Baby Carriage Cake: Take Two

Back in the day, when I was a very amateur cake decorator and had barely any decorating tips to work with, I made a carriage cake. That carriage cake ended up being a pretty big hit amongst family and friends. So when I recently found myself wondering what kind of cake I should make for a dear friend who had just had a baby girl, it wasn't long before I decided to make the carriage cake again. This time around, I'd have a little more experience, a little more confidence, and most importantly, the proper decorating tips.

I didn't want this cake to be exactly like the other one, so I decided to change the colors. Remember how I had to make red frosting for my graduation cake but I ran out of red food coloring and was left with hot pink frosting? Well, I saved that frosting for this cake. My plan was to use the hot pink where I used brown on the other cake, and a lighter shade of the hot pink where I used pink. The only problem was, I didn't have any of the red gel food coloring left to actually use and get a lighter shade of hot pink. I didn't think of this beforehand, you know, because I'm really intelligent. So, I just used Wilton rose petal icing color to get a deep shade of pink and yes, I know, it looks kind of tacky with the hot pink, but sometimes you just have to improvise and go with it.

The weather wasn't very cooperative when I was decorating. It was really hot and even though I put the cakes in the freezer to chill after I did their crumb coat, it only took a few minutes for their crumb coat to get warm and soon enough, I was getting crumbs in my second coat of frosting. I was also getting frustrated because lately I've been having issues with smoothing out frosting and the temperature wasn't helping. So I just put the cakes back in the fridge after their second coat and applied a third coat later on when the weather had cooled down. That gave me the best results so I might just start doing that from now on.

By the way, have any of y'all noticed that FINE cake board the cake is placed on? So profesh right? I spotted it at a party I went to the other weekend and I asked to take it home since I knew it'd probably end up in the trash. The best part about the board is that it's surface is glossy and easily wiped clean, so not only did it look brand new when I brought it home and cleaned it, but I also was able to re-pipe my baby carriage handle when I messed up the first time.

What I wish I could have re-piped was the writing, more specifically the date the baby was born. I was doing so well but I ended up slanting down when I wrote "2012". The word "Welcome" should have been more centered too. And I probably should have used hot pink for the writing so it would have been clearer. I originally wanted to use tip #2 for the writing, and I did end up doing so for "welcome" and the date, but I figured the name should be more prominent so I used tip #3. It was a bit more prominent, but like I said, using hot pink would have made a bigger difference.

I am my own worst critic as you all may have noticed, but I will cut myself some slack on the piping because after all, I was piping on hills of ruffles, rather than a flat surface like I usually do. And I will also say that I definitely see improvement in this cake over my first one. My wheel spokes are more equal and uniform, the shell border looks like a proper shell border, and my hearts came out on point. But I'm mostly happy about the big smiles on the faces of the recipients of this cake, that's really what makes this all worth it.

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Graduation Hat & Diploma Cake

I have a dream that one day I'll decorate a cake and everything will run smoothly. I won't run into any difficulties, everything will come out as planned, and my finished product will be something I don't see any flaws in. By the looks of things, that dream isn't coming true any time soon. And this cake in particular wasn't very encouraging. Out of all the cakes I've ever made, this one definitely gave me the highest blood pressure.

Things were off to a good start at first. The cakes baked nicely, compliments of Pillsbury and the custard filling was delicious and more importantly, stiff. I made a dam of the filling around the outer perimeter of the cake to hold the filling like I usually do, added some sliced strawberries, more filling, and then placed the second cake layer on top. Things were all jolly until I started to do my crumb coat and the filling started sticking to my spatula and mixing in with the frosting.

Since that has never happened to me before, I immediately started freaking out...and then I fixed it by using more frosting. I realize now that I probably should have made a dam of frosting around the outer perimeter, rather than a dam of filling. And I also shouldn't have made the dam so close to the edge of the cake. Either way, I learned my lesson...which by the way, was the first of many lessons I learned in this endeavor.

But before we get into lesson two, can someone please explain to me how you can get worse at smoothing out frosting the more practice you get? I had so much trouble with smoothing out the frosting on this cake and as I looked back on previous cakes, I wondered how I had done such a better job. I don't think it helps that I'm a perfectionist either, because each time I think I've gotten the frosting smooth enough, I feel like it could be better. And then I just make it worse. And then I cry about it and try again. And then I just give up. That is literally the series of events that takes place, every single time.

