A Beautiful Wedding…

So, twenty-seven years ago these two lovely women meet and fall in love. They decided to commit to spending their lives together regardless of what society and the law dictates. A few years back they take a trip to Canada to get married while in Vancouver. It couldn’t get better, right? Well, it did. Last July , New York State finally legalized  same sex marriage. I say finally, since NY should have gotten on board a long time ago, considering it was the Stonewall Riots back in 1969 that sparked the gay rights movement. But, that is neither here nor there for this special occasion. These two have made a life together for the past 27 years. And they are happy. Considering how many failed marriages  we have all seen over the years, this is a true testament to commitment, regardless of their sex. A happy marriage is a happy marriage. So, they did it again. this time in their own hometown.

The happy couple

Anywooo… I was privileged enough to be asked to bake their wedding cake while I was in NY and my little one was their flower girl. As luck would have it, my husband was able to join us as well, making it a real family event for all. The cake was deep, dark chocolate cake  with raspberry filling and Italian meringue buttercream. They chose not to have the cake covered with fondant, which gives the cake a fabulous smooth exterior, but wanted to go for flavor instead. I am all for that. I love the look of fondant, but do not like the taste. I don’t think anyone really does.While I make my own fondant so it does taste way better than store-bought, it still is not something that people really want to eat (for my own wedding I covered the cakes with buttercream instead of fondant). It just take a lot longer to smooth it out.
On the second tier there is a design stencilled onto it using the same color buttercream for a subtle white on white effect. To use a stencil on buttercream you must make sure that your base coat is very cold before trying to stencil on it or else you will smudge the smoothness of your frosting, then make sure the buttercream you are using to stencil with is very soft.

Finally, the cake was decorated with moth orchids made out of gumpaste. Each one was hand painted so I started them about one month before the wedding so there would be plenty of time to finish. What I love about gumpaste flowers is that you never have to worry about poisonous plants and they last forever, so they can have a special keepsake. If you are interested in me doing a tutorial on gumpaste flowers, just let me know. Have a great day!

Let them eat cake

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Read Full Post »

Sans Milan

By the time this posts, I will be sitting in my mothers living room in New York for my annual Christmas pilgrimage back home. Since it is late at night and I just remembered I need to type this up (and I’m tired and stressed), this will probably end up a little clumsy, so please forgive me.

This months Bakers Challenge was brought to us by Catherine of Munchie Musings. She chose two Phillipino desserts to try. I wish I could say that I made both of them. But I didn’t. I have been baking cookies to put in the freezer for my better to eat and share while we are away. So please, go to her site and check out the other, very interesting dessert, which is called Bibinka.

The one that I made  is a Sans Rival cake. “Sans rival” means “without rival” and any Filipino will argue with you that this is true. Although it’s one of the most popular desserts in the Philippines, its origins are certainly French. In the 1920’s to 30’s there were many Filipinos who went abroad to study. A good number went to France and learned many French cooking techniques which they then brought home. A Sans Rival is made with layers of dacquoise, typically using crushed cashews, with very rich French buttercream frosting. The dacquoise is allowed to bake and dry to a crispy layer so that there is the crunch of pastry and nuts with the buttery, silky frosting.

For my version, I made an almond chocolate meringue with a coffee buttercream. Not very imaginative but really decadent and delicious. I will, without a doubt, be making again in the next few weeks. Maybe even for Christmas dessert. It was that good. And easy (ish). You can make this any shape and size you want; I chose cut the meringue recipe in half and made small circles. the end result was individual sized portions. I also made a slightly (4 inch) larger one and it is safely nestled in the freezer for him to eat when he chooses.

SANS RIVAL
Ingredients (FULL RECIPE):

10 large egg whites, room temp
1 cup (240 ml) (225 gm) (8 oz) white granulated sugar
1 teaspoon (5 ml) (3 gm) cream of tartar
¼ cup (60 ml) (20 gm) (2/3 oz) Dutch processed cocoa
2 cups (480 ml) (240 gm) (8½ oz) toasted, slice almonds (grind 1 1/2 cups and save 1/2 cup sliced for decoration)

Note: You will need four layers which will mean that you might have to bake in two batches. Be sure to use fresh parchment paper and cooled pans for each batch.

