Christmas in July

I'm all moved in and settled in my new apartment! Good thing, too- my job starts one week from today!
I haven't baked in my apartment yet- shocking, I know. But I made this Christmas in July cake for my mom a couple weeks ago. Her company sells Christmas cards to non-profit organizations, and July 1st is the start of their sales year.

The cake wasn't done until 3:30 AM, so I gave up on any hopes of a decent shot

I went with my favorite chocolate cake recipe and my go-to vanilla buttercream. The cake itself isn't difficult, but I broke a few of my cardinal baking rules, which made everything infinitely harder.
Rules Broken:
1. NEVER double a batter recipe, especially if you don't know for sure that you have a container big enough to handle everything.
Broken rule outcome: Stress. And having to divide the batter just to stir it. And lots of mess.
2. NEVER start a cake late at night.
Broken rule outcome: Kelly up til 4 AM because her impaired judgment messed up the cake and her OCD wouldn't let her leave it less than perfect.
3. KNOW what you'll be storing the cake in before you start.
Broken rule outcome: I decorated the bottom edges of the cake, forgetting the dome lid was gonna need somewhere to sit.
4. USE Baker's Joy. I hardly ever use parchment paper for cakes, because they usually fail.
Broken rule outcome: The parchment paper failed. Fortunately, I had a third layer of cake available.

After realizing my mistake about the bottom border (it being around 2 AM), I panicked. I tried to wipe the border away, but it looked horrible, so I smoothed it out, which looked worse.
I resolved to make a third batch of buttercream. My parents were asleep at this point, so I went into the laundry room, sat on the floor, and mixed it up. Then, I scraped away all the bottom part (white and red) and started again.

The end result was very pretty, in my opinion. I only wish I'd listened to my own rules!

Dark Chocolate Cake with Vanilla Buttercream
The Cake
Courtesy of Sweetapolita
Yield: One 2-layer 9-inch cake.
Ingredients:
All-purpose flour- 1 1/2 c
Sugar- 1 1/3 c
Dark cocoa powder- 1/2 c
Baking soda- 1 1/4 tsp
Baking powder- 1 1/4 tsp
Salt- 1 tsp
Buttermilk- 5 oz (140 mL, ~2/3 c)
Hot, strong coffee- 4.5 oz (130 mL)
Canola oil- 75 ml (~5 tbsp)
2 eggs, room temperature
Pure vanilla extract
Directions:
1. Sift all dry ingredients into the bowl of an electric mixer (paddle attachment).
2. Add buttermilk, coffee, canola oil, eggs and vanilla, and beat for 2 minutes on medium speed.
3. Pour batter into two 9 inch round cake pans that have been liberally sprayed with Baker's Joy. Bake for 20 minutes at 350 degrees, then rotate pans. Bake until the tester comes out with just a few crumbs, ~30 minutes total. Be careful not to overbake!
4. Cool on racks for 20 minutes, then gently turn them out of the pans onto the racks to cool completely.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Vanilla Buttercream
Yield: 1 batch (you may need to double it for the cake, depending on your decorating style)
Ingredients:
Unsalted butter- 1 c (2 sticks), softened
Powdered sugar- 3-4 c
Pure vanilla extract (or vanilla bean paste)- 1 tbsp
Milk- 1 tbsp
Pinch of salt
Directions:
1. Beat butter in the bowl of an electric mixer with the paddle attachment until light and fluffy, ~3 minutes.
2. Add powdered sugar one cup at a time, beating until well incorporated.
3. Add vanilla extract, milk and salt, and beat to combine.
4. Switch to whisk attachment and beat for ~2 minutes to fluff it up.

Enjoy! And always follow your own rules! :)

Cat's Birthday BONANZA!

This is Cat. You've met her before.
She is my best friend in life.

Anticipation :)

She turned 22 yesterday, and it was the first time in the six years we've been best friends that we were together on her birthday. Soon, she's leaving for grad school in the UK, cuz she's that kind of awesome.
My present to her was something I've been working on for months.

                           

It's a Marc Jacobs Handbag Cake. Strawberry layer cake with strawberry buttercream frosting and really yummy buttercream fondant. This is the purse I based it on: Marc by Marc Jacobs Preppy Nylon Mini Natasha bag

I made her keep her eyes closed for a really long time

It was a perfect way to celebrate :)
Here's the recipe I used, plus step-by-step photos of how I built it.

This is a wonderful cake recipe for any occasion, I adapted it for this cake, but I'm posting the original.

