Minnie Mouse Cake

This was my very first commissioned cake. I made it for my friend Becky's adorable little girl.

I was worried about the added pressure of making a cake for someone else (hello, perfectionist Stacy in overdrive) but it was no. big. deal.

I hope she likes it!

Baklava

If you're looking for delicious holiday treat that only uses a pound of butter, then I have the perfect thing for you!

When the Husband first requested this a couple of years ago for a Christmastime treat, I asked my Mother-in-law what recipe she uses (this was a childhood favorite of my husband). She sent me a link to a recipe by Michael Symon - except(!), she uses a different recipe for the syrup - both of which are found below. I've made this with both walnuts and pistachios - pistachios are my favorite!

Enjoy!

Baklava

(Baklava recipe by Michael Symon. Baklava syrup recipe by Kathy Crapo)

Ingredients

For the Baklava:

• 1 pound pistachios and/or walnuts, coarsely ground, plus more for garnish
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon, or to taste
• 1 cup ground zwieback crackers or breadcrumbs
• 4 sticks unsalted butter, melted
• 40 or so sheets of Phyllo dough (thawed, if frozen)

For Baklava Syrup:

• 1/3 Cup Honey
• 1 Cup Water
• 1 1/2 Cups Sugar
• 1 Tbsp Lemon Juice
• Dash of Vanilla
• Pinch of Salt

Directions

Position a rack in the lower third of the oven; preheat to 350 degrees F. Combine the nuts, cinnamon and ground crackers in a bowl.

Brush a 9-by-13-inch baking dish with some of the butter. Layer 14 pieces of phyllo in the dish, brushing each piece with butter before adding the next (keep the remaining dough covered with a damp towel). Sprinkle a quarter of the nut mixture over the dough (about 1 Cup). Layer 5 pieces of phyllo on top, brushing each with butter before adding the next; sprinkle with another quarter of the nut mixture. Add 5 more phyllo pieces on top, brushing each with butter, then add another quarter of the nut mixture, 5 more pieces of phyllo with butter, and the remaining nuts.

Layer the remaining 11 pieces of phyllo on top of the nuts, brushing each with butter; brush the top piece with extra butter. Cut into the baklava to make strips, about 1 1/2 inches wide. Then make diagonal slices, about 1 1/2 inches apart, to create a diamond pattern. Bake until golden, about 1 hour.

Bring the sugar, honey and water to a boil and cook, 10 to 15 minutes. Add the lemon juice, vanilla and salt and boil 2 more minutes, then let cool slightly.

Pour the syrup over the warm baklava; let soak, uncovered, at least 6 hours or overnight. Garnish with nuts.

Recent Cake Creations

Just wanted to share some of my recent cake creations.

I try to do something a little different everytime I make a cake.

This first one was for Ms. Pants' 1st birthday cake in February. It was a vanilla cake with strawberry and whipped cream filling.

I had a little trouble with the frosting color - I wanted purple, so I bought purple gel coloring but it turned out blue! After much frustration and finally giving up trying to make it purple, I took the blue frosting and started frosting the extra cupcakes which I had filled through the tops with whipped cream. The residual whipped cream mixed with the frosting and it turned purple! There was much rejoicing.



This next one I made for our ward's annual spaghetti dinner and cake auction (to raise money for youth summer camps) in April.

I called it the If you don't like chocolate, then this cake is not for you chocolate cake.

It's triple chocolate cake with chocolate cream and ganache filling. The frosting is chocolate (naturally) and the sides are covered in chocolate ganache. The chocolate lattice on the top I'd never tried before. I used ganache as well and it turned out very nice.



This last cake I made for an Activity Days event in May.

It was vanilla cake with lemon marscapone cream (my recipe can be found HERE) and ladyfinger filling with lemon buttercream frosting.

I had never made leaves before so I went crazy on this one. I thought they were so cute. And the flowers turned out nice as well. I changed colors midway through decorating but I used the same bag so some of the flowers are orange and yellow - it makes for a pretty effect.



My oldest child is already making outrageous demands for her birthday cake so stayed tuned for that in September! Until then, happy baking!

Spring Cupcakes

Here's a fun idea if you want to make spring themed cupcakes. I made these for the annual Relief Society birthday party earlier this month and these three were the only cupcakes left. I forgot to take a picture of my 'field' of cupcakes which was really cool, take my word on that!

I had inside knowledge about the colors they were using for decorations (blue and green) since I helped a little with the decorating. I wanted to do something a little different than the standard iced (boring) cupcake. I use food coloring gels for my icing, in case you were wondering.

