Darla's Cake Blog

Betty Crocker Gluten Free Cake Mix and Easy Cupcake Decorating

2012-02-16T13:00:00.000-06:00

If you didn't already know, Betty Crocker does gluten-free cake, cookie, and brownie mixes now. Actually, these have been around for a while, but I'm honestly not a fan of Betty Crocker. Or cake mixes in general for that matter. But if I have to use a cake mix, I'm more than likely not going to eat it, so I usually go for Duncan Hines if it's on sale or Pillsbury, whichever is cheaper.

A few days ago I realized that February is half over and I hadn't posted anything since January, so I decided to try out the box of Betty Crocker Gluten Free Devil's Food cake mix that had been sitting in my pantry for many weeks. I bought it on sale to use for something, I forget what, that I obviously never used it for. I was also in the mood for something chocolate. And easy. Cupcakes made from a mix are quick and easy.

This is a standard-size box of cake mix, yet it only makes a single cake layer or 12 cupcakes. So, not only is it twice the price of regular cake mix because it's gluten free, but it only yields half as much. That's really more like it being 4 times the price, when you think of it. Those of us on a gluten-free diet who want the occasional treat must pay dearly for it--either out of pocket for the gluten-free version or in misery if we indulge in the real thing.

Other than the smaller yield and the use of butter instead of oil, the method is the same as regular cake mix. Add 3 eggs, a cup of water, and a stick of softened butter.

Make sure the butter is really soft, or maybe even think about melting it. I say this because despite my stick of butter sitting out on the counter all morning, it still wasn't soft enough to properly blend into the mix. The super cool thing about cake mixes, though, is that they're really hard to mess up. So, these cupcakes came out fine except for little holes on the surface of some of the cupcakes. But icing covers stuff like that up anyway.

The batter easily filled my all 12 cavities in my cupcake pan, and I had batter left over. I didn't want to over fill the cupcakes, so I spooned the extra into my mini-muffin pan. I ended up with 12 cupcakes and 16 mini cupcakes. The little ones turned out to be the perfect size for taste testing, and most of them were gone before I managed to get any icing made.

The cupcakes overall came out really dark, and the centers mounded up while the edges didn't rise much. When I bake cupcakes from a regular box of cake mix the tops usually come out flatter. I will say that the texture is pretty good. It's spongy rather than crumbly, and these cupcakes are more dense and dry than the light, moist texture you get with regular cake mix. Still, for gluten-free baked goods, they have a nice texture, and it's not at all grainy.

Unfortunately, they don't taste that great. They're super sweet and not very chocolaty. These cupcakes really just smell more like chocolate cake than taste like it. If you notice from the picture showing the box side, the first ingredient in this cake mix is sugar. Gluten is bad, especially for those of us with intolerances, but sugar is evil. And these cupcakes have more sugar in them than anything else.

To compensate for the lack of chocolate flavor, and since I didn't want to add any more sweet in the way of a sugary frosting, I decided to make some ganache for icing. I went for a vegan version (I used almond milk), because my body doesn't like for me to consume a lot of dairy.

I dipped a few cupcakes in the warm ganache to give them a smooth, shiny top. I loved the look of them, but I quickly abandoned that method because it involved removing the paper baking cup, which leaves the sides and bottoms of the cupcakes exposed and likely to dry out. So, we ate those first.

Once the ganache had cooled, I beat it with a whisk to make it more fluffy and frosting-like so I could use it to ice the rest of the cupcakes. On some I piped the icing with a #1M tip. For the others I used tip #12 and then smoothed the ganache with a spatula. I uploaded videos to my YouTube page if you'd like to see how I did it.

Then I made some rolled fondant roses using various easy techniques, as well as simple blossom flowers and leaves using plunger cutters to decorate the cupcakes with. I also posted those videos to YouTube, so please let me know what you think.

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Art Sparks Stuff

2012-01-26T09:03:00.001-06:00

Last year around this time I participated in an "Art Sparks" event at our local rec center to promote my cake decorating classes. I had only just started teaching there, and it was a great way to get the word out.

This year, since I now offer classes at two different locations, there are two Art Sparks events for me to do. Only, I can't attend the first one, which is this Saturday. Since I won't be there in person, I'm making display samples that are (hopefully) representative of what students can expect to learn in my classes.

Wanna see?

The decorated cake boards from last year were looking faded, and nearly all had bits missing or cracks in the fondant. I wanted to do something similar, yet slightly different for the ones I really liked, such as the fish and daisies. Plus, I have more fun tools now, like cutters, molds, and texture mats that I wanted to ~~play with~~ use.

Unfortunately, what I thought was a safe spot to let my display samples dry turned out to not be a good place once the dog realized they were there. He managed to get to the fake cupcakes (which is why they're not pictured--I'll have to do those again) and my daisy cake board (pictured above under construction) before I realized what he was up to.

I made the sign using that My Memories digital scrapbooking software--that I'm currently hosting a giveaway for--and while I'm not entirely happy with it, I'm not sure what I need to do to make it better. I'm open to any and all suggestions, but I need to have it finished and ready to go by tomorrow afternoon. Yes, I tend to procrastinate.

Also, I just received a new batch of cake dummies, and those will need to get decorated as well at some point, but I don't know if I'll have time to get them done for this weekend's event. Especially now that I have to redo some stuff.

Anyway, if you're a local and find yourself at a loose end this Saturday, check out Art Sparks at the Longview Rec Center in Spring Hill. There will be door prizes, family-friendly activities, an art show, and the opportunity to speak with other instructors about the classes they offer.

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My Memories Digital Scrapbooking Software

2012-01-23T06:00:00.000-06:00

Here's something new and exciting! Well, actually the My Memories digital scrapbooking software has been around for a while, but I only just recently found out about it, so it's new to me. Years ago I tried to get into the scrapbook craze, but that was back when I had a lot of photographs. When we got a digital camera, I no longer had actual prints to work with because my photos were either on a memory card or my computer. I'm super lazy (and cheap) so spending the money to have prints made and then taking the time to compile everything in a keepsake album was not a task that appealed to me.
With digital cameras being so affordable and readily available on most cell phones, hardly anybody takes pictures with actual film nowadays. My Memories allows you to create scrapbook pages with your digital pictures on your computer, and then when you're done, you order the printed scrapbook album.
You can actually do a lot more with My Memories than just make scrapbook pages, but to be honest, I haven't had the chance to explore all the other options like cards and videos yet. I've been far too busy just playing around with making album pages using pictures of my cakes and other creations. I'll post some of the screen shots here, but you can view them all on Photobucket, either as an album or slideshow.
Basically, there are ready-made templates you can use which are very customizable, or you can start from scratch (I haven't had the courage to do that yet). Adding photos to the pages is super simple: just drag and drop. There are plenty of background choices, including different colors, papers, textures, and even the option to use your own pictures as a custom background. The journalling areas are preset on the template pages I've worked with, but you can change their size, shape, and even add more or remove them altogether. You can also get as creative as you like with the text options, and there's a cool feature called Word Art that's super fun to play around with.

But that's not all! There are many add-on kits you can get from the online design shop, some are even free, so I seriously doubt anyone would ever run out of options. If scrapbooking is a hobby you enjoy, why not take My Memories for a test drive and see for yourself? You can download a free trial on the website, and if you do, please let me know what you think. Alternative, you could play around with the Online Photobook Creator. Trust me, you don't have to be tech-savvy or a graphic design guru, as the software is very intuitive, and there are plenty of resources to help you out, including online tutorials, YouTube videos, and a blog which features weekly challenges to give you even more ideas and inspiration.

As if that's not enough, the really cool thing is that I'm hosting a giveaway for the My Memories digital scrapbooking software. Yes, one lucky person will win My Memories Suite Version 3! Entering is easy, thanks to the wonderful widget known as Rafflecopter. For those who can't wait for the giveaway to end and must have My Memories right now, you can save $10 on your purchase with coupon code STMMMS90048.
a Rafflecopter giveaway

If the Rafflecopter widget isn't loading, try refreshing the page. If it's still not showing up, please let me know either via email (cakedarla at gmail dot com) or Twitter (@cakedarla). Thanks!

