3.10.2014

secret recipe club: meyer lemon iced raspberry yogurt cake & slow cooker chicken cacciatore

a couple weeks ago, a friend of mine mentioned making a blueberry lemon cake on facebook. after reading that and seeing the post, i couldn't get the thought of a meyer lemon layer cake out of my mind. the very next day i scoured claire k creation's blog for cake recipes. i bypassed - and pinned for later - this best ever carrot cake, this lemon tea cake, and this coffee cake for this greek yogurt & raspberry cake. topped with meyer lemon buttercream, it made two pregnant women - she 38 weeks, me 32 - very happy.



now that my sweet tooth was satisfied, i was off to look for an easy dinner that could please us and our toddler. chicken cacciatore did it. it's my favorite kind of slow cooker recipe: dump everything in & cook on low for 8+ hours. minimal effort, easy ingredients, and great flavor. next time i'm adding mushrooms because the three of us can't get enough.

for more information on the secret recipe club, including the list of participating bloggers, featured recipes from members, and instructions on how to join, visit the secret recipe club website!
 
check out my previous secret recipe club posts: almond strawberry jam thumbprints, almond butter cookies, enfrijoladas, chocolate snack cake, bacon topped maple french toast cupcakes, cherry sorbet, slow cooker beans & mushrooms, mojito chicken tacos, maple glazed whole wheat spiced apple pizza, pig out cookies, pasta with blistered tomatoes & arugula and iced grapefruit cookies, mushroom barley soup, scalloped ham and potato bake & andes mint cake, chicken souvlaki with tzatziki, asian pork chops, lemon lime meltaways, blueberry peach crisp, minted lemon ice, white chocolate macadamia nut blondies, raspberry cream filled eclairs, jam swirled cheesecake, whole wheat grapefruit cake, chewy no bake granola bars & carrot cinnamon waffles, cannoli, gingerbread muffins, double chocolate peanut butter chip oatmeal cookies, butterscotch peach cake, whole wheat honey pancakes, minted pineapple lime agua fresca, breakfast tacos, simple almond sandwich cookies, & roasted banana rum cake.

meyer lemon iced raspberry yogurt cake
cake adapted from claire k creations & buttercream adapted from sally's baking addiction

7/5/15 update: this recipe will make two 8" or 9" layers or four 6" layers. therefore, this recipe can be used to make either: a 8" double layer cake, a 9" double layer cake, or two 6" double layer cakes (one for you, one for a friend). if you wish to only make one 6" double layer cake, halve the cake and buttercream ingredients and follow the method as written below. 

for the cake:
9 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup sugar
3 eggs, separated
2 cups all purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup plain greek yogurt
1 cup raspberries, fresh or frozen

for the buttercream:
8 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
8 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
zest & juice of 2 meyer lemons
pinch of salt
4 cups powdered sugar
  1. to make the cake, preheat your oven to 320F. grease and line four 6" cake pans or two 8" or 9" cake pans with parchment paper and set aside.
  2. cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. add the egg yolks one at a time, mixing after each addition. 
  3. add the flour, baking powder, salt, and baking soda and mix until mostly combined. add the yogurt and mix until combined. 
  4. in a separate bowl, beat the egg whites to medium peaks and fold into the cake batter. 
  5. fold the raspberries into the cake batter.
  6. divide the batter evenly between the pans and bake 25-30 minutes (less for 6" cakes), or until a toothpick comes out clean. 
  7. let the cakes cool in the pan for about 10 minutes before turning them out onto a wire rack to cool completely before icing.
  8. to make the buttercream, cream the cream cheese and butter until smooth. add the lemon zest and juice and salt and mix until combined. slowly add the powdered sugar and mix until combined. mix on medium speed for a couple minutes until light and fluffy. if your buttercream is softer than you'd like, you can either add more sugar or chill it for 30 minutes before spreading.
  9. to make a four layer cake, slice each cake layer in half. spread with buttercream and top with another cake layer. continue until all layers are used. spread the cake with remaining buttercream. store finished cake in the refrigerator.

slow cooker chicken cacciatore
adapted from claire k creations
15 min prep, 4-8hr cook, 30min finish; serves 6

2-14.5ounce or 1-28ounce can diced tomatoes
1 tablespoon tomato paste
2 bell peppers cut into strips
1 medium onion, sliced
5 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 bay leaf
2 large, boneless skinless chicken breasts
egg noodles, for serving
  1. in a 4 or 6 quart slow cooker, add the tomatoes, tomato paste, peppers, onion, garlic, oregano, and bay leaf. mix to combine.
  2. nestle the chicken breasts in the mixture. cover and cook on high for 4 hours or low for 8 hours.
  3. about an hour before you plan to eat, uncover, shred the chicken with tongs or a fork, and cook on high for 1 hour to thicken the sauce. serve over egg noodles.

