Ice Cream Parlor Cake

Since it's summer, I thought it would be fun to make an ice cream sundae inspired cake. Plus, I really wanted the excuse to use my new red striped chocolate transfer sheets.

The cake is made up of three 7" round layers. I made mine with 2 layers of vanilla bean cake and one layer of chocolate cake, but it's probably easiest to make one recipe and split it between three pans and baked all at one time. I only had to pans, so I had to make two separate cake recipes.

For the vanilla bean cake:

Ingredients
3 cups sifted cake flour
2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1 tbsp vanilla bean paste or 1 vanilla bean, scraped
6 egg whites
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup water

Sift together the pre-sifted cake flour, baking soda, and salt and set aside. Cream together butter and sugar. Add vanilla and then add in egg whites in 2-3 addition, mixing well. Combine water and sour cream in a separate bowl, whisking together. Add in dry ingredients and wet ingredients, alternating, in two batches. Do not over mix. Separate batter into 3 7" cake pans. Bake for 25 minutes at 350 degrees, or until cake springs back to the touch.

For the Swiss Meringue buttercream:
6 egg whites
1 1/4 cups sugar
4 1/2 sticks unsalted butter
1 tsp vanilla extract

1 package oreos
2 cups fresh strawberries

Create a double boiler and whisk egg whites and sugar continuously over the water bath until sugar is completely melted and mixture reaches 160 degrees on a candy thermometer. Put egg whites and sugar into bowl of stand mixer fitted with whisk attachment and whisk until mixture is thick and shiny and fully cooled. Add in butter piece by piece, mixing well after each addition. Add in vanilla and switch to paddle attachment. Mix for another 2 minutes.

Set aside 2 bowls of 1/2- 2/3 cup of the swiss meringue buttercream.

For the Cookies and Cream filling:

From a regular sized package of oreos, add 1 1/2-2 rows of cookies to a food processor and process until cookies are mostly all crumbs with a few larger pieces. Add 1 cup of oreos to swiss meringue buttercream, using offset spatula. Continue adding more little by little to taste, if desired.

For the Whipped Strawberry filling:

Slice about 12 strawberries in half and to food processor with about 1 tbsp strawberry or raspberry jam. Process using short, quick bursts, so as not to puree strawberries. Add strawberry mixture to swiss meringue buttercream using offset spatula. Set aside.

For the Waffle Cone Chocolate Ganache
Ingredients
3/4 cup semisweet or bittersweet chocolate chips
1 cup heavy cream
2 small waffle bowls (can be purchased at grocery store)

Heat cream in small saucepan over stove top until hot- sides should be bubbly, but mixture should not be boiling. Remove saucepan from heat and stir in chocolate until smooth. Crush up waffle bowls and add to mixture. Place in fridge to cool until thick, but still spreadable.

To assemble:

Cut top layer of cakes off with a sharp knife until each cake layer is flat and of equal size. Place bottom layer on cake circle. Spread cookies and cream frosting onto cake until smooth. Add next cake layer. Spread strawberry frosting onto cake until smooth. Spread ganache onto bottom of third cake layer until smooth. Place last layer on top of the cake.

Once assembled, place cake in fridge for 1-2 hours or in the freezer for 20-30 minutes. Set aside small amount of swiss meringue buttercream for the star border. Tint remaining swiss meringue buttercream to color of your choice. Frost entire cake using offset spatula. Keep in mind that the sides do not need to be frosted perfectly if you are applying a chocolate transfer.

Cut chocolate transfer sheet to appropriate width and height. You will need to tape together 2-3 pieces to fully cover the cake. Spread candy melting wafers or tempered chocolate onto the rough side (food coloring side) or the chocolate transfer in a thin, smooth layer, using an offset spatula. Allow chocolate to set for 5-7 minutes until set, but not fully hard. Apply chocolate transfer to cake with the wet side of the chocolate (non-shiny side) directly on the frosted cake.

Tape the chocolate transfer where the two edges of the sheet meet on the cake. Place cake in the fridge for about 30 minutes so chocolate can fully set. Once set, carefully peel off plastic side of chocolate transfer.

To decorate, I piped a simple star border on to the top and bottom layers of the cake. I made the ice cream cone toppers by cutting the tops of three sugar cones off with a seratted knife. The "ice cream" is made out of balls of fondant, which I placed on top of each cone and add a pressed layer of fondant to the edge of.