GlutenTox Home Test Kit

2012-01-20T12:30:00.000-06:00

There are many reasons people who wish to lead a healthier lifestyle chose to avoid gluten in their diets. Those with gluten allergies and intolerances, however, don't have a choice. For them, consuming undetected gluten poses a real health risk. The trouble is that traces of gluten can be found in foods that don't naturally contain it, due to cross-contamination, cooking methods, food additives, etc. This is especially true when it comes to restaurant and commercially processed food.

But the good news is that now there's a way you can check to be sure what you're eating is really gluten free. Boimedal Diagnostics has developed an easy-to-use gluten test kit, called GlutenTox Home, and they were nice enough to send me a sample pack to try. Along with a free pen!

Inside the box was two test kits, and I must admit I was a little surprised by the vials, pipettes, and sealed pouches. I don't know exactly what I was expecting, but with labels like "extraction solution" and "dilution solution" I felt almost scientific. Clearly this was more involved than just plunking a chunk of food into a beaker and seeing what happens.

I decided to test the Whole Foods instant oatmeal I had in my pantry. Oats are bad for cross-contamination, and I knew that when I bought this oatmeal, but the certified gluten-free oats are considerably more expensive, and rarely do you find them in an instant or quick-cooking variety.

I also wanted to test the fried rice from our local Chinese restaurant. They don't advertise anything as being gluten-free on their menu, but I've been wondering about their fried rice and really wanted to know if it was okay for me to eat it. I guess I should say for me to keep eating it, as I've consumed it in the past without noticing any ill effects.

The test is easy to do, but it does require multiple steps, and everything must be clean. You'll need a 1 gram sample (or 1 millimeter if it's liquid) of whatever you're testing, and it's best if you can grind the sample up as much as possible. I don't have a mortar and pestle, so I used the end of my small rolling pin. There's a handy chart in the instructions to help you figure out how much to use if you don't have a kitchen scale, but weighing the sample is best for accuracy. Also, really hard foods might need to be chopped into tiny pieces before attempting to grind them.

Once you have the sample ready, put it in the bottle with the yellow cap. This is the extraction liquid. Replace the lid and shake vigorously for at least 2 minutes. The word vigorously is actually underlined in the instructions, so I'd say it's very important to shake the bottle really well. It counts as exercise, right?

After it's all shook up, let the solids settle in the bottom. The instructions say this should take around 5 minutes, depending on the sample. Then, the fun begins! Using a clean dropper, the next step is to transfer sample liquid from the extraction jar to the vial with the blue cap, which is a dilution solution.

In order to be labeled "gluten free" foods must contain no more than 20 PPM (parts per million) of gluten. This handy kit can detect the 20 PPM threshold, OR it can also test down to just 5 PPM. That's very useful for those who suffer severe gluten intolerances and allergies. I mention this now because in this next step you add 2 drops of the sample liquid to the dilution bottle if you want to test for 20 PPM. If you want to test to 5 PPM, add 8 drops. For both of my samples I tested for 20 PPM.

Once you have the sample liquid drops in the dilution solution, you need to shake the bottle gently for 15 seconds (make sure the blue cap is back on securely). Now it's time to open up the sealed pouch, which contains a clean pipette and the test stick. Make sure you use the new pipette for this step. Place 5-6 drops of the dilution solution in the "S" cup on the test stick. Wait 10 minutes. That's the only bummer. If you're hungry and need to test your food before you eat it, it's going to take you around 15-20 minutes to find out. By then you're dinner is going to be cold.

The test should be read right at 10 minutes, as waiting longer could skew the results. As with other types of home tests, there should be a line under the "C" to indicate that the test was done correctly. If there's no line there, then it's an invalid result. If there are two lines, then that indicates a positive result for gluten to whichever threshold you tested. Any line under the T is a positive result, no matter how faint. As you can see above, the line isn't all that dark, so while the concentration of gluten is higher than 20 PPM, if there had been a really high quantity of gluten in the sample then the line would be darker.

I actually took a lot of pictures when I was testing the oatmeal and fried rice (I keep mistyping that as friend rice for some reason, so if I missed a typo please let me know). There were too many photos to include them all on this blog post, so I have them posted on Photobucket, where you can view them as an album or slideshow.

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Rafflecopter Giveaway

2012-01-11T08:08:00.000-06:00

If you've entered a giveaway either here or on another blog lately you've seen and used the Rafflecopter widget. This is an incredible tool that allows giveaway hosts to easily track and manage their contests, while also streamlining and simplifying the entries for those participating in the giveaways. I love that.

But what's really cool is that to kickoff the Rafflecopter launch, they're giving away an iPad 2 and some Kindle Fires. If I share that giveaway on my blog here, I get 5 extra entries. And I really want to win that iPad 2! I also wouldn't mind having a Kindle Fire. Here's the widget so you can enter to win! a Rafflecopter giveaway

My Favorite 5 of 2011

2011-12-31T11:11:00.000-06:00

Last year on New Year's Eve I posted my top 5 favorite recipes I made in 2010, and I'd like to do the same for 2011. I actually intended to share more recipes this year, and more regularly, so I apologize for the lapses in blog posts here and there. Often I make something new, really like it and want to post the recipe, but then I never quite get around to making the same thing again or don't have time to take all the pictures. Then there are times when I decide to make a recipe specifically for a blog post, and it's disappointing. Sometimes I go ahead and share the recipe anyway, especially if I think I did something wrong or I feel like I'm long overdue for a post. Maybe in 2012 I'll have enough to do a top 10, but this year I'm sticking with just 5.

I would like to point out that the gluten free chocolate chip cookies from Elana Amsterdam's Gluten-Free Almond Flour Cookbook is a recipe I featured this year, and it's without a doubt a favorite and possibly the recipe I make most often, but I've been making it since 2010, so I didn't consider it for the top 5 of this year. Also, I didn't consider any recipes that aren't gluten-free. These are MY favorite recipes, after all; I have to be able to eat them. So, without any more rambling, here's the countdown of my 5 favorite recipes of 2011.

Number 5 is the gluten-free Strawberry Shortcake I made for the Driscoll's Strawberry Shortcake Day promotion. These are definitely best consumed the same day they're baked. They get stale very quickly. I did more than just top them with strawberries, though. I also enjoyed them with lemon curd and raspberries, and they're also pretty dang yummy smeared with Nutella.

5. Strawberry Shortcake

The gluten free Mud Pie was really an experiment, and I was pleased enough with the results to consider it number 4. I know it doesn't look all that appetizing, and I do want to make this recipe again, just to see if I can improve its appearance. The crust is yummy and works with any kind of filling, so it's a great recipe to know.

4. Mud Pie

The Carrot Date Muffins recipe I made in November is my 3rd favorite, only I like the way I made them better than the original recipe. They're delicious naked, but when topped with some cream cheese frosting you'll swear you're eating carrot cake.

3. Carrot Date Muffins

In 2nd place is the Nutty Crust Peach Pie. Here's an example of a recipe that didn't come out very well, due to the burnt crust edges, and me subbing some pecans for almonds didn't work out quite as well as I'd hoped. Peaches and pecans go together fine, but this crust got soggy on me, and it that's not been an issue when I use all almonds. Still, it was delicious.

2. Nutty Crust Peach Pie

There's a reason I went ahead and posted that cornbread recipe yesterday, even though I didn't have step-by-step photos, or really any decent pictures of the cornbread muffins. I had to get that recipe up because it's my top number 1 favorite of 2011. Here again, I like the way I made it better, but I'm not all that fond of sweet cornbread, especially when I want to make stuffing with it.

1. Cornbread

I want to know about other great recipes people made this year, gluten-free or not. Do you have a list of favorites? Please comment and let me know.

Happy New Year everybody!

Cornbread

2011-12-30T10:00:00.000-06:00

I have a thing about cornbread. I used to work at a bakery that made the best cornbread ever. It was a Friday thing. They didn't make cornbread any other day of the week, which was lucky because that meant I could only get it on Fridays, thereby limiting my consumption. I have no clue how they made it, and the bakery closed down years ago. I've been on the search for cornbread that good ever since. I still haven't found it, but I think this recipe comes pretty close, with my tweaks.

