I was totally inspired by Bakerella to make this entirely dessert burgers and fries for the 4th! Have a great day all!

About 2 years ago, I turned 27 and realized that the big 3-0 was not really that far away.  I like making lists, and decided to make a ‘30 things to do before I turn 30′ set of goals for myself.

Looking at this list now, it’s interesting because I can see how some of my priorities have shifted in the past couple of years, while others remain exactly how they always have been.  With half of my list checked off and another handful not really being applicable to my goals anymore, the remaining items now have less than a year to go before their self-imposed deadline.

One of these goals, which has now been most recently checked off, is to make a tiered cake.

Liz talked to Nick and I weeks (months?) ago about Mehul’s 30th celebration, and it was decided somewhere along the line that a cookie baking competition would be a part of his birthday bbq.  I thought this would be the perfect excuse to get my tiered cake baking on, and Liz thought it would be a fun addition, and so, I was off.

Last week, my time consisted of going to work, and working on the cake.  Mid-way though, I realized it was going to be fairly intense and I thought Nick thought I was crazy.  But then, once the ganache was set and the cake was decorated, oh what a cake it became…..

Cookie Themed Tiered Cake:

• Base layer – 14″ round cookie cake
• 1st cake – 9″ round vanilla cake (4 layers) with chocolate mousse filling (3 layers), topped with a 9″ round cookie cake – at one point, yellow cake/chocolate frosting was Mehul’s favorite combo
• 2nd cake – 6″ round chocolate fudge cake (4 layers) with oreo buttercream filling (3 layers), topped with a 6″ round cookie cake
• All cakes were coated with a raspberry wash prior to filling and stacking
• Both the 1st & 2nd cakes were giving a vanilla buttercream crumb coat prior to frosting with chocolate ganache
• Double Stuff Oreos (1st cake) and mini Chip’s Ahoy (2nd cake) were pressed into the chocolate ganache for decoration
• Cake topper was a gladiator holding a happy birthday balloon and a double stuff oreo shield

Turned out pretty tasty, and was very pretty to look at to boot   We cut the cake strait down the middle so that I could take a picture of all the internal layers – will need to upload that soon, but in the meantime:

Nick’s birthday started four days early (on Monday of this week) because I just couldn’t wait to let him have Rock Band 2, which has the most awesomest song list ever.  It’s been a crazy week and I haven’t had a chance to drum away with it yet, but Nick has and it is most excellent.

Tuesday – oh the fun that was Tuesday – people had started to reply to the evite and it seemed that the majority of folks were voting for movie night, making the plan for Friday officially John Cusack Appreciation Night!  And I got to thinking about cake.  Originally I was going to bake this big fancy cake….but time didn’t really permit, and Nick doesn’t really like traditional cake anyway.  He likes cheesecake (which we’ve already had twice in September) and….my favorite, ice cream cake!  So, I found a local carvel and went in to discuss cakes.  Turns out that you can email images and have them put onto the cake, so we did just that – I picked up the cake on my way home today and am still really excited about it

Usually we take each other out to dinner for birthdays, and this year is no exception, but the timing was tricky because we’re celebrating Javed’s birthday early this weekend, and birthday proper Friday night is going to be John Cusack night (of course).  This left, essentially, Thursday night.  Nick picked ‘a new Thai place’ so we headed over to the Kentlands to check out Thai Thainium.  Food was good, atmosphere was good.  Came home from dinner and got my bake on – I think I was channeling third grade last night because I wanted to make something for Nick to bring in to school on birthday proper to share with his group (class- ha ).  Random as it was, I made cupcakes in ice cream cones.  They were interesting – good, but different.  (Super easy – flat bottom cones, chocolate cake mix, 1.25 cups water, 0.33 cups oil, 3 eggs; fill 2/3 full and bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes; let cool before frosting.)

