Black Forest Mini Marshmallow Rainbow Cake

Wow, it has been too long since my last entry.  The summer has flown by so quick with the kiddies out of school.   At the end of July, I had eye laser surgery (PRK) to correct my nearsightedness.  It took 4 weeks to recover but it was well worth it!  

This month, it took a while to get into the rhythm of school, skating lessons, packing lunches, music lessons, church and loads of dishes and laundry!  

Black Forest Mini Marshmallow Rainbow Cake with Fresh Whipped Cream

Over the weekend, my youngest had her 4th birthday party.  I can't believe it!  My preemie baby will be turning 4 in a few days.  

We intended to have a small party with her preschool friends for 2 hours... but somehow ended up with 17 kids in our house on a rainy Saturday afternoon!  

Most of her preschool friends had siblings in the same class with my older kiddies, so they came too...and their parents.  I didn't have a headcount, but I think we had about 30 people at our home and we had a blast!     

    

Our birthday party menu included:  BBQ hot dogs, hamburgers, whiskey rum ribs (with Tanduay rum & Jack Daniels), gluten-free chicken burgers, gluten-free chicken dogs, oven roasted corn on the cob, chicken potstickers, potato salad, Cheetos, potato chips, chips & salsa, veggies & dip, fruit tray of watermelon, grapes & mandarin oranges and finally, cake! (Sorry, I was too busy hosting and forgot to take pics of all that food!)

Last year, I made a Chocolate Mini-Marshmallow Rainbow Cake and the Birthday Girl wanted it again.  To change things up, I used fresh vanilla whipped cream instead of chocolate and the cake was Black Forest Style.  

Everyone's waiting patiently for the candles and cake!

YUM!  The Black Forest Cake was a hit!  

So cute that the kiddies inhaled their first piece and came back for seconds!

I did not use any liqueur in the cake or filling since the kiddies were eating this.   I prefer to add a splash of kirsch or amaretto to the cherry pie filling for that "adult" taste. 

My KitchenAid mixer does not whip the cream stiff enough to pipe if there is too much heavy cream.  To overcome this, I whipped the cream in two small batches to get that stiff piping consistency (no more than 1.5 cups heavy cream).  Make sure your bowl and beaters are chilled, so the cream whips faster and sturdier for piping.  The cornstarch content in icing sugar helps stabilize the cream if kept cold.  

Black Forest Mini Marshmallow Cake

1 favourite chocolate cake (can be homemade or a box)*: 1 double layer 8 or 9-inch cake, 1 triple layer 8-inch cake, 1- 9x13 cake (baked in 2 pans for double layer)

1 can cherry pie filling

2 cups heavy cream (2.5 cups heavy cream for triple layer cake, 3 cups for double layer 9x13 cake)

3 Tbsp confectioner's/icing sugar  (6 Tbsp icing sugar for triple layer, 8 Tbsp for 9x13)

2 tsp vanilla (2.5 tsp vanilla for triple layer, 3 tsp for 9x13)

Prepare chocolate cake and cool completely.

Whip half the amount of heavy cream with half of the confectioner's/icing sugar and half the vanilla for at least 3 minutes on high until the cream is stiff enough for piping.  Be careful not to overwhip the cream (mixture will separate and become butter!).

Place one cake layer on a cake plate.  Spread the cake with whipped cream and spoon cherry pie filling on top of the cream, in the middle of the cake.  Add the cherry pie filling until it reaches 1-inch away from the edge.  This will prevent the cherries from oozing from the sides of the cake.  

Repeat with the remaining cake layer.  Whip the remaining heavy cream, icing sugar and vanilla.  Frost and pipe the cake as desired with the whipped cream.  Decorate with mini marshmallows, candies, shaved chocolate or your favourite cake decorations as desired.  

* I scaled 1.5X of my family's favourite chocolate cake recipe for a taller 9x13 double layer cake

Note: This can also be made in the style of "White Forest Cake" by using your favourite white or yellow cake instead of chocolate. 

The Birthday Girl with Mommy & Daddy

The Birthday Girl was EXHAUSTED, but still had enough energy to nibble on her goodie bag treats while resting... 

Happy 4th Birthday, Sweetheart! 

Enjoy!

