A Learning Chef's Journey: Rose Cakes and a Monster Cupcake

Hi guys!!!

Welcome back!!! We've been experiencing bouts of heavy downpours in the past week. The gray skies promise some early rain this chilly morning. Despite the thermometer reading 23 degrees, I find myself wrapping the scarf around my neck. The coffee is helping me warm up slowly. The daily dose of caffeine is bound to wake me up shortly. 

My roses have most definitely improved :)

Last week, cake orders were scarce, however, I welcomed the free time graciously. Tuesday,  night, I baked the vanilla layers for the rose cake I was to make. While they filled the kitchen with a delicious aroma, I quickly whipped up a passion fruit vanilla curd. It was to die for!!! I finished the cake Wednesday afternoon, fixing up a batch of white chocolate buttercream!!! I managed an ombre effect on the roses. I was much more content with my roses this time, as I finally acquired the 1M Wilton tip I needed. It made the rosettes appear more real.

They do need more practice; I'll get there eventually. Keep reading for the recipe. 

Cookie Monster, a traditional swirl, a lovely sunflower
a rather distressed rosette, dad's shirt and a weird flower

This Saturday I was thrilled to continue my on-going learning on cupcakes. I made my way to the workshop where we learned different ways to decorate a cupcake. There are hundreds upon thousands of ways to decorate cupcakes. All the more reason to keep practicing, right? Of the six different ways we tried (rose, flower, sunflower, swirls, fondant covered, character) my absolute favorite was making a Cookie Monster!!!

Simply whip up your favorite buttercream recipe, tint it Cookie Monster blue and fix a pastry bag with Ateco's #133 nozzle. There are other tips similar to this one, however, this one leaves thin and messy trails, the ones you need to create this lovable character's furry coat.

COOKIIIIEEEE!!!

I apologize for my rather short post. I'll make sure to make a huge mess of my kitchen this week so I have more to tell you!!!

Until next time.
xx

Vanilla Ombre Rose Cake

Adapted from Sweetapolita & Beantown Baker

Beautiful and delicious!!!

Ingredients:

Vanilla Cake:

2 1/2 C (275 g) sifted cake flour

1 T. (15 g) baking powder

1/2 t. (5 g) salt

1 C (237 ml) whole milk, at room temperature

2 large egg whites (60 g), at room temperature

1 whole egg, at room temperature

1/4 t. (1.75 ml) Pure Vanilla Extract (or 1 t. –5 ml–, if you aren’t using vanilla sugar)

1/4 t. (1.75 ml) Pure Almond Extract

1 1/2 C. (300 g) vanilla sugar (or regular sugar)

1 stick (115 g)(8 tablespoons) unsalted butter, at room temperature

1/2 C. (119 ml) whipping cream or heavy cream, cold

Passion Fruit Curd:

3/4 C. sugar
1/4 C. cornstarch
1 cup passion fruit nectar or puree**
4 egg yolks
1 vanilla bean - split, seeds scraped
1 stick unsalted butter, cut into tablespoons

White Chocolate Buttercream:

2 C. unsalted butter, softened
5 C. powdered sugar (depending on desired consistency)
Pinch of salt
12 oz. good quality white chocolate, chopped (not white chocolate chips or candy melts!)
1/2 C. heavy whipping cream
1/2 tsp vanilla
Food coloring of your choice

Preparation:

Cake:

Preheat the oven to 350°F and center the oven rack. Grease and line 2 9" pans.

Sift the flour, baking powder and salt into a medium-sized bowl. Whisk together the milk, eggs, vanilla extract and almond extract in a medium bowl or large glass measuring cup.

In an electric mixer fitted with the whisk or paddle attachment (I used the whisk), cream the butter and sugar on medium speed until very pale and creamy, about 5 minutes.

With the mixer still on medium speed, alternate additions of the flour mixture and milk-egg mixture, beginning and ending with the flour mixture (3 dry additions, 2 wet), beating after each addition until incorporated. Continue mixing on medium speed for 2 minutes.

