Black Forest Cake & Cherry Impostors

December 2012 By i sugar coat it! 11 Comments

Black Forest Cake & Cherry Impostors

I remember the first time I heard the name of this cake, my head filled with images of dilapidated chalets tucked in the darkest recesses of a forest lined with burnt, hollowed-out trees with branches mimicking witches fingers and a silence so stifling, nothing grew.

Dramatic much?

Oops! Got a little messy while I was trying to plate it.

Um, yes! However, back when I learned that the cake contained a cherry filling, I was instantly turned off. Still, to this day, the name itself conjures up similar images now that I'm an adult, but with less fear and wonder.

I used to be a very picky eater. When I was little, I wouldn't eat my meals if the various items on my plate touched and for some sick reason I always put brown sugar on stuff - soup, rice, you name it. Gross, I know. It's a wonder I never had a cavity and I managed to stay tiny for so long (not so much anymore, though - those days have caught up with my hips...).

I don't have many culinary aversions, but if I had to choose one from my top five, cooked/processed/canned fruit makes the list and could quite possibly be at the very top. What sick mind decided it was okay to take perfectly picked, fresh fruit and process and package them beyond recognition? In my world, fruits are meant to be eaten as is.

So when I looked at week 9 in the course syllabus and saw Black Forest cake, I made my mind up to skip that class. Instead, I reluctantly showed up for class and decided to save my absence for a time when I really needed to be away. While scaling the ingredients, I noticed Chef unpacking chocolate - Callebaut bars and vermicelli. My mouth watered and mood perked up and I turned my attention back to scaling. Then I got to ingredient #6 and felt a little queasy. Cherries don't belong in a jar suspended in what looks like red snot. They just don't!

Maraschino cherries are the worst offenders of processed fruit, in my opinion. Just read the FDA's definition of the artificial process used to create them - "The term "Maraschino Cherries" is regarded as the common or usual name of an article consisting of cherries which have been dyed red, impregnated with sugar and packed in a sugar sirup flavored with oil of bitter almonds or a similar flavor."

They don't even refer to them as food, but 'an article'!! Need I say more? They are pretty to look at though, I must say. Like little jewels. But we don't eat jewels, do we...

It's unfortunate, because I love cherries - you know the kind you pick, fill a basket with, sit out in the sun and enjoy. I love fruits, I grew up with a number of them hanging off trees in my backyard. I guess that's why it is so difficult for me to appreciate them any other way, but fresh.

In the end, I really enjoyed this cake - sans cherries. I scraped away the cherry filling and passed the little jewels that adorned the top, over to K (surprisingly, he likes them). With the wanna-be fruits out of the way, I had a good share of the chocolate cake and whipped cream frosting. There is always a work-around my friends. You should know by now that there is just no way this fiend would pass up a chance at good chocolate. It was indeed 'the cherry' atop this cake!

Happy Hump Day!

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Black Forest Cake & Cherry Impostors

Chocolate and whipped cream stacked high and topped with cherries!

Prep Time15

Cook Time30

Total Time45

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: Cake

Servings:

Author: i sugar coat it!

Ingredients

Devil’s Food Cake

235 grams sugar
80 grams butter at room temp
2.5 grams salt
160 grams water
3 grams vanilla
160 grams pastry flour
45 grams cocoa powder
20 grams whole milk powder
5 grams baking powder
2.5 grams baking soda
2.5 whole eggs

Filling and Frosting

500 grams cherry pie filling or sour cherries
500 grams whipping cream 35%
32 grams icing sugar
250 grams chocolate shavings
8 maraschino cherries

Instructions

Preheat oven to 380ºF.
In the bowl of an electric mixer using the paddle attachment, cream together butter, sugar and salt. Scrape the bowl.
Sift together the pastry flour, cocoa powder, milk powder, baking powder and baking soda. Add to butter mixture.
Add water and continue to mix on medium speed for about 5 minutes. Scrape sides.
Turn mixer to low and gradually add the eggs one at a time until blended, about 1 minute. Scrape the bowl. Do not over mix after eggs are added.
Scale the batter into two 9” or three 7” greased and floured baking pans.
Bake for 30-40 minutes.
To make the filling: whip the 35% cream, adding the icing sugar until firm peaks are achieved. Set aside.
To assemble the cake: Cut cakes into three layers. Place the the first layer on cake board and soak with Kirsch or simple syrup, if desired. Use an angled spatula to spread a thin layer of cream on the cake. Using a #5 star tip, pipe a rim of cream around the edge of the cake layer. Fill the center with cherry filling. Place a small amount of cream on the cherry filling and place another layer of cake on top. Repeat steps 5-8 for the next layer. Place the final layer on top and mask the entire cake with whipped cream. To finish the cake, you may use a pastry comb to decorate the sides, or smooth the sides and decorate with chocolate shavings or vermicelli. Pipe rosettes around the top edge of the cake using the whip cream and fill the center with chocolate shavings.

December 2012 By i sugar coat it! 7 Comments

Cocoa Rouge Meringue Cookies

Christmas is fast approaching and nothing says Happy Holidays like a fresh batch of home-made cookies. Ahhh, make that low-fat, gluten-free, great tasting cookies.

I might just be able to get through the holidays without having to pull out my fat pants, after all.

I've been on a bit of a Swiss Meringue craze of late. In the last few weeks alone, I have made five batches of Swiss Meringue Buttercream (SMBC) in various flavours for various cakes - I have posts queued for each.

To make SMBC, you first make swiss meringue and then add butter to create the buttercream. Meringue cookies skip the butter step, so one might say they are in effect, unfinished SMBC. Well, maybe not, as there is nothing unfinished about these cookies.Here's a quick visual on how I made my cookies:

I made two batches - one piped and one spooned. For the spooned batch, shown above with the caption, 'Enjoy!', I used regular cocoa and added multi-coloured chocolate chips. They tasted great, but I wasn't too impressed with the way they looked. So for the second batch I used Cocoa Rouge, the cocoa powder I normally use for my Red Velvet cakes, and I skipped the chocolate chips. I was pleasantly surprised with how they turned out. The colour was a little unusual - pinkish gray on the outside and reddish, chocolaty-brown on the inside. I piped them using an Ateco tip #885.

They were wonderfully light, flaky on the outside with a marshmallowy soft core. The Cocoa Rouge was a wonderful addition for both its rich, fudge-like flavour and subtle blush colour. I think I just might be on to something here!

They use very little ingredients and require very little effort - perfect for impromptu gatherings and gift giving. Package them in a jar, like I have done above, for that special someone(s). And if you're like me, gifting to self is always an option.

Making them was a cinch; however, keeping them around has proven somewhat of a challenge.

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Cocoa Rouge Meringue Cookies

A wonderfully light cookie with a flaky shell that reveals a sponge-like core, bursting with rich chocolate flavour.

Prep Time15

Cook Time40

Total Time55

Course: Dessert

Servings:

Author: I Sugar Coat It

Ingredients

200 g superfine sugar
100 g egg whites
¼ teaspoon cream of tartar
a pinch of salt
20 g cocoa rouge
45 g semi-sweet chocolate chips optional

Instructions

Preheat oven to 250ºF.
Use a clean towel or paper towel and lemon juice or vinegar to clean your mixer bowl, whisk and spatula. This will remove any traces of grease that could prevent the meringue from forming.
Place egg whites, sugar, cream of tartar and salt in the bowl of an electric mixer (a hand-held mixer works as well) and mix on high speed until soft peaks form.
(see photo above).
Turn mixer down to medium and sprinkle in the sugar a little at a time. Once all the sugar is added, turn mixer back to high and whip to stiff peaks.
Remove bowl from mixer stand and sift chocolate over meringue. Fold in chocolate until fully incorporated. Fold in chocolate chips.
Spoon or pipe meringue onto lined baking sheets and bake for 35 - 40 minutes.

December 2012 By i sugar coat it! 21 Comments

Cool Tools Thursday Give Away! {CLOSED}

This give away is now closed. The winner of the Edgers Smoother Set is:

"Erin Brankowitz • 3 days ago

How do I get my edges sharp under my fondant? I don't 🙁 I'd love tp try these smoothers to help me out with my cake decorating! I've been looking at them for a long time now. :)"

Prepping the top tier of my Think Pink cake - October 2012 - from my Instagram feed.

In this second instalment of Cool Tools Thursday, I'll introduce you to a few buddies of mine that help keep me sharp and on the straight and narrow. Edgers!

Back in February, I happened upon a set of smoothers while shopping online at Flour Confections. I already owned a couple of the standard white fondant smoothers, but these little black beauties lured me with the promise of smoother cakes and sharper edges. As a novice cake decorator at the time, I took the bait and purchased the three from which I felt I would benefit most - the Sharp Top, the Smedger and the Inside Curve smoothers.

image source: flourconfections.com

I have used the Smedger on every fondant-covered cake I have made since the purchase and it works like a charm, especially for finishing off the bottom edges. I've used the Inside Curve a couple times and was also happy with the results. But I'll be honest, I didn't have much luck with the Sharp Top Smoother at first. As much as I wanted to blame the tool, I knew that I was the problem - in hindsight, of course.

Common sense would dictate that fondant on a cake will only look as smooth as the foundation it covers. But in my world of fairies and magic wands, that sort of logic does not apply. When I first used the Sharp Top Smoother, my ganached edges were far from sharp, yet I expected the tool to magically make the fondant that was draped over a sub-par foundation, look perfect. This was back in April.

Fast-forward a few months to my Think Pink cake in October. With my ganaching technique a little cleaner, I thought I'd give the Sharp Edge another go... and it's been going since. I even use it on my round cakes now. Check out the clean edges on the tuxedo cake I recently made for my cousin.

There are some amazing cake designers that have mastered the art of sharp edges and clean designs. Michelle Rea of Inspired by Michelle is one such designer. I learned all about ganaching and sharp edges from her videos.

In the quest for extreme sharp edges, decorators have resorted to a technique that seems to be gaining popularity; the upside-down method. Though it appears to yield great results, I am not ready to flip a perfectly baked cake upside down - doesn't mean I won't try at some point, however.

In the meantime, I'll work on perfecting my technique using these handy tools. Would you be interested in having a set of your own? I am giving away a set of three smoothers from the line of Edgers Smoothers to one lucky winner!

The giveaway is now closed.

To enter I Sugar Coat It's Edgers Smother Prize Pack Giveaway, simply:

Login to the PunchTab Giveaway Widget below using your email address or Facebook account.
You will be prompted to:

Answer the following question in the comments section of my blog, "How do you get your cakes smooth and edges sharp?"

For additional entries, perform any or all of the additional actions presented in the widget -
- Like my Facebook fan page.
- Share this post on your Facebook page.
- Tweet My Giveaway.
- Follow me on Twitter.

Each additional action will count as a bonus entry.

