The Perfect Cake for my Awesome Father in Law

My father in law's birthday is this weekend.
And what do you get the man who has everything??
A cake!

Obviously that would be the answer coming from someone who loves to bake, right? But I have to say that I have a sort of love/hate relationship with baking. The love part comes in the form of the actual process: the scouring over my favorite cookbooks (or blogs) for the perfect recipe, the gathering and measuring ingredients, sifting, stirring, scraping and baking. It is a very enjoyable process for me. The hate part comes in when I end up with a pile of chocolate chip cookies / box of cupcakes / pan of pound cake sitting on my counter... and ZERO willpower to resist the urge to eat it all. Can anyone relate to that?

 So let's focus on the love part for a moment here. Step 1: finding the perfect recipe. I've mentioned my trusty copy of Baking Illustrated before. I adore how much information they give you on how to make the uber-scientific process of baking work out just right. I could spend hours flipping through this book, reading recipes and discovering special techniques for piping meringue, shaping Ciabatta or assembling Baked Alaska. Nerdy? Maybe.

The only problem with my beloved cookbooks is that I spend the majority of my day at work, and unless I lug them into the office with me, my main source of inspiration comes from cooking blogs. Enter my inspiration: Piece of Cake. Shauna has a recipe for a Birthday Cake from Baking Illustrated. Yellow Layer Cake with Chocolate Cream Frosting. Perfect for two reasons. #1- I knew I could look up the recipe when I got home. #2- because my father in law is fond of the classics. He's a no frills kind of guy. Just pure and simple deliciousness.

 In the midst of my sifting and stirring and spreading, I took a moment to hand the paddle attachment covered in cake batter to my husband so he could "test it to make sure it wasn't poisonous". He asked if it was frosting. Yes, it is that good. And the (actual) frosting is so silky smooth, it's hard to resist eating it by the spoonful. 

As for the hate part of my love/hate relationship; this is the perfect way to make amends: Always share with your friends, family & co-workers. And do what you need to do to make sure you don't come home with the leftovers!

Happy Birthday, Mike!

** I must give credit for the first, last and second to last photo on here to my sister in law's husband, Mark. He does amazing things with a camera. I hope to start taking some pointers from him in the future.

Recipe from Baking Illustrated.

Yellow Layer Cake
1 3/4 cups (7 oz) plain cake flour, sifted
4 eggs, at room temperature
1/2 cup whole milk, at room temperature
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
16 tablespoons (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened but still cool, cut into 16 pieces

1. Adjust an oven rack to the lower-middle position, and preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Generously grease two 9-inch round cake pans, and cover the bottoms with parchment or waxed paper. Grease the parchment and dust the pans with flour, tapping out the excess.

2. Beat the eggs, milk and vanilla with a fork in a small bowl. Measure out one cup of this mixture and set aside. Combine the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt in the bowl of stand mixer. Beat on low to blend, about 30 seconds. With the mixer still running on low, add the softened butter one piece at a time, mixing until the butter and flour begin the clump together, until it looks pebbly with pieces about the size of peas, 30 to 40 seconds after all the butter is added.

3. Add the reserved one cup of egg mixture and mix at low speed until incorporated, 5 to 10 seconds. Increase the speed to medium high and beat until light and fluffy, about 1 minute. Add the remaining egg mixture in a steady stream with the mixer running, taking about 30 seconds. Stop the mixer and scrape down the bowl and beater. Beat at medium-high speed again until the batter is thoroughly combined and just starts to look curdled, about 15 seconds.

4. Divide the batter equally between the pans, spread to the sides of the pan, making sure the surface is even and smooth. I used an offset spatula here. Bake until the cakes are light gold in color and a toothpick comes out clean, about 20 to 25 minutes. Cakes may mound slightly here, but not to worry, they will level out when cooled. Cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes then run a knife along the edges to loosen them from the pans. Let cool completely before icing.

For the Frosting:
16 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped fine (or use chips)
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
1/3 cup light corn syrup
1 tsp vanilla extract

Place the chocolate in a bowl. Bring the heavy cream to a simmer over medium-high heat in a small saucepan (Don't let this boil over! It makes a mess). Pour the cream over the chocolate, add the corn syrup and let the mixture stand for 3 minutes.

