Showing posts with label Wilton. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Wilton. Show all posts
Hershey's "Perfect Chocolate" Chocolate Cake and my final Wilton Course 1 Cake
I know what you are thinking - "Umm, shouldn't it be decorated or something?" Yes, it should be. Unfortunately, I got sick in the middle of the last class and had to leave, so my cake never got decorated. :-( Sad, I know! I had planned to give this cake to Mrs. Walk for her birthday, but I just wasn't feeling up to to decorating it the next day so I cut her a nice healthy piece and put a few icing roses on top (which I then promptly forgot to take a picture of).
I will eventually make a cake just to decorate, but I couldn't go on without sharing this (well-known) recipe. I've heard this recipe is divine, and it definitely didn't disappoint. Mrs. Walk (who I consider to be a chocolate-connoisseur) said it was one of the moistest, most delicious chocolate cakes she had ever eaten. So happy (now belated) birthday, Mrs. Walk! I owe you a decorated cake one of these days. :-)Hershey's "Perfectly Chocolate" Chocolate Cake
2 cups granulated sugar
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup cocoa
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
2 eggs
1 cup milk
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 cup boiling water
Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour two 9-inch round baking pans. Stir together sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer. Add eggs, milk, oil and vanilla, and beat on medium speed for 2 minutes. Stir in boiling water (batter will be extremely thin). Pour batter into prepared pans.
Bake 30 to 35 minutes, or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes, then remove from pans to wire racks. Cool completely; frost as desired.
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup cocoa
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
2 eggs
1 cup milk
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 cup boiling water
Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour two 9-inch round baking pans. Stir together sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer. Add eggs, milk, oil and vanilla, and beat on medium speed for 2 minutes. Stir in boiling water (batter will be extremely thin). Pour batter into prepared pans.
Bake 30 to 35 minutes, or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes, then remove from pans to wire racks. Cool completely; frost as desired.
Variations:
ONE-PAN CAKE: Grease and flour a 13x9x2-inch baking pan. Heat oven to 350° F. Pour batter into prepared pan and bake 35 to 40 minutes. Cool completely.
THREE LAYER CAKE: Grease and flour three 8-inch round baking pans. Heat oven to 350°F. Pour batter into prepared pans and bake 30 to 35 minutes. Cool 10 minutes; remove from pans to wire racks.
BUNDT CAKE: Grease and flour a 12-cup Bundt pan. Heat oven to 350°F. Pour batter into prepared pan and bake 50 to 55 minutes. Cool 15 minutes; remove from pan to wire rack.
THREE LAYER CAKE: Grease and flour three 8-inch round baking pans. Heat oven to 350°F. Pour batter into prepared pans and bake 30 to 35 minutes. Cool 10 minutes; remove from pans to wire racks.
BUNDT CAKE: Grease and flour a 12-cup Bundt pan. Heat oven to 350°F. Pour batter into prepared pan and bake 50 to 55 minutes. Cool 15 minutes; remove from pan to wire rack.
CUPCAKES: Line muffin cups (2-1/2 inches in diameter) with paper bake cups. Heat oven to 350°F. Fill cups 2/3 full with batter. Bake 22 to 25 minutes. Cool completely. (yields about 30 cupcakes).
Source: Hershey
One-Bowl Chocolate Cupcakes and Wilton Creepy Clowns
Do you know what I love about these cupcakes? I guess I gave it away in the title - one bowl! Who doesn't love only having to wash one bowl after baking cupcakes? These cupcakes were incredibly easy to make and were perfect for my creepy clowns. If you aren't familiar with the creepy clowns, let me introduce you:
Reader? Meet creepy clown. Creepy clown? Meet my readers. Okay, so the clowns are not mandatory for this recipe, but I definitely recommend these cupcakes if you are looking for a quick and easy (and super yummy!) scratch recipe. (Again, I won't include the icing recipe, because... well I don't like it.)
One-Bowl Chocolate Cupcakes
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
3/4 tsp. baking powder
3/4 tsp. salt
2 large eggs
3/4 cup warm water
3/4 cup buttermilk*
3 Tbsp. canola oil
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
*I never buy buttermilk for recipes. Instead, I add 1 Tbsp. of white vinegar to 1 cup whole milk and let sit for 5-10 minutes. For this recipe, just take 3/4 cup of that mixture.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line standard muffin tins with paper liners and set aside. Sift together cocoa powder, flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, and salt into a large bowl. Add eggs, warm water, buttermilk, oil, and vanilla. Mix until smooth, about 3 minutes. Scrape down the sides and bottom of bowl to assure batter is well mixed.
