Christmas in July

Who doesn't love holiday desserts? And what better time to make them than in the hot month of July. While the East Coast was experiencing the hottest days of summer, I was busy coming up with a perfect holiday cake that I could use to enter the Southern Living Holiday Cake Recipe Contest. The contest rules: Use one of the 5 cake batter recipes that they provide you, then come up with your own filling and frosting to make a creative, and delicious, holiday cake. The cake must be mostly white on the outside because it is for Southern Living's December holiday cover. I took inspiration from a classic Italian dessert, Spumoni, for my cake creation.

The Batter

Southern Living had 5 recipes for cake batter available. I chose the Chocolate Velvet Cake Batter which you can find here, along with the other cake recipes.

1 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips, 1/2 cup butter (softened), 16oz box light brown sugar,
3 large eggs, 2 cups flour, 1 tsp baking soda, 1/2 tsp salt, 1 8oz sour cream,
1 cup hot water, 2 tsp vanilla

Dry ingredients: Sift together flour, baking soda and salt in separate bowl.

Beat butter and sugar for 5 minutes. Add egg 1 at a time.

In the mean time, melt chocolate chips in microwave safe bowl.

Add melted chocolate.


Gradually add flour mixture and sour cream to the chocolate batter.
Alternate between the two, beginning and ending with the flour mixture.
Add hot water in a slow, steady stream, beating just until blended. Add vanilla.

Divide among 3-9 inch can pans. Bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes.
Cool completely before adding filling or frosting. 

Pistachio and Cherry Pudding Filling

I recommend making the filling first so it has time to set in the refrigerator.



2 packages of pistachio pudding, 2 1/2 cups of cold milk, 1 cup heavy whipping cream,
1/4 cup chopped pistachios, 20 chopped maraschino cherries.



Cream Cheese Frosting

2-8oz cream cheese, 1 stick of butter (room temperature), 2 1/2 cups confectioner's sugar, 
3 Tbsp milk, 1 - 1 1/2 cups cool whip, 1/2 cup chopped pistachios. 

Cream together cream cheese and butter. Add sugar and milk in 3 parts, alternating for each addition.
Mix until blended.

Fold in cool whip and pistachios.

The Final Product!



Once the cakes have cooled completely, add the filling between the 3 layers. When the cake has been assembled, frost the entire cake.

Add a few maraschino cherries and pistachios to the top of the cake for garnish.

Overall, this was one of the best cake batters I have ever had. I am looking forward to trying some of the other ones that were recommended on the contest website. I found that the cake tasted best when kept cold in the refrigerator. This allowed for the pudding center to stay solid and the cream cheese frosting tastes better cold than at room temperature. The cake was enjoyed by many! Fingers crossed that my Chocolate Pistachio Pudding Cake wins the Southern Living contest!