Valentine's Day Cake

       Happy Valentine's Day! The day of love and mushy goodness ;) My Valentine bought me one of those really pretty dipped roses from the jewelry store. It has a golden stem and the petals are a blush pink at the tips which fade into a creamy white at the bottom. I love it. He also bought me the entire collection of the James Bond movies on bluray, which translates into having 23 pre-planned dates. So basically, I got extremely spoiled this year! Which is why I have mixed feelings about what I got/made him. See the above picture? That's his present. I know it's the thought that counts, but I still feel a tad guilty not spending more. But that's not the point of Valentine's Day, comparing gift prices. It's about showing how much you care for each other. So when I made this, I was giving him my time, just like he's giving me his time with our future dates. (May I also point out his birthday is in five days and that's where I decided to spend my money this year instead of splitting it between Valentine's and birthday. What's a poor college girl to do?)

*Update* Since I wrote this post I discovered I won a Valentine's Day Writing Contest on campus and received a bit of extra money, yay! So I also bought Up to go with the cake. No more mixed feelings about only having a cake. =)

Valentine's Day Cake

Today I'm sharing more of an idea for a cake than an actual recipe, but that's okay. 

Directions

--Using a chocolate cake mix (shhhhh) make two 4" layers of cake. Or use one 8" pan, but you'll have to cut the layers in half later. 

--Buy a tub of buttercream frosting from your local grocery store (you can make it on your own too if you want). Mine was about a pound. Reserve about 1/2 to 3/4 cup to dye red for piping around your cake at the end. 

--While your cake is cooling, crush 2/3 of a box of Oreos in your frosting. I used a food processor to chop up most of them, but I did a few by hand to give the frosting extra chunkiness. It just made it harder to spread later.

--Using a serrated knife, level out your cake layers. I then took out an 8" cake board, put a little glob of frosting in its middle, then placed the first layer of cake in the center of the board. 

--Spread frosting over the top of the first layer, not doing the sides yet. Then place the second layer on top of the frosted first. Frost the whole thing.

--Dye the frosting you reserved earlier red and put it in a piping bag, using whatever size tip you want, and pipe the frosting around the top and bottom edges of the cake.

--Using crafting wire, poke in the little wires with sparkly hearts taped to them on the top of the cake for decoration.

--Happy Valentine's Day!

Happy Baking!

--H

Long Island Iced Tea Cakes

      

       Spring is here and summer is on its way. What a better way to commemorate this exciting change in weather than with a refreshing cake? Yes, refreshing. These Long Island Iced Tea Cakes are just that. When my brother chose for us to make this recipe I can probably gurarantee that he wasn't thinking about the change in seasons, though. =) What makes these cakes, or cake if you choose not to cut it up right away, extra special is that after being baked with the equivalent of one Long Island Iced Tea they're placed on top of an additional soaking sauce. Because of this, they're given that extra freshing twist that only a Long Island Iced Tea could give. Just a heads up, though, if you don't have all of the ingredients already on hand making this cake could be become expensive.

Long Island Iced Tea Cakes

from Booze Cakes

Ingredients

For the Cake

• 2 cups cake flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 tablespoon gin
• 1 tablespoon light rum (as in Morgan Silver or Bacardi)
• 1 tablespoon tequila
• 1 tablespoon vodka
• 1 tablespoon triple sec
• 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons cold cola
• 1 cup sugar, divided
• 1/2 cup milk
• 6 egg yolks
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened

For the Long Island Iced Tea Soaking Sauce

• 1 tablespoon gin
• 1 tablespoon light rum
• 1 tablespoon tequila
• 1 tablespoon vodka
• 1 tablespoon triple sec
• 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 2 tablespoons cold cola

*note*: My brother and I decided to double this so the cake would have a more prominent flavor.

Directions

--Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

--Grease and flour a 9"x13" cake pan and set aside.

--In the bowl of your stand mixer, whisk the eggs yolks until they become thick and pale, about 5 minutes. It may seem like they'll never change, but trust me, they do become a very light pastel yellow. (While these are beating, jump ahead and do the flour and liquid mixtures.)

