Classic Birthday Cake

Summer is the hardest time of year to bake. After walking around in 90 degree weather all day, the absolute last thing anyone wants to do is hang out in a 100 degree kitchen. That being said, it takes a lot for me to actually bake during the months of June, July and August (which explains my recent lack of posts).

Anyway, with yesterday being Dan's 26th birthday, I decided to brave the heat and make him a birthday cake from scratch. My apartment only has one tiny window air conditioner in it, so when I say my blood, sweat and tears went into this cake, I mean it... with a big emphasis on the sweat.

Moist Yellow Cake with Bittersweet Chocolate Frosting

adapted from here and here

For the cake:

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter (12 tablespoons)

1 3/4 cups granulated sugar

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

3 large egg yolks

3 large eggs

1 cup whole milk

Heat the oven to 350 degrees and place the rack in the middle.

Combine flour, baking powder, salt and baking soda in a small bowl and whisk to get ready of any lumps or chunks.

Place butter into a bowl and mix on a medium or high speed until fluffy and light in color. Add in sugar and vanilla, and beat until thoroughly creamed and mixed in. Add egg yolks one at a time, letting each egg yolk mix fully in before adding the next. Add the whole eggs one at a time as well, allowing 1 minute of mixing between additions. The mixture should be very pale in color at this point.

Add 1/3 of the dry ingredient mixture and mix until incorporated. Add in half of the milk and mix until incorporated. Continue to alternate adding in the dry ingredient mixture and milk until all ingredients are thoroghly mixed in and the batter is smooth.

Divide the batter between two 8- or 9-inch round cake pans. Be sure to butter them thoroughly before filling with batter! Bake until the cake edges slightly pull away from the pans and a cake tester inserted in the center comes out dry with just a few crumbs, about 35 to 40 minutes.

Remove the pans from the overn and let cool on a wire rack for about 15 minutes. Turn the cakes out onto the rack to cool completely before frosting.

For the frosting:

3 sticks of unsalted butter at room temperature

2 2/3 cups of powdered sugar, sifted (VERY IMPORTANT!)

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

6 ounces unsweetened chocolate, melted and slightly cooled

Beat the butter with a mixer at medium-high speed until light and fluffy.

Stop the mixer and add the powdered sugar in stages until it is fully incorporated. Add in the vanilla and chocolate and beat on a medium high sped until the frosting is light and airy.

To frost:

Make sure the cake is thoroughly cooled before frosting. The frosting should be at room temperature for frosting, but don't let it get too soft or else it will become runny and won't hold on the cake.

I assume most of you know how to frost a cake, but if you don't, click THIS fantastic link for a video tutorial.

Birthday Cakes

Any sort of family gathering is not complete without some kind of injury, crying, yelling + lots of eating. Last Thursday we celebrated Potchie’s (our grandpa) 89^th birthday and I was in charge of making the cake. He was very specific about what he wanted; yellow cake, fresh strawberry filling and whipped cream frosting. However, in order to please the rest of the family we had to have a buttercream frosted cake as well. I left work early on Thursday to go home and whip up 2 cakes in about 2 hours.

Potchie’s cake came out beautifully, moist yellow cake layers, lightly sweetened vanilla whipped cream and ripe red strawberries. After I frosted the cake I shaved white chocolate chips (also accidentally shaving the tips of my fingers) and dusted it over the top.

I also made a mini white cake with buttercream frosting. I colored some of the frosting blue so I could attempt to pipe a birthday message on the top. After practicing for too long the frosting became really warm and mushy and started shooting out all over the cake. The final product resembled something a 3 year old would have been capable of, woops. Regardless of its aesthetic, the cake was delicious and was quickly eaten.

No new recipes to post just pictures to share, but click here for the vanilla whipped cream recipe + here for buttercream + yellow cake.

We sang, we ate, we laughed.

We sustained injuries.

Happy Birthday Potchie!

Angel Food Cake - A 90th Birthday Celebration

We'd like to take this moment, we have one thing to say, the best of health and happiness on this important day! Hey!

As many of you know, those are the words to my family's version of "Happy Birthday." We celebrated Grandma Wanda's 90th birthday this past Sunday. Instead of a gift, she wanted me to bake her a cake, and she picked angel food. (Of course, I got her another gift too. What kind of grandchild would I be?!)

The cake is designed to be light and fluffy, and it definitely was. This is a great recipe for those of you who love angel food cake but think that there are better versions out there than the grocery store bakery or boxed mixes. I've got to give some credit to Ben Allen, who graciously played sous chef. Bake this for anyone you want to impress with a homebaked treat.