Strawberry Layer Cake

Courtesy of Sweetapolita

Yield: Three 8" round layers

Ingredients:

Strawberry puree (from frozen strawberries)- 1/4 c, from 2 handfuls of berries

Whole milk- 1 c, room temp

Pure vanilla extract- 1 tbsp

Cake flour- 3 c*

Baking powder- 1 tbsp

Salt- 3/4 tsp

Eggs- 4, room temp

Sugar- 1 3/4 c

Strawberry-flavored gelatin (Jell-O)- 1 small (3 oz) package

Unsalted butter- 1 c, softened

Directions:

1. Slightly thaw about 2 handfuls of frozen strawberries. Puree in a food processor until smooth, then measure out 1/4 c. Make sure the puree isn't icy before you mix it in with the rest of the ingredients.

2. Combine strawberry puree, milk and vanilla in a small bowl, and set aside.

3. Sift and whisk flour, baking powder and salt, and set aside.

4. Cream sugar, gelatin and butter in the bowl of an electric mixer with the paddle attachment until light and fluffy, ~5 minutes. 

5. Add eggs one by one, mixing well after each addition and scraping down the sides of the bowl with a spatula.

6. Alternate adding the wet and dry ingredients to the creamed mixture, beginning and ending with the dry. Mix just enough after each addition to incorporate, but do not overmix.

7. Divide batter into greased and floured baking pans, and bake at 350 degrees F for 25-30 minutes, or until the cake tester comes out clean. Check cakes at 20 minutes, but not before. Be super careful to not overbake. Let cool on the racks for 10 minutes before turning onto greased wire racks. Cool completely.

Strawberry Buttercream Frosting

(Just my regular vanilla buttercream adapted)

Ingredients:

Unsalted butter- 1 c, softened

Powdered sugar- 3-4 c

Strawberry Essence- 1 tbsp

Milk- 2 tbsp

Drop of pink food coloring, optional

Directions:

1. Cream butter.

2. Add powdered sugar very slowly, one cup at a time, beating after each addition.

3. Add strawberry essence and beat to combine. Add milk 1 tbsp at a time, until it reaches the desired consistency. 

4. Add food coloring and beat.

Here's the step-by-step photo documentation. I'm still working on the skill of keeping my workspace neat...

Cutting out the shape & size required

Frost & stack

Carve into purse shape, then do crumb coat
(let sit in fridge for 30 min to 1 hr)

Roll out the fondant

Cover cake with fondant & trim.

Add details using gold edible pen, gum paste, gold lustre dust

Note:

~To make your own cake flour, all you need is regular flour and cornstarch. Click here for a full explanation.

~I used Fondarific fondant for this cake, and I will never use any other kind of fondant. You know how most fondant tastes like crap? THIS IS GOOD! It tastes really good, no additional flavoring required! I highly, highly recommend it.

Me & my bestie :)

ENJOY!!!

PS I'm also using this post as a shout-out for my parents, whose 23rd wedding anniversary is today :) Happy Anniversary, Mom & Dad! I love you both so much :)

British Baking, Part 2: Chocolate Fudge Cake

I'm back in the states! Lots of mixed emotions: I'm so excited to see my friends and family, but I miss London, and my friends from the program, or my "mates" as I've decided to call them- much easier than saying "the people I went to London with who also go to my college and now we're bff's."
I still have a couple posts left from when I was in England, including this one: Chocolate Fudge Cake.

Two of my mates had birthdays on July 13th. While they were all at the Harry Potter tour, I went to work, then went back to the house to make this cake, another from "Classic British Puddings."
The problem with these recipes is, they use grams instead of cups, teaspoons, etc. Doubling recipes is usually relatively easy, but I think I bit off more than I could chew with this one.

The further problem: I didn't have my digital scale with me.
***Digital scales are VERY IMPORTANT for baking! My awesome Uncle John gave me one for my birthday, and it makes a huge difference.***

It's not as crooked as it looks! The house actually slanted, ask anybody! :)

I also didn't have any of my cake decorating tools; no cake knife, no turntable, no cake circles, and only a small palette knife.

HOWEVER, despite all those setbacks, the birthday boy and girl thoroughly enjoyed the cake :) And that's all that matters!

