Cinnamon Bun Cake

When you say "Birthday", I say "Cake"! No seriously. Any time someone says birthday I think of cake. And I feel like I'm not the only one out there am I right.

SO When I was given the opportunity recently to make not one BUT TWO cakes for a friend's birthday party I was like HECK YEAH! 

This is the story of the first cake. (Second cake coming soon!)

I was given the memo that said friend really really likes cinnamon buns and wanted a "cinnamon bun cake... what ever that is". It was my job to figure out "what ever that was" and turn cinnamon bun into cake form.

CHALLENGE ACCEPTED.

I thought about just making one big ass cinnamon bun.

But there is something about birthday parties and layer cakes that are just such a great combination... I could not resist!

The Cinnamon Bun Cake was born!

This is a dessert that has all the physical properties of a layer cake, but all the flavours of the classic breakfast treat. Cinnamon spiced vanilla cake, sandwiching a layer of cinnamon sugar filling, all coated in a cream cheese frosting. And decorated with lil' mini cinnamon buns. Cuz, CUTE!

If you like cinnamon buns, and you like cake, then this is a keeper for you! The birthday friend approved. As did the birthday party goers!

Cinnamon Bun Cake

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/2 cups cake flour

1 tbsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1 tbsp ground cinnamon

1 cup butter

1 3/4 cup sugar

4 eggs

2 tsp vanilla

1 1/4 cups milk

Preheat oven to 350F, butter two 8" round cake pans with butter, dust with flour and tap out excess flour.

Sift together both flours, baking powder, salt and cinnamon.

Cream together the butter and sugar until pale and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time beating until each is incorporated, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Beat in vanilla. Reduce speed to low. Add flour mixture in three batches alternating with the milk, beating until combined after each.

Divide the batter evenly between the two tins and give the tins a firm tap on the counter to let any air bubbles escape. Bake until a toothpick inserted comes out clean and tops are springy, about 30 minutes or so.

Let cakes cool for at least 10-15 minutes in the tins before removing them. Let them cool completely before filling/frosting them. At this point, you can wrap the cakes individually in plastic wrap and keep them in the freezer until you need them (up to one month). Fun fact! Frozen cakes are actually way easier to frost than room temperature ones.

Cinnamon-Sugar Filling

1/4 cup melted butter

2 tbsp brown sugar

1 tbsp cinnamon

Mix all ingredients together in a small bowl.

Cream Cheese Frosting

8 ounces cream cheese, softened to room temperature

2 ounces (1/4 cup) softened butter

4 cups sifted icing sugar

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Cream the cream cheese and the butter together. On low speed, gradually add the icing sugar and mix until fully incorporated. Mix in the vanilla extract. Beat on high for a few minutes to create a light and fluffy frosting. Like the cake, frosting can be made ahead of time and kept in the fridge for up to 3 days, or frozen for up to 1 month.

ASSEMBLY!

Place one cake layer onto desired serving platter or cake stand. Spread the top of this cake with the cinnamon-sugar filling. Spread a layer of the cream cheese frosting over top of this layer. Place the second cake layer on top. Spread a thin layer of cream cheese frosting over the top and sides of the cake, using an offset spatula to make it as even as possible. This is just the base layer of frosting, so it can be quite thin (called the "crumb-coat"). Place the cake in the fridge for about 30 minutes to let the crumb-coat firm up a bit. This will make it easier to frost later.

Take the cake out of the fridge and frost with the remaining cream cheese frosting, swirling and spreading as you wish. Garnish the top with halved mini cinnamon buns! 

Happy Baking!

XO Lari

Marbled Matcha and Lemon Pound Cake

MAN! I am so on Team Matcha. I used to think green tea tasted a bit like fish food... I won't lie.

But now I can't get enough! I find myself dreaming about what I can make into a "green tea version"... Matcha cookies, cakes, lattes, pancakes, muffins, truffles, milkshakes... pretty much anything. Except cheeseburgers. I will keep my green tea out of my burgers. For now.

