A Whopper of a Birthday!

 

Five decades, a half a century, 50 years... however you put it, turning fifty is a big deal. It's not the numerical label itself that is the most important part. It's the countless years of love and experience that the number represents that is truly important. Even though I've only been around for 20 of my dad's prolific 50 years, I have been the recipient of a half a century's worth of knowledge, lessons and insight. Even when I'm frustrated or downtrodden, he offers a quip of uplifting yet logical advice that picks me up and puts me back on my path. Every single one of his years has been utilized to its full potential as he strives to improve himself, the lives of his patients, and the wellbeing of his family. Even though he feels he gets gipped (half the gifts... sorry Dad), its only appropriate that my Dad's birthday falls so close to Father's Day each year. This time of the year just exemplifies how being a dad is an integral part of my father's identity. And I have to say, he does a pretty good job!

 

Since the whole family has been going in different directions all summer, we made an effort to reserve a special Saturday to enjoy a big family dinner in celebration of my Dad's birthday and Father's day. We wrapped all his presents, planned a delicious grilled lunch, and, of course, made a special cake. My mom, sister and I split the tasks for optimal efficiency ( or waited until the last minute and ran around the house and kitchen in a mad frenzy). Regardless, with the help of some wrapping paper, some fresh fruit and vegetables, and a few cuts of delicious meat, the lunch came together well. It was a great opportunity for my family to sit in the warm summer sun, catch up on the craziness of the previous months, and eat some delicious foods. My Dad seemed pretty pleased with his gifts (OK... maybe not the deodorant) and, surprisingly enough, the chocolate mess of a cake that I made for him.

 

WARNING: I am NOT a cake baker, decorator, or eater. Give me a mess free bowl of ice cream and I am the happiest person in the world, but making and eating cake just results in stress and disaster. This cake was no exception. The plan was solid. I quizzed my mom on what my dad liked, thoroughly. 

 

"What candy does he like?"

 

"Whoppers"

 

"What kind of cake?"

 

"Plain white cake"

 

"Do you have a good white cake recipe?"

 

"He just likes box cake."

 

"BOX cake? Really?" (I am an ardent from-scratcher)

 

"Yes, Duncan Hines White Cake."

 

"Ugh, OK."

 

(This is an abridged version, but you get the idea.)

 

The problem was the execution....

The baking portion went well. The cakes (despite their pre-made boxiness) came out of the oven pretty and smelling lovely.

 

The frosting prep went well. The chocolate malt frosting came out with just the right sweetness (as proof by the numerous fingerfuls that both my sister and my mom stole from the bowl).

 

Even the actual frosting of the cake went fairly well. The icing was a little uneven and I was a bit heavy handed, but hey, at least there wasn't any cake peeking through.

 

Enter ganache.... I had less than an hour until I had to leave for work and the ganache had only been cooling in the freezer for about fifteen minutes. That's enough for a thick layer, right? WRONG.  I poured the ganache the top of the cake and a messy, chocolate waterfall erupted. There was chocolate everywhere, on the counter, on the bottom of the plate, on the floor and a little managed to stay on the cake. Let's just say, clean-up was not my favorite thing. Two chocolate-covered kitchen towels later, the cake was safely stored in the freezer and I breathed a huge sigh of relief. NEVER LET ME BAKE A CAKE AGAIN!!!

 

But the smile on my Dad's face as he bit into the cake was worth it.

White Whopper Cake

Cake

 

1 box Duncan Hines White Cake (follow box ingredients and instructions)

 

- baked in 2 9" round pans

 

Chocolate Malt Frosting ( adapted from Bakergirl )

- 1 cup butter, softened

- 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 3/4 cup heavy whipping cream
- 1/2 chocolate malt powder (I used Ovaltine)
- 5 cups confectioners' sugar

 

To make the frosting, in a large bowl, beat butter and cocoa powder at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy.

In a small bowl, combine cream and malted milk powder, stirring to dissolve. Add cream mixture to butter mixture, beating at low speed to combine. Gradually beat in confectioners' sugar until smooth.

Ganache Topping

 

3/4 cup heavy cream

3/4 cup chocolate chips

 

To make ganache, bring heavy cream to a boil in a small sauce pan. As soon as it starts to boil, remove from heat and pour over chocolate chips. Let the mixture sit (unmixed for 10 minutes). After 10 minutes, stir the mixture until well combined. Allow the ganache to cool to desired consistency before pouring over cake (and make sure you have the base of the cake prepared for ganache overflow).