One note about this recipe: it calls for golden syrup. This is very popular in the UK, and can be found on numerous sites online, and most likely in any specialty stores. I'll let you know what I find when I start searching :)

Chocolate Fudge Cake

Yield: One 2-layer cake, 8 or 9"

Cake

Ingredients:
Unsalted butter- 175 g (6 oz), softened
Golden caster sugar- 175 g
Eggs- 3, beaten
Golden syrup- 3 tbsp
Ground almonds- 40 g (1.5 oz)
Self-raising flour- 175 g
Cocoa powder- 40 g
Pinch of salt
Directions:
1. Cream butter and caster sugar together in a medium bowl until light and fluffy.
2. Gradually add the eggs and beat to combine.
3. Stir in the golden syrup and ground almonds.
4. Sift flour, cocoa powder and salt into a separate bowl, then gradually fold into the mixture. Add a little water, if necessary, to make a dropping consistency.
5. Pour mixture into greased and floured cake pans and bake at 350 degrees F for 30-35 minutes, or until springy to the touch and the tester comes out clean.
6. Leave cakes in pans for 5 minutes, then turn out onto wire racks to cool completely.
Fudge Icing
Ingredients:
Plain chocolate- 225 g (8 oz), broken into pieces
Dark muscovado sugar- 55 g (2 oz)
Unsalted butter- 225 g, diced
Evaporated milk- 5 tbsp
Vanilla extract- 1/2 tsp
Directions:
1. Place all ingredients in a large heavy-bottomed saucepan. Heat gently, stirring constantly, until melted.
2. Pour into a heatproof bowl and leave to cool. Once cooled, cover and chill in the fridge for 1 hour, or until spreadable.

ASSEMBLY: Frost and stack cake layers. Serve room temperature or slightly chilled, depending on your preference.

Enjoy!

British Baking, Part One

I found a wonderful cookbook at Anne Hathaway's Cottage in Stratford-upon-Avon, and it was on sale, so I bought it :) "Classic British Puddings: British food for lazy days."
The first recipe I tried was Victoria Sponge Cake:

It was delicious! And super easy!
The problem with the cookbook is that it's British. Which means everything is in grams, nothing in cups or teaspoons or tablespoons. If you don't already have a kitchen scale, you'll probably need one to make this cake, and the next one I'm posting.
Victoria Sponge Cake
Ingredients:
Butter- 175g (6 oz), softened
Caster sugar- 175g (6 oz)
Eggs- 3, beaten
Self-raising flour- 175g (6 oz)
Pinch of salt
Raspberry jam- 1 jar (book recommended 3 tbsp but I like it extra jam-y :)
Powdered sugar- 1 tbsp (for sprinkling on top)
Directions:
1. Cream butter and sugar in a medium mixing bowl with a wooden spoon or whisk until it is pale in colour and light and fluffy.
2. Add eggs a little at a time, mixing well after each addition.
3. Sift flour and salt and carefully add to the mixture.
4. Divide mixture into greased and lined cake pans (8 or 9 inches), and bake at 350 degrees F for 25-30 minutes, until well risen, golden brown, and beginning to shrink from the sides of the pan.
5. Remove from oven and allow to stand for one minute, then turn the cakes out onto a clean tea towel, remove paper, and invert onto a wire rack.
6. Once the cakes are completely cool, spread jam on bottom layer and sandwich layers together, then sprinkle with sugar.

Enjoy!

The Ultimate Vanilla Cake

I've tried a lot of vanilla cake recipes.
The Vanilla Nirvana cupcakes didn't translate all that well to cakes.
The Almond Anniversary Cake wasn't as good when I subbed vanilla extract for the almond.
The Fluffy Vanilla Cake was good, but not great.
The 1-2-3-4 Cake was the same story.
Vanilla cakes are hard. They're not traditionally as moist as chocolate cakes, and even though there are tons of recipes out there, I've had a hard time finding one that stays moist and tastes super vanilla-y.

*Enter Warren Brown's Yellow Butter Cake*

It's so pure white, so beautiful. 

So vanilla-y. 

Not the easiest recipe to make, but so worth it.

It's filled with pastry cream (my first time making it), and topped with the most luxurious Italian Meringue Buttercream I've ever tried. I'm usually opposed to making IMBC recipes that call for a pound of butter, but just this once, I actually had enough butter in the apartment to try.
WORTH IT.
I've been putting off making this cake because I didn't feel like paying $9 for potato starch at Martin's or ordering it online. But then I found it for cheap at a cute shop in Harrisonburg called Grandma's Pantry!

I'm pretty sure this vanilla cake is The One.

