50th Post! Uncollected Mocha Cake with White Chocolate Buttercream

Firstly, I apologise to my readers for barely commenting on your blogs this week, I've just started a new job and have been EXHAUSTED and not to forget I can't slack off like I used to! But I think I've caught up on all of your posts now :)

The other day I'd offered to make a cake for a friend for an anniversary, just so that I can practice making something without eating it in the end...

I went to the trouble of spending 3 hrs on making this cake AND ruined my fresh manicure to later reveal that they weren't going to collect it, or even let me know that they weren't coming.. Don't know what the story was there but I was stuck with this cake.. So long story short.. I decided to eat it lol. I was proud of my creation. Pity that the other 3/4's are in my freezer waiting for me to binge on it. *Epic sigh*

SO if you want to make this cake for yourself or for someone else, here is there recipe. I sourced this from here via foodgawker. Enjoy!

Mocha Cake- I doubled this recipe to make 2x 17cm round tins.

1-1/3 cups all-purpose flour

1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 cup whole milk

1/2 cup strong brewed coffee, at room temperature

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar

1 large egg, at room temp

Preheat to 350°F. Line cake pan.

Sift together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In a measuring cup, combine the milk and brewed coffee.

In a stand mixer, using a flat beater on medium-high speed, beat the butter and sugars together until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes. Add the egg and beat until combined. Slowly add the flour mixture, alternating with the coffee mixture, ending with the flour mixture.

Fill cake tin about 2/3 full. Bake for about 35-45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of a cake comes out clean. Let cool before frosting.

White Chocolate Buttercream Icing

1 c. butter, softened

2 c. confectioner’s sugar

6 oz. white chocolate, melted and cooled

3-5 Tbsp. of whipping cream or half and half

Beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add white chocolate. Add whipping cream 1 tbsp. at a time until it is the desired consistancy.

Makes 3 1/2 cups

This cake also gave me a chance to practice some buttercream roses.

And mucked around with some piping tips

Cake cracked because I am always too impatient and didn't let it cool yet and flipped it onto the cake stand without trimming the top. Buttercream patched it up nicely though.

Hope you enjoyed this post!!

Princess Cake- 5th Birthday Cake

One of my friend's little daughter's had just turned 5 and I was asked to help with making a cake for her party this afternoon.. She is really into princesses so Tish and I created this baby. Took a little while and I sacrificed my perfectly healthy back as we spaced the making process throughout the day, but it turned out beautifully.

We had used a regular yellow vanilla butter cake recipe and iced it with yummy strawberry buttercream icing. The little details on the flowers were made with gel icing.. nom nom.

I know there are a few imperfections from icing this in a poorly lit room, but are you all proud? :p

Fauxtess Cupcakes

So I'd mentioned in my last post that I was home to take my kitten to the vet to be desexed.. Well whilst at home I was almost sick with worry.

Since the vet mentioned that for her it is major surgery I was nervous for her. So to keep myself busy at home I decided to make some fauxtess cupcakes.. They seemed to be a bit more tricky than regular cupcakes so I gave them a go.

I found that these cupcakes were nice and dense. The batter wasn't as good as my faithful devils food cupcake recipe, but I think the rich cake is a nice change.

Fauxtess Cupcakes
Sourced from Beantown Baker

For the cupcakes - I doubled the recipe and got about 17 instead of 24.
1 cup plus 4 tablespoons cake flour
2/3 cup Dutch-process cocoa
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
4 large eggs, separated and at room temperature
2/3 cup canola oil
1 cup plus 4 tablespoons sugar
4 tablespoons water

For the cream filling (Seven Minute Frosting):
This made more than enough to greedily fill the cupcakes and top them.
2 large egg whites
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup light corn syrup
2 tablespoons water
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract- I used vanilla bean paste as I ran out of extract

For the ganache- I doubled this
1/2 cup cream
200 grams dark chocolate, finely chopped
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened

Preheat the oven to 180 and line 2x 12 capacity muffin pans with paper liners. I love these polka dot ones. I got them from ebay a few months back and have been dying to use them.

