Red Velvet Cake Pops

This past week has been a blur of anxiety and sprinkles. I always tend to take my frustrations out in the kitchen - you know what they say, when life gives you lemons, whip those suckers into a curd and bake it... or something like that.

Point is, I made A LOT of cake last week so much so that I decided to make cake pops for the first time EVER. Cake pops are kinda like cupcakes but more annoying to make (but they look hella cute though). It is literally crumbled cake, a little bit of frosting, and chocolate to top it all off.

Red Velvet Mini-Cakes & Toasted Rice Crispies

I've never been big on Valentine's Day but hey, I'll take any excuse for a fun sprinkle-themed shoot. My original plan was to make red velvet whoopie pies but the cake turned out a little thicker than intended so I ended up just making little layer cakes and then dark-chocolate dipped toasted marshmallows rice crispies because WHY THE HECK NOT?!

Valentines Day Cocktail

It's crazy that we're six months into the year and it's somehow only February HA..HA...ha...ha -_-

For real though 2020 has been a bit challenging so far, I got sick TWICE and I was on Whole30 for a month so needless to say, a February cocktail recipe was much needed. I didn't know quite what to call this since it's not technically a mimosa or a bellini but a delicious bubbly blend of strawberry goodness. That is way too long for a title so for now, it is a Valentines Day Cocktail

An Anniversary Cake - Dark Chocolate Cake with Strawberry Mousse Filling & Chocolate Ganache

I cannot believe that our one year anniversary is upon us, it seems like yesterday we were celebrating with friends and family (while simultaneously freaking out about moving to a new town). One year later and things aren't that different, yet again we're packing up all our things and moving to a bigger, better, completely foreign city.

For a couple of hours we decided to take a little break from work/packing/travel craziness and take part in a little chocolate indulgence. While it might not be the prettiest cake (I packed most of my baking tools, hence the sloppy ganache..we'll just call it "rustic") I gotta say this is my new favorite chocolate cake recipe.

I've said it before how much I love using coffee in my chocolate cake recipes - it makes such a difference in flavor to me, bringing out that rich chocolate flavor while adding some moisture. This was also my first time making strawberry mousse which has become my go-to filling - not only is it refreshing and delicious but you also get that pretty natural pink color without having to use artificial additives.

I gotta say it's been a semi crazy year, there were definitely a lot of firsts and it was not without it's challenges but I am super excited about moving to a big city and all of the culinary adventures that are to come!

For the cake...

recipe adapted from Ina Garden

Butter, for greasing the pans (or non stick spray)
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups sugar
3/4 cups good dark cocoa powder
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp kosher salt
1 cup buttermilk, shaken
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 large eggs, at room temperature
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/4 tsp almond extract
1 cup freshly brewed hot coffee

Method:
1.Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter two 8-inch x 2-inch round cake pans.

2.Sift the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, and salt into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment and mix on low speed until combined. In another bowl, combine the buttermilk, oil, eggs, and extracts. With the mixer on low speed, slowly add the wet ingredients to the dry. With mixer still on low, add the coffee and stir just to combine, scraping the bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Pour the batter into the prepared pans and bake for 35 to 40 minutes, until a cake tester comes out clean. Cool in the pans for 30 minutes, then turn them out onto a cooling rack and cool completely.

For Strawberry Mousse...

1 cup finely chopped strawberries
Splash of orange juice
1/4 to 1/2 cup confectioners sugar (depending on how sweet you like it)
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups heavy whipping cream (chilled)

Method:

1.Add strawberries, oj, and sugar in a blender and pulse until almost a liquid but still a little chunky. You can strain to get rid of the seeds but you honestly don't notice them anyway.
2.In a mixing bowl fitted with whisk attachment, whip cream and vanilla until stiff peaks form. Carefully fold in strawberry mixture and serve. (note: some might suggest adding gelatin to the strawberry mix but I found it wasn't necessary).

For ganache...

8 ounces semisweet or bittersweet chocolate
3-4 cup heavy cream
1/8 tsp salt

Combine ingredients in a sauce pan over medium low heat. Constantly stir until chocolate is silky and smooth in texture.

To assemble:
1.Place 1 layer, flat side up, on a flat plate or cake pedestal. With a knife or offset spatula, spread the top with mousse. Place the second layer on top, rounded side up, and spread the remaining mousse evenly on the top and sides of the cake. Place in the fridge for at least 30 min.
2.Once cake is cool, using a ladle, carefully spoon ganache over the top of the cake, letting it drip down the sides.

Layered Italian Almond Cake For Two (or one)

It's that time of year again, the time when you buy unnecessarily large amounts of candy, watch terrible chick flicks, and eat dinner at a place you probably can't afford, and I must say I kinda love it. Even in my single years I was always a little excited about Valentines Day, I used to shamelessly hand out my cheesy homemade cards which were usually paired with a pastry of some sort. Now that I'm practically married, this day is even more fun! It gives us an excuse to do a something thoughtful for each other or to bake cakes!(Not that I needed an excuse for that).

I know I've mentioned this before, but marzipan has to be one of my all time favorite baking ingredients. It amplifies fruit desserts like tarts and apples pies, it makes a great filling for breads, and it also can be baked into cakes! There's something so heavenly about that nutty almond scent coming from the oven that no other ingredient can compare. By separating the eggs and beating the whites, you're creating a light and fluffy textured cake with the slightest taste of almond and the light and creaminess of the whipped frosting, this cake is sure to please both you and your valentine this year.

Layered Italian Almond Cake for Two

Makes two 9 inch cake layers (or one heart cake)

Cake:

1/2 cup flour
1 tsp baking powder
8 oz almond paste
6 eggs, separated
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp almond extract
pinch of salt
1/2 c sugar

Topping:

1 1/2 c whipping cream
1/2 c powdered sugar
1 tsp almond extract + a few drops of red food coloring (I only had pink hence less than desired pepto bismol shade.

Original recipe from Molly Yeh

Directions:

1.Preheat oven to 350ºf. Prepare two 8- or 9-inch or three 6-inch cake pans and set aside.

2.Combine flour and baking powder in a small bowl and set aside.

3.Beat almond paste and egg yolks until well blended, mix in vanilla and almond extract, and set aside.

4.In a separate large bowl, beat the egg whites and salt until soft peaks form. Beat in sugar one tablespoon at a time and continue beating until stiff peaks form. Gently fold the whites into the yolk mixture and then gradually fold in the flour mixture. pour batter into prepared pans and bake for about 30 minutes, until a tooth pick comes out clean.

Let cool. I used a heart shaped cookie cutter to make the cake

For the topping, whip up the whipping cream and add the almond extract and red food coloring.

Check out my ombre layered cake I made last year HERE