the cherry on top...

Charin Kent July 25, 2016

A picture of a loving friend:

Draws near when you are in pain, no matter how ugly and depressing it may look
Quick to listen, grieve, and comfort when you’re hurting
Slow to give advice, change the subject, and dismiss you when you’re hurting
Embraces your differences, even if they may not completely “get” all of them
Knows when to challenge and when to encourage
Has a knack for saying a million heartfelt words with just one look, word, or sentence
Stands by you through the test of time
Stands by you through the test of arguments
Stands by you through the test of silence
Sweeps every plan aside in order to be there for you when you fall
Sticks to humble honesty over hurtful truths
Is eager to learn about you and from you
Knows you well enough to encourage you to be the best version of YOU
not the version of you that you idealistically think you should be
or the version of you that other people think you should be
or the version that you think other people think you should be
Cheers you up with exactly what you need right when you need it
Resolutely and noiselessly stands by your side when a life storm erupts
Is that gleefully fun cherry on top of your ice cream sundae… cake ;)

Look, let’s get real here… that list is pretty crazy impossible for all of us to keep up with, 24/7, am I right? It takes a long time to build this kind of friendship and of course there are tricky situations that call for a different approach. This isn’t a perfect all-inclusive list. We are not perfect human beings who can achieve this kind of friendship during every season of life. Many of my friends can tell you that I’ve failed at accomplishing every “check box” on this list… multiple times. Actually the only way that I can compile these examples is from witnessing how my friends have stuck by me through my many successive years of friendship idiocy. It’s hard getting this right, it can sometimes be painful and well, ugly. For me, I kind of revel and long for being a “lone wolf”, but I know that it is not ultimately the best thing for me (though I spent most of my early twenties trying to shun that fact). I so often make mistakes of inaction or jump-the-gun action, both of which usually have a root desire of putting myself at ease rather than simply loving my friend. I mean seriously… I can really suck at accomplishing this list and the temptation is then for me to give up and say, “Well screw it, I guess I’m just not a good friend!” which is also simply an excuse to not even try. Here’s number 20 though…

20. Accepts the fact that they are not perfect at the above list (or in general for that matter), apologizes when they fail you, learns from their mistake and tries again.

I have many loving friends but this weekend one of them had a birthday and I wanted to make a fun and festive cake especially for her. While plotting the birthday cake and thinking of the birthday girl I was reminded time and again of how wonderfully necessary that bond of friendship really is.

Stephanie is one of my most beloved friends for more reasons than I could possibly say in this short post (I also don't want to embarrass her with tons of gushing ;) ) but suffice it to say, she is the inspiration for many of those "check boxes" and is one of the most caring, strong, and brave women I know. It was my pleasure to make her a birthday cake and I wanted to push myself a bit to make it fun and more complicated than my usuals. Her only request was that it have my go-to strawberry buttercream and some sort of chocolate in it. After pondering this combo for a while I decided to try a new concoction- "banana split" cake- 4 layers of banana cake with chocolate buttercream, strawberry buttercream, and vanilla buttercream filling and encasing the cake layers, as well as some vanilla buttercream piped on the top with that classic sprinkles and cherry finish. I had seen this piping technique for frosting a cake on Pinterest and had been dying to try it out but was nervous that my hands would be too shaky due to the effects of hypoparathyroidism that I battle a lot (numbness and tingling in limbs as well as dizziness being some primary ones). Thankfully it was good day though and I was able to get pretty darn close to how I wanted it to look. Also, it felt quite therapeutic to push myself and succeed :) Happy Monday all!

Banana Cake

Ingredients:

3 cups all purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
6 ounces (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1 1/2 cups packed light-brown sugar
3 large eggs
4 very ripe large bananas, mashed (about 2 cups)
3/4 cup buttermilk
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350º. Butter and flour 2 8” round cake pans

Sift flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon together in a medium bowl and then whisk together. Beat butter and sugar together until fluffy. Slowly add eggs to butter mixture one at a time. Mix buttermilk, bananas and vanilla together. Add the dry and wet mixtures to the butter mixture by alternating between each, beginning and ending with the flour mixture. Spread batter in to cake pans.

Bake in oven for 30-35 minutes. Cool completely before frosting

Vanilla Buttercream

Ingredients:

1 1/4 cup sugar
5 large egg whites
2 cups (4 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract

Directions:

Place whites and sugar in a heatproof bowl set over a pot of simmering water. Whisk until sugar dissolves and mixture is hot to the touch.

Transfer bowl to mixer stand. Using the whisk attachment, beat on high speed until mixture has cooled completely and formed stiff and glossy peaks, about 10 minutes.

Fill a piping bag fitted with a plain round 1/2" piping tip (I used Ateco 806, you'll need 3 of these, one for each buttercream) to about 2/3 full and set aside. Set the rest of the buttercream aside in a bowl and move on to the chocolate buttercream.

Chocolate Buttercream

Ingredients:

3/4 cup sugar
3 large egg whites
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into pieces
3 oz dark chocolate, melted and cooled

Directions:

Place whites and sugar in a heatproof bowl set over a pot of simmering water. Whisk until sugar dissolves and mixture is hot to the touch.

Transfer bowl to mixer stand. Using the whisk attachment, beat on high speed until mixture has cooled completely and formed stiff and glossy peaks, about 10 minutes.

Remove from heat, and pour mixture in to a stand mixer. Whisk on medium-high speed until the mixture has cooled and stiff, glossy peaks have formed. Reduce speed to medium, and add butter a few pieces at a time, whisking well after each addition. Slowly pour the melted and cooled chocolate in to the buttercream and whisk until smooth. You may need to scrape the bottom and mix by hand with a spatula to fully incorporate the chocolate in to the buttercream.

