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Monday, April 11, 2011

Back in the Baking/Blogging Game

Although I don't have many followers, and I'm not quite sure if anyone happens to "stumble upon" my blog here, I still like to randomly post things from time to time in the event someone should need the information I post here. Also, it keeps my writing skills in tact so I don't lose my "gift of written gab".

Anyway, I thought I'd update those who happen to come across my blog as to why it's been a long time since my last post. I have gone back to school to pursue my dream of one day opening my own little bakery of sorts and cashing in on my gifts so that I can finally have something to call my own and provide all the fun things for my kids I normally wouldn't be able to do with a minimum wage job. It will take me a while to get back on my feet financially but patience is a virtue, one I am learning quickly.

Last night I was craving Chocolate something fierce. My daughter and I were hanging out on the couch watching cupcake wars and I was dealing with a severe case of PMS. What better thing to calm the PMS nerves than a two-layer Chocolate Peanut Butter cake made from scratch, right? LOL I measured out the ingredients I found on the back of the Hershey's Cocoa Powder and let me say this was one of the most richest, chocolatiest (is that even a word?? loll Spell check is telling me it isn't...oh well) cakes I have ever eaten. It was so moist and yummy I could have eaten the whole cake myself. However, I managed to cut a slice for my children and myself and washed it down with a cold, refreshing glass of Vitamin D milk and I slept like a baby after that dessert settled in my belly.

I topped the cake with a chocolate ganache which was basically 8oz. of semi-sweet chocolate chips and 1/2 cup of heavy whipping cream. I should have added a tad bit of sugar, because even though the chips were semi-sweet, there was a teeny tiny bitter aftertaste. It was still delicious, and I noticed today, after the ganache had set the ganache was a tad bit sweeter to the palate.

I also used a peanut butter frosting to layer the two nine-inch round cakes together. I had barely any powdered sugar, so I wanted a recipe that was PS free. And I found one. :) The baking Gods were smiling on me last night. LOL I found the recipe here: Peanut Butter Recipe and it was absolutely divine on this cake. I've been working on my piping skills which are a wee-bit rusty to say the least. I'm more of a pastry pro, baking items such as cookies, bars and sheet cakes with simple frosting. I was told by my chef to continue practicing with parchment paper in an effort to hone my decorative skills. I had mentioned to her previously that I didn't have very good creative skills and my cake artwork needed some work. Then she mentioned the parchment paper. Basically, I need to find photos of designs and place them underneath the parchment, then trace over the top of the design. Easy peasy.

Anyway, the cake came out a huge success to my kids and I have to say I was quite pleased with my work, although my piping looks a tad bit off(to me anyway). Took about an hour total to finish the cake. 

Hopefully I will be posting more tips and recipes as the year unfolds.

Have a good week and I'll see you later.

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