Week 9: Maple-Pecan Disaster Zone

A month or so ago, I made this ridiculously rich, yummy cake from Sky High: Irresistible Triple-Layer Cakes (story coming later).  It was the first time I had ever baked a cake from scratch.  It was such a success that I thought I'd try another recipe from this book: Maple-Walnut Cake.  Except I hate walnuts.  So I substituted pecans.

Despite the disaster zone issues I detail below, this cake is delicious.  And with the toasted pecans & maple syrup in both the cake & frosting...it just sings fall.

Disaster #1: I managed to put 2 rounds of parchment in pan one, 1 round in pan two, and 0 rounds in pan three. How could I make such an error, you might ask? Seriously, how can you tell the difference between buttered parchment and a buttered pan?  In any case...guess which pan ended up on these plates?

Brett Jr. was extremely concerned as I turned out this layer.  "Mommy! What are you doing to the cake?!"  I was able to turn it around by suggesting we have upside-down cake (frosting on the bottom of our bowls, topped with cake chunks and crumbs).  Brett was suspicious.  But then he ate a bite & gave his standard seal of approval: "It's so good, I can't stop eating."

 

This what the other layers looked like coming out of their parchment-lined pans:

Disaster #2: this frosting was WAY too runny to set.  I could tell the texture was wrong just looking at it, so added an extra 1 1/2 cups of powdered sugar to try to thicken it up.  I also tried refrigerating it for a bit.  I could have easily added another cup or two of powdered sugar without making it too thick, but it definitely would have been too sweet.  So I stopped & used it as-is.  And here's my final 2-layer Maple-Pecan cake with runny maple cream cheese frosting.

You may have to look very closely to detect the subtle differences...but here's what the cake is supposed to look like according to the cookbook:

Lessons learned & recipe thoughts:


1. Adding 2 rounds of parchment to one pan does not make it easier to remove cake from that pan. However, it does make it impossible to remove cake from the pan that has 0 rounds of parchment.

2. Easy cake recipe.

3. Something is very wrong with this frosting recipe.  Or perhaps the recipe is perfect and something is very wrong with the way I made it. Sigh.

Ingredients:

1 1/3 cups walnut halves
3 cups cake flour
1 1/4 cups packed light brown sugar
2 1/4 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 3/4 teaspoons baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 sticks (6 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 1/2 cups pure maple syrup, preferably light amber
1 whole egg
1 egg yolk
1 cup milk

Makes an 8-inch triple-layer cake; Serves 12 to 16

Maple Cream Frosting:

2 sticks (8 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature
2/3 cup maple syrup
12 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
6 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted after measuring

Makes about 4 cups
 
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter three 8-inch round cake pans. Line the bottom of each with a round of parchment or waxed paper and butter the paper.

2. Spread out the walnuts on a small baking sheet and toast in the oven until fragrant and lightly toasted, 7 to 10 minutes. Transfer to a dish and let cool. Leave the oven on. When the nuts are cool, set aside 1/3 cup for garnish. Finely chop the remaining toasted walnuts.

3. Combine the chopped walnuts, flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt in a large mixer bowl. With the mixer on low, blend well. Add the butter and maple syrup and beat until blended. Raise the speed to medium and beat until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.

4. In a medium bowl, whisk together the whole egg, egg yolk, and milk. Add this liquid to the batter in 2 or 3 additions, beating until blended and scraping down the sides of the bowl well after each addition. Divide the batter among the 3 prepared pans.

5. Bake for 32 to 35 minutes, or until a cake tester or wooden toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let the cakes cool in the pans for 10 minutes, then turn out onto wire racks, gently peel off the paper liners, and let cool completely.

6. To assemble the cake, place one cake layer, flat side up, on a cake stand or serving plate. Spread 2/3 cup frosting over the layer, spreading it evenly right to the edge. Repeat with the second layer and another 2/3 cup frosting. Set the third layer on top and frost the top and sides with the remaining frosting, swirling the frosting decoratively with an offset palette knife or the back of a spoon. Garnish with the reserved toasted walnut halves.

Maple Cream Frosting:

1. Place the butter in a wide medium saucepan and melt over low heat. Add the maple syrup, raise the heat to medium-low, and boil for 5 minutes, stirring frequently so the syrup does not burn.

2. Pour the hot maple butter into a heatproof bowl and let cool to room temperature.

3. Place the cream cheese in a large mixing bowl and beat well with an electric mixer to lighten. Gradually add the confectioners' sugar and beat until smooth. Scrape down the bowl well and continue to beat until light and fluffy. Add the maple butter and mix until completely blended.

