Threenager

So I've been a bit lax about posting. What can I say? Life is busy. So busy, in fact, that I blinked and my baby turned 3. THREE! He's sweet, sassy, curious, funny and full of attitude some days. We call him our "threenager."



One of my favorite parts of celebrating Eli's birthday is making him a special birthday cake. This year, I wanted to incorporate his favorite things (Thomas and train tracks) into it, and I just about died when I saw the perfect cake idea on Pinterest.

It came together really well, and it was surprisingly easy! I used Hershey's chocolate cake recipe for 4 9-inch cakes (1 batch makes 2 cakes), and my favorite buttercream recipe. I am really picky about my frosting because most buttercream recipes are too cloyingly sweet for me. This one uses a dose of salt and lemon juice, and I think it makes for a perfect frosting. I also don't like to fill my cake layers with frosting because I think it's too much. I prefer jam because it helps to balance out the sweet cake and frosting, and lends a nice bit of tartness.

The carving can be a bit of a challenge, but freezing the cakes made them easy to shape. I followed the advice on this website, which lays out all the numbers for you. I also fill my cake layers using this bit of advice I learned from my Wilton decorating classes. Instead of just slopping the jam/custard/etc in between the layers, pipe a barrier of icing around the cake and use it as a "wall" for your filling. This way, when you lay the top cake down, it won't squish out all the filling and make a mess. It also prevents the filling from leaking out the sides and ruining your final frosting coat. Works perfectly!

Eli's Train Cake -  Kit Kats for train tracks and M&Ms to help it look more finished. I'm really glad I used them because I ran out of frosting along the bottom edge of the cake!

The final product was really cool and incredibly delicious. Unfortunately, a few of his friends weren't able to make the party due to a snowstorm, so we have some leftover cake. I might have to go grab another slice...just to make sure it's still good. You know, for research's sake and all.

Cake Recipe found here

Buttercream Recipe
Adapted from Demolition Desserts, Elizabeth Falkner
Ingredients:

Makes about 2 cups (I tripled this for my cake. I think that doubled would be good for 1 9-inch layer cake)

4 oz. (1 stick) unsalted softened butter

2 1/2 c. or 10 oz. powdered sugar

1/2 t. kosher salt

1 T. plus 1 t. whole milk

1 t. pure vanilla extract

1 t. fresh lemon juice (I put 1/2 t.)

Instructions:

In a stand mixer, fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the butter and salt for about 30 seconds and then add half of the powdered sugar and the milk to the butter and beat again until combined. Scrape down the bowl.  

Add the rest of the powdered sugar, the vanilla, and the lemon juice and beat until combined.  Scrape down the bowl again.  Beat on high speed for 5-6 minutes or until the frosting is fluffy.

Set a small amount aside for piping the train tracks, if you so desire. Gel food coloring is the best choice here, as it won't alter the consistency of your buttercream.

Creating the Cake Shape
Once the cake is cooled, stick the layers in the freezer for at least a few hours (overnight is best, so they can be made a few days in advance).

For the number "3", take each layer of the cake and remove an 8cm circle from the middle. I made a paper circle template, put it on top of the cake, and cut around it. Remove about a 1/4 of one cake for the base of the three and about 1/3 of the remaining cake for the top. Position to make the number, trimming as required. It's best to put everything together on a cake board, as the final product is heavy. I cover my cake boards with foil because I like the way it looks.

Pipe your frosting in a wall around the bottom layer and fill with jam. Top with cake. Repeat for the other part of the 3. Using a light hand, go over the entire cake with frosting for your crumb coat. This doesn't have to be perfect; in fact, the point of this is to lock in the crumbs so it doesn't ruin your final layer of frosting. Just get everything thinly covered and pop it all in the fridge for at least an hour.



Note: the inside of the 3 was more difficult to frost than I expected. It's the inside of the cake, therefore it was crumbier and took more frosting to cover. I was glad I made a triple batch of buttercream.

Cover the cake with your final layer of buttercream and while it's still wet, stick on the Kit Kats for train tracks. If you're using M&M's, do those around the base now as well. Pipe the train rails carefully, and then set it all in the fridge to chill. I stored it there overnight because I didn't want to keep buttercream out that long.

Who moved my cheese?

Dear Readers, I ask for your strength during this trying time. I've decided to give up dairy for a little while, in order to see if it has any effect on my skin. This decision was not made lightly, as I love ADORE all things dairy, especially cheese, but I need to figure this out. I've suffered from eczema since I was a baby, but in the past 2 years, it's gotten progressively worse. No skin ointment, pill, or moisturizer seems to make any difference, so I decided to look inwards, instead of piling things on outward. Apparently, dairy can be the biggest trigger of eczema outbreaks! You should have seen my face when I read that. Sad Beth. But, if it works, I'm willing to try almost anything. Therefore, the next series of recipes will be mainly dairy-free.

