My 30th Birthday Cake

February 20, 2011

I had so many different idea on what to do for my Birthday cake this year. I normally don't do them for myself, but since it was the big 30 I just had to do something. I had decided to design it after my online Birthday invitation but I just wasn't feeling it and decided at last minute to change the decorations.

I wasn't as prepared for this as I should have been. The weeks prior I was just so busy that I wasn't able to devote a lot of time on it.

For the cake topper I decided on some candles and some gumpaste/fondant spirals coming out from the top. My original design was going to be a champagne bottle with fizz shooting out. But the gumpaste bottle was too big and just wasn't going to give me the look I wanted on the cake. So with the spirals and candles on top I just decided to do a confetti cake and just make it look like a party was going on on the cake. Once it came time to put my gumpaste/fondant spirals on they just broke as I stuck them into the cake. I only let them dry 2-3 days so that's my fault. I think it's usually supposed to dry about a week. Like I said before I was just not prepared as I should have been. So now I was stuck without a topper! Frustrated I was almost about to give up. (But that's just not me.) Now with a bunch of holes on top of the cake I also had to figure out something to cover those nasty holes. I thought fondant roses but that just doesn't match the theme of the cake. It usually helps me to take a few minutes and gather my thoughts and get my creative juices flowing. So as I sat in my cake room looking around for something to put on top of this cake that goes with the theme, I see my multi-colored pipe cleaners. LOL. I thought well I can bend those and make swirls out of those and they are the right colors so I gave that a try. Then I stuck some black feathers I had left over from another cake topper I made and stuck those in to hide as much of the ugly holes on top of the cake. It worked well. In the end I liked the pipe cleaners idea better since I could actually move them and bend them how I wanted.

Now one mistake I did was when I torted the layers I didn't but the damn of icing close enough to the edges and that made the corners droop. I was not happy with myself on that and I think that's the only thing I hate on this cake. But you live and you learn and next time I will know. Every cake is an experience!

The flavor of the cake is Pink Champagne with Buttercream and Strawberry Filling. The size is a 6 inch square and an 8 inch square. They were about 6 inches high on each layer.

Thanks for looking.

Super Bowl Cupcakes The Packers vs the Steelers

February 6, 2011

I made these to celebrate the Super Bowl teams this year. There is no real loyalty to either side but the house is rooting for the Packers this year. My husband chose them since "the Steelers have been to the Super Bowl too many times".

The Packers cupcake flavor is Chocolate Guinness, and the Steelers is Root Beer Float. The Root Beer Float cupcake has a Root Beer glaze on top. When the cupcakes were warm I poked about 4-5 holes on top so the glaze would fall all through the inside of the cupcake to give it a little more of the root beer flavor. I did the same for the Chocolate Guinness cupcake, but used a Guinness glaze. I LOVED this Guinness cupcake. I can't even describe the flavor. It's unlike any other flavor cake I have ever had. You'll just have to try it! While I liked the Root Beer Float cupcake, I thought it had a flour like taste. So it just needs some tweaking. But the Chocolate Guinness cupcake was AWESOME. Keep an eye out for the recipe.

The Packers gold color I made from a piece of premade Yellow Wilton fondant and mixed with white Satin Ice and mixed more coloring in it. It was a mix of Americolor Gold and Wilton Yellow and I think I did a touch of Wilton Orange to get the Packers gold color. I thought it turned out perfect. 🙂

For the Packers dark green color, I used the premade Wilton fondant in Green and mixed a small amount of Wilton Black. I was happy with the colors.

I used a "G" cutter from Makin's and gave it a gentle tug to make it more of an oval shape. I didn't have an oval cutter for the emblem so I just used a circle cutter and gave it a gentle tug and shaped it into an oval.

For the Steelers cupcakes I used black and white Satin Ice. For the stars I used premade Wilton Blue, Red and the leftover Packers gold color. I used a pastry tip to cut circles in the different colors, then used the same pastry tip and cut the corners of the circles and there you have the little Steeler's stars.

I ordered some edible ink pens which were scheduled to be delivered on Friday. Well the freeze happened and I still don't have my order so I had to make do with what I had. I had some leftover buttercream and I used a lot of black to color it and mixed in some piping gel. And that's what I used for the "Steelers" piping on the cupcake.