Nick said he knew I was adventuresome when he married me, and the cones reinforced that!  But it turns out that they were a hit with the research group, so we’ll see how they go over tonight at the fiesta.  (Funny that we’re having ice cream in the form of a cake, and cake in ice cream cones!)  By the time that the cones were done, cooled and frosted – tah dah!  It was midnight, so the real birthday started!  Not wanting to wait for the afternoon, NJ opened his last present – a new tennis racket.

Looking forward to movie night tonight!

I was excited to use my new rose cake pan to make a cake for Patterson as a thank you for watching Pinot for us at the end of this week.    Recipe below.

Rose Cake
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Recipe By: Williams-Sonoma: Flo Braker, Author, Sweet Miniatures (Chronicle Books, 2000)
Serving Size: 16
Yield: 1 cake

Ingredients:

2.75 cups cake flour, I used All Purpose
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
16 tablespoons unsalted butter, I used 8T unsalted butter and 8T margarine
6  ounces cream cheese
2.5 cups granulated sugar
5 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
2 teaspoons finely grated lime zest
5 tablespoons confectioners sugar, plus more as needed
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice, plus more as needed
1 teaspoon fresh lime juice

Directions:

Have all the ingredients at room temperature.  Position a rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat to 325.  Thoroughly grease and four a rose cake pan.

To make the cake, over a sheet of wax paper, sift together the flour, baking soda and salt; set aside.  In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the flat beater, beat the butter and cream cheese on medium speed until creamy and smooth, 30-40 seconds.  Gradually add the granulated sugar and beat until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes, occasionally scraping down the sides of the bowl.  Increase the speed to medium-high and add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition and scraping down the sides of the bowl.  Then beat in the vanilla and lime juice.  Reduce the speed to low and add the flour mixture in three additions, beating each addition until just incorporated; stop the mixer occasionally to scrape down the sides of the bowl.  Using a rubber spatula, stir in the lime zest.  Spoon the batter into the prepared pan, making the sides about 1″ higher than the center.  Bake until the cake is golden and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 65-70 minutes.

Transfer the pan to a wire rack and let the cake cool upright in the pan for 15 minutes.  Set the rack over a sheet of waxed paper, invert the pan onto the rack and lift off the pan.

To make the lime glaze, in a small bowl, stir together the confectioners’ sugar and lime juice until smooth.  Using a pastry brush, brush a thin coating of glaze over the warm cake.  The glaze should be thin enough so that a transparent film covers the cake.  If it is too thick, add more lime juice 1t at a time; if it is too thin, add more confectioners’ sugar.  Let the cake cool completely before serving.

Wow, does time fly when you are loving every minute of the person you are with Our 2-year anniversary was wonderfully low key and brilliant! After the craziness of this summer, we vetoed traveling right away. The morning started with breakfast in bed (NJ makes great breakfasts, in or out of bed), continued with minimal work, heading out to lunch, eating some cake, and a wonderful dinner out.

Yes, our plan to eat 1/4 of our top layer of wedding cake is still in tact, we devoured part of it after lunch yesterday and it still tastes as it good back in the day thanks to the many many layers of wrap it has on it in the freezer.

Our evening rounded out with dinner at Restaurant Nora. We went in hearing mixed reviews, but the mood was set immediately when we sat down and found that they had printed custom menus for us that said “Happy 2nd Anniversary” on the top. The food, all organic, was good and we left the restaurant full and happy with the choice.

And so, year 3 of our married life begins, full, rested and happy.

These cupcakes were adapted from a recipe for red velvet cake made by Rachel Cheatwood, who appeared on Martha Stewart’s television show a few years ago. They are fun to serve to kids. If you’re taking them on a picnic, transport them unadorned in a muffin tin to help keep them intact and put the frosting in a resealable plastic food storage bag. When ready to serve, snip off a corner of the bag, pipe some frosting onto each cupcake and let the kids dip them in blueberries.

