Fenway Park Cake

Here is Jack's 8th birthday cake! It's by far the biggest cake I've ever made, with 7 1/2 recipes of cake (four and 1/2 yellow cake; three chocolate). I used a 5-lb. box of fondant (though not all of it made it on the cake), and in the past couple of weeks I've gone through (gulp) 14 pounds of confectioner's sugar. Not all of it was for this cake, but still.

I learned a few things in the process of making this cake, some of which should have been obvious.

1. I should have made the fondant pieces days ahead of time rather than the night before to give them time to dry. The humidity of the day made the wall/green monster droop.

2. I should not freeze my yellow cake - I forgot this lesson from Jack's 4th birthday. The chocolate cake was in perfect condition, but whether it's the beaten egg whites or the pudding in the yellow cake, it deflates in the freezer.

3. Hershey's Black Magic Cake is fabulous! It's almost the same as the Hershey's Perfectly Chocolate Chocolate Cake that I make with my changes, but it does use buttermilk instead of milk. Delicious, and comes out of the pan like a dream.

4. Homemade cake release rocks! Mix equal parts of vegetable oil, Crisco, and flour and keep in the pantry. I like to spray the cake pan first with Pam, then cover thoroughly with the cake release.

5. Here is my latest favorite buttercream. It's remarkably good, and it comes from the Magnolia Bakery:

Vanilla Buttercream

Makes enough for one 2-layer 9-inch cake or 2 dozen cupcakes

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
6 to 8 cups confectioners’ sugar
1/2 cup milk (whole is best; cream is fine but will thicken the frosting)
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Place the butter in a large mixing bowl. Add 4 cups of the sugar and then the milk and vanilla. On the medium speed of an electric mixer, beat until smooth and creamy, about 3-5 minutes. Gradually add the remaining sugar, 1 cup at a time, beating well after each addition (about 2 minutes), until the icing is thick enough to be of good spreading consistency. You may not need to add all of the sugar. If desired, add a few drops of food coloring and mix thoroughly. (Use and store the icing at room temperature because icing will set if chilled.) Icing can be stored in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

Mom's Birthday Dinner

prosciutto and melon













fusilli with bolognese













spinach sauteed with garlic oil, pan-roasted potatoes, pork braised in milk












I used recipes from Marcella Hazan's Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking. The bolognese sauce was especially wonderful - it simmers for at least three hours and marries with the pasta perfectly. The spinach was great, except the recipe calls for way too much salt. And I think we could have eaten full plates of the potatoes! The pork was a bit dry, but the pan sauce was luscious.

We ended with my mom's favorite cake - Chocolate Peanut Butter Crunch Cake. Not Italian, but so good! I actually made two so she can share some with her fellow teachers at school today.

Happy birthday, Mom!

Secret Agent Briefcase Cake

I had a hard time trying to decide what kind of cake to make for Jack's secret agent party. The day before the party, I thought of a spy briefcase and I found a few ideas online. The cake is 11X17, with one chocolate layer and one yellow cake layer. The frosting is a chocolate buttercream, and I molded the handle, clasps, grappling hook, and snorkel out of fondant that I dyed. It ended up being a very big cake, which was good because we had a lot of guests. I'm very intrigued by fondant now and I'd like to try to working with it more.

You can find the recipes for the cakes and frosting under "dessert."