Tonights chat - 2-6-97 "Sweets for the Sweet"

With Valentines next week I thought I would give you one of my families favorite recipes. It isn't cake - who would ever guess we don't eat much cake after 30+ years of selling them. But it is a wonderful fruit salad or we use it for a frozen dessert. Pink for valentines.

FROZEN SALAD (OR DESSERT)

Pour into a 9 by 13 inch pan or individual bowls and cover with foil and freeze. Take out of the freezer 30 minutes before serving so you can cut it (in the 9 x 13" pan) Into squares. Re-freeze portion not served for later use. Very yummy for the tummy 

Several of you have expressed an interest in the cake mix recipes that have been doctored. These are good recipes that I use ALL of the time. First I will give you a recipe for making your own Kaluaha and then what I call Home Brew. Same stuff as the Kaluaha except with out the coffee. I use these in nearly all of my cakes. It seems to make them moister. These recipes are designed to use with a 5 Qt. Kitchenaid mixer so if you have a smaller mixer you will need to scale these recipes down. I also prefer the Duncan Hines mixes and sometimes I use Duncan Hines and Pillsbury together.

Earlene's Kaluaha

Bring to a boil stirring occasionally until sugar is dissolved and reduce heat and simmer for 10 Minutes - Cool Add the cooled sugar mixture. Mix and store in bottles or jars for up to 2 weeks before using. (This will save you a lot of money. Takes a little time but is much more economical)

Home Brew - Same as the Kaluaha recipe omitting the coffee crystals and increasing the vanilla to 1/4 Cup

White Cake Do Not over beat. Fill Greased Pans 1/2 Full. Bake at 325° For 1 hr. to 1 hr. and 20 minutes depending on the size pan you are using. Earlene's Kaluaha Velvet or German Chocolate Cake Mix thoroughly and add 2/3 C. Kaluaha and a Dollop of Butavan. Mix until blended and fill pans 1/2 full. Bake 1 hr. to 1hr 20 min at 325º

Pwd Sugar: This next recipe is the most popular recipe I have - Most requested ...I will give a phone number later in the chat for where you can get the But-A-van Pwd Sugar: Butavan is a strong butter/vanilla flavor

Earlene's Kaluaha Fudge Cake

Fill pans 1/2 full and bake approximately 1 hour to 1 hour and 20 min. at 325º

Earlene's Cream Cheese Buttercream Icing

When all ingredients are moistened and slightly mixed, place mixing bowl and beater on the mixer and work the air out by starting the motor on slow and lifting the bowl of icing up and down several times until the air is worked out. Continue beating at a medium speed until smooth and creamy.

Handy Hints - Use a skewer to clear tips that are stopped up. Open the bag of icing and insert the skewer from the top of the bag down through the icing and pushing out the obstruction through the tip.

Pan Coat - Whip together in the mixer 1 Cup Solid Crisco, 1/2 Cup Crisco or Wesson Oil and 2 Cups Flour until fluffy. Store at room temperature (I store mine in an empty Crisco Can - cut a hole in the lid for the brush handle) Apply to pans with a sturdy brush. Check your resturant supply houses or have your Cake shop order one from Parrish's. The one we like to use is a large round brush from Parrish's and their catalog Number BRU 1508

Hints for baking your cakes level: Do Not grease the sides of your pans - only the bottoms. If you grease the sides the cake cannot climb up and the middle will be taller. Lower the temperature in your oven. I find 325º works much better for us. Use the 2" wide wet baking strips around the outside edges of your pans (or make your own from terry cloth). JPine52625: bake strips work great Szyhmkr: I love my bake strips!!! NEGRIEG: Where do you get baking strips? Szyhmkr: Anyplace that sells Wilton products

Now some questions that never got answered in the last couple of chats. MThomas695: Bron, what is ganache? Ganache is an icing made up of whipping cream and chocolate chips. Martha Stewart has a recipe in the back of her large wedding book. I found that her recipe is too soft for me.

Martha Stewart's Ganache recipe

Warm the whipping cream and add the chocolate chips, stirring continually until all of the chips are melted and the icing is very glossy and smooth. Set aside to cool. Check occasionally and when the icing begins to thicken it can be poured over a cake on a cooling rack. (Put a tray underneath to catch the yummy drippings.) If you need it for a filling or want to whip it to use like buttercream it needs to cool longer. Basic borders can be done. With my hot hands I have to hurry or it melts in the bag.

MGordon151: hello, can you make a ganache with white chocolate? I have had no luck making ganache with white chocolate so I called the expert.

Pwd sugar: Gloria Griffin in Canada does lots of chocolate things, teaches classes and does demos. Here is the information I got from her. The ganache she uses is for using as cake filling or candy centers. Not for pouring over a cake. She likes the Merkins brand of chocolates (White, milk or dark) the best. She said the Bakers Chocolate should work with this receipe. You will need:

To condition the whipping cream bring it to a just to full boil, remove it from the heat, stir, Do this two more times. This will remove the impurities and allow it to be kept at room temperature for a longer period of time. Such as for candy centers. After the whipping cream has been heated for the 3 times, remove it from the heat and take it off of the stove. Add the Chocolate chips and stir until they are all dissolved and the ganache is smooth and glossy. Add the melted cocoa butter and oil flavoring. Mix well. Let this stand overnight and whip it the next day. Then it is ready to use for a cake filling, icing or candy centers. She said you can do basic borders and even make roses with this mixture.

ILENE0617: My ganache..3 12 oz. bags of choc chips, 1 pt, half/half, 1/4 c. sugar. 1/4 c. butter

Last week I got knocked off and we didn't get to finish the pricing discussion - Maybe we can do a little more now and next week we will continue with that discussion. Do you have your 97 yearbooks handy? This is not a necessity - it just gives us a graphic reference in common. 8. Basketweave tiered cake with fresh flowers. This cake design we do frequently in chocolate with a number 8 to 10 Vertical line in dark chocolate and a number 48 horizontal lines. This is a very time consuming technique. We get $2.75 per serving for this design. I see one thing on this cake that I would change. See how the round separator plates show beneath the square boards. Those boards should be made a little larger so those plates don't show. An 8 inch round separator plate should have a 9" square covered cardboard to cover that plate completely. 9. Page 53 - A beautiful simple 3 tiered fondant design. The flowers and bottom scalloped pieces would need to be made ahead. But everything else is pretty basic. The scroll side designs are made with the Wilton's pattern presses. Since Rolled Fondant prices start at $2.50 per serving for me. I would say 2.75 per serving on this cake.

10. Page 54 - A three tiered cake on top of a fountain with fresh flowers. This cake is a basic rolled fondant design also except for the loops. Those 332 fondant loops will take you hours and hours to make. If you have a pasta machine it will go a little faster because it is so much faster to get them all the same thickness. A pizza cutter and a straight edge will allow you to cut long 1/2" strips and then cut those into 4 and 6 inch lengths. Then you will need to pinch the ends together and taper that down. Lay them on their sides or drape over a large dowel stick to dry. The pricing I would say would be $2.50 for the cake without the loops. And $4.00 - $5.00 per serving with the loops.

11. Two toned, three tiered wedding cake. Heart shaped with fresh flowers and a very striking design. Basic design with pearls and fresh flowers. MAKE SURE THAT BRIDE KNOWS THOSE PEARLS ARE NOT EDIBLE. $2.00 per serving for basic buttercream work.

Now do you have a cake in the book that you would like information on? Pwd Sugar: Page 55 is basic with fresh flowers - so about $2.00 per serving

Pwd Sugar: MAKE SURE THAT BRIDE KNOWS THOSE PEARLS ARE NOT EDIBLE.

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