Depending on how you make it and the type of cornmeal you use, cornbread can be sweet or not, really coarse and crumbly or more fine and cake-like. Of course, nowadays I need gluten-free cornbread, which is no problem as long as the recipe only uses cornmeal and doesn't call for any flour. Turns out, that's easier said than done if my online search for "cornbread recipe" is anything to go by. That's why I latched onto this recipe--it's made with just cornmeal, no flour required. I saw that it called for 1/3 cup of sugar, and I was looking for a savory cornbread recipe, but I figured I could always use less sugar, or none at all. I also didn't have enough vegetable oil. You need a full cup for this recipe, and all I had in my pantry was 3/4 cup, so used 1/2 cup of melted butter instead of just 1/4 cup to compensate.

The main reason I wanted cornbread is because I was cooking a turkey and wanted to make dressing. I live in the south, and we make dressing with cornbread. At least, that's what I grew up eating, and I really don't like any other kind of stuffing/dressing. In order to make good dressing, you have to start with good cornbread. Trust me on this one. I once ate dressing that was made with sweet cornbread, and it did not taste good. Dressing is a savory dish, after all. One year, I tried making dressing using cornbread made from Bob's Gluten Free Cornbread Mix, and because the cornbread itself had an aftertaste, so did the dressing it went in. But the superlative cornbread from Beckers (see note, below) always made such delicious dressing.

I baked this cornbread without any real expectation of greatness, but still hoping that it would taste good so my dressing would be edible. Thank goodness it's delicious. The recipe yields 12 standard-size muffins, and three quickly disappeared before I even got the celery and onions started, so I had to tell the cornbread lovers of the house not to eat any more until I had the dressing made. Luckily, there were a few left over, but they didn't last very long. The next day I got some more vegetable oil, and I decided to make the cornbread again, this time following the recipe exactly, and I didn't like it quite as much. This is mostly because I used the full 1/3 cup sugar, and that made the cornbread a little sweet, which I don't like. The second batch of muffins were less buttery, but I suppose that's to be expected since I didn't use as much butter.

I'm sorry for not having any pictures to post of the recipe in progress, but I honestly didn't even think to take any. Besides, I wasn't sure if this recipe would be blog-worthy, and I was far too busy with other things on the go in my kitchen at the time.

Also, the recipe calls for self-rising cornmeal, which I didn't have. Thanks to the wonders of the Internet, I was able to figure out how to use regular cornmeal by adding baking powder and salt to it. If you use self-rising cornmeal, then stick with the quantities listed in the original recipe.

Cornbread Muffins (recipe tweaked from Southern Hands Cornbread)

2 cups + 2 teaspoons cornmeal
2 1/2 Tablespoons baking powder
1 teaspoon + a pinch of salt
3 Tablespoons sugar
4 large eggs
3/4 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted

Preheat oven to 425 degrees and spray the cavities of a 12-cup standard muffin pan with nonstick cooking spray.

Combine the dry ingredients and whisk to blend. Make a well in the center.

Beat together the eggs, oil, buttermilk, and melted butter. Add to dry ingredients and whisk until well blended.

Pour into muffin pan and bake 15 minutes. They are delicious warm.

About Beckers: There is still a Beckers Bakery in the Nashville area, but that's not where I worked and got the awesome cornbread from. I don't know if the two bakeries shared recipes or not (they had different owners who were somehow related, I think), and I don't know if the Beckers on Lebanon Pike even sells cornbread. I tried calling them to ask, but of course they're closed until after New Years. Does anyone who lives on that side of town know?

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Chocolate Candy Oat Bars (gluten free)

2011-12-30T08:00:00.000-06:00

Before I went gluten-free, Chocolate Candy Oat Bars were my favorite cookies to make during the holidays. These are basically a crumb-type base that's baked and then spread with a sweet chocolaty filling and then topped with more crumb and candy coated chocolate pieces (aka M&M's). More than once I ended up making two batches because I would consume most of the first round, leaving none to share. Having taken a few years off from making this recipe, this year I decided to try it using gluten-free flour.
The recipe only calls for 1 1/2 cup of flour, and I had just over that amount left in my box of King Arthur Gluten Free Multipurpose Flour, so that's what I used. Ideally, I should have also used certified gluten-free oats, but I need quick-cooking oats to make this recipe, and I had a difficult time finding them. They are available on amazon.com, but I didn't want to wait for an order to arrive, so I went with just regular quick-cooking oats instead. Inherently oats don't contain gluten, but cross-contamination is a concern.

For the Chocolate Candy Oat Bars:

2 cups quick cooking oats

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (I used the gluten-free King Arthur flour mentioned above)

1 cup firmly packed brown sugar

1 cup chopped pecans

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter, melted

1 1/2 cups candy coated chocolate pieces, divided

1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk

Preheat oven to 375 degrees and spray a 10" by 15" jelly roll pan with nonstick cooking spray. If you don't have a jelly roll pan, a 9" by 13" sheet pan works. You'll just have thicker cookies.

In a large bowl, whisk together the oats, flour, brown sugar, chopped pecans, baking soda, and salt. Add melted butter, stir together until mixture is crumbly.

Reserve 1 1/2 cups of the pecan crumb mixture. Press the rest evenly into the bottom of the prepared pan. Bake for 10 minutes, remove from oven, and cool. Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees F.

In a microwave safe bowl (I just used a glass measuring cup), microwave 1 cup of the chocolate candy pieces, on high for 1 to 1 1/2 minutes, stirring every 30 seconds. Press candies with the back of a spoon to mash them, and then stir them into the condensed milk.

Spread the chocolate mixture evenly over the prebaked crust, leaving about half an inch border on all sides. Combine remaining 1 1/2 cups of crumb mixture and the rest of the chocolate candy pieces. Sprinkle over chocolate mixture and press lightly.

Bake for 18-20 minutes, or until golden brown. Cool completely before cutting into bars. I'm really sorry, but I totally forgot to take a picture of the cut cookies so you can see the layers and yummy goodness.

I must say that they're a lot sweeter than I remember. Maybe my taste preferences have changed since I ~~don't~~ try not to consume as many sweets nowadays. The gluten free flour did give these more of a grainy mouthfeel than I remember, but I don't know if you would necessarily notice unless you had a batch made with regular flour to compare them with. Overall though, I think they came out just fine.

Hazelnut Truffle Squares

2011-12-28T08:00:00.000-06:00

Another great recipe find on my epicurious app, that's also free from any gluten-containing ingredients, is the decadent sounding Chocolate Almond Truffle Squares. But there were a few obstacles in my way when it came to making it. Namely, I didn't have any Amaretto. So I decided to use Frangelico instead. Since I wasn't using almond liqueur, I figured it wouldn't be the worst thing in the world for me to use hazelnuts in lieu of the almonds. My body doesn't really tolerate a lot of dairy products these days, so I substituted coconut milk for the heavy cream. But hey, at least I stuck with one original ingredient: the chocolate.

Hazlenut Truffle Squares:
16 ounces bittersweet chocolate (I used 60%)
1/2 cup coconut milk (the thick, creamy part)
3 Tablespoons Frangelico
1/3 cup coarsely chopped hazelnuts (next time I'm going with the skinless)

The first thing you need to do is refrigerate a can of coconut milk overnight or longer. This causes it to separate, and the thick cream will rise to the top. Then, you just have to scoop it out.

In a saucepan, heat the coconut milk just to the boiling point, and then whisk in the chocolate, stirring until it's all melted. Add in the Frangelico, whisk until smooth, and allow to cool.

Line the bottom of an 8-inch baking pan with wax paper. Melt the remaining chocolate and spread half in a thin layer over the wax paper.

Place the baking dish in the freezer for 5 minutes to set the bottom chocolate layer

Spread the truffle mixture evenly, then pour the rest of the melted chocolate on top, spreading lightly.

Sprinkle with the chopped hazelnuts. I opted to toast mine first.

Let the whole thing chill for at least three hours. I turned mine out onto a chopping board, removed the wax paper, and cut into small squares.

Overall, I'm really happy with how these came out. They're very rich and have a delicious flavor, but I have to say that they're just a tad bit too boozy for my liking. I should have anticipated this and used less Frangelico. I'll know for next time, but at least I'm not tempted to gorge myself on them. Oh, and a wee tip: make sure the truffles are good and cold. Some of mine didn't want to cut cleanly.