Ingredients

1.125-1.25 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
¾ cup sugar
¾ cup canola oil
1 large egg
1.5 teaspoons vanilla
½ teaspoon almond extract
½ cup buttermilk, preferably whole
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon vinegar
1 tablespoon red food coloring
1.5 sticks unsalted butter, softened
6 ounces cream cheese, softened
1.5 cups powdered sugar, sifted
1 pint blueberries

Method
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a 12-muffin tin with paper or foil baking cups.

In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.

Using a hand-held or stand mixer on high speed, beat the sugar and oil until fluffy, about 1 minute. Add the egg, 1/2 teaspoon of the vanilla extract and the almond extract and mix. In 2 alternate batches on low speed, add the dry ingredients and the buttermilk, don’t overmix. Sprinkle the baking soda on the batter and drizzle on the vinegar (it should fizzle). Add the food coloring and mix just until the batter is uniform in color.

Spoon into the baking cups, filling each about three-quarters full. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the middle of a cupcake comes out clean, about 15 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.

Meanwhile, using a hand-held or stand mixer on high speed, cream the butter and cream cheese until smooth and fluffy, about 1 minute. Add the remaining 1 teaspoon vanilla extract and stir to incorporate. Add about half of the confectioners’ sugar and incorporate. Add the remainder of the sugar and beat until smooth.

Transfer the frosting to a gallon-sized plastic food storage bag and refrigerate.

When ready to use, let the frosting come to room temperature. Cut off a corner of the bag and pipe the frosting onto the cupcakes. Place the blueberries in a shallow container and dip the frosted cupcakes in them.

Serve immediately.
Notes
I like the frosting/fluffy cupcake/blueberry combination, but I’d prefer it if the cupcakes were made with butter – I feel like I can taste the oil.

Source: Washington Post (12 servings | 12 cupcakes)

Whoohoo, my sister is in town for the first time since we’ve moved to this area! Melanie, Debbie & I are gathering for lunch at our place today – this is what is on the menu:

Mediterranean Cellars Chardonnay

Caesar Club Sandwich
2 split (1 whole) chicken breasts, bone in, skin on
Good olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 ounces thinly sliced pancetta
1 large garlic clove, chopped
2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 ½ teaspoons anchovy paste
1 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1 ½ tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
½ cup good mayonnaise
1 large ciabatta bread
2 ounces baby arugula, washed and spun dry
12 sun-dried tomatoes, in oil
2 to 3 ounces Parmesan, shaved

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Place the chicken breasts on a sheet pan skin side up. Rub the chicken with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast for 35 to 40 minutes, until cooked through. Cool slightly, discard the skin and bones, and slice the meat thickly. Set aside.

Meanwhile, place the pancetta on another sheet pan in a single layer. Roast for 10 to 15 minutes, until crisp. Set aside to drain on paper towels.

Place the garlic and parsley in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade and process until minced. Add the anchovy paste, mustard, lemon juice, and mayonnaise and process again to make a smooth dressing. (Refrigerate the Caesar dressing if not using it immediately.)

Slice the ciabatta in half horizontally and separate the top from the bottom. Toast the bread in the oven, cut side up, for 5 to 7 minutes; cool slightly. Spread the cut sides of each piece with the Caesar dressing. Place half the arugula on the bottom piece of bread and then layer in order: the sun-dried tomatoes, shaved Parmesan, crispy pancetta, and sliced chicken. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and finish with another layer of arugula. Place the top slice of ciabatta on top and cut in thirds crosswise. Serve at room temperature.

Notes
I used caesar dressing on the top side too – didn’t make my own though, used Ken’s Light Caesar dressing. Also, I used three boneless skinless chicken breasts, with olive oil, salt and pepper cooked in 350 oven for 30 minutes, flipped, and cooked 20 minutes more. It served 4.

Source: Food Network, Barefoot Contessa, 2006 “Working Lunch” | (Servings: 3)

Potato & Broccoli Chowder
2 cups potatoes, diced
1 pound broccoli, coarsely chopped
2 cups milk
1 cup swiss or cheddar cheese, grated
salt
pepper
2 cups chicken stock
1 cup cooked ham
½ cup half and half or cream
¼ cup butter

Combine potatoes and chicken stock in kettle and simmer for 10 minutes. Add broccoli and continue cooking until broccoli is just tender, about 7 minutes. Add remaining ingredients, bring to just below boiling point, reduce heat to low, and simmer about 10 more minutes. Serve at once.