1. Preheat oven to moderate 325°F/160°C/gas mark 3.
2. Line cake pan bottoms with parchment paper and butter and flour the sides really well.
3. In a large clean, dry glass or metal mixing bowl, beat egg whites on medium until foamy (2 mins.). Sprinkle with cream of tartar. Gradually add sugar, a couple of tablespoons at a time, continuing to beat now at high-speed until stiff shiny peaks form. (about 7-10 mins.)

Fold in cocoa powder and finely ground nuts (1 1/2 cups) Remember, the sliced nuts are for decorating the finished cake.

5. Divide meringue into four equal parts. Spread in pans,evenly to the edges,  or like I did,and draw templates on the underside of a piece of parchment paper so you can do whatever size  you choose. If doing batches, use fresh parchment paper and cooled pans for each batch.

6. Bake in preheated oven for 30 minutes, or until golden brown. Remove the meringue from the baking pans while still hot; allow to cool slightly. Peel off the parchment paper while it is still warm, it is difficult to remove sometimes when they have completely cooled.

7. When cool, trim edges so that all 4 meringue layers are uniformly shaped. Set aside.

French Buttercream:

Ingredients
5 large egg yolks, room temperature
1 cup (240 ml) (225 gm) (8 oz) white granulated sugar
1/4 cup (60 ml) water
1¼ cup (300 ml) (2½ sticks) (285 gm) (10 oz) unsalted butter, room temperature
Optional Flavorings: 2 oz (55 gm) unsweetened chocolate, melted, or 1½ teaspoon (7 ½ ml) almond extract, or 1½ teaspoon (7 ½ ml) vanilla extract, or any flavor you like

Directions:

1. Put the egg yolks in a mixing bowl. Beat at high-speed until the yolks have doubled in volume and are a lemon yellow.
2. Put the sugar and water in a heavy pan and cook over medium heat, stirring the sides down only until all the sugar is dissolved and the syrup reaches 235°F/112°C (or thread stage).
3. With the mixer on high, very slowly pour the syrup down the sides of the bowl, until all has been added. Be careful as the very hot syrup could burn you if it splashes from the beaters. Continue beating on high until the mixture is ROOM TEMPERATURE (about 15 mins). Still on high, beat in the soft, room temperature butter a tablespoon at a time. Add flavoring after you beat in the butter. Refrigerate the buttercream for at least an hour, and whip it smooth just before you use it.

Assembly:

Set bottom meringue on cake board with a dab of butter cream to hold it in place. Spread a
thin layer of buttercream and then place another meringue on top. Repeat with a thin layer of
buttercream, meringue, thin layer of buttercream, meringue, and finally buttercream the top and
sides. Decorate with reserved nuts.

Refrigerate until ready to serve. It is easier to cut cold. May freeze.

Read Full Post »

Chocolate Sour Cream Bundt Cake with Chocolate Glaze

I was just in the mood for a bundt cake. Baking is my form of relaxation therapy (though sometimes it seems so stressful…) and I had a container of sour cream just calling out to be put into a cake. A chocolatey cake. In a pretty pan. Yes, a bundt cake. Now all I can think of is, “why don’t I bake these more often”? What a showstopper to bring out at the end of a meal with friends – or how about as a gift to say “thank you” to someone special?

This one is rich and chocolatey, but not overly sweet at all. As I get older I like my chocolate to taste more like chocolate, and less like sugar.  The best part of this recipe is that is actually tastes better as the days go on. In fact, don’t eat it the day you make it. Bake it the day (or two) before you need it and  let the flavors really develop. The chocolate sauce enrobing the cake keeps it beautifully moist and flavorful. Bake On…

Chocolate Sour Cream Bundt Cake

1 Cup (8 oz) unsalted butter
1/2 C + 2 tablespoons cocoa powder (I like to use a mix of black cocoa and dutch process)
3/4 Cup strong coffee
1 1/2 c granulated sugar
1 Cup (8 oz) sour cream
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
2 large eggs
2 Cups (8 oz) all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 tablespoons corn starch
1/2 teaspoon salt

Preheat your oven to 350F. Grease and flour a 10 cup bundt pan (I actually just use PAM)

