Peanut Butter Cookies - grain-free

This recipe was found in the Wheatbelly 30 minute cookbook by Dr. William Davis. You can substitute and nut or seed butter for the peanut butter.

Peanut Butter Cookies - makes 30

1/2 cup all-purpose baking mix (see recipe below)
1/2 cup finely chopped peanuts
Sweetener equivalent to 3/4 cup sugar
2 cups natural peanut butter at room temperature
1 T. molasses
2 eggs
1 t. vanilla extract




All purpose baking mix (makes 5 cups)
4 cups almond meal or flour
1 cup ground golden flaxseeds
1/4 cup coconut flour
2 t. baking soda
1 t. ground psyllium seeds (optional)

Oven to 350 degrees

line baking sheets with parchment paper

In a large bowl combine baking mix, nuts, and sweetener. Stir in the peanut butter, molasses, eggs and vanilla and mix thoroughly.

Use a cookie scoop or tablespoon to scoop the mixture into 1 1/2 inch diameter mounds on the baking sheets. flatten slightly with your hands or with the tines of a fork in a crisscross pattern. Bake for 15 minutes or until slightly firm and very lightly browned. cool on the baking sheets for 1 minute and then place a wire rack to cool completely. Cookies will harden as they cool.

Strawberry or Raspberry Sorbet

Great recipe to serve on a hot summer day.

Strawberry Sorbert

Ingredients:

10 oz bag of frozen strawberries or other fruit
2 cups water
1/4 cup agave or honey

Place strawberries or fruit of your choice, water, and agave in blender. Blend on highest speed until smooth and creamy. Pour mixture into ice cream maker and process according to instructions.

Serve.

No Bake Peanut Butter Pie

This is a great recipe that Tim discovered on the internet for one of our special Saturday evenings. It was so easy to prepare that I'm sure we will have this many more times. If you're looking for a quick dessert, this is a great one to try. Total prep time was 20 minutes and then you place in the freezer for 2 hours. Tim modified the sugar in the recipe. It calls for 1 1/2 cups of confectioners sugar. He replaced it with Splenda sugar, cup for cup. I've included the original recipe along with the changes that Tim made. To make grain-free, eliminate graham cracker crust and make in glass dish and serve like ice cream.

Ingredients:

1 (8 oz) package cream cheese
1 1/2 cups confectioner sugar (Tim used Splenda Sugar)
1 cup peanut butter
1 cup milk
1 (16 oz) package cool Whip (Tim used no sugar Cool Whip)
2 9 inch prepared graham cracker crusts

Directions:

Beat together cream cheese and sugar. Mix in peanut butter and milk. Beat until smooth. Fold in whipped topping. Spoon into pie shells; cover and freeze until firm.

Grain-free Power Balls

 Power Bars from elanspantry.com . I get many of my grain-free recipes from this site.

GRAIN-FREE POWER BARS

Ingredients:

2 cups almonds (raw)

1/2 cup golden flax seeds

1/2 cup unsweetened shredded coconut

1/2 cup roasted almond butter ( i sometimes use peanut butter from Trader Joes)

1/2 t celtic sea salt

1/2 cup coconut oil

4 drops stevia

1 T honey

1 T vanilla extract

1 cup chocolate chunks (I use chocolate chips)

Place almonds, flax seed, coconut, almond butter or peanut butter and salt in a food processor. Pulse briefly, about 10 seconds. In a small sauce pan melt coconut oil over low heat. Remove and stir in stevia, honey and vanilla. Add coconut mixture to food processor and pulse until ingredients form a coarse paste. Press mixture into an 8x8 inch baking dish. Chill in refrigerator for 1  hour until mixture hardens. In small saucepan melt chocolate over low heat stirring continuously. Spread melted chocolate over bars. Return to refrigerator until bars harden. Remove and cut into bite size bars. I then store in container in freezer.

