Ganache

Farewell

~ Laura ~ Leave a comment

My oldest daughter LOVES to read. I actually call her Rory (Gilmore Girls reference) sometimes. We have had the same conversation Lorelei and Rory had regarding things not fitting into a backpack because of multiple books. To say my daughter reads a lot is an understatement. She would love nothing more than to spend a day curled up and reading a book! She is in eighth grade this year. She has had two librarians in her life thus far and she has taken a shine to both.

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In the next few weeks our middle school/ town librarian will be embarking a new adventure with her family in another state. We are sad to see her go, but we wish her all the best! She has picked out numerous books for Kailee, as I am sure she does for many folks in our town and school!! Kailee loves that Audrey will search for just the right book for her, or be able to come up with a title at ease that fits just her style. Thank you Audrey for making our children feel special, and for knowing just what book to pick! The next librarian has some big shoes to fill – I hope they welcome the challenge and our kids with “open books.”

As a token of appreciation I made some chocolate cups for her. I mean, who doesn’t love to each chocolates while they read?!?

IMG_2006You can make the chocolate cups with a candy mold and tempered or compound chocolate, OR you can buy ready made ones at your local grocery store. I filled them with Biscoff Cookie Butter Smooth Spread and topped with dark chocolate ganache.

IMG_2005I also made ones that I filled with just the ganache and topped with a freeze dried raspberry.  I used my go-to ganache recipe.

These are super easy and quick to make because you don’t have to let the ganache sit before using it, as you might if you were piping or frosting a dessert, especially if using store bought chocolate candy shells. You fill them and are ready to enjoy!

The possibilities are endless – get creative!! These are a quick treat with big flavor!

 

It’s all in the details …

~ Laura ~ Leave a comment

I had the pleasure of creating two cakes for a logo dessert auction a few weeks ago. I decided to have one presented from my blog and one in coordination with my blog and my place of employment. One of our core values is Community – what better way than to demonstrate this than to participate in the auction.

15095069_574277656112600_5298245113177960289_nI knew when I decided to participate in the auction that I would make a candy cake – as those are always a big hit – I mean come on … who doesn’t love them some candy! The second cake I decided on the “Lumberjack Cake,” which has not only taken the internet by storm, but also has been tagged with my name on Facebook many times by friends and family. I decided to forgo the axe and use simple ribbon to accent this great looking cake.

15085701_574316222775410_4655919799120926257_nFor those who are not familiar with the “Lumberjack Cake” it is a red and black checkered cake to simulate plaid and the outside looks like a tree stump. For obvious reasons, I didn’t cut into the cake to see the checkered effect, but I will be making another one in the very near future just so I can cut it open and see it!

It amazed me how many compliments I received on these cakes by coworkers and friends after I had posted photos online of the cakes, and it’s all in the details! Simple details!

For the candy cake, I made a chocolate cake and frosted it with a chocolate buttercream. I then used King Sized Kit-Kats to wrap around the cake. I broke them into two segment pieces and placed them side-by-side with the flat side toward the buttercream. Once they were set, I wrapped a ribbon around and tied it tightly to ensure the Kit-Kats stayed upright! Then I simply placed the GIGANTIC Hershey Kiss on top and proceeded to place candy around it. I did use scissors  to open each candy bar and push down the wrapper so that I could stick the candy bar into the cake to keep it upright. I filled in the open spaces with M&Ms. The baking and cooling time were the longest parts of putting this cake together! This type of cake is a visual crowd pleaser. Kids go nuts for it (I think because they think they get to eat all the candy!). I don’t necessarily think that anyone would eat the cake AND all the candy on this cake – no judgement if you do! – however, I look at this similar to fondant. Does anyone actually eat the fondant and/or all the details made from fondant?

