Subway Sub Cake

Hello, all! This new cake here reminds me of the many years I spent working in a deli. It all started when I worked at Schlotzksy's Deli for about four years (my first job), then I also worked in the deli department at Harris Teeter (a grocery store chain on the east coast). I must say, making this cake was much more fun than putting together a real sandwich!

I started with a marble cake baked in a quarter sheet pan. I cut the cake in half lengthwise to create a top bun and a bottom bun. I iced the bottom bun in a light brown buttercream (just a basic vanilla) and also iced the top, so that the "toppings" would have something to stick to. I cut up little pieces of pink "ham" and folded it over like they do at Subway (or most delis, really). Then added a layer of buttercream for "mayonnaise."

Then I rolled out green fondant and shredded it up to represent my lettuce.

Next came the tomato slices. I rolled out 1/4-inch thick red fondant and cut whole circles. Then I cut the circles in half and used a Wilton tip 101 to add seed detail.

I added a couple of "yellow American" slices (brushed with vanilla flavor to give it a shine) and I was ready to put the top bun on.

I also added some brown food coloring the edges of the ham!

As for the board, I covered it in Subway paper, but I also glued a crumpled wrapper on it to make the cake appear like a freshly-opened sammich.

Even though those deli jobs weren't my favorite, I met a lot of awesome people that I'm still in touch with, and that's much more important. :)

Day of the Dead Cake!

Hello, all! As some of you may know, October 31st through November 2nd is deemed El Dia de Los Muertos (or Day of the Dead). It's a holiday of Mexican origin that focuses on remembering loved ones that have passed. One big (and recognizable) characteristic of this holiday is the intricately-decorated sugar skull.

I wanted to capture that in my Beloved's birthday cake, since his birthday is so close to Halloween and the Day of the Dead celebration. After looking up many different beautiful designs, I settled on a red and black style that incorporated scroll work and spider webs. I started with a basic chocolate cake and filled it with cookies and cream (Oreos crushed up and mixed into vanilla buttercream). Yum!

I also wanted to add a topping of ganache, so I looked up a recipe and got to work! I started with 12 ounces of semi sweet chocolate chips in a bowl and 1 cup of heavy cream on medium high in a saucepan.

Then I waited until the cream came to a boil...

Then I poured the boiling cream onto the chocolate chips!

 And I stirred until the chocolate completely melted and had a glossy finish.

Yum!

 I ran the ganache through a strainer just to get the little bits out.

Then I poured the chocolate over the cake that I had put the scroll detail on already.

I added a fondant sugar skull on top, some white chocolate numbers, and it was ready to be devoured by my Betrothed!

He loved it!

And so did everyone else at the party! :)

Mmmm so good with vanilla ice cream

Braaaaains (and Eyeballs)

My Betrothed had his birthday this past Friday (more on that later), so I decided to make him some delicious cuppin' cakes for the occasion. And why not make them Halloween-themed? I baked up some vanilla-almond cupcakes and whipped up some vanilla buttercream, and got to work on making brains and eyeballs!

The eyeballs were flat-iced then I added green for the iris and red for veins. I finished off with a black pupil. For the brains, I mixed up a brownish pink brainy color and used a Wilton tip 5 to freehand the folds. To divide the two "hemispheres," I ran a warm spatula down the middle.

The cupcakes were a definite hit! Perhaps the next time I make these, I should add a gooey filling. Mwahahaha! *cough* *ahem* Anyhoo...

These cupcakes inspire me to be an awesome zombie next year. I'm talking eyeball hanging off and a huge open wound on my throat and greenish. Ahh, yes... Stay tuned for that one!

Have a fun but safe Halloween, everyone!

Pumpkin Cupcakes with Vanilla-Ginger Buttercream

Hello, all! I've returned with yet another pumpkin recipe (trust me-there will be more to come). This came up out of my love for all things pumpkin, which stretches back to my childhood. I actually have my mom to thank for introducing me to this delicious gourd. Every Thanksgiving, she'd make pumpkin muffins, and since the first bite, I was fascinated by them-- and their ability to stain surfaces orange. After that, I wanted to eat other things with pumpkin: pies, cakes, ice cream, scones, lattes, anything. So it's only natural that I also love the spices that help enhance the pumpkin flavor. Cinnamon, nutmeg, clove, and in this case-- ginger! I started with the Pumpkin Spice Cake recipe I used last year. I used the full recipe so I could make a few cupcakes and two 6-inch layers (more of that later).

While those were baking, I made the Vanilla- Ginger Buttercream.

• 1/2 c shortening
• 1/2 c (1 stick) butter, room temp
• 2 tsp vanilla
• dash salt
• 2 tsp ground ginger
• 4-5 c powdered sugar
• 2-3 Tbsp milk

1) Cream butter and shortening then add vanilla, salt, and ginger.
2) Add sugar, 1 cup at a time, beating on medium speed.
3) Add milk 1 tablespoon at a time and beat on high until completely blended.

And voila!

Like my cute little fondant pumpkin?

