A Black and White Cake

A cake for Doreen. Happy Birthday!   This cake is chocolate on the bottom and vanilla on top.  It is filled with a vanilla custard and strawberries.  The frosting is buttercream.  Doreen’s friends asked that her cake be decorated in red, white and blue. 

 I just love baking cakes and decorating them. On a rare occasion, usually when I think the cake is an easy one and the decorations not a challenge, I get a surprise.  This cake had one challenge after another in store for me.    😛

I didn’t take a picture but there was a point when Shane had frosting on his head.  Poor Shane. I had to give him a late night shower on half of his body because, as you probably know, frosting is greasy and it wouldn’t come out of his coat.  He did look funny and SO CUTE! 

As for the cake, you can see most hurdles were overcome and I was REALLY happy to deliver this one!   😳 

When you’re cooking or baking, you need to assess your mood, never rush and NEVER try to make ANYTHING when you’re in a bad frame of mind. It reflects in the outcome of whatever you are cooking/baking.  Make yourself smile, take a deep breath and enjoy the experience.   😆

It was truly an enjoyment delivering this cake.  As I walked into the restaurant and made the delivery, Joanne (Doreen’s friend … and mine since she orders from me 🙂 ) greeted me.  She insisted I meet “the girls”.  Only 3 of the partiers had arrived but what a nice group of ladies.  I handed out Apple Crumbles cards.  When the desire for cakes, cookies, and other treats overcome these ladies again, Apple Crumbles will be on their list.

So Happy Birthday, again, Doreen. I hope you enjoyed your birthday with friends and especially your cake.

Advertisement

Read Full Post »

CEimB: Carrot Cake Cupcakes with Lemony Cream Cheese Frosting

Oh NO not again!  Two Carrot Cake posts within 7 days.  What can I say…just can’t get enough carrot cake.  To see the Carrot Cake WHOOPIE PIES, click HERE.  But don’t leave yet because this recipe by Ellie Krieger and a baking bloggers bake-a-long (that would be my fellow CEimBers) is too good not to check out. 

This week Leanne of Enjoying My Favorite Things chose the recipe. Leanne, standing ovation!  This one deserves an extra round of applause.  We loved these little cuties.

Carrot cake is my favorite kind of cake.  I add pineapple and raisins and think of it as treasure.  Delicious. 

Here is the recipe with Apple Crumbles changes in..what else..ORANGE.  You can detect the courser texture of the wheat flour but it really doesn’t take anything away from this really tasty little cake.

Makes 12 cupcakes. Page 285 of The Food You Crave.

• 3/4 cup whole wheat flour
• 1/2 cup all purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg
• 1/4 cup canola oil
• 2/3 cup Dark Brown Sugar –Ellie uses 3/4 cup light brown sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce – Ellie uses 1/2 cup
• 1/4 cup crushed pineapple – my addition

• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 cups shredded carrots, par-boil 5 minutes to soften – Ellie simply calls for finely shredded carrots and 1 1/2 cups.
• 1/2 cup raisins – Ellie uses 1/4 cup finely chopped walnuts

Frosting:   4 oz Neufchatel cheese, softened (or reduced fat cream cheese), 3/4 cup confectioners sugar, 1/2 tsp finely grated lemon zest.   No messing with the frosting. It looked great to me. 

Directions: Preheat oven to 350 F.  Line muffin tins with paper liners.  In medium bowl, sift the flours, baking soda, salt and spices. In a large bowl, whisk oil, sugar, eggs to combine. Add applesauce, crushed pineapple, vanilla, carrots. *Drain those carrots after boiling, allow to cool then pat dry before adding to mix. Add dry ingredients to the wet and just stir to combine. Add raisins.

Pour batter into the cups and bake about 20 – 25 minutes.

To make the frosting, simply beat for 2 minutes the cream cheese, confectioners sugar, and lemon zest. 

Ted couldn’t wait until I iced them:

But when I did ice them…

We both took a bite, looked at each other with bulging eyes and said..

“These are GOOD!”   😯

 

Read Full Post »