tasty cakes.....

It's been quite some time since my last post and there is much to get caught up on....

First of all - lately, it's been all about cake. Birthday Cake specifically.

1)Red Velvet - a birthday commission for Max Stone.
Source: Paula Deen's recipe from Food Network website
Pros:The only recipe i could find that called for butter over shortening (ick!)
Cons:The amount of food colouring...I purchased a gel colouring from broadway panhandler, it worked great, but man, that is one RED CAKE yo!...also, didn't rise very much...icing this bad boy takes patience, the crumb layer is key!
Moist Factor: High!...very dense..
Flavour: good...I used balsamic vinegar instead of white vinegar, the sweetness of the balsamic really brought the cocoa forward...
Frosting: Vanilla Buttercream with a little lemon juice for brightness
Make again? YES

2)ReBar Chocolate Cake - for Jana's Birthday
These folks from ReBar in Victoria BC have got it goin'on....Their vegetarian fare is so wonderful it could convert the meatiest of meateaters...the food is unique, flavourful, wholesome and well thought out....The restaurant is home to local regulars and tourists alike...the book is very descriptive, creative and suitable for any palate...it's my favourite book....buy it on Amazon!
ANYWAYS, another great reason to get this book is for the chocolate cake recipe..unreal....seriously, hands down the best I've had in a very very long time...and , I was really stoked it came from my kitchen...it was moist, rich, fudgy and chocolatey in that just sweet enough kind of way..it was a sexy cake!..the recipe calls for strong black coffee which contributes to the cake's wonderful deep colour..it was iced with a bittersweet chocolate frosting from epicurious.com which insidently was less healthy than the entire cake itself, but oh, so worth the situps...
ReBar chocolate cake.....make it, eat it, love it!

3) Banana Cake with Impromptu Dulce de Leche Frosting....
Birthday: Mine
How do you dress up a box of cake? Mashed Bananas and Buttermilk to replace the liquid is one way....it was my birthday and I didn't want to go and spend a fortune on some lame-ass cake that costs an arm and a leg so, with time being of the the essence I grabbed what I could at the bodega and made myself a cake.....ta-da!!

The cake was really tasty and for not having time to make one from scratch it did the trick and really acted as more of a vehicle for the frosting....sweet mother of god, the frosting was wicked!

Impromptu DULCE DE LECHE Frosting with Bananas and Toasted Pecans

Over Medium heat in a medium sauce pan cook 2 cans of sweetened condensed milk, stirring constantly until a light caramel colour - about 20 minutes. (it will bubble and thicken)
Remove from heat and add 2 very ripe mashed bananas, stirring well to combine
Add 3/4 cup toasted chopped pecans (I toasted mine in oven at 350 for about 10 minutes)

Allow to cool before icing cake....

It's deadly.....