I’ve finally made a decision…

February 3, 2017February 3, 2017 melodyanndayLeave a comment

People have been asking; you may have been wondering. I was too, you know. Sometimes, on less significant choices (chocolate or red velvet? strawberry or blueberry?), I am terribly indecisive. This time it took even longer than usual to make my decision. I mean, I wanted it to be just right.

Ends up that I had to ask my sister. She’s good at this kind of thing. I mean, she’s GOOD. So, I texted for her help. (If you can’t ask your big sister, who can you ask?)

What in the world should I call my little, on-the-side, cake baking business? And, without hesitating, (seriously, it was seconds) she texted:

More Cake, Please.

And it was done. There could not be a better title for this small little adventure I’m on.

Eventually there might be a website and other fun stuff! But, for now, you can follow all the crazy cake baking nonsense (and other general kitchen and foodie shenanigans) on Instagram at: mor3cakeplease

That is all for now. Just thought you might want to know.

the tune of this baker’s heart (this week, anyway)

January 29, 2017 melodyanndayLeave a comment

January has flown by- I can hardly believe I’m baking week five’s cake today. That means February is just around the corner. (And yes, you have to wait to find out what I’m baking for week five; I’ll post it in a few days.) Anyway…

I thought I’d tell you about my baking routine, because its not totally normal. First, I start by looking over the recipe, making sure I’ve got the plan in place of what happens when. That’s pretty typical. Then,I heat up a cup of coffee and add lots of cream and sugar to drink while I’m in the kitchen baking and taking photographs. And then I turn on my music. I am a musician after all.

What do I listen to in my kitchen? (Inquiring minds want to know, right?) Well, different foods require different music. But, in this case I turn on Pandora and listen to the John Rutter station. Yeah that’s right. Choir music. I geek out to pieces like Rutter’s “Requiem” and Morton Lauridsen’s “O Magnum Mysterium.” Believe me, my cakes turn out so much better in these conditions. I slow down to the pace of the music and I take time to enjoy the work.

At any rate, I’ve realized my “kitchen life” isn’t so far off from my normal reality. Recently I began reading a morning devotional that has been so good for my heart. I’ve been reading the Scripture along with thoughts that set my heart and mind in tune, preparing me for whatever day is ahead. Truly, I do try to start each day in some way with the Lord, but this has brought me to a new place – creating the best of conditions for the day, the week and so on. Life turns out so much better when I slow down, put my eyes on Him and rest in the work He has for me.

This week I read Psalm 103 – and it has become my life-song for the week, maybe the month. possibly the year. It is a song that fits in to every nook and cranny of my life. My heart is calmed and I find so much peace! (My favorite verses are 3-5!)

Read and be blessed!

1 Bless the Lord, O my soul;
And all that is within me, bless His holy name!
2 Bless the Lord, O my soul,
And forget not all His benefits:
3 Who forgives all your iniquities,
Who heals all your diseases,
4 Who redeems your life from destruction,
Who crowns you with lovingkindness and tender mercies,
5 Who satisfies your mouth with good things,
So that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.

6 The Lord executes righteousness
And justice for all who are oppressed.
7 He made known His ways to Moses,
His acts to the children of Israel.
8 The Lord is merciful and gracious,
Slow to anger, and abounding in mercy.
9 He will not always strive with us,
Nor will He keep His anger forever.
10 He has not dealt with us according to our sins,
Nor punished us according to our iniquities.

11 For as the heavens are high above the earth,
So great is His mercy toward those who fear Him;
12 As far as the east is from the west,
So far has He removed our transgressions from us.
13 As a father pities his children,
So the Lord pities those who fear Him.
14 For He knows our frame;
He remembers that we are dust.

15 As for man, his days are like grass;
As a flower of the field, so he flourishes.
16 For the wind passes over it, and it is gone,
And its place remembers it no more.[a]
17 But the mercy of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting
On those who fear Him,
And His righteousness to children’s children,
18 To such as keep His covenant,
And to those who remember His commandments to do them.

19 The Lord has established His throne in heaven,
And His kingdom rules over all.

20 Bless the Lord, you His angels,
Who excel in strength, who do His word,
Heeding the voice of His word.
21 Bless the Lord, all you His hosts,
You ministers of His, who do His pleasure.
22 Bless the Lord, all His works,
In all places of His dominion.

