Orange Pistachio Cake

Last year, my good friend, Rebecca, wanted me to make her a cake and cited her upcoming half birthday as the perfect excuse. I balked at the idea at first, but then decided that I'd halfway acquiesce by making her a half birthday cake. It was a hit, so this year to celebrate another year gone by, I thought it would be fun to surprise her with a half birthday lunch.

Unfortunately, after planning and baking, she was sick and couldn't attend!! It was a bummer, but I hope that next year we'll be able to celebrate her twenty-eight and a half years on this good Earth. Happy Half, Rebecca! Hope you get better soon!

To quote my co-worker, Cara, "To be honest, I was skeptical but this is really good." I know this recipe is different, but it is a great cake, especially for those of you who don't really like cake. It isn't too sweet, the flavors are subtle, and the texture is perfect. Give it a try and let me know what you think.

For a gluten-free sweet inspired by this cake, try these Orange Pistachio Meringues.

Orange Pistachio Cake
cake recipe adapted from recipe by Rick Tramonto

Pistachio Cake

1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 cup sugar
3 large eggs
1 scant cup shelled pistachios, finely chopped*
1 cup all purpose flour
1 tablespoon finely grated orange zest
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon ground cardamom
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup whole milk
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat oven 350 degrees

Cream together the butter and sugar, about 1 minute on high. Mix in eggs one at a time until just incorporated, scraping down the sides of the bowl after each addition. In a separate bowl, mix together dry ingredients, nuts and orange zest. Add half the flour mixture to the butter/sugar mixture, then the milk and vanilla, followed by the remaining flour mixture.

Pour into greased 8" cake round, lined with parchment paper. Bake for ~40 minutes or until middle is set and inserted toothpick comes out clean.

Let cool 10 minutes before removing from pan. Let cool completely on cooling rack before icing.

*Measure one scant cup of whole pistachios. Place in food processor and pulse until a fine, crumbly mixture forms. Do not over-process or you'll end up with more of a paste. You may also chop by hand, though you'll end up with a coarser meal.

Orange Vanilla Cream Cheese Frosting

4 ounces cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup salted butter, softened
3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 teaspoons orange zest, minced
1/2 pound confectioner's sugar

Combine cream cheese, butter, vanilla extract, and orange zest in an electric mixing bowl. Beat on high until ingredients are well combined. Mix in sugar one half cup at a time, scraping down the sides of the bowl periodically.

Eat up!

Gluten Free Three Layer Red Velvet Whoopie Pies

Last week, I made a Red Velvet Cake full of gluten for my friend, David's, surprise birthday party. Unfortunately, his wife and planner of the birthday surprise, Traci, can't eat gluten. So I made these little whoopie pies to accompany the birthday cake so she wouldn't have to miss out on dessert!

Gluten Free Red Velvet Woopie Pies
adapted from recipe by Carol Kicinski

4 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup sugar
1 large egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon red food coloring
1 cup gluten-free flour
1 tablespoon cocoa powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup buttermilk
1/4 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
1/4 teaspoon baking soda

Preheat oven to 375 degrees

Line a large, lipped cookie tray with parchment paper.

Cream together butter and sugar. Scrape down sides of the bowl. Add, egg, vanilla and red food coloring. Mix until just incorporated. In a separate bowl, combine dry ingredients. Mix in half to the butter/sugar mixture, followed by buttermilk, and then the remaining half of the dry ingredients. In a small bowl, combine the vinegar and baking soda and then immediately mix into batter.

Pour batter onto lined cookie sheet. Bake for 8-10 minutes.

Remove and let cool for 5-10 minutes. Use a biscuit cutter to cut out cake circles. Transfer to cooling rack and let cool completely before icing.

Cream Cheese Frosting
4 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon lemon zest
1 1/2 cups confectioner's sugar

Cream together cream cheese and butter. Mix in vanilla and lemon zest. A little at a time, beat in confectioner's sugar.

Assembly
Spread desired amount of frosting onto one cake circle. Top with second cake circle. Repeat.

Refrigerate covered until ready to eat, then remove 15 minutes prior to serving.

Eat up!

