Category Archives: Cake & Frosting

Butterscotch-Toffee Chocolate Cake

Posted on July 2, 2009 by Veronica

Kim, Krista, & Pillsbury inspired this recipe. Kim posted a “Butterfinger Cake” recipe on her MySpace blogrecently, which reminded me of the cake my friend, Krista, made for her birthday last year (she used toffee instead, along with a different kind of cake). Then I found a recipe on the side of my German Chocolate Cake mix that was basically Kim’s Butterfinger cake but with caramel instead of butterscotch. I figured all these similar recipes was a sign that meant I was to make the cake and FAST. So I did.

And it was good.

I will post the recipe I made up, then put the Pillsbury recipe below it since that one is probably better. Guess it depends on what kind of flavors you prefer! If you love butterscotch, you will love this cake.

Butterscotch-Toffee Chocolate Cake

1 German Chocolate cake mix (I used Pillsbury)
1 (20-oz) bottle butterscotch ice cream syrup (I used Smuckers)
1 8-oz container Cool Whip
1/2-3/4 of a bag Heath bits (or you can chop up several candy bars)
Chocolate ganache or chocolate fudge ice cream topping to drizzle on top
Reserve ½ cup of butterscotch syrup & set aside.

Prepare cake according to package directions in a 13×9 pan (my picture shows a small pan b/c I chose to make two small cakes so I could give one away). Squirt 1/2 cup of the butterscotch syrup out and set aside. As soon as the cake’s out of the oven, poke it all over with a fork and squirt what remains of the bottle of butterscotch syrup over the top, spreading with a spatula so it can absorb while the cake cools.

Fold the ½ cup reserved syrup into the cool whip and spread over the cake once it is COMPLETELY cooled. Sprinkle Heath bits over the top and drizzle with ganache or fudge topping. Keep refrigerated until serving.

*Veronica’s notes: the reason I left out the sweetened condensed milk is that I used syrup instead of the thick ice cream topping and figured it was thin enough to soak into the cake without adding the milk. I would recommend using the thicker butterscotch topping in a jar & mixing it with sweetened condensed milk (like in the recipe below) b/c it only soaked in partially and there’s a thin layer of syrup resting on top of the cake still, a day later. Of course, that could be b/c I poked it with a fork instead of making big unsightly holes with a wooden spoon as directed below, but I couldn’t bring myself to uglify the cake that way, even if it was going to be covered up. I’m weird. Either way, you’re probably better off following Pillsbury’s instructions vs. mine. The cake is still REALLY good (so good my gut is about to burst from overeating it), but if you want all that gooey butterscotch really soaked in well, don’t follow my directions.

PILLSBURY® CHOCOLATE CARAMEL WOW

1 18.5 Pillsbury® German Chocolate Cake Mix
1 12-ounce can sweetened condensed milk
1 jar Smucker’s® Caramel Topping
1 8-ounce tub Cool Whip®
2 to 4 chopped Butterfinger® candy bars

Bake cake in 13×9-inch pan as directed.
Cool for 5 minutes.

Using the handle of a wooden spoon, poke holes in the cake.
In a small bowl, mix condensed milk and caramel topping, reserving 1/2 a cup.
Pour remaining caramel mixture over cake; cool completely.
Place whipped topping in medium bowl and fold in remaining caramel mixture.

Spread evenly over cake.
Sprinkle with chopped candy.
Cover loosely and refrigerate until served.
Store leftovers in refrigerator.

Egg White Chocolate Buttercream

Posted on June 25, 2009 by Veronica

Rose Levy Beranbaum’s The Cake Bible is literally my cake bible. It contains recipes for the only from-scratch cakes that ever turned out any good in my kitchen, and her buttercreams & fillings are all superb. I have yet to try a recipe in it that has failed, not only because they are excellent, but because she is very specific in her directions and gives plenty of tips for beginners.

This chocolate egg white buttercream is one of my favorites because it’s relatively simple (believe me, she’s got some majorly complicated ones in that book) but extremely delicious. I’d compare it to a light mousse. It’s firm but airy and kind of dissolves on your tongue…sometimes it’s like I’m eating rich chocolate air…but it does have substance so that’s not exactly right. How about I let Rose do the talking…

“This special version of chocolate buttercream is the color of rich milk chocolate and has a more assertive chocolate flavor than the traditional one made with egg yolks. In fact, it is just as smooth and even easier and faster to prepare than Classic or Neoclassic Buttercream because a sugar syrup is not needed.

“This buttercream is airy yet, because of the whites’ structure, has more body than a buttercream made with all yolks. It is an excellent texture and flavor for both chocolate butter cakes and chocolate genoise.”