Fill a piping bag fitted with a plain round 1/2" piping tip to about 2/3 full and set aside. Set the rest of the buttercream aside in a bowl and move on to the strawberry buttercream.

Strawberry Buttercream

Ingredients:

2 large egg whites, room temperature
2/3 cup sugar
6 oz or 1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, softened and cut in to pieces
3/4 cup fresh strawberries, pureed

Directions:

Place whites and sugar in a heatproof bowl set over a pot of simmering water. Whisk until sugar dissolves and mixture is hot to the touch.

With mixer on low, slowly add strawberry puree, about a 1/4-1/2 cup at a time, mixing thoroughly with each addition, beat until smooth, about 3 to 5 minutes.

*Disclaimer- I do not own these recipes, they are from my collection of tried and true recipes, all of them have been adapted from these various Martha Stewart recipes- chocolate buttercream, vanilla buttercream, strawberry buttercream, banana cake

Assembly

If you are unfamiliar with leveling, cutting, or frosting cakes I would suggest checking out this tutorial before this next step.

Level one cake layer and cut it in half horizontally, then repeat with the second layer. You will now have 4 total layers of cake. Place the first layer on a disposable cake round or cake plate. Fill the first layer with enough chocolate buttercream to form a 1/2" layer, making sure a small amount spills over the sides evenly. Place a layer of cake over the filling. Repeat this process with the strawberry buttercream next, then finally with the vanilla buttercream. Frost the cake with a thin layer of vanilla buttercream to make a crumb coat (don't know what that means? Here you go watch this tutorial). Now to do the technique I did I watched this tutorial and repeated the process to the T, but alternated the 3 buttercreams that I had instead of the 6 in the video. It took a long time and patience, but the end result was very fun and completely worth the extra effort.

when life gives you lemons, make tiny blueberry lemon cakes

Charin Kent July 18, 2016

I truly prefer a blunt and honest picture of reality over one that is rose-tinted and unattainably perfect, but honestly, reality can really, really suck. That's where I sit. I am sitting in the reality of what a life with hypoparathyroidism means, and it sucks. The past few weeks have been filled with tetany attacks, brain fog, bouts of anxiety and depression, paresthesia, fatigue, weakness, severe bone and muscular pain, all of which are the effects of having hypoparathyroidism. It has also been filled with finding and facing horribly harsh realities concerning my new life with it. For example, I found out that, no matter how well I figure out my treatment plan and execute it properly, I will still struggle with these at some point during even the best of days (and the symptoms I listed above aren't even the entire list). Sadness, despair, and pain, both literal and figurative, surround my inner being and when I look at my world around me, I see it reflected there as well. I have friends and family who are battling sorrows I cannot even begin to comprehend, not to mention the fact that it is an incredibly depressing, disheartening, and disharmonious time for our nation and world. How do I chronicle blissful moments when, frankly, there ain't much going for them? This is the question that has been swirling in my foggy and disconnected brain last week and the week before that, weeks in which horror upon horror rocked our nation and weeks in which I was hit with harsh reality upon harsh reality about my disease. I didn't want to be happy, I didn't want to cheer up, I didn't want to paint a rose-tinted picture, and I couldn't even clearly communicate or piece together the real one. By the grace of God, I did feel and have the strength to do one thing- create a happy moment for 3 people who were hurting too.

I used one cake recipe and made 3 tiny cakes, and I ensured that they went to 3 people who were suffering that week. How I wish a tiny happy cake could wash away the real pain, the real heartache, the real disfunction, the real hate, the real sorrow that so many succumb to on a daily basis, but it can't. It can bring a smile, it can bring some emotional sunshine, it can bring a feeling of being cared for and loved. It's a tiny step in the right direction, and the only step I was able to take this week. Not everyone's step will look the same and my step will not always be a tiny cake, but a step in the direction of real care and love is what I encourage anyone reading this to take this coming week.

Giving and caring for those who are hurting has been a constant theme and lesson I have recently been teaching my daughter, Lily. So I knew I wanted her to join me in making these cakes that would go to someone in need of extra sunshine. We picked up the blueberries at a local farmer's market, baked to our heart's content and had a blast. Oh and, yes, you are correct, she absolutely is the cutest baking sidekick ever ;)

Lemon Cake

Ingredients

1 cup plus 1+ tbsp low-fat buttermilk
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons lemon zest
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 ½ cups sugar
2 large eggs
3 large egg yolks
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter and flour two 8" round cake pans (or if you would like to do the 3 small cakes then butter and flour 6 4" round cake pans), tapping out the excess flour. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and lemon zest.

Using an electric mixer, beat butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. With mixer on low, beat in eggs and yolks, one at a time, fully incorporating with each addition. Add the lemon juice to the buttermilk and stir with a fork. Alternately beat in flour mixture and buttermilk mixture beginning and ending with the flour mixture; mix just until combined.

Divide batter evenly between pans; smooth tops. Bake until cakes pull away from sides of pans, and toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean, about 32 to 35 minutes. Let cool in pans 10 minutes. Run a knife around edges of pans and invert cakes onto a wire rack.

**Disclaimer- I do not own this recipe. This is a recipe that I adapted from a Martha Stewart recipe for lemon cake.

Blueberry Buttercream

Ingredients:

4 large egg whites, room temperature
1 1/4 cups sugar
3/4 pound (3 sticks) unsalted butter, softened and cut in to cubes
1 cup fresh blueberries, pureed

Directions:

Place whites and sugar in a heatproof bowl set over a pot of simmering water. Whisk until sugar dissolves and mixture registers 160 degrees on a candy thermometer.

With mixer on low, slowly add blueberry puree, about a 1/4 cup at a time, mixing thoroughly with each addition, beat until smooth, about 3 to 5 minutes.

