Molly Cake Food

MOLLY'S CARROT CAKE WITH SPICED CREAM CHEESE FROSTING

Steps:

• For the carrot cake: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease two 8-inch cake pans with nonstick cooking spray and line with parchment. Set aside.
• Combine the flour, cinnamon, salt, baking powder, baking soda and hawaij in a large bowl. In a separate large bowl, whisk together the oil, brown sugar and granulated sugar. Whisk in the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each. Whisk in the vanilla.
• Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients using a wooden spoon or rubber spatula and mix until about 90% incorporated. Add the carrots and sesame seeds and mix to incorporate (and by this time, all of the flour mixture should be incorporated as well).
• Pour the batter into the prepared cake pans and bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 30 minutes. Cool for 10 minutes in the pans and then turn onto a wire rack to cool completely.
• For the spiced frosting: Add the butter and cream cheese to a large bowl. Mix with a hand mixer until smooth and combined. Add the powdered sugar and mix until light and fluffy. Then add the heavy cream, vanilla, hawaij and salt. Mix until combined and smooth.
• Cover the cakes with frosting and stack. Use the carrot ribbons to roll into rose shapes and place on top of the cake. Decorate with the rosemary and serve!

CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIE CAKE

Steps:

• For the cookie cake: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease an 8-inch cake pan with nonstick cooking spray and line it with parchment. Set aside.
• In a large bowl, combine the almond and hazelnut flours, brown and granulated sugars, salt and baking soda. In a small bowl, combine the vanilla and almond extracts and egg. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients, add the chocolate chips and stir to combine. It may seem dry at first but keep on stirring. Pat the dough out evenly in the prepared cake pan.
• Bake until golden brown on top; begin checking for doneness at 22 minutes. Let the cake cool fully in the pan.
• For the buttercream: In a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat together the powdered sugar, butter, vanilla and salt. Once combined, beat in the heavy cream until smooth.
• Remove the cake from the pan. Transfer the buttercream to a piping bag and decorate the cake as desired (or spread on the cake to decorate).

AIRLINE COOKIE SHEET CAKE

Steps:

• For the cake: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9-by-13-inch baking pan with nonstick cooking spray and line the bottom with parchment.
• In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, granulated sugar, baking soda, baking powder and salt. In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, speculoos, oil, vanilla, eggs and 3/4 cup water. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir to combine.
• Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Begin checking for doneness at 28 minutes. Allow to cool completely.
• For the frosting: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, mix together the butter and speculoos until creamy. Gradually add the powdered sugar and mix to combine. Mix in the vanilla and salt. Mix in the food coloring if desired until combined.
• Use an offset spatula to frost the top of the cake in the pan. If desired, sprinkle the top of the cake with shredded coconut for snow, then decorate with rosemary sprigs for trees and mini candy canes.

RED VELVET BIRTHDAY CAKE

Steps:

• Place an oven rack in the middle position. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Grease two 8-inch cake pans with nonstick spray and line with parchment paper.
• In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
• In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, add the butter, coconut oil and granulated sugar. Cream together on medium speed, scraping the bottom and sides with a rubber spatula as needed, until pale and fluffy, 3 to 4 minutes. With the mixer running, add the eggs, one at a time, beating each until fully incorporated. Add the food coloring, vanilla and vinegar and mix to combine. Add the dry ingredients and buttermilk in 2 to 3 alternating additions and beat until just combined. Divide the batter between the cake pans, spreading it out evenly.
• Bake until the sides of the cakes start to pull away from the pans and a toothpick inserted into the centers comes out clean, 25 to 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool for 10 to 15 minutes in the pans, then invert onto racks and let cool completely.
• Trim the top of each cake layer to make a flat surface. Place the bottom cake layer on a turntable or something easy to rotate. Dollop about a third of the Frosting on the cake layer and spread with an offset spatula in an even layer to the edge. Top with the second cake layer, cut-side down. Frost the sides and top, then decorate with chopped pistachios or sprinkles as desired. Use icing gel to write "Happy Birthday," if desired.
• Cream together the butter and cream cheese in a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment until smooth. Add the powdered sugar, salt and vanilla and whip, scraping down the sides as necessary, until combined, light and fluffy, 4 to 5 minutes.

BIRTHDAY BATTENBERG

Steps:

