Let the Rioting Begin

Hello:  I love cake.

This blog is intended for me to make and bake, nothing else. My daily blog, which has nothing to do with cake and everything to do with Hitler, can be found here.

Peachy Keen

Buttermilk cake: this time with peaches!

Warm and peachy and perfect.

Two words: NOM NOM.

Raspberry Buttermilk Cake

Raspberry Buttermilk Cake

The second Raspberry Buttermilk cake I made.

OHMYGODITWASSOGOOD

Playing Catch-Up With Photos

Mini cupcakes for Monica's birthday.

Spicy cupcakes w/ cream cheese frosting for a dinner party.

Ten different kinds of mini cookies for Joanna's birthday.

Red velvet/cream cheese frosting groom's cake.

Blurry photo of the wedding cake I assisted on - red velvet with cream cheese/marshmallow/toasted pecan frosting.

Sea Anemone Cake

We needed cake last night – chocolate cake – but I was missing an ingredient for every chocolate cake recipe I have (sour cream, buttermilk, black coffee – not together, obviously).  So I threw a box of white cake into a bowl, melted a bunch of dark chocolate, mixed together, and voila:  chocolate cake.  I covered the top in cinnamon, which gave it a thin crunchy layer, and piped on cream cheese frosting.  But I forgot to taste it – I was too busy pouring Hershey’s syrup over a bowl of Cool Whip.  The poor man’s sundae.

Something I learned: don’t fill the icing bag more than half-full, or trouble will follow.  Have back-up zest in the freezer for when a mix is the only thing around.  PLAN AHEAD.  (Duh.)

Riot Boy said:  “Amazing.”

Immortal Martha says it’s a good thing… that dark chocolate didn’t overpower.

Chocolate Orange Cardamom Cupcakes

Cardamom and cream cheese frosting with orange zest.

Because these were made with a Duncan Hines Devil’s Food cake mix, I don’t have a recipe.  But I used that, mixed in orange zest, and they turned out okay; I used a mix because it was for my son, and I needed it done fast.  I took the vanilla frosting I had, mixed in a huge portion of cream cheese, added cardamom, and garnished with orange zest.

Chocolate-orange cake, mmmm.

Something I learned: More zest.  More cream cheese.  More cardamom.  I actually wish I’d sprinkled cardamom on top, and put the orange zest IN the frosting.  Info for next time.  I LOVE CARDAMOM.  If it were less expensive, I’d use it in everything.

Riot Boy said: “Really good–orange zest was subtle, frosting was a little sweet but the cream cheese cut that in half.”

Immortal Martha says it’s a good thing… your parents can afford Cardamom to borrow from.

I'm a fan of the zest.

Honey Cake

Kosher cake!

The Honey Cake story can be found here.

Riot Boy says: I really enjoyed the cake–I liked how complex it was, and all of the unusual ingredients blended well together.

Immortal Martha says it’s a good thing… you know how to make at least *one* kosher thing now.

Chocolate-Orange Cookies

I am officially addicted to orange zest.

I took the homemade Oreo cookies recipe from Smitten Kitchen, and adapted it to make these chocolate cookies. I wanted a crunchy, chewy cookie with a good deal of orange zest, and that’s what I got. They were really good.

What I learned: I didn’t want a super sweet cookie, so I took out 1/2 cup of sugar, and added 1/2 teaspoon of orange zest. This is a great base for a chocolate cookie, if I want to build from it–I could have added a lot of versatile ingredients: fruit, nuts, white chocolate, lemon or lime zest, cinnamon, or kept it plain, or maybe piped in a creamy center, like the homemade Oreos. I enjoyed using the unsweetened chocolate–next time I’m springing for the really good Dutch stuff.

Riot Boy says: I like the texture, and the orange flavor.

Immortal Martha says it’s a good thing… you trusted your recipe-adapting instincts.

Hamantaschen: EPIC FAIL

A promising start...

I’m having a love affair with Smitten Kitchen this week, despite my failure to make physically-perfect, three-cornered Jewish New Year cookies. My only consolation was that Smitten Kitchen Girl Herself didn’t even succeed, at least not completely: her cookies opened like a yawn in the oven, too.

This is how a cookie yawns.

What I learned: There’s failure, and then there’s FAILURE;  I failed in the aesthetics department, but the end product still tasted good.  Next time, I might give the corners an egg wash, or use less jam, or both.  The dough could have been flakier, but the orange zest throughout made up for any flake deficiencies.  I used apricot and raspberry jam, but it would have been nicely paired with chocolate ganache, too.  With a tiny bit of imagination, we enjoyed these scone-tasting cookies in the only way we know how:  with dignity.  And ice cream.

What dignity looks like.

Riot Boy says:  Delicious–love the orange zest.

Immortal Martha says it’s a good thing… orange zest is such a lifesaver.

Shattered Cookies

White chocolate for days...

Shatter-y goodness...

The baker even tried one (or three).

I found this recipe on one of my favorite cooking/baking sites, Smitten Kitchen, thanks to a tip from a friend. I wanted to make cookies, but I’m not exactly a ‘cookie baker’, so I didn’t know what to try. I ended up baking the Banana Cookie Cupcakes instead, and put this recipe on the back burner. It didn’t stay long there, though, and I made the Salted White Chocolate Oatmeal cookies within five days of finding the recipe; if you’d like to try it, the recipe is here. The two words that sold me on it were: thick and shatter-y. I’ve always wanted to eat a shatter-y cookie.

Something I learned: White chocolate chips are almost completely artificial; if you want good white chocolate, find an overpriced organic bar of it at Whole Foods. I went to QFC, but the selection was boring. Also: sifting the flour isn’t a bad idea beforehand. I used white chocolate in the hopes I wouldn’t eat any, but they were fairly good, so I had three of them. Next time I’ll use nuts; hopefully that will deter me.

Riot Boy said: They’re really good–and I don’t normally like oatmeal cookies. (He ate ten of them.)

Immortal Martha says it’s a good thing… you think white chocolate is for pansies.

Banana Cookie Cupcakes

I found these on Cakespy, one of my favorite dessert blogs, and I had to try them because 1) I had the exact ingredients required for the recipe, which is rare, and 2) I knew I wouldn’t eat them. It’s hard watching your weight and wanting to bake, but I hate anything banana-flavored (except for fresh bananas eaten plain) so I knew I was in the clear with these. The recipe can be found here.

Up close and personal.

Hostess (Cookie) Cupcakes

A First Birthday Cupcake for The Nogg

A fake cupcake for my dad's birthday. Because I care.

Something I learned: Keep the dough in the fridge longer. Buy unsalted butter in bulk; it helps to have back-up when you run out, duh. Make sure you have airtight containers when baking something with bananas in it–otherwise, the smell of banana permeating every corner of your home will drive you, dare I say, BANANAS.

Riot Boy says: They were good. <—said in a monotone.

Immortal Martha says it’s a good thing… you found a home for those sketchy-looking ‘nanners.