Wednesday, April 14, 2010

Birthday Cake Decorations

Friday, April 9, 2010

Twilight 16th Birthday Party Ideas

Twilight 16th birthday party ideas are the way to go this year if your teen is a fan of the Twilight Movie or Books. With the release of the movie last November and all the buzz about the casting and filming of New Moon, the second book of the Saga, it's going to be a very popular party theme this year.

16th Birthday Decorating Ideas

The Saga book covers give us the color scheme for this party. The perfect colors for a book cover party are black and red, and these colors can create quite a dramatic look. Tables draped with black table cloths, red dinnerware and white napkins rolled into scrolls tied with red satin ribbons will look great! Sprinkle the tables with bits of sparkling silver confetti and you are well on your way to a beautiful setting.

It's easy to make some big red and black tissue flowers and decorate the room with them. Attach them to the walls or hang them from the ceiling. Make some party table centerpieces using a plastic silver vase and some red, white and black silk flowers, or you can order the white and red parrot tulips from your local florist...Alice Cullen used flowers everywhere when she decorated for a party! Put twinkle lights all over and you've got a great start to your 16th birthday party decorations.

More Twilight Party Ideas for a 16th Birthday Party

You might want to go with some pretty and pink decorations for your daughter's 16th birthday party. That fits right in with this party theme! If you have read the Saga you know Alice is the family party planner, and you know that Alice loves, and I do mean loves, twinkle lights. Second to twinkle lights, Alice likes to decorate with flowers. What is more a more perfect for a sweet 16th birthday party than flowers and twinkle lights. Use roses, freesia, and white orange blossoms like Alice did for Bella and Edward's wedding. Check with your local florist to find out more about what flowers will be in season at the time of your party. If you plan in advance, the chances that your florist will be able to help you are much greater than showing up at the very last minute!

The Perfect Party Favors

Party favors can be as simple as an apple candle or a Candy Apple that you can make yourself. Candy Apples are easy and fun to make and they fit in perfectly with the book covers. You can use dark chocolate and for extra effect make some red chocolate to drizzle all over the top! You can add candies and cookies and all kinds of goodies to make them extra special. Wrap them in clear plastic and use a red satin ribbon to tie it shut. Hang up some posters of the movie cast to complete the decorating. If you'd like more decorations, use the Queen and Pawns from a chess board, apples set out in black bowls, or put the books out on tables and shelves with their covers face up so they show.

Unique Cake Ideas

How do You make a Twilight Cake? Bake your cake as you usually would, frost it and put the Queen and Pawn of a plastic chess set on top for an easy idea. You can order a personalized edible cake topper with a picture of Bella and Edward on it. You can find places that will personalize a cake topper you can actually eat, just like the ones the bakeries use. You let them know what you want, download the picture you want on the edible cake topper and they send it to you via the mail. You can send any picture you like...but do it early. You want to give yourself plenty of time so you are sure to get what you want. Now that's one of the more unique Twilight 16th birthday party ideas that I've heard so far. Glad I thought of it!

I'm sure you've gotten some great 16th birthday party ideas and they all come right from the Twilight Saga. Your Twilight fan will love them! Birthday gift ideas for this sweet 16 theme are easy! Buy the birthday girl the Saga Boxed Set, some Cullen Crest family jewelry, the movie soundtrack or the DVD!

Check out http://www.partyideasparade.com/twilight-cakes.html for cake decorating ideas. Find more tween party themes at http://www.partyideasparade.com/twilight-party-ideas.html

Ms. Party Ideas can answer all your party questions and enjoys swapping party ideas with you.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jillian_Gallo

First Birthday Cakes - 7 Tips For A Killer Cake

First birthday cakes are often the most stressful part of

planning a baby's first birthday. Many new mothers want
something special and memorable, yet easy to prepare.

The problem is they're just not sure where to start. Should
you choose a cartoon character or an animal? Is a rectangle
one better, or should you go round? Well, fear not. Here are 7 easy first birthday cake tips
that will help you make the perfect cake.

1. Make It Kid Approved -

The first thing to keep in mind
is that you need to make the cake with the kids in mind.
Ok, so this may seem like a no-brainer, but consider what a
kid likes in a birthday cake.