THE Vanilla Cake
Yield: two 9" cakes or 2 dozen cupcakes
Note: Make the pastry cream first! It'll need to refrigerate for a while.
Pastry Cream
Courtesy of Macarons by Annie Rigg via The Faux Martha
Ingredients:
Egg yolks- 3 (save whites for IMBC)
Extra-fine sugar- 3/4 c (food processing regular sugar is fine)
Corn starch- 1 tbsp
Whole milk- 1 c
Unsalted butter- 3 tbsp, diced
Vanilla extract- 1 tsp
Heavy cream- 1/2 c
Directions:
1. Whisk egg yolks, half the sugar and corn starch in a medium heatproof bowl.
2. Heat milk and other half of sugar in a small saucepan just until it starts to boil.
3. Pour the hot milk mixture over yolk mixture and whisk constantly until smooth. Pour mixture back into saucepan and continue to cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until it comes to a boil and thickens.
4. Strain into a clean bowl and add butter and vanilla extract. Stir until incorporated. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and leave to cool. Once cooled, put in refrigerator.
5. Once chilled (takes ~30-45 minutes), take out of the fridge. In a medium bowl, whip heavy cream until soft peaks form, then fold into pastry cream. Re-cover and put back in the fridge until ready to use.

Yellow Butter Cake
Courtesy of Cake Love by Warren Brown via The Faux Martha
Ingredients:
Flour- 1 1/4 c
Potato starch- 1/4 c + 1 tbsp
Baking powder- 1 1/2 tsp
Salt- 1 tsp
Half & half- 1 c
Vanilla extract- 1 tbsp
Unsalted butter- 1 1/2 sticks, room temp
Extra-fine granulated sugar- 1 3/4 c
Large eggs- 4
Directions:
1. Sift flour into a medium bowl. Add potato starch, baking powder and salt, and whisk together. Set aside.
2. Pour half & half and vanilla extract into a small bowl and set aside.
3. In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream together the butter and sugar on the lowest speed for 3-5 minutes.
4. With the mixer still on low speed, add eggs one at a time.
5. Add dry ingredient mixture alternately with liquid mixture, starting and ending with dry. Don't wait until each addition is completely incorporated before adding the next.
6. Stop the mixer and scrape the bowl all the way down to the bottom of the bowl. Mix on medium an additional 15-20 seconds.
7. Prepare two 9" cake rounds- spray the bottom of each pan and line with parchment paper, but do not spray the sides of the pan (this will prevent the cakes from doming in the middle).
8. Divide batter evenly into the pans. Bake at 350 degrees F for 28 minutes (22 for cupcakes), or until the tester comes out clean.
9. Cool cakes 20 minutes in the pan. Use a small offset knife to loosen the cake from the rim of the pan. Carefully invert and remove parchment paper. Cool completely before icing.

Warren Brown's IMBC
Courtesy of Cake Love by Warren Brown via The Faux Martha
*I used some of the things I've learned from using Whisk Kid's recipe
Ingredients:
Egg whites- 5
Extra-fine sugar- 1 1/4 c
Cold water- 1/4 c
Unsalted butter- 4 sticks (1 lb), diced into 1 tbsp pats
*I added 1/4 tsp clear vanilla extract
Directions:
1. Pour egg whites into stand mixer bowl fitted with the whisk attachment. Measure 1/4 c sugar into a little bowl and set next to stand mixer.
2. Measure 1 c sugar and the water into a 1-qt, heavy-bottomed saucepan. Gently stir to combine.
3. Clip candy thermometer into sauce pan, and heat mix over medium-high heat. Partially cover with lid to capture the evaporating water.
4. When the sugar syrup reaches 200 degrees F, turn stand mixer on (high speed). When the egg whites start to form soft peaks, slowly pour in the 1/4 c sugar.
5. When the sugar syrup reaches 245 degrees F, remove thermometer and slowwwly pour into the meringue, with the mixer still running. Keep the mixer running on medium for ~8 minutes, until the mixture has cooled down.
6. Turn mixer back up to high, and add the butter 1 tbsp at a time. After all the butter has been added, keep beating for ~2 minutes (you can add the vanilla at this point if you'd like).

ASSEMBLY
Spread pastry cream on first layer of cake, then stack. Place in freezer for 15 minutes to let it solidify (makes it easier to frost). Ice cake with a crumb coat, then let sit for 15 minutes. Frost with another layer, then decorate as you please.
Refrigerate after assembly!

This cake is so good. So rich, so yummy! You'll have pastry cream and IMBC leftover. Enjoy!

