McCormick's Coloring Guide

Here is a simple guide to coloring icings, foods, cakes, anything you need ....

Frosting Color Guide: Start with a can (16 oz.) of white frosting, then add food color.

Frosting Flavor Guide: Start with a can of (16 oz.) of white frosting, then add flavor and food color.

Cake Color Guide: Start with a box of white cake mix, then add food color.

Enjoy your colors and Flavors!!!

Chocolate Peppermint Bundt Cake

I made this for a "Friend-Shipping" night for Relief Society a few weeks ago. It was a hit!!

Chocolate Peppermint Bundt Cake - Our Best Bites

Ingredients:

cocoa powder for dusting pan
1 box Devil’s Food Cake mix
1 small box instant chocolate pudding
4 eggs
1 cup full fat sour cream
1 cup oil
1/2 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 teaspoons peppermint extract
1 cup dark chocolate chips, roughly chopped

Glaze:
3.5 ounces dark chocolate chips (1/2 cup)
½ cup cream
½ teaspoon peppermint extract

Additional ingredients:
Crushed candy canes (2-3)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Butter a Bundt pan (make sure to get the inside center as well) and then dust with cocoa powder, covering all sides and then shaking out excess.

~  Place cake mix and dry pudding mix in the bowl of a stand mixer.  In a small mixing bowl, whisk together eggs, sour cream, oil, milk, vanilla, and peppermint until smooth. 

~  With mixer running, add liquid ingredients to cake mix and beat until combined. 

~ Scrape down sides of bowl and then beat for 2 minutes on medium high speed. 

~  Add chocolate chips and stir until combined. 

~  Pour batter into Bundt pan and bake for 45-50 minutes, until a skewer comes out with moist crumbs attached.

Glaze:

~  While cake is baking, place chocolate chips in a bowl. 

~  Heat cream until hot and bubbly and then pour over chocolate.  

~  Let sit for 2-3 minutes, then add peppermint and whisk until smooth.  Set aside.

~ When cake is done, let cool until just warm (15-20 minutes).

~  Invert onto a paper towel on a metal rack. 

~  Let cool completely and place on serving platter.

~  To glaze cake, either use a brush to lightly brush over surface, or spoon and drizzle chocolate over. 

~  You may have extra.  If too thick, heat for a few seconds to loosen, if still warm and too runny, let cool longer or place in fridge to speed up process. 

~ After cake is glazed (and you may want to wait for the glaze to set just a bit), sprinkle with crushed candy canes.  Slice into servings and serve with a dollop of whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.

Easy Caramel Sauce

Easy Caramel Sauce - adapted from Carlsbad Craving

3/4 cup butter

1 1/2 cups light brown sugar, packed

2 tablespoons water

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup evaporated milk

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

1 tsp Mapleine extract

~   Melt butter in a medium saucepan and heat over medium heat, stirring until butter melts.

~   Add brown sugar, water, and salt, and mix well.

~  Bring to boil and continue to boil for 4-5 minutes (it will bubble a lot!), stirring occasionally.

~  Mix the extracts in the evaporated milk, set aside.

~  Remove from heat and slowly pour in the evaporated milk and extracts while stirring to control the bubbles. It will steam up, so be careful not to get your face burnt! Stir until well combined.

~  Let cool off the heat in the pan for about 30 minutes, then transfer to a glass jar with tight fitting lid OR if freezing, use a plastic container with airtight lid. **See Notes below.

** NOTES:

~  Store in the refrigerator in an airtight container for 5-7 days.

~  This caramel reheats beautifully in the microwave or stovetop.

~  You can also freeze the sauce for up to 3 months. Just make sure to use an airtight container that's NOT glass because the milk expands when frozen and can rupture the glass. Defrost the sauce overnight in the fridge and warm gently before using.

Vanilla Lavender Chiffon Cake with Blackberry Curd & Blueberry Buttercream

From my Personal Blog:

I started with this recipe: Black & Raspberry Lemon Chiffon Cake. 

Then I got creative, as I usually do! You will NEED a scale for this - the Measurements are very important in order to get the right consistency.

The following is my Version of the above recipe:

So what you'll Need is:

2 9×3 inch rounds of lemon chiffon cake, cut horizontally - You should make this at least 1 dat in advance, its easier to ice cooled cakes!
12 oz Lavender simple syrup - Make at least 2 hours before you start so it is cooled
1 cup Black & Raspberry curd - Make this at least 1 day before so it is cooled
2 cups Blueberry buttercream frosting, room temperature 

Lemon Chiffon Cake **
(makes 2 11×17 sheets or 2 9×3 rounds)
14.5 oz cake flour
8.75 oz confectioner’s sugar
6.75 oz whole milk
6 oz canola oil ***
3.25 oz eggs
0.5 oz baking powder
13 oz egg whites
9.5 oz granulated sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
3-4 oz lemon juice

Preheat oven 375°F.

