Life Uncertain

"Man plans and God changes it" advice once given to me by a wise old coworker.  She would say this not just as a caution to appreciate the moment, but remind me to go with the flow.  I'm reminded of her wisdom this week because I planned to make a belated birthday cake, but that was put on hold when I learned that my neighbor's mother unexpectedly passed away and I was asked to make a cake for the repasse.

The leaves are just starting to turn here but already the sugar maples are a fiery red and falling.  I had just come home from a walk in the woods when my neighbor stopped to give me the news.  When she asked if I would make a cake, I knew instantly that I had to find a way to incorporate those beautiful falling leaves that were still on my mind.

Les Feuilles Mortes

The falling leaves drift by the window
The autumn leaves of red and gold
I see your lips, the summer kisses
The sun-burned hands I used to hold
Since you went away the days grow long
And soon I'll hear old winter's song
But I miss you most of all my darling
When autumn leaves start to fall.
---Johnny Mercer

My My's Three-Layer Cake

(from Patty Pinner's 'Sweets' Cookbook)

(to make the cake shown you will need 2 recipes, made 1 at a time. You can mix the second recipe while your first recipe bakes).  Also, you can see a video of the completed cake at the end of this blog.

1 c. unsalted butter
1 T. vegetable oil (optional)
2 c. granulated sugar
4 eggs, separated
2 t. baking powder
1/2 t. salt
3 c. all-purpose flour
1 c. milk
2 t. flavoring (I used lemon, but you could use vanilla, almond, or any other flavor)
3 baking pans (For this cake I used a 6 in. and 9 in Octogonals and a 9 in Round pans but this recipe will fill 3 8' rounds.)

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. 
2. Prepare cake pans.   I recommend using Wilton's Cake Release oil.  It leaves fewer crumbs than grease and flower and your cake easily slides out the pan. You can also use vegetable oil and lightly flour the surface, or Pam with flour.   Set pans aside.
3. Beat room temperature butter with mixer for about 1 minute.  Add sugar and mix until fluffy.
4. Add egg yolks one at a time, beating well in between.
5. Add in baking powder, salt, and 1 c. of the flour and mix well.
6. Add 1/3 c. milk and blend well.  Alternate adding remaining milk and flour, ending with the flour.
7. Add in your choice of flavoring, mix for another 2 minutes and set aside.
8. In a separate bowl, whip egg whites until they form peaks that hold their shape, like a meringue. Do not whip the egg whites until you are ready to bake the cakes. Allowing the meringue to sit too long will cause it to lose the air and will change the texture of your cake.
9. Fold the egg whites into the flour using a large spoon or spatula.  Fold just until there are no streaks. (It's important not to beat the mixture or stir it too much, or the egg whites will lose their lift.  This extra step of beating the egg whites adds lift to the cake, making them tall with a light texture.  I actually use this technique even when I'm using a box mix).
10. The cake batter will be smooth and thick, similar to pancake batter.  Fill the prepared pans no more than 1/2 full.
11. Bake 25-35 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.  The smaller pan will require less baking time than the larger pan. 
12. While cakes are baking, prepare your second recipe.  Do not whip the egg whites. Set aside
13. Allow cakes to cool on wire racks for 5-10 minutes or until pan is warm to the touch.  Loosen around cake with knife and invert cake onto wire rack to resume cooling.
14. Clean and prepare pans for second recipe.
15. Whip egg whites until stiff; fold into prepared cake batter.
16. Fill pans and bake as before.

Basic "Buttercream" Icing

(you will need 2 recipes for this cake)

1 c. solid white vegetable shortening (You can also use Butter, but your cake will require refrigeration )
1 t. Lemon Extract, or flavoring of your choice
10 t. Water or milk
1 lb Confectioner's Sugar
Pinch of salt (optional)
Food Coloring of your choice (my cake used Wilton Golden Yellow and Copper Gel colors)

1. Beat room temperature shortening for about 1 minute. 
2. Add 8 teaspoons of water/milk and flavoring, mix on medium speed for about 2 minutes.
3. Add 1 c. Confectioner's sugar, mix well.  Alternate remaining powdered sugar with remaining water, mixing well in between.
4. Blend for 2-4 minutes after all ingredients have been added.  Texture should be  smooth and spreadable, like peanut butter. If icing is too thick, add 1 teaspoon of water and mix until you have reached desired texture.Divide icing in half.
5.   Add food coloring of your choice.  It is best to use a gel or powdered food coloring so that your icing does not get too watery, however, if you only have liquid, add liquid to reach your desired colors.  If icing gets too watery, add 1 teaspoon of powdered sugar until you get desired consistency.

