Girl's Night Out!

Friday, February 17th, 2012- GIRL'S NIGHT OUT CUPCAKE CLASS

Cakes by Lauren

Out of all the classes that I offer, Girl's Night Out classes tend to be most popular with adults....hmmm, I wonder why....  Just recently we had a GNO (Girl's Night Out) cupcake decorating class.  Each lady received the cupcakes of their choice. 

Choices included:
cupcakes- dark chocolate red wine, basic white
filling- strawberry Marsala, white Zinfandel cream
frosting- white chocolate/cream cheese

Both cupcakes were made with a box mix (Duncan Hines), obviously white cake mix for the white and the dark chocolate was made from the box as well with a few tweaks. 

Dark Chocolate Red Wine Cupcakes
-1 Duncan Hines Dark Chocolate Fudge Cake Mix

photo courtesy of alibaba.com

-1 cup favorite strong-bodied red wine (I used Shiraz for its spicier, fuller notes)
-1/3 cup water
-1/2 cup vegetable oil
-3 eggs

Mix ingredients according to box recipe (including the red wine with the water) and bake at appropriate times and temperatures for your mix.

The fillings were easy as well. 

Strawberry Marsala Filling
-1 lb strawberries, diced into small pieces
-1/8 cup sugar
-1/8 cup Marsala wine

Combine and allow all ingredients to macerate (marinate) in the refrigerator at least 3 hours or overnight.

Zinfandel Cream Filling
 -1 cup heavy whipping cream
-1/4 cup Zinfandel jelly

Whip cream with a mixer, when soft peaks form, add jelly 1 tablespoon at a time until all jelly has been used and peaks have become stiff.

Cakes by Lauren

Try all of these recipes out at home and you too can have your own Girl's Night Out!

Customer Appreciation:
Due to the substantial amount of cake orders received in February, I am offering my customers, who have ordered anything this month, a free box of gourmet cupcakes in March. I truly appreciate all of your business, and believe that great customers should be rewarded for their loyalty. Message me for more details.  CakesbyLaurenW@yahoo.com
THANK YOU!

Grandma was right...

With the vast variety of products in stores these days, it can be tempting to want to try a new ingredient for foodies, like myself.  So, when I found myself down the baking isle of a gourmet food store, my brain went into overdrive trying to figure out what I could use tapioca flour for, and agave nectar, etc, etc. 
Unfortunately, when it comes to baking though, Grandma was right, STICK TO THE RECIPE.  I learned very quickly that 100% whole wheat whole grain flour does not work for my fluffy white cake recipe.  YUK.  Hopefully you have not had to experience cake as dense as a rock and as tasteless as cardboard, but if you have, you should know by now to use the proper flour.

photo courtesy of freeshipping.org

What's the difference anyway?  Cake flour, bread flour, all-purpose flour, pastry flour, self-rising?  You would think they would be interchangeable, but everything from cookies to cream puffs requires a certain amount of gluten within their flour mixture in order to create the appropriate texture for the dish.  Therefore, the biggest difference you'll find is the gluten content, and gluten determines texture.  The more gluten, the chewier the texture, the less gluten, the softer your pastry will be.

So, to ease some baking anxiety, I have created a little list to ensure you that flours are indeed different and shouldmay only be used in the recipes they are called for.

Cake flour-   used in cakes; less gluten than average flour, therefore used in cake recipes, hence the name "cake flour, to create a soft, tender cake

Bread flour- used for breads; has a high gluten content which works well with yeast to create the perfect soft and chewy bread texture that we all crave :)

All-Purpose flour; used in a variety of ways;  it is a perfect mixture of both high and low gluten contents, making it appropriate for things like cakes, cookies, biscuits, brownies, etc.

Pastry flour- used in flaky doughs and pastries such as croissants, puff pastries, pie crusts, and biscuits; has a higher gluten content than cake flour, but less than all purpose.

Self-rising flour-  used in breads, biscuits, and rolls; all-purpose flour combined with salt and baking powder; can be made at home by combining 1 cup all-purpose flour with 1 1/4 tsp baking powder and 1/4 tsp salt.

Sometimes, it's fun to try something new, but when it comes to baking, listen to Grandma and stick to the recipe to ensure the perfect texture everytime.

Create Your Own Class!

photo courtesy of SugarCraft

With the hustle and bustle of everyone's schedule now-a-days, it can be hard to find time to attend a scheduled class.  I offered many classes throughout the year in 2011 that went very well.  However, many people who had intended to attend were unable to make their preferred class due to work, school, etc.

Now, with "Create Your Own Class," you choose the class, date, and time to fit your schedule!  Great for parties, office colleagues, youth groups, and clubs!  See additional info below.

Additional Info:
Schedule class 2 weeks in advanced
Can be hosted within your own home
Min # 5 people
Max # 10 people
If you have to cancel, please cancel at least 5 days before event

Click HERE to view our lists of classes!

Any further questions, contact me at CakesbyLaurenW@yahoo.com

Hi everyone!

Welcome to my new blog!  Below is my first post and many more to come!  My name is Lauren Wacaser, proud owner of Cakes by Lauren.  I am still new to blogging, so there will be a few changes in the future once I figure things out.  For now, enjoy the site and please feel free to leave some feedback.  Thank you for support of Cakes by Lauren and stay tuned to see new posts!

Happy Baking,
Lauren Wacaser

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Bird's Nest Cupcakes!

My favorite types of edible decorations to make consist of organic and natural-looking aesthetics.  For Easter of last year, I wanted to create something that reflected the beauty of spring in a small, delicate way.  What better way than with a bird's nest atop each cupcake?

I used Martha Stewart's basic recipe of kataifi (shredded phyllo dough) bird's nest and applied them to my own delectable treats.  Don't be afraid if you can't find kataifi in your grocer's local freezer, it can easily be ordered from Amazon.com, which is exactly what I did.  The texture of kataifi is about like the texture of shredded wheat, and doesn't need to be handled as gently as regular phyllo dough.  Actually, the messier the better so that it closely mimics an actual bird's nest.

If you decide not to make 24 bird's nests, like I did, you can easily just place the shredded phyllo in a freezer safe bag and store for up to a year.

Each bird's nest is as simple as tossing the kataifi with butter & cinnamon sugar and forming into muffin tins.  Let them cool, and voila.  And of course, if you prefer mini cupcakes, just use the mini cupcakes tins and apply the same steps to the mini nests.  How cute~

Arrange cupcakes on a Spring-themed platter with green, shredded paper to mimic grass.  If you want to be even more creative, arrange on a cupcake stand to resemble nests in a tree.

Cakes by Lauren

Bird Nests recipe courtesy of marthastewart.com

Ingredients 

3 tablespoons unsalted butter

8 ounces (1/2 package) kataifi, thawed 
4 teaspoons sugar 
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, (optional) 
 Jelly beans, for serving

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Brush a 12-cup muffin tin with butter. Pull phyllo into 1-inch-thick bundles; cut bundles into 2-inch lengths. Place in a bowl; separate into a loose pile with fingers. Toss with butter, sugar, and cinnamon, if using.
2. Divide among 12 muffin cups; press into bottom and up sides. Cook until golden and crisp around the edges, 15 to 20 minutes. Let cool; fill with jelly beans.

 Try this recipe now so that when spring rolls around you'll be ready to serve these at your next event.   I know it's the middle of winter, but have I got you craving for spring?!?!