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Strawberries and Cream Chinese Bakery-Style Chiffon Sponge Cake, Gluten-free or not

We had some guests come for dinner the other night.  Hubby ordered Chinese take-out, so all I had to do was add a nice green salad (you can never get enough veggies!) and make a dessert.  

To keep with the Chinese food theme, what is a typical Chinese dessert?  For special occasions, my mother would either bake or order a beautiful vanilla chiffon sponge cake decorated with fresh fruit and whipped cream from a local Chinese bakery.   

You can use your favourite sponge cake with whipped cream and fruit.  I made 2 tube sponge cakes with this vanilla chiffon sponge cake recipe.  I decorated one cake and froze the second one to enjoy at another time for a quick dessert.   For those who are on a gluten-free diet, you can try this gluten-free vanilla chiffon sponge cake.  

Pressed for time?  Ready-made angel food cakes can be decorated fresh whipped cream and fruit.  

I usually fill and decorate these cakes with canned fruit cocktail that has been drained and blotted dry.  I have also made a "Strawberries and Cream" cake with fresh strawberries and  "Peaches and Cream" with canned peaches.  

This time, I used fresh strawberries and canned mandarin orange segments to fill and decorate the cake.  Make sure to blot dry the excess moisture from the fruit on a paper towel or napkin. 

Strawberries and Cream Chinese Bakery-Style Chiffon Sponge Cake, Gluten-free or not

1 - 8" vanilla chiffon sponge cake, gluten-free vanilla sponge cake or ready-made angel food cake
1.5 cups heavy cream
4.5 Tbsp confectioner's sugar 
1.5 tsp vanilla 
chocolate shavings, with a vegetable peeler
selection of fresh/canned fruit for decorating and filling (possibilities are endless!)
  - strawberries, kiwi, grapes, melon balls, etc
  - canned fruit (must be drained and blotted dry):  peaches, pears, mandarin oranges, cherries, etc.

Prepare chiffon cake and cool completely.

Whip 1.5 cups heavy cream with 4.5 Tbsp confectioner's sugar and 1.5 tsp vanilla for at least 3 minutes on high until the cream is stiff.  Be careful not to overwhip the cream (mixture will separate and become butter!).  If you would like extra whipped cream for piping or for serving, use 2 cups heavy cream, 6 Tbsp confectioner's sugar and 2 tsp vanilla.  

Dice about 1 cup (I forgot to measure, chop enough fruit to fill the cake layer) fresh or canned fruit for filling and blot dry on paper napkin/towel.  Set aside.

Cut cake in 2 layers.  Place one cake layer on a cake plate.  Spread the cake with whipped cream and place chopped fruit pieces (blotted dry) on top of the cream. Place the top layer on the fruit filling.  

Frost and decorate the cake as desired with the whipped cream.  

- Adapted from Vanilla Chiffon Sponge Cake

The cake didn't last long!  Of course, the kiddies had leftover cake dolloped with extra whipped cream for breakfast the next day!

Enjoy! 

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Mini-Marshmallow Rainbow Cake with Chocolate Whipped Cream Frosting

My youngest had her 3rd birthday party this weekend.  Where did the time go?  She wanted chocolate cake for her birthday so I used my tried and true chocolate cake recipe.  I scaled the recipe 1.5 times to make a 2-layer 9"x13" cake.  I thought that a Mini-Marshmallow Rainbow Cake with chocolate whipped cream would be really cute for a preschool birthday party.  

It was a fun cake to put together when the children were in bed!  Growing up, I was never the artistic type. I can't draw but I can pipe borders and put stuff on a cake.  The mini-marshmallows made the cake so cute! I was even able to hide my messy icing skills with a border of marshmallows on the bottom of the cake.    

My kiddies do not like buttercream frosting.  They complain that it is too sweet but they adore whipped cream.  I knew the cake was a hit when the kiddies inhaled their cake and asked for a seconds before everyone had their first piece!  

This chocolate whipped cream is a variation of my vanilla whipped cream.  I was inspired by our local Swiss bakery's chocolate mousse cake:  chocolate sponge cake with chocolate mousse filling.  This is my basic chocolate whipped cream recipe.  Sometimes I use a tablespoon more icing sugar if the cocoa powder is bitter or strong.  It depends on the brand of cocoa powder and how sweet/bitter you like the frosting.  I always taste and adjust the frosting to make sure it is not too bitter.  I made and decorated the cake the night before.  I noticed that the cocoa made the frosting look darker the next day.  

