March 27, 2008

Party Cake



Here goes another fun Daring Baker Challenge. I enjoyed the flexibility of this recipe and decided to make a chocolate frosting, I also substituted unsweetened coconut milk for the milk/buttermilk in the recipe. The result was a very moist cake. I made a simple frosting out of 1 part Melted dark chocolate slightly cooled to 2 parts mascarpone cheese, just those two ingredients whipped on medium with a hand mixer.
thanks to Morven for the challenge: http://foodartandrandomthoughts.blogspot.com/


PERFECT PARTY CAKE
Courtesy of Dorie Greenspan’s Baking from My Home to Yours

For the Cake

2 1/4 cups cake flour (updated 25 March)
1 tablespoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
1 ¼ cups whole milk or buttermilk (I prefer buttermilk with the lemon)
4 large egg whites
1 ½ cups sugar
2 teaspoons grated lemon zest
1 stick (8 tablespoons or 4 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature
½ teaspoon pure lemon extract

For the Buttercream
1 cup sugar
4 large egg whites
3 sticks (12 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature
¼ cup fresh lemon juice (from 2 large lemons)
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

For Finishing
2/3 cup seedless raspberry preserves stirred vigorously or warmed gently until spreadable
About 1 ½ cups sweetened shredded coconut

Getting Ready
Centre a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter two 9 x 2 inch round cake pans and line the bottom of each pan with a round of buttered parchment or wax paper. Put the pans on a baking sheet.

To Make the Cake
Sift together the flour, baking powder and salt.
Whisk together the milk and egg whites in a medium bowl.
Put the sugar and lemon zest in a mixer bowl or another large bowl and rub them together with your fingers until the sugar is moist and fragrant.
Add the butter and working with the paddle or whisk attachment, or with a hand mixer, beat at medium speed for a full 3 minutes, until the butter and sugar are very light.
Beat in the extract, then add one third of the flour mixture, still beating on medium speed.
Beat in half of the milk-egg mixture, then beat in half of the remaining dry ingredients until incorporated.
Add the rest of the milk and eggs beating until the batter is homogeneous, then add the last of the dry ingredients.
Finally, give the batter a good 2- minute beating to ensure that it is thoroughly mixed and well aerated.
Divide the batter between the two pans and smooth the tops with a rubber spatula.
Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until the cakes are well risen and springy to the touch – a thin knife inserted into the centers should come out clean
Transfer the cakes to cooling racks and cool for about 5 minutes, then run a knife around the sides of the cakes, unfold them and peel off the paper liners.
Invert and cool to room temperature, right side up (the cooled cake layers can be wrapped airtight and stored at room temperature overnight or frozen for up to two months).

To Make the Buttercream
Put the sugar and egg whites in a mixer bowl or another large heatproof bowl, fit the bowl over a plan of simmering water and whisk constantly, keeping the mixture over the heat, until it feels hot to the touch, about 3 minutes.
The sugar should be dissolved, and the mixture will look like shiny marshmallow cream.
Remove the bowl from the heat.
Working with the whisk attachment or with a hand mixer, beat the meringue on medium speed until it is cool, about 5 minutes.
Switch to the paddle attachment if you have one, and add the butter a stick at a time, beating until smooth.
Once all the butter is in, beat in the buttercream on medium-high speed until it is thick and very smooth, 6-10 minutes.
During this time the buttercream may curdle or separate – just keep beating and it will come together again.
On medium speed, gradually beat in the lemon juice, waiting until each addition is absorbed before adding more, and then the vanilla.
You should have a shiny smooth, velvety, pristine white buttercream. Press a piece of plastic against the surface of the buttercream and set aside briefly.

To Assemble the Cake
Using a sharp serrated knife and a gentle sawing motion, slice each layer horizontally in half.
Put one layer cut side up on a cardboard cake round or a cake plate protected by strips of wax or parchment paper.
Spread it with one third of the preserves.
Cover the jam evenly with about one quarter of the buttercream.
Top with another layer, spread with preserves and buttercream and then do the same with a third layer (you’ll have used all the jam and have buttercream leftover).
Place the last layer cut side down on top of the cake and use the remaining buttercream to frost the sides and top.
Press the coconut into the frosting, patting it gently all over the sides and top.

19 comments:

kitten said...

mmmm.. chocolate and mascapone cheese... brilliant. looks great maggie !

Dolores said...

Chocolate and mascarpone... I'm trying this the next time I make cupcakes. Thanks for sharing, and great job with the March challenge!

Angel said...

Oooh that looks tasty. Fantastic Job!!!

Unknown said...

Good job on your cake! Looks great.

Sheltie Girl said...

Your cake is simply beautiful and sounds delicious. I love using coconut milk in recipes, that little boost of flavor and moistness is fabulous. Your flavor combinations are wonderful.

Natalie @ Gluten a Go Go

Anonymous said...

Hi,
Wanted to email you, but could not locate your email address on the
blog. we have 2 cool widgets ( a slideshow widget and a content widget
) which can help enhance site interaction and reader's experience. pl
contact me at ashishbaldua4@gmail.com to know more.

thx-Ashish

Anonymous said...

Hello. This post is likeable, and your blog is very interesting, congratulations :-). I will add in my blogroll =). If possible gives a last there on my blog, it is about the TV de Plasma, I hope you enjoy. The address is http://tv-de-plasma.blogspot.com. A hug.

Anonymous said...

Looks so good! I never used coconut milk, will have to try that, thanks!

Anonymous said...

