Such a thoughtful birthday present - I love how Boupha used different fabric patterns to make Home Sweet Hanna come to life - and who can resist that George silhouette....Love them and can't wait to find a special place to display them in our home!
Showing posts with label Birthdays. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Birthdays. Show all posts
May 6, 2011
Mar 1, 2011
Old Fashioned Birthday Cake
Today is my Dad's Birthday...and Justin Biebers...more on that later...
To celebrate we are having dinner at The Hanna House - mom is making her signature lasagna and I am in charge of the cake. Dad's favorite is Chocolate - so when assigned to cake duty, my mind immediately went to this incredible looking old fashioned cake recipe from Ina....Beatty's Chocolate Cake...
The recipe was easy (labeled as intermediate) but time intensive. The big cake cutting is tonight and I will report back on the final product - I must say that the Chocolate Buttercream icing is possibly the best thing I have tasted in 2011 - the secret is the coffee flavoring - it adds tons of depth to the flavor and intensifies the buttery chocolate goodness...
Notes:
- I did not have instant coffee powder for the icing - so used my coffee grinder to grind the beans extra fine and added only about 1/2 of a tablespoon (as opposed to the recipes full tablespoon) to the hot tap water
- Of course I assumed that I had plenty of semi sweet chocolate left over from Oreo cake I made for my brother's Bon Voyage party (see post here) - but only had 4 oz instead of the 6 ounces required for the frosting - as a substitute I added two teaspoons of shortening, two teaspoons of coco powder, six tablespoons of sugar, and two extra tablespoons of butter (the chocolate turned out perfect - I also microwaved it and stirred every 30 seconds instead of heating on the oven over simmering water)
- A few folks commented on the frosting and indicated that there was not enough for the full cake - which made me nervous, therefore, I skimped on the middle layer - these comments are false - there is plenty of frosting for both the cake and hungry bakers/husbands to have a taste
Check out my work in progress pics below...
Will take pictures of the flaming (59 candles?!?) cake and report back on the flavor - can't wait to dig in tonight!
Now - back to Bieber Birthday Fever (he turns 17 today!) - Check out his Birthday Remix with Usher below - (on behalf of The American Cancer Society - MORE BIRTHDAYS!)
To celebrate we are having dinner at The Hanna House - mom is making her signature lasagna and I am in charge of the cake. Dad's favorite is Chocolate - so when assigned to cake duty, my mind immediately went to this incredible looking old fashioned cake recipe from Ina....Beatty's Chocolate Cake...
The recipe was easy (labeled as intermediate) but time intensive. The big cake cutting is tonight and I will report back on the final product - I must say that the Chocolate Buttercream icing is possibly the best thing I have tasted in 2011 - the secret is the coffee flavoring - it adds tons of depth to the flavor and intensifies the buttery chocolate goodness...
Notes:
- I did not have instant coffee powder for the icing - so used my coffee grinder to grind the beans extra fine and added only about 1/2 of a tablespoon (as opposed to the recipes full tablespoon) to the hot tap water
- Of course I assumed that I had plenty of semi sweet chocolate left over from Oreo cake I made for my brother's Bon Voyage party (see post here) - but only had 4 oz instead of the 6 ounces required for the frosting - as a substitute I added two teaspoons of shortening, two teaspoons of coco powder, six tablespoons of sugar, and two extra tablespoons of butter (the chocolate turned out perfect - I also microwaved it and stirred every 30 seconds instead of heating on the oven over simmering water)
- A few folks commented on the frosting and indicated that there was not enough for the full cake - which made me nervous, therefore, I skimped on the middle layer - these comments are false - there is plenty of frosting for both the cake and hungry bakers/husbands to have a taste
Check out my work in progress pics below...
 |
| Love the old fashioned homemade look of this cake |
Will take pictures of the flaming (59 candles?!?) cake and report back on the flavor - can't wait to dig in tonight!
Now - back to Bieber Birthday Fever (he turns 17 today!) - Check out his Birthday Remix with Usher below - (on behalf of The American Cancer Society - MORE BIRTHDAYS!)
Sep 27, 2010
Killer Cupcakes
To celebrate Brian's 29 years of greatness - I broke out the food coloring (a whole tube of it) and made his favorite Red Velvet Cupcakes from scratch. This was my first attempt - but they turned out bloody brilliant if I do say so myself. Just glad no one walked in while I was baking; the batter (RED RUM...RED RUM) was all over my kitchen and would have frightened anyone who mistook the spatula in my hand for a weapon. See below....
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| Finished product - complete with windmills from Pier 1 Imports |
The scene kind of reminds me of these Dexter ads -
Anyways they were easy to make and delicious - will most definitely keep this recipe (Food Network) in the file for future bdays or Murder On The Dance Floor celebrations!
Sep 24, 2010
29 Red Balloons Go By
We have a 29th Birthday today in the Hanna House - Happy Birthday Brian! I love you!
Make it a great day and I can't wait to celebrate with you tonight and this weekend! - EJ!
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