Prep pans by buttering bottom and sides (I used Wilton's Cake Release - This stuff is AMAZING!!!!).

1. Place parchment in pan and butter the parchment. 
2. Sift dry ingredients (except granulated sugar) into a large bowl. 
3. Mix all ingredients (except the 13 oz of egg whites and granulated sugar) in the large bowl until combined. 
4. Whip whites and granulated sugar to medium peaks. 
5. Fold into batter gently. 
6. Bake until set, about 20-25 minutes. 
7. Remove from oven and remove from pan. Let cool on a rack for at least 1 hour. 
8. With a large serrated knife, cut four even layers (I went for 3/4 inch layers) from the two 9×3 rounds (or the sheets if you like quadrangular cakes). If cutting from the 9×3 rounds, you’ll likely have leftover cake from the tops.

** I made two batches for this, one as is, and one replacing the vanilla extract with Lavender Extract found at Sur la Table.
*** I also used Hazelnut Oil instead of Canola.

Lavender Simple Syrup
1 cup sugar
8 oz water
2 cups Dried Culinary Lavender

1. Heat water and Flowers in a pot until fragment.  
2. Strain the flowers, keeping the water. 
3. Add the sugar to the water and bring to boil heat until dissolved and turn off heat. 
4. Let cool.

Raspberry and Blackberry Curd
2 cups blackberries, fresh
2 cups Raspberries
1/2 cup water
1 tsp orange zest
1 cup sugar
2 oz. butter
4 tbsp cornstarch
4 tbsp cold water

1. Place the blackberries, water, and orange zest in a pan and bring to a boil. 
2. Reduce to a simmer for 5 minutes. 
3. Press the mixture through a food mill or you can purée the berry mixture in a food processor and press through a sieve. 
4. Pour the berry liquid back into the saucepan over medium heat. 
5. Stir in 1 cup sugar and 2 ounces butter. 
6. Mix the cornstarch and water together in a small bowl. 
7. While whisking the berry mixture, pour the cornstarch into the pan. 
8. Stir until thick and bubbly and stir for another 3 minutes. 
9. Remove from heat. 
10. Pour the contents into a bowl or vessel and cover with plastic wrap. 
11. Let cool. 
12. Makes about a pint (and extra can be used as Jam for toast - Heavenly!!).

Blueberry Buttercream Frosting/Filling
2 sticks (1 cup) of unsalted butter softened
4 cups Confectioner's Sugar (icing sugar)
6 tablespoons Blueberry Jam or Preserves
1 tsp Vanilla Extract
1/2 tsp Raspberry Extract

1. Beat butter on medium speed with a mixer, stand or hand, until fluffy - about 2 minutes. 
2. Slowly add 1 cup of the sugar, and beat until smooth. 
3. Add Blueberry jam, vanilla and Raspberry extracts, blend until smooth. 
4. Add remaining sugar a half a cup at a time, blending fully each time. 
5. After all the sugar has been added, beat until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

*** Assembly: Set a cake base layer, browned-side down, onto your serving plate.

  

Cut 3-inch wide strips of wax or parchment paper and tuck them under the perimeter of the cake layer so that the edge of the entire cake is not touching the serving plate. 

Brush the simple syrup onto the cake layer (use about 2-3 ounces – use more than you think). 

Spread a layer of blackberry curd over the cake. 

Gently spread a layer of buttercream over the curd. Because the curd will move around, I was easiest to either pipe buttercream on top and smooth it over with a spatula, and carefully spread it out with an icing spatula. 

Place the second cake layer on top. 

Set the layer – browned-side up – on the cake and make sure all of the layers are lined up. 

Repeat the soaking syrup, curd, and frosting process. 

Spread buttercream around the sides of the cake for the crumb-coat and to fill in any gaps between layers. When the crumb coat is smooth, finish frosting the sides and top of the cake. 

Now for a Perfectionist like me the "Crumb Coat" is the hardest part of making a cake!!

I finished the cake this morning. I decided to go with Roses and Small Flowers with Grass (they wanted yellow and blue for the RS colors). 

This is the light Blue "Sky" background (all sides): 

Here are the Yellow & Blue Roses to represent the Relief Society Colors:

Here it is with the Green 'Grass' to Finish it off:

The Finished Cake:

 

Here is the cake Inside:

Look at those Layers!!

Man, did this taste Good!!!

Demolished and Devoured!

There wasn't much left - which is how I like it!!