These cupcakes were amazingly delicious and deliciously amazing. I must say, these cupcakes have left a huge orange stain on my heart. :)

Celebrating Fall: Pumpkin Crunch Cake

 Fall may have started last week, but I have yet to make a delicious confection with my favorite fall flavor-- pumpkin!-- until now. I decided to make my first pumpkin treat something both gooey and crunchy: a pumpkin crunch cake! My Bestie, Ashley, passed this recipe along to me a while ago. I'm so glad she keeps an eye out for pumpkin recipes for me. :) This recipe is similar to the Pumpkin Gooey Butter Cake I made last year, but this calls for the cake mix to be sprinkled on top of the pumpkin mixture-- along with yummy pecans!

• 1 box yellow or white cake mix (I used white)
• 1 -15 oz can pumpkin puree
• 1- 12 oz can evaporated milk
• 3 large eggs
• 1 1/2 c sugar
• 1 Tbsp pumpkin pie spice (or 1 tsp cinnamon if you don't have pumpkin pie spice)
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 c chopped pecans ( or kick it up to 1 1/2 if you're feeling nutty heh heh... yea... anyways!)
• 1c (2 sticks ) butter, melted

1) Heat oven to 350 and grease a 9 x 13 pan.
2) Mix pumpkin, milk, eggs, sugar, spices, and salt.

 3) Pour mixture into the greased pan.

 4) Sprinkle dry cake mix over the pumpkin mixture and top with pecans.

5) Drizzle melted butter over the pecans (Paula would be proud!)

 6) Bake 50-55 minutes.

I allowed this to cool for at least an hour before cutting a piece (the wait was torturous!) I slathered it in whipped cream and snarfed it down! *ahem* I mean, I added a dollop of whipped cream savored every little lady-like forkful. :)

Yum!

Banana Cupcakes with Peanut Butter Buttercream

 Hello, all! As you may already know, fall has finally arrived and I am so excited!! Not only is it my favorite season, but it also means everything will be pumpkin-flavored! So there will be many, many pumpkin recipes coming soon!

So I had a banana lying around (OK well, I stole it off of Roger's bunch), and I decided to make just enough cupcakes for that one banana (which is about 9). I found a recipe for banana cupcakes and cut everything in half. This is the whole recipe:

• 1/2 c shortening
•  1 1/2 c sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1c mashed bananas (about 2 bananas)
• 1/4c buttermilk*
• 2c all purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 3/4 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• **1/2 tsp cinnamon and 1/4 tsp nutmeg** (I added this and it's delicious!)

1) Cream shortening and sugar.

2) Add eggs, vanilla, bananas, and buttermilk.
3) Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Add to the banana mixture.

4) Bake at 350 for 15-20 minutes. Insert a butter knife in order to determine doneness.

They look a bit overfilled, so I'll make 9 next time

Meanwhile, I made a Martha Stewart recipe for peanut butter buttercream (yields one cup-- perfect for this amount of cupcakes!)

• 2/3 c peanut butter
• 8 Tbsp (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
• 3/4 c confectioner's sugar
• fine salt (like popcorn salt)

1) Cream peanut butter and butter on high speed using the paddle attachment.
2) On low speed, mix in the sugar until combined, then beat the mixture on high until fluffy (about 3 minutes).
3) Add salt to taste.

Yum!!

  And when the cupcakes and this buttercream are combined...

... something delicious and magical happens! These are amazing! My Betrothed (who is a huge fan of bananas and peanut butter) loved them! So these recipes are definite keepers! I can't wait to pair these banana cupcakes with other buttercream recipes (cream cheese? salted caramel? Brown butter?). Stay tuned!

Ah, yes. About that pesky asterisk up there...

*I didn't have buttermilk on hand when I was making this recipe, but I did have milk and lemons, so this is a way to make buttermilk for baking: Combine 1/2 cup of milk (I had 2% and it worked fine) and 1 tablespoon of fresh lemon juice. Let sit for 15 minutes, and voila! You have buttermilk!

Cupcakes for Two! (Or one)

My ultimate goal in life is to run my own bakery. To start, I need to come up with intriguing flavor combinations, and I have pages full of ideas! But I don't want to make a huge batch of cupcakes, so I looked up some small-batch baking recipes and found this recipe for just two cupcakes.

• 1 egg white (** I sued about 1/2 to 3/4 because I had large eggs**)
• 2 Tbsp melted butter
• 1/4 c flour
• pinch of salt
• 1 1/2 Tbsp milk
• 2 Tbsp sugar
• 1 tsp (yes, one whole teaspoon!) vanilla extract
• 1/4 heaping tsp baking powder

1) Preheat oven to 350 and place two cupcake liners in the center two cups of a cupcake pan.
2) In a bowl, whisk the egg white and sugar together, until combined.
3) Add vanilla and melted butter and mix well.
4) Add flour, baking powder, and salt. Stir until smooth.
5) Stir in milk then bake for 15-20 minutes (or until a butter knife inserted comes out clean)

I attempted this recipe twice because the first time, my cupcakes came out rubbery and egg-y. Ew. The next time, I did not use all of the egg white. (This is probably due to my use of large-size eggs). I also made sure my baking powder was seriously heaping!

Yaaay! So round and awesome!

Decorate any way you wish!

 This recipe is a perfect idea if you want just enough cupcake to share with someone else or to eat all alone with little guilt! In my case, I would usually eat both. However, Roger (my Beloved) is quite fortunate this evening, for he will be coming home from work to see this:

I felt generous today. :)