Chocolate Whipped Cream Frosting

1 cup heavy cream

3 Tbsp. cocoa powder

1/2 cup powdered/icing sugar (or to taste)

1/2 tsp. vanilla

Beat heavy cream, icing sugar, cocoa powder and vanilla in chilled medium bowl with electric mixer on high speed until soft peaks form.  (I beat the cream until it it looks stiff enough to pipe, being careful not to over-whip.)

Betty's Tip: Well-chilled cream will whip the best, so keep it refrigerated until ready to use. It also helps to chill the bowl and beaters before you begin. When the cream begins to thicken as you beat it, reduce the mixer speed so you can watch carefully and beat just until soft peaks form. Overbeaten cream will look curdled.

- Adapted from Betty Crocker's Sweetened Whipped Cream 

Be careful not to over beat the whipped cream,  it might turn into butter!  I like using icing sugar because it has cornstarch in it.  The cornstarch helps stabilize the whipped cream so it can retain its shape when piped.   

To frost a 9x13 double layered cake:

I always make the chocolate cream in two batches.  I found that I can only whip no more than 1.5 cups of heavy cream at a time for best results in my KitchenAid stand mixer.  Also, whipped cream melts quick in a hot kitchen!  

The first batch: 1.5 cups heavy cream, 4.5 Tbsp cocoa powder, 3/4 cup icing sugar and 3/4 tsp vanilla.  After I filled and frosted the first batch, I put the cake in the refrigerator while I make the second batch.

Second batch:  1 cup heavy cream, 3 Tbsp cocoa powder, 1/2 cup icing sugar and 1/2 tsp vanilla.  It makes enough cream to frost the rest of the cake and pipe a border around the perimeter.  

The cake was a hit!  I served each piece of cake with an extra handful of mini marshmallows.  

My birthday girl was soooo happy!  Happy 3rd Birthday, Sweetheart!  

Enjoy!

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White Forest Cake

I asked hubby what dessert he would like for Father's Day.  He said, "Black Forest Cake".  Since I have a chocolate allergy, I had to make a little change to his request.

Normally I would use a rich dark chocolate cake with whipped cream and cherries.  This time, I used a basic yellow cake instead.  The verdict:  YUM!  As soon as I served the last piece, my son asked for a second piece!

I did not use any liqueur in the cake or filling since the kiddies were eating this.  If I did, I would add a splash of kirsch or amaretto to the cherry pie filling for that "adult" taste. 

Maybe it is my KitchenAid mixer, but I find that it does not whip the cream stiff enough to pipe if there is too much heavy cream.  To overcome this, I whipped the cream in two small batches to get that stiff piping consistency.  Make sure your bowl and beaters are chilled, so the cream whips faster and sturdier for piping.  

I thought that I could tolerate white chocolate, but I got a reaction from just the small shavings on the side of the cake!  I will think of something else to decorate the sides next time.   

White Forest Cake

1 basic yellow cake: 1 double layer 8 or 9-inch cake, or 1 triple layer 8-inch cake 

1 can cherry pie filling

2 cups heavy cream (2.5 cups heavy cream for triple layer cake)

6 Tbsp confectioner's sugar  (8 Tbsp icing sugar for triple layer)

2 tsp vanilla (2.5 tsp vanilla for triple layer)

white chocolate shavings, with a vegetable peeler

Prepare yellow cake and cool completely.

Whip 1 cup heavy cream with 3 Tbsp confectioner's sugar and 1 tsp vanilla for at least 3 minutes on high until the cream is stiff enough for piping.  Be careful not to overwhip the cream (mixture will separate and become butter!).

Place one cake layer on a cake plate.  Spread the cake with whipped cream and spoon cherry pie filling on top of the cream, in the middle of the cake.  Add the cherry pie filling until it reaches 1-inch away from the edge.  This will prevent the cherries from oozing from the sides of the cake.  

Repeat with the remaining cake layers.  Whip the remaining heavy cream, icing sugar and vanilla.  Frost and pipe the cake as desired with the whipped cream.  Decorate with the rest of the cherries and shaved white chocolate.

After dessert, there was only 1/4 cake left. Everybody had a second piece! 

Enjoy!

