Let's celebrate with some CAKE.

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Goons with Spoons > Let's celebrate with some CAKE.

cocoavalley: Dec 28, 2010; Well son, a funny thing about regret is that it's better to regret something you have done than to regret something you haven't done

Bophf posted:

Does anyone have any recommendations for cupcake liners ... Any brand/color/material recommendations would be much appreciated.

Maybe you could bake them in the foil liners and then layer the paper ones over that for display purposes?

I used to love to use those shaped Wilton pans that you just covered with buttercream stars. One of my friends is a Deadhead so I made her this for her birthday a few years ago.

Chocolate pound cake with homemade buttercream icing. I had to relocate the ears to make it look more like the illustrations, and at one point someone rolled up a piece of paper and stuck it in the bear's mouth so it looked like it was smoking a joint.

Another friend had her birthday the next day and got wind that I was making the bear cake, so I ended up making a cake for her as well. I decided to take a more sophisticated route for that one.

Triple-layer, triple chocolate cake with raspberry. I split the layers and filled them with raspberry jam, then used chocolate buttercream icing to put it all together. I remember the chocolate curls were a huge pain to make but I managed somehow.

They were both big hits at the respective parties, but after spending an entire day and a half making cakes I took a break and have only made a two-layer version of the chocolate one since.

# ¿ Jan 27, 2011 20:37

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# ¿ Apr 26, 2024 15:45

cocoavalley: Dec 28, 2010; Well son, a funny thing about regret is that it's better to regret something you have done than to regret something you haven't done

Lady Demelza posted:

...melted chocolate onto baking paper ... is it actually going to work?

After almost four years I finally made another cake last week. It was for my sister's baby shower and she requested a butterfly motif. I used melting chocolate to make the butterfly wings on wax paper. They set up in less than ten minutes at room temperature and peeled off very easily. Then the bodies were made and the wings stuck in before the chocolate set. I thought that it worked out really well and they were surprisingly sturdy. I did learn the hard way that if using several colors, only one color should be worked at a time because the chocolate kept hardening and clogging the bottles when I switched between colors.

I forgot how much fun this could be, maybe it will be less than four years before the next one!

cocoavalley fucked around with this message at 14:33 on May 16, 2011

# ¿ Feb 7, 2011 05:38

cocoavalley: Dec 28, 2010; Well son, a funny thing about regret is that it's better to regret something you have done than to regret something you haven't done

Maximusi posted:

Oh here's a pic of the buche I made for Christmas. I know it doesn't compare to your guys'. All the decoration was marzipan. The log had chocolate mousse inside and chocolate ganache on the outside. Doesn't look like much but it took all day.

Looks good to me! I've only done the jelly roll thing once and it was a real pain. You put a lot of work into this.

I'm curious about fondant as well as I've never used it. It looks so nice and I had a hard time smoothing the icing on the butterfly cake. The stuff we've had in the past on professional cakes was so bland my sis specifically asked me not to try it. I've read here that there are better recipes for it though.

# ¿ Feb 10, 2011 15:07

cocoavalley: Dec 28, 2010; Well son, a funny thing about regret is that it's better to regret something you have done than to regret something you haven't done

clarabelle posted:

How did you colour it? Any time I try to colour chocolate, the texture gets messed up to the point where I can't pipe it or do any intricate work at all

I dipped a fork in Wilton gel color and stirred it into the melted wafers. Oddly, the purple didn't blend as well as the pink and particles could be seen in the chocolate, but the texture was fine. I also used decorator bottles instead of piping bags, they seemed to keep the chocolate from cooling as fast while I was using it.

# ¿ Feb 12, 2011 03:12

cocoavalley: Dec 28, 2010; Well son, a funny thing about regret is that it's better to regret something you have done than to regret something you haven't done

clarabelle posted:

So was it pure chocolate or did you add any icing sugar? I'm interested to try making some of my own, but I've had trouble piping melted chocolate before, it all comes out too fast

I didn't add anything to the chocolate, but wouldn't call it pure because I used candy wafers (aka melting chocolate) which are waxy from the extra ~~junk~~ ingredients in them used for stabilizing. They were bought in bulk, but are likely by Make'n'Mold.

