And How Does That Make You Feel?

There is something I find so therapeutic about baking.

Some people run or hike to deal with stress. Others eat as a coping mechanism. Then there are the ones that go to an actual therapist.

I choose baking as my escape.

The stresses and realities of our every day lives are so harsh. They can consume us slowly from the inside until we are just an empty eggshell with no yolk. Those eggs always creep me out. There are so many ways to combat this effect but the best method is whatever way makes you feel more in control.

Baking gives me control: the ingredients do as I say, the methodology is familiar, the result is as I make it and consistent each time. Plus, it doesn't take long to see completion and get satisfaction (and a little reward in the form of a slice of cake).

"I am too busy to find time to bake. Besides, I don't need to eat all that."

No, you don't need to eat it all. Good thing you have friends, family, and coworkers to help you.

You can't find time to bake. I get that. There are only so many hours in the day and most of it is spent at work which is exhausting. Yet you have time to sit and watch an hour long reality drama that, let's face it, adds no value to your life. If anything, it's depressing and scary.. or angering... and just way too real!

Instead, you could have spent less time than that baking brownies or a simple cake. You can even do it with your family and build memories, teach each other things. Maybe even talk to those who love you about the stresses you hope to relieve via fluffy, moist chocolate still warm from the oven. Additionally, you make yourself stronger through the process. You have control over those brownies and that can translate into confidence to have control over your life. It's psychological; look it up.

Yes, it's a short-term feeling but if practiced it can become more uplifting and empowering as you move from the boxed brownies to cake to cupcakes from scratch! If you can do those things, certainly you can stand up to those things that stress you.

Is there better therapy?

Well, maybe those runners but who wants to run when you could have brownies?!

To each his own; best of luck finding your therapeutic activity. I'm rooting for you.

Times When Simple is More

My favorite part about the baking contests on television is the creative mix of flavors. From delectable to unbelievable, these amazing people create mind-boggling, inspiring flavor combinations.

I mean, seriously, who in their right mind would put banana peppers and brandy into a cupcake mix??? It's incredible!

It leads me to always contemplate the proffered ingredients from the contests compared to what's in my own kitchen. I don't have brandy. Perhaps I could use the Leinenkugel Sunset Wheat in the fridge?

However, there is something powerful to be said for the simple flavors. This week a friend of ours had a housewarming party. Of course I decided to make cupcakes but I wasn't familiar with the crowd that would be at the little backyard BBQ so I chose a simple concept.

Vanilla cupcakes, apricot jam filling, and.... brown sugar dusting instead of frosting! Sounds perfect.

While the cupcakes rested in the pan prior to removing them to cool, I sifted the lumps out of the brown sugar. The little rock solid bits just had no place here. As I snapped the picture for the blog, I was inspired to allow the natural heat of the cupcake to meld the cake and brown sugar. My concern with a dusting technique was that the brown sugar wouldn't stick. But if the cake were still warm....

A couple cakes in and I realized the true power behind this technique: the scent of caramel caressed me as I swirled a warm cupcake in the brown sugar. That scent and flavor should be infusing the vanilla cake. This was going to be fabulous with the apricot jam! 

I decided the jam would add to my styling of the cakes so I made three entry points for the filling and left dollops visible. Perfect and lovely!

Imagine my surprise to make it through an entire session in the kitchen without incident. My boys (yes, the cats) were a bit disappointed and had wandered off to find a window and do some bird watching. I had no idea the catastrophe was yet to come...

Twenty minutes into the housewarming BBQ, I wandered into the kitchen to enjoy another peek at the granite counter tops while I got a glass of wine. I turned to notice that my cupcake tupperware had become a display; not for my cupcakes but for chips and dip. Hmm, quinoa and corn dip with flax crackers. 

I shrugged it off until, just before bratwursts were done, I overheard a conversation near the table of cupcake-displayed quinoa dip now accompanied by homemade spicy hummus. The topic was the guests discussing how long each of them had been gluten-free. I glanced out towards the yard and then back to the kitchen. Most of the BBQ guests were in this conversation.

I had brought cupcakes to a party of gluten-free, new-age hippies.

Fuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu---dge.

The cupcakes were fantastic, by the way... Trust me, my family has eaten the whole batch in the last two days. The brown sugar had caramelized the tops of the cakes wonderfully and helped keep the cake very moist.

TIP: Be careful when handling hot cupcakes as the cake is still pliable. You can end up with compressions and indentations in the cake where you may have held too firmly.