The next problem I faced while making this cake made my lack of smooth frosting seem so insignificant. I ran out of red food coloring. Wait, let me rephrase. I used nearly a whole tube of red gel food coloring on maybe about a cup of frosting and all I got was a shade of hot pink. Betty Crocker, you are a wonderful person and you have some pretty legit cake mixes and frostings, but your gel food colors SUCK. I don't think using a whole tube of any of the colors in that box will get you the shade that you want...except maybe yellow. The thing is, I have known for a while that Betty Crocker food colors suck, but I just assumed that I'd be able to get the right shade if I didn't use a lot of frosting. Obviously, I was wrong. And it was too late to go to Michaels and get a proper Wilton icing color. So, my only option was to go to A&P and get red food coloring.

Well, A&P doesn't sell their food colorings separately. So, it was either, buy another box of whack gel food colors and risk STILL not having the right shade of red; buy a really small tube of red icing that is generally used to decorate cookies, or buy a larger tube of red Cake Mate decorating icing. I went with Cake Mate. Tubes of Cake Mate icing are actually supposed to be used with Cake Mate decorating tips, but I just cut the top of the tube off and squeezed all the icing into my decorating bag and saved the day. The moral of the story? Always make sure you have the right amount of every ingredient before you decorate and NEVER assume/estimate that you have enough. Ever.

After my red food coloring dilemma had been resolved, I was ready to finally make the hat and diploma and get things going. I used Wilton black icing color for the first time and it was...interesting. First of all, you have to use a good amount of the color or else you'll get some weird shade of purple. Secondly, I advise you to instantly wash anything the icing color or the dyed frosting makes contact with. It stains BADLY. I may or may not have accidentally stained my mom's plastic tablecover which may or may not have made her swear off me decorating another cake ever again...but she'll take it back hopefully.

My favorite part about decorating this cake was definitely the tassel on the hat. My least favorite part was the black icing color melting into the tassel and making it look dark red rather than the bright red that it was. Like I said, that black icing color is dangerous. But it's kind of my fault because I left the cake in my garage overnight and although the temperature in there is usually very cool, it must have not been cool enough that day. My mom, of course, didn't realize this so when she went to do a touch test the next morning and see if the frosting was dry, she ended up poking/denting the cake and obviously discovering that it wasn't dry. And then I found out and threw a fit. Gratefully, the ribbon I tied around the bottom border of the cake sort of covered up the dent she had made. 

Just when I thought that all the mishaps were finally over, the white styrofoam board that I use to reflect light on my photo subjects landed flat on the cake, fortunately, AFTER I was done taking all my pictures. What a grand finale right? Sigh. Since I had stuck the cake in the freezer to cool beforehand, it didn't really get ruined. And in the end, the graduation girl loved her cake, and let's face it, that's all that really matters :)

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Baby Shower Quilt Cake

A few months ago, I purchased a 53 piece cake decorating set from Michaels. Since then, that 53 piece cake decorating set has moved from place to place around my house, not really serving any purpose....until this weekend. This weekend, cake decorating was in order. And what better way to make use of all the lovely tips that came in the set than by making a quilt cake?

Even though that's a rhetorical question, the answer is there is no better way. Although I had already worked with most of the tips I used for this cake, I did get a chance to work with some new tips, like leaf tip #67, which is officially my new favorite tip, and drop flower tip #129, which I need some more practice with. Apparently, drop flowers aren't as easy as they appear to be, but my frosting was getting warmer/runnier towards the end, so that might have been why I had some trouble.

I also got to work with couplers, aka God's gift to cake decorators, in the making of this cake. I never truly appreciated them until now. They are legit. I encourage everyone to go pick one up from their local arts & crafts store, maybe even two. Because a lot of the rectangles on the quilt had a pattern with two icing colors, I used a coupler for each icing bag and was easily able to switch tips for each pattern. It was great. And it definitely helped that I had purchased some Wilton tips separately beforehand because I was able to use two of the same tip with each bag at the same time, rather than use the tip for one bag, clean it, and then use it for the other bag.

Besides working with new tips and couplers for the first time, I achieved something else extremely incredible when decorating this cake. So incredible, I think it deserves to be called a milestone. I wrote on the cake freehand, with an actual piping tip, for the first time. I didn't even use a toothpick to trace out the letters beforehand. I just went for it...and it came out so well!(Alhamdulilah) I was so nervous at first and I practiced on a piece of wax paper a couple times before, but it's obviously not the same because you have more control over a piece of paper on a table. Still, I think it gave me an idea of what I was getting myself into and how much pressure I should apply to the icing bag.

It wasn't all rainbows and butterflies though. I did end up messing up on one of the letters in "Welcome" but the great thing about letting your cake chill before writing on it is you can easily wipe the letter off and try again. And that's exactly what I did. That part wasn't really that big of a deal. What was a big deal was the fact that the following morning, I discovered the frosting had completely dried out and formed a really hard crust. And not only that, but when I lifted the cake board to transfer the cake to somewhere else to take pictures, I didn't support it correctly and the frosting ending up cracking, in several places--something that wouldn't have happened if the frosting wasn't so dry.