Gooey and sticky are always winners. Bright colored icing is
a must. Also, keep in mind that your new baby will likely be
eating it with their hands, so something spongy will help
make it finger-friendly.

2. Make It Look Like It Can Move -

Chances are your little
one will never remember this cake. But you can make it one
they recognize and enjoy. But one-year-olds are learning
about shapes and movement. Consider decorating it with cars
or trains. Use big shapes.

3. Go Easy On The Sugar -

Your baby, as you know can have
a sensitive stomach at times. By making their cake with
less sugar, you can make sure their little tummy plays
along. One easy way to do this is to use whipped cream
instead of icing. It's easier to spread, too.

4. Two Is Better Than One -

With a first birthday [http://www.squidoo.com/firstbirthdaypartyideas], the mess is inevitable and
frankly, your baby is more likely to treat their cake like
modeling clay rather than food. But you have the guests to
consider too. So, try making two cakes, a larger one for
the guests, a small one for your baby to smash. That way
everyone gets cake and a video-opp too.

5. Use A Thin Layer Of Icing First -

Icing the cake can
make you want to cuss (bite your tongue, though). It never
seems to fail that chunks of cake get ripped off while
spreading the knife.

Two things you can do: one let the cake cool all the way.
And second, spread a real thin layer of icing first and let
it sit. This will make the second, real layer much easier to
spread. Plus it's easier to camouflage places where the cake
has peeled off.

6. Draw On It -

When cutting your sheet cake into a shape,
use icing to draw on it first. This will ensure you have
the shape you want before cutting. Plus the icing tastes
better than an ink pen (that was bad, I know).

7. Make Your Cake Number 1 -

And finally, here's an easy
way to cut your cake into the shape of a one. First, take
your sheet cake and cut it down the middle long ways. Use
one of these halves to make the "foot" and "upper lip" of
the 1. The other half will be the main body of the 1.

To do that simply cut the selected half at the 1/3 mark.
Take the 2/3's piece and place it at the bottom of the first
long piece. That's your foot. Then take the 1/3 piece, cut
it once from corner to corner, making a triangle, and use
one of these as the "upper lip." That's it. Oh, and snack on
the leftover piece.

There you go. First birthday cakes don't have to be the
Booga Bears. With some simple techniques, you can pull off
a winner very easily.

And if you want additional first birthday party ideas,
visit my blog.

Make your baby's first birthday a roaring success. Discover cake secrets, memorable activities, and more. To learn more, visit Alyse's blog, Childrens Birthday Cakes. http://childrensbirthdaycakes.blogetery.com/

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Alyse_Carson

Tuesday, April 6, 2010

Birthday Cake

It's nice that people remember the day you were born. After all, it is a very special day. For most of us, there is always someone ready to throw a birthday party. Whether it be Mom and Dad, or darling husband or wife, or anyone else, one of the best treats on anyone's birthday is a birthday cake with candles. Because what would a birthday be without a cake and candles for making a birthday wish?

Birthday cakes come in all shapes and sizes - round, square, layered, tiered, upside-down, and many, many more. They also come in some very unique shapes like trucks, babies, guitars, shoes, and so on. Birthday cakes can be just fun and simple or quite elegant and complex. They can be chocolate, vanilla, strawberry, mocha, a mix of all of the above, or other flavors.

Theme cakes are very popular for children's birthdays. Harry Potter's, Hogwarts Castle, Barbie's, Pegasus, and Sponge Bob and Patrick are in high demand at most parties these days. Chocolate cake seems to be the favorite, followed by the classic chiffon cake. Of course, any good host will top off the birthday cake with a heaping spoon of ice cream and sprinkles and lots of love and best wishes.

Even with all the streamers, the balloons, the presents, and so on, birthday cakes remain the centerpiece. More than anything else, the birthday cake with delightfully burning candles all round it and your name in icing on the top, remains the most enduring symbol of a birthday celebration.