Mocha Pudding

January 14, 2011

I loved this chocolate pudding. I found it in Oxygen magazine in the January 2011 issue. This is a great alternative to the box pudding mix.

"Cocoa has high in anti-inflammatory flavonoids and fiber, which helps block fat absorption. Not only that, but chocolate has been shown to be an effective mood booster!"

Mocha Pudding

Ingredients

1/2 cup of unsweetened cocoa powder
3 tablespoons arrowroot flour
2 cups skim milk
1/4 cup raw honey
2 tablespoons brewed coffee (the stronger the better)
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Instructions

In a medium pan, whisk together cocoa and flour. Stir in milk and honey. Bring to a boil over medium heat and stir for about 8 minutes until mixture thickens.
Remove pan from heat and stir in coffee and vanilla. Let cool to room temperature before serving. If you have time, chill in the fridge for several hours.

Banana Brickle Cream Pie

January 2, 2011

Disclosure: As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs. I earn from qualifying purchases

This Banana Brickle Cream Pie is a fun take on the traditional version. It's a layer of banana slices, topped with banana custard and homemade whipped cream. And for something a little different, it's then sprinkled with toffee bits!

Diner Desserts by Tish Boyle is full of amazing cream pies like this one. And this is my slight adaptation of her version.

Banana Brickle Cream Pie Tips:

Feel free to use your own homemade pie dough recipe or a store bought pie dough and bake fully according to package directions.
In this recipe we "temper" the egg yolks. Adding a little bit of the hot milk mixture to the eggs helps bring the eggs to temperature without cooking them.
I like to add a little light corn syrup in my homemade whipped cream. It helps to stabilize the cream so it doesn't melt as quickly. Helpful but not necessary, feel free to leave it out if you'd like.

A perfectly crisp and flaky pie crust carries all those layers of flavor! Fresh banana slices, banana custard, whipped cream and toffee bits.

Follow The Cake Chica on Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest to know when a new recipe comes out!

Did you make this recipe? I'd love to see it! Tag @thecakechica1 #thecakechica1 on Instagram!

Banana Brickle Cream Pie

Yield: 8 slices

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Cook Time: 40 minutes

Additional Time: 3 hours 45 minutes

Total Time: 4 hours 55 minutes

Homemade banana cream pie with a crisp and flaky crust, topped with a layer of sliced bananas, topped with a banana filling and homemade whipped cream and garnished with toffee bits.

Ingredients

SPECIAL TOOLS

PIE DOUGH

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for rolling, about 1/4 cup
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon table salt
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 1/4-inch pieces and chilled
4 tablespoons vegetable shortening, cut into 2 pieces and chilled
2 tablespoons vodka, chilled
2 tablespoons ice water

PIE FILLING

4 large egg yolks
½ cup granulated sugar
3 tablespoons cornstarch
¼ teaspoon table salt
2 ½ cups whole milk
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into tablespoons
1 teaspoons vanilla extract
Pinch cardamom (optional)
3 ripe, medium-sized bananas
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

WHIPPED CREAM

2 cups heavy cream
3 tablespoons powdered sugar
1 tablespoon light corn syrup
½ teaspoon vanilla extract

GARNISH

3 tablespoons toffee bits (garnish)

