Caramel Pecan Layer Cake

Very slowly, but surely, I have been settling into Seattle.  I dropped my family off at the airport yesterday (a tremendously sad event) and have been trying to do things to fill my days since.  Being unemployed, the job hunt always continues, but you can't do that all the time!  My new roommate Rachel and I took a stroll around Green Lake... but don't ask me to tell what district it's in, I'm just getting a hang of that stuff!  But then we went to this wonderful vegetarian restaurant "Cafe Flora."  It is decorated so serenely; the center of one room has a small rock garden/waterfall complete with a bonsai tree while the walls are lined with bamboo.  The other room, which features the bar, was a little more lively.  But both sides serve their wonderful food.  Now, you're talking to someone who would ask to eat at Seva (an Ann Arbor vegetarian restaurant) every chance they got.  So it means a lot when I say this place was better than Seva!  The didn't have as wide of a range of dishes, but everything they make they appears to be made perfectly.  I personally got the black bean burger with caramelized onions with a side of yam fries.  I would give it a 4.5 out of 5 stars.  The only reason it doesn't get five stars is because I have yet to eat something so good it literally knocks me off my seat.  But the burger... it has the perfect balance of flavor and spice.  It was spicy enough for me, but not so spicy that the flavors of the black beans and onions couldn't shine through.  I'm exited to go back and try other dishes.

But you're not here for  restaurant review... maybe you are... but the point of this post is cake!  Lots of cake for a wonderful person - my Grandma!  As I was moving (erm... now moved) to Seattle, I wouldn't be able to celebrate my Grandma's birthday on her actual birthday, so we surprised her with a party a month before hand!  As seen in a previous post, I made her cards, my sister gave her a book and a bookmark that she made and my mom presented her with a wind spinner she bought from the Ann Arbor Art Fair.  It was so nice to see someone so surprised and happy!  In my opinion, one of the best parts was the cake I also surprised her with.

It's from my new cookbook "More from Magnolia" (looking back, it's ironic because I now live in Magnolia) that I purchased from the Magnolia Bakery in New York City when I was there in early July.  I flipped though all the recipes and my mom and I decided a Caramel Pecan Layer Cake would be the best one for her.  She, and my mom, love caramel.  And toasted pecans.  And cake.  And cake in layers.  Obviously, there were no objections.  The cake was easy to make and better yet you had to make the frosting beforehand!

Caramel Pecan Layer Cake
Adapted from: More from Magnolia

Cake:

• 1 1/2 cups self-rising flour
• 1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
• 1 cup unsalted butter, softened at room temperture
• 2 cups sugar
• 4 large eggs, at room tempture
• 1 cup milk
• 2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Icing:

• 2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
• 5 cups confectioners sugar, sifted
• 1 1/2 cups firmly packed light brown sugar
• 1/2 cup milk
• 2 tablespoons dark corn syrup
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Garnish:

• 2 cups coarsely chopped toasted pecans

Directions:

1. Toast the pecans, place on a baking sheet in a 350-degree oven for 15 minutes... or until your whole house smells like pecans.  Keep oven at 350-degrees.
2. Line two 10-inch spring form baking pans and grease.
3. In a small bowl, combine the flours then set aside.  In a large bowl, on the medium speed of an electric mixer, cream the butter until smooth.  
4. Add the sugar gradually and beat until fluffy (3+ minutes).  Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.  Add the dry ingredients, beat until all the ingredients are incorporated... but take caution to NOT over beat (this will create gluten and make the cake tough).  Scrape down batter into the bowl, making sure all the ingredients are incorporated.
5. Divide the batter among the prepared pans and bake for 25-30 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted into the center of the cake.  Let the layers cools in the pans for one hour.
6. When the layers have cooled completely, ice the cake (recipe below).

Caramel Frosting Directions:

1. In a large bowl, on the medium speed on an electric mixer, cream the butter until smooth.  
2. Add the sugars and beat on low speed for 2 minutes.  
3. Add the milk, syrup, and vanilla, and beat until smooth and creamy, 3-5 minutes.  Store covered, at room temperature, overnight or up to 2 days.

Michigan Sugar Cookies

Michigan: It's America's high-five.  Michigan: It makes an awesome hug (you know what I'm talking about, Bjoern!).  Michigan: Surrounded by lakes and home of many wonderful people and smiling faces.  Did you also know that it makes one cute cookie?

I first got the idea to send "Michigan" care packages off to "Michigan" people scattered across the country a few weeks ago.  Lucky me, I got a set of Michigan cookie cutters for graduation.  Of course there would have to be some Maize and Blue in the package, some sort of baked good (what can I say, I spoil my friends!) and a letter.  Side note: have I mentioned HOW many letters I've been writing this summer?  I love it!  And I love getting actual mail!

