Chef Tess' Favorite Chocolate Layer Cake

Chocolate Cake. It is an icon. One thing that I've been working on the last few weeks for my regular job is perfecting some pretty amazing cake recipes.  I have one that has especially hit the mark for me and I wanted to add it here on the blog for all my regular readers to enjoy. It is pretty much the best chocolate layer cake that I've ever had by far!  It uses a little buttermilk to accent the chocolate flavor and comes together fairly easily.  Frost it with your favorite whip cream or in this case, easy buttercream frosting.  

Chef Tess' Favorite Chocolate Layer Cake

2 ½ cups (12 1/2 ounces) all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

½ teaspoon salt

¾ cup hot water

½ cup (1 1/2 ounces) Dutch-processed cocoa powder

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 cup butter, cut into 16 pieces and softened

2 cups (14 ounces) granulated sugar

2 large eggs

1 cup buttermilk, room temperature

Easy Buttercream Frosting

1 ¼ cup unsalted butter, softened

3 cups confectioners' sugar (5 ounces)

Pinch table salt

2 tsp. vanilla extract

2 Tbsp heavy cream

1. FOR THE CAKE: Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease 2 (8-inch) round cake pans with baking spray with flour. Whisk flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt together in a bowl; set aside. In the second bowl, whisk hot water, cocoa, and vanilla until smooth; set aside. 

2. Using a stand mixer fitted with a paddle, beat butter and sugar on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, and mix until incorporated. Reduce speed to low and add flour mixture in 3 additions, alternating with buttermilk in 2 additions, until combined. Slowly add cocoa mixture until incorporated.

3. Divide batter evenly between prepared pans. Bake until a toothpick inserted in center comes out with few crumbs attached, about 30 minutes. Let cakes cool completely in pans, about 1 hour. (Cooled cakes can be wrapped in plastic wrap and stored at room temperature for up to 2 days.)

4. FOR THE FROSTING: In a standing mixer fitted with whisk attachment, beat butter at medium-high speed until smooth, about 20 seconds. Add confectioners' sugar and salt; beat at medium-low speed until most of the sugar is moistened, about 45 seconds. Scrape down bowl and beat at medium speed until the mixture is fully combined, about 15 seconds; scrape bowl, add vanilla, and heavy cream, and beat at medium speed until incorporated, about 10 seconds, then increase speed to medium-high and beat until light and fluffy, about 4 minutes, scraping down bowl once or twice.

Citrus Lavender Infused Soft Sugar Cookies with Orange Buttercream

These were one of the cookies at my latest catering event and I had to share the recipe with all of you gorgeous people on the blog.  For one thing, you can never have too many cookie recipes during the holidays. For another thing, do we need another reason to have sugar cookies?! Really?!  I just thought that these little guys just added a lot of character to the dessert table and they were so simple to make!


Citrus and Lavender is probably one of my all-time favorites when it comes to flavor profiles in baking, as long as the lavender isn't so strong that it takes over the finished pastry.  The secret to these cookies is using just one drop of essential oil in the baked cookies and then adding citrus notes. If you use more than a drop, the lavender is too powerful and it takes over the cookies. When I made these for my BFF Gena's Baby Shower, she tasted them and said, "OH these are fabulous! There's just a little something that makes them soooo good but I can't place the flavor. What is it?!" ...and that is how it should be with lavender. Subtle. Sophisticated. Sexy. Are you ready for the secret recipe?

Chef Tess' Citrus Lavender Sugar Cookies

1 ½ cup butter, softened

 ¾ cup granulated sugar

1 ¼ cup brown sugar

3 large eggs

½ cup milk

1 1/2 tsp almond emulsion

1 Tbsp. lemon zest, micro grated

1 drop culinary grade lavender essential oil

4 1/2 cups Organic Grains All-Purpose Flour

½ tsp. salt

2 tsp. baking powder

Directions: Preheat oven to 375° F.  Wash and sanitize all work surfaces, utensils, and hands before handling raw flour and dough. In a mixer with a paddle attachment, cream butter and sugar until fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time.  Add emulsion, lemon, lavender, and milk. Stir well. Combine the flour mixture with the creamed butter mixture, just until combined. Scoop by rounded Tablespoon onto ungreased cookie sheet or sheet lined with parchment paper. Wash and sanitize all work surfaces, utensils and hands after handling raw flour and dough.  Bake until lightly golden, about 10-13 minutes. Allow cooling on the baking sheet about 10 minutes before transferring to another location. Store in an airtight container. Yield approx. 5 dozen cookies.  

