Tall Cakes Project Class at Michael's in Dayville

Learn to assemble and decorate tiered cakes in this three hour class.

Friday, June 21, 5:30-8:30

Call the store for details, (860) 779-0572

Register by Thursday, and we need just three more to make it a class.

The Ultimate Chocolate Cupcake!!!

The Ultimate Chocolate Cupcake!!!

It took almost a year, but the 50 persistant explorers from the Cupcake Project finally succeeded in finding the #1, best tasting, best textured, Densest, Moistest Chocolatiest, easiest to make Chocolate Cupcake in the World!!!

Click here, or on the link above for all the details, and try the recipe there, or here:

Chocolate Cupcake Recipe – The Ultimate Chocolate Cupcake Test Baked by 50 Bakers and Counting

Yield: 16 cupcakes

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup (2 ounces) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 cup (7 ounces) sugar
• 2 ounces of your favorite chocolate (You can use any plain chocolate that you like except white chocolate or candy melts. The chocolate doesn't have to be one typically earmarked for baking - any chocolate bar that isn't flavored and doesn't contain mix-ins like nuts, Rice Krispies, nougat, etc. will work.)
• 2 large eggs, room temperature
• 2 large egg yolks, room temperature
• 1/2 cup + 1 tablespoon (4 1/2 fluid ounces) vegetable or canola oil, measured in a liquid measuring cup
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1/3 cup (2 3/4 ounce) full-fat sour cream
• 1 cup (5 ounces) all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 cup (2 ounces) cocoa powder (natural or dutched will both work with this recipe)
• 1/2 cup (4 fluid ounces) room temperature water, measured in a liquid measuring cup

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 F.
2. In a medium-sized mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, mix butter and sugar until fully combined. The end result should look like wet sand.
3. Melt the chocolate in the microwave or in a double boiler.
4. Once the melted chocolate is cool enough to touch, add it to the butter/sugar mixture and mix until just combined.
5. Mix in eggs and egg yolks one at a time until just combined.
6. Mix in oil, vanilla, and sour cream until just combined.
7. Sift together flour, salt, baking soda, and cocoa powder into a separate medium-sized bowl. Use a fork or a whisk to ensure that the ingredients are mixed well after sifting.
8. Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients in three additions, mixing until just combined after each addition.
9. Mix in water until just combined.
10. Fill cupcake liners 2/3 full and put in the oven.
11. Check for doneness at 18 minutes - a toothpick inserted into the center of a cupcake should come out clean. If they are not done, check again every three minutes until they are done.
12. Immediately remove cupcakes from the cupcake tin and place on a cooling rack or on the counter to cool to room temperature. Although they are really good when they are hot, be sure to wait until they are room temperature to give your evaluation.

Notes

If you would like to add coffee to the recipe, either add 1 teaspoon espresso powder or instant coffee granules along with the sifted dry ingredients, or replace the water with room temperature brewed coffee.

Amazing Cakes by the Quenary Academy--pottery style

Southern Comfort Red Velvet Cake

 Per request, here's my favorite Velvet Cake. It's pictured here with the Southern Comfort Buttercream frosting mixed with Apricot Preserves for a filling:

Southern Comfort Red Velvet Cake

Makes 12 to 16 servings or 24 cupcakes

For the cake:

3 cups cake flour

4 tablespoons cocoa powder (try to find Hershey's Special Dark Cocoa powder--rich!)

1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup buttermilk

1/4 cup Southern Comfort

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1 teaspoon white vinegar

1 (1-ounce) jar Wilton's "no-taste" red food coloring

12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened

2 cups granulated sugar

3 large eggs

For the frosting:

14 tablespoons (1 3/4 sticks) unsalted butter, softened

6 to 8 cups confectioners’ sugar

1/4 cup milk

1/4 cup Southern Comfort

Chopped toasted pecans, for garnish (optional)

To make the cake: Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease two 9-inch round cake pans with butter, or spray them with nonstick spray. Dust them with flour and tap out the excess.

Whisk together the cake flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt. In a separate bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, Southern Comfort, vanilla, vinegar, and food coloring.

