Squirrelly Cakes

Simply adorable, description and finished project. What you did is make wonderful memories! A parent's greatest gift. Love it! hugs Squirrelly Cakes

Haha, well aren't you brave, even broaching that topic. I have seen many, many threads on just this topic and they always end up in fights. But basically they are always about who knows better what they are doing, the homebaker or the professional. Then they get into the differences between pastry chefs, commercial bakers and home bakers. Then culinary graduates, pastry chefs, commercial bakers and home bakers. But you have an interesting slant on it. So basically does immediate feedback influence the baker? That is something to think about. Haha thinking about is safe, I am not so sure that discussing is but there are those more brave than I, haha! Hugs Squirrelly Cakes

Is it possible you were supposed to use a Dutch-Process Cocoa? Does the recipe specify? Most of the recipes I have seen for these cookies do contain regular old cocoa though, I must admit. Hugs Squirrelly Cakes

Mottmott, I believe Martha said it was her and her staff's choice of best baking book of the year. Kalypso, is it possible that the brand or type of cocoa powder you used might have been an issue? Some of the black cocoas are not the best tasting and I haven't seen the recipe but is it possible it called for Dutch Process cocoa and you used regular or vice versa? Personally I have never been a big fan of any variation of this cookie but that may just well be my personal tastes. It doesn't appeal to me. Hugs Squirrelly Cakes

Thoroughly enjoyed watching Dorie Greenspan on the Martha Stewart show yesterday. Dorie was making her Far Breton Cake. It looked absolutely delicious and the method demonstrated was nice and easy. Cannot go wrong with that! Her wonderful, down-to-earth, happy personality shone! So nice to put a personality and face with a work. Obviously Martha and her staff are much impressed with her book. Guess it is going on my Christmas Wish List! I hope lots of members had a chance to watch the show. Hugs Squirrelly Cakes

I think the idea of a parfait for dessert, is appealing given how heavy the traditional Thanksgiving meal can be. Here is an odd combination for your consideration, a sparing bottom layer of heavily rum-laden mincemeat with alternating layers of pumkin mousse and whipping cream. An odd combination which lends a variety of texture to a traditional parfait. But definitely odd... Edited to add, bonus, you can re-serve the same as a Christmas dessert, haha!

I use damask, brocades, lace over organza, organza over patterned materials, curtain remnants, tableclothing that is sold by the metre or yard, bedding fabrics, anything that gets you more bang for your buck and more fabric too. The extra wide fabrics are a good buy and you can often get cheaper remnants. I have used the crushed velours and velvets too. I find that the fabrics that tend to show grease spots are the satins and silk-looks. The grease from the cupcake liner may spread on these fabrics. It is always good to do a test with them. Choice of fabric goes hand-in-hand with how formal the occasion and the decor is. Most fabrics will wash well and you will be able to get rid of any stains caused by grease or icing. The foil cupcake tin liners probably create less grease as you can wipe them with a damp cloth before placing cupcakes on material.

Northern Spy, Macintosh, Granny Smith, Courtlands in pies with a bit of lemon juice, flour for thickening, brown and white sugar and cinnamon only. Cannot stand even a hint of nutmeg in an apple pie. Don't like the apples cut thickly as they they don't soften. Haha, don't mess with the weird spice or herb combinations in my apple pies, no siree, keep them old-fashioned, the way Grandma used to make them. As Canadian er American as apple pie. Oh yes and pass either the cheddar if the pie is cold or the vanilla ice cream if the pie is served warm and I will be your friend for life. Macs and Granny Smith apples produce a lot of juice so it is best, I find, to use in a mix with some Courtlands or Spys. Not to use at least some Macs would be "Un-Canuckish"...

