Tag Archives: cake

Wedding Cake preparation experience

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I was asked by very good friends to make their wedding cake a couple of months ago. I was super excited with the prospect of taking this new challenge on. What I was not expecting was the planning it took to get it done. I had a mental picture of what I wanted the cake to look like, but being a perfectionist at heart created a whole different array of problems.

Finding the cake recipe was super easy, I was able to go to Martha Stewart’s website and find an amazing recipe for marble cake, which worked great. Coming up with the filling idea was not complicated either, I purchased raspberry preserves and made a ganache with dark chocolate and nutella. The problem was leaving the ganache in the fridge back home and realizing it the day before the wedding. Have I mentioned yet that the wedding was taking place 8 hours away from me?  Yeah, maybe I should have started with that tidbit of info. Thank goodness that there are Walmart’s everywhere.

I made sure to freeze the cakes ahead of time, and even got an insulated bag to place them in. Hyperventilating when I was trying to get them in the mini fridge at the hotel was not my finest moment.

Icing was a whole different animal. I had considered making it, but wasn’t convinced the buttercream would travel well even if frozen beforehand. I even considered hauling my KitchenAid  mixer and making it there, but gave up on that idea fairly quickly. I finally gave up on the notion of homemade buttercream and went the Wilton way, it was a great decision.

When I was making the peony about a month before the wedding, I forgot to consider that a single flower would have looked a bit bland, and it wasn’t until 2 days before I was supposed to leave that I thought of leaves or even little accents. Thank goodness for 2 things: I had enough sugar paste at home and Google search is a lifesaver. Let me tell you, free-styling leave cutouts is a pain, I have come to appreciate the art form.

In the end, it took, an insulated bag and a giant reusable bag full of utensils and materials to get this cake done. One thing that really helped me was coming up with a list of all the utensils and tools I would need, to help me pack. If only I had added the ganache to it, oh well!

Assembling the cake took less time that I had calculated. I trimmed the cakes, split the layers, filled them, crumb iced and did second coat in about 2 hours total. I was really happy with the finished product, and the bride and groom really liked it as well, so YAY!

I would love to hear your comments, also, do you have any tricks for traveling long distances with cakes?

 

Carrot Cake

Posted in Recipes by

My famous Carrot Cake

If there is one cake I’m very proud of, it would be my carrot cake. I like the fact that I can say it is low in fat, that it is delicious and that it is a household favorite. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

Carrot Cake Ingredients

1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
3/4 cup white sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar
3 eggs or equivalent egg substitute
3/4 cup milk and vinegar mixture ( to 1 cup of milk- any type- add 2 tbsp vinegar and let sit for 5 minutes)
2 tsp vanilla extract
3/4 cup applesauce
2 cups shredded carrots
1 cup shredded coconut (I use unsweetened)
1/2 cup chopped or crushed pecans
1/2 cup chopped or crushed walnuts
1 cup raisins
1 8 oz can of crushed pineapple with juice
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp ground allspice
1/4 tsp freshly ground nutmeg

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease and flour cake pans or if using a cupcake mold place paper liners.
  2. In a medium bowl, sift together flours, rising agents, salt and spices. Set aside.
  3. In a large bowl, combine eggs, milk mixture, applesauce, sugar and vanilla. Mix well.
  4. In a medium bowl, combine shredded carrots, coconut, nuts, pineapple and raisins.
  5. Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and mix well until completely incorporated using a large spoon or spatula. Add carrot mixture to batter and fold in well.
  6. Pour into prepared pans, and bake at 350°F (175°C) for 20-25 minutes. This cooking time is for 3 8-inch pans, if baking on a square pan or bigger diameter, adjust baking times accordingly. I would suggest you check your cake in the center with a toothpick for doneness (if it comes out clean, it’s done). If baking cupcakes, you can use an ice cream scoop to put the batter into liners and bake for 15-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.
  7. Allow to cool for at least 10 minutes before transferring to wire rack to be completely cooled.
  8. Once completely cooled, frost cakes with cream cheese frosting ( recipe below). You can add chopped nuts on side for added decoration.
  9. Enjoy!

Cream cheese frosting

Ingredients:

1 package of room temperature cream cheese ( Neuchâtel cheese can be used)
1 stick of butter at room temperature
1/4 tsp salt
4 cups confectioner’s sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp almond extract
2-3 tbsp milk ( fat-free half and half works as well)

Directions:

  1. On a stand mixer, cream butter and cream cheese for 5 minutes at high-speed until mixture turn paddle and if very fluffy.
  2. Lower speed and as salt and flavorings until incorporated.
  3. On low-speed, slowly add sugar to mixture. Once combined add milk for desired consistency. The less amount of milk, the thicker the frosting.