Friday, February 20, 2009

Teddy Bear and Pansy Chocolate Butter Cupcakes

Continued Week #2 of Wilton classes!

Ok, so the directions for class were: frost a 8 inch cake or frost 8 cupcakes. Me, "the more is better when it comes to cake girl", made both.

Since I am on this 'try a new cake recipe kick', I tried a new chocolate cake recipe for this as well. The verdict: same as my white butter cake. Something was missing. Most specifically, cake that melts in my mouth. It just wasn't moist and chocolate-y enough for me. My go to cake, is still this one.

BUT, its not to say I can make some improvements on these in the future! I will say, my decorating skills are greatly improved!

We learned to make clowns, drop flowers (I think they look like pansy's) and bears. Oh my...these sweet bears were too cute! I was lazy and didnt want to change my frosting colors in my piping bag so white and pink got mixed and what came out were cute pink fuzzy looking bears. (Aren't most discoveries found by accident?). Too fun! Now, I just don't know what to do with all this cake!?

Chocolate Butter Cake
Recipe courtesy of: “Cake Love”, by Warren Brown

Ingredients:

7 oz. (1 ¼ cups) all purpose flour
2 oz. (1/2 cup) dutch processed cocoa powder, I used Droste
1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup half and half
2 tablespoons brandy
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
6 oz. unsalted butter
14 oz. (1 ¾ cup) extra fine granulated sugar
4 eggs

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line two 8 or 9- inch round pans with waxed paper on the bottom. Or for cupcakes spray the pan with cooking spray then line 2 pans with cupcake liners. This recipe is really for two 9 inch pans, but if all you have are 8 inch, use those and make cupcakes with the extra batter. Just don’t over fill the pans!

Slowly cream the butter and sugar together until creamy and pale.

Sift flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt together. Set Aside. These are your DRY ingredients.

Whisk together half and half, brandy, and vanilla extract together. Set aside. These are your WET ingredients.

Add eggs one at a time to the butter mixture letting them fully incorporate between each addition. Then alternate adding the dry and liquid ingredients into the butter mixture, starting and ending with the dry ingredients. Only mix until incorporated because you do not want to over mix the batter.

Pour batter into cake pans or cupcake liners. Fill only 3/4 full. For two, 8 or 9- inch pans, bake 25-30 minutes, for cupcakes bake 15-20 minutes. Cake is done when you insert a cake tester or toothpick and it comes out clean.


1 comment:

cakeflower said...

Your Wilton cakes look lovely..I am in course #2 and have my final class tomorrow...you know, the BASKET WEAVE!! :) I like how you are a rebel and used your own frosting! I am going to do that for my final cake...seeing as the family has to actually eat it! Keep up the good work!