For very detailed instructions on how to apply a chocolate transfer to a cake, please see this tutorial. It's actually quite easy to do (it was my first attempt) and it creates such a pretty and special effect. I think it's my new favorite decorating technique.

Happy baking!

Spumoni Cupcakes

This weekend was Mr. Pixie Crust and my one-year wedding anniversary. Time certainly does fly. I really can't express how lucky I feel to have him for a life partner.

Since our honeymoon was in Italy one year ago, I decided to make Spumoni Cupcakes to celebrate. The cake part is chocolate, filled with cherry mousse and a bit of cherry syrup, and topped with pistachio swiss meringue buttercream and a sparkling maraschino cherry.

For the Chocolate Cupcakes:
Makes 24 cupcakes
2 1/4 cups cake flour
2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
2 1/4 cups light brown sugar
3 oz unsweetened baking chocolate.
1 stick unsalted butter
1 tbsp vanilla extract
3 eggs
1 cup sour cream
1 cup boiling water

Sift cake flour and then measure out 2 1/4 cups. Set aside.
Cream butter, sugar, and eggs together until thick and creamy. Add in melted baking chocolate (you can melt in microwave or in a double boiler) and mix thorough. Add in vanilla extract. Add salt and baking soda last.

Add cake flour to batter, alternating with sour cream. Once combined, stop mixer. Add in cup of boiling water and stir by hand to combine. Fill cupcake liners 3/4 way full and bake at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes. Cupcakes are done when they spring back to the touch. Set aside to cool.

For the Cherry Puree:

Using a blender, puree one cup of maraschino cherries, or another type of cherries. I combined Morello cherries with maraschino cherries. Add a few tablespoons of juice to the cherries so they puree easier. Pour through a fine mesh sieve. Set aside.

For the Cherry Mousse filling:
1/2 cup sugar
3 large egg yolks (set whites aside for buttercream)
3 tbsp cherry puree
1 1/4 cups chilled whipping cream
1 tsp almond or amaretto extract
1 tsp cherry extract (if available)
Pink food coloring

Whisk sugar, yolks, and cherry puree in large metal bowl. Set bowl over saucepan of simmering water (do not allow bowl to touch water); whisk until candy thermometer registers 160°F, about 3 minutes. Remove bowl from over water. Using electric mixer, beat egg mixture until completely cool and thick, about 5-6 minutes.

Beat cream and extracts in another large bowl until stiff peaks form. Fold cream mixture into egg mixture and add in food coloring.

For the Pistachio Swiss Meringue Buttercream:
4 egg whites
1 cup granulated sugar
3 sticks unsalted butter
2 tsp (or more to taste) pure almond extract
2-3 tbsp pistachio paste
Green food coloring

Combine egg whites and sugar in a large mixing bowl. Place mixing bowl over a simmering saucepan of water to create a double boiler. Continuously whisk sugar and egg white mixture until it reaches 160 degrees. Remove from heat and place in bowl of stand mixer fitted with whisk attachment. Mix on medium-high until mixture is thick and fully cooled. Add in butter piece by piece. Once fully combined, switch to paddle attachment and mix for an additional 2-3 minutes. Add in pistachio paste, almond extract, and food coloring- mix well until combined.

To assemble the cupcakes:
Once cupcakes are fully cooled, core out the center of each one using a paring knife. Fill each cupcake halfway with cherry mousse, using a pastry bag. Pour tsp of cherry puree on top of mousse, fill with another layer of mousse until it reaches the top of the cupcake. I also added some dark chocolate shavings to the top, but this isn't necessary. Once all cupcakes are filled, top with swiss meringue buttercream and chocolate sprinkles. Lastly, top each cupcake with a maraschino cherry (pat dry before using) and sprinkle cherry and top of cupcake with edible disco dust.

Nesting Baby Bird Cupcakes

I made these Nesting Baby Bird Cupcakes, originally featured on Martha Stewart, recently for a baby shower by special request. To make these adorable and fairly simple cupcakes, first bake a batch of your favorite cupcakes- I made mine chocolate filled with caramel and topped with vanilla swiss meringue buttercream.

You will need a bag of shredded coconut, a batch of swiss meringue buttercream (this is the best icing to use because it has a stable consistency for decorating), disposable pastry bags, some melted chocolate, toothpicks, and an Ateco #349 leaf tip (for the beaks) and #11 plain round tip (for the heads).

For the Toasted Coconut Nests:

Spread 3 cups of shredded coconut on a baking sheet. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees and bake for 10-12 minutes, or until toasted and tan colored (it smells amazing!). Use a spatula to flip coconut to ensure even toasting. Set aside to cool.