Since the only thing I did differently with this cake was leave it out overnight in a different environment than I usually leave my cakes in, I'm assuming that's the cause. Perhaps the climate was too dry or the cake was exposed to too much air. Either way, I certainly won't be making the same mistake again. Lesson learned. 

Fortunately, the cake wasn't really ruined by the overly crusted frosting. It did soften up a little after a while and it was really just the surface that was dry. I was definitely pleased with the results of this cake and I can't wait make a baby girl version. Who knows, you might even see one on the blog soon :) Stay tuned!

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Creamy Cauliflower Soup

Evidently, Mother Nature hasn't quite figured out what season it is yet, which is cool with me because I am elated to finally get a chance to share this soup with you. This soup is one of the best soups I have ever eaten, if not the best. It is good. It is real good. It is so good that I want to swim in it. And I'm not even that good of a swimmer so chances are I'd drown in it, but that's okay because I know I'd die happy.

I found this soup a couple months ago, after which I passed it on to my mother who jumped at the opportunity to make a tomato-free soup for my father. She adapted it to suit her own taste and available ingredients, and my goodness, when I took that first sip, I was sold. I was also a little jealous of how she altered this soup without any hesitation or doubt and it came out so perfect! I  shouldn't be surprised though. She's been at this game far longer than I have and has taught me everything that I know.

In fact, this whole blog started with me sharing all the wonderful recipes she taught me. And today, we're adding this creamy cauliflower soup to that list. I think it's agreed that the second best thing a recipe can be after being delicious is being easy, right? Well, that should give you all the more reason to love this soup. It is so easy, you could make it blindfolded. Don't try that at home. But seriously, it's really simple.

You throw some really basic stuff in a pot like onions, garlic, celery, butter, oil, and some spices/herbs and you let them cook for 20 minutes. Then after that, you add some chicken or vegetable broth, whichever you prefer, and bring the soup to a boil, then let it simmer for 20 more minutes.

My family in particular doesn't buy broth ever; it's just not something we use. So as a substitution, my mother used water, but she added a couple teaspoons of this all-purpose seasoning to it. It's like a dry mix of dehydrated vegetables, herbs, and spices and it added the most amazing flavor to the soup. You have to try it.

Once your soup is done simmering and the cauliflower is soft, you puree it in a blender and you'll end up with the most creamiest, most flavorful, most soothing, most comforting soup you have ever tasted. And the fact that you get these results without actually adding any cream to the soup is amazing in its own. Not to mention, it'll have you and your entire family constantly refilling your bowls because a moment on the lips won't be forever on the hips in this case. And if everything I've said hasn't convinced you to make this thus far, I know that will :)

Creamy Cauliflower Soup

adapted from Bunkycooks

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
2 large yellow onions, coarsely chopped
2 garlic cloves, split, germ removed, and minced
3 celery stalks, trimmed and thinly sliced
1 large bay leaf
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 head cauliflower, leaves removed, broken into florets (discard the tough core)
6 cups water

3 teaspoons Vegeta all purpose-seasoning

Directions:
Put the olive oil and butter in a large soup pot and warm over low heat. When the butter is melted, add the onions, garlic, celery, bay leaf, and pepper. Stir until all the ingredients glisten with oil and butter, then cover the pot and cook slowly, stirring often, for 20 minutes.

In a medium bowl, add the seasoning to the water and mix well. Toss the cauliflower into the pot and pour in the seasoned water. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat so that the soup simmers gently, and cook, uncovered, for another 20 minutes, or until the cauliflower is very soft.

Puree the soup in batches in a blender. Serve plain or garnished with a topping of your choice.

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Tiramisu

When life gives you lemons, you make lemonade. But when life gives you dull, lifeless, and uneventful days that put a damper on your mood, you make tiramisu. Why? Because tiramisu is guaranteed to take you out of whatever funk you're in and turn that frown upside down. In fact, tiramisu literally means "pick-me-up". It's true. The name is derived from the high energy content of the eggs and sugar in the dessert, as well as the caffeine from the strong espresso. Together, the ingredients in this Italian classic not only give you a boost of energy, but are certain to lift your spirits :)

I don't know if you know this, but tiramisu definitely makes it on the list of top 5 easiest desserts to make. The only difficult thing about it is actually finding the ingredients to make it. Common supermarkets like Shoprite, A&P, and Pathmark don't carry ladyfingers OR mascarpone cheese. At least not the ones near me do. It wasn't until last month that a supermarket called Best Yet Market opened in a town near me and lo and behold, I discovered that they carried both of those crucial ingredients. But I still wasn't good to go because then I had to find a recipe that didn't call for any alcohol, which by the way, makes it on the list of top 5 hardest things to do ever.