*Disclaimer- I do not own this recipe, it is from my collection of tried and true recipes, this little number has been adapted from Martha Stewart's Fresh Strawberry Buttercream recipe.

For the candied lemon slices I simply followed a recipe similar to this one.

Assembly

Note: If you are unfamiliar with leveling, cutting, or frosting cakes I would suggest checking out this tutorial before this next step.
The assembly process for this recipe is the same regardless if you are making the 3 small cakes or one 8", you will just simply repeat this process 3 times if making the little guys.

Level each cake layer. Place the first layer of cake on a disposable cake round or cake plate. Fill the first layer with enough buttercream to form a 1/2" layer, making sure a small amount spills over the sides evenly. Place a layer of cake over the filling. Frost the cake with remaining buttercream. Drizzle the lemon syrup, from making your candied lemon slices, across the top. Decorate with candied lemon slices, I halved mine and spread them out evenly along the bottom border, and placed one on top. Put a smile on someone's face by sharing this happy little cake with friends and/or family.

flee to the pâtisserie

Charin Kent July 3, 2016

I have found that when an explosive, unanticipated, and unwelcome event erupts in my life, a tenacious urge grows inside me during the aftermath. It is an urge to do something epic right back at it. My imagination passionately runs wild with this urge and ideas sprout up at random. I want to run, not figuratively but very literally RUN until my legs give way. I want to tattoo my body so as to forever remind myself that the event will not, shall not, ruin me. I yearn to dye my hair a vibrant pink to bring life and vivacity to a sorrow that I cannot ultimately control. Take back control. Fight or flight. Whatever you want to call it, the urge is strong and very real, if not all consuming at times. Not every imaginative scheme I dream up is wise or ultimately helpful, but the urge to DO something in return is always inevitable. After my most recent explosive and life changing event I chose to flee to the safe haven of blissful consumption I once delighted in 5 years ago… I chose to flee to Paris.

Flee may be an excessive word for this well planned getaway, nonetheless, reckless is how it felt as I stuffed my bags full of 10+ (NOT an exaggeration) different types of medication, kissed my 2 young children goodbye, and frantically learned how to say “I would like to go to 9 Rue Beethoven” in French. In all honesty anything out of the normal routine is reckless and unpredictable for me these days. Nevertheless, I wanted to get away and enjoy my favorite things- shopping, wine, friendship, cheese, reading, foreign cultures, and outrageously delicious food. If any of these are your favorite things as well, then come follow along and discover some delicious gems in Paris, as well as some relaxing ideas for you to indulge in right at home. I am not one to constantly bust out a camera while traveling, as I have a deep-seated fear of being an obnoxious tourist, but I was determined this time around to capture as much of the sentiment and feel of this trip as I could. So these pictures were my compromise between not succumbing to my fear and still chronicling the blissful moments that blossomed throughout the trip.

Upon arrival I was exhausted from my overnight flight and subsequent adventure-filled ride from the airport to the airbnb apartment that my dear friend and traveling companion, Sarah, and I were staying at. After a quick nap we headed out for a cup of coffee before dinner. The conversation and scenery of that first afternoon and evening of our trip will forever be remembered alongside these quick pics I snapped of my mocaccino and our dinner. I honestly can't think of much that can beat a great conversation between friends over moments such as these. The coffee shop was Terres De Café, cute, quaint with lovely outdoor seating, I highly recommend it if you are in Eiffel Tower vicinity. And then there was the bistro... oh the bistro... WHY CAN'T YOU BE AROUND THE CORNER FROM MY HOME IN CHICAGO?! Ahem, excuse my frustration for one moment. The experience that I most wanted to be perfect and thus researched the most before coming to Paris was dining at a distinctive, delectable, and authentic French bistro. Le Bon Georges exceeded those expectations and was without a doubt one of the best dining experiences I have ever had. The staff welcomed us as if we were long time customers and were extremely helpful with translating and recommending dishes and wine pairings. There is something to be said for beautifully hospitable and kind service when dining out. It simply adds a seasoning to the meal that when paired with scrumptious food makes it a truly unforgettable experience all around.

THIS. This picture depicts something that I rarely get to experience nowadays- the wonderful pastime and art of a completely LAZY morning. No one waking me up at 6am. No one yapping at my heels demanding to be fed, or played with, or petted. No one demanding anything from me AT ALL. For this exhausted mama of a 5 year old, 1 year old, and kitty cat, this was absolutely heavenly. I slept in, I sipped coffee, I indulged in pastries bought the previous day, I read my sci-fi/fantasy book that I had started over a year ago and still had yet to finish, and I simply basked in the radiant beauty of SILENCE. And it was GOOOOOOOD.

One of Sarah's (my traveling companion) only requests while planning our trip to Paris was that we go to a fine dining restaurant. "Be still my beating heart" was the immediate thought that ran through my head when she mentioned this, "Um, yes I think I can arrange that." was my external response. I LOVE fine dining as well as researching fine dining restaurants. It didn't take much digging for me to decide on which restaurant would perfectly match our desired experience- Arpége. Arpége focuses on vegetables, their personally grown hand picked within one day of serving vegetables that is. I truly have never ever experienced vegetables this way. So many different combinations, flavors, textures, and all of them delighted every inch of my palate. We were also seated in what I believe used to be their wine cellar, which made you forget that you were dining at a 3 Michelin Starred fancy restaurant and felt as though you were simply dining in a peaceful and cozy home on the French countryside. It was divine.