Cinnamon Bun Muffins using coconut flour

I found this on the healthy recipe site, http://comfybelly.com/

CINNAMON BUN MUFFINS (USING COCONUT FLOUR)

Muffin Ingredients (makes about 8 muffins)

• 1/2 cup of coconut flour
• 1/4 teaspoon of baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon of sea salt
• 4 eggs
• 1/3 cup of yogurt
• 1/2 cup of honey (or other sweetener)

Cinnamon Topping Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons of ground cinnamon
• 4 tablespoons of honey (or other sweetener)
• 2 tablespoons of unsalted butter, melted (ghee or coconut oil will work too)
• 1/4 cup of chopped walnuts (optional; or other nut)

Method

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.
2. For the muffins, combine all the dry in ingredients and blend well.
3. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and use a mixer to blend (get rid of any clumps of flour), or blend well by hand.
4. Fill muffin or cupcake liners about 3/4 of the way with batter.
5. Drip the cinnamon topping over the top of each muffin. Some of it will sink into the muffin batter. You can use a toothpick to poke the topping into the batter, to get more of the topping to spread into the batter.
6. Bake for about 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of a cupcake comes out clean.
7. Cool and enjoy! Store for a few days at room temperature (covered) or keep in the refrigerator for a week or so.

Chocolate chip banana cake

This recipe comes from the cookbook " The gluten-free almond flour cookbook".  This cake is so good, that even my non gluten- free friends loved  it. Perfect recipe to use over-ripe bananas.  If you want a simple banana cake, eliminate the chocolate.

Ingredients:

3 cups blanched almond flour

1/2 tsp sea salt

1 tsp baking soda

1/4 cup grapeseed oil

1/4 cup agave nectar

3 large eggs

1 tbl vanilla extract

1 cup  coarsely chopped dark chocolate

1 cup (2-3) mashed very ripe bananas

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9 inch cake pan with grapeseed oil and dust with almond floor.

In large bowl, combine the almond four, salt, and baking soda. In a medium bowl, whisk together the grapeseed oil, agave nectar, eggs and vanilla extract. Stir the wet ingredients into the almond flour mixture until thoroughly combined. Fold in the chocolate and bananas. Scoop the batter into the prepared cake pan.

Bake for 35-45 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Let the cake cook in the pan for 1 hour, then serve. 

Another great dessert that doesn't use dairy, flour or sugar. If you're carb counting, the results are at the end of the recipe. Enjoy this healthy alternative versus a cake that uses flour.

The best part about this cake is that it's totally budget-friendly. It's basically beans, eggs, and cocoa. That gives you no excuse to not try it, ya hear?
Healthy Flourless Chocolate Cake
Adapted from a recipe at LowCarbFriends

Makes a 9" one layer cake

Ingredients:
1-15 ounce can of unseasoned black beans
OR 1 1/2 cup cooked beans, any color
5 large eggs
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
6 tablespoons unsalted organic butter OR unrefined coconut oil
3/4 cup erythritol + 1/2 teaspoon pure stevia extract

OR 1/2 cup honey + 1 teaspoon pure stevia extract

OR 1 1/4 cup Splenda (using Splenda is not recommended)
6 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon aluminum-free baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 tablespoon water (omit if using honey)

Mint Chocolate variation:
2 teaspoons mint extract (in place of 2 teaspoons vanilla)

Preparation:
Preheat oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit. Spray a 9" cake pan with extra virgin olive oil cooking spray, or just grease it with a thin layer of butter. Dust cocoa all over the inside of the pan, tapping to evenly distribute. Cut a round of parchment paper and line the bottom of the pan, then spray the parchment lightly.

Drain and rinse beans in a strainer or colander. Shake off excess water. Place beans, 3 of the eggs, vanilla, stevia (if using) and salt into blender. Blend on high until beans are completely liquefied. No lumps! Whisk together cocoa powder, baking soda, and baking powder. Beat butter with sweetener (erythritol or honey) until light and fluffy. Add remaining two eggs, beating for a minute after each addition. Pour bean batter into egg mixture and mix. Finally, stir in cocoa powder and water (if using), and beat the batter on high for one minute, until smooth. Scrape batter into pan and smooth the top. Grip pan firmly by the edges and rap it on the counter a few times to pop any air bubbles.

