Flower Basket Cake

This was the cake made by me to try out the basketweave border design during Christmas 2009....It is basic pound cake filled with strawberry cream filling and frosted with whipped cream.

BASIC CAKE:
Follow the vanilla cake directions in the Feb 2010 blog post.

FILLING:
Prepare the strawberry cream using 2-3 tbsp Smucker's Strawberry Seedless jam and whipped cream as required to bring in the creamy consistency.

DECORATING THE CAKE:
First cut out the dome shape of two round cakes with a cake leveler or serrated knife to level them properly. Then spread the strawberry filling over top of one cake and place another cake upside down onto it. Now frost the cake with whipped cream. With the basketweave tip knit the basketweave design on the sides of the cake (You can get the videos of how to make basketweave design on the cake on youtube). Place the pink color flowers using the drop flower tip and then the leaves in green using the leaf tip.

Loaf Cake

During my Wilton course I recieved the instruction book wherein I had found this simple way to decorate a loaf cake. I just tried it out!!!

INGREDIENTS

1 cup all purpose flour

3/4 cup confectioner's sugar

2 eggs

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1 tsp vanilla essence

1 tbsp milk

2 tsp baking powder

DIRECTIONS:

Beat the eggs and sugar until light yellow in color. Then add the flour gradually stirring in with a whisk. Then add vegetable oil, vanilla essence, milk, and baking powder. Beat until the mixture is light. Pour the thinned batter into a 9x5 inch loaf pan lined with wax or parchment paper. Put it in preheated oven at 350 degrees F. Bake for about 20-25 min or until the toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Let it cool. Cut out into slices or frost it if you want.

FROSTING:

Buttercream frosting (Follow the recipe in the Wilton course cakes section)

Simple Birthday Cake

This was a cake made by me on a very short notice and it had to be EGGLESS. Just managed to make something nice and simple and I think I did pretty good at it!!

INGREDIENTS:

Follow the eggless cake recipe

TOPPING:

Whipped cream topping

DECORATING THE CAKE:

Frost the whole cake with white whipped cream. Then move an icing comb on top and sides of the cake to create even line design all over the cake. Then using the pink icing color and a star tip (Wilton #21) create shells over the top surface of the cake. Using the same tip create an even line at the bottom border of the cake. With round tip (tip #3) put in the blue dots alternately over the top and bottom border.

Wilton Course 1 Cakes

My love for baking cakes and decorating them led me to take the Wilton Course for Cake Decorating. I enjoyed the course to its fullest and it just helped me bring out my creative mind for decorating cakes. All the cakes are frosted with the buttercream frosting and the recipe for it is as follows:

BUTTERCREAM FROSTING:
1 cup solid vegetable shortening (Crisco is best)

3-31/2 cups sifted confectioners' sugar (approximately 1 lb.)

1 tsp clear vanilla extract
2 tablespoons milk
Makes: About 3 cups of icing.
In large bowl, cream shortening with electric mixer. Add vanilla. Gradually add sugar, one cup at a time, beating well on medium speed. Scrape sides and bottom of bowl often. When all sugar has been mixed in, icing will appear dry. Add milk and beat at medium speed until light and fluffy. Keep bowl covered with a damp cloth until ready to use. For best results, keep icing bowl in refrigerator when not in use. Refrigerated in an airtight container, this icing can be stored 2 weeks. Rewhip before using. For thin consistency icing, add 2 tablespoons water or milk.

Madagascar Cake

Kids would love this simple cake for their birthdays....

Ingredients:

Follow the ingredients and recipe for the vanilla cake in the Feb 2010 blogpost.



Whipped Cream Frosting:

1 cup heavy whipping cream

1 tsp powdered gelatin

4 tsps water

4 tablespoons sugar

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Refrigerate the mixing bowl and beater for at least 15 min. In a small heatproof measuring cup place gelatin and water. Allow to soften for 5 min. Set cup in a pan of simmering water and stir occasionally until gelatin is dissolved. Remove cup and cool to room temperature. Gelatin must be liquid but not warm when added to cream.In the chilled bowl beat the cream and sugar just until traces of beater marks begin to show distinctly. Add the gelatin mixture in a steady stream beating constantly. Add vanilla and beat just until stiff peaks form when beater is raised.