Pastries and chocolate and ice cream, oh my, my, MY! Trips to patisseries, chocolateries, fromageries, boulangeries, and glaciers I had thoroughly researched trumped trips to popular landmarks on this little vacation. If popular landmarks happened to be in the vicinity of a world renowned or highly acclaimed patisserie, then great, we would stop there too, but the priority for this trip was the FOOD. Each place we visited was uniquely delicious and not all that we went to are pictured here (believe it or not). From top left to bottom right- Pastries and gateau from Pâtisserie des Rêves, the pic was snapped after I had batted my friend Sarah's hand away from taking another bite ;); Chocolates from Jacques Genin a wonderfully posh chocolate shop with equally posh and decadent chocolate treats; Hot chocolate from Angelina, we bought the bottled version and added it to our morning coffee each day which was a perfect combination, in case you were wondering; the line of perfectly adorned and manicured pastries (and staff I might add) at Ladurée; Ladurée's macarons do not disappoint and neither does their impeccably cute packaging; Another big name in French pastry- La Maison du Chocolat, where chocolates of every exquisitely imagined flavor are lined and piled neatly and the samples are seemingly never-ending, yes my friends, it is a wonderful experience to say the least; Macaron tree at Gregory Renard, a shop recommended by Paris by Mouth (a wonderful site focused on recommending the best edible experiences Paris has to offer), their recommendation proved wonderfully correct for this little shop whose chocolates were some of the most creative we tasted; macarons from P ierre Herm é, the flavors of rose, jasmine, and grapefruit in these luscious treats made them to be one of my personal favorites from the whole trip; and lastly we come to our "Sunday brunch" at Berthillon... I had a scoop of chocolate and a scoop of coconut ice cream and it came with a tuile adorned in the middle (without a doubt, that was the best chocolate ice cream I have had in my entire life and I am no novice to the world of ice cream), we each got a croissant and coffee to go with our ice cream, a seemingly odd combination but it all actually paired deliciously.

And then there was this. Those beautiful pieces of artwork are made out of chocolate. Yup... CHOCOLATE. Patrick Roger is a master sculptor and chocolatier, his shop that we visited was part chocolate shop, part art exhibition. The skill, knowledge, and craftsmanship that goes in to perfectly sculpting chocolate is so incredibly complex and complicated. I have dabbled a very little in this while going to The French Pastry School of Chicago and seeing the level that he has taken this to left me completely hushed, reverent, and awe-inspired.

While it wasn't planned this way, we ended up spending almost every night with a glass of wine in hand, chowing down on cheese, charcuterie, baguettes, fruit, and treats that we had bought throughout the day (Marie-Anne Cantin, Les Gourmandises d'Eiffel, and La Grande Épicerie de Paris were where we acquired some outstanding bread, cheese, and wine). We sat back, kicked up our aching heels, and watched various foodie documentaries about wine, fine dining restaurants, and Paris. It was a perfectly relaxing end to each evening and one I would wholeheartedly recommend you try at home.

My deep love for all things beautifully and artfully and intricately made makes Paris my favorite city I have travelled to thus far. My goal for this trip was to simply GO and bask in that wondrous and vast list of favorite things in that gorgeous city. Due to the reality of my medical conditions there certainly was an element of risk at play in going. Anxiety and worries were around every corner of preparation for this trip, but I knew deep down that this urge was one that would be wise to indulge in, despite the risk. The result was that it acted as a sweet balm to heal the wounds inflicted by the explosion. It is a balm that I will reflect on and will drive me forward with confidence on this healing journey.

Darcy takes the cake

Charin Kent June 19, 2016

I had the great privilege yesterday to have a book club date with my exceptional 12 year old niece, Maddy. One of my Christmas presents to her this year was a copy of the book “Pride and Prejudice”, and along with it was the promise of a date to discuss the book once we had finished it. Due to some unpleasant and unforeseen events, I was not able to finish the book and thus have the date with her until a whopping 6 months later (thank you sweet Maddy for being so patient with your Auntie Charin!). I have read this book several times but reading and then discussing it this time with my wonderfully inquisitive niece on Father’s day weekend got me thinking about the quiet, humble, loving man who is the “dada” to my 2 kidlets.

Pride and Prejudice is widely regarded as one of the best romantic novels of all time, and when reflecting on the book this time (which is about the 4th time I have read it) I was struck by the fact that the quintessential hero, Mr. Darcy, is not perfect in the least, in fact he is quite horrible at the outset. However what I think enthralls so many, myself included, is that when he is confronted with his own faults by someone he loves, he (slowly) opens himself up to a deep change. His deep love and respect for his heroine, Miss Lizzy Bennet, prompts him to reevaluate well, everything. The outcome of this reevaluation is that the pride, the prejudice, the scorn, the disdain, the lofty behavior is replaced with an open, generous, graceful, humble, and kind heart towards others. If you have ever witnessed a change like that in someone close to you, you know, it is a truly wondrous process to behold.

Being married for almost 9 years has definitely revealed something to me… SURPRISE neither one of us are perfect by any means, in fact, we were both horrible at the outset and if we’re being honest, while the quantity of horrible outbursts have decreased, we are still imperfect and prone to hurting one another at any given moment. What I have realized through the years is this, when it comes to having humble listening ears, a considerately open mind, and a willingness to change everything in order to love me better, to love our family better, my husband takes the cake (yup... a thoroughly cheesy pun just for my pun loving man :D ). I am constantly inspired by his truly wonderful character and am thrilled every day to partner in this journey of parenthood with him.

In honor of this guy I made him his favorite cake, Mint Mocha, and I had a little fun with it because I was in the mood for a challenge. The recipes for this cake are a bit more advanced but once complete the cake is absolutely heavenly and I highly encourage you to give it a go if you’re in the mood for a challenge too. Happy Father's Day, I love you David!