Chocolate Espresso Buttercream

Chocolate Espresso Buttercream
adapted from Professional Baking by Wayne Gisslen

3 ounces egg yolks [4-5 large egg yolks]
8 ounces water
2 ounces sugar
10 ounces unsalted butter
3 ounces semi-sweet chocolate
3-4 tablespoons brewed strong coffee/espresso
3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

Place egg yolks in mixing bowl and beat on high until the yolks are light yellow in color and thick. This will take a good long while to happen - like 10 minutes. When I say thick, I mean thick! The number one way that I've screwed this up this recipe in the past is by not getting this step right.

Meanwhile, in a small saucepan combine the sugar and the water. Bring to to a boil, constantly whisking so that sugar does not burn. It is best to bring the mixture to a boil slowly so that all of the sugar crystals melt, otherwise you risk having gritty buttercream. Have a candy thermometer close at hand to measure temperature. Once the temperature reaches 240º remove from the heat and pour into a glass Pyrex measuring cup. Very slowly pour the syrup into the egg yolks (I generally have a stream going down the side of the bowl to avoid hitting the whisk attachment). Continue to whisk on high until all the syrup is added and the mixture is completely cool. Again, getting this to cool takes a good bit of time. Go check your email or call your grandma and come back in 10 minutes.

A little at a time, beat in the butter. Be careful not to add the butter to quickly, otherwise the mixture won't absorb it.

Finally, melt the chocolate in a medium bowl and let cool slightly before adding the vanilla extract and the coffee. Let cool completely before mixing in one cup of the prepared buttercream. Thoroughly blend. Add remaining buttercream.

Eat up!

Inside Out German Chocolate Cake

When my mom requested German Chocolate Cake for her birthday dessert, I was determined to find a new spin on it. So I did what I always do and got to searching epicurious. I found a recipe for German Chocolate Pie, which looked easy and got fairly good reviews. But then I found this recipe and I knew this was the one I needed to make to celebrate her 54th birthday. (Aside: I did save the pie recipe because I figure I won't have quite as much time on my hands in March of 2014.)

This cake took a bit of time to make, but happily, nothing about the recipe is technically difficult. Because of last year's experience (As you might recall, last year the first cake stuck to the pan and Sydney ate the second one. Read about that disaster here.), I chose to make the cake a day ahead of time in case disaster struck; however, I am happy to report that this year, I got it right on the first try!

Inside Out German Chocolate Cake
adapted from recipe found on epicurious

Cake
In a large electric mixing bowl, sift together:
3 cups all purpose flour
3 cups sugar
1 1/8 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
Mix for 30 seconds.

In a medium bowl, mix together:
1 1/2 cups whole milk
12 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
2 large eggs
2 large egg yolks
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon almond extract
Add all at once to the dry ingredients. Mix on low for 30 seconds to moisten the dry ingredients. Scrape down sides and bottom of bowl. Mix on medium for 1 minute to aerate the cake and develop the structure.

Mix in:
1 1/2 cups hot water
Mix for 30 seconds. Scrape down sides of bowl. Mix another 30 seconds or until the batter has an even consistency.

Pour batter into three (3) 8" round greased cake pans lined with parchment paper. Bake for 35-45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into center comes out clean. While the cake is baking, get started on the filling.

Let cool 10 minutes and then remove from pans and transfer to wire cooling rack. Let cool completely before assembling cake.

Filling
Place into a large pot:
2 14 ounce cans sweetened condensed milk, labels removed
Fill with water so that cans are just covered. Place pot on stove top and bring to a gentle boil. Let cook, covered, for 90 minutes. Remove cans from water and let cool before opening (if you open them too soon, they will literally explode!). You'll know they'll cool enough to open when the can has contracted to its normal size.

In a large bowl, combine:
14 ounces sweetened flaked coconut (I toasted about three quarters of the coconut)
1 cup coarsely chopped pecans, toasted
Once the cans of condensed milk have cooled, open and pour contents into bowl.

Add:
2 tablespoons vanilla
Use a spatula to evenly combine. Set aside.

Glaze
In a medium saucepan, melt:
1 1/4 cups unsalted butter
Turn off heat.

Pour in:
10 ounces semisweet chocolate (I used a mix of baking chocolate + chocolate chips]
3 tablespoons light corn syrup
Cover and let sit for 2 minutes. Then use whisk to combine ingredients until chocolate is completely melted. Put one cup of glaze in glass or metal bowl (I used a glass Pyrex measuring cup) and place in refrigerator for 15 minutes. Stir. Place in refrigerator until glaze has thickened. (You can also place it in the freezer to chill more quickly...just don't forget about it!) Leave remaining in saucepan and cover.

