Recipe - Birthday Cake

I made have made some extra work for myself this year.  I made a "silent" vow to not use boxed cake mixes.  hmmmm.  A challenge, certainly.  Not that I have anything against Betty or Duncan, but I do find that the cakes can be a little boring, a bit too airy if you're getting fancy with carving (as one might do with two girls in the house), and certainly predictable with the 1 cup of oil and three eggs.  I thought, there have to be better options for the modern cook. 
The request was yellow cake and chocolate frosting.  Sounds easy enough.  I turned to the trusty Internet to find a recipe.  I found one for "Best Yellow Layer Cake" at Smitten Kitchen.  I have found other recipes at this site with great success.  This was one to try.

I got out the trusty Kitchen Aid and got to mixing.

Smitten Kitchen's Best Yellow Layer Cake
(adapted from and reprinted following Smitten Kitchen's guidelines.)
Makes two 9-inch round cake layers

4 cups plus 2 tablespoons cake flour (not self-rising)
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
2 cups sugar
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
4 large eggs, at room temperature
2 cups buttermilk, well-shaken

Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray or butter two 9-inch round cake pans and line with circles of parchment paper, then butter parchment, as she recommends.  I recently ran out of parchment - it's on the grocery list - so I used the old spay and flour method with good results.
Mix together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl. In a large mixing bowl (yes LARGE), beat butter and sugar with an electric mixer (here's where the Kitchen Aid came it) at medium speed until pale and fluffy, then beat in vanilla. Add eggs 1 at a time, beat well and scrape down the bowl after each addition. At low speed, add buttermilk until just combined (mixture will look curdled). Add flour mixture in three or four batches, mixing until each addition is just incorporated.

Pour batter equally into cake pan, then tap pan on counter several times to remove air bubbles. Bake  at 350 degrees until golden and a wooden pick inserted in center of the cake comes out clean, 35 to 40 minutes. Cool in pans on a rack 10 minutes, then loosen cake from pan and invert onto rack. Let cake cool completely before frosting.

Cooked Chocolate Frosting

The frosting I used I found last year from Country Living.  It reminds me of my Grandmother's frosting, a bit like buttercream, but not as heavy.  It has a silky, smooth texture and is not too sweet.
1 cup milk
3 tablespoons flour
1/8 teaspoon salt
8 ounce) of dark chocolate or white chocolate
2 sticks butter
1 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar
2 tablespoons cocoa, (for white chocolate frosting, omit cocoa)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Whisk 1 cup milk, 3 tablespoons flour, and 1⁄8 teaspoon salt in a small saucepan over medium heat until the mixture bubbles and thickens.  This will take several minutes. Transfer to a small bowl and let cool.

Melt 8 ounces of dark chocolate or white chocolate in a glass bowl in the microwave. Be careful not to scorch it. Set aside to cool.

Beat 1 cup butter, 1 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar, and 2 tablespoons cocoa (for white chocolate frosting, omit cocoa) together until light and fluffy. Beat in the cooled chocolate and add milk mixture and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract (dark chocolate frosting only) until smooth and fluffy.

The Result
The baked layers were sunken a bit in the middle.  I am sure there is a reasonable explanation for that: the humidity was wrong, or the altitude, or I didn't sift the flour well enough, or the cartwheels I did in the kitchen while baking sunk the middles.  Baking is still a bit of a mystery to me.
My handy dandy solution is to trim the cake a bit, then I spread the bottom cake with a layer of raspberry jam, and then frosting.  A nice and sweet surprise. 
The birthday girl liked the cake.  We all liked the cake.  It did seem a little dense, that's what I was looking for, right?  Yes, I bought the cake flour, maybe the plus 2T was more than I needed.  But, I didn't sift.  I never do.  Is it reall that important?
It was not too sweet, but had a great "yellow cake" flavor. 
I love this frosting.  I started using it last year, when I banned tub frosting from the house.  It can even perk up box mix cupcakes.  The white chocolate version is my favorite.
This is definately a cake I will make again.  And a frosting I will make again.
If you decide to ditch the box cakes, these are two worthwhile recipes to try.

I've linked to Full Plate Thursday and Foodie Friday.  and Sweet Tooth Friday.  Check them out for some more great recipes.

Valentine's Treats

Sometimes Valentine's Day misses the mark.  In fact, often it is so much about the commercialism of the sticky pink and red hearts, the gooey candy that ends up in the trash can, and the roses that die all too soon.  Sometimes cupid doesn't shoot straight.
This year was just right. 

I had lunch with my husband at the Boulder bistro Salt.  He had a day off so we took advantage of a daytime date and went for a grown-up lunch.  It's amazing how many grown-ups go out to lunch!  I may have to consider that more often.  The only distraction were the two preschool aged children at the next table.  They were running that show, if you know what I mean.  But the food and service were wonderful.  I had a lovely bowl of mussels, and my husband, true to form, had Tom's Burger and fries.  We even had a table visit from the chef, Bradford Heap, the famed Boulder restaurateur.

Then we stopped at Shamane's Bake Shoppe to pick up some after dinner treats for the girls.  Shamane's is located in an out of the way spot in Boulder, but not off the beaten path.  It's just a few blocks from the intersection of Valmont Road and Foothills Parkway.  It is worth the little trek into the back of the business park to find her.  As former pastry chef at Boulder's Flagstaff House, Brasserie 1010 (one of my favorites), and The Mediterranean Restaurants, you can imagine that the quality of her craft is superior.   