Cake Assembly:

1. When all cakes have cooled (at least 2 hours, or overnight) brush away excess crumbs.
2. Trim cake board to fit top tier.  Board should be 1/2-inch smaller than cake.  Position 6 in cake on cake board. 
3. Spread a layer of icing  color of your choice approx 1/2-in. thick on top of cake on board.  Position second 6-in cake on top.  Set aside.
4. Position 9-in cake on 10-in or larger cake board.  Adding a dollup of icing on center of board will help keep cake in place.
5. Spread a 1/2-in. layer of coordinating icing color on top of cake on board.  Position  second 9 in. cake on top. Set aside.
6. Returning to top tier cake, Spread a very thin layer of icing on cake, starting with top and then going around sides. To avoid getting crumbs in your icing, be careful to wipe off your spatula before putting it back in the icing.  Set 6-in. cake aside.  Repeat this step on 9-in. tier.
7. Position 6-in tier on top of 9-in tier.  Wrap remaining 2 cakes in foil, place in a plastic bag and freeze for later use.

Cake Decorating:

For the Autumn cake, I made several dozen small leaves using rolled fondant and fondant cutters.  An easier way to achieve the same look is to use Wilton Sugar Sheets (http://www.wilton.com/pcd/sugarsheets_overview.cfm) and leaf-shaped paper punches from the craft store.  Sugar sheets come in a variety of colors, or you can buy white and paint with food coloring or food markers.  Regular paper, or clay punches, will work on Sugar Sheets, but they must be sterilized.

Fondant leaves:
3 oz. White Rolled Fondant
Food Coloring of choice
2 T. Vegetable Shortening
1 T. Corn starch
1 T. Confectioner's Sugar
Leftover icing
Baking sheet, or other smooth non-porous surface
Rolling Pin
Wax Paper, crumbled and then opened
Leaf fondant cutters, or small cookie cutters

1. Mix Corn starch and Confectioners Sugar in small bowl.  Set aside.
2. Spread a thin layer of Vegetable Shortening on baking sheet, rolling pin and on clean hands (be sure to put some on fingernails too).
3. Knead fondant until soft and pliable.  Divide fondant into 2 or 3 pieces. 
4. Add small amount of desired food coloring to fondant and knead to mix. ( I recommend that you start with your lightest color and work your way to your darkest color.  For example, if you want yellow leaves, start with yellow, then mix the red, then you can combine red and yellow fondant to make orange or mottled leaves.  You can then add burgundy to red for a deeper color.) Place each color in a separate ziplock sandwich bag.
5. Place one color on of fondant on greased baking sheet. Place a dusting of the Corn Starch mix on top and spread.  Roll out fondant until it is less than 1/8-in.  Use cutters to cut out 3-4 shapes, then put the fondant into a waiting ziploc bag.
6.  If you don't have fondant tools, you can use a toothpick to etch in the veins and clean up the edges of the leaf.  Gently lift leaf and place on crumbled wax paper.  The crumples in the wax paper will allow each leaf to dry in a different shape.  Let leaves for at least 1 hour, longer if your home is humid.
7. Repeat with rest of fondant.  You will need approx 3 dozen of different shapes and sizes. Once leaves have dried, divide in half, be sure to mix colors.
8. Using leftover icing, or fondant, add a border to the bottom of each tier of your cake. Basically you want to hide the place where the cakes meet and help cement them together. I used an alternative leaf pattern, but you could just use white or another color.  Alternately, you can make extra fondant leaves and attach them to your cake as a border.
9. Scattering leaves: There are 2 ways to do this, you can painstakingly determine where to attach each leaf (placing a small dot of icing on the back--be sure you use the same color icing as is on the cake so that no one will see the "glue"), or you can sprinkle 1/2 of the leaves over the cake to see where they would naturally fall, then very carefully "glue" each one in place using leftover icing.
10. For leaf-pile cake topper, build a circle of larger, or imperfect leaves on their edge.  You can stick them right into the icing.  Add remaining leaves to build up the pile.

Love in the Lunchbox

Welcome to Installment No. 2 in my adventure as  baker-blogger.  There was a bit of crisis in my home this morning.  It seems that we were out of the cake balls that my daughter had been packing in her lunch for the past few weeks (remind me to tell you the story of the cake balls).  In frustration she announced that she would just buy lunch today. 

On the way to school I asked her again why she didn't pack her lunch, considering all of the drama that usually accompanies her purchasing lunch (a story for another time). In her eyes, it seems a sandwich, apple and sparkling water wasn't enough.  She told me that she liked taking the special treat, because in the middle of middle-school chaos, it reminded her that everything would be okay and that someone loved her. 

Her comment really struck a chord in me.  It reminded me that even though she's growing on the outside, on the inside she's still a kid.  It also reminded me of my bff (who was separated from her mom at a young age) who's fondest childhood memory was of the lunch her mom packed for her to bring to school.  Who knew that a little piece of sweetness in the bottom of a lunch box could be so important? I guess it's true 'nothing says lovin' like something from the oven.'

So this blog, and baking project is dedicated to Love in the Lunchbox.  And what better way to start a new tradition than with a pumped-up version of an old staple: Oatmeal Cookies.

