Pink Cherry Chip

Happy Pink Cherry Chip Birthday!

 It's a fun, pretty, girly party cake.

Using the basic white/vanilla recipe, and the addition of some food colouring for pink cake 

and maraschino cherries for a white with red flecks cake, 

I made one of each, creating four alternating layers. 

To be fair, considering the fact that I do not care for maraschino cherries, this turned out nicely. 
I would have liked to use real cherries but 
Calgary often has a shortage of what I need at the moment I decide to want it. 
Like no basil when I need to make pesto.
Or spinach when I need to go Popeye (no tinned, no frozen, no fresh!)

So substitution was a must since delaying the operation was unthinkable.

 Whipped butter icing with cherry pieces, vanilla and almond flavouring separated my layers. 

I used:

Butter, about a cup, soft - whip (6 minutes), 
Icing sugar, 2 cups, 
milk, 1-2 tbsp, 
flavourings, 1 tsp each - whip again (7 minutes), 
then blend in the cherry pieces (I squeezed them out and patted dry before chopping up).

This icing is nice and sticky, keeping the cake very stable, and locking in the moisture.

The outside is decorated in Nanny's Old-Fashioned Frosting, 

which is similar to, but better than the Seven Minute Frosting I shared with you last year. 

It takes less time since you beat it cool rather than wait, the texture is fluffier and it 

keeps it's shape and springy-ness much longer.

It is basically like melted marshmallows. 

(I tested to see if adding chocolate was okay and it is 100%!)

I was pleased with the tastiness and look of the cake, plus I'm rather happy with my photos,
(apart from the inside shot, which I didn't really get a proper chance to take because it's just rude 
to wish a happy birthday to someone with a piece missing from their cake!!!) 
however, does anyone have any tips on how exactly to slice a cake horizontally and equally?

That would have really taken the cake ;)

I'm not done with cherries, but I'm definitely done with vanilla cake for some time... 

Bring on the CHOCOLATE!!!

Looking Glass

I was eyeing up this pretty glass cover you'll see below, thinking it could be a great way to show off seasonal decor, trinkets, small and tall cakes, and piles of other baked goods perfectly. 

But, I didn't actually need it.

I thought about it for two weeks, deliberated, then found an excuse. 

Teresa's Birthday!

Remember the Valentine's Cake? 

Since then we've sworn off butter (ahhhemmm cake just became healthier!) 

however it's been a chore to find an oil based vanilla cake. 

I tried a few recipes, with modifications, and other ideas, 

and finally here we have a delicious, moist basic cake. 

I'm glad because Teresa should have no less! 

Here it's sort of naked... 

stuffed with whipped cream (from our girls: Dee, Dolly, Daisy and Latte) and berries. 

I should have used stabilizer, and/or perhaps better separating techniques 

for taking cream from milk, but the taste and texture was marvellous.

Albeit quite messy when cutting to serve.

Should you want to give it a whirl here's the recipe, which can be halved:

"That's How Vanilla Cake Should Taste"

(or Cupcakes)

1 1/2 cups Sugar

1 cup Oil

3 tsp Vanilla 

3 Eggs, room temperature

whip the first three ingredients, then whip in one egg at a time

2 3/4 cups Flour, cake flour preferable for tenderness, or sift it

1 1/2 tsp Baking Powder

1/2 Baking Soda

1 tsp Salt

whisk together the dry ingredients and mix in in three additions, alternating with the buttermilk

1 1/2 cups Buttermilk, room temperature 

bake at 325 degrees F, for 35 minute or until set - either in two 8" or two 9" spring-form pans

I'm yet to form a fir opinion on which size I like best... 

allow to cool ten minutes on rack before unclipping and removing from pans

let cool and then ice, or wrap up for future decoration

Soon I hope to share a further modification and hopefully transformation of this basic vanilla cake!

The Great Divide Cake!

The idea for this cake came from a coffee drink, by the name Great Divide. 

It's two espressos in hot chocolate with raspberry flavouring.  

Higher Ground Coffee in Kensington in Calgary shall be credited for this amazing coffee. 

It was sooooo good! 

I had to make its equivalent in the form of cake! 

Four layers of tender, moist chocolate cake,

Coffee flavoured whipped butter icing, salted caramel and raspberry preserves sandwiched between,

Topped with chocolate 7 minute frosting and fresh raspberries. 

For the Chocolate Cake: 

160g Flour

300g Sugar

120g Cocoa

2 tsp Baking Powder

1 tsp Baking Soda

1 tsp Salt

1 cup Buttermilk

2/3 cup Hot Coffee

6 tbsp Vegetable Oil

2 Eggs

2 tsp Vanilla

1. Sift dry ingredients together, whisk wet ingredients together, pour wet into dry,

mix until smooth (1 minute) and pour equally into two greased and floured spring-form pans.

2. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes (or until the center has solidified).

The Coffee Icing is just a butter and icing sugar icing flavoured with coffee extract.

The Salted Caramel came from Sweetapolita, found here.

