Sunshine and Vanilla

I've been feeling restless because my assistant hasn't been baking as often as she--and certainly I--would like. But just before I started feeling all pouty and insecure (why, oh why, is she neglecting me?), she made a trip home out of the San Francisco midsummer fog to sunny Los Angeles and felt compelled to whip up a light, fruit-topped cake to share with her loved ones.

Some summertime sunshine and two hungry, younger cousins--Nathan and Alan (whom she's happily baked for before)--were all it took to get my assistant back into the kitchen and me happily back to work.

Presenting...the light, the refreshing Vanilla Summer:
Chiffon-like vanilla cake topped with rich, french vanilla pastry cream, a border of vanilla-infused whipped cream swirls, fresh strawberry halves, and juicy mandarin orange slices--this cake was as light and refreshing as a cool breeze on a hot summer day.
A perfect picnic dessert...
And it's not bad to look at either.

Nathan and Alan, I sure hope you enjoyed this cake made especially for you! From what I saw (second, third, and fourth helpings), it sure seemed like you did ;)

Rum Cake: Makeover Edition

Rum cake and the delicate orchid -- an unlikely pairing, right? This odd couple makes for quite the photoshoot, however! When one thinks of rum cake, this probably comes to mind: a bundt whose plain and unpretentious appearance serves as a perfect cover for a big wallop of boozy, buttery flavor. Well, whoever said that rum cakes couldn't be pretty too? Throw in some berries, buttercream, and a vase of fresh orchids, and take this popular classic from pirate ship to runway.
Here we have a single-layer rum buttercake with vanilla rum buttercream frosting florets, fresh strawberry halves, and a vanilla rum custard center.
Now here's an almost identical rum cake, but with a dusting of powdered sugar instead of a vanilla rum center.
Ah, throw in some fresh flowers for added color and pizazz.
And here they are, side by side. Don't be fooled by their sweet exteriors -- these dolls pack a rummy punch!

Baby Got Bundt!

It's been a long time since my assistant and I have whipped up one of these bad boys -- the cake that started it all. Well, this serves as a reminder of our pledge to bring bundt back (and we can't believe that that pledge was made over six months ago...time flies when you're baking up a storm!) We whipped up our favorite bundt of the all -- the classic Boozy Bundt.
A golden rum cake with crunchy chopped walnuts baked into the top, drizzled with a buttery rum glaze. Just keepin' it simple...and keepin' it boozy.
There it is, plain and simple.
Cheers to the old-fashioned, the homemade, and the utterly delicious!

Congrats, Grads!

'Tis the season for caps, gowns, tassles, and bittersweet goodbyes. While it's a little early for most high school graduations, a lot of college graduations are well underway, and students are reflecting on everything from painful all-nighters pulled and gallons of coffee downed during finals weeks to wild parties, greasy late night food runs, and good times shared with great friends. Some may get misty-eyed as the think about all the things they'll miss about their alma maters, while others are boldly looking forward, ready to dive into the next big adventure known as "the real world." Well, whatever your feelings are, congrats, grads! You've much to be proud of.

I was honored when Max requested two cakes to bring to a family dinner in celebration of his brother's college graduation. Max was a fan of the Lycheetini cake he had gotten before, so I added a strawberry twist on an old favorite for a Strawberry Lycheetini cake -- a truly refreshing way to ignore the fog that hovers menacingly over San Francisco and celebrate the fact that summertime is that much closer:
Here we have a fluffy yellow cake infused with Soho lychee liqueur, a filling of Grey Goose vodka-soaked strawberry slices as filling, and an airy Soho buttercream frosting to really bring out the lychee flavors. The cake is topped with fresh strawberry halves, whole lychee pieces, and is held together by golden pirouette cookies filled with sweet strawberry cream.

And because Max's brother--the guest of honor--likes the sophisticated chocolate-orange flavor combination, I whipped up a spiked Cocoa Clementine cake:
This is a rich bourbon chocolate cake made with Maker's Mark poured generously into the batter, a filling of juicy mandarin orange slices, and a Grand Marnier buttercream border piped around both layers of the cake. The Cocoa Clementine is topped with a whirl of orange slices and a blushing fresh strawberry for added flair.

Here's a view of the side:
and a close-up of the top:
Thank you, Max! I hope you and your family enjoyed the cakes. And please wish your brother a hearty "Congratulations!" from Carrie Cakeaway and her very enthused assistant.

