I've Changed My Mind

About the sheet cake for the benefit. Transporting a cake that size is insane, and I don't want to do that to my aunt. So I'm baking 4 pound cakes instead. The flavors: Black Walnut, Pina Colada, Lemon and Chocolate Peanut Butter. 25 servings per cake = 100 servings!

And Shanon, while I'm not making a coconut pound cake...the Pina Colada pound cake has coconut in it...you should try it, it's yummy.

Well, I'm Just So Mad

I baked cakes today. 3 of them to be precise. Took 2 of them to a family gathering and the camera, and DIDN'T take a picture! What was I thinking?????

Well, I will get a picture of the 3rd cake, which just happens to look exactly like the 2nd cake, so you wouldn't know the difference. But the first cake was a black walnut poundcake, and what was left of it has gone home with my mother. You will have to take my word for it that it was scrumptious.

The other two are yellow cakes with chocolate frosting. And I have to tell you, I was disappointed. I hadn't made that particular cake recipe before and the texture just did not do it for me. Very grainy. Tastes fine, but not up to snuff. I've changed my mind about the picture...it doesn't deserve one.

I guess I'm spoiled. The pound cakes are soft with a velvety texture that just melts in your mouth. No offense to the fine people of Jiffy (I do so love your corn bread!), but the texture of the yellow cake was very similar to what you buy in the little blue and white box...but mine was from scratch. Oh well, on to better recipes.

Looking ahead this week, I will be baking a tropical pound cake for my friend Tina's birthday. Oh man, you guys are going to love it!

And I have volunteered to bake some cakes to donate to the Timothy Brookshire fundraiser dinner that will be held at the Kings Creek Ruritan Club on August 30. I told my aunt that I would bake at least 2 cakes...but I didn't tell her what, as I'm still trying to decide. They hope to feed 700 people...so I'm thinking about making a sheet cake. That and another cake would be a donation of about 100 desserts. Now just to decide on the flavors.

Any suggestions????

My First Give-Away

Okay y'all, I've decided to do my first give away. Unfortunately, this is only open to people who live within 20 miles of Hickory, unless you're willing to drive and pick it up :). I don't know how to mail cakes.

The contest is open until August 31, 2009. Post a comment on my blog and become a follower and you'll be entered to win a cake. Go over to my cake site to check out all I have to offer. The link is on the right hand side of my blog.

Additionally, anyone in the previously stated 20 mile radius of Hickory who posts about this on their blog or mentions it to their peeps on Facebook and drops me a line to let me know, will receive $5 off their first order!

Alright y'all get busy. You KNOW you love some cake :).

Give-Away at Mrs. Southern Bride

Well, I got a link to this great new blog today through Facebook. Go ahead and check it out!

www.mrssouthernbride.com

She is wildly in love with her new husband and best friend. He is such a sweet man and very romantic. The love just flows from her blog :). And, they honeymooned in Paris!

She's a foodie like me, and if she lived closer than Arkansas, I would send her a Skyscraper Torte.

She loves Red Velvet cake...and just a hint for any of you reading this, that's the next "big" project that I'm planning!

Seriously y'all, go visit her blog. The romance alone will put a smile on your face :).

Chocolate Walnut Skyscraper Torte

This is what I have dubbed the Chocolate Walnut Skyscraper Torte.

First of all, let me just say that I made this tower of lusciousness for my aunt's birthday. Happy Birthday Aunt Lisa! This is based on a recipe that my grandmother used to make for Christmas and birthdays. It's pretty simple really: Devil's Food Cake, Chocolate Frosting, Chopped Walnuts. My grandmother even used Duncan Hines Devil's Food Cake Mixes, according to my dad. I made them from scratch, but hey, you do what works for you.

My grandmother used to make this in a 13 x 9" pan or even a jelly roll pan. She ended up with something similar to frosted brownies sprinkled with walnuts.

What I do with my grandmother's delicious recipes is tweak them. I make small changes that kick things up a notch. In this case, instead of making it one layer, I opted for 6.