For the “Lumberjack Cake” I made a vanilla cake colored red, maroon and black, and I used my Wilton Checkerboard pan set. I colored my same chocolate buttercream black and used that to put between the three layers of cake and then used the plain chocolate buttercream to frost the rest of the cake. I used Giant Sized Hershey bars to make the “bark” on this cake. I simply held the bar up to the cake to measure how much needed to be removed and cut it off. I then used large end of a piping tip to “chop” up the end to make it look uneven and broken. To make the grooved marks to simulate bark I took a writing piping tip and simply drew lines up and down and sideways onto the flat side of the candy bar. I put the Hershey side towards the buttercream. To give it a little depth and dimension a dipped a piece of parchment into some white candy melts and gently wiped it over the grooved marks. Once all the pieces were done, I wrapped the cake in them and secured the bottom with a ribbon. For the top, to simulate rings – I just darkened my chocolate buttercream with a little more chocolate ganache and piped circles on the top and used an offset spatula to smear it all together – turing the cake as I held the spatula to the buttercream.

Two impressive cakes, that honestly didn’t take me long at all once I had figured out what I was going to do! It’s all in details for these two cakes, and those details were easily done.

 

For others enJOYment!

~ Laura ~ Leave a comment

I was blessed these past few weeks by friends. I was asked by three people to created sweet treats for them to pass on to others. First it was Finding Dory cupcakes for a friend’s sweet daughter’s birthday party, then a celebratory cake for a local business celebrating 68 years in business and then a birthday cake for a husband for his 30th!

It is honestly the little things in life that I feel give back the most joy! I was honored and flattered that people took time to find me and ask me to make these fun treats!

IMG_1315First it was a red, white and blue swirled vanilla cake frosted with a simple vanilla buttercream, decked out with a fondant and buttercream logo.

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14051757_529241247282908_4703062274308682897_nSecond was 24 Finding Dory cupcakes – 12 chocolate, 12 vanilla, frosted with vanilla buttercream, topped with cute candy decorations (Pop Rocks, Starburst coral and fondant seaweed, and sticker characters from the movie.

14089098_532174600322906_2598572795207425712_nThird was a chocolate and peanut butter explosion cake! Chocolate cake frosted with peanut butter buttercream topped with chocolate ganache and chopped up peanut butter cups.

I was asked recently if I get joy out of baking simply for the act of baking or do I get joy out of the happiness it brings to others. It’s both. I love how I can get lost in baking like I can in a good book. It clears my head, sets my soul at ease and brings my heart all kinds of happiness. I also love the look on someones face as they bite into something I have made them that makes their taste buds do a happy dance. So if you are having a bad day do what brings you joy!

Good Luck, Charlie!

~ Laura ~ Leave a comment

Sometimes people come into your life and you don’t realize the impact they have. Today marks one week that a very special employee retired from our company. I was asked to make the desserts for his party and I jumped at the opportunity. I was flattered that they asked, but more so, I was thrilled to do this to show him how much he truly means to all of us. I have stated before and I will state it again – baking is how many of us show and share love with the people around us. WE ALL LOVE CHARLIE and he so deserved the kind words, the endless recognition and to eat LOTS OF CAKE!

13516186_507226809484352_2417428643004849372_nSo I went to work making enough cake and cupcakes to feed a small army. I decided on keeping the cake flavors simple, but to go slightly crazy on the frostings!

13507152_507226762817690_2884251503118510521_nI made 84 cupcakes (not all shown) and one double 13×9 cake. The cake was chocolate cake with peanut butter frosting and filled with chocolate ganache and decorated with PB cups and a printed sugar sheet (thanks Callie and Frank’s Bakery!)

13524454_507226776151022_8454461130550016230_nThe cupcakes were chocolate cake either frosted with marshmallow buttercream, espresso buttercream or chocolate ganache buttercream, and vanilla cake frosted with either peanut butter frosting, chocolate ganache buttercream, vanilla buttercream or filled with key lime curd and topped with marshmallow buttercream.

They all came out great! Everyone enjoyed them and I had a blast piping all the frostings in different styles with different tips.

