Week 5: Praline Turtle Cake

I wanted to make something special this week since it was also going to be my birthday cake. I did a lot of searching for a good recipe and when I found this one I was excited to try it. I found the recipe here

http://www.countryliving.com/recipefinder/praline-turtle-cake-3611

Ingredients

* 1/2 cup(s) butter
* 1 cup(s) brown sugar
* 1 can(s) (14 ounces) sweetened condensed milk
* 1 cup(s) chopped pecans
* 2 cup(s) all-purpose flour
* 3/4 cup(s) unsweetened cocoa
* 2 cup(s) granulated sugar
* 1 1/2 teaspoon(s) baking powder
* 1 1/2 teaspoon(s) baking soda
* 1 teaspoon(s) salt
* 2 large 2 large eggs
* 1 cup(s) sour cream
* 1/2 cup(s) canola oil
* 1 teaspoon(s) vanilla extract
* 1 teaspoon(s) white vinegar
* 1/2 cup(s) fudge topping
* 1/2 cup(s) chocolate chips, melted

Directions

1. Make the cake: Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Butter the bottoms of two 9-inch round cake pans and fit a circle of parchment paper large enough to cover 1 inch up the side of each cake pan. Heat the butter, brown sugar, and sweetened condensed milk in a 2-quart saucepan over medium heat until the butter melts and the sugar is dissolved. Do not boil. Divide the sugar mixture between the prepared pans. Sprinkle 3/4 cup pecans over sugar mixture and set aside to cool. Combine the flour, cocoa, granulated sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together in a large bowl. Add the eggs, sour cream, oil, vanilla, and vinegar, and 1 cup hot water and mix with a wooden spoon until the batter is smooth. Pour the batter into the cake pans -- over sugar mixture -- and bake until a wooden skewer inserted into the cake center comes out clean -- 35 to 40 minutes. Cool cakes in the pans for 10 minutes. Run a knife around the edge of the pans and turn cakes out onto a cooling rack. Remove the paper and cool completely.
2. Assemble the cake: Spread the fudge topping over the sugar mixture side of one cake layer. Place the second layer over the first and drizzle with the melted chocolate and the remaining 1/4 cup pecans. Frost the cake sides with your favorite chocolate icing.


One thing that didn't turn out so great for me on this one was the parchment paper, but it was also one of my favorite parts. You make the praline by melting butter, brown sugar, and sweeten condensed milk then putting parchment paper down in the pan above 1 inch up the side. I might have gone a little higher than a inch and my cake had rivets in it. But it was still super yummy.





HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME!!

Week 4: Retired Models Cake

This is one of my favorite cakes to make. I got this recipe from my sister-in-law Tyan. Its basically a pudding cake but we call it a Retired Models cake because you have to be a retired model before you can eat it, its just that delicious! I must have retired a long long time ago :)

Recipe

Ingredients:

-1 Devil's Food Cake Mix (I used a butter chocolate last time and loved it)
-4 beaten eggs
-1/2 cup water
-1/2 cup oil
-2 6oz pkgs instant Chocolate Pudding
-1 cup sour cream
-1 cup chocolate chips (optional)*

Mix together and pour into floured and greased 9 inch round layer cake pans. Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes. Remove cake to wire rack and let cool completely.

*I like to add the chocolate chips to give the cake a little texture, it gives it a chocolate chunk every few bites.

Frosting:

-2 6oz pkg instant Chocolate Pudding
-2 cups milk
-2 cups heavy whipping cream

Mix the milk and chocolate pudding in bowl until the pudding mix dissolved. Whip cream and fold into chocolate mixture. Frost cake.

As you can see, we also add strawberry's some dipped in chocolate, and then with the left over melted chocolate drizzle it on the cake.

Bon Appetit!

Recipe Idea's...

Now that I am totally pumped about my new goal, I realized if I am going to make 52 different cakes I better start looking into some recipes. If anyone knows of a good recipe or a good recipe book please share.

On a side note, Bruce and I went to the Greek Festival in downtown Salt Lake last night. It was packed!! We had no idea what we were getting into, and that the line for food would ever be so long. It would have taken us hours to get through it, so instead we got some pastries, left, and went across the street to Tony Caputos. It was so good! But now we know for next year, the Greek Festival isn't worth it, especially when we have a few favorite Greek restaurants around town.