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.

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