I have never tried to use quality chocolate for these kinds of decorations, so if that is what you are using, it might explain the troubles (although wafers have their own issues like burning, seizing and/or lumps from overheating.)

# ¿ Feb 12, 2011 18:14

cocoavalley: Dec 28, 2010; Well son, a funny thing about regret is that it's better to regret something you have done than to regret something you haven't done

clarabelle posted:

Ok, there's something I don't get. Cream cheese frosting sounds vile. Why would you put cheese on a cake?

(Don't hate me for hating cheese, it just grosses me out)

I'm guessing you don't like cheesecake, then? Cream cheese icing is like a lighter, whipped up version that you can spread (at least the recipe I have is like that.) Some versions I've had are like a tangy buttercream and others are more liquid and can be drizzled over a cake. It makes sense if you like cheesecake, I guess.

# ¿ Mar 18, 2011 22:59

cocoavalley: Dec 28, 2010; Well son, a funny thing about regret is that it's better to regret something you have done than to regret something you haven't done

madlilnerd posted:

...whites and sugar together weren't cooperating.

Help?

I know of two reasons why meringues can fail - a bit of grease on the tools, or egg yolk that got into the whites. I always use a steel bowl that has been chilled, but I don't remember where I learned to do that...

# ¿ Mar 30, 2011 02:16

cocoavalley: Dec 28, 2010; Well son, a funny thing about regret is that it's better to regret something you have done than to regret something you haven't done

artichokeyou posted:

Here's a graduation cake I made for my sister and her friend. The bottom tier is a chocolate cake with oreo frosting and the top tier is a vanilla pound cake with raspberry filling and a white chocolate buttercream.I was worried about how to make the cap, but am pretty pleased with how everything turned out!

They wouldn't happen to be RIT grads (alumni here!) The cake looks really great.

# ¿ May 22, 2011 23:18

cocoavalley: Dec 28, 2010; Well son, a funny thing about regret is that it's better to regret something you have done than to regret something you haven't done

Pooptron2003 posted:

And have any suggestions for keeping a tired cake straight? Should I use straws for support? Hidden Cake boards between layers?

The mom of the parson having the baby is a real nit-picky beotch so I want to do a really good job on this thing so she'll shut her complain hole.

Help me cake gurus, you're my only hope!!!

How big is giant? For the baby shower cake that I posted awhile back I only used cake board between the tiers, but it was a rather small cake (2 10-inch layers and 2 8-inch layers.) If your cake is going to be a lot bigger, use cake boards between the tiers and also hammer a sharpened dowel (1/2 inch or so diameter) down through the center of the whole thing and into the base that the cake sets on, it will help a lot with the leaning. The cake boards also make it really easy to remove the tiers for cutting.

Also, depending on how many tiers you end up making, you may need/want to add some extra support to the base layer by using some shorter dowels to hold up the cake board on the base layer.

# ¿ Jun 9, 2011 15:54

cocoavalley: Dec 28, 2010; Well son, a funny thing about regret is that it's better to regret something you have done than to regret something you haven't done

Pooptron2003 posted:

Thanks for the info! (sorry this took so long, completely forgot I posted)

The cake will be 3 tiers, the bottom being 12 inches, the next 10, the next 8 (At least those are the pan sizes I remember ordering...I think). Getting the supplies for this thing is costing a fortune. Any good recommendations of where to get the base layer? I was reading online that thicker cake boards (pedestals? I forget what they're called) were better, but they're about 17 bucks each for something that I'm going to ruin with a sharpened dowel.

What kind of icing did you use on your cake? Standard buttercream?

For the base that the cake sits on I usually just use multiple layers of regular cake board that have been taped together and wrapped up with foil. I don't worry too much about it being that strong because I place the whole thing on a wooden cutting board to transport it and then just slide it onto the table at the destination. You might not even need the dowel, or at least not a 1/2" one for the cake you plan on making. The one I am referencing here:

is the top two layers of what you are planning, and I had no issues with sliding.

And yes, I use buttercream, but I don't have any experience with fondant and the mom-to-be didn't want it, or else I think it would have looked a lot nicer.