Chocolate Yum Yums

2011-12-27T13:45:00.000-06:00

I tend to do a lot of baking this time of year. In an effort to keep temptations down and as many of the holiday sweets accessible to me as possible, I started looking around for naturally gluten-free recipes. I have apps for that.

A recipe called "Yum Yum Nut Sweets" got my attention, and I honestly decided to make it based solely on the name. Lucky for me, there's a chocolate variation, and the recipe doesn't call for any gluten containing ingredients. I made the recipe as printed except for using pasteurized egg whites instead of taking the time to separate eggs. I think must have used the wrong amount or something, because these came out really crunchy, and I only baked them an hour. They still tasted good, but after a few days they were just too hard to eat.

For chocolate yum yums:
nonstick cooking spray
1 cup whole roasted unsalted almonds
1 cup whole walnuts
1/3 cup sugar
2 egg whites (looks like I used 1/4 cup pasteurized egg whites)
2 1/2 ounces dark chocolate (I used 60%), melted

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees. Spray an 8-inch square baking pan with nonstick cooking spray. Place the nuts in a food processor and chop until they look like coarse sand. Move them to mixing bowl.

Stir in the sugar and egg whites.

Add in the melted chocolate, and press mixture into prepared pan.

The recipe says to bake 1 hour for soft cookies, and 1 1/2 hours for crisp cookies. I only baked mine for an hour because I was going for something brownie-like.

Instead, it was more nutty granola bar, only the hard, crunchy kind, not the soft and chewy ones. Like I said, these were still yummy, but I think they're supposed to be less crunchy than mine. I just need to make sure I get the egg white amount right next time.

Gingerbread House Photo Gallery

2011-12-22T09:30:00.000-06:00

Every year at Christmas time my kids decorate gingerbread houses. This is something that usually happens on Christmas Eve because we like for our efforts to remain intact for Santa, and assembling them any earlier presents too much temptation. However, this year, thanks to me teaching a couple of "mommy and me" gingerbread house decorating classes, my kids had the opportunity to do a couple of practice houses.

My older son graciously volunteered to help me out with both classes and did most of the demonstrating for me. I'd like to share his efforts since we left these houses at the class venues for the staff to enjoy instead of bringing them home.

Front of house

Above is the front view of the first house he decorated. I think he made the doors and windows before deciding to have the whole house covered in snow. Below is a side view. The lights are actually candy sprinkles in the shape of Christmas tree lights. It took a lot of work and patience for him to place them on the roof.

Side

This is the back view of the house.

Back of house

The snow must not have drifted very much on this side of the house. But it still has loads of lights on the roof.

Other side

Because we ran out of the candy shaped like Christmas tree lights, on his second house he used those candy fruit slices to make a colorful mosaic pattern on the roof. Each fruit slice was cut into quarters, and then gum drops line the roof edge. The trees are green shaped marshmallows.

Side

Here's the front of that house. Note that the snow/icing was spread before the decorations were added this time, and I love the dangling icicles. Pretzel sticks are great for making doors, window frames, and thatched roofs. Shredded wheat cereal also works well as a thatched roof, especially the frosted kind because then you already have a light dusting of snow.

Front

Here's the other side. The dangling colorful candy are Mike and Ikes. Gobstoppers, fruit loops, and life savers candy were also used. You can see a photo of my original gingerbread candy stash on my "Gearing Up for Gingerbread House Season" post.

Other side

What all are you guys making this year? I'll try and get our other stuff posted soon. So far I've made Hazelnut Truffle Squares, Chocolate Nut Yum Yums, and the sugar cookie dough is in the refrigerator just begging me to roll it out, go to it with seasonal cookie cutters, and bake it. So I guess I'd better get to it!

Flourless Brownies

2011-12-12T07:00:00.000-06:00

I may have mentioned how much I love the Whole Foods Recipes app a time or two dozen on here. It's very user friendly and has a great bank of recipes. I particularly like the Flourless Brownies because they're made with a secret ingredient: black beans. That's right, you use a can of unsalted black beans (that have been well rinsed and drained) instead of flour. Every once in a while I get experimental and try the beans-for-flour sub in other recipes, but lately I've been playing around with this one trying to make it... better.

Not that there's anything wrong with the brownies when you make them according to the recipe. It's just that they come out fairly dense, almost fudge-like. Yet they don't taste chocolaty and rich enough to be fudge. The recipe calls for three eggs, and I had the bright idea of separating them, beating the whites until stiff, and then folding them into the brownie batter just before baking to try and lighten the texture. I figured it was at least worth a try.

Flourless Brownies (my way)

1 (15-ounce) can no-salt-added black beans, drained and rinsed
3 large eggs, separated
1/3 cup melted butter
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 cup Ghirardelli 60% chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350°F and spray an 8-inch baking pan with nonstick cooking spray.

Place the black beans, egg yolks, melted butter, cocoa powder, salt, vanilla extract and sugar in the bowl of a food processor and blend until smooth.

In a clean, grease-free mixer bowl, beat egg whites until peaks form.

Remove the food processor blade from chocolate mixture and gently stir in a few small spoonfuls of the beaten egg whites. Transfer to mixing bowl, and fold in remaining egg whites.

Stir in the chocolate chips, and pour into the prepared pan. Bake the brownies for 30 to 35 minutes, or until just set in the center. I think I might have left mine in a few minutes too long.

Cool before cutting into squares. The egg whites did lighten the texture a bit, but it's still lacking any real crumb, so they're more of the gooey kind of brownies as opposed to cake-like. They're still seriously yummy, though. Unless you tell people these brownies are made from black beans, I don't think they'd know.

In fact, I must confess that these went so quickly I didn't have a chance to take a picture of a cut brownie to show you the crumb. This meant I had to bake another batch, of course. Only I forgot to add a key ingredient. A good 10 minutes after I put them in the oven, I noticed the prep bowl of chocolate chips still sitting out on the counter, which meant they couldn't be in the brownies. So you'll just have to imagine chunks of chocolaty goodness in the one pictured above.

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Gluten Free Cinnamon Rolls

2011-12-05T19:00:00.000-06:00

Back in February I made rolls using Pamela's Gluten-Free Bread Mix. I was pretty happy with how they turned out, and I decided next time I had a bag of this stuff to make the cinnamon bread variation listed on the back. Only, baking a loaf of this bread means over an hour of cooking time in the oven, and then of course you have to wait for it to cool before slicing it. Plus, there's also the added work of slicing it. I'm lazy, and I didn't really want to make a whole day of it, so I decided to make cinnamon rolls instead. These were done just like the regular rolls I made, only I folded in some cinnamon, sugar, and a little nutmeg before putting the batter/dough into the muffin pan cavities.

So, to start with, I followed the directions for oven baking. You can also use this mix in a bread machine, but I don't have one so I have no clue how it turns out when you make it that way. Just measure 1/4 cup oil (I had canola on hand, if anyone is wondering) into a 2 cup measuring container, add 2 eggs, and then fill to the 2 cup mark with warm water.

To make cinnamon bread, mix together 2 teaspoons cinnamon with 1/4 cup of sugar. I also threw in some freshly grated nutmeg because I love it.

Place the bread mix and yeast, which is included the bag and sealed up in a little packet, in your mixer bowl and stir to evenly distribute the yeast in with the flour. Next, add the eggs, water, and oil mixture and beat with the whisk attachment for 3 minutes on medium high. The mixture will look more like a thick cake batter than bread dough.

Then, gently fold in the cinnamon and sugar mixture a few times to make swirls.

The last time I made rolls from Pamela's Gluten-Free Bread Mix, their messy appearance bothered me, so this time I tried to smooth the top of the dough after filling the cavities half full. But because it's so sticky, I didn't have much luck with that method.

So then I had the bright idea to pipe the batter into the pans, and that's what I did with the last 6 rolls. It even gives them more of a cinnamon roll appearance. Sort of.

These need to bake for about 25-30 minutes in a 350 degree oven, until the tops are a lovely golden brown.

