The Cake Merchant

Yellow Birthday (or other celebration) Cake with Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting

by Natasha on May 8, 2013

Hi friends! It’s been too long since I’ve been able to post here. I have lots to share with you, including a recipe as well as a few “real life” things. The biggest thing that has kept me away from the blog has been a move- into a house! Yes, I bought a house! I can’t actually find a lot of my baking equipment, my internet is having all kinds of problems, but I have a house!

Also, I got engaged! This was probably the most unexpected, because I have the sneakiest fiancé on the planet, and I had no clue. Aaron and I met almost four years ago while we were both training for a 5k. Over the years, we have done several 5ks, some 10ks, and a few half marathons. Running has been a big part of our lives, so it was really fitting when Aaron proposed to me while I was running with a friend at White Rock Lake in Dallas. I thought it was just an ordinary Sunday morning run, so imagine my surprise when I saw Aaron waiting there for me a mile into the run, with flowers and a ring!

As last but not least, we have a new addition to the family. No, no babies. But we did adopt a dog. His name is Bigsby, and he is the sweetest pup on the planet! I’ve wanted a dog ever since I was a little kid. It only took 31 years, but it finally happened. Welcome to the family, Bigsby!

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Strawberry Sprinkle Meringues

by Natasha on April 22, 2013

Today, I’m excited to be posting again over at one of my favorite dessert websites, Best Friends For Frosting. This time, I’m contributing a light and fun spring dessert, Strawberry Sprinkle Meringues. They’re super easy to make and low in calories! For the recipe, click over HERE.

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Little Chocolate Layer Cake with Nutella Buttercream Frosting

by Natasha on April 17, 2013

Today, I’m excited to be joining some of my favorite food bloggers to throw a virtual housewarming party for fellow food blogger Ashton. Ashton is the blogger behind Something Swanky, and while I follow her blog regularly, I’ve never met her in person. However, I know that Ashton and I share a love for Nutella, so I wanted to “bring” a chocolate layer cake with Nutella frosting.

I wanted an intense chocolate cake to go along with the light and creamy Nutella frosting, so I chose David Lebovitz’s Devil’s Food Cake recipe. The original recipe makes a double layer 9-inch cake, but I halved to it to make a little 5-inch cake.

I also split each layer in half to make a 4-layer cake so that I could have a higher frosting to cake ratio. Let’s face it, more frosting is always better, especially if that frosting tastes like Nutella.

A 5-inch cake makes baby slices, but really, I have no shame in diving right into a cake this size with a fork. Or face first. Who can find utensils when you’re moving, anyway?

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Mocha Chocolate Chip Espresso Cupcakes

by Natasha on April 3, 2013

Have I mentioned how much I love my Bouchon Bakery cookbook? I got it for my birthday back in February, and even though I’ve spent hours staring at the lovely photographs (it’s my new coffee table book), I’ve hardly made any of the recipes. I’ve been dying to try the devil’s food cake, since it’s one of my very favorite desserts ever, so I was really xcited to try Thomas Keller’s version. You might remember the devil’s food cake I made for my birthday this year, which I absolutely loved, so I wanted to see how this would compare.

The recipe differs quite a bit from the Baking Illustrated version. There’s no melted chocolate, and mayonnaise is used instead of milk or sour cream. I know what you’re thinking. Mayonnaise? In a fancy French cookbook? I thought the same thing. Chocolate mayonnaise cake was popular in during World War 2, when certain ingredients were in short supply and people had to get creative. If you think about it, it makes sense. Mayo is made of egg, oil, and vinegar, which are all common ingredients in cakes anyway.

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Peanut Butter Oreo Cupcakes

by Natasha on March 26, 2013

I have 3 words for you- peanut butter oreos. These were totally an impulse buy at the grocery store, but since peanut butter and chocolate is the best combination on earth, I knew they were going to be amazing. How did I just now discover these?

Remember these cupcakes I made around Christmas time? These use the same (vegan) chocolate cupcake recipe. In fact, the entire cupcake is vegan. Instead of Oreo’s, I used Newman O’s this time, which is a slightly healthier version of the cookie. Don’t get me wrong, this is by no means health food. Newman O’s still contain a lot of sugar, but it’s organic sugar instead of HFCS. Hey, I’ll take what I can get. They’re also egg and dairy free, so no animals were harmed in the making of these cupcakes.

The cupcake recipe is from one of my go to baking books, Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World. I love this chocolate cupcake recipe. It’s so simple, and you don’t even need a mixer! Just whisk together the ingredients, and you have a perfect one bowl chocolate cupcake. If you don’t have non-dairy milk on hand and you’re not concerned about the cupcakes being vegan, just sub regular milk (I’ve made it with skim, 2%, and whole). This recipe works well with both natural and Dutch process cocoa powder.

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Dark Chocolate Shortbread Cookies with Pistachios and Sea Salt

by Natasha on March 17, 2013

Happy St. Patrick’s Day! St Patty’s tends to be a holiday that I forget about. I’m always the girl who gets pinched because she doesn’t wear green, but I couldn’t let the day go by without posting something with at least a little bit of green in it.

Holiday or not, I love shortbread. Remember these cookies? And these? Yes, my love of shortbread runs deep, and when I found a recipe for chocolate shortbread in my new beloved Bouchon Bakery cookbook, I new I had to give it a try. This shortbread recipe is so simple to make, and requires ingredients that you probabaly already have on hand- flour, butter, sugar, cocoa, and salt. Mix ‘em up, roll ‘em out, and you have the perfect tea time snack. These were delicious right out of the oven, but I took them a step further and dipped them in bittersweet chocolate. I also added some chopped pistachio and a few flakes of Fleur de Sel, a French sea salt with a delicate flavor.