107 comments:

  1. Lemon and raspberry is one of my all-time favorite flavor combos. Wish I could have a piece of that cake.

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  2. How industrious of you to make two recipes! They both look fabulous and I'm not surprised you couldn't choose between them. I can't wait to make both of these!

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  3. Wowza! That cake looks so darn good! Good idea to make two recipes! I know I will be making more of the recipes from the blog I was given but I didn't think to make two for the post!

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  4. This was totally delicious; nice recipe I think art of cooking is not something everyone has the equal grip over.

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  5. What a gorgeous cake! I can just imagine how good it tastes.

    I am definitely going to have to try that chicken cacciatore, with the mushrooms. I love easy, flavorful recipes.

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  6. I can see how it would have been hard to choose between these two recipes... they both look phenomenal!
    I'm totally loving the combination of raspberry and lemon in the cake. It just screams spring to me.

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  7. Clarification…You stated to beat egg yolks into medium peaks, and then fold into cake batter. Did you mean egg whites? Thanks!

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    Replies
    1. yes! beat the egg whites, not yolks. i updated it with the correct instructions. thanks.

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    2. i am glad i read thru the comments, the recipe is not updated and I would not of caught it.....Thanks for the catch Anonymous.....

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    3. yes, the recipe is up to date - the yolks are mixed into the batter, the whites are beaten to soft peaks separately and then folded in with the rest of the batter.

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    4. No actually it isn't because 3 yolks are currently in my kitchen aid mixer.

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    5. This recipe does not even make enough batter for two layers! Good thing I tried this the night before my company is coming - will have to go out and buy a cake tomorrow :-(

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  8. I could just taste that lemony raspberry cake through the screen.

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  9. Yes please - I'll have a slice right now with my cup of tea. Great pics

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  10. That cake looks incredible!! WOW!

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  11. great choice for src! i can't decide what looks better :)

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  12. Do you have any suggestions to make the cake into cupcakes? Anxious to make the recipe -- just need individual desserts for a group. thank you ...beautiful pics Not sure what is meant by select profile......... thanks again....sue

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    Replies
    1. Hi Sue, I haven't made this as cupcakes yet, but I would fill cupcakes about 2/3 to 3/4 full with batter. I'm not sure how long they'll take to bake, check them after about 15min and go from there. I hope that helped!

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  13. I have mine in the oven, but I can already tell it will look different. The batter was super-thick, and I used thawed raspberries, which were even more fragile than fresh raspberries, so they broke up quite a bit when I mixed them in. So the batter is tinged with quite a bit of the raspberry juice.

    I doubled the recipe, but didn't know if that should mean a different baking temp? Most 9' round cakes are baked at 350, but was afraid to go that high. So I'm baking mine at 330. Not gonna lie...I'm a little nervous! I'll let you know how it goes!

    BTW...this is the cake my 16 year old chose for her birthday celebration this evening!

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  14. These both look so good! I love chicken cacciatore. And that cake! Have you made this with non-greek yogurt before? I usually keep just plain creamaline yogurt on hand. I imagine it wouldn't be much different, but the moisture levels might need to be adjusted. Anyway, thanks!

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  15. Hi! I just made your cake this weekend and it was great- I am definitely going to save the recipe (found it on pinterest)! The only thing I did differently was double the icing recipe to get better coverage. Also, I used just a regular lemon, adding the zest of the whole lemon and juice of half (for double the butter/cream cheese). I really loved the combo of the not too sweet cake with the lemon-y frosting!

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  16. Just made this and doubled the recipe for 9" pans per instructions. I have standard 9" pans and I have a huge mess in my oven. I followed the instructions exactly. Beware of the doubling!

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    Replies
    1. I am really surprised that doubling the recipe didn't work, since I halved the original recipe to fit into the 6" pans and assumed baking it as doubled in the original recipe would work! I better add a disclaimer within the recipe. Thanks for letting me know.

