Soap Mom's Kitchen

Valentine's Day Cookies

2012-01-25T20:35:00.003-05:00

My daughter and I are making Valentine's Day Cookies for gift giving. We are using our favorite Sugar Cookie recipe and Marshmallow Fondant to cover them. We painted the stripes with almond extract and food coloring. The pearls are made with royal icing and different shades of pearl dust. The heart is made out of fondant. These cookies are great to make in an advance.

Sugar Cookies Recipe:
Make 10-12 large cookies
( Depends on thickness and size of cutter)
1 cup unsalted butter
1 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 tsp. almond extract
3 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp. baking powder
pinch salt

Pre-heat oven to 350 degees. In a mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar until fluffy and creamy. Add egg and continue to beat until lighter in color. Sift flour, pinch salt and baking powder into a bowl. Add extracts into butter mixture, mix well. Slowly add flour mixture and mix well. Wrap dough in clear wrap and refrigerate for 1/2 hour. Roll out dough onto a floured surface and cut into shapes, about 1/8 inch thick. You can go thicker if you like, but adjust cooking time. Bake on parchment or silpat for about 8 - 10 minutes until lightly golden.

Decorate as follows: Brush each cookie with apricot glaze. Make fondant and roll out. Cut using the same cutter as the cookie dough. Place fondant on to cookie. The glaze will help the fondant to stick to the cookie. Decorate as desire. Special note: if you are adding layers of fondant or adding a heart like I did ,you must attach with thinned out royal icing. The pearls are made with stiff to medium consistency of royal icing.

Marshmallow Fondant:
Ingredients:
1/4 cup butter
1 (16 ounce) package miniature marshmallows
4 tablespoons water
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 pounds confectioners' sugar, divided

Directions
Place the butter in a shallow bowl, and set aside.

Place the marshmallows in a large microwave-safe bowl, and microwave on High for 30 seconds to 1 minute to start melting the marshmallows. Carefully stir the water and vanilla extract into the hot marshmallows, and stir until the mixture is smooth. Slowly beat in the confectioners' sugar, a cup at a time, until you have a sticky dough. Reserve 1 cup of powdered sugar for kneading. The dough will be very stiff.

Rub your hands thoroughly with butter, and begin kneading the sticky dough. As you knead, the dough will become workable and pliable. Turn the dough out onto a working surface dusted with confectioners' sugar and continue kneading until the fondant is smooth and no longer sticky to the touch, 5 to 10 minutes.

Form the fondant into a ball, wrap it tightly in plastic wrap, and refrigerate overnight. To use, allow the fondant to come to room temperature, and roll it out onto a flat surface dusted with confectioners' sugar.

Apricot Glaze
1 jar of apricot preserves

Blend in blender to smooth out. Heat to thin out glaze. Use a pastry brush to brush each cookie with glaze.

Royal Icing Recipe:
3 tablespoons meringue powder
4 cups sifted confectioners' sugar
6 tablespoons water

Directions:
Beat all ingredients at low speed for 7 to 10 minutes, or until icing forms peaks. Tip: Keep icing covered with a wet kitchen towel at all times. Icing can dry out quickly.
Wrap in cellophane bag with ribbon. Add a card for a personal touch.

Sweet 16 Birthday Cake

2012-01-21T23:53:00.001-05:00

I made this "Sweet 16 Cake". It was covered in lollipops, sixteen white chocolate candles and a pulled sugar swirl coming out from the top. I love making Sweet 16 cakes covered in lollipops. The name plate was made out of chocolate. On the top tier there are leopard prints made out of chocolate. My niece loves animal prints. I actually made two cakes for my niece because she had 2 parties. One for friends and the other for family. I will be posting the pic of the second cake soon. This cake was a red velvet from my red velvet cupcake recipe and French Custard Buttercream Frosting. I love making really bright colored birthday cakes. Sweet 16 Birthday Cakes should be all about fun and the cake should be youthful and happy!

The chocolate candles are always a hit!

The kids love the homemade lollipops.

Ekmek (Greek Pastry)

2012-01-19T16:00:00.004-05:00

This is one of my favorite Greek Desserts. I know this desserts is also made in Turkey, but it is very different from the Greek version. This has a bottom layer of shredded phyllo dough, called Kataifi you can find in specialty Greek shops or Supermarkets. It is soaked in syrup, layered with a lucious pastry cream and whipped cream on top. You can add almonds are pastichios on top. It is very elegant and would make a lovely dessert for an elegant dinner party. I have been making this for years and I haven't met anyone who did not love it.

Recipe: Preheat oven to 375 degrees

For the Pastry Base:

(use a 11x15 baking pan with at least 2 inch sides)

1lb. Kataifi pastry
1/2 cup melted unsalted butter, plus a pat more for buttering the pan

This pic is from a previous one I made using a pyrex pan.

I do not recommend using glass. I highly recommend using an aluminum

11x15x2 rectangle pan.

For the Syrup:
3 cup sugar
1 1/2 cup water
2 tsp. fresh lemon juice

For the Custard:
7 egg yolks
5cups whole milk
1 cup heavy cream
1 1/2 cups sugar
7 tablespoons fine semolina
4 tablespoons corn starch
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 vanilla bean whole (remove seeds)

Whip Topping:
3 cups heavy Whipping Cream
1/2 cup confectionser's sugar

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Butter a large rectangular baking pan (about 11×15x2 inches), making sure it is deep enough to fit the layers of pastry, custard and whipped cream. To begin making the base, take the strands of Kataifi and pull them apart while layering them in the bottom of the buttered pan no need to press down on the Kataifi strands as they are better left light and fluffy. Brush the Kataifi strands with the melted butter then place the pan in the oven. Toast the Kataifi strands until light golden brown, you do not want the Kataifi too dark. (about 20 minutes).

Begin making the syrup by boiling the sugar with the water in a small sauce pan for about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the lemon juice, then pour the hot syrup over the toasted pastry base.

To make the custard, add the sugar and the egg yolks in a medium saucepan and whisk until combined. Alternating as you go, slowly begin adding the semolina, milk and corn starch whisking until well incorporated. Add vanilla bean seeds and pod. Move the saucepan to a burner and set it over medium heat. Cook the mixture stirring constantly and being careful not to scorch it. Once the custard thickens, remove the saucepan from the heat. Remove vanilla pod. Cool slightly, then pour the custard over the Kataifi base. Let cool for 10 minutes and cover with clear wrap so the custard does not form a skin. Refrigerate until completely cool. About 4 to 5 hours. After it is completely cooled, add the fresh whipped cream topping. (At this point you can refrigerate overnight if you prefer)

Whip Topping: Combine 3 cups heavy cream and 1/2 cup confectioner's sugar in the bowl of a standmixer, using the whisk attachment and beat the cream to stiff peaks. Spoon the whipped cream over the custard layer and carefully spread it to each corner of the pan. Sprinkle with sliced almonds or pistachios. Carefully cut the Ekmek Kataifi into square servings.