Instructions

PIE DOUGH

Process 3/4 cup of the flour, sugar, and salt together in a food processor until combined, about 5 seconds. Sprinkle the butter and shortening on top and continue to process until combined and mixture begins to form uneven clumps, and no flour bits remain, about 10 seconds.
Scrape down the bowl and evenly distribute the dough around the bowl. Sprinkle the remaining 1/2 cup flour over the dough and pulse until the mixture has broken up into pieces and is evenly distributed around the bowl, about 4 to 6 pulses.
Transfer the mixture to a medium-sized bowl. Sprinkle vodka and ice water over the mixture. Press and stir the dough together using a rubber spatula until the dough sticks together.
Turn the dough onto a piece of plastic wrap and flatten out into a 4-inch disk. Wrap the disk tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour. Before rolling out the dough, let the dough sit out on the counter for about 10 minutes. (The dough can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 2 days or frozen for up to 1 month. If frozen, be sure to let the dough though completely on the counter before using.)
Adjust your oven rack to the middle position and preheat your oven to 425 degrees. Roll the dough into a 12-inch circle on a floured counter. After rolling the dough out, loosely roll it around your rolling pin and gently unroll it onto your 9 inch pie plate. Gently ease the dough into the lower creases of the pan and press lightly to adhere it to the sides and bottom of the pan. Leave the excess dough hanging over the sides of the pan in place. Wrap the dough-lined pie plate loosely in plastic wrap and refrigerate until the dough it firm, about 30 minutes.
Trim the overhang to about 1/2 –inch beyond the edge of the pie plate and tuck the overhang under itself. Crimp the dough around the edge using your fingers. Wrap the dough lined pie plate loosely in plastic wrap and refrigerate for about 15 minutes before using.
Line the chilled pie shell with a double layer of aluminum foil, covering the edges to prevent burning and fill with pie weights or dry beans.
Bake your pie shell until the pie dough looks dry and is pale in color about 15 minutes. Remove the pie weights and foil and continue to bake until the shell is golden brown, about 4 to 7 minutes. Transfer the pie crust to a wire rack and cool completely.

PIE FILLING

In a medium bowl, whisk together the egg yolks, sugar, cornstarch and salt until combined and set aside. Pour milk into a medium-sized saucepan and bring to a gentle boil over medium-low heat, about 10 minutes. Remove the milk from the heat and whisk in about ½ cup of milk into the egg yolk mixture, tempering the egg yolks. Then return the egg yolk mixture back to the saucepan. Bring mixture to a gentle boil over medium-high heat and cook for 1 minute whisking constantly. Remove from the heat and whisk in butter until melted. Add in the vanilla and cardamom if using, and whisk to combine. Strain the custard through a sieve over a medium-sized bowl.
Fill a large bowl half way full with ice. Add enough cold water to cover the ice cubes and place the bowl of custard in the ice bath and allow to cool. Stir occasionally for a few minutes.
Peel the bananas and slice into ¼-inch slices and place in a medium bowl. Add lemon juice over bananas and gently toss to coat. Place sliced bananas in an even layer on the bottom of the baked pie crust. Add the cooled pie filling over top and gently spread out to an even layer with a rubber spatula. Place a piece of plastic wrap on top of the filling and refrigerate the pie for at least 2 hours before adding the whipped cream and serving.

WHIPPED CREAM

In a large bowl, with an electric mixer with the whisk attachment attached, whisk whipped cream on medium-low speed and gradually increase the speed to medium-high. Add the sugar, corn syrup and vanilla extract and continue to beat until soft peaks form. Add whipped cream on top of the pie filling free hand or with a piping bag and piping tip.

Notes

This pie is best eaten the day it is prepared.

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 8 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 755Total Fat: 50gSaturated Fat: 28gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 19gCholesterol: 231mgSodium: 353mgCarbohydrates: 66gFiber: 2gSugar: 38gProtein: 11g

*Nutrition information is an estimate and will vary.*

My First Gingerbread House(s)

December 10, 2010

WOW! What can I say? I love how it turned out.

Our office had a Gingerbread Contest this year for the first time. I had never done one before, but was up for the challenge. I had it all planned out and had a sketch and measurements and everything. I thought I was set. Well come time to but this 18 inch long 1 foot tall gingerbread house up (which I have no experience in) things started falling apart. I had spent so much time on it once I realized this thing isn't going up. I said forget it. I told my husband I am done with this and said I'd try it again next year. That was this passed weekend. And he gave me a look and said are you sure? (He knows me all to well) I said yeah I think so. Well come Monday I had a change of heart. My creative thinking just wouldn't allow me to give up so quickly. So at last minute, just 3 days before the contest I got my creative juices flowing and this is what I came up with. I am really really happy with it. And I am so glad it's over and done with. However, I won't know who wins until tomorrow morning, but I am hoping I am the winner. I had planned a lot more details on this but time caught up with me and I could only do so much. Hands on time it took me about 15 hours. Time including drying times, 72 hours.

I found the templates online but unfortunately the site is down right now. I printed the templates out Monday and by Tuesday they just seemed to disappear.

The recipe I used for the gingerbread can be found here http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/gingerbread-house-recipe/index.html at Food Network. It's really a delicious recipe. This was not my plan to make homemade gingerbread. I wanted to make the box kind but I was not able to find any when I need it. And now after I don't need the box anymore I see them out in the stores now. But I am glad I did make the homemade gingerbread. This recipe is delicious.