Matcha powder is the magical ingredient in this pound cake. It is not the easiest thing to find however, and is often quite pricey. I managed to buy some for a good price at a Japanese/Korean specialty food market. I have also seen it sold at health food stores, and online. If you can find some (and not spend your life savings on it) then please buy it! You won't regret it. 

It's crazy green and tastes like the earth. Makes you feel really healthy. Feel the goodness of the green, my friends.

Matcha also pairs deliciously well with lemon, which is the other half of this marble cake. Don't be afraid of the green! Embrace it! The lemon and sweetness of this cake help to balance the grassiness of the matcha flavour so it's not overly strong. Grassiness is a word, right? Now it is.

Marbled Matcha and Lemon Pound Cake

Recipe from Joy The Baker

Note! I halved the orginal recipe to make a couple mini loaves, and some muffins. Baking times will vary depending on the size of loaf or muffin tins you use.

Also! You can see that I topped the muffins with some chopped pistachios, they add an awesome crunch and their flavour pairs really well with the matcha and lemon. Also, the more green the merrier! If you wanted I bet almonds would be a great addition as well.

• 1 1/3 cup all purpose flour
• 1 1/4 tsp baking powder
• 1/8 tsp salt
• 1 1/6 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 3 eggs
• 1/3 cup sour cream
• 1/2 tsp lemon zest (about half a lemon)
• about 1 tbsp lemon juice (about 1/4 of a lemon)
• 1/2 tbsp Matcha green tea powder
• 1/4 cup plus 3 1/2 Tbsp melted butter, cooled slightly
• Handful of chopped pistachios if desired

1) Preheat your oven to 350. Grease and flour your loaf tins, and line with parchment paper to make life easier! Line muffin tins with paper liners.

2) Sift together the flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.

3) In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs and sugar until thoroughly incorporated. Mix in the vanilla and sour cream.

4) Stir in the dry ingredients in 2-3 additions, switching to a rubber spatula if needed. Next, stir in the melted butter, in two or more additions if necessary.

5) Divide the batter into two bowls. In one bowl, mix in the lemon zest and juice. In the other bowl, mix in the matcha powder.

6) In the loaf and/or muffin tins, layer the two different kinds of batter and gently swirl with a knife just a bit to make MARBLE MAGIC!

7)Baking times will vary depending on the size of the tins you use, but generally:

Mini Cupcakes: 15 minutes

Regular Cupcakes: 20-25 minutes

Mini Loafs: 30-35

Or until the tops are springy and a toothpick inserted comes out clean!

Let the loafs cool a bit in their tins before turning out onto a wire raack to cool completely.

Enjoy with a cup of tea, preferably green and especially Matcha :)

<3 Lari

Lemon Raspberry Yellow Rose Cake

I love having an excuse to make a fancy cake! Especially when it is for somebody special. And especially when it is a surprise for them. Surprises are always the best.

This particular cake was for my Aunt Joan. I have three aunts in total, and two of them are named Joan. How does that happen? THIS Aunt Joan is from my Dad's side of the family and her birthday just happened and I totally got to make a cake for her! I had a massive brainstorming session for what kind of cake I wanted to make, and how to decorate it. All free time was dedicated to cake thoughts.

I wanted to make it special for her, so I asked around the family for some inspiration. Turns out, she has a thing for roses, yellow roses in particular. BAM! Inspiration. And the Yellow Rose Aunt Joan Cake is born.

This cake was to be served after a family dinner, in the summertime... so I wanted it to be light and summery, not too rich. Also, YELLOW! (After much indecision and debate) I decided to create something lemony and raspberry-y. Seemed like the right thing to do. And when in doubt, cream cheese frosting.

Lemon and raspberries feel like summer! Yellow and white with a splash of pink makes me happy.

I seriously had a lot of fun making this cake, from designing it, to baking, to decorating... Give me an occasion. I'll make you a cake. Please? Cool, thanks. Let's be friends.

Lemon Buttermilk Cake

Recipe from Martha Stewart

• 3 cups all purpose flour
• 1 tbsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 cup (8 oz.) butter
• 2 cups granulated sugar
• 4 eggs
• zest of 3 lemons (about 3 tbsp)
• 2 Tbsp lemon juice (about 1 lemon)
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 cup buttermilk

1) In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.

