Hi Guys!!!
Welcome back!!! We have greeted the last week of January and much has happened this month. It's amazing how quickly the days pass. I am having a hard time keeping track of my days, with minutes coming and going in a blur. But I can tell you it was a week full of celebrations.
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| Birthday Weekend Dessert Table!!! |
I'd like to apologize to you all, as I couldn't find a decent recipe for the rosquillas I promised you last week. Also, I haven't managed to satisfy my curiosity for ginger, spices and peaches. I'll make sure I do so this week!!!
This past Tuesday was my best friend's birthday, and while I wasn't with her to celebrate, she had a good time and welcomed another year of life. I do owe her a massive cake though. The days passed and Thursday evening I was a busy bee in the kitchen. Friday was my aunt's birthday and coincidentally, it is also a day that commemorates the Honduran women. So, double the celebration for her. She had planned a party for Friday evening; we'd celebrate my birthday at midnight. As I mentioned in my previous post, I was excited about making an ombre cake. The overall ombre technique is simple, but I wanted the wow factor. So I took a leaf from I Am Baker, and went about making a rose cake: an ombre, rose cake. Amanda Retkke, author and creator of the confections and creations of I Am Baker has been making them for years, with such an ease, I was in awe. I needed to make one. I sat down and watched her Rose Cake Tutorial and thought the technique seemed quite easy. Then again, decorating and piping aren't my best "attributes" as an amateur chef. Still, I went ahead.
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| First Ombre AND Rose cake...not bad, eh? ^^ |
I made the necessary preparations of ingredients and equipment and began my experiment. I was intrigued by BeanTown Baker's take on the ombre rose cake and decided her recipe was the ideal one. Doesn't a passion fruit filled, white chocolate buttercream frosted, vanilla cake sound to die for? Indeed it does. But, I opted for pink shades instead of purple.
I had paraded around the supermarkets searching for a passion fruit juice and I didn't find one. Perhaps I didn't look in the right stores. So I bought not-very-ripe passion fruits and juiced them out. It was an interesting process, but successful nonetheless. The recipe for the curd is simple, easy and delicious and despite my grandmother's note that on its own, is ended being a tad acid, it complimented the overall cake well. Future note: find ripe passion fruits.
Curd filling was done, and on to proper baking I moved. As my equipment here at home is limited, I had to bake one batch in the evening and the second, the following morning. I made the batter, weighed it, divided it and colored them. In they went into a 350 degree oven and 24 minutes later, out they came. My face was priceless I imagine. Not only did the layers have a strong eggy smell (I don't like eggs...oops), but they seemed halfway cooked. The top part seemed ideally golden brown and when you saw the bottom, it resembled a crepe in the making. I scrolled down the recipe, trying to see if I had missed an important point, but nope. All the steps were followed to the dot. She, however, does mention having to make and bake a second batch again, but for duly noted and different reasons.
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| Gooey and uncooked base...no idea what went wrong |
It was close to 8 pm, but I needed to make it! So I quickly searched for another white cake recipe. Nope, nope, nope...none of the recipes seemed right, and not to mention I didn't have all the ingredients. A stroke of luck and there it was: Sweetapolita's Whipped Vanilla Dream Cupcakes. As I was to make two different batches, it was perfect. So I quickly assembled the equipment and my ingredients and I was off. Batter made, batter weighed, tinted, colored and baked! The recipe is flawless!!! I have encountered countless bloggers claiming not having a go-to white cake recipe. Ladies and gentlemen, this is it. Moist and packed with deliciousness. Despite my first batch being a complete fail, I went to bed with a happy grin.
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| Second batch, new recipe, tinted and ready to bake |
6 am, the alarm rings and I am up. After a quick workout, I was showered, dressed and baking my second batch. Remember, it is an ombre cake, so don't forget how much food coloring you are using with each layer, especially if you're lacking in equipment and need to wait for hours to reuse, like me. Like BeanTown Baker, I left a layer white, tinted the second with an approximate 9 drops of pink food coloring, around 16 for the third and about 23 for the last. It seems like a lot, but I guess my food coloring wasn't the ideal one. Still, the end result was lovely.
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| Pink Gradient Scale :) |
So the cake layers were done, but I wasn't anywhere near finished. I had promised my aunt I'd make some other sweets and I decided, with a little help from my sister, to make Rum Balls and, aptly named, English Tea Cakes. The basis of the rum balls is a brownie-tasting moist cake. It was whipped up in a jiffy, baked and let to cool down. Meanwhile, I made the English Tea Cakes. I took the recipe from Holiday cheer's, Winter 2010 edition (affiliate magazine, featuring recipes from Good Housekeeping, Redbook and Country Living). The tea cakes were the perfect size to nibble on and would be perfect for her party. I made one batch of each, the tea cakes and the rumballs. I adapted the tea cakes' recipe for a 10 x 10 square pan, as it is the only one my messy kitchen possesses. Check out the recipe at the end.
