Karina's Chocolate Truffle Cake

Truffle Cake is a flourless chocolate cake worthy of Spring.

The intricate lace of bare oak branches reaching to the piece of schoolyard sky framed by my kitchen window is softening, filling in with bursts of tender green leaves so young and sweet you miss them at first glance. Spring has arrived. The oaks say so.

To celebrate the season of reawakening, I say we bake a cake.

Yes, another cake. I know, I know. I baked a luxurious Coconut Layer Cake for you just last week. But. It was a cake with flour (albeit gluten-free flours). And what do I feel like baking this week? A flourless cake. A cake so rich it tastes like a truffle. Not the infamous pig snuffled treasure. No, Darling. The chocolate truffle. That heavenly impostor, hiding in the guise of that woodsy French piggery fungi. Spoonfuls of deep, dark ganache rolled in cocoa powder (to look like dirt, of course).

And I didn't want just a chocolate cake topped with ganache, either. I wanted to bake the ganache itself. I wanted the cake to taste like a sweet and satiny truffle- I wanted the cake to live up to its name. Truffle Cake inspires expectations. So I fiddled around with my Flourless Chocolate Cake recipe and rustled up a divine and creamy chocolate cake so special you'll want to share it with company. It's simply too good to keep to yourself. Try it. It's shockingly easy to make. Just give yourself time to make it ahead. It is at its best chilled overnight.

Silky satin chocolate cake with a dusting of dirt- I mean- organic cacao powder with a secret ingredient. Raw maca powder.

Throw in a little superfood magic. Why not?


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Cookies for I Heart Faces

I'll admit that when Amy from I Heart Faces asked me to make some cookies for a photography workshop, I was a little, ok...a lot, intimidated.  The cookies were part of a stylized birthday party with some absolutely adorable little girls.

{These are not my pictures (obviously); they are from Rachel at Savor Photography.}

Amy found the inspiration for the flower cookie from this AMAZING blog from (I think) Japan, called Rosey. All of her cookies are incredible!  With that as a starting point, Amy came up with some designs for heart cookies to coordinate with them. 

Want to make the flower cookies?
You'll need royal icing in just two colors....Super Red and Super Black.

Here's a little slide show tutorial....

(Does this slide show look out of order to you guys? It's showing up out of order for me....I'll figure out how to fix it...I think. Sorry, I'm new to slide shows!)

 

{While you have all of that red icing made, go ahead and make some little heart cookies. :)}

To make the black hearts, you need only 2 things: black royal icing and silver dragees.  Well, and the secret weapon for placing dragees....tweezers. CLEAN tweezers! Place the dragees on the cookies while the icing is still wet.

I don't know about you, but I remember EATING dragees when I was a kid.  I remember them on cupcakes and Christmas cookies.  Now, even though they are made of sugar and sold in the bakery section, they are marked "for decorative use only."  {I think a few now and then won't hurt us.}

Let me give a few shout-outs here:

Photography workshop: I Heart Faces

I Heart Faces founders: Angie Arthur & Amy Locurto

Coordinating Printables: Living Locurto

Photos used here: Savor Photography
More photos from the workshop: Angie Arthur

Cookie inspiration: Rosey

Thanks so much, Amy, for asking me to be a part of the workshop!  Next time, I want to tag along and bring my camera! :)

Wow! Wow! Wubbzy! COOKIES!

It wasn't until a few weeks ago that I even learned what a Wubbzy was (I'm old). My cousin's little girl, Violet (don't you LOVE that name?), was turning 3. Her party was Wow! Wow! Wubbzy! themed and she needed Wubbzy  cookies.

To tell you the truth, I was a little crushed that kids weren't watching Blue's Clues anymore. You see, Steve and I had a relationship. Some days, he was the only adult contact I had until my husband got home...and he and I became *thisclose*.  (Then he left and they brought Joe on board, who might have been cuter, but didn't have Steve's charm. But I digress.)

Back to Wubbzy....character cookies make me nervous. Just look at Batman. So, I took the chicken's way out and used my icing printer.

But, I think the key to these cookies is the sprinkles.

I really like edible image cookies with a decorative edge. That's probably because I never get them on exactly centered.  Here's an example of edible image cookies with a piped edge.

