Celebrations Galore
Wowza. It has been way too long since I wrote last. I am so sorry to all of my adoring fans who sit with bated breath for me to post a new story. It has been a crazy week. I mean CRAZY. With auditions and having to transform myself into a 16 year old girl when was there time for baking? I will tell you, Friday all day.
Yes folks, I woke up early on Friday with one task in mind - BAKE. Thank the sweet baby Jesus that I have my Fridays off. Ah summer... I got crackin' right away. There was a fabulous chocolate birthday cake to be made. Some cupcakes were requested for a movie adventure I was going to embark on and smack dab in the middle of the day I had to go to an audition. Gorgeous.
Now I think I have told you about Sethers. He is my oldest friend. We have known each other for 20 years and his love affair with chocolate is no secret. I knew that I had to make a delicious and beautiful cake as this cake was not just going to be for a couple of people. No. This birthday cake was for 20 of his nearest and dearest at a fab party on Long Island. But here is the most ridic part: one of the hosts owns a BAKERY in town. Um yeah. So I had to get serious folks. I start making my delicious and super secret chocolate cake recipe. All is well, the apartment is smelling glorious and when I go to pull the two cakes out of the oven I notice that one did not rise as much as the other and the color isn't the same. What?!?!? How in the world did that happen? In a time crunch, due to the looming audition I frantically make more chocolate cake batter to be be sure the cakes match. I thought about making it a three layer cake, but that sunken cake was not seeing the light of day.
While the cake was safely baking, I turn to my white cake recipe. This is a vegan recipe that I am trying to perfect. It just doesn't come out at spongy and delish as I would like it to. It is almost exactly the same recipe as the vegan chocolate cake, but the consistency is totally different. A dash of this a splash of that and voila white cake mix. I fill those suckers and pop them in the oven.
I am certain I told you that I recently moved. One of the things I was praying for in my new amazing kitchen was a dishwasher. No such luck. So keep in mind that in between batches I am washing incredible amounts of dishes/bakewear. Thank goodness I use Palmolive dish soap otherwise I would be battling with dish pan hands an no one wants that.
It is now rounding noon and I have to leave my house at 1. I start making the chocolate frosting. I decide to use my new fav recipe that I wrote about before. It uses half margarine and half vegetable shortening. The consistency is perfect. I whipped this sucker within an inch of its life. It looked and smelled so delicious I wanted to stick my face in the bowl even though I am allergic to chocolate. Go figure.
Something smells delicious... Oh, that would be the white cupcakes and the Devil's Food cake in my oven. They are ready. I pull them out of the oven, toss the buttercream in the fridge, throw on some make-up, grab my dress, and my bag and hightail it to my audition - which by the way took FOREVER.
Upon my return I find the most gorgeously cooled cakes ever. They were ready to be frosted and considering I had T-minus 2 hours to frost the cake, cupcakes, eat dinner, and get ready for a night of salsa dancing and a movie I had some major work to do. I know I never show you the before pictures. And considering this is my first cake since I started my blog, I figured what a great opportunity.
My little Devil's Food cakes
at the ready
Here I am putting the layers together. I piped an even border of buttercream icing around the edge then filled out the middle. This is to make sure that the cake is even. I often have problems with the leaning tower of cake. It is really hard to get a cake to be even because they rise differently and when you shave the top off you aren't always all that accurate. This is the best way that I have found to get the cake even.
I am obsessive when it comes to my cakes. I want them to look like Little vintage ice box cakes. You know not too perfect, but look amazing and taste even better. I can spend forever just trying to perfect the icing. The only problem is as the icing gets softer it gets harder to work with. I also had, um, not much time left on the clock. So after about a half an hour of icing the cake and decorating it this is the final product.
When I arrived this super fabulous party, one of Sethers friends told me that the host- ahem, the owner of the bakery - made a comment about how he wished the girl who made the cake at Seth's holiday party would bring it again for this soiree. That cake is like crack. I would have made it for Seth, but he is such a chocolate addict that it didn't feel right. When I was introduced to the host he said, "if this cake is as good as the cake you made for Seth's other party I will not be sharing!" Ummm, that was a BAKERY OWNER! Who's your daddy?
