Man.
Been working in the kitchen all day on a 3-layer half sheet bacon chocolate cake. I've basically made three whole cakes, which has been a bit of a logistical problem, given my limited studio apartment-sized kitchen space.
I'm trying something new with this cake. Well, several things. I've tweaked the recipe a bit and added a new flavor. No one will know, but I've added a tablespoon of instant espresso to the batter. Ina Garten taught me this little trick - coffee brings out the flavor of chocolate. It's very true.
So there's that. Also, I'm taking this gigantic cake out to Fire Island. A car ride. Heat. Humidity. a ride on a boat. A 20 minute walk. I have to assemble most of the cake on site at the house.
Additionally, I'm "decorating" this cake at the request of the buyer (a very good friend). I'm writing on the cake. I have little fake trees. I have little sesame candy to build a boardwalk. I have some nice little deer that I bought today at Toys 'R Us in Times Square. THAT was an experience.
Right now, I have no idea how this is going to work out. I just trust that it will.
Maybe another Pacifico will help.
Friday, May 22, 2009
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
Cake success, Southerner fail.
Here's a red velvet cake I made for Easter for my pals David and Matt. I again used a recipe from the Baked cookbook. I even fought my instinct and used their recipe for cinnamon frosting - instead of cream cheese frosting.
This goes against everything I know as a Southerner and as a baker. My family would be ashamed, and I'm not even kidding. They'd absolutely brand me a "yankee." It's a sin not to use cream cheese frosting on a red velvet cake. That said, the cinnamon frosting was very good - a little spicy, buttery, and very creamy. And, because the frosting is partially cooked, it really held it's shape very well.
You can see how red the cake is in this photo:
In hindsight, I think that two tablespoons of red gel food color was too much. I might try to add two teaspoons next time. I wanted the cake to be subtly red, not blood red like this. But at least there's no mistaking that this is a red velvet cake, I suppose.
Here's the full crumb coated cake:
You can see the need for a "crumb coat" of frosting in this photo. It literally collects the crumbs off the cake so they don't end up in the final layer of frosting.
Here's the finished product:
I got the sugar flowers at NY Cake and Bake. I made the little candies by holding a lighter over some chocolate discs for a few seconds, then pressing a hot tamale onto the melted surface of each one. I wanted Red Hots, but those were impossible to find.
Boxed up a ready to go!
Both David and Matt said this cake was well-liked. So a success. BUT - I will soon start to work on a more stable version of a cream cheese frosting. The guilt I felt from this was more than I expected. Cake success, Southerner fail.
Here are a few albums I've been really enjoying lately. Really great for balmy summer afternoons. You should check them out!
This goes against everything I know as a Southerner and as a baker. My family would be ashamed, and I'm not even kidding. They'd absolutely brand me a "yankee." It's a sin not to use cream cheese frosting on a red velvet cake. That said, the cinnamon frosting was very good - a little spicy, buttery, and very creamy. And, because the frosting is partially cooked, it really held it's shape very well.
You can see how red the cake is in this photo:
In hindsight, I think that two tablespoons of red gel food color was too much. I might try to add two teaspoons next time. I wanted the cake to be subtly red, not blood red like this. But at least there's no mistaking that this is a red velvet cake, I suppose.
Here's the full crumb coated cake:
You can see the need for a "crumb coat" of frosting in this photo. It literally collects the crumbs off the cake so they don't end up in the final layer of frosting.
Here's the finished product:
I got the sugar flowers at NY Cake and Bake. I made the little candies by holding a lighter over some chocolate discs for a few seconds, then pressing a hot tamale onto the melted surface of each one. I wanted Red Hots, but those were impossible to find.
Boxed up a ready to go!
Both David and Matt said this cake was well-liked. So a success. BUT - I will soon start to work on a more stable version of a cream cheese frosting. The guilt I felt from this was more than I expected. Cake success, Southerner fail.
Here are a few albums I've been really enjoying lately. Really great for balmy summer afternoons. You should check them out!
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