Chocolate Cake

Ingredients:

2 cups sugar
1-3/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tablespoon Black Cocoa**
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt
2 eggs
1 cup buttermilk
1 cup black coffee
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Directions:

Heat oven to 350°F. Butter and flour 2 4" and 2 6" round baking pans (if you want to make this a non-tiered version then use 2 8" round pans, fill one layer of cake, and skip the tiering process in the assembly section below) . Set aside.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment or in a large bowl with an electric mixer, combine the sugar, flour, cocoa(s), baking soda, baking powder. Mix on low until dry ingredients are thoroughly combined. Mix together the eggs, buttermilk, coffee, oil and vanilla in a separate bowl then slowly incorporate them in to the dry ingredients. Beat on medium speed for about two minutes; the batter will be thin. Pour batter evenly into prepared pans (Each pan should be about 1/2 full of batter).

Bake in preheated oven for about 35 minutes or until wooden toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes; remove from pans to wire racks. Cool completely.

*Disclaimer- I do not own this recipe, it is from my collection of tried and true recipes, this recipe is coming to you from My Baking Addiction who adapted it from Hershey's Black Magic Cake.
**I have found this product at my local Sur la Table or I have bought it online via King Arthur Flour's website.

Espresso Ganache

Ingredients:

6 ounces dark chocolate, finely chopped
2/3 cup heavy whipping cream
2 tbsp espresso powder
2 tbsp butter

Directions:

Place chocolate in a medium-size heatproof bowl. Combine the cream and espresso in a small saucepan over medium-high heat and bring just to a simmer; pour mixture over chocolate. Let stand, without stirring, until chocolate begins to melt.

With a whisk, and starting at the center of the bowl, whisk in a small circular motion clockwise increasing the size of your circle until the ganache is 75% incorporated then add the butter and start whisking counter-clockwise just until the ganache is silky and fully mixed together, do not over mix or you'll be sorry :)

Set the ganache aside to cool while making your buttercream, whisk every so often to ensure even texture.

Mint Buttercream

Ingredients:

1 ½ cups sugar
1/3 cup flour
1 ½ cups whole milk
1/3 cup heavy cream
3 sticks unsalted butter (cool but soft)
3 tbsp and 1 tsp creme de menthe (or green mint) syrup*

Directions:

In a medium, heavy-bottomed saucepan, whisk the sugar and flour together. Add the milk and cream and cook over medium heat, whisking frequently until mixture comes to a boil and has thickened (about 5-7 minutes).

Transfer the mixture to the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Beat on high speed until cool. Reduce the speed to low and add the butter, mix until thoroughly incorporated then add the syrup. Increase the speed to medium-high and beat until frosting is light and fluffy.

Disclaimer- I do not own this recipe this recipe is adapted from the buttercream used for Grasshopper Bars in Baked's cookbook, Baked Explorations, one of my favorite cookbooks EVER.
*This product is a bit hard to come by but is so worth the extra trouble to find as it gives a very subtle flavor that is not nearly as overwhelming as other mint syrup products. I personally prefer Monin syrups and would recommend their Green Mint syrup for this recipe.

Assembly:

If you are unfamiliar with leveling, cutting, or frosting cakes I would suggest checking out this tutorial before this next step.

Place about 3/4 cup buttercream in a piping bag fitted with a plain round piping tip roughly 1/4-5/16" in diameter (I used an 803 round ateco tip). Level your cake layers. Place one 6" cake layer on to a cake plate or a 6" disposable cake round and place one 4" cake layer on to a disposable cake round or plate. Pipe an even border of buttercream along the outer edge of the cake layers, ensuring there are no holes in the border or the filling will spill through them. Place each cake layer in the fridge to let the buttercream set, this should take about 10-15 minutes. Once the buttercream is set (hard to the touch) then pour the ganache in to each rimmed cake layer. Set back in the fridge to let the ganache set, this should take about 20-30 minutes, the ganache should be soft but not stick to the touch. Place the remaining ganache in to a piping bag fitted with the tip of your choice (I used an 8mm french tip). Take each filled layer out of the fridge and place the unfilled cake layer on top of its twin. Frost each cake with remaining buttercream. With an offset spatula very gently lift and set the 4" cake on top and in the center of the 6" cake. Pipe the ganache around the bottom border of each tier. To serve, first cut the top 4" tier, then proceed to the 6". Enjoy!

sending love to Orlando

Charin Kent June 15, 2016

In my post last week I said there are times when I am so filled with emotion that I cannot speak because nothing can fully communicate the overwhelming feelings that wage inside me. Well, that is me today, that is me yesterday, that's me since about 8pm on Sunday night. This was supposed to be the "easy" blog post week. Both my kids had birthday celebrations over the weekend so I had a cake occasion (my daughter's birthday party) all lined up. I had been scheming up all different things to write about, funny anecdotes, unique Pinterest links, pics of my kids' smiling faces to show you all and tell you how through everything we've been through this year, they have still made it through with hearts full of joy. All those well laid plans washed away around 8pm Sunday night though. The party had ended and our kids were in bed, I sat in my bed trying to decompress from the day. I opened Facebook and could not believe the absolute horror that had happened to so many people the night before.

My blog was started to share my moments of bliss through this life storm I have been facing, but I will not speak of blissful moments this week. It feels wrong for me to do so in the wake of the horrible act that led to dozens upon dozens of people losing their lives and hundreds whose lives will forever be riddled with a pain and horror I cannot even begin to imagine. It feels so wrong for me to talk of joy when such a crime was committed and because of it so many will never know or will constantly battle finding joy ever again. This week I will mourn, I will grieve, I will pray, I will stand in spirit, and I will help those who are suffering how I can. This week I will take time to remind my children how important it is to love others because it conquers all. I encourage you to take a moment with me and my family and mourn the lives lost and grieve with those who survived but will forever be physically and emotionally scarred by this horror. Please join me in sending love to the victims and their families.

