Daring Bakers: Perfect Party Cake

After last month's bread fiascoes (it took four tries to get it right, although it's become a favorite bread recipe now!), I was ready to try something a little different. Cake looked like a lot of fun! I didn't do tons and tons of playing, although the recipe allowed for that sort of thing. I used blackberry jam from Bithell Farms between my layers, with more Bithell Farms blackberries on top (Not only are the berries very very tasty, they thawed out beautifully!). Other than that and leaving the coconut off, I stuck to the recipe. It went off without a hitch! I didn't have any round pans, so I used the petal pans I got when I made my college roommate's wedding cake. I don't get to make those very often, so it was a lot of fun. However, I've only got 1 in each size, and when I guessed at how much was half the batter I was a little bit off, so I had one short layer, and one taller layer, which I did cut in half. The short layer I just left like it was and the final product had three layers rather than the four it was supposed to have. This worked out for the best because the frosting didn't go quite as far as it was supposed to.

The frosting! I have been a frosting hater for years, but this stuff, while it was a lot of work, was worthy of eating! It's too bad that I don't have a stand mixer, because that would make this frosting recipe much more practical. As it is, I was glad that Andy was home to take care of the Monkey while I whipped that stuff for a half hour. Still, frosting that actually tastes good is worth some effort, and I suspect that this will be making future appearances on my table. It was certainly a hit at church, where the ladies were more than happy to help me eat it all, so I didn't even have to deal with guilt of pigging out on tasty cake.

The really exciting thing? This cake reminded Andy of the cake that he likes for his birthday cake. The one that has been discontinued and is no impossible to find. So maybe with a little further effort I can recreate it for him this August.

I think I may have to pick up this "My Home to Yours" cookbook that this cake comes from, as there seems to be a large bunch of people who think this book is great. Dorie Greenspan, the author of the cookbook, even has a bloggy fanclub: Tuesdays With Dorie, which makes something from her book once a week(!) and posts about it. That's one blog event that I think I'm going to have to pass on... I just don't think I can bake that often without needing to buy bigger jeans!



PERFECT PARTY CAKE
Courtesy of Dorie Greenspan’s Baking from My Home to Yours (page 250).

Words from Dorie
Stick a bright-coloured Post-it to this page, so you’ll always know where to turn for a just-right cake for any celebration. The original recipe was given to me by my great dear friend Nick Malgieri, of baking fame, and since getting it, I’ve found endless opportunities to make it – you will too. The cake is snow white, with an elegant tight crumb and an easygoing nature: it always bakes up perfectly; it is delicate on the tongue but sturdy in the kitchen – no fussing when it comes to slicing the layers in half or cutting tall, beautiful wedges for serving; and, it tastes just as you’d want a party cake to taste – special. The base recipe is for a cake flavoured with lemon, layered with a little raspberry jam and filled and frosted with a classic (and so simple) pure white lemony hot-meringue buttercream but, because the elements are so fundamental, they lend themselves to variation (see Playing Around), making the cake not just perfect, but also versatile.

For the Cake

2 1/4 cups cake flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
1 ¼ cups whole milk or buttermilk
4 large egg whites
1 ½ cups sugar
2 teaspoons grated lemon zest
1 stick (8 tablespoons or 4 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature
½ teaspoon pure lemon extract

For the Buttercream
1 cup sugar
4 large egg whites
3 sticks (12 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature
¼ cup fresh lemon juice (from 2 large lemons)
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

For Finishing
2/3 cup seedless raspberry preserves stirred vigorously or warmed gently until spreadable
About 1 ½ cups sweetened shredded coconut

Getting Ready
Centre a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter two 9 x 2 inch round cake pans and line the bottom of each pan with a round of buttered parchment or wax paper. Put the pans on a baking sheet.

To Make the Cake
Sift together the flour, baking powder and salt.
Whisk together the milk and egg whites in a medium bowl.
Put the sugar and lemon zest in a mixer bowl or another large bowl and rub them together with your fingers until the sugar is moist and fragrant.
Add the butter and working with the paddle or whisk attachment, or with a hand mixer, beat at medium speed for a full 3 minutes, until the butter and sugar are very light.
Beat in the extract, then add one third of the flour mixture, still beating on medium speed.
Beat in half of the milk-egg mixture, then beat in half of the remaining dry ingredients until incorporated.
Add the rest of the milk and eggs beating until the batter is homogeneous, then add the last of the dry ingredients.
Finally, give the batter a good 2- minute beating to ensure that it is thoroughly mixed and well aerated.
Divide the batter between the two pans and smooth the tops with a rubber spatula.
Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until the cakes are well risen and springy to the touch – a thin knife inserted into the centers should come out clean
Transfer the cakes to cooling racks and cool for about 5 minutes, then run a knife around the sides of the cakes, unfold them and peel off the paper liners.
Invert and cool to room temperature, right side up (the cooled cake layers can be wrapped airtight and stored at room temperature overnight or frozen for up to two months).