Bake for 40-45 minutes. Cake is done with the top is rounded and firm to the touch. After 10 minutes, turn out cake from pan, and flip over again on to a cooling rack. Let cool until cake reaches room temperature, then cover in plastic wrap or with cake dome (I use an overturned plastic chip bowl). For BEST flavor, let cake sit over night. I promise this cake will not have a hint of beaniness after letting it sit for eight hours! If you are stacking this cake, level the top with a long serrated knife, shaving off layers until it is flat and even. Frost immediately before serving
~57.6g net carbs for the whole cake using erythritol/stevia.
~5.7g net carbs per 1/10th
~125.6g net carbs for the whole cake using honey/stevia.
~12.56g net carbs per 1/10th

Vanilla bean cake - gluten free

Great recipe from http://www.thespunkycoconut.com

Vanilla Bean Cake:

Add to food processor:

2 cups cooked white beans, room temperature, so they don't cook the eggs (I made mine myself by soaking dry white beans overnight. In the morning I rinsed them well, and cooked them.)

6 eggs

3/4 tsp vanilla liquid stevia (do not measure over the batter, just in case it spills out)

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/3 cup honey

Puree well.

Add:

1/4 cup coconut oil, liquified

1/3 cup coconut flour, sifted

1/2 tsp sea salt

1 tsp baking soda

1.5 tsp baking powder (Grain-free Baking Powder Recipe)

Puree well.

Pour into springform pan, lined with unbleached parchment paper on the bottom, and greased all around.

Bake at 325 degrees for about 30 minutes. (I like to check to see if it's done by inserting a knife into the middle. If it's comes out mostly clean, it's done.) Bake for about 22 minutes for cupcakes.

Frosting:

Melt over double boiler:

1.5 bars of 3.2 oz dark chocolate (about 3/4 cup of chocolate chips)

3/4 cup coconut milk

When the chocolate has just barely melted, remove from heat.

Add:

2 tbsp honey

10 drops liquid stevia

2 to 4 tbsp coconut flour, sifted.

Refrigerate until the frosting has cooled, about 15 minutes. (You know it's ready when it is the texture of frosting.)

When the cake has cooled fully, top the cake with the frosting.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Cheesecake Balls

Quick gluten-free dessert.

Ingredients:


1 (8 oz) package cream cheese,softened
¼ cup butter, softened
¼ cup creamy peanut butter
½ cup sugar
2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1 cup finely chopped nuts, toasted (I used walnuts)

With an electric mixer at medium speed beat together all ingredients except nuts until creamy and well mixed. Cover and chill at least 2 hours. Shape chilled mixture into small balls (about 1 tablespoon each). Roll balls in nuts. Serve well chilled.

Garbanzo Bean Chocolate Cake

This is a great gluten free dessert. I've served it a couple of times to friends and they had no idea it was made with garbanzo beans and no flour.
                                                                                                                                                                       


INGREDIENTS:
1 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
1 (19 ounce) can garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained
4 eggs
3/4 cup white sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 tablespoon confectioners' sugar for dusting



DIRECTIONS: 1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour a 9 inch round cake pan. 2. Place the chocolate chips into a microwave-safe bowl. Cook in the microwave for about 2 minutes, stirring every 20 seconds after the first minute, until chocolate is melted and smooth. If you have a powerful microwave, reduce the power to 50 percent. 3. Combine the beans and eggs in the bowl of a food processor. Process until smooth. Add the sugar and the baking powder, and pulse to blend. Pour in the melted chocolate and blend until smooth, scraping down the corners to make sure chocolate is completely mixed. Transfer the batter to the prepared cake pan. 4. Bake for 40 minutes in the preheated oven, or until a knife inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Cool in the pan on a wire rack for 10 to 15 minutes before inverting onto a serving plate. Dust with confectioners' sugar just before serving.

Lemon Cheesecake Bars

A middle cream cheese layer makes these a change — for the better — from the usual lemon squares.

Ingredients

4 eggs
1-1/4 cups granulated sugar
2 tbsp finely grated lemon rind
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tbsp powdered sugar

Cheesecake Layer:
1 pkg cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 egg

Base:
30 lemon social tea cookies
1/2 cup butter, melted

Directions

Line 13- x 9-inch metal cake pan with parchment paper or grease.

