Adventures in Cooking

Blue Velvet Cake With Cream Cheese Frosting

So obviously I am a little obsessed with Eva’s blog.  I have been so distracted by these recipes!  I could not wait to try one out.

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1 and 1/4 Cups Cake Flour, sifted
1 and 1/4 Cups Ultra-Fine Sugar
11 Egg Whites, room temperature
1 and 1/2 Teaspoons Cream of Tartar
1 Tablespoon Cocoa Powder
1/4 Teaspoon Salt
1 and 1/2 Cups Blueberries, fresh not frozen

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Cream Cheese Frosting
10 tb butter, softened
16 oz cream cheese
3 cups powdered sugar
4 Teaspoon vanilla extract

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Blueberry Syrup
1 Cup Blueberries, fresh not frozen
1/2 Cup Granulated Sugar
1/4 Cup Water
1 Cup Blueberry Jam, good quality

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​This was SUPER easy to make.  Print out the letters on cardstock, cut them out, and sew them together.  Then tie the ends to bamboo skewers!  Viola adorable cake topper!

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Ingredients:

1 and 1/4 Cups Cake Flour, sifted
1 and 1/4 Cups Ultra-Fine Sugar
11 Egg Whites, room temperature
2 Teaspoons Vanilla Extract
2 oz. Blue Food Coloring
1 and 1/2 Teaspoons Cream of Tartar
1 Tablespoon Cocoa Powder
1/4 Teaspoon Salt
1 and 1/2 Cups Blueberries, fresh not frozen

Cream Cheese Frosting
10 tb butter, softened
16 oz cream cheese
3 cups powdered sugar
4 Teaspoon vanilla extract

Blueberry Syrup
1 Cup Blueberries, fresh not frozen
1/2 Cup Granulated Sugar
1/4 Cup Water
1 Cup Blueberry Jam, good quality

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. In a medium-sized bowl, sift together the flour, 1/2 cup of the sugar, and the cocoa powder. In a large bowl, beat together the egg whites, vanilla extract, cream of tartar and salt until they begin to hold soft peaks. Then beat in the remaining 3/4 cups sugar until the mixture begins to hold stiff peaks, about 4 minutes or so.

Slowly fold in 1/4 cup of the flour mixture at a time. Use a spatula and take care not to stir the mixture, just keep folding until all of the flour mixture is incorporated. Pour  one cup of blueberries into the batter and fold them in as well. Pour the batter into two well-greased 9-inch cake pans and bake in the oven for about 20-30 minutes.

While the cake is baking, make the Cream Cheese Frosting. Mix the cream cheese, vanilla and butter together until they are completely combined. Add the powdered sugar and mix until blended. Refrigerate for 15 minutes to help solidify the texture.

Once the cake is done, remove it from the oven and allow to cool for about 15 minutes. Shake the pan a little bit to loosen the grip of the cake, then place a plate on top of the pan and, wearing oven mitts, flip it over so that the pan is on the top and the plate is on the bottom. Gently remove the pan and place the plated cake layer in the refrigerator for 30 minutes. Repeat this process with the second cake pan as well.
While the cake layers are cooling, make the Blueberry Syrup. In a small saucepan, cook the blueberries, sugar and water over low heat for about 8 minutes, or until the sugar has completely dissolved, breaking the blueberries apart with the end of a wooden spoon when they begin to soften. Pour the mixture into a food processor, add the jam, and blend until the mixture is smooth. Pour into a serving bowl and place in the refrigerator to chill until serving time. 

Once the cake layers and the frosting have finished cooling, place the bottom cake layer onto the display surface, (i.e. a cake stand or pretty plate that you will serve it off of), and begin evenly frosting the top of the bottom cake layer. Then, center the second cake layer on top of the bottom cake layer so that they line up perfectly. Now frost the sides and top of the cake so that the entire cake surface is frosted and no cake surface is visible through the frosting. Place 1/4 cup of the frosting in the center-top of the cake in a dollop. Take the remaining 1/2 cup of blueberries and arrange them on top of the dollop in the center of the cake. Serve at room temperature with a drizzle of blueberry syrup over each individual cake slice.

Procrastination

With the opening ceremonies for the Martín Rico exhibition over and the Museum Flowers show about to start in 5 days...I am feeling a little ADD. 

My thoughts keep wandering over to this website Adventures in Cooking.  Good luck trying to stay focused after seeing this masterpiece!

Spiced Apple Cake

3 Eggs

2 and 1/4 Cups Flour

1 and 1/2 Cups Unsweetened Applesauce

1 and 1/4 Cups Granulated Sugar

1 Cup Vegetable Oil

1/4 Cup Brown Sugar

2 and 1/2 Teaspoons Vanilla Extract

1 Teaspoon Baking Soda

1 Teaspoon Salt

3/4 Teaspoon Baking Powder

1 and 1/2 Teaspoons Cinnamon

1/2 Teaspoon Nutmeg

1/2 Teaspoon Cloves

1/2 Cup Golden Raisins

1/4 Cup Pecans

Salted Caramel Frosting

1 and 1/4 Cups Plus 1/3 Cup Granulated Sugar

1 Cup Whole Milk

1 Cup Plus 1/4 Cup Butter (unsalted), softened

1/4 Cup Plus 1 Tablespoon Flour

1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract

1/2 Cup Heavy Cream, at room temperature

1/3 Cup Brown Sugar, packed

2 Tablespoons Water

1/2 Teaspoon Salt