My Day - Cars, Ovens, and Oranges

I was looking forward to a heavy baking end-of-the-week as it was, with three cakes and a few dozen cookies in the line-up.  Then my car decided to stop. Just stop.  Wouldn't budge.  So I used my cell phone's roadside assistance option and had it towed to the service station, hoping it wouldn't be out of commission too long, since I am just too busy to be side-lined!  Well, it is out of commission, and continues to be.  And I AM side-lined...  Looks like an alternator issue.  The brand-new battery didn't solve the problem.  Thank God for my daughter Katie,who filled in as emergency-chauffeur and, along with Henry and Peter, followed me around to AC Moore, Target, and  Hannaford as I collected all the necessary bits and pieces for three very important cakes that are being baked for Saturday.  We did fit in a trip to Friendly's for "lunch" at 5:30 for Henry who was apparently very upset that he didn't get to have lunch with me at noon due to his baby brother's unfortunate and unexpected car sickness!  He and Pete were very good boys, and were rewarded with dessert (see photo).  ANYWAY...after all that, I found I needed to go out again last night, and my son-in-law Bill took me for a ride in his truck to Saratoga, which from where we live is not a 10-minute spin.  It's more of a 40-minute commitment, and I really appreciated his help.  There's a loaf of banana bread in it for him, just because!

Pete thought Henry's "monster" ice cream was more interesting....

Cake number one is for my soon-to-be niece-in-law Kristin's bridal shower in Saratoga Springs.  the shower is being graciously hosted by a friend of my sister Anne's family, Sue, and I am very excited to 1) see Kristin and everyone, 2) wish Kristin and my nephew Jack every happiness, and 3) make the very best cake I can for her!  Cakes for family are especially meaningful and I am honored to be baking her shower cake.  I haven't decided yet how exactly I'll be decorating it. It's a marble cake and I will be making pretty fondant flowers, to be determined!

Cake number two is for Harvey, who is celebrating his 85th birthday.  My sister-in-law Lynn, Harvey's daughter, asked if I'd make the cake (after completely forgetting to make her granddaughter Katie's 1st Communion cake last weekend - I'm still not over it! A mad dash to Hannaford with a substitute cake was the best I could do at the very last second.  It appears I am either over-committed or overwhelmed, or both!).  For Harvey's cake, I am making the same recipe that Harvey's wife Audrey used to make for him, his favorite, an orange cake with orange buttercream frosting.  Harvey's been a widower for some time now, and certainly misses his wife and her wonderful baking.  I hope this cake does her justice.  I used a whole orange's rind in the batter, as well as its juice, and it smells so light and fresh.  The recipe follows at the end of this post.

pretty orange

Cake number three is for another bride.  Her colors are navy blue and sage green.  So the cake, marble with buttercream, with have fondant irises, sage-colored leaves, and little navy-blue flowers, like violets.  Along with that cake, I am making heart-shaped cookies, frosted in sage and white with royal icing, with a monogrammed "R," tied in cellophane bags with navy blue ribbons.  That should be pretty.

Here's the recipe for Harvey's Orange Cake
a tribute to Audrey Nutter

HARVEY'S ORANGE CAKE
Oven 375 degrees  F- 30 minutes
2 8-inch round layers

Cream:

1/2 cup shortening (old school recipe)
1 1/4 cups sugar

Add:

1/2 cup orange juice
1/4 cup water

To this, add dry ingredients, mixed together:

2 1/4 cups sifted flour
1 tbsp (3 tsp) baking powder
1 tsp salt.

Beat 1 minute (the recipe is old - says "150 strokes" - pre-mixer!!!!)

To this add:
2 eggs, unbeaten
grated rind of one orange

Beat 2 minutes.

Pour into prepared pans (I use parchment rounds and spray with cooking spray).

Bake at 375 degrees F for 30 minutes or until it tests done.

Orange buttercream frosting:

1/2 cup shortening
1/2 cup softened butter
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon of orange extract or 4 tablespoons orange juice
2 lbs. 10x confectioners sugar
Up to 1/2 cup milk, more if needed, a bit at a time

In stand mixer or with hand-held mixer, cream shortening and butter.  Mix in vanilla and orange extract/orange juice.  Add confectioners sugar slowly, alternating with milk.  Add milk as necessary, a bit at a time, beating until you reach desired spreading consistency.

A Day at the Circus!