Decorating The Cake:

To give the cake a jungle look, use green colored edible granulated sugar and spread it evenly over the upper half of the cake. Use any sort of chocolate toppings for the lower half of the cake and spread it evenly. Then place the madagascar cake toppings over the cake.

Black Forest Cake

The cake that's loved by each and everyone...black forest.

Ingredients:

Step 1- Preparing chocolate cake
2 cups sugar

2 whole eggs

1-3/4 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 cup HERSHEY'S Cocoa (unsweetened)

1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1-1/2 teaspoons baking soda

1 cup milk

1/2 cup vegetable oil

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 cup boiling water

1. Heat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour two 9-inch round baking pans.
2. Stir together sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt in large bowl. Add eggs, milk, oil and vanilla; beat on medium speed of mixer 2 minutes. Stir in boiling water (batter will be thin). Pour batter into prepared pans.
3. Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes; remove from pans. Cool completely.

Step 2- Whipped cream frosting

Use Kraft's Cool Whipped Topping (12 oz)

Step 3- Preparing cherry syrup
Get 1/2 lb fresh cherries. Cut half of the cherries into halves, put them in about 1/4 cup sugar syrup.

Step 4- Decorating the cake

With a serrated knife level both the cakes by cutting out the domes. Then take one of the cake and spread some whipped frosting over it. Then put the cherry syrup over it. Then place another cake on top of it. Then frost the top cake completely with the frosting and decorate using the icing tips. Then grate kisses chocolate pieces over the top of the cake. Then place the cherries over the cake in whatever pattern you like.

Plain Eggless Cake

Thanks to one of my wonderful friend who shared this recipe with me as I dont have many occasions to bake an eggless cake...but as she is strictly vegeterian she makes this cake most of the times and so I tried out the recipe and it worked out superbly!!!
Ingredients:2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 can sweetened condensed milk (14 0z)
1 cup orange juice
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup melted butter
3/4 cup sugar (optional; if you want a sweeter taste)

Cooking Instructions:
Preheat the oven to 350 F. Line 13x9 inch cake pan with parchment or wax paper and grease it with cooking spray.

Sift and mix together the flour, baking powder and baking soda. Add the sweetened condensed milk, orange juice, vanilla, melted butter and sugar if desired. Mix well with a whisk and pour into prepared pan.

Bake for 30-40 min until the toothpick inserted comes out clean. Allow to cool.

Chocolate cake

My love for chocolate led me to find out this wonderful moist and spongy chocolate cake recipe from hershey's website...Try it out and taste a delicious chocolate cake...

Ingredients:

1-3/4 cups all-purpose flour

2 cups granulated sugar

2 whole eggs

3/4 cup Hershey's Cocoa (unsweetened)

1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1-1/2 teaspoons baking soda

1 cup milk

1/2 cup vegetable oil

2 teaspoons vanilla essence

1 cup boiling water

Cooking instructions:

Heat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour two 9-inch round baking pans or one 13x9 inch rectangular pan.
Stir together sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, and baking soda in large bowl. Add eggs, milk, oil and vanilla; beat the mixture for two minutes. Stir in boiling water; batter will be thin. Pour batter into prepared pans.
Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Let it cool completely if you are going to frost it.

Vanilla Cake

My prior basic cake recipe always lead to a very dry cake inspite of not over baking it and I was knowing something was missing in there. I was searching for a spongy cake recipe when I came across the recipe by Buddy Valastro and when I tried it I had amazing results....

Ingredients:

2-1/2 cups all-purpose flour

2 cups sugar

4 whole eggs

1 cup milk

3/4 cup vegetable oil

21/4 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon vanilla essence

Cooking Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C). Line two 9-inch round cake pans or one 9x13 inch rectangular baking pan with parchment paper. Grease the paper and the sides of the pan well.

In a large mixing bowl, beat sugar and eggs together until slightly thickened. Add flour, milk, oil, baking powder, and vanilla and beat the mixture just until the batter is smooth and creamy. Don't overbeat. Pour batter into the prepared baking pan.

Bake in preheated oven for 30 to 40 minutes or until the tops are golden and a toothpick poked into the center of the layer comes out clean. Loosen the sides of the cake from the pan with a thin knife, then turn out on a dish or rack and peel off the paper. Let cool completely before covering with frosting, if desired.