Chill a clean stainless mixer bowl in the freezer for 5 minutes, and then beat whipping cream until soft peaks form (don't beat until stiff). This is where a second mixer bowl comes in handy, as you can simply wash the whisk and use the stand mixer to whip the cream. If you don't have a second mixer bowl, you can use a hand mixer or even transfer the batter to another bowl, wash the bowl and whisk then whip the cream with your stand mixer. Fold whipped cream into cake batter.

Divide batter evenly among the pans--and bake until a toothpick comes out with a few crumbs only, about 27 minutes. Let cool on wire racks. 

Passion Fruit Curd:

In a saucepan, whisk the sugar and cornstarch. Whisk in the passion fruit nectar, egg yolks and vanilla seeds and cook over moderate heat, stirring constantly, until thick, 6 minutes. 

Remove from the heat; whisk in the butter, 1 tablespoon at a time, until incorporated. Scrape the filling into a glass bowl, press a sheet of plastic wrap on the surface and refrigerate until chilled, about 2 hours.

White Chocolate Buttercream:

Put the chopped white chocolate into a small bowl. Heat the chocolate in 30 second increments in the microwave set to 60% power. Stir after each increment, and continue to heat 30 seconds at a time, until the chocolate is melted and smooth. Set aside and allow to completely cool.

Once white chocolate has cooled, sift the salt and powdered sugar over the butter, in a large bowl. Cream the butter and sugar mixture together until light and fluffy, scraping the sides of the bowl as needed.

Measure the whipping cream into a cup, and stir in the vanilla extract. With the mixer running on low speed, gradually pour the cream mixture the bowl. Once the cream mixture has been incorporated into the frosting, fold on the melted (but cooled) white chocolate until incorporated. Increase the mixer speed to medium-high, and beat frosting for an additional 3 minutes.

Birthday Bakes, Cookies and Cakes and a Trifle for Sunday Dessert

Hi Guys!!!

Welcome back!!! It's hard to believe we are entering the fourth week of the fifth month of this year. Time has slipped by, unnoticed. Thankfully, we are enjoying a rather nice weather lately, albeit a bit hot for some of us. It has proven to be a menace in the kitchen, as I have to double my efforts at being quicker with certain things, like frostings and creams. I am grateful I haven't had major mishaps due to it. 

Dessert Time!!! Sunday's Trifle

Last week, my orders included the never-failing Carrot Cake, a mixed-reviews "Key Lime" Cheesecake, a Black Magic Cake, a Coconut-Mango Tart, and the ever-loved Lemon Delights cookies.  While the reviews in general were fantastic, I had several remarks I need to look at. For one, I've been cracking my head over a slight setback with the Mango Tart. Despite being in the fridge for over 24 hours, and having appeared to be slightly set when spooned into the cooled crust, it was runny by the time it got cut. The flavor made up for the mistake, however, it was the first time it happened, and I wasn't present to see it. My apologies were enough for my aunt, but certainly not for me. Well, we learn from our errors, and that is a modest consolation.

Perhaps not the best picture. It looked set enough...

Sadly, my aunt was also the client for whom the Black Magic Cake was made for, and to my sad discomfort, I also had a problem with it. The cake itself is flawless, however, my weak attempts at pairing it with a French Meringue finally came to a halt. The hot temperatures of this past Friday managed to reconstitute the previously whipped egg white meringue to the liquid it should be. The saddest part was seeing the lovely decorated cake sweating it off. Still, with no time to lose, I scraped it all off, managed to save the cake fully and opted to make a fool-proof swiss meringue instead. Now, because of my impatience and running late, I didn't allow the meringue to cool completely, so when the time to deliver the cake came, the meringue had run down somewhat, making the cake appear droopy. Again, the flavor made up for the mistake, thank the Lord!!!