This CNN article and this Huffington Post article offer many suggestions of how you can help those affected by this tragedy, I encourage you to read through them and help how you feel led to.

a thank you cake

Charin Kent June 7, 2016

I have a love/hate relationship with words. Sometimes they are marvelous at communicating my thoughts, wants, desires, ponderings, needs and for that, sure, I love them. However when a powerful emotion is at play, words too often infuriatingly fall short. I struggle to piece my words together like a jigsaw puzzle so as to display the full picture in my head because sometimes the picture is too complex for simple noun, verb, adverb puzzle pieces. For instance, the words supported, comforted, encouraged, grateful, blessed, soothed. These words barely scratch the surface of the emotion that rocks me when I think, even for a very brief moment, of how my friends, family, uh... even complete random strangers, loved on me through the past months of stormy life weather. Saying I am speechless or without words doesn't quite convey how I feel either. I have too many words to say and yet none of them can fully present my emotions. Usually when I run into this problem my tactic is to struggle to get my words out and just give up if I fail, or if I'm being really honest I don't even try because it is too hard. Well, in my mind, the act that I mentioned is too bright, too lovely, too radiant, too amazing to give up on and too important to simply say "thank you" and move on from. So I'm going to use this tool I love and hate, take some pictures, and bake a cake. Maybe it will convey my emotion, maybe it will fall short, but giving up is simply not an option where this is concerned.

A shirt from my mother in law that makes me laugh and speaks to my feisty Disney loving soul; a thoughtful collage from my 12 year old niece for me to remember the best Disney World trip of my life during the isolation part of my treatment; a mantra bracelet from a close childhood friend stamped with my mantra to cancer and hypoparathyroidism- "You Can't Stop Me"; my "Brave" (one of my favorite Pixar movies) leggings given to me from a dear friend, I wore them to the hospital on my first day of treatment and they perked me up each time I looked at them.

You see the content and smiling faces of the children in the middle two pictures? Yes of course they were happy to see me after a week long separation during treatment, but they were also well rested, fed, and happy throughout that week because of the the amazingly wonderful nana in the outer two pictures. She gave up time, money, rest, really anything that she needed to ensure that her baby and grand babies weathered this storm well. Her heart and soul are oh so beautiful and she deserves a lifetime of thank you's.

My mother and father in law came in to town about a week after my treatment and made it their mission to create "happy places" in my house so I could have multiple areas of refreshment and retreat throughout my day. They hung pictures that had been stored for about a year and gardened their heart out so that I could be surrounded by things I loved.

Sigh... this book. This is my "loved" book. As you can see from the picture on the far left it is absolutely teeming with, well, love. It is the book I created to store each and every card, note, gift receipt, flower delivery receipt, etc. that I received from people during my surgeries and on through my cancer treatment. The card second from the left is from a dear friend who had her 3 young children decorate "Get Well Soon" cards for me on more than one occasion, I love and cherish each one :) ; Third picture from the left honestly leaves me completely floored every time I see it. This came from a lady who does not know me in real life but saw me discussing my treatment in a FB group we are both a part of and took it upon herself to send me some things to help me through treatment... I know... it's absolutely incredible right?; and now we come to the most quirky picture, 4th from the left, this is from my brother who sent me an activity for each day of the isolation part of treatment, this was a paper airplane, complete with instructions and motivational decor, Aaron... you rock!; Lastly a homemade card sent by a close friend who lives far away but took it upon herself to send many sweet and loving handmade tokens of love to encourage me through this time. This book will be something I keep to cheer me up for the rest of my life.

My husband (which THAT MAN will get a whole cake devoted to thanking him in a couple weeks... for a certain holiday celebrating fathers we know is around the corner) mentioned on FB that we could use some meals and BAM... not only friends and family sent meals but also people I barely knew who simply felt they wanted to help. These meals carried us through the roughest times and we still have 2-3 in our freezer, saving them like precious gold for the next moment that my hypoparathyroidism symptoms pop up. Then there are the numerous FB messages and comments, text messages and emails. I mean... The amount of loving words that flooded me through those means would completely fill another book!

Something wonderful I’ve learned through this experience is this- people can be outrageously, stunningly, graciously kind, thoughtful, and generous and this is powerful. There is an obscene amount of awful in this world but I had an encounter with people's considerate hearts and it is unforgettable and has changed me for the better. It has compelled me to make a habit of doing the same for others that are suffering. I hope this little story encourages you to do (or keep doing) the same. A simple message or gift letting someone who is suffering know you care and are there for them, no matter what their future holds, has the power to relieve, lift up, and soothe. Thoughtfully and considerately loving on someone who is hurting is an incredible part of life that shouldn’t be overlooked, overshadowed, or not partaken in. Though consoling someone doesn’t necessarily have the ability to get rid of the trials themselves, it is nonetheless deeply powerful. Even though I have been kicked down more times than I can count this year I am feeling pretty healthy emotionally speaking, but... I do NOT take any credit for that. I am able to bake cakes, write, and work through what has happened because of the countless hands that have lifted and still lift me up during this time. No, these helpful and soothing acts do not cure me or remove my trials, but… (and here I struggle to piece that puzzle of emotion together that makes tears well up in my eyes) they have brought radiantly strong hope and peace when I have had none, and that, my friends, is a truly miraculous thing.

I wanted this week's cake to be given to a large amount of people that had blessed me over the past few months and I didn't have to consider that very long before knowing where it should go... my church :) I doubled the following recipe and brought it to our Sunday service so while the pictures show a 13x9" cake with 2 layers, the recipe is for an 8" round cake with 4 layers. One thing to note before starting- the first step you'll need to take is infusing the buttermilk which needs to be done at least 6 hours beforehand, so plan accordingly.

Lemon Chamomile Cake

Ingredients

2 tablespoons dried chamomile plus more for decoration*
1 cup plus 1+ tbsp low-fat buttermilk
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons lemon zest
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 ½ cups sugar
2 large eggs
3 large egg yolks
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice

Directions

Place the chamomile and buttermilk in a liquid measuring cup and mix well with a fork. Cover and set aside in the refrigerator for a minimum of 6 hours, maximum 10.