Cake provides detailed information on Baby Shower Cake, Birthday Cake, Cake, Cake Decorating and more. Cake is affiliated with Birthday Cards.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jason_Gluckman

Monday, April 5, 2010

Birthday Cake Ideas For Kids

Besides the party guests and the cool gifts, the thing kids remember most about their birthday is their cake. They know what they want, and they are always thrilled when you are able to give them the special birthday cake they've been dreaming about.

Even the most organized parent can sometimes feel at a loss when trying to come up with creative birthday cake ideas for kids. With all of the cartoon characters, toys, and movies that the typical child is interested in, it can be tough trying to settle for just one. Perhaps you are just the opposite. Maybe you are having trouble coming up with even one good idea for a childrens birthday cake.

Whatever your situation, we'll give you some great ideas for making your child's next birthday cake extra special.

One of the most popular ideas is to create a cake with a movie theme. Does your child have one favorite movie that they watch over and over? It's usually not hard at all to find cake decorations that tie in to major movie releases. A plain sheet cake can be transformed into a Harry Potter spell book with some strategic frosting placement and a few small plastic decorations.

Even if you have no experience making decorated birthday cakes, specialty pans make it easier than ever to make the perfect Dora the Explorer cake for your little girl, or Spiderman cake for your little boy. These pans usually come with decorating ideas and instructions to help you make the perfect character cake.

Some other popular birthday cake ideas for kids play on a special interest of the child. Does your son play on the school football team? You can bake a football-shaped cake with the help of a special pan, then decorate it with your son's jersey number in the school's colors.

Is your little girl an aspiring ballerina? Make her a ballerina cake in the style of the much-loved Barbie doll angel food cake, putting a real doll into a baked cake and decorating the doll and cake with frosting.

There are always the old standbys that almost every kid will enjoy, like pirates and princesses.

Look at your child's favorite toys and pay attention to the pictures they draw to get some great cake ideas.

Or, just wander through your local craft store's cake decorating section to be inspired. You'll see birthday cake ideas for kids almost jumping off of the shelves at you! There are pans, plastic decorations, edible pictures, and sugar sculptures that can all be used to make a cake that will put a huge smile on your birthday kid's face.

Leefe Poche is the founder of http://www.cakes-you-can-bake.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Leefe_Poche

Sunday, April 4, 2010

Five Great Birthday Cake Ideas

It's almost that time of year again: time for little Zach or Madison's birthday, and for all the attendant worries and hassles. Time for the usual whining and gift-grubbing, for tedious visits from relatives, and for sugar-amped kids running rampant through the house. Although birthdays will always be a stressful time of year, baking and decorating the perfect children's birthday cake doesn't have to be. This article will help give you some great birthday cake ideas that you can use year after year, child after child.

1. Character Cakes: If your little one is obsessed with a film, television, or cartoon character, or even a licensed doll or toy, a character cake is the no-fail way to go! Disney character cakes or Barbie cakes are always popular with the girls, and what little boy wouldn't enjoy a Bob the Builder or G.I. Joe cake? Fortunately, finding the perfect kids birthday cake mold is easy -- you can obtain a specialized cake mold for the most popular licensed characters at your local upscale baking store or cake decorating supply shop. As if it couldn't get any easier, many specialty children's birthday cake molds come complete with frosting instructions.

2. Sports Cakes: Your active girl or boy will jump for a sports themed cake. Some easy birthday cake ideas are decorating round cakes to resemble baseballs, soccer balls, or basketballs. Sporty girls and boys will also love a cake that resembles their favorite sports field, which is easy to make with a rectangular sheet cake. You can even add a net, goal, or hoop, as well as plastic figurines resembling spectators and sports players!

3. Animal Cakes: The younger set will especially enjoy a cake decorated to resemble their favorite animal. Kittens, puppies, pandas, and teddy bears are classic favorites. An easy way to decorate an animal-themed children's birthday cake is to use two round layers. Use the first round cake as the animal's head, and cut the second round cake to make ears and other features.

4. Photo Cakes: Run out of birthday cake ideas? Making a cake with a translucent, sugar "photo" is easy, and enjoyable by birthday boys and girls of all ages. Just take a favorite photo to your local cake decorating store, and they can prepare an edible version of it for a few dollars. Follow the instructions provided, and you can add it to the top of a simple, iced cake. Voila! Instant birthday gratification!