Contest ends Sunday, December 9th, 2012 at 10:00AM (EST)

The winner will be selected using PunchTab's Giveaway Widget random picker, announced in this post and notified by email. (If entering via email, please ensure your email address is valid - it will not be displayed in the comments, but it's how you will be contacted, should you win). Please note that your comment may not appear immediately; that does not mean it was not received.

This giveaway is open to Canadian* and Continental U.S. residents only. Please see official contest rules here.

A special thanks to Flour Confections for their generous support.

To stay up to date and receive notification of new posts, please consider subscribing to my blog.

Please note that I am not being compensated for the items featured in this post. This is simply me sharing items I enjoy. If at any point I am in a position where I am being compensated, I will certainly make that transparent.

December 2012 By i sugar coat it! 4 Comments

Piped Lemon Nutmeg Cookies & Sweet Greetings

December 1, 2012

Santa Claus
North Pole
H0H 0H0

Dearest Santa,

Please find attached, an invoice for damages sustained to our roof, chimney fireplace and floors during your last visit. I hope that this will receive your immediate attention, as I have had your mail returned undeliverable each month for the past eleven months.

It is not that we do not appreciate your hard work and generosity; we, in fact, look forward to your visit each year. This year, however, we'd much prefer you and your reindeer skip our home. Your visits have become too stressful and costly an event - awaking with a start thinking our home is being broken into and finding our fireplace and floors destroyed and shingles displaced, no longer appeals to us. We will find a more reasonable way to fill the space under our tree with gifts.

Should you decide to ignore this note and make an appearance, it would please us immensely if you used the front door. We have installed a brand new, shiny doorbell just for the occasion - when rung, it will unlock the door for you only. You will find that we have left the customary cookies and milk in your honour, as well as a few treats for the rest of the gang.

The mister and I are quite fond of you and regret that it has come to this. We do hope that you will respect our wishes and our home and that this issue will be resolved amicably.

Do give our best to Mrs. Claus, Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Donner, Blitzen, the beloved Rudolph, and all the elves. We recognize that you all have a great deal to do over the next 24 days and hope that this letter does not ruin the holiday mood at your end.

If you're planning a break after the holidays, you and the Mrs. are most welcome to join us at the cottage in our version of 'up North'. It appears a number of your reindeer vacation at the nearby park, so we have no doubt you will both feel at home.

Respectfully,
J
p.s. - In the event you visit, I am certain you will enjoy these cookies. I've shared the recipe below.

Now that I have gotten my little beef with Santa out of the way, I want to share with you an idea for personalized christmas cards.

Each year, I create e-cards to send to family, friends and colleagues using family photos, or other christmas stock photos. As I was developing this post, it occurred to me that a few of the shots I took would translate well into holiday cards - Sweet Greetings, let's say. I think my photographs have improved somewhat from last year, so this year, in addition to e-cards, I'll be printing up a few of these Sweet Greetings to send via snail mail. Each card will include a recipe on back of the treat featured on the cover. And the best part, it's done all from the comfort of my swivel chair, using iPhoto.

So there is only one question you need to ask yourself...have you been nice or naughty?

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Piped Lemon Nutmeg Cookies

Perfect for the holidays, the combination of lemon and nutmeg play nicely on the palate. Just mix, pipe, bake and enjoy!

Course: Dessert

Servings: dozen

Author: I Sugar Coat It

Ingredients

Cookies
650 butter soft
a pinch of salt
10 g vanilla
400 g icing sugar
zest of one lemon
1 tablespoon freshly grated nutmeg
6 eggs
150 ml milk
500 g pastry flour
500 g all-purpose flour
Toppings
150 g raspberry jam
coating chocolate
Chocolate
vermicelli

Instructions

With the paddle attachment of your stand mixer, cream the butter, salt, vanilla and sugar on the low/medium until light and fluffy. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl.
Zest the lemon and grated the nutmeg directly onto the batter. Mix.
Add the eggs to the above one at a time until incorporated. Scrape bowl.
Slowly add the milk and mix until blended. Scrape the bowl.
Sift and add the flours to the above and mix until just incorporated. Remove bowl from mixer and scrape the bowl, ensuring all ingredients are well blended.
Prepare a large piping bag with a #6 star tip. Pipe cookies onto lined baking trays. The batter should fill 4 -5 baking trays depending on size. To ensure cookies bake evenly, pipe cookies that are similar in size onto one sheet. Leave enough space between each cookie (approx. 1.5”) for expansion and to allow even heat distribution.
Bake at 375ºF for approximately 10 minutes until light brown in color. Let the cookies cool.
To decorate cookies:
sandwich the smaller cookies together with raspberry jam, dip half the hearts in melted chocolate and sprinkle with vermicelli, or drizzle with chocolate.

Notes

The original recipe called for a combination of 320g shortening and 330g butter. The shortening makes the batter easier to pipe and prevents the cookies from spreading too much while baking. I try to avoid shortening, so opted for all butter. Ensure
the piped batter is chilled prior to baking, to prevent extra spread.

November 2012 By i sugar coat it! 7 Comments

Vintage Cakes, Modern Methods: A Review

I was recently given the opportunity to review one of the more recent cake decorating courses offered by Craftsy - Vintage Cakes, Modern Methods by Colette Peters.

I watched the videos and thought I would put a little blurb together and be done with it. I started to draft a post and quickly realized that my heart just was not in it. I didn't feel completely comfortable speaking to the techniques, without actually trying them. So I did...and I am extremely pleased with the results.

I have purchased a number of Craftsy.com courses and have no problem recommending them - they are quality courses taught by industry professionals. What I enjoy most is the interactive nature in which they are delivered and the life-time access to purchased courses. And the cost is rather reasonable in my opinion, especially when they go on sale, which seems to be quite often. I mean, when will you ever get to take a course with Jaqueline Butler for less than $40? Her's was the first cake decorating course I purchased, by the way.

This post, however, is about another talented cake decorator, who, I am a bit ashamed to admit, until recently I knew nothing about. Colette Peters is an internationally renowned cake artist and author and owner of Colette's Cakes in New York.

Vintage Cakes, Modern Methods teaches a number of techniques that are not only innovative, but with the instructions provided, easy to execute. Look what I was able to create with a little royal icing and some lustre dust!!

In addition to the gilded filigree cage, Colette shares her techniques for creating 3-D gum paste flower petals and leaves with an embroidered effect, brush embroidery, hand-sculpted Victorian cameo jewelry and antiquing fondant to name a few. She also offers many tips - all useful in cake design in general. One of my favourite is the use of adding tape, you know the stuff from adding machines, to help create evenly spaced placeholders when adding stripes to a cake.

With over three hours of video instructions, there is no shortage of techniques to help take your cakes up a notch. Colette walks you, step-by-step, through three unique cake projects. At the end, you will be armed with the confidence to produce:

A lovely single-tier cake with a brush-embroidery flower design;
A conversation piece, three-tier cake complete with three-dimensional peonies and gilded cages; and
A stunning three-tier antiqued cake with cameo embellishments.

Ready to give it a try? Thanks to Craftsy.com, I Sugar Coat It! is able to offer Colette's course - Vintage Cakes, Modern Methods at 50% off. Click on the photo or link below to get started. This offer is good until December 31, 2012.

50% Off Vintage Cakes, Modern Methods

November 2012 By i sugar coat it! 12 Comments

Chocolate & Vanilla Cake with Raspberry SMBC

Do you remember your last year as a teenager? The feeling of getting 'old', the uncertainty, the excitement, the dread, the idea of adulthood, the partying, confusion, hopes, dreams, fears, panic... Welcome to the cusp of adulthood - NINETEEN - last of the teens, or as I refer to it, the twilight year.

My cousin, SP, began his transition to adulthood at 7:35PM on Tuesday, November 20, 2012, approximately 166,550 hours after he entered the world. Although some might argue that transition began at 16 or 18, this is my post, so we're going with 19.

That chubby little piece of cuteness perched on the couch, who, because he couldn't pronounce my name, called me cookie, is now six feet tall and away attending university. He graced us with his presence on over the weekend to celebrate, but I have a sneaking suspicion it had more to do with laundry, a cooked meal and money. No worries, dude, we've all been there. 🙂

I'd also like to think it had a little to do with cake, as well. And since I try not to be in the business of disappointing, I let him eat cake!

I knew the cake had to be chocolate, no question there. In thinking about the look of the cake, I played with the idea of a basketball to represent his love of sports, or a microphone or iPod to represent his love of music, a book for his love of the written word, blah, blah, blah. As I pondered, I surfed and came across Bake-a-Boo's Flickr stream. Oh my word, the gorgeousness is overwhelming! Losing my capacity to blink and bring my lips together, I poured over her album and happened upon this tuxedo cake made by for a 30th birthday. I had my cake!

I sent her a note expressing my admiration for her work and asked to use the design, which she ok'd.

Originally, I intended to use dark chocolate ganache, but for the first time since I've been making the stuff, I ran into an issue with consistency. I've never seen anything like it and hope to never again. All I had on hand at 2:00AM on Saturday morning was white chocolate, so plans changed a little. I whipped up a batch (as seen on my IG stream), let it cool and by 4:00AM I was ganaching.

Upon returning from class on Saturday afternoon, I touched up any rough spots, covered the cake with fondant and decorated it. I made the bow one evening after work, a couple days ahead. The royal icing meant to adhere the bow tie to the cake, had not even dried by the time we had to leave, and fell off as we loaded it in the car. I enlisted the help of a toothpick to lend support for the ride.

Printable template for the bow found on jessicakesblog.com

The cake, as mentioned, was chocolate with a couple layers of vanilla bean cake, coloured teal, and filled with raspberry swiss meringue buttercream. I kept it fairly small by using 7" pans, and built it up to just over 6" tall. It was moist and flavourful without being overly sweet - in short, it was damn good! Although... it would have been spectacular with dark chocolate ganache. I also wished it wasn't so rushed and that I had time to snap a few shots in day light. Moving on...

How a lefty cuts a cake.

SP, I hope that you are blessed with many more birthdays. I value our relationship, and that you look up to me - although that must be difficult, given that height is in your favour. Again, Happy Birthday!

With much love from the 'Godmother' - J. Corleone. 🙂

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Raspberry Swiss Meringue Buttercream

Course: Dessert

Servings: cups

Author: I Sugar Coat It

Ingredients

Cake

1 recipe of chocolate espresso cake
1 recipe of vanilla yogurt cake

Buttercream

300 g liquid egg whites
500 g sugar
680 unsalted butter cut into cubes and cool
1 tablespoon raspberry bakery emulsion
pinch of salt
1 cup fresh raspberry puree

Instructions

Using a clean towel and some lemon juice or vinegar, clean your mixing bowl, whisk attachment to remove any traces of grease.
Fill a heavy duty pot about a quarter of the way with water and place on the stove over medium heat to simmer.
Add egg whites and sugar to the mixing bowl and place on top of the pot, ensuring the bottom of the bowl is not in contact with the water in the pot. Whisk the sugar egg white mixture constantly, but gently, until temperature reaches 160°F.
Once at the correct temperature, remove from heat and transfer mixing bowl to the stand mixer. With the whisk attachment, begin to whip the meringue until it is thick, glossy, and the bottom of the bowl is no longer warm to the touch. Do not begin adding butter while the bowl is still warm.
Switch from your whisk to paddle attachment and with mixer on low speed, add butter cubes, one at a time, until incorporated. Continue to mix until it has reached a silky smooth texture.
Add emulsion, salt and puree, continuing to beat on low speed until well combined.

