Cookies and Cream Cake

Yesterday was my nephew's third birthday.  We had a small crawfish boil with my dad, and I of course offered to bake a cake.  Since my nephew had cookie cake on Friday and another cake today at his party with his friends, I decided to try out an idea I'd been brewing for a few days: a cookies and cream cake.  The idea was to have a layer of broken Oreo pieces on the bottom of each cake layer.  Much to my surprise, the cookies pieces floated to the top; perhaps if I'd stuck with my original idea of putting down a layer of whole Oreos, they would have stayed put.  

I wanted to make this cake with a light, whipped frosting; I searched around the web and couldn't find exactly what I wanted.  Most were glorified whipped cream.  I tried one recipe, only to have it end in utter failure, then I tried this recipe for The Best Whipped Frosting over at Can You Stay for Dinner?  It was definitely a winner and it has been marked as a go-to frosting recipe.  So creamy and light.  LOVE IT. 

 For the cake, I adapted the White Cake recipe from my trusty Better Homes and Gardens New Cookbook, using cake flour instead of all-purpose.  This resulted in a denser, spongier cake which hubby really enjoyed.

(My nephew actually didn't like the cake, though I'm fairly certain he didn't even try it.  Oh well! His rejection only broke my heart a little bit =D)

Cookies and Cream Cake

Cake 

• 1 package Oreo cookies
• 4 egg whites
• 2 1/4 cups cake flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 1 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 tsp almond extract
• 1 1/3 cup buttermilk or sour milk

Frosting

• 1 cup milk
• 5 tablespoons flour
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 cup butter, at room temperature
• 1 1/4 cups granulated sugar (not powdered sugar)
• 1 cup crushed Oreo crumbs

For the Cake:

Allow egg whites to stand at room temperature for 30 minutes.  Meanwhile, grease two 9 inch round cake pans.  Preheat oven to 350F.

Break up half of Oreos, roughly into quarters.  Line them in a single layer, fitted as closely together as possible, in the bottom of each cake pan. 

In a small bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt. 

In a large mixing bowl, beat butter on high speed for 30 seconds.  Gradually add in sugar and vanilla, beating until well combined.  Beat for an additional 2 minutes, until the mixture is light and fluffy.  Add egg whites one at a time, beating well after each addition.  

Alternately add flour mixture and milk, mixing after each addition just until combined.  Pour into prepared pans.  

Bake for 20-30 minutes, or until a wood toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean.  (Note: the toothpick may come out chocolately, you just don't want it to come out with uncooked batter.)  Cool in pans for 10 minutes, then remove cakes and cool thoroughly on wire racks.  

For the Frosting:

In a medium saucepan, whisk one cup of milk with 5 tablespoons of flour. Heat over medium until the mixture begins to sputter, whisking constantly. Continue to stir as the mixture thickens. You will know it’s done when it reaches the consistency of thick cake batter, after about 7 minutes of heating and whisking. Stir in 2 teaspoons vanilla extract and set aside to cool COMPLETELY.

Now, in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, or using a hand held mixer, beat 2 sticks of softened butter (1 cup) with 1 cup of granulated sugar until light, fluffy, and white in color, about 3 solid minutes of beating on medium-high speed. You want the sugar to be totally incorporated into the butter.

Be sure that the milk/flour mixture has completely cooled, and add it to the butter/sugar mixture. Beat all ingredients for about 1 minute on high speed, scraping down the bowl halfway, until they are smooth and well blended. 

Assembly:

Level the cakes, if necessary.  Pipe a thick border of frosting along the top of the bottom layer to dam the frosting filling.  Spread a layer of frosting evenly within the frosting border.  (You may make this layer as thick or thin as you like, depending on your preference.) Place the second layer of cake on top, and frost it.  Dust with Oreo crumbs.  (I did this by blowing crumbs out of my hand onto the cake, but this was MESSY.  One day I'll figure out how the professionals do it.)

Fondant

I don't like fondant, the stick, moldable, "great for decorating" icing.  I like my frosting light and creamy, not stiff and gritty.  I don't like the taste and I don't like the feel.  Also, cake decorating isn't one of my strengths; I'm not an artistic gal.  That being said, I will do anything for my nephew.  His birthday is coming up and he LOVES Mickey Mouse.  My sister came across this adorable cake and posted it in Facebook, looking for a recommendation of someone who could make it. 

 

At first, I said there was no way I could decorate a cake so nicely. I mean, look at that thing! It's freakin' adorable! Cakeadelic is an artist!  But then I started to think "I haven't really challenged myself lately" and I can't avoid fondant forever.  And this is my nephew's third birthday.  He's not even just my nephew; he's my godson.  And for only being three, this kid has been through A LOT (two heart surgeries!).  And he's so darn cute.  So, for Dylan, I decided I'd give this adorable Mickey cake a try.  (And don't worry, Disney, I never planned to benefit financially from it.)  

