Black and White Tights Dance

Black and White Tights Dance

Elvis Presley 's Favorite Pound Cake

Gourmet  | September 2005

photo by Romulo Yanes

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user rating

91% would make it again

user rating:
Elvis Presley 's Favorite Pound Cake4 forks

at a glance

main ingredientsEgg,  Milk/Cream

cuisineAmerican

typeQuick & Easy,  Cake

appears in this menuLunch in the Park

cooks’ tools

conversion charttechnique videos

enlarge image

yield: Makes 10 to 12 servings

active time: 20 min

total time: 3 1/2 hr (includes cooling)

This is the best pound cake we have ever tasted. Its tender appeal is owed in part to cake flour and cream, and in part to beating the batter an extra 5 minutes.

ingredients

• 2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter, softened, plus additional for buttering pan
• 3 cups sifted cake flour (not self-rising; sift before measuring) plus additional for dusting
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 3 cups sugar
• 7 large eggs, at room temperature 30 minutes
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• 1 cup heavy cream

• Special equipment: a 10-inch tube pan ( 4 1/2 inches deep; not with a removable bottom) or a 10-inch bundt pan (3 1/4 inches deep; 3-qt capacity)

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preparation

Put oven rack in middle position, but do not preheat oven.

Generously butter pan and dust with flour, knocking out excess flour.

Sift together sifted flour (3 cups) and salt into a bowl. Repeat sifting into another bowl (flour will have been sifted 3 times total).

Beat together butter (2 sticks) and sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer at medium-high speed until pale and fluffy, about 5 minutes in a stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment or 6 to 8 minutes with a handheld mixer. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating well after each addition, then beat in vanilla. Reduce speed to low and add half of flour, then all of cream, then remaining flour, mixing well after each addition. Scrape down side of bowl, then beat at medium-high speed 5 minutes. Batter will become creamier and satiny.

Spoon batter into pan and rap pan against work surface once or twice to eliminate air bubbles. Place pan in (cold) oven and turn oven temperature to 350°F. Bake until golden and a wooden pick or skewer inserted in middle of cake comes out with a few crumbs adhering, 1 to 1 1/4 hours. Cool cake in pan on a rack 30 minutes. Run a thin knife around inner and outer edges of cake, then invert rack over pan and invert cake onto rack to cool completely.

Cooks' note:Cake keeps, covered well with plastic wrap or in an airtight container, at room temperature 5 days.

Read More http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Elvis-Presleys-Favorite-Pound-Cake-232642#ixzz2R1tPHJxV

To Where You Are by Josh Groban - Live at The Greek

Lyrics:

"To Where You Are"

Who can say for certain
Maybe you're still here
I feel you all around me
Your memory's so clear

Deep in the stillness
I can hear you speak
You're still an inspiration
Can it be
That you are mine
Forever love
And you are watching over me from up above

Fly me up to where you are
Beyond the distant star
I wish upon tonight
To see you smile
If only for awhile to know you're there
A breath away's not far
To where you are

Are you gently sleeping
Here inside my dream
And isn't faith believing
All power can't be seen

As my heart holds you
Just one beat away
I cherish all you gave me everyday
'Cause you are my
Forever love
Watching me from up above

And I believe
That angels breathe
And that love will live on and never leave

Fly me up
To where you are
Beyond the distant star
I wish upon tonight
To see you smile
If only for awhile
To know you're there
A breath away's not far
To where you are

I know you're there
A breath away's not far
To where you are

I Believe by Josh Groban

Bird Nest Cake

Easter Bird Nest Cake

March 21, 2013

Each Easter I try to come up with a creative dessert for the family and more often than not, I’ll end up baking a cake.  This year I decided to rely on our family favourite, carrot cake.  Only instead of frosting it with the traditional cream cheese frosting or even better (my husband’s favourite, pumpkin pie spice buttercream) I chose to go with a milk chocolate buttercream.  I knew I needed to use a buttercream frosting because in my head, I had a picture of a bird nest cake  that just wouldn’t go away and buttercream frosting had the consistency that would enable me to transfer the image from my head onto the carrot cake.

If you’ve never had carrot cake with milk chocolate buttercream frosting, let me tell you it is very good.  I frosted the piece that was cut to make the hole for the nest and had a few sample bites.  You know, just to make sure it was O.K. to serve to guests.

The recipe for the carrot cake is posted here.

The buttercream recipe is from Magnolia Bakery’s Vanilla Buttercream.  I doubled the recipe and added a 10 oz package of (melted in a double boiler and cooled to lukewarm temperature) Ghiradelli Milk Chocolate Chips.

To make this cake:

Three layers of carrot cake, cooled.  Apply a layer of buttercream icing between each layer as you stack your layers.

When the top layer has been added, cut a line approximately 4″ in diameter around the center of the layer.

Using a small off-set spatula, cut all around the circle just deep enough to go through the top layer only.  Lift out the cut circle and set aside (for snacking on later).

Apply frosting around the remains of the top layer and inside the *nest.*  Finish dirty icing the entire cake.  Set in the fridge to cool before applying the finished layer of frosting.