 

For Decoration

1/2 cup chopped whoppers

more whoppers for decoration

 

To assemble cake

 

Frost the first layer of the cake with 1/4 of the icing. Sprinkle the chopped whoppers over this layer of icing. Cover with the second layer and frost the entire cake, starting with the top and moving to the sides (this makes a THICK layer of icing). Drizzle the slightly cooled ganache over the cake (you can do this any way you want, like a waterfall or just a simple drizzle). Decorate the top of the cake with a few more whoppers.

 



The Many Phases of Food

Sometimes the kitchen pantry can be a terrifying and sad place.. An endless dark cabinet cluttered with jars and boxes and bottles (Oh MY!), the pantry is home to the leftovers of years of food cravings. Every single container that has made its home in that cabinet started as a wonderfully delectable idea. The idea may have been sparked by a childhood dish memory, a restaurant copying attempt or just pure (and exceptionally dangerous) inspiration. But regardless of the ingredients' beginnings, most of them have the same pitiful fate. They end up, abandoned and forgotten, in the back of the cabinet with the days until their inevitable expiration ticking tirelessly away. All of these forgotten ingredients have fallen victim to the perilous rule of FOOD PHASES!

 

You know what I'm talking about. Food always goes in phases. Whether it is a national trend (such as the country's current love for super foods such as quinoa and avocados) or just a child who chooses to eat nothing but PBJ's for every single meal, everyone is familiar with loving/needing certain foods for a certain amount of time, then quickly forgetting about them, leaving no remembrance of the amorous affair except for a few lonely crumbs. Then, those lonely crumbs end up in the pantry. FOREVER.

 

OK, that's a bit dramatic. . Sometimes, the food love is rekindled and the phase returns, as strong and exciting as ever. There are a lot of ingredients in the pantry that find love once again in new and innovative dishes. Sometimes, if the ingredient just needs a little revamping, a small change in perspective can make a huge difference.

 

Example: Cheerios...

 

Our cereal cabinet has been overflowing lately. Every morning, I open up the cabinet, excited to try some new cereal combination (as long as milk and cinnamon is involved as well). Maybe, bran flakes and corn flakes? How about toasted oatmeal and rice crisps? Regardless, because of my love for breakfast grains and endless combinations, I have accumulated quite a few (large) boxes of cereal, all struggling to fit into that tiny little hutch. All of them are pretty well used, though. They quickly find their way into my little bowl, morning after morning. Except one. The Cheerios. I have nothing against Cheerios. In fact, my Cheerios phase was lovely, sweet, and undeniably delicious. But, the love of Cheerios faded when I found the delicious texture of bran flakes... boring circles were replaced by the smooth, edges of my new branny, flakey cereal. My poor ex-cereal has been sitting its bag in the back of the cabinet waiting for the love to be rekindled. Well, with a little makeover, I have found a NEW love for Cheerios. It turns out that, when crushed up and mixed with brown sugar and bananas and baked to perfection, Cheerios are anything but boring. I found this recipe on the Cheerios website (turns out I'm not the only one who loses interest in plain, old Cheerios) and it worked quite well. The addition of a Cheerio crumble on top was a delicious way to add a little crunch and use up some more of the unwanted cereal. (It's a win-win.) So, maybe I might just enter into another food phase based solely around cereals baked into muffins.

 



Cheerio Banana Muffins
from Cheerios.com

2 cups Cheerios® cereal

1 1/4 cups Gold Medal® all-purpose flour

1/3 cup packed brown sugar

1 teaspoon baking powder

3/4 teaspoon baking soda

1 cup mashed very ripe bananas (2 to 3 medium)

2/3 cup fat-free (skim) milk

3 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 egg white

Topping

• 1 1/2 cups cheerios (crushed)
• 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 2 Tbs. margarine (melted)

Directions

1. Heat oven to 400°F. Spray 12 regular-size muffin cups with cooking spray, or grease bottoms only of muffin cups.
2. Crush cereal. In large bowl, stir together cereal, flour, brown sugar, baking powder and baking soda. Stir in remaining ingredients just until moistened. Divide batter evenly among muffin cups.
3. To make topping, combine margarine, cereal and sugar in a small bowl. Mix with hands until the Cheerios are coated. Sprinkle the topping on top of the unbaked muffins, dividing evenly between all 12.
4. Bake 18 to 22 minutes or until golden brown.