November 2012 By i sugar coat it! 7 Comments

Ruffled Crème de Cassis Swiss Meringue Buttercream

So, I have been contemplating my next career move and its got me up all hours of the night strategizing, weighing options, taking inventory of my skills and experience, searching out networking opportunities, taking courses and showing up to the office tired as hell the next day, and the days after.

Tuesday night was taking the same course until I happened upon a mini bottle of Crème de Cassis de Dijon.

The Dude does not drink at all. He gave that up when he gave up meat, among other things. Every so often I'll enjoy a glass of wine, or a girly drink when I am out with friends. Given most of my friends are male, it's always quite humorous when the drink orders are placed. Members of my family laugh at me, as I am known to get tipsy just by the smell of alcohol. So to get to the point - drinking isn't commonplace in our home, yet we find ourselves with a fully stocked bar. Although more recently, it has become home to a number of cake stands. But I digress...

At 20 percent alcohol, I was expecting the typical alcohol smell when I opened the bottle. Instead, my nose was treated to a subtle, fruity aroma. A small sip quickly removed any doubts about its alcohol content. Turns out this little bottle of fiery syrup:

Is made from macerated real fruit, instead of flavourings.
The 'Dijon' in the name means that the currants used to make the drink were grown only in Dijon, France.
The currants used are picked at their peak and are immediately immersed in alcohol, where they macerate for 3 months.
It is quite versatile and is enjoyed as an apèritif, in cocktails and in cooking. (Try kir - ¼ Dijon Cassis and ¾ dry white wine)

A little blurb at the back of the bottle reads: "Lejay liqueurs have been bringing out the spirit of fruit since 1841." Or, "Depuis 1841, Lejay vous revele l'Esprit de Fruit." Everything sounds better in French, don't you think?

And since they have done such a great job of 'bringing out the spirit of the fruit', I thought I'd guide that spirit into a batch of Swiss Meringue Buttercream (SMBC). And man, was it ever a good call. Paired with a little crushed vanilla beans, it turned out AWESOME. I was not too fond of the colour, however. So, instead of going the obvious redish route, I opted for Americolor teal. I love how it plays against the Red Velvet and Vanilla cake layers.

Tuesday night was beginning to look up, so to top it off I thought I'd ruffle a few feathers, or SMBC, in this case. You may remember my Red Velvet Avocado Mudslide post from earlier this year - a failed attempt at ruffles. I didn't use SMBC then, and I think I now understand why things went south, literally.

This time I used SMBC and the 1M Wilton tip, I started at the base of the cake and made my way up the cake. I later realized that I tapered off too soon, causing the cake to look a little lopsided, when time came to decorate the top.

I have seen ruffles done in a number of ways and they all produce such lovely results. I rather like the technique, but it requires a great deal of buttercream. I actually thought I was going to come up short about three quarters of the way in. It all worked out in the end, and the cake was a hit.

I used a basic SMBC recipe found on Sweetapolita's post, Swiss Meringue Buttercream Demystified and I added crushed vanilla bean and Crème de Cassis de Dijon to create this little boozy number.

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Ruffled Crème de Cassis Swiss Meringue Buttercream

The light, airy, goodness of Swiss Meringue Buttercream, infused with a French blackcurrant liqueur, paired with moist, delicious layers of red velvet and vanilla cake.

Course: Dessert

Servings: cups

Author: I Sugar Coat It

Ingredients

300 g liquid egg whites
500 g sugar
680 g unsalted butter cut into cubes and cool
Tahitian crushed vanilla beans
pinch of salt
⅓ cup Crème de Cassis de Dijon to flavour
2-3 drops Americolor teal to colour

Instructions

Using a clean towel and some lemon juice or vinegar, clean your mixing bowl, whisk attachment to remove any traces of grease.
Fill a heavy duty pot about a quarter of the way with water and place on the stove over medium heat to simmer.
Add egg whites and sugar to the mixing bowl and place on top of the pot, ensuring the bottom of the bowl is not in contact with the water in the pot. Whisk the sugar egg white mixture constantly, but gently, until temperature reaches 160°F.
Once at the correct temperature, remove from heat and transfer mixing bowl to the stand mixer. With the whisk attachment, begin to whip the meringue until it is thick, glossy, and the bottom of the bowl is no longer warm to the touch. Do not begin adding butter while the bowl is still warm.
Switch from your whisk to paddle attachment and with mixer on low speed, add butter cubes, one at a time, until incorporated. Continue to mix until it has reached a silky smooth texture.
Add vanilla, salt and crème de cassis, continuing to beat on low speed until well combined.
Add colour and beat until fully incorporated.

November 2012 By i sugar coat it! 12 Comments

Sweet Nothings: Cream Puffs & Eclairs

Come closer. Closer. Don't be shy.

Gently grab me between your fingers and draw me closer to your lips. Slowly.

Bite me. Go ahead, bite me. Again.

Let me fill your mouth with sweet nothings.

What you see is what you get with these little guys. Very little on the outside and even less on the inside. Have as many as you desire; no strings attached.

Well, maybe a few strings of chocolate and whipped cream if you're the type who eats these in two, instead of one bite. In which case, simply lick the remains away and carry on.

Is it just me, or is there something devilishly sexy about choux pastry? Is it it's light, airy, delicate, nothingness? Or that it's French? Oui! Oui! Oui! to all of the above.

I love the combination of flaky-meets-creamy-meets-bittersweet and how they come together to fill a void. I love that they are not too sweet, as we added very little sugar to the whipped cream filling and sugar did not make the ingredients list for the pastry.

So, it's probably accurate to say that one may eat as many as it takes to sate one's sweet-tooth and not worry about growth of the horizontal nature. Right? A resounding Yes! Glad we are in agreement.

And who could resist these edible water birds, with their long, elegant necks and whipped creamy feathers! No ugly ducklings to be found among the bunch. There is beauty even in the misshapen ones, and there were many of those.

Week 7. This is another first for me. I love me a good eclair, but like so many, have always been intimated about making them. I almost worked up the courage when my bloggy bud Paula from Vanilla Bean Baker quelled her fear and produced these prefect Cream Puffs. Check out her pictorial - there is a great shot of the inside of the pastry. That void just waiting to be filled. Mmm.

Much easier than I could have ever imagined. I'll definitely be making these again, with a savoury twist, perhaps!

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Cream Puffs & Eclairs

The perfect balance of flaky-meets-creamy-meets-bittersweet chocolate in one bite.

Course: Dessert

Servings:

Author: I Sugar Coat It

Ingredients

Choux Paste

500 ml water
250 g butter
10 g salt
370 g all-purpose flour
12 eggs

Whipped Cream Filling

2 L cream 35%
½ c icing sugar or as needed
Chocolate Glaze
150 g chocolate

Instructions

Melt butter completely in a saucepan over med-low heat.
Add salt and water and bring to a rolling boil.
Add flour and stir briskly until the paste (roux) has gelatinized and comes away clear from the sides of the saucepan.
Transfer dough to a mixing bowl and with the paddle attachment mix paste on low speed until it has cooled slightly.
Add eggs gradually, two at a time, mixing well until thoroughly incorporated between each addition. This will help prevent lumps.
When the consistency of the paste is similar to that of cake batter, transfer to a piping bag. Pipe logs (eclairs) and circles (puffs), about 2 inches apart, onto paper-lined baking sheets using a plain tip.
Bake at 400ºF for 30 minutes.

To make the filling:

With the whisk attachment, whip the cream until stiff peaks form, adding sugar to taste along the way.
Use a Bismarck pastry tip to fill the puffs and eclairs, or slice in half and pipe using an appropriately sized star tip.

To make glaze:

Add chocolate to a bowl and place over a pot with simmering water. Do not allow the bottom of the bowl to come into contact with the water in the pot. Stir the chocolate until melted and smooth.
Allow to cool a little then dip tops of pastry in chocolate and allow to dry.

November 2012 By i sugar coat it! 8 Comments

Hand Painted Chevron Birthday Cake

"Beautiful young people are accidents of nature, but beautiful old people are works of art." -- Eleanor Roosevelt

My friend's mom celebrated her 50th birthday on Sunday and in true C fashion, he left it until the very last possible moment to let me know he wants me to "whip something up" to surprise her. I told him flat out, 'NO'!

Can you tell that wasn't my final answer?

I am normally not easily persuaded - twist my arm until the bones crack and shatter and I generally won't budge. Anyone who knows me well will attest to that. I was labeled stubborn and overly inquisitive as a child and those labels still stand today, albeit honed.

Um... sure... you say as you eye the cake on the screen. So now is a good time to make it clear that I was not persuaded - I simply changed my mind. If you knew his mom, you'd understand.

She is a super sweet, beautiful, fun-loving, 50 going on 35, uber-intelligent without being intimidating woman. She is classy, but down to earth and given more time I could have come up with something that more closely represented her.

Chevron cakes have been quite popular the last little while and they still seem to be of late. I made a chevron cake back in August using the fondant transfer technique from JessiCakes blog. It's a very effective technique and can be applied to a number of different applications. I also used her upside-down masking technique. SCARY!!

For my Hand Painted Chevron Birthday Cake, I decided to hand-paint the chevrons onto the cake using gel and powder food colours diluted in a little lemon extract. I thought the gold and purple would speak to her classy, regal look and the chevrons to her fun, easy-going personality. I was very foolish to think painting would take less time and effort than the above mentioned method. The colour separation was a little murky, so I decided to add strings of fondant made using an extruder, to cover up my mistakes and add some interest.

I was reminded I am not a natural painter. Heck, I could hardly stay inside the lines of my colouring book as a child. So why would I think that this would be any different! Rushing this at the last minute certainly did not help.

"And in the end, it's not the years in your life that count. It's the life in your years." – Abraham Lincoln

Mrs. M is a fellow chocolate fiend, so I used one of my favourite chocolate cake recipe for both tiers and filled each layer with an SMBC recipe I will share with you in a future post - it is to die for! I then masked the cakes in white chocolate ganache and fondant. The cake is a little wonky, my stencilling and piping were way off point, but my edges turned out not too shabby. I was happy to have a few minutes to take a couple photos of the completed cake to share with you.

Well, we shan't live in the past. I was told the cake was loved and enjoyed by the birthday girl and all in attendance on.