If you don't have an icing printer, you can usually have them printed for you at a bakery supply shop...call ahead, you'll probably need to format the image for them. I've even heard you can get them from the grocery store!

Just cut the images and peel away from the backing and place on wet royal icing.  Allow 2 days of drying time. For the sprinkles, mix equal parts meringue powder and water. Brush on the edges and sprinkle. Voila!

Happy birthday, Violet!

Now, I'm going to check hulu for my old friend Steve.

Cookies for a 2nd Birthday

 

Aren't second birthdays sweet? They can hold up 2 fingers when you ask how old they are and say, "this many."  They really haven't gotten into the terrible twos yet...and they still NAP!

(Mine is 11, so that's how I'm choosing to remember it. When he's 30, I'll be waxing nostalgic about his teenage years.)

These cookies incorporate two of my favorite cookie decorating tricks...dots and a #16 tip.

Here's what you need to make them:

• tiered cake cookies
• royal icing tinted with Americolor Gel Pastefood coloring in turquoise, egg yellow, super red and regal purple
• #3 plain tip
• #2 plain tip
• #16 star tip
• disposable icing bags fitted with couplers
• squeeze bottles
• toothpicks

Once the cookies are cooled, pipe a border in turquoise royal icing using a #3 tip.  Let dry 15-30 minutes.

Reserve some piping consistency icing in turquoise and red.  Thin the remaining icings with water, a bit at a time, stirring with a rubber spatula until it is the consistency of thick syrup.  Cover with a damp dishtowel and let sit several minutes.

Stir the icings gently to pop and air bubbles that have risen to the surface.  Transfer thinned icing to squeeze bottles.

Working 6-8 cookies at a time, flood the cookies withe the yellow icing.  Use a toothpick to guide along edges and to pop large air bubbles.

Starting with the first cookie flooded, drop dots in the other colors onto the wet yellow icing.

{This is what happens when you get distracted.}

Let dry for at least one hour.

Using a #2 tip and reserved red icing, pipe a number 2 on the top of each cake.

Change the tip on the bag of turquoise icing to a #16. Using a pulsing motion, pipe the detail on the cookies.

Let dry overnight.

 

 

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I'll be linking this post to my friend Cheryl's I'm Lovin' It linky party!

Half Birthdays . . . Works for Me Wednesday

Half-birthdays.  Do you celebrate them?

I don't know where my mom got the idea, but we always celebrated half-birthdays growing up. There weren't presents, but there was always cake. Half of a cake. Half of a Bundt cake.

{Once we were older and had moved out of the house, my parents always sent us HALF a birthday card.  That's right....chopped right in half!}

My half birthday fell during the school year, so I always felt so special bringing in that half cake.  Even though my mom baked, our half-birthday cake was always from the grocery store. (Or at least *mine* was. Molly, yours, too?) Remember the grocery store used to sell half Bundt cakes?

Kiddo's half-birthday was last week and even though I don't usually make Bundt cakes for his, I decided to go traditional this year.

Almond-Crusted Butter Cake
{recipe adapted from Lou Seibert Pappas}

1/2 c. slivered almonds
3 sticks unsalted butter, room temp. (plus more for pan)
1 lb. powdered sugar
6 eggs, room temp.
2 tsp. vanilla bean paste (or extract)
1/2 tsp. almond extract
1/2 tsp. coarse salt
2 and 3/4 c. cake flour

Preheat oven to 300.  Butter a Bundt pan and then evenly coat the sides with the almonds. 

In a large bowl, cream the butter until fluffy and light.  Gradually add the sugar, scraping the sides of the bowl as needed.  Beat until fluffy.

Add the eggs, one at a time, until incorporated. Scrape down the sides and bottom of bowl as needed.  Beat in the extracts and salt.

Add in the flour in 3 additions, beating until smooth. Spread evenly into prepared pan.

Bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.  Let the cake cool in the pan on a cooling rack for 15 minutes.  Invert the pan and remove the cake, right side up, and continue to cool completely on the cooling rack.

Serving suggestions:

• with a scoop of chocolate ice cream
• with fresh strawberries
• alongside a cappuccino for breakfast! (my favorite)

Half-birthdays work for our family.  What's your "unique" family tradition?