Now back to your regularly scheduled program...  I decided to combine two into one - Michigan shaped cookies in Michigan colors!  I'm a genius, you don't need to tell me.  I sent four packages out (flat rate shipping boxes are amazing for this sort of thing): to Zenka in San Diego, Bjoern in Houston, Jake T in Washington DC and one to two LV's, Sam and Alex, hiking the Pacific Crest Trail in California (or that's where they were when they got the package).  Sadly, according to Bjoern, his package never got to him, so I wrote him a nice long letter tonight instead.  And if you're reading this Bjoern, I'm sending out more baked goods next week.  This time you WILL get it.

This is my all-time favorite sugar cookie recipe.  The almond and lemon are perfectly balanced and the cookie is fluffy but still holds its shape when baked.  Is there anything else you could ask for?  Word to the wise, don't try to start piping royal icing at midnight.  I didn't go to bed until 2 am and still had to remake blue royal icing and re-pipe all the cookies the next morning (the icing wasn't high enough for flooding).

Thank you to all my friends and family who made my experience at the University of Michigan such a wonderful one and even if you didn't get a care package, know I would have sent you one if I had the money to do so! 

Sugar Cookies

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 c. butter
• 1 1/2 c. granulated sugar
• 1/2 c. powdered sugar
• 4 eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1/2 tsp almond extract
• 1 Tbsp lemon zest
• 5 c. flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp salt
• Parchment Paper, for rolling

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Cream butter and sugars in a mixer for 5 minutes. Add eggs one at a time, mixing thoroughly. Add vanilla, almond, and lemon zest.
3. Sift in flour, baking powder, and salt a little at a time. Do not over mix, this process should take about one minute.
4. Chill dough for 30 minutes in fridge. After chilled, divide the dough into two balls and roll out each one between two pieces of parchment paper.  Once dough is at about a ⅓ of an inch thickness, freeze the sheets of dough for about 20 minutes. Remove from freezer and cut out shapes.  Re-roll dough and re-freeze.  Repeat.  Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper and bake cookies for 7-8 minutes. Wait until cookies are cooled before icing.

Royal Icing:
Ingredients:

• 1 egg white
• 1 & 5/8 cups of powdered sugar
• a few splashes of lemon juice
• food coloring

Directions:

1. Beat together egg white and powdered sugar with a hand mixer until stiff peaks form and the icing is shiny.
2. Add in lemon juice and continue beating.  Beat in food coloring.
3. Either pipe icing or spread on cookies.

Mint Chocolate Chip Cake

Happy 86th Birthday, Grandpa!  Today we celebrated my grandpa's birthday (even though his birthday is a little later in the week) and it was my duty to make the cake.  Of course, I didn't complain; it's more experience in the kitchen, more material for my blog and another chance to make my Grandpa smile!  His favorite ice cream flavor is mint chocolate chip.  As long as I can remember, every single time we have ever gotten ice cream, he always orders mint chocolate chip if they have it.  May summers in Frankfort were spent walking down to the Cool Spot and order ice cream with Grandpa.  I couldn't think of what kind of cake to make him until I was thinking about how much I wanted some ice cream (even if I can't eat it).  Then I remember my Grandpa's LOVE of mint chocolate ice cream and the cake was born!

I looked all over the internet and there were no recipes that I really liked.  Some required only mixing together the wet and dry ingredients - I know that wouldn't produce cake results I'd like (it'd most likely come out too dense).  Instead I turned my attention to King Arthur.  I based my recipe off their Chocolate Cake recipe.  I didn't want anything too chocolatey, as it would overpower the mint flavor I was going for.  But at the same time, I didn't want it to fall flat and taste boring like milk chocolate.  So, I had to improvise.  I also used my own recipe for mint buttercream - I just followed the rule of ratios.

Ingredients:

• 2 1/4 cups King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa
• 1 3/4 cups granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, very soft
• 1/3 cup vegetable oil
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon peppermint extract
• 1 cup milk, warmed in microwave for 1 minutes
• 1/2 water, boiling
• 4 large eggs, separated & whites beaten until stiff peaks form
• ½ bag of creme de menthe chips

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly grease and flour three 8" round pans.
2. Place a strainer over a large mixing bowl. Measure in the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cocoa, and sugar. Sift/shake the dry ingredients through the strainer into a mixing bowl, to eliminate any lumps.
3. Add the butter and mix at low speed for 1 minutes. With the mixer running, add the oil and continue mixing until the mixture looks like sand.
4. Combine the vanilla with the milk and coffee or water, and add all at once. Mix for 1 minute at low speed, stop and scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl, then mix for 30 seconds more.
5. Separate the eggs.  Beat the whites until stiff peaks form, set aside.  Beat in egg yokes one at a time.  Stir in creme de menthe chips.  Then gently fold in egg whites.
6. Transfer the batter to the prepared pan. Bake for 24 to 26 minutes.
7. The cake is done when the top springs back when very lightly touched in the center, and the edges just begin to pull away from the edge of the pan. A toothpick inserted in the center will come out clean.
8. Remove the cake from the oven and place on a rack to cool before removing it from the pan.
9. Once cooled, put the cakes in the freezer for about a half an hour.  When 'frozen' remove and cut layers in half (you will now have 6 'layers').