Assembly
Use a sharp serrated knife to cut off the rounded tops of the cakes so that they are flat.

Place one cake layer on top of an 8" cardboard round covered with aluminum foil. Place on a wire rack with rimmed cookie sheet underneath. Reserve 1/2 cup of filling in separate bowl. Plop spoonfuls of filling on top of cake layer (use half the filling). Use a wet spatula to evenly spread filling. Repeat with second layer and then top with third layer.

Use the reserved filling on sides of cake where filling isn't quite to the edge of the cake so that the sides are smooth. Apply a thin layer of the cooled, thickened glaze all over the sides and top of cake. If you have any of the cooled glaze left over, put it back in the saucepan.

Warm glaze left in saucepan. Pour on top of the cake, starting around the edges and then finishing in the middle, making sure it coats the sides of the cake. (This video gives a great demonstration at minute 3:50.) Let chill for about an hour or until the glaze sets. Transfer to a cake plate. Decorate as desired.

Invite a lot of friends and family (because this cake is HUGE!) and eat up!

I reserved a little of everything (since the cake was going to be ginormous already) and made a little four layer 4" cake for my neighbor, Ann.

Lemon Poppy Seed Cake

So I was shooting pictures of Audrey at the six week mark (two weeks ago), when my camera suddenly died. I was extremely irritated and had a really bad feeling that it wasn't gonna be an easy fix. I tried finding a camera repair shop in town, but the best I could do was a general electronic repair store in a sketchy ass shopping mall. It took them a week to look into the problem, only to conclude that they didn't know what the problem was. This left me with only two choices: 1) Buy a new camera, or 2) Send it to Texas and pay nearly $300 to have Sony fix it. Neither of these choices sounded like anything I wanted to do, so I decided to think on it. Meanwhile, I posted a message on Facebook inquiring whether anyone knew of a camera rental store. I did get a couple of suggestions about rental possibilities, but I also got a number of kind, generous friends offering to let me borrow their cameras so that I wouldn't miss out on photographing Audrey during the several weeks that I'd be camera-less.

Even though I was sans camera and figured I wouldn't be able to blog about it, I decided that I wanted to make a lemon poppy seed cake for no reason in particular other than I like making cakes. So yesterday between Audrey's wakeful periods and excellent visits with friends, I made cake. [Aside: Baking a cake with a baby is actually better for me because I don't just sit there and wait for the cake to cool before frosting it. No, I am required to wait because Audrey doesn't much care that I have a kitchen project when she wants to eat, play, or poop :)]

After the cake was complete, I hacked off a quarter of it and gave it to Natalie + Carol (who ate it with a shared plastic spoon as they walked home from their visit). I gave a generous slice to my friend and co-conspirator in new motherhood, Rachel. Then I ate a slice myself and thought, This is heavenly. I have got to give more of it away if I ever want to fit in my skinny jeans again. So I put two more hefty slices into two tupperware containers and walked one over to my neighbor, Karen, and the other to my neighbor Ann.

When I handed the tupperware to Ann, she remarked about how she sees me taking pictures of my food for this blog on my back porch periodically (the light in my kitchen makes it really tough to take a decent picture sometimes). I sighed and shared with her that my camera had broken, so I wouldn't be able to post about the cake. Her response? You can have mine. I told her that my friends were going to let me borrow their camera so it wouldn't be necessary. She shrugged me off and said, No, no. Mine just sits in the corner of my room. I haven't used it in ages. Stay right there, let me go get it. Ann is my elder, so I did as was told and stood in her foyer as she went to fetch the camera.

And what a camera it is! In fact, it is a nicer camera than the one I own. I spent the better part of the last two days learning how to use it. And as luck/fate/irony would have it, my best friend, Erica, and her boyfriend, Ben (an excellent photographer), came to visit us today, so I even had a private tutor help me start to figure it out! (Check out Ben's work here.)

I haven't decided the best way to proceed - I can't possibly accept such a generous gift outright - but for now I am going to photograph the heck out of food and babies and be thankful for all the wonderful people in my life.