Salty & Sweet!

~ Laura ~ Leave a comment

CHAOS! A hamster running on a wheel going over and over the same information. It can be something small that just gets stuck in my head and even though the rational part of me knows that between the hours of 11 p.m. and 3 a.m. nothing can be solved (usually), but I still dwell. The remedy usually comes in the form of using my hands to create a delicious treat. It soothes my soul, quiets my mind and gives me peace – even if just for a few hours.

I knew this week that I had been craving something salty and sweet – not just salted caramel, but I wanted MORE! Since I already had pretzels and kettle corn, and chocolate, heavy cream, caramels, sweetened condensed milk, butter and more – I knew I could bang out a batch of cupcakes in no time. The creative team at my work has been slammed the past few weeks. They bust their asses on a daily basis and are asked for more favors than most people I know in our work place – they deserve the enjoy my salty and sweet treats!

For these cupcakes I made a basic chocolate cupcakes from Betty Crocker, only I made them with dark chocolate cocoa powder. You can also use a box mix – THERE IS NO SHAME IN CHEATING WHEN IT COMES TO BAKING/COOKING! I filled them with a basic and quick salted caramel (consisting of melting 2 bags of Werther’s soft caramels and 1 can of sweetened condensed milk, and adding crushed sea salt to taste) and topped them with chocolate ganache (1 bag of dark chocolate chips and 1 sm. container of heavy cream – melted until smooth. I let this batch of ganache sit in the fridge to cool and whipped just before it set so it had the consistency of mousse rather than frosting). Then came the fun part – I broke up a few small pretzels to top half and opened a bag of Smartfood Kettle Corn mini bag to top the other half.

Sometimes it is the littlest and easiest detail that really makes things look like you slaved FOREVER on something that really took less than an hour. Google Images can provide you some great ideas! Put in something simple  – chocolate and caramel or brownies and cookie spread or fruit and chocolate. Skim through the images and see what catches your eye! A lot of times things only look detail or hard – don’t just a book by it’s cover. Don’t just overlook something because you think it my take too long or be too hard – you just never know what you might be missing!

 

 

Baking is LOVE made visible – Unknown

~ Laura ~ Leave a comment

baking

Not everything I make needs to have an occasion. I had this talk with my daughter last night. She kept asking, “Is it someone’s birthday?” “Is someone paying you to make these?” “Why are you making sweets?” My responses were, “No, No and Do I need to have a reason?”

Many times I do make things for co-workers and/or friends birthdays because who doesn’t like to be treated to something delicious and slightly over the top for their birthday? Who am I kidding – any day really! My co-workers are spoiled when it comes to goodies. I usually try my best to bring enough for the whole class, and  yes, there are times that I just treat one department.

I bake for many reasons, but the end result is always the same – something created with love. As cliche as it may sound it is very true. I LOVE to bake. I LOVE the way my mind can find a calm and peace,  and my hands take over the thinking and creating. I LOVE the smells that take over the kitchen. Baking takes over all of your senses and can transport you to another time and place.

Baking and cooking is just one of the many ways I show family and friends my love and appreciation for them.

$74 OH MY!

~ Laura ~ Leave a comment

My 12-year-old daughter tried out for a part in her middle school’s drama production of “Hee Haw Hayride.” She didn’t get the part she auditioned for … she ended up receiving a part with twice as many lines – not bad for a first timer! She, along with all her cast mates, did an amazing job. They worked extremely hard for a month and a half and pulled of a fantastic show.

Our schools drama is funded by donations, concession sales during the plays two-night run and from the dessert auction at the end of each night. I decided to make a candy cake for each night – one vanilla and one chocolate.

