Ina’s Classic Coconut Cake

To say that I”m a chocolate cake fanatic is an extreme understatement.  For some reason, I’m just drawn to rich dark desserts that ooze with chocolate and the like.  Vanilla just isn’t my thing.   I’m not sure why, I love the smell and I do like the taste (really, of any dessert), but if I had my druthers I would bake something chocolatey.

Not so today, I just got it in my head that I needed a bright and cheery dessert for a New Years Day dinner at my sister in-laws.   And I had coconut on the brain.  Now, I’m not a huge coconut fan, unless they are in these snacking favourites, but I just needed to make something…well…different.  So the search began for a fantastic Coconut Cake, something coconutty but not too sweet.  A look through some of my favourite cookbooks and I quickly settled on Ina Garten’s Coconut Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting.

I made just a small 6 inch version as a test batch and then an 8 inch contour version for the dinner.  I’m pretty happy with how it turned out.  I must say that it’s pretty darn good and will be on my ‘make again’ list.  This is a fairly dense cake and the icing compliments it so well.  I do love a good cream cheese icing every now and then.

I needed to glam it up a bit with the pineapple flower.  These are so easy to make and look stunning on desserts.

It doesn’t take long before the cake is gone… and oddly enough, there are only two of us in the house at the moment, the baker and the photographer.  You know what that means…we had cake for lunch!

Thank you for all of your support in 2011.  I can’t say how much your comments and feedback mean to me.  I have so enjoyed this year of blogging and meeting new blogging and baker friends alike.  I get my inspiration from so many of you!  We sure have whipped up some sweet things on this journey.  Lets see what 2012 has to bring!

Renee

Coconut Cake

*recipe adapted from Ina Garten’s Coconut Cake Recipe

• 1 1/2 cups unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 2 cups sugar
• 5 extra-large eggs, at room temperature
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon pure almond extract
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 4 ounces sweetened shredded coconut

Cream Cheese Frosting

• 1 pound cream cheese, at room temperature
• 1/2 pound unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 3/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon pure almond extract
• 1 pound confectioners’ sugar, sifted
• 6 ounces sweetened shredded coconut

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease 2 (9-inch) round cake pans, then line them parchment paper.

1.   In a small bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.   Set aside.  In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar on medium-high speed for 3 to 5 minutes, until light yellow and fluffy. With the mixer on medium speed, add the eggs 1 at a time, scraping down the bowl once during mixing. Add the vanilla and almond extracts and mix well.

2.  With the mixer on low speed, alternately add the dry ingredients and the buttermilk to the batter in 3 parts, beginning and ending with dry ingredients. Mix until just combined. Fold in the 4 ounces of coconut with a rubber spatula.

3.  Pour the batter evenly into the 2 pans and smooth the top with a knife. Bake in the center of the oven for appox 4o minutes,  until the tops are browned and a cake tester comes out clean. Cool on a baking rack for 10 minutes, then turn the cakes out onto a baking rack to finish cooling.

4.  For the frosting, in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, combine the cream cheese, butter, vanilla and almond extract on low speed. Add the confectioners’ sugar and mix until just smooth (don’t whip!).

5.  To assemble, place 1 layer on a flat serving plate, top side down, and spread with frosting. Place the second layer on top, top side up, and frost the top and sides. To decorate the cake, sprinkle the top with coconut and lightly press more coconut onto the sides. Serve at room temperature.

Garnish with a pineapple flower.

Dark Chocolate Peppermint Cupcakes

It has been a very hectic few days around here!  Christmas Eve and Christmas morning bliss, followed by family dinners and some post-Christmas Day shopping.  I’m completely exhausted and looking forward to laying low for a few days.  But first!  I did want to share some of the yummy things that have made their way out of the SweetRevelations kitchen in the past few days!

This past Friday was the last day of school for my children before Christmas break.  This was the first year that I sent a box of baked goods for their teachers.  I know, big surprise, it was cupcakes.

But, in my defense, baking is a way for me to express to others that I care about them, that I’m thankful for the things that they do, that I appreciate all of the “extra’s” that the teaching staff do for the students!

Well, and doesn’t a gourmet cupcake say all of those things?

Something rich and decadent with a minty frosting?  Ok, maybe not, but a few minutes with a yummy moist piece of cake and some peace and quiet sure doesn’t hurt on the last day before Christmas break.

I love the contrast of these cupcakes.  Dark Chocolate cake (gosh I’m so predictable) and creamy Peppermint Swiss Meringue Buttercream.  Just a hint of peppermint.  And I thought, to keep these somewhat elegant and classy looking (ahem..like the teachers at our school…), I would use some chocolate coated peppermint sticks as a garnish.  These smelled so wonderful and tasted like a classic winter mint chocolate.

First, make some of these Dark Chocolate Cupcakes, without the added espresso powder.  Then, top with some Peppermint Swiss Meringue Buttercream (below).

