WEDDING CAKE

This weekend I had the pleasure of baking my sister a 3 tiered wedding cake.  I am an experienced HUGE wedding cake baker, having made my own wedding cake (which by the way is a great idea if you want to load even more pressure onto your wedding planning) last summer.  For my wedding I had visions of yummy moist carrot cake with a rich cream cheese icing.  It turned out very well so I figured what better gift to give my sister than a homemade organic wedding cake?  Since it was a spring wedding, my sister envisioned a light lemon cake, filled with raspberry jam and a lemon cream cheese icing.  She planted 400 tulips in her backyard last fall in anticipation of her wedding day, so she thought it might be nice to use some of them on the wedding cake.  I am happy to say the cake turned out well and all the guests enjoyed it immensely.  PHEW!

LEMON WEDDING CAKE (makes 2 12" pans, 2 10" pans and 2 8" pans)

You can bake all the pans at once if you have a commercial oven, otherwise you need to bake them 2 at at time.  I baked the cakes 2 days before the wedding, crumb coated them one day before and final iced and decorated them the day of the wedding.

5 cups organic unsalted butter

12 1/2 cups organic unbleached white flour

2 1/2 tsp baking powder

2 1/2 tsp baking soda

5 tsp sea salt

5 Tbsp organic lemon zest

7 1/2 cups organic sugar

10 organic eggs

15 organic egg yolks

10 Tbsp fresh organic lemon juice

5 cups organic whole milk

organic canola oil for greasing pans

unbleached parchment paper

Moistening Syrup:

2 organic lemons, thinly sliced

1 cup organic sugar

1 cup water

2 jars organic raspberry jam

LEMON CREAM CHEESE ICING

9 8-oz packages organic cream cheese, softened

3 cups organic unsalted butter, softened

4 tsp organic lemon zest

12 Tbsp fresh organic lemon juice

3 Tbsp organic vanilla extract

8 1/4 cups organic icing sugar

plastic straws and a thin wooden dowel

Method for Cake:  Preheat oven to 325*.  Grease the pans thoroughly and line with parchment paper that you traced with the bottom of the pan and cut out.  In a large bowl whisk the flour, baking powder and soda, sea salt and lemon zest.

     In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.  With mixer on low, beat in eggs and yolks, one at a time.  Beat in the lemon juice and then alternately beat in flour mixture and milk, beginning and ending with flour mixture; mix until just combined.

     Divide batter between pans, smooth tops.  Be sure to insert a baking cone for the 12" pans and use wet baking strips around the cake pans to prevent the edges from burning and the centre remaining raw.

Bake until the cakes pull away from the sides of pan around 40 minutes.  Let cool in pans 10 minutes, then run a knife around the edges of the pan and invert on wire racks to cool.  When cool, invert on cardboard cake rounds, wrap in saran wrap and then tie into plastic bags and store in a cool place overnight.

Method for Syrup: Bring the sugar and water to a boil in the saucepan.  Add lemon slices and simmer 25 minutes.  Remove from heat and stir in the lemon juice.

     Remove cakes from plastic wrap and with a large serrated knife, level off the tops of the cake so they are flat and all the same height.  Moisten the cakes with cooled syrup by dipping a pastry brush into the syrup and dabbing onto the cut surfaces.  Place one of the 12" cakes on a cake plate and spread with some of the jam, leaving a 1/2" border so the jam doesn't colour the icing.  Top with the other 12" cake, inverting it so the bottom of the cake is the top of this tier for a flat surface.

With a mixer using the whisk attachment, whip the cream cheese and butter on medium high speed until combined and airy, about 2 mintues.  Mix in the lemon zest, lemon juice and vanilla.  Sift the sugar and with the mixer on low speed, slowly pout in the icing sugar, scraping down the sides of the bowl with a spatula.  I used a third of the icing recipe for the crumb coat and the other two thirds for the final icing.

Do a crumb coat of a thin layer of icing and then refrigerate for at least 2 hours or overnight.  Repeat with the other two cakes.

     The next day or 2 hours later, do the final layer of icing.  If you have refrigerated extra icing, bring it to room temperature and then whip it a bit before you use it.

