Babies, Birthdays & under-Beds

If you have read my older blog posts, you probably remember the one where I explained how, since my mid-teens (even before I met Mr. A), I had been collecting random objects that I liked and would need for my future home. I had drinking glasses, a vast variety of kitchen utensils, table runners (that were out of style by the time Mr. A and I moved), candle holders, frying pans, etc. For years, I would keep everything under my bed while impatiently waiting for my knight in shining armor to sweep me off my feet and give me a home in which I could put everything I had collected over the years. That blog post was "Under the Bed" and you can read it at the following link: http://www.theprepwife.com/2013/10/under-bed.html. 

I went to Toys'R'us a few days ago to find a gift for the first birthday of my cousin's incredibly adorable twin boys. Yes, twins! I changed my first diaper and it was wonderful! I love babies. Crazily enough, every time there is a diaper to be changed... 

As I stepped into Toys'R'us, I felt like I had just landed in a new country and was asked to find my way without a map. Basically, I was lost and clueless. I strolled through the aisles quickly scanning the toys and stopping in front of anything that said "12 months and above". 

Without much success, I found myself in the clothing section of the store. I think the feeling I had in that department was close to the feeling that the 5-year-old-Me had when entering Toys'R'us. Surrounded by everything in miniature, the under-the-bed-Tania/my inner-prep-mom started to surface. I gawked at the tiny pajamas and socks that would look wonderful on the baby that I don't have yet! I told myself "I have to buy them! I have to stock up! They are so small. They won't take up any space!". Imagining Mr. A's reaction to my coming home with baby clothes (it would have probably been a mix between happiness, confusion and a slight dose of fear), my logical side eventually kicked in and I left the store only buying gifts for the twins.

Either way, very disappointingly (or perhaps thankfully), our bed is very low and there is not a lot of space to hide things under it... and I have already filled all the cupboards and closets of our house to (almost) full capacity. So I either have to resist buying tiny pajamas or find a house with bigger closets. I'll resist for now. ☺

Because no birthday is complete without cake, here's a recipe for a classic Victoria Sponge Cake from the Queen of Cake: Peggy Porschen. I've baked with Peggy's recipes countless times and trust me when I say they NEVER disappoint. 

I know the recipe seems long but it's a lot easier than it looks.

Glorious Victoria Cake

Recipe from Boutique Baking by Peggy Porschen 

Makes one 15cm (6in) round cake, serving 8–12 slices

Glorious Victoria (peggyporschen.com)

Ingredients

For the sponge:
- 200g unsalted butter, softened
- 200g caster sugar
- Pinch of salt
- Seeds of ½ vanilla pod
- 4 medium eggs
- 200g self-raising flour

For the sugar syrup:
- 150ml water
- 150g caster sugar
- Scraped vanilla pod

For the buttercream filling:
- 300g unsalted butter, softened
- 300g icing sugar, sifted
- Pinch of salt
- Seeds of ½ vanilla pod
- Small amount of pink food paste color
- 3 tbsp any good-quality raspberry jam

Equipment
Three 15cm (6in) round sandwich tins
Cake leveller or large serrated knife
Non-slip turntable
Flat disc to place on top of the turntable 
 (Peggy uses the loose base of a 30cm (12in) springform cake tin)
15cm (6in) round cake card
Metal side scraper
Two plastic piping bags
Medium star piping nozzle
Plain round 4mm (¼in) piping nozzle

Directions
Bake the sponges one day ahead of serving. Make the sugar syrup whilst baking the sponges. Prepare the buttercream filling and assemble and decorate the cake on the day of serving.

Preheat the oven to 175°C/350F.

Prepare the sandwich tins by greasing and lining them with greaseproof paper.

To make the sponge
Place the butter, sugar, salt and vanilla seeds in a mixing bowl and cream together until pale and fluffy.

Beat the eggs lightly in another bowl and slowly add to the butter mixture while whisking quickly. If the mixture starts to separate or curdle, stop adding the egg and beat in 2–3 tablespoons of the flour. This will rebind the batter.

Once all the egg has been added and combined with the butter mixture, sift in the flour and stir until the batter is just combined. This will ensure the sponges stay light and fluffy.

Divide the batter evenly between the sandwich tins. If you find it difficult to measure by eye, use your kitchen scales to weigh out the amount of sponge mixture for each tin.

Bake for 15–20 minutes, depending on your oven. If you are using deeper cake tins, the sponges will take longer to cook.

The sponges are cooked when the sides are beginning to shrink away from the edges of the tins and the tops are golden brown and spring back to the touch. If in doubt, insert a clean knife or wooden skewer into the centre of each sponge; it should come out clean.

To make the sugar syrup
While the sponges are baking, prepare the sugar syrup for soaking.

Place the water, caster sugar and vanilla pod into a saucepan and bring to the boil. Simmer until all the sugar crystals have dissolved. Set aside to cool down slightly. Discard the vanilla pod.

Once the sponges are baked, let them rest for about 10 minutes outside of the oven. Using a pastry brush, soak the tops of the sponges with vanilla bean sugar syrup while they are still warm; this allows the syrup to be absorbed faster.

Once just warm, run a knife all the way round the sides of the tins, remove the sponges from the tins and leave to cool completely on a wire cooling rack.

Once cool, wrap the sponges in cling film and then rest them overnight at room temperature. This will ensure that all the moisture is sealed in and the sponges firm up to the perfect texture for trimming and layering. When trimmed too soon after baking, the sponges tend to crumble and may even break into pieces.