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  17. I baked yesterday and frosted this morning. I doubled and used 12 inch pans. The cake batter surprised me with its dough like thickness, I was sure something was wrong. However I triple checked everything and it was right and good. However I don't care for the frosting at all, I wish I had used less lemon juice, because its very sour and there wasn't enough frosting to cover so I had to make more. The first time I doublef it and the sevond time I just made the regular batch

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  18. I doubled the cake and the frosting and had plenty to make a 3 layer cake from 9 inch pans. The cake is in the fridge until tomorrow and I have icing leftover for any last minute touch up jobs.

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  19. I made this as directed and was disappointed in the texture of the cake. It was surprisingly dry and dense. I thought the yogurt would keep it moist and the egg whites would contribute to a nice light texture. Needed a few more raspberries too...wont make again though

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  20. I just baked this recipe as stated in two 6" pans and it spilled all over my oven :( Is it really supposed to be 1 tablespoon of baking powder? I haven't tasted it yet but that seems like a lot!

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    Replies
    1. update: It did spill everywhere (next time I'll take a few scoops out as cupcakes or something), but the baking powder was fine and the cake texture/taste was great!

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  21. I followed this to the letter. Mine overflowed the pans and then were raw in the middle. Suggestions?

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  22. I have this in my oven now at 320 as recommended. However my baking time is almost doubled at this point. My 6 inch cake pans are 4 inches tall thank godness, i will have 2 6X4 inch cakes. They do however look delicious!

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  23. Yeah Jessica Durfee, mine rose like that too and overflowed the pans which I was not expecting and made a mess of my oven. I was not pleased. So I pulled them and they were raw in the middle but they could have baked for a lot longer. A LOT longer.

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  24. I just finished baking the cakes! I doubled the recipe and it got perfect in three 9inch pans. The batter is dough like and it took closer to 40 min to bake on 320. The cakes look great!! I won't be tasting it until tomorrow, since I made it for Mother's Day, but I'll be sure to write in if I feel something needs to be changed!!

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  25. I made it again but this time divided it into 3 6" pans. Baked them an extra 10 min and they were perfect.

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  26. I'm sorry, I am confused by your updated instructions. "the recipe is already doubled for two 8" or 9" layers. to make two six inch layers, halve everything. i've updated the quantities below and directions to indicate this."

    Are we suppose to split the recipe in half or did you already do that? In your directions you tell us to split it in half but then you say you updated the quantities. Oy Vey!!

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    Replies
    1. I'm sorry this is confusing - the recipe as written, will make two 8" or 9" layers (one, two layer cake) or four 6" layers. if you prefer to make two 6" layers, then halve everything.

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    2. I am thoroughly confused as well. Just to clarify, it will make two 9" cakes, right? What does " (one, two layer cake)" mean? one cake of two layers?

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  27. Made this last night. It is delicious. I did add an extra 1/4 cup of yogurt and also put in a 1/4 cup of cherry pie filling because the batter seemed so thick. I will make this again.

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  28. I pinned and copied down this recipe a couple of months ago in anticipation of my husband's birthday today. Oh, how I wish I had looked to see if there were any updates before today. What a fiasco !

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  29. Do you have the recipe if you wanted to make cupcakes instead of a cake?

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  30. Thank you so much for a fantastic recipe. We had some fresh raspberries out in the garden and we love very lemon-y flavored desserts and this was perfect. I was a little worried about how "little" batter their seemed to be with the size of my cake pans and that it looked very muffin batter like. However, it turned out wonderfully. I can see why those who had doubled it before wouldn't think that it was going to be a problem. My daughter loved this for her birthday cake! Thank you for your little tweeks to the original recipes (and conversions)!

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  31. Definitely anything raspberry for my dream birthday cake!
    Thanks for the recipe!

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  32. How Long does it take in total to bake this cake from start to finish

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  33. i read the comments and then got confused about the eggs when to do what and basically did the reverse.....OMG i hope this turns out!
    Im making the Cake for my best friends mom's Bday and I'm gonna be so sad if after all this work it sucks : (

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  34. Wow!! I come from a long line of bakers but after making this recipe on a whim, it quickly has become the new favorite of myself, my mom and my grandmother! It's so amazingly good!! The taste, texture and look of it are perfect! Easy to follow the recipe and it turned out perfect! Thanks for sharing!

