Tuesday, January 28, 2014
Saturday, January 25, 2014
Chocolate-Nutella Cream Cheese Buttercream
Yield: Makes about 4½ cups;
enough to fill and frost two 9-inch layer cakes
or three 8-inch layer cakes
What makes our Chocolate-Nutella Cream Cheese Buttercream wicked good? This buttercream literally melts on your tongue and the flavor rings of nostalgia associated with the dreamiest of chocolate frostings. It is buttery, creamy and smooth with a hint of cream cheese and plenty of Nutella® flavor. Due to an adequate amount of fat from the butter, this special buttercream pipes beautifully. Our Chocolate-Nutella Cream Cheese Buttercream is versatile and will pair extremely well with white cakes, yellow cakes and chocolate cakes alike as well as cupcakes, cheesecakes and other sweet treats like baked doughnuts. Honest and truly, this buttercream is wicked good!
Ingredients
1 cup (2 sticks or 226 grams) unsalted butter, softened (or 1 stick salted & 1 stick unsalted)
4 ounces (½ 8-ounce package/113 grams) cream cheese, such as Philadelphia®, softened
½ cup (148 grams) Nutella® Hazelnut Spread
2 teaspoons (10 ml) pure vanilla extract, such as Nielsen-Massey®
4 tablespoons (30 grams) sifted HERSHEY'S® Special Dark Cocoa, or your favorite
3½ to 4 cups (420 to 480 grams) confectioners’ sugar, spooned in cup, leveled off & sifted
Preparation
Using an electric stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment, or handheld mixer and large bowl, beat butter on medium speed until creamy. Add cream cheese, Nutella® and vanilla; beat until fully incorporated. Gradually increase mixer speed to high and continue beating until light and fluffy, scraping down the sides of bowl as necessary with rubber spatula.
Gradually add cocoa and 3½ cups confectioners’ sugar, beating on low speed (stir), until well combined. Add additional confectioners’ sugar until desired consistency for spreading and level of sweetness is reached. Beat on high speed until well combined and smooth while scraping down sides of bowl as necessary, about 1 to 2 minutes. Before frosting cake layers, rebeat buttercream to ensure smoothness.
Notes
Tips:
If not using immediately, the buttercream can be refrigerated for up to 2 to 3 days in an airtight container. Before using, bring to room temperature before beating smooth again.
If using the buttercream to pipe details, be sure to use chilled hands when handling pastry bag as warm hands can melt the buttercream.
To make 1½ recipes of Chocolate-Nutella Cream Cheese Buttercream, the math has been completed for you below:
1½ cups (3 sticks or 339 grams) unsalted butter, softened (or part salted & part unsalted)
6 ounces (¾ 8-ounce package/170 grams) cream cheese, such as Philadelphia®, softened
¾ cup (222 grams) Nutella® Hazelnut Spread
1 tablespoon (15 ml) pure vanilla extract, such as Nielsen-Massey®
6 tablespoons (45 grams) sifted HERSHEY'S® Special Dark Cocoa, or your favorite
5¼ to 6 cups (630 to 720 grams) confectioners’ sugar, spooned in cup, leveled off & sifted
Thursday, January 23, 2014
Strawberry Cake Recipe
a recipe by designmeacake.com
Ingredients:
3 cups Cake Flour
1 Teaspoon of Baking Powder
1 Teaspoon of Baking Soda
2- 1/2 cups sugar
1 cup unsalted butter (2 sticks of butter)
at room temperature
1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
5 large eggs( separate eggs from yolks)
1 cup Buttermilk
1-1/4 cup mashed or pureed
Frozen Strawberries
Pinch of Salt
Teaspoon Red Food Coloring (optional)
Directions:
Preheat oven to 325 F. You can preheat it to 350 F and lower the temperature to 325 when you place the cakes in the oven.
I like to bake at lower temperatures. Which require a longer period of baking. But if you
go to a higher temperature keep in mind it will take less time. I would not go higher than 350.
The baking time can change too depending on the size of the pan.
Spray (or butter and flour) 2 pans. I used two 8''x 3 pans.
Sift flour, baking powder. baking soda and salt into medium bowl. Set aside.
Using an electric mixer, cream together butter and 2 cups of the sugar.
Save the rest of the sugar for later.
Add eggs yolks one at a time, beating until well blended after each one.
Add the vanilla.
Add dry ingredients in small additions to butter/sugar mixture alternately with the buttermilk, beginning and ending with flour mixture.
Beat at low speed just until blended after each addition.
Mix in the Red food color (optional), and fold the strawberries in
this mixture.
Strawberries can be smashed or pureed.Set it aside.In a clean dry grease free bowl, mix egg whites with a wisk attachment.
Beat until peaks are stiff but not dry and add the 1/2 cup of sugar you saved to the egg white mixture.
Mix a bit more to make sure the sugar is mixed and the peaks stay stiff.
Fold the egg whites in the butter mixture. I do this in 3 steps.
Pour batter into prepared pans. Bake cakes until tester inserted into center
comes out clean, about 55 minutes.
The amount of time really depends on the pans you use anf your oven. Cool cakes in pans for 10 minutes. Turn cakes out and seal them in plastic well.
Place the cakes in the refrigerator and let them cool well.
