Two things to celebrate!

We had a wonderful time this weekend celebrating the upcoming arrival of a dear friend's baby girl.  A small group of us got together at our friend Lisa's house and had a blast showering Liz with gifts - many of the cute variety.  Who doesn't LOVE little girls clothes?  I know I do...and I miss the little itty bitty ones!

Naturally, I was in charge of baking the cake.  When I emailed Liz's sister asking what her favorite was, she threw me for a loop by throwing out a specific name - the Philly Fluff cake.  Off I went to google, and I found out that the bakery in her hometown is famous for it.  And then I got scared.  How could I possibly compete with one of the best bakeries in the area?

Eh, piece of cake.

Those of you who frequent my Facebook page may recall my status update on Saturday about using a bundt pan.  I wasn't kidding - I really do feel like a 50's housewife when I bake with one!  It's just so...retro.  I should have had an apron on to really complete the package.

I loved the look on Liz's face when she realized what kind of cake it was, and that it was homemade...and the taste?  Seriously, the cake may look boring but it is really, REALLY good.  Great for breakfast or dessert.  Make it soon.

Our hostess made some great cake pops for another sweet treat - you can see some of them in this picture:

And now for the second surprise - I got a visit from the one and only Fairy Hobmother!  Do you know who he/she is?  If you're an avid blog reader, you probably do.  If not, the long and short of it is that the Fairy comes bearing gifts to one lucky reader.  He loves when voices are heard.  (And yes, I realize it's Fairy HobMOTHER and I keep saying HE, but since Ian is the person who contacted me, I'm sticking to my story.)

The Fairy hails from Appliances Online and would like to share his wealth with one of you.  All you have to do is leave a comment here - preferably about how much you like my cake, but you can leave him a message, too :)  And maybe, just maybe, he'll pay you a visit!

Philly Fluff Cake
from Serious Eats

10 ounces cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup vegetable shortening
2 cups AP flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups sugar, divided
6 eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
5 ounces bittersweet chocolate, melted and cooled
confectioners' sugar for dusting

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Butter and flour a bundt pan.

Beat cream cheese, butter and shortening together until light and fluffy.  Add flour, baking powder and salt.  Beat on low until combined.  Batter will be thick.

Gradually add 1 cup sugar and eggs, one at a time, beating completely between each one.  Add vanilla and remaining sugar.  Continue beating until batter is smooth, scraping sides of bowl a few times.

Pour half the mixture into prepared pan.  Add chocolate and swirl the batter with a knife to spread chocolate through.  Top with remaining batter and bake for about 60-65 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out of center clean.

Cool for about 15 minutes then invert carefully onto cake platter to cool completely.  Before serving, sprinkle with a generous amount of confectioners' sugar.

Linked to: Sweet Tooth Friday
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