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Oh, I almost forgot!  If you are reading this through a reader, you may want to click on over.  There is a snazzy updated header and in the naviagation bar, you'll now be able to link to a "cookie index."  {The cookie index is a work in progress, but the link is there.}

And, once you click over, look up in the address bar.  See that, to the left of the www? It's my very own FAVICON!  That little thing  makes me feel so cool! {And it's very rare that I feel cool!}  Thank you, Jessica, of The Frilly Coconut for your design help and expertise!  You are a doll!

Pony Party

I know, I know, the Kentucky Derby is over. I still had to post them because...

a. I promised a few twitter friends that I would (I could never deny my twitter friends!), and
b. don't you think they would be cute for a birthday party?

My dad belongs to a group that holds a Kentucky Derby fundraiser each year. (You can read more about it in this post...it's a great event.) This is the 3rd year (or 4th?) they've ordered cookies for the event...and for the week prior to the Derby, our house is covered in horsies.

To make some ponies of your very own:

• In royal icing, outline the "saddle" in the color of your choice with a #2 tip.
• With another #2 tip, outline the shape of the horse in brown (AmeriColor Chocolate Brown).
• Thin a contrasting color royal icing and the brown to the consistency of maple syrup; let sit several minutes covered with a damp dish towel. (Details on how to thin royal icing are here.)
• Run a rubber spatula gently through the icing to pop any large air bubbles and transfer to a squeeze bottle.

• Fill in the saddle area, using a toothpick to guide into corners.
• Fill in the horse in brown, using a toothpick to guide into corners.
• Let sit at least one hour.

{You can see I've lost my natural light from the pictures...sometimes decorating cookies is an all day, or multi day, project.}

• With a #2 tip, add the detailing in the contrasting color and go back over the outline of the saddle.
• With a #2 tip, add the mane, eye, tail and hooves to the horse.

• Let dry overnight.

Giddy up!

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There is a new video over at University of Cookie! Renee of Kudos Kookies shows the basics of PAINTING on cookies. It is very cool and a whole new way to decorate cookies. Be sure to check it out!

Hootie Hoot ! Meet Uncle Mike !

Is this not the CUTEST school photo you've ever seen?!?

This is my Uncle Mike. And when I saw that picture, I thought, THAT needs to be a cookie!!!

{Isn't that what you think about great pictures? Just me?}

Let me tell you a little about my Uncle Mike....

• He was just 16 when I was born,

• When I was about 4 or so, he took me on a ROAD TRIP! I think it was from Texas to my grandparents' house in Oklahoma. Apparently, during the trip, he waited patiently outside the ladies' room door for me...and waited...and waited. I didn't come out. It seems my mother had trained me very well to line the toilet seat with toilet paper, BUT it kept falling off! I'm not sure how this was all resolved, but I did eventually make it out of that bathroom.

• One of my Uncle's favorite expressions is "Hootie Hoot!" I've never heard another person actually utter these words. :)

• He and kiddo have a private joke that involves the "hi-ho" song from Snow White. (I'll spare you the details.)
• And I can't forget....he LOVES the RED SOX!!!

I've always loved my Uncle Mike. Not only because he forgave me when I was 6 and I sat on his glasses and broke them....when he was visiting us....out-of-town.

{I PRAY I was wearing a wig in this photo because otherwise, I'll be forced to call child protective services. 36 years later.}

After my mom died, he called. I mean, he called to check in on us every so often. To ask how we were doing, to ask about Kiddo, to have a laugh. My dad & sister & I had each other, but to hear my mom's brother's voice on the phone....it was a great comfort. It was another connection to her and I will never forget that.

I think some sort of border looks pretty on these edible image cookies....piping, a scalloped edge, sprinkles. This one was piped with a #16 star tip.

YES....these are EDIBLE images! Do not try this with your home printer. :) (You know, I had to say that, just in case.) My icing printer arrived a few weeks ago and I'm just getting to know it. The “paper” is a thin frosting sheet and the “ink” comes from food coloring jets.

I'll give a full tutorial on applying edible images in a future post, I promise! Until then, the quick version....format your picture, print on frosting sheets, cut and apply.

So, help me wish my Uncle Mike a Happy Birthday! Let's give him a Bake at 350 “Hootie Hoot!” ;)