Butter, Grape Juice, Powdered Sug-- What the...?

Buttercream fascinates me. You can do all types of decorating with one easy frosting. From simple filling to elaborate flowers, even embroidery effects on fondant, buttercream's versatility outshines its simple recipe.

I had decided to attempt a buttercream feat that has always been, to me, the most beautiful: roses.

My decorating instruction book for beginners in hand and YouTube up on the laptop, I started the mixer and began to cream the butter. Our 12-year-old had mixed white grape juice to make freezer pops the weekend before. I decided that would be a nice smooth flavoring for my buttercream. One tablespoon of juice and one cup of powdered sugar added to the butter while I watch another video clip.

I added the second tablespoon of juice and began to fill the second cup of powdered sugar. I was feeling confident that I could do these flowers easily and was already thinking about splitting up the frosting to make some color options.

The measuring cup scraped the bottom of the container. Hmm, forgot to refill the container... ...and apparently the cupboard. Great, I had enough butter in the mixer for 3 cups of sugar but only 2 1/3 cups of sugar. I looked out the kitchen window at the branches whipping in the wind and rain puddling on the sidewalk then I looked in the mixer. It looks stiff enough... Should be fine enough for practicing.

Now, any parent knows when baking that you have to let the kids lick the beater or spoon, as applicable. My kids are no different, despite being four-legged, and they didn't seem concerned that I had run short on sugar. My eldest at 14, Serek, was right on my heels and waiting when the mixer stopped. His younger brother was napping with dad which was far more important... then again, buttercream is loved by all, even 3 year old Chess.

Chess, 3, caught up after the beater was rinsed so he got to lick a spoon.

         

Serek, 14, with buttercream covered whiskers.

Taste-test aside and having apparently passed, I proceeded to divide up my buttercream. I settled for two colors and the basic white. This worked well as I have 2 re-useable featherweight pastry bags and only had to make one disposable parchment bag.

I settled on our kitchen table with a cookie sheet covered in parchment paper. I also had cut a few parchment squares to use on top of my flower pins. This would allow me to easily remove the flower from the pin and use the pin again... at least that was my theory from videos I'd seen do this. 

The white and orange buttercream got flower tips in two different sizes.
The purple buttercream was equipped with a basket weave tip.

Finally settled, I watched one more YouTube clip and gave it a shot. Not to my surprise, this was just as fun as I had thought it would be.There is something just relaxing about swirling petals of buttercream. I made a couple in the white with the larger petal tip (104) and then a couple smaller (101) in the orange. They were beautiful, fun, and... really soft. Too much butter. In fact, as I started in on a fifth rose, I noticed the whole foundation seem to slip and slide as I twisted my flower pin.

Off to the fridge with these guys and quick! The butter in my frosting was continuing to soften to the point of practically melting. I noticed the outer petals on my starting roses were drooping significantly.

So, with my flowers chilling, I picked up the purple to test out the basket weaving technique. I reviewed the steps in my book and drew out a few sections of basket weave. This is another style that has always been a favorite of mine. A simple technique but can be such an elegant addition to decor.

         

I have to say, I am truly in love with the techniques I tried. An the little orange roses were just so cute and delicate, I bet two could fit on a cupcake easily!

While playing with the purple buttercream, I had set the white to sit in the fridge to chill up a little. There was one more tip I wanted to try out: # 32, leaves.

There is a certain patience, I think, that will make leaves an easy practice. However, I thought about this after the fact. That is to say: once I sat back and looked at the "leaves" on my parchment paper, I discover they were a little more phallic shaped than they were leaf shaped.

That's right: I had a slew of buttercream penises. I attempted to sprinkle green sugar on them but the improvement I hoped for really wasn't there.

I think I need to watch a couple of videos on leaves...

TIPS

Always check your ingredient supply before beginning to mix. 

Fold a piece of scotch tape over itself and use to hold the parchment square onto the flower pin - or risk slippage.

If flowers seem soft while on the pin, have styrofoam at hand to set the pin in and put in the freezer. Petal damage can occur if you move the flower too soon.

Stick to Yourself, Not My Finger!

Since I had a disposable pastry bag still filled with chocolate, I set out on another chocolaty adventure: flowers.

I love flowers on cakes. The diversity added to the design by something as simple as flowers, each with their own unique petals, draws the eye so fluidly across a cake display. Also, I had just watched an episode of Sweet Genius with a chocolate artist as one of the contestants. Needless to say, I felt inspired.