This only problem I came across was the house with the heart windows. I put the outside walls on the sides, outside of the back wall which made the house wider then the roof. So I stuck a candy cane in the inside and filled the gap with royal icing. Looks like it worked cause it didn't fall down. I also came across another problem with the template on that same house. The 2 sides of the house were printed exactly the same so I had to re bake one side of the house and flip it around. No biggie I baked it up real quick and got back on schedule. (Always good to have extra dough for times like this one.)

I ran a brick impression mat over the cookie dough before I baked it. It's now all that noticable but the spray color helped bring the texture out a little. The red spray is Wilton, which I picked up at Hobby Lobby, the red shimmery house is Luster Red by PME you can get that here. http://www.globalsugarart.com/product.php?id=20830&name=Red%20Lustre%20Spray%20by%20PME

Once the cookies were baked and cooled, on went the spray paint. Once that was dry I melted some butterscotch hard candies and jolly rancher candies in the oven on parchment paper to do the windows. Once those were dried I broke them and with the royal icing glued them on the back and let those dry.

Once the windows were done, I put the walls together with the royal icing the recipe is here http://allrecipes.com//Recipe/royal-icing-ii/Detail.aspx

Once the walls were up I decorated the yard with green royal icing bushes around the houses and some green garland. The doors and roofs were done with chocolate Satin Ice which can be found here http://www.globalsugarart.com/product.php?id=19931&name=Satin%20Ice%20Dark%20Chocolate%20Rolled%20Fondant%20Icing%20-5%20pounds
I love the roof tops on this. It took the most time but was worth it. I think it really makes the house(s). I also did the walkways in the chocolate Satin Ice, which tastes like Tootsie Rolls! I ate quite a bit making this lol.

The snow I made with a mixture of coconut and a little sparkle from Wilton. I had my husband process it in the food processor to make it a little more fine. I was running out of time so I put him to work.

For the fence I used a CK mold and Satin Ice Gumpaste which you can find here http://www.globalsugarart.com/product.php?id=20110&name=Gumpaste%20%205%20pounds%20by%20Satin%20Fine%20Foods Most of them stood up fine with no help, some others I used some balled up wax paper to hold them up straight overnight to dry.

The pond was made with Wilton Piping Gel with Electric Blue color. Both you can find at Hobby Lobby.

My snow man I just came up with. I stick some pasta in for arms. (By the way everything on here is 100% edible.)

The trees I saw a You Tube tutorial which you can find here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lDvpQn3fUcg
I didn't have any Tylose powder so I just used fondant. They kind of droopy but that's why I needed the Tylose but it's ok. I was in a time crunch so I did the best I could with what I had.

I love my santa clause. It's also my first time doing any sort of figure modeling. I learned how to do this very easily by watching this You Tube video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9upG-QF7G_c
I am very happy with it. Lots of "first time" things I did on here.

I had so much fun doing this. I can't wait to see what I can come up with next year. If you have any questions feel free to ask.

And I hope I am the winner tomorrow!!!!!

Best Big, Fat, Chewy M&M Chocolate Chip Cookie

November 29, 2010

These Best Big Fat Chewy M&M Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe is a take on another popular recipe of mine. They're still big, chewy and chocolaty with the fun addition of M&M chocolate candies!

Why Melted Butter?

Melted butter helps create a chewy cookie. And also helps the cookie spread out resulting in a thinner cookie.

Melted butter should be cooled to about 85 to 90 degrees. The butter should still be in fluid form but slightly warm. This may take 15 to 30 minutes to come down to temperature.

Why Granulated Sugar and Brown Sugar?

Granulated sugar dissolves easily into butter during the creaming process. Brown sugar produces a cookie that is more moist and chewy.

Forming the Cookies

Once the dough is easy to handle, portion out 1/4 cup of cookie dough and roll it between your hands to form a ball of dough. Then place the ball of dough on a prepared cookie sheet and gently press to slightly flatten. Be sure to place cookies about 3 inches apart so they do not spread to one another while baking.

Chocolate Chips and M&M's

For this recipe I used 2 cups of semi-sweet chocolate chips, with 2 cups plain M&M candies.