Blueberry Lemonade Cake

I've become a bit obsessed with the color yellow recently. And lemons. I love pretty much anything lemon-flavored.
But this? This takes the cake (terrible pun intended).

This is possibly the best cake I've ever made. Blueberry Lemonade Cake.
Glory Days has this delicious Blueberry Lemonade, and this is even better. I just don't have words for this cake.

I don't have any pictures of the inside of the cake because, well, we ate it too quickly.
But trust me, it's beautiful.
I made one 2-layer 9" cake, plus this 2-layer 6" to give away. I probably should have done it the other way around, eating only the 6-incher, but I just couldn't help myself.

Rosie at Sweetapolita suggests making your own lemon curd for the filling, but I used blueberry jam instead, and it was delightful!
Make this cake. IMMEDIATELY!
Blueberry Lemonade Cake
Cake
Ingredients:
Flour- 2 c + 6 tbsp
Baking powder- 2 tsp
Salt- 1 tsp
Blueberries- 3 c (frozen are fine, just thaw completely first)
Sour cream- 1/2 c
Whole milk- 1/2 c (I used skim, and it was just fine)
Vanilla extract- 2 tsp
Pure lemon extract- 3/4 tsp
Lemon zest- 1 tsp
Unsalted butter- 1 c (2 sticks), softened
Sugar- 1 1/2 c
Eggs- 4, large
Directions:
1. Sift flour, baking powder and salt into a medium bowl. Transfer 1 tbsp of mix to a large bowl, then add the blueberries. Toss to coat, then set aside.
2. Combine sour cream, milk, vanilla, lemon extract and lemon zest in a small bowl. Set aside.
3. In a large bowl, beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add eggs one at a time, mixing until well combined.
4. Alternate adding the flour mixture and the liquid mixture, beginning and ending with flour. Stir until just combined, then add the blueberries coated with flour.
5. Pour batter into 8 or 9" pans that have been greased and floured. Bake at 350 for ~25 minutes.
Filling
1 or 2 jars of blueberry jam, highest quality you can find. Super simple!
Lemon Frosting
Ingredients:
Unsalted butter- 1 c (2 sticks)
Lemon zest- 2 tsp
Powdered sugar- 5 or 6 c
Lemon juice- 1/4 c (60 ml or 2 oz)
Heavy whipping cream- 6 tbsp
Pure lemon extract- 1/2 tsp
Water- 2 tbsp
Pinch of salt
1 drop of AmeriColor Electric Yellow gel food dye (optional)
Directions:
1. Cream butter and lemon zest in bowl of electric stand mixer with paddle attachment, ~3 minutes.
2. Slowwwly add powdered sugar one cup at a time. I've found using the cover/shield that comes with the stand mixer to be very helpful when it comes to powdered sugar... That stuff just loves to make a mess.
3. Add lemon juice, whipping cream, lemon extract, water and salt, and beat for ~2 minutes. Switch to whisk attachment and beat for an additional 2 minutes to fluff it up.

My attempts at using Photoshop for editing got a little out of hand...

I think this would be a great way to start the week, don't you?
Have a great one! :)

Happy Birthday, Dad!

March is the awesomest month ever!
SO many of my friends and family have birthdays this month. In my immediate family alone, 3 of the 4 of us (yes, we count the dog) have late March birthdays. Archie's on the 20th, my dad is the 28th, and mine is the 31st.
I'm home for the first half of my birthday weekend, then the second half will be with my honey :)
I'll be adding more pictures later, but I left my camera chord at school, so I can't attach the ones I took ahead of time of this masterpiece.

My dad loves golf. He's been playing it forever, and as soon as I saw this cake idea on Love and Olive Oil, I knew I had to make it for his birthday. I ordered this cute golf-themed chocolate mold two weeks ago, and it turned out perfectly!

Super Chocolate Cake

Courtesy of Whisk Kid

I doubled the recipe to make two layers, which I then split into 4. 

Ingredients:

Flour- 2 2/3 c

Unsweetened cocoa powder- 3/4 c

Baking soda- 3 tsp

Salt- 1/2 tsp

Unsalted butter- 1 c (2 sticks), room temp

Brown sugar- 3 c

Eggs- 4, room temp

Vanilla- 2 tsp

Sour cream- 1 1/3 c, room temp

Hot coffee- 1 1/3 c

Directions:

1. Sift flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt together in a large bowl. Set aside.

2. Cream butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy, ~5 minutes. Add eggs one at a time. Add vanilla.

3. Alternate dry ingredients with sour cream. Gently stir in hot coffee, and pour into two 9-inch cake pans that have been greased and floured. 