• For the cake batter: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Turn an 8-inch square baking pan into a Battenberg pan: first, fold a long piece of foil onto itself a couple of times to a create a foil barrier to divide your pan in half, making sure that the barrier is at least the height of the pan or even a little more. Then, spray the pan and each side of the foil with cooking spray (to help the parchment stick) and line each half of the pan with two overlapping pieces of parchment paper, one going widthwise and one going lengthwise, with enough overhang to come all the way up the sides and then some. Get your scissors out and trim the parchment so that it lays nicely and doesn't curl around the corners and make you go crazy. Sorry, I know this is a lot of parchment paper (I reuse parchment all the time!). Okay, set this aside.
• In a medium bowl, sift together the flour and baking powder, then lightly stir in the salt and set aside. In a large measuring cup, whisk together the heavy cream and sour cream and set aside.
• In a stand mixer fitted with a paddle, cream together the butter, coconut oil and granulated sugar on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each and periodically scraping the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Add the vanilla and mix to combine. Reduce the mixer to medium-low and add the dry mixture and cream mixture in 3 alternating additions, mixing until 80 percent combined.
• Divide the mixture in half. In the first half, add a few drops of yellow food coloring and fold in the sprinkles as you mix until the batter is combined. Pour into one side of the pan and use a small offset spatula or a spoon to carefully spread it out evenly. In the second half of the batter, add a few drops of red food coloring and fold it in as you mix until the batter is combined.
• Pour into the other side of the pan and use a small offset spatula or a spoon to carefully spread it out evenly. Bake until the tops of the cakes are browned and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with a few crumbs on it; begin checking for doneness at 45 minutes. Let cool in the pans for 10 minutes, then use the parchment wings to lift them out of the pans and onto a wire rack to cool completely.
• Level the cakes and trim off the sides if they're uneven. Halve each cake crosswise to yield 4 equal rectangles that are as wide as they are thick (measure the thickness of the cake once it's leveled, then turn your ruler 90 degrees to measure that same amount on top of the cake and score with an accordion pastry cutter). Enjoy a bite of cake scraps and set these aside.
• To assemble: Knead the marzipan with the blue food coloring to get your desired color, dusting with powdered sugar if it gets too sticky. On a silicone mat (or a big piece of parchment or a counter dusted with powdered sugar, but I strongly recommend a silicone mat so that you don't get powdered sugar all over what will eventually become the outside surface of the marzipan), roll the marzipan out into a rectangle that's about 7 1/2 inches wide by 13 inches long, dusting the top with powdered sugar as needed to prevent sticking, and rolling in a scattering of sprinkles at the end. Trim the edges so they're straight. Brush all over with a thin layer of jam and place a rectangle of pink cake at one end. Brush the exposed surfaces with a thin layer of jam. Squish a rectangle of sprinkle cake right next to it and brush the exposed surfaces with a layer of jam. Stack the other two rectangles of cake on top, brushing with jam, to form a checkerboard pattern. Carefully roll it onto its side, pressing the marzipan all over so that it sticks, then continue to roll until the cake is covered. Trim off any excess marzipan, then decorate with additional marzipan decorations as desired.
• Wrap in firmly plastic wrap and let set in the fridge for a couple of hours. Let come to room temperature and enjoy!

MINI STRAWBERRY PRINCESS CAKES

Steps:

• For the princess cakes: Place an oven rack in the middle position. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a quarter-sheet pan and line with parchment paper. Set aside.
• In a medium bowl, whisk together the flours, salt, baking powder and baking soda.
• In a separate large bowl, use an electric or stand mixer to beat the butter with the granulated sugar until light and fluffy, 3 to 5 minutes. Add the egg, vanilla and almond extract and beat well. Add a third of the dry ingredients to the butter mixture and mix until just combined. Add a third of the buttermilk. Repeat with another third of each, and then the final third, mixing until just combined.
• Spread the batter out evenly in the quarter-sheet pan and bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Begin checking for doneness at 18 minutes.
• Let the cake cool fully in the pan (the cake can be made in advance and frozen).
• For the whipped cream: In a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the heavy cream, powdered sugar and salt. Beat to stiff peaks. Spoon the whipped cream into a large pastry bag fitted with a large round tip. Refrigerate until ready to use.
• Use a 2-inch biscuit cutter to cut the cake into 15 circles. Spread the top of each cake circle with a thin layer of jam. Top each with a small mound of whipped cream.
• Freeze the cakes for 1 hour while you prepare the marzipan.
• For the marzipan: Separate the marzipan into a 12-ounce ball and two 3-ounce balls.
• Knead purple food coloring into the 12-ounce ball until the desired color is reached. Wrap in plastic to keep from drying out.
• Knead dusty rose food coloring into a 3-ounce ball until the desired color is reached. Wrap in plastic. Knead the cypress or moss food coloring into the final 3-ounce ball until the desired color is reached. Again, wrap in plastic until ready to use.
• In a small mixing bowl, mix together the strawberry jam and 1 tablespoon
• water until thoroughly combined. Set aside.
• Roll the purple marzipan out to 1/8-inch thick, dusting with powdered sugar as necessary to prevent sticking. Cut out fifteen 4-inch circles, stacking them with a piece of parchment paper between each one to keep from sticking. Wrap in plastic while you make the roses and leaves.
• To make the pink roses: Pinch off a small piece of dusty rose marzipan and make little flat snakes. Then coil them to form a rose. Repeat to make 15 roses.
• To make the leaves: Pinch off a small piece of green marzipan and form into an oval leaf. Repeat to make 30 leaves. Adhere two leaves to each rose using the thinned jam as glue.
• To assemble the cakes: Remove the cakes from the freezer. Using a pastry brush, lightly brush each purple circle with the thinned jam. Place the circle, jam-side-down, over a cake to cover and gently press all around until the cake is completely covered. Set aside and repeat with the remaining circles until all the cakes are covered. Top each cake with a rose.
• Serve immediately or refrigerate for up to a day or two until serving. Enjoy!

MOLLY KATZEN'S/MOOSEWOOD RESTAURANT'S UKRAINIAN POPPY SEED CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Butter a 10 inch tube or bundt pan.
• CAKE: Cream the butter and sugar in a large mixing bowl. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each.
• Sift together the dry ingredients in a separate bowl.
• Add the dry ingredients to the butter/egg mixture alternately with the poppy seeds and milk; beginning and ending with the dry mixture.
• Stir batter just enough to blend thoroughly, adding the vanilla, lemon juice and lemon rind at the end.
• Spread the batter into the prepared pan, and bake for about 40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the cake comes out clean.
• Cool for 10 minutes, then invert onto a pretty cake platter. Allow to cool completely before adding the orange glaze and/or slicing.
• ORANGE GLAZE: Combine the ingredients in a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Lower heat and simmer uncovered for about 3 minutes.
• Pour the hot glaze onto the cooled cake. Let stand at least 10 minutes before slicing.