Happy Father’s Day to all the dad’s out there, especially my two dads: Dad Goldman and Dad Vernaleo. I’m attending a Father’s Day brunch today, so I decided to make Bakerella’s Chocolate Ganache Cake for the occasion. I’ve been waiting for an excuse to make this cake.
I followed the recipe exactly, and her instructions were great. I got impatient, so to make the ganache cool faster, I put it in the fridge and whisked it every 10 minutes or so. Also, I poured the hot ganache in a Pyrex measuring cup and let it cool in there, because that made for much easier pouring later. I started at the center of the cake and poured just enough so that it started dribbling over the edges. Then I put the cake in the fridge to let the ganache fully harden. To get the buttercream underneath nice and smooth, I used this great tutorial from Cake Central.
I am fully aware that I need to practice my piping skills, especially cursive writing and centering it on the cake. But on the bright side, it makes the cake look homemade, and homemade gifts are the best because they come from the heart. That’s my story, and I’m sticking to it!
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Usually my baked goods are of the innocent variety, meant for the eyes of family and oftentimes children. This is my first naughty baking project, which I made for a joint bachelor/bachelorette party that I attended last weekend. The boobies were an obvious choice for the guys. I wanted to make something different for the girls (in the realm of cake pops), but I didn’t have the time. So it was boobies for everyone!
This cookie is just a modified version of the peanut butter blossom, which I have always loved.
I got the idea to use this cookie, because a few years back I made them for a baby shower for a friend at work. She thought I made them because they looked like boobs and that it was perfect for a baby shower. I guess they do sort of look like boobs. But I knew they could look better, so I made a few small changes:
1. I doubled the original recipe to make 96 cookies instead of 48.
2. I made the cookies roughly 4x as large as the original recipe called for. So the doubled batch made about 25 cookies. When rolling the dough for each cookie, it is about the size of a lemon in your hand.
3. Before baking, pat the cookie down flat. In the original recipe, you leave the cookie in a ball.
4. These will spread out, so only have about 5 or 6 cookies on a single cookie sheet. After baking, if you find that the cookies spread too much and touch each other, you can make it round by cutting the edges off with a large round cookie cutter.
5. After you have placed the Hershey kiss in the middle of the cookie, add a ring of peanut butter or chocolate frosting (colored brown) around the base of the Hershey kiss.
Below is the original recipe for the peanut butter blossoms. You can follow this recipe to make the nice version, or follow the above steps for the naughty one!
Peanut Butter Blossoms (modified from Allrecipes.com)
Makes 48 cookies
Ingredients
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
1/2 cup brown sugar, firmly packed
1/2 cup white sugar
1 large egg
2 TBSP milk
1 tsp vanilla
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
sugar for rolling dough
48 unwrapped Hershey kisses
Instructions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
Cream together the butter, peanut butter, brown sugar, and 1/2 cup white sugar in a Kitchenaid mixer.
Add the egg, vanilla, and milk to the mixture and beat well.
In a separate bowl, sift the flour, and add the baking soda and salt. Add this gradually to the butter and sugar mixture until the dough becomes stiff.
Shape dough into 1-inch balls and roll in sugar. Place on a cookie sheet, 2-inches apart.
Bake for 10-12 minutes, until the cookies are golden brown. Immediately add a Hershey kiss to the middle of the cookie (press firmly so that the edges of the cookie begin to crack) and allow to cool.
Notes
I bake all my cookies on parchment paper, to help prevent burning and make it easier to remove from the cookie sheet once cooled.
I prefer to roll the dough in sugar BEFORE shaping. I find that it makes it less sticky and easier to work with.
3.1.07
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This past weekend was my cousin’s 3rd birthday. He is obsessed with Disney Cars (especially Lightning McQueen!). He had a Cars-themed birthday party, and of course I decided to make him a McQueen cake. This is the first car cake I have ever made, and I have to say it was a very fun project. I went out and bought a McQueen car to serve as a model, and this little guy became my buddy all week. He helped me with the fondant coloring, details on the car body, and most importantly, the car shape. I gave him to my cousin at the party, but I have to admit that I miss having McQueen around.
I did a lot of research online and found this great tutorial on how to make a car cake. I just followed the instructions, and put my own finishing touches on the cake. Since this cake requires a lot of carving, I made it out of the Perfect Pound Cake. The dense texture of the cake really helps to hold it together while you shave off pieces and cut the contours of the car. More about this later.
I decided to do a different flavor buttercream frosting, and tried a salted caramel buttercream. I had seen the recipe for the sauce on Brown Eyed Baker, thinking it sounded fabulous. The next day, she posted a recipe for a salted buttercream frosting. With Michelle’s help, I modified the recipe to omit the cream cheese, since the cake had to sit out a long time while being decorated. The combination of the caramel buttercream and pound cake was great. I highly recommend it.