99.9% of tiramisu recipes call for alcohol and nobody gave me a heads up about this. After searching through countless recipes on every possible search engine and recipe site, I found what I was looking for...well, not entirely what I was looking for. I wanted to specifically find a recipe that called for only 8 oz. of mascarpone cheese since as you all know, mascarpone cheese can be very costly. But beggars can't be choosers so I just took what I could get, and decided to put my own twist on things.

Very daredevilish right? Putting twists on recipes that I've never even tried before. It was nerve-wracking. At first I considered adding regular cream cheese in place of the other 4 oz. of mascarpone cheese, but I decided against it because I really wanted this tiramisu to be authentic. So I left it as is, with only the 8 oz of mascarpone cheese, and then added just a bit more heavy cream, I guess, to even things out. If you would have seen me, you'd think I was a professional baker who knew exactly what she was doing. But really, I had no clue and was just hoping that by some miracle, the tiramisu would turn out good.

The layering of the mascarpone mixture and ladyfingers didn't really help with my nerves, particularly the dipping of the ladyfingers. Or as I like to call it, submerging of the ladyfingers, because that's what I did. I literally submerged my first two ladyfingers in the coffee and they nearly soaked all of it up. Now that obviously wasn't supposed to happen. And can I just say that dipping two ladyfingers at a time is clearly for professional tiramisu makers and not amateurs like me. So the first improvisation I made was dipping one ladyfinger at a time. Unfortunately, that didn't end help much because they were still soaking up a lot of coffee.

At that point, I decided to change how I was dipping them. Instead of submerging them in the coffee like I was repeatedly doing, I lightly dipped one side of the ladyfingers at a time, instantly flipped them, dipped the other side, then quickly transferred them to the pan. That gave me the best results. The ladyfingers weren't completely saturated, but it was just enough to incorporate the coffee flavor in them and keep them sturdy.

I read later on that some tiramisu recipes actually call for dipping the ladyfingers on one side only. I guess it all depends on how much coffee flavor you want. Lightly dipping the ladyfingers on each side worked for me and my family, especially for me because I'm not a big coffee drinker. But the way I ate through this tiramisu, you'd think I was. It was amazing. I was worried about there not being enough mascarpone/cream mixture to offset the ladyfingers, especially because the top layer ended up being thinner than the middle one. But the ratio was perfect, even if I didn't evenly divide the mixture.

Everything about this tiramisu was perfect. It ended up being exactly what I wanted it to be and more: light, airy, sweet, creamy, and deliciously decadent. And I have to say, I'm really proud of myself for taking a risk with it. I usually don't even give recipes a second look when they call for ingredients I don't have or ingredients I don't want to use, but I did this time and it was a darn good decision on my part. Not only was my stomach graciously satisfied, but I now have a boost of confidence to take on other recipes and adjust them to my liking. See, I told you tiramisu makes you feel good all around :)

Tiramisu

adapted from Bake Your Day

Ingredients:

1 1/4 cups strong black coffee, room temperature
3 large egg yolks
1/3 cup sugar
1/8 tsp. salt
8oz. cold mascarpone cheese
1/2 cup cold heavy cream
26 crunchy lady fingers (13 for bottom layer, 13 for top layer)
2 tablespoons unsweetend cocoa powder

Directions:
Pour coffee into a shallow baking dish and set aside.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, beat the egg yolks at low speed, just until combined. Add the sugar and salt and whisk on medium-high speed until the mixture is a pale yellow color, about 2 minutes. Scrape down the bowl as needed.

Add the mascarpone cheese and beat at medium speed until the mixture is smooth. Transfer the mixture to a large bowl and set aside. Return the bowl to the mixer (without washing.)

Add the heavy cream and beat on medium speed for 2-3 minutes, or until it is frothy. Increase speed to high and continue to beat until the cream holds stiff peaks. Fold one-third of the whipped cream into the mascarpone mixture, then gently fold in the rest of the cream until all of the white streaks are incorporated. Set aside.

Working with one ladyfinger at a time, dip one side of the ladyfinger into the coffee, instantly flip it over and dip the other side, then transfer it to the 8x8 dish. Make sure you work fast or else the ladyfinger will soak up too much coffee and get soggy. Repeat this process until you have a single layer of coffee-dipped ladyfingers. Trim ladyfingers as needed to fit neatly into the dish.

