In thinking about what goals I have for this new year I have kept coming back to the simple four letter word, hope. If you are like me and feel as though your life is a constant cycle of 2 steps backward for every 1 step forward the word hope probably feels more like a four letter curse word rather than a word of encouragement. Throughout the past year I have pushed myself on multiple occasions to do more than I thought I could. Many times I accomplish what I set out to do (like the following pictures of the hand made Christmas Soirée I hosted) but I end up paying dearly for it with debilitating muscular pains the entire next week from the chronic illness I suffer from. Other times I quit what I set out to do before I fully accomplish my goal (like many failed attempts at a successful exercise regimen) not because I lack determination, but because the consequential pain is simply too much for me to handle whilst daily caring for my children. Any physical exertion comes with a cost for me, so I continually feel like a trapped crippled bird who yearns to simply accomplish its goal to fly freely, but is continually thwarted by its circumstances.
From where I sit, HOPE, is an exhausting word and a word that I really want to quit right about now. And yet, despair is my constant enemy and hope my only tool to fight it. So my resolution is this- hold on to hope for a better tomorrow even if tomorrow is worse than today. Goals are incredibly easy to establish but picking myself up and never letting go of that simple four letter word, hope, is my personal marathon goal. Hold me to it friends.
A couple weeks ago I hosted my annual Christmas Soirée for our friends and family here in Chicago and though I didn't get many pictures of the party itself, the pictures above are some of the creations that I made for the evening. I treat this party as my Christmas gift to my friends and family each year and love pouring my heart and soul in to every detail. While I may have pushed myself too hard for this event (pretty much every item on that menu list above was handmade by me), it felt good to know that I still technically had it in me to pull out all the stops, but the goal for next year will be learning the art of "reigning it in" a bit so that I can thoroughly enjoy the holidays, lol. Below is the recipe for the Chocolate Cake with Vanilla Bean Buttercream and filled with Cranberry Compote, a perfect cake hit for the holidays!
A very happy new year to each and every one of you!
Candied Cranberry Compote
Ingredients:
Sugar- 790 grams
Water- 680 grams
Cranberries- 850 grams
Orange Juice- 100g
Cinnamon Stick- 1
Vanilla Bean- 1
Directions:
Combine 680g of the sugar and 340g of the water in a heavy bottom saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium high heat stirring until the sugar has dissolved.
Add the cranberries and poach until tender; do not allow the syrup to come to a boil. Remove from the heat and cool in the syrup.
Drain the cranberries (save the run off cranberry syrup for another use!) and spread them on a parchment lined sheet pan. Dry in a 200°F oven until they are slightly sticky, about 1 1/2 hours, set aside.
Combine 170 g of the candied cranberries with the orange juice, cinnamon stick, and vanilla bean in a sauce pan and simmer over medium heat until the mixture has thickened, about 15-20 minutes.
Remove the cinnamon stick and vanilla bean and purée the mixture. Gently stir in the remaining cranberries. Cover and store in the refrigerator.
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 two 9-inch round baking pans. 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.
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
Vanilla Bean Buttercream
Ingredients:
1 1/4 cup sugar
5 large egg whites
2 cups (4 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1 tablespoon vanilla bean paste
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. With mixer on low speed, add the vanilla paste and beat until smooth.
Assembly:
Rosemary sprigs- 4-5 for rosette cluster, 2-3 for single rosette
Cranberries- 15-20 for rosette cluster, 5-7 for single rosette
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. Heap about 1/3 of the reserved compote on to the cake layer and spread evenly- try not to let too much spill over the sides. Repeat with the remaining layers of cake. Reserve about a cup of frosting for the piping work on top of the cake. Frost the cake with the vanilla bean buttercream. I have made this cake for two occasions, both cakes are pictured above, one had a cluster of rosettes with rosemary sprigs and cranberries, the other time I did one larger rosette and the rosemary sprigs were simple with only a few cranberries off to the side, Decorate whichever way you prefer. If you need a good rosette tutorial, here is a great one to get you started!