Happy Birthday January Babies–Me Included!

Well who would have know that January is a baby boom month?  Not me, I mean I was born in January and until recently didn’t realize who many of the people in my life are born in the first month of the year.  We are not New Years babies, we are Victoria Day/Memorial Day babies. Yup, that’s right, our parents were drinkers :)  LOL  SHHHH don’t say that to my mother, she’d die ;)

Ok, back to why you are here…the cake!

Our friends down the street; Linda and Adam, fellow Jan babies, hosted a party for all us birthday babies.  I offered to make the cake.

There’s nothing really special about the type of cake, I’ve made them several times before.  What’s fun is the new icings I used.  Now I made them and then googled hoping I’d be original, but alas no.  So I’m not giving credit because I honestly didn’t borrow.  I’d like to think of it as great minds!

The bottom cake is a chocolate/yogurt sponge with chocolate Kahlua swiss meringue buttercream and the top layer is my favourite carrot cake with a champagne vanilla bean cream cheese icing.  I asked on my FB which flavours I should use for the icing and these are the ones that won.  Don’t worry, I’ll include all four recipes below.

The theme of the party was winter wonderland.  And considering our recent snow and ice “storms”, it was very apropos.  As a Canadian living in the North Carolina, their version of a snow storm is a regular daily event in Ottawa, we called it just snow.  HAHA.  So I decorated with snowflakes.

The chocolate cake recipe can be found here.

The carrot cake recipe can be found here.

Now for the icings!

Chocolate Kahlua Swiss Meringue Buttercream:

• 5 large egg whites
• 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
• Pinch of salt
• 1 pound (4 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into tablespoons, room temperature
• 2 tbsp Kahlua
• 4 1/2 ounces melted semisweet chocolate

Directions:

1. Combine egg whites, sugar, and salt in the heatproof bowl of a standing mixer set over a pan of simmering water. Whisk constantly by hand until mixture is warm to the touch and sugar has dissolved
2. Attach the bowl to the mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Starting on low and gradually increasing to medium-high speed, whisk until stiff (but not dry) peaks form. Continue mixing until the mixture is fluffy and glossy, and completely cool (test by touching the bottom of the bowl), about 10 minutes.
3. With mixer on medium-low speed, add the butter a few tablespoons at a time, mixing well after each addition. Once all butter has been added, whisk in Kahlua.
4. Fold in chocolate
5. Keep buttercream at room temperature if using the same day.  It makes about 5 cups.

Champagne and Vanilla Bean Cream Cheese Icing:

• 8 oz  cream cheese at room temperature
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter softened
• 1/4 cup champagne
• 1 tsp vanilla bean paste
• 4 cups icing (confectioners) sugar

1. Combine cheese, butter, champagne and vanilla together.
2. Add icing sugar 1 cup at a time.  If required add  more or sugar depending on consistency.  You want it a bit stiffer so it’s easier to spread.

And here are the ones that I couldn’t used:

Vanilla Bean Swiss Meringue Buttercream:

• Use the SMB recipe above but omit chocolate and kahlua and add 1 tbsp vanilla bean paste.

Amaretto Swiss Meringue Buttercream:

• Use the SMB recipe above but omit chocolate and replace Kahlua with Amaretto.

So for all you January babies, I hope you had a wonderful birthday and I hope someone special made you a cake! Just forward this post as a hint :)

Here’s to all my friends and family who share this month with me:

Christine R, Kim, Mary-Anne, Miles, Jen L, Tracie, Nancy N., Connie, Coreen, Jennifer B, Susan, Christina B, Karina, Patty, Angela, Sarah, Emily, Kristine, Julie, Retah, Samantha, Deanna, Dee, Linda A, Tyler, Adam, Kaye, Rob T, Tiffany, Keira, Satomi, Angie.

Thanks for looking!

Adventures in Topsy Turvy

So there’s always going to be a cake that you’ve always wanted to try but never tried because you were afraid.  This is that cake.

It use to take me forever to get the fondant on the cake and smooth, now I’m a machine but just altering the status quo makes me feel like the first time I decorated a cake.  But I do so like a challenge.  How else do you learn if you don’t challenge yourself?