    When you are ready to assemble the cake place a dab of icing onto the cake plate and place the 12" cake on the plate and press an empty 10" cake pan onto the surface of the cake to guide your placement of the next tier.  Then insert a straw into the cake to measure how tall it should be, remove and cut.  Then using this straw as a guide, cut 5-6 more and insert within the circle you created so that the straws support the next level and prevent it from collapsing into the bottom cake.  Keeping the paper cardboard cake plates on the cake, place the 10" tier onto the bottom cake and repeat with the straws.  Then place the 8 inch cake on top of the 10" cake.  Take your wooden dowel and sharpen one end of it like a spear and insert it into the centre of the cake all the way down to the bottom layer.  This helps prevent the cake from shifting in transportation.  Then mark where it reaches the top of the cake, remove and cut it to size.   Re-insert into the cake and use icing to cover the entry point.  Using an icing bag, pipe any designs you would like on cake and then refrigerate before wedding.  Right before the wedding, insert the little water filled flower spikes into the cake for decorating.  Yay!

     Here is a picture of our wedding cake.  It is basically the same method only we used the carrot cake recipe that is featured in the blog post I did for my son's birthday party.

 

I kept the pieces of cake I sliced off when levelling the wedding cake.  I was glad I did because it came in handy the day after the wedding.  We invited some family and friends over for a BBQ and I served this cake for dessert.  There was some leftover icing and I picked some wild violets and dandelion from the garden which made a lovely spring decoration!

BIRTHDAY PARTY

Yesterday we celebrated my son's second birthday by inviting a few friends over for some food and fun.  It was such a lovely gathering!  The food was great, the weather was perfect and the company fantastic.  My sister graciously commandeered the face painting station while the children played and we nibbled on delicious snacks.  I had a lot of fun getting creative with fruit carvings and making little animal figures out of vegetables.  I made a conscious decision to allow myself the pleasure of buying all kinds of organic produce that was not in season or local.  It felt very strange buying strawberries in April, but we treat imported goods as occasional luxuries, and it was a treat feasting on bright oranges, juicy kiwis and ruby strawberries.

     I forgot to get a picture of the fish sticks and chicken fingers on their own, but if you look closely in the group shot you might spot one in a little one's sticky fingers or on it's way into someone's mouth.  

SEVEN LAYER DIP

This dish is served cold, but it can be a baked, hot, cheesey melty dish if you omit the lettuce and guacamole.  In which case you would bake it at 350* for about 20 minutes.

1 6 oz pack organic cream cheese

1 can of organic refried beans or homemade boiled, mashed pinto or black beans

1 clove organic garlic, smashed and minced

1 Tbsp organic lime juice or apple cider vinegar

1/4 tsp organic chili powder

1/4 tsp organic chipotle powder

1/2 tsp organic cumin powder

pinch of sea salt

1 avocado, peeled, pitted and mashed with some lemon juice or guacamole

1 ripe organic tomato, diced

1/2 cup Herdes Salsa Verde

1 red or yellow organic pepper, seeded and diced

1/4 of an organic red onion, finely chopped

1/2 cup sliced red or black olives

1/2 organic iceburg lettuce, shredded

1 cup grated organic cheddar cheese

organic fresh cilantro

Lay's Organic Red and Blue Tortilla Chips

Method:  Mix the beans with the garlic, lime juice, chili powders, cumin and sea salt in a bowl, adding a bit of water if it is really thick. 

     Spread the cream cheese in the bottom of a deep dish pie plate.  Follow with the beans, guacamole, then the salsa, tomato, pepper, onions, olives, lettuce, and top with the cheese and some chopped cilantro.  Serve cold with the tortilla chips.  

DINOSAUR DIP 

1 large organic acorn squash, split and seeded

4 long, narrow, curved organic zucchini

2 whole organic cloves

sturdy toothpicks

1 container organic sour cream

1 packet of organic onion soup mix

mixed organic vegetables, cut into sticks and slices (cucumber, pepper, carrot, celery)

Method:  From two of the zucchini, cut of 2" piecess from the ends giving you 4 legs.  Use toothpicks to attach legs to squash.

     For neck and head, cut a gash in one of the remaining zucchini for a mouth, using a toothpick to secure in place.  Insert cloves for eyes.

     Attach neck to one end of squash with toothpicks and the remaining zucchini to the other end for a tail.

     Serve on a large platter decorated with large leafy greens and sprouts.  Fill center of the squash with your dip of choice.  I used a container of sour cream mixed with the packet of onion soup mix.

ORGANIC CHICKEN FINGERS and FISH STICKS with Honey Mustard and Tartar Dipping Sauces

1 1/2 pounds organic and or pasture raised chicken thighs, bone removed and cut into strips

1 1/2 pounds hook and line haddock, cut into strips

1/2 cup organic all purpose unbleached flour

sea salt and pepper

2 large organic egg

2 Tbsp organic milk

1 1/2 cup fresh bread crumbs 

1/4 cup freshly grated romano cheese

1 Tbsp Tom's Spice (on my Etsy Shop)

8 Tbsp organic vegetable oil

1/4 cup organic yellow mustard

1/8 cup local honey

1/4 cup organic mayonaise

4 Tbsp cucumber relish

Method:  In a small bowl, combine the mustard and honey.  In another bowl, combine the mayonaise and relish.  Set these aside.