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Small Batch Chocolate Chip Cookies

by Natasha on March 11, 2013

New Years resolutions. Remember those? Yup, me too. I vaguely recall something about eating less sugar…

As much as I love baking layer cakes, the dessert that I crave most often is chocolate chip cookies. To me, they’re like potato chips- you can’t eat just one (or two, or three, or four). I’ve been known to eat half a batch right out of the oven, which is why I love the recipe that I’m about to share with you. The entire batch is pictured above. Yes, this recipe makes only 6 cookies. I can totally eat half the batch and not feel guilty about it. Gotta love built in portion control.

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Chocolate Birthday Cake: Devil’s Food Cake with Rich Chocolate Buttercream Frosting

by Natasha on March 1, 2013

Has February come and gone already? I’m not sure when that happened, but I have one last birthday post for you (I told you I could really drag out the celebration). In previous years, I have made elaborate cakes exotic flavor combinations, but this year, I kept it simple. One vanilla cake and one chocolate cake. And while I have become more open to vanilla cakes in my 30′s, chocolate is where my heart is and always will be. Is there anything better in the world than a good chocolate cake? I think not. The more chocolatey, the better.

After scouring through some old recipe books, I came across a few different recipes in Baking Illustrated. I love making cakes from this book, since it gives a long explanation and the science behind each recipe. I have made the Old Fashioned Chocolate Cake and the Sour Cream Chocolate Cake and loved them both, but I was looking for something richer for my birthday cake. This Devil’s Food recipe boasted “a velvety, more intense chocolate experience” than regular chocolate cakes, so I was sold. I also loved that it made a 3 layer, 8-inch cake, which is my favorite cake profile. Is it weird to have a favorite size for a cake?

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Fluffy White Cake with Vanilla Buttercream Frosting

by Natasha on February 26, 2013

Cake, glorious cake!

It’s hard to believe that until recently, I rarely made vanilla cakes from scratch. In fact, I rarely made them at all. I found them to be too tempermental, bland in taste, and not worth the effort. All I can say in my defense is, what was I thinking?! It’s true, when not done right, vanilla cakes can be dull and dry, but they can also be magnificent! The recipe I’m sharing today is my favorite so far. It’s light, fluffy, and full of vanilla flavor.

I think that the turning point came for me when I got a kitchen scale. If you bake often, it’s worth the investment. Your cakes will turn out so much better if the measurements are accurate. I do everything by weight when I bake now, especially cakes. The results are so much more consistent. Oh, and if you don’t want your cake to be dry, don’t over bake this cake. Dry cakes are a sad, sad thing.

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19 Random Things About Me

by Natasha on February 19, 2013

Since today is my birthday, I thought I would take a moment to tell you a little bit about myself. I always wanted to do one of those 25 random things about me notes on facebook, but I never got around to it, so, better late than never! I love getting to know my readers, so feel free to leave a comment with a random or interesting fact about yourself.

1. I was born on February 19th, 1982. That falls right on the cusp of Aquarius and Pisces, but I’m a Pisces in every way. And I only sort of believe in that stuff.

2. I am a coffee addict. I buy espresso beans from a local coffee shop, grind them fresh everyday, and make a 1 shot, 6 ounce cappuccino with organic 2% milk every morning.

3. I’m a certified scuba diver.

4. I have 2 cats that I love dearly, but I’m a dog person at heart. I hope to adopt one in the near future.

5. Layer cakes are my favorite desserts to make. I find the process of baking, frosting, and decorating them to be therapeutic. That being said, the dessert I crave the most (and make the most often) is chocolate chip cookies. Does that count as 2 things?

6. I’m a night owl, and the only time I will voluntarily get up early is when I have jet lag.

7. I have never liked milk, and the only time I will ever drink it is in my coffee or with warm chocolate chip cookies. I rarely put it on my cereal, and I will absolutely never drink cereal milk.

8. I’ve never met a vegetable I didn’t like. As much as I love sugary treats, I also love broccoli, brussels sprouts, and spinach.

9. By day, I’m a musician. It’s not the most lucrative job in the world, but I can’t imagine doing anything else.

10. I love British period dramas. I’ve read all the Jane Austen novels, I have a crush on Mr Darcy, and I’m completely obsessed with Downton Abbey.

11. I’m still trying to get my students to teach me how to use Twitter, and I totally don’t get the hash tag thing. #iamreallyold

12. I’ve been playing tennis since I was a kid, and even though I’m still not especially good at it, I love to play. I’m currently on a women’s doubles team called the Lob Stars.

13. I am a pescetarian, which basically means I’m a vegetarian who occasionally eats seafood. I’ve tried to convince myself that it was because seafood is more sustainable, but really, it’s just because I haven’t found the discipline to give up sushi.

14. The only soda I like is Cherry Coke, and I will only drink it at the movie theater. With buttery popcorn. And Buncha Crunch.

15. I’m not much of a girly girl. I still don’t know how to put on makeup, I can’t walk in high heels to save my life, and I don’t like shopping (unless you count grocery shopping).

16. After grad school, my friend Cat and I wanted to take an international trip. We chose the location by the cheapest plane ticket we could find, and ended up having the trip of a lifetime in Peru.

17. My secret dream is to be a ballerina. I think ballet is an amazing form of art, but I’m way too old and not coordinated enough to take ballet, so I live vicariously through movies and documentaries about ballet dancing. I have seen Center Stage at least 50 times.

18. I turn into a whiny baby when I’m cold. I grew up in Indiana, so I’m happy to be living in a warmer climate now.

19. When I was a kid, the only acceptable cake for me was chocolate. Now that I’m older, I have a new respect for vanilla, and this is the first year that one of my birthday cakes (I always make 2) will be vanilla. I can’t wait to share the recipe with you!