Celebrating Ellie's 18th Birthday, Birthday Crafting +an Almond Cake with Raspberry Filling Recipe

Ellie turned 18 on Friday. We celebrated with a small family party. We had a potstickers for dinner as they are Ellie's favorite. We had ice cream and sprinkles as well, but we never actually got around to eating it.

After dinner she opened presents. Kohlton give her a picture on a wooden cradle frame, a red star shaped marque and a set of shelves shaped like hexigons. We gifted her with fun white and gold foil paper goods, another set of hexigon shelves and a smaller ukelele that had a bunch of great things included such as a tuning tools, extra strings, a case, a polishing cloth, etc.

Ethan also gave her a "Life" game, which we promptly played that evening. It included lots of silly actions.

As far as she knew at that point, we had a dinner plans at a nice restuarant for Saturday night. The truth is, I had been secretly planning and executing a surprise birthday party. I was pretty sure that she had figured me out and was just humoring me since she knows from personal experience how much work it is to put on a surprise party. She began asking me lots of questions about where we were going so that she could figure out what she should wear. We told her that it was not at Taco Bell and that she did not need to wear a long ball gown. She seemed to grow nervous. Kohlton tried to get me to tell him where we were going. I told him that it was for his own good. I knew that if he knew and he smiled even just a off, she would know and she would get the information out of him.

The next day we had a really nice, casual family breakfast. I told Ellie that I was going to have coffee with Natalie and that we could go for manicures later that afternoon.

I then raced over to Grandpa Don's house where I decorated the cake that I had baked on Friday. I had also started to decorate earlier in the week and was at the point where I needed a tall person's help to put up the rest of the decorations. I wanted the entire main floor to be decorated and exciting.

During my lunch hours and during a day off of work due to a snow day (and she still had school) I made gold sequin streams, a birthday banner, tassels, feathers dipped in gold paint and glitter and 18 himmelis.

I made a three layer almond cake that was supposed to have raspberry filling, but I forgot that at home and so it had apricot filling instead, which worked out nicely. (I have included the recipe below.) Ellie loves hexigons, so I hand cut about 300 of them out of fondant that I sprayed with edible gold food coloring. I also made a bunch of tiny flowers that I forgot to use. I had planned on cover only part of the cake with the hexigons and then incorporating some flowers and swirl designs made out of dragees, but it did not work out, so I ended up with what you see above. I added a touch of fun by dusting it with an iridescent edible glitter.

I also made Parmesan chicken that was supposed to go with spaghetti with a garlic cream sauce, but I did not have the time or energy to make the pasta part. I was also ready to make garlic bread, but ran out of time and energy to make it, too.
I felt bad that I could not execute the entire plan, but at that point I was out of energy. It had been an intense week at school with parent/teacher conferences, 3 after school meetings and standardized testing.

final stages of decorating and food prep. took long than I had planned, of course, and so I did not make it home with enough time to get our nails done at a saloon. Ellie was good about it, but I was feeling bad that I had disappointed her two days in a row by taking so long to return home.

Later that afternoon Ethan and their friend, James, went over to the house to take care of the guests and make sure their cars were not in front of the house.

Ellie continued to worry that she would not be dressed correctly, but we assured her that it would be alright. She was worried that the people at the restaurant would not make a spectacle of her. By the time we were ready to leave, she seemed very concerned. We tried to assure her that it would be okay, that it was just about having fun.

We told her that we needed to go over to Grandpa Don's house to pick up Ethan. Her mind quickly started to think about where we might be headed on that end of town. Once we arrived, Larr, Ellie and Kohlton zipped into the house. I was a bit slower and missed her reaction to the crowd of people jumping out and yelling, "surprise." Later I found out that she was truly surprised, that she did not suspect anything until she started up the walk way to the door. It was a lot to take in.

Lots of our friends join in for the party. The house was pretty full. There was food in the kitchen, snacks in the living room and games taking place in several rooms.

We ate, sang and had a great time.

She also received some nice presents, like concert tickets and earrings, and silly presents, like an eagle had mask made of rubber.

We all stayed up later than usual and had a great time. I think it was a grand success.

Almond Wedding Cake Cupcakes with Raspberry Filling
via: Shugary Sweets
** This recipe made one 8x8 round cake layer. I tripled the recipe to make the cake for Ellie's party.
For the Cupcakes:
3 egg whites, room temperature
1/3 cup plus 2 Tbsp buttermilk
6 Tbsp unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup plus 2 Tbsp granulated sugar
1 1/4 cup cake flour
1/2 Tbsp baking powder
1/4 tsp kosher salt
1 Tbsp almond extract

For the Frosting:
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 1/2 tsp almond extract
4 cup powdered sugar
For the Filling:
1/2 cup Raspberry preserves

For the cake, whisk together the egg whites, almond extract and 2 Tbsp milk in small bowl until combined. Set aside.
In a mixing bowl, beat butter and sugar for 2-3 minutes on medium. Add in dry ingredients and mix until combined. Slowly add in egg white mixtures. Beat in remaining milk.
Fill cupcake liners half full with batter and bake in a 350 degree oven for 15-17 minutes. Remove and cool in pan 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Fill a pastry bag with raspberry filling. I used a small star tip and poked it into the top of each cupcake. Give a good squeeze, you will see the cupcake rise at is fills. Remove and continue until all cupcakes are filled.
For the frosting, beat butter and heavy cream in mixer for 3 minutes. Add in almond extract and powdered sugar. Beat an additional 5 minutes until light and fluffy. Pipe on cupcakes. ENJOY!

