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Today’s Bake – Pumpkin Marshmallow Cake – 11-6-22

Recipe from Bernice Baran’s Frosted – I’ve said it before, the recipes in here are just fantastic. Lots and lots of five star bakes IMHO.

First off, a three layer 6″ cake was the perfect opportunity to test out, side by side, the bake even strips mentioned in my previous post – they really do make a difference. Much less of a dome to the cake, but most importantly, a lovely finish to the sides – see for yourself (one on the left, no strip). If you are a baker, absolutely worth the $10. Note: I do think they bake a little slower, so you may need to add another 5 minutes to the bake time.

Now for the cake, LOL. Wonderful caramel chai taste on the drip – will use that in other recipes, just yummy, though not quite as thick as I would like. And the cake is very moist and has a great spiced pumpkin taste. The frosting – I took it upon myself to substitute giant orange pumpkin marshmallows instead of the regular marshmallows called for in the frosting. The taste is great (and I’m a fan of the color); I did run into an issue with the consistency of the frosting (a bit goopy and required several periods in the fridge) and the marshmallow left clumps of chewy toasty marshmallow in the frosting (not necessarily a bad thing, but you wouldn’t have been able to pipe this frosting). All in all, this is an amazing spiced cake, and I’m not even that much of a pumpkin fan! I may have to change my opinion!

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Today’s Bake – Caramel Apple Cake – 10-26-22

And yes, it’s a five star day! Woot woot on this cake! SO good.

A little secret. I’ve made caramel multiple ways and this time I cheated and used the Werther soft caramels, melted half a large bag with 3 TB water and added 1/3 cup of light cream, and presto. Delicious caramel. Just so much easier (okay, I also needed to use up this bag of caramels I’ve had sitting around forever!)

This cake is DELICIOUS. I used Gala apples as that’s what I had on hand, and yes, it took only two apples. The spices come through, the cake is rich enough to feed 10 people, but to make it more delightful I paired it with homemade vanilla caramel ice cream. Nope, not standing on the scale tonight, that’s for sure! Here you go: https://livforcake.com/caramel-apple-cake/

(Don’t laugh at my funny teddy – first time using molding chocolate. Fun!)

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Today’s Bake – Lemon Velvet Cake – 10-23-22

I have recently decided that anything titled ‘velvet cake’ is the cat’s meow – these recipes seem to be made with buttermilk and you literally end up with a velvety textured cake this almost dissolves on your tongue. Today I tried a recipe from Sugar Geek, one of my favorite bakers, but I did run into a few issues. I went with three six inch pans, but there was almost too much batter and the rise was almost too tall. Next time I might try the 8 inch options. I also had a lot of trouble with the lemon curd in this recipe, finding 8 ounces of lemon juice to be just too much to get a thickened curd that was suitable for a cake filling – so that curd will be used later in the week, and my final product is frosting through and through. The only other lesson (and probably the biggest one) that I came away from is NOT to use cheap cream cheese – the store was out of Philadelphia brand and I went with the store brand – what a mistake. The cream cheese was much waterier (is that a word?) and hence the frosting much slipperier (that’s a word!) – and while cream cheese frosting is my favorite, I won’t make the mistake again of choosing something other than the Philadelphia brand.

But still yum! https://sugargeekshow.com/recipe/lemon-cake-recipe/

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Today’s Bake – Coconut Macaroons – 10-20-22

I don’t even like coconut, and these were amazing!!! I used a recipe from the new King Arthur Baking School cookbook I was gifted for my birthday with a few modifications: After the egg whites were frothy, added in the sugar and then beat on high for about 5 minutes until marshmallowy with almost stiff peaks. Then folded in the flavorings and coconut. BTW you can use unsweetened coconut if you soak it in a sugar syrup first for 15-30 minutes, then dry it on paper towels before folding it in. I baked at 325 for 18 minutes, needing two cookie sheets. These are topped with a dark chocolate-orange drizzle. Super fluffy, not too sweet, and very chewy. Excellent.

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Today’s Bake – Carrot Cake – 10-19-22

Well it’s fall, and the fall colors got me thinking of orange, and pumpkins, and, well, carrots – and then I remembered a good friend who had shared her recipe for carrot cake some time ago. While I’ve baked for years, carrot cake has not been something I’ve made too often – it isn’t on my list of favorites and therefore it was shuffled to the bottom of the pile.

That might have to change, however, when I tried this recipe. Very moist. Nice rise to it. Beautiful presentation, cuts well. And one can never go wrong with cream cheese frosting.

The number one lesson from today, however? I tried Amish butter. Amish butter has a higher dairy fat content than American butter, and I have, to date, always been a store brand butter person. While this particular cake recipe doesn’t have butter in it (oil), the frosting and decorations do, and what a depth of flavor difference. While the cost may be prohibitive for it being my ‘go-to’ butter, it will certainly become my special occasion one!

