Easter Cake

So here's how I logiced my way into bringing a wedding cake as my contribution to Easter dinner:

1. I typically host holidays at my house, but instead of having to make everything, I was charged with bringing a sole dessert.  I had ample time and crazy holiday fueled energy available.
2.  My friend Michelle and I have wanted to test our red velvet cake recipes to see which one we like best prior to an event we are helping cater.  (I made both my chocolate cake and white cake recipe using a red velvet cake mix.  The chocolate was the best.)
3. I am going to be making a two tiered cake for my friends kids birthday in a few weeks, and I've never done it before.  I needed to practice.
4. I have a mild obsession with making fondant flowers.
5. I'm insane.

And here's the result of my madness...


Red Velvet "Easter" Cake

Baseball Truffle Topped Cupcakes

My friend Michelle and I are the baking dream team for our coworkers and friends.  Not only are we both mildly obsessed with trying new and unbelievably unhealthy recipes, we are both a smidgen anal and compulsive when it comes to planning.  When working on a team, you'd think having two chiefs with obsessive compulsive disorder and no Indians would be an inevitable disaster, but for some reason when we bake together we bring out the best in one another.

Part of it is because we both know how to take constructive criticism (and welcome it!) and part of it is because we both have different strengths.  Michelle is the cake and butter cream goddess, having made some of the most beautiful and delicious weddings cakes I've ever seen.  I am more into little details- tiny fondant roses, a million different desserts in a spread, things like that.  

This has been working incredibly well for the wedding dessert buffet we are planning together.  In fact, right after we delivered the following concoction, we spent 4 hours at my house mocking up the dessert buffet table-scape. Yup, we painstakingly placed cupcake wrappers on platters and trays and arranged them on a make-shift 12 foot table in my dining room to make sure we had enough room and platters for all the food.  We didn't.  Then we went to Walmart.  All is good now.

How did I get this far off topic?  So since our friends have realized how much we thrive on adorable baking projects, we occasionally get requests like this.  Michelle was asked to make baseball themed cupcakes for a kids birthday party, and she commissioned me to help.  Her idea was to have a baseball truffle (my part!) on top of a cupcake frosted in butter cream grass (her part!)  What resulted were the cutest darned cupcakes I've ever seen.  Yay us!

Cupcakes topped with Baseball Truffles (Cookie Dough Flavored)

Make a batch of cookie dough truffles (which I've made here) and dip in almond bark.  Make sure that the truffles will be small enough to fit on top of the cupcakes.  Let cool before proceeding.

Melt red candy melts according to package instructions and place it in a plastic bag (if this is too thick to pipe, thin it using shortening.)

Start by drawing the two half circles on the truffle with the red candy melts.  Add stitching.  Work quickly to avoid having the candy harden.

When they are dry, pipe butter cream dyed green onto your favorite flavor of cupcakes so that it looks like grass.  Top with your truffle and serve.  

Enjoy!

Caramel Mocha Cake

For the people I love and care about, birthdays are nearly always preceded with a wide-eyed me desperately and timidly asking "so, do you need a birthday cake?" I try to act like it's no big deal, but I'm really jumping up and down on the inside screaming "LET ME BAKE YOU SOMETHING."  But when one of my besties moved across the Midwest to the desolate, cold, altogether too damn far away land known as "Minneapolis," I hadn't yet formed this obsession with baking.  So I've never really gotten to bake for her!  Except her bridal shower.   And several parties I've thrown and she's attended.  And a few showers we threw together.  Hell, the last time I saw her she was forced into washing dishes for me as I filled heath cupcakes in a fit of baby-shower-themed-food insanity.

But she lives far away and she's never gotten a birthday cake from me, so her spring break visit was my opportunity!  I even spent an evening forming fondant flowers for the top of the cake.  Mainly because I don't think anyone has ever really made fondant decorations for her, and I felt she deserved something extra special.