--Once the yolks have reached this consistency, add a 1/2 cup of sugar and continue to beat the yolks until they form a thick ribbon when the whisk attachment is lifted.

--When this consistency is reached, add the butter and remaining 1/2 cup of sugar (minus a teaspoon for the liquid mixture.

--Meanwhile, in a separate medium-sized bowl, whisk together the cake flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Set aside for now.

--In a glass liquid measuring cup, combine the vanilla, gin, rum, tequila, vodka, triple sec, lemon juice, cola, 1 teaspoon of the sugar, and milk. The milk will curdle, don't worry about it. Set aside the liquid mixture for now as well.

--When all three mixtures are done (egg yolk, flour, liquid), switch the whisk attachment to the beater attachment on your stand mixer and gradually beat in the flour and liquid mixtures in alternating additions (flour, liquid, flour) until everything is thoroughly combined. Try not to overbeat the cakebatter.

--Pour the batter into the prepared cake pan and bake for 20-22 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean when stuck in the middle of the cakes. (My cake took 25 minutes to bake.)

--Let the cake sit for a couple minutes in the cake pan, then flip it out on a cooling rack. Let the cake completely cool.

--While the cake is cooling, prepare your soaking sauce by combining the gin, rum, tequila, vodka, triple sec, lemon juice, sugar, and cold cola in a large glass. To prevent chances of spilling, place the glass into the fridge.

--Cut the cake into small squares. I ended up with 36, but depending on your size you could have more or less.

--Pour the soaking sauce in the (freshly cleaned) 9"x13" pan, then replace the cake squares in the cake pan on top of the sauce.

--You're going to want to let the cake soak up the alcohol for about 30 minutes to an hour. My brother and I wanted to make sure the cake squares didn't have soggy bottoms, so after a few minutes of letting the cake soak, we flipped the cake over (with the pan still covering it) onto a different platter so the alcohol would percalate down throughout the entire cake squares, and not just stay in the bottom half.

--Share with friends and enjoy! Remember, please bake and eat responsibly. ;)

Happy Baking!

--H 

Mudslide Cake

      
       Hello recipe-hunting-community! How are yeh? I'm doing fantastic, and the above picture is part of the reason why. You see, I recently celebrated a birthday (being a lady, I shall not admit to the age (just know that I'm younger than my sister, hehe)) and recieved one of my favorite birthday presents from my brother: a Barnes and Noble gift card. (I'm not advertising, I just love books. I am an English Major after all.) He knows me well. In my opinion, this gift card is nowhere near impersonal, but rather sensical. I buy books so often that not many people can keep up with the current inventory of my personal library. Anyway, my brother has very good taste because, you see, he inadvertently purchased me a recipe book called Booze Cakes. No, I'm not a heavy drinker, but I do like enjoying a glass of something every now and again. Wanna know the best part about this purchase? Even my brother was super stoked about it! We made two cakes the very next day. (Stay tuned, cake two is coming soon...) This was the cake I chose. The Mudslide Cake. Wow. So good! The cake itself wasn't super fudgey, but a nice chocolate flavor with a hint of coffee. Just the way I like it. Plus, all the toppings were super fresh and delicious tasting, and spiked with Bailey's. Ultimately, I think this is a cake that is going in my permanent sweets cookbook.

Mudslide Cake

Recipe from Booze Cakes

Ingredients

For the Irish Cream Cake

• 1/4 strong espresso (about 2 shots)
• 3/4 Irish cream liqueur (you get what you pay for, so use Bailey's)
• 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter (at room temperature)
• 1/2 cup cocoa powder
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 1/2 tablespoons vanilla extract
• 2 eggs (room temperature is best)

For the Irish Whipped Cream

• 2 cups heavy cream
• 1/4 cup Irish cream liqueur (Bailey's)

For the Irish Cream Caramel Sauce

• 3/4 cup light brown sugar (really, any brown sugar will do)
• 5 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup Irish cream liqueur (Bailey's)

Directions

For the Cake

--Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

--Prepare 2 round cake pans (9in to 10in) by greasing and flouring.