With a tea strainer, strain the buttermilk in to a separate liquid measuring cup, continually pressing the buttermilk out of the chamomile while it is poured. If necessary add more buttermilk to bring the total amount of buttermilk to 1 cup.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter and flour two 8" round cake pans, tapping out the excess flour. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and lemon zest.

Divide batter between pans; smooth tops. Bake until cakes pull away from sides of pans, 32 to 35 minutes. Let cool in pans 10 minutes. Run a knife around edges of pans and invert cakes onto a wire rack.

*I was able to find whole dried chamomile in the bulk tea section of my local Whole Foods but you can certainly use the tea leaves from the inside of a chamomile tea bag if you don't have the time or energy to get the "fancy" stuff ;)

**Disclaimer- I do not own this recipe. This is a recipe that I adapted from a Martha Stewart recipe for lemon cake.

Honey Buttercream

Ingredients:

1 ¼ cups sugar
5 large egg whites
2 cups (4 sticks or 1 pound) unsalted butter, room temperature, cut into pieces
3 tablespoons honey

Directions:

Place egg whites and sugar in a heatproof bowl set over a pot of simmering water. Whisk until sugar has dissolved and egg whites are hot to the touch. Test by rubbing the mixture between your fingers; it should feel completely smooth.

Remove from heat, and pour mixture in to a stand mixer bowl. Using the whisk attachment, beat on high speed until mixture has cooled completely and formed stiff and glossy peaks, about 10 minutes.

On medium-slow speed whisk in the honey until completely incorporated.

Add the butter, one piece at a time, and beat until incorporated after each addition. Whisk until smooth.

*Disclaimer- I do not own this recipe. This is a recipe that I adapted from a Martha Stewart recipe for vanilla buttercream.

Assembly

If you are unfamiliar with leveling, cutting, or frosting cakes I would suggest checking out this tutorial before this next step. If you're a serious newbie and four layers sounds intimidating, no worries, just stick to the two layers you baked and fill with a bit more buttercream in the middle. Just be sure to still level those lovelies.

Level one cake layer and cut it in half horizontally, then repeat with the second layer. You will now have 4 total layers of cake. Place the first layer on a disposable cake round or cake plate. Place about 3/4 cup buttercream in a piping bag fitted with a small French tip (I used a 5mm french tip). Fill the first layer with enough buttercream to form a 1/2" layer, making sure a small amount spills over the sides evenly. Place a layer of cake over the filling. Repeat this process with the remaining cake layers. Frost the cake with remaining buttercream. Pipe the buttercream along the bottom border. Gently and slowly sprinkle the dried chamomile along the top edge. Slice and enjoy the soothing nature of chamomile, lemon, and honey. I suggest pairing it with tea or coffee!

*While only a fraction of the people who inspired me to bake this cake got to eat it, I hope that all who had a hand in it have been blessed by this thank you note.*

a cake a week makes the endocrinologist go away

Charin Kent May 29, 2016

A few months ago I was desperately in need of and looking forward to a nice hot relaxing bath more than I have ever in my life looked forward to one. "Why Charin?" you ask. "Why did you desperately need a long hot luxurious bath?" Well actually I was thrilled to be able to indulge in such a simple activity because my upper body muscles ached like I had never known and my mind and spirit ached about 50 jillion times more. You see, a couple weeks earlier I had undergone one and then a week later another surgery on my neck. I was not able to take a bath or submerge my scar in water for a couple weeks after the last surgery so a soothingly scented bath was a thoroughly and highly anticipated gift to myself. As to why my mind and spirit needed that soothing bath... I had found out that I have Hurthle Cell Carcinoma, a rare and more aggressive type of thyroid cancer than most. Radiation treatment was in my future, and the C word had been handed to me right at the dawn of my thirties. Now, that alone is a lot to work through, but that was like the 14th metaphorical slap in the face that had hit me over the few months prior. I was in an extremely dark place, one of the darkest of my life. Hope was a vague concept and I felt like a trapped child, one that every time she raised her voice to plead for a way out - she was slapped once again.

What I'd love to tell you now (5 months later) is that after undergoing radiation treatment I beat the cancer, that it has been nothing but up since then, that the face slaps stopped at the number 14, but I would be lying. What I can tell you is that the soothing lavender scented bath brought tears streaming down my slapped cheeks, carrying relief and sorrow with them that day. What I can tell you is that there have been many more moments of blissful refreshment like this one and each of them have helped safely convey me through this tempestuous storm. What I can tell you is that the scent of lavender emotes grief, solace, and perseverance to me now. What I can tell you is that I now revel in doing the simplest of happy things because I simply can.

For me, one happy activity is baking, and more specifically, baking cakes. When I say baking cakes please don't misunderstand me, I do not mean the architectural beauties that are usually associated with modern day American cake decorating. Personally I find a lot of joy in chasing after a mystically delicious flavor profile and encasing it in a cake. I've spent many a painful hour agonizing over how to perfectly emulate the iced mint mocha I would drink daily at my first ever job at Mukilteo Coffee Co. I've spent WAY more grueling hours trying to pin down the perfect embodiment of a messy gooey bonfire s'more, the kind that you can't help but giggle over no matter what age you are. Right now in Chicago it is summery, sunshine-y, and full of delightfully promising glimpses of a gorgeous summer after a never-ending harrowing winter. Yesterday I set out to trap that misery-turned-to-joy in a cake. I set out to trap it because it is how I feel this week. I am full of heartache and sadness looking to a future where uncertainty lurks around every corner, but there are moments of bliss and a sense of achievement in the fact that I have persevered this far.

