Monday, September 16, 2013

Halloween Owl Stencil Cake

 
 
Have you ever tried using a cake stencil before?
You can even make them yourself...it is super easy!

This Halloween Owl Stencil Cake would be great for a Halloween party.
Black sanding sugar creates the silhouette of an owl on the moon.
My cake is an 8 inch round; you could also use the stencil on a 9 inch cake.

For a cake surface that would crust and not stick to my stencil,
I made this buttercream frosting:

Basic Vanilla Buttercream
  • 1 cup unsalted butter (room temperature)
  • 6 cups confectioners' sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • approx. 1/3 cup milk
  • orange food coloring gel

After your cake is frosted, print and cut out the owl stencil below.
Just right click on the image and choose "Save Image As".


With your stencil ready, lightly mist the cake with water in a spray bottle.
(This will make the sanding sugar stick to the buttercream frosting.)
Center your stencil on top of the cake and lightly press down the edges.

I put my black sugar in a salt shaker for easy application.
Be sure to make the layer of sugar thick enough so you don't see the frosting underneath.



Slowly and carefully lift the stencil off the cake:
 First, use a toothpick to lift up the edges of the stencil.
If possible, get an extra set of hands to help.
Lift it straight up and don't let the extra sugar slide off!

Whoo Whoo!


 I share my recipes and tutorials at these fun link parties.

Another fun Halloween cake...

Welcome Great Pumpkin Cake

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The 36th Avenue
KitchenFunPint Sized Baker

Wednesday, September 4, 2013

Pumpkin Crumb Cake

  
What does this Pumpkin Crumb Cake make you think of?
Autumn? Trips to the pumpkin patch?

It makes me think of New Jersey.
That's right, and it also makes me feel nostalgic...
because I will always associate crumb cake with visiting my grandparents in New Jersey.

When I was a child, my family made annual road trips from Florida to New Jersey.
During our visits, my grandfather would always get pastries from his favorite bakery
one morning while the rest of us were still sleeping.
He would bring home what my grandmother called "crumb buns"...
but were essentially cake.

Crumb cake for breakfast! You can see why this is a good memory.


I love to bake with pumpkin this time of year,
and combining it with a crumb topping just seemed so perfect.

Both the cake and the topping include that amazing foursome of spices:
ground cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and cloves.

Get ready for some fantastic flavor!

Pumpkin Crumb Cake
adapted from Vanilla Sugar Blog
Ingredients
Pumpkin Cake
  • 3 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon ginger
  • 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
  • 1/4 teaspoon cloves
  • 3/4 cup unsalted butter (room temperature)
  • 2 cups granulated sugar
  • 3 eggs
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 (15 oz.) can pumpkin puree
  • 1/4 cup vegetable oil
  • 1 cup sour cream
Crumb Topping
  • 3/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 cup brown sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon ginger
  • 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
  • 1/4 teaspoon cloves
  • 2 cups flour
  • 1 cup unsalted butter (melted)
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9X13 cake pan.

For the Crumb Topping: In a medium bowl, mix both sugars, salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves and flour. Add the melted butter and stir with a fork to form large crumbs. Set aside.

For the Cake: Whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and cloves; set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, beat the butter with an electric mixer until fluffy. Add the sugar and mix well. Beat in the eggs one at a time. Mix in the vanilla, pumpkin and vegetable oil. Alternately add the flour mixture and the sour cream, ending with the flour mixture.

Pour batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top. Add the crumb topping by dropping clumps of it on to the cake. Bake for 40-45 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow to cool on a rack.
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Enjoy! 

 I share my recipes and tutorials at these fun link parties.

More pumpkin goodness...

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cupcakes 


Chocolate Pumpkin Cake


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