You did a great job, good for you! Adorable. I am sure they loved it! There is a grass and a fur tip available. Tip number 233 is usually used for grass, tip number 234 can be used for grass or fur, it makes larger diameter strands. Well Wilton does have the mini-ball pan, so that is an option for the smaller balls. http://www.wilton.com/store/site/product.c...A68AF3A1910E9AD There is such a variety of ball scoops of dippers in the U.S., the larger ones work well. Make cake balls by combining about 1/4 of a cup of icing to the equivalent of about a 6x3 inch cake and using one of the sizes, shape into a ball and freeze. Use disposable gloves when shaping. I freeze and dip in melted chocolate or candymelts. Alternately, use my old pal Cookieman's recipe for cakeballs. 2 cups crumbled cake scraps 2 tablespoons confectioners' sugar 2 tablespoons cocoa powder (if cake scraps are not chocolate based) 1/4 cup chopped almonds (or any other nut you like, or mini-chocolate chips, or M&Ms, you get the idea!) 2 generous shots of amaretto (or any other liquer you may like, a good non-alcohol substitution is any flavored coffee creamer) Put all ingredients in a mixer and mix on medium speed until the ingedients form a ball. If the mixture seems too dry, add a bit more of the liquid used to make it moist enough to form into balls. I use a tablespoon cookie scoop to make the balls uniform in size. Roll the scooped dough in your hands to form a nice smooth ball. Allow cake balls to set on a parchment lined cookie sheet for a couple of hours, then dip them in chocolate(following) or roll them in confectioners' sugar or cocoa. Melt 1 lb. of candy melts and add approximately a tablespoons of crisco to make it a bit more smooth. Also, put the container (in my case, a pyrex measuring cup) of melted candy melts in a very hot (I use amost boiling) water bath to keep the chocolate fluid. dip balls into the chocolate using a spoon and a dipping fork (in my case, a plastic fork with the two middle tines cut out) Don't worry if the dipped balls have a "foot" at the base after drying. You can break some off after they have hardened and once they are in the little cake liners, no one will notice. Also, you can decorate the tops with just about anything, sprinkles, candy confetti, chopped nuts, etc. before they dry. Or after they've dried, pipe designs with royal icing or melted candy melts of different colors! End of Recipe There are chocolate molds that are golf-themed with balls and tees and a small golf bag. You can use piping gel coloured blue for the water. I have made golf bags from fondant mixed with a bit of Gum-tex powder to make it harden up. You can use wooden skewers broken off to an appropriate length covered with fondant and shape a few golf clubs to fit. You can make evergreen trees using various sized ice cream cones covered with icing using 1 number 352 leaf tip.

I would say, stop using the spray and switch cupcake liners. You cupcake papers are likely now treated. I have actually never heard of this problem before. Strangely enough, I get excellent results from using medium or large sized liners in large muffin pans. They both work equally well and I get nicely shaped cupcakes. I don't use those pans sprays, in fact some manufacturers of some pans don't recommend it. It causes build up on some types of pans and issues with others.

I have several of these pans by Nordic Ware, the violets, the rose, the fleur de lis etc. All 10 cups. Where is can be a problem is if you use a standard 2-layer cake mix. The mix will rise right up to the top and you will get a fairly large crown with some mixes. I haven't had any problems with overflow though. Standard cake mixes make about 4-5 cups of batter, so this again proves that your batter rises more in a tube or bundt pan. Most standard from-scratch recipes that make about 4-5 cups of batter, do well in these pans also. I use the same recipes I use for a 12 cup bundt, for a 10 cup. I have never had sticking issues, I grease using a pastry brush and Crisco shortening. Then I flour the pan. For chocolae cakes I subsitute sifted cocoa powder for the flour. I also let the cakes cool 15-20 minutes before turning them out to finish cooling. The Williams Sonoma site has some wonderful recipes. http://www.williams-sonoma.com/srch/recipe...bmitted&x=9&y=8 I highly recommend the Spiced Walnut, the Lavender-Lemon, the Mixed Berry and the Sour Cream/Chocolate - if you want a really strong flavoured rich chocolate cake. I really love these pans. They bake beautifully.

Hi Ruth, That is true and I have found when you can use a combination, sometimes you get a decent result. But replacing sugar totally with any of the other sweeteners in most things, just isn't satisfactory. I find cookies more tolerant of using sweeteners to some degree. Haha, yes I think I have made more than my share of "Michelin" rubber cakes with slime icing, over the years, to not really believe that good cake results are possible without sugar. I am with you, a small serving of the real thing is a better option in most cases. Hugs Squirrelly Cakes