Now, I have a confession to make. Ok, I didn't change my mind all on my own, I was a little persuaded by theatre tickets, a bottle of wine and a few other goodies and favours. Gosh, now I sound cheap and easy. Just forget everything I said above about not being easily persuaded. Clearly, I have proven otherwise by way of this post.

November 2012 By i sugar coat it! 10 Comments

I Sugar Coat It Sweet Rewards Program!

Hi All and Happy Friday!

Just a quick post to once again say thanks and to formally introduce a reward program some of you have already begun to enjoy. In fact, today saw the first prize of my program redeemed.

Congratulations G. Pavao! You have earned 8500 loyalty points and have snagged yourself a $5 Starbucks eGift Card. Rewards are fulfilled by PunchTab, who will contact you directly to make arrangements.

You, my blog subscribers and Facebook fans, have grown over the last year - slowly, but steadily. I am extremely grateful that you reserve a little time from your busy schedules to drop by and sample my sweets and say hello. I appreciate your comments, emails, tweets, pins, likes and the many other ways you enjoy and share my sweets.

How does one show one's appreciation to a wonderful group of individuals one has never meet in person? (I know, that was one too many ones). A single thanks just seems insufficient.

How about a perpetual THANK YOU by way of my Sweet Rewards Loyalty Program? My small way of continually thanking you, my sugar cubes. 🙂

Currently, the prizes offered through my Sweet Rewards Program are from PunchTab's default rewards catalogue and include exciting prizes like Amazon.com and Starbucks giftcards, to name a few - and to keep things exciting, catalogue prizes are rotated.

At some point in the future, I hope to offer a more baking-related catalogue of prizes. In the meantime, join the other sugar cubes by clicking here to learn how to start earning your rewards.

November 2012 By i sugar coat it! 5 Comments

Caraway Cheddar Soft Rolls

Don't you just love firsts? Whether good or bad, they tend to remain etched in your memory.

First car, driving solo, near miss, accident.

First date, relationship, kiss, heartbreak.

First house, mortgage, reno, sale.

First day of school, college, university, work.

First time rollerblading, ice skating, skiing, snowboarding.

First time canoeing, kayaking, waterskiing, whitewater rafting.

First time you worked up the nerve (or some might say abandoned common sense) to voluntarily jump 100 feet teethered only to a bungee cord.

Oh, and let's not forget, first time making bread from scratch!!

I braided, twisted, rolled and sprinkled to create an assortment of breads. Not much of a feat to some, but a huge deal for me. But then, I get excited by the Sesame Street theme song. 🙂

So back to my bread, or as they're called in the course guide, Soft Rolls. And that they were - soft, fluffy, clouds of warm goodness begging to be slathered with butter.

mise en place

This was my fist time working with fresh yeast. I have a huge sensitivity to smells and this stuff... well, let's say showing up for class on an empty stomach was not such a good idea on this particular day. Thank goodness for strong gag reflex. I kept my tea close at hand, or at nose in this case. Fortunately, I became so immersed in the process, it wasn't long before I was able to move past it.

Fresh yeast has a short shelf life (approx. 3 weeks), so it is not commonly stocked in regular grocery stores. Here's a tip I learned. Should a recipe call for fresh yeast and you can't get your hands on the stuff, no worries, dry yeast may be substituted as follows:

Active yeast is 2x stronger than fresh yeast, so use half as much as what the recipe calls for of the fresh yeast.
Instant yeast is 3x stronger than fresh yeast, so use one third as much as what the recipe calls for of the fresh yeast.

After a good whirl in the mixer, we found ourselves looking at a somewhat moist ball of dough, which was quickly removed and sandwiched between a sheet of plastic to rise - and boy did it ever! The plastic also helps to keep the gases from escaping too quickly and prevents the out layer of the dough from crusting prior to baking.

There is a real science to bread-making, and I think that is what makes it so appealing to me. The same could be said for baking in general, but the bread making process is quite foreign to me. The thrill of a first!

Most breads are typically made as follows:

the ingredients are scaled and weighed
the dough is mixed and kneaded, allowed to ferment, punched down, divided into portions
the portions are rounded and shaped
the shaped portions of dough are proofed
the portions are baked, cooled and stored

I'd switch that last bullet to bake and enjoy right away.

There are 12 steps to bread making and although each step isn't necessarily involved in each recipe, I find them quite fascinating and useful for a novice baker like myself. The Butcher, The Baker has a Bread Essentials post that details each step. Serious Eats also has great posts on bread making.

This caraway seed and old cheddar covered piece of deliciousness above came about as a result of placing eight pieces of tightly rolled dough in a 7" round cake pan before baking. Brush with an egg wash, snip the tops with a pair of scissors, sprinkle some toppings of your choosing, and voila!, you have a center piece to complement steamy bowls of soups.

Next up... Rustic Breads!

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Caraway Cheddar Soft Rolls

A light, fluffy, cloud of warm goodness topped with aromatic, flavourful caraway and sharp cheddar.

Course: Breakfast

Servings:

Author: I Sugar Coat It

Ingredients

750 ml water
80 g fresh yeast
1250 g all purpose or bread flour sifted
60 g milk powder
20 g salt
60 ml oil
3 eggs
Toppings cheddar optional, caraway seeds

Instructions

Prepare the ‘yeast slurry’ by pouring the water into the bowl of stand mixer and breaking the yeast into pieces so that it dissolves in the water.
Pour the sifted flour onto the yeast slurry.
Add the other ingredients, adding the salt last, so that it does not come into contact with the yeast before mixing.
Using the dough hook, mix the ingredients on slow to the ‘clean up’ stage - when all the dough is removed from the sides of the bowl and is clinging on the hook.
Transfer dough to floured surface. Round into a ball, cover and bench (allow to ferment) for 30 minutes. The dough will rise to about 2.5 times its original size.
Divide the dough into equal sizes, 36 large or 48 small rolls. Round-up each piece of dough so that the cut sides are not exposed and place on a floured surface, seam side down. Cover and allow to rest for a few minutes before shaping.
Shape into desired shapes and place on paper-lined baking sheets, top with egg wash and caraway seeds. Proof the dough for 20-30 minutes by covering with plastic and placing on a warm area. It’s ready to be baked when the dough springs back when lightly pushed with a finger.
Bake at 215ºC for about 20 minutes, or until golden brown and done. Add cheddar to tops halfway through baking

November 2012 By i sugar coat it! 6 Comments

Chocolate Orange Coffee Bavarian Cream

Week 5 of Baking Arts saw us making cremes and creams - Crème Caramel and Bavarian Cream to be exact.

We started off with Creme Caramel. The process is somewhat similar to Creme Brûlée, so I was quite comfortable with this recipe.

Chef also taught us how to make sugar decorations (as shown at the bottom of the collage above), something I had not tried before. I love seeing the sugar transform through the various stages of heating - much like watching the leaves change colours in fall. I'll definitely play with sugar a little more and dedicate a future post to it.

While the Crème Caramel baked in a bain-marie (water bath), we prepared Bavarian Cream.

We were provided a number of flavour options - I chose a combination of chocolate, orange and coffee for my batch. If you ever try these, please DO try this flavour pairing - it is to die for. See recipe below.

No baking is involved in making these decadent little treats - they set in the refrigerator. The demo batch that Chef made was in the freezer for a while and was slightly frozen by the time we sampled them. They were the consistency of a semifreddo. I quite enjoyed them that way.

If semifreddo isn't your scene, enjoy chilled and topped with fresh whipped cream. But hurry, they won't last long.

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Chocolate Orange Coffee Bavarian Cream

Course: Dessert

Servings:

Author: I Sugar Coat It

Ingredients

500 ml milk
250 g sugar
20 g gelatin
200 g whole eggs 4
2 g salt
5 g vanilla extract
500 g whipping cream
20 g chocolate
1 tablespoon each of
orange and coffee flavourings

Instructions

Place milk in a medium saucepan and heat to a temperature comfortable enough to dip your finger.
Remove from heat and sprinkle gelatin over top.
In a stainless steel mixing bowl, whisk together sugar, eggs and salt. Place in refrigerator to chill.
Pour the milk/gelatin mixture over the chocolate. DO NOT stir. Shake bowl to move mixture around to aid in the melting of the chocolate.
Add your flavourings and w
hisk mixture until smooth and combined and set in the refrigerator to chill.
Whisk whipping cream to a soft peak and set in refrigerator to chill.
Remove the milk mixture and the egg mixture from fridge and add milk mixture to egg mixture and combine well. Pour through a sieve.
Add whipped cream in thirds to chocolate mixture and fold gently to incorporate.
Pour into cups - the mixture should be thick, but still runny.
Refrigerate to set.

October 2012 By i sugar coat it! 8 Comments

Spicy Pumpkin Bundt Cake & Pecan Pumpkin Butter Frosting

A folklore tale states that if you care to encounter a witch, put your clothes on inside-out and walk backwards on Halloween night. Or... Just keep your clothes as they are and click below to see one now.

Good, you made it, and without humiliation! Of course, if seeing a witch on halloween night is important to you, feel free to follow folklore, or just hop on over here again in a few days.

Truth be told, I am not a huge fan of halloween. I just don't get it! Yet, I love a number of things associated with this day - the color orange, pumpkin, candy, costumes, scary movies, spiders - okay, maybe not spiders.

I know you're thinking, 'this chick is in denial'. I am starting to think so myself. Oh no, could it be that I am a closet Hallowe'ener!

If there is any truth to that, then the closet door just swung wide open and revealed all my cobwebs and the spiders spinning them.

Speaking of spiders - legend claims that if you see a spider on this particular night, it could be the spirit of a deceased loved one who is watching over you. Sorry daddy, I can't promise not to whack you with a shoe.

I usually make this Spicy Bundt Cake recipe around this time of year. I absolutely love all the spices involved, but I hadn't planned on doing a halloween post. However, as I was going through the cupboard looking for my go-to Bundt pan, I came across the Wilton Wonder Mold, still in its box. I honestly don't remember purchasing it, but it was time to put it to use.

If you follow me on Instagram, you may remember my first attempt with SugarVeil, well it was about time I tried it again. They turned out great when I made them back in April of this year, but I stored them for later use and forgot about them. By the time I found them, they unusable. 🙁 Not this time though!

After baking the cake, I wrapped it in a layer each of plastic wrap and waxed paper, while still warm. I learned about this technique on CakesDecor.com and have used it for a few cakes with great results. It's especially helpful when you don't plan to decorate the cake immediately. It keeps the cake moist and fresh. Once I remove it from the freezer, I remove the wrappings and wrap it in a tea towel to thaw.

Once thawed, I leveled and torted the cake, brushed with simple syrup, filled, stacked and masked it with my Pecan Pumpkin Buttercream - see recipe below. I used a plastic cake dowel down the middle to keep the levels aligned. I then covered the entire cake with plastic wrap and placed in the fridge to set. It's helpful to place some weight on the cake to help the layers adhere and level. Helps to prevent bulging and shifting of the layers.