For the Swiss Meringue Buttercream:
1 cup sugar
4 egg whites
3 sticks unsalted butter (a bit colder than room temp)
1 tbsp vanilla extract

Heat sugar, egg whites, and salt in a heatproof mixer bowl set over a pan of simmering water, whisking until sugar dissolves and mixture registers 160 degrees on a candy thermometer.

Return bowl to mixer, and whisk, gradually increasing speed from low to medium-high, until stiff, glossy peaks form, about 10 minutes. Reduce speed to medium. Add butter, a few pieces at a time, whisking well after each addition. Whisk in vanilla. Switch to a paddle attachment and beat until air bubbles are gone, 2 to 3 minutes more.

Set aside 1/2 of the buttercream in another bowl to be spread on top of the cupcakes.

Split the other 1/2 into another two parts (you can set aside a larger portion for the blue) and dye one part golden yellow and the other part light blue.

Scoop blue buttercream into pastry bag fitted with round tip. Scoop yellow buttercream into pastry bag fitted with leaf tip.

To assemble:

Spread icing onto each cupcake. Sprinkle coconut onto edges of cupcakes.
Using blue buttercream in pastry bag fitted with round tip, pipe 3 3/4 inch rounds (they should touch) onto the center of each cupcake. Try to pipe in one fluid motion, otherwise the heads will look wrinkly instead of smooth. Also, try not to touch the middle/bottom of the pastry bag, or else the buttercream will begin to get runny and the piping will be frustrating.

After all of the bird heads are piped, use the yellow buttercream in pastry bag fitted with leaf tip to pipe beaks onto each head. You will need to position the tip vertically in order for the beaks to be facing the right direction. Try to do swift, elongated motions (if that makes sense) when piping the beaks to attain the right shape and size.

Lastly, melt chocolate and apply "eyes" with the pointed end of a toothpick.

After your cupcakes are directed, place in the fridge until close to serving time. Swiss meringue buttercream does not crust, but it becomes very hard in the fridge, which preserves any designs made with it. You should allow the cupcakes to rest at room temperature so that the buttercream softens again when it's time to serve them.

Here are some of my decorating tips I came up with in the process...

TIP 1:
I found it easiest to first sprinkle the coconut onto the edges of the cupcake and then add any extra coconut after piping the bird heads, if necessary. It was hard for me to add all of the the coconut after the birds were already piped on because the sharp ends of the toast coconut made little scratches in their heads.

TIP 2:
I also found that I could get into a good rhythm by piping all of the heads onto the cupcakes first and then piping on the beaks. I added the chocolate eyes with toothpicks last.

Tip 3:
Practice your piping for a good 15 minutes until you're satisfied with the results. The best part is, if you're really unhappy with how the baby birds turn out on a cupcake, it's not that big of a deal to scrape the icing off and re-do them.

Alice in Wonderland Part 2

Here are the official lovely photos from Jennifer Jasso's daughter's Alice in Wonderland themed 1st birthday party. All photos are by Jennifer Jasso.

At the end of the photos, see directions for the fondant decorations in the photos.

Fondant Decoration Tips:

I used marshmallow fondant tinted in various shades for all of the decorations. Edible food pins were used to add details to the tea cups, clocks, playing cards and Mad Hatter hats.

Marshmallow Fondant Recipe:

-4 cups mini marshmallows
-4 cups confectioners sugar
-2 tbsp water

Combine the marshmallows and water in a microwave safe bowl and microwave for 30 seconds. If the marshmallows are not fully melted when stirred, microwave for another 15-30 seconds. Stir marshmallow until completely smooth and if possible, add food coloring at this stage (kneading in the food coloring after making a white batch certainly works, but is messy and kind of a pain in the butt). Add powdered sugar until it will not mix any longer. Knead with hands and continue to add powdered sugar until mixture is a play-doh consistency and is no longer sticky.

To roll out, sprinkle confectioners sugar on a clean, flat surface and roll with a plastic fondant pin.

Mad Hattar Hats:

A marshmallow was wrapped in green fondant and then I added a circular disc of fondant to the bottom of the marshmallow with a bit of buttercream. I wrote the 10/6 on a small square of white fondant and attached this to the hat with buttercream as well.

