April we wanted to do something "springy," fun, and very very colorful. Nicole had done cupcake cones for years and thought the residents would get a kick out of them (which, of course, they totally did.)
Basically, get the sugar ice cream cones (the kind with a flat bottom), prepare cake mix and spoon into cones, bake as directed for cupcakes. Finish with a swirl of icing and some sprinkles! We did white cake mix with sprinkles mixed in for a confetti look, then did a total of 5 colors (whew) for the frosting. We also did a center cake with the same batter and frosting, which was totally gorgeous. We had over 120 cupcakes, and man those things were a pain en masse! Fill carefully and transport unbaked cones gently, otherwise they tend to come out lopsided.
Then for May we were a little more ambitious. We wanted to do something fruity and sweet for Mother's Day, and were struggling for a bit to come up with something. I also stumbled upon the idea of a traditional Tres Leches cake for Cinco de Mayo, and all of a sudden came this brilliant idea: a Peaches and Cream cake!
We took Alton Brown's Tres Leches cake recipe (a rather simple but completely delicious version), added some chopped frozen peaches to the batter, baked into two layers, filled it with a wonderful homemade peach filling, and frosted with whipped cream that we colored to a wonderful peachy color.
Here's a link to the Food Network recipe: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/tres-leche-cake-recipe/index.html. The only thing I might recommend is using only 3/4 of the milk mixture for the soak, ours didn't quite absorb all of it. I did split it into 2 9-in round cake pans so I could layer it, and I also stirred in two cups of chopped frozen peaches. Also when making whipped cream using powdered sugar instead of granulated helps keep the whipped cream stable longer (but for Alton's don't use 8 oz powdered! Doesn't convert that way, use 2 cups or closer to 6 oz. No need to measure, do it to your taste!). And shame on those with tub whipped cream! It's the easiest thing in the world to make, and the flavor is beyond compare.
Now the peach filling, that was the best part of it all! We took frozen peaches, rough chopped them, threw 'em in a saucepot with sugar and water, and boiled. Then we added a cornstarch slurry (take some cornstarch, mix in a little water so it's smooth, then pour it into boiling liquid). The taste was phenomenal, fruit and not overly sweet like those canned pie fillings! Not really a measuring thing either, just take it easy and slow and it's hard to screw up! Start with 1/4 sugar per cup of peaches, enough water to cover it with some room to spare, and go light with the cornstarch until you see how it thickens. Keep in mind that it will set more once cold, and please refrigerate thoroughly before filling the cake!
This has been the current favorite with the residents (not a piece left!), and it's also the only one so far to be baked from scratch. June and July were both doctored cake mixes, and I forgot to take pictures so I won't even bother here now with them.
But just you wait till we finish August's next week, this will be the single best cake I have ever made. Since my birthday is in August (yay!) I got to choose the flavors, so I picked my favorite combo in the world: strawberries and chocolate. We did the test cake today, and I think I'll go ahead and post the results.
We started with this cake recipe (just the cake, not the frosting): http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/40-a-day/chocolate-fudge-cake-with-vanilla-buttercream-frosting-and-chocolate-ganache-glaze-recipe/index.html. The only thing to say is - Best. Cake. Ever. Soooo moist, you'd think it wasn't done when you pulled it out of the oven (toothpick comes out clean, so trust that, not how soft it feels). It actually made 4 respectable 9-in layers, since I was lacking 10-in pans. The flavor is rich and smooth, almost needed a little more chocolate, but with everything else I wasn't going to really say that! It looks complicated, but just read carefully and it's a piece of cake.
Next came the filling. We took 2 cups whipping cream, powdered sugar and vanilla extract to taste, and whipped to stiff peaks. We added in a strawberry puree (probably about 6-8 good sized strawberries taken for a whirl in the food processor) and mixed thoroughly. Another 10 or so strawberries got sliced thin and folded in. Again, this is to taste! Since we ended up with two whole 2-layer cakes, we needed that much filling. Half the cake recipe and then the filling and frosting recipes too, if you don't have a crowd to feed. But it should be a good thick layer of filling between your cake layers, which is good because it's light and fluffy and sweet with that rich chocolate cake.
Then for the frosting, a smooth chocolate buttercream. http://www.joythebaker.com/blog/2008/06/the-best-chocolate-buttercream-frosting/. Scroll down until you find the frosting recipe. The frosting was rich and smooth, but no one here was a fan of the taste of the Ovaltine in it. Just personal preference I guess. We will make it for the real cake by substituting cocoa powder a little extra sugar for the Ovaltine. But the texture was fabulous. We actually doubled the recipe to make sure we had enough for two whole cakes, and boy did we! Could probably get away with a single batch, but the extra allowed a nice thick layer of frosting on both.
Then to finish off this exquisite concotion, just slice up some more fresh strawberries and arrange on top. And I do believe this blows any other birthday cake out of the water, for a long time!