Let the rolls cool in the pans for a few minutes before removing them. I sprayed the pans with nonstick cooking spray, and in a few places I guess I didn't do such a great job because a couple of the rolls stuck in the pan. But luckily, running a knife around the edges loosened them without tearing them up.

Allow them to cool completely on a wire rack, although they're quite yummy when they're still a wee bit warm. They don't taste like the cinnamon rolls that are made with sweet dough, and the cinnamon doesn't really come through very much. I can taste and smell it, and I know it's definitely in there, but I do wish these rolls had a stronger cinnamon flavor.

Cinnamon can be tricky, though. If there's not enough, you end up disappointed in the lack of flavor. But adding too much turns whatever your're trying to make into atomic fire balls. Plus, I don't know if me adding in the nutmeg may have altered the strength of the cinnamon somehow.

I suppose that's enough of an excuse to make these again without the added nutmeg and see if that makes a difference. The texture is very bread-like, if a bit dense and heavy, and they're not too crusty, so all in all I think they're a success. But there's always room for improvement. I'd like to know your thoughts. When I make these again, should I try adding just a teaspoon more cinnamon? How would you make them?

Carrot Date Muffins (gluten free)

2011-11-24T07:00:00.000-06:00

Here's yet another recipe I found on my Whole Foods Recipes app, but if you don't have an iPhone, the recipe is also posted on the Whole Foods website. Let me just go ahead and admit that I didn't have any amaranth or millet flour when I decided I had to make these muffins, but I did have exactly 3/4 cup of Pamela's Baking Mix sitting in my pantry just begging to be used, so that's what went into my muffins instead.

For the muffins, you'll need:

2 medium carrots, peeled and coarsely chopped
1 cup chopped pitted dates
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1/4 cup melted coconut oil
2 eggs, lightly beaten 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
3/4 cup amaranth flour or millet flour (except I used Pamela's Baking Mix)
3/4 cup ground almond flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon sea salt

I hadn't beat the eggs or melted the coconut oil when I took a picture of the ingredients, but don't worry, it all got done.

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees and line a 12-cavity standard muffin tin with paper baking cups. Put the dates and carrots in a food processor and pulse until finely chopped. Add the walnuts, and pulse until they're finely chopped.

Transfer the mixture to a mixing bowl, and then add the coconut oil, lightly beaten eggs, and maple syrup. Stir it all together to combine completely.

In a separate bowl, combine the remaining dry ingredients.

The recipe says to then pour the liquid ingredients over the dry ingredients, but I did it the opposite way because my wet ingredients were in a bigger bowl. Stir the mixture until just combined.

Divide the batter evenly between the lined muffin cavities. I forgot to snap a photo of this step, and I didn't do such a great job of dividing the batter evenly, but they still came out okay.

Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean. After a few minutes, remove them from the pan and let the muffins cool completely on a wire rack.

These are delicious, and I really want to make them again using amaranth or millet flour like the recipe calls for, just to compare and see what (if any) difference it makes in the taste and texture. They are plenty sweet and don't need any kind of topping, but they also taste a lot like carrot cake, so I think a modest amount of cream cheese icing on the top would be seriously yummy. If you like carrot cake, that is.

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Those New Wilton Punches

2011-11-19T10:35:00.000-06:00

Earlier this year, Wilton released a new product line called Punch.Cut.Decorate! that consists of punch cutters like the die cutters used in scrapbooking. The companion product, Sugar Sheets, are very thin, edible "paper" you cut with the punches, available in a variety of colors and patterns.

There are two basic punches: an oval and wavy line. But you can then get different inserts that cut other shapes. You may have seen the swanky new product display in the Wilton aisle of your favorite craft store. I mention it because I think these type of decorating tools might appeal to crafters who have previously been intimidated by cake decorating, as this is really more like scrapbooking and paper crafts. You're just using edible sugar paper and food-safe punches.

The potential for creativity here is huge, and I can see how these products will open up the world of cake decorating for a whole new market. At least, I suppose that's what Wilton hopes will happen. Instructors got a sneak preview of the product line at our annual meetings, and we got to take a set of the basic punches home with us along with a sample pack of Sugar Sheets, which was awesome!

We were supposed to showcase the new products in our Wilton classes for a period of time, so I got some practice using the punches with Sugar Sheets. I didn't have much luck with the Sugar Sheets. I had a hard time getting them to cut cleanly, and after a while--even though I kept them sealed up--they started to dry out. When Sugar Sheets get dry, you can't fold the shapes you cut or they'll crack.

While I think the vast majority of instructors are very excited about these new punches, I lack enthusiasm. I try to be open minded, and I normally love learning new tricks and techniques, but this method doesn't really appeal to me. Maybe I'm too old school. Cake decorating to me involves squeezing icing out of a piping bag, texturing rolled fondant, or making gum paste flowers.

Plus, have you seen the price of the Sugar Sheets?! And you know, the punches aren't free. I'm not able to invest in a whole new round of equipment, and besides, I don't have the storage space. Now that I'm out of Sugar Sheets, I was hopeful that the punches would work with wafer paper, as that's much more affordable. But they don't.

So, I tried them with some rolled fondant, and they did fairly well. I think using gum paste or at least a half-fondant/half gum paste mix might work better. The fondant was a bit too soft and stretching was an issue, but not a huge problem.

Here's a close up of the roses and wee crown I made using shapes from the wavy cutter. The oval cutter made the bow loops and rather-too-large-to-be-whimsical butterfly. Or whatever you think it looks like.

I feel as though I'm still in the process of getting used to these tools, and I'm not quite as comfortable with them as I'd like to be. However, even though they're not be my favorite tools to work with, some of my students love them and have had a lot of fun getting creative with the shapes.

Spice Stack

2011-11-16T08:00:00.000-06:00

When I started teaching cake decorating classes at the Franklin Rec Center close to a year ago, I only a had a few bottles of sprinkles. Apart from half a bottle of pastel confetti leftover from the Cupcake Cuties Kit I reviewed, all my sprinkles were holiday-themed remainders from our cookie decorating last Christmas. But I knew I'd need more of a selection than that for my students to use, so I started acquiring bottles of nonpareils, jimmies, and sugar beads as I found them on sale.

Not being one to use sprinkles much for decorating, I was--and still am!--amazed at the creativity students show when they have a wide variety of sugar shapes at their disposal. As my collection of sprinkles grew, I realized I needed a practical storage solution. After making do with a couple of plastic storage containers for a while, I saw something new on the CK Products website that looked like the answer. It's called a Spice Stack, and it's actually made to hold bottles of herbs and seasonings, but I ordered one to keep my sprinkles organized.

They actually come in two different sizes, and I got the smaller one. Mostly because it was cheaper, and I didn't want to spend more than I had to on something I wasn't sure would work or not. Also, since I have to transport all the supplies back and forth to my cake decorating classes, I was afraid the larger Spice Stack would be too heavy and/or take up too much space.

This is essentially a three-drawer rack that's meant to hold at least 18 and up to 36 bottles (or however many you can fit) of sprinkles/herbs/spices, depending on the size of the bottles. I'm sure two, maybe even three, of those wee squatty bottles of herbs could fit in each section instead of a single larger bottle.

Instructions, pre-printed labels, and blank labels are included, but because the drawers have a semi-open front, I was hoping enough of the bottles would be visible to allow me to see which sprinkles are where. Using the labels isn't a practical option for me since I change out which sprinkles I bring to class depending on the season.

I was seriously disappointed when I tried to fill up my Spice Stack and realized that only my small bottles of sprinkles fit! Then I noticed that the back of the drawers have longer sections than the front, which was a relief because most of my sprinkles are in the larger bottles.

The sides of the Spice Rack are enclosed, which I think is a good thing, because otherwise I'm not sure how stable it would be. When you open up the top drawer all the way, it feels somewhat top-heavy, and if you bump the side, the Spice Stack will sway. So, maybe this isn't meant to be transported, but I'll find out soon because I fully intend to use it during my upcoming gingerbread house, cookie, and cupcake decorating classes.

As for not using the labels, well, you can see the front row of sprinkles, which is good enough. Pulling out a drawer to see what's further back is quicker and easier than rummaging through a storage container with a bunch of bottles stacked inside.

