Summer Sun

The other day I was sitting out in the quad and I was inspired by the grass and warm weather, it finally felt like summer. So I decided to make a summery cake (like you do).

First, taking a note from Rose Levy Beranbaum, I used a base of an all-occasion downy yellow butter cake:

Ingredients:

• 6 large egg yolks
• 1 c. milk
• 2 1/4 tsp. vanilla
• 3 c. cake flour, sifted
• 1 1/2 c. sugar
• 1 Tbsp. + 1 tsp. baking powder
• 3/4 tsp. salt
• 12 Tbsp. butter (1 1/2 sticks)

Mixins

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F and grease and flour two 9-inch cake rounds. In a small bowl, separate the egg yolks from the egg whites, then add 1/4 c. milk and the vanilla, stir to combine.

Sadly one broke or else this would have been a cool shot.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine all the dry ingredients, stirring a few times until well combined. Add the butter and remaining milk, mix on a medium speed for about a minute and a half to develop the cake's structure.

Mixy mix.

Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula. Now add the egg mixture in three additions, mixing well after each addition.

Mmm....cake batter!

Now divide the cake batter between the two prepared pans. Bake for 25 to 35 minutes or until a tester inserted in the center comes out clean.

Before...

After!

Allow the cakes to cool in the pan for about 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Who needs air fresheners when your house can smell like fresh cake?

Now what would a cake be without delicious frosting?

For your frosting fixins:

• 2 c. unsalted butter, softened
• 6 c. sifted confectioners' sugar
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• pinch of salt
• green food coloring

So much sugar but so good.

Beat the butter until it is nice and creamy, about 2 minutes, then slowly add the sugar, 1/2 c. at a time, scraping down the sides when needed. Beat in the vanilla, salt, and food coloring.

Hulk frosting!

What would a summer cake be without flowers? (Just a warning, this is my first attempt at fondant flowers, so if they look crappy, blame it on my inexperience.)

You can make you're own fondant if you're super talented (I made it once and it was too much of a hassle to do again so I just bought pre-rolled ready to use fondant, no shame in that). I bought a package of plain white fondant and then a colored package. You can always use food coloring to dye the white fondant any color you want, but just remember to wear gloves! (Unless you're into the tie-dyed hand look.) You'll also want a flower shaped cookie cutter or have some serious skills with an exacto knife. You'll also need some cornstarch and a rolling pin.

Mmm...sugar and corn syrup!

Sprinkle a light dusting of cornstarch on a clean work surface. Kneading the fondant with your hands, bring the fondant to room temperature. Then roll out to a 1/8 inch thickness with a rolling pin.

Flat as a pancake.

Using a cookie cutter (or exacto knife) cut out the flowers, re-rolling the fondant if necessary.

Cute!

Now to assemble the cake!

Place one of the cakes on a cardboard cake round and level the cake top with a serrated knife. Dollop some frosting on top, spreading to the edges and then top with the second cake:

It's like a delicious construction project.

Now frost the entire outside of the cake with the green frosting. Then using an icing bag with a #12 icing tip, pipe the grass stems on the top of the cake.

Super tedious, but super cute.

Now adorn the cake with the fondant flowers! Admire and enjoy!

Precious.

Cream Cheese Birthdays

So my roommate for practically the past 3 years turned 21 this month, the glorious age where the inside of bars are no longer a mysterious land and you don't feel quite as awkward walking through the wine section of the grocery store. And for her birthday, she requested a carrot cake with cream cheese frosting. Now we all know that cream cheese frosting is the key to ultimate happiness and probably should be used to mollify hostage situations and international snafus. Just a thought. And to make this sensational cake, I used Bill's Big Carrot Cake recipe from Dorie Greenspan's Baking: From My Home to Yours.

Ingredients for the carrot cake:

• 2 c. all-purpose flour
• 2 tsp. baking powder
• 2 tsp. baking soda
• 2 tsp. cinnamon
• 3/4 tsp. salt
• 3 c. carrots (about 9), grated
• 1 c. coarsely chopped walnuts or pecans
• 1 c. shredded coconut
• 1/2 c. moist, plump raisins (I have a thing with raisins, they kind of skeeve me out so I just added a 1/4 c. more of walnuts and coconut)
• 2 c. sugar
• 1 c. canola oil
• 4 large eggs

Notice how the carrots are in the foreground, making the cake look all healthy

So now to rock out with your cake out:

Whisk the flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon and salt together.

Mmm...cinnamon!

In a food processor or if you're really amped up for it, grate the carrots. Now I'm really lazy and bought pre-shredded carrots, but the pieces are too long so I threw them in a food processor and chopped them up a bit.

Prepare for annihilation!

Defeat.

Cuppa carrots.

Mix the 3 c. of shredded carrot along with the 1 c. (and 1/4 c. if you're like me and find raisins to be the root of all evil) of walnuts and shredded coconut.

Nom.

Now in the bowl of a stand mixer using a paddle attachment, combine the canola oil and sugar until smooth.

Goop.

Add eggs one at a time, beating in between each addition. Keep mixing until mixture is smooth.

Yum. Sugar eggs.

Now add the flour mixture, mixing until the flour and egg mixture is just combined.

Now gently fold in the the carrot-walnut-coconut mixture.

Mission Mix: Completed

Evenly divide the batter into three prepared (greased and floured) baking pans. Bake at 325 F for 30 - 40 minutes.

