Sooo I bet you're wondering why this little cake looks so different from everyone else's? Well I kinda messed up...big time :P. Let's just say things were crooked that were supposed to be nice and straight, some things were a bit on the goopy and watery side, and others just...didn't look very appetizing, to say the least.
Instead of completely giving up on this usually very beautiful cake, known as the Filbert Gateau with Praline Buttercream, I decided to improvise. I mixed all the sauces, glazes, creamy stuff together to create an 'interesting' (to put it nicely) flavor combo. To make the finished product a bit more aesthetically appealing, I decided to cut up the cake into individual squares. I figured, if the ugliness was divided up on the plate, instead of being presented as one big nasty mess, things wouldn't look so appalling to my coworkers, who'd actually be the ones enjoying this cake later on :D.
Thankfully, it tasted yummy. I didn't deviate too much from the initial recipe, as far as ingredients go, so it was more than edible. I'll blame my failures on the day I prepared the cake; I made it on my 'tortilla day' a few weeks ago...and we all know how that went :P! Oh well, it was fun, and I definitely learned a few things. As you can see, even the ganache came out off, that's why I decided to drizzle it on my cake instead of bathing the already-messy dessert chocolate.
Alrighty, I'm off...I have less than 24 hours to finish cleaning up the apartment and packing those last bits and pieces of who knows what -- you know, the random items that don't really have a designated box? I cannot wait until I can sleep for 3-4 hours on the plane tomorrow. I am super excited about moving to Boston, don't get me wrong, but packing can be quite exhausting! Watch, tonight I probably won't even be able to sleep. Whenever fun things like this in my life happen, I get too excited to actually get any shut eye the night before, kind of like a kiddo on Christmas Eve!
Ok...so I could really use a break from all the packing. I'm on the verge of entering that overwhelmed phase in the packing process...the one where running away from the cardboard boxes and hiding under the bed until the Monster of Mess leaves the house sounds like a reasonable option! (This is why I've decided to take a break and post my July Cupcake Hero Challenge entry. :)
Speaking of monsters, all these cupcakes need is a pair of googly eyes and they're set -- they're practically alive! Don't they look like they belong on the set of a Jim Henson show? But they're not alive :), thank goodness. They're definitely edible and rich, rich, rich in flavor! They're dense too.
This is how to stuff 'em!
And the title for the red velvet-inspired cupcakes? These cupcakes are dedicated to good times in Austin, TX. If you love it here, but you're a little sad about leaving (like me..so many good memories here!), they'll help you beet the blues ;) (the hubby came up with the cool title, btw). So there are beets in here? Yes! I used beet juice as part of the coloring for the cupcakes. My initial plan was to just use beet juice, but after adding the cocoa powder, I knew they were gonna need a little bit of help, so I added a little under a tablespoon of food coloring to the batter. I'm not proud to admit this :(, I don't like using artificial colors...next time around, I hope to get ahold of more beet juice and try tweaking the recipe to include it. Thankfully, the folks at work liked them and they couldn't taste the beet juice! Guess what else? I only needed about 1/8 cup of canola oil to make the batter! But the topping totally takes away from any 'lightness' of the actual cupcake :P...but if these cupcakes want to taste the sweetness of a cupcake hero victory, they're gonna need a little bit of the 'good stuff'. After all, I've never seen a puny cupcake hero :)!
Alright, my next post will be for this month's Daring Bakers Challenge (I did it way ahead of time, there's no way I'm baking right now! :). Next time I'm bakin' anything, I'll be in Boston!
*so I just realized that I forgot to post the music last night when I wrote this! It should be posted now...
Emiline from Sugar Plum tagged me with a music meme! How fun! I didn't know they had one for music, but I'm really glad they do. I loooove music. Who doesn't? Next to cooking and baking, it's the best thing!
Check out the 'rules': List seven songs you are into right now. No matter what the genre, whether they have words, or even if they’re not any good, but they must be songs you’re really enjoying now, shaping your summer (or whatever season). Post these instructions in your blog along with your 7 songs. Then tag 7 other people to see what they're listening to.