Now, the secret to my success is the big cake leveler put out by Wilton and available at most of your local craft stores. I purchased mine at AC Moore with a 40% off coupon and paid less than $15 bucks. And let me tell you, I am in love! There are all kinds of high flying cake possibilities when you have the ability to torte. For those of you who have no idea what I'm talking about, I'll start with the hardware. A cake leveler reminds me of one of those saws that lumberjacks use to saw a log...you know, one on each end sawing through the middle. Except that instead of having a vertical blade, a cake leveler has a horizontal blade. There are adjustable feet so that you can position the blade at just the right spot. Then you saw through your cake, and voila, where there was one, now there is two. And this is what is known as torting a cake.

So, I baked a double recipe of Devil's Food Cake in 3 round 9" pans. Once cooled, I torted each layer so that I had 6 layers of about 1" thick. I made a big batch of chocolate butter cream frosting (you could probably use the canned stuff just as well...I would buy 3-4 so you have enough). And I gave my husband the job of beating the heck out of the walnuts with the meat tenderizing hammer. What can I say...my food chopper died. And it's a great stress reliever.

I then began to build the tower of lusciousness. Pretty simple process. Cake, frosting, nuts. Cake, frosting, nuts. Repeat until you reach the last layer of cake.

This is what you have at this point. 6 layers of cake with chocolate frosting oozing from between them. It's okay to drool...just wipe your chin when you're done.

After you've reached this point, you need to frost this behemoth with even more chocolate frosting. You could be super precise if you wanted to decorate it with a shell border or something like that. If you were really, really dedicated, I bet you could basket weave this sucker. That was not on my agenda today however. I did a decorative whirl. Easy, and lots of extra frosting (like there's not enough between the layers). When you've finished frosting the sides and top, sprinkle some more walnuts on top for a finishing touch.

This is what you get. A huge, gigantic, mouth-watering stack of chocolate decadence.

And this is what a slice of sin on a plate looks like. And guess what, it tastes even better than it looks. But don't feel bad if you can't eat a whole piece in one sitting, I sure couldn't! Enjoy with a very large, very cold glass of milk and you will be happy. According to my husband, this is the cure for a really crumby day at work.

A Little About Me

Okay, well my name is Adrienne. I started a blog a couple of years ago. And, I don't know any other way to say this, but it was depressing. I was going through some things, and I thought venting on a blog was the answer. I had all of 2 posts (maybe 3...I really don't remember). It was all about what a screw-up I am as a person and how I was on a mission to fix myself. Which is a noble goal, but depressing. Anyway, so I hadn't posted anything on there in close to 2 years. So today, I deleted that blog and started this one :). You know what, I'm still screwed up. You know something else, I don't care. I choose happiness.

Why am I happy? Well, lots of reasons. I have a wonderful husband who loves me very much and supports me in everything I do. I have a beautiful 7 year old daughter, Shea, who will be starting 3rd grade tomorrow. I have the opportunity to stay home and homeschool my daughter. I have a roof over my head and food in the cupboards and fridge. We are not financially wealthy, but we certainly feel blessed. This is my source of happiness.

Another thing that makes me happy is to create. I'm pretty eclectic with my creations. I do flower arranging and I am learning to sew. I like making worksheets and documents on the computer (I know, I am SUCH a nerd!). And I really, really like to bake.

First of all, I need to thank my grandmother, who was a superb cook and baker. Many of my recipes were originally hers. She is no longer with us, but I feel especially close to her when I am making one of her recipes. Next, I need to thank my dad. He learned to cook and bake from his mother, and he has passed it on to me. I hope to pass it on to my daughter. I also would like to thank my husband, Chris, who is so supportive and is willing to be my taste tester. He encouraged me to take cake classes and talked me into buying my first stand mixer. Finally, I want to thank Ron, my mom's boyfriend, for giving me my KitchenAid stand mixer. The world is a different place with it in my life. And my cakes are better too :).

Recently, this little hobby of mine is turning into a profitable enterprise. It's thrilling and a little scary at the same time. I started this blog to share some of my baking adventures with you, and anything else from my life that seems particularly interesting or funny.

Thanks for stopping by and looking around. Please come back soon and see what I've been getting up to in the kitchen!

Welcome

Thanks for stopping by my new blog. I'm keeping this short, but I promise a longer and tastier offering in my next post. I'll give you a clue. There are 3 layers of devils food cake cooling in my kitchen as we speak. It will be large and sinful, befitting the name devils food. Stick around...if it tastes anything like it smells, we are in for a treat. Bring a glass of milk!