Now on to decorating. I quickly tore the head off the doll torso that came with the pan, the thought of that hair on my cake made me gag. Plus, the face of the doll, didn't quite read halloween. I made the head using fondant somewhat in the fashion of Pasta di zucchero torte decorate Sweetwins. If you haven't already, I urge you to visit their FB page. Their talent is out of this world.

I covered the torso with black fondant and used the SugarVeil mat to add the net pattern. Attached the head and set it aside to dry. In the meantime, I covered rolled out some Trendy Orange Fondx fondant and gathered the top edge before attaching to the cake.

I made a batch of SugarVeil the night prior and colored it using Sugarflair's Black Extra food gel. I made three panels using the Mesh Lace Mat, gathered the top edges and attached them over the orange fondant. Her waist is lined with nonpareils.

As I was putting the finishing touches on the cake Saturday night, K looked at it and said, "I think you've channeled Lady Gaga." HA!

So, some final notes -

Using the Wilton Wonder Mold resulted in an evenly shaped cake - no carving, no mess, no waste. However, baking three cakes would have cut down the baking time and produced a more evenly cake throughout, in my opinion.
Humidity is no friend to SugarVeil. It took forever to set, so I decided to use the oven method, which worked like a charm. You can find the SugarVeil how-to here.
Fondx fondant tastes like the filling of an oreo and is super easy to work with - it's my new rediscovered fave.
I have fallen in love all over again with SugarVeil. The taste, the endless possibilities, the simplicity. You will definitely see more of it here.
I don't like working with Isomalt. Period.

That's it folks! The recipe for the cake is originally from Martha Stewart. The frosting is my own recipe. They both appear below.

Happy Halloween!

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Spicy Pumpkin Bundt Cake & Pecan Pumpkin Butter Frosting

Pumpkin and spices make this witch's skirt the perfect halloween treatt!

Prep Time20

Cook Time55

Total Time1 15

Course: Dessert

Servings:

Author: I Sugar Coat It

Ingredients

4 cups cake flour not self-rising, plus more for dusting
4 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon ground ginger
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
½ teaspoon ground cloves
1 cup unsalted butter 2 sticks, room temperature, plus more for pan
2 ½ cups packed light-brown sugar
4 large eggs
1 cup buttermilk
1 ½ cups canned pumpkin pureeFrosting
3 tablespoons Pecan Pumpkin Butter
½ cup butter
1 teaspoon crushed vanilla bean
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
½ teaspoon ground clove
4-5 cups of confectioner’s sugar
3 tablespoons fresh ginger tea depending on desired consistency

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare a 14-cup Bundt pan of your choice.
Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves. Set aside.
Beat butter and brown sugar together in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, on medium speed until pale and fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes.
Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition and scraping down sides of bowl.
Reduce speed to low. Beat in flour mixture in 3 additions, alternating with the buttermilk. Beat until just combined.
Add pumpkin puree, and beat until combined.
Pour batter into prepared pan.
Bake cake until golden and a wooden skewer inserted into the center comes out clean, about 55 minutes
Let cool on a wire rack for 30 minutes.
Carefully turn cake onto rack to cool completely.
For the buttercream: Using the flat blade attachment of your mixer (or a regular hand mixer), cream butter and pecan butter until creamy. Add crushed vanilla beans and spices and mix until fully combined. Turn mixer to low (stir setting on a KA) and add the confectioner’s sugar, one cup at a time, adding a tablespoon of tea with each addition. Turn the blender up to high and beat until fully combined.

October 2012 By i sugar coat it! 11 Comments

Peanut Butter & Jam Banana Bread

Unless you have a nut allergy, I imagine you have had a Peanut Butter and Jam/Jelly sandwich at some point in your life. If you haven't, well... I have no words. However, I do have a loaf that is pretty close to the real deal...and then some. Peanut Butter & Jam Banana Bread!

I am a simple girl. If I had my way I'd live on PB&J sandwiches - actually, it was my staple all through Uni. It's one of my go to treats - sometimes accompanied by fresh bananas, cheese or chocolate, but never at once. Although, now I'll have to try it.

And since I enjoy it so very much as a sandwich, I thought I'd try it as a baked good.

Are you familiar with the Milk calendars? If not, I'll spare you the agony of having to wait until later in the year when they arrive tucked in between the classified section of the newspaper just in time for the New Year. Calendars dating back to 1974 can be found on the Milk website. Yeah, ya heard right - 1974!!

My first paper copy dates back to 1995 and contains my go-to banana bread recipe. Yes, I have a calendar from 1995. No, I'm not a packrat.

All my previous versions of this recipe omit the pecans and is usually packed with chunks of bitter-sweet chocolate. Mmmmm.

Back to my baked hybrid cake/sandwich thingy.

While shopping for chocolate to make ganache, I came across peanut butter chips. They spoke to me, so I brought them home and introduced them to some over-ripened bananas. They hit it off immediately, making the merger pretty painless.

For the most part, I prepared the recipe as usual. I poured some of the banana bread batter in the baking dish then added a layer of strawberry jam and peanut butter chips. I repeated this for a second layer, then topped the batter off with a bit of jam andPB chips. Baked at 350º for just over an hour and enjoyed it warm.

Think of this Peanut Butter & Jam Banana Bread as a double-decker, baked PB&J sandwich. Try it! I think you will find it reminiscent of the real deal.

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Peanut Butter and Jam Banana Bread

A traditional banana loaf layered with strawberry jam and peanut butter chips, reminiscent of the popular PB&J sandwich.

Prep Time15

Cook Time1

Total Time1 15

Course: Breakfast

Servings: One 8" loaf

Author: I Sugar Coat It

Ingredients

2 ripe bananas mashed
¾ cup brown sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
1 cup milk
⅓ cup butter melted
1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon
¼ teaspoon salt
1 cup peanut butter chips
½ cup strawberry jam

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C).
In a large bowl, combine mashed bananas with brown sugar, egg, vanilla, milk and butter.
In separate bowl, mix all-purpose flour with whole wheat flour, baking powder, cinnamon, salt and peanut butter chips.
Stir milk mixture into flour mixture just until combined.
Pour half the batter into a buttered loaf pan.
Spoon half the jam onto the batter and use a knife to swirl the jam into the batter.
Pour the remaining batter into pan and add the remaining jam in the same manner as above.
Sprinkle the top with any leftover peanut butter chip.
Bake for 1 to 1 ¼ hrs or until a cake tester comes out clean.
Allow to cool, slice and enjoy!

Notes

Sweet Tip:
Leftover banana bread makes great French toast. I like to add a little vanilla or strawberry flavoured soy milk in with my eggs and dip the banana bread slices before frying. Top with plain yogurt and a sprinkle of cinnamon sugar. Enjoy with a side of fresh berries.

October 2012 By i sugar coat it! 8 Comments

Baking Arts: Back To Basics {Tea Biscuits}

I bake from scratch 100-percent of the time and I like switching up and introducing other ingredients to recipes. So naturally, I have developed a deeper interest in understanding how ingredients work together and how I might better develop my own recipes.

As I am primarily self-taught, I thought it would be beneficial to learn from the pros. Soooo, I decided to enrol in a part-time culinary certificate program!

I am also quite taken with the design aspect of caking, so one of my birthday gifts this year from the Dude, was tuition for Bonnie Gordon College courses. However, the course I wanted to take is no longer being offered part-time. 🙁 I am hoping it is re-introduced in the Spring - I would definitely free up some time to take it then. In the meantime, it's back to basics for me.

Week 1. Saturday. First day of class and I am not as bright-eyed and bushy-tailed as I normally am - even in my full chef's uniform. I work full-time and I am taking two other courses as part of my career development (unrelated to caking), one of which is on a Friday night. What was I thinking!?!

After introductions, an orientation of the lab, ingredients etc. we got onto the business of making and rolling pie dough using the biscuit method.

Week 2. We made fresh apple pie. I had never made a pie - I don't like my fruits cooked. This, however, I tested and by that I mean I had the crust and sauce, and it was great. The Dude pretty much inhaled the whole thing once I got it home. How he never gains a pound is beyond me.

Week 3. All about quick breads - three dozen each of bran muffins and tea biscuits that were shared with my lab partner. I omitted the raisins from my half of the muffins and opted for chopped walnuts sprinkled on top. For my biscuits, I passed on the currants and topped them with an egg wash and coarse sugar. On my way to the parking lot, I treated a police officer to a biscuit. The car was a good place to be for the ride home - smelled a bakery on wheels. Mmmm.

Week 4. Had us working on our masking and piping skills. We finally got to use, what I like to call a stand mixer on steroids - the industrial mixers. As huge as they are, they are surprisingly quiet. I want one for my basement kitchen reno. If anyone is reading this, feel free to add it to your holiday shopping list, right next to my name. Thanks! 🙂

Once we were done masking the dummies, I thought I would finally try the rose technique using the left over icing. I am hooked! So easy and such a lovely effect. I came home and made a rose cake, which I will share in a future post.

I have been enjoying the classes, the other students, the chef and I am getting used to the uniform and steel-toe shoes. The campus is dedicated to Culinary Arts, and is evident by the various aromas as you walk through the halls. I plan to make friends with the chocolate people and the charcuterie folks - if you happen to be reading this, I am available for sampling.

Sorry for the crappy photos, I steal quick moments to snap what we are doing with my iPhone - against the rules, but I promise, I wash my hands after. ALWAYS.

My weeks seem so much longer now and there is no denying that I am sleep-deprived, but for good reason. I am a firm believer in continuous learning - formal and informal. Life is all about balance and finding and doing things I love, helps me keep that balance. I look forward to my weekend classes, they are a departure from a somewhat stressful week - a happy ending!

So after class, I strolled through Kensington market and picked up some spices and then stopped by my favourite tea place for a hot cup of Read My Lips before hopping on the highway. Later, the Dude and I had a date with Cat Power.

It's 3:00AM and we are back home from the concert. I am wired, so thought I'd work on this post, as I plan to sleep most of Sunday away.

Below, I've shared the tea biscuit recipe from class. I'll share some others in future posts.

Week 5 , Week 6, Week 7, Week 8, Week 9, Week 10, Week 11, Week 12

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Baking Arts: Back To Basics {Tea Biscuits}

Prep Time15

Cook Time15

Total Time30

Course: Breakfast

Servings: dozen

Author: I Sugar Coat It

Ingredients

1200 g bread flour
40 g baking powder
250 g butter cold
500 ml water cold
50 g milk powder
4 eggs
250 g sugar
20 g salt
250 g currants optional

Instructions

Pre-heat oven to 375ºF.
Sift together the flour and baking powder.
Grate the cold butter into the flour mixture.
Use your fingers to lightly blend the ingredients to a mealy stage.
By hand, lightly whisk together the water and milk powder, then add the eggs, sugar and salt.
Add to the flour mixture all at once. Use your fingers to mix for a short time, until the dough is just slightly developed.
If adding currants, do so at this stage, mixing only long enough to incorporate.
Transfer dough to a sheet of parchment paper and work the dough by folding and pressing gently all sides for about 1 minute, until all ingredients are fully incorporated. The dough should still be flaky.
Lightly flour a rolling pin and roll the dough out to approximately 1.5 cm thickness. Cut into desired shapes and sizes.
Once cut, turn upside down onto lined baking sheet. Egg wash and sprinkle with coarse sugar and bake for 15 minutes, or until tops are golden brown and done.
Serve hot, or freeze for future use.

