June 2, 2014

five years

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Holy cow. I can’t even believe that I’ve been here at MN365 for five whole years. A highlight or two or thirteen from the past five years:

-I finished massage school.
-I moved to a new little house in Durham, with my wifeys.
-I fell in love with Parker & Otis.
-I moved to Indiana to go to grad school.
-I didn’t go to grad school.
-The Nephew was born.
-I decided to try my hand at nursing...as if one just "tries out" nursing. Bahahahaha.
-Hank moved to Kansas and discovered his love of the prairie. [I’m still holding on to the dream that he’s alive and hunting bugs among the waving wheat.]
-I moved to the big city to start classes.
-Pitch Perfect came into my life. #cantstopwontstop
-The Niece was born.
-I got into my program and cried tears of joy. [Now I sometimes cry tears of non-joy.]
-I moved again!

I hope you’re up for a full week of posts. 

And giveaways because I want to buy your love. Obvi. 

I made a cake to celebrate this momentous occasion, then I lit a candle and sang it a song. No, not "Happy Blogiversary." I sang "Seasons of Love" from RENT because that's what was on my television. 
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It's a Very Vanilla Marvelously Minty Cake. I’ve been thinking about the combination of mint and vanilla ever since I got a tube of C.O. Bigelow Vanillamint lip gloss from Bath & Body Works years ago. I like to purchase lip gloss more than I like to actually wear it, but this is some tasty stuff. 

I couldn’t stop thinking about how the strong vanilla flavor with just the tiniest touch of mint worked so well together. This cake had to happen. A vanilla cake is topped with a sweet, ever so slightly minty vanilla buttercream. 

As with many baked goods, it starts with dry ingredients sifted together. 
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Then wet. 
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Combine, put in your pan [I’m using a 4” springform pan I picked up at Michael’s] and bake. 
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This is the adult version of an Easy-bake Oven. 
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…and I will need more practice to figure it out. 
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Let the cake cool and make the frosting. 
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Here’s the dealio, yo. You want this to be a vanilla buttercream with the teeniest-tiniest [tiniest!] essence of mint. Just a couple of drops, OK? You’ll add enough cream to reach the desired consistency--remember it’s easier to start with a stiff frosting and add more liquid. [sidenote: someone needs to find her whisks in storage]
After you’ve frosted your cake, decorate it as you see fit. Sprinkles welcome. 
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Very Vanilla Marvelously Minty Mini Cake
cake recipe reduced and adapted from Cupcake Project

The Cake
1/4 cup + 2 Tbsp AP Flour
1 Tbsp Corn Starch
1/2 tsp Baking Powder
1/4 tsp Baking Soda
1/4 tsp Salt
1/4 cup Sugar
1 Tbsp Butter, room temperature
1 Egg
2 Tbsp Plain Yogurt 
1 Tbsp Oil [Coconut or Vegetable]
1 tsp Vanilla Bean Paste*
1 tsp Pure Vanilla Extract
1/4 tsp Almond Extract
2 Tbsp Heavy Whipping Cream

Prepare your pans! Grease and line those babies with some parchment. Preheat the oven to 350. Sift together flour, corn starch, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add the sugar to the flour mixture. After combining all the dry ingredients, mix the butter until the mixture has come together and is ever so slightly crumbly. In another bowl [I like to use a measuring cup] whisk together the egg, yogurt, oil, vanilla[s!], almond extract, and heavy whipping cream. Add the two mixtures together until just combined. Divide between two 2 1/2” pans and bake for 15 minutes. Let cool completely. 

*if you don’t have Vanilla Bean Paste you could use half a vanilla bean and scrape the goodies out of it OR you could use more vanilla extract, get the pure stuff please. please. please. 