I do like the fact that the bottom has non-skid feet, and they actually work. When I want to move my Spice Stack, I have to pick it up; I can't just push it across the table. If it turns out to be a nightmare to travel with, or it just doesn't work for use in my classes, I can always keep it at home for off-season sprinkles storage.

I'm curious to know how other cake decorators out there keep their sprinkles organized? Any tips, tricks, ideas, and product suggestions are appreciated! Please let me know by leaving a comment how you store your sprinkles and other cake decorating essentials.

Gearing up for Gingerbread House Season

2011-11-12T09:41:00.001-06:00

As mentioned in a prior blog post, I'm teaching "Mommy and Me" Gingerbread House Decorating Classes this year, with two scheduled at the Franklin Rec Center on November 19th and December 17th, and two more offered at Longview on November 29th and December 20th. (please check out my Upcoming Class Schedule Page for times and tuition information). Because I provide all the necessary supplies for these classes, including the gingerbread house pieces, I need to have candy and seasonal sprinkles to decorate the houses with, so I went shopping for trimmings the other day.

Mini candy canes are a necessity, along with the round peppermint candies which you can't see in the picture below because they're in the canister underneath the candy canes. I also have fruit loops cereal, shaped green and red marshmallows, candy fruit slices, M&M's, the obligatory gum drops, shaped gummy LifeSavers, Mike and Ikes, chewy Sprees, and the regular hard LifeSavers.

There's even more on its way to me that I recently ordered from CK Products in the way of holiday sprinkles, colorful sugar pearls, and other cool stuff like candy pebbles and red hots. Now I just need some students, and I'll be all ready for the fun to begin!

In these classes, we'll build a modest-size house from prebaked gingerbread house pieces. Once assembled, I'll show students a few basic piping techniques while we wait for the icing holding the houses together to dry, and this will also give students a chance to plan out how they want to decorate their house and select the candy and sprinkles they wish to use. Anything goes when it comes to gingerbread houses, so this is a fun (and yummy!) way to be creative.

Gingerbread house decorating is an activity all ages can enjoy, and while these "Mommy and Me" classes are listed for ages 3 and up, I plan to have enough decorating options to suit a wide range of ages. Children aged 10 and older don't need to have a parent helper present, but parents of older kids are still welcome to join the class.

Gingerbread House Challenge

Some of you may already be seasoned gingerbread house builders and not need my class. Well, I have excellent news for you! JoAnn's in Cool Springs is hosting a Gingerbread House Challenge on November 19th. Participants must be at least 14 years old to compete individually, but younger contestants can participate with a parent helper.

Customers will vote for the winners, and the prizes are as follows:

1st Prize: $50 Jo-Ann gift card plus a $10 Wilton product gift certificate
2nd Prize: One free Jo-Ann class (max. value of $45) plus a $10 Wilton product gift certificate
3rd Prize: $10 Wilton product gift certificate

Please check with the Cool Springs JoAnn store for complete details, but here's a quick rundown of the participation guidelines:

Participants should be age 14 and above. Parents and minor children can participate as a team, however prizes will be awarded to parents only.
Gingerbread projects can be decorated in the participant's choice of theme.
Cakes cannot be used in lieu of gingerbread.
Participants can use any type of icing.
Decorations must be edible or food-safe items.
The store will not be providing decorating tools, icing or fondant; Participants must bring/purchase their own supplies and tools and take them home after the challenge.
Decorations can be pre-made and brought to the event in storage containers. They are not allowed to be on the gingerbread projects before 1 pm.
Gingerbread projects must be real. Substitutions such as styrofoam are not acceptable.
Projects should be decorated on a base cake board, no larger than 17" with footing underneath. The purpose of the footing is to allow projects to be easily lifted and moved.
Customers will vote for their favorite gingerbread from 2:30-3:30.
There is no entry fee. However, space is limited and is on a first come, first serve basis.
All Jo-Ann customers are welcome to enter the event.
Participants will be provided with tables and chairs in their workspace.
Gingerbread decorating begins promptly at 1 pm. Participants should arrive in enough time to set-up and prepare his/her workspace, no earlier than 12:30 pm.

For gingerbread house enthusiasts who live elsewhere, if you have a JoAnn store nearby, check and see if they're also running a Gingerbread House Challenge.

Cutters, Crimpers, and Swag Giveaway

2011-11-08T10:00:00.000-06:00

I'm giving away some more stuff. In the process of getting my supplies inventoried and organized for the upcoming holiday season, I unearthed a few items that I don't need and will most likely never use. These cake decorating tools are all new, still sealed, and eager to break free of their packaging and be put to their intended uses. And I need to clear the storage space.

Here's what's up for grabs (click the thumbnail for a larger, slightly out-of-focus, view): a Wilton Fondant Ribbon Cutter Embosser Set, a dusting pouch, Wilton Round Fondant Cut-Outs, three PME fondant crimpers, Wilton Decorating Tip Pouches, and a set of Wilton Silicone Decorating Tip Covers.

The Ribbon Cutter and dusting pouch are leftover from a student kit I was issued way back when Wilton changed the curriculum of their 4-week courses. That's why they're not in the regular retail packaging. That's also how I acquired the round cutters, but they came packaged the same as the open stock cutters.

I honestly don't remember where I got the tip pouches and covers. I maybe had a half-price coupon burning a hole in my pocket and bought them, or they might have been swag from an Annual Instructor Meeting (teaching Wilton classes definitely has its perks!) that I never got around to using. I don't fill my piping bags ahead of time, so I really have no use for the covers. I have storage boxes for my piping tips, and I don't wash those in the dishwasher, so I don't need the mesh pouches.

As for the crimpers, well I bought duplicates of those thinking that since they're not readily available at the craft stores I would pass them along to my students who wanted them. Only, crimpers turned out to be not too terribly popular in my fondant cake decorating classes. So, I don't need to hang on to these. Included in this giveaway is a 1/2" serrated open curve, a 1/2" heart, and a 3/4" serrated star crimper.

Entering the giveaway is easy now that there's this AWESOME thing called Rafflecopter. Just use the handy widget below. I want the winner to get their stuff in time for holiday baking and decorating, so this giveaway will run through Saturday, November 26th. Winner will be contacted via email and have 48 hours to claim their prize.

Cake Class Updates and Birthday Parties

2011-11-05T12:00:00.000-05:00

Oh, dear. I haven't been ~~very~~ at all diligent about posting regularly. October was a busy month, and I didn't always have time or--even remember--to take pictures of the recipes made and treats decorated. But it's been exciting, and I have a lot of fun stuff going on!

First off, I started teaching cake decorating classes at the Longview Recreation Center in Spring Hill. In addition to the regular "Enjoy Cake Decorating" class series I offer at the Franklin Recreation Complex, I've also added some "Mommy and Me" classes at Longview. These are geared for ages 3 and up with a parent helper.

I'm also offering "Mommy and Me" Gingerbread House classes this fall at both Franklin Rec and Longview. Each parent and child pair will build and decorate a gingerbread house for the holiday season. We'll use royal icing to assemble the pre-baked gingerbread house pieces. Then, while we wait for the houses to dry, we'll learn simple piping techniques and pick out sprinkles and candy to decorate the houses with. This is a two-hour class, tuition is $15 per parent/child pair, and all supplies are included in the supply fee. Check out my Upcoming Class Schedule page for dates, locations, and times.

The other thing I've been doing is cake decorating birthday parties. These are so much fun! I tailor what we do according to the age group and what the birthday boy or girl is interested in. For the young adults, this has been rolled fondant (thanks to shows like Cake Boss). I usually spend about 15-20 minutes doing a brief demonstration of some basic techniques, and then each party guest decorates their own cake/cookies/cupcakes to take home as a party favor. I'm able to offer these parties at the Franklin Rec Center, or I'm happy to come to your location as long as you have plenty of room, enough table space, and don't mind a mess. Please contact me for more information.

Stuff I made for the school bake sale...

2011-10-01T16:13:00.001-05:00

I suffer from ongoing internet connection issues. This is a recurring problem that has never been truly resolved, mainly because the company that I pay to provide me with internet service doesn't really care if I have it consistently or not because they get paid either way. But I'm not going to go off on my Comcast rant here. All you really need to know is that last week we were without internet for a few days.