Bless the Lord, O my soul!

in my kitchen · more cake, please

cake #4 : Creamy chocolate chip bundt

January 29, 2017February 5, 2017 melodyanndayLeave a comment

It sort of goes without saying that I am a full-fledged, no apologies, chocolate lover. Mostly I wish I could just make all different kinds of chocolate cake. But, I know that is not reasonable.

However, since I did make cakes that were not chocolate in any way for weeks 2 and 3, I felt it was time for some kind of chocolate cake again. Really perfect timing because I came across a recipe for a chocolate chip bundt cake. I found it on the blog: anitalianinmykitchen.com

My thoughts on the cake? In an effort to be truthful I’ll tell you, since we’re friends: It was sweet and dense and soft, like a pound cake. But, it might have been just a little too heavy for me. too something. I can’t put my finger on the exact reason, but I wasn’t totally sold on this cake. And since I’m looking for just the right cakes that everyone will love, I’m not sure I’ll make it again. But, you could try it – who knows? You might like it!

(Also, just so you know, my kids made 2 demands: that we keep this week’s cake, and it had to be the heart shaped bundt. So, there you have it! )

Creamy chocolate Chip Bundt Cake

Ingredients

2 cups flour
1 cup ricotta cheese
1 cup dark mini chocolate chips
1/4 cup butter melted
3 eggs (large)
3/4 cup sugar (granulated)
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon vanilla butter nut flavoring
icing sugar/powdered sugar for dusting
melted dark chocolate for drizzling
1/4 teaspoon salt

Instructions

Pre-heat oven to 350°. Grease and flour a 9 inch (22 centimeter) bundt pan.

In a medium bowl whisk together flour, baking powder and salt.

In a medium mixing bowl beat together melted butter, sugar and eggs for one minute. Add ricotta cheese, flour mixture and vanilla and beat for one minute. Fold in chocolate chips.

Spoon batter into prepared cake pan and bake for approximately 45-50 minutes. Let cool at least 30 minutes, remove from pan, drizzle with chocolate and or dust with icing sugar/powdered sugar if desired. Enjoy!

in my kitchen · more cake, please · Uncategorized

cake #3 Banana’s Foster Bundt

January 20, 2017February 5, 2017 melodyanndayLeave a comment

Cake no. 3 is my take on Banana’s Foster. Okay, okay! Its not the same thing because I didn’t caramelize bananas in brown sugar, so I get that… but regardless, it is yummy.

This cake was taste-tested by my friend Esther – and these are her thoughts:

“Very excellent texture and taste!! You would think this kind of cake would be insanely sweet but it was a lovely balance! Love it! Big fan.” She also told me the liquor glaze was subtle and just right! Her photo is below. Thanks, Esther!

imagejpeg_0

Here’s the recipe: (I didn’t veer too far away from my Coconut Rum cake – I used that recipe as my template.)

Banana’s Foster Bundt cake

Cake Ingredients:
1 golden cake mix
1 banana pudding mix (small box)
4 eggs
½ cup banana liquor
½ cup
½ cup oil
chopped pecans

Glaze Ingredients:
½ cup butter
1 cup sugar
¼ cup water
1/4 cup dark rum
¼ cup banana liquor

Drizzle:
caramel sauce

Instructions:
Prepare pan, sprinkle chopped pecans in the bottom. Heat oven to 350.
Mix cake ingredients together. Beat on medium speed for two minutes.
Pour in prepared pan and bake at 350 for 1 hr.

*** Just a word about my cake baking: When I use my decorative bundt pans, I sit them on a cookie sheet in the oven while baking so that I’m not letting them sit unevenly on the wire shelves. It allows the cake to not lean between the wires, and hopefully bake up without leaning. ***

When the cake is finished baking and is resting, make the glaze. In a small pan melt butter, add sugar and water and bring to a boil for one minute. Remove from heat and add rum.

Poke holes in the cake (still in pan) and pour some of the glaze over the cake, and down the inside of the pan. Let it rest for another 30 minutes until turning out of the pan. Once you’ve successfully turned the cake out, poke holes in the cake, (the top, the sides and the middle hole of the bundt) and pour the remaining glaze over the cake.

