Baking Adventures

Keeping with the resolution I tried out three new recipes last weekend. On the docket for the misadventures of kitchen sorcery were Rainbow Cake, Hummus, and Irish Car Bomb Cupcakes. A random assortment I know, but novelty is not lost on me!

Rainbow Cake

Saturday Morning, my co-chef - she's much more than a sous chef - found the Rainbow Cake idea online and knew it would be a good challenge for us. It is exactly what it sounds like - a cake with rainbow colors. The actual making of the batter is simple, so simply Betty Crocker prints it on the side of her cake mix boxes! The real challenge to this "recipe" is the intricate mixing of colors.

1. Start with two boxes of white cake mix. You can make if from scratch if you wish, but this cake takes some serious time beyond the initial mixing of ingredients!
2. Pick colors for your cake. We used the basic set of four colors and mixed three more of our own. Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Purple, and Teal.
3. Separate the batter into bowls, one bowl per colors. Mix color into batter. Continue to add color until the batter looks good to you. You can do pastel colors by adding less color, or bold colors by adding extra. The neon colors look fun, but we used the basic primary set.




4. In greased pan or dish (cupakes work too!) pour colors in layers. The colors will not mix or run, just trust me on this! Keep in mind what colors will be next to each other and know that the cake will rise!!!!




5. Cook and cool as directed on the box.
6. Frosting! - we used the Funfetti frosting for an extra punch, but any kind of icing will work. This really depends on your preferred tastes.

The cupcakes are super fun! The cake looks awesome! But here is where we ran into a bit of trouble... I had planned to take the cake to a Super Bowl party, but ended up taking the Irish Car Bomb Cupcakes instead. But I failed to tell my roommate that. I put the cake in the oven to keep it away from the dog and keep it fresh. Since I didn't warn her, Saturday Morning got quite a suprise when she preheated the oven to make dinner!!! Moral of the story - put a post-it on the oven when you use it for storage!


Hummus


For a healthier turn, I took up the task of hummus. Recently I have found some awesome hummus at the deli close to my work. I realize that those words are a rarity in the combination, as my brother was quick to point out! But when you find something good, you tend to want more of it. Instead of constantly paying for it a la carte, I figured it was worth a shot to try and make some of my own. The first challenge was finding the tahini. At this point, you are likely saying "tahini? what the heck is that?" much as I did when I was reading the recipe. Apparently tahini is a sesame past, much like a really runny peanut butter. I had to look in several stores before I found it in the "nut butter" section at Henry's. To my shock, it was $8 bucks for the stuff, but you get a big can that will last for many batches of hummus! Here's the ingredients and recipe:

• 1 16oz can of chickpeas or garbanzo beans.
• 1/4 cup liquid from can of chickpeas/garbanzo beans.
• 3-5 tablespoons lemon juice (not lime - trust me on this).
• 1 1/2 tablespoons tahini
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1/2 teaspoon of salt
• 2 tablespoons of olive oil

1. First open the can of chickpeas or garbanzo beans ;-)
2. Drain the chickpeas or garbanzo beans into a cup, you will need part of the liquid later.
3. Combine the remaining ingredients in a blender or food processor. Add 1/4 cup of th liquid from the chickpeas or garbanzo beans.
4. Blend for 3-5 minutes on low until thoroughly mixed and smooth.
5. Place in serving bowl and create a shallow well in the center of the hummus. Add a small amount of olive oil in the well. Garnish with parsley.

I also found that adding a sprinkling of paprika on top adds to the flavor. Hummus is great with crackers and pita bread. So yummy!

And for the finale...

Irish Car Bomb Cupcakes

It is the best of both worlds - alcohol and sweets! And its not even enough to give you a hangover or sugar crash! I got the idea from Aggie a couple months back. Admittedly, it sounds crazy at first, I mean Guiness in a cupcake?!? The crazy thing is it tastes so close to the actual drink. I love it!

Cake

• 1 Cup Guiness
• 1 Stick, plus one tablespoon of unsalted butter
• 3/4 Cup unsweetened cocoa
• 2 Cups dark brown sugar
• 3/4 Cup sour cream
• 2 Eggs
• 1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
• 2 Cups flour
• 2 1/2 Teaspoons baking soda

1. Preheat oven to 350. Butter a muffin tin or put in the muffin wrappers.
2. Combine the Guiness and the butter, chopped into 1-inch chunks, in a large sauce pan, and heat to melt the better.
3. Remove from heat, and whisk in the cocoa and sugar.
4. In a bowl, whisk the sour cream with the eggs and vanilla, then add to the beer mixture.
5. Sift together the flour and baking soda, and fold into the batter.
6. Pour inti the muffin molds and bake for 25 minutes, or until inserted cake tester comes out clean. Let stand for 10 minutes, remove from muffin tin, and cool completely on rack.

Frosting

• 6 Cups of confectioners sugar
• 3 Sticks of butter
• 1/2 Cup of Bailey's Irish Cream
• 1 Tablespoon of vanilla

1. Combine butter, Bailey's, and vanilla - beat with a mixer on medium.
2. Slowly add the confectioners sugar, beat until smooth.
3. Frost when cupcakes are completely cool.
4. Enjoy!
   

I think that was enough for one weekend! Now to figure out what is on tap for the next recipe!