My very last mistake was a birthday cheesecake for my cousin. He loves lemon pies and lemon cheesecakes and basically, anything along the lemon lines. I cracked my head, trying to find the previous recipe I used for a key lime cheesecake, two years prior, but the effort was in vain. So I researched a new one, which I deemed right and went ahead and made it. The recipe called for key limes, which I don't think I've ever seen here, so I used Persian lemons; if you recall the lemon squares, I am pretty sure they're limes. My mistake came when I decided to add grated lemon zest for a tangier taste: a big mistake. The cake was ready, I topped it with whipped cream and a lemon slice and it was delivered. We sang happy birthday and I cut the cake. My cousin was happy with the result, as he loves  the acid taste. My mom's face and mine were equally contorted with the-what-the-hell-did-I-just-eat reaction. It most definitely did not need the zest as it was too acid and the zest itself was bitter. God...I am truly thankful that these things happened for family orders, and they were all content. I wasn't, but now I know.

Light and Sweet!!! Light yes...sweet...

Saturday afternoon, I found myself walking into a How to Make Cupcakes Workshop. Yes, I know. A pastry chef that cannot bake cupcakes. Well, to make a point, I studied French Patisserie and the course does not include American Inventions. And believe me, I've tried...so many times. They just hate me. So when I saw the flyer, I signed up and I am glad I did. I wasn't the only one there and that relieved me a little, and knowing most us had the same troubles, helped me feel at ease. I know have a better understanding of the science these little cakes require. All I need is a specific ice cream scoop. Hahahahaha...yes, that's the secret: the perfect measure. Having this tool will give me the confidence I need to bake cupcakes more often.

Yesterday, I decided to make a Trifle: the first ever. Mind you, this is a variation I created. It isn't the traditional English Trifle, with rum soaked sponge and custard and jam. It is much simpler. Now, the fun part about this lip-smacking dessert is that it allows the person to experiment with flavors and textures. I opted to make one with pound cake bites, macerated strawberries, mango cubes and whipped cream. It's easy, quick, light and very yummy!!! I woke up, baked the pound cakes and after lunch, I got busy assembling it. Using my new trifle bowl, I placed a rather thick layer of pound cake bites. I took the macerated strawberries and spooned half of them in the middle, staying away from the edges. I whipped up the cream and piped neat rosettes alongside the edges and filling in the gap. I cut the mangoes in cubes and arranged them on top of the cream. I repeated the layers once more and arranged mango cubes and strawberry slices as a decoration. It looked beautiful.

Gonna be making this again...soon!!!

I made my way over to grandma's house, where the dessert disappeared. Thankfully, I had sent some to my parents, because by night, the trifle bowl had been wiped clean. I plan on making a variation of this dessert in the near future, as it is much lighter than a heavy English Trifle and blends well with our summertime weather here. Keep reading for the pound cake recipe.

Monday morning is quite quiet. Happily for me, I have cake orders to fill later on this week, and I sit with my coffee, contemplating what to buy with my newly found gift card from Waterstones. Saskia, be aware: there might be a book on your doorstep soon!!! Hehehe. I wish you all a blissful and happy week.

Until next time.

xx

Pound Cake

Adapted from Williams-Sonoma

Perfect for a trifle!!!

Ingredients:

1 1/2 C. all-purpose flour

1/4 t. baking soda

1/4 t. salt

3/4 C. unsalted butter, softened (1 1/2 sticks or 12 T.)

1 C. sugar

1 1/2 t. vanilla

1/4 t. almond extract (optional)

2 eggs

1/2 C. sour cream, room temperature

Preparation:

Preheat an oven to 325°F. Lightly grease an 8 1⁄2-by-4 1⁄2-inch loaf pan, preferably glass, and dust with flour.

In a bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda and salt until blended. In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat together the butter, sugar, vanilla and almond extract on medium to medium-high speed until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition until just blended. Sprinkle half of the flour mixture over the egg mixture and stir until both are just incorporated. Stir in the sour cream, then sprinkle with the remaining flour mixture and stir until evenly distributed.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan and tap gently on the counter to even out and settle the ingredients. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 70 minutes, or longer if using a metal pan. Let cool in pan completely. 

A Festive Weekend to Celebrate Our Mothers!!!

Hi guys!!!