So the week before she came and I set out for the grocery store on foot, husband/grocery bag carrier by my side.  I had absolutely no idea what I was going to make her, and pinterest is too slow on my phone (Thank you very much, Verizon.) So I had to go back to my roots- brainstorming things up all on my very own without the help of the world wide interwebs.  She and I had pretty much spent half of our friendship across the table from one another at a coffee shop, so I decided to go with a cappuccino themed cake.  With chocolate.  And caramel.  Caramel swirled with ganache. And butter cream- oh god- COFFEE butter cream. 

This is what happens when I have too much time on my hands.

Chocolate Coffee Cake

Recipe adapted from: http://allrecipes.com//Recipe/too-much-chocolate-cake/Detail.aspx

Ingredients

1 (18.25 ounce) package devil's food cake mix

1 (5.9 ounce) package instant devils food (or chocolate of any kind) pudding mix

1 (8 oz) container of Daisy sour cream (full fat)

1 cup vegetable oil

4 eggs

1/2 cup warm water

2 tsp coffee extract

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees  

Mix all of the ingredients together in a large bowl, or your trusty stand mixer. 
Pour batter into two nine inch rounds.

Bake as directed on your box mix.

When completely cool, you may wrap and freeze the layers until you are ready.

Coffee Butter Cream

Make a double recipe of my favorite butter cream but replace the vanilla with coffee extract. If you want to decorate the cake with a different color, make sure to set aside a cup of frosting before you add the coffee.

Caramel Mocha Cake Assemble

Ingredients 

2 nine inch rounds Chocolate Coffee Cake, ideally frozen, recipe above

Double Recipe Coffee Butter ream, recipe above

1 can dulce de leche (I used nestle)

1 recipe dark chocolate ganache, prepared fresh, recipe found here 

Directions

Split 9 inch rounds in half and place the three bottom layers on plates.

Make your ganache.

Pipe a large bead of butter cream around the diameter of these three layers.

Place 1/3 of the dulce de leche in the middle of each cake layer.  Carefully spread the caramel over the cake.  You may not cover the entire surface and that is ok.

Pour 1/3 of the hot ganache over each of the cakes, on top of the caramel.

Set the cakes in the fridge until the ganache is set. 

When the layers are ready, stack the cake and frost with the remaining butter cream (a double recipe is enough for a crumb coat, a final coat, and all accents.

Boston Cream Pie

So for my last entry, I told you all about how for my in-laws, I'm the official birthday cake maker.  I apparently neglected to mention that I also hold this title for my family.  And my friends.  Thus this entry, and the next one to come.

To celebrate my fathers birthday, we went out for Italian food and followed it up with this Boston cream pie.  I noted the changes I would make- I made a very traditional cake recipe, but it wasn't as moist as my usual "doctor up a box mix" method, so in lieu of being fancy, in the future I'll cut corners and end up with something more delicious.

The Cake
I used this recipe but I didn't think it was worth it.  I suggest you make a yellow cake using these directions, but prepare in two 9 inch rounds.

Pastry Cream
Recipe adapted from: http://allrecipes.com/recipe/pastry-cream-2/

Ingredients
2 cups whole milk
1/4 cup white sugar
2 egg yolks, room temperature
1 egg, room temperature
1/4 cup cornstarch
1/3 cup white sugar
2 tbsp butter
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/2 tsp salt

Directions
If your eggs are not at room temperature, place in a warm water bath.

Place 2 tbsp of butter (chopped into pea sized pieces) in a small bowl with vanilla and salt.  Set aside.

Line a 9 inch round (or whatever size round you baked your cakes in) with saran wrap.  Cut yourself an extra piece to place on top when you are complete.  Set aside.

Whisk milk and 1/4 cup sugar in to a medium saucepan. Set aside.

When eggs are warm, put them in your food processor and process for a few moments.  Add your cornstarch and remaining sugar.  Process until combined.