The sweets were baked and I was off to my pre-birthday celebration lunch, with my mom's office and my former work team. I had proposed the idea of visiting the Statue of Jesus Christ, here in Tegucigalpa, as I was ashamed of never having been there. The idea was a hit and we ordered food to have a picnic up there. We had soup and sandwiches, which aren't the most sensible picnic foods, but as the air was chilly, it'd be perfect to keep us warm. We drove there and sat down to enjoy our meal. I was truly surprised by the site. Surrounded by greenwood and a breathtaking view, the place is amazing. Once we finished our weird picnic lunch, we set about "exploring" the place. You can view Tegucigalpa almost entirely and it gives you a peaceful sensation, like you're on top of the world. If you're ever in town, do check the place out: Cristo del Picacho
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| Lovely Strawberry Cake from the Junior Achievement Honduras Team!!! |
I left very happy with the experience and went about my last few errands: hitting the supermarket for last minute groceries and cutting my hair. Back at the office, the JAH team surprised me with a delicious strawberry cake, celebrating my birthday. I got home much later than planned but I quickly finished the tea cakes and set about making the ombre cake's white chocolate buttercream frosting. I made it, divided it into 3 parts, tinted them and prepared my pastry bags. I had been looking for Wilton 1M open star tips and the few stores dedicated to selling baking equipment didn't have them in stock. So I used my school's D7 star nozzle. It worked perfectly. Making this cake, it'd ideal to own a few star tips. It cuts your time. As I only have one, it took me some time. But I made it!!! My first few "rosettes" were abysmal but the final look was unbelievable to my eyes.
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| Proud moment!!! It's beautiful, right? |
I assembled my desserts and my parents and I made our way to the party. I was congratulated on my creations and despite the effect the ombre cake had, the attention stolen by the English Tea Cakes!!! Having studied Hospitality, we're marked with the knowledge that the client is always right!!! So definitely try out the English Tea Cakes for yourself and let me know!!!
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| English Tea Cakes...try them!!! |
My birthday came at midnight and we gathered around the dessert table to celebrate my aunt's and my own, singing Happy Birthday. The cakes were cut and enjoyed. The party continued well into the early ours of the 26th and upon arriving home, to our great surprise, one of ours was delivering her puppies. I now share a birthday with 11 beautiful Labrador puppies. Mila originally had 12, but sadly one of them passed away. Saturday was a day spent mostly in bed. Having stayed up with a laboring Mila and her darlings, we were exhausted. It has been one of the most amazing and surprising birthdays I've ever had. I relaxed, cuddled the new mommy and ordered take out. The evening compromised a nice family dinner, and then I headed out to properly celebrate my 24 years.
Sunday left as quickly as it came and Monday greeted us with a blue and sunny sky. Much happened this past week, and most of it was a cause to celebrate. I dare say again: January is the most amazing month of the year, filled with joyous occasions and countless birthdays!!!
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| Busy Baking for the Messy Chef!!! |
I hope your week was as joyful as mine, and be sure to check out the recipes!!!
Until next time.
xx
English Tea Cakes
From Good Housekeeping
TEA CAKES
¼ cup, plus 2 Tbsp. confectioner’s sugar
1 ¼ cups, plus 2 Tbsp. all purpose flour
10 tablespoons cold butter (no substitutions)
2 large eggs
1 egg yolk
1 ¾ cups packed brown sugar
1 ½ cups coarsely chopped pecans
¼ cup flaked almonds
½ cup sweetened flaked coconuts
1 ¼ teaspoons vanilla
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon baking powder
1 ½ teaspoons grated lemon peel
6 teaspoons lemon juice
1 ¼ cups confectioner’s sugar
8 tablespoons
(1 stick) unsalted butter, softened (no substitutions)
1.
Preheat oven to 350°F. Line 10x10 inch metal
baking pan with foil, extending foil over ends.
2.
TEA CAKES: In medium bowl, combine
confectioner’s sugar and 1¼ cups flour. With a pastry blender or 2 knives used
scissor-fashion, cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. With
fingertips, press mixture evenly onto bottom of prepared pan. Bake crust 20 to
23 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove from oven.
3.
While crust bakes, in same medium bowl, with
fork, mix eggs, brown sugar, nuts, coconut, vanilla, salt, baking powder, and
remaining 2 Tbsp. flour until well
blended. Spread topping evenly over hot crust. Return pan to oven; bake 20 to
23 minutes or until topping is just set and edges are golden. Cool completely
in pan on wire rack.
4.
LEMON BUTTER FROSTING: In bowl, with mixer on
medium speed beat lemon juice and
grated peel with remaining frosting ingredients until smooth. Spread frosting
over top of cake. Refrigerate 10 to 15 minutes to allow frosting to firm
slightly for easier cutting.
5.
Transfer tea cake with foil to cutting board.
Carefully pull foil away from sides. Cut into 8 strips, then cut each strip
crosswise into 8 bars.
6.
Store cookies in tightly covered container, with
waxed paper between layers, in refrigerator up to 1 week or in freezer up to 1
month.
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