Thanks Rose, that about sums it up. Except I like it on any chocolate cake, any yellow cake, or white cake. I just like it period. It is NOT your typical frosting and I’ve found that frosting haters (the women in my family) usually enjoy this one, along with everyone else that is normal (frosting lovers).

Classic Egg White Chocolate Buttercream
Printable recipe

10 oz bittersweet chocolate (I always use semi-sweet chocolate chips)
2 cups (4 sticks) unsalted butter (must be room temperature)
4 large egg whites (must be room temperature)
1 cup granulated sugar

Melt the chocolate using a double boiler or in the microwave. I use the microwave & stir every 15 seconds (after an initial 30 seconds). This time I accidentally did 45 seconds initially and that caused enough heat for the chips to completely melt as I stirred them. Do not overheat or the chocolate will seize up & you’ll have to start over. Once melted, set aside to cool completely. (Update: do not wait until the chocolate has re-solidified, you just want there to be no heat left to the chocolate mixture, but it should still be liquid when you add it.)

Beat the butter until smooth & creamy & set aside. In another mixing bowl, beat the egg whites until soft peaks form when the beater is raised. (Veronica’s note: if you’re using the same beaters you used to beat the butter, wash them thoroughly before using them on the egg whites or they won’t ever fluff up or get stiff. Fat is the enemy when it comes to beating egg whites!) Gradually beat in the sugar until stiff peaks form when the beater is raised slowly. Beat in the butter by the tablespoon. If the mixture looks slightly curdled, increase the speed a little and beat until smooth before continuing to add more butter (In my experience, sometimes the curdled look won’t go away until all the butter has been added). Add the melted and cooled chocolate all at once and beat until smooth and uniform in color. Use immediately or place in an airtight bowl. Rebeat to restore texture.

You can store it 3 days at room temp, 2 weeks refrigerated, or six months frozen.

Makes 4 3/4 Cups, enough to fill & frost a two layer cake

*Note : While it is necessary to cook egg yolks for a buttercream to prevent bacterial growth, raw egg whites are far less prone to this problem.
*Veronica’s note: I know people are seriously paranoid about raw eggs, but I’ve made this a lot and can promise you that no one has gotten sick off of it yet–even after more than three days at room temp. I know, I live on the edge.

Recipe source: Rose Levy Beranbaum’s The Cake Bible

15 Comments

Posted in Cake & Frosting and tagged buttercream, chocolate, egg white. Bookmark the permalink.

Old-Fashioned Carrot Cake

Posted on June 21, 2009 by Veronica

Dennis’ Grandma Joy turned 90 this month, and when I found out there was going to be a family celebration, I immediately volunteered to make the cake. I jump at any opportunity to aid in a celebration, especially if baking is involved!

She requested carrot, and I was tempted to make The Best Carrot Cake, since it’s my favorite, but I opted to make a more old-fashioned cake because I thought Joy might appreciate a cake that brought back memories. This is my own recipe, adjusted from several I found in cookbooks.

*Update 9-22-09: I received many compliments on the cake at the party, but Grandma Joy recently told me that people at her Church are still talking about that cake and how good it was. So please take their word for it and not my awful, hastily-taken picture’s representation!

Veronica’s Old-Fashioned Carrot Cake

Printable recipe

2 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
1 tablespoon cinnamon
4 eggs
2 ½ cups finely shredded carrots
¾ cup vegetable oil
½ teaspoon freshly grated ginger
½ cup crushed pineapple, well drained & juice reserved
1 cup raisins
1 cup chopped walnuts
Cream Cheese Icing (recipe follows)

Add enough water or rum to the reserved pineapple juice to equal 1 cup. If you already have a cup of juice, you can add as much rum as you want—you just want at least one cup of liquid. Heat to boiling, remove from heat, and stir the raisins into the hot liquid. Leave to soak.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour two 8 or 9-inch round cake pans & set aside.

Stir dry ingredients together in a large bowl: flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda & cinnamon.

Strain the liquid off of the raisins. Whisk eggs in a medium bowl & stir in remaining ingredients: oil, ginger, carrots, pineapple, raisins (but not the soaking liquid) & walnuts.

Stir the wet mixture into the dry and stir until combined. Divide the batter between the two round pans and bake for 25-35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

Cool completely on wire rack, then frost with cream cheese icing.

Cream Cheese Icing
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
2 packages (8 oz. each) cream cheese, softened
8 cups (2 lbs.) sifted confectioners’ sugar
1 tsp. vanilla

Cream butter and cream cheese, then add the sugar and vanilla. Use milk or additional sugar to change the consistency to thinner or thicker as needed. (Most people would use half this amount of sugar, which makes a more creamy frosting, but I make it thick for decorating.)