Fun Fact: Chocolate chips have stabilizers that help them keep their shape while baking.

How To Store Big, Fat, Chewy M&M Chocolate Chip Cookies

Store Big, Fat, Chewy M&M Chocolate Chip Cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.

Let's Connect

The Cake Chica is on Facebook sharing sneak peeks of recipes to come, Instagram for your food porn desires and Pinterest for your board pinning needs.

Best Big, Fat, Chewy M&M Chocolate Chip Cookie

Yield: 30 large cookies

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 35 minutes

These Big, Fat, Chewy M&M Chocolate Chip Cookies are crisp on the outside and chewy on the inside, plus they are full of chocolate chips and M&M candies!

Ingredients

4 cups (20 ounces) all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 ½ cups unsalted butter, melted and cooled to about 85 to 90 degrees, about 30 minutes.
2 cups (14 ounces) packed light brown sugar
1 cup (7 ounces) granulated sugar
2 tablespoons vanilla extract
2 large eggs
2 large egg yolks
2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
2 cups plain M&M’s

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper or a silicone mat.
Whisk together the flour, baking soda and salt; set aside.
In a the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together the melted butter, brown sugar and granulated sugar until well blended, about 5 minutes. Beat in the vanilla egg and egg yolk until light and creamy.
Mix in the dry ingredients until just blended. Stir in the M&M’s and chocolate chips by hand using a wooden spoon. Chill the dough for about 30 minutes or until the dough is easy to handle.
Grab 1/4 cup of cookie dough and roll into a balls. Place on prepared cookie sheet and press down slightly. Cookies should be about 3 inches apart. Bake for 15 to 17 minutes in the oven or until the edges are lightly toasted. Cool on cookie sheet for 4 minutes before transferring cookies to wire racks to cool completely.

Notes

Cookie Storage: Store cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for 3 days.

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 30 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 281Total Fat: 17gSaturated Fat: 10gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 6gCholesterol: 57mgSodium: 134mgCarbohydrates: 31gFiber: 2gSugar: 16gProtein: 4g

*Nutrition information is an estimate and will vary.*

Chocolate Hazelnut Brownies with Milk Chocolate Hazelnut Frosting

November 19, 2010

Here is a new recipe I tried this week. Very delicious. Everything I have made from a Tish Boyle recipe has been great!!! Happy Baking!!!

Chocolate Hazelnut Brownies with Milk Chocolate Hazelnut Frosting

Yield: 9

Ingredients

CHOCOLATE HAZELNUT BROWNIES

3 ounces bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
1/2 cup unsalted butter
2 large eggs
3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
2 tbsp Italian hazelnut liqueur, such as Frangelico
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup skinless hazelnuts, toasted and coarsely chopped

MILK CHOCOLATE HAZELNUT FROSTING

5 ounces Lindt milk chocolate, finely chopped
1 tbsp unsweetened alkalized cocoa powder
1/3 cup heavy cream
1 tbsp Italian hazelnut liqueur, such as Frangelico

Instructions

1. MAKE THE BROWNIES

Preheat the oven to 350 F. Butter the bottom and sides of an 8 inch
square baking pan. Line the bottom of the pan with parchment or waxed paper
and coat the paper with butter.
Place the chocolate and the butter in the top of a double broiler over
hot, not simmering water. Stir the mixture until it's completely melted and
smooth. Remove the top part of the double broiler from the bottom and allow
the mixture to cool.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs and sugar. Whisk in the cooled
chocolate and the hazelnut liqueur. With a rubber spatula, stir in the flour
until just blended. Stir in the hazelnuts. Scrape the batter into the
prepared pan. Smooth over the top with a rubber spatula. Bake the brownies
for 25-30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out
with a few moist crumbs clinging to it. Cool the brownies on a wire rack for
minutes. Run a paring knife around the edges of the pan and carefully
invert the brownies onto a flat surface. Peel off the paper, and then
reinvert the brownies onto a cooling rack. Cool completely.

5. MAKE THE FROSTING

Place the chocolate in a medium bowl. Sift the cocoa powder over the
chocolate. In a small saucepan or in the microwave, bring the cream to a
boil. Pour the hot cream over the chocolate and gently whisk until smooth.
Stir in the hazelnuts liqueur and allow the mixture to cool to a spreadable
consistency, about 2 hours.
Using a metal spatula, spread the frosting over the top of the brownies.
Using a long serrated knife, trim approximately 1/4 to 1/2 inch off each
side. Cut the brownies into 9 squares. Store in an airtight container.

