To fuck or to cook?

[Diane_Keaton]

Hello. I have lots of leftover frosting from a cake I made Christmas morning. It's a Chocolate Sour Cream frosting (recipe from epicurious) but I felt it was too tangy and weird so I folded in 1/4 cup of "Fluffy White" ready made frosting and the end product is nice. My dilemma: I really want to make a spice cake but I usually use a maple buttercream frosting or some kind of cream cheese frosting. I'm going to make this Spice Cake but instead of the Molasses Cream Cream Frosting, do you think I could use my existing Chocolate Sour Cream frosting? Would that kind of frosting taste okay on a yellowish cake that has the scent of brown sugar, nutmeg, cinnamon and buttermilk in it?

Also, the recipe doesn't mention a bundt pan but do you think I could use the bundt pan? I heart my bundt pan.

If the Spice Cake is not good for my existing frosting, should I just make some regular yellow or white cake? Ideas? Thanks!

[Penske_Account]

Originally Posted by Diane_Keaton

Hello. I have lots of leftover frosting from a cake I made Christmas morning. It's a Chocolate Sour Cream frosting (recipe from epicurious) but I felt it was too tangy and weird so I folded in 1/4 cup of "Fluffy White" ready made frosting and the end product is nice. My dilemma: I really want to make a spice cake but I usually use a maple buttercream frosting or some kind of cream cheese frosting. I'm going to make this Spice Cake but instead of the Molasses Cream Cream Frosting, do you think I could use my existing Chocolate Sour Cream frosting? Would that kind of frosting taste okay on a yellowish cake that has the scent of brown sugar, nutmeg, cinnamon and buttermilk in it?

Also, the recipe doesn't mention a bundt pan but do you think I could use the bundt pan? I heart my bundt pan.

If the Spice Cake is not good for my existing frosting, should I just make some regular yellow or white cake? Ideas? Thanks!

Scrap the cake, and ice yourself for NYE. Frosting is hot accoutrement in the bedroom. Especially with a nice blanc de blancs to accompany it.

[Hank Chinaski]

Originally Posted by Penske_Account

Scrap the cake, and ice yourself for NYE. Frosting is hot accoutrement in the bedroom. Especially with a nice blanc de blancs to accompany it.

dissent. a tangy taste could cause her paramour to stop licking IYKWIMAITTYD

[Penske_Account]

Originally Posted by Hank Chinaski

dissent. a tangy taste could cause her paramour to stop licking IYKWIMAITTYD

Good tangy or bad tangy? There is a difference, IYKWIMAIQWYD.

[Icky Thump]

Originally Posted by Diane_Keaton

I'm going to make this Spice Cake but instead of the Molasses Cream Cream Frosting, do you think I could use my existing Chocolate Sour Cream frosting?

No.

Would that kind of frosting taste okay on a yellowish cake that has the scent of brown sugar, nutmeg, cinnamon and buttermilk in it?

God, no.

If the Spice Cake is not good for my existing frosting, should I just make some regular yellow or white cake? Ideas? Thanks!

Either would be far better.

[Fugee]

Originally Posted by Diane_Keaton

Hello. I have lots of leftover frosting from a cake I made Christmas morning. It's a Chocolate Sour Cream frosting (recipe from epicurious) but I felt it was too tangy and weird so I folded in 1/4 cup of "Fluffy White" ready made frosting and the end product is nice. My dilemma: I really want to make a spice cake but I usually use a maple buttercream frosting or some kind of cream cheese frosting. I'm going to make this Spice Cake but instead of the Molasses Cream Cream Frosting, do you think I could use my existing Chocolate Sour Cream frosting? Would that kind of frosting taste okay on a yellowish cake that has the scent of brown sugar, nutmeg, cinnamon and buttermilk in it?

Also, the recipe doesn't mention a bundt pan but do you think I could use the bundt pan? I heart my bundt pan.

If the Spice Cake is not good for my existing frosting, should I just make some regular yellow or white cake? Ideas? Thanks!

Chocolate frosting would not be good with that cake.

I wouldn't put a regular cake recipe in a bundt pan. If you want to use your bundt pan, look for recipes that are more like pound cakes. If you pick up the CakeLove cookbook, the author has lots of recipes for flavored pound cakes. Or check out recipes in the SmittenKitchen blog.

Yellow or chocolate would be better than spice. Or another flavor that goes with chocolate (peanut butter?)