Makes: About 5 1/2 cups of icing.

8 Comments

Posted in Cake & Frosting and tagged baking, birthday, cake, carrot, old-fashioned, recipe. Bookmark the permalink.

Cake Decorating Competition

Posted on June 2, 2009 by Veronica

I work for the US Postal Service Remote Encoding Center, and this month we’ve officially been open for 15 years. They had no budget to throw a celebration, so they came up with some cute and, in this case, genius ideas to throw one on the cheap.

Today was their birthday cake decorating competition, which totally eliminated the need to buy a celebration cake (there were 5 cakes just for our shift & mine serves 150)! Isn’t that smart? All they had to do was round up some items they got for Christmas and didn’t want and put them in a basket for a prize! Genius.

I started working on my cake last Thursday, going with the idea that immediately came to mind of a three tier cake with a red, white and blue theme since those are the colors in the USPS logo. I started with the topper since it wouldn’t be perishable. I made 30 red, white and blue stars by outlining them with royal frosting on waxed paper & filling them in with color-flow icing. After they dried hard, I hot-glued them to cloth-covered floral wire and bent them into shape to make it look sort of like an explosion or fireworks.

I used 9 boxes of cake mix, 36 eggs, 3 cups oil, 8 lbs powdered sugar and 1 1/2 tubs of shortening to make this cake. It makes me shudder just to think about all that shortening.

Once all 6 cakes were baked (two per tier), I sandwiched each tier together with some of that artery-clogging white frosting and spent almost an entire day trying to get the frosting on the outside as smooth as possible. For me, the frosting is the hardest part. I choose simple decorations and they don’t take long, but it’s really hard for me to get perfectly smooth frosting. I eventually have to beat down my perfectionist tendencies into submission b/c I’ve discovered that the frosting will NEVER be perfectly smooth and even if it is, I will inevitably stick a finger (twenty times) into the frosting after it has been perfected. This time was no exception.

Bottom tier after first icing:

And after the last–as good as it gets:

Once the tiers were as smooth as they were going to get, I let them dry a little in the refrigerator and then brushed edible glitter over the surface. This proved useless b/c after adding the swirlies, you couldn’t even see the glitter. Oh well.

Next was the logo, which I was loathe to do. I am NOT an artist and I always cringe at the part of decorating when it’s time to put a picture on the cake. My usual trick (I trace the picture with clear piping gel onto waxed paper and press that onto the cake, leaving a clear impression which I can trace) didn’t work b/c the glitter created a non-stick surface, so I had to use a toothpick to draw the logo & writing onto the cake. I was NOT going to just go for it with that navy blue frosting bag–that would have been a disaster with nothing to trace! Well, even with my toothpick drawing I didn’t do much better and ended up with this:

After much lamenting and trying to convince myself you really could tell it was an eagle if you looked hard enough, I finally decided to use white to cover up the blue in the places it shouldn’t be–essentially “erasing” my mistakes with white frosting. And to my relief, it came out perfect:

I decided to insert the dowel rods before going any further. Large tier cakes need support, so you insert dowel rods that are even with the surface of the cake to support the cake above, so not all the weight is on the bottom cake. Oh, and I should mention that each tier of cake should be resting on a cardboard circle or the dowel rods won’t do any good–the cake will just sink into them and leaving you with a sort of cake-implosion. The cardboard rests on the dowel rods beneath and supports the cake above.

I measured the length needed by inserting a rod into the middle of the bottom two tiers and marking it with a pencil. Dennis cut them to size and after inserting them around the hole in the middle, I placed rounds of parchment paper over them, slightly smaller than the cake that would be placed on top. This keeps the cardboard from sticking to the cake below it–so the frosting isn’t ruined during serving.

Next I swirled & dotted red onto the bottom, white on the middle and blue on top. (Yes, we did have to empty our shelves to keep the cakes in the fridge–everything went into a cooler or thrown away. I’m so happy the cake’s gone so we can buy groceries!)

Phew! Time to stack them. I put hot glue onto the disposable base and quickly centered the bottom tier over it and let it fall into place. Then I repeated with the other two tiers, minus the hot glue part.

I sharpened a long dowel rod and forced it down through the middle of the entire cake to stabilize it during transport. I left it a little higher than I usually would b/c I intended to cover it so it really didn’t matter. I also covered the cardboard edges beneath the tiers by piping a star border in the corresponding colors.

Then I pushed a hollow plastic dowel rod over the wooden towel rod and let it go all the way down to the bottom of the first cake. This provided a place to stick the “stem” of my star topper.