5. Decorate-your-own Cake: Moms who hate decorating kids birthday cakes will love this suggestion -- provide the basic ingredients (cupcakes, frosting, piping bags, spreading knives, small candies, etc.) and let the birthday boy or girl and his/her guests decorate their own cupcakes! Just lay down a plastic tablecloth and provide plastic aprons for each guest to minimize the mess!

Leefe Poche is the founder of http://www.cakes-you-can-bake.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Leefe_Poche

Birthday Cake History

The birthday cake has been an integral part of the birthday tradition in Western cultures. The cake is served to a person on his or her birthday, and is often decorated with small novelty candles, with the person's name and/or a message of congratulations inscribed with icing. The phrase "Happy Birthday" did not appear on birthday cakes until the song Happy Birthday to You was popularized in the early 1900s.

Tradition holds that the person with the birthday may make a wish, which will come true if all the candles can be blown out in one breath. US patent 6319530 relates to a "method of photocopying an image onto an edible web for decorating iced baked goods." This invention enables one to ink jet print a food-grade color photograph on the cake surface.

History of Birthday Cake can be traced back to the ancient Greeks who made round or moon shaped honey cakes or bread and took it to the temple of Artemis -the Goddess of Moon. Some scholars, however, believe that the tradition of Birthday cake started in Germany in middle Ages. This special birthday cake later reemerged in Germany as a Kinderfest or the birthday celebrations of a young child. Germans also baked another special kind of a cake called Geburtstagorten as it was baked in layers. This was sweeter that the coarse and bread like cake that were usually made at that time.

In earlier times, Birthday cakes were mostly round in shape. Scholars associate religious beliefs and technical compulsions for the same. Greeks offered round shape cake to the Goddess of Moon - Artemis as it signified moon. They even placed candles on the cake to make the cake glow like the moon.

Technical reason given for the roundness of the cake is that most cakes we know off advanced from the bread. In ancient times breads and cakes were made by hand. Typically, these were fashioned into round balls and baked on hearthstones or in low, shallow pans. Hence, these naturally relaxed into round shapes. With the progress of times baking pans of various shapes were developed and today we see cakes in imaginative shapes and sizes.

In medieval times people of England used to place symbolic objects like coins, rings and thimbles in the batter of the cake. It was believed that those who found coin in the cake would be wealthy while the unlucky finder of the thimble would never marry. If the cake fell while baking it was considered to be a bad omen and signified bad luck for the person in the coming year.
Thus in the midst of many superstitions and beliefs, merged the tradition of Birthday cakes which is so popular all over the world today.

Roger Drukker writes on Birthday, Love, General Topics, Staying In Touch, Flowers and other subjects.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Roger_Drukker

Sunday, February 28, 2010

Birthday Cake Design Ideas You Can Use Easily

Every birthday is a special day that deserves recognition and celebration. These are days that can commemorate the accomplishments of the past year or give good wishes for the year to come.

No matter whether the birthday is for someone who is six or sixty, a magnificent cake will help create an unforgettable memory. Any time you have to create a birthday masterpiece there are a couple of things to keep in mind: the celebrant's interests and your own abilities.

For non-bakers, consider getting yourself a cake decorating kit. These will have tools to help you create many different designs easily with your icing. Instead of simply writing "Happy Birthday _______", try to put some substance around it. A theme is a good idea. Many popular books, movies, and TV shows have toys, cards, and novelty items that can be used on a cake.

It is easy to make a basic rectangular cake, frost it green, make white, regularly spaced lines on it, and with a couple of plastic novelty toys you have a football field for the sports lover.

Another easy sport cake is a round cake frosted white with red, curved, dotted lines to make a baseball.

If you have a bit more baking experience you may want to build the cake up a bit. Creating a completely edible landscape cake can be lots of fun. If your child is interested in science you can bake one rectangular cake, two dome cakes (one baked in a 4-liter pyrex bowl and the other in a 2-liter bowl), and cupcakes. The rectangular cake is frosted green (or any other color to make a landscape).