Welcome back. In a hurried moment, I completely forgot to give you guys the awesome recipe for last post's mango jam/jelly/marmalade; Sorry about that. Keep reading and you'll get it. Now, these past few days, there's been much on my mind. You can practically hear the gears of my brain turning, examining the possibilities I am open to now that I've decided to take the path of hope. I'd love to illustrate on this, however, this post would be pages long. 

But anyhow...I was home this past Friday after almost a week away and just in time, as I had a series of cakes to bake to celebrate our dear Mothers on Sunday. While I debated on what to make for our celebration, I was busy baking away vanilla cake layers to complete two Vanilla Caramel Cakes. I hope both of them were more than satisfactory to my customers, as I haven't heard from them. My grandmother has also gone into a making jam frenzy, as she also received a mountain of delicious mangoes. She made two different jams/marmalades/jellies; a regular, eat-with-toast kind of  jam and another, more dense, and yummier, eat-with-ice cream kind. For our Mother's Day celebration, which would take place at hers, she requested I make a sponge cake, very much like the cake used in rolls and roulades. I, on the other hand, decided to make a cake that would resemble hydrangeas, after seeing Amanda's beautiful creation on i am baker. It, of course, looked nothing like it. My brilliant mind wanted a frosting that would compliment the carrot cake I decided to bake, so my obvious first choice was a cream cheese frosting. I had a hunch it wouldn't work as ideally as I would want for two reasons. Firstly, the petals on the hydrangeas I planned to pipe require a denser consistency and secondly, the high temperatures we're experiencing, would in no way, aid the already soft frosting's consistency. This already was not going to work. To top it off, I procured the wrong food colorings, opting for darker shades instead of pastels. Now, don't get me wrong. It's not atrocity. It just didn't look like the cake I wanted. The flavor of the cake made up for all my errors. 

Grandma was reluctant to share it

I looked up on youtube how to pipe hydrangeas and I got two different method. I opted for the typical petals, using an Ateco #104 nozzle, as it's the petal tip. The other option was a D2 tip, one I don't possess. I had a similar, smaller one, but the result was hideous. I fixed 3 piping bags (thankfully I had 3 petal tips) and prepared three different tinted frosting bowls.  I kept refrigerating the prepared bags whenever I changed color, as the heat was destroying its stability. When finalizing the top, I realized, perhaps a bit too late, that the remaining frosting would not be enough to cover the sides in wannabe petals. At this point, my abstract thoughts kicked in, and I used dollops of the remaining tinted frostings, alternating them. Using a small palette knife, I swirled, dragged and simply made a sweet mess of the frosting. It did end up looking like a weird bouquet of hydrangeas and despite my reservations, everyone said it looked pretty. Not sure if they were being honest, or just nice. Now, I plan to decorate an upcoming birthday cake in the similar matter, changing the frosting to a buttercream (naturally...), to ensure the petals look beautiful and actually resemble the flower. 

Never again. Next time: Buttercream...definitely

After a festive and rather large lunch, came dessert. We had a delicious carrot cake, provided by moi, and my grandmother's delicious mango marmalade topping a vanilla ice cream scoop over a square of the sponge I made. Altogether: heavenly!!! A lovely cup of coffee accompanied us all on the sunny afternoon, reminiscing on our childhood memories and stories and come Sunday evening, I headed home, ready to greet the kitchen once again. I told you last time, I'd be experimenting with an Apple-Pear Chutney and due to the impromptu trip and short time, Sunday evening seemed the ideal time. In no time, with help from my mother, the ingredients were grated, chopped and measured. It filled the kitchen with a exquisite and exotic smell and I cannot wait to try it tonight!!! Because it was already late, I simply waited for it to cool down completely and filled the sterilized bottles, refrigerated them and dozed off. 

The new week begin and the sun is out, shining down on a beautiful day. I already have several orders for later on and I hope to keep experimenting with new things to try out in my messy kitchen. Don't forget to try out both recipes that follow. I'm sure you're going to like them.