Mint Buttercream Frosting

Ingredients:

• 12 tablespoons butter, softened
• 5 ⅓ cups powdered sugar
• ⅔ cup milk
• 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 4 teaspoon peppermint extract
• gel icing, until desired color is achieved

Directions:

1. In a medium bowl, beat the butter at a low speed with an electric mixer or tabletop mixer.
2. Add powdered sugar, alternating with the milk, and beat to smooth, but thick consistency (you may need to add more milk or sugar)
3. Stir in vanilla and peppermint. If you want a less minty flavor, decrease the peppermint extract or leave out altogether.

Grandpa blowing out his candles!

Look at those six (slightly demolished) layers!!

Fluffy Sugar Cookies with Royal Icing/Sprinkles

I must regretfully say - I am kinda over the rolled sugar cookie thing.  The first time you roll out the cookies, they turn out well, and then you have to keep adding more and more flour to the board to keep the dough from sticking -- and the last few cookies are so thin and too crispy.  And let's not forget the decorating, oh the decorating.  The first few cookies are fun to decorate, and then you see that you have another 30 or so to carefully decorate.  But these cookies... they are so light, fluffy, and easy to make!  I liked making little "small" fluffy cookies, but feel free to make them into larger balls.  You may just have to adjust the time accordingly.  I pressed some festive Christmas sprinkles into some of them and the others I piped some blue royal icing on.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups granulated sugar*
• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 14 Tbsp (1 3/4 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
• 1 Tbsp vanilla extract
• 2 large eggs

Directions:

1. Spread 1/2 cup of the sugar* in a shallow dish for coating and set aside. In a separate bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt together and set aside.
2. Beat the butter and remaining 1 1/2 cups sugar together in a large bowl using an electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy, 3-6 minutes. Beat in the vanilla, then the eggs, one at a time, until combined, about 30 seconds, scraping down the bowl & beaters as needed.
3. Reduce the mixer speed to low and slowly mix in the flour mixture until combined, about 30 seconds. Give the dough a final stir with a rubber spatula to make sure dough is combined. Refrigerate dough for at least an hour.
4. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350°F. Using palms, roll 2 Tablespoons of dough at a time into balls, then roll in sugar to coat. Place balls on baking sheets, spaced 2 inches apart.
5. Bake cookies, one sheet at a time, until the edges are set and just beginning to brown but the centers are still soft and puffy, 10-12 minutes, rotating the baking sheet halfway through baking. Allow cookies to cook on baking sheet for 10 minutes, then serve warm or transfer to a wire rack and let cool completely.

Royal Icing:

Ingredients:

• 1 egg white
• 1 & 5/8 cups of powdered sugar
• a few splashes of lemon juice
• food coloring

Directions:

1. Beat together egg white and powdered sugar with a hand mixer until stiff peaks form and the icing is shiny.
2. Add in lemon juice and continue beating.  Beat in food coloring.
3. Either pipe icing or spread on cookies.

Key Lime Cupcakes Times Two

I need to make Key Lime cake. I can't reveal why yet, but it is for someone and I needed to try out/work on some recipes to find out one that works the best so that when the day comes for me to actually make the cake, I will have the best recipe. When I was making these cupcakes, I halved the recipes so I wouldn't have key limes cupcakes overflowing my house. I had my family and co-workers at the Bivouac taste test the two different cupcakes - and I think the one's with the 'sword on top' (referencing the picture would be key right now) won. This cupcake (recipe #1) has a stronger key lime flavor and has a lot more zing to it. The second cupcake recipe has a stronger coconut flavor with a side note of key lime. I reommend you make them both and choose. But, if you did try both cupcakes at work today, please let me know which one you liked more!

