Cake and Flowers

wedding cake flower before . . .

Flowers first:  The flower for the cake topper is essentially finished.  It still needs a little drying time and may later need a bit of royal icing to demand some of the petals remain where I want them.  The daffodils, on the other hand . . .  Thus far I'm just not happy with the results.   Unless I can figure out a better way to make these, they may be abandoned.  While I think daffodils on a spring wedding cake will be absolutely lovely, it won't be so lovely if the daffodils are themselves pathetic.  I did learn to pipe royal icing daffodils in one of my Wilton classes that are cute, but not what I want for an elegant wedding cake.



. . . and after.

 And now for cake: 
In checking with Justin, he let me know there is absolutely no problem using alcohol in the cake.  That was music to my ears, so one of the tiers will definitely be the bourbon and brown sugar pound cake.  One flavor decided; two to go.  Today I thought I would try a variation of the lemon pound cake recipe I made for lunch with Clora Mae and Rhonda, using orange instead.  Since there is orange juice in the syrup for the bourbon cake, I'm thinking an orange cake would tie in better than lemon.  Unfortunately, my recipe did not impress me.  The orange doesn't stand out nearly enough and for some reason, it almost tastes like cornbread.  But I think with changes, it has potential.  What I started with is below.



Cornbread flavored orange pound cake sans glaze.

 Now, what will I do differently? 
First, I think I'll cut out the heavy cream and go with 1 cup of sour cream.  Then I will be mindful of the type of orange I'm using.  I used one of the Cara Cara oranges, and the zest really didn't seem as fragrant as that of a regular navel orange.  In addition to the 1/2 teaspoon of Grand Marnier, I will also use 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract and possibly 1/4 teaspoon of orange extract.  I will also be careful and now allow the syrup to pool in the center of the top of the cake, and WAIT for it to cool completely before cutting.  I seriously don't know if I'm capable of learning patience at this point in life.

Grand Marnier Pound Cake

Cake:

1-1/2 cups all purpose flour

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

3/4 cup sour cream

1/4 cup heavy cream

1 cup granulated sugar

3 extra large eggs

Zest of one orange

1/2 tsp Grand Marnier

1/2 cup canola oil

Syrup:

3 Tbs freshly squeezed orange juice

3 Tbs Grand Marnier

1/2 cup granulate sugar

Glaze (optional):

1 Tbs Grand Marnier

1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar

Preheat the oven to 350°F for at least 20 minutes.  Brush a 9 x 5 loaf pan* with cake release and line the bottom and two long sides with parchment paper.

Whisk or sift the flour, baking powder and salt to combine.  In a larger bowl, combine the sour cream, heavy cream, sugar, eggs, orange zest and Grand Marnier.  Whisk until completely combined.  Add the dry ingredients into the wet and use the whisk to gently fold the ingredients together.  Add the oil and slowly whisk until combined into a smooth batter.

Pour the batter into the pan and bake for 45 – 50 minutes, or until a tester comes out clean.

While the cake is baking, combine the orange juice, Grand Marnier and sugar in a large glass measuring cup.  Microwave for one minute, stir to mix in the sugar and microwave another minute until the sugar is dissolved.

When the cake is done, allow to cool in the pan on a rack for 10 minutes.  Invert the cake onto the baking rack and remove the parchment paper.  Set the rack of a rimmed baking sheet.  Brush or spoon the syrup over the bottom and sides of the cake and allow it to soak in.  Turn the cake right side up and brush the top with syrup.  Cool completely.

For the glaze, combine the Grand Marnier and confectioners’ sugar and whisk until smooth.  Drizzle over the top of the cake, letting it fall down the sides.

*To use an 8” round, prepare the pan in the same manner.  Bake for 40 – 45 minutes.

Lost in Austen

(As in Jane Austen; I didn't misspell the city in Texas.)  This was brought on several weeks ago while the hubs and I were channel surfing one evening.  We caught the end of Pride and Prejudice (Kiera Knightley version) and he was so kind to indulge me in watching it.  Seeing it again made me realize that I had never read anything written by Jane Austen.  I set about to remedy that when we stopped by The Bookworm during my family’s visit so dad could browse. 

So here it's time to explain some of the "hate relationship" with technology.  I will probably never own a Kindle or Nook or whatever other brand of e-reader is out there.  I have an incredible fondness for books, especially vintage hardcovers.  I will, occasionally, judge a book by its cover.  That being said, I was thrilled that a particularly nice hardcover copy (though not vintage) of Pride and Prejudice availed itself to me. 

It’s been quite some time since I’ve engaged in reading for pleasure and had forgotten how engrossing an interesting book can be.  Not only have I finished Pride and Prejudice (twice), but Sense and Sensibility and Mansfield Park have also been finished.  I'm not a fan of modern romance novels and never pictured myself reading them, past or present.  To soothe my ego, I'm telling myself that I'm reading "classic literature" and not indulging in Georgian romance novels.  Quite pathetic, I know.  I’ll be starting Emma in the future and still have to acquire Persuasion.  Once those are finished, I believe I’ll move on to the sisters Brontë. 

However.  Before any more books are started, I have some work to do.  While I will never, ever say that reading is a waste of time, I noticed how little I get done when I'm determined to finish a book.  The penalty I've imposed upon myself is that I can't start another book until I've finished the gumpaste flowers.

So far, none of them are beautiful, but they are in works in progress.  The large one that will go on top of the cake will look similar to the pink flower on the top of the dress cake my friend, Tracie, and I did in Pastry class.  This one is pale yellow and will be brushed with dry orange color on the edges of the petals.  I am going to make sure this time that I let it dry thoroughly before removing all the tissues.  My lack of patience did teach me a lesson when I made the last one.




 
I had also planned on using 12 daffodils on the bottom, square tier.  I'd not made these previously but always wanted to try them.  While the original plan was for 12 daffodils, I'm now thinking 8.  If they don't get easier as I go, that number may be reduced even further.  They looked so simple in the book!  I still need to make some royal icing to pipe in the center and add the stamens.  And hopefully not break them in the process.  That would be tragic.  I don't need tragedy.  I'll leave that to the novels.