In a medium saucepan over low heat, melt the butter with the cocoa powder. Whisk occasionally to get out any lumps. Take off the heat and whisk in the coffee, sour cream , eggs and vanilla. Stir in the sugar.  Transfer the liquid mixture to a mixing bowl. Sift in the flour, baking soda, corn starch and salt. Beat with a mixer on medium speed for 2 minutes (or by hand for 4 minutes) until smooth and shiny. Pour into your prepared cake pan and bake for 35-40 minutes. Now, whenever I read the recommended bake time on a cake I always set my timer for 5 minutes before (in this case 30 minutes) and test the cake by sticking it with a wooden skewer to see how done it is and then every 5 minutes after that so that I never overbake my cake.

Let the cake cool in the pan, on a cooling rack, for 25 minutes before inverting the cake out onto the cooling rack.

Make the Glaze:

* If you do not have Nutella on hand (or want to use it) just increase the bittersweet chocolate to 9oz)

1 Cup (8 oz) heavy cream
6 Ounces dark chocolate
3 oz Nutella

Finely chop the dark chocolate. Place in a medium sized bowl and set aside. Heat the cream over medium heat to a simmer. It should be hot but not boiling. Remove from the heat and pour over the chocolate; let this sit for 3 minutes. Add the Nutella and whisk until everything comes together and makes a smooth, shiny sauce. It will look a little curdled at first but just keep whisking and suddenly it will be gorgeous.

Final Assembly:

Place a sheet of wax paper (or parchment) under the cooling rack. This is to catch the extra sauce as you are pouring it over the cake; it keeps your counter clean and makes it easy to pour back into your bowl.

Slowly start pouring the warm chocolate sauce over the cake. You can start in a zig zag pattern and just keep overlapping as you go around. Ultimately, in the end, you want the entire cake enrobed in a layer of chocolate sauce. Mmm… now doesn’t that sound good?  You will be glad about that sheet of wax paper catching the drippings at this point. Any leftover sauce (you should have about 1/2 cup left) is excellent on ice cream (or maybe just with a spoon?…).

Transfer the cake to a cake stand and sprinkle with some swedish sugar (totally optional, but pretty).

Enjoy!

Read Full Post »

Happy Halloween 2011

No Recipes today, just wishing everyone a safe and happy Halloween. Here are a few pictures of some of the cookies I have been decorating for the season. The skull in the bottom right hand corner is actually a 3D white chocolate mold filled with gumdrops. I got the mold for $1.50 (!!!) at Michaels the other day; it is made by Wilton.

I also found these super easy to use transfer sheets for $1.49. It contained 8 transfers, so I thought that was a really good deal. These were purchased at Winner’s, which is the Canadian equivalent to TJ Maxx or Marshalls. The message here? always be on the lookout !!

What I really love about these is that ANYONE can do this- no previous experience necessary. What’s better than that? Baking from Scratch couldn’t be easier when you find fun decorating tools like this. Bake on!

Now off to prepare the little one for tonight…..

Read Full Post »

Celebration Cake (100th post!)

It was my husbands best friends birthday this past Saturday. He moved to BC last year, but travels for business quite frequently and luckily stays with us at our house every 6 weeks or so. My hubby is very happy when he has his bud to play with. Oh, and the weather here- wow- you would think it was still the middle of summer. They got to play golf together, which for them is like little girls getting to play Barbie’s. It also happened to be his birthday.  While he said he wanted to just lay low, I wanted to make a special birthday dinner. It started out with just us and morphed overnight into 7 people.

sweet corn ravioli

I saw a recipe for sweet corn ravioli on Lisa’s blog parsley, sage , dessert, and line drives that I kept meaning to try, and this was the perfect occasion. I added some saffron to my pasta dough, and instead of cherry tomatoes to finish, I slow roasted some plum tomatoes and then rehydrated them with water and balsamic vinegar then whirled it up in the mini processor. It was really super and I highly recommend you going over to her sight and getting the recipe.

