1 post from January 2009

Mom hung up the phone, looked at me and said, "You're making a cake for Eric." 

Apparently nobody was making a cake for Eric's birthday. Which is criminal really, so I asked, "What kind does he want?"

While he wasn't too picky about the icing, he said he didn't like chocolate cake -- though chocolate icing was fine.  I was going to make a straight Wilton icing and decorate it, but then I struck on the idea of making a soy-less cake.  I had 8 oz of cream cheese in the fridge and if he didn't really like the taste of cream cheese, cocoa (which has a bit of soy as an emulsifier) would help mitigate that.

As it happens making a cream cheese frosting was perfect for Eric, because he doesn't like overly sweet icing.

The cake was a recipe from Epicurious.com called Moist Yellow Cake.  Mine was done 10 minutes before the time in the recipe and had fallen in the middle most likely because I screwed up and didn't use the lower rack.  Tasted pretty good though.  If you make this recipe, it is not going to be as fluffy as a box cake.  This makes a dense cake.

For the icing:

8 oz cream cheese
1/4 cup butter (cold room temp)
3 cups sifted confectioner sugar
3/4 cup cocoa
1-3 T milk

1. Cream together butter and cream cheese for about 3 minutes.
2. In a separate bowl mix sifted confectioner sugar with cocoa.  Sift the cocoa into the bowl.
   
3. Shut off mixer, scrap down sides.
4. Add 1/2-1 cup of the sugar with a splash of milk.  Mix until combined.
5. Repeat until all of the dry goods are incorporated with the cream cheese and butter.
6. If icing is too thick add more milk.  If icing is too thin a more sifted confectioner sugar.
7. Mix on medium for several minutes until you can't feel the granules of sugar on the tongue when you taste it.

I don't have a flat cake plate yet.  My plates are curved, which makes icing cakes a bit awkward at the bottom.

To ice a cake, even out the top with a serrated knife so you are working with a flat surface.  Brush off the crumbs.  Place the bottom layer on the plate, bottom down.  scoop out 3/4 to a cup of frosting in the middle.  Spread outward, turning the plate until the top is covered.  If you feel there is excess you can push it over the sides, which we'll spread out when we get the second layer on. 

Put the top layer on with the cut side down.  The flat, baked bottom makes a good surface to work with.  Put at least a cup, if not all of the remaining icing in the middle of the top of the cake.  Spread outward pushing the excess over the edge. Turn your spreading instrument so that it is pushing the icing around and down the side of the cake until it is all covered.