Now that you have your station ready, place your milk mixture on your stove and heat until boiling over medium head.

Once boiling, turn on your food processor.  Slowly drizzle the boiling milk into the egg mixture, being careful not to scramble the eggs by pouring too fast. Once combined, return mixture to saucepan.

Heat over medium heat until it boils and thickens, whisking constantly. Once it reaches the proper thickness, add the butter mixture and whisk until combined. 

Pour your pastry cream into your prepared pan and top with saran wrap to avoid a film from forming.  Store in the fridge until firm, overnight if possible.

The Ganache and Assembly
First, unwrap your pastry cream exposing the top but leave it in the 9 inch round.  Place the bottom layer of your cake on top of the pastry cream, upside down.  Flip out onto your serving tray, and top with the final cake layer.

Prepare your ganache, use the following recipe: http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/chocolate-ganache/Detail.aspx

Drizzle over your cake slowly, starting in the middle and working your way out in a circular pattern.  Let some of the ganache drip over the edge.  Stop when you reach the desired look- do not feel like you have to use all the ganache.

Almond Joy Cake with Coconut Ice Cream

I feel that everyone has their place in their family- and my place is firmly plopped in front of the stove.  Before I came along, homemade cakes simply didn't exist at my in-laws.  Birthdays were celebrated with a grocery store sheet cake and store bought ice cream.  I'm not sure when it began, but early in my relationship with my husband, I showed up to a birthday with a homemade cake.  Because that's what I do.  Cake is wonderful and every opportunity to make one should be capitalized on.  Not making a birthday cake would be like letting summer go by without a barbecue- or Christmas wrap up without getting sloshed on eggnog.  Sure- it's still technically Christmas- but you just threw away an opportunity that you will never get back.

Birthday means cake.  Cake is not purchased from a grocery store.  It's just not.

And when my father in laws 50th rolled around, I knew I had to do something special.  I have been on a streak of candy bar themed caked for this side of the family for awhile, so I decided to continue the trend with an Almond Joy cake.  Layers of Almond Joy filling and chocolate cake, topped with the richest fudge frosting you'll ever taste.  Serve with a side of coconut ice cream and almond slivers, and you are good to go.

The extra-specialness of this cake comes to fruition in the topper.  I got my fondant molding skills on and make a fishy cake topper.  It's not perfect- but it was definitely fun to make and a crowd pleaser.  I used Duff's fondant to make it, which I strongly recommend.  

Here we go! 

Almond Joy Cake

Chocolate Cake
Recipe adapted from:http://allrecipes.com//Recipe/too-much-chocolate-cake/Detail.aspx

Ingredients

1 (18.25 ounce) package devil's food cake mix

1 (5.9 ounce) package instant devils food (or chocolate of any kind) pudding mix

1 (8 oz) container of sour cream (full fat, I use Daisy brand)

1 cup vegetable oil

4 eggs

1/2 cup warm water

2 tsp pure vanilla

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees 

Mix all of the ingredients together in a large bowl, or your trusty stand mixer.

Pour batter into two round cake pans.

Bake as directed on your box mix.

Coconut Filling
Recipe adapted from: http://candy.about.com/od/nutcandy/r/almond_delights.htm

Ingredients

10 ounces sweetened condensed milk

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/4 tsp salt

2 cups powdered sugar

14 ounces shredded sweetened coconut

Directions 

Combine ingredients in large bowl, set aside. 

Fudge Frosting
Recipe from: http://www.bhg.com/recipe/chocolate-cakes/chocolate-sour-cream-cake-with-fudgy-frosting/

Ingredients

1 (12 ounce) package semisweet chocolate pieces (I used Ghirardelli)

1 stick butter

1 8 ounce carton sour cream (full fat, I used Daisy)

1 lb sifted powdered sugar

Directions

Pour chocolate chips into a large glass mixing bowl (your glass stand mixer bowl if you have it.)  Cut butter into small pieces and add to the chocolate chips.  Microwave in 20 sec intervals until chocolate and butter are completely melted.  Let cool for 10 minutes.