Before...

And magically, 30 - 40 minutes later...

After!

Allow the cakes to cool in the pan for about 10 minutes, then transfer to wire cooling racks to cool completely.

Who needs a Glade plug in when you've got eau d'carrot cake?

Now for the best part...the cream cheese frosting!

Cream and the cheese and the creamy cream cheese frosting:
(I doubled the recipe for double the deliciousness)

• 2 8-oz. pkgs cream cheese, room temperature
• 2 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature
• 2 lbs. or 7 1/2 c. confectioners' sugar
• 2 tbsp. fresh lemon juice

Creme chez.

Cream the cream cheese and the butter together in the bowl of a stand mixer using a whisk attachment until smooth. Slowly add the sugar, continuing to whisk until smooth, then add the lemon juice.

Om. Nom. Nom. Nom.

Stop! Assembly time!

It's time to assemble the cake. Place one layer of cake on a cake round, spread a generous amount on the first layer, top with a second layer and repeat until all layers have been used.

Tri-perfecta!

Now frost the edges and top of the cake until all the frosting is gone. Decorate with almond slices and M&M's to make little flowers.

Precious!

And of course, add some candles for birthday wishes!

I was cruel and used trick candles that relight after you blow them out. Hee hee hee :D

Heaven is coated in chocolate

Once a year, outside our grocery stores or even on our front porches, we are graced with the presence of Girl Scouts and their infamous cookies. As we all know, the best cookie in existence is the Thin Mint. Oh the Thin Mints! We seriously go ape shit over this stuff. Buying cases upon cases of them to last us through the barren months when those little scouts go into hiding. Going along with my trend of combining cake and delicious sweets, I created a Thin Mint cake to mollify the cookie withdrawal symptoms when our stash runs out using a base recipe of Helen Hudson Whiting's Celestial Chocolate Cake:

For the cake:

• 2 c. boiling water
• 1 c. cocoa
• 2 3/4 c. all-purpose flour
• 2 tsp. baking soda
• 1/2 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1 c. (2 sticks) butter
• 2 1/2 c. sugar
• 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 4 eggs

Mixins for the mixins.

To get the ball rollin:

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F and grease and flour three 9-inch round baking pans. Next, pour the boiling water over the cocoa powder, stirring with a fork until the mixture is completely cool. Then set aside to cool.

Cocoa! (And no it's not Swiss Miss)

Chocolate goop! Nom.

Now in the bowl of a stand mixer combine the butter and sugar, beating on a high speed until well combined and fluffy.

Buttah & Sugah before ultimate smack down.


Beaten, not stirred.

Add the vanilla to the butter/sugar mixture, then add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each egg. In another bowl, combing the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt, stirring to mix well. Add the flour mixture to the butter/sugar mixture in about four batches, beating after each addition only until the flour just disappears (like magic!).

Mixy, Mixy

Add the cooled cocoa mixture in three batches, every so gently folding it into the batter.

More chocolate goop!

Now divide the batter equally into the three prepared baking pans. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until an inserted tooth pick comes out clean.

Before...

After!

Let the cakes cool in the pan for about 5-10 minutes, then transfer to a wire baking rack.

Triple Decker Goodness.

Now a cake can't be a Thin Mint cake without the minty goodness. So get to it!

For the minty filling:

• 1 c. very cold heavy whipping cream
• 1/4 c. confectioner's sugar
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1/2 tsp. peppermint extract (a little bit of this stuff goes a looooong way)

Combine all the ingredients in the bowl of a stand mixer, beat on a high speed until thick and luscious (yes, I said luscious). And if you're really into it, you can add a touch of green food coloring.

Simply delicious.

Scrape filling into a smaller bowl, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until you're ready to assemble your cake.

Now what is cake with out frosting? Chocolate buttercream frosting to be more precise.

For the frosting:

• 1 16-oz pkg. semisweet chocolate chips, about 2 3/4 c.
• 1/2 c. heavy whipping cream
• 1 c. (2 sticks) butter, cut into chunks
• 2 1/2 c. confectioners' sugar

Peppermint Schnapps...what are you doing there?

To get your buttercream a goin':

In a double boiler, combine the chocolate chips, cream, and butter. Cook gently over medium heat, stirring often to help the butter and chocolate melt. Be careful not to boil the mixture! When the chocolate and butter have melted, transfer to the bowl of a stand mixer and let cool to room temperature.

You know, you could just stop now and dip strawberries in this...RESIST!

Now add the confectioners' sugar and beat well until the frosting is thick enough to spread.

Perfection.

To assemble the cake:

While you're waiting for various ingredients to cool, you can go ahead an level your cakes and infuse them with a very tablespoons of Peppermint Schnapps. This not only keeps the cakes moist but add an extra punch of peppermint. Using a serrated knife, level off two of the three cakes and drizzle a touch of the Schnapps on each leveled layer. Allow the layers to sit for about half an hour before you frost them.

Yes you're allowed to each the shavings.

Now, recapture your mint filling from the fridge and slather about half of it on the first layer, then carefully top with second layer and repeat!

It's starting to take form!

Then, frost the entirety of the cake and using an icing triangle, sculpt a pattern around the cake and decorate with crushed Thin Mints!

Thin Mint Cake!

And of course, the final step is to take the cake to work and brighten your coworkers day!

Slice-o-heaven