     In a shallow dish, combine the flour with a couple pinches of sea salt.  In another dish, whisk the eggs with the organic milk and a pinch of salt.  In a third dish, stir the bread crumbs together with the romano and Tom's Spice.  

     Bread the strips of chicken and fish by dredging first in the flour, making sure you shake of excess flour.  Then dip in the egg, letting excess drip off.  Place the strips in the breadcrumbs, coating all sides.  

     In a large non stick skillet, heat some of the oil over medium heat.  Add some of the strips and cook until golden brown, about 2-3 minutes per side.  Remove and keep warm in an oven at 250*.  Repeat with remaining chicken and fish.  Serve the chicken with the honey mustard and the fish with the tartar sauce.

HEDGEHOG CARROT CUPCAKES

This carrot cake recipe is my favorite and we use it for many special occaions.  It was my wedding cake and Faegan's first birthday cake.  We try to avoid feeding him refined white sugar, which makes this cake so great because it is made with local maple syrup.  The inspiration for the hedgehog cupcake came from Martha Stewart.  I was looking for a way to decorate cupcakes that didn't involve sugary icings and artificially coloured icing.  It is very hard to find slivered almonds that still have their outer skins on, but luckily at the last minute I found some at Sobey's.

Cake: 

1 1/2 cup organic all purpose whole wheat flour

1 cups organic all purpose unbleached white flour

1/2 Tbsp baking soda

2 tsp organic ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp sea salt

3 organic eggs

1/2 cup organic vegetable oil

1 cup organic whole milk

1/2 cup local maple syrup

2 tsp pure vanilla

3/4 cup crushed organic pineapple, drained well

2 cups organic grated carrots

3/4 cup organic coconut

Method:  Preheat oven to 350*.  Line pan with 16 unbleached cupcake liners.  In a bowl, sift together the flours, baking soda, cinnamon and sea salt.  In the bowl of your mixer, beat the eggs at medium speed, then add the oil, milk, maple syrup and vanilla, beating together until combined, scraping the sides as needed.  Add the flour mixture, beating at low speed until well combined.  Add the pineapple, carrots, and coconut, beat at low speed until just combined.  

     Using an ice cream scoop, divide the batter into the cupcake liners, and bake for 20-25 minutes.  Let cool in pans for 10 minutes, then remove and let cool completely before icing.

CREAM CHEESE MAPLE ICING FOR CARROT CAKE

1 pound organic cream cheese, at room temperature

1/4 cup organic butter, at room temperature

1/8-1/4 cup local maple syrup or honey

2 tsp pure vanilla

Method:  In the bowl of your mixer with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and cream cheese until light and fluffy.  Pour in the maple syrup and vanilla, and mix until well combined.

HEDGEHOG CUPCAKE METHOD

1 pack sliced almonds with skin on

16 organic chocolate covered raisins

32 organic chocolate chips

cream cheese icing

Method:  Ice each cupcake lightly with a spatula.  Then with a plain round tip, pipe hair onto the cupcakes.  Rim the cupcakes with the sliced almonds, and then use the raisins for the mouth and chocolate chips for eyes.  Keep cool before serving.

ELEPHANT FRUIT PLATTER

1 organic navel orange

4 orange organic gummi bears

toothpicks

2 organic whole cloves

organic fruit, sliced and cut beatifully

Method:  Hold each orange so that the navel is facing down.  Make a V-shaped cut on one side of the orange for the tail.  On the opposite side, make a Y-shaped cut for the trunk.  Make C-shaped cuts for the ears.  Gently pull away all cut portions from the orange, so that the tail, trunk and ears stand out.  Attach 4 gummi bears with toothpicks to the bottom of the orange for legs/feet.  Serve on a plate with fruit.

STRAWBERRY MICE

6 organic strawberry, husked

6 organic chocolate chips

12 organic cloves

12 sliced almonds

1 piece organic strawberry fruit leather

Method:  Slice off a bit of one side of each strawberry so they sit flat.  Insert the pointy end of the chocolate chips into the tip of each strawberry for the nose.  Insert 2 cloves for the eyes into each mouse, and 2 slices of almond for the ears.  Make a little hole in the back of each mouse and then cut S-shaped thin pieces of fruit leather for the tail and insert.