I leave them at least over night.
I recommend to eat the cake at room temperature.
3 cups Cake Flour
1 Teaspoon of Baking Powder
1 Teaspoon of Baking Soda
2- 1/2 cups sugar
1 cup unsalted butter (2 sticks of butter)
at room temperature
1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
5 large eggs( separate eggs from yolks)
1 cup Buttermilk
1-1/4 cup mashed or pureed
Frozen Strawberries
Pinch of Salt
Teaspoon Red Food Coloring (optional)
Directions:
Preheat oven to 325 F. You can preheat it to 350 F and lower the temperature to 325 when you place the cakes in the oven.
I like to bake at lower temperatures. Which require a longer period of baking. But if you
go to a higher temperature keep in mind it will take less time. I would not go higher than 350.
The baking time can change too depending on the size of the pan.
Spray (or butter and flour) 2 pans. I used two 8''x 3 pans.
Sift flour, baking powder. baking soda and salt into medium bowl. Set aside.
Using an electric mixer, cream together butter and 2 cups of the sugar.
Save the rest of the sugar for later.
Add eggs yolks one at a time, beating until well blended after each one.
Add the vanilla.
Add dry ingredients in small additions to butter/sugar mixture alternately with the buttermilk, beginning and ending with flour mixture.
Beat at low speed just until blended after each addition.
Mix in the Red food color (optional), and fold the strawberries in
this mixture.
Strawberries can be smashed or pureed.Set it aside.In a clean dry grease free bowl, mix egg whites with a wisk attachment.
Beat until peaks are stiff but not dry and add the 1/2 cup of sugar you saved to the egg white mixture.
Mix a bit more to make sure the sugar is mixed and the peaks stay stiff.
Fold the egg whites in the butter mixture. I do this in 3 steps.
Pour batter into prepared pans. Bake cakes until tester inserted into center
comes out clean, about 55 minutes.
The amount of time really depends on the pans you use anf your oven. Cool cakes in pans for 10 minutes. Turn cakes out and seal them in plastic well.
Place the cakes in the refrigerator and let them cool well.
I leave them at least over night.
I recommend to eat the cake at room temperature.
Monday, January 20, 2014
Coconut Buttercream Frosting
Ingredients
1/2 cup butter, softened
4 cups powdered sugar
1/4 cup unsweetened coconut milk
1/2 - 1 tsp coconut extract or imitation coconut extract
Directions
Combine all ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Using an electric mixer, whip ingredients together until smooth and fluffy.
1/2 cup butter, softened
4 cups powdered sugar
1/4 cup unsweetened coconut milk
1/2 - 1 tsp coconut extract or imitation coconut extract
Directions
Combine all ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Using an electric mixer, whip ingredients together until smooth and fluffy.
Lemon Buttercream Frosting
Ingredients
1/2 cup butter, softened
4 cups powdered sugar
2 - 3 Tbsp heavy cream
2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
1/2 tsp lemon zest
Yellow food coloring, optional
Directions
Combine all ingredients in a large mixing bowl, using an electric mixer blend together until smooth and fluffy about 1-2 minutes. Tint with yellow food coloring if desired.
Note: if you don't want the piled high style of frosting (if you don't like a lot of frosting) then half a batch would be enough. Personally I don't normally like a lot of frosting but this frosting is so good that I liked the piled high style for these, plus it made for prettier piping with the blueberry sauce =).
1/2 cup butter, softened
4 cups powdered sugar
2 - 3 Tbsp heavy cream
2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
1/2 tsp lemon zest
Yellow food coloring, optional
Directions
Combine all ingredients in a large mixing bowl, using an electric mixer blend together until smooth and fluffy about 1-2 minutes. Tint with yellow food coloring if desired.
Note: if you don't want the piled high style of frosting (if you don't like a lot of frosting) then half a batch would be enough. Personally I don't normally like a lot of frosting but this frosting is so good that I liked the piled high style for these, plus it made for prettier piping with the blueberry sauce =).
My Favorite Chocolate Buttercream Frosting
Ingredients
1 1/2 cups butter, at room temperature (I like to use 3/4 cup salted and 3/4 cup unsalted)
3 3/4 cups powdered sugar
3/4 cup cocoa powder*
3 - 4 Tbsp heavy cream or half-&-half
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
Directions
In a the bowl of an electric stand mixer, fitted with whisk attachment (paddle attachment works too. Whichever you use just pay attention the the shade of the butter), whip butter on moderately high speed until very pale and fluffy (nearly white in color), about 6 - 8 minutes, occasionally scraping down sides of the bowl. Sift in cocoa powder then add in powdered sugar, 3 Tbsp heavy cream and vanilla and mix on low speed until combine, scrapping down the sides of the bowl as needed and adding up to 1 tbsp additional cream to thin if desired. Increase mixer to medium-high speed and whip mixture until pale and very fluffy about 4 - 5 minutes, occasionally scraping down sides of the bowl.
Note that similar to whipped cream the frosting will lose some of its "fluff" after a few hours, it will still taste the same it just loses some of the air that was whipped into it (similar to whipped cream how it loses it's stabilization after a few hours). It is best to prepare and use within a few hours for best (fluffiest) results.
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