4. Bake at 350 degrees F for ~35 minutes, or until the cake tester comes out clean.

A little frosting anecdote...

My plan was to make two batches of Italian Meringue Buttercream. The first batch turned out great! The second, not so much.... Fortunately, I had all the ingredients I needed for marshmallow buttercream! So it's IMBC on the outside, Marshmallow on the inside, then I had to use some store-bought vanilla frosting for the little tufts of green grass. 

Here's the Marshmallow Buttercream frosting recipe :)

Marshmallow Buttercream Frosting
Courtesy of Baked Bree
Ingredients:
Unsalted butter- 1 c, room temp
Marshmallow fluff- 1 (7 oz) jar
Powdered sugar- 2 c
Vanilla- 1 tsp
Directions:
1. Cream butter until light and fluffy. Add marshmallow fluff and beat for 2 minutes.
2. Add powdered sugar and beat until combined. Add vanilla and beat for 1 minute.

ASSEMBLY!
~Wrap the cake layers in saran wrap and freeze for at least 2 hours (preferably overnight). This will make slicing much easier.
~Slice each cake layer in half, resulting in 4 slices.
~Place a generous amount of marshmallow buttercream in between each slice. Stack carefully!
~For the "hole," place one shot glass upside down on the top layer of the cake, use a knife to draw an outline. Take the shot glass off the cake, and dig a little hole in the top. Put the shot glass back on while frosting.
~Frost with a crumb coat of IMBC, and put in fridge to harden, ~15 minutes.
~Frost with another layer of IMBC. BE PATIENT! If you want it to be super smooth, you're gonna have to be willing to spend a solid chunk of time on this step.
~The green grass is actually a lot easier than you may think. All you need is a grass tip from Wilton.
~For the golf ball and tee, use a chocolate mold. Melt a handful of white chocolate candy melts, and pour  ~2 spoonfuls into each golf ball mold (it's a good idea to make an extra just in case). Let harden, then poke the edges with a knife until it pops out. Frost the flat side with some extra frosting, and stick 'em together.

Serve with ice cream if you like :)

Tomboy Cake

I'M HERE I'M HERE!
I definitely deserve some doghouse time right now. I know it's been... 18 days since my last post and I'm sorrryyyy! The new year has gotten off to a bit of a hectic start. More on that later.
I attempted to make Miette's Tomboy Cake twice. One was so hideous, I just couldn't bring myself to take a picture. I didn't have the correct pan size, and then I tried shaping it and it wound up looking like a "cake mountain" as Chris's friend said. They still inhaled the whole thing, but I had to give it another shot.

Here's take 2. It's nowhere near as gorgeous as the one on Miette's cover, but that's to be expected, seeing as I am an amateur and have made this cake a total of 2 times.

You know what that means... more "practice!!!" Yessss.

This cake is truly delicious. I used a different frosting the second time, because the one in the book calls for OVER A POUND of butter. Now, when I'm at my parents' house, that's cool, cuz they always have a fully stocked kitchen. But when I'm at my apartment, not so much.

So, here's the recipe! It's nomlicious.

Miette's Tomboy Cake
Double Chocolate Cake
Yield: TWO 6-inch, 3-layer cakes
Ingredients:
All-purpose flour- 1 1/2 c
Unsweetened cocoa powder (NOT dutch processed)- 1 1/4 c + a little for the pans
Baking soda- 1 1/2 tsp
Baking powder- 1/2 tsp
Kosher salt- 3/4 tsp
70% cacao chocolate- 2 oz, coarsely chopped
Boiling water- 1 c
Buttermilk- 1 c
Vanilla extract- 1/2 tsp
Large eggs- 2, room temp
Canola oil- 1/2 c
Sugar- 2 1/4 c

Directions:
1. Prepare two 6x3" cake pans- butter generously and dust with cocoa powder. Tap out excess cocoa.
2. Sift together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt into a medium bowl, and set aside.
3. Place chocolate in a heatproof bowl and pour boiling water over it. Whisk until chocolate is melted and smooth. Set aside and let cool for 15 minutes.
4. In a small bowl, whisk together buttermilk and vanilla. Set aside.
5. In the bowl of a stand mixer (whisk attachment), whisk eggs on high speed until foamy, about 2 minutes. Reduce speed to low and add oil, then whisk until fully incorporated, about 1 minute.
6. Reduce speed to low and slowwwly pour cooled chocolate mixture into the egg mixture. Slowly add buttermilk mixture, then add the sugar and whisk until batter is smooth, about 2 minutes.
7. Stop the mixer, and add the dry ingredients. Mix until incorporated, preferably by hand using a spatula or spoon. Make sure you get all the chocolaty goodness from the bottom and sides of the bowl!
8. Pour batter through a medium-sized mesh sieve into a bowl to remove any lumps. Press against any lumps with a spatula, then discard any that remain.
9. Bake cakes at 350 degrees for about 45 minutes, or until the tops spring back when lightly pressed and the tester comes out clean.