# ¿ Jun 15, 2011 14:51

cocoavalley: Dec 28, 2010; Well son, a funny thing about regret is that it's better to regret something you have done than to regret something you haven't done

Oh god, white chocolate mint ganache... I need to get out of the rut, I always default to dark chocolate and raspberry, like this cake I made this weekend:

Dark chocolate everything... cake layered with chocolate whipped cream and raspberry preserves, covered in ganache. The recipe (here) called for even more whipped cream on top but I thought the pint already used was enough. I used chopped up Scharffen Berger bittersweet chocolate instead of chocolate chips in the ganache and it was a good call. The bitterness helped balance out the sweeter cake and fillings. Overall a very dense and decadent cake. Maybe I can tweak it to use some of that white chocolate mint ganache next time...

# ¿ Jun 20, 2011 06:25

cocoavalley: Dec 28, 2010; Well son, a funny thing about regret is that it's better to regret something you have done than to regret something you haven't done

Brennanite posted:

I swear there was a delicious-looking chocolate buttercream frosting recipe in this thread, but I cannot find it to save my life. The recipe I inherited is thin, grainy, and tastes like powdered sugar mixed with milk. I don't think that is what it's supposed to be like.

Well, it does have powdered sugar and milk, but this is what I do:

1/2 c butter
1/2 c cocoa or more (depending on how dark you want it)
3 c powdered sugar
1/4 c milk (more or less depending on consistency)
1 tsp vanilla

Cream the butter then slowly add the sugar and cocoa powder. Add the vanilla, then milk as needed to get the consistency desired for your purposes.

I always use dark cocoa powder and thought this was a good recipe, but I'd love to see what other people use.

edit:vvvvvvvvv Well, drat! It's got butter so I say it's buttercream and a whole hell of a lot better recipe than this one! Color me educated.

cocoavalley fucked around with this message at 02:03 on Jun 29, 2011

# ¿ Jun 28, 2011 14:20

cocoavalley: Dec 28, 2010; Well son, a funny thing about regret is that it's better to regret something you have done than to regret something you haven't done

Or sliced strawberries sugared a little, they will soften a bit as well and create some syrup if you give them a day.

# ¿ Jun 30, 2011 13:49

cocoavalley: Dec 28, 2010; Well son, a funny thing about regret is that it's better to regret something you have done than to regret something you haven't done

Has anyone here ever tried "natural" food coloring/dyes? I see that India Tree makes them but they are pretty expensive and the Amazon reviews are so-so.

clarabelle posted:

The whole thing was done as a buttercream transfer. There's a full write-up here: http://www.threadcakes.com/entries/view/1039

(Yes, I'm aware of the spelling mistake in the write-up, it haunts my nightmares)

I had never heard of using a transfer technique this way. I love it, it looks great!

# ¿ Jul 6, 2011 12:25

cocoavalley: Dec 28, 2010; Well son, a funny thing about regret is that it's better to regret something you have done than to regret something you haven't done

JibbaJabberwocky posted:

I'm already positive I'm going to make a rich chocolate cake with raspberry filling. I also want to layer fresh cut strawberries on top. I'm just not sure what I should ice the cake with! I'd thought about chocolate ganache but it seems too chocolatey. I'd also thought about buttercream but it doesn't seem to fit with the flavor of the berries. I don't want to use fruity buttercream either. Does anyone have an idea? I'd like to make it with some sort of liquor if I could!

I've been told that the raspberry filling goes well with buttercream, but I don't want the cake to have a confused flavor with so many things on it.

I make chocolate/chocolate/raspberry cakes all of the time. I always worry that it's going to be too much, but it never is. I've used ganache and buttercream (sometimes both!) and either way is delicious. I'd say use ganache if you don't want it to be as sweet. I always use dark dutch processed cocoa and it works out great.

As far as liquor flavored fillings, you can usually get away with replacing the vanilla in a filling/frosting recipe with whatever flavored liquor you like.

If you do decide to go with a buttercream, wait until you are ready to serve it to put the sliced strawberries on it. The sugar in the buttercream will make the strawberries weep juice if allowed to sit for too long (learned from experience.) It tastes good but can look pretty bad.

# ¿ Jul 11, 2011 20:28

cocoavalley: Dec 28, 2010; Well son, a funny thing about regret is that it's better to regret something you have done than to regret something you haven't done

clarabelle posted:

Does anyone here use candy melts much? I'm making cake pops for a party on Saturday and I need my candy melts to be blood-red rather than fire engine red. The shop only had the latter and I'm trying to figure out how to darken it up. Would mixing in a little melted dark chocolate do the trick?