Moving on the dessert…  Last month I was looking at another great site (I am always inspired by other people and their creativity), Barbara Bakes, and she posted the Hershey’s “perfectly chocolate” chocolate cake. I thought “really??”. I’m not such a big fan of Hershey’s, but Barb raved about it so it went on the ever-growing “to bake” list. When I realized I would be needing a birthday cake (and a celebration cake for my 100th post!!!!), I thought of this one. The one big change I made was that I didn’t use Hershey’s cocoa (sorry) …and adjusted a few other things… It is super easy to put together and reminded me very much of my favorite blackout cake. Looking at it I thought it could use a little color such as raspberries on top but one of our guests was allergic to fruit so I left it as an elegant black and white cake.
For the center  I chose a cream cheese cake filling and finally wrapped the whole thing in chocolate.
The cake is so moist it would be great served on its own.The cream cheese filling was light and not too sweet and played off nicely with the hard chocolate shell.
One word.
Divine.

“Perfectly Chocolate” Chocolate Cake

1 3/4 Cups granulated sugar
1 3/4 Cups all-purpose flour
3/4 Cup cocoa powder (I use 1/4 C black cocoa and 1/2 c Rodelle dutch dark cocoa)
1 1/2 tsp  baking powder
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
2 eggs
1 cup milk
1/2 Cup flavorless oil (such as canola)
2 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 Tablespoon instant espresso powder
1 Cup boiling water

Preheat your oven to 350F. Line three 6 inch cake pans (which is what I did) or two 9 inch round pans with parchment paper.

Sift together the sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large mixing bowl.
Add the eggs, milk, oil, vanilla, and espresso powder; beat on medium speed for 2 minutes or by hand for 4 minutes. Carefully stir in the boiling water (by hand) and mix until fully incorporated. The batter will be quite thin. Pour the batter evenly into the prepared cake pans.
Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. cool for 15 minutes before removing from the cake pans. Let cool completely on a cooling rack.

Cream Cheesecake Filling

4 egg yolks
1 Cup granulated sugar
1 Cup whole milk
2 vanilla beans, split and seeds scraped
2 envelopes unflavored gelatin or 7 gelatin leaves
1 package (8 oz) cream cheese, softened
1 Cup small curd cottage cheese
2 cups heavy cream (32-36%)

Place the sugar, milk, vanilla bean seeds, and pods in heavy medium-sized pot. Heat over medium heat stirring occasionally until the sugar is dissolved and it is steaming. Meanwhile, place the 4 egg yolks in a bowl and whisk to combine. When the milk is hot, pour some into the yolks, whisking constantly, to temper the egg yolks. Pour the egg mixture back into the pot and stir continuously over a low for 3 to 4 minutes, or until the mixture thickens and coats the back of a spoon. Do not let it boil or you will end up with scrambled eggs! Take out the vanilla bean pods (you can rinse these off, dry them, then add to your sugar bowl). Strain through a fine sieve. Set aside for the moment.

Add the powdered gelatin to 1/4 C warm water and let sit for 5 minutes. Place the custard back over low heat, add the gelatin, stirring briskly, until all of the gelatin is completely dissolved. Remove from the heat and let cool slightly.

Beat the cream cheese and cottage cheese until very smooth. Gradually add the warm gelatin/custard mixture, beating constantly, until smooth and creamy. Let cool to room temperature.

Beat the heavy cream until firm, Fold the whipped cream into the cheese mixture with wire wisk.

Line the inside of a springform pan with parchment paper or acetate. Place one layer of cake in the bottom of the pan. Pour a layer of the cheese mixture over top, about 1/2 inch thick. Repeat two more times. Place in the fridge for at least 2 hours to set up.

Remove the  sides of the pan and slip out the cake. Peel off the parchment paper/acetate. Cut a separate piece of parchment/acetate, measuring the diameter and the height (I like to go 1/2 inch higher). Lay this down over a larger piece of paper or foil. Melt semi-sweet chocolate and carefully spread over the measured piece of paper. It’s okay if some goes over the edges. Pick up one corner and carefully pick up the whole measured piece and wrap it around the cake, pressing lightly to adhere. immediately place in the fridge to harden the chocolate.

When ready to serve, gently peel off the parchment paper/acetate to reveal a beautiful shiny coat of chocolate! Enjoy.