Hi Maggie,

I wanted to write to you, but couldn't find your email, so thought I'd leave a comment instead. We at Wowzio have build some beautiful and engaging widgets for your blog.
These pull up content, images & user-activity from your blog automatically, auto update, and are free of charge. Please take a look at the "Panoramic Slideshow", "Live Activity" and "Feed Content" widget for your blog at
See Wowzio Widgets for Your Blog

I apologize for having to leave a comment, please note it is not my intent to spam you.

Thx-Alisha
alisha.wright1@gmail.com

Anonymous said...

Thanks for writing this.

Anonymous said...

Your blog keeps getting better and better! Your older articles are not as good as newer ones you have a lot more creativity and originality now keep it up!

Anonymous said...

[u][b]Xrumer[/b][/u]

[b]Xrumer SEO Professionals

As Xrumer experts, we possess been using [url=http://www.xrumer-seo.com]Xrumer[/url] for the benefit of a sustained time for the time being and know how to harness the colossal power of Xrumer and build it into a Spondulix machine.

We also provide the cheapest prices on the market. Many competitors desire expect 2x or consistent 3x and a lot of the time 5x what we responsibility you. But we have faith in providing great mending at a debilitated affordable rate. The entire direct attention to of purchasing Xrumer blasts is because it is a cheaper alternative to buying Xrumer. So we focusing to support that thought in rebuke and yield you with the cheapest standing possible.

Not simply do we cause the greatest prices but our turnaround heyday payment your Xrumer posting is super fast. We drive pull someone's leg your posting done before you know it.

We also provide you with a roundish log of well-heeled posts on manifold forums. So that you can notice for yourself the power of Xrumer and how we get harnessed it to benefit your site.[/b]


[b]Search Engine Optimization

Using Xrumer you can expect to apprehend thousands upon thousands of backlinks over the extent of your site. Myriad of the forums that your Location you settle upon be posted on get exalted PageRank. Having your tie-in on these sites can deep down serve establish up some top quality endorse links and as a matter of fact riding-boot your Alexa Rating and Google PageRank rating through the roof.

This is making your instal more and more popular. And with this developing in regard as familiarly as PageRank you can envisage to appreciate your place really rank expensive in those Search Motor Results.
Above

The amount of conveyance that can be obtained aside harnessing the power of Xrumer is enormous. You are publishing your locality to tens of thousands of forums. With our higher packages you may even be publishing your site to HUNDREDS of THOUSANDS of forums. Visualize 1 brief on a stylish forum disposition usually cotton on to a leave 1000 or so views, with signify 100 of those people visiting your site. These days devise tens of thousands of posts on fashionable forums all getting 1000 views each. Your traffic longing associate at the end of one's tether with the roof.

These are all targeted visitors that are interested or exotic nearly your site. Imagine how many sales or leads you can achieve with this considerable number of targeted visitors. You are in fact stumbling upon a goldmine friendly to be picked and profited from.

Reminisce over, Above is Money.
[/b]

GET YOUR CHEAP ERUPTION TODAY:


http://www.xrumer-seo.com

Anonymous said...

Predilection casinos? dispose of this late-model [url=http://www.realcazinoz.com]casino[/url] thrown away and toady to online casino games like slots, blackjack, roulette, baccarat and more at www.realcazinoz.com .
you can also strengthen our additional [url=http://freecasinogames2010.webs.com]casino[/url] orientate at http://freecasinogames2010.webs.com and farther ahead valid incredibly touched in the prime supreme !
another late-model [url=http://www.ttittancasino.com]casino spiele[/url] paper is www.ttittancasino.com , in profit german gamblers, encourage put up with down on during well-wishing online casino bonus.

Anonymous said...

Do you have copy writer for so good articles? If so please give me contacts, because this really rocks! :)

Unknown said...

This is really delicious.....
========
SEO services

Anonymous said...

[url=http://www.onlinecasinos.gd]online casino[/url], also known as operative casinos or Internet casinos, are online versions of unique ("buddy and mortar") casinos. Online casinos casualness gamblers to deport oneself and wager on casino games guidance of the Internet.
Online casinos superficially haul up owing sales marathon odds and payback percentages that are comparable to land-based casinos. Some online casinos command higher payback percentages during make kind battalion games, and some cause civil payout interest audits on their websites. Assuming that the online casino is using an aptly programmed unsystematically epitomize up generator, proffer games like blackjack clothed an established congress edge. The payout slice voyage of discovery of these games are established erstwhile the rules of the game.
Varied online casinos sublease or win their software from companies like Microgaming, Realtime Gaming, Playtech, Intercontinental Scheme Technology and CryptoLogic Inc.

Anonymous said...

They forget to read the fine print, UK, bragging bank-account debt consolidation reduction, holiday, motor vehicle purchase or wedding. You can select from getting a traditional immediate to you involve health, a poor credit prepare yourself funds with regard to future disaster costs! Another thing about the bank loan service is in which their credit score improve in which that are outside of their convenience of handling. fast same day loans Please feel that obsessing together with fur is an anti-ancestral impulse;!

Anonymous said...

It would take some few minutes with regard to research yet by doing this you can easily safe some huge cash. Credit seeker should really work in the legally approved company and he should be getting more than 1,000 pounds month after month,? Once you apply for a one on one deposit payday advance you will need to publish your account facts with your use. same day loans After all, locking down a military loan quick becomes a need in the modern world.

john said...

Very nice and helpful information have been given in this article. It’s a most important post. Please every one visit this site quickly. Thanks.
Dominoes online