Food is Food

We had a friend over for dinner a few weeks ago, and at one point he started raving about his favorite dessert of all time.  It's called a Pistachio Pudding Cake, and it was new to me.  His mom made it for him a lot as a kid, and it's something he thinks about once in awhile and then starts craving like mad.  I had on my to-do list to make him one, and I finally got around to it.  Of course, I knew nothing about making this particular cake, but once I googled it I found there are a bunch of recipes out there.    I chose this one, and while I never actually tasted it (it's probably rude to give someone a present with a giant bite missing?), he said it was delicious.  Oh and I definitely stuck my finger in the frosting, don't judge.  What childhood desserts do you crave the most?

When I asked my daughter what kind of cake she wanted for her third birthday, her reply was simple: "pink!"  So I went a little overboard, and made the inside of the cake three shades of pink, with pink frosting, pink edible glitter and pink heart sprinkles.  Were there pink candles?  Um, duh.  And I splurged a bit on this cake topper from Etsy because an all-pink cake deserves a little bling.

To make the cake ombre, all you need is a little food coloring!  Simply bake as many layers as you'd like, evenly distribute the batter into different bowls, and use varied amounts of food dye to create different shades.  I made 4 different layers, but the cake started to look absurdly tall so I ditched one of them.  I used boxed white cake (two boxes) with neon pink food coloring, and followed this recipe for the Vanilla Buttercream.  It was a hit amongst the pink-loving crowd.

Now if someone could just help me figure out how to explain to a three-year-old that her next birthday is an entire year away...  

My baby turns ONE on Thursday.  Today, August 17th, was my due date, and it feels like just yesterday that I was waddling around, complaining about still being pregnant, shoving absurd amounts of carbs in my mouth.  Now she's almost one, moving into toddler-ville, drinking real milk and trying to walk.  I would do it all over again, each and every loooong pregnancy, just to savor these baby years.  Yet I know they must grow up, and therefore we must celebrate and that means CAKE.  We had a little pre-party the other day, and I baked a homemade Funfetti Cake following this recipe.  It was moist, delicious, and easy.  And um, fun... DUH.  

Instead of one of those giant number candles, I made a "1" using a wax paper stencil I made myself.  Simply cut out a design, place over the cake (gently), add your sprinkles and remove!  

More birthday cake fun:

Jack's 5th birthday cake.

Jack's 4th birthday cake(s).

Jack's 3rd birthday cake.

Jack's 2nd birthday cake.

Jack's 1st birthday cake.

Etta's 1st birthday cake.

Etta's 2nd birthday cake.

(And in case you're keeping track, for Jack's 6th birthday I bought an ice cream cake because that's what he wanted and I only pouted about it for a week or so.)

Don't worry, no tuscan beans or rice were harmed in the baking of this cake.  Or used at all.  That photo is just for reference, because I baked this cake in a soup can!  (Which I've done before here and here.)  I mean, is there anything cuter than a tin can cake??  Not if you're a woman, because then you love mini things (don't get me started on the tiny tabasco bottles you get at hotels).

This cake is baked with Biscoff, and is topped with a cookie butter buttercream.  If you're a fan of the stuff, you will LOVE this tiny treat!  And you might do what Carson and I did, which is dip each bite in tequila.  Or rum.  Because that's a totally normal and logical thing to do.      

Mini Cookie Butter Cake

Recipe adapted from The Baker Chick

(Printable Recipe)

For cake:

1 egg white

2 Tbsp granulated sugar

2 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted and cooled

2 Tbsp cookie butter spread

1 tsp vanilla

1/4 cup flour

1/4 tsp baking powder

Pinch of salt

1 1/2 Tbsp milk

For frosting:

2 Tbsp unsalted butter, room temp

2 Tbsp cookie butter spread

1/4 cup powdered sugar

1/2 tsp milk

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Spray an empty, cleaned soup can with baking spray.  In a bowl, whisk together the egg white and sugar until combined.  Add melted butter, cookie spread and vanilla, and continue to whisk until creamy.  Stir in flour, baking powder and salt.  Finally, whisk in milk until everything is combined.  Pour into soup can, and bake for 20-25 minutes, or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.  Let cake cool before applying frosting.

For frosting, vigorously stir together the butter and cookie butter spread.  Add the powdered sugar and milk, and stir until combined and creamy.  Spread onto cooled cake.

I always find Father's Day hard to shop for.  Most of the cool, techy toys I know Carson would LOVE are like, stupid expensive (I'm talking to you, drones).  I've found homemade gifts are the most meaningful, whether that's a customized beer bottle label from this site, or a baked treat from MY site!  Here are some ideas!  Exclamation points!  (Or is it marks?)

I have had "get haircut" and "GO TO DENTIST" on my to-do list for months, and yes, the latter has been in all caps.  Finally, due to an issue with a tooth that I don't want to talk about (because Google has led me to believe it's DEAD), I decided that making a dentist appointment was more crucial than getting that long bob, or lob.  So today, I am going to see my new NY dentist and I'm terrified. Maybe that is because late last night, I sat and ate a giant piece of this RIDICULOUS cake and drank a glass of red wine.  BUT THEN I FLOSSED (for the first time in forever) SO EVERYTHING IS OKAY.

Our beloved nanny turned 27 this week, and since she is an Oreo-lover I wanted to find a cake that truly highlighted the famous cookie.  I came across this recipe and after realizing actual Oreos are layered below the cake batter, I knew it was the one.  Because I ran out of cookies (and because I was trying to make the cake SLIGHTLY less rich) I only layered them in one of the cakes.  This, cake, is, SO INTENSE... and so Oreoy, which should be a legit word in the Scrabble dictionary I think.  The Oreo creme filling and the chocolate buttercream are unreal.  I think my dentist will approve.     

Good evening!!  Coming at you strong from the epicenter of BLIZZARD TWENTY FIFTEEN!  I like to shout that as I type like a super cheesy meteorologist.  It's been a long time since I've experienced a winter storm, but having grown up in Minnesota it's definitely not a foreign thing to me.  However, it IS the first time I've dealt with a blizzard as a grown up person, with actual responsibilities like filling up my gas tank (took 30 minutes), stocking up on essentials at the market (milk, bread, vodka...), and having children who are home from school with nothing to do!  They say the worst of it has yet to hit, so I'll keep you posted tomorrow with updates from the epicenter of BLIZZARD TWENTY FIFTEEN!  DUH DUH DUNNNN....

For now, I'd like to share with you the most wonderful dessert I made this past weekend.  A deliciously moist yellow cake with a thick, creamy, buttery caramel icing.  It wasn't my prettiest layered creation to date, as I ran out of frosting to cover the entire thing, but after taking one bite I threw any aesthetic desire out the window.  Breaking news: NO ONE CARES WHEN SOMETHING TASTES GOOD.  And this is waaaaay more than just good.      

Recipe for cake and frosting here.    

The "soup can birthday cake" changed my life when I discovered it almost two years ago (and it was also when I found her blog, drool).  It can elevate any small celebration that otherwise might go unnoticed.  Your kid scores a soccer goal?  Mini cake!  Your husband finally fixes that thing he was supposed to fix for a couple of months?  Mini cake!  You get down to your goal weight?  Mini cake!  (Yeah, you can tell I have issues with dieting.)  The point is, it will take you 5 minutes to bake, and by adding different sweeteners and spices, it can transform to fit any occasion.  This particular cake has maple syrup, molasses and ground ginger, which makes it perfect for a winter-time celebration.  Then cream cheese vanilla bean frosting on top?  JOLLY.