I was so happy today to join my grandson Henry, his mom - my daughter Katie, and his baby brother Pete, on his class trip to Albany to see the Ringling Brothers & Barnum and Bailey Circus!  We started out on a yellow school bus, leaving from the Skidmore College campus, where Henry goes to nursery school.  Katie and Pete drove behind and met us at the Times Union Center.  There was a sea of yellow buses letting passengers off, and Henry was in awe before we even entered the arena.  We passed through a corridor of endless vendors selling all kinds of circus loot (swords, wands, stuffed tigers and elephants, snow cones, lemonade, cotton candy).  We breezed right by them to find our section, 119, and our seats:  E 12, 13, and 14.  They were great seats, mid-arena, and we had a terrific view of all three rings!

It's been so many, many years since I've been to the circus.  I remember taking my kids, when they were little, to a circus at the Glens Falls Civic Center, but I don't remember it being as professional or dramatic as this one.  The Ringmaster noted that this is RB&BB Circus's 141st year (if I remember correctly), and from what I can see, they have perfected and technically updated the circus while at the same time maintaining the old-fashioned and timeless essence that has mesmerized children of all ages since circuses began.

The festivities began with The Star Spangled Banner, sung by the Ringmaster to the American Flag which was carried by a beautiful acrobat atop a majestic elephant draped in red, white, and blue, who circled the arena as the anthem was sung.  At first, it seemed a little gimmicky to me, but by the time we got to "...and the home of the brave" I was choked up, as I always am at the end of that anthem.  It gets to me.  For the littlest children there, this may have been their first experience paying tribute to the flag, and what a memorable way to begin that tradition in their lives.

We were entertained for more than two hours by all the magic that makes up the circus -- clowns, acrobats, elephants, horses, tigers, jugglers, dancers, tight-rope walkers, fire throwers  -- even the vendors were entertaining, laden with glow-in-the-dark necklaces and faux-hawk headbands.  It was a joyful couple of hours, and nothing beats seeing the look on my grandsons' faces, captivated by the spectacle of their very first circus.

I hope they'll always remember today.  I know I will.

Majestic!

A Great Day at the Circus!

One sleepy boy on the bus ride home...

And the winner is....Weezie Foye!

Congratulations to Weezie Foye,  the first winner in a year-long monthly contest for followers who comment on blog posts!  Weezie has won an 8" round 2-layer cake, and she will collect on her winnings when she's back in Saratoga Springs over the summer.  This first drawing proved to be quite a success.  My motives are somewhat selfish -- I'm trying to increase the number of followers as well as comments on my blog posts.  We're off to a good start, so I am very encouraged.  It's very much a goal to increase readership and to have Adirondack Baker experience a wider audience.  Currently, new posts are linked to my facebook page, and occasionally "tweeted" (though I am not yet very Twitter-saavy).  It's almost three years since this blog was born, and my feeling is that ADK Baker is ready for a growth spurt.  I'm researching some more sophisticated Web designs in an effort to have a more polished blog presence, but at the same time don't want to lose that "homespun" quality that appeals to many of this blog's followers. 

Thank you to all those who come back now and then to see what's new.  I so appreciate the time you take out of your day to read the posts.  It's an honor to write for you, and I hope you continue to enjoy reading Adirondack Baker!

I'll close with some recent photos, just because I know you enjoy them!

All the best, and Happy May Day!

Henry, friend Reyna, and Pete

Happy 90th Birthday, Mr. Selig!

Henry's 4th Birthday Cake! 
He's now a Star Wars fan (just the toys, not the movies yet!)

Snapshots of a very happy day!

Happy Birthday Unc Joe!

Irresistible!

When I got home from work today,  Henry came upstairs to help me finish his Uncle Joe's birthday cake, and to bring him a birthday card that he and Pete had scribbled on signed.  Adorable.  Henry was very, very helpful when it came to making the Hershey chocolate frosting.  He poured in the vanilla and then the milk as we mixed up a batch of beautiful fudge-like frosting.  He was happy to get the somewhat loaded beater and to watch as I frosted the cake, Joe's favorite, the Hershey chocolate cake recipe on the back of the cocoa tin, always my old reliable.  I baked it last night and had intended to get up early to frost it, but that didn't happen!  (Seems I value sleep so much more in the morning than I expect to when I make that running list of errands to do upon waking up.)

Henry  must have said "Happy Birthday Unc Joe" forty-seven times in a half-hour, each time with more sincerity and enthusiasm than the last.  When we were done frosting and decorating with sprinkles, Unc Joe said, "Let's cut it."  We hadn't even had dinner, so dinner tonight was birthday cake and milk!  Pete joined in the fun, and when Henry walked away from his cake, baby brother managed to harness both plates and was working two servings at a time.

Henry and Peter love their Uncle Joe, and I know the feeling is mutual. It's a special thing...

Everyone loves a birthday cake (especially Pete!)...

April Birthdays and Cake!