I started with a basic Oatmeal Cookie Recipe:

• 2 cups unbleached all-purpose or whole wheat flour
• 1/2 teaspoon table salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 Tablespoon pure vanilla extract
• 3 Tablespoons milk
• 2 large eggs
• 2 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 cup packed light-brown sugar
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 3 cups Old-Fashioned Oats

Optional Add-ins:

• 1/2 cup Dried Cranberries
• 1 teaspoon Orange Zest
• 1/4 cup Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips
• 1/4 cup White Chocolate Chips
• 1/4 cup Shredded Coconut
• 1/4 Chopped Walnuts

1. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, salt, cinnamon, baking powder, and baking soda. Set aside.
2. In a small bowl, whisk together the vanilla, milk, and eggs. Set aside.
3. In a large mixing bowl beat butter until smooth, add both sugars and beat (on medium speed if you are using a mixer) until light and fluffy.
4. Reduce to low speed, alternate adding flour mixture and milk mixture, a little at a time and beating well in between.
5. Stirring by hand, add the oats. Now you have basic Oatmeal Cookie Dough.
6. Divide Cookie Dough in half.

Options:

1. Orange Cranberry - In one half of basic dough mixture add in 1/2 cup of dried cranberries, plus 1 teaspoon of Orange Zest.  Cover bowl with a plate or plastic and place dough in the refrigerator until firm (at least 2 hours).
3. Hilary Clintons - I call them this because Hilary Rodham Clinton won the Presidential Bake-off in 1992 with this recipe - In the other half of basic dough mixture add in 1/4 cup of semi-sweet chocolate morsels (you can substitute White Chocolate or Butterscotch) and 1/4 cup of chopped Walnuts. Cover bowl with a plate or plastic and place dough in the refrigerator until firm (at least 2 hours).

Coco-Nuts -In one half of basic dough mixture add in 1/4 cup of shredded coconut and 1/4 cup of chopped Walnuts (you can substitute Pecans). Cover bowl with a plate or plastic and place dough in the refrigerator until firm (at least 2 hours).

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line several baking sheets with wax paper, and set aside.  If you don't have wax paper, no worries, just use an ungreased cookie sheet.  The wax paper aides in cleanup.

Shape approximately 2 tablespoons of dough into a ball; place on one of the prepared sheets. Repeat with the remaining dough, placing 3 inches apart. Wet the bottom of a glass, or spatula, and flatten dough into rounds about 2-inches in diameter.  Keep a bowl of chilled water nearby to dip your glass/spatula otherwise the dough will stick.  You may also need a knife to help loosen the dough if it sticks to the glass.

Bake  16 to 18 minutes, until edges are golden but still soft in center. Remove from oven; transfer on wax paper to a wire rack to cool.

Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week.

Coming Up Next on Life is Uncertain. Eat Dessert First: Delayed Gratification - A belated birthday cake for my mom

A Blog is Born

Welcome to Life is "Uncertain. Eat Dessert First" my musings and reflections on the sweetest things in life.  I've been in lifelong love affair with dessert.  It is by far the most anticipated portion of my meal.  And though I can't always have the elaborate and decadent confections that I desire, I have made it my mission in life to try to create all-natural treats that even the most challenged cook can create in the kitchen.  Along the way, I will share some of my own challenges, starting with a kitchen.

I can't tell you how many times I've heard people say they can't cook or bake the way they'd like because they don't have space in their kitchen, or they don't have the latest thing-a-majig that makes the perfect cakepop.  The truth is, if you have an oven, thermometer, bowl, spoon and pan you can bake!  It may look a little different than it does in the book, but that's where your creativity can come in.
My friends from college will tell you how they would gather in the dorm lounge late at night to await the brownies coming out of the oven.  Brownies I baked in a pot (an once with pot).  Or, they'll tell you about staying up three straight days to fill orders for homemade chocolate candies we sold for Valentines Day.  Candies we made in our barebones kitchen.

Fast forward some years, and my kitchen has (unfortunately) not changed much.  Although a large 14x14 space, I have but 2.5 feet of counter space. Clearly a cook, or anyone with common sense, did not design this kitchen! The oven is right next to the back door and under the air conditioning vent.  It's a challenge that makes keeping a steady oven temp a challenge, though it's great for cooling baked goods.  I remedied the problem by opting for a counter-height table.  Recently I added 8 feet more of counterspace by sawing my free-standing bookshelves in half and arranging them side by side (see below).

Although you can use your stovetop, having counter or tabletop space will make your life easier. That way you can measure out all of your ingredients before you start so you don't skip anything (like baking powder) and you also have room for your goodies to cool. The more elaborate your dessert, the more space you'll want, so clear off the kitchen table or set up some tray tables if you need to.  

The next important tool you need is an in-oven thermometer.  They cost about $5 for a basic magnetic dial that you can stick on the inside of your oven.  Here's a secret, you can muck around with the ingredients, but nothing, but nothing can ruin a dessert better than an oven that is too high, or too low.  Even new ovens can have temperature variances so a thermometer is a good investment.

Finally, you'll need some dry measuring cups and a liquid measuring cup (yes there is a difference) and some measuring spoons.  All of these you can find at your local dollar store.

Now that we've got the basics, let's head out on our gustatory adventure.