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Today’s Bake – Front Facing Choc Ganache and Choc Cake – 10-16-22

I have been wanting to try a front facing cake ever since I saw one on Facebook, and today was the day! I used a recipe I was familiar with (makes two 8″ layers, a dense but moist and firm cake – Black and White Cake from Vintage Cakes by Julie Richardson). I’ve made this recipe before and on a whim I added in 1 tsp of baking powder as my previous notes state it didn’t rise that much. I thought the baking powder made it a little on the dryer side around the edges (did not overbake), so this was my first time using a cake syrup to soften the cake just a tad. (Equal parts sugar and water boiled and then cooled and then brushed on the cake). I had leftover cream cheese frosting (this really is my favorite frosting, despite the fact I keep trying so hard to like the different buttercreams) so that went in the middle. My ganache was 8 ounces chopped semisweet chocolate to one cup of heavy cream; I chose semisweet choc as the cream cheese has the tang to it. The trick was lots of fridge time – cool the cakes and fill with cream cheese frosting. Chill. Cover with ganache. Chill. Cover with another layer of ganache. Chill.

Next was to slice off a section to make for a flat side, and to tilt the cake on it’s side. Chill. And then the stencilling (using some of the leftover cream cheese frosting). And chill.

I’m super pleased! I think this would be much tougher with a buttercream frosting that slid around – the ganache, when chilled, served as a solid chocolate coating to hold the cake in place.

This is delicious!

https://www.thesweetsensations.com/2013/06/vintage-cakes-black-white-cake/

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Reflections on 63 Years Young

Another day. Another year. Time passes so quickly. I have learned to cherish every day.

While I still read the occasional self-discovery book (Complex PTSD: From Surviving to Thriving, Pete Walker, my latest read and a good one), I do feel just about there. And where is there, anyway? Well, it’s happy, as defined by me, myself and I. Settled. Accepting. Peaceful. And ever so grateful.

For the most part, I have forgiven my parents. It certainly became much easier after they passed, although it still took years. They did what they could while juggling their demons, which were many, and it wasn’t all bad – after all, here I am. My journey of self-discovery and confidence wouldn’t have ended in such a good place if I hadn’t traveled through those years. While I still flashback, with sadness and anger, the frequency decreases all the time. What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger and all that – I’m sure I’ve said that before. And current life? It may not be chock full of exciting adventures and new things, but it is ever so comfortable, and I love it. My house – my garden – a sanctuary where I feel safe, secure, and in love with the world. Every day there is something to marvel at – a crocus, a bird, a sunset. My partner of 21 years today, someone who knows and understands me better than anyone ever has – such a gift to learn how to share. My daughter – a newer and much improved version of me – who has created a beautiful family herself and who continually makes me so deeply proud. My circle of friends and family who continually reaffirm that there are really nice people out there in the world. My hobbies which make me both fulfilled and happy.

Life is short, yes, but I’m learning not to fret about endings, and to revel in the moment (just checked the Oxford definition, got rid of the drinking, but let’s dance), to learn to relax and to stop worrying about things over which I have no control. It is what it is, and it’s pretty good if you allow it to be.

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Today’s Bake – White Mountain Layer Cake – 10-12-22

This has been on my ‘to-be-made’ list forever, ever since I purchased the Bravetart cookbook early last spring. Everyone has raved about it being the one and only white cake recipe, so it seemed fitting that to celebrate my birthday, I spend the day making this.

It is, without a doubt, delicious. Very very moist. Lovely taste. (I did not use the marshmallow buttercream as I really struggle with gelatin based frostings) and used ABC instead (still too sweet). Back to the cake. It reminded me a great deal of my other favorite white cake, Sugar Geek’s White Velvet Buttermilk Cake. Good taste buds, you might say, for when comparing the two recipes they are just about identical (except for quantity of the ingredients: the first making a three layer cake and the second making a two layer cake). The one difference (and I think you can tell, though it’s subtle) was the use of virgin coconut oil in today’s bake (vs. vegetable oil in the Sugar Geek recipe). I tend to lean towards the Sugar Geek recipe as the quantity is more fitting for what we would use – next time I will try the virgin coconut oil instead of the called-for vegetable oil.

Between these two cakes, I have definitely found my ‘go-to’ white cake recipe when I need a two or three layer birthday style white cake.

www.saveur.com/best-white-layer-cake-recipe/

sugargeekshow.com/recipe/white-velvet-cake/

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Today’s Bake – Fall Floral Cupcakes – 10-8-22

I wanted to work on some colors and some piping skills, so chose a simple vanilla cupcake recipe from Sally’s Baking Addiction cookbook (not seeing it on her site) and then experimented with tweaking the American Buttercream recipe – and I think I landed on something! After using lots of different frosting types and deciding (running and ducking) that I really don’t like the Meringue type frostings (while they are definitely not as sweet, I just can’t get them to not feel greasy to me), I came back to ABC – but have remained troubled by how sweet it is. This time, however, I did my half butter half margarine with a long whip time (5 minutes plus); added in a TB of sour cream, a tsp of vanilla and a tsp of bourbon, another one minute on high, then 3 cups of sugar and a few minutes on high and then about 7 minutes on low (all with the paddle). Very pleased with what came out – a pipeable frosting that doesn’t taste as sweet as normal ABC. This may be my go-to ABC recipe (although I do love cream cheese frosting as well, on my last cake I realized that combining cream cheese frosting with a dense cake makes for a dryer cake, as CCF has to be refrigerated, whereas the ABC does not. Even with airtight containers, I feel the cold temps on the cakes zap just a little moisture out of them).