Birthdays are the Best!

When it comes to making cakes I think Birthday cakes are probably my favorite.  I get to celebrate their special day with them through a delicious pastry.  The creativity is endless.  So many flavors of cake to choose from, so many different fillings.  You make just about anything.  This week I was able to make 2 birthday cakes for the same family.  But they could not have been more different.  

Jake wanted a cake for his wife and informed me she is a chocolate purest.  Chocolate, chocolate, chocolate he said.  So it was decided I would make a cake that was all chocolate all the way.  A Dark Chocolate Cake with Whipped Milk Chocolate Ganache, a Chocolate Fudge Butter Cream and topped with Milk Chocolates Ganache Drizzle.

Chocolate Cake

2 Cups    All-Purpose Flour

2 Cups    Sugar

¾ Cups   Cocoa Powder (sifted)

1 ½ tsp    Baking Soda

1 ½ tsp    Baking Powder

½ tsp       Salt

2             Whole Eggs

1 Cup      Milk

½ Cup     Oil

2 tsp        Vanilla

1 Cup      Boiling Water

1. Sift dry ingrediants in a medium bowl and set aside.

2. In a large bowl mix all other ingrediant except the hot water 

3. Add dry to the wet and mix, then add the water and mix just until combined.

4. Pour into 2 greasedand parchment lined 8 inch cake pans.

5. Bake at 350° for 20 minutes or until a tooth pick comes out clean.

Now Lizz came to me and asked if I would do Her husband Jakes cake and said that he loves just about everything but that he really loves fruit flavors, and for me to just go for it.  So I decided since peaches are in season right now that I would use that to my advantage.  I made a fresh Peach cake with a Whipped Cream filling and a Peach Cream Cheese frosting. Topped with Peach purée.  

Peach cake

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened

2 ⅔ cups all-purpose flour

2 ½ teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 cups granulated sugar

3 large eggs

¼ cup low-fat buttermilk

1  cup pureed fresh peach

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Frosting

1 cup of butter, softened

8 oz of cream cheese, softened

½ cup reduced peach puree

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

3-5 cups of confectioners sugar

Peach Pruree

4 medium peaches peeled and pitted

1 TBS sugar 

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line cupcake tins with liners.

2. Mix together flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside. In a large measuring cup or bowl, mix together buttermilk, peach puree and vanilla extract. Set aside until needed.

3. Using an electric mixer, beat butter and granulated sugar in a mixing bowl until pale, about 2 minutes. Add eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Mix in pulverized peaches.

4. Mix in flour mixture in three batches, alternating with two batches of buttermilk mixture. Mix until just combined, scraping down bowl as needed. (I like to mix the last bit by hand using a spatula to make sure I get all the stuff at the bottom.) Scoop batter into cupcake tins.

5. Bake until golden brown and a toothpick inserted into center of cake comes out clean, about 21 to 24 minutes. Allow cupcakes to cool in tins for 10 minutes, and then remove cupcakes and place them on a cooling rack.

Frosting

1. In a large mixing bowl, mix butter until it is softened and uniform.

2. Add cream cheese and beat together until it is uniform. 

3. Add vanilla extract and mix. Add pulverized peaches and mix. 

4. Add 3 cups of sugar to the mixture and mix. 

4. Add more sugar if necessary. Mix again until mixture is creamy and spreadable. 

5. Add more sugar if necessary, otherwise prepare to frost cake.

Peach purée

1. Put peaches in a blender with sugar and blend until smooth.  

2. For the reduced purée place the remaining purée in a sauce pan and reduce by half.