Spring Cake

One of the things that I like so much about making cakes is I feel like I am creating some sort of work of art. I have NEVER EVER been an artistic person. I had to take drawing in 7th grade and it was a painful experience. We once had to draw an animal, that animal morphing into some sort of tool, and then the tool. Seriously? Why? I ask you why?

So, you can imagine that when I work on cakes, I can get a little touchy with people telling me how to decorate them. I think most people don't understand that I put hours into these things, so someone telling me to just leave off part of a decoration irks me. So please, unless you specifically ordered flowers with no leaves, just trust me that most flowers have them and the whole cake will look better with them.

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Marshmallow Fondant

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16 ounces white mini-marshmallows (use a good quality brand)

2 to 5 tablespoons water

2 pounds powdered sugar

1/2 cup Crisco shortening (you will be digging into it so place in a very easily accessed bowl)

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Melt marshmallows and 2 tablespoons of water in a microwave or double boiler: Put the bowl in the microwave for 30 seconds, open microwave and stir, back in microwave for 30 seconds more, open microwave and stir again, and continue doing this until melted. It usually takes about 2 1/2 minutes total. Place 3/4 of the powdered sugar on the top of the melted marshmallow mix.
Now grease your hands GENEROUSLY (palms, backs, and in between fingers), then heavily grease the counter you will be using and dump the bowl of marshmallow/sugar mixture in the middle. (By the way, this recipe is also good for your hands. When I’m done, they are baby soft.)
Start kneading like you would bread dough.

Keep kneading, this stuff is sticky at this stage! Add the rest of the powdered sugar and knead some more. Re-grease your hands and counter when the fondant starts sticking. If the mix is tearing easily, it is to dry, so add water (about 1/2 tablespoon at a time and then knead it in). It usually takes me about 8 minutes to get a firm smooth elastic ball so that it will stretch without tearing when you apply it to the cake.
It is best if you can let it sit, double wrapped, overnight (but you can use it right away if there are no tiny bits of dry powdered sugar). If you do see them, you will need to knead and maybe add a few more drops of water.
Prepare the fondant for storing by coating it with a good layer of Crisco shortening, wrap in a plastic-type wrap product and then put it in a re-sealable or Ziploc bag. Squeeze out as much air as possible.

Birthday Cake Part II: Conviviality

Con*viv`i*al"i*ty\, n.; pl. Convivialities. The good humor or mirth indulged in upon festive occasions; a convivial spirit or humor; festivity.

My coworker's Best Friend called me one day asking if I would make a surprise cake for B for her actual birthday celebration. She only had one request: that the phrase "Welcome to Your Mid-Twenty's" be on the cake, since B has been excited to turn 24, since that will put her in her mid-20's.

She has also proclaimed this year the year of Conviviality. And what says "conviviality" and "welcome to your mid-20's" than a Topsy-Turvey Moulin Rouge-esq cake? The top tier was 3 Vanilla with a Raspberry icing, the middle tier was carmel with carmel icing, and the bottom tier was chocolate with a chocolate ganache filling and chocolate frosting. This cake was actually relatively easy to make. The fondant went on smoothly, EC helped make it all Topsey-Turvey and the decorations were no where as detailed as the Jungle Cake. I personally think the feathers made the whole cake. Sometimes it is good to sweat the little things.

Ganache Filling

From RecipeZaar.com

6 ounces best-quality bittersweet chocolate
2 cups heavy cream

Directions

Place chopped chocolate in a medium-sized bowl.
Heat heavy cream and sugar (if using) in a large heavy saucepan over med-hi heat until it simmers gently.
Immediately pour the hot cream over the chocolate and stir gently until the chocolate is mostly melted.
Let stand for 15mins to be sure all chocolate is melted.
Stir ganache gently until perfectly smooth, let cool.
Cover and chill for at least 6 hours, preferably overnight (it must be very cold or it will curdle when it's whipped; ganache can be made up to 4 days ahead).
When you're ready to assemble the cake (and NOT before), whip ganache until it's stiff enough to hold a nice shape and seems spreadable (Don't overwhip; overwhipped ganache looks granular, so watch carefully).
Spread whipped ganache immediately, as it will firm as it sits.

Birthday Cake, Part I

A while back at work I decided I was tired of guessing what type of birthday treat everyone liked for their birthday, so I made all of my co-workers fill out a staff survey. I figured that was fair, due to the fact that I was tired of trying to sneakily figure out if they liked cake and if not, what other birthday treat they would prefer.

You see, at my office, when someone has a birthday, we always have a potluck. We try to go about it in a covert manner - not let the person actually know we are having the potluck in their honor, not let them know the theme, but it has become standard practice around work to have the potluck, so the only time it is a suprise is if they forget your birthday and you DON'T get one. No bitter feelings about my birthday last year...