Hi Squirrelly Cakes, I am curious about your diabetic angle food cake recipe -- I've been afraid to try a foam cake with a sugar sub (worried about the stability of the foam). How do you approach this? ← Hi Ruth, Sorry I should have been more specific. I don't make them sugar free, I make them normally. I know you can purchase sugar free angel food cake in the U.S., not that I have seen in Canada though. I don't bake sugar-free, I find it a huge disappointment and I have tried about every sugar substitute out there. So I prefer to not offer a product of less than satisfactory quality. My husband was recently diagnosed diabetic. Empty white carbohydrates are the big issue with diabetics and for most, some sugar when used moderately on special occasions, is not an issue as long as the correct combinations of other foods are used. So the angel food cake has to be taken into account with the other items at a meal. I do get orders for Angel Food Cakes, for diabetic customers. Usually they are also on fat restricted diets so it is a better choice for them. I make up a raspberry or strawberry coulis and they can have whipped cream if not too fat restricted or use a sugar free Cool Whip topping. The recipe I use is from Martha Stewart's "Baking Handbook", so far my absolute favourite method with best results and it uses only 1 cup cake flour and 1 1/2 cups of superfine sugar, in addition to the egg whites, flavouring, water, salt and extract and cream of tartar. I have found that most diabetics who can have some white sugar in their diet on rare occasions, prefer to have a real cake as opposed to an artificially sweetened cake. 1/12 to 1/16 of an Angel Food Cake is generally acceptable in most diabetics' diets, particularily when the topping is sugar free or fruit containing natural sugar. Haha, sorry for the detail, it is something new for me to have to deal with personally in my own household, so I am learning and researching all the time. I always had an interest in this for extended family, friends and customers but it is much more significant in my life at the moment. A friend of mine sent me this recipe using a purchased sugar-free Angel Food cake. STRAWBERRY DIABETIC CAKE One already made sugarfree Angel Food Cake 2 regular size boxes Jello, Sugarfree Strawberry 1 container Cool Whip (sugar-free) Fresh Strawberries(save one whole)for garnish Cut SB up in small pieces and layer them in the bottom of a bunt pan, (spray with pam) Non stick if possible Break up the cake and put in the pan Mix Jello as directed and pour on top of the cake and spoon it all around on the cake till cake is smooth and covered. Sit in refrigerator for several hours. After done, dip pan for 2 or 3 sec in hot water to help break it loose from pan then turn out on plate. Sometimes it takes a few min. for the mold to turn loose. Fill hole with Coolwhip and outside round the cake. Garnish center with strawberry.

I have the long loaf pan with little feet that Wilton makes for angel food and pound type loaves. Yes it works but not well for some less dense cake applications. So an ungreased loaf tin works fairly well with angel food cakes because there isn't a lot of cake width to support as it rises. The pans that have straight sides work the best, from my experience, the narrow pans. However regular pans do not work well for angel food cakes as they seem to need the centre tube support to help with the climb to achieve full volume and height. I don't find this an issue with chiffon cake recipes however. Definitely go with a regular two piece angel food/tube style pan over a non-stick pan for the best results for angel food cakes. Again, doesn't seem to be near the issue with some chiffon cake recipes as it is with angel food. And if you get a one piece, you will soon dent the bottom of the pan while thumping it to try to get the cake released, two piece is so much better. I have all three types and rarely ever use the non-stick version for anything. I use an ordinary dinner knife to release the cake from the sides of the pan. The blade are long and flat and don't damage the cake sides or the pans. I make a lot of angel food cakes for dieters and diabetics. I also make a fair amount of chiffon cakes, with some recipes I do find better results with the tube pans but some are fine no matter what pan you use.

Hhmn, guess it isn't too imaginative but I really like Raspberry Gelato in this combination.

Hhmn, I have made the Bacardi Rum Cake Recipe before and nothing happened. I think perhaps you need to adjust the recipe to reduce the water, increase the eggs used and perhaps alter the oil amount. Sounds like it wasn't sturdy enough to support properly. Anyway, here is the recipe, just in case you are interested. I cannot get recipes to attach in the E-Gullet Recipe section, my system keeps blocking it. Squirrelly's Version of Bacardi Rum Cake 1 pkg. yellow or white cake mix, personally I prefer Duncan Hines Yellow 1 pkg. serving for 4 instant Jello pudding - vanilla 4 large eggs 1/2 cup cold water 1/2 cup rum - I like the Bacardi light amber 1/2 cup Crisco oil or a corn oil about 1 cup of dried currants or raisins (optional, this is just how I prefer it) 1 cup chopped pecans or walnuts Rum Glaze: 1/4 cup of butter 1/4 cup water 1 cup granulated white sugar 1/2 cup rum Chocolate Glaze: 4 ounces of semi-sweet chocolate chips 1 tsp. butter 2 tbp. of chopped pecans to sprinkle maraschino cherries to decorate, drained Preheat oven to 325F. Grease and flour an angel food type pan or a bundt. If you use a regular angel food pan, you can cut a waxed paper ring to fit the bottom of the pan. Sprinkle 1 cup chopped nuts on the bottom of your pan. Then mix cake mix, pudding eggs, water rum and oil until smooth. Add currants or raisins. Pour over the nuts in the bottom of the pan. Bake for approximately 1 hour or until toothpick inserted in the centre comes out clean. Let cool in pan for about 25 minutes and then turn out. Make rum glaze. To make rum glaze, melt butter in samll saucepan over medium heat. Stir in water and sugar. Boil for 5 minutes and remove from the heat and add rum - stand back a bit as the scent can really knock your socks off. To glaze the cake, while the cake is still warm, poke holes with a toothpick and brush the glaze on cake and keep repeating until most of the glaze is used. When the glazed cake is cooled, make the chocolate glaze. Heat butter and chocolate by placing in smaller bowl over a larger bowl that has boiled water in it. Whisk until smooth and then drizzle over cake. Then add cherries and chopped nuts. If desired you can also serve with freshly whipped cream.