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  35. I baked this cake tonight for my mothers birthday. Used 2 9" pans. I did have a little trouble with mixing in my kitchen aid as the first ingredients with the flour and other dry stuff kind of compacted. I think I would add the yogurt earlier - maybe after the eggs. BUT my real problem was - they looked lovely coming out of the oven.....then they kind of collapsed. Any thoughts anyone as to why that would happen? I was careful to measure the baking powder, salt and baking soda correctly....I'm sure it will taste fine, it will just be a low flying cake.... Teresa S.

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  36. Just an update! The cake was WONDERFUL! It is really warm here. For the frosting I used the juice of 1 lemon, then 1 TBSP of real lemon due to a previous statement about it being too much lemon. I figured I could add more if I needed it later. I sifted the powdered sugar. As it was I added about1/4 cup (sifted) more powdered sugar and the frosting was very soft - I could have added more powdered sugar but decided I liked the texture as opposed to too firm as powdered sugar frosting can get to be. It was perfect and wonderful. Everyone loved it! I think the cakes fell because I maybe beat it too long (see previous post). But still it was moist though it is a dense cake. Anyway, I will make this again! Teresa S.

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    Replies
    1. I just made this and loved it as well! mine also collapsed a little after coming out of the oven. I put it down to the yoghurt being quite heavy but next time i will also try adding it in after the eggs and serif it makes a difference.

      www.melanie-eman.com

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  37. I just made this for my mom's birthday, everyone loved it! The buttercream tastes like sour cream lemon pie; so good!

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  38. The slow cooker chicken cacciatore looks so tasty. So like your meyer lemon iced raspberry yogurt cake & slow cooker chicken cacciatore recipe :)Keep it up!

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  39. I made your cake for my granddaughter's birthday. I was tight for time so I baked it in a 9 x 13 pan. It was just fine! I also only had 2 cups powdered sugar in the house so I divided your recipe in half and it was the perfect amount for the 9 x 13 pan.

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  40. I made this cake, exactly as the directions instructed for my (2) 9" cake pans- it came out perfectly!!
    What a crowd pleaser! I made it for my husbands birthday, he is a citrus nut and the lemony zing was just right. The cake was moist and rich and had perfect bites of raspberry that added texture and extra moisture to each bite. The cake was completly devoured (the guys went back for seconds and one a third) and is now a family favorite! My husband requested it again for his birthday this year. Thank you for the delicious recipe!

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  41. Thoughts on freezing this for a couple days?? I have the house to myself and would love to make my dessert for Easter now (2 days before needed). If I freeze it, should I ice it now or the day of?

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  42. This is probably one of the weirdest, most unconventional cake recipes I've ever seen. Beating the egg whites, like for a meringue was weird. The consistency: a thick batter like cookie dough, was also weird. And after reading some of the negative reviews, I was afraid this cake would turn out to be a complete failure. Fortunately, it tasted as amazing as the pictures on Pinterest made it look. In the end, I frosted the cake with my own concoction of lemon juice, zest, confectioner's sugar, cool whip, and sour cream. The result was a slightly dense, moist cake with just the right amount of sweetness. We all agree it was not only tasty, but refreshing. It's a perfect go to recipe when you need a summer dessert!

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  43. I found this on pinterest and just made it, following the recipe exactly. I baked mine in 2 9 inch cake pans, and it is delicious! I didn't have any issues with it rising too much or not enough - it makes two relatively thin 9" layers. I do wish I had read the recipe more thoroughly as the look I was going for was the 4 layer cake, but oh well! Nobody has to know that the finished result is different from the intended -- will make again, but will double the recipe and bake 3 9 inch cakes. I sprinkled some lemon zest and arranged fresh raspberries on top - looks as good as it tastes! Perfect summer cake recipe for a special occasion.

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  44. Absolutely perfect recipe and cake! Will make again. I found it easy and very simple to follow. Thank you for sharing.

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  45. Made this cake a couple of days ago. I will tell you that the cake tastes WAY better if you keep it in the fridge over night. This cake is perfect with tea but I felt like it was missing something. It needee raspberry jam or something in the middle. Would I make it again? I don't think I would. Hope my review is helpful!

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  46. Anyone try this as a Bundt cake?

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  47. Oh man. I wish I would have read more comments. The 1 TABLESPOON of baking powder made for chemical-y, chewy cake. So disappointing. The buttercream was good but I regret making this cake.

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