Next came the tricky part. Transport! My wonderful husband agreed to wake up super early to drive so I could sit in the back seat with the cake. Since the car seat slants toward the back, I rolled up old (clean) towels to provide a flat surface for the cake.

I was barely able to carry it out, it was so heavy. But I did it b/c there’s no way I was going to let anyone else touch my cake.

As you can see, the surface wasn’t QUITE flat, so I had to shove my hand under the back and hold it in an awkward position during the drive.

All highways and roads that I usually take to work are under heavy construction and the thought of using them was enough to give me colonic spasms. Too many curves, too many potholes–and all one lane so that if Dennis went as slow as I wanted him to, our lives would actually be in jeopardy each time we came to a stop b/c surely at least one of those angry people trailing behind us would be willing to put a cap in him just to get him out of the way.

So we took a very convoluted route that was blessedly smooth and only left me screaming “SLOW DOWN!” about five times. Every little bump had my heart jumping into my throat as I watched the cake shudder and wobble and bob up and down–even with me holding it in place and my arm aching with the strain (my left was shoved under the cake and slightly lifting the whole time, while I held the topper in a vase in my right hand to keep it from jostling too much b/c the stars were fairly fragile).

What usually was a 15 minute drive was doubled by the longer route and my insistence that he go 5 mph at every turn. And even then, I was screaming, “DENNIS!” The poor man. I had him just as tense as I was. We were both ecstatic when we finally pulled into the REC parking lot.

Although we brought a flat dolly to bring it inside, once it was in my arms, I was unwilling to set it down–too afraid of what might happen after we’d got it this far–so I carried it all the way into the building and to the break room. My arms & hands were trembling with the effort and with relief once it was safely on the table. I messed up the frosting swirlies a little when I put in the birthday candles b/c I couldn’t stop shaking, but it wasn’t noticeable.

Still shaking, I admired and took pictures of the other cakes.

USPS Jeep Cake

Flip-Flop Cake

Candyland Cake (2nd place)

Computer Cake (3rd Place)–we work on computers all day so this one was really clever and appropriate.

Cake table

For all this effort and stress, I was awarded first place and got to choose from three gift baskets. Two were stuffed with candy and I went with the third labeled “Pamper Yourself” b/c it didn’t look quite as fattening as the others.

I got the book, What About The Big Stuff?, Dove Caramel Chocolates (with Christmas ornaments on the box–yeah, remember what I said about the leftover Christmas junk?), Avon foot lotion, chamomile tea, Warm Sugar Vanilla body lotion (which I believe is one of BBW’s holiday lotions) hot cocoa mixes (yeah, more Christmas leftovers–who drinks/buys cocoa in the summer?) some yummy votive candles, Burt’s Bees cuticle oil, Nifty Nuthouse (it’s a local place) mixed nuts, a luxury eye mask that I just might use b/c it’s sooooo soft, Garnier face-cleansing towelettes and (get this) a bar of soap from a hotel (the Hyatt). I’m not complaining–I love everything and am very grateful–but I just think it’s pretty hilarious how they didn’t try to hide the fact that they were regifting old Christmas rejects (and hotel soap!). I would have at least removed the chocolates from their box and put them in a nifty new container.

Anyway, the real prize–and the only reason I entered the competition–was to win…and I did! So I’m happy. I don’t think I’ll be putting myself through that again, though–I really feel like I’m done with cake decorating. I’m way too anal to bear it. But I like to contradict myself so be watching out for my State Fair cake come fall. ;)

19 Comments

Posted in Cake & Frosting, Tips & Tricks and tagged cake decorating, competition, REC, Remote Encoding Center, tiered cake, tips, USPS. Bookmark the permalink.

Honey Bun Cake

Posted on May 21, 2009 by Veronica

It’s the height of spring here in Kansas and today was our warmest yet, 84 degrees. I had the day off for a routine doctor appointment so I got to enjoy a bit of the sunlight today, and had enough time to try out a few of the recipes I’ve gotten from fellow foodies.

Since I had a bit more time in the morning than I usually do, I actually cooked breakfast rather than dumping it into a bowl. I chose to make the French Toast that my friend, Kimberly, posted on MySpace (you can get it here), which has brown sugar and nutmeg in the batter with cinnamon sprinkled on top. It was delish! Next time I will add vanilla and possibly some orange zest. I love French Toast!

French Toast with melted butter (ate it as soon as the syrup was on):

I stopped at my Mom and Dad’s house to drop off some eggs (I have a local supplier) and Dad was out back so I went to go see what he was up to. He had just picked some garlic and was cleaning it off to give to his girls (I’ve got two sisters). Like how he’s labeled for easier identification?