You probably already knew this but I am throwing it in in case someone doesn't. When baking in glass (pyrex) ware or in dark teflon coated pans, you should reduce the temperature by 25F. And yes, it is also possible that the baking stone created additional problems with this particular recipe.

Yes, it is sort of put underneath and made to look pulled open to reveal some pieces. Usually it is more done for effect than actually a complete drawer but it looks really neat. I just cannot think of where I could link you to a picture of one. But basically make a square the same size or at least the same width as your cake and attach side strips. I have also seen one that had the chess board raised up, like a chess table, with feet. Heehee, when I made the chess board I messed up and reversed where I positioned the queen and king, thought I would never live that one down. Checkmate.... Well I like your attitude about eating the good ones. We always tend to give away good ones and reserve the not so perfect for ourselves. But that demonstrates a healthy attitude. Good for you kiddo! Haha, hhmn, next time you might want to go easy on them, haha. But it was an experiment right? How much chocolate can you eat without getting sick? I have a theory that sweets are best eaten in the morning on an empty stomach. Otherwise we are always eating dessert on a full stomach and our palettes don't get to truly appreciate these items. So I have been known to eat carrot cake or chocolate cake first thing in the morning. Likely not a good idea for anyone with sugar issues but, haha, what a way to start the day. (Well as long as you don't have small children around that might catch you in the act. Sort of makes it hard to reinforce the idea of them eating a good breakfast... Plus they usually have big mouths and may tattle to the neighbours. I was known as the "Rocky Road Breakfast Queen" for a few years!)

Hhmn, so you eat the good ones, haha. Sounds like a good attitude to me. I am still trying to get my head around remelting less than perfect ones when they tend to cry out to be eaten. Haha, well I can relate to what you mean when you refer to marble sometimes coming out scarey looking, it can. Usually when you care how it turns out or don't have time to re-do. Sounds like we are of like mind with the prices for these. I do like the idea of a chocolate pull out drawer for some of the cake pieces.

K8, haha, I can relate to chess board difficulties. Being in Canada, we can never get anything until years after it is available and then well between exchange, shipping and customs it gets expensive. Anyway, I didn't have the chess board molds, couldn't find anything that was the appropriate size as a square cutter and didn't want to use a straight edge or worse, haha, one of my stained glass cutters to do the trick. I can be one of those people that can draw a crooked line with a ruler. So I had this chocolate mold that said "thank-you" on each little square and the squares were almost the size I needed. Decided to go marble look. Hhmn, sounded like a good idea except for the fact that reversing the molds so the thank-you was upside down, made them a bit less level. And of course the squares were just a wee bit too big for the 12 inch square cake once you made it regulation size. Haha and there is only so much icing you can put on the sides of a cake. What I should have done was measured out the squares on a sheet cake and cut the cake to fit but duh, that would have been thinking... Anyway, you never know until you try, right, haha! At least I was thinking enough to buy a couple of sets of the chessmen molds because frankly, it is a pain to wait for each set to set up and start all over again. I was making it for a pal but I always wondered how much I would charge for it, the regulation size chess board, the correct number and correct chessmen. Have you ever given it thought? I had several people ask about it but I couldn't think off hand what I would expect. I have seen the chessmen for as much as $75 Canuck, when made of better chocolates but even if using candy melts, they do take some time, especially if you go with marble look. I have never actually seen a price on one but was thinking about $125 to $150. What do you think? Heehee, after making one I was thinking it should be double that, haha. (Just to cover the cost of the diet I would need afterwards from eating the not so perfect little chess dudes!) Not that you can relate...

Drewman, what has been your experience with translated works? I often find translations very poorly done in other literary areas. It is a major issue with a lot of works and I am wondering if it is also is a problem with books in this field. I tend to purchase the books in French and struggle along, relying on my hubby for translations if needed.