Lemon Poppy Seed Cake
adapted from Technicolor Kitchen

Preheat oven 350º

In a large electric mixing bowl, combine:
3 cups cake flour
1 3/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 tablespoons poppy seeds
zest of one large lemon, minced
Mix for 30 seconds.

Add:
1 cup unsalted butter, softened
Mix on low until butter has moistened the dry ingredients.

While mixer is still going, slowly add:
1 cup buttermilk
Increase speed to medium high and beat for 30 seconds. Scrape down sides and bottom of the bowl and beat for an additional minute to aerate the batter.

In a small bowl, combine:
5 egg whites
1/4 cup buttermilk
Use fork to break up whites and mix with buttermilk. In three additions, add egg mixture to the batter. Mix on medium for 20 seconds and scrape down bowl after each addition.

Pour batter into two 9" cake pans that have been greased and lined with parchment paper.

Bake for 45-50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

Let cool in pans for 10-15 minutes. Remove and let cool completely on cooling rack before glazing and frosting.

Lemon Syrup
In a small bowl, combine:
1/4 cup sugar
2 tablespoons water
juice of one large lemon
Microwave for 30-60 seconds or until the sugar is completely dissolved.

Lemon Zest Cream Cheese Frosting
In a large electric mixing bowl, combine:
1 8 ounce package cream cheese, softened
1 cup salted butter, softened
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
zest of one large lemon, minced
Beat on high until ingredients are well combined.

One half cup at a time, beat in:
1 pound confectioners sugar (This is a rough estimate; I usually just add sugar a couple of spoonfuls at a time until the consistency seems right.)
Periodically, scrape down the sides of the bowl.

Assembly
Place one cake layer on serving dish. Use basting brush or carefully pour half of the glaze on top of the first layer. Frost first layer using roughly one cup of frosting. Place second cake layer on top of the first. Use basting brush or carefully pour remaining glaze over cake. Frost sides and then top of cake. Garnish with poppy seeds. (I had leftover frosting - about a cup and a half - which I froze for later use.)

Eat up (+ share with your neighbors, of course)!

Heavenly Chocolate Cake with Chocolate Custard Frosting

This is one of the best chocolate cakes I've ever made. So far I've made it as a birthday cake for both my brother and my brother-in-law and tripled the recipe to make 72+ cupcakes for a retirement celebration honoring one of the assistant district attorneys with whom I've worked for the last three years. For those of you who choose to make this recipe for cupcakes, there will be a good bit of leftover frosting. I don't mind this at all because it freezes beautifully and makes life much easier in the future!

Thankfully when I made all those cupcakes in my non-commercial kitchen on a Monday night, I had the assistance of my friend and neighbor, Traci. It was a late night, but would have been FAR later without her awesome help!

Heavenly Chocolate Cake with Chocolate Custard Frosting
adapted from epicurious

Makes one 9" cake or ~24 cupcakes

Heavenly Chocolate Cake
In a large electric mixing bowl, combine:
1 cup butter, softened
1 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup granulated sugar
Cream together until light and fluffy, about 4 minutes.

One at a time, mix in:
4 large eggs
After each addition, scrape down side of the bowl.

Mix in:
2 oz unsweetened chocolate, melted and slightly cooled
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla

In a medium bowl, sift together:
2 cups flour
2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
Add 1/3 of the dry ingredients to the electric mixing bowl. Mix until just incorporated. Scrape down sides of the bowl. Alternate adding remaining dry ingredients with adding:
1 1/2 cups buttermilk

For cake, pour into two 9" cake pans, greased and floured. Bake 30-35 minutes. Let cool in pans for 10-15 minutes before removing and setting on wire cooling rack to finish cooling. Let cool completely before frosting.

For cupcakes, ~1/3 cup batter into lined cupcake tins. Bake 20-25 minutes. Transfer to wire cooling rack. Let cool completely before frosting.

Chocolate Custard Frosting
In a medium saucepan, heat:
2/3 cup whole milk

In a large electric mixing bowl, whisk together:
3 large egg yolks
1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon flour
1/3 cup confectioners sugar
Whisking constantly, slowly add about half of the heated milk to the eggs. Transfer back into the saucepan and bring custard to a simmer, whisking together for about 2 minutes. At this point, the custard will be thick.

Transfer the thickened custard back to bowl. Cover with plastic wrap so that the plastic is directly on top of the custard. Place in refrigerator until cool, about 45 minutes.