Notes
Really good! I used swiss cheese, and leftover ham from Easter, whole milk and cream with fat free chicken broth (3 cups instead of 2). Kept it on low for a good 30 minutes after all was combined waiting for people to arrive – turned out pretty good! And every easy!

Source: Dakin Farm | (Servings: 6)

Chocolate Cupcakes with Peanut Butter Icing
12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
⅔ cup granulated sugar
⅔ cup light brown sugar, packed
2 extra-large eggs, at room temperature
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 cup buttermilk, shaken, at room temperature
½ cup sour cream, at room temperature
2 tablespoons brewed coffee
1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
1 cup good cocoa powder
1 ½ teaspoons baking soda
½ teaspoon kosher salt
Chopped salted peanuts, to decorate, optional
Kathleen’s Peanut Butter Icing:
1 cup confectioners’ sugar
1 cup creamy peanut butter
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
¾ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
⅓ cup heavy cream

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line cupcake pans with paper liners.
In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the butter and 2 sugars on high speed until light and fluffy, approximately 5 minutes. Lower the speed to medium, add the eggs 1 at a time, then add the vanilla and mix well. In a separate bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, sour cream, and coffee. In another bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt. On low speed, add the buttermilk mixture and the flour mixture alternately in thirds to the mixer bowl, beginning with the buttermilk mixture and ending with the flour mixture. Mix only until blended. Fold the batter with a rubber spatula to be sure it’s completely blended.

Divide the batter among the cupcake pans (1 rounded standard ice cream scoop per cup is the right amount). Bake in the middle of the oven for 20 to 25 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes, remove from the pans, and allow to cool completely before frosting.

Frost each cupcake with Peanut Butter Icing and sprinkle with chopped peanuts, if desired.

Kathleen’s Peanut Butter Icing:
Place the confectioners’ sugar, peanut butter, butter, vanilla, and salt in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Mix on medium-low speed until creamy, scraping down the bowl with a rubber spatula as you work. Add the cream and beat on high speed until the mixture is light and smooth.

Notes
I really like these!

Source: Food Network, Barefoot Contessa, 2006 “Working Lunch” | (Servings: 24)

I made 3 things for appetizer wine club this month: Carrot Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Icing, Pumpkin Dip (with apple slices) and a Turkey Roll with Jarlsberg & Cranberry Mayo. Preliminary taste tests approve of all 3…

Carrot Cupcakes with Mascarpone Icing
Nutritionists have long known that yellow and orange fruits and vegetables are excellent sources of the antioxidant beta-carotene, which the body converts into essential vitamin A, but only recently have the full benefits of this color group of produce come to light. Orange fruits and vegetables taste bright and zesty, and they help keep us healthy in many ways throughout the year. In this recipe, carrots help make these cupcakes moist and sweet.

I used the bundt brownie pan so that they’d look more appetizer-y.

Ingredients
⅓ cup butter, at room temperature
¾ cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon maple syrup or honey
1 tablespoon finely grated orange zest
2 eggs
1 cup grated carrot
1 cup AP flour
2 tablespoons AP flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 tablespoons orange juice, warmed
1 teaspoon baking soda
FOR ICING
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
1.5 cups confectioners’ sugar
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
4 ounces cold mascarpone or low fat cream cheese
strips dried mango, for garnish – optional

Method
Preheat an oven to 350°F. Line 10 standard muffin cups with paper liners.
In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat together the butter, granulated sugar, maple syrup and orange zest until pale and creamy. Beat in the eggs one at a time. Stir in the carrot.

In a bowl, sift together the flour and baking powder. In another small bowl, stir together the orange juice and baking soda. Stir the flour mixture into the butter mixture in two additions, alternating with the orange juice mixture in two additions until smooth. Do not overbeat or the cupcakes will be tough.