It was recently my coworker B's birthday, and on her sheet she said she liked "Ooey Gooey chocolate-y carmel cheesecake". So I asked her if she would prefer a cake or a cheesecake. This caused her some dilemma, so I told her not to worry about it, I would figure something out. After a little Google searching I came across this recipe for Cheesecake Stuffed Dark Chocolate Cake. Wonderful, two birds, one stone. I made some alterations, I made my own cake instead of using a box mix, and I used Whipped Cream Cheese Frosting instead of from a can.

Ok, this was one of the best cakes in the world. I don't know if it was the combination of chocolate cake and cheesecake or the dreamy frosting, but whatever it is, it caused a fight between two people over who got the one piece. SUCCESS!

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Cheesecake Stuffed Dark Chocolate Cake

From Christmas with Southern Living

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Ingredients:

Unsweetened cocoa

1 (18.25-oz.) package devil’s food cake mix

1 (3.4-oz.) package chocolate instant pudding mix

3 large eggs

1 1⁄4 cups milk

1 cup canola oil

1 Tbsp. vanilla extract

1 1⁄2 tsp. chocolate extract (optional)

1 tsp. almond extract

3 (1.55-oz.) milk chocolate bars, chopped (we tested with Hershey’s)

3 (16-oz.) cans homestyle cream cheese frosting

3 (7.75-oz.) boxes frozen cheesecake bites, coarsely chopped (we tested with Sara Lee)

1 (12-oz.) jar dulce de leche caramel sauce (we tested with Smucker’s)

Double chocolate rolled wafer cookies, coarsely broken (we tested with Pirouline)

Chocolate fudge rolled wafer cookies, coarsely broken (we tested with Pepperidge Farm)

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Preparation:

Grease 2 (9") round cakepans, and dust with cocoa.Beat cake mix and next 7 ingredients at low speed with an electric mixer 1 minute; then beat at mediumspeed 2 minutes. Fold in chopped milk chocolate bars. Pour batter into prepared pans.Bake at 350° for 32 minutes or until cake springs back when lightly touched. Cool cake in pans on wireracks 10 minutes; remove from pans, and cool completely on wire racks.Wrap and chill cake layers at least 1 hour or up to 24 hours. (This step enables you to split cake layerswith ease.)Using a serrated knife, slice cake layers in half horizontally to make 4 layers. Place 1 layer, cut side up,on a cake plate. Spread with 1⁄2 cup cream cheese frosting; sprinkle with one-fourth of choppedcheesecake bites. Repeat procedure with remaining 3 layers and cheesecake bites, omitting cheesecakebites on top of last layer. Frost sides and top of cake with remaining frosting. Drizzle desired amount ofcaramel sauce over cake, letting it drip down sides. Chill until ready to serve. Decorate cake with rolledwafer cookies and remaining chopped cheesecake bites. Store in refrigerator.

Garlic Chicken Pasta with Spinach

Looking at my monthly menu you can tell one of two things about me: either I really like pasta, or I am cheap, because almost all of my meals are pasta. Actually, both are true. I do like pasta, probably a bit too well. And I am cheap - I make EC turn off lights when he leaves the room, don't go out to eat very often, and take leftovers to work for lunch every day. But sometimes I need a change from the normal BLT pasta that we eat, so I found a new recipe that looked good, and it was pretty good, but I don't think I am THAT big of a fan of soggy spinach.

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Garlic Chicken Pasta with Spinach

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6 garlic cloves, minced

1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes

6 tablespoons olive oil

2-3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

salt and pepper to taste

1 pound penne pasta

1 (5-ounce) bag baby spinach

1/2 cup chopped fresh basil or 1 tablespoon dried

6 tablespoons juice from 2 lemons

1 cup grated Parmesan cheese

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Bring 4 quarts water to a boil in a large pot. Meanwhile, combine garlic, pepper flakes and oil in a small microwave-safe bowl and microwave until garlic is golden and fragrant, about 1 minute.

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Pat chicken dry with paper towels and cut into bite-sized pieces. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer 1 tablespoon of the garlic/red pepper oil to a large skillet and heat over medium heat until oil is rippling. Add chicken and cook until well browned and cooked through. Transfer to a plate and tent with foil.

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Add 1 tablespoon salt and the pasta to boiling water and cook until tender but still slightly firm. Reserve 1/2 cup cooking water. Drain pasta and return to the pot. Stir in chicken, spinach, basil, lemon juice, Parmesan, and remaining garlic mixture, adding reserved pasta water as needed. Season with salt and pepper. Serve immediately.