Divine Mercy Cake

This is the best red velvet cake! Your family will remember this cake and it brings a Catholic Faith lesson alive! The three tiers represent the Holy Trinity: the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. The red and white colors symbolize the Precious Blood of Christ and the Gift of the Holy Spirit and Baptism. Divine Mercy Sunday is always the first Sunday after Easter and reflects back to Jesus dying on the Cross for you. I have a more detailed explanation from my Building the Family Cookbook at the end of the recipe ~

Sometimes we do not realize the power of love shown forth when a mother bakes a cake for her family! It is often discounted or even frowned upon – are you trying to make everyone fat?! Cakes and good food are little acts of love that a family remembers. The world’s diets and dieting have really attacked this special kind of love and bonding. We fear food to the point we do not eat together as families anymore. We try to control food by removing fat and sugars or adding things to it such as different plant DNA found in genetically modified food (GMO). This reflects our lost peace with food and appreciation for the food God created! Light Weigh One King and Light Weigh restore peace with food and peace in so many areas of life and this is very important in order to lead a happy healthy life! I too used to think you could not eat cakes like this and lose weight and stay slim – but then I wrote Light Weigh for my own struggle with food and learned it is completely possible not be controlled by food anymore and others have learned it too! :)

350 degree oven

Trace your pans onto parchment paper and then cut out the circle. Save the remnant at the end for turning out your cakes onto the cooling racks later.

Lightly butter three 9” cake pans, line with parchment paper & butter paper too.

Put your softened butter in a large mixing bowl & beat butter until creamy.

Add sugar in stages ½ c. at a time (1 ½ c. total), beating until light and fluffy.

Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each.

In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together 2 ½ c. Non GMO flour and 1 t. baking soda.

Pour the red food coloring to the butter mixture.

Beat red food coloring. Look at how beautiful it is!

Combine 1 c. buttermilk, 1 t. cocoa powder, 1 t. organic rice vinegar & 1 t. vanilla. Stir it around a little

Now add a third of the flour & beat to combine.

Now add a third of the buttermilk mixture & beat to combine.

Add a third of the flour again & beat. Add the rest of the buttermilk mixture again & beat.

Now add the rest of the flour & beat.

Divide equally between the three prepared cake pans

Gently even out batter and smooth to the edge of the pan.

Bake 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

Allow pans to cool on wire racks for 10 minutes.

Loosen cakes by gently running a knife or rubber spatula around the edge of each pan.

Place a plate on the top of the cake and invert cake onto plate (it is upside down now).

Now place a cooling rack with your remnant of parchment paper onto bottom of cake and re-invert it onto the cooling rack.

Allow your cakes to cool completely.

While the cakes are cooling you can make the frosting. Beat the softened butter and softened cream cheese until creamy.

Sift the powdered sugar and grind any large chunks through the screen.

Add the sifted powdered sugar in stages.

Now you are already! So set the frosting aside until the cakes have cooled completely.

When cakes are cool, place the first layer on your prettiest plate or cake stand. And put a healthy dollop of frosting on top. Gently spread it around.

Now carefully add the second layer. And put a healthy dollop of frosting on top.

Spread the frosting. It’s so fun to do!

Now add the third layer. Can you believe how pretty it is?

Frost the top. Sometime I am going to leave it like this, so the sides show.

For now though it is all going to be frosted, so start on the sides.

Beautiful!

Let’s cut a piece and see how pretty it is!

And this is how I build my family!

Feast of Our Lord’s Divine Mercy

“For we ourselves were once foolish, disobedient, led astray, slaves to various passions and pleasures, passing our days in malice and envy, hated by men and hating one another; but when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of deeds done by us in righteousness, but in virtue of his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal in the Holy Spirit, which he poured out upon us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that we might be justified by his grace and become heirs in hope of eternal life.” Titus 3:3-7

The feast of Our Lord’s Divine Mercy is always the first Sunday after Easter. God’s mercy is such a gift to us! Did you know there is no sin greater than God’s mercy? If you believe your sins are greater than God’s mercy, it is actually the sin of pride. You may feel that God’s mercy is for everyone else but you, that you are somehow different, but you are not different and God’s mercy is for you! You are precious to God and He loves you more than you can imagine, right where you are now.

The steps to receive the gift of God’s mercy are: go to confession and confess your sin. Do not make excuses for what you did as God knows everything. You must be truly sorry for having sinned against God and be determined not to sin again. You must do the penance given to you by the priest. One more thing is key – You must not defend the right of anyone else to sin as you did, or you will negate the grace of forgiveness and block God’s grace in your life.

On February 22, 1931, Jesus appeared to St. Faustina and revealed His message of Divine Mercy. He told her to have an image painted, as He had appeared to her, with the inscription, “Jesus, I trust in You.” Jesus was wearing a white robe. A white ray and red ray were emanating from His Sacred Heart. Our Lord spoke to her,

“The pale ray stands for the water [Baptism & gift of the Holy Spirit] which makes souls righteous; the red ray stands for the Blood [Precious Blood of Christ] which is the life of souls. These two rays issued forth from the depths of My most tender mercy at that time when My agonizing Heart was opened by a lance on the Cross….”

“But one of the soldiers pierced his side with a spear, and at once there came out blood and water. He who saw it has borne witness - his testimony is true, and he knows that he tells the truth - that you also may believe. For these things took place that the scripture might be fulfilled, ‘Not a bone of him shall be broken.’[Ex.12:46, Num. 9:12, Ps. 34:20] And again another scripture says, ‘They shall look on him whom they have pierced.’ [Zech 12:10]” John 19:34-37

Jesus told St. Faustina, “My Heart overflows with great mercy for souls, and especially for poor sinners….It is for them that the Blood and water flowed from My Heart as from a fount overflowing with mercy. For I dwell in the tabernacle as King of Mercy (Diary, 367). God wants us to receive His mercy and let it flow through us to others. He wants us to extend love and forgiveness to others just as He does. The Crucifixion shows forth God’s mercy. Although we may trust in God’s Mercy, we must not turn to our own way, but live our lives avoiding sin, and never excusing, condoning or even defending sin. Mercy is a gift from Jesus, not to be presumed upon, but is call from God and for those who are trying to move toward God and correct themselves.

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! By his great mercy we have been born anew to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and to an inheritance which is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who by God’s power are guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.” 1 Peter 1:3-5

This beautiful red and white cake is named for the Divine Mercy because it represents the red and white rays emanating from Our Lord’s Heart. It has three layers to represent the Trinity - Father, Son and Holy Spirit. God love you so much! You are so precious to Him! He does not want sin and fear to separate you from Him. Jesus, I trust in You! Jesus, I trust in You! Jesus, I trust in You! If you want peace, learn to trust in Jesus. The love He has for you is more than anything you can fathom. God’s Mercy is sweet!

*Remember to pray the Holy Rosary!

Divine Mercy Cake:

1 ½ c. Butter, softened

1 ½ c. Sugar

2 large Eggs Hormone & Cage Free

2 ½ Flour

1 t. Baking Soda

1 c. Buttermilk

1 bottle (1 oz.) Red Food Coloring

1 t. Unsweetened Cocoa Powder

1 t. Rice Vinegar

1 t. Pure Vanilla