The Buttercream
4 Tbsp Butter, room temperature
1 tsp Vanilla Bean Paste* 
1/8-ish tsp Mint Extract
1-2 Tbsp Heavy Whipping Cream
2ish cup Powdered Sugar, sifted

Whip the butter and add in the vanilla and mint [you just want the tiniest amount of mint, I used my 1/4 tsp and only put a few drops in before adding it]. Add the sifted powdered sugar and the cream until you reach the desired consistency for your frosting. Frost your cake! This frosting, y’all. Oooh. 
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In honor of my love for baking I’ve got a Vera Bradley apron [totes cute], Vanilla Bean Paste [my FAVE], and a little cupcake key-topper [how could I resist?] for one of you! HOLLA AT ME. 
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For the record: I put on a dress and heels for the irony of it all in the picture. I have never baked in heels. 
random.org chose #6 which is Ama as the winner! I'll be in touch!  
Leave me a comment telling me what are some flavors that have you dreaming about cake combinations. Are you a chocolate-peanut butter fanatic? A strawberries and cream lover? An espresso and caramel dreamer? A vanilla-vanilla K.I.S.S. person? If you’re not thinking about cake [how are we friends?]...you can just say hi. (-: 

Commenting will be open until Wednesday (6/4) at 9:00am and random.org will select the winner. 

**All items are purchased and sent [or hand delivered with hugs] by me.**

20 comments :

  1. I once made a strawberry cake, with orange juice topped with a white chocolate drizzle... I still have dreams about it. :)

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    1. that sounds so good! the description almost reminds me of an orange julius or something!

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  2. I love anything you make for me but I especially love when you make salted caramel goodies :) Salty and sweet, just like you.

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    1. <3 you!

      and salted caramel is my weakness. I'm going to figure out how to use the microwave to make some.

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  3. Strawberry cake, with lemon frosting. It's going to happen some day. But you cake looks amazing. Oh and congrats on the blogiversary!!! Love you!!!

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    1. mmmmm, that sounds so tasty Maggie! I saw this strawberry cake last week (http://www.the-girl-who-ate-everything.com/2014/05/strawberries-and-cream-sheet-cake.html) and with some lemon frosting? ooooh, what about cupcakes or a layer cake with lemon curd in the middle and a whipped-to-oblivion cream cheese frosting? now you've got me thinking!

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  4. Your cake is so cute! I'm usually so tied up in making something yummy that I forget about the beauty part. I'm working on it. I don't usually dream of cake flavors, mostly because with so many "can'ts" in my diet I just take whatever deliciousness I can get. So my favorite right now is this paleo chocolate cake with chocolate buttercream frosting. SO MUCH BUTTER! But if ine dreaming, I'd add some caramel or peanut creamy crunchiness to it. Yup. My mouth is watering.

    -Holly

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    1. thanks, Holly! I want to work on my allergy/sensitivity baking repertoire, I'll have to check out some new recipes!

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  5. Lemon and lavender! P.s. please give me prizes, haha!

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    1. I always forget about lavender, I wonder how easy/hard it is to get that flavor in. do you infuse it in a liquid or can you eat the whole flower or just use oil?

      if you win, I'll send along your new unicorn nightlight too! <3

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    2. I tried putting lavender flowers in something once... not a good idea. Infusing is the way to go, though I haven't tried different ways of infusing.

      I love this one lavender ice cream... the guys said that the trick was the vodka infusion, but I haven't been brave enough to try it yet.

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    3. do you think they just let the lavender infuse into the vodka at room temp and then used it? I was trying to think if you'd need heat for the lavender essence to come through...I have so much to learn! I'm going to try it someday!

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  6. I'm thinking about cake...hardly ever. But when I do - it's Gma's Texas sheetcake. But, because I can't eat that happiness -- I'm only and always about the chocolate decadence of the Paleo chocolate cake. Love your cake tho!! And so proud of your use of the toaster oven!!

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    1. haha, I know you're fully on board the ice cream/gelatto dessert train, Aunt Suze! that Texas Sheet Cake is where it's at though! the paleo chocolate cake is SO MUCH DECADENCE, I could handle some of that this summer with a big pile of whipped cream!

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  7. I am dying for vanilla cake with raspberry filling and vanilla (or white chocolate) butter cream... or any dessert from Papa Haydn in Portland, OR. OMG. Yum.

    -Haley!!!!

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  8. I'm thinking about all the different cookout shake combos that I've tried.

    though my favorite might be what my sister asked for once: a chocolate cake with a coffee ice cream layer, iced with caramel frosting. ooooo decadence.

    though I can totally get behind a lavender lemon raspberry pound cake. oh man. yeah.

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    1. you had to bring up Cookout milkshakes...I love those things. I definitely still get cravings.

      that cake your sister asked for? holy cow. YUMMY!

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