Dad loves to be outdoors and chat, especially now that he’s not working, so he kept me there as long as he could, showing me around his “garden.” I put that in quotes b/c it’s not a traditional garden, by far. In any case, I was glad to stay, glad to feel the sun, glad to smell the herbs & weeds and soil, glad to spend some time with my father for no particular reason. (He had a stroke last October, leaving him without the ability to read, and although I visit once or twice a week–it’s usually b/c I have to fill his medicine container, read to him and pay his bills….Mom doesn’t do any of this b/c…well, she’s a long story.)

Here’s what I meant when I said his isn’t a traditional garden. In this photo, there are so many things to notice that you really don’t see anything.

This is his garden–a mishmash of scattered herbs, dead poppies, weeds, grass, all lined with concrete blocks with toilet lids & rocks on top and a compost pile in front.

I asked him to show me where his garlic was and he pointed to about seven different places. I thought the funniest one was amongst the iris. You probably can’t see it, but the tops are thinner than the iris leaves.

He also has comfrey, which you can make tea with to help heal broken bones (I used this when I broke my tailbone):

Horseradish (the big leaves behind all the grass, garlic & various weeds)

A goji plant (he says he’s the only one in KS that has one but I wouldn’t believe him unless he actually had to travel to China to get it)

And, thinking of our dinner tonight, I picked some tarragon:

And some sage:

I had a good chuckle over the “volunteer” squash and broccoli plants that had cropped up in Dad’s old compost pile (right next to the new one–ewwww!)

Here’s a close-up of the broccoli

And over what Dad considered “lawn decorations,” like the toilet tank lids (some broken) and his seashell collection in the bowl of an antique sink.

I call him “Alta reincarnate” when I see stuff like this b/c his mother (Alta) would never throw anything away and used a lot of crazy stuff like this to decorate with (including plastic soda bottles). He’s also got an old cement mixer & toilet in his yard. I do like these huge chunks of glass, though:

Oh yeah, and laughed a little over the lamb’s quarters too:

Apparently this is just a weed but can be eaten. He didn’t plant them, they just sprung up as weeds do, but since he’s got so much Alta in him, he’s going to eat them b/c otherwise it would be “wasting” (wasting weeds!?!). Oh no, I just realized I do the same thing with food–I can’t waste it! It’s in my blood! But I don’t know if I’d be eating weeds.

On the way home, I stopped at Food For Thought for some local ground bison. The Whole Foods by us ran out and hasn’t had it for a while (it’s just a local store, not a part of the big chain) so I took advantage of being uptown to stop at the health-food store I grew up with. It started out in this rinky dink little place (where it says Central Food Mart)

And then moved across the street to this larger location (though probably still laughably small by big-city standards).

I didn’t take many pictures, but this is an adorable store with lots of fascinating things for sale–they’re not just about the vitamins and gluten-free products. I liked this one, though I managed to refrain from purchasing (I prefer poking my enemies with real pins):

Here’s their organic produce section.

I headed home with four pounds of bison and actually took time to prepare myself a decent (late) lunch rather than slapping a sandwich together. I had a Morningstar Farms Hickory Barbecue Riblet (it’s actually meatless) with what has become my new favorite side dish–green bean salad (recipe here).

Instead of making my own vinaigrette, I just use Kraft Sundried Tomato Vinaigrette and sprinkle on some dried basil. It might not be as delicious as originally intended, but I love it. And I love the riblets too–they’re the bomb. They have a really meaty texture and are kind of like shredded brisket that has been compacted.

I’ve been wanting to make Tucky‘s Honey Bun Cake ever since she posted her Mom’s recipe for it on a bulletin, but I haven’t had the time until today. I headed out to get some sour cream and then whipped it up into two shallow pans b/c I wanted to keep one and give the other away. Doing it this way, there wasn’t quite enough batter to cover the filling layer, but it still worked out and baked up nicely.

For dinner, I made Sweet Bacon Chicken Wraps (recipe here) using my friend Kim‘s idea of leaving the breasts whole and adding in herbs between the chicken and bacon (and then I couldn’t help sprinkling it over the top too). This is where Dad’s sage & tarragon came into play, and I also added some basil and rosemary.

If I hadn’t used fake chicken breasts, this would have probably killed me, but I only suffered a mild aneurysm. Thank goodness for fake poultry! This was so incredible, it’s almost enough to make me try it with real chicken. Brown sugar and chili pepper on bacon-wrapped chicken–what could be wrong with that?! And if you’re wondering why I would bother using fake chicken if I’m going to use real bacon, then you’ll have to ask b/c I don’t feel like getting into it (and you are probably better off staying out of my head, anyway).