Cassie

November 16, 2010

Ok, last minute cakes are getting to be my specialty. Here is another last minute cake. I think I found out 4 days before it was due. So after work for the next 3 days I worked on this cake. It was for my Father-in-Laws wedding. I went off of what the bride told me over the phone. No pictures and my best guess of simple and classy. Here is what I came up with. The colors of the wedding were dark red and cream. The plan was to make the cake a cream color and do the piping in white. So I looked at my gel colors and saw a Wilton one that was Copper, and noticed it had "(light skin color)" next to the color, perfect for a cream color, or so I thought. Yeah it came out a very light pink lol. Oh no. I diluted it as much as possible hoping the bride wouldn't notice or care. When I got the cake topper I thought PERFECT! It really goes well with the cake color. And then when I saw the bride the cake matched her dress!!! PERFECT!!! What a happy mistake.

Now, I had some problems with the bottom tier of buttercream. I kept messing it up so that's why its not as clean and straight as the top. I tried to do an even ribbon of buttercream for the base and well it looked horrible. I decided to do the round dots. And you know what those looked like?........ the brides pearl necklace!

Congratulations to Cassie and James!!!

Lacey

October 29, 2010

I named this cake Lacey for obvious reasons. I did this cake more as a practice cake. At work we had a Halloween Costume Contest, and thought it would be cute to go basically as myself when I am not at work. So I went as The Cake Chica. I didn't win but I am very happy with this practice cake. This was not as easy as the last few I have done in the passed months.

I usually try to use the SPS system for transporting a cake. If you have ever used the SPS you know the cakes have to reach a certain height, because the columns are already measured out. Well mine didn't bake up as I wanted, but that's ok I bought a saw to saw off what I needed. Well I was about to stack the cakes and notice the SPS plates were bigger then my cake!?!?!?! I still don't know what and how it happened, but my cakes shrunk 1/2 from the sides and couldn't use the SPS System at all. I ended up just using the bubble tea straws and the worked just fine. The fondant was also a hassle. I'm not used to rolling out big pieces of fondant, so I had to roll it out a few times, and then it starts drying out and then cracking at the corners. Ugh!!! I had a big hole on the "back" (I made it the back due to the huge hole) that I had to cut a peice of fondant just to make it less obvious.

Once I finally put it all together I was very happy with it. The scary part: Transporation. IT MADE IT!!! I put the gumpaste roses on at work (my first time making these by the way!) and did the finishing touches on it. Every one loved it. Most people thought it was fake!!! I said NO WAY!!! Someone even asked if I bought it ?!?!?!?!?!? (A little insulted). I told him "I don't buy cakes!" LOL.

The size is 10 inch, 8 inch, and 6 inch. The bottom tier is Vanilla Caramel Cake, the top two layers are Pumpkin Spice Cake. Both are new recipes and are keepers! I used black Satin Ice fondant. The topper is just a trinket box I found at Hobby Lobby. The pearls in that box or just plastic. I tried attaching the lace with crisco but it wasn't working so I used a little bit of piping gel. It worked like a charm. See more pics below. Thanks for looking. 🙂

25th Anniversary Cake

October 16, 2010

Another last minute cake order, but I was able to get it done. It was Dark Chocolate Cake with Strawberry Filling. 8 inch and a 6 inch round cake. I didn't have much time to do much with decorating in buttercream flowers. I was able to just do what I wanted for this cake, which sometimes makes it harder to decide, but this is what I came up with. I put real ribbon around the edges. I did use wax paper to prevent the grease from the frosting from going through, but as you can see it did anyway, so I am going to have to work on another trick for that one. I did use a new buttercream recipe and I LOVE IT! It's the Sugarshack recipe. It's not as perfect as her is in the DVD but it's the smoothest my buttercream has ever been. Thanks for looking.

Amaretto Bundt Cake

October 8, 2010

Bundt cakes are great because they're easy to make and feed a crowd. And this Amaretto Bundt Cake with Sliced Almonds is no different.