2)Using an electric mixer, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, scraping the sides of the bowl as needed. Blend in the lemon zest and vanilla.

3)Add the flour mixture in three additions, alternating with two additions of buttermilk and lemon juice. Blend until just combined.

4)Pour batter into greased and floured 8" cake tins. (I saved some batter to make into mini cupcakes... you know, for mandatory taste-testing and quality control)

5)Bake at 325 for about 30 minutes or until cake tops are springy and a toothpick inserted comes out clean.

*If you are making mini cupcakes, they will take about 15 minutes.

*If you are making regular sized cupcakes, they will take about 20 minutes.

6)Let cakes cool at least 10 minutes in the pan, then turn out onto wire racks to cool completely before frosting.

*Cakes can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for one day, or wrapped in plastic and frozen for much longer!

Cream Cheese Frosting

• 8 oz cream cheese
• 2 oz butter
• 4 cups sifted icing sugar (you may need more depending on the temperature, my frosting was too soft so I added 1/4 cup extra)
• pinch salt
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

1) In a mixer bowl, cream together the butter and cream cheese until fluffy and completely combined. Gradually add the icing sugar about one cup at a time, beating until well combined after each addition. Beat in the salt and vanilla extract. Taste and adjust as needed. If frosting is too thin, add more icing sugar. Too thick? Add a tiny splash of milk.

Frosting can be used immediately  or refrigerated in an airtight container for a few days, or frozen for up to three months.

For the filling of the cake, all I did was take about 1/3 of the cream cheese frosting and added a big handful of fresh raspberries and mashed it all up. I didn't blend it together completely because I was going for the marbled look. Pretty!

(A warning note: the raspberries I added were particularily delicious i.e. JUICY like mad and thinned out the frosting quite a bit. This made things a bit runny and messy and oozing-out-the-sides style when I layered the cake. Perhaps next time I will add more powdered sugar to help thicken it up. Once you put the first layer of frosting on the outside, however, if you stick the cake in the fridge it will firm up and help things along.)

My first rose, woo!

Meringue Buttercream Roses
Recipe from Martha Stewart

• 3 egg whites
• 1/2 cup plus 1 tbsp sugar
• pinch salt
• 1 cup (8oz) butter at room temperature
• 3/4 tsp vanilla extract
• Gel paste food colouring (I used a mixture or golden yellow and lemon yellow by Wilton)

1)In the heatproof bowl of a standing mixer whisk together the egg whites, sugar and salt. Set the bowl over a pan of simmering water and whisk constantly until the sugar has dissolved, about 2-3 minutes, the mixture should feel smooth when you rub it between your fingers. 

2) Once the sugar has dissolved, remove the bowl from the heat and attatch it to your standing mixer. Starting on low speed and increasing to medium high, whip the egg white mixture until it is completely cool, white and glossy and forming slightly stiff peaks. (this takes about 10 minutes)

3) Reduce speed to medium low and add the softened butter one tablespoon at a time, beating until combined after each addition. If the mixture appears to "curdle" after adding the butter, FEAR NOT! This happens to me every. time.  :( But the good news is all you have to do is keep beating, and whip that buttercream back into shape. Just beat it. Like Michael Jackson told you to.

4) Next mix in the vanilla extract and food colouring if desired. YELLOW!

5) You can use the buttercream immediately, or keep it in an airtight container in the fridge for a few days, or in the freezer for up to 3 months. Just bring back to room temperature and beat it some more to get the right consistency.

6) When you're ready to make the roses, fit a pastry bag with a petal tip, then fill the bag with your buttercream. You will also need 1 inch squares of parchment paper, a flower nail and an offset spatula is helpful when moving the flowers from the parchment to the cake.

7) I would reccommend watching a few youtube videos for a visual on how to pipe these flowers. They look complicated, but I found them to be quite simple. The petal tip does most of the work for you! And as always, Martha knows what's best: check out her instructions here. (I just used the petal tip, instead of switching back and forth between two and it worked out fine)

Cake Assembly

1) Place one cake layer on the platter you wish to serve it on. Spread with a thin layer of raspberry jam.