Rainbow Cookies

2012-01-01T10:08:00.003-05:00

The Holidays would not be the same if these wonderful cookies are not invited. This is definitely my number one requested cookie by my family and friends for the holidays. This recipe is finally on my blog for all my nieces and friends to make and enjoy throughout the years.

I must tell you this is a time consuming cookie to make and does require some experience in baking to make them without a hitch. There are a few steps involved and I would considered this an advance cookie to make. Once you master it and are comfortable, I think you will be making it all the time. They are wonderful. Keep them in a sealed container and they will stay fresh for about a week. They also make a wonderful gift.

Special Note: If trying this cookie for the first time you can leave out the almond paste. It takes a little practice to make this cookie. I recommend not using almond paste, because it can be pricey until you are comfortable with this cookie. The almond paste does add another dimension of flavor and I highly recommend using it. Also, you can subsitute apricot jam or do one layer apricot and one layer raspberry.

This recipe is scaled down from a professional baker's recipe. This recipe requires a kitchen scale.

Recipe:

3 silpat lined halfsize sheet pans (Must use silpat this is crucial no parchment)

Food coloring: green, red and yellow

1 Large jar of Raspberry seedless jam

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

1 pound unsalted butter, softened

1 pound sugar

8 ounces almond paste, not marzipan

(if not using almond paste add 2 teaspoons of almond extract)

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 pound eggs

1 pound cake flour

Add almond paste to mixer and beat until smooth and creamy. Add butter and sugar beat until light and fluffy. Add eggs slowly to incorporate, mix well. Add cake flour slowly and beat until very well incorporated. Divide batter into 3 separate bowls in equal amounts. Add food coloring of different colors to each one. The traditional colors are red, green and yellow. Add enough food coloring to achieve desired color hue. Pour each color onto a sheet pan lined with a silpat (Must use silpat). Level out with an offset spatula and tap on counter to level out. Bake each cake for about 8 to 12 minutes. When you touch the top with your finger it should be slightly moist and make a slight dent. You do not want to over bake and get a dry cake that would be hard to handle. This part is tricky and crucial to success. BECAREFUL.

One of the cake layers leveled and ready for oven.

First layered flipped on to foil sheet on top of a large

cutting board and covered with jam.

When cakes have cooled lift one cake that is on silpat and place on a large cutting board covered in parchment or foil slightly bigger than the cake itself for easy lifting to fridge. Peel off the silpat. Take your jar of seedless raspberry preserve and pour into a bowl. Smooth out with a wooden spoon. Place a thin layer of jam on the first layer and level off with a offset spatula. Lift another cake layer while holding on to the silpat and gently place cake side down on jam layer. Pull off silpat and add another layer of jam. Add the remaining cake layer on top.

Add second cake layer, place jam on top, add third layer and place chocolate on top.

Adding melted chocolate on third layer. Smooth out with offset spatula.

Use metal pastry comb and make zigzag design while chocolate is still warm.

Ready for the first chocolate layer to go into the fridge to harden. Cake must be on a
sturdy board to place into fridge.

Both sides of the cookie are covered in chocolate and harden. Trim off edges and slice cookie rectangles.

Over a double boiler on very gentle heat melt 2 large bags of chocolate chips, until smooth. Becareful not to overheat the chocolate or let steam from the double boiler get into chocolate. Your chocolate will seize and you will have to throw it out. Smooth a thin layer like picture, and use a metal pastry comb to make traditional zigzag design. Place in fridge to harden up. When it is completely hard about 1 hour. Flip cakes over and do the other side with chocolate and comb. Place in fridge for another hour. When it is completely firm, trim sides and keep for a snack and cut your little rectangles. Keep in a tight sealed container to stay moist and fresh.

Blackberry Jam Oyster Cakes

2011-12-10T15:27:00.000-05:00

These little Jems are delicious. They have a pie crust on the bottom and a lovely cake on top. You carve out the cake top with a knife, spoon a little jam and pipe a little buttercream. Put the cake top back on and the filling peeks out. Sift powder sugar on top. They are really cute and would make a lovely tea cake for friends. You can fill these little cakes with pastry cream, jams and whipped ganache. You can use your imagination. They remind me of a Victorian Sponge Cake. Which is a traditional English cake. It is Sponge cake layered in between with jam, cream and a sifting of powder sugar on top.

I think these are bite size and elegant.

Ready for the oven.

Recipe: Preheat oven to 375 degrees

regular size muffin tin; spray with pan release (PAM)

Pie Crust

3 cups flour

1 cup shortening

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 large egg, beaten

5 T. cold water

1 teaspoon white vinegar

Directions
1. Cut together flour, shortening and salt until it resembles small peas.
2. Combine the egg, water and vinegar and gradually ad to flour mixture.
3. Stir just until moistened and a soft dough forms.
4. Divide into 2 disk.
5. Wrap and refrigerate until ready to use.

Cake:
1/4 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1/4 cup sugar
2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 extra large egg, room temperature
1/4 cup water
2 teaspoons almond extract

Directions:
Beat the fat and sugar until creamy and lighter in color. Add egg and extract and continue to beat. Slowly add water and beat. Sift flour, baking soda and salt. Add to cream mixture. If you need an extra tablespoon of water you can add to slightly thin out batter. It should be the consistency of pudding after beating.

Assembly:
Roll out pie crust and use a 3 inch cooking cutter. Place cut pie crust into grease muffin tin. You should fill 16 muffin tins. You will have left over pie crust. Wrap up and freeze, use for another recipe. Spoon batter into muffin tins. You should be able to fill all 16 muffin tins, evenly.

Bake for 20 minutes. Place on a cooling rack. When cool cut out cake part with a paring knife. spoon your favorite jam and pipe a dollop of buttercream. Place top back on and sift powder sugar on top.

Cut around the edge with a paring knife to remove top of cake.

Butter Cream:
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter or margarine softened
1 teaspoon clear almond extract
2 cups sifted confectioners' sugar

1 tablespoons cream

In large bowl, cream butter with electric mixer. Add vanilla. Gradually add sugar, one cup at a time, beating well on medium speed. Scrape sides and bottom of bowl often. When all sugar has been mixed in, icing will appear dry. Add milk and beat at medium speed until light and fluffy. Keep bowl covered with a damp cloth until ready to use.

Old Fashion Buttermilk Donuts

2011-12-03T22:40:00.000-05:00

I love donuts and a friend of mine gave me this recipe to try. She received it from a friend's friend. So this donut recipe has been passed around. It is delicious. It does take a little practice getting it just right. As you can see, some of my donuts were a little over done. However, I will be making this recipe again and hopefully my frying skills will improve.

