No, not cake-bacon week….though that does sound intriguing.

My brother-in-law is getting married this Saturday, so the time has finally come for me to bake that wedding cake I’ve been talking about. We’re heading up there the evening before, so I need to have the cake finished a whole day early. So, pretty much this entire week has been and will continue to be consumed with activities related to cake-baking!

Yesterday, I spent most of my time taking care of tons of housework that I know I won’t have time for later in the week. I also needed to start prepping for the baking by getting everything in order. Here’s my list of solely cake related to-do’s for yesterday:

1. clean out fridge to make room for two large cakes and a vat of frosting
2. take all cake-baking paraphernalia out of wrappings
3. calculate how much I need of each ingredient for the whole shebang
4. clean and cover my prep table so cats don’t get fur on it
5. shop for any remaining ingredients needed
6. test fondant dyes on scraps of old fondant
7. locate and set out all baking tools

That was a lot of work.

Today’s assignment was to make a triple batch of the buttercream icing. I managed to snap a few photos of the process…

Kitchen is absolutely covered in powdered sugar!

Here it is resting in the fridge. I’ll take it out first thing in the morning before I start baking so it has time to soften up again.

So, tomorrow is the day that will require the most work. I’ll be baking cake layers starting immediately after breakfast until whenever I’m done. I’m hoping I can get them all baked, cooled, and assembled in one day. I’ve gotta hurry and get the buttercream on them so that they don’t start getting stale.

What is the most delicious dessert you’ve ever eaten?

April 12, 2011 Alayna Discussion 13 comments

Today was a day of preparations.

First off, I spent this afternoon shopping for the supplies I’ll need to bake a wedding cake for my brother-in-law and his fiance.

I’ve talked about this on the blog before, albeit a very long time ago, so it may be news to many of you that I’m baking a wedding cake soon.

I actually love baking, though I don’t do it that much anymore. There was once a time not too long ago that I was trying to get into culinary school to study baking and patisserie. I ended up not going, mostly because it was really expensive and I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do with that education.

So, I’m pretty jazzed to get to make this cake for Kevin and Ashley’s wedding. I’ve tested the cake recipe and buttercream before, so all that’s really left to do is a color test on the fondant to get it the right shades and I’ll be ready. I’ll definitely be sure to chronicle my cake baking adventures next month when the big day comes!

Next up, I made sure everything I need for the Tour Decatur 5K tomorrow was washed and ready.

Brand new athletic socks are a rare joy! 😉

The Garmin is fully charged, and after several months of ownership I have finally broken in my running shoes to where they don’t feel like two styrofoam bricks on my feet!

I’m not bringing an iPod this time because music tends to distract me. I’ll just listen to the sweet music of my ragged breathing instead.

I also mixed together a batch of muesli which I will be partaking in for breakfast before the race.

I layered toasted sesame, raw pumpkin seeds, toasted buckwheat, rolled oats, oat bran, flax meal, chia seeds, dried cranberries, golden raisins, desiccated coconut, and goji berries. All I have to do in the morning is shake it up and eat a few spoonfuls with almond milk and fresh blueberries for a filling and nutritious breakfast.

So, all that was left to do tonight was load up on carbs!

I like to buy pre-made whole wheat pizza dough from my local farmer’s market and roll it out myself. This one got topped with red pepper flake, pepperoncinis, roasted red peppers, prosciutto, and mozzarella cheese. Delish!

I checked the weather and saw that it’s gonna be a tad bit chill and possibly raining in the morning!

Hopefully my cheerful water bottle will chase away the rain.

I smile every time I look at it!

I’ve been hydrating like it’s my job today so that I don’t bonk in the morning.

So, everything seems to be as in order as it can be for tomorrow. It calms me down to have all my ducks in a row.

Wish me luck on my race! (And luck that it doesn’t pour down rain!)

March 25, 2011 Alayna Discussion, Fitness 6 comments

Being trapped in the house and bored for most of the day tends to lead this girl to baking something.

I’ve had this recipe bookmarked for a while and thought I’d give it a shot since I had everything to make it on hand. I’m kind of on a green tea kick right now too, so it sounded delicious.

You start like many other cake recipes by creaming together the butter and sugar.

Then adding the eggs one at a time, followed by the vanilla extract.

From here on alternate adding the sour cream (I used plain yogurt instead) and the dry ingredients (pre-mixed together) until everything is included.

Then separate out half of the batter into another bowl. I added matcha to one and the last dregs of cocoa powder I had left to the other.

Butter and flour a loaf pan. Alternate adding layers of one batter, then the other, and smooth out on top.

I used a chopstick to swirl the top of the batter hoping for a marbled affect in the finished loaf.

Oooo…after 55 minutes at 350 degrees it came out golden and rounded and smelling sweetly of fresh green tea.

You can see the two colors peeking out of the crispy crack in the loaf.

I didn’t get much of the marbling I was hoping for, but the undulating layers of springy green and warming cocoa were still beautiful together.

It’s really tender and not overly sweet. Moist but not damp or oily. A perfect cake to have as a snack or tea accompaniment.

I officially have too many sweets in the house now, with this cake and a plastic container full of green tea dorayaki.

Somehow though, with threats of ice on the roads until Friday, I think there may be even more baking in my immediate future.

January 11, 2011 Alayna Discussion 2 comments