When cake has cooled, remove from fridge and apply final coat of frosting.  Smooth out the frosting around entire cake.

Fill a piping bag with the milk chocolate buttercream.  Using a #4 tip, begin piping lines in random directions and random lengths.  Start piping insides the nest being and then work your way to the outside top of the cake.

Once you have completed piping the nest on the top layer, begin piping the sides of the cake.  I found it easier to pipe in 3-inch sections from top to bottom working my way all around the cake.  Don’t worry, it doesn’t take as long as you think it will.

Once your *nest* design has been completed, fill the nest with your choice of coloured candy Easter eggs.  I used M&M’s.  If you are good at fondant sculpture, you can make the bird.  As you can see, I bought a little inedible one to decorate the nest.

I removed the bird and the eggs before wrapping and storing the cake in the freezer where it will (hopefully) be safe until Easter weekend!

 

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Carrot Cake or Cupcakes

This recipe will make three 8-inch round cakes or 13 X-large cupcakes (more cupcakes if you use a smaller cupcake pan)

Kathleen’s Carrot Cake Recipe

2 cups of unbleached flour

2 teaspoons of baking powder

1 teaspoon of baking soda

3/4 teaspoon of salt

2 teaspoons of cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon of nutmeg

3/4 cup of white sugar

3/4 cup of packed brown sugar

3 eggs

1 1/2 cups of vegetable oil

2 teaspoons of pure vanilla extract

2 cups of grated carrots

1 cup of crushed pineapple

1/2 cup of chopped pecans (optional)

Directions

Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg in a medium bowl and whisk together well.  Set aside.

In your mixing bowl beat together sugars, eggs, oil and vanilla until smooth.  Gradually add flour and spice mixture until well combined.  With mixer set on low, add carrots, pineapple and pecans.

Pour into prepared cake pans or cupcake pans.

Bake cakes at 350° for 40 minutes until cake tester comes out clean.  For X-large cupcakes bake for approximately 28 minutes at 350° until cake tester comes out clean.  Let cool in baking pans before removing to cooling racks.

Carrot Cupcake with Pecans…Unplugged (I had already frosted all the cupcakes that were nut-free when I decided to take a picture of the interior of these cupcakes)

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Vanilla Buttercream Frosting

 

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1 box (4 cups) confectioners’ sugar
2 – 3 TBLS milk
1 teaspoons vanilla extract

1. Cream the butter in a large mixing bowl.
2. Add the vanilla.
3. Gradually add sugar one cup at a time. Scrape down sides of bowl often.
4. When the mixture starts to thicken and appears dry add 2 TBLS of milk. Beat on medium speed until smooth and creamy about 2-4 minutes. Add more milk as needed if you want a thinner consistency.
5. If desired, add a few drops of food coloring and mix thoroughly.

Note: Store the icing at room temperature.  Icing can be stored in an airtight container for up to 3 days.





 

 

No Bake Edible Teacup Cupcakes

No-Bake, Teacup Treats

Remember that scene in Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory where he drinks the tea and then eats the cup? Well, here's a step-by-step guide to making your own deliciously edible cup-and-saucers.

The best part of making these sweet teacup cookies? No baking required!

Ingredients:

• Vanilla sandwich cookie wafers
• Reese's Miniature Peanut Butter Cups
• Ice cream sugar cones (top 1-1/2 inch)
• Circle pretzels (found in Chex Mix Sweet 'n Salty Honey Nut mix)
• Chocolate frosting (chocolate pudding, chocolate ganache, etc.)
• Chocolate or vanilla candy melts

Step one

Cut the sugar cones to 1-1/2 inches. To avoid breaking them, dip the bottoms in warm water for 20 seconds. Using a serrated knife, trim off where the wet area meets the dry. Allow these to dry completely before assembling.

Step two

Separate the cookie wafers and clean off filling.

Step three

Trim off one small piece of the circle pretzels to create two handle points.

Step four

Melt two ounces of chocolate or vanilla candy melts in a zip-top bag in the microwave (twice for 30 seconds usually does the trick).

Step five

Snip off the corner of the zip-top bag and dab a little candy melt in the center of the cookie wafers.

Step six

Place unwrapped Reese's Miniature Peanut Butter Cups on top of the candy melt on the cookie wafers.

Step seven

Place the cut ice cream cones on top of the Reese's cups.

Step eight

Pipe more of the candy melt inside the ice cream cones, where the edge meets the Reese's cup.

Step nine

Pipe frosting, pudding or ganache inside the ice cream cones.

Step ten

Add a dab of candy melt to the cut off edges of the circle pretzels and attach them to the sides of the ice cream cones. You may need to hold them in place for a few seconds until the candy melt holds firmly and stays in place.


Helpful hints: Have everything unwrapped, cut, trimmed and ready to assemble. If your candy melt starts to harden, just microwave the zip-top bag for 20 to 30 seconds to soften.

Note: These are best served on the same day as preparation. The frosting, pudding or ganache filling tends to soften the sugar cone the longer it sits.

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