Glazed and waiting to dry!

They do look gorgeous!

Removed from the fryer.

Some were a little darker than I would have liked. Becareful not to over do it.

I think this takes some practice frying to perfection.

Recipe:
Unknown source (written from recipe I received)
Recommended cake batter temperature 74-76°F
Large pot for frying

INGREDIENTS:
3 eggs, room temperature
1 ⅓ cups sugar
½ cup vegetable oil or shortening (pre-melted)
1 1/2 tbsp vanilla
1 tbsp. salt
4 ½ -5 cups all purpose or soft flour
5 tsp baking powder
½ tsp baking soda
¾ cup buttermilk

In a mixing bowl with paddle, incorporate eggs with sugar on medium speed until creamy and thick. Add in oil and vanilla and mix for 30-45 seconds. Incorporate dry ingredients alternately adding buttermilk to desired thickness and mix for about two minutes on medium speed. Allow batter to rest 10 minutes prior to
rolling.

Note: Don't worry if your batter looks too thick, you can add water. Avoid a thin mix and adding flour.

Roll until it's 1/2" on bakers table or board. Cut with donut or biscuit cutter. Fry at 365F° in large pan or mini-fryer. Be very cautious when frying!! Yields 24 donuts.

A few more tips that were on the original recipe ( I might try a few on my next batch):
(1)You can use this recipe to make donut holes. Just let the dough sit for a little bit longer after adding in the baking powder allowing it to "activate."

(2)If you notice that after you fry your donuts that they brown or blacken, use less sugar next time.

(3)If the donuts turn out too greasy, they absorbed too much oil from the fryer.

An easy fix: next time, reduce shortening to said donut recipe and make sure oil is 370F.

Cranberry Bliss Bars

2011-11-29T09:14:00.003-05:00

I must admit that I probably visit Starbucks more than I care to tell. I am addicted. Every Christmas they bring out the Cranberry Bliss Bars. I found this copycat recipe of their famous Cranberry Bliss Bars. I found the recipe at: Top Secret Recipes. They taste like a fruit cake but better. They are very sweet, so I think I would cut back on the sugar, Maybe to 3/4 of a cup. I also think I would use white sugar because the cake part was a little to dark and the Starbucks Bliss Bars are lighter. I did add extra crystallized ginger on top of the frosting. I can't get enough of that ginger. I think it is a very festive bar for the holidays, but like I said I would cut back on the sugar. It was a little to sweet for my taste.

Cake

3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) butter, softened

1 1/4 cups packed light brown sugar (I would cut back and use white sugar)
3 eggs
2 tablespoons minced crystallized ginger
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 cup chopped sweetened dried cranberries
4 ounces white chocolate, cut into chunks

Frosting
4-ounces cream cheese, softened

3 cups powdered sugar

4 teaspoons lemon juice (This adds a lot of flavor) YUM

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/4 cup chopped sweetened dried cranberries

Drizzled Icing

1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 tablespoon milk

2 teaspoons vegetable shortening

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

2. Make cake by beating the butter and brown sugar together with an electric mixer until smooth. Add the eggs, ginger, vanilla, and salt and beat well. Gradually mix in the flour and baking powder until smooth. Mix the chopped dried cranberries and white chocolate chunks into the batter by hand. Pour the batter into a buttered 9 x 13-inch baking pan. Use a spatula to spread the batter evenly across the pan. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until the cake is lightly browned on top. Allow the cake to cool.

3. Make the frosting by combining the softened cream cheese, powdered sugar, lemon juice, and vanilla in a medium bowl with an electric mixer until smooth. When the cake has cooled, use a spatula to spread the frosting over the top of the cake.

4. Sprinkle 1/4 cup of chopped dried cranberries over the frosting on the cake.

5. Make the drizzled icing by whisking together powdered sugar, milk, and shortening. Drizzle this icing over the cranberries in a sweeping motion with a squirt bottle or fill a small plastic storage bag with the icing and cut off the tip of one corner.

6. Cover the cake and let it chill out in the fridge for a couple hours, then slice the cake lengthwise (the long way) through the middle. Slice the cake across the width three times, making a total of eight rectangular slices. Slice each of those rectangles diagonally creating 16 triangular slices.

Makes 16 bars.

Creamy Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars

2011-11-18T12:10:00.000-05:00

Creamy Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars

Crust:
2 cups graham cracker crumbs
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup melted butter
Preheat oven to 325*

In a small bowl, combine crackers and sugar, then stir in butter.
Press into the bottom of a 9x13 pan, coated with cooking spray.
Cover and refrigerate for at least 15 minutes.

Filling:
3 8oz packages of cream cheese, softened
1 1/4 cup sugar
1 15 oz can pumpkin
2 1/2 tbsp flour
3/4 tsp pumpkin pie spice
3/4 tsp vanilla extract
2 eggs, lightly beaten

In a large bowl, beat cream cheese and sugar until smooth, do not over beat. You do not want to incorporate to much air into the batter. It should be dense. I use my food processor, it works great.
Add in pumpkin, flour, spice and vanilla. Add eggs and beat on low just until combined.

Pour over crust.
Bake for 45 minutes, or until center is almost set. It should not wiggle a lot when you shake it.
Cool on wire rack for 1 hour.
Refrigerate for 4 hours or over night. The longer it chills the better it will be.

The Ultimate Heavenly Cream Puff

2011-11-16T15:30:00.000-05:00

The Angels are Singing!

I have to admit, I think this is my favorite sweet treat. They are not overly sweet, they are light, and quite frankly, heavenly. The only problem is, I can't just eat one. Making these from scratch is so well worth it, and not that hard or time consuming. It truly is very easy and not expensive. They taste so much better than the frozen ones from the supermarket. I am hooked!!

Why is this the ultimate? First off, they are super easy to make. The Bavarian Cream uses a pudding mix to start, and added whip cream to give it a light and heavenly texture. A topping of chocolate Ganache for good measure and I actually think this is better than a cupcake. Maybe this should be the next bake shop fad. If your planning a fancy dinner, I highly recommend wowing your guest with homemade Cream Puffs. For some holiday fun, crush some red and white peppermint candies and sprinkle on top or how about some
home-made caramel sauce for a topping. Yummo!

Slice in Half to make sure they are dry in the middle and Cool

Spoon or Pipe the Bavarian Cream and dip the top part of the

Cream Puff in the Chocolate Ganache.

Recipe:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees

Use a cookie sheet/ungreased

Makes 12 medium cream puffs

Bavarian Cream Filling

1 (3.5 ounce) packages instant vanilla pudding mix

1 cups heavy cream (Do not use premade Whip topping, YUCK!)
3/4 cup whole milk

Mix first three ingredients and whip with a hand held balloon whip until very thick. Put into fridge

2 cups heavy whipping cream
1/3 cup powder sugar (heaping cup)

Whip on high on your counter top mixer until thick.
Fold the whip cream into pudding custard. Gently fold and put into fridge.

