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Monday, February 27, 2012
LET EM' EAT HEART CAKE

"Let them eat cake"....allegedly stated by the original queen of decadence Marie Antoinette and we aboslutely agree.....especially this Heart Cake from I am Baker. Though this tutorial is for a cake and frosting from "scratch"you can certainly use a box cake and frosting.....but if you are going to go thru the trouble to make it , this recipe is definitely worth it.
For the full original "step-by-step" tutorial please go to I am Baker and just in case you can't see the original we have included the recipe below and don't forget out popular "Rainbow Cake " Tutorial.






















Red Velvet Cake (adapted from a recipe from Magnolia Bakery)
*Baker modified this recipe by using: 2 sticks of butter, 2 eggs and 2 egg yolks, 2 tablespoons of food color, and apple cider vinegar. You want a more dense cake because you are using it in the center of the heart cake and need to make sure it is sturdy enough.

{INGREDIENTS}
  • 3 1/3 cups cake flour (not self-rising)
  • 3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
  • 2 1/4 cups sugar
  • 3 large eggs, at room temperature
  • 6 tablespoons red food coloring
  • 3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
  • 1 1/2 cups buttermilk
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons cider vinegar
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

{TO MAKE THE CAKE}
  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  2. Grease and lightly flour three 9 x 2-inch round cake pans, then line the bottoms with waxed paper.
  3. In a small bowl, sift the cake flour and set aside. In a large bowl, on the medium speed of an electric mixer, cream the butter and sugar until very light and fluffy, about 5 minutes.
  4. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
  5. In a small bowl, whisk together the red food coloring, cocoa, and vanilla.
  6. Add to the batter and beat well.
  7. In a measuring cup, stir the salt into the buttermilk.
  8. Add to the batter in three parts, alternating with the flour.
  9. With each addition, beat until the ingredients are incorporated, but do not overheat.
  10. In a small bowl, stir together the cider vinegar and baking soda.
  11. Add to the batter and mix well.
  12. Using a rubber spatula, scrape down the batter in the bowl, making sure the ingredients are well blended and the batter is smooth.
  13. Divide the batter among the prepared pans.
  14. Bake for 30-40 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. Let the layers cool in the pans for 1 hour. Remove from the pans and cool completely on a wire rack

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White Cake (adapted from a recipe from Food Network)

{INGREDIENTS}
  • 1 1/2 cups self-rising flour
  • 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
  • 2 cups sugar
  • 4 large eggs, at room temperature
  • 1 cup milk
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
{TO MAKE THE CAKE}
  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
  2. In a small bowl, combine the flours. Set aside.
  3. In a large bowl, on the medium speed of an electric mixer, cream the butter until smooth.
  4. Add the sugar gradually and beat until fluffy, about 3 minutes.
  5. Add the eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition.
  6. Add the dry ingredients in 3 parts, alternating with the milk and vanilla.
  7. With each addition, beat until the ingredients are incorporated but do not over beat.
  8. Using a rubber spatula, scrape down the batter in the bowl to make sure the ingredients are well blended.
  9. Carefully spoon the batter into cake pan.
  10. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes (for round cake), or until a cake tester inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.

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Vanilla Buttercream Frosting (adapted from a recipe from Magnolia Bakery)

*Baker modified the recipeby adding a little almond extract, and it seems that 1 tsp. is the perfect amount! And be sure to use CLEAR vanilla extract to get a white frosting.
Makes enough for one 2-layer 9-inch cake or 2 dozen cupcakes*



{INGREDIENTS}
  • 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
  • 6 to 8 cups confectioners’ sugar
  • 1/2 cup milk
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract


{TO MAKE FROSTING}
  1. Place the butter in a large mixing bowl.
  2. Add 4 cups of the sugar and then the milk and vanilla.
  3. On the medium speed of an electric mixer, beat until smooth and creamy, about 3-5 minutes. Gradually add the remaining sugar, 1 cup at a time, beating well after each addition (about 2 minutes), until the icing is thick enough to be of good spreading consistency.
  4. You may not need to add all of the sugar. If desired, add a few drops of food coloring and mix thoroughly.

(Use and store the icing at room temperature because icing will set if chilled.)
Icing can be stored in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

 

recipes and photos courtesy of I Am Baker

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Monday, February 13, 2012
Sunday, February 5, 2012
STOREFRONT:CRAFT LAUNCH

The latest kid on the block is Craft Launch , an online site that allows the owners of handmade and vintage businesses to easily build custom, professional websites...basically allowing an Etsy shopkeeper the ability to "tie in" their Etsy shop,giving it an "Storefront" appearance. I gotta say, its about time someone thought of this.
Once you sign up, CraftLaunch will take your latest Etsy listings and put them into your website so visitors can view them. When a customer clicks “buy” , it will then take them to checkout on Etsy. That means you do not have to manage two sets of inventory or checkout processes, and you only have to post and pay for your listings once.
There is a month $15 (pay-as-you-go) fee to use the service, but they are currently offering a 15 day free trial ( with no credit card required) to see if you would like the site.With the monthly fee you can get a variety of services ( google analytic's, unlimited Etsy products, social network linking, unlimited pages and etc) but there is an additional fee per month to use your custom domain. If you choose not to add that they your domain will be your site name.craftlaunch.com.
If you have finally decided to have your own website from Etsy, but your are "budget" conscious or don't know where to start(html, shopping cart, etc), this is a good first step. It allows you to "get your feet wet" and find out if your business is ready to sustain itself


PROS: Easy to use integration and automatic website updates when you add new listings to your shop. Great start for "1st time" website launcher.
CONS: Limited features, if you are looking to do more with your website, this is not the site for you.Also, if a customer is not an Etsy Member, they will still need to join Etsy just to buy fro your site and that may alienate customers who want your product, but dont want to take the time to join another website.

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