MangiaMore: almond ANNIVERSARY cake

RER 4.24.15

If I could, I would bake a cake everyday — a cake to suit my mood, a cake to satiate my cravings, a different cake to share with my nearest and dearest. If I could I would bake cakes all of the time.

If only cake didn’t have calories. Le sigh.

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RER 4.24.15

This time, my cake had a reason, a worthy occasion: to celebrate my parents’ 33^rd wedding anniversary (!!). It had to be delicious, something super tasty for my parents who deserve so much more.

I had no desire to play it safe, so I turned to Molly Yeh, whose beautiful cakes and treats inspire envy and admiration.  And once I remembered her Valentine’s Day Almond Cake, I knew it was the one.

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This was another egg heavy recipe, but separating yolks and whipping whites was felt more natural, and every other aspect of the cake was fun and easy. 

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I strayed from the recipe when it came to frosting. My father (and frankly, I) was uninterested in a whipped cream frosting, so I opted for my buttercream mainstay. I completely understand why the recipe offers a light almond whipped cream frosting. All those glossy stiff egg whites made for an airy and bubbly cake that was sweet but not dense at all. A lighter frosting would have complimented the bouncy cake, creating a lovely cake pillow.

But buttercream…

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My icing choice set up delicious contrasting textures while heightening the almond flavor and upping the decadence factor (it was a special occasion, duh). The tang of cream cheese toned down the sweet saturation and made for easy spreading. A celebration calls for an adult twist, so a little Kahlua and much more Disaronno went a long way in my slightly chocolate frosting.

Once again, Happy Anniversary parentals!!

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4.24.15

RER 4.24.15

photo op: BIRTHDAY weekend

RER 10.14.14

This weekend was my birthday, and as I ought to, I celebrated with food. Despite being a slug most of my birthday weekend, we managed to make some tasty treats with a little bit of apple and a ton of butter. I was dragged out of the house to a lovely birthday dinner on the water and returned home to the most beautiful surprise birthday cake—three layers and all. 

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Thanks for all the birthday wishes. And cheers to another year.

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10.12.14

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re.CAP: mother's day CAKE

RER 5.11.14

Mother’s Day, the second Sunday of May, this year came and went. No, I did not do any of these kid friendly DIY gifts for mum, though I probably did fantasize about making each and every one, especially those tea bags and glitter mugs. My sister and I did a very different DIY to celebrate our mothers while fulfilling a silly cake craving at the same time. We made a super scrumptious banana cake with chocolate frosting that disappeared far too fast.

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I used this banana cake recipe with a few adjustments. I added just a little bit of dark rum to the batter for an adult twist, and poured just a touch of Kahlua for extra delicious decadence in the chocolate frosting. There’s nothing like moist banana cake with super sexy frosting to top it off. This time, my only tragic downfall was not enough frosting on the cake. Good thing my heavy hand made a whole lot of extras for new slices of cake (or pretzels).

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What did you do for Mother’s Day? A fun prix fixe brunch with bottomless mimosas? A down and dirty breakfast in bed? Let me guess…you made fancy DIY macaroni necklaces!

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5.11.14

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