Two Egg Birthday Cake Recipe

Baking my own Birthday Cake

Danielle was sad that I didn't have a birthday cake so I wanted to make one with what I had on hand. We had regular flour, sugar, 2 eggs, half a pound of butter.... nothing really stellar. I figured I'd make a basic yellow cake with a butter cream frosting. If I could make it out of only 2 eggs and 2 sticks of butter.

I did find some odd ingredients in the pantry - orange extract and a tube of marzipan. Probably left over from a Christmas baking project that I never completed. My favorite cake of my entire life was my wedding cake. We had a light white cake with Grand Marnier cream filling, coated in marzipan. Heaven! I decided to improvise a kid-friendly version of that cake with the available ingredients.

I made an orange cake with an almond buttercream filling. Needing to save 1 stick of butter for the frosting I cut the butter in the original cake recipe in half.The marzipan filling was very sweet and dense so I frosted with it DreamWhip since it was in the cupboard. Here's how it came out!

  

Old Fashioned Orange Cake

1 1/2 cup sugar

1 stick butter or margarine

 2 eggs

2 1/2 cups flour

3 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup milk

1 teaspoon vanilla flavoring

1 teaspoon orange flavoring

Cream sugar and butter together. Add eggs. Sift together dry ingredients. Add dry ingredients alternately with milk (add flavorings to milk). Then mix until smooth and creamy.

Cook in two 9" greased and floured pans or spray pans with Pam. Bake in 350

degrees F. oven for 20 to 25 minutes. Cool slightly before removing from pans.

Marzipan Buttercream Frosting

1/2 - 1 package almond paste (marzipan), grated

1 stick (8 tablespoons) soft butter

(1 tsp almond extract if using less marzipan)

3 cups confectioners sugar

2 tablespoons hot water

Add grated Marzipan and butter into a medium bowl. Beat on low until combined. Turn speed to high and beat into a smooth paste.

Add sugar and hot water. Beat on low until combined. Turn mixer to high and beat until smooth. If frosting is too stiff, add one teaspoon of hot water at a time until desired spreading consistency is reached.

DreamWhip Quick Cake Frosting

1 package Dream Whipackage Dream Whi

1 1/3 cups cold milk1 1/2 cups cold milk

 1 package vanilla instant pudding and pie filling mix1 package sugar free chocolate fudge pudding and pie filling mix

Added To Shopping List!

1. Beat all ingredients until moistened.
2. Beat frosting on high 4-5 minutes until soft peaks form.
3. Frost cooled dream whip cake.
4. Refrigerate leftovers. 

Not your average party...the Divorce Party

Divorce Party

I'm in NO WAY celebrating divorce. Personally, I have been happily married for well over 2 decades. However, I acknowledge that in some relationships divorce is the best solution for everyone involved.

I recently decided to throw a divorce party for a friend; not to trash her ex or focus on the past, but to help her transition into her new life and to celebrate her independence. Her friends all wanted to show their love and support, knowing that this was a difficult period in her life.

We didn't give her wedding shower-type gifts. Having been separated for more than a year she had already replaced the items she'd left with her ex - wine glasses, toaster oven, etc.

No, we did not give her tacky or trashy gifts - although a few gag gifts were included in the fun. I gave her a copy of The Paperbag Princess, a children's book with a very strong female protagonist. In the story "a prince is kidnapped by a dangerous dragon, and the dragon's breath burns up all the clothes in the palace. The princess who loves the prince can only find a paper bag to wear when she goes to rescue her love. Cleverly tricking the dragon, she enters the cave where the prince, still beautifully dressed, is held captive. Is true love rewarded? No! He at once complains she's "a disaster" badly dressed, dirty and all messed up. She replies that he is a fine and handsome prince--but completely useless. "And, in the end, they didn't marry." I think that marriage is wonderful - but it isn't always the happy ending. The story always continues...

Decorations weren't black or maudlin. There were no voodoo dolls. This wasn't a party about burying the past, but about embracing the future. We used silly cocktail napkins with phrases like "let's party - the prince can wait" and I Dream of Jeannie themed "I don't do the master thing any more".

We served plenty of wine and a cake with the words "Just Divorced" (chocolate, naturally).  The point we wanted to make is that we all supported her as she moved forward.  She had fun and hopefully it helped during a rough time.