Key Lime Cupcakes #1 (the one with the lime/sword)

• 2 ½ cups all purpose flour
• 2 cups granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3 large eggs
• 1 cup vegetable oil
• 1 cup fresh or bottled key lime juice
• 3/4 cup sour cream
• 2 tablespoons fresh lime zest
• Key Lime Cream Cheese Glaze:
• 8 oz cream cheese softened
• 8 tablespoons butter
• pinch of kosher salt
• 3 ¼ cups confectioners’ sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 tablespoon lime juice
• Garnish
• 1 cup shredded sweetened coconut, toasted

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Place liners in muffin tin.
2. Sift flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt together into mixing bowl. Add eggs, oil and lime juice mix on medium speed of an electric mixer until creamy. Add sour cream and zest; mix until smooth. Pour cake batter evenly into muffin tins. Bake for 22 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.
3. Cool in pans for 5 minutes and then turn cakes out onto cooling racks. Cool for 1 hour.
4. Drizzle frosting over cakes. Spread toasted coconut over top and down sides. I added a garnish of a lime and sword to differentiate between the two different cupcakes - but I like how it looked so I think I will do it again in the future.
5. Frosting:
6. In a mixer cream together cream cheese and butter. Add sugar and vanilla, then beat in the lime juice – beating and scraping sides of bowl all the while.
7. Toasted Coconut: Spread on baking sheet and bake in a pre-heated 375 for about 5-10 minutes. Stir often. Let cool. I like to cook mine until some of the coconut is lightly browned.

Key Lime Coconut Cupcakes #2 (with only toasted coconut on top)

Adapted from Gourmet, March 2009

• 1 cup sweetened flaked coconut
• 1 stick unsalted butter, softened
• 1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
• 1 tablespoon grated Key lime zest
• 2 large eggs
• 1 3/4 cups self-rising flour*
• 3/4 cup whole milk
• 1/4 cup fresh Key lime juice, divided

1. Preheat oven to 350°F with rack in middle. Generously butter an 8- by 8-inch square or 9- by 2-inch round cake pan and line bottom with a round of parchment paper.
2. Toast coconut in a small baking pan in oven, stirring once or twice, until golden, 8 to 12 minutes. Cool. Leave oven on.
3. Beat together butter, granulated sugar, and zest with an electric mixer until fluffy. Beat in eggs one at a time. Stir together flour and 1/2 cup coconut (reserve remainder for topping). Stir together milk and 2 tablespoons lime juice. At low speed, mix flour and milk mixtures into egg mixture alternately in batches, beginning and ending with flour.
4. Spoon batter into pan and smooth top. Bake until golden and a wooden pick inserted into center comes out clean, 22 minutes.
5. Use the same frosting as used in the Cupcake #1 recipe.

* Make your own: For every cup of flour, add a 1/2 teaspoon of salt and 1 teaspoon of baking powder, whisk together very well and sift the mixture. Measure your self-rising flour from there

Black Magic Cupcake with Reese's filling, topped with a swirl of Peanut Butter/Chocolate Frosting

Here in the evolution of a cupcake being garnished (and eaten):

If you like peanut butter and chocolate together, proceed with caution because you will soon become addicted to this cupcake.

One of my best and dearest friends, Meg Bliss, is leading the Miniwanca girls Odyssey trip this year. If you don't know what Odyssey is, it is a biking trip where you bike from New Hampshire to Michigan (through Canada) in about 30 days. And I am hosting these girls for a night in Ann Arbor. Because they are so amazing, I am making them a treat: Black Magic cupcakes with a Reese's filling, topped with a swirl of peanut butter buttercream and chocolate frosting.

Black Magic Cake

Adapted from Hershey's Kitchens
makes 2 dozen cupcakes

INGREDIENTS

• 2 cups sugar
• 1-3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup unsweetened Cocoa
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 1 cup strong black coffee
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 bag of miniature Reese's cups

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Line pans with cupcake paper (I used a metallic finished one so they look more like a candy wrapper)
2. Stir together sugar, flour, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder and salt in large bowl. Add eggs, buttermilk, coffee, oil and vanilla; beat on medium speed of mixer 2 minutes.
3. Pour a little bit of batter into a cupcake wrapper, place a mini Reese's inside, put more batter on top... and continue until all the cupcake wrappers are full.
4. Bake 23 minutes. Cool 10 minutes; remove from pans to wire racks. Cool completely. Frost as desired.

For the peanut butter frosting:

Adapted from Proceed with Caution (blog)

• 8 oz. cream cheese, at room temperature
• 4 tablespoons butter, softened
• 1/2 cup peanut butter
• 3 1/4 cups powdered sugar
• 1 cup cool whip

1. In large bowl, with mixer on medium-low speed, beat butter, cream cheese, and peanut butter until smooth and blended.
2. Add powdered sugar slowly, incorporating fully after each addition.
3. Add cool whip and beat until smooth and creamy.

For the Chocolate Frosting:

Adapted from Magnolia Barkery

• 2 sticks unsalted butter, soft
• 1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon milk
• 6 ounces semisweet chocolate melted and cooled until lukewarm
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 1/4 cup confectioner's sugar

1. In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the butter until soft and creamy - about 3 minutes.
2. Add the milk as you need it, and beat until smooth.
3. Add the melted chocolate and beat well.
4. Add vanilla, and beat for 3 minutes.
5. Slowly add the sugar and beat until you reach your desired consistency.