The dome cakes are placed on the rectangular cake, the largest first and the smaller on top of it, with a cupcake placed on top of the smaller cake. This creates a mountain or volcano that can be covered with chocolate frosting.

If you want it to be a volcano you can scoop out the top of the cupcake and use a red frosting or homemade candy lava to put in the top of the cupcake and run rivulets down the side.

Use toys to place it in a forest or city, or use different colored frosting to put it near a river. If you want to use vanilla frosting, it can become a winter scene with a ski hill. Cakes can be really versatile!

Technically oriented individuals can try to take it to the next level: animated cakes. These cakes have moving parts and work well with a theme based cake. For example, if your child loves fairies you can make a rectangular cake. Using icing and fondant cover it with flowers, or other forest ground cover. A 30rpm motor will work with most things, but double check for yours. Place the motor inside half a plastic bottle covered in fondant to look like a stump. Use paper or light plastic fairies and attach them to the motor with thin wire to spin around the cake! You are limited only by your imagination.

Click here to read the second part of this article where we talk about wedding cake decorating fundamentals.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Tapan_Sarkar

Quotes For Birthday Cakes

All birthday cakes has usual message on them that is "Happy Birthday". This is one of the traditional ways in which people inscribe birthday greetings on cakes. If you are looking to make it a bit different then decorate it in your own special way and write a personalized message on the cake that would deliver your feeling of happiness, celebration and humor.

There are a number of birthday cake quotes that are available on the web. You can look for birthday cake quotations or make your own quotation that would bring a big smile to the face of the person who is celebrating his or her birthday. Some of the best birthday cake quotations are mentioned here:

Youth has no age. - Pablo Picasso
May you live all the days of your life. - Jonathan Swift
Life is too short to be small. - Benjamin Disraeli

Putting up a quotation on the birthday cake is the best of sending your message to the person whom you love. These quotes apart from being funny convey the real feeling that you have towards the person. The quotations are written by some of the finest authors and have a true birthday message in them.

So, the next time that you are ready to bake a birthday cake look up for some funky meaningful quotations that can add a punch to your cake and also bring smile to the faces of the people who are present on the occasion and especially to the person whose birthday is being celebrated. Have your own add on to the quotations to make it sound even funnier.

If you are looking for more information then feel free to visit Birthday Cake and Cute Baby Quotes

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Robert_Groce

The Best Birthday Cake Decorating Ideas in Just 5 Minutes

Your kid is about to have his birthday in just a couple of ideas and you are probably now wondering about decorating ideas for the birthday cake. You are tempted to just purchase the ice-cream cake or mud cake from the local shop to save you time and to not be worried about the cake. However, will your kid really enjoy this? It's unlikely, so here are the best birthday cake decorating ideas for your kid's special day.

1. Decorate the cake based on a certain theme. You probably already know what your kid likes and you can be assured that they will be rapt if their cake is decorated accordingly. For example, if you kid loves soccer, then he will simply adore a cake decorated as a soccer field with goals on either end.

2. Cover your cake with sweets. There's no cake more delicious and irresistible than one completely covered with your kid's favourite sweets. You can buy packets of sweets from the shops and stick them on top all over the cake.

3. Don't settle for the traditional square or round shaped cake. These days almost all cakes are either in the shape of a square or circle. Why do you have to do the same? Your kid might like dinosaurs, and they will be happy if the cake was in the shape of a dinosaur. This may take more time and effort but it will certainly be worth it in the end.

My only hope is that the birthday cake decorating ideas presented in this article will greatly assist you in making your kid's birthday a special occasion.

Martin Sejas is a guest columnist of http://www.CleverCakes.com/, a website focused on giving individuals practical tips and advice on birthday cake decorating ideas to make amazing cake decorations for all occasions.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Martin_Seja

Celebrating a Birthday? Where to Find the Best Birthday Cakes

For many of us the best days of the year are birthdays, and frequently not even when they are our own special day! Birthdays are perfect occasions to get together with friends and family to enjoy each other's company. It's a time where we treasure each other's company in the world that is often chaotic and busy to allow us to do so as often as we would wish. Birthday cakes aren't essential part of this joyous celebration, and for many people their favorite part of the party. Since it's such an important part of the celebration many people give a lot of consideration when it comes time to choosing the birthday cake. One thing is for sure, the quality of the birthday cake speaks volumes, and we have got a couple of suggestions about where to find the best ones!