October 2012 By i sugar coat it! 10 Comments

Cool Tools Thursday - Agbay Leveler

Butter Pecan Cake

Welcome to my first instalment of Cool Tools Thursday!! Since I started on this sweet journey, I have amassed a number of tools of the trade - some necessary, some not so, and others I certainly could have done without.

Once each month on Thursday, I will share with you one or more of the above and some money-saving alternatives. Heck, maybe even a giveaway or two!Let me start this series off by levelling with you...

Meet the Agbay Jr. Double Blade, one sibling up from the baby of the family of levelers.

This baby slices through cakes like a hot knife through butter - effortlessly. With perfomance like that, you will quickly learn that the blades are super SHARP.

When I bought it back in October of 2011, I was a novice in this sweets arena, with only a few cakes in my repertoire. Still, I was getting very annoyed with the flimsy wire cutter I owned and I wasted a lot of cake using a serrated knife - I am just not skilled that way I suppose. So after coming across this product online, I sent an email to the address provided and within a matter of minutes, Maureen, the creator of this product, responded.

She was was very helpful and pointed me in the direction of Chrissie at Icing Inspirations, located in Kitchener. The rest is history.

As previously noted, the blades are extremely sharp. It is important that you cut in a direction away from you, with fingers out of the path of the blade and that you use the protective covers on the blade(s) when not in use.

It's a great tool, in my opinion - well constructed, lightweight, but sturdy and easy to use. Although I have not had to replace any parts, I did notice that they can run a little pricey - that would be my only concern.

The initial cost may also seem a little outrageous, but once you use it, you will find that it is well worth it. However, here is a list of some less expensive alternatives:

Of course you can use baking strips to help your cakes bake leveled, or if you are blessed with a level-eye, a large serrated knife will do the job!

Here's how the Agbay works:

The cakes in this video look pretty dense - I have used it on cakes less dense and it works just a beautifully.

So... What do you think about the Agbay Leveler?

It should be noted that I am not being compensated for any of the items I feature in these posts. This is simply me sharing items I enjoy. If at any point I am in a position where I am being compensated, I will certainly make that transparent.

October 2012 By i sugar coat it! 12 Comments

Think Pink! Breast Cancer Awareness Month

One in 9 women is expected to develop breast cancer during her lifetime and one in 29 will die of it.

Breast cancer is the most common cancer among Canadian women (excluding non-melanoma skin cancer).

In 2012:

An estimated 22,700 women will be diagnosed with breast cancer and 5,100 will die of it.
An estimated 200 men will be diagnosed with breast cancer and 55 will die of it.
On average, 62 Canadian women will be diagnosed with breast cancer every day.
On average, 14 Canadian women will die of breast cancer every day.

Source: Canadian Cancer Society

Last year, as one of the 365 baker/bloggers committed to baking a difference through the Frosting for the Cause project (spearheaded by the lovely Paula, the Vanilla Bean Baker), I paid tribute to Catherine the Great, my great-grand mother, who lost her battle to breast cancer while only in her fifties.

Each day I live and breathe, I realize how fortunate the women in my family and myself have been to have not had to deal with this disease again. So many of our friends and colleagues have either fought their personal battle, or are supporting a loved one through their battle.

The statistics are frightening. I can remember sitting through one of our Lunch & Learn sessions at work a few years ago where the guest speaker was a geneticist from one of our client organizations - a cancer research agency. The session was very informative and engaging, but this one statistic at the time struck me and has stuck with me - 1 in every 10 of us in the room will be diagnosed with cancer at some point in our lives. I remember surveying the room and counting off the faces ten at a time, not wanting to include myself in the count.

The ribbons on this cake represent a fraction of the countless women who have had to deal with this disease - some fortunate to live to tell, others who continue in their battle and those who are now with us only in spirit.

A group of us girls who have a shared passion for the written word, came together today, not for the usual dissection of books we've recently read, but in remembrance and celebration of these women for Think Pink! Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

For the occasion, I baked a few goodies and in the process set up my very first sweet table, which included:

Vanilla Bean Cookies
Chocolate Vanilla Cookies
Brownie Bowls
Funfetti Vanilla Cake filled with Whipped Vanilla Bean Buttercream, masked with White Chocolate Ganache and decorated with White Chocolate Fondant and Chocolate Transfer.
Double Chocolate Cupcakes with Whipped Vanilla Bean Buttercream
Funfetti Cake Pops

There were also lots of great food and drinks provided by others in the group.

The mini chalkboards are bargain bin finds from my local craft store a few months back. The cookie envelopes were also purchased from my local craft store and the cupcake boxes were purchased from Creative Bag - I added the cancer awareness wrappers around the lids.

The signage are all free printables from Frog Prince Paperie - just download, print, cut and assemble. I used toothpicks and a little royal icing to make the cupcake toppers.

The afternoon was a success, at least in my opinion, we raised $2500 between us and it will all go to a charity of our collective choosing.

Although no cure currently exists for breast cancer, you can give yourself a fighting chance of beating the disease, with early detection in five simple steps. Make it a part of your daily or weekly routine - before you get out of bed in the morning, or when you go to bed at night, in the shower, or in front of a mirror. Where ever you choose to, just do it and remember to go for your annual checkup with your family doctor.

In the meantime, let me help you become more acquainted with your breasts.

Source: Canadian Cancer Society

For more information, visit the Canadian Cancer Society.

Until next time, Think Pink, Hope, Cure, Live!

October 2012 By i sugar coat it! 6 Comments

Giving Thanks & Getting Older

To educate yourself for the feeling of gratitude means to take nothing for granted, but to always seek out and value the kind that will stand behind the action. Nothing that is done for you is a matter of course. Everything originates in a will for the good, which is directed at you. Train yourself never to put off the word or action for the expression of gratitude.

Albert Schweitzer

On Sunday we got together gave thanks and then we had cake - Birthday Cake!

One of my nieces is celebrating her birthday next week, and since I won't see her again until Christmas, we decided to surprise her and celebrate a little early. Hence, this cake and not the regular Thanksgiving fare one might expect to see on this particular day.

Yes, this cake... Where do I begin? I had such big plans for this cake and I let myself down in ways impossible to convey without reclining face up on the leather couch. Ok, slightly exaggerated, but I was quite disappointed with the end result.

I recently purchased an airbrush for cake decorating and had hoped to produce works the likes of Rembrandt and Picasso only after a couple tries - you see where this is going, right?

The base tier, 10" of airbrushed gold, was easy enough. Fill and mask. Check. Cover with white chocolate fondant. Check. Airbrush the fondant with a gold shimmer. Check. Airbrush the stencil pattern onto the gold fondant with a mix of gold and purple. Check. Rest...

Tier two... fill, stack, chop, chop, simmer, stir, melt, refrigerate, bring to room temperature, microwave, stir, mask, level, smooth, leave to dry overnight, colour and roll fondant, brush to dampen, cover with fondant, smooth, sharpen, bubble pop, smooth, sharpen, smooth, smoo... You get the picture? If not, see below.

Ahhh, my canvas! Not exactly the purple for which I aimed, but after countless drops of black and violet gel food colour I abandoned aubergine for fear of an unpalatable end. I won't be working with purple again for some time. As the colour choice for a number my recent cakes, I fear I have misled you into thinking it is my favourite colour. It isn't. It is, however, my niece's.

My niece is somewhat of a budding artist. My sister sent me some of her sketches and I got the idea to incorporate one into my cake plans. Oh, how I would wield that airbrush and create a work of wonder to wow the birthday girl. I wielded and wielded and it all left me wondering. Why the %#&* isn't this working? WHY? After countless pieces of cardboards and practice fondant, I came to a full understanding of why Van Gogh cut off his ear.

Plan B! Return the airbrush, it's clearly the problem. 😉 Nah, the real Plan B involved some serious manual labour; you know, the type that involves modelling chocolate, a scalpel, bone tool and gum glue. You may remember my 100 Days Cupcake toppers - a real pain in the behind when you have to do more than five. After five the expletives tend to flow freely. I was down to the wire on this cake and I only needed to make one, so I put those curse words on pause for the moment.

It was all going so very well until I felt I had something to prove - a bone to pick with the almighty airbrush. The silver pistol that needed to be pushed, pulled and toggled just so, in order to produce thin, clean lines. I don't respond well to high maintenance. Can you tell it's now personal? Guess who won?

Clearly, it wasn't me. 🙁 I had a perfectly carved and painted image and I screwed it up by trying to prove something to a machine. Time to grow up and get on with it. In the end, I had to quickly pull together the image that appears on the cake. Cut and paste modelling chocolate, with really bad skin tone strokes, a dilapidated nose and missing eyebrows or lashes. Doesn't look much like my niece's artwork, but the chocolate cake on the inside made up for my failed exterior.

From my Intsagram feed.

In one of my niece's drawings, the girl in the image wore a red rose in her hair. I went with pink, a nod to Cancer Awareness Month and instead of painting it on, opted to make an over-sized version for more of a 3D effect. This was my first rose and although it took extremely long to dry for some strange reason, I rather like the way it turned out.

So, Shay will be a year older in a few days and I feel like I have aged 5 years battling with the airbrush. In the end, it's all about spending quality, fun time with the people who matter, oh, and when it comes to cake, taste - it's all about taste. And on last count the ayes had it on both fronts.

Hope those of you who celebrated Thanksgiving had a wonderful time. Even when we have litte, we have so much for which to be thankful. My sincerest thanks to you, for staying the course with me.

Don't forget, October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Think Pink!

October 2012 By i sugar coat it! 8 Comments

Salted Caramel Crème Brûlée: Eat Your Tea Tuesday!

"Salted Caramel - A rich, black tea, strewn with with English toffee, coconut, caramel and a touch of French sea salt. Guaranteed to seduce your taste buds!"

That's what the package says and that is exactly what it does - as a tea and when infused into Crème Brûlée.

Salted Caramel Tea From DavidsTEA for Eat Your Tea Tuesday!

Salted Caramel Black Tea

Welcome to the second instalment of Eat Your Tea Tuesday! You may remember my first instalment, Matcha Cheesecake. At the time of that post, I had no idea I would make this a feature post. But I really enjoyed the end result and wanted to try other flavoured teas in desserts. So, with a desire to experiment, this monthly feature was born.