[Diane_Keaton]

Originally Posted by Fugee

Chocolate frosting would not be good with that cake.

I wouldn't put a regular cake recipe in a bundt pan. If you want to use your bundt pan, look for recipes that are more like pound cakes. If you pick up the CakeLove cookbook, the author has lots of recipes for flavored pound cakes. Or check out recipes in the SmittenKitchen blog.

Yellow or chocolate would be better than spice. Or another flavor that goes with chocolate (peanut butter?)

Heh heh. Oh I had quite the disaster on Christmas Day with a peanut butter cake. Okay, so it looks like I will just make a yellow cake and put the frosting in the middle**. It's for a NY's Eve party I'm giving and some are bringing kiddos so they will probably like it too. I get worried about using the traditional 2 round 8 inch baking pans b/c my cakes seem to get burned no matter what (then I end up cutting the bottom and full sides of the cakes). I grease the pans with butter lightly and then flour lightly. Should I not use flour? Help!

But, yeah, you're right about Bundt cakes. I made a delicious Devil's Food Cake on Christmas Eve but b/c I used a Bundt pan, it was very tall and...that kind of cake is much too rich for a tall cake.


**Probably adding a lightly brushing of blackberry preserves glaze in the middle before putting in a layer of frosting.

[Fugee]

Originally Posted by Diane_Keaton

Heh heh. Oh I had quite the disaster on Christmas Day with a peanut butter cake. Okay, so it looks like I will just make a yellow cake and put the frosting in the middle**. It's for a NY's Eve party I'm giving and some are bringing kiddos so they will probably like it too. I get worried about using the traditional 2 round 8 inch baking pans b/c my cakes seem to get burned no matter what (then I end up cutting the bottom and full sides of the cakes). I grease the pans with butter lightly and then flour lightly. Should I not use flour? Help!

But, yeah, you're right about Bundt cakes. I made a delicious Devil's Food Cake on Christmas Eve but b/c I used a Bundt pan, it was very tall and...that kind of cake is much too rich for a tall cake.


**Probably adding a lightly brushing of blackberry preserves glaze in the middle before putting in a layer of frosting.

Just make cupcakes. Kiddos will love them and you don't have to worry about the pans.

Here's a recipe from the back of the box of one of my Bundt pans. I haven't tried it yet (and wouldn't probably use a mix) but I like the flavor combos:

Mango Coconut Cake
(from back of Bundt pan box)



1 (18.25 oz) package vanilla or yellow cake
1 cup milk
¼ cup light rum or water
1/3 cup butter, softened
2 eggs
½ teaspoon nutmeg
1 cup chopped mango
2 teaspoons flour
¾ cup toasted coconut


Heat oven to 325°F. Grease Bundt pan. Sprinkle the bottom and up the sides of the Bundt pan with ¼ cup of the toasted coconut.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the milk, rum, butter, eggs, nutmeg and cake mix. Mix on low speed for 30 seconds. Beat on medium speed for 2 minutes, scraping the bowl occasionally.

In a medium bowl, stir together the mango, the remaining ½ cup of toasted coconut and the flour. Fold into the cake batter.

Spoon into the prepared pan until ¾ full. Bake for 65 to 75 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean.

Cook 10 minutes. Remove from pan; cool completely on rack. Dust with powdered sugar, if desired.

16 servings.

[Fugee]

I did make this one (without frosting -- don't like frosting on Bundt cakes) and it was really good:

Raspberry-Scented Cocoa Bundt Cake
(from “Chocolate Cake” by Michele Urvater)

Cake:

One 10-ounce package individually quick-frozen raspberries, thawed
½ cup water
2 cups (9 ounces) cake flour
½ teaspoon baking soda
Scant 1 cup (3 ounces) unsweetened, nonalkalized cocoa powder, sifted
¼ teaspoon salt
3 sticks (12 ounces) unsalted butter, softened
3 cups (22.5 ounces) superfine sugar
5 large eggs


Icing

About 1 cup (4.5 ounces) confectioners’ sugar, sifted
2 teaspoons framboise liquer or brandy
2 teaspoons or more water
¼ teaspoon Boyajian Natural Raspberry Flavor, optional
Red food coloring, optional
1 pint raspberries

To Make the Cake:

1. In a food processor, puree the thawed raspberries with the water until smooth. Strain the puree through a sieve and discard the seeds; set aside the raspberry puree for later.

2. Position a rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat to 350◦F. Generously butter a 10-inch tube pan, dust it with flour, and tap out the excess.

