Cooking

Great Frederick Fair fiasco

Sonya Verlaque

Second Place Chocolate Cake

I asked Ry what he wanted to bake, and he said a chocolate cake. And then of course, while searching recipes he found possibly the most complicated chocolate cake recipe that existed on pinterest. We did tweak it a little and also made the cakes on Wednesday and refrigerated them, and iced the cake on Thursday before taking it in the enter in the fair. After all that effort he was disappointed to win second place, but the cake is delicious and worth the effort.

Ingredients - Chocolate Cake

• 1 3/4 cups (230g) all purpose flour
• 1/4 cup (30g) cornstarch
• 1 cup (100g) unsweetened cocoa powder
• 2 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 1 cup (200g) granulated sugar
• 1 cup (205g) dark brown sugar, packed
• 1/2 cup (108g) vegetable oil
• 1 cup (230g) mayonnaise
• 3 large eggs + 1 egg yolk
• 1/2 cup (128g) buttermilk
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 cup (240g) instant espresso

Ingredients - Chocolate Fudge Frosting

• 2 cups (450g) unsalted butter, room temp
• 1 1/2 cups (165g) powdered sugar
• 3 tbs corn syrup
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• Pinch of kosher salt
• 3/4 cup (177g) warm water
• 3/4 cup (75g) dutch process cocoa powder (or unsweetened cocoa powder)
• 10 oz dark chocolate chips (one bag), melted and cooled slightly

Preparation: Chocolate Cake - Preheat the oven to 350F and prep 3 8¢ cake pans. Grease the inside and line the bottom with parchment paper. If you have them, wrap the pans in damp cake strips and set aside. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cornstarch, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Set aside. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the sugars, oil, and mayo, followed by the eggs and egg yolk, and then milk and vanilla. Pour in half of the dry ingredients and whisk to combine. Pour in the hot coffee and whisk to combine, followed by the remaining dry ingredients. The batter should be very thin and liquid. Evenly distribute the batter between the three pans. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick in the center comes out clean with a few moist crumbs. Allow the cakes to cool in the pan for about 10 minutes, then run a knife around the edges and turn out onto a cooling rack. Cool the cakes completely before frosting, either at room temperature or in the refrigerator. You can wrap the cake in plastic and store to frost and decorate the next day.

Chocolate Fudge Frosting - Using a hand or stand mixer with the paddle attachment, beat the butter until smooth. Then mix in the powdered sugar, corn syrup, vanilla, and salt and beat so it is fluffy and pale. In a measuring glass, whisk together the warm water and cocoa powder. Pour into the frosting and mix to combine, scraping down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed. Then pour in the melted chocolate and mix to fully combine. The frosting should now be smooth and glossy but somewhat thin. To thicken, place the bowl in the refrigerator for about 45 minutes. Once chilled, whip again either by hand or with the mixer. If the frosting holds its shape inside the bowl, it’s ready to go. Before assembling, make sure the cake layers are completely cooled. Level off the top of each cake layer if needed. Lay one layer down on a cake turntable and spread a layer of frosting on top. Lay the next cake layer on top, repeating the process. Once all the layers are stacked, place the cake in the refrigerator for about 20 minutes to allow those layers to set. Once set, cover the entire outside of the cake with frosting.

Blue Ribbon Coconut Macaroons

Hudson is in kindergarten and so excited for his big win with these 5 ingredient macaroons. These are fast and so easy our 5 year old can do almost every step by himself.

Ingredients

• 14 ounces sweetened condensed milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
• 2/3 cup flour
• 5 1/2 cups sweetened coconut flakes , 14 ounce bag
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 cup chocolate chips melted

Preparation: In a large mixing bowl, mix the extracts in with the condensed milk. Add the flour, coconut flakes, and salt and mix until well combined. Cover and refrigerate for one hour. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Use an ice cream scoop to scoop 18 macaroons onto parchment paper and bake in a preheated oven for 12-15 minutes. When baking they are done when the edges are just a little golden brown. After the are cooled, drizzle with the melted chocolate using a spoon.

Underappreciated Earl Grey Tea Cookies

One of our babysitters said she thought these cookies were "fire" when I made them. Then proceeded to eat a few more throughout the day. Although we won no ribbons for these cookies,

Ingredients:

• 1 cup unsalted butter softened (2 sticks)
• 1 ½ cups granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 tbs vanilla extract
• 1 ½ tps baking powder
• ½ tps salt
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tbs earl grey tea leaves about 3 bags
• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 4 tps lemon juice

Preparation: Preheat the oven to 350EF. Set out several baking sheets and line them with parchment paper. Set out a stand mixer. Add the softened butter and sugar to the mixing bowl. Beat on high for 3 to 5 minutes until the butter is extremely light and fluffy. Scrape the bowl, then turn the mixer on low and beat in the eggs, vanilla extract, baking powder, and salt. Scrape the bowl again, then turn the mixer on low and add in the flour, 1/2 cup at a time. Quickly add in the Earl Grey tea leaves with the last portion of flour. As soon as the flour is fully blended, turn off the mixer. Use a cookie scoop to measure the dough portions out in 1 ½ tablespoon scoops. Roll each scoop into a ball. Place the balls on the cookie sheets, 2 inches apart. Bake the tea cakes for 10-12 minutes until puffy in the center and just barely golden around the edges. In a small bowl, combine the powdered sugar and lemon juice. Whisk well until the glaze is smooth. Once the tea cookies have cooled, dip the top of each cookie in the glaze and set them back on the parchment paper to dry.