The frosting is from last year and found here.

This should really have been our Valentine's day dessert! 

St. Valentine's or Fasching Cactus?

Success! 

Just a quick post to say:

The buds opened, and they opened wide!

There are only four flowers, but they are huge and colourful. 

Maybe one day I'll get a bloom as vibrant as when I bought it. 

For now I'm quite pleased. 

There's also one more bud which I hope will open in about a week or so...

Happy Belated Valentine's Day!

We wanted a Valentine's Themed cake for the day of love.

I think it turned out very pretty.

Happy Valentine's Day to you! 

Hugs and Kisses!

(for all those anti Valentine's Day people out there, you're sincerely missing the point. 

Valentine's Day is just about love, every kind of it, so enjoy it, embrace it, eat it, whatever! 

I'm sure you love something.)

 The recipe and idea came from Sprinkle Bakes. 

She's not nearly as specific about techniques and tricks as my tried and true, beloved cake genius, Sweetapolita, but she sure makes beautiful creations. 

So why not try?

 We both think cake should be moist. Not just because it's under baked. 

Though I am often accused of baking dough when it comes to cookies 

- but isn't that what cookies are??? - 

Translation: "Are these actually baked?"... 

I think this, in the very important case of cake, has to do with another element: 

Butter versus Oil. 

In my humble opinion, butter gets plenty of accolades for many uses, 

however on the subject of cake (not icing!) 

I feel this is truly oil's place to shine. ;)

P.S. We are eating the berries and the icing. 

But not the cake.

Too dry!

Far-away iPhone/ Close-Up Canon

A couple of views, none of which ever capture the colour of the cloudless sunset or 

the visually shattering, sun-kissed, hue-emblazoned sunrise 

over the edge of the earth's curvature 

as you emerge from the black darkness of night. 

Those are undoubtedly the most pigment rich moments. 

The yellow, turning orange, pink if you're patient and blues... 

What do you call those colours?  

Incandescent lemon-gold, 

Licking flames of wildfire, 

Profound yet transparent azalea technicolour and 

Shades of eternal azure and lapis. 

Cannot pick a favourite. 

All impossible to photograph. So, I've left you with these daytime shots:

Humphrey's Peak - a lone mountain south east of the Grand Canyon, just north of Flaggstaff, AZ

Vancouver - Downtown and North Van separated by shallow morning fog

Cotton Candy - South Dakota, perhaps...

Cancun. The south end of the strip. Runway heading to 4DME, left turn 300, intercept V314 

outbound to OTOMO. It's a better view than the published departures.

On the ramp in Cayo Coco at sunset.

******

On a more Macro note:
I'm trying to develop my green thumb.

Project One:
These are my last two orchid blossoms - photo taken about two weeks ago. 
They're just finishing now.
The leaves and roots appear to be healthy so I'm planning to keep and care 
for the plant in hopes to coax a new set of buds to form... 
It's possible to have this happen up to three times a year I've read, 
but I'll be quite satisfied if I manage this once by October, 
considering the three month duration of the store bought blooms! 

Project Two:
Christmas Cactus. 
I bought this plant over two years ago. It was beautiful and laden with bountiful buds...
I brought it home, naturally, and in the dry climate of the condo and Calgary in general,
 within two days every blossom dried and fell off. 
How sad!

It's a green plant and a cactus so I kept it, figuring at least green is good. 
Maybe I'll not give up.
Before Christmas I happened to have a wee conversation with a lady in the grocery line up regarding Christmas Cactus and re-blooms. I've followed her instructions and they're working!
Just look at those buds!!! 

Breed Specific Yarn!

I discovered WiseWomanHerbals. 

She not only brushes, cards, spins and hand dyes, she also dyes with natural dyes! 

So basically she does everything, because she also knits! 

I want to be able to do that, too!

Just in case we do get a wee little farm, and can keep a few sheep, 

I'm beginning my research for the perfect breed (or breeds) to keep, thanks to Linda, 

the woman behind the Etsy shop where I purchased this yarn.

Babydoll Southdown, Dyed with Japanese Indigo, Worsted Weight, 72 yards

It's quite springy. 

Columbia, Dyed with Marigold and Logwood, DK Weight, 82 yards (Colourway Froggy)

The least soft overall.

Romeldale/CVM, Dyed with Logwood, Sport Weight, 344 yards

It's fairly soft. The two plys began naturally white and grey so the result of the twist is varied.

Wensleydale, Dyed with Onion Skins, Sock or Light Sport Weight, 284 yards

This one is quite silky.

Corriedale, Dyed with Wild Bidens Flowers and Garden Grown Hopi Dye Sunflower Seeds, 

Light Sport Weight, 404 yards 

This is more peachy coloured than it looks, and is also fairly soft.

Do you have a favourite breed specific yarn to knit or spin? 

Have you ever used natural dyes? If so, I'd love to hear about it! 

I'm currently pondering what to knit with each of these skeins (and partial skeins)...

Suggestions are welcome!

What do you think of the sheep?