To Make the Buttercream
Put the sugar and egg whites in a mixer bowl or another large heatproof bowl, fit the bowl over a plan of simmering water and whisk constantly, keeping the mixture over the heat, until it feels hot to the touch, about 3 minutes.
The sugar should be dissolved, and the mixture will look like shiny marshmallow cream.
Remove the bowl from the heat.
Working with the whisk attachment or with a hand mixer, beat the meringue on medium speed until it is cool, about 5 minutes.
Switch to the paddle attachment if you have one, and add the butter a stick at a time, beating until smooth.
Once all the butter is in, beat in the buttercream on medium-high speed until it is thick and very smooth, 6-10 minutes.
During this time the buttercream may curdle or separate – just keep beating and it will come together again.
On medium speed, gradually beat in the lemon juice, waiting until each addition is absorbed before adding more, and then the vanilla.
You should have a shiny smooth, velvety, pristine white buttercream. Press a piece of plastic against the surface of the buttercream and set aside briefly.

To Assemble the Cake
Using a sharp serrated knife and a gentle sawing motion, slice each layer horizontally in half.
Put one layer cut side up on a cardboard cake round or a cake plate protected by strips of wax or parchment paper.
Spread it with one third of the preserves.
Cover the jam evenly with about one quarter of the buttercream.
Top with another layer, spread with preserves and buttercream and then do the same with a third layer (you’ll have used all the jam and have buttercream leftover).
Place the last layer cut side down on top of the cake and use the remaining buttercream to frost the sides and top.
Press the coconut into the frosting, patting it gently all over the sides and top.

Serving
The cake is ready to serve as soon as it is assembled, but I think it’s best to let it sit and set for a couple of hours in a cool room – not the refrigerator. Whether you wait or slice and enjoy it immediately, the cake should be served at room temperature; it loses all its subtlety when it’s cold. Depending on your audience you can serve the cake with just about anything from milk to sweet or bubbly wine.

Storing
The cake is best the day it is made, but you can refrigerate it, well covered, for up to two days. Bring it to room temperature before serving. If you want to freeze the cake, slide it into the freezer to set, then wrap it really well – it will keep for up to 2 months in the freezer; defrost it, still wrapped overnight in the refrigerator.

Playing Around
Since lemon is such a friendly flavour, feel free to make changes in the preserves: other red preserves – cherry or strawberry – look especially nice, but you can even use plum or blueberry jam.

Fresh Berry Cake
If you will be serving the cake the day it is made, cover each layer of buttercream with fresh berries – use whole raspberries, sliced or halved strawberries or whole blackberries, and match the preserves to the fruit. You can replace the coconut on top of the cake with a crown of berries, or use both coconut and berries. You can also replace the buttercream between the layers with fairly firmly whipped sweetened cream and then either frost the cake with buttercream (the contrast between the lighter whipped cream and the firmer buttercream is nice) or finish it with more whipped cream. If you use whipped cream, you’ll have to store the cake the in the refrigerator – let it sit for about 20 minutes at room temperature before serving.

Sunday Scripture

Wherefore, brethren, seek not to counsel the Lord, but to take counsel from his hand. For behold ye yourselves know that he counseleth in wisdom, and in justice, and in great mercy, over all his works.
-Jacob 4:10

Melting Snowman Cupcakes

We've had the winter that just won't quit here, and so after pondering what to do with the marshmallows, I came up with the idea of melting some snowmen. At the beginning of the month this seemed like mostly wishful thinking: we still had 2-3 feet of snow in the front, and were getting more at pretty regular intervals. I was a little cabin crazy, to say the least.

I started out with yer basic chocolate cupcake recipe (it was also the base for the Maple-Chocolate Cupcakes last month), and I really didn't mess with it too much, just substituted peanut butter for the butter it calls for. I scaled the recipe to make, but really it makes about 12.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Cupcakes

* 2/3 cup all-purpose flour
* 1/8 tsp baking soda
* 1 tsp baking powder
* 1/4 cup and 2 T unsweetened cocoa powder
* 1/8 tsp salt
* 1 T and 1-1/2 tsp creamy peanut butter
* 3/4 cup white sugar
* 1 eggs
* 1 tsp double-proof vanilla extract
* 1/2 cup (whole) milk

Preheat to 350F. Mix together dry ingredients, set aside. Cream sugar and peanut butter. (This takes a little longer than creaming butter, but it did work.) Add egg. If you double the recipe, add them one at a time. Mix well, then beat in the vanilla. Add flour mixture alternately with the milk. Fill cupcake papers 1/2 full. I went a bit shallow on the cupcakes because the "frosting" can't help but be bulky. This means you'll have to watch them closely at the end of the baking time as they may be done early. Bake 14-16 minutes. There should be some empty space at the top of your papers, so let them cool a bit in the pan rather than dumping them out. Once they are cool enough to handle without burning yourself, pull them out of the pan with your fingers so the papers don't get crushed. Take a sharp knife and
"core" the cupcakes, cutting a hollow in the tops. Any tops that you don't eat put in a bowl to use in the next step.




