7 years…

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Anna, berries, birthday, Birthday Cake, frosting, party, roses, seven, seven years old, vanilla cake

Anna turned 7 yesterday. Where has the time gone? It seems like it wasn’t that long ago that we came home from the hospital with her when she was just a wee baby and now she is seven and so grown up. She had a fun afternoon celebrating her birthday with us at home yesterday and since her birthday falls on a Monday this year we’ll be having a kids party for her on a weekend coming up in November… Happy birthday to my dear Anna!

 

Anna’s Birthday Cake

3 or 4 Layer Vanilla Cake
slightly adapted from Sweetapolita‘s Perfectly Delightful Vanilla Birthday Cake

 

• 1-1/2 cup (360 ml) whole milk, at room temperature
• 7 large egg whites (210 g), at room temperature
• 1 whole egg, at room temperature
• 1 tablespoon (15 ml) pure vanilla extract
• 1 package of Dr. Oetker’s Bourbon Vanilla extract
• 3-3/4 cups (430 g) cake flour, sifted
• 2-1/4 cups (450 g) sugar
• 1-3/4 tablespoons (25 g) baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt (8 g)
• 1-1/2 sticks (170 g) unsalted butter, at room temperature and cut into cubes
• 6 tablespoons (85 g) vegetable shortening

 

• Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C). Grease and line with parchment 2 round 8-inch cake pans (if you are making a 3 or 4 layer cake you will need to reuse the pans after baking the first two cakes).
• In a medium bowl or measuring cup, combine and stir 1/2 cup of the milk, stir the egg whites, whole egg, vanilla extract. Set aside.
• Sift the cake flour. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the dry ingredients, including the sugar, together on low-speed (I used a hand mixer) for 30 seconds.
• Add the butter and shortening, blending on low-speed for about 30 seconds, then add remaining 1 cup of milk, and mix on low-speed until just moistened. Increase to medium speed and mix for 1 -1/2 minutes (90 seconds), but no more.
• Scrape the sides of the bowl and begin to add the egg/milk/extract mixture in 3 separate batches; beat on medium speed for 20 seconds after each addition.
• Pour 1/4 or 1/3 of your batter (depending on how many layers you want) into each prepared pan. If possible, weigh the batter in the pans to ensure even layers.
• Bake cake layers for 20 minutes each or until a cake tester comes out clean when inserted into the center. Be careful to not over-bake. Check the cake at 20 minutes, but not before, and once you feel it’s almost ready check in 2 minute intervals. Let cool on racks for 10 minutes before loosening the sides with a small metal spatula, and invert onto greased wire racks. Gently turn cakes back up, so the tops are up and cool completely.
• Wrap tightly and store at room temperature for up to 2 days, refrigerator for up to 5 days, or frozen for up to 2 months. Best enjoyed day 1 or 2.

 

For the Frosting and decoration
Inspired by this cake from The Story of a Cake

 

For the Frosting and filling:
250 grams frozen Raspberries
1 cup Sugar
250 grams Mascarpone
200 grams Heavy Cream (whipped to soft peaks)
50 grams Butter
1 jar of Raspberry Jam

For decorating:
Fresh Blueberries, Raspberries, Black Raspberries, Rose blossoms & colored coarse Sugar for sprinkling

In a small sauce pot heat the frozen raspberries with the sugar and bring to a boil. Simmer until the berries have reduced and thickly coat a spoon, about 10 minutes. Take off the heat and strain the berry mixture with a sieve or cheesecloth to remove the seeds. Set aside and let come to room temperature (or if you’re in a hurry put the mixture into the fridge or freezer to speed up the cooling process).

With a mixer, blend the mascarpone and the butter until well combined. Then blend in the softly whipped cream and enough of the cooled berry mixture to get the desired color and flavor. Don’t add too much of the raspberry reduction or the frosting may become too loose and won’t be spreadable. If it is too loose you can always add more mascarpone to firm it up a bit.