Only 2 months til my 21st birthday, when I'll hopefully get my big present
*cough cough Mom and Dad* Subtlety was never my strong suit :D

Miette's Vanilla Buttercream
Yield: ~6 c, enough to frost two 6-inch cakes
Ingredients:
Sugar- 2 c
Water- 1/3 c
Large egg whites- 5
Cream of tartar- 1 tsp
Unsalted butter- 3 c (1 1/2 lbs), room temp
Vanilla extract- 2 tbsp
*Candy thermometer!

Directions:
1. Combine sugar and water in a small saucepan over medium heat. Cook the mixture until it reaches 248 degrees F, about 5-7 minutes (depends on your stove).
2. Meanwhile, combine egg whites and cream of tartar in the bowl of a stand mixer (whisk attachment), but DO NOT start whipping it!
3. Once the sugar syrup has reached 248 degrees F, turn on the stand mixer on a low speed. Slowwwly pour in the sugar syrup. When it has all been added, turn the speed up to high, and beat until the bottom of the bowl is cool to the touch, ~5-7 minutes.
4. Once the meringue is cool enough, begin adding the butter, 1 tbsp at a time. Make sure each tbsp is completely combined before adding more.
Note: I prefer to use the paddle attachment while adding butter, but either way works.
5. After all the butter has been added, the frosting should be smooooth and thick and luscious. Add vanilla and mix to combine.

Assembly
Slice each 6-inch cake into 3 layers. Pipe frosting onto the bottom layer using a star tip, then smooth out with a spatula, leaving the sides pretty and frilly. Repeat.

*My go-to Swiss Meringue Buttercream Frosting (SMBC)
Courtesy of Whisk Kid
Ingredients:
Large egg whites- 5
Sugar- 1 c
Unsalted butter- 1 c (2 sticks), room temp, cut into 1 tbsp chunks
Vanilla extract- 1 tsp

Directions:
1. Combine sugar and egg whites in the bowl of a stand mixer with a whisk. Place over a small saucepan of simmering water (make sure the bottom of the bowl does not touch the water!).
2. Whisk the mixture until the sugar is completely dissolved, about 5 minutes. Rub a little bit of the mixture between your fingers to test.
3. Remove bowl from stove, and secure into the stand mixer (whisk attachment). Whisk on high speed until the mixture is cool to the touch and is very glossy and light, about 5 minutes.
4. Add the butter, 1 tbsp at a time. Make sure each tbsp is completely combined before continuing!
5. Once all the butter has been added, continue to beat for a couple minutes, until the frosting is thick and luscious. Add the vanilla, and beat to combine.

For this cake, I made a raspberry variation of Whisk Kid's SMBC. To achieve it, I added a couple spoonfuls of seedless raspberry jam, and 1/2 tsp of raspberry extract. There are a LOT of ways to add flavoring to frosting; this was the most convenient way for me. You could also make a puree, as Miette recommends, but I didn't have any raspberries on hand. So just do what feels right! Kaitlin over at Whisk Kid does a great job listing the various flavoring options, so click on the SMBC link to check it out :)

I have a HUGE week of baking coming up- Chris's football banquet is a week away, and I'm making some desserts to take :D

First post of 2012!

It's a tradition for me to open a present from my Aunt Sandy on Christmas Eve. This year, Aunt Sandy gave me the book by MIETTE owner Meg Ray.
I freaked out. I stayed up an extra hour on Christmas Eve to read it cover to cover. The book itself is GORGEOUS and the recipes? Amazing.

My mom asked me to make something for a big client meeting she has tomorrow. We chose the Lemon Tea Cake.

Lemon Tea Cake

Courtesy of Miette

Makes 4 small 5-inch loaves OR 2 standard 8-inch loaves

Lemon Simple Syrup

Ingredients:

Water- 1/2 c

Fresh lemon juice- 1/4 c (you'll need at least 3 for all the recipe components)

Sugar- 1/4 c

Directions:

Combine ingredients in a medium sized saucepan and heat on medium-high. Stir to dissolve the sugar, and bring to a boil. Boil for a few minutes, stirring constantly. It won't thicken, and that's okay. Let it cool completely, and then stain over a bowl. 

