Classic Yellow Cake with Chocolate Frosting

October 30, 2012 by 6 Comments

And we’re back! My kitchen is unpacked, the cabinets are stocked, and the oven has been fired up! It feels good to get back to baking and the timing worked out perfectly for Jesse’s arrival back to the States and a pretty important birthday.

Two weeks ago Jesse said goodbye to his 20′s and hello to his 30′s. Unfortunately, I was in the US and he was still in China. Since I didn’t get to make him a cake on his actual birthday, I knew I would I have to have one waiting for him upon his arrival in San Diego. I usually try and make him a fun over-the-top cake (including last years Cookies and Cream Oreo Cake) but this year with everything going on, I just couldn’t get together any over-the-top ideas. So I decided to go basic and classic.

My best friend, Michelle, and I have a running joke that Yellow Cake and Chocolate Frosting is the official cake for boys. It seems like almost all of the boys we know list in their top 3 favorite cakes, if not their all-time favorite. This holds true for Jesse, too. “Mmmm,” he muffled through a half-full mouth, “One of my favorite cakes.”

It works out perfectly for me because I’ve been meaning to add a Classic Yellow Cake to my Baking Basics series. Everyone needs a good yellow cake recipe under their belt, and I this is mine. I love, love, love this recipe. The recipe doesn’t call for extra steps, such as folding in egg whites or using extra egg yolks, so it comes together pretty quickly. And the result is a buttery sweet cake with a soft, tender crumb that is still dense enough to work as a layer cake.


Classic Yellow Cake with Chocolate Frosting

Cake
Ingredients
4 large eggs, room temperature
1/2 cup whole milk, room temperature
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 3/4 cups cake flour
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
2 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp salt
16 tablespoons (2 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into 16 pieces and softened

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Adjust rack to lower-middle position. Prepare 2 8 or 9-inch cake pans by greasing pans, fitting bottoms with parchments paper, greasing parchment paper, and flouring pans.

In a liquid measuring cup, beat the eggs, milk, and vanilla until combine. Divide mixture by pouring all but 1 cup into a separate glass bowl or liquid measuring cup. Set aside.

In a large mixing bowl (or standing mixer fitted with a paddle attachment), combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. With the mixer on low speed*, add butter one piece at a time and mix until the flour beings to look like wet sand and butter chunks are no bigger than a pea. Increase speed to medium and beat for 30 to 40 seconds after the all the butter is added. Pour in 1 cup of the egg mixture and mix on low speed until combined, then increase the speed to medium-high and beat for 1 minute. Scrape down sides of the bowl then add the remaining egg mixture. Mix on medium to medium-high speed for about 30 seconds. Scrape down sides of the bowl again and then beat for another 15 seconds. (It’s OK if the batter looks slightly curdled).

Divide batter evenly between prepared cake pans and smooth top with a rubber spatula. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes then carefully flip out on to a wire rack (use a knife to loosen edges of the cake if necessary). Cool cake completely before frosting.

*If you do not have a standing mixer, use a pastry blender to combine the butter and flour mixture. Then use a hand mixer to combine the liquid ingredients.

Source: Cook’s Country, October 2011

Frosting
Ingredients*
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, melted
2/3 cup cocoa powder
3 cups powdered sugar
1/3 cup milk
1 tsp vanilla extract

Directions
In a medium bowl combine the melted butter and cocoa powder and stir until smooth. With the mixer on low speed, add the powdered sugar in small increments, alternating with splashes of milk. Once all of the powdered sugar has been incorporated, add the vanilla and beat on medium-high speed for about a minute, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary. If frosting is too soft, add a little more powdered sugar. If frosting is too stiff, add a little more milk (a teaspoon at a time).

*This amount made *just enough* to frost and fill a 2 layer 8-inch cake. If you like more frosting, you can increase the recipe by 1 1/2 or even double it.

Source: Hershey’s

 

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Mini-Cakes for Jessica’s Virtual Shower

October 3, 2012 by 11 Comments

In just a few weeks my super sweet friend Jessica, from My Baking Heart, will be tying the knot with her fiance, Chris. She’s obviously a smart girl, because October is THE best time to get married. :) To honor the beautiful bride-to-be, our friend Nikki, from Pennies on a Platter, organized a virtual bridal shower, and I couldn’t be more excited to participate!