Base: In food processor, crush cookies to make 2 cups ; pulse in butter until moistened. Press into prepared pan. Bake in center of 325°F (160°C) oven until firm, about 12 minutes. Let cool on rack.

Cheesecake Layer: In bowl, beat cream cheese with sugar until smooth; beat in egg. Spread over base. Set aside.

In bowl, beat eggs with sugar until thickened. Beat in lemon rind and juice, flour and baking powder until smooth; pour over cheese layer. Bake in center of 325°F (160°C) oven until edges are set and brown, 35 minutes. Let cool on rack

Chocolate Mocha Dessert

Tim found this recipe in The Best Cook on the Block Cookbook, volume 3. The recipe is by Terry Sullivan.

This is a chocolate and coffee flavored frozen dessert that is something like Tiramisu. Use a glass serving bowl to show off the layers.

Ingredients:

1 cup semisweet chocolate pieces
1/4 cup water
1 T light corn syrup
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/8 tsp salt
Whites of 2 large eggs
1/4 cup sugar
1 cup whipping cream
1 cup light brown sugar
1 T instant coffee powder (not freeze dried)
1/2 tsp almond extract
1/2 cup ground walnuts
2 T creme de cocoa
Whipped cream for garnish

In small saucepan, combine chocolate pieces, water and corn syrup. Heat mixture over very low heat stirring with wooden spoon until chocolate is melted.

Remove from heat and add vanilla and salt. Transfer to large mixing bowl and cool.

In another bowl (not plastic) beat egg whites until frothy. Add sugar, a little at a time, and continue beating until mixture is stiff.

Stir 1/3 of egg mixture into chocolate mixture and then fold in remaining egg white mixture.

In chilled bowl, beat cream until it holds soft peaks. While beating, add brown sugar and then coffee powder and almond extract. Continue beating until mixture holds stiff peaks.

Have walnuts and creme de cocoa ready. Spread 1/3 of chocolate mixture in bottom of 1 1/2 quart serving bowl. Sprinkle with half of walnuts and half of creme de cocoa. Top with half of cream mixture. Repeat layers ending with layer of chocolate mixture.

Cover bowl and freeze dessert at least 6 hours. Served garnished with whipped cream. Makes 6-8 servings.

Mom K's Carrot Cale

This is Mom K's no frosting carrot cake. Tim has experimented to reduce the amount of oil in the cake but each time he does, the cake loses it's moistness. So he decided just to keep it as is.

Ingredients

1 1/2 C oil
2 C sugar (1 dark brown, 1 white)
3 C flour
4 eggs
2 tsp cinnamon
2 tsp allspice
2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 C Milk
2 C grated carrots (about 8 large)
1 C nuts (optional)

Mix wet with dry. Bake in form pan for around 1 hour at 350 degrees.

Triple Nut Chocolate Tart

Tim found this recipe in the November/December 2008 Vegetarian Times magazine. The pie taste so much better the next day. One change Tim would make. Instead of making the crust from scratch he would use a Pillsbury crust that you find in the dairy section of the store.



Ingredients:

Crust

* 1 cup pastry flour
* ½ cup cornmeal
* 2 Tbs. sugar
* ¼ tsp. salt
* ½ cup vegan margarine (1 stick)
* 1 tsp. vanilla extract

or use an already prepared pie crust from your favorite store.


Filling

* 3 cups mixed walnuts, pecans, and almonds (1 cup each), coarsely chopped
* ¼ cup vegan margarine (½ stick)
* 5 oz. bittersweet chocolate, chopped or in chips
* 2 Tbs. pastry flour
* ¼ tsp. salt
* ½ cup maple syrup
* 2 tsp. vanilla extract

Directions
1. To make Crust: Combine flour, cornmeal, sugar, and salt in bowl.
Rub margarine into flour mixture with fingers until mixture is crumbly. Sprinkle in vanilla, and stir. Add 1 to 2 Tbs. cold water until dough clumps together loosely. Press dough into pie dish or tart pan until sides and bottom are covered. Chill in freezer 30 minutes.

2. To make Filling: Preheat oven to 375°F. Spread nuts on baking sheet,
and bake 10 to 12 minutes, until lightly browned.