2)Spread the raspberry-marbled cream cheese frosting on top of the jam, no need to spread too far to the edges because it will ooze out otherwise when you put the next layer on.

3)Put the next layer on!

4)Spread a thin layer of cream cheese frosting over the top and sides of the cake, working fairly quickly because oh my goodness this frosting is oozing out the sides and turning my white frosting pinkish and hey maybe that's still cool it's kind of looking like ombre and that's totally in right now maybe I'll just let it happen! But please get a coat of cream cheese frosting on there, pop it in the fridge for at least 1 hour to firm up a bit. I left mine in the fridge overnight, and left the rest of the decorating for the next day which was the day of the party.

5) Using an offset spatula, transfer your buttercream roses from their parchment squares to the top of the cake, arranging how you like.

I had some leftover cream cheese frosting, so I tinted it green and piped some leaves around the roses.

6)Finish the cake off by arranging fresh raspberries around the bottom and TADAA

               

Slice it, serve with vanilla ice cream, on the patio in the backyard. Rock on.

<3 Lari

Coconut Almond Anniversary Cake

Coconuts! Almonds! Chocolate! OH MY!

A few months ago, my supervisor from work hired me to bake his wife a surprise cake on their anniversary! That is just the cutest thing ever. So obviously, I said Heck Yes I will. He managed to sneakily ask her what her favorite cake might be and she came up with this:

A coconut cake, filled with chocolate ganache, and frosted with an almond buttercream.

And the Coconut Almond Anniversary Cake was born!

I was a tad nervous making this cake because I had never made (or eaten, really) a cake like it. It was my first time making an almond frosting... Sometimes I find that almond flavoured foods taste kind of artificial and fruity? That is weird. So I used very little almond extract, and mostly almond butter to create it. Good news it was delish! 

How do I know it was delish?

I tagged along with them on their anniversary and ate their cake. NO! Just kidding. I did not.

That could be creepy, so instead, FUN TIP: I decided to save just enough cake batter and made a single cupcake, which I later filled and frosted the same way that I did for the larger cake. This way, I could do some quality control taste testing before releasing my cake out into the big world! Quality control is extensively important and probably the best part of cooking. Always do some quality control :)

The toasted coconut and almonds on top of the cake added some lovely texture. And what is a proper dessert without a little chocolate? The ganache filling made it that much more special.

So if you are celebrating your anniversary, or somebody else's, try this cake! And if you are not, then it is probably somebody's anniversary somewhere in the world... do it for them.

Coconut Cake

Recipe adapted from Martha Stewart

Almond Butter Cream

• 1 cup (8 ounces) softened butter
• 4 cups icing sugar, sifted
• 1/4 tsp almond extract
• 1/2 cup almond butter

In a standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter until creamed. Add half of the icing sugar, and beat until everything is light and fluffy, add in the almond butter and extract, beat until combined. Add in the remaining half of the icing sugar and beat until everything is combined and delicious.

Chocolate Ganache

• 4 ounces semi-sweet chocolate, chopped
• 1/2 cup heavy cream

Place your chopped chocolate in a heatproof bowl. Warm the cream on the stove to just a simmer, just until you see bubbling around the edge of the pot. Take off the heat, and pour the cream over the chocolate. Let sit for 5 minutes or so to start melting the chocolate. Gently stir until the cream and chocolate make a uniform mixture. The ganache needs to set in the fridge before so it can become spreadable, and ready to go on the cake! 

Cake Assembly!

Place one of the cake layers on a serving platter. Spread the ganache over the cake, and top with the second cake layer. Cover the sides and top of the cake completely with the Almond Buttercream. Here is the cool part! In my stocking for Christmas... I got to open this one early for this reason... I got a nifty cake decorating tool called a decorating triangle. They are pretty inexpensive to buy and give the sides of your cake a fancy finish. And I am all about the fancy finish. All you have to do is make sure the side of your cake is covered in a nice even layer of frosting, then drag one side of the triangle all the way around. Tadaa: fancy sides.