The dark chocolate is probably your best bet. You can test it with a few melts to see if you like it. If not, I have also had some success using gel/paste colors with candy melts.

# ¿ Jul 13, 2011 19:52

cocoavalley: Dec 28, 2010; Well son, a funny thing about regret is that it's better to regret something you have done than to regret something you haven't done

clarabelle posted:

I did some reading about using gels and pastes, everything I read says candy melts will seize up if you add colours that are water-based. I just got some stuff that should counteract the effect, but I prefer to get advice from people who've actually done this stuff before.

While I prefer mixing different colored melts if I can, I've used the Wilton gel colors with candy melts and haven't yet had any problems with seizing... the candy melts contain ingredients to keep them smooth and are pretty reliable. In general chocolate-melting situations I've had to add a little shortening to the chocolate if it got 'temperamental', but that was pure chocolate.

# ¿ Jul 13, 2011 20:52

cocoavalley: Dec 28, 2010; Well son, a funny thing about regret is that it's better to regret something you have done than to regret something you haven't done

This info could not have come at a better time since I was just thinking about how I could make lemon meringue cookies and was going to make dry meringues for the tops. I am totally going to use 7 minute frosting now! (Yeah, I didn't really know what it was until now...)

# ¿ Aug 4, 2011 18:46

cocoavalley: Dec 28, 2010; Well son, a funny thing about regret is that it's better to regret something you have done than to regret something you haven't done

captainbree posted:

This is my first attempt at home. I messed up a bunch, but then again I don't have a lot of tools at my disposal. The second layer was supposed to be full, but it broke apart when I took it out of the pan so I just used the good half. I wish I had a picture of it being sliced. The red velvet looked so pretty with the white and black.

This is awesome, so much more elegant than the "random squiggle fill technique" that is taught in the Wilton books.

# ¿ Aug 10, 2011 18:28

cocoavalley: Dec 28, 2010; Well son, a funny thing about regret is that it's better to regret something you have done than to regret something you haven't done

esoterra posted:

A friend is throwing a going away party for one of her coworkers and mentioned that she was going to celebrate with an ice cream cake. Knowing that I like to bake, she asked if I would make it instead. That's a touch outside of my baking comfort zone, so I was wondering if any of you wonderful goons have any advice or tips to give on ice cream cakes? Would you frost them with a butter cream frosting? 7 minute frosting? Or possibly a ganache? The coworker likes mint, so I was thinking mint-chip ice cream with chocolate cake, and perhaps chocolate mint frosting? Any much needed tips or information would be greatly appreciated!

Most ice cream 'cake' where I am from doesn't actually have any cake in it. Everyone mimics Carvel cakes, which are ice cream layered with crumbled cookie. Sometimes they have fudge or other sundae fixings layered in as well. They do generally have some kind of buttercream frosting (or whipped topping :cry:

)

Homemade ones are awesome, my mom would use ben & Jerry's mint Oreo cookie layered over an Oreo crust and put hot fudge and whipped cream on it when it was served. No icing was needed for those!

That said, your mint-chip chocolate cake idea sounds really good, especially if the frosting is really fudgey.

# ¿ Aug 16, 2011 21:26

cocoavalley: Dec 28, 2010; Well son, a funny thing about regret is that it's better to regret something you have done than to regret something you haven't done

Wandering Knitter posted:

Since the Elvis Cake didn't lead to everyone's death, my friend Vinny is now determined to make a Smore cake. So far we have chosen on this cake, but the frosting/filling is still undecided.

The current ideas are Fluff filling with Nuttella frosting, or just straight up chocolate frosting with roasted marshmallows on top.

Any thoughts?

The most adorable part about this is that right up till last month Vinny was a typical gamer guy who had no interest in cooking, baking, or cakes at all. Now he's determined to make as many odd cakes as possible.

Nutella sounds awesome, or you could go with a ganache in order to keep it as close to a melted chocolate bar as possible.

I love desserts that are a play on other desserts. I made some lemon meringue cookies last week, and have made things like giant swiss rolls for birthdays. It's fun and a decent way to try new things since you already know the flavors work well together.