My kitchen is going to be cake city over the next few days.  Just out of the oven is a marble cake for my friend Joanne's father, who's celebrating his 90th birthday this weekend with his family and friends.  Joanne provided a photo of her dad and his dog and had it duplicated in sugar.  It will be the central decoration on the top of the cake, with some embellishment and a message to complete this gift to her father.  What a milestone -  90 years! - so many of us never have the opportunity to share that special birthday with our parents.  I know my siblings and I didn't get to, so I very much appreciate the significance of this celebration. 

As that cake came out of the oven, in went two layers of the Hershey's chocolate cake recipe that will be my son Joe's birthday cake.  It's hard to believe that he's 36.  It seems like yesterday when he was born, on what was one of the happiest days of my then very young life.  I had just turned 22, and was more than ready to embrace motherhood and all that goes with it.  I just didn't know then the still-to-unfold "all that goes with it" and it's been an education for me and for all of my children along the way.  In many ways, we grew up together, and I only hope that my learning curve wasn't too much of an impediment to my kids realizing their own hopes and dreams.  The one thing I can guarantee to all my children is that I couldn't love them more, no matter what courses their lives take, or what happens along the way.  I think every mom, perhaps every parent, knows what I'm talking about.

After Joe's cake comes out of the oven, I'll clean up my kitchen and get ready for THE big cake of the weekend:  Henry's 4th birthday cake!  He wants a Star Wars cake, and I have exciting ideas for how that will come together.  He's having a kids party with his nursery school classmates this Saturday morning (just a small little shindig) and then Sunday evening the grandparents will have dinner together and celebrate.  His actual birthday is Monday.  Henry's had different ideas along the way about what he wanted for this birthday - months back it was a "Cars" cake, then a Dinosaur Train cake, and now he's firmly set on Star Wars (though he doesn't want to watch the movies, says they're too scary).  I'll bake Henry's cake tomorrow night and decorate it Saturday morning, just in time for his little friends to appear. 

April is an exceptionally busy birthday month in my family.  We just (last night) celebrated my sister Patsy's birthday with our usual sibling dinner at Red Lobster in Glens Falls. It was so much fun, and I loved every minute.  Earlier this month we celebrated my daughter Tricia's 30th birthday (she's named for her Aunt Patsy).  Today is my nephew Ben's birthday, tomorrow is Joe's, and Monday, Henry's.  My own grandfather, Valerian O'Farrell, was also born on this day, April 26, 1876.  He died long before his grandchildren were born, and I am sad that I never got to meet him.  Part of me feels as if I know him.  He was a very good writer (as was my Dad) and I like to think that my passion for writing is a direct connection to him. 

So, no more time for writing.  I have a kitchen to clean up so I can mess it up again!

Happy April birthday to all my family (and friends) who are celebrating this month.  I love you all!

Weekends, Friends, and Family

It had been a whirlwind of a social weekend when I finally settled in last night, tired from that good kind of busy, aware that I did pretty much eek out every bit of quality from the time that spanned leaving work Friday to walking into my office this morning.  After work Friday, I had a choice of either stopping at Humpty Dumpty for ice cream (an anticipated date with two grandsons) OR join friends from work at Wheatfield's for their 2-for-1 drink special before 6 p.m.  Opting for the former, and having a coffee ice cream soda for dinner, there were no regrets.  There will be other opportunities to raise a 2-for-1 glass with my co-workers (many, I'm sure) which I will thoroughly enjoy (also very sure!).

Later Friday night found me baking hostess gifts for my dear friend Jan who lives in Hatfield, Massachusetts.  I've written about my visits to her home before.  This time, I brought her orange marmalade scones and a coffee cake loaf.  She was freezing some of the goodies for her daughter Logan's visit home from Colorado next week.

I so love visiting Jan in Hatfield.  With such a hectic "real life," it was almost liberating to get in the car Saturday morning and head east through the Berkshires to exit 4 of I-90, head north on I-91 to Hatfield, to drive through the beautiful country landscape and finally arrive at Jan's door.  I was greeted by Leila, her enthusiastic and wriggly Golden Retriever, and evaluated by Pearl, the cat she adopted about a year ago.  Jan and I talk, and talk, and talk (whoda thunk I could do that for hours on end - don't answer that!) and solve some small problems if not some of the world's biggest!  It's truly such a gift to have a friend like that, someone you only see a couple of times a year but who knows you so well, who knows your heart and forgets about the lack of communication between such visits.  It's a mini-vacation and so rewarding, even for just a 24-hour period of time.  As usual, my little Canon camera came along, and captured some lovely moments of our walk along the banks of the Connecticut River, where Jan's home is located.  After our long walk with Leila, Jan and I headed to the movie theaters in Amherst and saw The Hunger Games.  I had not read the books (Jan's read all three) and I had a few preconceived notions that I might not like the movie.  I couldn't have been more wrong.  While it does seem to glean from so many sources ("The Lottery," The Wizard of Oz, Dr. Seuss, the Olympic Games, reality TV, even The Coal Miner's Daughter) it is an amazing film and now I can't wait to read the trilogy that inspired this movie and undoubtedly the sequels that will be made.