Not able to waste my hours perusing the web, I had some time on my hands, so I made a bunch of stuff for the school bake sale. Since it was to take place before the homecoming football game, I used a lot of blue and yellow, which are the school colors. I baked two 9x13 sheet cakes, one chocolate and one yellow. Both from a mix, sorry guys. When they were cool, I torted them and then cut them into quarters, giving me eight 4x6 layers of each flavor.

I made two football fields, which honestly didn't turn out all that great because it was trickier to pipe all the yard lines on such a small cake than I anticipated. But the footballs came out okay. I made them from chocolate candy coating. You just pipe the outline with melted chocolate and then fill it in similar to the color flow technique, only easier and the pieces aren't quite as fragile. And they taste better.

On the first cake, I was having trouble getting green to spread properly on the chocolate icing, so I piped the field with a grass tip. That made the yard lines impossible to get straight, which is why the second cake looks tidier. I was trying to do a cheerleader pompom thing in the corners using a grass tip and piping bag striped with blue and yellow, but the fact I had way more blue than yellow in the bag is obvious on the second cake. Same for the two-tone beaded border.

While I was in internet limbo I practiced making gum paste flowers. I recently acquired some seriously cool new daisy cutters, you see, so I was grasping at any excuse to play with them. I also had new gum paste I wanted to try out. And I can always use practice making roses. The roses, gerbera daisies, and leaves are all made from Choco-Pan gum paste. With a healthy dose of my beloved Super Pearl applied.

I only used two layers for the football fields, but I made the rest of these cakes with three layers, and I wanted a yellow cake to have chocolate icing. I decided to put the flowers on those cakes because I liked the way the colors of the roses and daisies contrasted with the dark brown of the chocolate icing. I also made two "gift package" cakes with the remaining 4x6 layers. They both looked pretty much the same: blue and yellow gum paste bow loops, lightly dusted with Super Pearl, and blue and yellow blossoms. I think I put strawberry jam filling in between the layers of the yellow cake.

Oh, and I also made cupcakes, using yellow cake mix. I needed something to put my smaller gum paste flowers, leaves, and bows on. The footballs and wildcats (school mascot) were made using melted candy coating. Just make sure to use oil-based candy colors if you decided to color the white candy. My son decorated the smiley face cupcakes, and he added a blue icing filling in keeping with the school colors theme.

Here's a better look... I made the primrose-looking flowers using a blossom cutter and Wilton's Flower Impression Mat Set.

I ended up with a few larger wildcats and some footballs left over, but they got put to good use because both of my kids decided decorate a cake for the bake sale. One went for a more 3-D effect, with the wildcat propped up by the football.

The other cake had footballs flanking the sides. They both wanted to use blue icing and have strawberry filling in between the layers.

I had a lot of fun with the melted candy. It's my new favorite technique, I think. I'm definitely going to need to play around with it a bit more to make sure. The Whimsical Bakehouse outlines the method really well. Don't worry locals, it will be back at the library in a few days.

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Next Day Flyers Giveaway

2011-09-26T12:54:00.002-05:00

Thank you so much to everyone who participated in this giveaway! The winner is Shannon from Peace Love & Poop, and she's going to put the postcards to very good use:

I am on the Committee to bring a Dream Park to my city and we need all the help with promotion we can get! This would be one less thing we need to spend money on!

Congratulations, Shannon, and good luck with your fundraising!

With summer officially over I'm looking forward to cooler temperatures, colorful leaves, and getting started with the seasonal baking. I seriously love this time of year because there are plenty of excuses to make yummy stuff. I have my standard recipes I always whip up, but I also like to throw in a few new ones to try. These are usually recipes I find in books or online that I scribble on sheets of scrap paper, and they often have a way of migrating to random places in my kitchen. I really should be more organized and have my recipes on cards or something.

I was thinking about this the other day when, low and behold, a representative from Next Day Flyers contacted me about hosting a giveaway for a set of 100 4x6 standard postcards. Now, postcard printing isn't something I know a great deal about, but these would be great for keeping track of recipes! Of course, you can also use them to send notes via snail mail, as postcards are cheaper to send than letters.

These are quality postcards, too. Made from thick 14 pt card stock, the front of the postcards will be printed in full color and the back will be in black and white. Winner can choose either a UV or matte coating. But here's the best bit! These postcards are customized with either a print-ready file that the winner can upload, or the winner can use the company's Online Design Center to create their card layout. The Online Design Center allows for uploading photos, adding text, and other design elements, and there are helpful video tutorials that show you how to use it on the NextDayFlyers YouTube channel. So many possibilities! If you're one to give out homemade baking mixes as gifts for the holidays, these cards would make ideal gift/recipe tags.

To enter the giveaway, first take a look at the NextDayFlyers.com website, and then let me know how you'd use the postcards if you win. I'm sure there are more creative ways to use postcards than the few I mentioned above. This is the mandatory entry and must be done in order for the bonus entries to count, but I've set up a handy Rafflecopter widget to make this as easy as possible.

Once you've completed the mandatory entry above, then feel free to do any or all of the bonus entries below.

Like the Next Day Flyers Facebook page.
Leave a comment on the Next Day Flyers Facebook page letting them know you're entering this giveaway.
Subscribe to the Next Day Flyers YouTube channel.
Follow @NextDayFlyers on Twitter.
Tweet about this giveaway, up to once per day: Enter to #win a set of 100 4x6 postcards from @NextDayFlyers in @cakedarla's #giveaway http://bit.ly/pbYyiw ends 10-10 (please leave a comment linking to the tweet).
Follow this blog via Google Friend Connect or Networked Blogs.
Like Darla's Cake Blog on Facebook.

Gluten-Free Cupcakes (with chocolate icing)

2011-09-20T08:30:00.041-05:00

I finally tried the Very Vanilla Cupcakes recipe in Elana Amsterdam's Gluten Free Almond Flour Cookbook. I've been wanting to make them ever since I got the book, but for one reason or another I just didn't get around to it. Probably because I usually end up making her chocolate chip cookies, which are exceedingly addictive and rarely last more than a few days around our house, if that long.
I get my almond flour from Honeyville. It's not cheap, so I've been waiting for them to have a sale or send out a coupon code, which they recently did. Today is the last day to take advantage of the coupon code, by the way! Enter PATRIOT at checkout for a 15% discount.

Once I had my new 5 pound bag of almond flour ordered and knew it was on its way, I decided to go ahead and use up the remnants of my current bag. Only, there was just over a cup left, and nearly all the recipes called for 2 cups or more. And I really wanted to make these cupcakes. So, reasoning that if the recipe made 10-12 cupcakes, I figured that half the recipe would make 5 or 6, which was a safer quantity for me to have on hand.

Halving the recipe wasn't the only change I made. I also subbed coconut oil for the grapeseed oil, and used maple syrup instead of agave nectar. I tend to always do that whenever I make one of her recipes. I'm not all that crazy about agave nectar, and I always have coconut oil on hand, whereas I rarely buy grapeseed oil. I didn't take pictures of the ingredients or recipe in process, and for that I apologize. But I do have photos of the finished product.

Very Vanilla Cupcakes, as I made them. For the original, full recipe, double the quantities and don't use the substitutions mentioned above.

1 large egg separated
1/8 cup/2 tablespoons coconut oil
1/4 cup maple syrup
1/2 tablespoon vanilla extract
1/2 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 1/4 cups blanched almond flour
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line the cavities of a standard muffin pan with paper baking cups.

Using an electric mixerwhisk the egg yolk until pale. This is easier said than done when using a counter top mixer because a single yolk really isn't enough for the beater to do anything with, so that's a lesson learned. Beat in the coconut oil, maple syrup, vanilla, and lemon juice.

In another, clean and totally grease-free mixer bowl, whisk the egg white until still peaks form. Gently fold the egg white into the yolk mixture.

Combine the almond flour, baking soda, and salt in yet another bowl--yes, that's three mixing bowls I dirtied for just 6 cupcakes. I must have REALLY wanted some cupcakes, because I hate washing dishes. Gently fold the dry ingredients into the egg mixture, and evenly divide the batter between the muffin cups. Bake for 20-30 minutes, until golden brown and a toothpick comes out clean. Allow to cool completely before icing. Oh, and the centers will sink. It says so in the book, so that's nothing I did wrong.