The end of my cancer is nigh, I am quite certain of that, but one of those slaps in the face still plagues me daily and always will in some form or another. It's name is hypoparathyroidism and it is a condition that I developed after the surgeries I went through. I have only experienced this condition for 5 months but I know that my life as I knew it will literally never be the same because of it. The symptoms vary and mostly affect the electrical side of my body, bringing on nervous muscular ticks, twitches, and rigidity. If I get sick the symptoms worsen and can lead to more life threatening side affects if I am not admitted to a hospital. A bout of the stomach flu I had a few months ago gave me a clear picture of this new reality. I have no idea if the future will bring a better remedy or even cure, so I am choosing to bring some hope and joy to my week through chronicling the things that bring me bliss.

Unfortunately, no matter how much I may want it to, baking a cake a week will not cure me and make my endocrinologist go away. However, baking a cake a week will remind me that I am free to partake in blissful moments in the midst of a life storm. A cake a week will give me hope that my past passions can be accomplished in the new life I face. A cake a week will bless the people I love.

My goal for this next season is to bake a cake a week and post the pics and recipes here in the hopes that maybe it will bring some joy to you. On the cakery menu this week is a dark chocolate cake frosted with strawberry buttercream and filled and piped with lavender infused chocolate ganache. The chocolate cake and strawberry buttercream are recipes I have used for years and have them memorized, almost backwards and forwards. The chocolate cake really truly honest to goodness is soft, moist, and dark chocolatey. It took me quite a while to find the perfect recipe but once I did I didn't make a single change because... it was perfection and didn't need it. Same story goes for the strawberry buttercream. As for the ganache, that one I whipped up a bit on the fly this weekend, using my pastry knowledge of infusion and proportions. It turned out nicely, a bit thicker than I had thought it would be (I was planning to pour it over like a glaze), but it was nicely spreadable and still kept its shiny top a day later. I hope you enjoy it as much as my small group at church did and I wish a happy winter turned summer to you all!

Chocolate Cake

Ingredients:

Directions:

Heat oven to 350°F. Butter and flour two 9-inch round baking pans. Set aside.

Bake in preheated oven for about 35 minutes or until wooden toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes; remove from pans to wire racks. Cool completely.

Once your cakes are in the oven you can feel free to wash dishes in preparation for these next steps. Once done with that go ahead and infuse your heavy whipping cream.

Lavender Infused Chocolate Ganache

Ingredients:

1 cup heavy whipping cream (plus scant tablespoon if needed)
2 tablespoons dried lavender*
9 oz high quality semisweet chocolate chips
1 tablespoon corn syrup

Directions:

Place the lavender with the heavy cream in a medium saucepan and bring to a simmer on medium heat. Pour the mixture in to a heat proof bowl and place saran wrap on top of the mixture so that it directly covers the surface. (This is to avoid a skin forming on the top) Let cool to room temperature.

With a tea strainer, strain the cream in to a liquid measuring cup, pressing the final amount of cream out of the lavender at the end. If necessary add more cream to bring the total amount of cream to 1 cup.

Place chocolate in a medium size heatproof bowl. Bring the infused cream and corn syrup just to a simmer in a small saucepan over medium heat; pour mixture over chocolate. Let stand, without stirring, until chocolate just begins to melt (about 45 seconds). With a whisk, and starting at the center of the bowl, whisk in a small circular motion clockwise increasing the size of your circle until the ganache is 75% incorporated then start whisking counter-clockwise just until the ganache is silky and fully mixed together. do not over mix or you'll be sorry :)

*If you don't know where to find dried lavender and you live in Chicago, take a trip to The Spice House. If you haven't been there already, you won't regret taking the trek over to Old Town to peruse this lovely and quaint shop. Be forewarned though, you may leave with WAY more than that lavender. If you don't live in Chicago, guess what? They ship their products nationwide!

While your cakes and cream cool make the strawberry buttercream. A tip, really do watch it at the end while adding that strawberry puree, add it slowly and with a lot of patience or else you'll have a lumpy gooey mess on your hands, believe me I know!

Strawberry Buttercream

Ingredients:

4 large egg whites, room temperature
1 1/4 cups sugar
3/4 pound (3 sticks) unsalted butter, softened and cut in to cubes
1 1/2 cups plus 1 tbsp fresh strawberries, pureed

Directions:

Place whites and sugar in a heatproof bowl set over a pot of simmering water. Whisk until sugar dissolves and mixture registers 160 degrees on a candy thermometer.

With mixer on low, slowly add strawberry puree, about a 1/4-1/2 cup at a time, mixing thoroughly with each addition, beat until smooth, about 3 to 5 minutes.

*Disclaimer- I do not own this recipe, it is from my collection of tried and true recipes, this little number has been adapted from Martha Stewart's Fresh Strawberry Buttercream recipe.

Set your buttercream aside and finish off the ganache, then move on to this next part.

Assembly:

Level your cake layers (New to leveling cake layers? Here's a great tutorial!). Place one cake layer on to a cake plate or disposable cake round. Heap about 2/3 of the ganache on to the cake layer and spread evenly- try not to let too much spill over the sides. Place the second cake layer on top and set in the fridge until the chocolate is just set, cool and does not stick when touched. Place the remaining ganache in to a piping bag fitted with the tip of your choice (I used a 10mm french tip). Place some strawberry buttercream in a piping bag fitted with the tip of your choice (I used an 11mm round tip). Frost the cake with the strawberry buttercream (new to frosting a cake? Here's a great tutorial! Just make sure to give yourself a LOT of grace because it takes months of continual practice to get that infuriating skill down). Pipe the buttercream along the bottom border. Pipe the ganache along the top edge border. Sprinkle lavender in the middle. Slice and devour!

And now for a real life photo of how this cake was devoured...