A lovely time in Hatfield, Massachusetts

Back in Middle Grove yesterday afternoon, Katie took me for a ride in their new ride - a 2007 Volvo with 3 rows of seats:  all the better to fit assorted grandparents and two car seats, my dear!  It's like brand-new, and though I am sorry that their wedding-year Subaru bit the dust (2005 Subaru, wedding, new puppy in that quick order), this new-to-them car is not only beautiful but larger and safe for the precious cargo it now carries. That afternoon I realized it was good to be away in order to take a fresh look at what I have at home - a lovely home so close to Katie and Bill and the little guys.  I took a look around, and appreciated all that the weekend had provided...friends, family, and an awareness of all that is to be appreciated, now.  And the weekend wound down...

Generous Pete sharing his pbj with Odie

Today, back at work, I decided to go see Henry in his nursery school class, right on campus.  I usually don't have the opportunity to leave my office to go check in on him, but today I was running an errand that brought me right by his classroom.  I got permission to stop in and say hello, so I walked in and surprised him.  He said, "Grandma, whatcha doing here?"  I reminded him I'd be stopping by one day this week.  He was in full-on fireman gear (after a visit by the local fire department last week which absolutely captivated him!).  He was so happy to see me, and my heart melted as he went to each of his little friends and said "That's my Grandma!" with a look of pride on his face.  I don't know that I've ever had such a heart-felt introduction in all my 58 years!  Well, the ever-ready camera was with me, so I captured that moment, one that is already etched in my memory.

Fireman Henry

Martha's Marble Cake

Tonight I was looking for a really good on-line recipe for marble cake.  It's for a birthday cake so I couldn't take any chances -- it had to have good reviews.  I found it, and I am not surprised at the source:  Martha Stewart.  I know that pretty much all of her recipes are tested to perfection.  So, trusting Miss Martha implicitly, I dug right in and mixed up a batch of marble cake batter that not only looked beautiful in the pan, but now smells DIVINE as it cools, just out of the oven.

The recipe is simple.  You stir together cake flour (I didn't have any and went ahead with all-purpose at no apparent cost, as some of her recipe's reviewers did), baking powder, and salt.  That's added to a sugar/egg mixture alternately with the buttermilk.  Cocoa powder is mixed with almost an equal amount of boiling water and that's stirred into a third of the batter.  Then you spoon the different batters into your cake pans in a rustic checkerboard fashion, swirl with a knife, and bake!

I won't be eating this cake so I'll have to wait for a response as to how good it is, but it appears the top needs just a little leveling-off and there will likely be at least a few teaspoons of buttercream left over, so maybe I'll have to...  See, this is where that saying comes from, "Never trust a skinny cook."  I am very trust-worthy!  Photo of my trusty cake follows the recipe...

MARBLE CAKE 
This is Martha Stewart's recipe, as follows, from her Web site, (though Martha didn't frost hers in buttercream, and I baked mine in 2 round pans instead of one loaf pan)


1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature, plus more for pan
1 3/4 cups cake flour (not self-rising)
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup sugar
3 large eggs, room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2/3 cup buttermilk, room temperature
1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon Dutch-process cocoa powder


Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Generously butter a 9-by-5-inch loaf pan; set aside. (I used two 6-inch round pans, lined with parchment, sprayed with baking spray).

Whisk together the cake flour, baking powder, and salt; set aside.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes.
Add eggs, one at a time, beating until combined after each addition and scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.
Mix in vanilla.
Add flour mixture in 2 batches, alternating with the buttermilk and beginning and ending with the flour.
Set aside 1/3 of the batter.
In a bowl, mix cocoa and 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons boiling water with a rubber spatula until smooth. Add the cocoa mixture to the reserved cake batter; stir until well combined.
Spoon batters into the prepared pan in 2 layers, alternating spoonfuls of vanilla and chocolate to simulate a checkerboard. To create marbling, run a table knife (or wooden skewer) through the batters in a swirling motion.
Bake, rotating the pan halfway through, until a cake tester comes out clean, 40 to 50 minutes.
Transfer pan to a rack to cool 10 minutes.
Turn out cake from pan and cool completely on the rack.

Cake can be kept in an airtight container at room temperature up to 3 days.

Martha's marble cake, all dressed up and ready to go!

Recipe:  http://www.marthastewart.com/339716/marble-cake


Photos:  Adirondack Baker