Orange Buttercream Frosting

3 cups powdered sugar

½ cup butter, softened
1 tsp. almond extract
1 tsp. orange emulsion or 5 drops culinary grade orange essential oil
3-4 Tbsp. hot water

Directions: In a large bowl, beat remaining Frosting ingredients with electric mixer on low speed until creamy. Pipe frosting onto cookies. Top with a sprinkle of a few edible gold pearls on each cookie. 

 After they were finished decorating, I added a little flourish of edible gold spray. 

There you go! Make some amazing sugar cookies!

Always My Very Best,
Your Friend Chef Tess

Soft Sugar Cookies with Amaretto Buttercream and Apricots

This is post number 3 from the catering that I did for my sweet best friend Gena's baby shower. Gena loves soft sugar cookies with real buttercream and I had to bring these little guys along. The frosting was topped with freeze-dried chunks of apricot and then I sprinkle a few edible gold pearls on each one along with a few sliced almonds. The freeze-dried apricots gave them a fabulous tart-sweet contrast. After they were finished decorating, I added a little flourish of edible gold spray. They turned out stunning and delicious! These would be perfect for a wedding, bridal shower, or any holiday catering event this winter. 

Chef Tess'Almond Soft Sugar Cookies

1 ½ cup butter, softened

 ¾ cup granulated sugar

1 ¼ cup brown sugar

3 large eggs

½ cup milk

1 1/2 tsp almond emulsion

4 1/2 cup Organic All-Purpose Flour

½ tsp. salt

2 tsp. baking powder

Directions: Preheat oven to 375° F.  Wash and sanitize all work surfaces, utensils, and hands before handling raw flour and dough. In a mixer with a paddle attachment, cream butter and sugar until fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time.  Add vanilla and milk. Stir well. Combine the flour mixture with the creamed butter mixture, just until combined. Scoop by rounded Tablespoon onto ungreased cookie sheet or sheet lined with parchment paper. Wash and sanitize all work surfaces, utensils and hands after handling raw flour and dough.  Bake until lightly golden, about 10-13 minutes. Allow cooling on the baking sheet about 10 minutes before transferring to another location. Store in an airtight container. Yield approx. 5 dozen cookies.  

Amaretto Buttercream Frosting

3 cups powdered sugar
½ cup butter, softened
1 tsp. almond extract
3-4 Tbsp. hot water

Directions: In a large bowl, beat remaining Frosting ingredients with electric mixer on low speed until creamy. Pipe frosting onto cookies. Top with freeze-dried chunks of apricot and then I sprinkle a few edible gold pearls on each one along with a few sliced almonds. After they were finished decorating, I added a little flourish of edible gold spray. 

There you go!

Always My Very Best,

Your Friend Chef Tess

My Favorite Best Ever Homemade Cupcakes with Homemade Buttercream and White Chocolate Shards

Post number two on the baby shower food that I catered for my BFF Gena's new arrival. Cupcakes.  They can be a source of great joy at a party but sometimes they can also stress you out. If you have a great recipe, however, that doesn't have to be the case.  Recently I found a really great recipe for scratch yellow cupcakes from Here and I altered it just a bit for these baby shower cupcakes, but they turned out amazing! You can either frost them with fresh whip cream or the buttercream recipe below. Either way, they're killer perfect. 

 My Favorite Best Ever Yellow Cupcakes                                                                                                                                                                

2 ½ cup Texas Pure Milling All Purpose Flour
3 Tbsp. Cornstarch
1 Tbsp. baking powder
½ tsp salt
1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
3/4 cup butter 
3 eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract

1 tsp almond extract

1 Tbsp. Orange Zest (optional)
1 cup milk

Citrus Infused Buttercream Frosting
3 cups powdered sugar
½ cup butter, softened
2 teaspoons vanilla

1 tsp lemon emulsion

1 tsp. almond extract

1 tsp. orange emulsion
3-4 Tbsp. hot water

8-12 oz White Chocolate, sharded for garnish

Directions: Preheat oven to 350°F. Line 24 muffin cups with paper liners.  In a small bowl, stir together flour, cornstarch, baking powder, and salt. Beat sugar and butter in large bowl until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition; add vanilla and flavorings. Add flour mixture and milk alternately, beginning and ending with flour mixture, mixing on low speed.