Stir in sour cream and mix until combined.  Stir in powdered sugar and mix until combined.  Frost cake immediately.

Cake Assembly

Bake your two round cakes and let them cool.  (If you are doing this in advance, package cakes in saran wrap and foil and freeze until you are ready.  If working from frozen, defrost cakes so you can cut into them.)

Prepare your coconut filling.

Split both layers evenly.  Lay down your bottom cake layer and top with 1/3 of your coconut mixture.  you may have to use your hands to flatten out sections of the filling and piece them together to cover the cake.  Repeat this until you have three layers of coconut filling alternating between your four layers of work.

Place the cake in a cool location while you prepare your frosting.  Immediately frost and keep cake covered until ready to serve.  Serve with a scoop of coconut ice cream and top with almond pieces.

Coconut Ice Cream 

Recipe adapted from: http://www.saveur.com/article/Recipes/Jenis-Ice-Cream-Base

Ingredients

1 cup whole milk, divided

4 tsp. cornstarch

3 tbsp. cream cheese, softened (full fat, I use Philadelphia) 

1.5 tsp coconut extract 

1 cup coconut milk

1 1/4 cups heavy cream

2/3 cup sugar

2 tbsp. light corn syrup (1.5 ounces if weighing)

1/4 tsp. kosher salt

Directions

Mix 1/4 cup of milk with 4 tsp of cornstarch into a slurry in a small bowl, set aside.

Place softened cream cheese in the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment.   Blend with coconut extract and set aside.

In a 4 quart saucepan, add the remainder of your milk, coconut milk, cream, sugar, corn syrup and salt.  Bring to a boil over medium high heat.  Reduce heat to medium and continue to boil for 4 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Mix cornstarch slurry into your saucepan and return mixture to boil (increasing heat to medium high until it boils, reducing again once it boils.)  Cook for 2 minutes while stirring.  

Pour 1/4 of your milk mixture over your cream cheese and whisk until smooth.  Add the rest of the milk mixture and blend until combined.  Pour your ice cream base into a gallon sized ziplock bag and place in an ice water bath until completely cool.  Freeze according to your ice cream makers directions.

Here's the final product- I got a little crazy with the fondant work!

Wedding Tasting: Various Truffles and Pops

I'm going to file this one under "it seemed like a good idea at the time."

I don't know how or why, but my friends and I always seem to sit around and talk about how freaking cool it would be to do this or that.  Then we talk about it more and more, because really there isn't a lot more to do in Iowa other then sit around and shoot the shit and google pictures of cake.  So slowly, but surely, without ever actually making a decision, whatever it was we were talking about becomes reality.  It's not just baking, either- one minute I'm talking to my running buddies about how fun it would be to train for a marathon, and the next minute I'm on mile 19 of a training run that started at 3:30 am, climbing up a hill, in the rain, certain that my legs must be bleeding because no intact leg could possible emit this much pain.  (This.  Really.  Happened.) 

Well obviously this phenomenon happens with baking quite a bit.  My friends and I dream up some sort of crazy and extravagant cake concoction, and all of a sudden I'm standing in my kitchen with second degree burns from pastry cream all up my arms, filling and ganaching cupcakes until 1:00 am.  

Cut to my dear friend and coworker getting engaged and briefly mentioning that she'd like to do a dessert buffet instead of a traditional tiered cake.  Well my eyes light up like a kid on Christmas morning and I think to myself "I COULD DO THAT" and I start dreaming with my friend about how cool it would be if we did it together.  The next thing I know we are taking the bride to lunch to discuss her likes and dislikes and the schedule a tasting.

What have I gotten myself in to???

