Blogging from Illinois

I've been in Rolling Meadows Illinois for nearly two months now. My birthday is in a few days and I am still jobless. I had a couple of promising interviews this week so things are looking up a bit, but until then I've had a lot of time to kill. In the beginning most of it was taken up with unpacking and going through box after box, tedious work I'm telling you. Next time we move I'm committed to burning the house down and just starting new. Other than unpacking, internet surfing, reading, game playing with house work and about a billion trips to the vet sandwiched in between, I've done a lot of cooking and baking. I think I've baked a dozen loafs of bread over last few weeks. The most recent being a sun dried tomato garlic and onion bread. Quite tasty and very savory. Yesterday was a different story. This past weekend my Honey had requested I make a birthday cake to bring on Tuesday for a coworker at his new job. I wanted to impress so I quickly decided against anything from a box and started sorting through some of the recipes I had to see what sounded good. Jay, always a bright one, suggested I take my specialty, Irish Carbomb cupcakes, and turn it into a cake. I was enthralled by the idea! That night after we decided on it I lay awake unable to think with plans for the most delicious cake in the world dancing in my head. We shopped for everything that was needed the next day, then Monday after dropping off one of the dogs for "brain surgery" and coming home from one of my interviews I began.
The plan was this: Double the usual recipe, create a layer cake, the whisky ganache would be in between the layers and then frost! Easy, no? And basically it was. I allowed myself more than plenty of time, and being unemployed I was not rushed or as tired as I have been in the past.
I filled 3, 9" cake pans and baked them for about 50 minutes at 375 degrees as opposed to my usual 20 which works so well for cupcakes. I made sure to spray the pans with a baking spray beforehand because I did not want another carrot birthday cake fiasco on my hands. I let the cakes rest for about 5 minutes before flipping them on to a tart pan bottom tray (also sprayed with Pam) and then flipping them back onto racks to rest for about 15 more minutes. I was pleased and punch to see how beautifully they came out of the cake pans. I used the other half of the tart pan to encircle the cakes as my level for cutting them in half. One of the cakes had less batter, thus it was shorter and thus when I cut it the top half was much smaller and was sacrificed to my tummy. While the cakes had been cooling I had whipped up my ganache, and that was then resting as I cut the cakes. I took my mothers pretty Scandinavian cake tray and lined the bottom with wax paper anticipating a large frosting mess and put my first layer down. I smeared on the ganache with gusto and then carefully put on the next part of my cake and proceeded as such until I had five layers.
I had so much ganache left and I knew it would solidify fairly well that I decided to cover the rest of the cake in a healthy layer of ganache that would act as a delicious barrier between cake and final frosting. I could have served the cake like this and not only would it have been prettier than my final cake, it would have been delicious in its own right. I let the cake set for awhile while I watched food network and then began on the frosting. I (again) doubled the frosting recipe (I should have tripled it) and it was by far the best that frosting has come out since I started making it. It helped that my butter was truly room temperature, and I whipped it furiously before adding any sugar. I also beat it all at higher speeds than I had in the past, and I added lots more Irish Cream than I usually do it. It. Was. So. Good. I think I must have eaten a pound of it before the day was through. By the time I had made about 6 cups of frosting I thought that my ganache had solidified well so I spooned a large amount of frosting on to the top of the cake planning to work it around from top to bottom creating a nice natural look. I of course misjudged and ended up with a coffee colored frosting as the white and brown mixed. So I shrugged my shoulders and frosted the cake anyways. I let that set again for 10 or 20 minutes and pulled out a ziplock and a pastry tip deciding to try my hand at something  more creative and professional looking.
This is where I make that snorting scoffing sound that indicates things didn't go as planned. I
 kind of did this squiggly through around the very bottom of the cake and didn't like how long that was going to take, so I took a section of the side and did more squiggly things back and forth until I was to the top of the cake. I did that a few more times until half of the side was covered. Then I got bored and wanted to start on the top, so I did small (many more large like than small) drops from the tip in rows line after line until I had half the top covered. I could tell that I was about to run out of frosting, so I did the only sensible thing of going back to squiggly things on the side until a ran out, which was rather quickly. I put my bowl back in the mixer took my last stick of butter and made another batch of frosting. It was still yummy, but the consistency was awful. Not to look at or to feel, but when I started piping that there were these chunks that kept getting stuck in the piping tip and then would push the tip out spurting frosting all over the cake. Then the frosting started to run  down the side of the cake and it was so.... ridiculous. I was done trying so I ended up leaving the top alone and then just took a spatula and smoothed out the sides.
I learned at least one thing that day. That I suck at frosting and need to take a cake decorating class badly. I conceptually understand what I need to do, but the message hasn't reached my hands. *sigh* The cake tastes amazing according to Jay. He said it was a huge hit at work and that people said I should be paid to make one daily and that they kept telling other people to try it. I'm making him bring some home to me so I'm hoping to try it soon. Although I have a mixing bowl in my fridge right now that is a massive glob of leftover cake top, ganache and frosting that I keep sticking a fork into that then somehow makes it way into my mouth.
After the cake was done I wanted to make something for Jay because he had been feeling yucky the last couple days and thought it the perfect chance to try a Chicken Soup recipe. It was very simple. Veggies,  brown rice, quinoa, barley and chicken. I couldn't get any barley in the store so I substituted couscous. I ended up cooking it about 30 minutes longer than the recipe called for. Despite that the rice still had a bit of a bite to it which was fine, and it soaked up all 10 cups of liquid. We have lots of left overs (just add water) and I'm making a pot pie for dinner out of most of the soup and left over tart dough (from weekend quiche). Should be mmm mm good.
This kitchen lends itself well to the culinary arts, I just really wish there were a dishwasher because I am so sick of dishes.