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Coffee Chiffon Rose Cake

Mother's Day weekend was lovely.  It was filled with lots of hugs, kisses, cards, presents, and time spent in the garden. 

Of course, I still had to make dinner, dessert, vacuum and wash the floors.  Nothing better to a mother than a nice, enjoyable meal and a fresh clean floor!

For dessert, I wanted to make a special Mother's Day cake.  With roses.  With coffee.  With fresh whipped cream.  Without chocolate.  In the past few months, I noticed that I was getting an allergic reaction to chocolate and cocoa.  It was enough for me to be very uncomfortable with a super itchy face after tasting the stuff.  I'm hoping that it is a temporary thing.  I developed a seafood allergy (hives) at age 16 and was somehow able to eat prawns, crab and lobster again after seven years! 

No worries, there are PLENTY of yummy things other than chocolate.  I'm patient and hopeful.  Maybe I can eat chocolate again in seven years.  In the meantime...

Here is my Rose Cake!  I was inspired by my friend's beautiful Rose cupcakes. (Thanks Q!)  I had the popular Wilton 1M star tip and the roses were very easy to pipe.  I followed I am baker's Rose Cake Tutorial and was able to make a very pretty cake with vanilla whipped cream.  I whipped the cream until it got to the stiff peak stage, about 4-5 minutes (the time depends on the brand of whipping cream, so keep a close eye). 

The coffee sponge cake recipe is from My Food Affair.  It is a very close adaptation of my  Vanilla Chiffon Sponge Cake.  With only the addition of instant coffee (I used decaf for the kiddies) and more sugar, the change was so good!  I was able to fill two 8" round pans and one angel food cake pan.  I cut up the extra cake (from the angel food cake pan) into smaller servings, wrapped them in cling wrap and then froze them in a large freezer bag to enjoy later.   

 The cake was not too sweet and the fresh whipped cream complimented the coffee flavour of the cake.

Coffee Chiffon Cake

2 cups all-purpose flour, or 2 1/4 cups cake flour
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
3 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt

4 tablespoons instant coffee
3/4 cup water
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 teaspoons vanilla
7 egg yolks (or 5 if using cake flour)
1 cup egg whites (8 egg whites)
1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar

Move oven rack to lowest position. Heat oven to 325°F. In large bowl, mix flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Dissolve instant coffee with 3/4 cup water.  Beat in coffee mixture, oil, vanilla and egg yolks until smooth.

In large bowl, beat egg whites and cream of tartar with electric mixer on high speed until stiff peaks form. Gradually pour egg yolk mixture over beaten egg whites, folding with rubber spatula just until blended. Pour into 2 ungreased 10-inch angel food (tube) cake pans.   

Bake about 25-30 minutes or until top springs back when touched lightly. Immediately turn pans upside down onto heatproof funnel or bottle. Let hang until completely cool, about 1-2 hours. Loosen side of cake with knife or long, metal spatula; remove from pans. 

I decorated this cake with Vanilla Whipped Cream.  I doubled the recipe and was able to fill and decorate one 8" double layered cake with piped roses. 

Note: This batch yielded two 8" round cake pans, with the bottoms lined with parchment paper (baked for 15 minutes) and one 10" angel food cake pan for about 30 minutes.  Next time, I will bake the whole batch in two 9x13 pans for about 15 minutes for a bigger double layered cake.    

Soft and cloud-like, chiffon cakes go down too easy!

The cake turned out so pretty.  Perfect for Mother's Day!

[Edited to add: ] Here is another picture of a coffee sponge cake I made last summer.  Back when I was able to eat chocolate. 

 Luscious fresh raspberries on a coffee sponge cake with whipped cream and shaved Callebeaut dark chocolate.  Also very yummy!

Enjoy!

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Vanilla Chiffon Sponge Cake

I had some gorgeous fresh, farm eggs and some whipping cream in the fridge.  I haven't baked a cake in a while, but since I had these wonderful ingredients on hand, it would be a shame not to make a Chinese-style cake!  While the kiddies were (quietly!) playing puzzles, I took the opportunity to whip this up in my KitchenAid mixer. 
  
A classic Chinese-style bakery cake is a sponge cake that has a fruit or mousse-like filling, real whipped cream and fresh fruit decorations.  This was the kind of cake my mom made for our birthdays when we were growing up. 