I garnished the top of my cake with toasted shredded coconut, toasted sliced almonds, and some large-flaked coconut. Large flake coconut is my new favourite ingredient! It's just so fancy looking. And as previously mentioned, I am all about the fancy. It is hard to find in regular grocery stores, but I found mine at a health food store.

I have discovered that I have more fun now wandering in health food stores than I do in clothing stores. There are so many cool foods and ingredients that you don't normally see in a regular grocery store! I love going in and walking out with something totally new to try. Such as large-flake coconut.

If you have extra buttercream leftover, use it to pipe a nice little frame around your cake to finish it off.

Happy Anniversary or Non Anniversary! (Those are important to celebrate too.)

<3 Lari

Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

When I was younger I thought carrot cake was gross. I also thought cream cheese was disgusting. WHO DID I THINK I WAS?!

Actually, a more correct statement would be when I was younger I thought any kind of cake other than chocolate cake was gross. I was born a chocoholic... and still am. Proudly.

My mother's birthday and mine are very close together and often times growing up, we would celebrate our birthdays with our extended family at the same time. To make us still feel unique and special, my dear Gran would bake two cakes, one for each of us! My mom's cake would be her favourite cake: carrot cake with cream cheese frosting. Mine was always Chocolate cake with chocolate frosting (and Gran did indeed make the best). 

So obviously when it came time to have cake, I went for chocolate! Because what can be better than chocolate?? (I have found in life that the answer to this question is not rhetorical, and the answer is most often: nothing can be better than chocolate.)

Perhaps I never gave carrot cake a fair chance from the get go. I am pleased to say that over the years, I have given carrot cake many more tries, and I have discovered am actually a big fan! My tastebuds have matured like my parents promised they would and now I make carrot cake and cream cheese frosting and I LOVE IT. It has found its way in to my recipe repertoire.

Don't get me wrong, if I have a choice between carrot cake and chocolate cake, I gotta go for the chocolate. But now I totally appreciate a good carrot version: soft and tender with thin threads of bright orange ribboning through, warmly spiced and topped with a pure white, silky cream cheese frosting... I get it now.

Like many things in life, there are about a bajillion different variations for carrot cake... This recipe is what I would think of as a simple, classic version: no fancy frills or add ins. However it is easy to make it your own by adding in some fanciness. I would try folding chopped pecans into the batter before baking, or spiking to the frosting with maple syrup. But here is the basic, and mini is cuter so they are in cupcake form!

Carrot Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

Recipe slightly adapted from Martha

For the cupcakes:

• 1 pound of carrots, peeled and grated
• 3 eggs
• 1/3 cup buttermilk
• 2 cups sugar
• 1 1/2 cups vegetable or canola oil
• seeds from 1 vanilla bean pod (If you don't have a a vanilla bean pod, use 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract)
• 3 cups flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp ground ginger
• 1/8 tsp ground cloves

Whisk together the first 6 ingredients until combined. Sift over the remaining ingredients and mix until just incorporated. Divide the batter evenly among paper lined cupcake tins, filling each about 3/4 full. Bake at 325 for about 23-28 minutes. (*If you are using mini muffins tins, I find that the baking time is about 15 minutes)

Transfer tins to wire racks to cool for 10 minutes, then turn out cupcakes to cool completely before frosting.

Alternatively, I find these cupcakes unfrosted make a delicious mid afternoon snack with a tea or coffee :)

For the frosting:

• 8 oz cream cheese
• 2 oz butter
• 4 cups sifted powdered sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla

Beat the cream cheese and the butter until soft. Gradually add the powdered sugar and beat until fluffy. Mix in the vanilla.

Transfer the mixture to a piping bag fitted with a star tip.

Swirl the cream cheese frosting onto each cupcake and share with all your friends.

This totally counts as a serving of vegetables. And the frosting is a serving of dairy. Like a solid meal, right? Does this count??

Happy Baking!