Salted Caramel Sauce (recipe from Brown Eyed Baker)
Makes 2 cups of sauce
Ingredients
2 cups white sugar
12 TBSP unsalted butter, room temperature and cut into pieces
1 cup heavy cream, room temperature
1 TBSP of sea salt
Instructions
Add the sugar to a large sauce pan and cook over medium to high heat until melted. Whisk constantly so that you do not burn the sugar. I started whisking immediately, even before the sugar melted. It will take a while to melt.
Once the sugar is melted, continue to cook until it has become an amber color, almost reddish brown. It will have a slightly toasted aroma. Do not let it get too dark, or it will burn. You will definitely know if you burned it, because it will go from that nice aroma to smelling burnt. Once the sugar is the correct color (or 350 degrees on a candy thermometer) add the butter and whisk until it is fully incorporated. Be careful, because adding the butter to the hot sugar will cause vigorous bubbling.
Once the butter is added, remove from heat and add the heavy cream slowly, whisking constantly. Again, the addition of the cream will cause bubbling, so be careful. When the cream is mixed in, add the sea salt.
Let sit for 15 minutes and then pour into a glass mason jar and allow to cool to room temperature. The sauce can last 2 weeks in the refrigerator, but I bet that it won’t even be there that long because it is so yummy!
3.1.07
Salted Caramel Buttercream Frosting (recipe from Brown Eyed Baker)
Makes 3-4 cups of frosting
Ingredients
4 sticks of butter (32 TBSP)
1/2 cup salted caramel sauce
4 cups confectioners sugar
Instructions
Beat the butter in your Kitchenaid mixer for 5 minutes and add caramel sauce. Once this is mixed together, gradually add the confectioners sugar until the mixture is uniform and creamy.
3.1.07
To make the car cake:
I made 5 batches of the perfect pound cake. I poured 3 batches in a 9×13 cake pan. For the remaining 2 batches, I made 4 cupcakes (for the wheels), and poured the remaining batter in an 8×8 cake pan. I torted the 9×13 cake and filled with the caramel buttercream. Then I placed the 8×8 cake on top the 9×13 cake, towards the back.
Perhaps the most useful tool I used in making this cake was a jack-o-lantern carving set that I happen to keep in my kitchen drawer. This was especially useful for cutting the contours of the car body, and making minor changes to the roof of the car. For the actual carving of the roof, I used a knife, since I had to cut the angles of the windshield and back window.
I started with the body and rounded the front to make the hood of the car. Then I cut the back of the car also rounded, but slightly wider than the front. I took some excess cake pieces and put them on the hood of the car to make the left and right sides slightly higher than the middle. I also took some extra pieces and put them on the back of the car to get the sporty shape. Next I cut the front windshield at an angle, making sure it was big enough for McQueen’s eyes. If you cut it too steep, the surface area is too small. I cut the back window less steep than the windshield, to get a big surface area for that window. I cut the side windows at a slight angle, but mainly straight.
I cut out spaces for the wheels using a 2-inch cookie cutter. I scooped out the cake with a cake decorating spatula. Lastly, I took some extra cake and added it to the back for the spoiler. It took me about an hour and a half before I was happy with the shape. The best advice I can give is to go slowly and keep going until you are happy with your car shape. If you find that you cut off too much, you can always add it back with extra cake.
Once you are done, crumb coat it and let it sit for 30 minutes in the fridge. I added a second coat of frosting after that, to really get the caramel flavor in the cake.
After that, you cover with marshmallow fondant. I used one full batch for the car body, and another full batch for the remaining colors.
For the wheels, I crumb coated the cupcakes, and covered with black fondant. I made the hubcaps out of red fondant, and wrote the lettering with white royal icing.
Next I added the details. I found this fondant took kit so helpful in making the various shapes for McQueen’s car body, especially the rotary cutter:
I started with the front, and did the eyes, smile, headlights, and the brown circle for the Rust-eze symbol.
Next I did the sides and roof, making a #3 instead of #95, since it was his 3rd birthday. I used black fondant for the tinted windows. I’ve seen some people use white, but the black makes it more like a race car.
Then I did the back window, tail lights, and license plate.
Lastly, I outlined everything with black royal icing, wrote the birthday boy’s name on the license plate, and wrote the Happy Birthday in yellow royal icing (in place of the Rust-eze logo).
The coolest part was seeing Nico’s face when it was time for him to blow out the candles!
with my new can opener! I know, it doesn’t exactly seem baking related. But there are some baking ingredients that need to be opened with a can opener, such as sweetened condensed milk and almond paste. So I figured I would share my new purchase with you.