Cups and cakes

As much as I love strawberries, I am absolutely thrilled that it's cherry season--and I'm certainly not alone! Whether it's their glorious ruby hue, the crisp snap that you experience at first bite, or the juicy combination of sweet and tart, there's something about cherries that makes it worth the minor nuisance of dealing with the pits and the risk of cherry juice stains on white fabric.

When Quetzal ordered two batches of cupcakes for a dual birthday celebration with her friend, I practically leaped at the opportunity to use fresh cherries as garnish. Fortunately, one of the requests was for a batch of bourbony Manhattan cupcakes, and what Manhattan is complete without a cherry? Move over, maraschinos, these beauts are fresh off the tree, so much tastier, and free of your scary neon red hue.
Here we have buttery bourbon vanilla cupcakes with bourbon buttercream frosting--both infused with Maker's Mark--topped with a fresh whole cherry, stems and all. Let's take a closer look, shall we?
The second was a batch of fudgy, coffee-infused Mudslide cupcakes:
Because bourbon was the liquor of choice among both the birthday guy and gal, I replaced the vodka in my usual Mudslide recipe with bourbon. These were dark chocolate coffee cupcakes with Maker's Mark and Kahlua in the batter, swirled with Bailey's buttercream frosting, and topped with chocolate pirouette cookie "straws" or chocolate sprinkles.

And as for leftovers, here are a pair of unadorned Manhattan and Mudslide cupcakes, sitting side by side.
Talk about a match made in cupcake paradise!
Thanks, Quetzal! I hope you and your friend had a very sweet birthday celebration!

Oh My Darling, Clementine

"Cuties," what a perfectly suitable marketing name for the California Clementine. As if the name "Clementine" wasn't adorable enough on its own, right? Cuties California Clementines--now that's a mouthful and a cute overload, but quite frankly, I don't mind a bit!

I was thrilled when Stephanie requested a birthday cake with which to surprise her boyfriend, Mitchell, giving me free reign to bake as I wished, so long as it included Clementine oranges, which he loves. Since Clementines are a variety of mandarin orange, I made sure to include mandarins aplenty in this cake, which I've lovingly named, "My Darling Clementine."
Two buttery bourbon vanilla cake layers sandwich a generous filling of mandarin orange slices before being frosted with a light Grand Marnier buttercream. Mandarin slices are arranged on top inside a border of Grand Marnier buttercream stars, and crushed vanilla pirouette cookies add a touch of crispiness. Lots of bourbon. Lots of orange. Lots of vanilla. And a whole lot of yum.
Steph and Mitchell, I hope you both enjoyed your Darling Clementine (and that Mitchell had a very happy birthday!)

So what is up with this trend of making overly cutesy cakes for male recipients (as seen here, here, and here)? I don't have a clue, much less an explanation. Bear with me, fellas! Macho cakes are a work in progress.

Where the Heart is

My assistant went home for the weekend to visit her family, and naturally, I followed her there. A perk to being imaginary: I can go wherever she takes me, sans plane ticket. It was warm and sunny in Los Angeles, and she had a promise to keep.

A couple of months ago, her two adorable younger cousins, Nathan and Alan, were ooh-ing and ah-ing over the cakes displayed on this blog. Over the phone, she promised them that she'd whip something up for them the next time she flew down to visit. Now, it was time to fulfill that promise, and being cake-related, of course I was there to inspire.

Alan had specifically asked for something chocolatey (and who can blame him?), while Nathan has been a cheesecake fan for as long as my assistant can remember. This was going to easy. Chocolate cheesecake, done. But when my assistant opened the fridge to grab ingredients, guess what she saw? A huge box of ripe, ruby red strawberries. We. Can. Never. Resist. Strawberries.

And as a result...
Some very girly-looking cupcakes for some very boyish boys. They didn't seem to mind though (whew!).
What we have here are some classic chocolate cupcakes (boozeless, of course! Apologies to anyone looking for a cocktail cake concoction. Next post!) topped with strawberry cream cheese frosting and a fresh, juicy strawberry half.
Here they are sitting prettily in my assistant's precious cupcake tray that she hasn't used since she moved to the Bay Area. Too bad she couldn't fit it in her carry-on.

And for the grown-ups with less of a sweet tooth, we whipped up some chocolate bundtlets with just a sprinkling of powdered sugar and a tiny strawberry whole:
Voila and
Tada and
There.

Nathan and Alan, I'm so glad you enjoyed the cupcakes. Pace yourselves, boys!