Cream Puff Batter
1/2 cup butter
1 cup water
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 T. sugar
1 cup all-purpose flour
4 eggs

Directions
1.Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C).

2.In a large pot, bring water, butter, sugar and salt to a rolling boil. Stir in flour until the mixture forms a ball. Transfer the dough to a large mixing bowl. Using a wooden spoon or stand mixer, beat in the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each. Drop by tablespoonfuls (the size of a large golf ball) onto an ungreased baking sheet or use a large pastry bag with a large round tip.

3.Bake for 25 to 30 minutes in the preheated oven, until golden brown. Centers should be dry. At around 20 minutes of baking, you can take a wooden skewer and punch a hole in the sides to let the moisture out.

4.When the shells are cool, either split and fill them with the pudding mixture, or use a pastry bag to pipe the pudding into the shells. Dip the tops into Chocolate Ganache or just sprinkle with powder sugar.

Basic Chocolate Ganache
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
6 oz. semi sweet chocolate chips

Heat heavy whipping cream to a low simmer in a heavy bottom pot. Becareful not to scorch the cream. Remove from heat add the chocolate chips and stir until melted and smooth.

Engagement Cake

2011-11-15T07:49:00.004-05:00

It was still daylight when this picture was taken

and you have a view of Manhattan Skyline and the Williamsburg Bridge.

I was setting up the cake table before the guests arrived.

It was my niece's engagement party and I made the engagement cake. She prefers buttercream cakes and her taste is very simple and understated. She wanted a three tier Snickerdoodle Cake with Off White French Buttercream Frosting. The filling was a Cinnamon Bavarian Cream. The entire cake is covered with Buttercream Rosettes and Sparkle Shimmer Dust. When the candle light shined on the cake, it just shimmered. They both were very pleased with the cake, and I got rave reviews on the taste.

Her fiance's Aunt bought them the Crystal Heart Cake Topper. It was at a gorgeous venue in Brooklyn, New York overlooking the Williamsburg Bridge and the Manhattan Skyline. It was romantic and perfect for such a beautiful and wonderful couple.

Congratulations, Eleftheria and Anthony.

Evening Picture.

Molasses Ginger Cookies (Best Ever)

2011-11-11T11:18:00.004-05:00

My jar filled with Vodka, fresh Ginger, Cinnamon Sticks, Anise Star,

Whole Cloves and Nutmeg.

In my opinion, these are the best Molasses Cookies I have ever eaten. This cookie is a real keeper. I promise you will not be disappointed. I make my own brew of Ginger Extract. Make this 2 weeks prior to baking these cookies. It makes a difference and is well worth it. If you start now, you will have it ready by Holiday Baking time. Your friends will be singing your praises. Great for gifts. Once the icing is competely dry, put cookies into cellophane bags stacked on top of each other, tie a festive ribbon and you have a wonderful gift.

Molasses Ginger Cookies
Preheat oven to 350

3/4 cup canola oil
1/4 cup molasses
1 cup sugar
1 extra large egg room temperature (must be extra large)
1 1/2 tsp. of Ginger extract *See Recipe below
2 cups flour plus 3 T. flour
1 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
3 T. of chopped up crystalized Ginger

1. Combine all dry ingredients, except sugar. Set aside.
2. Combine oil, molasses, sugar, and egg in bowl of a stand mixer. Paddle on medium speed until smooth. Be careful not to incorporate too much air. Mix 15-20 seconds.
3. Add dry ingredients and mix until well-combined, about 20 seconds. Add chopped crystalized ginger and mix well.
4. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Using a small ice cream scoop with a spring release, place formed dough on to cookie sheet lined with silpat or parchment, 1/2 inch apart. Press down with palm of hand to flatten slightly.
5. Bake for exactly 13 minutes and no more. Cookies will look slightly under done. That is exactly what we want.

Let cool on pan for 3 to 4 minutes. Use spatula and place on cookie sheet to cool completely. Make icing and drizzle on top of cooled cookies with spoon. Let icing dry before storing.

Icing:
1 1/2 cups powder sugar.
2 T. ginger extract and enough water about another to 2T. water to make a drizzle icing. Can add more extract and leave out the water. Do it to your liking. I like my with full extract!

Mix very well to get the right consistency for drizzling.

Ginger Extract:

Add a handful of fresh ginger chunks to a jar
2 to 3 cinnamon sticks
3 to 5 anise stars
5 cloves
2 whole nutmegs (cracked to release flavor)
Let sit in fridge for at least 2 weeks. This will last forever as long as you keep filling jar with vodka. Everything must be covered with vodka.

Vanilla Bean Glazed Cream Scones

2011-11-03T12:19:00.004-04:00

Look at all those Vanilla Bean Seeds! YUM!

I happen to think the recipe from America's Test Kitchen for Cream Scones is the best. The crumb and texture are divine! They melt in your mouth. I took it a step further and added the seeds of one whole vanilla bean to the dough and made a heavy cream, vanilla bean seed glaze that makes you scream for joy! The dough and glaze are loaded with vanilla bean flavor and you can see all those yummy seeds. It is just incredible. Make this for your friends and they will be singing your praises. This is not a low-cal friendly recipe, but worth the indulgence every once in awhile.

Adapted from America's Test Kitchen
Ingredients:
Do not subsitute half and half or light cream for heavy cream.
Use the real deal in this recipe.

2 cups (10 ounces) unbleached all-purpose flour, preferably a low-protein brand such as Gold Medal or Pillsbury

1 tablespoon baking powder
3 tablespoons sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

5 tablespoons chilled, unsalted butter, cut into 1/4-inch cubes

1 cup heavy cream

1 Vanilla Bean (scrap out seeds with back of knife)

*Great source for Vanilla beans http://topvanilla.com/

Directions

1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 425°F.

2. Place flour, baking powder, sugar and salt in large bowl or work bowl of food processor fitted with steel blade. Whisk together or pulse six times.

3. Using food processor, remove cover and distribute butter evenly over dry ingredients. Cover and pulse 12 times, each pulse lasting 1 second. Transfer dough to large bowl.

4. Mix vanilla bean seed into heavy cream and add to flour mixture. Bring together with a large spoon. Do not over do it or you will have a tough dough.

5. Transfer dough and all dry, floury bits to countertop and knead dough by hand just until it comes together into a rough, sticky ball, 5 to 10 seconds. Form scones into a disc and cut with a sharp knife or dough scraper into 8 pieces.

6. Place wedges on ungreased baking sheet and bake until scone tops are light brown, 12 to 15 minutes. Cool on wire rack for at least 10 minutes. Spoon on glaze. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Number of Servings: 8

Ever so gently bring the dough together with a spoon.