Divide batter evenly into prepared cups.

 

Bake 25 to 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean (at least 170°F). Cool in pan 10 minutes; remove from baking pan to cooling rack. Cool completely.  

Frosting: In a large bowl, beat remaining Frosting ingredients with electric mixer on low speed until creamy. 

Decorating: Once cupcakes have cooled completely, pipe the frosting onto the cupcakes in a decorative swirl. Arrange shards of white chocolate on the frosting.

There you go!

Always My Very Best,

Your Friend Chef Tess

Easy 4 Ingredient Homemade Cake Fondant

Recently I taught a class on how to make rolled fondant for cakes and I wanted to share the recipes here on the blog for those who were unable to attend the class. It is really not very difficult to make and tastes a ton better than the stuff in a box, plus it costs a heck-of-a-lot less! We made two varieties, one traditional and one using marshmallows. Both were delicious! My favorite for ease and flavor was by and far the one based on marshmallows. I think a lot of people will be surprised to see how inexpensive it is to make. For around $1 a lb to make compared to up to $10 a pound pre-made and packaged. That adds up quickly when you're frosting a large cake!

My  4 Ingredient Easy Homemade Rolled Fondant

Adapted from the Cake Boss (here)

• 16 oz marshmallows, mini
• 2lb powdered sugar
• 1Tbsp corn syrup
• 2 tsp natural flavored oil or flavor extract (here)

Directions: Grease a large wooden spoon or silicon spatula with oil.  Transfer to a plastic bag and cover tightly until ready to use, allowing to rest at least 5 hours.

Melt marshmallow in microwave for about 2 minutes in a large glass bowl. Yes.  I used a microwave. It is just fast and easy. If you want to melt it on the stove, you can do that as well, but it will take about 5 minutes and you'll need to stir it constantly. 

 Add the corn syrup and flavor along with a gradual addition of the sugar, stirring until the sugar is assimilated.

 When dough becomes too stiff to knead by spoon, transfer to a well oiled counter top and knead 5 minutes until smooth. I had to add a little more oil to the surface about half way through kneading.  Some folks have been saying that this can be done by machine, but I've not found a machine strong enough to handle it for home use. The larger commercial bakery mixer will work if you have access to them. 

 

 Lightly oil the outside surface of the fondant so it doesn't stick.  Transfer to a plastic bag and cover tightly until ready to use, allowing to rest at least 5 hours.

 To cover a cake with fondant: Dust a clean pastry cloth, or a smooth, clean surface, with cornstarch and roll the fondant with a rolling pin until it is approximately 1/4 inch thick. Make sure that the fondant is large enough to fit over the top and sides of the cake. Slide both hands under the fondant and carefully center it on top of a cake that has been freshly iced with butter-cream. (The icing makes the fondant adhere to the cake.) Dust your hands with cornstarch and smooth the fondant, starting at the top and working down the sides until the entire surface is even and flat. Cut off the excess icing around the bottom of the cake with a pizza cutter or sharp knife. Decorate the cake with butter-cream or royal icing. This fondant keeps a cake fresh for two days at room temperature. Do not refrigerate a cake with fondant icing. 

Want to see how to make these fabulous roses? 

Go to the Sculpted Roses Tutorial

The next recipe is the more traditional fondant. It has some specialty ingredients like the vegetable glycerin that I had to find at a cake decorating store. You may be able to find it online also. 

Traditional Homemade Rolled Fondant
Adapted from Colette Peters, Cooking Live here
Yield:icing for 2 9-inch cake, 4 inch tall
Level:Easy

Ingredients

• 4 pounds confectioner's sugar, sifted
• ½ cup cold water
• 2 tablespoon unflavored gelatin
• 1 cup glucose (found in cake decorating stores) or white corn syrup
• 3 Tbsptablespoons glycerin (found in cake decorating stores)
• 1 teaspoon oil based desired flavoring 
• food coloring (if desired)
• Cornstarch

Directions: In a large bowl (do not use metal), sift the sugar and make a well in the center. In a small saucepan, add the water and sprinkle the gelatin on top to soften for about 5 minutes. Begin to heat the gelatin and stir until the gelatin is dissolved and clear. Do not boil. Turn off the heat and add the glucose and glycerine, stirring until well blended. Add the flavoring. Pour into the well of sugar, and mix until all of the sugar is blended. Use hands to knead icing until it becomes stiff. Add small amounts of confectioner's sugar if the mixture is sticky. Form the mixture into a ball and wrap tightly in plastic wrap. Place in an airtight container. This icing works best if allowed to rest at room temperature for about eight hours before using, particularly if the weather is humid. Do not refrigerate. 

