Well, I'm trying not to let my life get too barren, but the world has been spinning so incredibly fast lately that I've barely had time to catch my breath, much less write about it! Playing catch up is definitely no fun, and not the way I want to go about this blog- but if I don't tell about my past two weeks now, in one blog, I'll never have the time to tell you all the great things that happened...and that would be completely disastrous!
So, two weekends ago I went to Statesboro (as usual) and had a great time with the boyfriend and some of his friends. We didn't do a whole lot, but I did end up puking my guts up because I thought it was a great idea to take somewhere around five shots at the bar and then proceed to drink 4-5 beers. Well, let me tell you; apparently, it wasn't! That was Saturday.
On Sunday, Trent and I and three of his good friends went out to eat for lunch and then went to see that movie Valentine's Day with the all-star cast of celebs. I'm planning on writing a movie blog in the near future so I'll elaborate more on it at that time. Anyway, somehow we managed to get the keys locked in my car on Sunday which made for an interesting afternoon! Luckily Trent knew someone with a slimjim kit and we were able to get the keys out without having to call a locksmith, which saved us $50. Thank goodness! While we were waiting for my car to be unlocked we ate ice cream from Bruster's. Unfortunately, they were out of my cheesecake ice cream that I was sooo looking forward to, so I had to settle for birthday cake instead, which just wasn't the same I'm sorry to report. I ended up spending the night Sunday night and driving home at 4 in the morning again, but I was happy to do it because I got to spend another evening with Trent and we had a good night together.
To backtrack a little, during the week I had a fellow Graco employee request me to bake him a 9-layer cake with old-fashioned chocolate icing for his daughter who was coming to visit, which he compensated me for. This was kind of exciting since I have never cooked or baked anything and got paid to do it! On the other hand, it was completely nerve-racking. I've also never cooked or baked anything and not taste it first to make sure it's good! For starters, I was super nervous because I am used to watching my thin layer cakes be sliced. I make my Poppy (grandfather) a thin layer caramel cake from time to time because it's his absolute favorite, and I always make him cut into it ASAP so I can make sure the layers don't look lopsided or smushed together. I've never had this problem in the past, but I still like the gratification of watching it being sliced and seeing a perfect result. These cakes are only slightly difficult to make, but they are extremely tedious and time-consuming. It took me somewhere around four hours to make the one for the gentleman at my work. It normally only takes me about 2-3 hours, at most, to make one, but I was tired and quite nervous.
Another issue I have is with my chocolate icing recipe. My caramel icing is perfection, but I am by no means a professional chef or baker. I also have no family members that have ever really offered me any advice in the kitchen. Everything I cook I've taught myself by trial and error, reading recipes, and watching tidbits of cooking shows here and there. Anyway- my chocolate icing is a work in progress...and I don't practice it very often. I've tried several different recipes, but it still doesn't turn out the way I feel that it should. The butter always separates from the sugary cocoa mixture making the icing turn out extremely oily. I have no idea why this happens and haven't ever researched it, though I'm sure it must have something to do with my boiling/heating time. On a more positive note, the icing tastes delicious. It tastes exactly like the chocolate glaze that they put on top of Krispy Kreme donuts. This still doesn't solve the oil problem, though, so as unprofessional as this is, I pour the separated oil off until the icing reaches a consistency I am happy with. If you like to bake and don't mind a challenge, here's the recipe for my Old-Fashioned 9-Layer Chocolate Cake:
Old-Fashioned 9-Layer Cake:
solid vegetable shortening (to grease pans)
flour (for dusting pans)
1 package plain white cake mix
1 cup whole milk
1 stick butter, melted
2 tbsp. pure vanilla extract
3 large eggs
Preheat oven to 350. Generously grease and flour 9-inch round cake pans. (I usually bake 2 layers at a time and reuse the pans as I go). Shake out excess flour. Place cake mix, milk, melted butter, eggs, and vanilla in a large mixing bowl. Blend with mixer until well blended. Dollop a very small amount of batter in each pan- just enough to thoroughly cover the bottom of the pan. Make sure there is not more batter in the center of the pan than the edges, or your layer will come out uneven. Bake cakes until they are golden brown and spring back lightly when pressed with a finger/yield a clean toothpick when inserted in center- approximately 5-6 minutes with a watchful eye. Cool cakes for a couple of minutes in pan, then transfer to wire racks. (Use a dinner knife to loosen and transfer cakes). This should be done extremely carefully. Cake layers are fragile. Layers should cool right-side up when on wire racks and must cool completely before frosting.
Old-Fashioned Chocolate Icing:
1 pound butter
3 cups sugar*
1 cup evaporated milk
1 cup cocoa
Mix ingredients in heavy saucepan and bring to a boil. Stir briskly while boiling for two minutes, taking care not to scorch. Let stand just long enough to slightly thicken. Ice cake layers very quickly. If icing seems to be thickening too quickly you may slightly reheat it to soften. (Icing recipe may have to be doubled or duplicated to yield enough to ice cake). *I also tried adding a little powdered sugar to my chocolate icing recipe last time (I like to experiment) and it seemed to help the consistency a bit. So, theoretically, my recipe probably also has about a cup of powdered sugar in it as well.
Another recipe I have for chocolate icing that I've been wanting to try to see if I get better results is the above recipe plus 2 teaspoons of corn syrup and 1 teaspoon of vanilla. The vanilla must be added when the icing is removed from heat, and the recipe suggests beating the icing over cold water until it thickens to the needed consistency.
Here is a picture of the cake I made for the man at work:
I don't know what the layers looked like, but they should have looked something like this, although maybe a bit thinner...
Above are pictures of one of my caramel layer cakes- it was only 7 layers though, as you can see.
I use the same recipe for cake layers for the caramel cake as I do for the chocolate. Here is the caramel icing recipe, though.
Old-Fashioned Caramel Icing:
2 sticks butter
1 cup packed light brown sugar
1 cup packed dark brown sugar
1/2 cup whole milk
4 cups powdered sugar (sifted)
2 tsp. pure vanilla
Place butter and brown sugars in pan over medium heat. Bring to boil for approximately 2 minutes. Add milk. Stir. Bring back to boil. Remove from heat. Add powdered sugar and vanilla. Beat with spoon until smooth. Ice cake layers immediately.
On a side note, I also took Benny to the vet for his yearly exam, rabies shot, new medicines, haircut and bath, and to get his nails clipped. $215 later, I got him back. Thank God I don't have to take him back again for all that for a while! It really adds up!
Well, I hope you all have had a great couple of weeks. The fertilizer business is booming since spring is right around the corner. Hopefully I'll have more time for updates soon! :)
XOXO ♥