# ¿ Aug 22, 2011 21:06

cocoavalley: Dec 28, 2010; Well son, a funny thing about regret is that it's better to regret something you have done than to regret something you haven't done

My mom and I split the cake-making job for my dad's birthday this weekend. She baked the cake layers and I filled/frosted them. I get to their house and there are four layers cooling on the counter - she broke a piece off of one of the first layers and thought it was ruined, so she made another set. I always level the layers and was able to salvage the broken one with scraps, so we ended up with a megacake.

Inspired by this thread, I used the white chocolate mint ganache posted earlier to fill the split layers. The cake is Hershey's old fashioned chocolate cake recipe with chocolate buttercream frosting, both made with dark cocoa powder. It was huge and delicious.

I'd really like to make a cake that isn't chocolate one of these days, but most of the family either loves chocolate or would rather have some other dessert for birthdays. I guess there are worse things!

# ¿ Aug 28, 2011 02:28

cocoavalley: Dec 28, 2010; Well son, a funny thing about regret is that it's better to regret something you have done than to regret something you haven't done

Charmmi posted:

I don't know how I am going to top this next year.

Animatronics.

(Also, are those unicorns ceramic, or....?)

# ¿ Sep 6, 2011 15:59

cocoavalley: Dec 28, 2010; Well son, a funny thing about regret is that it's better to regret something you have done than to regret something you haven't done

The Heartless posted:

No cracks or anything. I was pretty proud of it.

What tactics do you use to achieve this? I usually put a pan of hot water in the oven with the cake and when it's done leave it in the oven to cool, but I always get cracking.

# ¿ Sep 18, 2011 14:57

cocoavalley: Dec 28, 2010; Well son, a funny thing about regret is that it's better to regret something you have done than to regret something you haven't done

NarwhalParty posted:

3 cups self-rising flour
2 cups granulated sugar
3/4 cup vegetable oil
1 1/2 cup pureed strawberries, strained
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 teaspoon lemon zest
4 large eggs, beaten

Source:
http://adashofsass.com/2009/03/01/homemade-strawberry-cake/

Thank you for this, I also recently went searching for a berry cake recipe and could only find jello versions, or recipes that called for very little fruit. I was going to try using an applesauce cake recipe and sub berry puree for the apples, but now I won't have to! Maybe I'll find an excuse to make this after I've recovered from Christmas cookie baking burn-out.

# ¿ Dec 12, 2011 07:16

cocoavalley: Dec 28, 2010; Well son, a funny thing about regret is that it's better to regret something you have done than to regret something you haven't done

Is it possible that they need a little more time in the oven? The baking is very similar to that of meringues which can deflate if they come out too soon.

# ¿ Mar 11, 2012 21:45

cocoavalley: Dec 28, 2010; Well son, a funny thing about regret is that it's better to regret something you have done than to regret something you haven't done

Who walks around a fish convention bragging about being a professional pastry chef anyway?

These St Patrick's day ideas are so :3:

My niece's birthday is the 17th and even though my sister doesn't want to emphasize it I bet she couldn't say no to that rainbow cake.

# ¿ Mar 12, 2012 14:51

cocoavalley: Dec 28, 2010; Well son, a funny thing about regret is that it's better to regret something you have done than to regret something you haven't done

Yay, cupcakes! My niece turned one this past weekend and after some frantic texts from my (non-decorator) sister we went from:

"Demented Pokemon Thing that got Pooped on^TM" - coined by my brother-in-law

# ¿ Mar 22, 2012 01:46

cocoavalley: Dec 28, 2010; Well son, a funny thing about regret is that it's better to regret something you have done than to regret something you haven't done

radioaktivitat posted:

Teardrop shapes proved a bit tricky to cut out consistently so in the end I used a piping nozzle as a round cutter and then just cut the icing circles in half. The wings are definitely an improvement, I think.

My sister had limited tools so I did this for the mouths on the derpy fish cupcakes. I used a rolling pin on a gum drop then cut out crescent shapes with the wide end of the decorator tip.

The tiny wings on your bees work great, very cute!