I think cake #3, Banana’s Foster Bundt can be considered a success! I have a feeling it would be really yummy warm, with some vanilla ice cream and possibly a little more caramel!

in my kitchen · more cake, please

Cake #2 Banana Cake with Brown Butter Frosting

January 12, 2017February 5, 2017 melodyanndayLeave a comment

Cake #2

Banana Cake with Brown Butter Frosting

First, a few thoughts: I was able to take my cake to a meeting and share it with friends. I could see first hand that I had made a few errors – I mixed just a bit too much and over baked by a hair. The cake was not as soft and moist as I wanted – but, it was still yummy. Also, in impatient fashion, I did not mix my frosting enough, so it was more lumpy than I wanted. But, this is why I’m practicing, right? To learn and make a better bundt cake- that is my goal!

So, the recipe I’m sharing with you here is based on what I would do differently to make the cake just right! It is taken and edited from my recipe for Monkey Squares.

Ingredients:
1 ½ cups sugar
1 cup sour cream
½ cup butter, softened
2 eggs
4 small ripe bananas, mashed
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 cups flour, I used super fine cake flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
¾ teaspoon salt
½ cup chopped walnuts

Instructions:Heat oven to 375 degrees. Grease and flour the bundt pan. Beat first three ingredients until creamy. Add eggs one at a time until incorporated. Blend in bananas and vanilla. Add dry ingredients gently until mixture is blended well – do not over mix. Pour into prepared pan. Bake at 350 for approximately 55 minutes. When done baking, let the cake rest for a bout 15-20 minutes, then dump it from the pan. Once the cake is out of the pan, begin making the Frosting. (recipe below). Pour/spread the frosting over the cake as soon as it is prepared.

Browned Butter Frosting

½ cup butter
3 cups powdered sugar (I think this varies a bit depending on humidity and what butter you use.)
1 ½ teaspoons vanilla
about 3 tablespoons milk or half and half

Heat butter in saucepan over medium heat past the melting point until it is boiling, and a delicate brown. It should have a nutty aroma when it is browned. Remove from the heat and immediately add the remaining ingredients. Stir with a whisk or fork until smooth (do this quickly before your frosting cools and becomes stiff) and pour over the slightly cooled cake.

in my kitchen · more cake, please · Uncategorized

Cake #1 Fudgy Dark Chocolate Bundt

January 7, 2017February 5, 2017 melodyanndayLeave a comment

Friends – you’ve already seen this recipe! This is the first cake from cake-a week. Due to how my cake-a-week page is going to function – I will only keep a few recipes on the page at a time and then move each cake recipe to the archives. So, I apologize if this clogs up your inbox!

Cake #1: Fudgy Dark Chocolate Bundt
(The original recipe is called “Brick Street Chocolate Cake” from the site: “throughherlookingglass.com” – I changed the recipe up just a bit for my purposes.)

This cake is just as I titled it: it has a thick, fudg-y texture and it is very chocolate-y. But, I’m going to pursue a different icing – not sure this one was quite right. Once enough powdered sugar was added, I don’t think the flavor was balanced. However, it was very delicious and decadent – a small piece was more than enough to satisfy my sweet tooth!

Cake Ingredients:
2 cups sugar
1 cup butter, softened
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
3 large eggs
2 1/2 cups cake flour
1 cup Ghiradelli dark cocoa, sifted
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 small box of instant chocolate pudding mix
2 1/4 cups buttermilk
1 1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Chocolate Icing:

1/2 cup water

1/2 cup butter

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 cup baking cocoa, sifted

3 1/2 -6 cups powdered sugar, sifted

3 tablespoons heavy cream (more or less for consistency)

Cake Instructions: Preheat regular, conventional oven to 350°. Beat sugar, butter & vanilla in large bowl. Beat in eggs. Mix in cake flour, baking cocoa, soda, salt, chocolate pudding and buttermilk. Stir in semi-sweet chocolate chips. Pour into greased tube pan. Bake in regular, conventional oven at 350° for 30 minutes. Adjust baking temperature down to 325° and continue baking 40 minutes more, until cake tester comes out clean.(Check with cake tester at the one hour mark.) Cool cake completely before icing.