Peppermint Swiss Meringue Buttercream

• 5 egg whites
• 1 cup + 2 tbsp sugar
• 2 cups of unsalted butter at room temperature
• 1 tsp pure vanilla
• pinch of salt
• 1 1/2 tsp peppermint extract

1.  Fill a saucepan (large enough to fit your mixing bowl just a few inches) with two inches of water.  Bring the water to a boil, then reduce heat to med-low so water continues to simmer.

2.  In your stand mixer bowl, hand whisk the egg whites and the sugar just until combined.  Place over simmering pot and whisk for approx 4 mins until the egg whites are hot (about 150 degrees).  The sugar should be dissolved by this time as well.  Place bowl on stand mixer and attach the whisk attachment.  Whisk on medium speed until whites have increased in volume, are thick and glossy and the outside of the bowl is just slightly warm to the touch (this can take up to 10 minutes!).

3.  Remove whisk attachment and replace with paddle attachment.  Beat on low-speed until mixture is completely cooled.  Increase speed to medium and add butter pieces one at a time.  Scrape the bowl and continue to beat until buttercream is glossy, smooth and thick.  It may separate at first, but continue beating and it will emulsify.  Add vanilla flavouring, a pinch of salt and peppermint and beat until combined.  Add food colouring if desired.  Use immediately.

Garnish with a chocolate covered peppermint stick.

Spiced Apple Cupcakes with Cinnamon Nutmeg Frosting and A Lesson

The Holiday Season is fast approaching and SweetRevelations has been busy busy!  I’m really excited to share that we will be featured in a new Magazine called Elegant Impressions.  It’s based out of New York, the launch date is January 2012 and word has it our Chocolate Roses are on the front cover!!   What an amazing way for us to start the new year.  Blogging has opened so many doors for us in 2011 and I can only wait with anticipation for what 2012 has to offer!

All that aside, I learned a valuable lesson this morning!  I always bake my goodies really early in the morning and I do all of my prep the night before.  I always (as I’m sure many bakers do) leave out extra butter and extra eggs, just in case.   Phew!  Good thing because this morning I woke up super early to pop some gingerbread cupcakes in the oven.  A huge surprise when I opened the oven door and my cakes had fallen really badly.  Like not presentable badly.  It was a new recipe and I didn’t have time to make it again.  So, thank goodness for the extra eggs and butter at room temperature, I did a quick mix of some Apple Spiced Cupcakes and I was good to go.  This is a new recipe that I tried from My Cake School and they are really yummy eaten without icing too!

Topped off with some Cinnamon Nutmeg Swiss Meringue Buttercream, royal icing decorations and some fondant (recipe here)  snowman these are pretty darn cute.   The royal icing tree’s are made out of many different snowflakes I made a few nights before.  So simple to make, but so delicate, make double what you need as they will break!

I do BELIEVE in the magic of the season…don’t you?

What a great display for the dessert table during the holidays.  Many thanks to The Celebration Shoppe for being so speedy in sending me the BELIEVE Cupcake Printables.  I love them.

Spiced Apple Cupcakes

*My Cake School Recipe

• 1/2 c. unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1/2c. canola oil
• 2 c. sugar
• 3 eggs, room temperature
• 2 tsp pure vanilla
• 1 c. applesauce
• 3 c.  bleached all-purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 3/4 tsp baking soda
• 1 tbsp cinnamon
• 2 c. grated apple
• 1 cup chopped walnuts
• zest of 1 lemon

Preheat oven to 325 degrees and line muffin tins.

1.   In a small bowl, sift the flour, salt, baking soda and cinnamon.  Set aside.  In the bowl of a stand mixer cream the butter until light and fluffy.  Add oil, sugar, eggs, vanilla, and applesauce.  Then, slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix just until combined.  Mix in the apples, nuts and lemon.

2.  Fill liners 2/3 full and bake for 22 minutes or until cake tester inserted comes out clean.  Immediately cool on wire racks.

5.  Pipe with Cinnamon Nutmeg Swiss Meringue Buttercream and garnish with a snowflake!

Cinnamon Nutmeg Swiss Meringue Buttercream

• 5 egg whites
• 1 cup + 2 tbsp sugar
• 2 cups of unsalted butter at room temperature
• 1 tsp pure vanilla
• pinch of salt
• cinnamon and nutmeg to taste

1.  Fill a saucepan (large enough to fit your mixing bowl just a few inches) with two inches of water.  Bring the water to a boil, then reduce heat to med-low so water continues to simmer.

2.  In your stand mixer bowl, hand whisk the egg whites and the sugar just until combined.  Place over simmering pot and whisk for approx 4 mins until the egg whites are hot (about 150 degrees).  The sugar should be dissolved by this time as well.  Place bowl on stand mixer and attach the whisk attachment.  Whisk on medium speed until whites have increased in volume, are thick and glossy and the outside of the bowl is just slightly warm to the touch (this can take up to 10 minutes!).