# ¿ Mar 23, 2012 12:35

cocoavalley: Dec 28, 2010; Well son, a funny thing about regret is that it's better to regret something you have done than to regret something you haven't done

yoshesque posted:

Dobos torte for my birthday. Considering this was my first try, it wasn't bad at all.

I've always wanted to try making one of these, it looks great! Any particular recipe I should file away?

I feel the same about store-bought cakes. The big-deal grocery store where I'm from (Wegmans) has this 'Ultimate Chocolate Cake' that they went on and on about when they first came out with it and it's relatively expensive. My mom got a coupon for a free one and it was pretty 'meh'. Our go-to chocolate cake is just the Hershey's old-fashioned recipe and it runs circles around the Wegmans one. Though I suppose if you are used to box cakes a store bought homemade cake would be a big deal.

# ¿ Jun 18, 2012 14:26

cocoavalley: Dec 28, 2010; Well son, a funny thing about regret is that it's better to regret something you have done than to regret something you haven't done

Boris Galerkin posted:

Well, I just prepared half the ingredients for a smaller test run and it doesn't even look like cake, the battery I mean. It had the consistency of something more like chocolate milk. But I guess I'll find out in about half an hour if it turned out good. Hopefully it does because I need to bake the real cake tomorrow morning.

E: poo poo, I just realized I didn't halve the amount of boiling water. Maybe that's why

If this version doesn't work out for you, their Old Fashioned Chocolate Cake is my go-to recipe (that I was blabbing about a few posts up), along with the buttercream frosting (I skip the crushed peppermint candy). I usually use dark cocoa for the cake and split the layers so I can put jam or mint filling in them and it always comes out really good.

Ohgod I just realized I've never thought to put peanut butter in them ...

# ¿ Jun 26, 2012 07:04

cocoavalley: Dec 28, 2010; Well son, a funny thing about regret is that it's better to regret something you have done than to regret something you haven't done

Fraction posted:

Holy poo poo that looks good. I don't have access to specific Hersheys brand cocoa, I assume the regular ol' cocoa powder from the supermarket will do the trick? So I'd use like 2/3 cup regular cocoa powder in place of Hersheys?

And how would you use/make mint filling, that sounds amazing.

Oh yes, any cocoa powder is fine, use whatever suits your taste.

I've done a couple different things for mint filling, white buttercream frosting or white chocolate ganache, either flavored with creme de menthe liquor (no reason you couldn't put the booze in the chocolate versions of those, too). You can use mint extract instead or along with the liquor, but it is much stronger and easier to overdo it. I usually play it by ear, I think last time I used a Tbsp of the creme de menthe and a 1/2 tsp of extract to half of a buttercream recipe (that normally yields enough to frost a two-layer cake). I like strong mint though, so you might want to start with less, you can always add more. The only thing to be aware of with the buttercream is that too much added liquid can make it runny (thus the addition of extract instead of more liquor). The ganache was trickier because you have to let it cool enough that it can't be so easily poured, but still warm enough to spread. You don't want it running out of the layers.

I use a bread knife to split the baked cake layers and then sandwich the filling in them so they are whole again, then frost and stack them as usual.

# ¿ Jun 26, 2012 12:33

cocoavalley: Dec 28, 2010; Well son, a funny thing about regret is that it's better to regret something you have done than to regret something you haven't done

Fraction posted:

Thanks for the help, cocoavalley Made that cake today and it was amazing. I was out of icing sugar so couldn't make any buttercream frosting for it, but I will make mint flavoured icing for it when I make the cake again soon.

Glad to help! Yes, it is good all by itself. Though it bakes pretty level, whenever I trim the layers the scraps barely have a chance to hit the countertop

# ¿ Jun 27, 2012 00:21

cocoavalley: Dec 28, 2010; Well son, a funny thing about regret is that it's better to regret something you have done than to regret something you haven't done

Cowslips Warren posted:

A coworker of mine told me about a cake he'd make as a kid with Koolaid, that you made a standard cake and then poured the Koolaid crystals in the mix. Is that right? Surely you make the Koolaid a liquid and use that instead?

So if you were making a box cake mix, it'd be Koolaid and eggs and half oil amount or something?

You just add the kool-aid powder to the boxed cake mix powder and then whatever else the box says you need (eggs, oil, water).