Chocolate Icing Instructions: Heat water, butter and vanilla together in microwave safe bowl, in microwave until melted. Remove from heat. Stir in one cup cocoa. Stir in powdered sugar, sifted. Stir in heavy cream, up to 3 tablespoons (or more) until you get the desired consistency. This much liquid required actually close to 6 cups of powdered sugar. Ice the cake by filling the hole in the middle of the cake first, then slowly pour icing over cake top and pour over the sides. Icing will harden as it cools.

in my kitchen

a sweet announcement

January 5, 2017January 5, 2017 melodyannday4 Comments

Friends, you may know I like to bake. I mean, outside of making music, it is probably my favorite hobby. Over the holidays my hubs decided it was time to consider purchasing a new countertop stand mixer for my kitchen.

The old mixer is just that : old. A Kitchenaid in name, it has been a truly reliable companion over the last 17 years here in my kitchen. But, she rattles and vibrates – and sometimes I think her mixing paddle is going to fly right out of the bowl, which is a bit concerning. As hard as it might be to say goodbye to my friend, it is time for a new appliance.

Its not just age, it is size. My girl has a 4 quart bowl, which at best can only hold 1 batch of batter or dough at a time. Do you know, that I baked more than 10 coconut rum cakes this past Christmas season? Mixing up one round of cake batter at a time really eats away my time. I am about to get a new stand mixer that will hold roughly 2- 3 batches at a time!

For a while now folks have asked if they can buy my baked goods. And up until now, I’ve only sold my treats once in a long while, largely in part because of the nature of my mixer. Which leads me to the really important thing…

This year I’m going to be practicing baking all kinds of bundt cakes – many shapes and sizes and flavors. I’m hoping to practice a bundt cake each week. 52 cakes. 2017 will be the year of the bundt cake. (By the way, I’m just a little nervous about such big number -52 cakes! You’ll have to forgive me if I miss a week!) And I’m hoping that after I’ve practiced and practiced I’ll be prepared to actually sell a cake or two. But, I’m getting ahead of myself.

Guess what? My little family is not going to eat 52 cakes this year. No way. I’m hoping friends and family will be willing taste testers! Be ready if you come to my house – I will probably need you to try out the latest cake! And, if you let me know your favorite flavor, a cake might just arrive at your doorstep. (Sorry my lovely Canadian friends and family- I won’t be shipping over the border)

Aside from sharing cake, each week I will post the new cake recipe here to share with you. And maybe a photo or two. Some weeks maybe repeat recipes that are tweaked for a better product. I really hope you’ll enjoy this tasty adventure with me one way or the other!

a bit of history · in my kitchen

my favorite pumpkin pie

November 23, 2016January 5, 2017 melodyannday2 Comments

Friends, it is the day before thanksgiving – and I’ve discovered a MAJOR travesty. As hard as I search, here, on my blog, I cannot find the recipe for Grandma B’s pumpkin pie. All I find is this story about how I came to love my Grandma’s pumpkin pie, here . I’m getting ready to do some excellent baking for the holiday, and I can’t believe that recipe is nowhere to be found!

I’m being totally serious when I say that you can not do Thanksgiving without this pie! There is nothing better! So, I looked it up in the family cookbook – and I’m adding Grandma’s pumpkin pie recipe to my collection of recipes here – just for you, and just in time! whew!

My mom is with Grandma B right now – I wish I could eat pie with them tomorrow, but alas, we are hundreds of miles apart! Instead, I will happily share my favorite pumpkin pie with my family here in Tennessee with a grateful heart for all of my loved ones, near and far!

Grandma B’s Pumpkin Pie

ingredients
1 cup pure pumpkin
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup evaporated milk
2 eggs
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp ginger
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp maple
pie crust of your choice.

instructions
Preheat oven to 350 F. Beat the eggs in a separate bowl. Mix together pumpkin, spices, and sugar. Add milk and eggs to pumpkin mixture and stir til combined. Use a 9 inch pie plate. Pour pie filling into unbaked pastry crust. Bake for 50 minutes, or until pumpkin filling is set.

Friends, I promise you, you will not be disappointed if you make this pie for your thanksgiving spread. In fact, if I were a betting person, I would wager that it will become a staple for all of your celebrations in the years to come!