Tea Cups:

I'm pretty positive there is an easier way of creating tea cups from fondant, but I basically used a "pinch pot" method until I had the right size and smoothness. These were very time consuming. I then rolled a small snake of fondant and attached it to create the handle.

Clocks:

These were very simple. I cut out circles of white fondant and drew on a yellow rim around the clock with an edible food pen. Edible food pens were also used to draw on the clock's dashes and numbers.

Playing Cards:

These were also pretty easy. I cut out small, thick rectangles from white rolled fondant and drew the numbers and suits on with edible food pen.

NOTE: Prior to drawing and fondant and using on cupcake, allow to dry to a sturdy consistency.

Harry Potter Cupcakes: Pumpkin cake filled with homemade butterscotch

Most of you probably don't know how much I LOVE Harry Potter and children's literature in general.  I am truly a fan of the books and a big admirer of J.K. Rowling.  For Part 2 of Deathly Hallows, my husband and I unfortunately could not make it to the midnight showing of the film because it was a crazy busy weekend, but we did take our first trip to Whimsic Alley, an amazing Harry Potter themed shop in Los Angeles.  I purchased a Gryffyndor cardigan and Ali got a Gryffyndor tie.  Not only do they have a wand area, a clothing area (complete with actual robes) and a bunch of other really awesome merchandise, but the store looks just like Diagon Alley and has a Great Hall for Potter themed parties (is 26 too old to have a birthday there?)

For these cupcakes inspired by Harry Potter, I wanted the flavors to reflect foods common to the Wizarding world.  I know we're smack dab in the middle of summer, but since they often drink Pumpkin Juice and Butterbeer in the books, I decided to do a combination of pumpkin and butterscotch.  These cupcakes are pumpkin flavored cake filled with homemade butterscotch sauce and topped with cinnamon brown sugar swiss meringue buttercream.

For the Pumpkin Cupcakes:

1 1/2 cups AP flour
1 1/2 cups Cake flour
3 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter
3 large eggs
1 tbsp pumpkin pie spice
2 tsp cinnamon
1 1/2 cups brown sugar
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 1/4 cups pumpkin puree
1/4 cup water

Sift cake flour, AP flour, baking powder and spices together and set aside. Cream butter and brown/white sugars together by beating with paddle attachment of stand mixer for 3-4 minutes. Add in eggs one at a time. Add 1/2 of dry ingredients, alternating with pumpkin puree and water. Mix until well combined.

Fill cupcake liners 2/3 way full with batter and bake at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes, or until cupcakes spring back to touch.

For Butterscotch sauce filling (recipe courtesy of Smitten Kitchen):

1 stick unsalted butter
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup heavy cream
1 1/4 tsp sea salt
1 tbsp vanilla extract

Melt butter in a medium heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium heat. Add the sugar, cream and salt and whisk until well blended. Bring to a very gentle boil and cook for about five minutes, whisking occasionally. Whisk in the vanilla after sauce is removed from heat.

Place sauce in fridge until cooled.

For the Brown Sugar Cinnamon Swiss Meringue Buttercream:

4 egg whites
1 cup brown sugar
3 sticks unsalted butter
1 tbsp vanilla
3 tsp cinnamon

Simmer water in medium sized saucepan. Combine egg whites and brown sugar in large heat resistant mixing bowl and place mixing bowl inside of saucepan (DO NOT allow water to enter mixing bowl). Whisk continuously until sugar is fully dissolved and mixture is slightly foamy and bubbly (should register 160 degrees on a candy thermometer).

Place mixing bowl on stand mixer with whisk attachment. Beat on high for several minutes until mixture is thick and whipped, like meringue. Once mixture is fully cool, beat in butter one piece at time, mixing well after each addition. After all butter is added, switch to a paddle attachment and beat for an additional 2-3 minutes. Add in the vanilla extract and cinnamon and beat to combine.

To assemble:

Once cupcakes are fully cooled, core out the center of each one with a small paring knife. Pipe cooled butterscotch into the center of each cupcake. Once all cupcakes are filled, pipe buttercream on top of each cupcake.

For the fondant decorations:

I used Harry Potter "temporary tattoo kits"to make these edible decorations, which are really rubber stamps that come with "temporary tattoo ink."  The stamp kits can be purchased directly from Whimsic Alley's website.  To use, apply ink from edible food pens (you could also use food coloring mixed with some alcohol or vanilla, but the food pens are super easy because you can apply them directly on the stamp and the color dries really quickly) and stamp just like you would on a piece of paper.