As good as dinner was, we could hardly wait to clear the table for dessert–the sweet cinnamon smell was calling to us!!!! I served up two therapeutic-sized slices and we gobbled it up in silence–the only sounds being our forks scraping the plates. Then we both looked at the rest of the cake and then looked at each other. And smiled. I nodded and served us up another slice. Then the cake seemed to be a little bit crooked so we evened it up with a thin sliver. And then another. The cake is more than half gone now, but I’m consoling myself with the fact that if I’d made the cake in one pan, only a quarter of it would be gone. Is there something wrong with me for thinking that a quarter of a cake isn’t that much? :)

All in all, a very nice & relaxed day (even the Dr. visit wasn’t bad–he was very happy that I’ve lost 15 pounds–and we parted with our usual hug) and the cake was…well, the frosting on the cake (though it might have undone some of my weight loss efforts)! To make the ending as sweet for you as it was for us, I’ll leave you with the Honeybun Cake recipe, compliments of Tucky & her dear Mother.

Honey Bun Cake

BATTER:

1 box yellow cake mix
3/4 cup vegetable oil
4 eggs
1 (8-oz) container sour cream
MIX WELL

FILLING:
1 cup brown sugar
2 tbsp cinnamon
MIX WELL

ICING:
1/2 cup milk
3 cups powdered sugar
MIX WELL WITH MIXER

TO PREPARE:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a 9×13 pan. Pour HALF the batter into the pan and sprinkle with filling. Pour remaining batter on top and bake at 350 degrees for 40 min. While cake is hot, poke holes in the top of the cake with a fork and then pour & spread icing onto the cake. Chill and serve!

*Veronica’s Notes: I used two disposable 12.25×8.13×1.13 pans and divided everything between them. I did double the icing, but that wasn’t necessary. Also, I served it at room temperature and it was delicious. I’m chilling it now to see if it’s better that way b/c I think the cake is still in need of some trimming.

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Posted in Cake & Frosting and tagged adventures, bun, cake, cooking, Dad, garden, honey. Bookmark the permalink.

The Happy Cake Maker

Posted on April 28, 2009 by Veronica

It took me a while to get around to it, but I finally finished editing all the footage of me making that baby shower cake last month. It’s more entertaining than educational, but you might pick up a few tricks!

8 Comments

Posted in Cake & Frosting, Videos and tagged happy cake maker video. Bookmark the permalink.

Orange Chocolate Chunk Cake

Posted on April 15, 2009 by Veronica

I’ve been wanting to make Ina Garten’s Orange Chocolate Chunk Cake ever since I laid eyes on it on Deb’s smittenkitchen website blog (my favorite!). Several years later, I magically had all the ingredients on hand and although I didn’t have a special occassion to make the cake for, I decided it was now or never!

The batter was billowy and scented with orange and I could tell that some big chocolate chunks were the perfect compliment! I was so excited as it baked and the wonderful smell filled the house. I cooked the orange glaze as the cake cooled in the pan for ten minutes, eagerly anticipating the first bite. But when I turned it over, nothing happened. OH NO. It was stuck! I shook it and shook it, banged and banged. Then finally….

It came loose, looking like the Cookie Monster had gotten ahold of it! My perfect, lovely cake…ruined.

OK, I stirred the chocolate chunks with flour as per the recipe directions. So WHY did they all sink to the bottom and stick to the pan, despite this precaution? I need some help here.

It’s not a good idea for me to be baking on an empty stomach b/c I get cranky when I’m hungry and stress tends to make me overeat. I was so mad when I turned the pan upside down and several pieces stuck that instead of trying to press them back into place as I usually would, I ate everything sticking to the pan in a fit of rage. The cake was wonderful, as expected, and the excessive ratio of chocolate helped calm me down, but I was still upset enough that I couldn’t resist licking all the excess chocolate ganache that dripped off the cake onto the plate below. Mmmm, ganache–the cure for all that ails you!

Anyway, the ganache covered up most of the ugliness, although you could still see dips and valleys, but Den’s co-workers couldn’t care less about the appearance of the treats I send with him, especially when they taste this good.

Ina Garten’s Orange Chocolate Chunk Cake
From Barefoot Contessa Parties! (Directions modified by Veronica)

1/2 pound unsalted butter at room temperature
2 cups sugar
4 extra-large eggs at room temperature
1/4 cup grated orange zest (from 4 large oranges)
3 cups all-purpose flour plus 2 tablespoons
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
3/4 cup buttermilk at room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 cups good semisweet chocolate chunks

Syrup:
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup freshly squeezed orange juice

Ganache:
8 ounces good semisweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon instant coffee granules

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Liberally grease and flour a 10-inch Bundt pan.