I ventured into the online blogosphere of veganism and some parts of it are scary. "Cheese" sauce made from cashews and yeast? "Milk" from soaked almonds? It was too much. So I started with baby steps, and will taste-test my way through this. I think you'll enjoy my first attempt!

What better place to start with than chocolate? I knew this recipe would be good, as I'd attempted something similar a few years ago as part of the Daring Bakers (I really miss having time for that group!). This was whizzed together quickly with some leftover silken tofu and a stash of incredibly indulgent dark chocolate morsels imported from San Francisco, via mother-in-law. The end result was amazingly rich, incredibly decadent and very very satisfying.

Silken Chocolate Tofu Mousse
Adapted from Food.com

Ingredients:
6 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips (Generic brands are typically dairy-free, but Nestles and Hersheys are not, so read the labels!)

1 (10 ounce) package firm silken tofu                                                          

1 -2 tablespoon brown sugar or 1 -2 tablespoon honey or 1 -2 tablespoon brown rice syrup, to taste   (I used a splash of vanilla instead)

1 dash nutmeg (I omitted)

1 banana, thinly sliced (optional)

Instructions:
Melt the chocolate chips in a small saucepan or double boiler with a tablespoon of water over medium heat. Or, if you're lazy like me, melt them in a heatproof bowl in the microwave, in 45-second spurts, stirring after each round.

Transfer the melted chocolate to the container of a food processor fitted with a steel blade. Add the tofu and process until smooth. Add the brown sugar, honey, or rice syrup to taste, and sprinkle in the nutmeg. Process again until velvety smooth. Stir in the sliced banana, if desired.

Divide the pudding among 6 dessert cups and chill until needed

A One-derful Celebration!

Eli Jonathan turned 1 on December 7th, 2011. It's still hard for me to believe that this:

Became this: 

Now I'm a bit late in posting, so he's currently 15 (almost 16!) months, but just a quick snapshot of our little dude's personality. He loves Daddy, his books, his milk, fruit (esp bananas), and Tizzy, the dog. He also loves to crawl around, playing hide-and-seek behind things, like the coffee table, and currently, putting objects into another container is quite fascinating. Eli's vocabulary is growing nearly every day. At 1, he was able to say Daddy, doggie, ball and hi. Today, he can say all that, along with car, Mommy, Tizzy, apple, no, tree, and a few other names of kids from daycare. His little giggles just light up a room, and he's so much fun.

When it came to party planning, I went a little Pinterest crazy. I couldn't help it! There were such cute ideas available and I really wanted to make this special. I wasn't really with it when it came to his bris (it was 8 days post-birth, so I've cut myself some slack) and that was hard for me because I *love* planning parties. I wanted to plan a festive and fun event for everyone!

I went with a monkey theme, to match his nursery, and found adorable invites on Etsy, from LittleBeesGraphics. She was so easy to work with and I was thrilled with the results:

She also made matching cupcake toppers, which I loved! 

My mom helped me make a quick Pinterest DIY Table Runner. It was very easy and super cute!

Instead of a cake, I made my favorite Amy Sedaris Vanilla cupcakes, topped with a choice of Vanilla Swiss Meringue Buttercream or Quick Fudge Frosting. I also made a Baked Pesto Brie, Royal Icing Sugar Cookies and Chocolate Pretzels with colored sprinkles. Brie and pretzel recipes are listed below!
We had a wonderful afternoon, celebrating with family and friends. Eli enjoyed his first taste of cake and frosting...almost as much as he enjoyed smearing it around into his hair!

Ingredients:

1 round of brie

1 jar of pre-made pesto

(can also make this with dried cranberries and walnuts instead of pesto!)

Instructions:

Pre-heat the oven to 350.

Slice the brie round open, like an Oreo, and spread the pesto inside. Close it back up and bake in an ovensafe dish for about 20-ish minutes...until the cheese is melty and delicious. Serve with a knife, crackers, carrots, or small pieces of bread. Enjoy!

Chocolate Dipped Pretzel Rods

Ingredients:

Pretzel rods

Baking chocolate squares (I find that these melt better than chips)

Colored sprinkles

Wax paper

Instructions:

Using a microwave safe bowl, melt your chocolate in 30-second intervals, stirring after each round. When the chocolate is fully melted, pour it into a deep drinking glass.

Dip each pretzel and lay it on the wax paper. Cover with sprinkles while it's still wet. Allow them to dry and then store, covered, until needed.