(How ridiculously cute is this couple?! Click the picture to see even more of their unique engagement photo shoot)

Jessica is a Southern Belle and one of the most genuinely sweet ladies out there! One thing I really love about her is that she is just as passionate about cooking and baking as she is about football at her alma mater, TCU (Texas Christian University). When deciding what to make for her shower I wanted to tie together all of my favorite things about her! Something sweet, dainty, and, of course, purple!

The mini-cakes I decided on are like a cross between petit fours and Little Debbie zebra cakes. I decided to coat them with white chocolate ganache instead of poured fondant because…well, it just tastes better (and reminds me of zebra cakes, an old childhood lunch favorite!).  I won’t promise you that the white chocolate was much less work than poured fondant, but the taste was worth it in the end.

Congratulations, Jessica!! I am so happy for you and wish you a lifetime of happiness! To see what other bloggers made for this special occasion check out the round-up on Nikki and Jessica’s blogs!


Mini-Cakes

Cake
Ingredients
1 cup white sugar
1/2 cup butter
2 eggs
1/2 cup milk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 3/4 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 tsp salt

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a 9×13* (or jelly roll, if you want thinner cakes) pan. Set aside.

In a liquid measuring cup, stir together vanilla extract and milk, set aside. In medium mixing bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt.

In a another mixing bowl, beat together the sugar and butter until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time and beat to combine. Alternate adding the dry ingredients in 3 increments and the wet ingredients in 2 increments (starting and ending with dry ingredients), mix until combined.

Pour batter in to prepared pan. Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean and cake begins to pull away from the edges of the pan. Allow to cool in pan for 5 minutes, then flip out to cool the rest of the way.

*I used a 9×13 pan because that is largest size that will fit in my oven. The cakes were about 3/4 of an inch once baked, and little over 2 inches total when stacked and filled. Using a 9×13 pan and a biscuit size cutter, I was able to make 6 stacked cakes. I think thinner cake and smaller cookie cutters could yield more than a dozen.

Filling
Ingredients
2 1/2 Tbsp Flour
1/2 cup Milk
1/2 tsp Vanilla
1/2 cup Butter, softened
1/2 cup Granulated Sugar

Directions
In a saucepan, whisk together the flour and milk and cook over medium heat until the mixture thickens (I would compare it to mashed potatoes). It is very important to whisk continuously so clumps don’t form. This took me about 4-5 minutes, but it’s best to go by texture.

Set milk mixture aside in an ice bath and allow to cool completely.

In a medium bowl, (or bowl of a standing mixture fitted with a whisk) beat together the butter and granulated sugar until light and fluffy. Add the vanilla and beat for 1 minute. Add the cooled milk mixture and beat on high for 3-5 minutes. If it looks separated, keep beating.

White Chocolate Ganache
Ingredients
6 oz chopped white chocolate
1 tbsp butter
1/2 cup heavy cream

Directions
Place white chocolate and butter in a glass or metal mixing bowl. Set Aside. In a small sauce pan, scald cream (cook until boiling). Pour the hot cream over the chopped white chocolate and let stand for 1 minute. Gently stir the white chocolate and cream together with a whisk until smooth. To color, be sure to use gel food coloring.

To Assemble Cakes

Once the cake is completely cool, use a cookie cutter to cut cakes into desired shape. Pipe filling onto half of the cakes. Place another cake on top of the piped filling. Place cakes on a wire cooling rack. Pour chocolate ganache over the cakes and allow to drizzle over the edges. Use a spatula or spoon to smooth around tops and sides of cake. It may take more than one pass to completely coat. If needed, place cakes in the fridge for 15-20 minutes to allow the chocolate to harden, then add the second round of chocolate and smooth. After the final coat, allow to chill in the fridge again to help harden the shell.

Cake adapted from Allrecipes, Filling as previously posted here, White Chocolate Ganache adapted from LA Times

 

 

Filed Under: Cake, Dessert, Misc, Party Food Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

Chocolate Hazelnut and Salted Caramel Chocolate Birthday Cake

August 3, 2012 by 14 Comments

It seems like every year someone asks me who will make my birthday cake. And I guess that makes sense, usually people enjoy letting other people do some of the work for their birthday (or maybe they just enjoy the cake?). But for me, more than half the fun comes from planning and making my cake.

Through out the year I keep mental notes of cakes and flavors that look or sound interesting and then a few weeks before my birthday I started planning what I actually want to do. Last year, I had ice cream on the brain. This year, I had gelato on the brain.