Honestly, at this point it's still fun and exciting, but I know after assembling 200 cake pops and monogramming a whole slew of butter cream sugar cookies, I might not be signing the same tune.  But for now, I'm going to continue perusing blogs and recipes sites searching for inspiration while daydreaming about how freaking awesome this will be when done.  I'll keep googling wedding websites galore to see how others have set their buffets up- complete with cupcake wrappers, color coordinated hand made accents and decorations, and elaborate food stands that I somehow have to con my engineer husband into making for me.

So first things first- we hosted a tasting in order for the bride to decide what she wanted to have.  And here are just a few of the things that shall be taking over my kitchen in a few short months.

Oh, and I might have bought an extra fridge to support this event.  Yup, that happened.  

Paula Deens Cookie Dough Truffles turned into candy pops

...pictured with... 

White and Dark Chocolate Coated Shortbread (using this recipe.) 

White Chocolate Coated Red Velvet Cake Pops 

Monogrammed Sugar Cookies with Butter Cream Frosting 

Scotcharoos formed into truffles and dipped in melted chocolate and butterscotch chips 

Cookie Dough Topped Brownies

So last month, Husband got a fancy new job.  He's pretty much the most important person I know, now.  He's been jet-setting around the globe to exotic locations like College Station, Texas and Hotlanta, and quite frankly, I'm shocked that he hasn't completely forgotten us little people.  He has been strutting around in fancy new sport coats and skinny ties, so really it's just a matter of time.  I will, however, tolerate this because I feel that this is just one step closer to him making his millions and thus allowing me to become a trophy wife and open an adorable bakery where I eat my profits.  Literally.  But I'd hire a trainer in order to maintain my trophy wife physique.

Back.  To.  Reality.  So perhaps I'm exaggerating a tad.  And in the interest of honesty, I may have been the one to purchase all the fancy new duds for him.  So, mocking him for wearing them is a little below the belt.  But my husband has a new job and he's a little bit fancier because of it.

So today was the first official fancy new job work pot-luck that my husband neglected to tell me about until the day before.  He claimed that he didn't need to bring anything for the silly reason that "he couldn't even go" which is so not even the point.  Husband almost prevented me from taking advantage of a baking opportunity.  I just... I just don't know.  It's like he doesn't even know me at all.  And then I wonder- what if I hadn't found out on time?  What if I had sat idly by never knowing that I could be using my husbands coworkers to support my borderline unhealthy addition of trying new and completely gluttonous recipes?  ...Shutter.

But thankfully that didn't happen, and I got to try out a new recipe.  I had been inspired by these cookie dough topped brownies which I found on Pinterest, but I used my favorite recipe for cookie dough instead.  And then I maybe accidentally made a double batch- because it just seemed wrong not to.  I wonder who could possibly take care of all those left overs?  Guess I'll just have to man up and take on that responsibility myself.  A true martyr, I am.

Cookie Dough Topped Brownies
Cookie Dough recipe from: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/paulas-best-dishes/cookie-dough-truffles-recipe/index.html

Ingredients
1/4 salted butter, softened
3/8 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 tsp pure vanilla
1 cup all-purpose flour
7 ounces sweetened condensed milk
1/4 cup mini chocolate chips

Ghirardelli double chocolate brownie mix (or your favorite mix)
Eggs, vegetable oil, and water (in amounts designated by the mix)

Extra chocolate for drizzling

Directions
Prepare your brownie mix and bake as directed in an 8x8 greased pan. Be careful not to over bake.

While the brownies are cooling, prepare cookie dough.  Cream butter and brown sugar in a large bowl.  Add vanilla.  Slowly add flour until fully incorporated.  Add in sweetened condensed milk until mixture comes together.  Mix in the chocolate chips.

Working in small chunks, grab about a golf ball sized portions of the cookie dough and flatten in out in your hands.  Place these over the brownies until the entire surface is covered.  Use your hands to flatten out the dough and blend seams.

Chill before cutting.  Drizzle with melted chocolate.