Sorry i forgot to take a photo before eating it :0
: Preheat oven to
350 degrees F (175 degrees C) and place rack in center of oven. Butter two
- 9 inch (23 cm) round cake pans and line the bottoms of the pans with
parchment paper. Set aside.
In a mixing bowl sift together the
flour, salt, and cocoa powder. Set aside.
In bowl of your electric mixer, or
with a hand mixer, beat the butter until soft (about 1-2 minutes). Add the
sugar and beat until light and fluffy (about 2-3 minutes). Add the eggs,
one at a time, beating well after each addition. Scrape down the sides of the
bowl. Add the vanilla extract and beat until combined.
In a measuring cup whisk the
buttermilk with the red food coloring. With the mixer on low speed,
alternately add the flour mixture and buttermilk to the butter mixture, in
three additions, beginning and ending with the flour.
In a small cup combine the vinegar
and baking soda. Allow the mixture to fizz and then quickly fold into
the cake batter.
Working quickly, divide the batter
evenly between the two prepared pans and smooth the tops with an offset
spatula or the back of a spoon. Bake in the preheated oven for
approximately 25 - 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center
of the cakes comes out clean. Cool the cakes in their pans on a wire rack
for 10 minutes. Place a wire rack on top of the cake pan and invert, lifting
off the pan. Once the cakes have completely cooled, wrap in plastic and
place the cake layers in the refrigerator for at least an hour (or
overnight). (This is done to make filling and frosting the cakes easier.)
Cream Cheese Frosting: In the bowl of
your electric mixer, or with a hand mixer, beat the cream cheese and
mascarpone cheese until smooth. Add the vanilla and confectioners sugar and
beat until smooth. Using the whisk attachment, gradually add the heavy
cream* (See Note) and whip until the frosting is thick enough to
spread. Add more sugar or cream as needed to get the right consistency.
Assemble: With a serrated
knife, cut each cake layer in half, horizontally. You will now have
four cake layers. Place one of the cake layers, top of the cake facing
down, onto your serving platter. Spread the cake layer with a layer of
frosting. Place another layer of cake on top of the frosting and
continue to frost and stack the cake layers. Frost the top and sides
of the cake. Can garnish the cake with sweetened or unsweetened coconut.
Serves 10 - 12 people.
MACAROONS
Tips:
· Preheat oven to 300F
degrees
· Then add the food
coloring. TIP#2 Color does fade as it cooks, so do a shade or two darker than
you want them to be.
INGREDIENTS
·
3 Egg Whites
· ¼ cup white sugar (50
g)
· 2 cups confectioners
sugar (200 g)
·
1 cup almond flour
(120 g) (SEE NOTE BELOW)
·
pinch of salt
·
¼ tsp cream of tartar
(2 ml) * You can omit if needed, just may take a bit longer to reach stiff
peaks but the recipe will still work)
Beat
egg whites until foamy, then add salt, cream of tartar and white sugar for 8-10
mins. TIP: #1 egg whites should be room temp. To create room temp eggs, submerge
in warm water for 5 mins.
Whip until they form a peak that stands upright. Think
Seattle Space needle.
Then add the food coloring. TIP#2 Color does fade as it
cooks, so do a shade or two darker than you want them to be.
TIP#3 Sift almond
flour, and powdered sugar. What remains will be the larger lumps of almond
pieces. Just discard those, or use them to snack on :) You want a really fine
powder mixture to create a smooth and pretty on top to your cookie.
Fold
flour/sugar mixture into the egg white mixture. TIP#4 This is where all your
hard work can really go wrong. Under mix and your macaroons will be lumpy and
cracked when the bake with no feet, over mix and your macaroons will be flat
and won't have feet, the mark of a well-made macaroon. In my experience 65-75
turns of your spatula when folding is about the right amount of time. But
again, it can be tricky, depends on how strong you are, Ha! So it can take a
few tries to get it right. But when you do, the trumpets will blare and you
will feel SO accomplished!
Transfer batter to a pastry bag.
Pipe out 1 inch
rounds on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
TIP#5: tap the pan hard
at least 2-3 times to release the air bubbles. This will prevent the tops of
your macaroons from cracking.
TIP#6 Let them sit out for 20-30 mins, or up to
an hour if you want. This will allow them time to dry out a bit before hitting
the hot oven. They should be "tacky" to the touch, but not stick to
your fingertips. This is another important step to assuring your macarons
develop feet! When they dry out they can't spread out in the oven, and are
forced to rise up. That's what creates the feet!
Bake for 20 mins. DO NOT
UNDER BAKE, even if they look done! Otherwise they will stick to your
tray.
Meanwhile mix the buttercream. Whip butter with an electric mixer until
pale and fluffy. Slowly add sugar. Then place sieve on top of a bowl the same
size. Work raspberries through the sieve with a spatula, pushing them through,
mashing them around until you extract their juice. You want 3 tablespoons of
juice.
Add juice to buttercream, and whip until combined. Transfer to a pastry
bag, fitted with a small tip (about ¼ " in diameter)
Reverse cookie
shells on their backs, and pipe a small mound of filling on one of them. Top
with the other shell et Voila!
If not eating right away, keep refrigerated.
 ARTICHOKE RECIPE AND YUMMY SAUCES
Sauces
· In a small bowl, stir together 1/2 cup (1 stick) melted butter,
1 teaspoon dried thyme, and 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice. Season with coarse salt
and ground pepper.
·
In a small bowl, stir together 3/4
cup reduced-fat mayonnaise and 1 or 2 minced garlic cloves (a garlic press
works best here). Season with coarse salt and ground pepper.
For the artichokes:
3 whole artichokes
1 1/2 lemons
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 cloves garlic
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
cracked black pepper
Fill a large bowl with water.
Squeeze the juice from one lemon into the bowl, saving the rind. Halve
artichokes and immediately submerge in the water. Bring a 5-quart pot of water
to a boil and add in the squeezed lemon rinds. Transfer the artichokes to the
boiling water. Boil for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Heat grill on high. Empty the lemon
water from the bowl. Add in juice from half a lemon, olive oil, crushed/minced
garlic cloves, salt and pepper. When the artichokes are done boiling, drain
them and toss them around in the bowl.
 Turn the grill down to a medium
heat. Add artichokes to the grill. Baste the artichokes with the remaining oil
mixture in the bowl. Turn every five minutes until artichokes start to char.
Remove from heat. Service with aioli dipping sauce.
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