Make Ahead 4 Ingredient Cranberry Sauce

This is a recipe I love. It is super easy and doesn’t require much. 4 Ingredient, 1 pot.

I am making this now, so this will be one thing less I have to do right before Thanksgiving Day. I like to have all my ducks in a row when it comes to being prepared. I have had things go wrong in the past that could have been prevented. Nonetheless I will be preparing things ahead and hoping everything works fine.

 

Remember I said 4 Ingredients: I used Fresh Cranberries. Always go for fresh if you can, frozen will work too. I used pineapple juice, but any citrus juice can be switched. Orange Juice a good substitute too. Zest of an Orange. If you have a fancy zester like mine use it. If you don’t http://www.wikihow.com/Zest-an-Orange there are three other ways.  Molasses or you can use real maple syrup.

Boiling

Look Closely the berries are splitting (you’ll hear popping noises)

Simmer until thickened

See

Note the Vibrant color. This will go nicely with the Turkey. It also goes great with a pork loin.

Allow it to completely cool before transferring to a container/ziploc bag to freeze. Unthaw the day of event, rewarm and serve.

 

Murphy’s Law and Spongebob Cake

I am almost done. I should be saying Phew!, wiping my brow and whistling to myself.  It hasn’t been the most easiest of cakes. Honestly it’s the most difficult cake I have tried with fondant over the entire cake. The heat also isn’t helping. It has been relatively cool here in South Carolina, but today was on the warm and humid side.  Hard to work with butter-cream and fondant when it is really warm.

Don’t get me started on the pineapple.  Murphy’s law which is when if something can go wrong, will go wrong (no matter how much you try to control the situation) intervened with my putting cake together fun day. My pineapple which had 5 pieces of cake piled on top of each other, shrank to 3. My bottom layer fell apart, stuck to everything including the fondant I was handling, almost ruining the fondant and the pineapple. I managed to finagle the fondant over the 3 good pieces and came up with a very… well, less grand of a pineapple. Let’s just say this would be Spongebob’s first house. Or if you have watched the show (apparently pineapples come out of a can) we got the mini can.  I have to say I managed a patchwork job on the fondant on the cake, it wasn’t giving for what I was trying to take. Stretching fondant is a pain, which Is why I need a pasta machine.  (add to my laundry list of things I need to add to my kitchen inventory)

I managed to get most of the kinks worked out, still need to put Spongebob together, and paint his face, Paint the outside of the pineapple, add Happy Birthday and hope that everything stays good overnight. Tomorrow is her party, supposedly a thunderstorm is going to be occurring, again Murphy’s Law. *AUDIBLE SIGH*  And to top it off my husband went hunting leaving me with my daughter.  No meltdowns though (not talking about my daughter) Keep thinking to myself tomorrow will be a better day. *Crosses Fingers*

 

  How does it look?

 

“Those are my flowers” Spongebob Cake Progress

So I started on the under the sea flowers for the Spongebob Birthday cake today. A lot of Tedious work. 15 of each color,. My daughter on the other hand thought they were “pretty” and that they were “hers”.  Now if only I  could keep her from touching them. I also started the leaves for the top of the pineapple portion. Although I’m not sure if they will be sturdy, hence me making them now to allow them to dry hard, and easily stand up (I hope…) I am preparing for the worst. Considering I’m stacking about 6 little cakes on top of each other for the pineapple and two of those don’t look that great after carving them. My backup plan is to get a dowel or two in order to keep the pineapple from falling.  Everyone keeps asking how or necessarily why I do so much work for a cake? Well, I truly enjoy the results that I get once it is done. It’s a special moment knowing that I made that cake for my daughter. My father used to make my cakes when I was little, so carrying on a tradition is a BIG deal.

If you have any suggestions for me, speak now or forever hold your peace. 🙂

My cakes are in the freezer, Need to get a large cake board (or make one myself), a small bottle of vodka— (no not what you were thinking it was for…) for painting on the cake….Still need to give Spongebob Legs, and Arms…His face will be one of the last things I do….

 

Hope you enjoy the progress

 

 

 

Pineapple Cake from Scratch

I found this recipe on http://www.tasteofbeirut.com/2011/02/fresh-pineapple-cake/

I have never added pineapple to my cakes. I have never even made a pineapple upside down cake. But this was wonderful. A Very simple basic cake recipe, with the add on of a pineapple reduction.

That above, was very easy. I used a Pampered Chef Pineapple cutter, Although, you still have to cut the ends off or it wont work.  Make sure to cut all the eyes and skin off. Chop into pieces, it called for 1 inch pieces but I just kind roughed it.

The reduction is similar to a SIMPLE SYRUP in the process. But you are adding a flavor: Vanilla and Pineapple and you are reducing the amount of liquid overall. When reduction is done, Save juice and pineapple in a bowl. You will be separating later. Pineapples go into the cake and the juice goes on the cake at the end.

Cake Process: Pretty much a basic cake, which can be changed anywhere in between. You could choose to add additional items to this cake on top of the Pineapple. I added Spiced Rum in the cake batter as well as the juice reduction.

Remember to Mix the Eggs and Sugar til you see this…

See the Light yellow color.

This cake was a little out of order from what I usually go for, it had you pour each item in separate, the flour goes in before the baking powder.

I mean to most people that wouldn’t seem strange, but I bake quite a bit. Usually it has you combine the flour and baking powder before adding it to the mixture. You can very well do that. I don’t suppose it makes much of a difference in the end, as long as the baking powder is distributed in the batter well.

Make sure to measure your Baking Powder, because it is a leavening agent and too much or too little can cause the cake to not rise or rise too much.

Butter, I suggest adding it while your mixer is on.

Remember to add the pineapples (no juice) just barely mixing so you don’t crush the pineapple too much.

The batter will be a bit more loose because of the pineapple and it’s juicy structure.

Grease and Flour your pan well so that your cake will come out smooth and with no hassles.  I prefer this method of greasing my pan because it never fails.

Pour Batter making sure to distribute the pineapple evenly in the pan.

Bake at desired time and temperature.  Using a toothpick inserted into the cake, if it comes out clean your cake is done. Its going to have a golden brown color.

Allow to cool in the pan on a wire rack for about 10 minutes, then take out of pan and put onto cake plate. Prick the cake with a toothpick, making holes for the pineapple reduction.  Brush on the juice with a pastry brush.

VOILA!

I let it sit awhile before I ate it.

I will be making this cake again but putting a twist on the flavor. I added rum to my cake to give a bit of extra pop. I felt that I could improve upon this cake with a coconut twist. So that will be posted in the near future.

Thanks for stopping by hope you enjoyed the look.