Ah man! Just 7? This isn't gonna be easy! I have a song for every mood; I have a never-ending soundtrack for every significant and insignificant moment in my life...I should have a music blog, hu? Well, I do! In fact, it's called Music Munchies, you can visit the colorful but neglected site by clicking here. (It seems I spend all my time blogging about food while I listen to music. :D) The same way I love visiting new grocery stores in search of new ingredients to cook with, I'm always on the lookout for that great song. I have a soft spot for songs that are either 'fun' or 'meaningful' (aka good lyrics). As far as the fun songs go, I like 'em upbeat and sugary. Something fun, light, and refreshing, kinda like a snowcone. But I also love the more reflective songs that use either simple and sweet lyrics or delicious sounding instruments to move their listeners. My taste in music is eclectic! Sooo anyway, Emiline decided to share her favorite songs using Youtube, I decided to go the playlist route. Check out my cool tunes!
Ok, so now you're wonderin' where the sweet stuff is...especially since chocolate is involved in the recipe, right ;). Alright, well this past weekend I was craving something chocolatey and carby. This loafy cake came to life in my slowly-disappearing kitchen (I fly to Boston next Thursday at 11!). It has a very orangey flavor, which is pretty surprising considering there's quite a bit of chocolate in and on the cake, but it really does have a refreshing citrusy flavor. The finely ground praline made it very dense and buttery, too. The flavors really stay on your tongue, and I really think the praline had something to do with it :). Check out the recipe!
I have a confession to make...I used to be a HORRIBLE baker. My husband, however, is the best baker I know and always has been. I can taste the love in everything he makes. The first Valentine's Day we spent together when we were dating, he baked me the best red velvet cake I'd ever had; to top it off, he gave me his copy of Symposium by Plato! A dorky cute boy that can bake? It doesn't get any better than that! (There really isn't anything more delicious than dork love!) A few months later, I told him I had a craving for a white chocolate raspberry cake, so he whipped it up for me...well, sorta...in three hours! He measures everything, takes his time, and follows recipes to the T. I don't do this! But I eventually realized that if I actually wanted to eat my baked goods, I'd have to follow recipes...at least in the beginning. So I did. Now I enjoy baking and eating what I bake. But I do have one more thing to admit, I enjoy cooking more than baking. But this blog! The pictures, the...It doesn't make sense, Sophie! I know, it doesn't. Kind of like talking to myself in the third person while posting an entry on my blog.
I find cooking relaxing; I bake to discipline myself...well, I also bake because I have a very undisciplined sweet tooth that I give in to more than my dentist thinks I should. Ya see, I don't actually measure when I cook, I just taste and smell as I go. First, I think up a recipe, and then I put it to the test. I don't usually post what I cook precisely because I don't measure anything when I cook, unless I make it a point to do so. And lets face it, desserts are just prettier than savory foods, especially cupcakes! Anyhow, I usually measure when I bake...but instead of measuring a cup of flour, I'll measure about a heaping cup -- I'm horrible, I know. There is one more reason why I love to bake. I love all the chemistry involved. Add a little extra teaspoon of baking soda to that batch of cookies, and it'll go a looooong way!
Oh yeah, with a name like Flour Arrangements, my blog should be primarily centered around baked treats, right? Right. Now take a look at this pantry pie, it's loaded. Why did I make such a loaded pie? I was feeling a bit adventurous, plus I've been bringing in pies to work on a weekly basis for a little over a month now. I had quite a bit of left over ingredients from the previous week's pie recipe, so I thought it'd be a great idea to use 'em up instead of throwing them out.
So what all goes into a pantry pie? (It should actually be called a refrigerator pie, you'll agree after you take a look at the ingredients) Well, there's quite a bit of heavy cream, some cream cheese, fresh cherries that were turned into a jam-like substance, a whole lotta chocolate, marachino cherry juice, and lotsa sugar! But that's not all! There's also a coconut chocolate chip macaroon topping! WHA!? YEAH! Crazy, hu? Yes, this pie is rich. So rich that I could only have a teaspoon, dare I kill my intestines the next day. Thankfully, the whole crew at work was a fan of the pie, and so was the hubby. My boss particularly liked the crust, he said it was my best one yet (I've been trying to come up with a pie crust recipe that's crumbly, but sweet, and not too hard -- this hasn't been easy).