Read Full Post »

Carrot Zucchini Bread

Well, the time has finally arrived. School. Kindergarten, that is. It’s sounds so cliché, but really, where did the time go? With out a doubt, the fastest (and best) five years of my life. We made it through the first week, and for us, the hard part wasn’t school itself, but getting up at 7am everyday. You see, we are a family of late risers. 8:30 is more like it for this bunch, so for us to be out of the house by 8am for an entire week is a big accomplishment. I guess this is the new me; an early riser. Maybe if I just  keep saying it I just might start believing it. I’ll keep you updated….

With school comes snacktime. Another new normality; no nuts. That is tough one for us since we all love nuts of every kind – but since we want to be kind to other little ones, a conscious effort will be made to make school snacks sans nuts. But….. if you wanted to add nuts to this recipe, by all means, please do! Add some for me! Walnuts are a great choice, but sunflower seeds (1/2 C) are truly perfect in this. I haven’t confirmed if they are okay yet to be in the classroom; I think they would be but I want to be polite and make certain before adding them to anything.

This falls into the healthy category while still being really tasty. Veggies, whole wheat, ground flax.. all good things. Oh, and dairy free. Once your veggies are grated it takes moments to get this whipped up and in the oven. So wish me luck with the whole early rising thing and, as always, Bake On!

Carrot Zucchini Bread 

Makes 2 loaves, or 1 loaf and 12 muffins

Eat your veggies!

Preheat your oven to 350 F

1 1/2 C finely grated carrot
1 1/2 C finely grated zucchini (or a combination to make 13 oz)
zest and juice of 1 lemon
1/3 C (3 oz) Orange Juice
4 Eggs
1 C (8 oz )Canola Oil
1 Vanilla Bean,seeds scraped (save your pods for the sugar bowl) or 2 tsp pure vanilla
1 1/2 C (6 oz) Whole Wheat flour
1 3/4 C (5.3 oz) All-Purpose Flour
1/4 C (1 oz) Ground Flax Seed
2 tsp Baking Powder
1 tsp Baking Soda
1 C (7 oz) Light Brown Sugar, packed
1 1/4 C (8.5 oz) Granulated Sugar
2 tsp Cinnamon
1/4 tsp Cardamom
1/2 tsp Nutmeg, freshly ground if possible

Lightly grease 2 loaf pans or line 2 muffin tins with paper liners (or 1 of each as I did)

In a medium glass bowl, mix together  the zucchini, carrot, lemon zest/juice, eggs, orange juice and oil (the wet ingredients) until well blended.

In a separate large bowl, sift together the flours, the cinnamon, cardamom, nutmeg, baking soda and baking powder. Add the ground flax seed and the sugars. Stir together well, making sure to get out any brown sugar clumps that might remain. I usually just use my fingers to make sure there are no clumps.

Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix until thoroughly blended. This is one of those lovely recipes that an electric mixer is not needed, it comes together easily with a wooden spoon. Pour into your prepared pans. Bake at 350 for approximately 45 minutes if using a loaf pan or 25 minutes if using a muffin tin. Either way, just bake until fragrant and golden brown.  A toothpick inserted should come out clean. Cool thoroughly before eating.

Enjoy!

Read Full Post »

Strawberry Basil Frasier Cake

I am like a broken record. Every month it’s the same story. I look at the upcoming Baker’s Challenge at the beginning of the month and say to myself ” no problem, I’ll tackle it this weekend”. Uh, yeah…. And every month I am baking it 2 or 3 days before the 27th of the month (sometimes, the night before). Last month I ended up too busy with other baking/decorating projects that I didn’t even complete the challenge, which was baklava with homemade phyllo. How fun would that have been? I just waited too long and couldn’t get my act together. This month though, I vowed to get back on track. Err, that is to baking the challenge 2 or 3 days ahead of the 27th.  I was happy with my 3 day lead, as small as it is…

Jana of Cherry Tea Cakes was our July Daring Bakers’s host and she challenged us to make Fresh Frasiers inspired by recipes written by Elisabeth M. Prueitt and Chad Robertson in the beautiful cookbook Tartine. When I first looked at the recipe I was first reminded of the filled Jaconde that we made a few months back, but then quickly realized this was so different. This is a typical french strawberry cake, since in France a strawberry is called fraise. The fresh berries make a lovely design on the sides of the cake, filled with a pastry cream lightened with whipped cream. The inside had has secret compartment filled with more chopped fruit so when you cut into it you get a nice fruit surprise. Super addictive filling; so light and fluffy (not that I’m saying it’s low-calorie!).I kept my design very simple, but I am sure my fellow bakers are going to come up with some truly inspiring cakes. Take a look over here if you would like to check some of them out.