Back in San Diego there is a gelato shop that Jesse and I love. The location is awesome, right near La Jolla cove, so we would typically treat our selves after a nice evening of watching the waves and seals. The first time we went I got a scoop of salted caramel and scoop of chocolate hazelnut and I was immediately hooked. It became my standard order. Makes me drool just thinking about it! Like a match made in heaven!

With that in mind, I created the concept for this years cake. I.am.so.excited about how it turned out. The frosting is an absolute dream. Smooth and creamy with the perfect hint of hazelnut. The salty caramel is the perfect match. In fact, I’d like to go out on a limb and say that chocolate hazelnut and salted caramel is the new peanut butter and jelly. Finally, when we threw our party last month one of our guests brought us Ferrero Rocher candies and they were the perfect garnish. Happy Birthday to me!

Chocolate Hazelnut and Salted Caramel Chocolate Birthday Cake

Cake 
Ingredients
Butter, for greasing the pans
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for pans
2 cups sugar
3/4 cups good cocoa powder
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp kosher salt
1 cup buttermilk, shaken
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 extra-large eggs, at room temperature
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup freshly brewed hot coffee

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare two 8-inch cake pans with butter, flour, and parchment paper. (Grease pans with butter. Cut a piece of parchment paper to fit the bottom of each pan. Butter the parchment paper then add about a tablespoon of flour to each pan, shake and tap until it’s evenly distributed)

In a glass measuring cup stir together the buttermilk, vegetable oil, eggs, and vanilla. Set aside.

Sift together the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt into the bowl of a standing mixer (fitted with the paddle attachment). With the mixer on low speed, slowly add the buttermilk mixture to the dry ingredients, mix until evenly combined. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and, with the mixer on low, add the hot coffee. Mix just until combined. Scrape down the sides of the bowl one more time.

Evenly distribute the batter between the two cakes pans and bake for 35 to 40 minutes, or until a tester inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean. Remove the cakes from the oven and set on a wire rack. Allow the cake to cool in the pans for 30 minutes, then flip out onto the wire racks.

as posted here, original source Ina Garten

Salted Caramel
 Ingredients
1 cup white sugar
6 Tbsp unsalted good quality butter (I sprung for the President!) 
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 tsp sea salt, divided

Directions 
Spread the sugar in a thin layer in a thick bottomed pan over medium heat. Leave undisturbed until the sugar around the edges starts to melt. Give the pan a swirl to redistribute the sugar. Repeat a few times. When most of the sugar has melted, you can give it a stir with a wooden spoon. When all of the sugar has melted and it is a dark golden amber color, remove from the heat.

When the melted sugar is off the heat, add the butter and stir. It will foam up. Stir until melted. Once the butter has melted entirely, pour in the cream and whisk/stir until you have a smooth sauce. Stir in half the salt then allow to cool completely. Once cool, stir in the other half of the salt.

as posted here, original source Purple Foodie

Nutella Cloud Frosting*
Ingredients
2 cups (4 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
3 cups confectioners (powdered) sugar, sifted
1 Tbsp plus 1 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups premium bittersweet chocolate, melted and cooled slightly
2/3 cup Nutella
2 tablespoon milk
pinch of salt

*If you decide not to torte your cake (cut the layers in half) you can use half of this recipe

Directions
In a medium bowl, beat together the butter and sifted confectioners sugar for about 1 minute.  Add the vanilla, and beat on low for another 30 seconds. Add the melted and slightly cooled chocolate and beat on medium speed for about 2 minutes, until smooth. Add the Nutella, milk, and a pinch of salt, and beat on medium-high speed for another minute.

Source: Sweetapolita

To assemble the cake
Supplies
Cake
Salted Caramel Sauce
Nutella Cloud Frosting
6-8 Ferrero Rocher candies, cut in half
Extra sea salt for sprinkling, optional
Cardboard cake round
Offset Spatula
Cake turntable

Directions
Start by cutting the two cake layers in half. Place one half of one cake on the cardboard cake round. Drizzle about 1/3 of a cup of caramel sauce over the entire surface, use a spatula to evenly distribute. Top with a good heaping spoonful of frosting and spread to the edges. Repeat with the next 2 layers.