Of course, before making such a cake for Dylan's party, I would have to do a practice one, or two, or ten.  We all know fondant can be tricky; who hasn't seen the multitude of cake decorating shows on Food Network?  I decided to take it easy on myself for my first go with fondant.  I decided to do a single layer cake, made from a box, and used a premade frosting.  (You have to apply a thin layer of buttercream to the cake so the fondant has something to stick to.)  Also, there are two ways you can make fondant: you can go all out with gelatin and glycerin and boiling things, or you can heat some marshmallows then beat in an unimaginable amount of sugar.  I took the easy route and bought myself some marshmallows.  I used this recipe from Allrecipes.com. 

This is the end result, my first cake using fondant.

I'm pretty pleased with myself.

Zucchini Fries

I'm a day late posting, but I have two posts to upload so things even out, right?  This first post is a super easy recipe that is also super delicious.  It's a recipe for zucchini fries that my sister shared with me.  It's a great weeknight veggie that is easy, flavorful, and healthy.

Oven Baked Zucchini Fries

• 1 lb zucchini (approximately 3)
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 packet Shake & Bake coating mix
• 1 egg

Heat oven to 450F.

Trim the ends of the zucchini.  Cut in half cross-wise, then cut into 1/4 to 1/2 inch sticks.

Put cheese and coating mix into shaker bake; shake gently to combine. 

Whisk egg in medium bowl. Add zucchini a few sticks at a time; toss to coat. Use tongs to place 5-6 zucchini sticks in the shaker bag. Close bag and shake to evenly coat.  Spread onto baking sheet sprayed with cooking spray. Repeat with remaining zucchini.

Bake for 12-13 minutes, or until golden brown.

Shrimp Stew

I mentioned last week that hubby and I had been sick.  This left me with a near constant craving for soup, which is very odd for me.  And even odder still, I really wanted shrimp stew.  That's weird because I'd never had shrimp stew.  It just sounded like something I wanted to eat.  Can you crave something you've never had?  I guess so.   

Having a general idea of what shrimp stew was (a traditional Cajun comfort dish), I did some searching online at checked out various recipes.  I came across recipes from the big names (Emeril, John Folse) and a few from fellow bloggers.  They were all basically the same and what I expected; a roux (varying from light to dark), with the trinity (onions, bellpepper, and celery), shrimp stock, shrimp, and seasonings.  Some had tomatoes, some had potatoes.  So, with that knowledge in hand, I took a look in the pantry, and then I tried my hand at crafting a pot of shrimp stew.  

(Hello shrimp stew; how do you do?)

Shrimp Stew

• 1/3 cup vegetable oil
• 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 large yellow onion, chopped
• 1 clove minced garlic
• 4 cups seafood broth*
• 2 cups water
• 1 can diced tomatoes
• 1 tsp oregano
• 1/2 - 1 tsp Tabasco
• salt, to taste
• 1/4 tsp red pepper
• 1 lb peeled shrimp**
• chopped green onions, to garnish

In a large pot, heat oil over medium heat until smoking.   Slowly add flour, stirring vigorously, until fully incorporated.  Cook over medium-low to medium heat, stirring constantly, until milk-chocolate brown.

Stir in onions and garlic and cook until onions are soft and fragrant.  Whisking vigorously, slowly add water.  You must do this slowly and steadily or the roux and water won't come together.  Once the water is fully incorporated, whisk in the stock.  Add tomatoes, oregano, Tabasco, salt, and red pepper.  Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook, covered for 45-60 minutes. 

15 minutes prior to serving, add in shrimp.  Serve over white rice, garnished with green onions. 

*Preferably, you would buy fresh, head-on shrimp and use the heads and tails to create your own broth.  I made this on a weeknight, so while I had a big bag of shrimp heads and tails in the freezer, I wasn't willing to spend the time making the stock in addition to making the stew.  

**As I just mentioned, it would be preferable to use really fresh, head-on shrimp.  In that instance, you would want to buy 2-3 pounds of shrimp, since about half the weight is head and shell. 

Homemade Chai

Hubby and I have spent the last week being sick (yay sharing sinus infection cooties!), so there has been almost no cooking in our household.  So here I find myself, Sunday night, with nothing readily available to post.  To the archives I must go!

For some reason, a memory arises of a time, many a year ago, when I made my own chai.  Chai, for those who aren't familiar, is a spiced Indian tea, usually made with a strong black tea and spices such as cardamom, ginger, and cinnamon.  If I had the ingredients, I would so love to whisk some up right now.  Alas, I don't, so I will have to make do with posting and dreaming.  I don't remember where the recipe comes from; I believe my aunt gave it to me once while I was visiting her. 

Homemade Chai

• 1 2-inch piece of fresh ginger, cut into thin rounds
• 2 cinnamon sticks
• 2 tsp black peppercorns
• 10 whole cloves
• 6 cardamom pods
• 6 cups cold water
• 6 bags of black tea (such as Darjeeling)
• 2 cups whole milk
• ½ cup brown sugar

Combine first 5 ingredients in medium saucepan. Using mallet or back of large spoon, lightly crush or bruise spices. Add 6 cups of water; bring to boil over high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low, partially cover pan, and simmer gently for 10 minutes. Remove from heat. Add tea bags and steep 5 minutes. Discard tea bags. Add milk and sugar. Bring tea just to simmer over high heat, whisking until sugar dissolves. Strain chai into teapot and serve hot.

Serves 6