Monkey Boy Cake

Today I delivered a 3-tiered cake for baby Aiden's first birthday.  His mom Jen works at Skidmore, in another office, and we met a few weeks ago for lunch to talk about the cake.  She envisioned three tiers and gave me one of his party invitations for inspiration.  I would be using it as a reference for color and design.

Aiden is a beautiful little boy, and it was a pleasure to make this cake for his special day.  Jen requested almond cake for the bottom tier, chocolate cake for the middle, and white cake for the top tier.  I have good recipes for chocolate and white cakes, but hadn't made an almond cake in years, if ever (can't remember one!).  I searched the internet for good recipes and found a highly-rated one on allrecipes.com.  It uses a cake mix as a base, but there's much more added, so I consider it more scratch than not.  I didn't adapt it at all, since I trusted the reviews.  The cake baked high and firm, and when I trimmed the tops to level, realized that it was an incredibly moist cake, probably because of the addition of sour cream.  The almond flavor was obvious but subtle and not at all overpowering.  It had the classic flavor of a white wedding cake, when wedding cakes were all white and flavored with almond (the '60s?)...  Anyway, with the addition of my buttercream frosting and some artsy fondant work, Monkey Boy came together nicely, I think!

Henry was my assistant today, and he had his own ball of fondant to play with as I made my creations.  He came along as we took the 1/2 hour drive to deliver the cake to Aiden.  I was driving as if I had a 3-tiered cake in the back of my car (which I did), slow and steady, which lulled Henry.  He was sound asleep as I pulled into the driveway.  Still, it was nice having him come along.  He's an excellent assistant, even if it means clean-up time, upon returning home, takes twice as long!

ALMOND CAKE
from allrecipes.com
Oven 325 degrees Farenheit


INGREDIENTS:

1 (18.25 ounce) package white cake mix
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup white sugar
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/3 cups water
1 cup sour cream
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 teaspoon almond extract
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 egg whites

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Grease and flour an 11x13 inch cake pan.
2. Stir together the white cake mix, flour, sugar, and salt in a large bowl until well mixed. Pour in the water, sour cream, vegetable oil, almond and vanilla extracts, and egg whites, and beat with an electric mix on low until all the ingredients are mixed and moistened but some lumps still remain, 4 minutes.
3. Pour the batter into the prepared cake pan, and bake in the preheated oven until the top is a light golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean, about 25 minutes. Allow to cool before frosting.

Lots to Celebrate this Labor Day

On this Labor Day, I am grateful to have a day off from work.  I am grateful that my daughters Meghan and Tricia are within just a few hours of home after a 5-day cross-country drive from southern California.  Pretty sure I haven't had one good night's sleep since they started this journey, with my phone by my head just in case. I am grateful for having a 3-day weekend to spend with my boys, now ages 4 1/2 and almost 2 (Pete's birthday is in October, and we're already trying to decide what cake he will have!).   I am grateful that Russ was here for even a short while since it's been too long since we've had any time together, though he had to leave too soon.  I am grateful to have had breakfast this morning with my lovely friend Claire.  We went to Compton's on Broadway in Saratoga Springs and were lucky to get a table at 9 a.m.  When we left, there was a line out the door onto the sidewalk.  I had a Mexican omelet and it was really very good.  I am low-carbing it these days, in anticipation of Tricia's wedding in 6 weeks!  It was  HARD to say no to toast and  home fries, but I did it.  I can do this for at least six weeks, and maybe beyond.  Quite a challenge for a baker, I must say!

I am also grateful that my friend Tina loved the cake I baked for her family's party last night -- a white cake with buttercream frosting, both with just a hint of lemon extract.  When I delivered the cake, Tina said that was just right since a friend was bringing lemon sorbet and blueberries to the party.  What a perfect dessert for an end-of-summer celebration!

Here are a few photos of Tina's cake as it came together, followed by recipes so you can make one yourself if so inclined! I took these photos with my Windows phone - I'm getting used to the settings, so I hope my photos get better as I go along!

Simple White Cake
(loosely adapted from allrecipes.com)

Prepare pans:  Butter and line bottom of 8" round pans with parchment or waxed paper.   Butter parchment paper.  Lightly dust with flour.

1 cup white sugar
1/2 cup butter
3 eggs, separated
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 teaspoon lemon extract
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 3/4 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 cup buttermilk (or 3/4 cup milk with 2 teaspoons vinegar - let sit for a couple of minutes)

In large bowl of electric mixer, beat egg whites until stiff but not dry.  Set aside.

In another large bowl of electric mixer, beat sugar and butter for five minutes, scraping bowl occasionally.  Add egg  yolks, one at a time, and vanilla. 

Mix together flour and baking powder.  Add alternately with buttermilk and mix until completely incorporated.  Gently fold in egg whites, about a third at a time, until completely mixed in.  The goal is to lighten the batter, so don't overdo it.

Divide batter into 2 8" round pans and bake at 350 degrees F until done, about 30 minutes or until center springs back.  Do not over bake. Let cool in pans for 20 minutes.  Remove from pan and continue cooling on wire racks.  If you're not frosting the cake the same day, wrap cooled layers in plastic wrap.

Light Lemon Buttercream Frosting
(I doubled the recipe for a 2-layer, 10-inch round, decorated cake)

1/4 cup soft butter
1/4 cup vegetable shortening
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon lemon extract
1 lb. confectioners sugar
1/4 cup milk, plus more if needed

In large mixer bowl, cream butter with shortening.  Add extracts.  At lowest speed, mix in sugar, pouring in milk as you go.  Once the milk is incorporated, beat for a minute.  If it needs more milk, add a few drops at a time until the frosting is of spreading consistency.  It could take a few tablespoons or just a few drops.  You have to judge for yourself.  Be sure to add additional milk sparingly, because you can always add more, but you can never take it out once it gets too soft.  I keep the frosting white, but if you'd like to add a drop or two of  yellow food coloring, that'd be nice too!

(If you plan to pipe decorations on the cake, a little-bit firmer frosting for piping is better.)

Happy Labor Day to everyone!   Hope you are relaxed, with family and friends, and enjoying great food!!!