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The Birthday Cake

2/24/2014

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So I am on the search for the perfect birthday cake for Greg's 40th Birthday! I have been looking for a few weeks now and I have found a contender for the perfect cake. He is out of town this week so I am trying it out so it can be a surprise. I halved this recipe so I didn't have to eat an entire cake as research! It came out perfectly in my small bundt pan…so cute! This is definitely a cake I am going to make and gift as little gifts. 

Now for the verdict. I sent pieces to my trusty taste testers…you know who you are...and it was an overwhelming AWESOME! Thanks ladies for testing and more importantly, for helping me eat this cake! 
It was so good I might have been tempted to eat it all! 

Next week I will try another recipe and choose between the two, so you taste testers get ready! 
This cake will be hard to beat though. It is wonderful and goes with the cocktail party theme for his 40th party! 

To Make this Cake you will need:

The Cake: 
2 cups granulated sugar
2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup sifted dutch-processed cocoa powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup whole buttermilk
2 large eggs
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 teaspoons vanilla
3/4 cup warm water
1/4 cup decent quality Tennessee whiskey or bourbon

For Caramel:
1 cup granulated sugar
pinch cream of tartar
1/4 cup water
2/3 cup heavy cream
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 1/2 tablespoons whiskey or bourbon

Preheat oven to 350ºF. Butter a standard (12-cup) bunt pan. Dust with 1 tablespoon each flour and cocoa powder, and tap and turn until pan is completely coated. Dump out excess.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the sugar, flour, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, and salt, whisking until thoroughly combined. Add eggs, buttermilk, oil, and vanilla and mix with an electric mixer on medium-low speed until dry ingredients are almost incorporated, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Add warm water and whiskey and mix until just combined and no dry ingredients remain. Pour into prepared pan.

Bake for 50 to 55 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the deepest part of the pan comes out clean. Remove from oven and place on a wire rack until cool enough to handle, then gently invert onto a wire rack. Allow to cool completely.

To prepare caramel, place sugar and cream of tartar in a medium, high-sided saucepan set over medium-high heat. Pour water around edges. Bring to a boil, then cover and cook for 2 minutes (the steam buildup will help dissolve any stray sugar crystals on the sides). Remove cover and continue to boil, without stirring, until sugar caramelizes to a light amber color, about 5 to 7 minutes. Watch it carefully, as it can go from golden brown to burnt in no time if left unattended.

Remove from heat and quickly whisk in cream and butter (mixture will bubble vigorously), then return to low heat and whisk until completely smooth. It may seem like it is seizing, but keep whisking and all the hard caramel chunks should dissolve. Remove from heat and let cool for about 2 minutes, then stir in whiskey. Transfer to a heat-proof container and let cool to room temperature, about 1 hour, or until thickened yet still pourable. 

Pour about half of the caramel over the top of cake, letting it drip down the edges and pool at the base. Slice and serve and drizzle with additional caramel as desired. Cake will keep, stored in an airtight container, for up to 5 days.

***I successfully cut this recipe in half and made and adorable little bundt cake. This is definitely one I will make again and give as gifts. 

I found the recipe on a great food blog called 
Love & Olive Oil. They have some really amazing food. Be sure to check them out! 

Click here to download & print the recipe.

Picture
Chocolate Whisky Bundt Cake with Whiskey Caramel Sauce
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Oops! 

2/20/2014

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My goal is to get this up and running before Greg's birthday. I never surprise him. He ALWAYS figures out what his gifts are going to be. It really stinks… so me doing my own blog and getting all the pictures and text and links and attachments uploaded and working myself…that will definitely be a SURPRISE! Technology and I are not exactly compatible. I am constantly asking him to help me with the computer and my phone…it's really not a skill of mine. What I love to do is cook and I wish I would take the time to do is keep track and share the recipes I like. This blog takes care of all that, plus if it all goes well, I will be able to answer my own technology questions. I just have to learn how to do it! Yikes!

So here we go. The other day I posted my first recipe and picture…Yeah! I am feeling really good about this. I spent the day designing and uploading, adding pages and pictures and click…it is posted onto a web site that I will give Greg in a few days. SURPRISE!! 

Well…that was my plan. Just a bit ago as I was scrolling the pages I saw that I had comments…Comments? How can I have comments? Who on earth is going to find this website and make a comment? Then I realize the comment tag is by the Facebook icon. What? I inadvertently linked the page to my FB page, which I wanted to do at some point but not yet. As it turns out my family and friends like the Coconut Muffin recipe. Great…it really is delicious but I wasn't ready for anyone to see this yet! I have only published some lame text on a few pages and a list of incomplete recipes. Can I fix it, delete it? Aaaghh….I will try again tomorrow. 
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Coconut Muffins

2/18/2014

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Coconut Muffins

The first time I made this muffin I was trying to find something good for Sister Edna Ann. She loves coconut just like my Gram! These muffins are delicious and Gram would have LOVED them too! This is my first food post because it is one of my favorite food pictures! Along with trying to figure out how to cook good food, write a blog and figure out all of the  technology that goes into this attempt at Mastering of Something…I also want to learn how take, edit and share good pictures of my food and family. I am starting my blog with this picture however, because it came out AWESOME the first time…no edits needed! 

These muffins really are as good as they look and did I mention they are pretty healthy too?    

Check out the recipe! It is from one of my favorite cooking websites…Smitten Kitchen! 
To make these Coconut Muffins you will need: 

1/2 cup virgin coconut oil
3/4 cup of flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon table salt
1 cup greek yogurt at room temperature 
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg at room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cups sweetened shredded coconut, divided

Preheat your oven to 375*. Grease or line your standard muffin tins. In a small saucepan warm up your coconut oil just until it melts. In a medium bowl you will whisk together your flours, baking powder and salt. Stirring in 1/2 cup of the shredded coconut. In a separate bowl, whisk together the egg, sugar, coconut oil, yogurt and vanilla. Stir this into your flour mixture just until combined. Fill your muffin cups with the batter and sprinkle the tops with the remaining coconut (about 1-2 teaspoons on each). Bake 20 minutes or until the tester comes out clean. Transfer to a rack to cool. 

These muffins are best the day of, but are good 3-4 days later if stored in an airtight container at room temperature.  
Click here to download & print the recipe.
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    Blogs to Love 

    Smitten Kitchen 
    Love & Olive Oil
    Bon Appetit Magazine

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