Better than sex cake

Hi, I'm a cake with a ridiculous name, and I don't look very pretty. In fact, I'm really, really ugly and un-photogenic. But I taste awesome. So awesome.

The name. It refers to the combination of pineapple and coconut infused in a vanilla cake. I didn't make it up, apparently this is a legit thing. Go ask Paula Dean. Not really sure if it's bette... yeah. But I will say it's pretty fantastic ;)

For the cake:

1 box of vanilla cake mix, along with whatever ingredients the mix calls for (eggs, oil, water)
20 ounce can of crushed pineapple, with juice separated from pineapple
1 cup sweetened shredded coconut flakes

For the frosting:

12 ounces cream cheese
3 1/2 cups confectioner's sugar
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 stick salted butter, at room temperature

For the topping:

1 cup sweetened shredded coconut flakes

Preheat the oven according to cake mix directions.

In a large bowl, prepare the mix according to cake mix directions. Add in the drained, crushed pineapple and the shredded coconut. Pour into two greased 9" round cake pans and bake according to cake mix directions.

Meanwhile, in a medium bowl and using an electric mixer on medium speed, beat the cream cheese and butter together until fluffy. Add the vanilla extract and beat until combined. Next add the confectioner's sugar in small batches, beating after each addition. You can store the frosting in the fridge until the cake is ready to frost.

When the cake comes out of the oven, let it sit for ~10 minutes, then flip it out of the pan and make small indentations with a fork throughout the cake. Pour 2-3 ounces of the pineapple juice saved from earlier over each cake. Allow to soak for at least 20 minutes before assembling cake.

Place remaining 1 cup of coconut on bakesheet and bake until golden brown, 6-9 minutes. Make sure to stir the coconut half way through. Be very watchful of the coconut-- it takes seconds for toasted to turn to burnt.

Frost the cake in layers, then add the shredded coconut to the top. Et voilà!

Recipe by me

July 28th cake

I've been thinking about this for about a week and a half because it's my BIRTHDAY CAKEEEEE. Because baking is like rully important to me, this cake was destined to be a winner from the start. Everyone I talked to laughed when I said I was making my own cake, but the way I see it... why would I leave it in the hands of someone else? That way if it came out horribly I would have only myself to blame....

But it came out great, so no worries. Like, super great. So great that Lanie asked if I got it at Whole Foods. Lol'ing.


For the cake:

2 1/2 cups cake flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 cup canola oil
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1cup low-fat buttermilk
1/2 cup hot (but not boiling) water
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons white vinegar

For the raspberry bit:

1/2 pint fresh raspberries

2 tablespoons brown sugar

1 tablespoon butter
2 teaspoons lemon juice

1/4 teaspoon gelatin

For the heavenly lemon frosting:

2 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature

zest of 2 lemons

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

4 cups confectioner's sugar

5 drops lemon essential oil

2 egg yolks

Preheat oven to 350°. Butter cupcake rounds; dust with cocoa, tapping out excess. Set aside. Whisk together flour, salt, and cocoa in a medium bowl; set aside.

Mix sugar and oil on medium speed in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk until combined. Add eggs one at a time; mix well after each addition. Mix in food coloring and vanilla. Add flour mixture in 3 batches, alternating with the buttermilk and beginning and ending with flour, mixing well after each addition. Scrape down sides of bowl as needed.

Stir together baking soda and vinegar in a small bowl. Add baking-soda mixture to batter, and mix on medium speed 10 seconds. Mix in the hot water until just combined. Pour batter into prepared pans. Bake until a cake tester inserted into centers comes out clean, 18 to 23 minutes. Let cool completely in pans on wire racks. Using your fingers, take one cupcake and crumble it into tiny crumbs to be used as a garnish for later. Set aside.

While the cakes are baking, make the raspberry bit. In a small saucepan, melt butter on a low heat. Add raspberries, stir. Add brown sugar, lemon juice, and gelatin and heat until the berries break apart into a soupy consistency, about 3 minutes. Pour into small ramekin and allow to cool in a refrigerator for approximately 2 hours.

Next, prepare the frosting. In a large bowl, whip butter and egg yolks with an electric mixer until creamy. Add vanilla extract, lemon essential oil, and lemon zest and mix until combined. Add in confectioner's sugar in 3 batches, mixing between each addition. Let sit at room temperature before frosting!

Place one cake on a cake stand, spread raspberry bit on top. Place the second cake on top. Frost the entire thing with the lemon frosting. YAAY JULY 28TH!

Cake recipe adapted from Martha Stewart. Frosting/jam by me!

Crème brûlée

Mum had jaw surgery yesterday, so I made this for her. Obviously it was gone in a second. Note to self: crème brûlée makes drugged-up post-op patients really happy.

Makes 4 ramekins

For the crème brûlée:

3 egg yolks
1 1/2 tbsp sugar
1/2 to 2/3 vanilla pod
1 1/3 cups heavy whipping cream

Mum likes it!