Remove custard from the fridge and add:
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup confectioners sugar
Using whisk attachment, beat on medium until ingredients are evenly incorporated.

Two tablespoons at a time, whisk in:
1 1/2 cups unsalted butter, softened

Finally, add:
10 ounces bittersweet chocolate, melted + cooled
Beat until well incorporated.

Frost cake/cupcakes. Decorate as desired.

Eat up!

Mickey Mouse Birthday Cake

I spent the better part of today making a first birthday cake for my nephew, Parker. The theme was Mickey Mouse, which was fun and challenging for me as I figured out how to design the cake.

Lots of parents, including Josh + Liz, decide to make a healthy first birthday cake because up to this point, most children haven't been eating much in the way of baked goods. Josh sent me the recipe they wanted to use, which I ended up quartering and slightly adapting to make Parker's cupcakes (see recipe here). However, after reading through the ingredients, I decided that the adults at the party (aka: everyone else) would probably not like to eat cake that tasted like sweetened bran muffins. I think it is a great idea to ease kids into sweets plus it could also be good for people who can't/should eat processed white flour and sugar (aka: my diabetic boss).

For the grown-ups' cake, I ended up making two different cakes and two different frostings. Happily, I was able to use leftover chocolate frosting that I'd previously frozen instead of making new, cutting down on the time I spent in the kitchen.

For Mickey's face, I halved the carrot cake recipe found here and baked the cake in two 6" pans for about 35 minutes.

For Mickey's ears, I used the almond cake recipe found here and baked the cakes six 4 1/2" pans for about 25 minutes. I only used four of them for the ears and enjoyed snacking on the other two while assembling the cake! [Aside: I actually chose to use this recipe because it is the cake I brought to the hospital for Josh + Liz the day after Parker was born.]

For the white frosting, I halved the simple cream cheese frosting recipe found here.

For the black frosting, I used ~2 cups of chocolate frosting from my freezer and added 1/4 teaspoon black food coloring.

If I could do it again, I would simplify things by making just one type of cake. However, all things considered, this was a really fun project. As I wait for my own little one's arrival, it is nice to have some distraction so that I don't just sit and wonder when she'll make her debut!

Baby's First Birthday Cake

This birthday cake is great for little ones whose palates and tummies haven't had much experience with processed flours or sugars.

Baby's First Birthday Cake
adapted from Wholesome Baby Food

Makes 6 cupcakes.

In a small saucepan, bring to a simmer over medium heat:
1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons shredded carrots
1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons apple juice
Cover and let simmer until the apple juice has evaporated and the carrots are tender.

Place cooked carrots in a food processor. Add:
1/3 cup + 1 tablespoon raisins
1/2 cup apple juice
Process until smooth. Set aside to let cool.

In a medium bowl, combine:
1/2 cup wheat flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Mix in:
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 egg
1 egg white
3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 tablespoons applesauce
Once all ingredients are evenly incorporated, mix in the pureed carrots and raisins.

Divide batter evenly between six cupcake liners.

Bake 20-30 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Let cool before icing.

Cream Cheese Frosting [Sugar Free]

Kristi

In a small food processor, combine:
1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon apple juice
4 ounces cream cheese
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons raisins
Puree until mostly smooth (it won't get completely smooth because of the raisins).

In a small bowl, combine:
1/4 + 1/8 teaspoon unflavored gelatin
2 teaspoons apple juice
Let sit for a minute to let gelatin soften. Then microwave for 20-25 seconds to dissolve the gelatin. Mix into cream cheese.

Eat up!

Cream Cheese Frosting

Cream Cheese Frosting
Kelley Gondring

Enough to frost one 9" two-layer cake.

In a small bowl combine:
8 ounces (1 package) cream cheese, softened
8 tablespoons butter (1 stick), softened
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Use a hand mixer to cream together.

Add:
1 pound confectioner's sugar
Beat together until no lumps remain.

Carrot Cake with Spiced Cream Cheese Frosting

While there are countless headlines about the upcoming presidential elections, I think it is important that we remember our local elections. It is in these local elections - the ones I am generally the least educated about - that we elect the individuals who make the decisions that have the potential to directly affect our lives the most dramatically. For those of you who live in Winston-Salem, please check out and support my colleague, Andrew Keever, in his campaign for District Court Judge. He's a great person, an excellent attorney, and will be a fair and impartial judge.