Week 2: Cinnamon Toast Cupcakes

Okay, so I'm heading back in time to week 2 of my weekly baking obsession.  I was so pleased with the flavor & texture of the mauve velvet cupcakes from week 1, and so intrigued by some of the other recipes* that I decided to try another recipe from Cupcakes from the Cake Mix Doctor.
(*I'm sure this will come as absolutely no surprise to those who know me - I had read the book cover-to-cover before picking which recipe to try. You know, just in case there was another recipe in the cookbook that was even more delicious.)

I picked a few that sounded interesting, but couldn't decide which one to make.  So I left it in Chuck's hands - and he picked Cinnamon Toast Cupcakes.  Aside from marrying me, that may have been the best decision of his life.  Good lord, these were delicious. 

How could you not fall in love with these?

Lessons learned & recipe thoughts:


1. I'd say the only thing that might push these cupcakes above & beyond perfection would be topping them with the chocolate cinnamon cream cheese frosting from week 8's Chocolate Snickerdoodle cake.
 
2. These cupcakes resulted in several coworkers accusing me of being evil.

3. Another super simple recipe.

Cinnamon Toast Cupcakes

Makes 20 to 24 cupcakes

1 package (18.25 ounces) plain yellow cake mix
1 package (3.4 ounces) vanilla instant pudding mix
1 1/4 cups whole milk
3/4 cup vegetable oil
3 large eggs
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon cinnamon sugar for sprinkling (1 Tbsp sugar + 1/4 tsp cinnamon)

1. Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 350°F. Line 24 cupcake cups with paper liners. Set the pans aside.

2. Place the cake mix, pudding mix, milk, oil, eggs, and cinnamon in a large mixing bowl. Blend with an electric mixer on low speed for 30 seconds. Stop the machine and scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Increase the mixer speed to medium and blend 1 1/2 to 2 min­utes more, scraping down the sides again if needed. The batter should look thick and well combined. Spoon 1/3 cup batter into each lined cupcake cup, filling it 3/4 full. (You will get between 20 and 24 cupcakes; remove the empty liners, if any.) Place the pans side by side in the oven.

3. Bake the cupcakes until they are golden and spring back when lightly pressed with your finger, 18 to 22 min­utes. Remove the pans from the oven and place them on wire racks to cool for 5 minutes. Run a dinner knife around the edges of the cupcake liners. Lift the cup­cakes up from the bottoms of the cups using the end of the knife, and pick them out of the cups carefully with your finger­tips. Place them on a wire rack to cool for 15 minutes before frosting.

4. Meanwhile, prepare the Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting.

5. Place a heaping tablespoon of frosting on each cupcake and swirl to spread it out with a short metal spatula or a spoon, taking care to cover the tops completely. Sprinkle the frosting with the cinnamon­ sugar mixture. Place these cupcakes, uncovered or in a cake saver, in the refrig­erator until the frosting sets, 20 minutes. The cupcakes are ready to serve.

Store the cupcakes in a cake saver or under a glass dome at room temperature for up to 3 days or in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.

Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting
Makes 3 cups

1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, at room temperature
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) butter, at room temperature
3 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Place the cream cheese and butter in a large mixing bowl. Blend with an electric mixer on low speed until combined, 30 seconds. Stop the machine. Add the con­fectioners' sugar, a little at a time, blend­ing with the mixer on low speed until the sugar is well incorporated, 1 minute. Add the cinnamon, then increase the mixer speed to medium and blend the frost­ing until fluffy, 1 minute more.

Week...8?: Chocolate Snickerdoodle Cake

So I have a bit of a dilemma on my hands - I started baking weekly treats 7 weeks before I started this blog.  The historian in me wants to keep everything in neat chronological order & gradually catch up to the current week's baking project.  Alright, it's not entirely the historian in me...it's also the OCD tendencies I inherited from both sides of my family (thanks Mom & Dad).  Here's where the dilemma comes in: I worry that if I wait to write about the current baking project until after I've written up all previous projects, I'll forget all the little details that I want to remember the next time I bake this cake.

Enter Chuck, my practical husband.  His suggestion: "how bout you alternate posts between previous & current projects."  Brilliant!  Well, maybe brilliant is too strong a word.  Let's just say, I think that's a great idea.  Let's also just say I'm unlikely to strictly alternate between the two.  In other words: I'm going to write about baking projects in whatever order I feel like.  And you're going to read about them in whatever order you care to.

