Page 114: Sweet Paradise Cake

Another cake! I hosted a dinner party last weekend and wanted to make something special for dessert. So, I took a shot at another cake.

Overall, this cake was a much better experience than the last one I made. For starters, I learned my lesson from the chocolate mint cakes and took it out when, and only when, toothpicks came out clean. This made removal from the pan in one piece not only possible, but uneventful! It also allowed me to keep all three layers.

The frosting. Oh the frosting. I was bound and determined to make real frosting this time, so I changed a couple of things in the recipe. I feel I have the right to take such liberties at this point because 1) I've made it strictly by the recipe many, many times and 2) lately that method hasn't been working for me.

First, I substituted the agave nectar with powdered sugar. Higher on the glycemic index, I know, but I hoped the powder rather than liquid sweetener would help hold it together.

Second, I added an extra scoop of coconut flour. I'm going for thickness here.

Last, I only added the coconut oil to the point the mixture became thick in the blender. This resulted in me using about 1/4 cup less than usual.

And it worked!

It worked so well, in fact, that I didn't even have to refrigerate the finished product. It just sat on my counter and remained beautifully in tact.

Hopefully this is not just a fluke of coconut oil behavior and I can replicate the results in the future. Standby.

Now, for the flavor. I loved this one! And, most of those that tried the mint chocolate cake agreed that this one was tastier.  It was akin to a strawberry shortcake - with layers of frosting and sliced strawberries between the cakes.

See those thick layers of frosting that are not melting away? Success!

Page 109: Mint Icebox Cake

Happy New Year!

We celebrated the New Years Eve holiday at home with friends. Always looking for an excuse to try a new BabyCakes recipe, I thought long and hard about the perfect treat for the occasion.  New Years Eve is a very festive holiday, and I thought it deserved an equally festive dessert.  Thus enters the Mint Icebox Cake.

I haven't done many - actually now that I look at the book I realize I've done none - of the BabyCakes cakes, so I thought this was the perfect occasion to make one!

I started on Friday by making the double chocolate chip cookies (page 71), which were intended for piling between the layers and on top of the cake.  I also made the frosting on Friday to give it plenty of time to chill.  Then, Saturday morning, I made the cakes.

As usual, things didn't turn out exactly like they were supposed to... you guessed it. The frosting. But I'll get to that in a second.  The cakes were my first problem.

The chocolate mint cakes were divided into three pans as called for in the recipe. Confession: it called for 7 x 4 x 3-inch loaf pans to make a rectangular cake.  I didn't have them and couldn't find them, so I went round.  I recently read that Erin McKenna thinks you should always try the recipe as written first before deviating or getting creative.  I'm sorry!! But I don't think they make that size loaf pan on my island.  So I went round.  Moving on...  The recipe also says "the cake may seem a touch underdone when the baking time is up, but trust me: you will have a beautifully moist cake that won't dry out in the freezer, one you'll pick at happily each time you pass the fridge for weeks to come!"

Now, I know I didn't use the loaf pans but still, the baking times never work for me anyway. So I gave it ten extra minutes and then took it out.  Cut to the end of the story: when I flipped cake one, the still-batter-like middle stayed in the pan and the donut-shaped remains of the cake were on my cake plate. 

AHHHHHHH! I panicked, of course.  Assuming it was a lost cause, I put cakes two and three back in the oven (mind you they had cooled by this point) and baked until a toothpick came out clean. Why can I never try that in the first place?!

I was beyond pleasantly surprised when I flipped the cooled cakes two and three and the whole cakes came out clean! Hence, the two layer cake. Which turned out to be plenty of cake by the way.

Now, back to the frosting. Even after some time in the freezer it was still very soupy - as you can clearly tell from the photo below.  My guests thought it made the cake look more artistic.  I let them think it was that instead of my continued inability to make a reasonably textured frosting.

Regardless of aesthetics, I suppose the bottom line is the taste.  And it was yummy!  The mint was added to the actual cake (there was no mint in the frosting or the cookie layers) and the combination was very, very good.  Because it's an icebox cake I served it out of the freezer, and as usual I think the temperature made it all the better!

Although, I must say... it would have been even better if the frosting had been stiff enough to slather it on even thicker.  As it was, most of it ran off before I could adequately layer, so it could definitely be improved with a more voluminous layer of frosting in the middle and on top.  Gotta master that frosting!