I was unprepared for the obstacles that would present themselves. I blame the chocolate artist for not expressing in any of his candid moments that chocolate has adverse characteristics.

After viewing a couple of instruction videos online, I felt I had a plan in mind. The counter was covered with strips of parchment paper, a rolling pin, and my freshly melted chocolate.

Attempt #1: Dollops of chocolate spread out in a row on the parchment strip. About the size of a quarter, I tried to shape the dollops to mimic petals. As seen on YouTube, I pressed a second strip of parchment to the top of the dollop-petals and gently ran my fingers over the tops to thin out the petals. I picked up the parchment-chocolate sandwich and laid it along the rolling pin, tucking the lengths under the rolling pin to hold the curl. On a second strip of parchment, I made smaller dollops for the central petals. After creating another parchment-chocolate sandwich and wrapping it around the rolling pin, I set the rolling pin with both sets of petals into the freezer.

Twenty minutes later I retrieved the rolling pin and its crew from the freezer. I had a small square of parchment on the counter that I intended to build my flower on. I peeled the top sheet from the smaller petals slowly, happy as each petal seemed to jump off the bottom sheet with excitement. Freedom!!! 

Sadly, I discovered the large petals had been made from too large of dollops. Each petal had reached for at least one neighbor and joined hands against the cold of the freezer. Bloody useless sheet of chocolate, now. To top it off, they resisted the procedure to remove them from the parchment. I think they knew what they were in for: broken down, back in the pastry bag, and into the microwave.

Attempt #2: I decided that my batch of small petals from Attempt #1 would proceed to be the large petals for Attempt #2. I realized that I just didn't have enough space on the parchment strip to make that large of petals. So, more smallish dollops of chocolate and pop into the freezer. This time, however, I rolled the strip around itself starting from one short end. This should give me some nice dynamic petals! 

Indeed it did! Twenty minutes later I had lovely, curled up little petals bounding off the parchment strip.

Attempt #3: Before constructing my little chocolate flower, I decided to play with one more petal idea: petal outlines. I was concerned about the lines being thin and brittle so I did not make a sandwich, just drew each chocolate petal outline on the parchment and stuck the sheet in the freezer.

Attempt #2, cont: As I said, I had a small square of parchment just for building my flower on. Too lazy to reheat the chocolate, I decided it was warm enough for this quick build. Projects would go faster if I didn't do things like that.

I started with a small dollop on my parchment, set the pastry bag to the side and grabbed two sweet little petals. The two nestled so cozily together that I quickly added a third and then counted to ten as with super glue before I released the petals. A lovely trio. 

Sorting through the remaining petals, I decided which would be next. Add fresh chocolate to the base, settle petal where it needs to be, count to ten. Queue famous last words: Oh, this is easy.

Next petal chosen, I added chocolate to the base of my flower and settled my petal onto... mostly solid chocolate. The surface of the added chocolate was just slightly gooey. I held the petal and attempted a quick mend by adding more chocolate to support the petal. It seemed to work.

I flopped my hand to the side with a sigh and then a grunt of frustration: while I had fumbled with the base of the flower, the petal had melted to my finger. The flower, attached to its parchment, flopped across the counter along with the finger it was attached to. The offending petal snapped free of the flower although it hung on for dear life to my finger.

Did I mention this was really tasty chocolate? Damn petal.

Reheat the chocolate, take a lighter to the metal pastry tip to melt the chocolate caught there, rub the heated tip against the chocolate base where the now departed petal had once clung, start again. 

Eventually, I made a lovely flower. The outline petal flower - less lovely but looks nice if you squint.

Time Spent: Approx 1 hour, mostly due to set backs

Tip: Do not remove petals from freezer until you are ready to handle. Wash hands in ice water to cool skin down before handling thin chocolate. Make sure your melted chocolate is at the right consistency before you start to build.

Technique Source: Ann Reardon - How to Cook That 

NOTE: I did not have the support cookie cutter ring Ann used; I did not peel my two layers of parchment apart as I wanted thicker petals.

The Perfect Accessory for Every Occasion

Nothing competes with the versatility of chocolate in the world of sweets.

Chocolate comes in so many forms: milk, dark, white, flavor infused, filled, candy coated, bittersweet, decadent. It is definitely my favorite part of sweets because not only does it come in so many forms, it goes with everything!!

As far as I'm concerned, anyone who says they do not like chocolate is a person to be wary of. Most likely a spy or an alien.