<3Lari

Pumpkin Pecan Cake

This cake was invented for a friend of mine who was having a birthday! I asked her what her dream birthday cake would be, and she said she loves pumpkin spice, and cream cheese frosting, and nuts. Good choice, my friend, good choice indeed. My friends have such great taste.
This is what I invented for her: A moist pumpkin spice cake, frosted with a maple cream cheese frosting and garnished with toasted pecans. For a little extra somethin' special, I adorned the top of her cake with a heart made from maple candied pecans (one of my favourite treats!).

With some help from her roommate, I snuck over to her house to surprise her with a (very belated) birthday cake! She promptly stopped her vacuuming and invited me to partake in a slice. And if I do say so myself... This cake was darn delicious.

It would be totally charming in cupcake form too, I think. A perfect cake for Autumn or winter weather! 

Pumpkin Spice Cake

Recipe adapted from Martha Stewart's cupcake recipe

You will need:

• 2 cups cake flour
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 1/2 tsp ground ginger
• 1/2 tsp nutmeg
• 1/8 tsp cloves
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1 1/4 cups brown sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup butter milk
• 3/4 cup canned pumpkin puree, or homemade if you have some kickin

Grease and flour two 8" round cake pans and set aside. Sift together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt and spices.

In the bowl of a standing mixer, cream the butter and brown sugar until fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time until each is incorporated, scraping the sides of the bowl as needed. Reduce the mixer speed to low and add the flour mixture in three additions, alternating with the buttermilk. Lastly, fold in the pumpkin puree. 

Divide the batter evenly between the two prepared cake pans and bake in a 350 oven for anywhere between 25-35 minutes. Oven times may vary! Depending on how crazy your oven is. Regardless, your cake is done when:

a) you poke it gently and it kind of spongily springs back in response or...

b)when you insert a skewer or a toothpick, and it comes out clean , not all battery.

Try not to over bake it, because over baking is the number one crime in the kitchen. However if you find that your cake is a little dry, don't beat yourself up... that's what frosting is for! On that note...

Maple Cream Cheese Frosting

You will need:

• 1 cup (8 ounce package) cream cheese
• 1/4 cup (2 ounces) butter
• 4 cups sifted icing sugar
• 1/2 tsp vanilla 
• 1/4 tsp maple extract
• 1 tbsp maple syrup

Cream the cream cheese and the butter together. On low speed, gradually add in the icing sugar a bit at a time, scraping down the bowl as needed. Mix in the extracts and the maple syrup, then beat the frosting on a medium high speed until fluffy and delicious. :)

Candied Pecans

Pecan halves

Maple syrup

pinch of salt

I don't really give measurements, because I find that they are not required. Just use as many pecans as you want, and make sure they are evenly covered with a thin layer of syrup. The only real way to mess this up is to forget them in the oven.

Combine all of the ingredients and toss about on a lined baking sheet. Bake at 350 for about ten minutes until your house smells yummy, and the syrup has candied itself onto the pecans as if by magic!

Try not to eat them all before they make it onto the cake... this is easier said than done.

Long live the Pumpkin Spice.
<3 Lari

Dark Chocolate Candy Cane Cake

Chocolate and Mint. Arguably one of the best combinations of all time. And when it is in the form of a chocolate cake with a dark chocolate frosting spiked with peppermint and garnished with crushed candy canes... it is no exception! I first made this cake for somebody else, but I, along with the rest of my family, was slightly jealous that we did not get to indulge in the cake eating experience. So, at our next family dinner my mother requested demanded that I make one for us! It is now going to be a holiday staple around my house... it is simply divine. We served it with some festive peppermint ice cream alongside... ohhh baby! I just love the holidays!

Dark Chocolate Candy Cane Cake

Chocolate Cake:

• 1/2 cup cocoa powder
• 1/2 cup boiling water
• 2/3 cup butter
• 1 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 2 eggs
• 2 1/4 cup flour
• 1 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 1/3 cup buttermilk

1) Stir together the cocoa powder and the boiling water, set aside.

2)Cream together the butter and sugar. Add in the vanilla, then the eggs.

3) In a separate bowl, sift together the dry ingredients. Alternate adding the dry ingredients to the butter mixture with the buttermilk, mixing until just combined after each addition. Blend in the cocoa powder/water mixture.

