There is something about bacon that we all love. Recently I made Chocolate Bacon Cupcakes with Maple Syrup Frosting. Sweet + Salty + Smokey = YUMMY.
Continue reading “Chocolate Bacon Cupcakes with Maple Syrup Frosting”
Now for my favorite part of any good cake – FROSTING! I do admit to being a cake snob. I detest most grocery store cakes. The cake is mediocre at best, and the frosting is extra sweet and greasy. Together it is disgusting. I only eat them out of politeness. I have NEVER bought one myself – I always make mine. While in the beginning they may not have looked as pretty, but they always tasted better (well, except for one but I really don’t want to talk about that).
In order to have a great cake, you must have a frosting that crusts. If it does not crust, it will not be extra smooth.
Previously I shared with you that I am helping a group of Tenderhearts and Explorers earn their Cake Decorating Merit Badge.
We began by going over color theory. As I explained to the girls, cake decorating is like any other type of art, it needs to be visually appealing.
Next, we made cupcakes (Requirement #1). When I make cake, I used a doctored cake mix to create a Sour Cream Cake. For, we also want it to taste great. This is my favorite white cake. It is extra moist.
Continue reading “Cake Decorating Class for AHG – Sour Cream Cake”
Do you have that one go to dessert that makes a bad day better? I do! Let me introduce you to my secret… Chocolate Cloud Cake
A girl-friend brought me my first Chocolate Cloud Cake one day after I had eye surgery. My family was away for the weekend and I managed to eat the WHOLE THING before they returned. I knew I had to get her recipe. When I did, I realized how simple it was and could not have been happier. Are you ready? Continue reading “Chocolate Cloud Cake”
Regardless of age, everyone needs birthday cake. Whether you purchase an overpriced cake from a specialty bakery, or go for the plain box mix and canned frosting, a cake is a must.
Recently I spent a few weeks with my father in Alabama to help him recover from rotator cuff surgery. Two days after surgery he celebrated his birthday, so a cake was needed. Usually I make a semi-homemade cake with homemade frosting. However, my father is a diabetic so most cakes are out of the question. So I started looking for options. I found that Pillsbury now has a sugar-free cake and frosting. Being a bachelor for many year my dad is not too picky, and it was just the two of us we decided to give it a try.
For the record I do not usually eat anything that is sugar-free. I do not tolerate aspartame (it triggers my migraine headaches) and I have heard so many risk associated with artificial sweeteners so I try to avoid them when possible. I realize that all artificial sweeteners are an acquired taste that I do not have. So that is important to note ahead of time. Both of these contain Splenda.
CAKE: You make this cake like you would any other mix. Add oil, water and eggs and bake. Before I baked the cake I tasted the batter. Before anyone says anything, yes I know that it contained raw eggs, but I wanted to be prepared for how it would turn out. There was a slight after taste before baking, but I did not notice it after it cooked. I baked the batter in two 8 inch pans and noticed that they did not rise as much as usual. The taste was pretty good (not as good as my usual cake) but it was okay. Overall, I would give it a grade of B-. If I needed another “sugar-free” cake I would make it again.
FROSTING: What goes better with yellow cake than chocolate icing. This stuff was so thick there was no way I could but it on the sides without tearing the cake apart. So I decided to only put a thin layer between the two layers and a generous amount on top. After tasting it I was glad I had not put more the cake. For this was the worst frosting I have ever tasted. Besides not being as sweet as regular frosting, it had a heavy, taste. Spreading the frosting was impossible. If I had to give it a grade, it would definitely be an F. I will not be buying this stuff again. My dad and I both ended up scraping as much off as we could and just eating the cake.
Thankfully I will not be needing any more sugar-free cakes for a while.