My friend Jill’s uber cute daughter, Jillian,  was turning one and Jill asked if I would make her cakes.  One smash cake for a photo shoot and another for her party.  The smash cake was pretty straight forward.  Jill wanted it to look like a cloud and pink.  My first thought was Swiss Meringue Buttercream (SMB – recipe at end).  So I made a vanilla cake with the SMB and strawberries.  I added a few silver dragees and a gum paste flower.  Our fellow neighbour, Evan of Evan Pike Photography did the awesome photo shoot.  I can’t wait to see all the pictures.  I took these.

The cake for her party was to be baby girl pink with tiffany blue and Jill’s first thought was topsy turvy…eek!  I immediately went to my bloggy friend Melissa’s website Mycakeschool.com.  If you’ve never been there it’s the mecca for how-to decorate cakes.  Seriously awesome.  She’s also way cool, super nice and always very helpful.  Next I scoured the Google world and watched a couple more video’s on how to get this party started.  I was ready.  Then Jill said that I could just do a regular cake but if I wanted to I could give the topsy turvy a go.  I was going to wimp out but then I thought that if I didn’t give it a try, I probably never would.

I baked some cakes (vanilla), I made some icing (lemon buttercream) and was ready to go.  It didn’t go well.  The type A’er in me was screaming internally.  The shame, the horror and the almost tears took over.  IT IS SO NOT EASY.  I carved, it started to fall apart.  It wasn’t slanty enough.  I got it dirty iced and stuck it into the fridge and walked away.  DEEP BREATHS. 

When I woke up the next morning and went down to look at it and it wasn’t as bad as I thought.  PHEW.  I mean it’s not as slanted as it could be but I realized when I made the second cake that the layers needed to be thicker because this time I got the slant I wanted.  YAY!  Now I didn’t taper the bottom like you are suppose to but I had lost my confidence, so I left it straight.

A beaded border, a couple of circles, some stripes, a few flowers and voila!

I had a little batter left over when I made the 6” cake and so I made a small 4” tiffany blue box for the birthday girl.  Jill had made an original comment of have the box made but then changed her mind.  I thought for fun that I could do this!

Happy Birthday Jillian!

So now this attempt is over I would be willing to give the topsy turvy another go :)

Things I learned:

• cake layers need to be thicker and chilled
• I so need a sharper serrated knife
• carve with confidence!
• and remember it’s never as bad as you think it is :)

Thanks for looking!

Recipe: Swiss Meringue Buttercream

• 5 large egg whites
• 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
• Pinch of salt
• 1 pound (4 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into tablespoons, room temperature
• 1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

Directions

1. Combine egg whites, sugar, and salt in the heatproof bowl of a standing mixer set over a pan of simmering water. Whisk constantly by hand until mixture is warm to the touch and sugar has dissolved
2. Attach the bowl to the mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Starting on low and gradually increasing to medium-high speed, whisk until stiff (but not dry) peaks form. Continue mixing until the mixture is fluffy and glossy, and completely cool (test by touching the bottom of the bowl), about 10 minutes.
3. With mixer on medium-low speed, add the butter a few tablespoons at a time, mixing well after each addition. Once all butter has been added, whisk in vanilla.
4. Keep buttercream at room temperature if using the same day.  It makes about 5 cups.

I link with THESE great parties

OOOOOOO MMMMMMM GGGGGGG

Can you believe I missed my own blogaversary??????  Well if you knew me at all, you would be shocked.  I thought it was April but in actual fact it was March 16th. I never forget stuff like this. (hangs head in shame).  I’m the one who remembers everyone’s birthday. I’m that freaky friend who always remembers.  But yes, I forgot my own blog’s birthday.  Bummer.

Well the last year has been amazing.  I’ve met so many wonderful people and learned so many things my head just might explode from all the excess.  And if I hadn’t gone to the gym or for a run now and again, I probably would have gained 100 pounds from all the sweet treats I’ve baked and read about.

So what have I learned about blogging?  Well where to begin.  I think I’ll just list ten things, in no particular order.

