Gah, the cake is too dry, so I'm going to try the Birthday cake recipe on SmittenKitten. It wasn't a complete fail, though as the buttercream icing with melted bittersweet chocolate instead of cocoa powder was pretty darn amazing if I do say so myself. Here's the recipe, which I got from William's Sonoma:
Ingredients:
- 8 oz. unsweetened chocolate, chopped
- 6 cups confectioners' sugar
- 16 Tbs. (2 sticks) unsalted butter
- 6 Tbs. milk, plus more, if needed
- 2 tsp. vanilla extract
- 1/4 tsp. salt
Directions:
Have all the ingredients at room temperature.
Put the chocolate in the top pan of a double boiler set over but not touching simmering water in the bottom pan. Stir until the chocolate is melted and smooth. Let cool to room temperature.
In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the flat beater, combine the confectioners' sugar, butter, the 6 Tbs. milk, the vanilla and salt and beat on low speed until combined, about 1 minute. Stop the mixer and scrape down the sides of the bowl. Increase the speed to medium and beat for 2 minutes, then reduce the speed to low. Add the chocolate and beat until combined, then increase the speed to medium and beat for 1 minute more.
If the frosting is dry, add more milk, 1 tsp. at a time, until it is creamy but still holds peaks. Makes about 4 1/2 cups.
I only used about 51/2 cups of powdered sugar and it was enough to fill, ice and border a 9" two layer cake.
Put the chocolate in the top pan of a double boiler set over but not touching simmering water in the bottom pan. Stir until the chocolate is melted and smooth. Let cool to room temperature.
In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the flat beater, combine the confectioners' sugar, butter, the 6 Tbs. milk, the vanilla and salt and beat on low speed until combined, about 1 minute. Stop the mixer and scrape down the sides of the bowl. Increase the speed to medium and beat for 2 minutes, then reduce the speed to low. Add the chocolate and beat until combined, then increase the speed to medium and beat for 1 minute more.
If the frosting is dry, add more milk, 1 tsp. at a time, until it is creamy but still holds peaks. Makes about 4 1/2 cups.
I'm going to get fat reading your blog.
ReplyDelete:) Or your brother will... He's already complaining about a potbelly.
haha. . . the two of you fat. . . LMAO You are two of the most svelte people I know and am related=) But, yeah, I get you, I had a slice last night, a sliver this morning then packed up the rest for Jess to take home for them all to eat.
ReplyDeleteI use this recipe for a yellow sponge (without all the icing and glazing and sprinkles though):
ReplyDeletehttp://www.nigella.com/recipes/view/best-birthday-cake-118
I would definitely recommend it, it tastes like my childhood birthdays!
Blue Skies,
Charlotte xo
Yeah, I should have stuck with this one for the actual birthday cake, because that recipe (that I got from smitten kitten) was horribly dry. Maybe, next time I'll try Nigella's. Is it a pretty moist cake?
ReplyDeleteSome of those ingredients look a little foreign to me though, caster sugar?
ReplyDelete