Amaretto Bundt Cake

Originally I had this recipe posted as a doctored up cake mix recipe. But that's really not needed when the homemade version is so easy to make. You won't miss the first version of this cake that was posted here I promise! The amaretto give this cake it's sweet flavor accompanied by the sliced almonds that brings out the flavor of the amaretto liqueur.

What's the Difference Between Liqueur and Liquor

Liqueur are spirits that are flavored with different fruits, nuts, seeds, flowers and spices and are sweet. Liquors are not sweet. Think rum, brandy or whiskey. Although these can be flavored, they are generally not as sweet as liqueur.

Amaretto Glaze

This glaze is super simple to make. It's just powdered sugar, amaretto liqueur, and milk. Whisk the ingredients together until combined, adding more liquid as needed. The glaze should be thick but still pourable. If the glaze is too thin you won't get the thick glaze on top like in the picture. So be careful not to add too much liquid.

Plan It Out

As I mentioned before, this Amaretto Bundt cake is easy to make but I still 'Plan It Out' because there's a lot of sitting time. Check out what my schedule looked like below:

Morning: Bake bundt cake.
Mid morning: Prepare the glaze and pour the first round of glaze on the cake and let sit for 1 hour.
Afternoon: Pour the last round of glaze on top of the cake and let the cake sit for 2 hours.
Late afternoon: Serve the cake!

Cake Storage

Another great thing about Bundt cakes is they are easy to store. I store mine in an airtight cake container on the counter for up to 3 days.

Let's Connect

The Cake Chica is on Facebook sharing sneak peeks of recipes to come, Instagram for your food porn desires and Pinterest for your board pinning needs.

Amaretto Bundt Cake

Yield: 12

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour

Additional Time: 3 hours

Total Time: 4 hours 15 minutes

A moist and buttery Amaretto Bundt Cake made with almond liqueur and topped with a rich amaretto glaze for the perfect balance of flavor and sweetness.

Ingredients

SPECIAL TOOLS

9 or 10-inch Bundt pan
Nonstick baking spray
Stand mixer

AMARETTO CAKE

1 cup (2 sticks/16 tablespoons) unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 cups (14 ounces) granulated sugar
4 large eggs, at room temperature
3 cups (15 ounces) all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 cup (8 ounces) whole milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup amaretto liqueur
1/2 cup sliced almonds

AMARETTO GLAZE

2 cups (8 ounces) powdered sugar
2-3 tablespoons amaretto liqueur
2 tablespoons whole milk

Instructions

AMARETTO CAKE

Adjust an oven rack to the center position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Spray Bundt pan liberally with nonstick baking spray and set aside.
In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the butter and sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes.
Add the eggs one at a time, mixing just until incorporated after each addition.
In a large bowl, whisk to combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In a large liquid measuring cup, combine the milk, vanilla extract, and amaretto liqueur.
With the mixer on medium-low speed, add the flour mixture in 3 additions, alternating with the milk mixture in 2 additions, beginning and ending with the flour mixture. Fold in the sliced almonds, then give the batter a final gentle stir by hand to ensure everything is fully incorporated.
Pour the batter in the prepared cake pan and bake on the center rack for 40 to 50 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the cake comes out with a few moist crumbs attached but no wet batter. Let the cake cool in the pan for 15 to 20 minutes, then invert onto a cake pedestal or serving plate. While the cake cools in the pan, prepare the glaze.

AMARETTO GLAZE

Whisk together the powdered sugar, amaretto and milk in a bowl until smooth. Add more amaretto, 1 teaspoon at a time, if needed. Glaze should be thick but still pourable.

ASSEMBLE

Invert cake onto a cake pedestal or cake board and carefully remove the pan.Pour half of the glaze over the warm cake and let it soak in as the cake cools, about 1 hour. Drizzle the remaining glaze evenly over the cooled cake and let set completely, about 2 hours. Serve.

Notes

CAKE STORAGE: Store cake in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.

Tetris Cake

October 1, 2010

I made this cake for my husband's 30th Birthday!!! I loved this cake. I loved making this cake. It is by far my favorite so far 🙂 This cake did take the most time out of all that I have done but it was worth it. Thanks for looking.

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Did you make this recipe? I'd love to see it! Tag @thecakechica1 #thecakechica1 on Instagram!

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