Ambrosia Cake - A Celebration of Spring!

Ambrosia means "food of the gods" in Greek and Roman mythology. In the USA, it has a much more humble history as a chilled fruit salad! Most ambrosias are made with manadrin oranges, pineapple, and coconut. This show-stopping cake is no exception, with four layers of angel food, pineapple curd, and orange and vanilla frostings.

Don't let the picture fool you... This stunning and delicious cake is super simple to make!

AMBROSIA CAKE

1/4 cup pineapple juice (I used the juice from the can of pineapple slices.)
2 large eggs + 1 yolk
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
pinch salt
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3 cups vanilla buttercream frosting (I used the cooked version here)
1 teaspoon grated zest + 2 teaspoons juice from one orange
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1 9" angel food cake (due to time constraints, I used store-bought)
2 15oz. cans mandarin orange slices, drained
2 cups sweetened shredded coconut
1 20oz. can pineapple sliced, drained and cut into half-moons

For the pineapple curd:
Bring pineapple juice to boil, in a small saucepan, over medium heat. Whisk eggs/yolk and sugar together in a medium bowl. Whisking constantly, pur hot pineapple juice into egg mixture. Return to pan and cook, stirring constantly, until mixtures thickens. (It takes 2-3 minutes and will be VERY obvious!) Remove from heat and stir in butter and salt. Place in small bowl, cover surface directly with plastic wrap, and refrigerate until thickened (at least one hour).

For the orange frosting:
Put one cup of vanilla buttercream frosting in a samll bowl. Stir in orange zet and juice.

To assemble cake:
Using a serrated knife, cut cake horizontally into four layers (don't worry... angel food cake is quite sturdy!). Place bottom layer on platter, spread with 1/2 cup of orange frosting and top with about 20-25 mandarin slices. Place next cake layer on top of orange slices and top with pineapple curd. Top with the next cake layer, spread with orange frosting and more orange slices. Finish with the top cake layer and coat top and sides of cake with vanilla buttercream. Press coconut onto frosted cake and decorate with orange and pineapple slices.

Hugs and blessings~

~~~Anne

Candy Cane Cake and Tiny Gingerbread Houses!

Wow! Christmas is almost here and I've been so busy that I've not been able to do much along the lines of crafting this month. (I can't really complain, though. Kumon has been really busy, which is definately not "normal" for December!)

I was able to find time to make a "Candy Cane Cake" (Betty Crocker's recipe here) for my staff Christmas Party

I baked a Cranberry Apple Pie with Vodka Pie Crust and will be posting the recipe later this week. I also made peppermint truffles, dipped pretzels, and Fire Vodka so I guess I'm OK in the holiday cooking/baking category :-)

Wait! I'm not finished yet... Below is one of the cutest and most original Christmas ideas I've seen in ages...

Tiny gingerbread houses that sit on the rim of a cup! I know I'm out of time this year, but I am totally adding this project to next year's Christmas "must do" list! For complete instructions and a pattern, please visit Megan at NotMartha.org.

If you do make these sweet little houses (you know you want to!), please leave a comment/link so I can live vicariously through your creativity...

Merry Christmas!

~~~Anne

Six Word Saturday - Symphony in a Pan

Six Word Saturday:

IS MY 'BTS' CAKE REALLY 'BTS'?

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Do you know what a 'BTS' cake is? I thought I was being so creative when I came up with a decadent take on the old Jello poke cake to take to our family reunion last weekend... Until I did a little research on the internet and found bazillions of similar recipes! Imagine my surprise when I found the "real" name for this dieter's nightmare is 'BETTER THAN S^X CAKE'!!! (OK. I'm not really afraid of the "s" word, but I'm trying to keep things very family friendly around here.)

Anyway, I had to whip up my original(?) recipe and see for myself if really was BTS.

I did bring it to the reunion, by the way. I told some of the adults about the 'BTS' name, and the line for cake formed immediately! From the men, you could see some looks of serious contemplation. From the women, you could see some worry on their faces (due the caloric investment or the husband's reaction? I wonder.). Regardless, the cake was easy to make and was super moist, rich in chocolate and caramel, and, quite simply, delicious. I will absolutely make it again for a potluck or party :-)

I've printed my recipe below, so you can judge for yourself if it really is BTS. (Warning: Just reading the recipe may cause you to gain a few pounds!) In my "family friendly" spirit, I've renamed my version of this decadent delight:

SYMPHONY IN A PAN

Ingredients:

1 box chocolate cake mix
6 oz. caramel topping
13 oz. can sweetened condensed milk
6 oz. hot fudge topping, warmed to pouring consistency
1 tub whipped topping (Cool Whip), thawed
1 4.25 oz. Hershey's Symphony milk chocolate bar with almonds & toffee chips, chopped

Directions:

1. Bake cake in 9X13 pan, according to directions on box.

2. While cake is still warm, poke holes all over cake with the fat end of a chopstick or the handle of a wooden spoon. Holes should be 1-1 1/2 inches apart. Take care that you do not poke all the way through to the bottem of your cake or it will become soggy.