3. Melt margarine and chocolate in saucepan over low heat, stirring until smooth. Sprinkle in flour and salt, and stir until smooth. Stir in maple syrup and vanilla. Stir in nuts.

4. Spread nut mixture in piecrust. Bake 25 minutes, or until crust is golden and filling is firm. Cool on wire rack at least 20 minutes before serving.

Grandma K's Poticia

Potica (paw teet zah) is a Slovenian Nut Bread made with walnuts.

Last week while over at his mother's house, Tim acquired the potica recipe that his grandmother use to make when he was younger.

Through our 30 years of marriage I've tried almost every potica recipe. According to Tim, none of them tasted like the potica that his grandmother made.

Last weekend Tim tried the recipe. Since this was his first attempt at a yeast bread, he said next time he would make some changed in rolling up the dough with the filling in.

This is a two day bread. Once you make the dough it needs to go into the refrigerator over night and can be finished the following morning.

Ingredients:

4 C flour
3 T sugar
1 1/2 t salt
1 stick plus 1 T butter
1 cake compressed yeast or 1 dry package
1/4 C lukewarm water
3 egg yolks beater
1 C half and half or 1/2 C of half and half and 1/2 C sour cream (scalded and cooled)

Filling:

1 C milk scalded
1 pound of ground walnuts
1 stick of butter
1 C sugar
rind of 1/2 lemon, grated
1/2 t cinnamon
3 egg whites, stiffly beaten

Directions:

Mix flour, with sugar and salt. Cut in 1 stick of butter until all butter is absorbed. Dissolve yeast in lukewarm water and let stand until it foams. Mix egg yolks and cream; add foaming yeast. Gradually add this mixture to flour mixture; beat until it gets too heavy to beat. Stir with wooden spoon until dough doesn't stick to bowl and all flour is absorbed. Place dough on floured board and knead until smooth. Place in bowl, grease top, cover and refrigerate overnight.

Next morning remove from refrigerator 1/2 hour before rolling out. Place dough on well floured cloth and roll as thin as possible into a rectangle about 18 by 24 inches. Spread with filling starting with 24 inch end, roll up jellyroll fashion pulling dough slightly. Cut roll in 3. Seal ends and place in greased 9 x 5 loaf pans and cover with cloth. Let rise 1 1/2 - 2 hours in warm place.

Bake in 325 oven for around one hours. Remove from oven, brush with 1 tsp. butter. After 15 minutes remove from pans.

Santa's Simple Truffles

I found this recipe in the Las Vegas Review Journal . In 2008 they held their annual candy contest and people from all over the area sent in their recipes. Ten finalist were asked to submit samples of their candies. A panel of 11 judges picked this recipe by Jennise Cicala of Las Vegas, as their number one choice. I made this for the holidays and I have to admit they were awesome. This is a very easy recipe to make and only requires three ingredients. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

1 18-ounce package Oreo cookies
8 ounch cream cheese softened
12 ounce semisweet chocolate morsels

Crush Oreos with rolling pin or food processor. Add or pulse in cream cheese. Form into small balls and refrigerate for 30-60 minutes until set. Melt chocolate morsels in a double boilder. Coat trffles with chocolate and shake off excess. Refrigerate utnil set. Makes about 5-6 dozen small truffles.

Chocolate, chocolate cake

This recipe was found in an old cook book. It is an incredibly moist and rich. Instead of a frosting sprinkle with a little powder sugar. Perfect cake for entertaining and freezes well.




INGREDIENTS:
1 (18.25 ounce) package dark chocolate cake mix
1 (3.9 ounce) package instant chocolate pudding mix
1 (16 ounce) container sour cream
3 eggs
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup coffee flavored liqueur
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

DIRECTIONS:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour a 10 inch Bundt pan.
2. In a large bowl, combine cake mix, pudding mix, sour cream, eggs, oil and coffee liqueur. Beat until ingredients are well blended. Fold in chocolate chips. Batter will be thick. Spoon into prepared pan.
3. Bake in preheated oven for 1 hour, or until cake springs back when lightly tapped. Cool 10 minutes in pan, then turn out and cool completely on wire rack.