Now!.... for the recipes!

Irish Car Bomb Cake 

Cake 2 c Guinness (or other dark stout)
2 c (4 sticks) unsalted butter
1 1/2 c unsweetened cocoa powder
4 c flour
4 c granulated sugar
1 tbs baking soda
1 1/2 tsp salt
4 large eggs
1 1/3 c sour cream (full fat is best)

Ganache
16 oz bittersweet chocolate
2/3 c heavy cream
2/3 c Bailey's Irish Cream
4 tbs butter, room temperature
3 to 4 tsp Irish whiskey

Frosting

About 8-9 cups confections' sugar
2 stick (1 cup) unsalted butter, at room temperature
8 tablespoons Bailey's Irish Cream (or more, to taste)

1. Pre-heat oven to 350°F. Coat 3, 9" cake pans with either a non-stick baking spray or crisco and a dusting of flour (however you prefer)

2. Bring the stout and butter to simmer in heavy large saucepan over medium heat. Once the butter has melted into the stout add your cocoa powder and whisk until mixture is smooth. Remove from heat.

3. In a separate large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt.

4. In another large bowl, using an electric mixer, beat eggs and sour cream to blend until smooth. Add stout-chocolate mixture to egg mixture and beat just until combined.

5. Slowly add the dry mixture to the wet mixture and beat on slow speed until about 3/4 of your dry mixture is gone. Using a rubber spatula, fold in the remaining dry into the batter until completely combined.

6. Divide batter evenly among cake tins, filling them 2/3 to 3/4 of the way, it will rise a small amount. Bake cake until tester inserted into center comes out clean, rotating them once front to back if your oven bakes unevenly. This should take about 40-50 minutes. I just kept on checking mine every 5 or so minutes after they stopped jiggling to make sure they were done. Remove pans and cool for about 5-10 minutes then remove cakes from pans and cook for another 10-20. Your cakes should not to be hot to handle when you're slicing and moving them around.

7. While your cakes cool, go ahead and make the filling. Chop the chocolate into coarse but roughly even pieces, and transfer it to a heatproof bowl. Heat the cream until it is simmering and pour it over the chocolate. Let it sit for about a minute and then stir until smooth. If it has not melted completely put it in the microwave for 10-15 seconds, or put over a double broiler to finish. Then add the butter, Irish Cream, and whiskey and stir until combined. This will taste very good, try to leave some for the cake. :)

8. Once your cakes are cool and ganache is done slice your cakes in half until you have 6 even pieces. It's okay if the tops of your cakes are slightly rounded. Lay a bottom half on your cake platter or tray and smear on plenty of the ganache to cover. Lay another half on top and again smear with the filling. keep alternating until you have a gorgeous cake tower. 

9. If you have more filling left over you can completely cover the cake in it like I did. Otherwise, no biggie. Let that sit while you.... 

10. Make the frosting! In an electric mixer, mix the butter on medium -high speed until it is very fluffy. You want to get it very light. Slowly add the confectioners' sugar, starting with a few tablespoons at a time of your sugar until the frosting looks thick enough to spread. At this point, add in the Irish Cream and whip it until it is incorporated. Beat in as much or as little of the remaining confectioners' sugar until the frosting has reached your desired consistency and taste. 

11. Frost your cake! I can't give you any advise here. Slap it on however you see fit, either way, it's going to be so so so so good. 

Healthy Chicken Soup

·         1 ½ C - Uncooked Brown Rice

·         ½ C - Uncooked Barley (or cous cous)

·         ½ C - Uncooked quinoa

·         8-10 C - Chicken Stock

·         3-4 C - Cooked Cubed Chicken

·         1 Tbs - Butter

·         1 Large Onion

·         5-7 - Cloves of Garlic - Minced

·         2 C - Chopped Carrots

·         2 C - Celery

·         Seasoning to Taste - Pepper, Rosemary, Thyme

1. In a large soup pot over medium-high heat, sauté onions, carrots and celery until lightly browned, add garlic and sauté for another minute.

2. Add your chicken stock and rice/barley (cous cous)/quinoa and bring to a low boil.

3. Once a boil is reached, turn the heat down to low and simmer for about 30-45 minutes or until the rice is cooked. (I simmered mine for about an hour and 15 - 30 minutes)

4, Add your cooked chicken and any other seasoning at this point and simmer for another 10-15 minutes.

Taste and adjust broth and seasoning levels until it’s perfect. 

Neither of these recipes are mine, but I'm not sure where I found them. I've changed them slightly to fit my tastes though. :)