For the Hogwarts Crests:

• Draw a crest shape on a piece of thick card stock and cut it out with scissors.  HINT: If you're unhappy with the way your crest comes out, you can print a picture of an appropriate sized crest from the internet.   
• Place the card stock crest on top of a piece of rolled white fondant and cut along the edges of the crest with a sharp paring knife. 
• Allow the crests to dry until they are easy to draw on (give it at least a couple of hours).  Once they are dry, draw a cross through the center of the crest diagonally and horizontally in orange. 
• Fill in each section of the crest with the appropriate colors using food pens (this is also why the food pens are a more convenient tool than food coloring). You could make red, blue, green, and yellow fondant and cut it to fit the crest. 
• Once the colors are dry, add black edible ink to Hogwarts Crest stamp and press firmly onto the crest.  Fill in any gaps or sparse areas with the black pen.

For the HP logo discs:

• Create a batch of fondant in your choice of color (I used a mixture of Americolor yellow, orange and gold to create mine)
• Roll out fondant and cut into disc shapes (you don't have to use an actual fondant/gumpaste cutter- I used the top of one of my spice containers because I liked the size)
• Allow each disc to dry for 1-2 hours or overnight before writing on them
• Apply edible black ink to "HP" logo stamp and press firmly into disc.  Fill in any gaps/sparse areas with black pen.

For the Snitches:

• Create a batch of gold colored fondant and white fondant
• Trace wing shape onto a piece of card stock and cut out to use as a stencil
• Cut out wings from white fondant
• Roll gold fondant into small balls
• Allow the snitch balls and wings to dry 
• Apply wings to snitch body by using a bit of melted white chocolate or buttercream

Down the Rabbit Hole

This weekend I made Alice in Wonderland cupcakes and cookies for an Alice themed birthday. It was a lot of work, but fun for me because I was an Alice fanatic growing up (and I still am a little bit). I have an enormous collection of snow globes, porcelain figurines, dolls, etc.

And I must say that it's a good thing that I love Alice almost as much as Harry Potter because doing these cupcakes and cookies caused me to have to see the movie next week instead of opening night AND postpone a pending Potter pastry extravaganza (you'll see- it'll be good).

More photos and instructions are to come! Happy weekend to all! I hope all my fellow Angelenos avoided Carmageddon.

Funfetti Button Cupcakes

I love all things vintage and kitschy cool. At my husband and my wedding last year (it'll be one year on August 13th!) we had hanging mason jars on the aisle ways that held buttons and homegrown flowers. It was my aunt's idea, who did the arrangements. My other aunt grew the majority of the flowers in her backyard and drove them down from Napa, CA to Orange County, CA in an ice chest! It was amazing.

These cupcakes pay homage to those buttons (pictured below). They are also dedicated to Liam "Yellowbirddd" McCormick, Ali's (aka Mr. Pixie Crust) best man, who probably appreciated this wedding detail the most! :)

Wedding photography by Marc Olivier.





The circular buttons were made by cutting circles out of colored fondant and punching holes with a toothpick. The flower buttons were made with Mercken's candy wafers and a button chocolate mold from Bake-it-Pretty.

For the Funfetti Cupcakes (makes 36 mini cupcakes or 12 regular cupcakes)
Ingredients
3/4 cups AP Flour
3/4 cups cake flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 stick unsalted butter, softened
Scant cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
1/2 cup sour cream
2 tbsp whole milk
1/2 cup rainbow sprinkles

Sift all of the dry ingredients together. Set aside. Cream sugar and butter together until light and fluffy. Add in eggs, one at a time. Add 2/3 flour mixture to wet ingredients and mix just until almost combined. Add in the milk and sour cream. Add in the remaining flour mixture and mix until combined. Stir in rainbow sprinkles.

Bake at 350 degrees for about 15-20 minutes, or until cupcakes spring back to the touch.

For the French Buttercream
-1 cup sugar
-1/3 cup water
-2 eggs
-3 sticks unsalted butter
-2 tsp vanilla extract

Place eggs in mixer and mix with whisk attachment until foamy. Meanwhile, place water and sugar in a small sauce pan over medium heat, stirring. Continue boiling until mixture reaches 240 degrees on a candy thermometer. Pour hot syrup into eggs as mixer is running. Make sure to pour slowly and aim for the center of the bowl. Continue whipping until mixture is fully cooled. Add butter a piece at a time, mixing well after each addition. Once butter is all added, switch to a paddle attachment and beat for another 2 minutes or so.