I am not a fan of electric can openers. To be quite honest, they scare me. So when my old-fashioned one died, I was reluctant to make the switch to electric. Instead I opted for the OXO Good Grips Smooth Edge Can Opener. My husband is always warning me not to cut myself on the sharp edges of the lid (and I have done this), so this smooth edge option appealed to me.
Once you go all the way around, you use the little pliers on the can opener to pry off the lid from the can. Just attach them to the crimped edge and lift.
And then your lid is removed with a smooth edge, so you can pick it up without fear of cutting yourself.
I’m always excited to get new kitchen gadgets, and this one is pretty cool!
My cousin is getting married at Oheka Castle in July, and she recently had an amazing fairytale-themed bridal shower. She requested cake pops, after I made bridal shower cake pops for my sister-in-law’s shower (check out the above link for detailed directions on how to make cake pops). I wanted to do something totally different this time, so I decided to make a set of cake pops that would sit at everyone’s place setting. I ended up making about 130 red velvet cake pops, and brought 122 perfect ones to the shower.
The color scheme of the shower was light pink, gold, and white. So I decided to dip all the pops in super white chocolate, and sprinkle with either soft pink or gold sanding sugar. I love how the sugar looked like fairy dust! It was also a yummy addition to the outer shell of the pop. I covered them with 3″x5″ treat bags, and added gold raffia ribbon to the pink pops, and pink raffia ribbon to the gold ones. I was quite happy with the result. They looked so pretty on the tables!
I got a ton of compliments on the cake pops, but most importantly…the bride loved them! She sent me this beautiful picture, making use of a new (and gorgeous) bridal gift to display her cake pops at home.
Photo courtesy of the bride
While I’m not an expert on cake pops by any means, I have learned some new tips and tricks that I think you may find useful.
1. One cup of frosting per one dozen cupcakes makes for the perfect texture. The pops stay on the sticks, and they are soft and rich.
2. One dozen cupcakes yields 22-25 cake pops, depending on the size of the pop.
3. Buttercream is the best frosting to use (even for red velvet) because then you can leave the pops out to dry without worry of having the frosting go bad (more on this later)
4. Once you break up the cupcakes and put them in your Kitchenaid mixer, put it on medium speed and let it go for 10 minutes. Go and check your email, get a cup of coffee…the longer it mixes, the more the cupcakes get broken up. It should end up being a fine sandy texture. If you have big pieces still in the bowl, let it go a little longer.
5. Add the frosting and let that mix until you have a completely smooth mixture. It should be the consistency of a firm dough.
6. When you dip the lollipop stick in melted chocolate (I prefer the Merckens melts), make sure the chocolate is full strength (i.e. don’t add any shortening chips to thin out the chocolate). Also, make sure you have a thick coating of chocolate on the stick before putting it in the cake ball and twisting. You should end up with button of chocolate at the base of the stick.
7. For dipping the pops in chocolate, microwave it in a Pyrex measuring cup, 30 seconds at a time at 50% strength. Mix in between microwaving, and only microwave until the chocolate is just melted. Add shortening chips so that the chocolate flows smoothly from the spoon back into the cup. Pour into a deep but small bowl, as this will be easier for dipping.
8. Here is what I’ve learned about cracking: If your cake is too cold, or your chocolate too hot, you will have problems. So take out your pops from the fridge while you are melting your chocolate. Then, let your chocolate sit for 5 minutes before you start to dip. Lastly, take each pop and lightly mold it in your hand before dipping. This will help get the perfect round shape, and the warmth of your hand will get the chill out of the cake. Once the cake seems soft and pliable, you are ready to dip.
9. I like to do two coatings of this thinner chocolate, rather than a single coating of thicker chocolate. I think it looks prettier, and the texture is nicer once you eat the pop. I dip once up to the chocolate button on the stick, and let it drip for about 5 seconds. Then I dip a second time.
10. Hold the pop upside down and tap the end of the stick gently until you have no more chocolate dripping. Turn the pop over and wait another 5-10 seconds before adding any sprinkles or decorations.
11. I like to spoon the sanding sugar directly onto the pop, twisting it around to get the sugar everywhere. If you dip the pop in the sugar, you are more likely to displace the chocolate and everything will look smooshed (a very technical baking term).
12. Place the cake pops in a Styrofoam block to dry. I find that having them dry on the counter for 45 minutes or more (until they are fully dry and room temperature) helps to prevent cracking*. Then place in the refrigerator for 10 minutes to firm up before bagging. If you pops survive the fridge without cracking, then they are safe and you can just store them in the fridge until your event.
*Even with all these precautions, I still had some cracking. I think it is inevitable, but this method really helps to limit how many cake pops crack.
Follow these tips, and your cake pops will live happily ever after! 🙂
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