I am so proud of this cake that I have even MORE pictures for you. I am not sure you can handle this!
The unveiling of the cake. Sethers wanted to document the moment.
White Cake with Coconut Filling and Marshmallow Meringue
Frosting a.k.a the "crack cake"
Moving on. After I was done making that complete work of art I had to scramble to get the vanilla cupcakes with chocolate frosting - waste not, want not - frosted, in a box and ready to go for my night of salsa dancing and movie watching. While I love chocolate frosting and clearly so does Seth, I always have trouble finding the right decoration for it. Yellow isn't quite right, white is too white, blue - meh. Maybe the right color pink? Really the only colors I like with it are purple and green. I didn't want to do leaves because well that is boring so I went the traditional route...SPRINKLES. Yummy, delicious, and not nutritious sprinkles. Now they liven up any occasion. I mean funfetti cake? Come on now, there is nothing better except perhaps ANY of my cakes?!? These cupcakes were made for my friend Chris. This guy weighs about 100 pounds soaking wet and can eat an entire 20 lb turkey on his own in one sitting and NEVER gain a pound. Ah, to be a man. So I was asked to make cupcakes to "feed the beast." Enough said. I thought these would be a nice change from the vegan chocolate cupcakes with vegan mocha buttercream frosting I made him last time. I brought them to the studio and he horded them away. Did not share a single one. He said they were amazing. He has actually offered to bare my children. Not sure how that will work, but you know...
So I know I made you wait forever for a post, but with all these pictures I think it was worth it. I have another big week. My other Cancer friend is also obsessed with chocolate and I have to come up with some delicious treat for him this week. I am also going to a game night where I always bring the baked goods that fly off the table as we duke it out, and I am off to Fire Island for a fun little get-a-way where we need at least some sort of treat to have by the beach. I am thinking bars. You know, coffee and bars? Stay tuned for more pictures and tales...
Yes folks, I woke up early on Friday with one task in mind - BAKE. Thank the sweet baby Jesus that I have my Fridays off. Ah summer... I got crackin' right away. There was a fabulous chocolate birthday cake to be made. Some cupcakes were requested for a movie adventure I was going to embark on and smack dab in the middle of the day I had to go to an audition. Gorgeous.
Now I think I have told you about Sethers. He is my oldest friend. We have known each other for 20 years and his love affair with chocolate is no secret. I knew that I had to make a delicious and beautiful cake as this cake was not just going to be for a couple of people. No. This birthday cake was for 20 of his nearest and dearest at a fab party on Long Island. But here is the most ridic part: one of the hosts owns a BAKERY in town. Um yeah. So I had to get serious folks. I start making my delicious and super secret chocolate cake recipe. All is well, the apartment is smelling glorious and when I go to pull the two cakes out of the oven I notice that one did not rise as much as the other and the color isn't the same. What?!?!? How in the world did that happen? In a time crunch, due to the looming audition I frantically make more chocolate cake batter to be be sure the cakes match. I thought about making it a three layer cake, but that sunken cake was not seeing the light of day.
While the cake was safely baking, I turn to my white cake recipe. This is a vegan recipe that I am trying to perfect. It just doesn't come out at spongy and delish as I would like it to. It is almost exactly the same recipe as the vegan chocolate cake, but the consistency is totally different. A dash of this a splash of that and voila white cake mix. I fill those suckers and pop them in the oven.
I am certain I told you that I recently moved. One of the things I was praying for in my new amazing kitchen was a dishwasher. No such luck. So keep in mind that in between batches I am washing incredible amounts of dishes/bakewear. Thank goodness I use Palmolive dish soap otherwise I would be battling with dish pan hands an no one wants that.
It is now rounding noon and I have to leave my house at 1. I start making the chocolate frosting. I decide to use my new fav recipe that I wrote about before. It uses half margarine and half vegetable shortening. The consistency is perfect. I whipped this sucker within an inch of its life. It looked and smelled so delicious I wanted to stick my face in the bowl even though I am allergic to chocolate. Go figure.