Place the 4th and final cake layer. Frost the top and sides and with the remainder of the frosting. Drizzle caramel sauce about the edge, all around the top of the cake (I started about 2 inches from the edge and poured the caramel while turning the turn table, working my way to the edge). The sauce should start to work it’s way over the edge and drip down the sides, but if it doesn’t you can use the back of a spoon or a spatula to give it a nudge. Finally, sprinkle the caramel with a little bit of sea salt and garnish with Ferrero Rocher halves.

Sunny Side Up Original idea

 

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White Cake with Lemon Curd Filling

July 26, 2012 by 6 Comments

Last week I told you about the birthday party that we threw for our friend. As much as I wanted to celebrate her birthday, I selfishly also wanted to throw the party so I could make a cake. I love making cakes and I just don’t have very many opportunities to do it. When I find an excuse to bake, I take it!

Mandy, the birthday girl, didn’t have any special requests for her cake. Just something sweet. With no requests, the possibilities seemed overwhelming. Of course I thought of several chocolate cake variations, but I do a lot of chocolate desserts, so I decided to take the road less traveled (for Jesse and I anyway). I am really happy that I decided to go with this non-chocolate cake. It was a nice light finish to our burrito bowl dinner and it was so pretty.

I did make a last minute decision to not use Swiss meringue buttercream (SMB) frosting. In the US, I’m not afraid of the eggs in SMB at all. I know the eggs in the US are safe. I am not as confident in the eggs here. I buy eggs from the refrigerated section but I’ve seen the same brand at other stores not refrigerated, so I’m not convinced they are kept that way through out shipping. I also know that in other countries it’s common to not keep eggs in the fridge. For just Jesse and I, I honestly wouldn’t put as much thought into it, but I was having 10 guests. The thought of a bad egg and all my guests getting sick – eek! Not a risk I was willing to take.

Anyway, SMB would be a great choice for this cake. The fluffy vanilla frosting I used also worked really well. I’ll leave a link for both recipes and you can decide for yourself! Also, I went grocery shopping with the birthday girl the night before the party and she picked out her favorite fruits for the top of the cake. Most any variety of fruits would work! The recipe I used called for a glaze over the fruit, but I didn’t want it to be too sweet so I skipped it and it was fine.

 

White Cake with Lemon Curd Filling

Cake
3 1/2 cups cake flour
1 Tbsp plus 1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
6 large egg whites, room temp
1 1/2 cups whole milk, room temp
1 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare two 9-inch round cake pans with parchment paper, butter, and flour or a non-stick baking spray.

Sift together the cake flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside. In a seperate bowl, whisk together the egg whites and milk. Set aside.

In a large bowl or standing mixer with paddle attachment, beat the butter until smooth and creamy. Gradually add the sugar and beat until light and fluffy. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, then add the vanilla and beat to cobine.

Alternatively add the flour (in 3 increments) and the egg mixture (in 2 increments), beginning and ending with the flour. Beat on low-medium speed after each addition, just until combined.

Divide the batter evenly between the two cake pans. Bake for 35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow to cool in pans for 10 minutes, then flip out on to a rack to cool completely.

Lemon Curd Filling
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened at room temperature
1 cup sugar
2 large eggs
2 large egg yolks
1/3 cup plus 4 tbsp. fresh lemon juice
Candy thermometer

In a large bowl, beat together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs and egg yolks one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the lemon juice and beat to combine. Mixture will probably look curdled, that’s ok.

Transfer the mixture to a saucepan and cook over medium-high heat until the mixture is smooth, and no longer looks curdled. Slightly increase the heat and cook until the mixture begins to thicken. Clip a thermometer to the side of the side of the pan and cook until it reaches 170 degrees F.

Transfer to another bowl and cover with plastic wrap, press the wrap into the curd to keep it from forming a skin. Refrigerate until completely cool before filling cake.
1 batch Swiss Meringue Buttercream or Fluffy Vanilla Frosting 

To Assemble Cake~2 cups of 4-5 of your favorite fruits

Place one of the cakes on a cake stand or cardboard cake round. Pipe a line of frosting around the edge cake. Fill the outline with the lemon curd. Place the second cake on top. Give the cake a coating of frosting. Using a star tip, pipe frosting in upward strokes all the way around the cake. Pipe an outline of rosettes along the outside edge of the top cake. Fill the middle with fruits of your choice.

Adapted from Sprinkle Bakes

 

 

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