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt.

In a large mixing bowl, beat together egg yolks, canola oil, 1/2 cup sugar and water until well combined. Add the dry ingredients and stir by hand just until combined.


It looked like it wasn't going to come together, but just needed a bit of elbow grease


In a clean medium bowl, beat egg whites at high speed until soft peaks form. Gradually add remaining 2 tablespoons sugar and beat until stiff and glossy. Beat one quarter of the whites into the batter to lighten the mixture. Add remaining whites and gently fold the mixture together until no streaks remain.

Evenly divide the batter between the wells of a 12 cup muffin tin coated with nonstick spray (they will be about one-half full). Bake until the cupcakes spring back when lightly touched in the center, about 13 to 16 minutes. Remove and let the cupcakes cool slightly before turning them out onto a wire rack to cool completely.



While waiting for cupcakes to cool, combine filling ingredients with a pinch of salt in a metal bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water and beat with a handheld electric mixer at high speed until frosting is thick and fluffy, 6 to 7 minutes. Remove bowl from heat and continue to beat until slightly cooled. Reserve 1/2 cup of the filling to use for piping the swirls on top of the cupcakes at the end.



Once cupcakes are completely cooled, use the cone method (reserve tops and cut off excess cake) to fill with filling.



Once all cupcakes are filled, make the ganache.



In a small saucepan, heat cream until steaming. Remove from the heat, add chocolate and let stand for 5 minutes. Add the butter and stir until smooth. Transfer the frosting to a small bowl and dip the top of each cupcake to thoroughly coat.

Spoon the reserved filling into a pastry bag fitted with a very small plain tip and pipe swirls across the center of each cupcake. Refrigerate the cupcakes for 10 minutes to set the frosting.

Spontaneous Rude Birthday Sponge- Not something to make for your mother-in-law :S

Yay! Not a cupcake related post!

Tomorrow is our house mate's 22nd Birthday and our other housemate Keen Bean was adamant that he was going to make a sponge. After lurking around the kitchen just waiting for him to ask for help, he didn't realize that the amount of batter he made would only make one layer.

I stepped in to make the second layer. I think that I proved that my top component of the cake was of better quality as it didn't fall, had a nice crust and was twice the size :P. Pretty good considering that I haven't made a sponge since my late dad taught me how when I was 9 years old.

I also had to help out with piping out the writing. I had to hide the swears on this cake as this is how to boys talk to each other.. and HAD to quote Trent from Punchbowl. I know.. crude right? But a tasty cake, none the less.

Layered Sponge Cake with Jam and Cream Filling, Strawberries and Cream Topping and left over Strawberry Swiss Meringue Buttercream Frosting

Soured from the back of Fielders Corn Flour Packet

Ingredients
3 Eggs Seperated
Pinch Salt
1/4 Teaspoon Vanilla Essence
1/2 Cup Castor Sugar
2/3 Cup Corn Flour
1 Rounded Tbs of Plain Flour
1 Tsp Baking Powder

Method

• Preheat Oven to 190 C, beat egg whites to soft peaks then gradually add sugar, a little at a time, then continue beating until stiff peaks form.

• Add egg yolks and vanilla essence, beat until combined.

• Sift 3 times the corn flour, plain flour and baking powder, add to egg mixture. Folding gently to incorporate. Do not stir!..

• Divide in two and add to 2x greased and lined 20 cm sandwich pans (I used a 21cm springform pan and made 2 batches). Bake for 18-29 Minutes.

• Turn off and leave oven ajar for 5 minutes. Pull out and cool on racks in pan for 5 mins, remove from pan and cool completely before decorating.

• After cutting off the crust, Keen Bean smothered in chanterelle cream, strawberries and I wrote in some left over strawberry flavoured swiss meringue buttercream with additional red food colouring.

Comparison Mine still has the crust on it

Proud of my contribution

Layered Sponge Cake with Jam and Cream Filling, Strawberries and Cream Topping and writing in some left over Strawberry Swiss Meringue Buttercream Frosting with some extra red food colouring added.

Happy Reading!