Important voter information for 2012:
Last day to register to vote: October 9th
Early voting period: October 22nd through November 2nd
ELECTION DAY: November 6th

Carrot Cake with Spiced Cream Cheese Frosting
Kelley Gondring

Preheat oven 350 degrees

Carrot Cake

Ingredients
12 ounces unsalted butter, softened [3 sticks]
2 cups sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
--
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 1/2 heaping teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
--
4 large eggs
--
3 cups shredded carrots (not packed)
1 cup craisins, coarsely chopped
1 1/2 cups pecans, coarsely chopped
1/2 cup raisins, coarsely chopped

Preparation
1. Preheat oven 350 degrees
2. Lightly grease and line with parchment paper three (3) 8" cake rounds. [Don't skip the parchment paper or your cakes will stick to the pans.

Directions
1. In a large electric mixing bowl, cream together butter, sugar, and vanilla extract for one minute.
2. In a medium bowl, combine dry ingredients.
3. Add the dry ingredients 1/2 cup at a time to the butter/sugar mixture, alternating with the addition of the eggs. Scrape down the sides of the bowl after each addition.
4. Fold in the carrots, craisins, pecans, and raisins.
5. Pour batter into lined cake rounds.
6. Bake 30-35 minutes or until inserted toothpick comes out clean.
7. Let cake cool in the pan ten minutes before transferring to wire rack.
8. Let cool completely on wire rack before frosting.

Spiced Cream Cheese Frosting

Ingredients
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
4 ounces unsalted butter, softened
--
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
--
1 pound confectioner's sugar
--
3/4 to 1 cup toasted diced pecans

Directions
1. In a large electric mixing bowl, cream together butter and cream cheese.
2. Mix in vanilla, cinnamon, salt, and nutmeg.
3. Gradually mix in confectioner's sugar.
4. Assemble cake. Sprinkle pecans on the sides of your carrot masterpiece.

Eat up and remember to VOTE!

After a little contemplation, I decided this cake needed a little more color, so I added a circle of red stars.

Lemon Cake w/Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting

Lemon Cake

Kelley Gondring

Preheat oven 350º

In a medium bowl, lightly combine:
1/4 cup milk
6 egg yolks
2 1/4 teaspoons vanilla
Set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, combine:
3 cups cake flour
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt

Add:
3/4 cup milk
12 tablespoons butter, softened
Mix on low speed until the dry ingredients are moistened, about 30 seconds. Increase the speed to medium and mix for 1 1/2 minutes. Scrape down the sides and add one third of the egg mixture. Mix 20 seconds. Repeat twice more.

Mix in:
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

Immediately pour batter into two lightly greased and floured 8" cake rounds. [It is also wise to line the bottom of each cake round with parchment paper.]

Bake 30-35 minutes or until inserted toothpick comes out clean.

Let cake cool in the pan ten minutes before transferring to wire rack. Let cool completely before frosting.

Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting

Kelley Gondring

In a large electric mixing bowl, cream together on medium high speed:
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
8 tablespoons butter, softened

Mix in:
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 tablespoon finely grated lemon zest
Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl.

Mix in one half cup at a time:
2 cups confectioner's sugar
Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl after each half cup addition.

Eat up!

Peanut Butter Cupcakes w/Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting

Holy mother of cupcakes! I just tried the finished product and actually said "holy cupcake!" out loud to Jason as he was walking out the door for Sydney's night time walk. The cake itself has just the right about of peanut butter so that it is buttery and moist without becoming too dense. The cake with the frosting is rich, for sure, but without any one flavor over powering the others. They are plain old melt-in-your-mouth delicious.

Enjoy with a tall glass of milk.

Peanut Butter Cupcakes

Kelley Gondring

Makes 22 cupcakes.

Preheat oven 350º

In a medium bowl, lightly combine:
1/4 cup milk
6 egg yolks
2 1/4 teaspoons vanilla
Set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, combine:
3 cups cake flour
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt

Add:
3/4 cup milk
12 tablespoons butter, softened
1/2 cup peanut butter
Mix on low speed until the dry ingredients are moistened, about 30 seconds. Increase the speed to medium and mix for 1 1/2 minutes. Scrape down the sides and add one third of the egg mixture. Mix 20 seconds. Repeat twice more.