Debbie's Grape Fruit Salad

My sister-in-law Debbie has been making this great grape salad for all the family get togethers. Last week she finally shared the recipe. This pictures does not do the salad justice so I'll have to take a better picture when I make it again. You can use green or red grapes or combine them.





Ingredients:

1 8 oz. cream cheese
1 8 oz. sour cream
1 t. vanilla
1/2 C sugar
3 pounds of grapes (red, green or both)
brown sugar
1 pkg. chopped pecans

Mix cream cheese, sour cream, vanilla and sugar. Put grapes in the above mixture and stir to cover the grapes. Sprinkle brown sugar on top and refrigerate. The brown sugar will carmelize and seep between the grapes. Add pecans to the top before serving.

Debbie doubles the recipe and uses a larger glass container.

Frozen Peanut Butter Pie

Kristin came home for the weekend and brought Tim this pie that she made special for him for father's day. It was so good that I had to put it on the blog.

From Kristin - I don’t think most people realize how easy it is to make a pie. Many varieties don’t require fruit-slicing, baking, nor much time spent slaving away in the kitchen.

My favorite pie cookbook is Betty’s Pies Favorite Recipes, which I purchased in Duluth, Minnesota, when I ran the Grandma’s Marathon there last Spring. Betty’s Pies is a Duluth landmark, and I’ve been fascinated with making pies ever since vising and reading Betty’s cookbook, which contains many of her little stories and tips from a lifetime of pie-making.

I made the following pie from Betty’s cookbook this past weekend, and it’s one of my new favorites. It’s very quick and simple, not to mention fantastically delicious, and the nice thing is that you can keep it in the freezer until you find yourself needing to pop out a treat for unexpected visitors or attend a potluck. This one’s definitely a keeper and will certainly be a summertime favorite. Enjoy!

Frozen Peanut Butter Pie
1 chocolate pie crust (purchased)
1 ½ cups powdered sugar
1 cup peanut butter (smooth or crunchy)
1 8 oz. package cream cheese, softened
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup heavy cream, whipped

Blend sugar, peanut butter, cream cheese and vanilla until smooth. Transfer to a large bowl. In a separate bowl, beat whipping cream to form soft peaks. Fold half the peanut butter mixture into the cream–then fold in the other half. Pour into pie shell and freeze 3 hours or more. Let stand at room temperature 20 minutes before serving.

Triple-layer carrot cake with cream cheese frosting

This recipe is from Bon Appétit October 1994. Kristin found it on the Epicurious website. She made this for her friend's birthday party and it was a big hit.

Ingredients:

Cake
2 cups sugar
1 1/2 cups vegetable oil
4 large eggs
2 cups all purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
3 cups finely grated peeled carrots (about 1 pound)
1/2 cup chopped pecans (about 1/2 ounce)
1/2 cup raisins

Frosting
4 cups powdered sugar
2 8-ounce packages cream cheese, room temperature
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
4 teaspoons vanilla extract

Preparation:

For cake:
Preheat oven to 325°F. Lightly grease three 9-inch-diameter cake pans with 1 1/2-inch-high sides. Line bottom of pans with waxed paper. Lightly grease waxed paper. Using electric mixer, beat sugar and vegetable oil in bowl until combined. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Sift flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg into sugar and oil mixture. Stir in carrots, chopped pecans and raisins.

Pour batter into prepared pans, dividing equally. Bake until toothpick inserted into center comes out clean and cakes begin to pull away from sides of pans, about 45 minutes. Cool in pans on racks 15 minutes. Turn out cakes onto racks and cool completely. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Wrap tightly in plastic and store at room temperature.)

For frosting:
Using electric mixer, beat all ingredients in medium bowl until smooth and creamy.

Place 1 cake layer on platter. Spread with 3/4 cup frosting. Top with another cake layer. Spread with 3/4 cup frosting. Top with remaining cake layer. Using icing spatula, spread remaining frosting in decorative swirls over sides and top of cake. (Can be prepared 2 days ahead. Cover with cake dome and refrigerate.) Serve cake cold or at room temperature.