If the birthday that you are celebrating is during the spring or summer months, consider my favorite the ice cream cake! Of all the cakes, an ice cream cake is the most universally cherished and they come in a variety of sizes and flavors and price ranges making it perfect for large parties or even the most intimate of birthday celebrations. If you are lucky enough to have homemade ice cream shop in your town, you are in for a treat, the gourmet ice cream cakes they make will be worth the little extra you pay. If gourmet ice cream cakes are not for you, you can also find them at your typical ice cream chain stores, or in the freezer section of your local grocery store.

If ice cream is not your thing, then consider supporting your local bakery who make delicious pastries and cakes. These bakeries are often fondly remembered by people in the neighborhood. Why not buy your cake there? Is your birthday girl or boy vegan or vegetarian? Grocery stores like Whole Foods cater to these special dietary restrictions without sacrificing the delicious flavors necessary in a winning birthday cake. If you are making the cake yourself, it's a prime opportunity to add funny sayings, or frost the cake with their favorite colors. While the most important aspect of a birthday cake is to be delicious, just as important is that it is personal and something the birthday person will remember for years to come with a smile on their face and warm, wonderful, cherished memories of their party.

Elysse Biaca pursues numerous hobbies and life passions. Elysse thrives on writing about her experiences and sharing her knowledge with others. Elysse also writes on a variety of topics including one on selecting Baby Bjorn Carriers, which can be found at http://babybjorncarrier.net/.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Elysse_Biaca

Extra Special Birthday Cake Made Easy

When it's your baby's first birthday you will want it to go with a bang and you can not afford to forget a really nice cake. It will be the main focus point that people will remember apart from your child that is. With the internet there is lots of ideas to gather and think about when picking your child's cake. There are now things called cake toppers that will do all the above for you. And with a couple of clicks the topper will be at your door.

When you come to order your birthday cake the online shop that you choose to use should have a really big catalog of topper for you to browse. Once you decide on a topper then it's just a case of ordering a really good shop should allow you to type your own inscription into the website and then apply this onto your item. Then all it will be of choosing what shipping you require I would say order early as this is always a good idea when ever you are doing a party.

It's very easy for the company to send you your product thought the post they should be sending them out in a board back envelope in a plastic food bag with full instructions on how to apply. You should have your product within the week depending on what postage you choose.

Now you have your topper ordered, thought a website of your choice, then there is the job of making a basic sponge recipe that is really easy, you could even buy a ready made sponge cake really cheaply then make it extra special with your cake topper.

For some great cake ideas and to buy a childrens birthday cake or why not try a Photo Cake

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jane_Clair_Smith

Saturday, February 13, 2010

Daring Bakers 9: Dobos Torta

Well I am sure a lot of you are asking the same thing I did when I saw this month's challenge, "what the heck is a Dobos Torta"? Whatever it was, I thought it sounded pretty exciting. Basically it consists of layers of sponge cake and chocolate buttercream, topped with thin wedges of caramel coated sponge cake.

The August 2009 Daring Bakers' challenge was hosted by Angela of A Spoonful of Sugar and Lorraine of Not Quite Nigella. They chose the spectacular Dobos Torte based on a recipe from Rick Rodgers' cookbook Kaffeehaus: Exquisite Desserts from the Classic Caffés of Vienna, Budapest, and Prague.

The sponge and buttercream were pretty simple, but I had never made that style of chocolate buttercream before. To be honest, the thought of whole eggs kind of freaked me out, but it turned out to be delicious. I will definitely make it again. As for the sponge... well I just am not a big lover of sponge cake. I just feel like I'm missing out on something when I eat it! Mind you, I can't really comment on the overall taste of the cake because I never tried it. I did have a lot of trouble with the caramel wedges- I don't think I cooked the caramel long enough and it didn't set very well.