To make the buttercream filling
Place the butter, icing sugar, salt and vanilla seeds into a mixing bowl and cream together until very pale and fluffy.

Add a small amount of pink food colour to the mixture and stir through until combined and the buttercream is a pastel shade.

To assemble the cake
Trim and sandwich together the three sponge layers using one layer of buttercream filling and one layer of raspberry jam, and the vanilla sugar syrup for soaking.

With the remaining buttercream filling, cover or mask the top and sides of the cake.

To decorate
Place the cake either on to a cakestand or on top of the turntable covered with a piece of greaseproof paper.

Place a star nozzle into a plastic piping bag and fill with a generous amount of the remaining buttercream. Place a round nozzle into another plastic piping bag and fill with a small amount of the remaining buttercream.

Divide the top of the cake into eight equal segments. Using the star nozzle, pipe a ring of C-scrolls around the circumference, revolving the turntable as necessary. Next, pipe a shell from the middle of each C-scroll towards the centre.

Where all eight shells meet, pipe a rosette on top at the centre of the cake top. Using the round nozzle, pipe a small dot between each shell.

Using the star nozzle, pipe eight fleur de lys evenly around the sides at the top edge, with a single upside-down shell underneath at the bottom edge.

To finish, pipe a small dot between the fleur de lys and shell. If the cake has been placed on greaseproof paper, chill until the piped dots are set before transferring to a cakestand.

Serve the cake at room temperature. This cake is best enjoyed within 3 days of baking, but it can last for up to 1 week.

Glorious Victoria (peggyporschen.com)

One More Candle

A few days ago, I blew out the candles of my birthday cake. This year, with one more candle, I went from the "early to mid twenties" bracket to the "mid to late twenties" bracket. 26!

I often hear the story of my 4th birthday. I was all grown up and for the first time, a big bunch of tiny people were going to come and celebrate with me. My friends were coming and we were going to party like they did in 1991! The party probably unfolded the way any 4 year old's birthday party would. Hyper kids running around, some would scream, some would laugh, some wouldn't eat and one kid would cry because s/he would want to open the gift s/he brought instead of letting the birthday girl (or boy) open it.

But the hours leading up to my party had been a lot more dramatic than the party. I had had the scare of my life at the tender age of 3 and 360-something days. (because of course, at that age, you're not just 3; you're 3 1/4, 3 1/2, 3 3/4, and so on.)

Apparently, I was not being a very nice girl the morning of the party. After several warnings, my mother (who was probably up to her ears in mini pizza and alphabet Jell-O preparations) told me that she called all my friends and that my party is cancelled because I was misbehaving. The second I heard that, I started to cry hysterically. You can just imagine the heartbreak I endured trying to come to terms with the fact that my first big girl party was cancelled!

Still crying and trying to be a very good girl, my parents told me that they called my friends again and that the big party was back on! Everything was back to normal. Relieved, I wiped away my tears, sat down and impatiently waited for my friends to come with a nice big smile on my face. 

All of a sudden, I started to cry again. Big tears started to run down my chubby, little cheeks. My eyes must have been as red as the big bow I had in my hair. Perplexed, my father asked me why I was crying. I was crying because I was scared. What was I scared of? The thought of not having a birthday scared me. Why? Young and naïve, I was scared that I wouldn't be able to blow out my candles to be 4 years old and that I would be 3 years old for the rest of my life. (because the only way to get older is by blowing out birthday cake candles.)

Wouldn't it be a nicer world if some of that innocence stayed in us as we got older? 

Today, 22 years later and slightly less clueless, I choose to concentrate more on the birthday cake instead of the number of candles on it. 

Here's the recipe of a "grown up" birthday cake: Goat Cheese Cheesecake. I made it for
Mr. A's birthday a few years ago. It was delicious (and not too goat-y for the one's who are not a big fan of goat cheese).

 

 

 

Goat Cheese Cheesecake

                                     recipe from Anne Burrell
Ingredients

 

Crust
 

- 2 cups gingersnap crumbs

- 6 tablespoons melted butter, plus extra butter for pan

- 1/4 cup sugar

- Pinch salt

 

Filling

- 2 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese, at room temperature

- 1 (12-ounce) log goat cheese

- 12 ounces creme fraiche or sour cream

- 4 eggs

- 1 cup sugar

- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

- Special equipment: 9-inch springform pan

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
To make the crust:
Stir all of the ingredients together in a large bowl. Butter a 9-inch springform pan. Press the crumb mixture onto the bottom and about halfway up the sides of the pan.

To make the filling:
Beat the cream and goat cheeses in the bowl of an electric stand mixer with the paddle attachment until light and fluffy. Add the creme fraiche (or sour cream) and beat to combine. Add the eggs, 1 at a time, beating after each egg is added, until thoroughly combined. Beat in the sugar and vanilla until just combined.
Pour the filling into the prepared crust. Put on a baking sheet in the preheated oven and bake for 55 to 60 minutes. Rotate the baking sheet halfway through the cooking process. If the cheesecake starts to color, tent the springform pan with aluminum foil.
Remove the cheesecake from the oven and let it cool completely before serving, as it continues to set as it cools. It is best to refrigerate overnight before serving. Cut the cake into wedges and serve with Vanilla Pineapple Compote.