Upcoming and Ongoing Post...The Search for the Best Vanilla Cupcake

Fresh Strawberry Rhubarb Pie

After a lot of research- I decided to keep it simple and go with my friend Kaila's pie recipe. This was my first pie, and I will make it again and again. It's nothing fancy- but if you know anything about pies, you'll know that this is what they're supposed to taste like.

I decided to omit the spices that the recipe originally called for in an effort to make a pie that is as pure and fresh as possible; perfect for the summertime.

Magnolia Red Velvet Cupcakes with Sprinkles Cream Cheese Frosting

My sister spoke very highly of the Dean and Deluca red velvet cupcakes that she had tried in New York City. So I decided to make my version of them for a party she was throwing. "My" version is a combination of Magnolia Bakery's cake recipe (also in NYC) and Sprinkles Bakeshop's cream cheese frosting recipe (in L.A.)

I can call this version mine because I doubled the frosting recipe- oh yeah....

I had heard that red velvet cupcakes were tricky to make- so I wanted to find a recipe that was 100% reliable- and this is it. Before you make them-
check out these instructional videos from
Magnolia's own Bobby Lloyd:

http://www.epicurious.com/video/holidays/holidays-valentines-day/1915458794/making-red-velvet-cupcakes/1915433406

and, for tips on decorating and frosting:

http://www.epicurious.com/video/holidays/holidays-valentines-day/1915458794/decorating-cupcakes/1915433408

Four Layer Chocolate Banana Cake with Nutella Buttercream Frosting

This is a HUGE cake- great for parties and looks amazing inside when you slice it!

It consists of four alternating layers; 2 chocolate cake, 2 banana cake- covered in an incredibly rich nutella buttercream frosting.

Chocolate Cake

(Adapted from Hershey's "Perfectly Chocolate" Chocolate Cake)

Ingredients:

2 cups sugar
1-3/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup HERSHEY'S Cocoa
1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1-1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1 cup milk
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup boiling water

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour two 9-inch round baking pans.

2. Stir together sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt in large bowl. Add eggs, milk, oil and vanilla; beat on medium speed of mixer 2 minutes. Stir in boiling water (batter will be thin). Pour batter into prepared pans.

3. Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes; remove from pans to wire racks. Cool completely. Invert cakes into pans, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate.

Coquette Note: Because the batter will be thin, be extra careful when you place the cake in the oven. This is a four-layer cake- you want your layers to be as symetrical as possible. For this reason also- do NOT overbake.

Welcome to Cake Coquette!

Hello Bakers!!!

Soon enough I'll start blogging my baking successes, failures, tips, and ideas!

Can't wait!!!

Love,

Hayley