Dirty Snow Topping

Abt 1/3 package Peanut Butter Double-stuff Oreos
About 1 cup vanilla pudding
About 1/3+ package Cool Whip
Tops cut out of the cupcakes

Making this stuff is not an exact science, and because I use bulk pudding, it's hard to know how many packages of that would be equivalent to what I used. The trick to balance the crumbs and the pudding-stuff to get a texture and look that pleases. Mix together the Cool Whip and pudding. In another bowl, take your cookies and your cupcake tops and smash them to smithereens. I used my pastry blender and it worked like a charm. It should look like dirt when you're done. (After all, this is Dirt Cake we're making here, just not arranged so prettily as it usually is.) Fold the crumbs into the pudding. I started with about 1/2 the package of cookies and got to the desired consistency/look at about 2/3 of the package, but I doubled the cupcake recipe since I was giving cupcakes to 2 families this time. You want it to look like that melted snow mess at the end of the driveway in the spring, so don't quite mix in the crumbs completely. There should be some that are still dry enough to look like dirt, but it's also got to stick together well enough to stay on the cupcakes.

Melted Snowmen

3 Mini marshmallows for each cupcake
round toothpicks
empty granola box

First, make a marshmallow melting apparatus: Stab a toothpick through the side of a granola box or whatever you have handy. Jello boxes were too tough: they broke the toothpick. My Sunbelt granola box worked handily, but obviously it doesn't matter. You just need to be able to stand a toothpick up on end in the microwave.



Spear 3 marshmallows & stand it up on your box. Microwave for 5-10 seconds. Watch carefully, and stop as soon as they start puffing; they're plenty warm enough to "melt" by then. I usually stopped at about 5 seconds, but it just worked better to put 10 seconds on the clock each time. (Don't just let these things go, as I've heard that they explode when nuked too long. Don't say I didn't warn ya!) Pull the toothpick out and stab it into the cupcake, pushing it down enough to sort of compress the marshmallows to give them a "melted" look.

More Animal Watching

Monkey continues to really enjoy watching animal movies, and we found a few more good ones.

This one is a cat playing the piano. I have tried to interest my cat in doing this sort of thing, but she wasn't having it. This cat apparently really enjoys it!


Here, a parrot is dreaming of the day it can become a groupie at the concert. It's easily the funniest of the videos we found this time.

And here we have romping koala bears. Most cute. Cheesy music.

And Thus it Begins

Yesterday a friend brought over a big box of hand-me-downs. The timing was perfect: the plan was to go find some lightweight jackets at the 2nd hand shop today. I am convinced that she was an instrument in the Lord's hands; now we have what we need.

Last night I didn't feel wonderful, so I didn't get that big box of clothes put away like I should have done.

This morning I just grabbed a shirt, a bright yellow shirt, and tossed it on the Monkey. I then went looking for some jeans to put under that yellow shirt. But before I managed to do it he brought me a lovely pair of maroon sweat pants, and grinned at me. The message was more than clear: "I want to wear this." So I put it on him. After all, toddlers can't be expected to know what looks good together, right? So, this is the result of his first time choosing his own clothes.

Pint-sized Geography Buff

I browsed across this adorable video this evening while I was blog-surfing (as opposed to sewing, which was supposed to be on today's agenda) while the Monkey took his nap on my lap. It didn't start as a lap nap, but he's got another ear infection and while he is better, he's still not at the top of his game and needed some extra cuddles. But this video, this little girl, is amazing! I think we underestimate kids so much of the time. Sure, the places she points out probably are just colored blobs on the map, but as she learns about those places that'll change! Monkey says "yellow" without really knowing YELLOW. I don't see that this is much different.

Freedom Matters

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Nature Sketch

We spent some time outside in the backyard this afternoon after the Monkey finished his nap. I'd been reading Charlotte Mason's stuff on studying nature from volume 1, and it was all I could do to wait for him to wake up before I took him out. Had it been a little bit warmer we would have gone outside for his nap. He was sleeping on my lap anyway, it would have been easy. But he's got a cold & ear infection, and it's still pretty brisk, so I waited until I could bundle him nicely. I must say, reading about nature study sure does make ya want to go DO it! This time I took my sketch book rather than my camera.