I started with Triple Chocolate Fudge Cake from Betty Crocker for the 'dirt.'

I used my standard butter cream recipe:

BUTTER CREAM ICING

¾ cup butter
¾ cup shortening
4 2/3 cups powdered sugar
1 ½ tsp lemon juice
1 ½ tsp vanilla
1/3 cup water

In large mixer bowl, combine butter shortening and powdered sugar, beat until very creamy. Add lemon juice and vanilla; mix until well blended. Add water and mix until very light.

The filling was my Amaretto whipped cream.

I made this grass using Wilton's tip #233. Here's the technique.

I used tip #103 for the flowers. This was the first time I'd made flowers so I thought they turned out pretty good considering.

And they were a hit, of course!

Birthday Cupcakes

I wanted to do something a little different for my birthday this year. I didn't feel like making a big cake with lots and lots of butter-cream. We've been trying to be healthier in our house afterall.

So I went with cupcakes. I like to only make 18 (as opposed to 24) so that they have a more uniform shape and they're aren't any 'duds'. You know what I mean.

And I filled them with amaretto flavored whipped cream and put chocolate ganache over the tops.

Now, there's a million ways to make whipped cream (exactly a million, I counted ;) ). I wanted my cream to be a little heavier than the whipped cream we usually make so I used white sugar instead of confectioner's sugar.

Stacy's Amaretto Whipped Cream

1 cup Heavy Whipping Cream
2 tablespoon White Sugar
1/4 teaspoon Almond Extract

Put everything in your mixer and have at it until it's the consistency you want.

To inject them into your cupcakes just put them in a pastry bag with a round tip and poke it into the top of the cupcake.

They turned out really yummy and we put the extras in the freezer for a rainy day.

Stacy's Towering Chocolate Cake

Because I just made a huge post over on facebook about this - here it is for all future generations - my method for the hugely popular Towering Chocolate Cake.

(Recipes for Chocolate Butter Cream, Chocolate Mousse, & Chocolate Ganache below)

The cake is just a Betty Crocker box cake - Triple Chocolate Fudge. They make such awesome cakes, why mess around trying to find the perfect 'from scratch' recipe? My only caution is to make sure you don't over-bake because a dry cake is not a good cake. If you have a chronic dry cake problem, try adding 1/4 cup sour cream to the batter.

I use two boxes (mixing them up together) and split them into three 9 inch cake pans. I leveled them off using a leveler - a large bread knife also works well though it may be hard to get a truly level cake.

I usually use two fillings - a fruit and a mousse. I've used fresh strawberries before and those tasted AWESOME, but canned pie filling also works great if it's the dead of winter.

To stack, put a glob of frosting on your cake board and put the bottom cake on top of it. Put a thick ring of frosting around the edge of the cake.

** Important note - make sure your fillings aren't any thicker than your cake layers and that your fillings aren't thicker than your outside ring of frosting because they will leek out if there is too much in there....just sayin'.**

Put the fruit filling inside your frosting ring. Then put on your mousse. Place second cake layer on and repeat the same process.

For the last layer, I put the cake on bottom side up so you get a clean edge.

Put a thin layer of chocolate frosting over the whole thing. This is your crumb coat so it doesn't have to be pretty. Put it in the fridge until the crumb coat hardens. Put on another thicker coat of frosting, makin' it look smooth and pretty.

Pour your ganache over the top of the cake.

Pipe some frosting decorations, add some fruit and your done!

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Chocolate Ganache

1/2 Cup chocolate chips
1/2 Cup heavy whipping cream

Heat it up little by little (30 seconds at a time). Then whisk the cream and chocolate together. If it starts to harden you can just reheat it.

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Chocolate Butter Cream (I had to make two batches - this cake is definitely not low fat)

1 cup butter
1 cup melted (& cooled) chocolate - semi-sweet or dark - You can use chocolate chips or a chunk of chocolate.
2-3 tablespoons heavy whipping cream (or milk)
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 1/2 cups powdered sugar

Whip the butter until it's smooth. Add the chocolate. Add the sugar. Add the vanilla & cream and whip until light and fluffy.

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Chocolate Mousse:

1/2 Cup bittersweet or semisweet chocolate chips
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut in small pieces
2 large eggs, separated
1/8 teaspoon cream of tartar
3 tablespoons sugar, divided
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream

Melt the chocolate and butter in the microwave 30 seconds at a time - should only take a minute at the most. Set aside to cool for a few minutes. Then whisk in the two egg yolks. Refrigerate.

In the bowl of your electric mixer, whip the two egg whites with the cream of tartar until foamy. Gradually add two tablespoons of sugar and continue to beat until stiff peaks form, yet the whites are still glossy and not dry. Set aside.