2. Cream the butter and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment for about 5 minutes, or until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, then the orange zest.

3. Sift together 3 cups flour, the baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl. In another bowl, combine the orange juice, buttermilk, and vanilla. Add the flour and buttermilk mixtures alternately in thirds to the creamed butter, beginning and ending with the flour. Toss the chocolate chunks with 2 tablespoons flour and add to the batter. Pour into the pan, smooth the top, and bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour, until a cake tester comes out clean. Let the cake cool in the pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes.

4. Meanwhile, make the syrup. In a small saucepan over medium-low heat, cook the sugar with the orange juice until the sugar dissolves. Remove the cake from the pan, set it on a rack over a tray, and apply the glaze to the cake with a pastry brush. Allow the cake to cool completely.

5. For the ganache, melt the chocolate, heavy cream, and coffee in the top of a double boiler over simmering water until smooth and warm, stirring occasionally. Drizzle over the top of the cake.

Carrot Cake

Posted on April 9, 2009 by Veronica

This carrot cake’s official name is “Best Carrot Cake,” but since I have yet to try it (already baked two of them but they’re for Easter so I’ll review it on Monday), I’m going to just call it “Carrot Cake” for now. Usually I approve a recipe before posting, but figured since it’s a popular cake on Easter, I’d better put it up now so that those searching for a recipe would have one, or another one if you’re like me and always searching for something better. :)

The recipe comes from Southern Living. I don’t know, it must be a southern thing, b/c I got the recipe for my favorite apple cake from Paula Deen (Grandgirl’s Fresh Apple Cake from Georgia) and she uses this same method of pouring buttermilk glaze over the cake when it’s hot out of the oven to seal in the moisture. This carrot cake recipe actually is really similar to the apple cake recipe (both have pecans & coconut and the batter has a similar texture) so if it’s anything near that one in taste, it’ll be a keeper.

Southern Living’s Best Carrot Cake

Ingredients

2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
3 large eggs
2 cups sugar
3/4 cup vegetable oil
3/4 cup buttermilk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups grated carrot
1 (8-ounce) can crushed pineapple, drained
1 cup packed flaked coconut (or a 3 1/2 oz can)
1 cup chopped pecans
Buttermilk Glaze
Cream Cheese Frosting *

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Grease the bottoms of 3 (9-inch) round cakepans, place a parchment paper or wax paper round in the bottom, then grease and flour the entire inside of all three pans. Alternately, if you’re just going to serve it out of a 9×13 pan, just grease the pan and you’re good to go.

Stir together first 4 ingredients in a small bowl and set aside.

Beat eggs and next 4 ingredients at medium speed with an electric mixer until smooth. Add flour mixture, beating at low speed until blended. Fold in carrot and next 3 ingredients. Pour batter into prepared cake pans.

Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. About five minutes before the cakes are done, start the buttermilk glaze (click the link above to get the recipe). Drizzle Buttermilk Glaze evenly over layers; cool in pans on wire racks 15 minutes. Remove from pans (I had to give the bottom a good bang while upside down on the cooling rack to shake each loose), turn right-side up again and cool completely on wire racks. The glaze will continue to soak into the cakes while they cool.

While cake is cooling, prepare Cream Cheese Frosting (use recipe above or see note below). Spread between layers and on top and sides of cake.

If you wish, you can press pecans or toasted coconut into the sides. If you’re feeling really ambitious, pipe carrots onto the cake using a tip 12 and leaves using tip 352 or 67 (I used the former). Starting at the top of the carrot, use heavy pressure and drag the tip downward, ever diminishing in pressure while moving the tip forward and back to make the ridges in the carrots. Finish the tip of the carrot by just pulling back with no pressure. Add the leaves–I don’t think mine are done right but I put three small on each one.

*The frosting recipe given here is pretty thin and not very condusive to a layer cake b/c it tends to ooze out the sides. My preferred recipe is much thicker and worked well when I used it on the second cake. To make it, cream one stick butter & one (8 oz) package cream cheese (both softened). Mix in a teaspoon of vanilla and a pound of powdered sugar (four cups) and beat until fluffy. *If you’re just going to serve it in the pan, the one give in the link above will work perfectly well.

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Update April 6, 2009

This cake has now been tested and widely approved by grandparents, teens, mothers and fathers, Christians and heathens, health nuts and the obese, carrot cake haters (my husband) and carrot cake lovers (everyone else), dogs, cats and spider monkeys. Well, most of that is true anyway.