Preheat the oven to 320°F. Place four small-medium ramekins into a small roasting tray. Put the kettle on to boil. Chop the pod into 1/2 inch chunks with a knife or scissors. Put in the bowl of a food processor along with the rest of the ingredients. Blend until the pod seems finely chopped and the seeds are distributed throughout the mixture. Pour through a sieve into a jug. Pour into 4 small ramekins, working to evenly distribute between them. Place the tray into the oven and pour hot water from the kettle into the roasting tray carefully up to 1/2 way up the sides, avoiding it splashing into the ramekins. 

Bake until they still wobble when shaken but are set and have a golden crust - about 50 minutes. Remove from the water to a rack and cool. When room temperature, place into the fridge for at least four hours.

When ready to brûlée, take them out onto the side for 5 minutes to take the proper chill off them before you start. Sprinkle about a tbsp of granulated sugar over the crust, spreading it evenly and making sure it reaches the sides. Fire up your blowtorch and start melting the sugar. Keep going until it's deep golden brown and bubbling. Leave to cool for a few minutes so the pool of caramel sets then serve.

Marble cupcakes with mocha icing

This week I made these cupcakes with the kids I babysit for. We had a lot of fun swirling the chocolate and vanilla, talking about the difference between baking soda and baking powder (fail.), and eating copious amounts of batter. That being said, these cupcakes are a really fun recipe to bake with kids, as they are quick and easy and jazz up otherwise normal chocolate and vanilla cupcakes. It's like having your chocolate cake... and eating your vanilla cake too... hehe.

For the cake:

3 cups all-purpose flour

2 1/4 cups sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

1 stick plus 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, softened

1 1/2 cups milk

3 eggs

1 tablespoons vanilla extract

2 bars semisweet chocolate, melted

For the frosting:

3 1/4 cups confectioner's sugar

1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, softened

1-2 tablespoons brewed espresso

1 teaspoon vanilla

Preheat oven to 325°F. In a large bowl, mix flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In a smaller bowl, mix butter, milk, eggs, and vanilla extract. Pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients, and stir until mixed.

Separate the mixture in half. Add the melted chocolate to half of the mixture and stir until incorporated.

Line a cupcake tin with cupcake wrappers. Using an ice cream scoop, spoon the plain (not chocolate-y) half of the mixture into the cupcake molds. Then, over that batter, add the chocolate batter. Take a knife and stab it through each individual mold so that the mixture becomes swirly. Don't be afraid to really move the knife around-- it's harder than you'd think to overmix the two batters.

Cook for ~20 minutes, until a knife comes out clean when inserted into the cupcakes.

Meanwhile, in another large bowl, using a mixer, combine butter, sugar, milk, and vanilla until light and fluffy. Once cupcakes are cool, frost! 

Basic vanilla cake recipe adapted from the Hummingbird Bakery Cookbook

Rainbow cake

With the weather so chilly and all, I’ve been looking for a little warmth and brightness in my life. So imagine my delight when I remembered I had once seen the most happy-making cake ever: a rainbow cake. It is the first Broma recipe I have not wanted to eat due to its sheer beautiful-ness. Yeee! I can’t get over it. It’s so pretty.

For the cake:

3 cups all-purpose flour
2 1/4 cups sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 stick plus 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, softened
1 1/2 cups milk
3 eggs
1 tablespoons vanilla extract
red, yellow, green, and blue dye

For the frosting:

6 1/2 cups confectioner’s sugar
2 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
1/3 cups milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 325°F. In a large bowl, mix flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In a smaller bowl, mix butter, milk, eggs, and vanilla extract. Pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients, and stir only until mixed (There will be lumps, but you’ll stir more later on). Using a 3/4 cup measuring cup, separate the mixture into 7 small bowls. To make each color, use the following table:

Red: 12 drops red
Pink: 2 drops red
Yellow: 5 drops yellow
Green: 3 drops green ,1 drops yellow
Light Blue: 2 drops blue
Dark Blue: 6 drops blue
Purple: 5 drops red, 2 drops blue

Grease 2 8 inch diameter cake pans, the line them with parchment paper. Pour the two colors into the pans, respectively. Place in oven for roughly 10 minutes, until knife comes out clean when inserted into pan. Let cake cool completely before removing from pan. Repeat 3 more times until all mixtures get baked.

In another large bowl, using a mixer, combine butter, sugar, milk, and vanilla until light and fluffy. Set aside.

Once everything is cooled, place purple cake right side up on a cake plate. Lightly frost the top, then add the dark blue layer. Frost, then add the light blue layer. Continue process until all layers are frosted. Finally, frost the outside of the cake with the remaining frosting. At last, cut a slice and see the wonder that is rainbow cake.

Basic vanilla cake recipe adapted from the Hummingbird Bakery Cookbook