A very yummy New Years Eve!

Page 122: Apple Pie

Blogger note: I apparently drafted this in November and never published it! My apologies! Better late than never I suppose...

My Thanksgiving baking continues!

I had been wanting to make this apple pie for a couple of weeks... ever since I tried to make it and didn't have spelt flour so ended up making apple crisp instead. While apple crisp turned out great, I was anxious to both cross this recipe off the list and take my first ever shot at making a pie.

Full disclosure: I was just a mess of efficient ideas gone bad this Thanksgiving. My downfall on the pie was my grand idea to make the dough for the crust the night before. The recipe calls for a 20 minute refrigeration between making the dough and rolling it out for the crust. I, somehow, took the liberty to think this meant I would obtain similar results by refrigerating it not 20, but 720 minutes.

Given what I know about the chemistry of coconut oil (an ingredient in everything BabyCakes it would seem), I cannot believe I didn't think through what would happen to this dough after 12 hours in the fridge. And yet, I was shocked to find the pie dough had solidified into a rock hard disk when I pulled it from the refrigerator on Thanksgiving day.

Unfortunately, I had used up the last of my vat of coconut oil on the corn muffins so I couldn't start over - my only option was to hope that when warmed to room temperature, it would magically transform back into workable pie dough.

I wasn't entirely disappointed, but it was in no way as malleable as it had been the day before. I managed to roll it out, but it didn't hold together well and it was tough to get a nice, thin dough (I also think it would help to invest in a real, heavy rolling pin rather than use my little pastry roller).

The high point in the making of this recipe was how amazing my house smelled when I roasted the apples for the filling. So yummy.

I also made a few baby pies in my new, adorable ramekins (thanks, Angie!!). I thought these were just the cutest little things ever.

The finished product was actually quite yummy, but the dough was a little dense. Like the corn bread fiasco, I think I have to accept responsibility for that and try it again - this time actually following the directions! While it's probably tough to get a flaky pastry dough that is also gluten free, I can't help but think it would have been lighter if I'd been able to roll it out as intended.

It may not have been super light and flaky, but the flavor was great and the BabyCakes roasted apples are just delicious! I really need to find more excuses to roast apples. And, since there is at least one more recipe (Apple-Cinnamon Muffins) that calls for them, I'm sure they will be making an appearance again soon!

Page 53: Corn Bread

Happy belated Thanksgiving!

Since I was already planning to do some baking for the holiday, I thought it would be most efficient to use this opportunity to inch slightly closer toward the BabyCakes goal. While not a traditional part of the Thanksgiving meal, I felt like corn bread was a sufficiently fallish recipe. The BabyCakes corn bread is in the teacakes chapter, and teacakes are some of my favorite treats! I also thought that if I made a batch of Morgan's homemade pumpkin butter to accompany the corn bread at dinner, it could certainly pass as standard Thanksgiving fare.

The corn bread recipe calls for it to be baked in a loaf pan, like a teacake. Not a brownie pan or muffin tins, but rather a standard loaf pan. I adore this idea and thought how decadent it would be to slather some earth balance on a slice of corn bread masquerading as a teacake. However, I was having dinner with roughly thirty people... one little loaf pan was just not going to cut it. Granted, I wasn't responsible to feed the whole crew, but I thought it might be rude to take a dish with only ten servings. So, I rectified the situation with my darling little mini muffin pan. "Perfect..." I thought to myself... "then everyone will get to sample the amazing BabyCakes corn bread that is sure to result from my efforts."

First thing Thursday morning, I set out to make my ingenious mini corn bread muffins. My hidden agenda here was that the hubby and I could enjoy a few for breakfast with the pumpkin butter I'd made the night before.

The ingredients seemed normal enough... including gluten-free flour, cornmeal, and corn flour. And, I think you'll agree, the result was adorable little golden nuggets that oozed with the feeling of fall.

Warm out of the oven they were tasty enough. Hubby's only immediate comment was that they seemed to turn to dough in his mouth. Not such a bad thing in my opinion, but he wasn't necessarily complaining either.

Topped with Morgan's pumpkin butter.
How much more fallish can you get?

However, the more these muffins cooled the less impressed I was by them. By the time I took them to dinner, I found myself explaining to everyone that they should really add the pumpkin butter for more flavor. It didn't help my cause that they ended up on the dessert table instead of the dinner table... and, let's be real here, the world's best corn bread cannot possibly compete with a Thanksgiving dessert table.