To assemble the cake:
Spread  the first cake with a thin layer of jam and about 1/8 of the frosting. Spread the next layer with jam and 1/8 of the frosting and put the last layer on top. Frost the cake with the remaining frosting then arrange the berries on top and around the cake leaving room to sprinkle the cake with decorating sugar and rose blossoms.

Enjoy!

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It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas

Tags

apple pie, apples, blueberries, blueberry pie, Christmas, crust, no sugar, pie, vegetarian

We’ve been preparing for Christmas here. I have most of my gifts ready except for the ones that I’m making by hand, which is slow going, as I don’t have alot of time to knit or sew anymore. The boys, who just turned 11 months on the 4th, are both crawling and pulling up onto furniture now and that has been keeping us on our toes. We have a large play gate that we set up for them in the living room that allows them to play and crawl around but keeps them in one place and prevents them from crawling all over the house and getting into trouble. I made a pie last week per Thomas and Anna’s request. A sugar free apple pie from two different kinds of apples. One of the types of apples wasn’t the kind that cooks down very soft so I wouldn’t reccomend that type of apple for this pie but it still tasted just fine. I don’t have pictures of the pie I made as it was cold and rainy last week and not picture taking weather but I have some of a blueberry-apple pie that was made in a simmilar way and was also quite tasty. I’ll post a recipe for both. We are also looking forward to getting our Christmas tree in the house soon but I have no idea how I will keep the boys from trying to tear it down or eat it! Even though the weather has been quite warm here for December it’s begining to look a lot like Christmas with Christmas markets in full swing now and decorations on trees and houses being put up all over town.  I hope it’s beginning to feel festive where you live too.

No Sugar Apple Pie

For the all Apple filling
8-12 Apples (Depending on size)*
1/4 Stick of Butter melted2+ Tbs Cinnamon (or to taste)

*You will need enough apple slices to fill the pie plate and since apples cook down you will want there to be enough to form a heaping pile of apples that come up to about 3-6 inches above the height of the pan. For me this was about 10 apples. You can always add more at the end if needed or eat the extra if you cut too many. 🙂

Peel and cut the apples into slices. Put in a bowl and mix with cinnamon and melted butter to coat. Put in a prepared pie plate that is lined with a bottom crust. Put the rolled out top crust on top and crimp or flute the edges. Cut holes in the top and brush with milk. Bake at 350° F for 1 hour or until the apples are tender.

For the Apple and Blueberry filling
4-5 Apples peeled and cut into slices
2 cups Blueberries
1/4-1/2 cup Sugar or other sweetener or none at all!
2 Tbs Cinnamon
2 Tbs Flour
1/4 stick Butter

Mix everything together in a large bowl, except for the butter. Transfer to a pie plate lined with crust. Put little pieces of butter all over the top of the fillliing and cover with the second rolled out crust. Crimp the edges and cut holes in the top of the pie and brush with milk. Bake at 350°F for 1 hour.

For the Crust

2 1/2 cups Flour
1 tsp Salt (if using salted butter omit the salt)
1 1/2 sticks cold unsalted Butter
1/2 cup cold Vegetable Shortening
1/2 cup Ice Water

Combine flour, sugar and salt. Cut in the cold butter and shortening with a pastry cutter, two knifes or a food processor until the size of small peas. Add the ice water slowly as you mix to form a dough. As soon as you can form a ball of dough (not a sticky dough) by pressing everything together with your hands briefly, stop adding water. You may use less than 1/2 of a cup of ice water! Press the dough into two flattened spheres and wrap them each in plastic wrap. Let rest in the fridge for at least one hour or in the freezer for about 20 minutes. Roll one of the dough circles out large enough to fit your pie plate with a little overhang. Gently transfer to the pie plate and add the filling. Do the same with the second ball of dough and place on top, crimping or fluting the edges. Cut air holes on top and brush with milk.