Pour scant 1/3 cup of batter into lined cupcake tins.

Bake 18-20 minutes or until a toothpick can be inserted and comes out clean. Let cupcakes cool 5 minutes in the pan and then transfer to a wire rack. Let cool completely before frosting.

While the cake is cooling, prepare frosting.

Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting

Kelley Gondring

*Note: This recipe will be more than enough for the 22 cupcakes. I freeze extra frosting so that I have it on hand for other occasions, but if you don't want leftovers, I'd make half a batch first and see how far that gets you.

In a large electric mixing bowl, cream together on medium high speed:
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
8 tablespoons butter, softened

Mix in:
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 ounces semisweet chocolate, melted
Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl.

Mix in one half cup at a time:
2 cups confectioner's sugar
Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl after each half cup addition.

Frost cupcakes and garnish with chocolate shavings or coarsely chopped Reese's Cup.

Eat up!

Half Birthday Cake

Several weeks ago, my friend and coworker, Rebecca began strategically advocating for the celebration of her half birthday -- a ploy for which I would be required to make her a birthday cake. Somehow she managed to work this half baked idea into nearly half of our conversations. Discussing a plea set for 3/23, she coyly said: You know that's my half birthday? Or when she mentioned going to her Dance Trance class at the YMCA last Thursday, and I told her I couldn't because I was making a birthday cake for my buddy, David, she matter-of-factly stated: Oh, you're practicing making my birthday cake?

I don't know how it happened, but sometime between last Thursday and this Wednesday, I began to half way consider it. Sure, making a birthday cake to commemorate a half birthday would set bad precedent in the office; I could barely keep up with our office's baked good demands as it was. Then again, it would be quite hilarious to show up with a half birthday cake.

As you can see, I succumbed to Rebecca's oh-so-subtle requests. It was quite the hit with the half birthday girl, as well as with the half of the office still there on a Friday at 3:30pm. My co-worker, James, even followed me into my office, had me pull out my calendar, pointed to his half birthday, and put in a half birthday cake request.

I guess I was right about precedent.

White Chocolate Whisper Cake

adapted from The Cake Bible by Rose Levy Beranbaum

Makes one 8" round.

Preheat oven 350º

In a small bowl, combine:
3 ounces white chocolate, chopped into small pieces
Microwave for 30 seconds. Remove and stir vigorously for 30 seconds. If unmelted chocolate still remains, microwave a bit longer, being careful not to overcook the chocolate. Set aside.

In a small bowl, lightly beat together:
2 ounces egg whites
2 tablespoons milk
3/4 teaspoon vanilla
Set aside.

In an electric mixing bowl, combine:
1 1/2 cups cake flour
1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons sugar
2 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
Mix for 30 seconds to incorporate the dry ingredients.

Add to the dry ingredients:
1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons milk
1/3 cup butter
Beat at a low speed for 30 seconds. Scrape down the bottom and sides of the bowl. Beat at a medium speed for one minute.

In three batches, add the egg mixture, mixing for 20 seconds, and scraping down the bottom and sides after each addition.

Add the melted white chocolate and incorporate by mixing for 30 seconds at medium speed. [Note: Make sure the chocolate is still very warm so that it incorporates fully.]

Pour into a greased, floured, and lined cake pan. Bake 35-40 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. Let cool completely before assembling and icing.

Chocolate Espresso Icing [I just used the leftovers from David's birthday cake, which turned out to be the perfect amount. Buttercream frostings can be refrigerated for up to a week; frozen they will stay good for months.]

Sing half of the birthday song and eat up!

Genoise w/ Chocolate Espresso Buttercream

An Ode to David Naff

The twelfth of March - a day most adorn
For twas on this day our dearest David was born.

Fashionista most extraordinaire
Who wouldn't love that spiky hair?
But with his orange deep V, he would not part
'Til it was painted by Traci, the key to his heart.
Though robbed from the cradle, his wife he loves true
Almost as much as his bros and his brews.
Yes, David is sensitive, subtle, and sweet
A kinder, gentler man you will never meet.

Nervously waiting for his double date,
He slowly leans over and tells Kel he cant wait.
Finally, he's here - What to ask first?
He crosses his fingers and hopes it won't sound rehearsed.
Well, Benjamin, I must ask - What is your sign?
Whoa, really, a Pisces, that's totally MINE!
Bro besties we'll be forever more
You can sleep over, I'll even give you the tour.
And you can come to our Game Night and sit right by me
There's lots of laughter, some snorting, you'll love it, you'll see!