Last week, standing in awe in the baking supply aisle of my local Michael's Arts & Crafts, a section of wire frame, basket style shelving caught my eye from the end of row. Just past the crazy packets of cupcake papers and the wildly designed cake pans.

Dozens of bags of melting chocolate. Sigh, I'm home.

Not only was there milk, dark, white and flavor infused, there were so many colors! Green chocolate, yellow, red, purple; I couldn't believe the sight of it all. There was no question in my mind, I had to find something I could do with this chocolate. Not only were there a bunch of options but the bags were affordably priced and respectable ounces.

Plus, I had a coupon!

I gazed around the aisle, seeking, praying for inspiration that would justify purchasing a bag of baking bliss. My eyes rolled across the section of Cake Boss brand items and came to rest on the packaging for one of the uniquely shaped cake pans: Buddy had paused while piping string frosting on a cake to look at the camera. Piping string frosting on the cake...

A bag of milk chocolate dropped in my basket and I whispered a silent promise to return for the others.

The fun part of baking, other than taste testing and eating the fabulous results, is decorating. Cupcakes look a hell of a lot sexier with a little something-something to dress them up. The only problem is, once you've spent the better part of an hour baking and frosting you tend to run out of give-a-sh** about decorating. Slap on the store bought sprinkles and tell the cupcakes to piss off at that point.

This sucks since usually I bake because I want to decorate.

The answer: make the decorations whenever I feel like it and freeze the damned things until I want to bake! What stores in the freezer better than chocolate??? Well, ice cubes, of course. Don't be a smart ass.

So out comes the sketch pad. As you recall: I am a passionate artist. A plethora of art supplies are at my disposal. I was tempted by my drafting markers; they were dusty and really wanted to come out to play. In hindsight, they knew what they were talking about and I should have listened. I chose, instead, a pencil. You'll see soon why this was a poor choice.

Let's start with something simple and easy, I thought. Nothing simpler than a heart!

So I drew out a concept, added some flair, then went so far as to design a slotted look down the center. The theory was 'if a 2-dimensional heart is cool, a 3-dimensional heart is epic.'

On to the chocolate! Build a quaint disposable piping bag out of parchment paper, snap the cap on the tip coupler, handful of chocolate pieces (which tasted freaking awesome, by the way; right up there with Dove) and pop that baby in the microwave. Well, this is easy! Squish the melted chocolate to the base of the piping bag, remove coupler lid and snap a nice little tip on.

I had taped a square of parchment paper over my sketch while microwaving chocolate. Now, I rested the tip of the piping bag against the parchment and began to squeeze the chocolate gently through the piping tip and along the lines of my design.

I was biting my lip the entire time as I discovered that parchment paper is not enough protective insulation to keep the melted chocolate from searing the palm of my hand. I would not be defeated, though; I took the burn and kept going like some psycho workout instructor!

My first attempt was a little squirrelly and uneven. This was to be expected. I had two more squares of parchment ready for attempts two and three. I chose to brush some silver petal dust on one completed heart; no reason, I just wanted to play with the petal dust. About 10 minutes on the counter to set then into the freezer to chill!

                               

I was excited to find that the parchment paper separated quite easily from the chocolate. Just pick an edge and roll it back till the chocolate piece lay in the still aching palm of my hand. When the first chocolate heart snapped in my fingers, I heard the drafting markers laughing from the office: the lines were far too thin. Also, the slot for fitting the two hearts together was far too narrow.

The silver-petal-dust-lining? Chocolate re-melts easily. I tossed the broken pieces into a ziplock bag and they await their next grand adventure!

It's a Vegetable Peeler for a Reason

So, you know how in the blog description I said I would try to keep the blood and tears out of the batter? That line was spawned in part from this story:

Cupcakes. What could possibly be better?

Gourmet cupcakes? With liqueur in the frosting? Oh, yes, I must try this recipe.

Candied Grapefruit Cupcakes landed on my radar courtesy of Food Network magazine. You evil, twisted souls.

The most difficult part, I thought as I read through the recipe, will be finding Elderflower Liqueur. What a surprise I was in for. In fact, I found the liqueur at the first liquor store I stopped at! Smooth sailing from here!

I picked up two large red grapefruits from the grocery store, turning them this way and that in search of the nicest looking zest. For anyone who has been around when I bake with fresh fruit, you know how much I don't like zesting fruit. No matter how careful I am, a fingertip or knuckle always ends up zested. Of course, I have always done lemons and limes which are small and difficult to hold while zesting. Grapefruit should be easier.