3.  Remove whisk attachment and replace with paddle attachment.  Beat on low-speed until mixture is completely cooled.  Increase speed to medium and add butter pieces one at a time.  Scrape the bowl and continue to beat until buttercream is glossy, smooth and thick.  It may separate at first, but continue beating and it will emulsify.  Add vanilla flavouring, a pinch of salt and cinnamon and nutmeg (to taste) and beat until combined.  Use immediately.

Royal Icing for Snowflakes

*there are many templates for snowflakes on-line

• 4 cups sifted icing sugar
• 7 tbsp warm water
• 4 tbsp meringue powder

1.  Beat all ingredients until stiff peaks form.  Icing should be thick but still easy to pipe.  I used a Wilton #3  round tip and piped them on to parchment paper.  They need at least 24 hours to dry.  Dust with pearl dust if desired.

Mini Dark Chocolate Pound Cakes

I’m pretty sure if you’ve been following my blog you’ve noticed that I kinda have a thing for rich dark chocolate desserts.  Decadent, rich, chocolate desserts of any kind.

Remember these, these and oh the memories…. this?

Well today I made these….

Just a little treat for my mom who is celebrating her birthday today.  I could bake till the cows come home and that would still not be present enough for my mom, but a yummy Dark Chocolate Pound Cake with Chocolate Ganache drizzle and a Vanilla Peppermint Glaze sure is a start!

She is a great listener, cheer leader, doctor, counsellor…..

She is a ‘warm cookies just out of the oven’ kind of person.

She is a ‘take less so someone can have more’ kind of person.

She is a ‘buy 20 chocolate easter bunnies, even for the grown-ups, because  they are still her children’, kind of person.

Well she sure gave me an appreciation of all things sweet in the kitchen.  And all things sweet about being a good mom.  And all things sweet about living a good life.  Well done mom, sit back and relax.

Have a piece of cake.

Dark Chocolate Pound Cake

*adapted from Jacques Torres’ A Year In Chocolate

*double this recipe to use in a large bundt pan

• 5 large egg yolks, room temp
• 3 whole eggs, room temp
• 1 1/4 cups cake flour, sifted
• 1/4 cup cocoa
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1 cup unsalted butter, room temp
• 3/4 cup + 2 tbsp sugar
• 1 tbsp honey
• 1/2 vanilla bean

Preheat the oven to 350°

Lightly grease 5 mini bundt pans

1.  In a small bowl whisk together all of the eggs and yolks until combined.  Set aside.  In another bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa and baking powder.  Set aside.

2.  In the bowl of a stand mixer cream the butter, sugar and sugar until very pale and increased in volume (this can take up to 10 minutes!).  Scrape the seeds from the vanilla bean and beat into mixture.

3.  Reduce mixer speed to med-low and add 1/3 of the eggs then 1/3 of the flour mixture.  Continue alternating the eggs and flour ending with the flour.  Beat the batter until smooth.

4.  Scrape the batter into prepared pans and bake for approx 20 minutes.  Be sure to check regularly after 16 minutes so cakes aren’t dry.  Invert cakes on wire rack and allow to cool completely.

Chocolate Ganache

• 1/2 cup quality Belgian bittersweet chocolate, chopped
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, softened
• 1/4 cup heavy cream

1.  Combine the chocolate and butter in a medium bowl. Heat the cream through gently just until it starts to bubble and pour over the chocolate. Let the mixture sit for about 3 minutes.   Stir slowly until the chocolate melts and the ganache becomes smooth and glossy.  Drizzle over cooled cakes.

Peppermint Glaze

• 3/4 cups powdered sugar
• 1 1/2 tsp unsalted butter softened
• few drops of peppermint oil
• 1/4 tsp vanilla
• 2 tsp milk

1.  Mix all ingredients in a small bowl.  Spoon on top of chocolate ganache.

*Garnish with crushed candy canes.

Mini Cinnamon and White Chocolate Cupcakes and Frosting For The Cause

I’m so thrilled to be sharing today’s post with you!

It’s my first guest post over at Frosting For the Cause and I’m just tickled about it.  The site is an inspiring year-long collaboration from bakers all over the United States and Canada.  It is completely dedicated to raising awareness of women’s cancers, while sharing some amazing recipes and personal stories.   This site was developed by Paula Kelly-Bourque, also known as the Vanilla Bean Baker, who really is an example of what a compassionate soul is.

Today is SweetRevelations day, and I chose to make these Mini Cinnamon and White Chocolate Cupcakes.  I make gourmet cupcakes for people all the time and I was so nervous about delivering these to some pretty amazing ladies who were participating in the After Breast Cancer Luncheon in my community.    Please head on over to Frosting for the Cause to check out my recipe and my personal story.

I also wanted to send some thanks to Najwa over at Delicious Shots.  She put together a beautiful virtual Christmas Magazine full of beautiful recipes and DIY projects.   I am so excited to have one of my posts featured on this very creative piece!  Please take a moment to check it out, a SweetRevelations creation is featured on page nine!