--In a glass, combine the espresso and Bailey's, then set it aside for now.

--In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and the salt. Set that aside for now too.

--In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat together the butter, cocoa, sugar, and vanilla until it is light and creamy. (About 3-5 minutes.)

--Then beat in the eggs, one at a time, until the mixture is fluffy. (About 4 minutes.)

--Next, add the flour mixture and liquid mixture to the stuff in the mixing bowl in alternating additions. (Half the flour, the liquid, then the rest of the flour.)

--Pour the batter into the prepared cake pans and bake for 20-25 minutes. When a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean, the cake is done.

--Remove from oven, and let the cake rest in the pans for a couple minutes. Then flip the cakes from the pans and allow to cool on a wire rack. Let cool completely.

For the Whipped Cream

--In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the whipped cream and Bailey's.

--Using the whisk attachment, beat the liquid on low for a few seconds, gradually increasing the speed until the liquid won't splash you when the power is on high.

--Whisk until stiff peaks form, but don't overbeat unless you want homemade butter.

--Refrigerate the whipped cream until you're ready to use it.

For the Caramel Sauce

--Bring a saucepan up to medium heat. Then dump in the brown sugar, butter, and cream.

--Stiring constantly, bring the sauce to a boil.

--Then reduce the heat and let the sauce simmer for about 5 minutes.

--Next, remove the saucepan from the heat and stir in the vanilla and Bailey's.

--Let cool just a little bit so you don't melt the whipped cream when drizzling.

--The longer the caramel sits, the thicker it gets.

Stacking the Cake

--Get out your favorite cakestand and place a small dollop of the whipped cream on its center.

--Place the first layer of chocolate cake on top of the dollop, centered on the stand.

--Take half of the whipped cream and spread it evenly over the first layer of cake. If desired, you can drizzle some of the caramel over this section of cake to add a stronger caramel flavor to the completed cake.

--Next, stack the other cake layer on the covered first layer, making sure the edges line up on all sides. Top with remaining whipped cream.

--If desired, garnish with shaved chocolate or chocolate swirls. I used a semi-sweet Baker's bar and shaved a piece of it with a potato peeler.

--Drizzle the stacked cake with as much caramel sauce as desired. If you don't use all the caramel (like me) put what's left in a small dish and let people drizzle extra caramel over their individual pieces.

--Enjoy, and please eat responsibly ;)

Happy Baking!

--H

Googley-Eyed Monster Cake

       My sister is THIRTY today!! Happy Birthday, sister! Distance often separates loved ones from being able to share special moments together. Fortunately, there is a wonderful invention called the internet. I really wanted to make my sister's third-decade-old birthday cake, but I couldn't afford to fly to the west coast. Nor do I trust the mail to send a cake without it turning into "birthday soup". So this picture will have to suffice. How cute is this cake?! Sometime last year I asked L if I could make this cake for one of her two girls for a birthday. She answered me saying, "Forget them, what about for ME?!" So, L, SURPRISE! Who says that thirty-year-olds have to be stuffy? Life is still vibrant and flowing vivaciously in your veins! What better way to celebrate joy for life than through a Googley-Eyed Monster Cake? 

       For this cake I piped on frosting-hair with a grass tip (Wilton #233). For the mouth I used a standard round tip. To make the orange/yellow effect, I filled orange frosting vertically in half of my piping bag and filled the other half with yellow. The frosting then comes out naturally swirly. Cool huh? Oh, and just for the record, I used AmeriColor Food Coloring. Love that stuff. Finally, for the eyes I made cakepops! For a tutorial on how to make them, head over to Bakerella's blog. She is considered the queen of cakepops, afterall.

      Finally, I would like to end this post with thirty reasons why my sister is great.