Something smells delicious... Oh, that would be the white cupcakes and the Devil's Food cake in my oven. They are ready. I pull them out of the oven, toss the buttercream in the fridge, throw on some make-up, grab my dress, and my bag and hightail it to my audition - which by the way took FOREVER.
Upon my return I find the most gorgeously cooled cakes ever. They were ready to be frosted and considering I had T-minus 2 hours to frost the cake, cupcakes, eat dinner, and get ready for a night of salsa dancing and a movie I had some major work to do. I know I never show you the before pictures. And considering this is my first cake since I started my blog, I figured what a great opportunity.My little Devil's Food cakes
at the ready
Here I am putting the layers together. I piped an even border of buttercream icing around the edge then filled out the middle. This is to make sure that the cake is even. I often have problems with the leaning tower of cake. It is really hard to get a cake to be even because they rise differently and when you shave the top off you aren't always all that accurate. This is the best way that I have found to get the cake even.I am obsessive when it comes to my cakes. I want them to look like Little vintage ice box cakes. You know not too perfect, but look amazing and taste even better. I can spend forever just trying to perfect the icing. The only problem is as the icing gets softer it gets harder to work with. I also had, um, not much time left on the clock. So after about a half an hour of icing the cake and decorating it this is the final product.
Look at it! It is GORGEOUS! Devil's Food Cake with Chocolate Buttercream
Frosting and Purple Royal Icing Violets made with my own two hands.
Frosting and Purple Royal Icing Violets made with my own two hands.
When I arrived this super fabulous party, one of Sethers friends told me that the host- ahem, the owner of the bakery - made a comment about how he wished the girl who made the cake at Seth's holiday party would bring it again for this soiree. That cake is like crack. I would have made it for Seth, but he is such a chocolate addict that it didn't feel right. When I was introduced to the host he said, "if this cake is as good as the cake you made for Seth's other party I will not be sharing!" Ummm, that was a BAKERY OWNER! Who's your daddy?
I am so proud of this cake that I have even MORE pictures for you. I am not sure you can handle this!
The unveiling of the cake. Sethers wanted to document the moment.
White Cake with Coconut Filling and Marshmallow Meringue
Frosting a.k.a the "crack cake"
Moving on. After I was done making that complete work of art I had to scramble to get the vanilla cupcakes with chocolate frosting - waste not, want not - frosted, in a box and ready to go for my night of salsa dancing and movie watching. While I love chocolate frosting and clearly so does Seth, I always have trouble finding the right decoration for it. Yellow isn't quite right, white is too white, blue - meh. Maybe the right color pink? Really the only colors I like with it are purple and green. I didn't want to do leaves because well that is boring so I went the traditional route...SPRINKLES. Yummy, delicious, and not nutritious sprinkles. Now they liven up any occasion. I mean funfetti cake? Come on now, there is nothing better except perhaps ANY of my cakes?!? These cupcakes were made for my friend Chris. This guy weighs about 100 pounds soaking wet and can eat an entire 20 lb turkey on his own in one sitting and NEVER gain a pound. Ah, to be a man. So I was asked to make cupcakes to "feed the beast." Enough said. I thought these would be a nice change from the vegan chocolate cupcakes with vegan mocha buttercream frosting I made him last time. I brought them to the studio and he horded them away. Did not share a single one. He said they were amazing. He has actually offered to bare my children. Not sure how that will work, but you know...
Old-Fashioned White cake with Chocolate Buttercream Frosting and Rainbow Sprinkles. Fab, no?
So I know I made you wait forever for a post, but with all these pictures I think it was worth it. I have another big week. My other Cancer friend is also obsessed with chocolate and I have to come up with some delicious treat for him this week. I am also going to a game night where I always bring the baked goods that fly off the table as we duke it out, and I am off to Fire Island for a fun little get-a-way where we need at least some sort of treat to have by the beach. I am thinking bars. You know, coffee and bars? Stay tuned for more pictures and tales...
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