So - on to week 8: Chocolate Snickerdoodle Cake with chocolate cinnamon cream cheese frosting.  Cinnamon is one of those spices that makes just about every dessert taste better.  And it pairs especially well with chocolate.  I'd like to say that's why I decided to bake this cake.  But here's the real reason - it was Monday night, I felt like baking, but I didn't feel like going to the store to purchase ingredients.  So I opened my pantry & discovered that I had 2 cake mix options: white & devil's food.  I then pulled out two of my go-to quick & easy cake cookbooks: The Cake Mix Doctor and Chocolate from the Cake Mix Doctor.  One of the things I really appreciate in these books is that the author indexes her recipes by name but also by the type of cake mix you're using.  So I flipped to the index of both books & picked a recipe that sounded good.  A couple hours later, I had this:

And 30 minutes after that, I sliced into it:

And 1 minute later, I ate this:

Lessons learned & recipe thoughts:


1. This is seriously one of my favorite frostings ever.  I am already thinking through every other cake & cupcake I've made and pondering whether they might taste better with chocolate cinnamon cream cheese frosting.

2. I only had a "pudding-already-added-to-the-mix" type of cake mix on hand, and it definitely seemed to impact the texture of the final cake.  It was a little crumbly & ever so slightly dry for my taste.

3. As long as layer cakes don't intimidate you (and they shouldn't), this is a very easy recipe.  If you're not up for layer cakes, you can also make this cake in a 9x13 pan.  Just add 3-5 minutes to the baking time.

4. I am very excited to have finally tried out the 99 cent Wilton cake decorating comb I purchased a couple years back while taking the Wilton Cake Decorating Courses (1 through 3!) at my local Michael's craft store.
Here's the recipe from the Cake Mix Doctor:


Ingredients


•1 pkg dark chocolate fudge cake mix (can substitute Devil's Food)

•3/4 cup milk

•3/4 cup oil

•3 large eggs

•2 tsp cinnamoon

•1 tsp vanilla

Frosting:

•1 pkg (8 ounces) light cream cheese, at room temp

•1 stick butter, at room temp

•1/2 cup Dutch-processed cocoa powder [KATIE NOTES: you can substitute regular unsweetened cocoa powder; I prefer to sift my cocoa to remove any lumps]

•1 tsp cinnamon

•1 tsp vanilla

•4 cups powdered sugar (sifted)

Directions

1.Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Generously grease and flour 2 - 9 inch cake pans.

2.Place cake mix, milk, oil eggs, cinnamon, and vanilla in mixing bowl. Blend with mixer for 1 minute. Scrape down sides and beat 2 minutes more.

3.Divide batter evenly between prepared pans.

4.Bake 28 - 32 minutes.

5.Remove from oven and cool 10 minutes. Run a dinner knife around the edge of each layer and invert ont a rack, then invert again onto another rack----so both are right side up. Allow to cool 30 minutes.

6.Meanwhile, place cream cheese and butter in mixing bowl. Blend on low speed 30 seconds. Add cocoa powder, cinnamon, vanilla and 3 3/4 cups sugar. blend with mixer on low speed until all ingredients are moistened, 30 seconds. Add more sugar if frosting seems too thin. Increase the speed to medium and beat until the frosting is fluffy, 2 minutes more. [KATIE NOTE: I prefer to blend my butter & cream cheese for 1-2 minutes before adding other ingredients - makes for a fluffier frosting.]

7.Place one cake layer, right side up, on a serving platter. Spread the top with frosting. Place the second layer, right side up, on top of the first layer and frost the top and sides of the cake.

8.Place this cake, uncovered, in the refrigerator until the frosting sets, 20 minutes. The store at room temp for 3 days or in the refrigerator for 1 week.

Week 1: Mauve Velvet Cupcakes

Several months back, my husband (Chuck) found an amazing cake & cupcake bakery that is less than 5 minutes from our house: Le Sucre Cakes & Cupcakes. How he managed to discover it before me is a total mystery. Nevertheless, I quickly became addicted to their cupcakes. After weeks & weeks of shelling out $2.50 per cupcake, I decided it was time to start baking my own. I was a little trepidatious, as I'd never had much success baking cupcakes in the past (they always stuck to the wrappers and were never as moist or flavorful as I'd like). But I bought a couple cookbooks & took the plunge.

One of my faves at Le Sucre is the red velvet cupcake - a deliciously moist cupcake and a rich cream cheese frosting. So naturally, it was my first victim. Chuck was heading out & about to purchase groceries, and I sent a long cupcake ingredient list with him. I was determined to make Martha Stewart's recipe from her fabulous new cookbook - Martha Stewart's Cupcakes. A couple hours later, Chuck called in dismay - one of the key ingredients (Dutch-processed cocoa) is apparently not sold. Anywhere. Though disappointed, I told Chuck not to worry. I decided to switch over and make the Cake Mix doctor's version from her cookbook - Cupcakes from the Cake Mix Doctor.