Tea has been a constant in my life. When I was a wee little thing I needed only go as far as my grandparents backyard to find a variety of cures for all that ailed - nature's pharmacy. Lemongrass, bitterbush, sarsaparilla, and some others that escape me at the moment - all in arm's reach.

I especially love lemongrass, hot or cold, and have used it in my cooking - when I am able to find it. Not sure how that might translate in a dessert, but I will most certainly try it sometime.

I made lavender crème brûlée a couple weeks ago and boy was it good, so I thought I would also try it with a black tea I recently started enjoying - Salted Caramel from DAVIDsTEA.

Crème brûlée is rather easy to make and can be made ahead and stored in the fridge, which is exactly what I did. To infuse the cream, I added the tea leaves to the cream and stored in the refrigerator in a covered container for a day. When I was ready to make the crème brûlée, I brought the mixture to a light simmer, so that the tea flavour would be more pronounced. I was concerned that the tea would darken the cream, but I did not have that issue. Once removed from the heat, I poured the infused mixture through a strainer and left it to cool down while I prepared the rest of the recipe.

Excuse the bad lighting, I made this late Friday night.

Before enjoying these little custard treats, sprinkle the top with sugar and use a kitchen torch to caramelize the sugar, which adds an attractive caramel colour to an otherwise bland-looking dessert. My aim was to use bits of English toffee instead of sugar in this step, but I did not have any on hand. I would have then garnished with bits of coarse salt. Instead, I used some multi-coloured, shredded coconut that was left over from another project (I removed my coconut before digging in).

We used a torch in the video above, as we just happend to have one - a housewarming gift that has only been used twice prior, once more than the slow-cooker. In the absence of a torch, the same effect can be achieved by placing the crème brûlées just below the broiler for 3-5 minutes or until sugar bubbles and turns golden brown.

A Word of Caution: It is never a good idea to handle open flame with one hand while trying to shoot a video with the other - NEVER!! After a few tries and a couple close mishaps, I thought I would wait until K was back to assist. He burned two of the custards, but we spared the house.

I was quite pleased with the way this Salted Caramel Crème Brûlée turned out. The tea flavour was strong enough that it was noticeable, but not overpowering. I would have liked it a little more pronounced, but I like my tea quite strong.

I hope that you have enjoyed this instalment of Eat Your Tea! I'll be featuring a tea-infused recipe on the first Tuesday of each month going forward.

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Salted Caramel Crème Brûlée

A black tea blend of English toffee, coconut, caramel and French sea salt infused in a traditional custard.

Prep Time20

Cook Time1 30

Total Time1 50

Course: Dessert

Servings: servings

Author: I Sugar Coat It

Ingredients

2 cups heavy cream I use 35%
2 tablespoon Salted Caramel black tea I used DAVIDsTEA
4 egg yolks
½ cup granulated sugar divided
2-3 cups water for water bath

Instructions

Add cream and tea leaves in a container with a lid and store in the refrigerator for at 24 hours.
Preheat oven to 325ºF.
Pour the infused mixture in a heavy saucepan and bring to a light simmer over medium heat. Remove from heat and strain to remove tea leaves.
Whisk together the egg yolks and the sugar, less 4 tsps, until light and creamy.
Add the strained cream to the egg mixture, blending well. Pour the mixture into crème brûlée cups.
Add the water to a small saucepan and bring to a light simmer. Pour the hot water into the baking pan until it reaches halfway up the sides of the cups.
Place in the oven and bake for 45-50 minutes or until edges appear set. Turn off the oven and let the custard remain in the oven for another 30 minutes, or until center of the custard is almost set.
Remove from oven and leave in the water bath until cooled. Once cooled, cover the surface of each crème brûlée with plastic wrap - this helps prevent a skin from forming.
Pour out the water bath and refrigerate the custards for at least 3 hours. I refrigerated mine for 24 hours before torching them.
When ready to serve, sprinkle a little of the remaining sugar over the tops of each crème brûlée and use a small hand-held torch to caramelize the sugar.
For best results, hold the torch a few inches (about 4-5) away from the sugar, and move the flame around slowly and evenly until desired colour is reached. Cups will be hot, so be careful.
Garnish and enjoy!

September 2012 By i sugar coat it! 6 Comments

BAKED: A Visit To The Canada Baking & Sweets Show

Clear orders were stamped in bold, red, upper-case letters on my wrist. But at what temperature and for how long I wondered?

It's Sunday, I am exhausted. K and I spent two hours at the grocery store (I wonder how many relationships end as a result of grocery shopping...). Last night we pulled an all-nighter at Nuit Blanche (a little disappointing this year if you ask me). I spent four hours at a pastry arts course prior to that and another two hours trying to decide on a new car. I spent most of Friday at a work-related conference, trekked to the other end of the city for a medical appointment and then went to class (unrelated to baking) in the evening for 3.5 long hours.

So yeah, it's Sunday and I am exhausted, but I could not let the weekend end without a trip to the second annual Canada Baking & Sweets Show. I really enjoyed it last year, so I figured it could only get better.

It's 11:30 and with the back seat overcrowded with grocery, K dropped me off at the entrance to Hall 5. Two hours I tell him, ok, three the most! Or you can come in with me and I'll be less likely to stay longer... we both looked at each other and laughed. Ok, you're off the hook - and away he went to unload and put away groceries.

I skipped through the entrance doors and up to the ticket counter. "Next!" Just as I was about to step forward to purchase a ticket, a voice asked if I would like a ticket. Well, of course I would like a ticket, it's precisely why I am lined up at the ticket counter! I turned to see a woman with a half-opened envelope and five tickets spilling out. Is she really scalping tickets, right in the line-up? I guess she read my mind, because before I could verbalize my thoughts, she said they were free.

The law-abiding side of my brain sent alarms ringing through my head at decibels only dogs should be able to hear. The frugal side of my brain set my hand in motion in a gesture of acceptance and instructed my mouth to do the same. Thank you!! OMG, are you sure? Oh, thank you!! The other four people in queue behind me, also took her up on her offer. Then we all looked at each other and had the same thought/question - what if they're fake? Thank goodness, they weren't!! I have the letters in ink on my body to prove it.

Gravity Feed Airbrush - BAKED: A Visit To The Canada Baking & Sweets Show

First stop, Flour Confections. I had been thinking about getting an entry-level airbrush and they just happened to have it on sale and no tax. Wrap it up! I also picked up some petal dusts, disco dusts and airbrush colours. Freebie - a 'Go Frost Yourself' tote bag. 🙂

Also picked up some molds from Icing Inspirations and met the man behind Marvelous Molds. A person could go broke on molds alone.

Strawberry Shortbread - BAKED: A Visit To The Canada Baking & Sweets Show

Next stop, the Sprucewood booth. I was not going to leave that hall without these cookies. I purchased four boxes last year and have been hooked since. This year, I picked up eight, so that I can spread the sweetness. My fave is Raspberry, but I also really like Maple and Spicy Thai, oh, and Irish Cream - so I got them all.

Next up, DAVIDsTEA! These three lovely ladies were super sweet and so was the tea!

Oh, how I wish you could smell this tea. It contains chocolate - NO LIE!!

Next, over to my cookie crush - Marian of Sweetopia - for a little how-to session. Then to the Duff presentation (was not close enough to get a decent photo). The guy is hilarious, though.

Now it's off to be awed by the amazing creations of some very talented cake artists. Here are just a few...

There were so many amazingly, intricate designs on some of the cakes, a photo taken with my iPhone did not do them justice.

This would have been a cool ride home, but K showed up before I had the opportunity to find out. Hmm, I wonder if I could arrange to make this my next car... Saturday's search did not yield any results.

Time to head home. Five hours and 20°C later, I was BAKED!

September 2012 By i sugar coat it! 12 Comments

Ruffled Rose Lavender Cupcakes

Ruffled Rose Lavender Cupcakes are light and fragrant lavender-infused cupcakes topped with feminine ruffles made from modelling chocolate.

Last week I tried to light up a friend's birthday with a lamp made from chocolate and quickly learned that I am no electrician.So what do you do with a chocolate lamp that does not produce any light? You ingest it!

The cake was a mere six inches, so I also made a dozen (plus two) cupcakes, so that there would be plenty to feed the masses. Also, to appease that rare breed with an aversion to chocolate. C'mon really? (Let it be known that I have no association with that breed). In any case, they were treated to Lavender Cupcakes.

Ruffled Rose Lavender Cupcakes are light and fragrant lavender-infused cupcakes topped with feminine ruffles made from modelling chocolate.

Why the 'plus two', you ask? Well, I have learned that there is nothing worse for a food blogger than not having a decent photo of your work to share with readers. So going forward I'll try to make extras where feasible for this purpose. Knowing that I would not be able to attend my friend's birthday shindig, I kept two of these babies as insurance. (btw - still waiting for photos of the cut cake...)

I didn't include these cupcakes in my last post, as I felt they deserved a post all their own. They are really tasty and so easy to make. If you like lavender, this will become a go-to treat. Not only do I now have another favourite sweet, I also have a new drink. I added a couple tablespoons to a cup of soymilk, steamed and enjoyed - perfect evening snack.

To give the cupcakes a subtle lavender flavour, infuse the milk called for in the recipe with dried lavender flowers for a few hours. For a stronger hit of lavender, let the milk mixture sit in the refrigerator overnight, or warm the milk. If warming, let cool completely before adding to other ingredients.

I love the soft, sweet aroma of lavender - it translates well in baking and cooking. I have used it before in baking, but as honey - remember my Gastro-entomology experiment? I also love to use the infused honey in herbal teas.

Keeping with the theme of the cake, I topped these light lavenderlicious beauties off with ruffled roses. Saw them over at Jessicakes and fell head-over-heels. Actually, all her cakes have that effect.

These were super easy to make, yet they provided such impact. Colour some modelling chocolate, roll out and cut disks in desired sizes, fold in halves twice, let set and apply to cake with melted chocolate. How easy was that!!

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Ruffled Rose Lavender Cupcakes

Light and fragrant lavender-infused cupcakes topped with feminine ruffles made from modelling chocolate.

Prep Time10

Cook Time20

Total Time30

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: Cake

Servings: cupcakes

Author: i sugar coat it!

Ingredients

120 millilitres milk
3 tablespoons dried lavender flowers
120 grams all-purpose flour
140 grams sugar
1½ teaspoons baking powder
40 grams unsalted butter at room temperature
1 egg

Instructions

Place the milk and dried lavender flowers in a container with a lid, cover and store in the refrigerate overnight.
Preheat the oven to 325°F.
Place the flour, sugar, baking powder and butter in a stand mixer fitted with with the paddle attachment. Beat on slow speed until you get a grainy/sandy consistency and everything is combined.
Strain the lavender-infused milk and discard the lavender flowers. Slowly pour the lavender-infused milk into the flour mixture, beating well until all the ingredients are combined.
Add the egg and beat well (scrape any unmixed ingredients from the side of the bowl with a rubber spatula).
Line twelve muffin wells with paper liners. Using a medium ice-cream scooper, fill each liner to two-thirds with batter. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean.
Leave to cool in the tray. Decorate as above, or to your liking. Enjoy!