Divide batter evenly among muffin cups, filling each 2/3 full. Bake until tops spring back when touched, about 20 minutes, rotating pan once if needed. Transfer to a wire rack; let cool completely. Pipe creepy clowns onto cupcakes and scare husband when he gets home.
Source: adapted from Martha StewartMoist Yellow Cake - and My First Wilton Class!
I have been considering signing up for a Wilton class for some time now. I found a class at a craft store by me that worked with my work schedule, so I thought, "Why not?" This was the first cake we decorated and I am having so much fun!
We needed to bring a two-layer cake into our second class. I have been trying to figure out a reason to make this cake, so this was the perfect opportunity! It made more batter than I needed (this recipe is for a three-layer cake), so I made a few cupcakes to eat before class. I was very happy with that decision and very happy with this recipe. (I didn't include the frosting recipe that I used, because it is the Class Buttercream from Wilton, which I wouldn't recommend using.)Moist Yellow Cake
1 cup butter, room temperature
3 cups granulated sugar, divided
4 eggs, room temperature
3 cups self-rising flour, sifted
1 cup whole milk, room temperature
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 tsp. butter flavoring
2 cups water
Vanilla or chocolate buttercream to frost cake
2 cups water
Vanilla or chocolate buttercream to frost cake
*I didn't have any self-rising flour, so I substituted 3 cups all-purpose flour, 3 tsp. baking powder and 1 1/2 tsp salt.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour (3) 8-inch cake pans. Gently tap pans to remove excess flour.
In the bowl of a stand mixer, fitted with the paddle attachment, cream butter on medium speed until fluffy. Add 2 cups sugar, and continue to cream for about 7 minutes. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. On low speed, mix in flour mixture in three batches, alternating with milk, beginning and ending with flour. Add vanilla and butter flavoring and mix until just combined.
Divide batter equally into 3 cake pans. Hold each layer about 3 inches above your counter and carefully drop the pans flat on the counter several times to ensure release of any air bubbles.
Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until done. Cool in pan for 5-10 minutes, then remove and immediately wrap each layer in plastic wrap to seal in moisture. Let cool completely on wire racks.
Combine 1 cup sugar and 2 cups water and bring to a boil in small saucepan. Boil for 3 minutes, then remove from heat and let cool. Pour liquid into a spray bottle or pouring bottle.
Once layers are cool, unwrap and use a serrated knife to level. Take a straw and poke holes into each layer, and using your spray bottle, spray the top of each layer several times. Assemble layers with frosting between each layer. Continue frosting as desired.
Source: adapted from Bakerella
Ella's White Sugar Cookies
It is the time of year that Justin and I look forward to each year. (In my best Alice Cooper impression) "School's out for SUMMER!" This is the time that Justin finally gets to relax (in between working on the house and his summer job at the zoo). He works harder than anyone else I know, and I am always so happy when he finally gets a break. (And it doesn't hurt that he has more time to help me around the house, too!)
On the last day of school, I sent Justin in with these sugar cookies as a treat for all the hardworking teachers. I adore this sugar cookie recipe - this is the third time I've made it and I get rave reviews each time. Ella's White Sugar Cookies
1 cup butter, softened
1 cup powdered sugar
1 egg, beaten
1 1/2 tsp. almond extract
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 tsp. salt
1 cup butter, softened
1 cup powdered sugar
1 egg, beaten
1 1/2 tsp. almond extract
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 tsp. salt
2 1/2 cups sifted all-purpose flour
Cream butter in the bowl of a stand mixer, fitted with the paddle attachment. Add powdered sugar, and beat until fluffy. Blend in egg, almond extract, vanilla extract, salt and flour. Chill dough until firm (at least 1 hour).
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. On a well-floured surface, roll to 1/4 inch thickness. Cut with cookie cutters, and place on greased cookie sheets. Bake at 375 degrees for 8-10 minutes. (Cookies should not brown.) Move to wire rack to cool completely. Frost as desired.
Source: adapted from Annie's Eats
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