Vignettes of My Day, My Daughter, the Talented Baker + Tender White Cake and Buttercream Frosting

My dear friend Natalie and her husband are celebrating their 21st wedding anniversary today. Natalie planned a big day. Their family will have dinner at The Briarwood (one of my favorite restaurants), then back home for a special dessert (the cake made by my talented daughter) and then a night at the Golden Hotel.

She made the roses out of fondant. They are orange since it is the official color for the 21st anniversary. It was the first white cake with white frosting that she has created. It was a bit more challenging than cakes with colored frosting. I think it is really beautiful. She is so talented!

Our day started pretty early. I had plans to sleep in after such an intense week, but I was woken by the sound of texts coming in from Ethan who was on a train. He landed in Bankok, Thailand yesterday, meeting Emily and Alec. They took a boat ride, saw a temple and then called from the train that they are taking to the Phuket where they will stay in a dorm and go rock climbing. The sky had just a hint of the approaching dawn. Moxy was situated on the edge of the bed purring. He was there being my official kitty alarm clock. I laid back, petting Moxy with one hand, my other hand holding Larr's as he reads me the texts from Ethan and typing our responses back. It was such a nice way to start the day.

Ellie and I watched, "Music and Lyrics" together. It is a chick flick with Drew Barrymore and Hugh Grant. It was cheesy, predictable and fun. I started a new hat for Ethan. It features super chunky brown yarn. I worry that Ethan might look like he is wearing a wig when he wears it. We'll see how it turns out.

For dinner we had rib-eye steak that I grilled in the oven, roasted fingerling potatoes with garlic, basil, rosemary and Parmesan cheese. We also had pickled beets and a white cake I made, similar to the one Ellie made, but not decorated. She was sure that it would be a real treat for Kohlton.

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Tender White Cake
via: King Arthur Flour Blog


2 3/4 cups King Arthur Unbleached Cake Flour Blend
1 2/3 cups sugar; superfine sugar is best
1 Tablespoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup (12 tablespoons) unsalted butter, softened
4 large eggs whites plus 1 whole large egg
1 cup full-fat vanilla yogurt or 1 cup whole milk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 teaspoon almond extract

1) Preheat the oven to 350°F. Prepare two 8" x 2" or 9" x 2" round pans; a 9" x 13" pan; or 2 standard cupcake pans (20 to 24 cupcakes) by greasing and flouring; or lining with parchment, then greasing the parchment. Note: Make sure your 8" round pans are at least 2" deep; if they're not, use one of the other pan options.

2) Mix all of the dry ingredients on slow speed to blend. Add the soft butter and mix until evenly crumbly, like fine damp sand. It may form a paste, depending on the temperature of the butter, how much it's mixed, and granulation of the sugar used.

3) Add the egg whites one at a time, then the whole egg, beating well after each addition to begin building the structure of the cake. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl after each addition.

4) In a small bowl, whisk the yogurt (or milk) with the vanilla and almond extracts. Add this mixture, 1/3 at a time, to the batter. Beat 1 to 2 minutes after each addition, until fluffy. Be sure to scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl.

5) Pour the batter into the prepared pans. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes for 8" or 9" rounds; 23 to 26 minutes for a 9" x 13" x 2" sheet cake; or 20 minutes for cupcakes. A toothpick or cake tester inserted into the center will come out clean when done. Remove from the oven, remove from the pan, if desired (not advisable for a 9" x 13" sheet cake), cool on a rack, and frost.

Yield: Two 8" or 9" round layers; one 9"x 13" x 2" sheet cake, or 20 to 24 cupcakes.

Notes from King Arthur Flour:

* To make the raspberry cake pictured above, ice with your favorite butter cream, fill with raspberry jam, and arrange one pint of raspberries on top. You can find complete photos and instructions at our Bakers' Banter blog.
* To make a classic yellow cake, use 3 whole eggs and 2 egg whites instead of 4 egg whites and one large egg. Delicious with rich chocolate icing!
* This cake is very tender. We advise handling layers with care when turning them out of the pans; and if you've made a 9" x 13" sheet cake, it's best served straight from the pan, to avoid crumbling.

* They have an excellent blog posting on Flourish. It is worth your time to check it out if you are planning on making this cake.

* “Do I really have to mix the dry ingredients for 2 minutes?” Simple answer, yes. Light and tender cakes are based on incorporation of air. No air = flat heavy cakes. So turn the mixer on, and imagine yourself on the beach, or relive your first kiss for 2 minutes. Next, add the softened butter.

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Quick Buttercream Frosting
via: King Arthur Flour

You may use all butter in this quick buttercream, but using vegetable shortening makes a frosting that will be a little firmer in warmer temperatures. Also, using the optional meringue powder, while not necessary, will help your frosting holds its shape. This amount of frosting is fine to frost the top of a 9" x 13" cake. If you're frosting a layer cake, double the recipe to have enough frosting to pipe decorations.

1/2 cup (4 ounces) unsalted butter or non-transfat vegetable shortening (we used 1/4 cup of each)
pinch of salt
1 tablespoon meringue powder, optional, for "holding power"
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 1/2 to 3 cups (10 to 12 ounces) confectioners' sugar or glazing sugar
2 to 4 tablespoons (1 to 2 ounces) milk

Cream the butter and/or shortening until fluffy. Beat in the salt, meringue powder, and the vanilla. Add the confectioners' or glazing sugar, 2 tablespoons of the milk, and beat well.

Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl. Adjust the consistency of the frosting as needed by adding more confectioners' sugar or milk. If you're not going to use the frosting right away, keep it at room temperature, covered, to prevent it from developing a dry crust. Yield: 2 1/2 cups.