Step 1: using a vegetable peeler, remove the zest from one grapefruit and cut into thin slices. These will be the candies on top.

A vegetable peeler is very difficult to control on a fruit. I ended up with many odd little pieces where the peeler lost its grip and sliced off the zest too soon. Also, many squiggly strips as I attempted to scoot the peeler through the zest. The joints on my fingers ached so bad; especially my thumb which still suffers a strained tendon. Almost done, the handful of zest strips lined up across the cutting board wait in terror for the sharp kitchen knife that lays intimidatingly at the edge of the board.

Grapefruit zest strips, via vegetable peeler

SLIP "Sh**!"

A lovely pink line across the pad of my thumb starts to turn red. The vegetable peeler had leapt from its path in the grapefruit zest and bit me. Fabulous. I guess we have enough zest strips.

So while I boil down the tear-stricken, thin slices of zest in the pan to start the syrup that will candy them, I move on to step 2: zest the other grapefruit.

The tip of my middle finger mimics my thumb with little spots of red from being zested.

Not enough alcohol to have a 21 and older rating.

As my dad always said: you're not working till you're bleeding. Now that I think back on it, that is a horrible lesson to teach a child, even in jest. Ah, well.

The rest of the baking is, fortunately, uneventful and standard affair: zest strips get candied and syrup set aside, batter gets put together with some of the zest from the second grapefruit as well as some liqueur, buttercream is blended with elderflower liqueur and grapefruit juice along with a drop of red coloring gel. The buttercream is, of course, taste tested multiple times to ensure satisfaction. I am very careful to make tasty buttercream!


The cupcakes get a raw deal - stabbed multiple times with a toothpick - before the healing of syrup is applied followed by the soothing cool of pink buttercream. Dress them up for the party with a twist of candied zest and voila!

Recipe Rated: 4 out of 5 stars

Time: 2 hours

Contact me for a copy

For Introductory Purposes

Hi, my name is Cori and I have an addiction to all things sugar.

Savory flavors come to my kitchen to die while sweet flavors thrive and flourish. I can't help it: I have loved to bake and eat sweets my whole life. There is something extra fantastic and soothing in a well prepared cupcake that, unfortunately, even a damned good steak falls just barely short of. Just barely, mind you. I think the ultimate my-day-sucked pacifier would be a damned good steak and side of mashed potatoes quickly followed by a bright flavored cupcake and scoop of ice cream in a complimentary flavor.

And of glass of wine. Let's be realistic here, people.

I think my addiction for baking really took flight about 5 years ago when my mother got an expanded cable package that included Food Network and TLC. Flipping through one day, we happened to land upon a cake show. I have no idea any more what that show was other than some crazy baking contest. Maybe it was an early episode of Extreme Cakes or Ultimate Cake Off. No clue.

The point is: I saw cakes that were six to ten feet tall with crazy tilting tiers, fondant and chocolate decorations jutting out at every angle, the entire monstrosity turning elegantly like a ballerina and lit with with LED lights. I had no idea cake could go so far! It was amazing and inspiring.

Of course, that was just the beginning. My repertoire grew to include Ace of Cakes, Cake Boss, Sweet Genius and, finally, Cupcake Wars. The things I saw buttercream do were immeasurable. The flavor combinations made me drool and search out recipes. The vibrant colors caught the attention of the artist in me. 

Don't even get me started on the chocolate miracles I saw performed.

Now, moving through my thirties and watching all other forms of art I enjoy slip away courtesy of free computer programs and digital cameras, I have fallen back to my addiction for sugar. I stare at the wall of cake decorating items at my local Michael's Arts and Crafts, in awe of the numerous tools and baking pans. So many different colors of petal dust, gel coloring, and cupcake papers. Dozens of pastry tips to choose from; how can I pick out the essentials for starting? 

And the tubs of fondant. What the hell is that stuff that works on tv like the play-dough I used as a child? What does it taste like, really? Ooohh, buttercream fondant. On clearance? That's going home with me.

Thanks to some sales at Michael's and a gift from my brother, I am equipped with the following: 14 pastry tips, 2 different sized featherweight pastry bags, 1 spatula, 2 fondant tools, 2 brushes, 1 fondant flower mold, 8 flower support cups, 3 different sprinkles, 1 silver petal dust, 2 brushes, 2 small tubs of fondant, 1 bag of melting chocolate, 1 decorating technique book.

And I am dangerous. Let it begin!