Form into a flat disc and slice into 8 pieces.

Vanilla Bean Glazed

1/2 cup of heavy cream

1 whole vanilla bean( scrap out the seeds with back of knife)

10 rounded T. of powder sugar

Put cream in cup add vanilla seeds and powder sugar and mix with spoon into creamy and well incorporated.

Melomakarona (Greek Honey Cookies)

2011-11-02T21:26:00.002-04:00

Prepped for party platters

I have included my baklava shortbreads and kourambiethe butter cookies.

Recipes are on my blog.

Wrapped up in cellophane, ribbon and flowers for each table

This is a traditional Greek Cookie. I had my neice's engagement party this past Saturday and I made trays of Greek cookies. As you probably guessed, I am of Greek heritage. I am putting this recipe up because my whole family and friends adore this recipe. After I am long gone, they will be here for them and future generations to prepare and pass down. I am slowly putting all my greek recipes in my blog. This is the real deal, so if you ever had one of these cookies, I think this recipe is perfection! It is time consuming, but well worth it.

Recipe: preheat oven to 350 degrees

I use half size sheet pans with silpats

1 pound unsalted butter

1 cup vegetable oil

1 cup granulated sugar

3 eggs

1/3 cup orange juice

1 T. grated orange rind

1 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon ground clove

7 1/2 cups flour (may have to add an extra 1/4 cup if dough is to soft)

1 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. baking soda

Topping:

1/2 ground walnuts

1/4 cup sugar

1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon

pinch of ground clove

Melt butter, than add oil. Cool. Beat with electric mixer about 5 minutes until well blended. Add sugar and continue beating. Add eggs, orange juice, cinnamon and clove. Sift together flour, baking powder and baking soda. Mix into batter. Shape into oblong cookies, 3 inches long 3/4 inch wide. Bake on ungreased cookie sheet in 350 degree oven for about 25 minutes, just until golden brown. Cool completely. Dip cookies in hot simmering syrup for about 8 to 10 seconds put on wax paper and sprinkle with topping. Let cookie sit out for one hour for syrup to dry. Then you can store away. Be sure cookie is cold and syrup is hot, or the cookie will crumble. Makes about 80 cookies.

Syrup:

2 cups granulated sugar

1 cup water

1 cup honey 1 stick cinnamon

Juice of 1/2 lemon

and rind of 1 lemon

In a large saucepan gently boil on low steady heat for about 10 minutes. Keep a close eye on this. It can boil over. It should be a gentle rolling boil. After 10 minutes it will be thicker. Must be hot to dip cold cookies.

The family got together and we ordered flowers in bulk from Costco and made the flower arrangements for the tables. They were just beautiful. The roses were yellow and orange, just perfect for the fall. The vases were glass and were the prettiest dark lime/green. I have to say doing it yourself saves you a lot of money. We had a great time. The affair was in Brooklyn, New York at wonderful place called Giando on the Water. We had a spectacular view of the Williamsburg Bridge and the Manhattan skyline at night. It was very romantic and perfect for an engagement party! I also made a 3 tier cake and will be posting about that soon.

Chocolate Stout Cake with Bailey's Irish Cream Frosting

2011-10-16T00:16:00.002-04:00

I was thrilled when Colleen posted her beer cake for the October Challenge on Have the Cake. I actually had found this recipe on a blog called, Closet Cooking that I love and had copied it down in the hopes of trying it out one day. The stout beer sounded so intriguing! Well, here it is and I must say that the beer does add a little something different. I really think the Irish Cream Frosting really compliments this cake very well. I would definitely recommend this cake with a traditional Irish meal.

Chocolate Stout Cake (as posted on Closet Cooking)

(makes 1 cake, 6+ servings)

Ingredients:
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
1 cup stout (such as Guinness)
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 cups all purpose flour
2 cups sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
2/3 cup sour cream

Directions:
1. Melt the butter in a sauce pan, remove from heat and let cool a bit.
2. Mix in the stout and cocoa powder.
3. Mix the flour, sugar, baking soda and salt in a large bowl.
4. Mix the eggs and sour cream in another large bowl.
5. Mix the stout mixture into the egg mixture.
6. Mix the dry ingredients into the wet.
7. Pour the batter into one or two greased and parchment lined circular cake pan(s).
8. Bake in a preheated 350F oven until a toothpick pushed into the center comes out clean. If you bake it in a single pan then it should take about 40-50 minutes. If you bake it in two cake pans then it should take about 20-30 minutes. I baked my cake in a 8" pan and it took 1 hour and 10 minutes.

Bailey's Cream Cheese Frosting
Ingredients:
4 ounces cream cheese (room temperature)
1 cup confectioners sugar
3 tablespoons of Bailey’s Irish cream

Directions:
1. Cream the cream cheese.
2. Slowly mix in the confectioners sugar.
3. Slowly mix in the Irish cream.

Fudgy Brownie Cookies

2011-10-07T11:37:00.001-04:00

Love these Cookies!!!!

If you love Brownies as much as I do, then you will love these cookies. Their moist, cake-like and gooey at the same time. They are very portable and great for the lunch box for a little extra treat.

Great with a cold glass of whole milk.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Cookie sheet lined with silpat

Spring loaded ice cream scoop

Ingredients:

2 sticks Margarine (not butter) I use Blue Bonnet

3/4 cups brown sugar

3/4 cup granulated sugar

1 extra large egg (room temperature)

1 tsp. vanilla extract

2 cups all purpose flour

1/2 cup Hershey's Cocoa Powder

1 tsp. baking soda

1 1/2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

(do not add salt if you are using salted margarine)

if using unsalted margarine add 1/2 tsp. salt

Cream in stand mixer, margarine, brown sugar and sugar until light and fluffy, add 1 egg. Continue to beat until very well incorporated. Add vanilla. Sift all dry ingredients together in a bowl. Add slowly to cream mixture and beat until well mixed. Add chips and mix. Let dough sit for 30 minutes.

Using a spring loaded ice cream scoop with a 1/4 cup capacity, put 6 rounded mounds on a cookie sheet with equal distance apart. Bake for about 12 to 14 minutes. If making smaller cookies adjust time accordingly. Remove from cookie sheet gently and cool on cooling rack.

Note: I find that margarine works best in this recipe. It makes a moist and not a greasy cookie. I highly recommend margarine.

Chocolate Chunk Kugelhopf Cake

2011-09-25T19:20:00.005-04:00

I just bought my first Kugelhopf pan and I am in love. I always wanted one and decided to splurge. I am so glad I did. Look how pretty it is. It looks so magestic. The cake slices beautifully, as well. I will be making Kugelhopf for the holidays. I am going to place kugelhopf on a cake board, maybe drench it in rum or bourbon sauce and wrap with cellophane and festive ribbons. Wouldn't that make a lovely gift.