Spoon the batter into the prepared muffin cups. Bake until the cupcakes are risen and lightly golden, about 20 minutes. Transfer the pan to a wire rack and let the cupcakes cool for 10 minutes, then turn them out onto a baking sheet and let cool completely, about 1 hour.

To make the mascarpone icing, in the bowl of an electric mixer, beat together the butter and confectioners sugar until light and fluffy. Stir in the lemon zest and mascarpone until blended.

When the cupcakes are cool, frost them and garnish with strips of dried mango.

Cupcakes may be stored in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Makes 10 cupcakes.

Source: Williams Sonoma | (Servings: –)

Pumpkin Dip
I used 1/3 cup brown sugar…

Ingredients
¾ cup 1/3 less fat cream cheese, 6 ounces
¼-½ cup packed brown sugar
½ cup canned pumpkin
2 teaspoons maple syrup
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
24 apple slices

Method
Place first 3 ingredients in a medium bowl, and beat with a mixer at medium speed until well blended. Add syrup and cinnamon, and beat until smooth. Cover and chill 30 minutes. Serve with apple.

Source: Cooking Light, October 2003 | (Servings: 12)

Turkey Roller with Jarlsberg, Arugula and Cranberry Mayo
I haven’t actually put these together yet, I just made my own cranberry sauce…

Ingredients
4 ounces sliced turkey
1.5 ounces arugula
2 ounces Jarlsberg cheese
1 12″ flour tortilla
3 ounces cranberry mayo
CRANBERRY MAYO
2 ounces mayonnaise
1 ounce whole berry cranberry sauce

Method
Spread mayonnaise over the entire surface of the tortilla. Lay arugula leaves over the bottom third of the tortilla (the section of the tortilla closest to you on the work surface). Cover the arugula with the sliced turkey and the cheese. Roll the tortilla tightly to form a roulade. Slice into 6 to 8 pieces and serve.

For Mayo: Mix together until incorporated.

Source: Washington Post | (Servings:

I only had 2 cups of grated carrots, so I basically 2/3rd the entire recipe. Baked for 1 hour in daisy cake pan – it was sooooo good and moist – much more than I thought it would be. I got 22 servings out of it when I cut it into small squares, each had about 60 calories. This tastes healthy – the whole grain flour comes through!

Applesauce Carrot Cake
Applesauce makes this cake healthier than your regular cake.

Ingredients
2 cups whole grain flour
½ cup sugar
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 ½ teaspoons cinnamon
½ teaspoon nutmeg
½ teaspoon salt
¾ cup unsweetened applesauce
¼ cup olive oil
3 large eggs
3 cups carrots, coarsely chopped

Method
1. In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt.

2. In a separate small bowl, combine the applesauce, oil and eggs. Add to the flour mixture, stirring until the ingredients are well blended. Add the carrots and mix again.

3. Pour the batter into a greased 9″ tube pan, or use a 9″ x 13″ rectangular cake pan, or two bread loaf pans, or a cupcake pan.

4. Bake the cake in a preheated 350° F oven for about 1 hour, 10 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the thickest part of the cake comes out clean. Set the cake on a wire rack for five minutes. Then, run a knife around the edges of the pan to loosen the cake, and turn the cake out onto the rack to cool.

Notes
My recipe was:
* Flour, whole grain, 1.33 cup (remove)
* Granulated Sugar, .33 cup (remove)
* Baking Soda, 1.33 tsp (remove)
* Cinnamon, ground, 1 tsp (remove)
* Nutmeg, ground, .25 tsp (remove)
* Salt, .1 tsp (remove)
* Applesauce, unsweetened, 1 cup (remove)
* Olive Oil, .15 cup (remove)
* Egg, fresh, 2 large (remove)
* Carrots, raw, 2 cup, grated (remove)

Source: Reprinted with permission by Public Health – Seattle & King County | (Servings: 16)