Pastry Championship Sponsor for the last 4 years and the flyers makes me want to eat the paper! The confections look unreal.
They shipped it via Fedex! no cost to me.

They are also going to supply the Queen City Cake Show with samples for the goody bags that we give all participants who enter the show. The show is this wkd. so they moved fast when I approached them to do it for next year! The Queen City Cake Club is hosting their annual cake show during Cincinnati's Home & Garden Show this wkd.

What I learned from the phone call I received from them yesterday is that when they send us these samples they make them to order. They don't have them on the shelf. They put the jars on the line and have them filled when they know they have to send out samples. I think that is amazing customer service.

I can't wait until they produce smaller qtys. for sale for smaller bakers. It would be great.

Thanks ever so much for all the inspiration.
Claire

I would use 2 cups orange juice and an extra container of orange yogurt.

hi Dear MacsMom
I look everywhere to find Honeycomb crunch cake and butter cake but I could'nt
and how you make your cappuccino truffle (YUMMY)
can you post it ??? please
thanks

Happy Birthday MacsMom

Thanks for all the Birthday wishes!!

Holy Cr*#... I'm going to be 40 tomorrow!!!

My wish list: Tummy tuck, neck lift, boob job. Then I would exactly like Demi Moore! NOT!!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MACSMOM!!!!

It's your birthday, but you've given us the present!!! All these great recipes......
THANK YOU!!!!

I hope you have a great B-day! I'm sure your b-day cake will be YUMMY

thank you very much