This may have prove that I will use any excuse to throw a party...

Running with the Bulls....a no Bull Birthday Party

Spanish Theme Party

It appears that general consensus is that I'm insane to encourage Kevin's desire to run with the bulls in Pamplona this summer. NO, I am not looking for a quick windfall from his life insurance. Quite the opposite, I know that he's in excellent shape and can outrun a dozen bulls and thousands of crazed tourists.

In honor of this plan I created a special Spanish celebration for his birthday this year. Gifts included a leather wine bota from Spain and a copy of a poster from the 1939 Pamplona Encierro. The feast ended up spread over two days because I planned too much food for two people. (The girls opted for pizza). Night one was a  traditional lamb stew from the Navarre region of Spain served with yellow rice.  The next night we had a variety of  tapas and Spanish wines. I bought the wines at Whole Foods for less than $10 a bottle. The Protocolo was on sale for $5.99!  I'm sure they might have cost less elsewhere, but I was there picking up the rest of the exotic ingredients. We didn't drink 2 full botttles of wine, but I needed both red and white for the stew. Follow the links to read reviews of each.

Tapas Menu

• Manchego Cheese & bread

• Iberian Acorn ham and melon

• Marcona almonds, olives & marinated artichokes

• Spanish omelet & more bread

• Protocolo Vino de la tierra de castillo 2009 (red)

• Vega Sindoa 2010 (white blend)

Kevin asked for one of his favorite desserts, Individual Pear Gingerbreads. A dessert he claims "has grown near-mythic" in his memory. Not too much pressure there! Unfortunately he's been on a healthy eating kick for 5 years and anything that contains 1 1/2 sticks of butter hasn't been in my recent repertoire. I couldn't find my original recipe so I had to improvise based on my memories and some on-line recipes.

Upside-Down Individual Pear Gingerbread Recipe

1/2 stick (1/4 cup) unsalted butter
3/4 cup packed light brown sugar

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon salt
3-4 Tablespoons crystallized ginger, minced
1 cup molasses (preferably mild)
1 cup boiling water
1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1 large egg, lightly beaten
2-3 firm pears, diced

Melt 1/2 stick of butter and 3/4 cup of packed brown sugar together. Pour into 6 individual ramekins. Preheat oven to 350°F.

Sift together flour, baking soda, ginger and salt in a bowl. Whisk molasses and boiling water in another small bowl. Next, beat remaining stick of butter, 1/2 cup of packed brown sugar and egg until creamy. Combine with flour mixture and molasses. Stir in diced pears and candied ginger.

Pour batter over butter/sugar mixture in ramekins. Bake 20-30 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool slightly. Invert ramekin onto a plate to serve. Garnish with whipped cream and more crystallized ginger.

It's a little risky cooking food you've never eaten, but both of these dishes tasted delicious. I can't, however, vouch for their authenticity.

Spanish Omelet Recipe

• 1/2 pint of olive oil
• 5 medium potatoes, peeled & sliced
• 1/2 yellow onion, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 5 eggs
• Salt

Heat the olive oil in a nonstick skillet and add the potato slices. Cook, turning occasionally, over medium heat for 5 minutes. Add the onions and garlic and cook until the potatoes are tender. Drain, leaving about 3 tablespoons of oil in the skillet.

Whisk the eggs with a pinch of salt. Add the potatoes, and stir to coat with the egg. Add the egg-coated potatoes to the hot oil in the skillet, spreading them evenly to cover the base of the skillet. Lower the heat to medium and continue to cook, until mixture is set. Don't stir!

Use a plate to cover the skillet and invert the omelet on to the plate Slide the omelet back into the skillet on its uncooked side. Cook until completely set. Allow the omelet to cool, and then cut it into wedges.