There you go! Homemade awesome fondant! cake decorating

Always My Very Best,
Your Friend Chef Tess

Broiled Coconut Pecan Frosting...is Evil.

Are you ready for something evil? Well. This is Evil Think Tank (ETT) worthy. I made it with my kids today but usually I make it for cooking classes and glorious events of flavor and food. I dare say, it's one of the most beautiful-bad-good things I make. Have you ever had a broiled coconut pecan frosting? This is perhaps one of the most tantalizing simple frostings out there. It's a buttery caramel with a hint of rum and heavy with toasted pecans and shredded coconut. When it's put on a cake and then slid under a broiler, the most amazing thing happens. The top layer of the frosting gets toasted and caramelized in a thin layer of candy-like crunch. The creamy layer below is warmed and gooey and oozes in sweet divine rivers of joy over the edges of your cake. It's really one of my absolute favorite dessert toppings.  Use fat flake coconut or macaroon coconut depending on your taste. Today I went with macaroon. If you don't like coconut...I can't help you. Bwhaha. I'm kidding. You can try using dried fruit or more nuts. It won't be exactly the same, but it will still be awesome.

This frosting is outstanding on carrot cake, white cake or any cake in-between. I've used it on spiced mango cake and used artistically arranged thin sliced fresh pineapple on the top of the frosting...with rave reviews. Usually I put it on my homemade Chocolate Toffee Buttermilk Cake. It's perhaps one of my favorite cake mixes...and I make it from scratch. You can, if you're in a pinch, use store purchased chocolate cake mix and prepare it using buttermilk for the liquid. It won't be exactly the same, but it will work. All I know is the buttermilk cake with a hint of cayenne, tart with a subtle hot finish, is the perfect companion for sweet crunchy-gooey frosting.  I used on 10 inch layer cake. 

 Stephanie's Broiled  Coconut  Pecan frosting

6T  butter (melted) 

1/2 cup sugar

2T Molasses

1/2 tsp rum extract

1/4 cup whipping cream (unwhipped)

3/4 cup coarsly chopped pecans or almonds (toasted)

1 cup  coconut (unsweetened looks cool, but use whatever you have. Today I used macaroon coconut)

 1/4 tsp Chef Tess Wise Woman of the East Spice Blend(optional)

Directions:

Preheat oven broiler. In a bowl, combine the melted butter, sugar, molasses, and whipping cream.

Add the pecans,coconut and spice.

Spread the frosting in a thick layer on the cake. It's amazing on little cupcakes or smaller cakes as well, but take care to cover the top. This will be broiled so the cake needs to be on a metal tray that is heat safe. That's my only rule. I don't want any emails telling me you broke Great-grandma Pearl's antique cake plate by putting it under the broiler. For the record, that's not a good idea. Plus, Granny didn't give you that cake plate thinking you would be an idiot. Oh. Did I just type that out-loud? 

Let the record show, my broiler is under my oven...by the floor. I laid on my belly in my kitchen to take this picture. Be impressed (or be disturbed). You want the frosting about 6 inches from the flame. Don't put it right on the flame (why do I even have to type that?). If you have an "in oven" broiler, put the rack in your oven as close to the top of the oven as possible without the heating element actually touching the cake. Not only would that be messy, it would also be daggum near hilarious...for me to watch. Um...just watch the cake. 

It takes 3-5 minutes depending how close it is to the broiler. What ends up happening? The top gets crispy and toasted caramel while just below the crust...a  layer of buttery coconut and pecans goo. 

We usually drizzle a little chocolate sauce over the top. Because it's just evil enough to push it over the edge to insanely-evil. 

Oh...and if you want to just pass out...add a sprinkle of sea salt. Mercy.

There you go. Make some fabulous Broiled Coconut Frosting. I'm certain you'll either love me or hate me for sharing it...but I'm thinking you'll love me, kiss me...lick the computer screen. Just don't embarrass yourself...too much. Xoxo! 

Always My Very Best,
Your Friend Chef Tess