4)Pour the batter into two greased and floured 9" round cake pans. Bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the centre comes out clean. Cool the cakes inside their pans for at least ten minutes, then let them cool completely before frosting.

When I bake cake, I usually bake it a few days of even weeks in advance. Once your cake is baked and cooled completely, you can wrap up the individual layers and pop it in the freezer. It can chill out there for up to 3 months! So that when it is time for cake, all you have to do is pull it out of the freezer and decorate it. By the time your guests have arrived and it's dessert time, your cake will be ready to be devoured, and you will have minimal "last-minute-cake" stress. :)

Dark Chocolate Peppermint Frosting:

• 2 2/3 cup icing sugar
• 1/2 cup cocoa powder
• 6 tbsp butter
• 5 tbsp milk
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1/4 tsp peppermint extract

Cream the butter, add the cocoa powder, milk and vanilla and peppermint. Gradually add the icing sugar until it is the consistency you dream of.

Assembly time!

Place one cake layer on a fancy platter which you are going to present your masterpiece on. Cover the top with about one third of the frosting. Place the other cake layer on top, and coat the top and the sides of the cake with the remaining frosting in an even layer. Use your knife or spatula to make pretty little swirls of frosting on the top of the cake.

For the sides of my cake, I took peppermint flavoured candy canes and crushed them using a rolling pin. Then I took the crushed candy in my hands and gracefully slap it on the sides of the cake, pressing gently to adhere it. Those little bits of candy cane that don't stick to the sides and just fall onto the platter need not go to waste! Just sweep them off the plate and continue adhering them to the rest of your cake.

TADAA! A chocolatey-minty-masterpiece :)

PS I decided last minute to decorate the top of my cake with two little candy canes making a cute little heart. Awe.

<3 Lari

Mocha Fudge Brownie Cake

I have an apology to make: I do not have a good photo of this cake. I am sorry! But it is one of those things where I made it in the morning before school, and when I came back the family was already into it before there was time to snap a photo! Luckily, I have this Instagram for proof. Sometimes things are just too fantastic to stop and take a photo. Live life as it happens, you know? You can choose to keep, or omit the happy birthday message to my Great Auntie Irene; I am sure she wouldn't mind either way.

Let me first say that this is one of the best cakes I have ever eaten or made. I know, that's a big thing to say, but it truly was delish. I have been craving a brownie lately, and this cake is just what the Brownie Doctor ordered! (Man I wish that was a real profession.) It is beautifully dense like a brownie, and the light coffee-flavoured whip cream is a dreamy accompaniment. If you are opposed to coffee flavoured whip cream (get out of town first) then you can flavour the cream however you like! Strained raspberry puree would be good, or even just some vanilla extract and sugar added to the cream would be great.

Mocha Fudge Brownie Cake

Recipe from Hershey's Chocolate Cookbook

Notes: I switched things up only a tiny bit in this one, I toasted my pecans before chopping them and adding them to the batter, and I would highly recommend it. Also, I used dark brown sugar in the Coffee Cream rather than light... for the simple fact that I forgot to write light brown sugar on the shopping list. Still turned out awesome.

For the BROWNIE CAKE:

• 1 1/4 cups melted butter
• 3/4 cup cocoa powder
• 4 eggs
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 2 cups sugar
• 1 cup flour
• 1 cup finely chopped toasted pecans

Prepare your pans for cake batter battle! Do this by greasing two 9" pans with butter, and dust them with flour, tapping out the excess. For extra protection and cake-removal-confidence, cut out a circle of parchment paper to line the bottom of your pan with.

Stir together the melted butter and cocoa powder, set aside. Beat eggs in a mixer till foamy, add in salt and vanilla. Add sugar and beat well, add the cooled chocolate mixture and blend. Sift the flour over the batter and fold in. Next fold in the pecan pieces. Pour half the batter into each pan.

Bake at 350 (325 for my oven) for 20 to 25 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the centre comes out clean. Cool cakes in pans for 5 to 10 minutes, then cool out of pans completely before you frost them, *remember to peel off parchment paper if you used it*. At this stage, you can choose to wrap the cakes in plastic wrap and freeze them (up to 4 weeks) until cake day.