3. Sift the flour with the baking soda, cocoa, and salt twice, and set it aside.

4. With an electric mixer on low speed (or with a stationary mixer fitted with the paddle attachment), beat the butter for 1 minute, or until light. Slowly add the sugar, about 2 tablespoons at a time (this should take about 4 minutes). When all the sugar has been added, continue to beat on medium speed for 5 to 6 minutes, scraping down the beaters and the sides of the bowl as needed. The mixture will look fluffy, like something between mayonnaise and whipped cream.

5. Add the eggs one at a time, beating for 10 seconds between additions, or until each egg has been absorbed by the butter. Add the raspberry puree and beat for a few seconds; the mixture will look curdled, but that is okay.

6. With a large rubber spatula, fold the sifted ingredients in two to three additions into the batter. With an electric mixer on low speed, beat the batter for 1 minute longer, or until smooth. Spoon the batter into the prepared pan and spread it evenly with a rubber or small offset spatula.

7. Bake for 1 hour and 10 to 20 minutes, or until a tester inserted in the center comes out dry.

8. Cool the cake in the pan on a wire rack for 30 minutes. Lightly coat the wire rack with nonstick vegetable spray. Ease the cake out of the pan and cool it to room temperature, upside down, on the greased wire rack.

To Ice:

1. Sift the confectioners’ sugar a second time into a mixing bowl. With your finger, make a well in the middle of the sugar and pour the framboise, 2 teaspoons water, and the raspberry flavoring into the well. With a fork, combine the ingredients by gradually pulling the sugar from the walls of the well into the center and mix until smooth.

2. Dip a toothpick in the food coloring and gradually add only as much as is needed to create a soft pink hue (bring the icing close to the cake to check on the color; if it is colored too lightly the icing will look white on the cake, not pink).

3. Transfer the icing to a 10-inch pastry bag fitted with an 1/8-inch-wide plain tip. Transfer the cake to a cardboard round cut slightly smaller than the cake, and set it on a turntable if you have one. Pipe a free-form widely spaced filigree pattern over the top and sides of the cake. Just before serving, fill the space in the center of the cake with fresh raspberries.

Storage: Keep at room temperature, wrapped airtight in plastic, for up to 3 days; refrigerate after that.

[Fugee]

Originally Posted by Diane_Keaton

I get worried about using the traditional 2 round 8 inch baking pans b/c my cakes seem to get burned no matter what (then I end up cutting the bottom and full sides of the cakes). I grease the pans with butter lightly and then flour lightly. Should I not use flour? Help!

For layer cakes I always use a parchment liner in the bottom. I butter the bottom, then put in the liner and butter some more. I have ones that are already cut in 8" or 9" rounds but you can just cut regular parchment paper. But also make sure you aren't overbaking your cakes.

For bundt pans I usually use the Baker's Joy spray that has flour in it. But you can melt butter and brush it in. For chocolate cakes I mix unsweetened cocoa powder with the melted butter and brush that in so you don't get white streaks.

Betty Fugee Crocker

[tmdiva]

Originally Posted by Fugee

For layer cakes I always use a parchment liner in the bottom. I butter the bottom, then put in the liner and butter some more. I have ones that are already cut in 8" or 9" rounds but you can just cut regular parchment paper. But also make sure you aren't overbaking your cakes.

For bundt pans I usually use the Baker's Joy spray that has flour in it. But you can melt butter and brush it in. For chocolate cakes I mix unsweetened cocoa powder with the melted butter and brush that in so you don't get white streaks.

Betty Fugee Crocker

I love that new Pam for Baking spray with the flour in it. It's genius.

I too think you are probably overbaking, but it's also possible that your oven is too hot. And what color are your baking pans? Dark pans will make things brown faster than light ones (though I don't generally burn cakes in my dark nonstick pans).

tm

[Tyrone Slothrop]

Anyone have a good recipe for cassoulet?

[Adder]

Originally Posted by Tyrone Slothrop

Anyone have a good recipe for cassoulet?

I have the Julia Child version, but my main reaction was, "damn, that sounds like way too much work." If you get a version that works out, let me know as I would like to try it.

[Fugee]

Originally Posted by Tyrone Slothrop

Anyone have a good recipe for cassoulet?

Real cassoulet or something that is similar but easier and doesn't require duck confit and hours of preparation?

[Tyrone Slothrop]

I'll take recommendations for either -- not sure yet what else I'll want to do on Saturday.