Traditionally Kugelhopf is made with yeast, but this is just as good and has a cake texture (similar to a really good pound cake) versus a pannetone bread texture. I will be making a yeast one soon! I hope the purist are not mad! My family absolutely loves the pound cake one I made.

A little history on the origin of Kugelhopf:

The Kugelhopf is a coffee bread or cake, and it’s commonly associated with Germany as long as you don’t tell an Austrian, Swiss, Alsatian, Eastern European, Pole, Greek, Italian or Arab. As far as I’m concerned everyone should agree that it’s a big ring-shaped cake that’s eaten with coffee but not typically tea. It’s generally made from a soft yeast dough and it contains raisins, almonds and a shot of kirschwasser or brandy. There are no absolutes and you can pretty much use your imagination and make it your own.

Well, here is the the non-traditional version I made. I hope you like it.

Recipe: preheat oven to 350 degrees
grease your Kugelhopf pan with shortening, then spray release and flour, tap out excess flour

2 sticks room temperature unsalted butter(soften)
Do not subsitute margarine for butter
2 cups sugar
4 extra large eggs room temperature
3 cups cake flour
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1 tsp. almond extract
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 cup full fat heavy cream with 1 tsp lemon juice added (room temperature)
zest of one orange
1/2 cup chocolate chips or chocolate chunks

Cream your sugar and butter until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time and beat well. Mix all dry ingredients in seperate bowl: flour, salt and soda. Add you extracts to your cream mixture and continue to beat. Alternating; add flour and then cream in 3 additions. When mixed well, add orange zest, chocolate chips and mix well.

Spoon into prepared pan and place on cookie sheet. Bake approx. 70 minutes. Keep a close eye and do the toothpick test. After cooling in pan on cooling rack for 15 minutes, flip over onto a plate. Let cool before serving. Covered well, keeps for a few days. Delicious with coffee, afternoon tea or a late night snack or breakfast treat.

Bridal Shower Cake

2011-09-10T21:44:00.002-04:00

I had to make a Bridal Shower Cake for this weekend. The theme for the Shower is Zebra print as you can tell. The bride to be loves animal prints. Her Bridal Shower invitation had a Zebra Umbrella on it, so I decided to make one for the cake. That is my favorite part about the whole cake. It is so cute.

The Bride loved it. She was so happy! She is such a wonderful person and I wish her all the best!

Bread Pudding with Bourbon Butter Sauce

2011-08-31T23:23:00.001-04:00

Sinfully Good and Comforting!

Panera French Baguette

Double panned and placed on cookie sheet before baking

Bourbon Butter Sauce

My mom has been making bread pudding since I was a kid. This is a family favorite, especially in the Fall months. I am lucky enough to have a Panera Bread Shop in my neighborhood. I adore their French Baguettes and only use their bread to make my pudding. If you do not have a Panera Bread in your neck of the woods, please feel free to substitute, however if you do, please try their bread in this pudding.

We love it!!

Bread Pudding Recipe
Ingredients

Bourbon Sauce:

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, melted

1 cup sugar

1 egg

1/4 cup heavy cream

1/4 to 1/2 cup Kentucky bourbon whiskey

(measurement according to how strong you want the flavor)

Bread Pudding:

2 loaves French bread (preferably from Panera), at least a day old, cut into 1-inch squares

5 cups whole milk

6 large eggs, lightly beaten

3 cups sugar

3 Tbsp vanilla

1 teaspoon cinnamon
6 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted

Optional: 1 cup raisins (soaked overnight in 1/4 cup bourbon
or 1/2 cup chopped coarsely, toasted pecans

Directions for Bourbon Sauce:

In a saucepan, melt butter; add sugar and egg, whisking to blend well. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until mixture thickens. Add cream (Do not allow to simmer, or it may curdle.) Whisk in bourbon to taste. Remove from heat. Whisk before serving. The sauce should be creamy and smooth.

Directions for Bread Pudding:
1. Preheat oven to 350°F.

2 Soak the bread in milk in a large mixing bowl. Press with hands until well mixed and all the milk is absorbed. In a separate bowl, beat eggs, sugar, vanilla, and cinnamon together. Gently stir into the bread mixture. Add half of the melted butter and mix, Gently stir the raisins into the mixture or pecans, etc.

3 Pour the other half of the butter into the bottom of a 9x13 inch aluminum or glass baking pan. Coat the bottom and the sides of the pan well with the butter. Pour in the bread mix and bake at 350°F for 55 minutes, then cover with aluminum and bake an additional 1/2 hour or until set (This step will steam the pudding). The pudding is done when the edges start getting a bit brown and pull away from the edge of the pan. There should be no liquid oozing in the middle. Check with a spoon by placing in center and gently tearing the center of the pudding to peek inside. If still wet and you see a lot of liquid put back into the oven and continue to bake with a close watch. Can also make in individual ramekins. Every one's oven is slightly different, so check your pudding as it bakes. You do not want to over bake. I usually double the aluminum pan and than place on a cookie sheet. I baked in my sister's oven, the cooking time was somewhat different from my oven.

Serve with Bourbon Butter Sauce, I drizzle on top of mine. Please make this sauce it just takes it to a different level. Best fresh and eaten the day it is made. (Leftovers) I have heated the next day in microwave oven, cut a piece pour sauce and heat for 30 seconds to slightly warm up. It tasted just as good as fresh baked. Makes 8-10 servings.

Best Ever Banana Bread

2011-08-17T11:55:00.000-04:00

This recipe comes from reknown pastry chef, Bo Friberg. I love it and it is the only banana bread recipe I make. I used a disposable aluminium pan to bake, with 2 inch sides (10 x 12). I double pan and placed on top of cookie sheet as to not brown to much on the bottom.

I am giving you the exact recipe from Bo Friberg's cook book, The Professional Pastry Chef, I love this book. This book is for serious bakers. However, I had to bake for close to 55 minutes. You have to eyeball it and check after 40 minutes with toothpick until it is ready.

Recipe: Professional recipe from Bo Friberg

10 ounces unsalted butter

1 pound 2 ounces granulated sugar

3 eggs, at room temperature

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 pound 5 ounces pureed bananas, somewhat overriped

1 pound 2 ounces bread flour or all purpose ( I also used half cake flour came out great!)

2 teaspoons salt

2 teaspoons baking soda

9 ounces coarsely chopped walnuts

Butter and flour pans. You can use loaf, gugelhupf forms, etc.

Melt the butter and the sugar. Beat together for a few minutes, stir in eggs, vanilla and bananas.

Mix together flour, salt, baking soda, walnuts. Stir in butter mixture and combine until well mixed.

Spoon batter into prepared forms. If you are using small forms, fill them 3/4 full.