Also, somewhat mysteriously, after they cooled I noticed they had little orange specks throughout the muffin. Strange I thought... particularly since there were absolutely no orange ingredients. Still haven't figured that one out.

In summary, I take full responsibility for being entirely underwhelmed by the BabyCakes corn bread as I did not bake it in the form and manner designed. I think I owe this corn bread another shot - this time in a loaf pan. Even if it doesn't feed 30.

Baking with Jaedyn

My niece, Jaedyn, visited me recently so she got to participate in a few of my most recent baking adventures.  Jaedyn loves to help out in the kitchen! Even though it's sometimes messier, I love the "help" and miss having little fingers sneaking samples of ingredients like sugar and chocolate chips (both of which she happily eats by the handful).

Even though I, in classic fashion, totally forgot to photograph any of our adventures, my sister managed to snap a few photos of us making chocolate chip cookie sandwiches. That's right... I'm training her well.

Stirring up the cookie batter

She was very proud of her work!

The perks of being a kitchen assistant

She stopped licking the beaters long enough to help me add the chocolate chips!

Little brother Jonah was eager to try the finished product

"This is how you make the perfect sandwich"

"Now you try..."

Licking frosting off your fingers is the best part!

Well done, Jaedyn!

Page 88: Healthy Hostess

It was time for another bake sale at work and I decided to be adventurous. This was, of course, after I had already made the obligatory chocolate chip cookie sandwiches. Plus I think these healthier hostess-like treats are just adorable and I couldn't wait to attempt to recreate them.

I'm still not a fan of the BabyCakes cupcakes, but with the filling inside these babies it did help keep them moist!

Unfortunately I made this batch before I perfected the half-batch-in-the-Vitamix approach, so the chocolate frosting didn't turn out so well.  The recipe calls for vanilla frosting on top, so perhaps I brought this curse upon myself. Anyway, without chocolate frosting I improvised with a fudge frosting made mostly from melted chocolate chips. I thought this ended up being more hostess-like anyway.

Could have been better, but I was tired and have all but given up on the BabyCakes cupcake. Still a few to go in the book, but probably won't be making these babies again. Sad... they have such cuteness potential!

This being Thanksgiving week you should look forward to not just one but TWO new recipes this week! That's right... making up for lost time here! 

The Quest Continues

If you've followed my BabyCakes quest at all, you'll recall I have a love-hate relationship with the chocolate chip cookie sandwiches. I adore them (and they are in high demand by those lucky enough to have sampled them), but virtually every batch turns out differently.  Thus, they make for an unpredictable and sometimes frustrating baking experience. Lately I'm three for four in successful attempts. Given how delicious they are, I suppose I'll take those odds.

Two of those perfectly successful attempts at the infamous treats were completed during girls' night at my place. Not only do Brooke and Kim apparently serve as good luck charms... but baking with friends makes it even more fun. Plus, I feel slightly less gluttonous keeping only a third of the booty.

Also... frosting making recently became MUCH easier thanks to my new VITAMIX! I love it and we are having fun making lots of new blended treats. And, of course, perfecting the classics like my beloved frosting! After a couple of attempts at frosting with the new gadget, I am slightly sad to report it doesn't always work miracles (at least one soupy post-Vitamix attempt logged to date), but I have discovered that a half batch in the Vitamix seems to perform consistently well.

YAY for the Vitamix!

A couple other items I've repeated lately but neglected to blog about:

1. Chocolate Chip Cookies (several times)... lately with walnuts thanks to an addition by Brooke that the hubby decided he really liked.
2. Banana Bread with Walnuts... overcooked it this time! Sigh. I cannot win. But the 24 mini muffins I made from the extra batter turned out great. A small consolation.
3. Brownies... warm with ice cream - will never get old!
4. Blondies... still a few tucked away in my freezer!
5. Apple Crisp... okay, this is actually kind of new and I suppose I should have photographed it. My apologies! I didn't have the stuff for apple pie crust and the store had neither blackberries nor peaches, so I combined the apple pie filling with the blackberry & peach cobbler topping. Topped with ice cream and it turned out almost caramel-like. Very good.

So there's the rundown. Only new recipes for awhile... I promise!