Dobos Torta

Sponge cake layers
6 large eggs, separated, at room temperature
1 1/3 cups (162g) confectioner's (icing) sugar, divided
1 teaspoon (5ml) vanilla extract
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons (112g) sifted cake flour (SUBSTITUTE 95g plain flour + 17g cornflour (cornstarch) sifted together)
pinch of salt
Directions for the sponge layers:
NB. The sponge layers can be prepared in advance and stored interleaved with parchment and well-wrapped in the fridge overnight.
1.Position the racks in the top and centre thirds of the oven and heat to 400F (200C).
2.Cut six pieces of parchment paper to fit the baking sheets. Using the bottom of a 9" (23cm) springform tin as a template and a dark pencil or a pen, trace a circle on each of the papers, and turn them over (the circle should be visible from the other side, so that the graphite or ink doesn't touch the cake batter.)
3.Beat the egg yolks, 2/3 cup (81g) of the confectioner's (icing) sugar, and the vanilla in a medium bowl with a mixer on high speed until the mixture is thick, pale yellow and forms a thick ribbon when the beaters are lifted a few inches above the batter, about 3 minutes. (You can do this step with a balloon whisk if you don't have a mixer.)
4.In another bowl, using clean beaters, beat the egg whites until soft peaks form. Gradually beat in the remaining 2/3 cup (81g) of confectioner's (icing)sugar until the whites form stiff, shiny peaks. Using a large rubber spatula, stir about 1/4 of the beaten whites into the egg yolk mixture, then fold in the remainder, leaving a few wisps of white visible. Combine the flour and salt. Sift half the flour over the eggs, and fold in; repeat with the remaining flour.
5.Line one of the baking sheets with a circle-marked paper. Using a small offset spatula, spread about 3/4cup of the batter in an even layer, filling in the traced circle on one baking sheet. Bake on the top rack for 5 minutes, until the cake springs back when pressed gently in the centre and the edges are lightly browned. While this cake bakes, repeat the process on the other baking sheet, placing it on the centre rack. When the first cake is done, move the second cake to the top rack. Invert the first cake onto a flat surface and carefully peel off the paper. Slide the cake layer back onto the paper and let stand until cool. Rinse the baking sheet under cold running water to cool, and dry it before lining with another parchment. Continue with the remaining papers and batter to make a total of six layers. Completely cool the layers. Using an 8" springform pan bottom or plate as a template, trim each cake layer into a neat round. (A small serrated knife is best for this task.)
Chocolate Buttercream
4 large eggs, at room temperature
1 cup (200g) caster (ultrafine or superfine white) sugar
4oz (110g) bakers chocolate or your favourite dark chocolate, finely chopped
2 sticks plus 2 tablespoons (250g) unsalted butter, at room temperature.
Directions for the chocolate buttercream:
NB. This can be prepared in advance and kept chilled until required.
1.Prepare a double-boiler: quarter-fill a large saucepan with water and bring it to a boil.
2.Meanwhile, whisk the eggs with the sugar until pale and thickened, about five minutes. You can use a balloon whisk or electric hand mixer for this.
3.Fit bowl over the boiling water in the saucepan (water should not touch bowl) and lower the heat to a brisk simmer. Cook the egg mixture, whisking constantly, for 2-3 minutes until you see it starting to thicken a bit. Whisk in the finely chopped chocolate and cook, stirring, for a further 2-3 minutes.
4.Scrape the chocolate mixture into a medium bowl and leave to cool to room temperature. It should be quite thick and sticky in consistency.
5.When cool, beat in the soft butter, a small piece (about 2 tablespoons/30g) at a time. An electric hand mixer is great here, but it is possible to beat the butter in with a spatula if it is soft enough. You should end up with a thick, velvety chocolate buttercream. Chill while you make the caramel topping.
Lorraine's note: If you're in Winter just now your butter might not soften enough at room temperature, which leads to lumps forming in the buttercream. Male sure the butter is of a very soft texture I.e. running a knife through it will provide little resistance, before you try to beat it into the chocolate mixture. Also, if you beat the butter in while the chocolate mixture is hot you'll end up with more of a ganache than a buttercream!
Caramel topping
