Recipes

Let them eat cake!

Or rather let ME eat cake! Give me! Give me!  Julia, my friend, this one is for you.

This is a chocolate, chocolate, chocolate, chocolate, oh sorry I got carried away. It's a Chocolate cake with chocolate ganache filling and icing and vanilla butter cream on top. Which makes for a very rich slice of cake. But that is what my son's-teachers-daughter wanted for her birthday. So that is what she got. And I am sure she needed a big ol' glass of milk to go with it. The cupcake is my turtle cupcake. I love turtle candies.You know, cashew's topped with caramel and covered in chocolate. The crunch of nuts, stickiness of caramel and the smoothing feeling that only chocolate can give you.  So I wanted to make a cupcake that reminds me of that same feeling only......softer. So I baked chocolate cupcakes, cut a cone out of the middle and filled it with dulce de leche cream then topped it with cashew butter buttercream. You never heard of it you say? Well, I made it. Yes, Yes I did. It is so easy to make your own peanut butter or any nut butter. But I will save that for another post. Until then, I am going to let you in on my no-fail, go-to cake recipe. It is pretty mess-it-up safe and I have never, ever had a problem with it. Even when I didn't mix the dry ingredients together first, just tossed them in there, it still turned out perfect. It is a firm but not too dense cake with a moist crumb. I find it very versatile and easy to work with. Let me show you.

Here's the ingredients. WAIT! I know, I know. You are thinking "a box mix"? Seriously? But there is more. Much more. The mix is a good base to start with and then add all the parts that make the cake great. Trust me!........please?!?



So, I put the wet ingredients in the mixer then added the dry ingredients. See? I told you it was easy. The square cake was baked in two 8 inch pans and I still had enough left over for some cupcakes.

 

I layered the inside of the cake with whipped chocolate ganache.

Then did this....



I used the same recipe for these cupcakes.



The cashew butter buttercream was.....terrific. I may never eat a plain ol' peanut butter and jelly sandwich again. Man were these things good.



Ok, here is the recipe.

Almond Sour Cream Cake
(adapted from http://whatscookingamerica.net/)

Ingredients:

1.      Place all dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl and stir together with a wire whisk.

2.      Add the remaining ingredients and beat on medium speed for 2 minutes.

3.      Pour into greased and floured cake pans, filling each pan a little over half full.

4.      Lightly tap cake pans on counter to bring air bubbles to top.

5.      Bake in preheated 325° F oven until cake tests done.

6.      Baking time varies according to the size and depth of pans being used.  8 inch pan approx 50 min. Cupcakes approx 22 min.

Cashew Frosting

Ingredients:
4 cups powdered sugar
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter or margarine, softened
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup cashew (or peanut butter) butter
About 2 tablespoons water

With an electric mixer at low speed, cream the butter and cashew butter together. Then add the powdered sugar.  Once combined, add vanilla and water. Increase speed of mixer to medium and beat for 1 to 2 minutes or until smooth. Add additional teaspoons of water till you get the consistency you want.
 
Chocolate Ganache Frosting

16-24 oz fine chocolate, chopped
12-16  oz whipping cream
2 Tbls corn syrup

Put chopped chocolate in a large bowl. Heat cream and corn syrup in a sauce pan to just before boiling; pour over chocolate. Allow it to sit for a few minutes then begin stirring until all the chocolate is melted and the mixture is smooth. Cover with plastic wrap and allow to cool completely. Mixture will set up as it cools. Then spoon all of it in the bowl of a mixer and begin mixing on medium speed. Continue for about 3-5 min until chocolate is lighter in color and fluffy.


Vanilla Buttercream

3 cups powdered sugar
1/3 cup butter or margarine
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
About 2 tablespoons milk

With an electric mixer at low speed, mix the powdered sugar and butter together. Once combined, add vanilla and milk. Increase speed of mixer to medium and beat for 1 to 2 minutes or until smooth and of spreading consistency