The first one I made vanilla cake with white chocolate ganache between the two layers and frosted it with vanilla buttercream. I cut down stick of rock candy that I purchased from our locally owned candy shop, Specialty Sweets, and placed them around the edges of the cake and topped it with Skittles. To keep the rock candy in place I tied a ribbon around the cake for functionality and decoration. This cake sold to one of my daughter’s friends. For the second one I made a chocolate cake with semi-sweet chocolate ganache between the two layers and frosted it with a chocolate buttercream. I then placed Kit-Kats around the edges and topped it with M&Ms. To keep the Kit-Kats in place I again tied a ribbon around the cake. In total, these two cakes sold for $74!

I know a lot of people may think this is too much candy and who would eat all that, or that it is wasteful, however the same can be said for fondant. I DETEST FONDANT! I personally think it tastes gross, and for many cakes it is used for the aesthetics it brings to the cake, not for it’s flavor. The same goes for these cakes – the candy is mostly for decoration and to make the cake stand out. If it all gets eaten, great! Just have a gallon of milk ready!

These candy cakes are great for parties and the possibilities are endless. You can wrap the cake in Pepperidge Farm Pirouettes, Kit-Kats, Snickers, rock candy, jelly beans, ANYTHING! The same goes for the toppings! Fruit, chocolate covered strawberries, jelly beans, Lindor truffles, Ferrero Rocher … get your Willy Wonka on … Pure Imagination!

Life is sticky, just like caramel.

~ Laura ~ Leave a comment

You can hear the crumble. Bit by bit, piece by piece. The sound echoing within the empty walls … the hollow finally showing it’s depth. During the day it is drowned out by the background noise of daily life. At night, alone in the dark, with nothing but your muffling sobs to drowned it out, the familiar shattering ensues.
It is one thing in life to know something. It is quite another to say it out loud. What makes it truly unbearable and downright full of shame and embarrassment is someone else saying it out loud. This is not the validation you want. This is not what you want to be recognized for or have attention drawn to. Yes, you know it. How can you not? You can “not” by ignoring it and acting as though it doesn’t exist. You have perfected the toddler mentality of if you can’t see it then neither can they. You know this isn’t true, but you still let yourself believe it. You have to in order to make it through. You tell yourself it isn’t that bad. That you can change it if you want to. It will be different this time. This is what has and always will define you, because you let it. Is it comfortable? No. Is it healthy? Hell no, and on so many levels. You know all of this … So does that make it worse? Does it make it worse to be an adult, know you have an issue and with a sound mind refuse to acknowledge it? Or is that the definition of scared? Maybe it is a fine line we walk between scared shitless and ignorance is bliss.
They say knowledge is power, so why after someone else tells you what you have known deep down in that hollow space, that you feel powerless and at your must vulnerable and/or shameful. How did you let it get this far. How did it domino so fast? Maybe you have to be so low you are forced to work up. Maybe you need to be scared so shitless that there really is only one choice … to move forward and to stare into the face of what ails you and tell it to sit down and shut up. The choice is yours and yours alone.

Salted Caramel and Chocolate Ganache Brownies.

Brownies:
Grab your favorite box or recipe (I love Betty Crocker’s brownie recipe https://havesweetswillshare.com/2015/09/03/look-for-the-signs/). Make per the instructions and let cool.

IMG_0988Salted Caramel:
In a large sauce pan combined 1 can sweetened condenced milk and 3 bags of Werther’s Soft Caramels. Stir until all caramels are melted and it is smooth and bubbly. Add 1/4 tsp. fine sea salt and stir until it is distributed. Resisit licking the spoon … the caramel is scalding hot! Pour this mixture on top of your brownies and set in the fridge sans cover to firm up.

 

IMG_0958Chocolate Ganache:
Keep in mind chocolate ganache (recipe in previous post here) needs to set at room temp. for about 12 hours to become solid and non-melting at room temp. If you make the ganache and pour it immediately over the brownies it will set up in the fridge but become very soft at room temp. I suggest letting the brownie and caramel set in the fridge while the ganache sets at room temp. After 10-12 hours you can beat the ganache with an electric mixer, just to make it spreadable and then slather it on.