Six-Layer Chocolate Cake with Toasted Marshmallow Filling and Malted Chocolate Frosting

Celebrations always call for chocolate. I made this cake last weekend for a dear friend who just landed her dream job!!!... in San Diego :(. And there is no better way to say "I am so happy for you" and "I'm going to terribly miss you" than a super moist chocolate cake.

Did I mention this friend of mine was the one who introduced me to baking?? Yeah, I made my first cake in her kitchen using her Kitchenaid and baking supplies. She was so kind and laughed gently as I sprayed the cake pan and splattered PAM all over my face and her counter :). I am very grateful!!

I first saw this cake on Sweetapolita's recipe index a year ago and recently Brown Eyed Baker recreated it for her birthday. I knew I had to try it and this occasion was the perfect time.  I needed a WOW cake and this cake delivered!

Let's discuss the cake. It's six-layers of very rich chocolate cake enriched with hot coffee which makes for a moist cake. Then, the cake is filled with a toasted marshmallow frosting made with crunchy toasted marshmallows, butter and marshmallow cream. Such goodness!!  The malted flavor in the chocolate frosting was achieved by adding Ovaltine (who knew???) and it complimented the chocolate so well.

This is the best cake I have made so far!!!

And I am glad it was for this occasion. I am so happy for my friend and so proud of her great achievement. I will undoubtedly miss her and her baby so much but on the bright side...I now have San Diego on my vacation list and can't wait to visit!

Piña Colada Cupcakes

For those of us living in the North East, spring is not yet here. It was a miserable week with lake effect snow still coming down in April.

During all the snow brushing, it occurred to me that I haven't had mixed frozen drinks in 7 months!!! My last frozen drink was consumed on our honeymoon in Jamaica last September when I had 5 to 6 to 7 piña coladas a day (who was counting?). Needless to say piña coladas are my favorite frozen drink and it always bring back memories of paradise...which does not include snow.

These cupcakes were made to rectify that sad fact and wish this winter away. Positive thoughts is all it takes to keep the snow away, right?

I adapted a piña colada cake recipe from Smitten Kitchen. It's a pineapple-coconut cupcake with coconut cream cheese frosting. Yes, coconut again!! Clearly I have an issue when it comes to coconut...but it's so yummy and I can't help myself!

These cupcakes bring back lots of summer memories that I can now hold on to until spring arrives! Paired with my favorite frozen drink, any lingering winter blues will be washed away!

NOTES

• Cupcake liners: Wilton Color cups bought from Michael's

• Cake stands: Bed Bath & Beyond, TJ Maxx and Marshall's (respectively)

• Since this is a learning blog, I need to share the things that I struggle with. I had a lot of issues with photographing these cupcakes: sunlight was too much at some point, then it became cloudy really fast and I monkeyed with my camera settings and created the 'yellowish' hue you see in the pictures. Spent some time on Photoshop trying to fix them, but it didn't exactly work. I'm going to spend some time this week reading up on using Photoshop for edits and also find other alternatives.

Coconut Cupcakes {Bird Nest Cupcakes}

I am on a coconut kick lately. Last week, I made this coconut almond cake and I loved the flavor combination however, it wasn't coconut-y enough. So when my mother-in-law suggested I bring dessert to Easter dinner, my first thought was to make another coconut cake!

I started with a coconut cake recipe from Martha Stewart, grabbed some pastel speckled eggs and some sweetened coconut shavings. The recipe used cream of coconut, which is thicker than coconut milk and gives the cake a very coconut-y (Is that even a word?) flavor.

For the frosting, I made a coconut variation of my go-to SMB with an addition of coconut cream. I got two new cake stands this week (I have a problem, I know) and I was so excited to use them that I forgot to take the sticker off this one (whooops!).

 

To make the 'nest', I used Wilton tip 1M to pipe the frosting. Dusted with sweetened toasted flaked coconut and topped with the speckled 'eggs'. 

The cupcakes were very delicious and were a big hit at dinner. The frosting was a tad too sweet for me, so next time I might cut back on the coconut cream a bit or use unsweetened coconut flakes.

Happy Easter!

Rose Cake {Ombre}

I came home this Friday to dinner on the table, a bottle of my favorite wine and flowers. It was our six months wedding anniversary and the hubby was celebrating. He is just too good!! Obviously, the date totally escaped me and I was not prepared as he was. I can't believe 6 months just went by this quick.

So, I decided to bake him a cake the next day in return. The roses he brought home inspired this last minute cake. I've seen the idea bounce around Pinterest for a while now and I figured I should give it a try. See my two favorites here and here. I figured it would only help improve my piping techniques or it could be a total disaster. Either way, Mr J will have a cake to enjoy.

Vanilla Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

After several weeks of trying vanilla cupcake recipes, I am happy to share that I have found the ONE. This recipe gives a flavorful vanilla cake that is moist but yet light and fluffy. It is simple and I love it. It will become my go-to vanilla cake. The recipe is from Glory of Glorious Treats.

I have been taking the Wilton decorating courses. In Course II, we are learning how to make flowers with royal icing and it is difficult. But I am sure with lots of practice I will get the hang of things.

Back to the star of this post, the vanilla cupcakes!! They are the best and I will be re-making them soon again.