Whisk gently until smooth and then stir in the vanilla. Refrigerate for 1 to 1.5 hours, stirring every 15 minutes, until the mixture reaches a spreadable consistency. Ideally this would not be made ahead of time as it does not keep well. It should be consumed within a day. You can also whip the frosting with the whisk attachment on a stand mixer to create a frosting with a fluffier texture.

My Not-So-Devilish Deviled Eggs

My family on my mom's side is c-r-a-z-y about deviled eggs. My Aunt Denise brings them to every family party. I've been told I'm not a Messier if I don't like them. That and coleslaw.... but that's a different recipe all together. We'll stick to eggs for now.

I love eggs in general. Scrambled, over medium with a piece of toast, poached in a Benedict, hard boiled. And especially deviled. They just feel so decadent.

I am a fan.

Eggs are full of nutrients like Vitamins A, D, E, a few different B vitamins, folate (helps protect against birth defects!) not to mention they are a good source of protein. I read once, I think in The South Beach Diet, that eating cholesterol does not lead to having high cholesterol like it was previously thought. Turns out, eggs are pretty good for you!

To kick up the healthfulness and reduce the calorie count just a little bit, I decided to try something: leaving out half of the yolks and adding mashed cauliflower. I don't know what came over me, it was a moment of nutritional genius.

I hard boiled my eggs and steamed up some cauliflower florets. Cauliflower is also a nutritional powerhouse, even though it looks rather unassuming. One cup has over half of a woman's daily value of Vitamin C. Also has Vitamins K and B6. Just a quick Google search came up with those figures here.

Everyone has their own preference for deviled egg accoutrements, 

so just do your thing here.... 

I like a little bit of mayo, yellow mustard, fresh minced garlic, some cayenne, salt & pepper 

and some fresh or dried dill.

Mash it all up, spoon into a ziplock bag and pipe it into the egg whites. Or if you have a pastry bag with a star tip, you can make it look fancy and professional.

I mentioned low-cal up there somewhere and think I should mention that 52 of the 66 calories in an egg come from the yolk. Most of the vitamins are in there too, so this combo of using half yolks and half cauliflower is a nice little trade off.

I'm pretty sure any Messier would be happy to try this little creation of mine. I might not even say anything and see if they know what they're missing ;)

Blood Orange Mimosas

Some people only drink Champagne on special occasions, but I have always considered each and every day a special occasion! Why save something for a day that may never come? Or worse... maybe that special day comes and goes and you forget to bring out that bottle you've been saving for such a time.

In our house there is usually a bottle of bubbly in the fridge, chilled and ready for action. Be it for a lazy Saturday morning or a random Thursday night when you just want a mimosa, we like to be prepared. Recently, it happened to be a Tuesday. The evening air was warm and our front patio was calling our names. I had a jug of OJ in the fridge, but the bag of Blood Oranges seemed like a good way to give our usual mimosa a quick makeover.

Is it just me or are blood oranges completely fascinating? They are so beautiful with their jewel toned reds and many shades of orange. They make me want to Google "how do blood oranges get their color?"

I think I just will...

 I juiced the whole bag and it yielded this gorgeous reddish purple juice. It was bright and sweet, just a bit tangy. Totally worth the few minutes of prep work.

In my world, the juice makes the mimosa. I don't care if you're drinking Dom (which, btw, you should not make a mimosa out of). If you use yucky juice, the whole thing is just not going to be good. And if you're drinking Cook's (which I am not above) if you use Odwalla or any fresh squeezed juice, you will not be disappointed in the results. This festive drink is the perfect way to turn your average Tuesday into a memorable event.

So pick up a bottle of bubbly and a bag of blood oranges next time you're out grocery shopping and take a moment to celebrate the little things in life. Cheers!

Stuffed Jalapenos

Everyone knows the Super Bowl is just an excuse to get together with friends, watch some funny commercials and eat LOTS of good food (right?!) So this past week, I was scoping my favorite websites for a fresh new appetizer to bring to my aunt and uncle's house for the BIG game.

Have you ever checked out Chow.com? I adore this site because it's not just recipes. They have discussion forums, food related articles, how-to videos.... the list goes on. 

Anyway, Chow is a great website for appetizer recipes, like these Jalapeno Poppers. When I think of a popper, though, I think of breaded and deep fried. These are definitely not that. You don't pre-cook the peppers themselves at all, so they retain most of their crunch. The result is a fresh tasting stuffed pepper that doesn't really resemble it's mushy deep fried cousin at all.