Lemon Tea Cake

Ingredients:

All-purpose flour- 2 1/2 c

Sugar- 1 1/2 c

Baking powder- 2 1/2 tsp

Kosher salt- 1/2 tsp

Heavy cream- 1 c

Large egg yolks- 7

Large whole eggs- 2

Vanilla extract- 1 1/2 tsp

Grated lemon zest- 2 1/2 tbsp (I had only had 2 1/2 lemons, but the cake was still delicious!)

Butter- 1 1/3 c, cubed

Directions:

1. In a medium bowl, sift flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.

2. In a small bowl, stir cream, egg yolks, whole eggs, vanilla, and lemon zest. Set aside.

3. Beat dry ingredients on medium speed for 30 seconds. Reduce speed to low, add the butter, and mix for 1 minute.

4. Add half of the egg mixture, beat until incorporated and mix for 1 minute. Repeat with the other half of the egg mixture.

5. Divide the batter between buttered and floured pans. Bake at 350 degrees until the tops of the loaves are golden brown, and a tester comes out clean; about 45 minutes for small pans, 50-55 for the larger pans. 

6. Transfer to wire racks, and immediately brush tops with the lemon simple syrup. Let cool for 20 minutes, then invert onto the racks and cool for another 20 minutes. 

Lemon Glaze

Ingredients:

Fresh lemon juice- 2 tbsp

Corn syrup- 1 tsp

Powdered sugar- 1 1/3 c

Directions:

Whisk together the lemon juice and corn syrup. Gradually add the powdered sugar and whisk until the glaze is thick and silky. Drizzle/spread over the cooled cakes, and let the glaze dry about 30 minutes.

Anniversary Cake

Me & Chris

That's me & my honey. Wednesday the 14th will mark our first anniversary :) 

Since both of us have finals this week, we celebrated this weekend. I, naturally, made cake. 

Unfortunately, said cake was devoured so quickly I couldn't get a good picture of it. Yeah, it was THAT GOOD. 

Fortunately, its level of amazingness has made it Chris's official favorite cake. Thus, I will be making it AGAIN when I stop by his campus on my way home Wednesday. 

So, this picture will have to do for now, but a better one will be up soon!

Almond Anniversary Cake
The Cake Itself
Courtesy of Always With Butter
Yield: Two 8 or 9" layers (use 8" if you want to split them)
Ingredients:
Flour- 2 c
Baking powder- 2 tsp
Salt- 1/4 tsp
Butter- 3/4 c (1 1/2 sticks), softened
Sugar- 1 1/2 c
Almond extract- 2 tsp (a little extra is okay)
Egg whites- 6
Milk- 3/4 c

Directions:
1. In a medium bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
2. In a small bowl, whisk egg whites and milk together. Set aside.
3. Cream butter and sugar until fluffy.
4. In alternating batches, add flour mix & milk mix to the butter. Beat until combined. Add almond extract and beat to combine.
5. Pour into prepared pans (I always use Baker's Joy), bake at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes.

Raspberry Cream Filling
Adapted from Always with Butter
Ingredients:
Butter- 1 c (2 sticks), softened
Raspberry preserves- 3/4 c
Powdered sugar- 2 c

Directions:
1. Beat butter and raspberry preserves until combined.
2. Add powdered sugar, and beat until smooth.

Almond Buttercream Frosting
Adapted from Imperrfections
*Note: to make enough for the cake, you should probably double these ingredients (I made half the cake, because it was just for me & Chris). I added the doubled amounts in parentheses.
Ingredients:
Powdered sugar- 2 c (4)
Almond extract- 1 1/4 tsp (2 1/2)
Egg white- 1 (2)
Water- 1/2 tbsp (1)
Butter- 3 tbsp (6), softened

Directions:
Combine all ingredients and beat at low speed to mix. Increase speed to medium and beat for 3-5 minutes until smooooth and fluffy.

ASSEMBLY
After the cake layers are completely cooled, split them using a bread knife or cake leveler. Spread raspberry cream filling in between each layer, and slather on almond buttercream frosting. Be generous! It's soooo good!

Here are a few more pictures of the two of us :)

As the Green & Pink Power Rangers for Halloween

After one of Chris's football games