For my Frasier cake I chose to do a basil infused chiffon cake filled with a Grand Marnier pastry cream. The fruit filling hidden in the middle is a mixture of chopped strawberries and raspberries, freshly picked from my garden! I tossed the fruit with a little basil simple syrup before filling the cake.

Read through the entire recipe before attempting this cake. It’s really just a cake sliced in two and filled with fruit and pastry cream. It is topped off with a thin layer of almond paste, but you don’t have to use that, it you don’t want to or don’t have any on hand. A simple dusting of powdered sugar would be just lovely. There are a lot of steps but I was able to easily make this in one afternoon. That being said, you can spread this out over days if you prefer, which is a really nice option. The simple syrup (it’s just equal parts sugar and water;boiled) can be made way in advance. I happen to always keep a jar of simple syrup in the fridge. I use it to brush on a cake before frosting it, but it’s also really good in a cocktail that needs a little sweetener…

If you want to make it in one day, just follow the steps: Bake the cake. While the cake is in the oven, make the simple syrup (this takes 2 minutes). Make the pastry cream (without the whipped cream) and cool. Cool the cake. Chop you fruit filling. Slice the cake layer in half. finish the pastry cream mixture. Slice a few strawberries to decorate the sides of the cake. Assemble. Refrigerate. Eat and enjoy!

Bake on…

Components:
1 baked 8 inch (20 cm) chiffon cake
1 recipe pastry cream filling
⅓ cup (80 ml) simple syrup or flavored syrup
2 lbs (900 g) strawberries/raspberry combination
confectioners’ sugar for dusting
½ cup (120 ml) (5 oz/140 gm) almond paste

Basil Infused Chiffon Cake

1 cup + 2 tablespoons (270 ml) (5½ oz/155 gm) all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon (5 ml) (4 gm) baking powder
3/4 cups (180 ml) (6 oz /170 gm) sugar
1/2 teaspoon (2½ ml) (1½ gm) salt, preferably kosher
1/4 cup (2 fl oz/60 ml) vegetable oil
3 large egg yolks
⅓ cup + 1 tablespoon (3.17 fl oz/95 ml) water
A few sprigs of fresh basil (about 1/4 c)
1 teaspoon (5 ml) pure vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon  lemon zest, grated
5 large egg whites
¼ teaspoon (1¼ ml) (1 gm) cream of tartar
1 drop green coloring (optional)

Preheat the oven to moderate 325°F (160°C/gas mark 3). Line the bottom of an 8-inch (20 cm) springform pan with parchment paper. Do not grease the sides of the pan.

Place the basil leaves, water, and oil in a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Take off the heat and let cool. Once cool, puree the mixture in a mini processor or blender; set aside for a moment.

In a large mixing bowl, stir together the flour and baking powder. Add in all but 3 tablespoons (45 ml.) of sugar, and all of the salt. Stir to combine.

In a small bowl combine the water/oil/basil mixture, egg yolks, vanilla and lemon zest. Whisk thoroughly. Combine with the dry ingredients and mix thoroughly
until very smooth.

Put the egg whites into a stand mixer, and beat on medium speed using a whisk attachment on a medium speed, until frothy. Add cream of tartar and beat
on a medium speed until the whites hold soft peaks. Slowly add the remaining sugar and beat on a medium-high speed until the whites hold firm and form shiny
peaks, but do not overbeat.

Using a grease free rubber spatula, scoop about ⅓ of the whites into the yolk mixture and fold in gently. Gently fold in the remaining whites just until combined.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake for 45 to 55 minutes or until toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.Remove the cake from the oven and allow to cool in the pan on a wire rack.