# ¿ Sep 19, 2012 00:48

cocoavalley: Dec 28, 2010; Well son, a funny thing about regret is that it's better to regret something you have done than to regret something you haven't done

madlilnerd posted:

How can I make my buttercream icing really really white? I don't want cream coloured stuff any more, and when I make mine from scratch I always end up with that. My ratio is 1g of butter to 1g of icing sugar, with a dash of vanilla extract.

This is a recipe that we've used for ages for decorating (egg white for stiffening, I usually leave it out), I think it was my grandmother's. Anyway, if you don't mind using shortening it comes out pretty white.

½ cup butter
½ cup shortening
1 tsp milk, plus more if needed
1 tsp vanilla
1 egg white (optional)
4 cups powdered sugar

Cream the butter, shortening, and sugar. Add the egg white, vanilla and milk, adding more milk if needed to make frosting the desired consistency. Frosts a typical 2 layer cake (8 or 9 inch layers).

# ¿ Sep 25, 2012 21:14

cocoavalley: Dec 28, 2010; Well son, a funny thing about regret is that it's better to regret something you have done than to regret something you haven't done

Catface Meowmers posted:

pecan caramel cheesecake

That looks fantastic - is there a recipe you can share?

Edit: vvvv Thank you! Been itching to bake a cheesecake for a while and I think I'll give this one a go.

cocoavalley fucked around with this message at 19:00 on Nov 21, 2012

# ¿ Nov 20, 2012 04:27

cocoavalley: Dec 28, 2010; Well son, a funny thing about regret is that it's better to regret something you have done than to regret something you haven't done

I was wondering if anyone here can tell me about tempered chocolate? I make rainbow cookies every year (on the left, they are kind of like cake!)

I have been using candy melts to coat them, but the flavor of the chocolate variety is kind of " ... meh". If I temper chocolate and use that, will it crumble/shatter when I cut the cookies?

# ¿ Dec 11, 2012 13:51

cocoavalley: Dec 28, 2010; Well son, a funny thing about regret is that it's better to regret something you have done than to regret something you haven't done

Carbon Thief posted:

How about a classic cut-up cake from the Baker's Coconut cookbook? Perry the Penguin

Edit: Here's the rest of the book, if anyone's interested. It was given away in the '50s, and my grandmother used to make them sometimes.

Heh, you beat me - I went over to Photoshop to draw up this :downs:

guy and came back to see your post.

I love retro cookbooks. It's so neat to see how presentation style has changed over the years.

# ¿ Apr 4, 2013 03:57

cocoavalley: Dec 28, 2010; Well son, a funny thing about regret is that it's better to regret something you have done than to regret something you haven't done

Cowslips Warren posted:

What do you guys use to grease your cake pans? Crisco, butter? I tried to make a soda-cake today and while it came out nice, the drat thing refused to come out of the pan and broke into pieces. It's possible, though, that I left it to cool to long; is five minutes usually the max? I believe I did for 15, the pans and cake were still warm at 5.

I usually use shortening and then flour the pan. Butter (and even non-stick spray in a pinch) then flouring works too. I don't know how long is too long or if there is a too long with that method, but I definitely leave them in the pans longer than 5 minutes (maybe 15-20?) and haven't had a problem with sticking before.

e: Oh and for chocolate cakes sometimes I use cocoa powder mixed with the flour, depends on if the sides are going to be frosted or not.

e2: VVVVVVVV I'm sure at times I've left mine in the the pan long enough for them to cool almost completely. I think it's OK to err on the side of caution, cakes are still kind of fragile when they are hot, cooling allows them to set up a bit.

cocoavalley fucked around with this message at 15:20 on Sep 8, 2013

# ¿ Sep 8, 2013 15:10

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# ¿ Apr 26, 2024 15:45

cocoavalley: Dec 28, 2010; Well son, a funny thing about regret is that it's better to regret something you have done than to regret something you haven't done

It looks like the seam might actually be diagonal from the chin to the back of the head - if you look at the side that has the back of the skull, the bottom of the neck is at an angle (rather than perpendicular to the pan). It's still not level, but at least you won't have to worry about the two halves peeling away from each other. It will probably be fine with whatever frosting you go with.

# ¿ Oct 17, 2013 13:28

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Goons with Spoons > Let's celebrate with some CAKE.

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