The weather sucks...but this cake doesn't!

Pink Lemonade Cake...an old friend submitted it to me.  She has also sent me the Frozen Lemonade Pie...me thinks she likes lemonade.  Anyhow...this thing was freaking incredible.  Of course I had to make my own adjustments, which I will describe below.  As for now enjoy this entry and hope this fat kid survives the week of earthquakes and hurricanes in Maryland...speaking of hurricanes....that's one of my favorite adult beverages.  Think I will enjoy one with a piece of this killer cake!  

The hurricane is an extremely sweet alcoholic drink made with fruit juice, syrup or grenadine and rum. It is one of many popular drinks served in New Orleans.

 The creation of this passion fruit-colored relative of a Daiquiri drink is credited to New Orleans tavern owner Pat O'Brien. In the 1940s, he needed to create a new drink to help him get rid of all of the less popular rum that local distributors forced him to buy before he could get a few cases of more popular liquors such as scotch and whiskey. He poured the concoction into hurricane-lamp-shaped glasses and gave it away to sailors. The drink caught on, and it has been a mainstay in the French Quarter ever since. It is more commonly served in a disposable plastic cup, as New Orleans laws permit drinking in public and leaving a bar with a drink, but prohibit public drinking from glass or metal containers.   ---Got some irony to it doesn't it?

Hurricane

 Ingredients:

•2 oz light rum
•2 oz dark rum
•2 oz passion fruit juice
•1 oz orange juice
•juice of a half a lime
•1 Tbsp simple syrup
•1 Tbsp grenadine
•orange slice and cherry for garnish

 Preparation:

1.Squeeze juice from half a lime into shaker over ice.
2.Pour the remaining ingredients into the cocktail shaker.
3.Shake well.
4.Strain into a hurricane glass.
5.Garnish with a cherry and an orange slice.

Pink Lemonade Layer Cake

Recipe courtesy Paula Deen and Kerri

Ingredients

• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened, plus more, for coating pans
• 1 (18 1/4-ounce) box white cake mix
• 1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 3 tablespoons sweetened pink lemonade drink powder - I used unsweetened
• 1 pound confectioners' sugar
• 5 tablespoons frozen pink lemonade concentrate - I added more for a better lemon taste
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter 2 (8-inch) round cake pans and line the bottoms with parchment paper or waxed paper.

Prepare the cake batter according to the package directions. To the batter, stir in the lemon zest, vanilla, and pink lemonade powder. Pour the batter evenly into the prepared pans. Bake until golden and a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean, 30 to 35 minutes. Let the cakes cool in the pans for 10 minutes. Carefully turn the cakes out onto a wire rack to cool completely.

While the cake is baking, prepare the frosting by beating together the confectioners' sugar and remaining 1 cup butter until fluffy. Beat in the remaining frosting ingredients until combined.

Transfer one cake to a cake stand or large platter. Using an offset spatula, spread the top of the cake with a layer of frosting. Place the second cake on top of the first. Spread the remaining frosting over the top and sides of both layers.

I got fancey and garnished it for the photo!