Here's my final result: Mauve Velvet cupcakes (sigh)

I decided to Martha Stewart-up my cupcakes by using Martha's cream cheese frosting recipe, and made them extra appealing by topping with mini chocolate chips (who doesn't love a little extra chocolate?):

Final result: yum

Lessons learned & recipe thoughts:

1. Add more red food coloring than you think is edible.

2. Not a fan of the mini chocolate chips in the cupcake batter - some drifted to bottom of cupcakes and added a slightly burnt chocolate flavor to the cupcake.

3. Super simple recipe.

Here's the recipe from the Cake Mix Doctor:

Red Velvet Cupcakes

Cupcakes
24 paper liners for cupcake pans (2 1/2 -inch size)
1 package (18.25 ounces) plain German chocolate cake mix
1 package (3.4 ounces) vanilla instant pudding mix
1 cup sour cream (see "the Cupcake Doctor says")
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 bottle (1 ounce) red food coloring
3 large eggs
1 cup miniature semisweet chocolate chips
White Chocolate Peppermint Cream Cheese Frosting

1. Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line 24 cupcake cups with paper liners. Set the pans aside.

2. Place the cake mix, pudding mix, sour cream, water, oil, food coloring, and eggs in a large mixing bowl. Blend with an electric mixer on low speed for 30 seconds. Stop the machine and scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Increase the mixer speed to medium and beat 2 minutes more, scraping down the sides again if needed. The batter should look thick and well combined. Fold in the chocolate chips. Spoon or scoop N cup batter into each lined cupcake cup, filling it three quarters of the way full. (You will get between 22 and 24 cupcakes; remove the empty liners, if any.) Place the pans in the oven.

3. Bake the cupcakes until they spring back when lightly pressed with your finger, 18 to 20 minutes. Remove the pans from the oven and place them on wire racks to cool for 5 minutes. Run a dinner knife around the edges of the cupcake liners, lift the cupcakes up from the bottoms of the cups using the end of the knife, and pick them out of the cups carefully with your fingertips. Place them on a wire rack to cool for 15 minutes before frosting.

4. Meanwhile, prepare the White Chocolate Peppermint Cream Cheese Frosting.

5. Place a heaping tablespoon of frosting on each cupcake and swirl to spread with a short metal spatula or a spoon, taking care to cover the tops completely. Place these cupcakes, uncovered or in a cake server, in the refrigerator until the frosting sets, 20 minutes. The cupcakes are ready to serve.

Store the cupcakes, in a cake saver or under a glass dome, at room temperature for up to 3 days or in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. Or freeze them, wrapped in aluminum foil or in a cake saver, for up to 6 months. Thaw the cupcakes overnight in the refrigerator before serving.

The Cupcake Doctor Says
Use reduced-fat sour cream, and you'll sacrifice only fat and calories, not flavor. If you can't find plain German chocolate cake mix, buy the pudding in the mix version and forgo the added pudding. For more chocolate flavor, use chocolate pudding mix instead of vanilla, but the cake won't be as red in color.

White Chocolate Peppermint Cream Cheese Frosting
Makes 3 cups, enough to frost 24 cupcakes (2 1/2 inch size) generously
Preparation Time: 10 minutes

6 ounces white chocolate, coarsely chopped
4 ounces (half an 8-ounce package) reduced-fat cream cheese, at room temperature
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) butter, at room temperature
1 teaspoon peppermint extract
2 to 2 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted

1. Place the white chocolate in a small glass bowl in the microwave oven on high power for 1 minute. Remove the bowl from the oven and stir with a wooden spoon or rubber spatula until it is smooth. Set the chocolate aside to cool.

2. Place the cream cheese and butter in a large mixing bowl. Beat with an electric mixer on low speed until well combined, 30 seconds. Stop the machine. Add the melted white chocolate and blend on low speed until just combined, 30 seconds. Add the peppermint extract and 2 cups of the confectioners' sugar and blend on low until the sugar is incorporated, 30 seconds more. Increase the mixer speed to medium and beat until the frosting is fluffy, 1 minute more, adding up to 1/2 cup more sugar if needed to make a spreadable consistency.

Feel free to fold in up to 1/2 cup crushed peppermint candy for a crunchy and creamy frosting!