I remember helping my mother decorate our birthday cakes.  She would bake the sponge, whip the cream and I would help decorate.  At the age of 10, my mother let me pipe luscious swirls of whipped cream and artistically place sliced fresh or canned fruit on top.  As the years passed, the cakes became an elaborate affair of fruit and whipped cream!  I can't believe that in a few years, I will be repeating this tradition with my little ones.  

Mom's sponge cake was always heavenly.  Although it tasted good, it would collapse after she pulled it out of the oven and we would simply hide the imperfections with whipped cream and fruit.  Because her recipe used 9 eggs per cake, I needed something lighter.  I have been searching for a recipe like the commercial Chinese bakeries, but I had found out that many of the popular bakeries use a sponge cake mix, filled with emulsifiers and preservatives.

Little did I know that my Betty Crocker cookbook (that I had for almost 20 years) had the sponge cake recipe that I was looking for!  It was a relatively straight forward recipe, considering that I had made so many different kinds of cakes to re-create those of the Chinese bakeries and my childhood.

This is my go-to recipe!  The hardest part is separating the egg whites and yolks.  I only use cake flour to get the tight sponge crumb texture like that of the bakeries.  All-purpose flour is OK, but since I was trying to re-capture my fond foodie memories, only cake flour will do. Due to the baking powder, I didn't have to worry about deflating the egg whites while folding.  The baking powder is there as a fail-safe measure, so I know that it will rise!

The original recipe says to use 1 angel food cake pan.  I prefer to split it up in two tube pans for two reasons:  1) you get 2 cakes; and 2) it bakes in about half the time.  Today, I used two 10" round pans and one 10" springform pan, all lined with parchment paper.  I had to adjust the time considerably, about 15 minutes, but it depends on the oven and pans used.  I usually freeze the extra cake for another occasion.

 

Vanilla Chiffon Cake

2 cups all-purpose flour, or 2 1/4 cups cake flour
1 cup granulated sugar
3 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup milk or water
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 teaspoons vanilla
7 egg yolks (or 5 if using cake flour)
1 cup egg whites (8 eggs)
1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar

Move oven rack to lowest position. Heat oven to 325°F. In large bowl, mix flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Beat in cold water or milk, oil, vanilla and egg yolks until smooth.

In large bowl, beat egg whites and cream of tartar with electric mixer on high speed until stiff peaks form. Gradually pour egg yolk mixture over beaten egg whites, folding with rubber spatula just until blended. Pour into 2 ungreased 10-inch angel food (tube) cake pans.

Bake about 25-30 minutes or until top springs back when touched lightly. Immediately turn pans upside down onto heatproof funnel or bottle. Let hang until completely cool, about 1-2 hours. Loosen side of cake with knife or long, metal spatula; remove from pans. 

Adapted from: Betty Crocker's Lemon Chiffon Cake 

Vanilla Whipped Cream

Beat 1 cup whipping (heavy) cream, 3 tablespoons powdered/ icing sugar and 1 teaspoon vanilla in chilled medium bowl with electric mixer on high speed until soft peaks form.

Betty's Tip: Well-chilled cream will whip the best, so keep it refrigerated until ready to use. It also helps to chill the bowl and beaters before you begin. When the cream begins to thicken as you beat it, reduce the mixer speed so you can watch carefully and beat just until soft peaks form. Overbeaten cream will look curdled.

- Adapted from Betty Crocker's Sweetened Whipped Cream

Be careful not to over beat the whipped cream, as it will turn into butter!  I like using icing sugar because it has cornstarch in it.  The cornstarch helps stabilize the whipped cream so it can retain its shape when piped.  

This basic sponge cake and whipped cream is very versatile.  Today, I filled my cake with vanilla whipped cream and placed canned fruit cocktail (drained and blotted dry) in the middle layer on top of the cream.   

For a 2-layer 10" cake, I used 1 1/2 cups whipping cream, 4 1/2 Tbsp icing sugar and 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract.  This amount makes enough to frost, fill and pipe some swirls on top of the cake.  I used a Wilton 1M star tip for cupcakes for piping.  

[Edited to Add:  Last year's picture of my middle child's birthday cake decorated with lots of fresh fruit, canned fruit cocktail filling.  I used two 9"x13" pans to make a 2 layer cake.]

Enjoy! 

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