It's a Plaid World

I’m so excited.  I baked up a storm all day yesterday in preparation for round two of Jerry’s birthday.  I asked him what kind of cake he wanted.  His original request, a three tiered cake – now, let’s not get too excited.  We settled on a two tiered cake, German chocolate and banana. 

For the bottom cake, I’ve decided to make an inside out German chocolate cake so I can still decorate with fondant.  I’m using my favorite chocolate cake recipe, filled with the traditional German chocolate cake frosting.  To achieve a smooth service to place the fondant on, I’m frosting with my chocolate buttercream.  This cake is going to be so good. 

The next tier is banana cake with vanilla buttercream.  A moist banana cake with my famous vanilla buttercream.  With the left over batter I’m making mini banana cupcakes.  These are so cute.

Now for the fun part – decorating!  The theme of the party is plaid or print.  The birthday boy is wearing plaid, so that’s what the cake will dress in as well.  Fun colors decorate an ivory backdrop.  I was struggling with what to put on the top of the cake.  Meredith said "Didn't Jerry want a photo cake at one point?"  Brilliant!  Photos it is.  I cannot wait to cut into this cake!

Chocolate Cake

Filling

• Ingredients
• 7 ounces sweetened flaked coconut
• 4 ounces coarsely chopped pecans (1 cup)
• 14-ounces can sweetened condensed milk
• 1 tablespoon vanilla

Make filling:
Reduce oven temperature to 325°F.

Spread coconut in a large shallow baking pan and pecans in another. Bake pecans in upper third of oven and coconut in lower third, stirring occasionally, until golden, 12 to 18 minutes. Remove pans from oven.

Increase oven temperature to 425°F.

Pour condensed milk into a 9-inch deep-dish pie plate and cover tightly with foil. Bake milk in a water bath in middle of oven 45 minutes. Refill baking pan with water to reach halfway up pie plate and bake milk until thick and brown, about 45 minutes more. Remove pie plate from water bath.

Stir in coconut, pecans, and vanilla and keep warm, covered with foil.

Assembly

Cut the top off the cake for a smooth layer.  Cut the cake in half, or in thirds, depending on how many layers you want.  Spoon the filling onto one layer, top with second layer of cake and frost.

Chocolate Buttercream

Ingredients

1 1/2 stick unsalted butter, room temperature (I use Kerrygold Pure Irish Butter)

1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 1/4 cups powdered sugar (I typically use more than this to achieve the consistency I need)

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

2 tablespoons milk

1/2 cup heavy cream

1/3 cup Ovaltine

Directions

Cream together butter, cocoa powder and salt.  Butter mixture will be extremely thick. Turn off the mixer, scrape down the sides of the bowl and add powdered sugar one cup at a time.  Turn mixer on low and mix in powdered sugar while adding milk and vanilla extract.  Beat until smooth.  Mix together heavy cream and Ovaltine.  Turn mixer speed to medium and pour cream mixture into the frosting in a slow, steady stream.  More powdered sugar may be added or less of the cream and Ovaltime to reach your desired consistency.

Banana Cake

Muffins - Absolute Perfection

How to describe a muffin.  If made correctly, they have a perfectly moist inside with a crunchy topping – melt in your mouth deliciousness, especially hot from the oven.  I’ve always had a love for breakfast food.  I can eat breakfast for breakfast, lunch or dinner.  And don’t forget about brunch!  Taking my love for baking and combining it with breakfast food has become a real treat on the weekends.  Glorious muffins, hot from the oven with a small pat of butter.  Nothing is better when you’re still in your sleepy state first thing on a Saturday.

As children, mom used to make us blueberry streusel muffins after church.  These are the muffins that come out of a box.  They were delicious, but the formula changed over the last year and they certainly aren’t the same.  We used to beg for these muffins.  They were so good!  I was experimenting one weekend trying to recreate these delicious memories of childhood.  Success has been found.

I started with a recipe for apple pie streusel muffins, but made a few changes, including swapping out the apples for blueberries.  Followed then by banana.  What else was I to do with the bananas that were slowly turning from ripe to screaming "bake with me please?!"  Substituting three bananas for the blueberries, these muffins turned out phenomenal.  Moist in the center, with the crunch of the streusel topping.  Absolute perfection.