Happy Thanksgiving, Everyone!

a bit of history · friends and loved ones · in my kitchen

gilding the lily (and the appropriate recipe)

August 27, 2016January 7, 2017 melodyanndayLeave a comment

I learned the phrase from my Aunt Jean. She was describing how my Uncle Ernie would spread strawberry jam on an already decadent cream bun, made by my Grandma Brubacher. I’ll never forget how she said it with such amazement, “… and then, he’d really gild the lily – he spread STRAWBERRY JAM on the cream bun!”

Ah yes. My Brubacher family knows how to make desserts even more ridiculous rich. I personally learned how early on in my childhood when staying over night at my Aunt Betsy’s house. In the morning, at the breakfast table, when we were finished with breakfast I watched my Uncle Enos have his dessert – he’d eat a few tablespoons of peanut butter on his plate that had been laced with several tablespoons of honey. Yep. A sweet, thick mixture; yet another example of gilding the lily.

With these tales in mind, you shouldn’t be surprised that I went and did it. I took my grandmother’s oatmeal cookie recipe and yes, I followed in the solid footsteps before me. I gilded the lily. And friends – if you don’t like rich delicious cookies, that when warm seem like something that may be served in heaven, you should definitely NOT make these cookies.

Triple Chocolate Peanut butter Oatmeal Cookies.

Ingredients:

1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
1 egg
7/8 cup butter, softened(almost two full sticks)
1/4 cup peanut butter
1 1/2 cup oatmeal
1 1/2 cup flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp vanilla and butter-nut flavoring
1 cup mini semi-sweet chocolate chips
2 milk chocolate hershey bars, chopped
1 cup dark chocolate chips

Instructions:
Cream butters,sugars, egg and vanilla flavoring. Combine dry ingredients, then add to the butter mixture. Mix in the chocolate. Drop tablespoon sized scoops on a baking tray. Bake at 350 for 8-10 minutes, being careful not to over-bake.

a bit of history · in my kitchen

just like Grandma…

July 31, 2016January 7, 2017 melodyanndayLeave a comment

Okay, okay – its not exactly true. I don’t know if it is honest of me to say this recipe is just like Grandma’s. In fact I don’t know if she ever made Blueberry Peach Crisp. But, I made one today – and in true Grandma style. I just went into the kitchen and did it. I didn’t look for a recipe.

Let me repeat: I did not use a recipe.

What is this world coming to, I ask you?

Now a crisp can be hard to ruin, so don’t go thinking I’ve turned into some great and adventurous baker. I won’t be entirely forsaking recipes in the future. But today, I was feeling it! So, for those of you wanting a recipe, here’s how it goes:

Blueberry Peach Crisp.

I peeled and chopped up 6 peaches and put them in a 9inch deep dish pie plate. I cleaned a cup of blueberries and mixed them in with the peaches.

Then, I tossed together in a bowl a few tablespoons of flour (about three), a few tablespoons of sugar (about 4) and a few dashes of cinnamon. I gently stirred this around with the berries and peaches until everything had a light flour/sugar covering. oh, and I sprinkled a pinch of salt over the mixture.

Next I melted a stick of butter in a dish and to that I added around a cup and a half of oatmeal, a half cup or so of brown sugar and few tablespoons of flour. When it was combined, I spread it over top of the fruit mixture .

I preheated the oven to 375 and baked the crisp for about 40 minutes – but watch so you don’t burn the top – just bake till golden.

It is fantastic served warm with vanilla ice-cream or whipped cream, but honestly I could eat it with a little milk for breakfast, or really any time for that matter. It is really yummy. I may have just eaten some for dinner. (sorry about the shadowy photo!)

= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =

While I was on a roll, and the peaches were fresh, I decided to go for it and bake something else! So, here’s another recipe, that I “borrowed” from my cousin Krista who lives around the globe right now in PNG (Hello, Krista! ) – and I made it my own!

Berry Peachy Muffins

Ingredients:

2 1/2 cup all purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/3 cups packed brown sugar
1/2 cup creamy ricotta
1/2 cup canola oil
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1 heaping cup of chopped peaches
1 heaping cup of diced strawberries
2 tbsp of strawberry jam
cinnamon sugar to sprinkle on top.

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 350. sift the dry ingredients in a bowl. cream the brown sugar, ricotta, oil, eggs and vanilla. Add the flour mixture to the brown sugar. Stir in diced peaches, berries and jam. sprinkle with cinnamon sugar. Bake for 35-40 minutes. Allow to cool a few minutes before removing from pan.