Known for her beautiful wedding and special events cakes, Shamane's shop has so much more to offer.  She offers homemade quiche, soups and hand crafted sandwiches, as well as tasty pastries to take home.  What struck me as we stood in line to order was how she responded to the couple in front of us.  They walked in and ordered a linzer torte.  She had none in her case and they had not pre-ordered.  Remember, it was Valentine's Day, and the place was filled with customers, and she said, "I can have one ready by 3 today, will that be soon enough?"  Wow!  Can you imagine any other baker, on a very busy day, ready to accommodate so quickly? 

The petit fours and meringues that we brought home were the perfect end to our day - the girls enjoyed them.  Not too big, not too sweet, and just the right amount of Valentine's fuss.
I hope yours was just as good.

Seasonal Confusion

I don't know about you, but I felt that Christmas really snuck up on us this year.  Don't worry, I am all ready, but it seems that the entire fall just flew by at lightening speed!  Maybe it's because we really haven't had the snow that makes it feel like winter, maybe it's because we've been so busy, or because I am getting older.  Whatever the reason, time seems like it is moving too fast.  The retail stores don't help much, either.  Christmas displays go up before Halloween. Early in December, Hobby Lobby put all their Christmas items on clearance to make way for spring and garden items.  Slow down, folks!

But this one took the cake, for me!

In case you wanted to put Easter Eggs in your Christmas stockings, you can get them at King Soopers. (We took the photo yesterday.)

Bah!  Why is everyone trying to rush through things.

Slow down, and enjoy the day!  Happy holidays everyone!

Recipe - Truffles

Ganache

 I think it's time for a recipe. 

This one is worth trying as the holidays approach.  I happened across this recipe while I was watching the Food Network and saw a show called 5 Ingredient Fix.  The show was new to me and I was unfamiliar with the host, Claire Robinson, although I have found I like her recipes and her tips. Her guest for the day was pastry chef Keegan Gerhard and they made hand rolled chocolate truffles. I have always been intimidated by candy making but they made it looked so easy I thought I had to try it!  I made them for Halloween.

Chocolate Truffles


8 ounces good dark chocolate (at least 60% cocoa)



Scooped

8 ounces heavy cream



Coatings for rolling:

cocoa powder, decorative sugar, sprinkles, spices, chopped nuts

Using a double boiler, melt the chocolate.  Scald the cream in a saucepan (heat over medium heat, stirring so the cream doesn't scorch on the bottom, until almost boiling)  Add the cream to the melted chocolate and mix with a wire whisk.   Here is where you wonder if something is wrong with the recipe.  The chocolate and cream don't seem to want to mix together, but don't worry.  Keep mixing and you will get a beautiful, shiny chocolate ganache.  Cover and refrigerate for several hours or overnight.  The ganache needs to be firm enough to scoop.



Toppings





Using a small scoop, place small balls of chocolate on a lined cookie sheet.  Refrigerate for at least 15 minutes.  Then, working quickly in small batches, roll the lumps of chocolate in your hands and then roll into the toppings.  Place in petit four cups or covered container and refrigerate until you are ready to serve.

     



Rolling truffles.

• This recipe has two spots where I wondered what went wrong.  First, when I combined the cream and the chocolate, mixing took longer than I expected.  Have patience.  Second, when rolling the balls, I found they melted quickly.  My solutions: place them in the freezer for a few minutes or don't obsess about hand rolled truffles being perfectly round.
• I see so many places for creativity with this recipe.  I mixed (1 t) cayenne pepper with one of my (3 T)rolling sugars and made spicy truffles.  I mixed cinnamon with another.  The cayenne was my favorite.
• Use the warm ganache as a "frosting" for muffins or cupcakes.  Hold the muffin upside down and dip it into the ganache.  We did this with pumpkin muffins - delicious!
• Store in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.  (After 5 days, they taste fine but the toppings "melt")



Finished truffles, Chocolate Cayenne on the left with orange sugar;
Plain Chocolate with black sugar on the right.



Recipe - S'Mores

 Yes.  I am going to share my S'More recipe with you.  No, these aren't any usual s'mores.  I, in fact, do not even like s'mores.  But, Sunday evening turned into s'more night at our house. 

Our family habit this summer was to build a fire in our small outdoor fire dish, wait until the coals burned down, and roast some marshmallows. (The Hanson family secret for the perfect marshmallow, is to wait until there are no flames, only glowing coals) 

This waiting time is difficult for some.  It really doesn't even look as though there is enough heat to roast a marshmallow, but this tried and true technique will prevent your marshmallow from catching on fire and turning into a charcoal mess.  And the time around the fire is the perfect moment for chatting with the kids about the week to come or the week that's ended.

But, as I don't even like s'mores, I had to do something to turn the basic into the bold.  How could I spice it up a bit?

We discovered the way to make a Gourmet S'More is to substitute the sublime for the mundane.  Instead of graham crackers, use any variety of Anna's Thins (we've tried the Ginger Thins and the Almond Cinnamon, both are yummy).  Instead of Hershey's Milk, use a one of Boulder's own Chocolove's varieties of dark chocolate bars (Our favorites, so far, are Chilies & Cherries in Dark Chocolate and Orange Peel in Dark Chocolate).  We still use Jet-Puffed marshmallows - I have tried the "off brands" and they always end up sticky in the bag.  I haven't tried to make my own, that may come next. 

One of the nice things about this way of making S'mores, is the possibility to "customize" your own, and share your new creation with one another.  The girls love to try the different combinations and flavor profiles.  And, yes, don't forget to serve the adults red wine with their Gourmet S'More.

So, there it is:  our fancy S'More.  These are S'Mores I can sink my teeth into!