3. Pour caramel topping into holes. (Yes, it will probably spread over the top of the cake and look messy. No worries.)

4. Pour condensed milk into holes. (See note above.)

5. Pour warmed hot fudge as in steps 3 and 4.

6. Refrigerate at least 4 hours or overnight. (In a chocolate "emergency", this step can probably be ommitted.)

7. When ready to serve, remove from refrigerator, frost with whipped topping, and sprinkle Symphony bits on top. Enjoy!

Hugs and blessings~
~~~Anne

P.S.
To participate in Six Word Saturdays, please visit Cate at Show My Face. Have fun!

Strawberry Tall Cake

My son Jordan graduated from high school on Monday. We are very proud of him! In honor of his graduation, we had family come into town to help us celebrate. Dessert on Sunday night was "STRAWBERRY TALL CAKE". It's an easy-to-do recipe, and the cake has quite a presence.

STRAWBERRY TALL CAKE
Ingredients:
1 box (16 oz.) angel food cake mix
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 box (3 oz.) strawberry gelatin
2 tubs (8 oz.) whipped cream cheese, at room temperature
2/3 cup seedless strawberry preserves
2 tubs frozen whipped topping, thawed
Fruit for garnish

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line 3 9" cake pans with parchment. (Or use a coffee filter, as I did. It worked great!)

Prepare cake mix according to directions on box, adding the vanilla extract. Divide batter evenly among the 3 cake pans. Gently tap to spread batter.

Bake 18 minutes, or until toothpick comes out clean. Invert onto cooling rack and remove paper.

In bowl of electric mixer, mix gelatin and 2/3 cup boiling water until gelatin is dissolved. Add cream cheese and whip for a minute or two. If mixture is not set enough to spread, place bowl in the refrigerator or ice water bath until spreadable.

Place a cake layer on a platter. Spread with half of the preserves, leaving a 1/2 inch border around the cake.

Spread on half of the mousse mixture, add the second cake layer, and repeat.

Add top cake layer, frost with whipped topping, and chill for at least 2 hours. Garnish with fruit before serving.

Hugs and blessings~

~~~Anne

Bittersweet Mocha Cake: A Tale of a Good Recipe Gone Bad... And Then Good, Again!

OK. We all have at least one story of a good recipe gone bad. My FLOURLESS BITTERSWEET MOCHA CAKE started out good, then took a very unfortunate turn down the "road of badness", but I was able to rescue it and guide it to "chocolate bliss"! Below is my recipe and tutorial (bad pictures and all...)
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Ingredients:
20 oz. bittersweet chocolate (5 4 oz. bars)
6 Tbs. butter
1/2 cup Kahlua (coffee liqueur), plus extra for drinking... I mean drizzling!
6 eggs, separated and at room temperature
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup boiling water

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. In double boiler, over medium heat, melt 3 chocolate bars, butter, and Kahlua. Cook and stir until melted. Remove from heat and cool to room temperature.
2. In bowl of electric mixer on high speed, beat egg yolks and sugar for 3 minutes, or until light yellow and thickened. Fold in cooled chocolate mixture.
3. In separate mixing bowl, beat egg whites about 5 minutes, or until stiff peaks form. In batches, fold egg whites into chocolate mixture.

4. Pour batter into 9" cake pan coated with flour-based cooking spray. (Notice how full the pan is. This should have been a warning to me, but NOOOO!)

5. Bake 40 minutes, or until toothpick inserted into center of cake comes out clean.

~Here's a picture of the "bad" cake I took out of the oven. Notice the burned edges rising up and over the edge of the pan. YIKES! Not at all the result I wanted.~

~Here's my cake "post surgery". Things are looking up!~

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6. Allow cake to cool in pan 10 minutes. Remove from pan, turn upside down, and allow to cool completely on cake rack.

7. If desired, brush or drizzle extra Kahlua on top and sides of cake. (This was a "must" for me, as my cake was a little dried out and a tad burned. The extra Kahlua aided tremendously in my cake's recovery process!)

8. In bowl, combine 1/2 cup boiling water and remaining chocolate. Let sit 2 minutes and stir until smooth. Let cool for 2 minutes. Pour chocolate over cake to coat.

9. Chill completely.

10. Garnish with fruit and serve This rich dessert goes great with a cup of good, strong coffee or a glass of deep port. Truly a slice of "Chocolate Heaven"!

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Hugs and blessings~

~~~Anne

How to Make 3-D Chocolate Butterfly Cake Decorations

Here's another view of my 14-LAYER CAKE from Deanna's shower. I couldn't come up with a fun decorating idea for the cake... Until I remembered reading an article about making CHOCOLATE BUTTERFLIES. I don't remember in which magazine I read about this project, but it was years ago. I knew I had to make the butterflies, but without directions, I'd just have to "wing it". (That pun deserves, at least, a snicker!)

Step 1: Melt a square or two of chocolate "bark" in the microwave. Stir until smooth.

Step 2: Cover your butterly pattern with waxed paper and trace your pattern with the melted chocolate. You can pipe it on, use a paint brush, or use the end of a skewer or chopstick. If you don't like the result, toss out the wax paper and start again :-) DO NOT TRACE THE BODY! Your end result should be two separate wings.

Step 3: Melt a couple of squares of white "bark". Make sure your outline has hardened, then fill in your white areas. Next, tint the remaining white bark with "paste" food coloring. (Do not use liquid food color. It will make the bark hard and grainy.) Fill in the remaining areas on your wings and allow to harden. It only takes a few minutes.

Step 4: Drape a sheet of waxed paper over two "wing supports" (I used tongs for the biggest butterfly and chopsticks for the smaller ones). Lay your wings on the supports so they form a "V". Pipe on your butterly body with re-melted chocolate bark. This will connect your wings. Let dry.

Step 5: Pipe out several sets of antenae. Pipe heads onto your butterfly bodies while your antenea harden.

Step 6: Lay a chopstick (or other support) near the butterfly head, add a drop or two of chocolate bark, and position your antenae. Once the butterflies harden, they are ready to use to decorate any of your edible goodies.

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For my next butterflies, I am going to try filling in the wings with a solid color (blue might be pretty!), dripping in dots of chocolate, and then cutting the dark color into the blue for a "marbled" effect. I'll let you know how it goes :-)

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Enjoy!

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Hugs and blessings~

~~~Anne