Splitting and removing the seeds from the peppers was the most time consuming part of this recipe. If you wanted to prepare in advance, you could make the mixture and fill the peppers, then cover and refrigerate until ready to bake. If you want more heat (!!) add some of the seeds to the filling. Mine didn't come out too spicy. In fact, I didn't think they were that spicy at all. I would add some seeds back in the mix next time.

For the instructions on how to keep the peppers whole, see the original recipe which I linked up below. I wanted to halve mine for two reasons: #1- it would make more portions so I could stretch the recipe, and #2- the halves are good so people can eat them up in 1 or 2 bites without much mess. This two-bite aspect is pretty important for party food, in my opinion.

Just broil for a few minutes until golden and bubbly. Arrange them on a platter and you're ready for the big game! They should keep fine at room temp for a few hours.... if they last that long...

Mine sure didn't!

Recipe adapted from Chow.com. Click here to view the full recipe. I doubled it.

14 jalapeno peppers, split in half, seeds and ribs removed
8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
2 links of hot or sweet Italian sausage, cooked and crumbled (should yield about 1/2 cup)
1 tsp. olive oil
1/4 cup yellow onion, sauteed
1/2 teaspoon pepper

Turn the oven to broil and line a cookie sheet with foil. Set aside.

Halve and de-seed your jalapenos. Or follow the original recipe's instructions on how to remove seeds while keeping them whole. Line them up on your prepared cookie sheet.

Next, put your room temp cream cheese into a medium sized bowl. Set aside.

Cook the sausage in a saute pan and crumble it up into small pieces as you cook it. Drain and add to the cream cheese.

In the same pan, saute the onion in a bit of olive oil until translucent and starting to brown. Add to the sausage & cream cheese mixture. Stir in a few grinds of pepper, and then scoop into a ziplock or pastry bag. Pipe the mixture into the peppers. Broil for 4 minutes, then rotate the pan and broil for 4 more minutes until the cheese mixture is browned and bubbly. Let cool for 5 minutes and transfer to a platter and you're ready to party!



What are your favorite party foods??

Happy New Year!!

Even though it is the 26th of January, I still feel the need to say that since I have not posted since December!!

2011 has already brought some incredible blessings and also a disappointment or two....

First and foremost, the major blessing was the arrival of my sister's baby boy, Brett Thomas. He is so precious!! He is the little guy for whom I made the diaper bag I posted back in December.

I have heard it said time and time again that new babies put life into perspective. They remind you of what is important, and make the things that used to seem important become totally unimportant. I love this little guy to bits and am so thankful for his safe arrival into this world.

As I said before, this year has also brought some disappointments that I have been trying to make peace with... and this morning I came across a quote from Hind's Feet in High Places:

"For disappointments accepted with praise always seem to turn into EXTRA-RADIANT BLESSINGS."

I love this. I love that I know that even though I am not getting what I thought I wanted, I can have faith that there is a bigger picture in the works. There is a bigger and better blessing that will result. I am coming to realize (or rather I am re-realizing) that to force something means compromising what I really want.

So now, I just continue living my life, loving the people in it and trusting the God who holds it in his hands.

Peppermint Bark

I always thought of myself as a dark chocolate kind of girl. I love to savor a small little chunk of super dark right after a meal. (I have this seriously intense chocolate craving the second I finish the last bite of my dinner). Dark chocolate really satisfies the craving and also makes me feel pretty darn good about myself... you know with all of the health giving antioxidants and such.

So anything with white chocolate I tend to think of as "not worth it"... but let me tell you, one little taste of this peppermint bark had my taste buds singing praises to white chocolate... even with it's lack of anti-oxidants. 'Tis the season, right? The silky smooth white blends amazingly with the dark. Add some crunchy freshness with smashed candy cane and you've got the perfect holiday treat.

 

 I had never made any kind of bark before this. My husband is a big fan and wanted to make some (read: he wanted me to make some) for us to give out (read: give out half and gorge ourselves on the other half). So off to the store I went for chocolate and peppermint extract.

We had a GIANT homemade candy cane from one of Scott's co-workers so we used that for our topping. See how big it is? I was a little sad to destroy it, but happy that it went to good use (and a portion of it back to work with Scott)

 I sort of wish I would have made more. I wasn't sure exactly how much the recipe would make, but figured I could always make another batch. 