Bake at 350 degrees for about 45 minutes but do the toothpick test until done. Use a second pan underneath to ensure that the bottom of the breads do not over brown.

Unmold the cakes after they cool down slightly and let cool on rack before cutting. They will get wet if you let them cool in the pans to long.

Snickerdoodle and Cinnamon Mousse Cake

2011-08-11T21:41:00.006-04:00

A Small, Sample Cake for Engagement Party Tasting

I had to make a sample cake and tasting for an upcoming engagement party for my niece who recently got engaged. She is having her party in October and we had discussed cake flavors and styles that would be nice for a Fall Party. She loves buttercream cakes and wanted something very shabby chic and simple.

We decided on a buttercream cake covered with buttercream roses. Her cake will be a large 3 tier cake and the flavor is Snickerdoodle, which taste like cinnamonbuns. The sample was simply delicious and very moist. My sister who is the biggest critic when it comes to cakes and hates all scratch baked cakes, gave this one a thumbs up. I did not tell her that it had a Pillsbury cake mix in it. She would have said, "I told you so!" She swears by the mix. She never reads my blog so the secret is safe!!!

This recipe was a compromise for me, because I still had to add cake flour, sugar, sour cream, etc. It felt like I was baking from scratch, which really means a lot to me. I am finding out that more professional bakers use mixes and I guess they are on to something. The mixes contain emulsifers and conditioners which give you a moist, stable cake base. This cake was super delish and very easy to work with.

I got this cake recipe from Cake Central. It is the White Velvet Cake recipe and I added the best cinnamon I could get my hands on. It makes a real difference. The filling is cinnamon custard mousse. Wow!!! I got that recipe from Cake Central as well. It is a copycat base recipe of, Costco Mousse. I added cinnamon to mine for another variation on the recipe below.

White Velvet Cake Recipe and link as written on Cake Central:

http://cakecentral.com/recipes/15190/white-velvet-cake

•1 box white cake mix (I prefer Pillsbury)

1 cup flour

1 cup sugar

1 cup sourcream

1 4oz box white chocolate pudding (I used vanilla pudding, could not find white chocolate)

1-1/4 cups White Chocolate Mocha coffee creamer (Internation Delight) I used half water and half vanilla creamer

1/3 cup oil

4 egg whites

1 tsp clear vanilla (you can use pure vanilla but it won’t be a pure white cake)

Optional I added 2 tsp. of really good, fresh cinnamon

Instructions
Sift dry ingrediants together mix in wet until combined, continue to mix on medium for 2 mins.
Bake at 325 degrees until toothpick comes out clean.
This recipe can be doubled.

It does’nt rise as high as other cakes so make sure to fill you pans 2/3 or a bit more.

COSTCO Mousse recipe and link as writtenon Cake Central:

http://cakecentral.com/recipes/7308/costco-mousse-recipe/print/

Ingredients

1 cup of heavy whipping cream
1 cup of milk

1 large package of jello vanilla pudding (instant pudding)

Mix well on mixer for vanilla mousse filling

Instructions

Mix well in mixer for vanilla mousse filling

For chocolate we use whipped cream (non dairy) plus chocolate syrup or use chocolate pudding (it’s easier)

You could also find all kind of flavors on the pudding as far as I can tell I’ve seen: Pistachio, white chocolate (my favorite) cookies n cream, pumpkin spice, banana, etc. For fruit flavors use the same as vanilla but add the preserves of your preference like Strawberry, apricot, raspberry, etc.

Buttercream Recipe from Design Me a Cake

http://designmeacake.com/index.html

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup solid high ratio shortening

• 1/2 cup butter softened

• 1 tablespoon of merengue powder
• 1 teaspoon Clear Vanilla Extract (or extract of choice)
• 4 cups sifted confectioners' sugar (approx. 1 lb.)
• 2 tablespoons milk

Preparation:In large bowl, cream shortening and butter with electric mixer. Add vanilla and milk. Gradually add sugar, one cup at a time, beating on a slow speed. Scrape sides and bottom of bowl often. Keep bowl or covered with a damp cloth until ready to use. Refrigerated in an airtight container, this icing can be stored 2 weeks. Don't overwhip or it will bring air to the icing and is impossible to smooth. If you have a kitchen Aid use white attachment, not whip attachment. You can use coffee creamers for flavorings or combine extracts.

YIELD: Makes about 3 cups.

For thin (spreading) consistency icing, add 2 tablespoons light corn syrup, water or milk.
For Pure White Icing (stiff consistency), omit butter; substitute an additional 1/2 cup shortening for butter and 1/2 teaspoon No-Color Butter Flavor. Add up to 4 tablespoons light corn syrup, water or milk to thin for icing cakes.

Big Red Velvet Whoopie Pies

2011-08-04T15:54:00.000-04:00

For Dana and Emily

This one is for my biggest fan Dana! I made these the other day and gave Dana one to try. I heard she loved it. I am so thrilled! They are very light. The homemade fluff has no butter and taste even better than store bought. It is definitely worth making. I had a little left over and made peanut butter, banana and fluff sandwiches. Yum!!!!!

Well, here is the recipe Dana. You need to make these with your mom and sister, Emily. I know she loves them as well.

Recipe:

Preheat oven to 350 degree

Prepare sheet pans with silpat or parchment paper

Whoopie Pie

Dry ingredients:
3 1/2 T. cocoa powder (unsweetened)
2 cups cake flour
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. soda

2 tsp. almond extract

Sift dry ingredients on parchment or wax paper

Wet ingredients:

2 sticks butter
2 cups sugar
2 eggs room temperature
1/4 cup red food coloring
1cup sour cream room temperature (full fat)

In mixer blend all wet ingredients except sour cream. In mixer add butter, coloring, sugar,eggs and beat until white and fluffy. Add sour cream and beat well to incorporate. Add flour mixture slowly until well incorporated. Using a prepared sheet pan, use a spring loaded ice cream scoop. I use a medium size scoop. I do about six mounds per sheet pan with plenty of space for them to spread. Tap sheet pan lightly on counter to flatten whoopie pies slightly. Bake at 350 degrees about 12 minutes until the top springs back when touched. Leave on pan for 5 minutes, gently lift with spatula and put on a cooling rack to cool.

Note: You can make them smaller for petite fours or afternoon tea party.

Make Homemade Fluff and Fill Whoopie pies.

Homemade Fluff Recipe:

1 3/4 cups sugar

1/2 cup water
4 egg whites, room temperature
1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

In a saucepan, bring sugar and water to a boil. Boil for 3-4 minutes or until a candy thermometer reads 242 degrees F (firm-ball stage). Meanwhile, beat egg whites and cream of tartar in a mixing bowl until foamy. Slowly pour in hot sugar mixture; continue to beat on high for 7 minutes or until stiff peaks form. Add vanilla. Continue beating until frosting reaches desired consistency, about 2 minutes.