Potatoes,onions and garlic cooking for the Spanish Omelet

 "A San Fermín pedimos, por ser nuestro patrón, nos guíe en el encierro dándonos su bendición"

Spanish Lamb Stew Recipe

1 tablespoon EVOO
2-3 pounds lamb shoulder (diced)
1 cup onions (diced)
4 garlic cloves (minced)
4 ounces Serrano ham or Prosciutto if you can't find the ham (sliced)
1 cup fire roasted red peppers (chopped)
1 cup dry sherry
1 cup red wine or ruby port wine
1 cup dry white wine
1 10-ounce can whole tomatoes
1 tablespoon Spanish Paprika, preferably picante or agridulce
1-2 cups cooked white beans, rinsed and drained if canned
1 bay leaf
2 sprigs rosemary

Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan. Add the diced lamb and brown it on all sides. Remove the lamb from the pan and set aside. Add the onions, garlic, and ham. Cook until the onions and garlic are soft. Stir occasionally to prevent sticking. Add the peppers. Deglaze the pan by adding the sherry and wines. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer the liquid until it is reduced by half. Put the lamb shoulder into the pan. Add canned tomatoes, Spanish Paprika, bay leaf, and rosemary. Simmer for three hours. Add beans during the last 10 minutes until just heated through.

The Lamb Stew served with yellow rice

Children's Mardi Gras Parade & Party

Years ago when we lived in New England and didn't have any kids I hosted a Mardi Gras party. It was very unusual in cold New England. I ordered beads and doubloons from New Orleans. I even had a King Cake Fed Exed to our house on the day of the party. We wore costumes, drank highly alcoholic hurricanes and danced.

Last year I brought back our Mardi Gras party, carefully converted for kids. No hurricanes, but we kept the beads and dancing. I made King Cakes since I was dealing with the ubiquitous egg allergy. Everyone had a great time despite a bit of rain.

We had the kids come in their leftover Halloween costumes, with bikes and scooters. We had supplies for anyone who wanted to add decorations - balloons, streamers, feathers, etc. Then the kids all paraded around our neighborhood. It worked really well for us because we could drive Amanda in the golf cart.

This year Mardi Gras is early (February 21, 2012) and I'm tempting fate by having our party in the park. For me that means no cleaning! And, unfortunately, no golf cart for Amanda so we'll be decorating her wheelchair. For my guests that may mean colder weather and nowhere to warm up. We'll see how it goes.

The party was more elaborate last year. We had a craft - decorate your own Mardi Gras mask or crown  - and a pinata. In addition to the King Cakes I made a vegetarian Jambalaya. We also gave everyone strands of beads from Dollar Tree (4 for $1).

This year I'm hoping that the playground equipment will provide enough entertainment so I won't need a craft. I'm also making it potluck so there is very little cooking involved. I've offered to provide "beads and beverages." Because I have streamers and other decorations left over from last year I estimate that I can keep the budget to about $30 - less than $1 per person!

Despite what "New Orleanians" may think, King Cake is really just a big cinnamon roll when you read the recipe. This one comes together very quickly. It is very moist, egg free and - best part for me- requires no yeast. For some reason yeast breads make me nervous.

NO EGG CINNAMON ROLL KING CAKE RECIPE

3/4 cup cottage cheese
1/3 cup buttermilk (or regular milk with 1 Tbsp vinegar or lemon juice to total 1/3 cup)
1/4 cup sugar 
4 Tbs. butter, melted
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 cups flour; more for rolling
1 Tbs. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. baking soda

For the filling:

1-1/2 Tbs. unsalted butter, melted
2/3 cup packed light brown sugar
1-1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon

For the glaze:

2/3 cup confectioners' sugar
2 to 3 Tbs. milk
1 tsp. vanilla extract

________________________________________
eat the oven to 400°F. Grease a cooking sheet.

Combine the cottage cheese, buttermilk, sugar, melted butter, and vanilla. Add the flour, baking powder, salt, and baking soda and mix until the dough clumps together. The dough will be soft and moist.

Scrape the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead it with floured hands 4 or 5 times until smooth. With a rolling pin, roll the dough into a 12x15-inch rectangle.

Brush the dough with the melted butter, leaving a narrow border unbuttered around the edges. In a medium bowl, combine the brown sugar & cinnamon. Sprinkle the mixture over the buttered area of the dough and pat gently into the surface.
 Starting at a long edge, roll up the dough jelly-roll style. Pinch the seam to seal, and leave the ends open. Bend into a ring

Bake until golden brown and firm to the touch, 20 to 28 minutes. Set the pan on a wire rack to cool for 5 minutes.

In a small bowl, mix the confectioners’ sugar, 2 Tbs. milk, and vanilla to make a smooth glaze. It should have a thick but pourable consistency, so add up to 1 Tbs. more milk if necessary. Drizzle and sprinkle with yellow, green & purple colored sugars.