In another bowl, whip the heavy cream, remaining one tablespoon sugar, and vanilla extract until soft peaks form.

Remove the chocolate mixture from the refrigerator, and stir a couple of spoonfuls of the beaten egg whites into the chocolate mixture to lighten it, and then fold the remaining whites into the chocolate mixture, gently but thoroughly. Fold in the whipped cream.

Voila!

Vegetable Minestrone Soup (a.k.a. the BEST SOUP EVER)

I now present to you, the recipe for the BEST SOUP EVER.

The original version of this recipe came from a cookbook at my mother-in-law's house. It was great, but didn't suit the disparate likes and dislikes of my little family, so I made some modifications. You could substitute all sorts of vegetables into this soup, like squash or potatoes or cauliflower - whatever floats your boat. Or you could add beans (which I took out because the Husband doesn't like them).

I can't tell you how much I love this soup, so enjoy.

Vegetable Minestrone with Pasta

2 tbsp olive oil
1 yellow onion or 1/2 of a sweet onion, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
1 large can (49.5 oz) chicken stock
1 can (15 oz) whole tomatoes with their juice, food processed to little bits
1 large carrot, coarsely chopped
1 zucchini, coarsely chopped
½ tbsp dried basil
½ tbsp dried oregano
½ tbsp sugar
1 bay leaf
3/4 cup dried pasta (Mafalda is my favorite - they look like mini lasagnas)
a handful of alphabet pasta or stars
1 cup frozen tortellini or ravioli
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1 tbsp dried parsley
2/3 (3 oz/90g) cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and sauté until translucent, 2-3 minutes.

Add the stock, processed tomatoes (you can process them OR just use the spoon to break them up - personally, I think the spoon does a lousy job and I don't like the texture of tomatoes so....into the food processor they go), carrot, zucchini, basil, oregano, parsley, sugar and bay leaf.

Cover partially and simmer until the vegetables are tender-crisp, about 20 minutes.

Add the dried pasta and frozen tortellini or ravioli and cook, uncovered, until al dente, 8-10 minutes more.

Season to taste with salt and pepper. Ladle into bowls. Garnish with Parmesan.

(p.s. I totally forgot to take a picture of the finished product, but it sure is yummy)

Halloween Sweets - Skewered Eyeballs

This treat is pretty straightforward. I found the recipe on the internets, however, it didn't go as expected. I had to improvise and I think my way actually turned out better.

First you take about 12-18 plain donut holes and stick them onto forks (I used plastic halloween colored ones). Make sure you don't compromise the structural integrity of the donut hole when skewering (you don't want it to break apart in the next step). I put them in mugs to keep them from touching each other or a flat surface.

Then you take each forked donut and frost it lightly with white frosting. When they are all frosted, put them in the freezer so that the frosting hardens (about an hour or so).

When the frosting has set, melt some colored candy melts in a plastic resealable bag to make the irises (**note: this is not what I did, but I wish I had). Make sure all the air is out of the bag and then cut off a corner so you can squeeze out the candy. Make a round shape on each frosted donut. Have chocolate chip pupils ready to insert into the colored candy while it's still malleable. Put the donuts back into the freezer to set again if necessary.

The last step is to add the gore. Use red decorator frosting to add some bloody-ness to your eyeballs, freeze or refrigerate until they are served, and viola!

**The original recipe called for the use of white chocolate. It should be noted that I hate white chocolate, so when it didn't work out, I was not heartbroken. Anyways, I tried to melt the white chocolate in a saucepan and it immediately started to burn, so then I put it in a glass measuring cup to melt in the microwave. This worked and the chocolate was smooth and melty. I tried dunking the donut and the chocolate would not stick to it! After a couple tries the donut fell apart and the chocolate started to harden. So I put it back in the microwave and instead of melting it burned again. I tried melting it in a non-stick pan after that, but it was ruined and I had to throw it out. I cast around for a substitute and found some frosting, which quite frankly, is more appetizing anyway. I made my irises out of white chocolate that I had melted in small glass cups and then mixed in food coloring. This is not advised. The chocolate immediately started to seize up when the color was added. I was able to melt it in bags after that, but it was a total PITA to get it to stick to the donuts (I used a clean finger to shape the iris into a circle... I did a better job of this with the green). And it should be noted that I didn't add the pupils soon enough to the blue eyes and so I had to remelt the center of the blue white chocolate with the tip of a hot butterknife (I was cooking dinner at the time, so I just held the knife to the bottom of the cook pot I was using for about 10 seconds to heat it up).