Until next time.

xx

The Messy Chef's Mango Marmalade

It's packed with flavor and not overly sweet

Ingredients:

8 C. pureed, ripe mango

3 C. sugar

1/2 C. lemon juice

Preparation:

Combine ingredients in a non-reactive large saucepan. Bring to a boil on medium/high heat. Reduce the heat, and let simmer for 45-60 minutes. Note, the jam is not the regular stay put consistency. It will appear runny, but it will not stick to the pan. To store, you use the canning method or simply allow to cool completely and seal in sterilized jar. Refrigerate and enjoy!!!

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Apple & Pear Chutney

Adapted from Bon Appetit, October 1986

You'll be wanting to stick your fingers in
the pot. It's that good :)

Ingredients:

4 ripe pears (Bosc or Barlett preferably) chopped

3 Granny Smith Apples, chopped

1 small onion, minced
Raisins (as many as you like)

1 C. honey

3/4 C. cider vinegar
1/2 C. minced celery
1/2 C. fresh orange juice
1/4 C. fresh lemon juice
1 T. minced fresh ginger
1 T. cinnamon
2 t. grated lemon zest
1/2 t. whole mustard seed

1 t. ground allspice
1/2 t. ground cloves

1/4 t. dried chili pepper flakes

Preparation:

Combine all ingredients in heavy large saucepan and bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer until thickened to chutney consistency, stirring occasionally, about 1 hour. Spoon into clean, sterilized jars; seal tightly. Refrigerate.

Carrot Cakes and Chutney for May

Hi guys.

Welcome back!!! It's a new week again and we greet May wholeheartedly and happy. The sun shines, raindrops drizzle on our doorsteps and spring is in the air. The birds chirp, the bugs buzz around and an all around joy fills the day. Much has happened in the past few days, and while I wish I could show you all of it, sadly, I cannot. I mope around for my lost and stolen phone; keeper and guardian of my precious treasures, yes, all my recent pictures. So, I'll do my best to illustrate my creations and thank those kind souls who have shared my pictures with me. 

Last Monday, the gray sky promised bleak sunshine and I headed to the kitchen to begin my messy baking. I honestly think I don't make that much of a mess. My family has a whole different idea. Anyhow, I happily weighed ingredients and grated carrots for the fabulous carrot cake order. I paced myself nicely, until the time to frost the cake was upon me. I then learned I am boycotting a dairy products factory for their lack of quality nowadays. Not only does the butter have a rancid cheese smell, but the yummy tasting cream cheese they produce is not of the proper consistency. Luckily, the butter supplied by my aunt the day before is fantastic, albeit much more expensive and I managed one out of two. I had trouble masking the cake with frosting, as it was not a dense consistency. I had to place the cake in the freezer, only God knows how many times. In the end, the cake looked beautiful and thankfully, the frosting stayed put until cutting. 

Looks yummy, right?

I got amazing reviews on the fantastic carrot cake and I couldn't wait to make it again this past Saturday. But I am getting ahead of myself. Wednesday was International Worker's Day an as promised, I decided to make Mango Jam/Jelly/Marmalade. It's not the traditional, jelly like, stay's put, type of jam. It's packed-full of ripe mangoes and has less than half the sugar. Eight cups of pureed mangoes yielded only two big jars, which is more than enough for us at home. More than enough!!! Still, I wasn't satisfied with the mango cravings so Thursday, I went ahead and made chutney for the first time...ever. I am overjoyed to say that my first attempt at chutney making was a complete and utter success!!! My grandmother complained I sent her too small a jar. I haven't stopped eating it with my dinners. It just makes everything better. Friday was birthday cake day, and I made my way over to my mom's office to celebrate with a Vanilla Caramel Cake, of which you guys have the recipe. 