DON'T EVEN THINK ABOUT OVER BAKING!

Do you want a moist fudgey brownie like cake? Then yeah, no over baking. It is the worst feeling. And I have totally never experienced that before... ahem..

For the COFFEE CREAM:

• 1 1/2 cups heavy cream
• 1/3 cup brown sugar (light or dark)
• 2 tsp instant coffee powder

Combine all ingredients and stir until sugar and coffee are dissolved. Beat until you have stiff peaks of fluffy, coffee flavoured whip cream!

KITCHEN TIP!! This is a fun little secret that I learned from hours of studying the Food Network. If you want your whip cream to hold it's fragile peaks and swirls for hours, stir in about 1 tsp of skim milk powder in. You can do this at any stage of whipping it, beginning middle or end... and it works like a dream!

CAKE ASSEMBLY!

Spread the Coffee Cream over the top of the bottom cake layer, spreading right to the edges. Place the top cake layer on top, and frost the top and sides, covering the cake completely. Garnish the cake with whatever you like! The original recipe suggests chocolate curls, I used melted chocolate chips to write a happy birthday message. Refrigerate 1 hour or more before serving.

ENJOY! And happy Cake Baking.

<3 Lari

Peach and Berries Cobbler-Cake

So, if you happened read this older post, you will recall Anna Olson's monthly Bake Off contest on www.foodnetwork.ca. And you may know how much I love this contest, not only because it gives me another excuse to bake, but because last month... I WON!! I know, I cannot believe it. I still can't. But it is true, and I won my very own KITCHEN AID MIXER... Jaw to the floor. Holy cow I am so stoked about life.

Any who... even though I have already won, I really enjoy participating in the bake off, so I will continue to try out the recipes and post them! This is the picture I sent in along with my description for The August Bake Off: Peach and Berry Cobbler!

Peach Cobbler is the perfect August dessert! And adding berries to it just makes life more exciting. I must say, I used a rather tall 8 cup baking dish, so the cobbler turned into more of a cobbler cake... But I think that was a Happy Mistake.
Another problem I ran into was that the peaches we had bought we SO not ripe, but we had to make do with them because our guests were arriving too soon to buy more! Well great news, turns out even unripe peaches magically transform into tender delicious ones when baked into a cobbler.
I chose to serve this cobbler with a scoop of vanilla bean ice cream and homemade butterscotch sauce, to a few friends and family members on our back candle-lit-porch in the evening... Ah, that is how summer should be. Thanks Anna! My dessert night was a success! (after everyone left, I helped myself to a
second bowl...) :)

Happy Baking!

Peach and Berries Cobbler-Cake

Recipe adapted* from Anna Olson

(*You could say I adapted it... or you could say that I made some happy mistakes along the way which led this to not become the exact recipe that she used... I'm gonna go with adapted.)

• 6 cups fresh peaches, peeled and sliced
• 1 cup fresh raspberries
• 1/2 cup fresh blueberries
• 3 tbsp sugar
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon

Toss sliced peaches, raspberries and blueberries with the sugar and cinnamon and put into an 8 cup baking dish. (the deeper your dish, the more cake-like this cobbler will become. This is what happened to me and it worked... but not what the original recipe looks like!)

• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 6 tbsp melted butter
• 2/3 cup milk
• 2 cups flour
• 2 tbsp cornmeal
• 4 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt

Whisk eggs, milk and sugar in a bowl. Whisk in milk. Sift the flour, cornmeal, baking powder and salt over the wet ingredients and stir to combine. Dollop this mixture over the peaches and berries. Mine ended up completely covering the fruit, which turned out to be okay! But Anna tells you to leave spaces for the fruit to peak through. Again, depends on your baking dish. Sprinkle a little bit of cinnamon-sugar over the cobbler and pop it into a 375 oven (350 for me!)The recipe says to bake for 35-45 minutes... mine took nearly double that... but just keep an eye on it! Every oven is "special and unique" in its own little way.

=)

Serve with Vanilla ice cream and butterscotch sauce.

<3 Lari