Apple Spice Cake with Creamy Cream Cheese Frosting

I promised my BF I would make a dessert for his work party. I was ready to bake when I realized I forgot THE HANDBOOK at home. So I headed to Ala Moana (Might as well shop since I'm there with my Banana Republic Friends and Family 30% discount card for March 15th Only. Very Serendipitous!) to the William & Sonoma (If I went to Barnes and Nobles I would have never gotten around to baking) to copy the recipe.  As I sat on a stool (No real furniture there) copying, salespeople would come to see if I needed help, my response " I OWN this book, I just forgot it at home and need a recipe".  

I used Whole Foods 365 Unsweetened Applesauce since Martha said we could and I used most of my allotted baking time to copy the recipe (and do some shopping).  Anyways, why labor over the stove for hours when "In a small town in Vermont, clouds of sweet, warm steam come rolling out of a certain farmhouse kitchen. And working in that kitchen are the people down the road, using whole organic apples and small individual cookers. The applesauce they produce has a unique, home-style flavor- a delicious balance of sweet and tart- that people of all ages are sure to love". 

The batter is very thick (It filled each 9" pan with 3 and 3/4 batter). It baked for 36 minutes.

VERY MOIST cake.  For the frosting I only used Cream cheese (BF thought it is more Universally liked than Goat Cheese and he really likes his Job).  It did not turn out Fluffy but creamy and not too sweet. 

The ingredients for this cake were sponsored by the BF for The National Park Service Karaoke party. 

117 to Go!

One -Bowl Chocolate Cupcakes

YUMMY! 

Very moist chocolate cake with the perfectly light and fluffy Swiss meringue buttercream.

I love the one bowl idea (Even though the kitchen still ended up looking like I baked 3 weeding cakes).  The batter is very runny so forget using an ice cream scooper (Pour it in or use a ladle). I used good old American  Hershey's cocoa from Walmart (No  Valrhona or Scharffen Berger Cocoa in this economy).  The batter actually made 34 cupcakes which baked for 20 min (Rotating at 10).

I even gave a dozen to my ex-husband and his fiancee for their rehearsal dinner tonight (I know, I am the nicest ex-wife in the world.)

118 to Go!

Carrot Cupcakes

"I don't know why I even bake. It just stresses me out!" were the words I uttered as I finished these cupcakes (9pm). I have realized through this project just how exhausting baking is. The time and energy it takes to buy the ingredients (sometimes 2 and 3 grocery stores), the concentration while baking, the enormous cleanup (No dishwasher) and then the pressure of how it turns out (Perfectionist). I might never bake again once this project is through.

At least my efforts were not in vain because they were really delicious. My BF took them to work and everyone loved them (Except one lady who hates vegetables and would have rathered eaten a meat cupcake). My friend CG said they were amazing. The best review came from my BFF who said " Oh, my Gosh! In a scale from 1-10 I FEEL like it is a 10. But I hesitate to say 10 for every one [see past blogs] and it loose validity. Just to remain a reliable source of feedback, I will give it a nine and add that I would enjoy even more concentration of carrot. More CARROTY. I loved the cream cheese frosting. It was rich and smooth and not waxy, not too sugary but you know it is sweet. Very flavorful. The cake was fluffy and light. SDM (Her boyfriend) ate half which is  a lot since it goes against his no carb philosophy. It was definitely worth the drive by and would do it again" (She came specificly to pick them up. She even brought her own cupcake carrier) .    (Written with BFF's permission to quote).

THIS is WHY I bake.

They baked for 23 minutes (Rotating at 10). 

119 to GO!

Maple-Walnut Cupcakes

My Nemesis struck again. It came disguised as Maple. The cupcakes are pretty basic to make (Use mixer cover when mixing in the milk or it will platter). They are nutty and crumble easily (baked for 20 minutes). Great as muffins with coffee for breakfast.
Then I began to make the butter cream, cooking the Maple syrup (BF brought all the way from Massachusetts). I used a candy thermometer until it registers 240 (I took it off the heat but the temperature kept rising to 270). As I poured it into the mixer with the egg yolks, it hardened instantly into candy. It almost broke my mixer whisk and sliced my thumb when trying to wipe it off.
I tried to use the Safeway Butterscotch but this time it did not help (Too sticky. Not even the kids bought it).
If anyone out there has a Maple Buttercream recipe that does not require a candy thermometer and possible ER, please Help me!

120 to Go!

Banana Cake

Valentines Cake!
I know Banana cake does not sound like the most romantic cake but it was next on the project ( I had to make the Devil's Food cake first for my friend's birthday because she does not like bananas). My BF is a sport and knows I'll make it with Love which is what matters on Valentines. The batter was very heavy and baked for 30 minutes (Rotating at 20). Then I sliced the bananas and cooked them in the caramelized sugar (Reminds me of "platanos" ). So far so good. The Mascarpone frosting is ($$$) not to sweet, light and easy to spread (I DREAD spreading frosting on cakes. I feel like a little kid trying to perform brain surgery). So far so good. THEN.... I HATE CARAMEL. It is my NEMESIS. I stirred the sugar in the pan until "golden amber" (I even referred back to page 19 for color examples). When I added the cream it spatters and hardens very quickly. The ice bath just made it worse (stuck to the bowl).
BF saved the day with his Safeway Butterscotch sauce (I am always keeping it in stock from now on). Why make it when you can buy it is my new motto.
I Love You Honey!
121 to Go!

Devil's Food Cake with Mint Chocolate Ganache

Messy, Messy, Messy! A Delicious Chocolate Mess. The recipe makes a lot of batter which baked for 41 minutes (smooth, moist, velvety cake). This was my first time making Chocolate Ganache(Be careful when pouring the chocolate into the hot milk because it splashes) and was shocked when I read I had to stir it frequently for "about 40 minutes". I don't know who has 40 minutes (Martha's employees!) to stir Ganache but I DO NOT. I let it cool down and beat it for 10 minutes when I realized it had curdled. I placed it in the fridge for 20 minutes and then beat it again until it was fluffy enough to spread. Then came the messy part, pouring the melted Ganache over the cake. I had already placed it on the cake stand and it covered all of it. After refrigerating it for the Ganache to harden, I was too scared to remove the cake to clean the stand. We were taking it to my friend's Birthday Party and I thought they should just be grateful I'm bringing it. My BF said if I trusted him with it he would take it off the stand, clean the stand and place it back on (He's got balls of steel!). I entrusted him with my chocolate volcano and closed my eyes through the whole procedure.
It was a success! It looked and tasted great. My friends said it was the highlight of party.

122 to Go!

PS. Forget the Chocolate Mint Leaves!

Lemon Curd Cake

Mom's Birthday Cake. It took me almost 10 hours to make (Longer than it took for my mom to give birth to me!). This was definitely a Labor of Love. The Lemon Curd was an arduous step that left me wishing I owned a lemon tree (6 lemons) and a chicken coop (4 eggs, 4 egg whites and 16 egg yolks, !). I refrigerated the curd for 2 hours (I wish I would have made it a day ahead). The batter was very thick (I used sour cream) and baked for 30 minutes total (Rotating at 15 min). The Lemon Swiss Meringue was delicious and easy to spread. If you love lemons you'll love this cake.

Happy Birthday Mom (Tita)!

123 to Go!