The too-small-a-jar I sent Grandma :)

The weekend was soon upon us and Saturday morning, there I was, baking another carrot cake. This time, I doubled the recipe, used a different recipe for the cream cheese frosting and...carved the massive cake into a small Hello Kitty face. It looked awesome. I filled the cake, applied a rather thick crumb coat and then came the tricky part. Shortly before the crumb coat, I rolled out the necessary fondant needed to cover the cake completely. It wasn't the first time, nor will it be the last, but I have to admit, it was a disaster. It was my first cake, with an abstract form, that required fondant. I carefully unrolled the fondant over the cake and while attempting to smooth it out nicely, it stretched and teared near one the kitty's ears. My extremely feeble undertaking to smooth it out, resulted in a gooey like plaster that eventually dried out. There wasn't anything to be done and so I made the best of it. I tinted a small bit with yellow, another with black (which resulted in a light grey) and a bigger part in a baby pink. These made up the lovely button nose, the eyes and whiskers and the pink fondant became the beautiful Hello Kitty trademark bow. I then lined the bottom border with uneven and different sized pink fondant pellets. I heard the birthday girl did not want the cake cut and even got mad when the cake got stuffed with candles. I laughed, and I am certainly glad the cake did not disappoint.

The final look. It looked so pretty!!!

Sunday morning, at 6:00 a.m., I found myself volunteering for Operation Smile's Racing for Smiles event, which garnered hundreds of runners, helping race funds for the organization's work. It was all going well and great until it came for us to leave. It was then I found out my phone was lost. Yup...in all the excitement and crushing crowds, my phone made its way into another person's hands. The time to weep for its dejected absence is over and I shall make do by cooking up a delicious batch of apple-pear chutney. In the meantime, I leave you with two tasty recipes I hope you try out!!!

Until next time.

xx

Carrot Cake

Adapted from Epicurious

I'd offer you another picture, but sadly
my lost phone had them all

Ingredients

Cake

2 C. sugar

1 C. canola oil

4 large eggs

2 C. all purpose flour

2 t. baking soda

1 t. cinnamon

1 t. ground ginger

1/2 t. salt

4 C. grated, peeled carrots

1 C. walnuts, chopped

Frosting**

12 oz. cream cheese, softened

3/4 C. butter, softened

2 T. maple syrup

1/4 t. ground cinnamon

4 1/2 C. confectioner's sugar

Preparation:

Cake:
Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 350°F. Butter and flour two 9-inch-diameter cake pans with 1 1/2-inch-high sides. Using electric mixer, beat sugar, oil and eggs in large bowl until well blended. Add flour, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger and salt; beat until blended. Stir in carrots and walnuts. Divide batter between pans.

Bake cakes until tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 32 minutes. Cool cakes in pans on rack 15 minutes. Run small knife between pan sides and cakes to loosen. Turn cakes out onto racks; cool completely.

Frosting:

In a large bowl, beat cream cheese and butter using an electric mixer at medium-high speed until fluffy.

Reduce speed to medium-low and add maple syrup and cinnamon.

Gradually mix in confectioner's sugar, beating until smooth.

*Make sure you use a quality cream cheese. I suggest Philadelphia.

**Original Recipe from Fort Mill SC Living

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Mango Chutney

Adapted from Epicurious

Same goes for this picture

Ingredients:

3 medium apples, peeled, cored, and chopped

3 medium/large mangoes, peeled and chopped

1/2 medium sweet red pepper, chopped

1 C. granulated sugar

1/2 C. brown sugar, packed

3/4 C. finely chopped onion

1/2 C. raisins

1/2 C. apple cider vinegar

1/4 C. finely chopped peeled gingerroot

1 T. lemon juice

1 t. curry powder

1 t. garam masala

1/2 t. each: ground nutmeg, cinnamon, and salt

Preparation:

Combine apples, mangoes, red pepper, sugar, onion, raisins, vinegar, and gingerroot in a large stainless steel or enamel saucepan. Bring to a boil over high heat, reduce heat, and boil gently, uncovered, for 20 minutes or until fruit is tender and mixture is thickened, stirring occasionally. Add lemon juice, curry powder, nutmeg, cinnamon, and salt; boil gently for 5 minutes.

*For storing, either proceed with the canning procedure (filling hot jars, simmering them and sealing them) or use the old school method. Sterilize clean jars by boiling them thoroughly and allowing them to dry. Fill the jars with the cooled chutney and refrigerate. The canning procedure allows the longest shelf life, however the old school method works fine.