I made the chocolate frosting recipe also in Elana Amsterdam's book, as that's what she recommends icing these cupcakes with, and I'm a big fan of white cake with chocolate icing. Again, I made my usual substitutions, as well as used 60% cacao chocolate chips (her recipe calls for 73% cacao chocolate) since that was the darkest chocolate I had on hand.

Chocolate Frosting (I made the full recipe because I wanted leftovers)
1 cup dark chocolate chips
1/2 cup coconut oil
2 tablespoons maple syrup
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
pinch of salt

Melt the chocolate with the coconut oil until smooth, then stir in the maple syrup, vanilla, and salt. Allow the chocolate to chill in the freezer for 10-15 minutes (don't forget about it!) and then beat with an electric mixer for a couple of minutes until it thickens and starts to look like frosting.

I filled a disposable piping bag with it, snipped of the end, and used that to ice the cupcakes. I knew this icing would be really rich, and I'm not a fan of the mile-high frosting mound that's so popular on cupcakes now, so I opted for no piping tip over the large star #1M I typically use. This way I could ice the cupcakes with just enough frosting. Store any leftovers in the refrigerator, but know that the icing will set up and harden, so leave the cupcakes out for a few minutes at room temperature before serving.

Overall, these came out okay. Almond flour is going to give you a coarser crumb than all purpose or cake flour, so I was ready for that. They actually taste a lot like the cookies in cupcake form. Considering how similar the recipes are, I suppose that's to be expected. I'll fess up and admit that I didn't test the cupcakes for doneness with a toothpick. I just saw that they were a lovely golden color and assumed they were ready. I think they could've used another 5 minutes baking time, though, because they're so moist that they're a bit gooey. Next time I'm making the full recipe.

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Should've Done Sunday: Sofa Bear

2011-08-28T07:00:00.000-05:00

This was the very first novelty cake I made. Well, that's not exactly true, because I did a practice cake first. I don't think I took any photos of it, and really, it was nothing to look at anyway. I didn't even bother to color the fondant, so it resembled a poorly formed igloo more than a teddy bear sofa.

I made this cake years ago for some friends who were having a house warming party. I stole the idea from a special "Kids' Party Cakes" insert in a British cake decorating magazine, and it looked like something I thought I could do. Please forgive the odd edges on the photos. They were in a scrapbook of sorts before being scanned in. Yes, these pictures are that old.

Anyway, here's what I was going for. You can see that the cake in the magazine is much more polished, but I think I came pretty close. Click the thumbnails for a larger view.

This is such a cute idea and super fun cake to make. However, if I had it all to do over again, there are a few things I would do differently.

I should've trimmed the cake so that the couch corners are nicely rounded. The ones on my cake are too square.
I'm better at piping dots now, but I have too many on the teddy's sofa and most--if not all--have peaks.
I'm also better at ruffling fondant now, so the skirt around the bottom of my cake would look more like the one pictured in the magazine.
I made my teddy bear too dark. You can barely see his eyes and nose. I actually think the one in the magazine is a little too light to sit on such a yellow sofa, but I think an in-between brown would look better.
I would have drawn the seams on the couch. I don't know why I didn't do this. I maybe didn't have the right tool or just forgot, but I think that's an important detail to include.

The nice thing about a cake like this is that it's easy, and the colors could be changed to suit the occasion. Originally intended as a kids party cake, mine was for a housewarming, and I think it would be a cute baby shower cake. The couch could even become a moses basket or a bassinet. If you have any thoughts as to how else this cake could be used or improved, please leave a comment letting me know.

Churros (not gluten free)

2011-08-22T08:35:00.001-05:00

Several years ago, back before I went gluten free, we vacationed in California and had out first taste of the mighty pastry known as churros. For anyone not familiar, these are fried dough sticks sprinkled with cinnamon sugar, and sometimes served with chocolate sauce.

Available at nearly every concession stand we walked past at various attractions during that vacation, churros weren't so easy to find back home. Not long after that trip, we decided to try and make our own, with the help of a recipe printed out from the Food Network website. By the way, I know that particular recipe has some horrible reviews, but it seems to do well enough for us. If anyone has a better recipe, please share it in the comments.

We've since made churros a few times over the years, most recently being this past weekend. They came out really well, and it's a process that gets easier each time. We don't ever bother with the chocolate dipping sauce, but that recipe is also on the Food Network website.

Churros
Vegetable oil, for frying
1 cup water
4 ounces butter
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup all purpose flour
3 eggs
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

I went ahead and put the cinnamon in with the sugar since it all gets mixed together anyway. Oh, and I accidentally bought extra large eggs the last time I went grocery shopping, so that's what we used. Nobody complained, so I'm assuming it didn't make a noticeable difference. You'll want to go ahead and let the oil start heating up while you make the dough. Pour about 1 1/2 inches of oil into a deep pan and use a thermometer so you can keep the temperature at 360 degrees.

Put the water, butter, and salt into a saucepan and bring to a rolling boil. Add the flour and stir vigorously for 1 minute over low heat, until the mixture forms a ball. Remove from heat. Beat the eggs well and then slowly add them to the butter and flour mixture while continuing to stir.

Set up a piping bag (or 2) with a large star tip. We used tip #1B, which is a very large drop flower. Fill the bags--no more than 2/3 full--with the churro dough and squeeze long strips of dough into the hot oil.

Fry for a couple of minutes on each side until the churros are golden brown. To help keep the oil at a consistent temperature, I don't recommend frying more than 2-3 at a time. Once cooked, remove the churros from the oil and place them on a cooling rack that's over paper towels. This allows the churros to cool as well as drains off any excess oil.

Mix the cinnamon and sugar together until thoroughly combined, then place on a plate. Once the churros are cool enough to comfortably handle, dredge them in the cinnamon sugar or sprinkle it on top.

Place them back on the wire rack to finish cooling, or serve them up on a plate and watch them disappear.

Now I just need to find a good gluten-free churro recipe so I can enjoy them. Any and all recommendations are welcome.

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Housekeeping, Videos, and Back to School

2011-08-15T08:30:00.014-05:00

I honestly meant to post a "Should've Done Sunday" yesterday, but I found myself vacuuming the house instead. There was also a bit of laundry that needed doing, and some other random chores that I couldn't put off any longer. But at least the weather was gorgeous, and it was slightly ~~cooler~~ less sweltering yesterday with a nice breeze, so I even managed to open a window or two and let the house air out a bit. I'm ready for autumn.

I also added three new videos over the weekend. Have you noticed the recently added "Videos" page? The link is up top there under the header. These are short clips demonstrating basic cake decorating techniques. Not long ago, I upgraded my iPhone, and that's what I've been using to film these videos. Hopefully they will improve over time as I get more adept at the filming and editing process. Please let me know what you think, and I'm totally open to suggestions for future videos, so tell me what you'd like to learn how to do. They are also posted on my YouTube channel, if for some reason they aren't working here.

I need recipe ideas for future blog posts. Now that school has started, I like to think I'll have more time in the kitchen. Delusional, I know. But still, I'm open to suggestions for after school snacks and other kid-friendly goodies that I can try to recreate in a healthier and/or gluten free redux.

Oh, and since the kids are back to school, perhaps now would be a good time to explore a new interest or spend more time pursuing an existing hobby, such as cake decorating. I have my "Enjoy Cake Decorating" classes scheduled on Thursday and Saturday mornings at the Rec Center, and the following Wilton classes at Hobby Lobby in September: Gum Paste and Fondant on Thursday evenings and Decorating Basics on Saturday afternoons. The cool thing about the Hobby Lobby classes is that students who take a Wilton class at Hobby Lobby in September will receive a $10 "Thank You" coupon from Wilton, which includes a $7 shipping allowance. That's a great deal because normally Wilton shipping charges are extortionate. Plus, this means you can pick an item from the Yearbook for $10 or less and it's free. More information on the above classes is posted on my Upcoming Class Schedule page.

One last thing... there's only one more day left to enter the UPrinting poster giveaway. The prize is a custom 18"x24" poster. Entries are still low, so you have a good chance of winning!