So let's celebrate David for all that endears him to us
Not just the things that I've mentioned, though those were a must.
Raise your glass to your husband, your friend, and your bro
For he is a good one we're all privileged to know.

Genoise Classique
taken from The Cake Bible by Rose Levy Beranbaum

Preheat oven 350º

In a medium bowl, combine:
2.5 ounces clarified butter*
1 teaspoon vanilla

*To make clarified butter, melt over low-medium heat 1 stick of unsalted butter. Do not stir. Let it heat for 10-15 minutes, reducing the heat if the butter begins to sputter or boil. Remove from the heat and pour through a fine sieve. Next, pour through cheesecloth or a paper towel (I always use a paper towel) to remove all of the remaining grit.

In a large electric mixing bowl with handle, combine:
14 ounces whole eggs
7 ounces sugar
Holding over a pan of simmering water, constantly whisk together until the mixture's temperature is just lukewarm. The length of time will depend on the material of your bowl. I used a metal bowl and it took about 3 minutes (I also had to take a break or two or three because my arm got tired!). Remove from the heat and immediately whisk on a high speed for 5 minutes.

While the eggs are whisking away, sift together in a small bowl:
2.5 ounces cake flour
2.5 ounces cornstarch

Remove a scant 1 cup of the egg/sugar mixture and whisk together with the clarified butter until completely combined. Set aside momentarily.

Pour 1/2 of the flour mixture over the remaining egg/sugar mixture. Using a rubber spatula or a balloon whisk, rapidly fold in the flour mixture. Make sure to get all the way to the bottom of the bowl, as the flour will sink. Repeat with the remaining flour. Finally, stir in the butter until just combined.

Immediately pour batter into two greased and floured 8" cake rounds.

Bake 30 minutes or until cakes are golden brown and the edges begin to pull away from the pans.

Let cool completely before sprinkling with syrup and applying icing.

Syrup
adapted from The Cake Bible by Rose Levy Beranbaum

In a glass Pyrex container, combine:
2 ounces sugar
4 ounces water
Heat in the microwave for 45 seconds. Vigorously stir to help the sugar dissolve. Return to microwave and heat for another 45 seconds. Stir again. Let cool completely.

Add:
1 ounce Bailey's Irish Creme (or your liqueur of choice)

Chocolate Espresso Buttercream
adapted from Professional Baking by Wayne Gisslen

In an electric mixing bowl, add:
3 ounces egg yolks (4-5 egg yolks)
Beat on high until the yolks are light yellow in color and thick. This will take a good long while to happen - like 10 minutes. When I say thick, I mean thick! The number one way that I've screwed this up this recipe in the past is by not getting this step right.


Meanwhile, in a small saucepan combine:
8 ounces sugar
2 ounces water
Bring to to a boil, constantly whisking so that sugar does not burn. Have a candy thermometer close at hand to measure temperature. Once the temperature reaches 240º remove from the heat and pour into a glass Pyrex measuring cup. Very slowly pour the syrup into the egg yolks (I generally have a stream going down the side of the bowl to avoid hitting the whisk attachment). Continue to whisk on high until all the syrup is added and the mixture is completely cool. Again, getting this to cool takes a good bit of time. Go check your email or call your grandma and come back in 10 minutes.

A little at a time, beat in:
10 ounces unsalted butter
Be careful not to add the butter to quickly, otherwise the mixture won't absorb it.

Finally, in a separate medium bowl melt:
3 ounces semisweet chocolate

Once the chocolate is melted, add:
3/4 teaspoon vanilla
3-4 tablespoons espresso or very strong coffee
Thoroughly combine. Let cool a bit before adding 1/4 of the prepared buttercream to the melted chocolate and thoroughly blend together. Add the remaining buttercream.

Assembly
Cut each of the cake layers in half. Place one of these layers on top of your cake plate. Sprinkle with one fourth of the syrup. Cover with a thin layer of the buttercream. Repeat with the remaining layers. For your final layer, however, do not cover the top with buttercream first. Instead, frost the sides of the cake first and then the top. The outside layer of buttercream should be a bit thicker than the layers between the cakes.

Decorate as desired.

Eat up!