In a large bowl, beat the butter and sugar with an electric mixer until light and fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the flour mixture alternately with the milk mixture in three additions, beginning and ending with the flour.

Divide the batter between the prepared pans and bake for 30 to 40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cakes comes out clean. Let the cakes cool in the pans on a wire rack, and then remove them from the pans and cool completely.

To make the frosting: Beat the butter in a large bowl with an electric mixer for about 2 minutes. Add 6 cups of the confectioners’ sugar, the milk, and the Southern Comfort. Beat on low speed until creamy. Gradually add the remaining confectioners’ sugar, a little at a time, until the frosting has reached the desired consistency.

Place one cake layer on a plate and spread it with about one-third of the frosting. Top with the remaining cake layer and spread the remaining frosting over the top and sides of the cake. Sprinkle the cake with chopped pecans, if using.

--if you don’t want the alcohol in your cake or frosting, bring to a boil the quantity of Southern Comfort, reduce the heat and simmer 10 min.  Add water if necessary to bring back to the correct liquid amount.

OR make a Southern Comfort Simple Syrup to brush onto the layers for moistness and flavor.  1 c water, 1 c Southern Comfort and 3 c sugar.  Dissolve the sugar in the water over heat, then add the alcohol and simmer for 20 min or until slightly thickened.

FrostingVariation:

Heirloom Frosting (cooked flour frosting)
24 Services, or enough for a 3 layer 8 inch cake.

1 cup milk
4 tbsp flour
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup shortening
1/2 cup butter (or you can use all butter or all shortening)

Whisk together 1 cup of milk and 4 tbsp of flour. Cook over low heat until very thick. Let cool to cool room temperature.

(Optional: You can process the sugar for a short period in a food processor. This may or may not make a difference, and was not in any recipe I have seen.)

Cream together 1 cup of fat (either the shortening/butter mix, or all butter), and 1 cup of sugar. Make sure to fully cream these together, at least five minutes. Once the butter is light and fluffy, add the cooked flour mixture. Mix until it looks like whipped cream. You can add vanilla extract towards the end of the beating process.

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Earlier post on this subject

Fancy Royal Icing Cookies

Embellishing "Broderie Anglais" on Royal Icing Cookies is fairly simple as seen in this YouTube video:



I have created a home class on making and decorating cookies with Royal Icing, if you're interested (and are in this area of northeastern CT) let me know. My in-your-home classes are a two hours long, $15 per person + ingredients, supplies and tools, and groups of 4 or more, only $10 each,  + supplies and tools.

This first class involves baking and basic decorating.  A second class is for advanced decorating.

Wilton Candy-making class

Wilton Candy-making class is scheduled for  
Tuesday, May 28, 6:30-8:30pm in the Lisbon, CT Michael's
-- $15

Sign up by the 27th to be sure you're in! 
Minimum of 4 and Maximum of 10 for the class.

 

May Class Schedule--Edited...again

Wilton Courses 1-4 are all 4 weeks long, 2 hours per class.

Current May Courses:

 Course 4: Advance Gum Paste Flowers Michael's in Lisbon, started Monday May 6, 6:30-8:30 pm 

Due to the Monday, May 27--Memorial Day holiday, classes three and four are scheduled as follows:

the third class to Sunday, May 19 4-6pm, and 

fourth class on Monday, May 20, 6:30-8:30 

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 Course 2: Flowers and Cake Design  Michael's in Dayville started Wednesday, May 8, 6-8 pm. 

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Added:

Course 1: Decorating Basics

Michael's in Dayville starting Saturday, May 11, 12:15-2:15pm 

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Provided that at least 4 people sign up for each course, these classes will continue directly into the next one in order in June, so...

Course 1: Decorating Basics
Michael's in Lisbon, Monday June 3, 6:30-8:30

Course 3: Gum Paste and Fondant
Michael's in Dayville, Wednesday, June 5, 6-8pm

Course 2: Flowers and Cake Design
Michael's in Dayville, 12:15-2:15pm