This is the moistest (is that a word?) cake I have ever had–and I made it on Tuesday, people. By rights it should have been dried out and awful by Easter but it tasted like I had just made it. (Of course you have to store it in the fridge or freezer.) It is VERY rich and VERY good. So yes, you should have made it and if you didn’t, it would behoove you to find a good excuse to make it soon. I suggest a potluck where a lot of people are attending b/c a little goes long way. And because you’ll eat the whole thing yourself if you make it for your family and I don’t want to be held responsible for your 20-pound weight gain.

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Update 2/12/12: I won a red ribbon for this cake at the 2011 state fair!

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Zesty Lemon Pound Cakes

Posted on March 30, 2009 by Veronica

It was a race against time to use up the remainder of my buttermilk and I went nutso yesterday (exactly one week AFTER the stuff was supposed to have expired), searching for recipes calling for buttermilk…and I have saved up a surprising number of them, considering how rarely I have it on hand.

I chose three, and I’m happy to report that ALL of the buttermilk got used up before I had to dump it down the drain. I’m one of those annoying can’t-waste -anything-edible people. I will bring in burnt cookies to work b/c the thought of trashing them nearly sends me into an epileptic fit.

Anyway, I made a batch of Buttermilk Dressing (a wonderful dressing that’s low-cal without even trying to be), some Southern Style Oven Fried Chicken and some Zesty Lemon Pound Cakes, which just so happens to be one of my all time favorite spring-time treats.

You can tell from the texture of the batter that the cakes are going to be amazing. It is thick, velvety and almost airy despite its density. The cakes themselves…heavenly. Zesty, sweet, tart, rich, and just like the batter–they’re dense and airy at the same time. You can make them in little bundt pans or just bake it in a couple loaf pans–either way it will be wonderful.

Zesty Lemon Mini Pound Cakes

1 cup White Chocolate Chips
2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking powder
½ tsp. salt
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
1 ½ cups granulated sugar
2 tsp. vanilla extract
3 large eggs
1 1/3 cups buttermilk
3-4 tbsp. (about 3 medium lemons) grated lemon peel
1 ½ cups powdered sugar
¼ cup fresh lemon juice

Preheat oven to 350. Grease and flour 12 mini fluted tube wells.

Melt chips and cool slightly.

Combine flour, baking powder and salt in a small bowl. Beat butter, sugar and vanilla extract in large bowl until creamy. Beat in eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in lemon peel and white chocolate. Gradually beat in flour mixture alternately with buttermilk. Pour into tube wells.

Bake for 20-25 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in cakes comes out clean. Cool in pan on wire racks for 10 minutes.

Combine powdered sugar and lemon juice in small bowl. Make holes in cakes with wooden pick; pour half of lemon glaze over cakes. Let stand for 5 minutes. Invert onto serving platter. Make holes on top of cakes, pour remaining glaze over.

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Chocolate Cherry Cordial Cake

Posted on January 2, 2009 by Veronica

I had today off and finally had the time to make a cake for the December babies in my family–Dennis, Danielle and Lacey. Yes, I’m horrible. Yes, I’m the worst wife and sister on the planet. Yes, I only made one cake for all three birthdays. And I didn’t even bother decorating it. But there were NO complaints, let me tell you. I do not have the vocabulary to express just how awesome the flavor of the buttercream is. If you like cherry cordials, you’ll love this cake.

I know not many will appreciate this blog since it’s New Year’s Day and you most likely wrote “LOSE WEIGHT” at the top of your resolutions (again), but save the recipe for Valentine’s Day–by then you’ll have lost enough weight to afford a slice and your sweetheart will be clamoring for cake since you banned it from the house for the last two months.

Chocolate Cherry Cordial Cake

1 Devil’s Food Cake, prepared according to package directions
1 recipe Cherry Chocolate Buttercream (recipe follows)
Marashino/Candied/Fresh cherries
Sliced almonds (optional)
Dark chocolate chips (optional)

Frost the cake with the buttercream and embellish with the cherries, almonds and chocolate chips or whatever else you want to use.

Cherry Chocolate Buttercream

3 sticks butter, room temperature, soft
4 ½ cups powdered sugar
pinch of salt
1 tablespoon cherry extract
¼ cup + 2 tbsp. milk
1 1/3 cups cocoa powder
1 ½ oz. melted semisweet chocolate

Beat butter; Add sugar and mix until moistened. Add salt, extract, milk, and chocolates. Beat until fluffy and desired consistency, several minutes. Makes enough to fill and frost two 8 or 9 inch layers, plus more for decorating.