Know what the secret ingredient to a good pie crust is (well...it's not really a secret :)? SHORTENING and water...and butter. Yes, there it is, the ugly S word. I hate using it, but after studying a few recipes, I realized that the best ones call for shortening, so I gave in. Please feel free to prove me wrong! I'd love to hear about a great pie crust recipe that doesn't call for shortening :)!
Alright, so I bet you're lookin' for the recipe for this crazy rich, cavity-causing pie -- right? Well, remember that little thing I have with not measuring? HAHA! That little quirk of mine is slowly taking over my somewhat disciplined 'I measure when I bake' side! I didn't measure the ingredients that went into this pie! Oh, but it was just too exciting of a pie to not blog about. If you'd really like to make a pie like this, check out the recipe card for the basic list of ingredients and steps I took to make it :)!
It's been over a week since I've posted an entry on Flour Arrangements. The reason for my absence? I'm 17.5 days away from moving to Boston, so I'm pretty busy getting ready for the big move (packing, fixing/selling our car, cleaning, giving stuff away, etc.)! Of course, I'm still eating sweets and baking them up on my free time (like an 'Empty the Pantry' Pie that I baked earlier in the week! I'll post the recipe in a few days :), but I decided to dedicate yesterday to making something savory.
I love enchiladas, I especially love enchiladas verdes. The sourness of green tomatillos mixed with the deep flavor of chilies and aromatic spices makes my mouth water. Until yesterday, I never actually tried making the green enchilada sauce from scratch...but I'd been wanting to. So Friday night, I 'studied' a few recipes and noticed that they all called for tomatillos but different chilies. Some of them used anaheim, others used poblano, and still others used serranos. Since poblanos are mild, I decided to go with those (I'm a wimp and can't take the heat); I didn't even add a jalapeno to the mix, that's how mild I made the sauce. I was very happy with the results, but I do think I'm going to add at least one jalapeno next time -- just to give it a little kick. After all, this is Mexican food!
Since I was feeling pretty confident after making the sauce, I thought I should try making flour tortillas again. (I tried last year and they came out like chips, except far less tasty.) I used a recipe that had great reviews, but I accidentally added baking soda instead of baking powder, so the tortillas tasted like baking soda (gross!). I threw that batch out and decided to experiment with batch #2. I didn't like the fact that the first recipe called for shortening, and I usually purchase whole wheat tortillas made with canola oil, so I replaced the shortening with butter and canola oil. The taste was right on, but the texture was off -- the tortillas were crumbly and not flexible at all, there was no way I was going to be able to stuff then roll them into enchiladas...so I tried AGAIN. I added a little more butter to batch #3 (like 3 tbsp) and used whole wheat flour; I also added baking powder, an ingredient the first recipe called for. The results? Nasty tasting wannabe tortillas that tasted like baking powder. (I don't know if it's just me, but I can taste the baking powder/soda in baked goods sometimes, is that weird or what?) It wasn't even that much, 1 tsp in fact! After the third tortilla failure, I felt really bad for wasting all that flour, so I decided to take a break and try again some other time.
I've come to the realization that my tortillas come out crappy because I, seriously, do not have the touch. I've made tortillas with my grandmother before, when she put the tortilla dough together, and, still, not one came out right. She would use that same dough to make her great-tasting, perfectly round tortillas, though! I don't get it...I can make pastries, but not tortillas, at least not yet. I will try again! One day, I will make an edible tortilla -- I am determined!
Check out the evolution of my many tortilla failures below (whole wheat ones not pictured, you can only fit so many mistakes into one photo :D!). Come back in a couple of days to check out my pantry pie! Maybe in a few weeks I'll actually have a successful tortilla recipe posted :).
P.S. Check out the July Cupcake Hero Challenge! I can't wait to post the recipe for this month's theme :)...look out for it!
