Blog With Friends: Beat the Heat

Today’s post is the next in our series of Blog With Friends theme collaborations. Each month a group of bloggers get together and each publish a project based on a theme. What I love about this partnership is that it’s not bloggers with similar interests or strengths but a diverse group coming up with a variety of posts. In any given month we may have a recipe, sewing tutorial, crafts projects, book review and/or a technology post all related to the theme of the month.

There will be individual project pictures and links to what everyone else has to offer at the end of my post, but here’s a peek at what we all came up with:

This month our theme is Beat the Heat. For my contribution, I've made a Lemon Lime Poke Cake.

Let me explain.

I live in the Midwest but grew up on the East Coast. "Beat the heat" always meant driving to the shore and spend a glorious day swimming and sunbathing. I miss the ocean more than I can say. Honestly, if I could have baked an ocean for this post and stuck it in my back yard, I would have. Sadly, no such luck.

The next best thing was going to be something refreshing and what I think of is something cold and something citrus. The boys wanted a cake so a citrus version of a poke cake made with a lemon lime soda and jello then covered in whipped cream seemed perfect.

I first made the cake, using the soda and lemon flavoring. 

Once completely cooled I infused it with the lime jello, made with more of the soda.

I covered the cake in a layer of lemon flavored whipped cream and completely cooled it again before cutting and serving.

Lemon Lime Poke Cake 

Light and refreshing, it's the perfect dessert to beat the heat.

As always, any time you make one of my recipes, feel free to post a picture of it to my Baking In A Tornado Facebook Page. I'd love to see it!

Be sure to visit all of this month's other Blog With Friends projects:


Rabia of The Lieber Family Blog shares how to make a Water Bottle Holder. It's easier to stay hydrated using this Water Bottle Sling.

Lydia of Cluttered Genius shares her summer tips for Fun Ways to Beat the Heat. 

Jenn of Sparkly Poetic Weirdo shares tips on how to keep our pets calm and cool in Beat the Heat: Pet Edition.

Sarah of The Momisodes tells us how to beat the heat while Saving on Back to School Shopping.

Eileen of Eileen's Perpetually Busy shares how to make an absorbent, washable bandana for working outdoors. Sun Blocking Head Wrap.

Melissa of Home on Deranged shares Beverages to Keep Your Cool in Summer.

Lemon Lime Poke Cake

                                            ©www.BakingInATornado.com

Printable Recipe

Ingredients:
1 1/2 sticks butter, softened
1 1/2 cups sugar
3 eggs, room temperature
1 cup lemon lime soda, room temperature
2 tsp lemon extract
1 tsp lemon zest
2 1/4 cups flour
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp baking powder

1 (3 oz) package lime jello mix
1 cup boiling water
1/2 cup lemon lime soda

2 cups heavy cream
2 tps lemon extract 
1/3 cup powdered sugar

OPT: yellow  and green food coloring

Directions:
*Grease and flour a 9 X 13 baking pan. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
*Cream the butter and sugar. Beat in the eggs, soda, lemon extract, food coloring if using and lemon zest.
*Starting at your lowest speed beat in the flour, salt and baking powder just until incorporated, then increase speed to medium and beat for 2 minutes.
*Pour evenly into prepared pan.
*Bake for approximately 25 - 30 minutes or until the edges just barely start to brown and the center springs back to the touch.
*Cool completely.
* Stir jello and 1 cup boiling water until the jello dissolves. Stir in the 1/2 cup soda.
*Using the bottom of a wooden spoon and/or chopstick, make approximately 40 holes in the cake. Make the holes of different depths but not all the way to the bottom of the pan.
*Slowly pour the jello over the cake allowing the holes in the cake to fill with the jello.
*Refrigerate while making the frosting.
*Beat cream until soft peaks form. Beat in the lemon extract and powdered sugar. 
*OPT: If you're using food coloring, remove about a cup of the cream to a small bowl and mix in green food coloring for decorating. Add yellow food coloring to the rest of the cream and continue beating until firm peaks hold.
*Frost cake. Cover and store in refrigerator.