1 cup (200g) caster (superfine or ultrafine white) sugar
12 tablespoons (180 ml) water
8 teaspoons (40 ml) lemon juice
1 tablespoon neutral oil (e.g. grapeseed, rice bran, sunflower)
Directions for the caramel topping:
1.Choose the best-looking cake layer for the caramel top. To make the caramel topping: Line a jellyroll pan with parchment paper and butter the paper. Place the reserved cake layer on the paper. Score the cake into 12 equal wedges. Lightly oil a thin, sharp knife and an offset metal spatula.
2.Stir the sugar, water and lemon juice in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil over a medium heat, stirring often to dissolve the sugar. Once dissolved into a smooth syrup, turn the heat up to high and boil without stirring, swirling the pan by the handle occasionally and washing down any sugar crystals on the sides of the pan with a wet brush until the syrup has turned into an amber-coloured caramel.
3.The top layer is perhaps the hardest part of the whole cake so make sure you have a oiled, hot offset spatula ready. I also find it helps if the cake layer hasn't just been taken out of the refrigerator. I made mine ahead of time and the cake layer was cold and the toffee set very, very quickly—too quickly for me to spread it. Immediately pour all of the hot caramel over the cake layer. You will have some leftover most probably but more is better than less and you can always make nice toffee pattern using the extra to decorate. Using the offset spatula, quickly spread the caramel evenly to the edge of the cake layer. Let cool until beginning to set, about 30 seconds. Using the tip of the hot oiled knife (keep re-oiling this with a pastry brush between cutting), cut through the scored marks to divide the caramel layer into 12 equal wedges. Cool another minute or so, then use the edge of the knife to completely cut and separate the wedges using one firm slice movement (rather than rocking back and forth which may produce toffee strands). Cool completely.
Angela's note: I recommend cutting, rather than scoring, the cake layer into wedges before covering in caramel (reform them into a round). If you have an 8” silicon round form, then I highly recommend placing the wedges in that for easy removal later and it also ensures that the caramel stays on the cake layer. Once set, use a very sharp knife to separate the wedges.
Finishing touches
a 7” cardboard round
12 whole hazelnuts, peeled and toasted
½ cup (50g) peeled and finely chopped hazelnuts
Assembling the Dobos
1.Divide the buttercream into six equal parts.
2.Place a dab of chocolate buttercream on the middle of a 7 1/2” cardboard round and top with one cake layer. Spread the layer with one part of the chocolate icing. Repeat with 4 more cake layers. Spread the remaining icing on the sides of the cake.
3.Optional: press the finely chopped hazelnuts onto the sides of the cake.
4.Propping a hazelnut under each wedge so that it sits at an angle, arrange the wedges on top of the cake in a spoke pattern. If you have any leftover buttercream, you can pipe rosettes under each hazelnut or a large rosette in the centre of the cake. Refrigerate the cake under a cake dome until the icing is set, about 2 hours. Let slices come to room temperature for the best possible flavour.

Thursday, February 11, 2010

Tuesdays With Dorie 51: Flaky Apple Turnovers

Just reading that this week's recipe was going to be Flaky Apple Turnovers was enough to get me incredibly excited. Apple turnovers certainly aren't mainstream in Australia, but I just knew I would love them. To me they sounded like mini apple pies (and I love me some apple pie). In fact, I could happily eat apple pie everyday for the rest of my life.

I actually hadn't noticed this recipe before, so thanks to Julie of Someone's in the Kitchen for picking it this week! Like I said before, I just knew I would love this recipe so I made the whole batch (usually I half it at least) as I was planning on freezing them for a quick treat. Well, boy did these live up to my expectations- they are so flaky and so delicious it isn't funny. Truly, it is no laughing matter! Bake these as soon as humanly possible. The only problem is that the rest of the dough is in my fridge right now, waiting to be rolled out. How I loath rolling out this particular dough! It's a nightmare and I am avoiding it at all costs. These little turnovers are too good though, so I will no doubt endure the stickiness of the dough and give my biceps the workout of their life for these little pieces of heaven.