1. Be yourself.  Don’t try to emulate another blogger or a celebrity chef if you want people to come back.   Write what you know.  Share enough about yourself that you feel comfortable sharing.
2. Write naturally and don’t offend your readers.  I write the way I talk.  Which may not be great for an 5000 word English essay in university, but works really well when trying to engage your readers.
3. Start slow and be patient .  There’s no reason to go crazy out of the gate but don’t be nonchalant either.  Start with 2-3 posts a week and increase from there.  Keep your blog fresh.  New and fun items brings your readers back for more.
4. Stats are great but don’t get obsessed with them.  I’m still learning this one.  I was lucky if I got more than 100 hits a day.  Your readers will come. Be patient.
5. Read other blogs and comment frequently if there’s a blog you like.  If you want people to comment, they want to know that you do the same.  Quid Pro Quo.
6. Use other social media to “advertise” your blog.  I was a techno-free zone when I started.  Then I created a Facebook page and my husband got me a Twitter account.  Be careful, it’s addictive.  Follow people and use proper etiquette.  I just watched what others were doing and followed along.
7. Build relationships.  Other bloggers are your best source of information and inspiration.  Ask questions.  Don’t be shy.  They love to help out.
8. Also use your social media to share other’s work.  If you like something, share it.  I love sharing what other awesome people have made.  This helps build relationships.
9. Never steal, always credit.  If you didn’t create it, don’t claim it.  There are a lot of people out there claiming stuff as their own when they’ve never come close to making something like it.  Never ever do this.  It’s a sure fire way to end your blogging career.  If you do use another’s picture, ask first.  Most bloggers will say yes.  They deserve the credit!
10. Have fun.  If it starts to feel like ‘a job’, then maybe blogging isn’t for you.  I love thinking up my next creation or sharing what I’m craving.  If I don’t want to be bothered to make something, then I don’t.  It should never feel like you have to do something.

So in honour of my blogaversary, I baked you a cake!

Dark Chocolate White Chocolate Mocha Bailey’s 6 Layer Cake

• 4 cups plus 2 tbsp unbleached flour
• 1/2 cup plus 1 tbsp dark chocolate cocoa
• 1/4 cup white chocolate mocha powder
• 2 scant tsp baking powder
• 2 scant tsp baking soda
• 2/3 tsp salt
• 3 3/4 sticks unsalted butter at room temperature
• 2 scant cups sugar
• 3/4 cup plus 2 tbsp packed light brown sugar
• 5 large eggs
• 2 cups plain greek yogurt
• 1/2 cup Baileys

1. Combine flour, cocoa, mocha powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt, set aside.
2. Cream butter and sugars together.  Add eggs one at a time.
3. Scrape down bowl.
4. Alternate adding dry ingredients with Greek yogurt.
5. Add Baileys.
6. Divide batter into 6-9 inch pans and use a small off-set spatula to make smooth.  Make sure to spray and parchment your pans.
7. Bake until knife comes clean.  Let cool.

Baileys Dark Chocolate Swiss Meringue Buttercream:

• 5 large egg whites
• 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
• Pinch of salt
• 1 pound (4 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into tablespoons, room temperature
• 1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 1 cap full of Baileys
• 4 1/2 ounces melted semisweet chocolate

Directions

1. Combine egg whites, sugar, and salt in the heatproof bowl of a standing mixer set over a pan of simmering water. Whisk constantly by hand until mixture is warm to the touch and sugar has dissolved
2. Attach the bowl to the mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Starting on low and gradually increasing to medium-high speed, whisk until stiff (but not dry) peaks form. Continue mixing until the mixture is fluffy and glossy, and completely cool (test by touching the bottom of the bowl), about 10 minutes.
3. With mixer on medium-low speed, add the butter a few tablespoons at a time, mixing well after each addition. Once all butter has been added, whisk in vanilla and Baileys.
4. Fold in chocolate
5. Keep buttercream at room temperature if using the same day.  It makes about 5 cups.

Thank you again for joining me on my journey through the sweet treat world!

and Thanks for looking and to another year!  Now make a wish!  I did :)

Linking with:
Mix it Up Monday
Mingle Monday
Melt In Your Mouth Monday
Mouthwatering Monday
Mangia Mondays
Made By You Monday
Tasty Tuesday
Crazy Sweet Tuesdays
Tuesday Tutorials
Tea Party Tuesday
Hearth & Soul Blog Hop
Cast Party Wednesday
Mrs Fox's Sweets
Sweet Treat Thursday
Full Plate Thursday
It's A Keeper Thursday