To unmold, run a knife around the sides to loosen the cake from the pan and remove the springform sides. Invert the cake and peel off the parchment paper.
Refrigerate for up to four days

Simple Syrup:

1/3 cup (2⅔ fl oz/80 ml) (2⅔ oz/75gm) of sugar
1/3 cup (2⅔ fl oz/80 ml) of water
few springs fresh basil

Combine the water, sugar, and basil in a medium saucepan.Bring the mixture to a boil and let the sugar dissolve. Stirring is not necessary,,Remove the syrup from the heat and cool slightly.Transfer syrup to a lidded container or jar that can be stored in the refrigerator

Grand Marnier Pastry Cream Filling

1 cup (8 fl oz/250 ml) whole milk
1/2 teaspoon  pure vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon salt, preferably kosher
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1/4 cup (60 ml) (2 oz/55 gm) sugar
1 large egg
2 Tablespoons Grand Marnier
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
3/4 teaspoon unflavored gelatin (such as KNOX)
1/2 tablespoon water
1 cup (8 fl oz/250 ml) heavy cream
1 drop orange coloring (optional)

Pour the milk, vanilla, and salt into a heavy sauce pan. Place over medium-high heat and scald, bringing it to a near boiling point, stirring occasionally.

Meanwhile, in a bowl add the cornstarch and sugar. Whisk to combine. Add the eggs and whisk until smooth.

When the milk is ready, slowly pour the heated milk down the side of the bowl into the egg mixture, whisking the entire time (this is to temper the eggs. which means to warm the eggs without making scrambled eggs out of them).

Pour the mixture back into the warm pot and continue to cook over a medium heat, stirring constantly,  until the custard is thick, just about to boil and coats the back of a spoon.

Remove from heat and pass through a fine mesh sieve into a large mixing bowl to remove any lumps. Allow to cool for ten minutes stirring occasionally.Stir in the Grand Marnier.

Cut the butter into four pieces and whisk into the pastry cream one  piece at a time until smooth.

Cover the cream with plastic wrap, pressing the plastic wrap onto the top of the cream to prevent a skin from forming. Chill in the refrigerator for up to five days.

When you are ready to finish the cake, proceed with finishing the filling:

In a small dish, sprinkle the gelatin over the water and let stand for a few minutes to soften.

Put two inches (55 mm) of water into a small sauce pan and bring to a simmer over a medium heat Measure 1/4 cup (2 oz/60 ml) of the chilled pastry cream into a small stainless steel bowl that will sit across the sauce pan with the simmering water, without touching the water. Heat the pastry cream until it is 120 F (48.8 C).Too much fuss for me ,  I microwaved mine for 40 seconds instead, checking the temp after 30 seconds.

Add the gelatin and whisk until smooth. Remove from the water bath, and whisk the remaining cold pastry cream.

In a stand mixer, fitted with the whisk attachment, whip the heavy cream until it holds medium-stiff peaks. Immediately fold the whipped cream into the pastry cream with a rubber spatula. You are now ready to assemble your Frasier.

.

Assembly:

Line the sides of a 8-inch (20 cm) springform pan with plastic wrap (I just used acetate). Do not line the bottom of the pan.

Cut the cake in half horizontally to form two layers.

Fit the bottom layer into the prepared springform pan. Using a pastry brush, moisten the layer evenly with the simple syrup. When the cake has absorbed enough syrup to resemble a squishy sponge, you have enough. I used all of my basil simple syrup between the two layers.

Hull and slice in half enough strawberries to arrange around the sides of the cake pan. Place the cut side of the strawberry against the sides of the pan,
point side up forming a ring.Pipe cream in-between strawberries and a thin layer across the top of the cake.Hull and quarter your remaining strawberries and place them in the middle of the cake. Cover the strawberries and entirely with the all but 1 tbsp. (15 ml) of the pastry cream.

Place the second cake layer on top and moisten with the simple syrup.Lightly dust a work surface with confectioners’ sugar and roll out the
almond paste to a 10-inch (25 cm) round 1/16 inch (1.5 mm) thick. Spread the remaining 1 tablespoon (15 ml) of pastry cream on the top of the cake and cover
with the round of almond paste.Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 4 hours.