Ballet Slippers Birthday Cake

2011-07-14T09:26:00.001-04:00

Happy Birthday Sweetie!!!!

It's my daughter's Birthday and I made her a birthday cake. She is a dancer and I made her a ballet inspired cake. It is a two tier fondant cake with gumpaste ballet slippers, gumpaste name plate and fantasy flowers. The top layer is a butter cake from Martha Stewart which I love. I added 1/3 cup of raspberry seedless preserves to the batter with a touch of pink food coloring. I also made a basic confectioner sugar buttercream and added seedless raspberry preserves. Wilton has a recipe for a basic buttercream recipe.

The large tier on the bottom is 3 tiers and I used Hershey's Decandent Moist Dark Chocolate Cake recipe with one tier being Martha Stewart's Butter Cake in between. In this butter cake layer, I added crushed oreo cookies about 1 cup. I made a filling of buttercream and crushed oreo cookies and layered in between the cake layers. I frosted the cake with Hersheys's Dark Chocolate Frosting.

I covered the cake in Marshmallow Fondant that I tinted lime green. I added a zebra ribbon around the cake for a modern youthful touch.

I will take a picture of the cut cake and post it after the party!

Sample Bridal Shower Cake

2011-06-29T12:36:00.000-04:00

I had to make a sample cake for a Bridal Shower. It will be a 2 to 3 tier cake and much larger than this one in the sample picture. The Bridal Shower decor will be done in a Black, White and Red theme with diamond accents. It is going to be a very upscale, sophisticated Bridal Shower. I might just make the roses red and add some diamond candy jewels with the Mother of the Bride's approval. I hope you all like it. The inside of the cake is Red Velvet with a French Butter Cream. The cake is covered in fondant and the roses are gumpaste.

Boston Cream Pie

2011-06-14T09:50:00.000-04:00

I was very excited about this challenge on Have the Cake. I happen to love Boston Cream Cake. I must admit I never made one before, and was excited to do so. I don't know what took me so long this cake is delicious!!!! I got the recipe from Country Living. I did have to modify the Chocolate Glaze it was too runny. I highly recommend this cake if you are a Boston Cream Lover!

Recipe from Country Living

Ingredients for Cake:
All ingredients should be at room temperature
(1 stick) butter, softened
1 cup sugar
2 large eggs
2 large egg yolks
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/4 cup cake flour
1 1/2 teaspoonbaking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup milk
Directions for Cake:
1.Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Line the bottom of an 8-inch round cake pan with parchment paper. Butter and flour the pan. Beat the butter and sugar together at medium-high speed until fluffy. Beat in the eggs and yolks, one at a time, and add the vanilla extract.

2.Stir the cake flour, baking powder, and salt together using a whisk. Reduce mixer speed to low and beat the flour mixture into the butter-egg mixture, adding it in thirds and alternating with the milk. Beat until the batter is smooth.

3.Transfer to the prepared pan and bake on the center shelf of the oven until the cake tests clean when a skewer is inserted into the center, 35 to 40 minutes. Cool completely on a wire rack.

4.To assemble, split the unmolded cake using a long serrated knife. Spread Vanilla Bean Pudding over the bottom half of the cake and place the top layer over the pudding.I ran a spatula around the cake to smooth out the oozing vanilla pudding. Pour Chocolate Glaze over the cake, allowing it to drip down the sides of the cake if desired. I personally like it the way I did it in the pic above.

Vanilla Bean Pudding for Filling
Ingredients for Pudding
3/4 cup milk
1 cup cream
1 vanilla bean
3 egg yolks
2 tablespoon cornstarch
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 teaspoon butter

Directions for Pudding
1.Heat the milk, cream, and vanilla bean (with the seeds scraped into the milk) until just simmering in a heavy-bottomed medium pot. Whisk the yolks, cornstarch, sugar, and salt together and stream the hot milk mixture, while whisking continuously, into the eggs. Return to the pan and cook, while whisking over medium heat, until the mixture thickens and just begins to boil. Immediately transfer to a clean bowl. Pick out and discard vanilla bean. Stir in the vanilla extract and the butter. Press plastic wrap against the surface to cover. Chill very well.

Chocolate Glaze for Boston Cream Pie
I recommend some modifications of the glaze: The Country Living recipe was to runny even after cool down. There is about a 1/2 cup left over, which I did not mind, I could use it on top of ice cream.

Ingredients for chocolate glaze
1/2 cup heavy cream (I would use 1/3 cup)
4 ounces chopped dark chocolate ( You might have to add a little more to get a slightly thicker consistency)
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
3 tablespoon corn syrup ( I would use 1 T.)

Directions for Chocolate Glaze
1.Heat cream to a boil and pour into a medium-size heatproof bowl filled with the chocolate, butter, and corn syrup. Let sit for 1 minute and stir until smooth. Let cool to thicken slightly before glazing cake.

Southern Red Velvet Cupcakes

2011-06-12T05:21:00.001-04:00

Here is it folks one of my most requested recipes from friends and family. I have posted this recipe on my other blog: Sutherland Soaps but since it is my most requested recipe, I decided to put it up on Soap Mom's Kitchen. This one is for you Tasha!!! We will be making these together soon!

Recipe:
Large cupcake liners/Texas size cupcake pan
preheat oven to 350 degree

Dry ingredients:
3 1/2 T. cocoa powder (unsweetened)
2 cups cake flour
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. soda
2 tsp. almond extract

Sift dry ingredients on parchment or wax paper

Wet ingredients:
2 sticks butter
2 cups sugar
2 eggs room temperature
1/4 cup red food coloring
1cup sour cream room temperature (full fat)
1cup heavy cream room temperature
1 Tablespoon white vinegar

In mixer blend all wet ingredients except sour cream, heavy cream and vinegar put in separate mixing bowl and blend. In mixer add butter, coloring, sugar,eggs and beat until white and fluffy. Slowly add 1/3 of sour cream mixture and alternate with flour mixture in 3 separate application. Bake at 350 degrees about 20-25 minutes until the top springs back when touched. Do not overbake or you will dry out your cupcakes.

I use large muffin tin and line it with large paper cupcake liners. Makes 12 jumbo or 24 regular.

Frosting:
2 sticks butter
16 oz. cream cheese
2 cups powdered sugar
1 teaspoon almond extract
pinch salt

Blend in mixer until fluffy.

Ganache:
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate
1/2 cup heavy cream

Heat milk, bring to boil and remove from heat add chocolate. Work with a whish gently stir the chocolate and cream until the chocolate is fully melted. This will take a minute and you will get a deep chocolate rich sauce. Allow this to cool until you get a thicker spreadable consistency. Spread a Tablespoon on top and pipe out a dollop of Frosting.