Lainy’s first recipe choice is a Root Beer Bundt cake

Food Network’s ‘The Big, Fun Kids Baking Book” was a Christmas gift of granddaughter Lainy Rea–perfect for her as she is a lover of all things sweet, and chocolate.
Before this cookbook, the extent of our baking together was cookies (with lots of icing and sprinkles) and decorated brownies.

In looking through the recipes, I thought the three grands might all enjoy the Root Beer Bundt Cake, since they like root beer. (And chocolate is involved.) Lainy agreed that would be a good one.
It was a good cake, and the kids all liked it, even though it didn’t taste as much like root beer as they expected it to. (They did get to drink the root beer that was left over.)
I asked her to pick the recipe she’d like to make next out of her new book.

Her choice was Lemonade Pinwheels, selected, of course, by the picture and not the length of directions.
At some point we will try the pinwheels. Lainy likes to do things in the kitchen, but she doesn’t really like to have much ‘help’ in the process, so I hope we can make it through the duration of those instructions. But if it’s lemon, it’s got to be good!
Lainy is the daughter of Sam and Abby Hillhouse Rea.

Root Beer Bundt Cake
1 stick unsalted butter, plus more for the pan
2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
2 1/4 cups root beer
1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 oz. bittersweet chocolate, chopped
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar
1 1/4 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. ground allspice
1 tsp. salt
3 large eggs, lightly beaten
For the Glaze:
1/4 cup root beer
Pinch of salt
2 1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
Preheat oven to 325°. Butter a 12-cup bundt pan and dust with flour, tapping out excess. Heat 2 cups root bear, cocoa powder chocolate and butter in large saucepan over medium heat until butter melts. Add granulated and brown sugars and stir with whisk until dissolved. Remove from heat and let cool. Combine flour, baking soda, allspice and salt in medium bowl with whisk. Whisk beaten eggs into saucepan with root beer mixture. Gently stir in flour mixture with a rubber spatula (batter will be slightly lumpy. Scrape batter into bundt pan using spatula. Bake, rotating pan with oven mitts halfway through, until a toothpick inserted into center of cake comes out clean, 55 minutes to 1 hour. Remove pan from oven with oven mitts. Put pan on rack, then gently poke the warm cake all over with a skewer. Pour remaining 1/4 cup root beer over cake. Let cool in pan, 20 minutes. Turn cake onto serving plate and let cool completely. Meanwhile, make the glaze: Whisk root beer, salt, confectioners’ sugar and vanilla in bowl until smooth. Pour glaze over cake.

Lemonade Pinwheels
2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1 1/2 sticks (12 Tbsp.) unsalted butter,
at room temperature
2/3 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
1/2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1/4 tsp. pure lemon extract
1/4 cup lemon gelatin powder (from one 3-oz. box)
2 Tbsp. grated lemon zest (from 2 lemons),
plus 1 tsp. lemon juice
1/2 tsp. yellow gel food coloring
2 Tbsp. yellow sanding sugar
1 Tbsp. coarse white sugar
Mix flour, salt, baking powder and baking soda in medium bowl with whisk. In large bowl, beat butter and granulated sugar with mixer on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, 3-5 minutes. Beat in egg, then vanilla and lemon extract. Reduce mixer speed to low and beat in flour mixture until just combined. Remove half the dough to large piece of plastic wrap, flatten into a disk and wrap. Add 2 Tbsp. gelatin powder, lemon zest and juice, and yellow gel food coloring to remaining dough. Beat with mixer until combined. Scrape out onto another piece of plastic wrap, flatten into a disk and wrap. Refrigerate both disks until firm, at least 2 hours or overnight. Roll out each disk of dough with rolling pin into 10×11” rectangle on lightly floured surface. Put plain dough on top of yellow dough and trim edges with sharp knife. Sprinkle 1 Tbsp. yellow sanding sugar over top of dough and gently spread to evenly cover. Starting with a long end, roll up dough into a tight log. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm, at least 3 hours or overnight. Preheat oven to 350°. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Mix remaining 2 Tbsp. gelatin powder, 1 Tbsp. yellow sanding sugar and coarse white sugar in small bowl and sprinkle on a sheet of parchment. Roll dough log in sugar mixture. Press to adhere. Using a sharp knife, slice log into 3/8” thick rounds. Place 1 1/2” apart on baking sheets. Bake until set around edges, about 15 minutes. Remove pans from oven with oven mitts. Let cookies cool 5 minutes on pans, then use spatula to move cookies to racks to cool completely.