Showstopper

9.14.16

I’M BACK B(I)ATCHES!  Did you miss me? I know I missed me! I had plans on coming back next week, but some things came up and I just ran out of time.  What things you ask? Well for one my sister’s baby shower, which I headed to Florida to celebrate.  And second, my first Skillshare baking class! While I’ll reserve a whole post in the coming week or so to give you the lowdown on this really exciting new project, for now I’ll leave you my introduction video to get excited about what’s to come.

Taking a few weeks off was very bittersweet.  I definitely needed a break.  Knowing the events during the upcoming weeks, I knew trying to keep up with posts would be a mess, and mediocre.  So having some time to clear my head made me ready and anxious to start blogging again.  I have a new series to replace Mug Cakes (which I’ll debut on Friday), and a few guest posts planned, this new Skillshare baking class, and some collaborations in mind!! The first being posted today! 

When my wedding photographer, John Branch reached out that he wanted to expand his portrait portfolio, I jumped at the chance to work with him again.  He’s so warm and friendly and makes you feel comfortable in any atmosphere.  If you need engagement photos, a wedding photographer, or portraits and you live in NYC, Jersey or probably even Connecticut?? You should book him ASAP!! I decided to throw on a fun red dress from Avenle to really come back to blogging with a bang.  

And so with this dress I had to bring in the big guns when baking. A total showstopper.  So I made a cake I’ve had in my head for quite some time, what I am naming an Elvis Cake.

Soft banana cake covered in peanut butter frosting with chocolate drizzle on top and some walnuts thrown in for fun.  I think the most satisfying thing about this cake is how perfectly it came out……the second time.  The first attempt at this cake was tasty, but very……rustic…..to use a generous term.  I’d never tried a drizzle, and the method I used just didn’t turn out right.  I’d made ganache many times before but it was too thick to drizzle and so I ended up just spreading it over the top of the cake.  I brought it to a friend’s  birthday and it was devoured. But I was so angry at my presentation I made it again for no reason.  And I fixed it, and it came out exactly how I wanted. The King of Rock and Roll would approve, even if it didn’t come in sandwich form.

Making it a second time around helped me practice crumb coating, the drizzle technique, and creating an even, all-around nice looking cake.  And when it turned out right, I took pictures like it was a kid’s first day of school.  Different angles, different backgrounds, maybe a tear was shed because my sweet baby looked so good on this day! If you’re a fan of any of these flavors, this cake is like biting into heaven. Like a hunk-a-hunk of burnin’ love.

In the past I’ve used an offset spatula to spread frosting in between layers. But of course the crumbs would make the process pretty messy.  Cutting the tip off a piping bag was a much easier solution. I’ll never go back.
While naked cakes are all the rage, being able to create a fully frosted cake has a real feeling of accomplishment. I get frustrated with myself when I don’t do something perfectly the first time, forgetting that things like frosting cakes is actually pretty tricky, and hard to perfect.  For my second time, I took a breath and allowed myself to be happy with my progress.

Watching the drizzle fall down the cake perfectly may have been the most satisfying part of it all.  The chocolate/butter recipe seems by far superior to regular ganache with heavy cream.  I will continue to experiment for sure.

Just so pretty! It made me feel like I could make any cake in the world! Like Leo was holding my arms out at the front of the Titanic whispering in my ear to make him cake. 

Giving it to co-workers the next day and having it eaten just as quickly as the first also made me pretty happy.

The West Village is kind of a magical place.  I don’t frequent there as much as I should.  There are so many tucked-away streets and cobblestone roads.  Just when I think I know the city well, I am still amazed at the nooks I’ve never discovered. Even NYC has a quiet corner.

I bought this dress a little while ago and couldn’t wait to have a reason to pull it out. I don’t own many red things. Maybe because it’s such a bold statement? And a red dress really says something. It has an opinion whether you like it or not.  

It gives you permission to be dramatic.  It’s a dress you walk around in and people notice.  And while sometimes it feels great to throw on jeans and a tee and disguise yourself among the millions of New Yorkers, sometimes it feels good to feel fierce.

I love the details of this dress, the lace throughout, the pleats. It was a great statement piece to add to my closet.

Happy Almost Fall! I’m so delighted to be back!

Avenle Dress 

Elvis Cake

Ingredients

For the Cake

• 3/4 cup mashed ripe banana (about 2 medium bananas)
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• 1 1/2 cups flour
• 3/4 tsp baking soda
• pinch of salt
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 egg yolk
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1/3 cup milk
• 1/3 cup sour cream

For the Frosting

• 1 cup creamy peanut butter
• 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 2-3 cups confectioners sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1-3 Tbsp heavy cream

For the Chocolate Drizzle

• 2 oz high quality bittersweet chocolate, roughly chopped
• 2 1/2 Tbsp unsalted butter
• Chopped waltnuts to garnish

Instructions

For the Cake

• Preheat oven to 275 and grease 2 6″ cake tins and line with parchment paper
• In a small bowl, mix together mashed bananas and lemon juice, set aside
• In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda and salt, set aside
• In a small bowl, beat together milk and sour cream until smooth, set aside
• In a stand up mixer with a paddle attachment, cream room temperature butter and sugar together until light and fluffy
• Add in egg, egg yolk and vanilla one at a time, waiting to each to be fully mixed in before adding the next
• Scrape down the sides of your bowl and on low speed beginning with the flour mixture, alternate pouring in with the milk mixture
• Pour in banana and allow to just combine
• Evenly distribute batter into two cake tins and bake for 60-70 minutes, until risen and toothpick in center of cake comes out clean
• Allow to cool slightly before dumping them onto a wire rack covered in a clean cloth to full cool

For the Frosting

• In the bowl of a stand up mixer with a paddle attachment, beat peanut butter and room temperature butter together until almost all the butter cannot be seen anymore
• Add in 2 cups of confectioners sugar and on low speed combine
• If the frosting still seems too thin, slowly add in more sugar
• 1-3 tbsp of heavy cream can help with the consistency of frosting if too thick
• Once sugar is almost combined add in vanilla

For the Chocolate Drizzle

• Place chopped chocolate in a heat proof bowl over a small pot of simmering water on low-medium heat, making sure the bottom of the bowl does not touch the water
• Allow chocolate to melt, stirring frequently
• Once melted, add in butter, one tablespoon at a time, allow to melt into chocolate completely before adding the next
• The chocolate should be thick, but not too viscous that it won’t move
• Once all butter is added remove from heat and allow to cool only slightly before dripping on cake

To Assemble

• Once cooled, slice the top off both domed cakes for an even surface
• Fill piping bag with peanut butter frosting and in a spiral cover the surface of the first layer of cake
• Place the other layer upside down on top of frosting, to ensure a smooth top
• Pipe frosting along the outside of cake and with a flat surface, such as a dough scraper, run the edge along the cake to remove excess frosting and create you ‘crumb coat’
• Chill cake for about 10-15 minutes
• Remove chilled cake and frost sides and top of cake, using scraper to smooth as necessary until an even layer of frosting covers the entire cake
• Take slightly cooled chocolate and with a spoon, drip small amount of chocolate over the edge of cake, dripping more chocolate for longer streaks
• Spoon a small about of chocolate in center of cake and spread out with spoon or spatula to cover top of cake
• Sprinkle chopped walnuts around the outer ring of the top of cake, as well as along the bottom
• Take remaining frosting and pipe small dollops on top
• Allow to chill so chocolate can harden
• Bring to room temperature before serving

Adapted from Food.com