Chocolate Buttermilk Cake with Orange-Chocolate Sour Cream Frosting

The next cake in the cookbook was a buttermilk cake. From what I have tasted so far, it is okay, but that is what I thought about the last cake. I like the orange flavor in the chocolate frosting. I think that the combo will be great, but I will wait until tomorrow to taste it. Again the frosting was really easy to make and the texture is so smooth. I made the cakes last night, cut the layers in half (but did not separate them)and then froze them.
Next time I will split them before I freeze them because it was not the easiest task to pry the two layers apart tonight.
I finally got the layers apart and assembled my four layer cake with frosting in between each layer. Four layers of this chocolate cake might require some milk!

Post Taste Test Opinion: I got some great reviews and some people thought that last week's cake was better and some that loved the slight orange flavor. "Wonderful! I found the tangy taste from OJ and Triple Sec make this very unusual. This is even better than the last one which is quite a feat! Absolutely fabulous!"

My Opinion: I like it, but there was not enough Orange flavor for me...it was a delicious dessert but not too orange.

Why am I doing this challenge? I am not doing this challenge for the gratification that people like my baking but more for the challenge of making all the recipes in the book, developing some favorites, and proving you can eat sweets and lose weight. I do like hearing people's opinions when they start talking like a food critic...not just that it is good but more that the cake has a soft texture and the frosting is super smooth or about the sweetness or tartness.



I have decided to skip a few recipes for now to take advantage of the fresh fruit in season so the next few posts will be berries, peaches, and plums. I am having a good time just looking at the recipes in this book and pairing things up to make it easier to get in about 5 recipes per week! Hope you are enjoying the pictures.

Old Fashioned Chocolate Cake w/ Chocolate Sour Cream Frosting

One thing that is nice about a dessert cookbook is that you can knock out a few recipes for one creation. Last night's creation was old-fashioned chocolate cake and chocolate frosting.I made the cake up ahead of time so I could cool it and divide the layers. My cakes mounded in the middle so I was not able to get four flat layers, but I will try again paying more attention to how my batter is in my pans. I cut the topes of the cakes into cubes and built a chocolate cake pyramid with layers of whipped topping in between. This was my first taste of the cake at is was good...but I have had better...even from a box. Not that this was not a good cake because it is but I may add some chocolate chips or maybe infuse the cake with hot fudge or caramel.
This was my first successful attempt at making chocolate frosting (besides the jiffy just add water froting). I think watching as I put in the ingredients was half the fun.
I am using my Grandma's old mixer to do the frosting and it worked beautifully! The frosting was so creamy and spread nicely onto the cakes. I got a little taste of the frosting to see if it met my expectations. It reminds me of a creamy ganache rather than a super sugary frosting. I am excited to see what my co-workers say as they devour it.





Post Taste Test: I tried a sliver of the cake and it was really good. I got great reviews from my co-workers.
Absolutely phenomenal! It was rich but light all at the same time – almost like a mousse. I could eat it every day - thanks so much!

Very Good! Thanks and make more please.
I call this recipe combo a success. I was thinking of what I could do to make it even better!!! I thought about some fresh fruit and a dollop of whipped cream.

Creme Brulee

Let the Challenge begin! I am excited and nervous to get started...I love to cook but this challenge means adding more things to my already packed schedule and still finding time to exercise!! I am nicknaming this my 50/50 challenge...there are 50 Master recipes in the cookbook and I would like to lose 50 lbs. If I stay on track it should take me about 50 weeks to complete this challenge and I have a 50/50 chance of success in making it through the cookbook and a 50/50 chance of losing 50 lbs...enough about 50 how about the first recipe? My first recipe after my challenge began was Creme Brulee. This was not my first time using this recipe and I know it is an amazing dessert. Creme Brulee a.k.a. burnt cream looks like it would be hard to make and only something you get at a fancy restaurant, but I was surprised how easy the recipe is and how great it tastes. This recipe involves a vanilla bean which I have never worked with before and realized that they were pretty expensive. I have a mini flame torch for carmelizing sugar on top of the thick custard, but I have also used the broiler in my over and a "big boy" torch at my cousin Mike's house! I must say that the "big boy" torch was the most fun but the small specialized torch was a good compromise of fun with a flame (I am a bit of a fire bug) and a good carmelized effect. I like the crunch on top of the dessert followed by the thick texture of the custard. mmmm mmmm mmmm...the only downside is that this recipe amounts to about 1000 calories per 1 cup ramekin. It is so easy to make, but I will need to save this recipe for special people or special occasions.

Caprial's Desserts Vs. The Bulge

Over a year ago, I mentioned to a co-worker that I wanted to cook every recipe in one of my finest cookbooks...and then I didn't do it. And now it looks like I am copying the Julie/Julia project.

The Challenge: I will lose 50 lbs before I can cook my way through my Caprial's Desserts cookbook. I will blog about every recipe. There are 50 master recipes and approximately 254 (I will double check this tonight) total recipes and I will attempt to complete approx 5 recipes per week. I will try all of my creations but hopefully many of you will enjoy this amazing cookbook as well.

Stay tuned!!

Class Reunion

I survived my class reunion a few weeks ago in Warden. I did fairly well golfing (for me, that is)on Friday afternoon and though Beky and I were hurrying to get everything done and get out to the Potholes in time to greet everyone. Everything turned out fine! We had 34 total people come and we got in some good visiting before dinner was served. People seemed to enjoy the slideshow I made and EJ did his Michael Jackson impersonation. I went to the Saucy Hog with some classmates when we all left the reunion...some drinking, some dancing, listening to music and catching up with more people I hadn't seen in years...including my sister who I did not recognize at first.
We all made it home safely and to the BBQ the next day. I did not get any pictures but I know some people did! I will post some after i get some. The last few weeks have been particularly busy at church and work. I also went down to Maryhill Museum to see an Ansel Adams Exhibit and climbed to the top of Beacon Rock.

Last weekend I went to the Moxee Hopfest...a new adventure that was a fun night but also a bit relaxing! I met some new people and got to know more about other friends.

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We are out at Coney Island. We got a glimpse of the volleyball tourney and are heading toward the carnival.

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Amateur Night was a little surreal and really amazing! There were some great Michael Jackson dancers and quite a few good singers. We had great seats and were surroinded by friends and family of people up on stage. Capone was the MC and did mini comic routines in between acts. We survived Harlem and we are going to tackle Central Park and Fifth Avenue today.