Spread half of the mascarpone/whipped cream mixture evenly over the dipped lady fingers. Place one tablespoon of the cocoa in a mesh strainer and dust cocoa over the mascarpone/whipped cream mixture until it's fully covered.

Repeat the dipping process with the remaining ladyfingers, then arrange them in the dish on top of the dusted cocoa in another single layer. Spread the remaining mascarpone/whipped cream mixture on top of the ladyfingers, and dust with the remaining cocoa.

Cover the dish with plastic wrap or aluminum foil and refrigerate for at least 6 hours, up to 24. Garnish with shaved chocolate before serving, if desired. Serve chilled.

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Streusel-Topped Blueberry Muffins

Hey y'all! I've got good news! So you now how you're always wondering how I stay so skinny after making all the food on my blog? Well, you don't have to wonder anymore! Because not only have I gained at least 5 pounds, but I've also gotten incredibly lazy and stopped working out like I used to. AND I've been eating very carelessly. Sooner or later, I'll be as big as a truck and my body size will be in accordance with my blog, and you won't have to hurt your pretty little brains trying to figure out anything. YAYY.

Okay, so obviously, this isn't good news for either me or you. But sarcasm is a very good coping mechanism. And so is blaming others. That's why when I got on the scale this morning and saw a horrific number that shall not be mentioned, the first thing that came to mind was that I was obviously jinxed. Don't give me that look, it can really happen! And of course, I'd rather convince myself that that's what happened than accept the fact that I have really let myself go these past few months.

But I have. And that's the sad truth. I don't even know what's come over me. Besides skipping workouts and making bad food choices, I've been lazy to do even regular things. Like washing dishes! I've never had a problem with washing dishes, but lately, whenever I see them in the sink or my mom asks me to do them, I always say I'll do them later, which ends up becoming never. Basically, my drive and motivation in life at the moment is best described by this animation. Yeah, that pretty much sums it up.

Thankfully, when I told my mother that I would make something later with the blueberries my dad bought, it didn't end up becoming a never kind of thing. I actually did make them. The sun was out. My nephews were over. It was a good day. And since I have a gazillion recipes bookmarked, I figured I'd cross one off the list. I know you're thinking, "Didn't you just make blueberry muffins with a streusel topping?"? Yes I did. But I wanted to try another recipe, more specifically, one that belonged to one of the food blogs that I follow. You know, because I follow them for a reason and I'm not sure why I didn't check them for a blueberry muffin recipe before. But hey, there's no harm in starting now, right? Right.

So, this recipe's basically like the other one, in that it calls for all the same ingredients, with the exception of buttermilk and grated lemon peel. Now, these two obviously make a big difference in texture and taste. For starters, these muffins were much more moist and tender...and fuller, if you will. And the lemon zest gave them a wonderful refreshing flavor. My favorite part, of course, was their streusel topping. It was on point: sweet and crunchy and absolutely delicious.

However, I still found myself trying to avoid the blueberries in the muffin. I know, I know, it's kind of a silly thing to do when you're eating blueberry muffins. But I clearly haven't acquired their taste like I thought I would. They weren't so bad the last time I had them, but that might be because I used less. Or because the ones I used last time were less tarty/sweet. Either way, if you're a blueberry fan, you'll want to try these muffins. I have a hunch that you'll enjoy them immensely.

Streusel-Topped Blueberry Muffins

adapted from Our Best Bites

Ingredients:

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 3/4 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup sugar
2 teaspoons grated lemon peel
1 large egg
1 cup buttermilk
1/3 cup canola oil
1 cup fresh blueberries
1 tablespoon flour
1 tablespoon sugar

For the streusel topping
1/4 cup sugar
2 1/2 tablespoons flour
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 1/2 tablespoons butter

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. 

In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, salt, sugar, and grated lemon peel. Make a well in the center of the mixture. In a smaller bowl, whisk together the egg, buttermilk, and oil. Add to the dry ingredients and stir just until moistened.

In a small bowl, combine the 1 tablespoon flour and 1 tablespoon sugar, then toss the blueberries in this mixture until they are well-coated. Gently fold the blueberries into the batter. Spoon the batter into lined muffin tins, about 2/3 full.

To make the streusel topping, combine the 1/4 cup sugar, 2 1/2 tablespoons flour, and 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon. Cut in the butter with a pastry cutter or fork until the mixture is crumbly. Sprinkle over the batter.

Bake for 18 minutes or until the tops are golden and a toothpick inserted into the center of one of the muffins comes out clean. Remove from oven and allow to cool in the pan for 5 minutes and then transfer to a cooling rack. 

Yield: 12 muffins

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