Happy 4th of July! Hope you are enjoying the day off with friends and/or family. So far, I've spent the day baking/cooking/grocery shopping...and celebrating the fact that Jose sold our car! Woohoo! This evening we'll hopefully be attending a free orchestra concert with fireworks in the park :D, read about it here. That doesn't start until a few hours from now. In the meantime, I think I'll just relax at home with the hubby, enjoy the day off, and watch the cool/nerdy 4th of July specials on the History Channel. But before I do that, I'll leave you with a few yummy recipes.
The mini strawberry pie is a fun dessert for two, we plan on taking it to tonight's fireworks show :)! As for the turnover -- well, I had a bit of pie dough left over that I didn't want to waste, and I also bought some cherries yesterday. So I made a dark chocolate cherry turnover for Jose.
(I was originally hoping to make a cherry cake, using fresh homemade cherry jam and other good stuff...but then the dough turned into cement-colored gooeyness and, in the end, the 'cake' couldn't be rescued. I tried, really, I even went so far as the bake it, but the outside burned and the inside didn't cook. Such is the life of a Sophie-baked Frankenstein cake.) Thankfully, the dough for the pie/turnover came out really yummy...not healthy, though. I still haven't figured out how to make butter-less pastry dough -- any ideas?
Hope the rest of your day is delicious and fun...and free of kitchen adventures gone wrong ;).
Sometimes I have a craving for something I can't place; I'll have it for weeks before I actually figure out what it is I've been craving. Ever have that happen to you? Maybe it hasn't happened with food, but with things far less tangible though just as necessary for a healthy existence, like strength of mind with a heaping cup of fearlessness thrown in for added flavor. Those are two ingredients that play the same role in life as salt does in a batch of chocolate chip cookies. Without them, life's just flat and bland - you know something's missing, even when it's only a pinch.
I'll admit, there are moments when I need more than a simple dash of fearlessness and strength of mind to spice up my life, more like a gallon! Thankfully, I still have a mustard seed of faith lying around somewhere; it keeps me going when the reserves are low. But I really love it when I come across an inspiring blog post, that also revitalizes me and gives me a reality check. Take this post written by Oscar of Freshtopia, for instance. Here is a man with enough strength and fearlessness to get him through the hardest of knocks, like a brain cancer diagnosis.
What reveals his strength? There's enough evidence in that blog to safely say he's a loving man who truly understands what it means to be free, even when inflicted with an illness that would make most feel physically limited and emotionally defeated. So what does that have to do with freedom? Everything. The worst oppression is the kind that's self-inflicted, losing your personal freedom to negative thoughts and bitterness. The first sign of this? A mentally insatiable craving for something more; feeling like life owes you something, and focusing on that so much that you lose yourself and the ability to love in the process.
Freedom comes with acknowledging your blessings in the midst of what seem to be curses, and that's fairly impossible without strength of mind. Reading Oscar's post made me think of a kind of independence that all of us should strive for. Happy4th of July!
...and because this is a food blog ;), here's a recipe for some tasty Strawberry Almond Bread!
My goal is to become more of this kind of person:
Be sincere in your love for others. Hate everything that is evil and hold tight to everything that is good. Love each other as brothers and sisters and honor others more than you do yourself. Never give up. Eagerly follow the Holy Spirit and serve the Lord. Let your hope make you glad. Be patient in time of trouble and never stop praying. Take care of God's needy people and welcome strangers into your home. Ask God to bless everyone who mistreats you. Ask him to bless them and not to curse them. When others are happy, be happy with them, and when they are sad, be sad. Be friendly with everyone. Don't be proud and feel that you are smarter than others. Make friends with ordinary people. Don't mistreat someone who has mistreated you. But try to earn the respect of others, and do your best to live at peace with everyone. Romans 12:9-18
If there is a dessert/savory dish that you're craving, and you're on a special diet and can't find a recipe for it, I'll try to make up a recipe for you. I can't promise that I'll get it to you right away (experimenting takes awhile ;), but I'll do my best :). Just leave a comment!
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