I am definitely going to make another batch.

 The original recipe calls for the dark chocolate mixture to be melted directly in a saucepan, but mine morphed into some weird chunky slimy glop. It was totally irreversible and I had to toss it. I don't know what happened, but I had enough chocolate and whipping cream to do another batch, which I did with a double boiler and it came out fine. The 3/4 of a teaspoon of Peppermint extract in the dark mixture really gives it that extra punch of minty freshness... like you're in a Peppermint Patty commercial. Really.

So the key is to give each layer a chance to set up completely and have the next layer of melty chocolate be just lukewarm. Spreadable, but not hot enough to start smearing the layer underneath. We want a clean separation of white and dark here.

 I sort of ran out of white chocolate for the top layer. My edges left the layers exposed, but I kind of like the way it looks. Like a peppermint bark pizza!

Trim it up as directed below and package however you wish. These little 4x6 inch "treat bags" from Michael's allowed for the perfect serving size. Not so much that people hate you for single-handedly causing 5 lbs in holiday weight gain. Just enough to make them love you and ask you for the recipe.

Layered Peppermint Bark Crunch
Adapted from Bon Appetit

Makes about 36 pieces

17 ounces good-quality white chocolate
6 ounces coarsely crushed peppermint candies (about12 regular candy canes)
7 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate
6 tablespoons whipping cream
3/4 teaspoon peppermint extract

Line a baking sheet with a silicone baking mat or a sheet of heavy-duty aluminum foil.

Place the white chocolate in a heat proof bowl set over saucepan of barely simmering water to create a double boiler. Stir occasionally until the chocolate is melted and smooth and a candy thermometer registers 110°F. Pour 2/3 cup of the melted white chocolate onto the baking sheet, and using an offset spatula, spread it into about a 9x12-inch rectangle. Sprinkle with 1/4 cup crushed peppermints. Refrigerate until set, about 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, stir together the bittersweet chocolate, cream and peppermint extract in a double boiler or a bowl set over simmering water until just melted and smooth. Cool until it is lukewarm. Pour the dark chocolate mixture in long lines over the white chocolate rectangle. This is important to not melt the white chocolate layer. Using a clean spatula, spread the chocolate in even layer. Refrigerate until very cold and firm, at least 25 minutes.

Rewarm the bowl of white chocolate over barely simmering water again, to 110°F. Working quickly, pour the white chocolate over the firm bittersweet chocolate layer and spread evenly to cover. Immediately sprinkle the remaining crushed candy cane over the surface of the candy. Chill until firm, at least 20 minutes. I left mine in overnight before cutting.

If using a silicone mat, slide a spatula under the slab and move it to a cutting board. If using foil, lift the foil with the bark on it to a cutting board and trim it directly on the foil. Trim the edges of the slab to obtain nice clean edges with the layers visible, then cut the bark into pieces. You can snack on the edge pieces, or if you don't care about having perfect pieces, you can include the edges in your packaged up gift bags.

Can be made 2 weeks ahead and kept in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

Merry Christmas!!

Modern Diaper Bag

A while back I promised my sister I would make her a weekend travel bag. I really liked the way Amy Butler's Weekender Bag was styled, so I bought the pattern, the fabric and all of the other items I would need to get the bag started... Some time passed as I pondered (dreaded) the journey ahead of me. I began procrastinating like I was back in college. I was out partying when I should have been studying for finals.

Searching through Blogland for people who had made the bag before me did not help me to overcome my  tendency toward procrastination. I read post after post after post of people who had put their blood sweat and tears (literally) into the Weekender. I was absolutely intimidated. All the talk of broken needles, layers of cording and the excessive use of their seam rippers had me regretting my promise to my sister. It was a big project, one of the likes I had never attempted before.

So when my sister found out she was pregnant over the summer, I decided she would probably need a diaper bag more than a weekend travel bag (I can almost hear all of you mom's nodding in agreement) and I switched gears a bit. I bought Amy Butler's Little Stitches for Little Ones and after quick flip through the pages I saw the Modern Diaper Bag. I knew Michele would be happy to have that instead. This bag took me about 6 sessions of 4 hours each to complete. There was a lot of cutting, a lot of interfacing and quite a few ripped seams. But all in all, it was totally worth it.

Here she is at her baby shower this past weekend.
I think she loves it.
Can't wait to meet my little nephew, due January 26th, 2011!!