To serve release the sides of the springform pan and peel away the plastic wrap.Serve immediately or store in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

Read Full Post »

Fantasy Flower Birthday Cake

This past weekend was our dear friend Donna’s birthday so we hosted a party for her at our house. Lots of good food; itailan heros on homemade ciabetta, garden picked rosemary foccocia stuffed with gorgonzola and ham, sausage and broccoli rabe, roasted pepper salad, etc… AND great company. Since she is such a unique individual I designed a cake to suit her personality. The bottom 2 layers are “dummy” cakes, meaning the cakes are really styrofoam. This is a decorators trick so you can still have the height but you don’t need 100 people to eat the cake.! For competition you are only allowed to use dummy bases, as well. They are covered/decorated  in fondant. The zebra tier  is a red velvet cake with a cream cheese buttercream frosting. The zebra stripes are fondant. The fantasy flowers are made out of gumpaste.

Read Full Post »

Gumpaste Flowers

While I have not been busy posting, I have been busy trying new recipes and enjoying the beautiful summer weather here in Calgary. This past Friday began with the annual parade to start the 99th season of the Calgary Stampede, the world’s largest rodeo competition and fair. The city becomes quite crazy for 10 days, with hundreds of thousands of tourists coming in from all over the world, free pancake breakfasts everywhere, all day drinking parties, and nightly fireworks. This year the parade was just that more abuzz with the special guests, Prince William and his new bride Kate.

So we made sure to avoid anywhere they might be. …Much to the dismay of our little girl.

We found a spot right at the tail end of the parade route with a great view of everything

There are SO many horses currently in the city that it is mind boggling!  We had a fun time at the parade but
I was still busy at home getting gumpaste flowers prepared for Saturday since I was demonstrating at the Stampede
Grounds in the western showcase building on behalf of the Calgary Sugarcraft Guild. I was a little behind schedule (what else is new) in being prepared, since I only began Tuesday night to think about what I would do. I decided on making a few samples of some gumpaste flowers to display and then I brought some fondant covered cupcakes and decorated them with simple flowers and designs to make decorating more approachable to the beginner. In the end there was one decorated with hydrangea blossoms, another with small rosebuds, another with simple daisy cutouts, one with small purple blossoms, etc… I wish I had taken pictures of them but I did not bring my camera since I knew I would be too busy demonstrating. At the end of the day, I saw some weary people sitting down for a cup of coffee and donated my cupcakes for them to enjoy.

I made a small banana cake and covered it with fondant to display these tulips (the cupcakes were also banana).

These were the first tulips I had ever made and am quite impressed with myself! There are so many colors of flowers  that you can just let your imagination run wild.

Some daisies….

and magnolias…

I will admit that making gumpaste flowers is not for everyone. They are time-consuming , but they can last a lifetime. When making a wedding cake or other special cake I think that sugar flowers are best since most fresh flowers are poisonous or sprayed with pesticides. When using fresh flowers it is important to make sure that there is a protective barrier between the cake and the flowers. Or play it safe and make gumpaste flowers!

p.s. thanks to everyone for all of your support during the Canadian Postal lock out. Due to back to work legislation the lock out is now ended and the postal workers are again delivering the mail.

Read Full Post »

Happy Easter – Sugar Cookies

It’s been a very busy here baking and decorating cookies. We have had 2 Easter parties this past week and we just got home from an Easter egg hunt/brunch this afternoon.

This is a wonderful method for making sugar cookies. Instead of flouring your work surface, you roll out the dough right after mixing between 2 sheets of parchment paper, then you chill it. When you cut out your cookies they are ready to go right into the oven and since you don’t use any extra flour you can reroll the scraps as many times as you like without it toughening the cookie dough.  

SUGAR COOKIES

3 C  all-purpose flour
3/4 tsp salt
1 C unsalted butter, softened
1 C granulated sugar
1 egg, large
1/2 tsp maple extract
seeds from 1 large vanilla bean (or 2 tsp pure vanilla extract)

Cream the butter and sugar together until very light and fluffy (about 3-5 minutes). Add the egg, extract and vanilla bean and mix well. Gradually add the flour until everything is thoroughly combined.

Divide the dough in half and pat into a disk shape. Roll the dough out between 2 sheets of parchment paper until it is 1/4 inch. Place the entire sheet onto a baking sheet and place in the refrigerator until chilled, about 30 minutes. Cut into desired shapes. Bake the cookies for about 10 minutes at 350 or until they turn ever so slighty golden.Reroll the scraps between the parchment sheets.

Recipe adapted from Cookie Craft

Read Full Post »