Angel Food Cake

From Baking Illustrated

1 cup sifted plain cake flour

1 1/2 cups sifted sugar

12 large egg whites, at room temperature

1 teaspoon cream of tartar

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 1/2 teaspoons lemon juice

1/2 teaspoon almond extract

Adjust an oven rack tot he lower-middle position and heat the oven to 325 degrees. Have ready an ungreased large tube pan ( 9-inch diameter, 16-cup capacity), preferably with a removable bottom. If the pan bottom is not removable, line it with parchment paper or waxed paper.

Sift both the cake flour and sugar before measuring to eliminate any lumps and ensure the lightest possible texture. Whisk the flour and 3/4 cup of the sugar in a small bowl. Place the remaining 3/4 cup sugar in another small bowl next to the mixer.

Beat the egg whites in the bowl of a standing mixer at low speed until just broken up and beginning to froth. Add the cream of tartar and salt and beat at medium speed until the whites form very soft, billowy mounds. With the mixer still at medium speed, beat in the remaining 3/4 cup sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, until all the sugar is added and the whites are shiny and form soft peaks. Add the vanilla, lemon juice, and almond extract and beat until just blended.

Place the flour-sugar mixture in a sifter set over waxed paper. Sift the flour-sugar mixture over the whites, about 3 tablespoons at a time, and gently fold in, using a large rubber spatula. Sift any of the mixture that falls onto the paper back into the bowl with the whites. (Tip: be sure to fold all the way down to the bottom of the bowl, or you might end up with dry ingredients not incorporated into the mixture).

Gently scrape the batter into the pan, smooth the top with a spatula, and give the pan a couple of raps on the counter to release any large air bubbles. Bake until the cake is golden brown and the top springs back when pressed firmly, about 50 to 60 minutes.

If the cake pan has prongs around the rim for elevating the cake, invert the pan onto them. If the pan doesn't have prongs, invert the pan onto the neck of a bottle or funnel. Let the cake cool completely, 2 to 3 hours. To unmold, run a knife around the edges of the pan, being careful not to separate the golden crust from the cake. Slide the cake out of the pan and cut the same way around the removable bottom to release or peel off the parchment paper. Place the cake, bottom-side up on a platter. (Tip: The cake may appear as though it is a little wet still, but just leave it out to dry a little. Don't worry, the cake is fully cooked.) Cut slices by sawing gently with a large, serrated knife. Serve the cake the day it is made; we like serving ours with homemade whipped cream and strawberries.

Princess Cake

Once upon a time, in a neighborhood not too far away from Piedmont Park, there was a girl under the impression that baking was glamorous. That she would be able to whip up the most delectable dessert in under an hour. I know you're surprised to learn that I am this girl and that I was seriously mistaken. Even with this realization, I am still in love with baking. I even had my first paid gig the same weekend Krissy had hers.

I was so worried that I would embarrass myself with a horrific-looking birthday cake, that I made a practice cake for my coworkers to criticize (and also for my coworker, Dita, who ordered the cake, to approve).I spent hours toiling at something that probably should have looked a whole lot better, but since this was my first attempt at such a grand undertaking, I think it turned out pretty well. When I delivered the cake, the birthday girl, Aaleyah, seemed very pleased so that was good enough for me. Her only instructions on what she wanted was that it be pink. Behold a pink velvet cake with princess pink frosting, the fairest cake in all the land.

Birthday Cake Is Always Best When You Don't Make It Yourself

I find that I am always extremely critical of my own baked goods. No matter how good others say it tastes (never how it looks though; we all know my creations are too rustic to be complimented on appearance), I am always looking at how to improve. It is because of this self-criticism that I truly enjoy when others bake for me. I am lucky enough to be a mentor to the sweetest 9-year-old ever. For my birthday last week, her mom had me over for an authentic Mexican lunch, complete with an authentic Mexican tradition. As I was taking the knife to the cake, they all rushed to stop me. "Take a bite," Vanesa said. I told her that I couldn't wait to try it after I cut everyone a piece. She then explained to me that it is tradition that the birthday girl take the first bite of the cake before it is cut. So, rather than go against years of Mexican tradition, I bit into the cake.

Regardless of whether they tricked me into making a fool of myself, I loved every minute of it. Vanesa decorated the cake herself, and it was definitely one of my favorite presents this year.