September 2012 By i sugar coat it! 9 Comments

Light It Up Chocolate Mud Cake

It's adorned with ruffles and crystal, fits perfectly on my hallway table, shimmers in the light and is mostly edible. I may have found the perfect lamp!

The moment I saw this lamp months ago, I knew that I would be making a couple for my home, and that eventually it would become a cake. Eventually came this week, in the form of a friend's birthday, whose passion for interior design makes her the perfect candidate.

When, over drinks last week, she requested I make her a cake, I whipped out my iPad and showed her the photo of the lamp. The deal was sealed with a stifled shriek.

The cake, as shown here, isn't exactly as I imagined, however. I could not quite figure out how I would defy the laws of physics with carved cake as the base, so I decided to use an inverted crystal cake stand instead.

I also decided to tame my ambitions and went with 6", instead of 9" cakes - and am I ever happy I did. The cake, after all the ruffles were applied, weighed a tonne. There are matching cupcakes that I have saved for another post.

I created the ruffles by cutting strips of fondant slightly longer than the height of the cake and approximately 2" in width. I folded each lengthwise, brushed with water and applied to the fondant covered cake from top to bottom, ruching as I went. I then lightly dusted with edible shimmer.

Under all that fondant is a Chocolate Mud Cake with Lavender-infused Buttercream. I should have photos of the cut cake sometime next week, which I will share with you. Until then, here is a close-up of the ruffles. I am also sharing the recipes, should you care to try them.

Turns out I am not much of an electrician. The lamp didn't produce much light beyond the shimmer dust on the fondant, so we disposed of it the only way we knew how... YUMMM!

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Light It Up Chocolate Mud Cake with Lavender-Infused Buttercream

Prep Time20

Cook Time1 30

Total Time1 50

Course: Dessert

Servings: Two 6-inch round cakes

Author: I Sugar Coat It

Ingredients

Cake:

7 oz dark chocolate chopped coarsely
9 oz butter diced
1 ¾ cups whole milk
2 ¼ cups granulated sugar
2 large eggs lightly beaten
1 ¼ cups grams all-purpose flour
¾ cup self-rising flour
¾ cup dark cocoa powder

Frosting:

½ cup unsalted Butter
¼ cup water
1 tablespoon . culinary lavender
½ cup granulated sugar
3-4 cups powdered sugar

Instructions

Preheat oven to 325 F.
Place sugar and milk in a saucepan and stir over low heat until the sugar is completely melted.
Remove from heat and add the butter and chocolate. Stir until butter and chocolate are melted. Set aside to cool completely.
Add the beaten eggs and sift in the dry ingredients. Whisk until smooth and without any lumps.
Pour the mixture into the prepared cake pans and bake for 1½ hours, or until an inserted skewer comes out clean.
Let the cake cool completely in the cake pan.

To make the frosting:

In a small saucepan, bring the water and granulated sugar to a light boil, then add the lavender leaves. Remove from heat, cover and set aside to cool.
In the bowl of an electric mixer, fitted with the flat beater attachment, whip butter on high until pale and fluffy. Add the lavender infused mixture and beat until fluffy. Add powdered sugar a little at a time, until the frosting is at the desired consistency.

September 2012 By i sugar coat it! 20 Comments

Matcha Cheesecake

Deliciously light and airy, this nine-inch piece of Matcha Cheesecake heaven is the perfect, not-too-sweet, gloriously green treat to satisfy your dessert craving.

I must admit that cheesecake has never been high on my list of desserts. I like it, but I have not gone out of my way to make it and I usually bypass it on a menu.

This week-end, after making and taste-testing many slices, this cheesecake has got me singing a different tune. In fact, I am enjoying a slice as I prepare this post, so forgive the long pauses...

I am a tea connoisseur. OK... that may be a little overstated. I am a lover of tea, and I take every opportunity to try the many flavours that exist. I do have a few favourites and at the top of that list is Matcha. It helped me survive university, after all.

One might argue that it is a favourite because of the colour - valid argument - but, it also boasts a long list of health benefits (see here).

So with all those wonderful health benefits, I am guessing this would qualify as a healthy dessert. Right?

Well, let's pretend it is, because I have already had two slices and I see no sign of slowing down. I kid you not when I say it is GOOD! K has had three slices - he isn't huge on sweets and likes that it isn't very sweet, even with the oreo base.

This 9-inch piece of green heaven almost didn't make it onto the blog. Not because of taste, but aesthetics. Someone wasn't feeling well and fell asleep while this was in the oven. That someone is on medication that 'causes drowsiness' and warns not to 'operate machinery', which, I suppose includes an oven. 🙂

When I was finally jolted awake by the incessant beeping of the oven timer, the cake had already been in the oven five minutes longer than it should. Fortunately, my oven turns off with the timer and cools down fairly quickly, so I was able to salvage the cake.

Featured as Recipe of the Day on DAVIDsTEA.

However, the edges were visibly more tanned than is natural for a green cake. I was so disappointed and wanted to start over, but like I said earlier, I was in no shape to be baking in the first place, a second attempt was just not in the cards.

So once the cake had cooled and chilled, I undertook the tedious task of removing the caramel skin - all the while trying to stay awake and not completely ruin the edges. This is as good as I could get it; which, in the grand scheme of things isn't horrible.

To finish it off, I used a stencil and some Matcha powder to create this feather pattern. I don't think I've ever seen this done, so this may be a first for a cheesecake. 😉 Now cut and enjoy! Repeat as often as desired.

What's your hot beverage of choice and how would you use it in a dessert?

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Matcha Cheesecake

Deliciously light and airy, this Matcha Cheesecake is nine-inch piece of green heaven is the perfect, not-to-sweet treat to satisfy your dessert craving.

Prep Time25

Cook Time1 30

Total Time1 55

Course: Dessert

Servings: one 9-inch cake

Author: I Sugar Coat It

Ingredients

Crust:

1½ cups Oreo crumbs
½ cup melted butter

Cheesecake:

3 tablespoon water
½ cup sugar
2 tablespoon Matcha tea powder
2 - 250 g packages cream cheese room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2½ tablespoon corn starch sifted
2 large eggs lightly beaten
⅓ cup whipping cream
½ cup milk

Instructions

To make the crust:

Combine the Oreo crumbs with the melted butter and press into the bottom of a 7” or 9” spring-form pan. Bake at 325F for 5-7 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool before we pour in the cheesecake base.

For the cheesecake:

Combine water and ⅓ cup of sugar in a small saucepan and heat until the mixture is warm and the sugar has dissolved completely. Add the Matcha powder and mix well. Set aside.
Cut cream cheese into cubes and place in the mixing bowl of stand mixer. Attach the paddle attachment and set to low speed (#2 if using a Kitchen Aid). Add the remaining sugar and Matcha tea mixture to the cream cheese and blend until smooth, about 2 minutes.
Add the vanilla extract and sifted corn-starch. Lower speed to 1 and slowly add the eggs, beat until fully incorporated. Add the whipping cream and milk and mix until they are well combined.
Bake cheesecake at 325F for 45-55 mins, or until the edges are set. Turn oven off and, with oven door closed, allow the cheesecake to continue to cook for another 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, remove the cheesecake from the oven and let it cool completely.
Refrigerate for a few hours or overnight. Decorate to your liking, or enjoy as is!

September 2012 By i sugar coat it! 15 Comments

One Under My Belt! - A Year In Review.

Blue and Silver Quatrefoil Birthday Cake

Silver Quatrefoil pattern on blue fondant, with fondant plaque and pearls and gumpaste flower.

My first foray into cake decorating led me to a room at the back of my local Michael's store last Spring, accompanied by 11 other girls attempting to make magic with sugar and shortening. Day one of a four-week Wilton beginners course and there I sat with the Ultimate Decorating Set Tool Caddy, overkill for someone who knew nothing about cake decorating, or how long the excitement or interest would last.

My very first decorated cake - Wilton Cake Decorating 1

Well, here I am, evidence that the interest and excitement did not wane. In fact, one year later and it's developed into a full-blown passion. That first course was followed by two other Wilton courses. I then had the privilege of being a part of a test group, earlier this year, for the recently introduced Wilton Course 4: Advanced Gum Paste Flowers, complete with a swag bag that made all ten invited 'guinea pigs' swoon. Free course and tools - SWEET!!
It has taken some time, but it all seems to be coming together and I couldn't be more pleased. This blogging business is a great deal of work, but it has certainly awakened my creativity. I am a hobbyist baker/decorator - I don't charge for my goods - but, perhaps one day my abilities will match my imagination and I will make the switch. For now, I am enjoying the learning process and sating a few sweet-tooths along the way (you know who you are).

My first fondant cake. This was meant to look like a cake I saw in one of Peggy Porschen's books. I'd say I missed the mark - by a very long shot!

I've progressed from the two cakes shown above, my very first decorated cakes, to the cake at the top of this post, this, this and this! And even though I am called cookie by some in my family, I had never decorated a cookie before I started this blog. I could not have asked for a better start, as these cookies were for a great cause. They were followed by love and ruffles, baby bump and wedding favours. I also learned to make a special type of cookie and how to macronage - no, not macarena - in process. Macarons!!

Second try at Macarons! I still remember the joy I experienced when I saw the feet begin to form...

I developed a green thumb, of the sweet variety, and grew some Anemone, Magnolias, and more recently, Poppies, and Ranunculuses. Oh, and I created some edible brooches, explored the topic of gastro-entomology in baking and produced a little girl along the way!

I have also experienced some failures along the way - a part of the learning process. My first try at the ruffled technique turned into a green mudslide. My first try at macarons produced a not-so-distant cousin. And what I thought would be a walk in the park, my cake pops, well, drooped more than they popped.

I have had a few accomplishments, as well. I was named Decorator of the Week over at CakesDecor.com and have had a number of my creations in the Daily Top 3. My Ruffles & Pearls mother's day cake made it into the Sweetopia's Sweet of the Month 4. And the Huffington Post Kitchen Daily included my Key Lime Mojito Mousse cake in their Key Lime Dessert line-up.

As I look back at my 52 posts, I realize how much I have improved and how many sweet memories I have created along the way. I truly enjoy the process of creating and sharing with you each week. I am always eager to learn and improve and so pleased you join me each week to show your support. I hope that you will continue along with me on this sweet journey, as we kick off year 2!

My first cake for my second blog year appears at the top of this post and in the following shots. It was made for a little girl who turned 12 and whose favourite colour happens to be blue. And in true me form, I could not decide which flower to use, so I shot the cake with a few that I made and lost a couple in the process. 🙁

I rather like the unexpected pop of orange. What's your favourite?

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