30 Reasons Why My Sister is Great

(In no specific order)

1. She's witty.

2. She has a great smile.

3. She's a great cook.

4. She's a great baker.

5. She's creative.

6. She's loving.

7. She's an awesome wife.

8. She's given me the two greatest neices in the world.

9. She's beautiful.

10. She's healthy.

11. She's organized.

12. She's influencial.

13. She's a soldier defending our freedom.

14. She has me for a sister. ;)

15. She's fashionable.

16. She has good advice.

17. She's a good leader.

18. She loves life.

19. She's understanding.

20. She's smart.

21. She's athletic.

22. She's an awesome mom. (I should have mentioned that by #8, hehe.)

23. She's faithful.

24. She's encouraging.

25. She's strong, mentally and physically.

26. She's compasionate.

27. She's curious.

28. She's adventurous.

29. She's brave.

30. She's my sister.

Love you lots L! Hope your 30th year of life is amazing.

--H

S'more cake IN A JAR!

I have in the last year grown quite fond of the humble mason jar.  Well just jars in general really.  They are so useful and pretty. You can keep your flowers in them. Put your rice in them so it's not spilling out of the bag. Throw some pencils in for the most convienent little pencil caddy. Tie on some ribbon and fill it with candy and oh my look at your beautiful present! But that's not why you stopped by, to hear about my jar infatuation.  You came because someone said S'MORE, more importantly, S'MORE CAKE! (raises hand) Guilty as charged.  But let me tell you something, these are perfect anytime betweeen now and next Christmas, because really is there a season for s'mores? I think not.  So saddle up parter and grab your mason jar, empty peanut butter jar or cleaned out pickle jar (please clean it first) as we whip the easiest, and by far most decadent, s'more you will have in your life. 

s'mores cake in a jar
(adapted from How Sweet It Is)

This will make 4 pint sized cakes, or 8 1/2 pint cakes. I made the pint sized and they were over the moon sweet.  If you make them this size, have a friend or at least someone you like, handy.

For crust:
1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
1/2 stick of butter :)
pinch of salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Melt the butter and combine with graham crackers and salt until well mixed.  Spray the jars with non stick spray and dividing the crust among the jars, press it down into the bottoms.  I used a tart tamper I had, anything to get it spread even and packed tight.

For the cake:
1 1/8 cups all purpose flour
1/4 cup dark cocoa powder
1 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup + 1 tablespoon heavy cream
1/2 cup butter, melted
2 tablespoons sour cream

In a bowl, whisk egg and sugar until smooth, then add milk, cream, butter and vanilla, and mix until combined. Stir in the sour cream. In a seperate bowl sift dry ingredients together and add them to the wet mixture. Mix it all up until the batter is smooth.

If you're using pint jars, use a 1/4 cup and measure out the batter one scoop at a time. You only want to fill them up about half way and the batter should work evenly for 4 jars. I used pint jars and ended up having enough batter for 2 additional half pint jars as well.  Not sure why. But that's how I discovered that these are better in smaller packages.

Place mason jars in a baking dish and add about 1 1/2 cups of water to the bottom. Bake for 30 minutes, or until cake is set. I eneded up baking mine for 40 minutes, probably because of my stellar oven. Either way, when the cake is done, remove it from the oven and press large marshmallows down on top, being careful not to burn yourself. It's easier to to this in the smaller jars.  There is no set number of marshmallows to use, just cram some in there. But if you must know, about 4-5 mallows. Move your rack to the second lowest position and crank up your broiler in your oven and watching carefully, brown marshmallows for about 1-2 minutes, or until golden brown. Do not take your eyes off them.  I hovered and peered through the crack of the door and watched them brown up. I'm slightly paranoid with the broiler.

Serve immediately!

You might like to know that I had success reheating the crust/cake part and then adding marshmallows the next day and it tasted just as delicious as the first.  If you make more than you think you can eat immediately, just don't top all of your cakes with mallows and start the delicious magic all over again later. 

To reheat/redo:
Heat oven to 350 degrees and set the jars in a pan with some water and reheat in the oven for about 10 minutes or until warmed through.  Repeat the topping steps of the original recipie and enjoy, again!

Now grab your bff, your kids, or your sister and dig in!

Life is better homemade,
LL