Holiday Ambrosia Cake Recipes

HOLIDAY AMBROSIA CAKE

Steps:

• 1. Preheat oven to 350^. Spray well a 10 inch bundt pan or paper line 36 muffin cups. Cake: In a large bowl, cream the first 3 ingredients until light and fluffy. Add egg YOLKS, one at a time, beating well after each. Beat in extract.
• 2. In another bowl, whisk sour cream, apricot nectar and preserves. Combine the dry ingredients; add to creamed mixture alternately with the sour cream mixture. Beat JUST until blended. Stir in pecans. Beat egg WHITES until stiff peaks form; fold into batter.
• 3. Pour batter into prepared pan .Fill the muffin cups 3/4 full if making this way and bake for 18-22 minutes or until tested clean with toothpick. In bundt pan if using pour in batter and even carefully. Bake for 55 minutes of until tested done with toothpick. Cool cake and cupcakes for 10 minutes before removing from pan to wire rack to cool completely. Invert cake to plate.
• 4. Frosting: In a large bowl, cream butter, cream cheese and extracts until light and fluffy. Beat in preserves. Gradually beat in powdered sugar until blended. Frost cake or cupcakes; sprinkle with coconut. Garnish with cherries.

AMBROSIA LAYER CAKE

Steps:

• Make cake:
• Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 350°F. Butter and flour cake pans, knocking out excess flour.
• Sift together flour (2 3/4 cups), baking powder, and salt into a bowl.
• Beat together butter and sugar with an electric mixer (fitted with paddle attachment if using a stand mixer) at medium-high speed until pale and fluffy, 3 to 5 minutes. Beat in eggs 1 at a time, then beat in zest and vanilla and continue beating 5 minutes more. Reduce speed to low, then add flour mixture and milk alternately in 4 batches, beginning with flour mixture and mixing until batter is just smooth. Divide between cake pans, spreading evenly.
• Bake cake layers until they begin to pull away from sides of pans and a wooden pick or skewer comes out clean, 20 to 25 minutes. Cool 5 minutes in pans on racks, then invert cake layers onto racks and cool completely. (Leave oven on for toasting coconut.)
• Make filling while layers bake:
• Whisk together eggs in a heatproof bowl until combined well.
• With clean dry whisk, stir together sugar, cornstarch, and a pinch of salt in a 1 1/2- to 2-quart heavy saucepan, then whisk in water and juices until smooth. Bring to a boil over moderate heat, whisking, then reduce heat and cook at a bare simmer, whisking constantly, 2 minutes (mixture will be thick).
• Add half of hot juice mixture to eggs in a slow stream, whisking, then whisk egg mixture into juices in saucepan and cook over moderately low heat, whisking, just until it reaches a boil. Remove pan from heat, then add butter and zest, whisking until butter is melted. Chill filling, its surface covered with a buttered round of wax paper (buttered side down), until cold, about 30 minutes.
• Make frosting:
• Spread coconut in a shallow baking pan and toast in oven, stirring occasionally, until golden, 12 to 15 minutes.
• Beat together egg whites, sugar, water, corn syrup, and a pinch of salt in a large metal bowl with a handheld electric mixer (clean beaters if necessary) until combined. Set bowl over a saucepan of simmering water and beat mixture at high speed until it holds stiff, glossy peaks, 5 to 7 minutes. (Humid weather may necessitate additional beating time.) Remove bowl from heat, then add vanilla and lemon juice and continue beating until frosting is cooled and very thick, 6 to 10 minutes.
• Assemble cake:
• Halve each cake horizontally with a long serrated knife. Put 1 layer on a cake stand or large plate and spread with about 3/4 cup filling. Stack remaining cake layers using about 3/4 cup filling between each layer. Spread top and side of cake with frosting and coat cake with coconut, gently pressing to help it adhere.

AMBROSIA CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour two 9 inch round cake pans.
• In a large bowl, cream together the shortening and 1 3/4 cups sugar until light and fluffy. Combine the flour, baking powder and salt; stir into the creamed mixture alternately with the milk, beginning and ending with the flour. Stir in vanilla and 1 cup coconut. In a separate glass or metal bowl, whip egg whites to soft peaks. Fold egg whites into the cake batter. Divide the batter evenly between the prepared pans.
• Bake for 35 minutes in the preheated oven, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cakes comes out clean. Cool cakes in pans over a wire rack. When cakes are cool enough to handle, tap out of the pan to cool completely. Spread the Citrus Coconut Filling between the layers, and frost the outside with fluffy white frosting.
• To make the Citrus Coconut Filling: Whisk together 1/2 cup sugar and cornstarch in a small saucepan. Add butter, coconut, and egg yolk, and cook over medium heat stirring constantly until the butter is melted, and the mixture has thickened. Remove from heat, and stir in the orange zest, orange juice and lemon juice.
• To make Fluffy White Frosting: Combine 1 cup sugar with corn syrup and water in a small saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally to dissolve sugar. Continue cooking without stirring, until the temperature is between 234 and 240 degrees F (112 to 116 degrees C), or until a small amount of syrup dropped into cold water forms a soft ball that flattens when removed from the water and placed on a flat surface. In a large glass or metal bowl, whip remaining 2 egg whites until soft peaks form. Pour the hot syrup in a thin stream into the egg whites while continuing to whip until thick and glossy. Stir in almond extract.

HOLIDAY AMBROSIA SALAD

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook until al dente, 5 to 7 minutes. Drain, transfer to a large bowl, and cool.
• Whisk the sugar, eggs, flour, salt, and reserved pineapple juice together in a saucepan until smooth. Cook and stir over medium heat until the mixture thickens. Pour over cooled pasta, and toss to coat evenly. Cover and refrigerate overnight, or at least 8 hours.
• Stir the pineapple chunks and mandarin oranges into the pasta mixture. Mix in the coconut if desired. Stir in the frozen whipped topping until evenly blended. Chill until serving.

HOLIDAY AMBROSIA CAKE

Steps:

• In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy, 5-7 minutes. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in extract. Combine the flour, baking powder and salt; add to the creamed mixture alternately with pineapple juice, beating well after each addition. Fold in the coconut, pineapple, macadamia nuts, raisins, mangoes and candied cherries., Transfer to a greased and floured 10-in. fluted tube pan. Bake at 350° until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 50-60 minutes. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pan to a wire rack to cool completely., In a small bowl, combine the confectioners' sugar, coconut milk and extracts. Drizzle over cake.

AMBROSIA CAKE

Steps:

• In a bowl combine the yello cake mix, the eggs, vegetable oil, water, and drained mandarin oranges.
• Pour batter evenly into 2 greased and floured cake pans.
• Bake at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes.
• Remove cake layers from the pans and cool completely.
• Combine the drained crushed pineapple, instant vanilla pudding, and Cool Whip. Spread the frosting on the top and sides of the cake layers.