Bo, don't be embarassed, be proud. You do amazing work! Hugs Squirrelly Cakes

Haha, hi Bo! I recognized your wonderful cake picture. Did not realize you were here also! You are just such a talented decorator! Bo makes incredible things, figures, all sorts of things and her work is perfectly amazing! And bonus, she is a wonderfully nice person too! Hugs Squirrelly Cakes

Haha, well if you are asking if this is an antiquated method that has been done away with, in more recent fad methods or more popular methods being used today, who knows, that could be true. This method could well be now dubbed "yesterday's news" as much as many folks seem to think sifting is a waste of time. Personally in the recipes I have where either method is called for, it works well for me just as it is. I have tried just throwing the old egg whites in and mixing like a cake mix and I just haven't gotten the same results. If you have issues with egg whites deflating, then by all means throw in some of the called for sugar with the egg whites. It might work better for you. It probably does help a beginner establish what state their whipped egg whites are at easier than if they didn't add the sugar. And it probably will give them a bit more time to play with when folding in the whites before their batter is deflated. A lot depends too as was stated, on the stiffness of the batter before the whites are incorporated. With experience, that does become a judgement call. I find with cake mixes, you can dump almost anything together in any order, let it all sit there for God knows how long and you are going to get some form of a good result. It ain't so easy with from-scratch. I figure if something is working, stick with it. I sift when it is to my benefit to do so and I separate when I am pleased with the results. If I try a recipe 3 times and don't like the results, it goes in the trash. Much of the time, I don't believe there is only one way of doing things, whatever works for you and makes you happy is fine with me. I think there are many sound ways of doing things. I think taste and results are very subjective, for example I am not usually a big fan of high-ratio cakes or cake mixes as I find them too sweet. I find cake mix cakes too spongey. I don't want rosemary or olive oil in my cakes or desserts. But that is personal taste and personal opinion. If someone wants those kinds of cakes, I am more than happy to accomodate them but I will always have my own expectations and preferences. And I don't expect everyone to agree with what I deem a good recipe or an average recipe or a bad recipe. I can tell by looking at a recipe whether or not I will like it and what to expect. Yes there are formulas, but you can choose whether or not you are pleased with those formulas and make adjustments. I don't believe that you absolutely have to stick to those formulas or methods. But you do need to understand the effect changing the combinations or ratios of ingredients may result in. And then you play and have fun with it. I couldn't care less if a recipe is from the 1900's, from Bessie down the street, from a famous cake decorator or a famous cookbook author, I either like it or I don't. I am not much given to fads or fashion when it comes to what I eat but I do like to experiment. I don't rush out and buy the latest "Decorator or Author of the Hour's" books. I think everyone establishes their likes and dislikes and preferences very early on and I also believe it is important to keep an open mind and to experiment. Life is just an ongoing learning experiment with some experiments going well, others not so well. That is what makes it interesting. If time is not crucial, then experimentation is the way to go. If you have the tools you require, good quality pans, good quality ingredients and some knowledge and experience and a working oven, you are well on your way. Sometimes you can accomodate an individual oven's idiosyncrascies, sometimes not. Then it becomes a balancing act of meeting your own expectations and meeting those of your clientelle. And through experience, feel does become very important. Haha, so does luck. Sometimes too, it is a crapshoot. Whatever... If you are comfortable using a spatula or a plastic scraper to incorporate ingredients, then hey, whatever works for you. People have different reasons for using the tools of their choices. It could be habit, it could be disability, it could be whatever is handy. I think the biggest risk is to close your mind to possibilities and change or to think that everything from a certain timeframe is no longer valid or good. But that is just my opinion.

I totally agree that buttercream goes perfectly well with cream cheese icing as a filling. This is also what I do because it it near impossible to get cream cheese icing to the same colour as buttercream icing when icing a stacked or mult-tiered cake with different flavoured cake layers. So I don't see any issues with combining the two for your purposes. I would do a test run too. I have had some problems with bleed-out of certain colours when using cream cheese icings once refrigerated. I would think freezing may cause even more issues. It is one of those things that works for some people and not for others. A lot depending on the recipe itself and variances in ingredients depending on where you live and products available. If you use lemon juice in your cream cheese icing, you will likely have colouring issues. I too like to use confectionary compound or chocolate for transfers instead. No worries about refrigerating them for setting and they are quite easy. If you go with the cream cheese transfer, I have done them in pastel shades on parchment paper and no problems as long as you are using silicone treated parchment. Some cream cheese icings will not take darker colours, a lot depends on the recipe.