ice cream float cake

 

what a crazy busy week it has been over here! we're in the midst of moving from toronto to niagara & i am surrounded by boxes + more boxes. my sister came down from alberta, so we celebrated her 28th birthday right before she left for a destination wedding in mexico. one of my best friends also got married this week, i was one of the bridesmaids & i made the wedding cake!!! it was my first wedding cake EVER & also my first time making a multi-layer cake. in case you missed it over on snap chat you can see the cake here. while i was extremely nervous over it (even that may be an understatement), i was so happy with the results.. maybe this will be the start of many more wedding cakes?!? cake aside, the wedding was perfect. we made the most of a cold may day, ate a ton of delicious italian food & in the end i caught the bouquet (uhhh ohhh). anyways, this cola cake is the cake i made for my sister's birthday! she is the one who introduced me to a cola cake, but the one she makes is not meant to be a layered cake. it is a gooey chocolate cola cake that is glazed in butter & cola! i decided to alter it a bit so i could turn it into the perfect birthday cake. i called this an ice cream float cake because the layers represent the cola & the vanilla frosting represents the ice cream ¯_(ツ)_/¯. back to packing, wish me luck!

ingredients

for the cola cake

  • 2 cups all purpose flour
  • 2 cups white sugar
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 1 ¼ teaspoon baking soda
  • ½ teaspoon cinnamon
  • ½ cup unsalted butter
  • ½ cup canola oil
  • ¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 1 cup cola (can substitute root beer)
  • ½ cup whole milk
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 2 large eggs

for the vanilla buttercream:

  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 2-3 cups powdered sugar, or to taste
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

directions

for the cola cake

  • preheat oven to 350 degrees. grease & flour two 8-inch round cake pans or three 6-inch round cake pans.
  • in a large mixing bowl sift flour, sugar, salt, baking soda & cinnamon. stir.
  • in a saucepot over medium heat add the butter, oil, cocoa powder, cola & whole milk. constantly stirring, bring to a boil & remove from heat.
  • add cola mixture to dry ingredients & stir until just combined. add the vanilla & eggs, mix until a smooth batter is formed.
  • evenly distribute amongst cake pans & bake until cake bounces back to touch, about 20-25 minutes.
  • let cool completely before flipping or frosting.

for the vanilla buttercream

  • in the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment add the butter, sugar & vanilla. beat until light & fluffy, about 8 minutes.
  • frost cake as desired & serve.

like what you see? get it here. mosser glass cake stand | pottery bowls | plate

zucchini + lemon glaze cake

 

i hope everyone had a lovely mother's day weekend! my mom came up to the city & we made her a huge brunch which included farm eggs, bacon, home fries, blueberry pancakes & coffee galore. i think it is safe to say we spoiled her. for dessert & for a little snack on the drive home, i made one of her favourite cakes... zucchini cake! between her & my aunt, i have consumed a LOT of zucchini cake in my days. sometimes it takes a little bit of convincing to get people to try a cake full of a vegetables, but it is the most flavourful & moist cake there is. this recipe features king arthur flour's white whole wheat flour. it is so easy to bake with as it is much milder in texture, colour & flavour than regular whole wheat flour. regular whole wheat flour can be a little too overpowering when baking with. another interesting feature of the white whole wheat flour is that it is identity-preserved, this means it is traceable from field to flour & raised with sustainable farming practices. i used half white whole wheat flour & half all-purpose flour in this recipe, my family didn't even notice the difference.

ingredients

for the cake:

for the glaze:

  • 1 cups glazing sugar (or powdered sugar)
  • 1 teaspoon lemon zest
  • 1 teaspoon lemon juice
  • 1-2 teaspoons heavy cream

directions

for the cake

  • preheat oven to 350 degrees. grease a large bundt pan.
  • in a large mixing bowl add the raw sugar, oil, eggs & vanilla. stir until eggs are pale yellow in colour.
  • add in the grated zucchini & pineapple. mix until well combined.
  • in a separate bowl, sift both flours, baking soda, salt & cinnamon.
  • add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients & mix until just combined.
  • pour into the bundt pan & bake for 30-35 minutes, or until a tooth pick inserted comes out clean.
  • let cool completely before flipping & glazing.

for the glaze

  • in a mixing bowl, add the sugar, lemon zest, lemon juice & cream. stir until a smooth glaze is formed. if glaze looks runny, add more sugar. if glaze looks too thick, add more cream.
  • pour over bundt cake & serve.

caramel s'more pie

 

because it is not quite camp fire season, i am bringing s'more time inside with this deconstructed s'mores pie. the thick graham cracker crust is my absolute favourite type of crust.. i always give myself a little extra. to be honest, because of the crust alone i like this s'more pie better then your average s'more! the filling is made with two types of dark ghirardelli chocolate; twilight delight + dark & caramel. i topped it off with a fluffy marshmallow meringue. the pie crust & filling needs to be made a few hours in advance to allow the chocolate custard layer to set properly. you can finish it off with fresh meringue right before serving. if you don't like meringue you should first try this one, i promise you will change your mind. BUT if not, an alternative would be to top it with marshmallow fluff! just don't forget to torch the top with a kitchen torch or in the oven using the broiler. it puts the final toasted s'more touch taste & look to it.

ingredients

for the graham cracker crust

  • 2 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
  • 1/2 cup white sugar
  • 1/8 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

for the caramel chocolate filling

  • 2 cups whole milk
  • 1 cup whipping cream
  • 1 1/2 cup white sugar
  • 1/4 cup cornstarch
  • 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
  • 4 large egg yolks (save the whites for the meringue topping)
  • 4 ounces dark chocolate, roughly chopped (8 squares of ghirardelli twilight delight)
  • 4 ounces dark caramel chocolate (8 squares of ghirardelli dark & caramel)
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 3 tablespoons unsalted butter

for the marshmallow meringue

  • 4 large egg whites
  • 1 cup white sugar
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

directions

for the graham cracker crust

  • in a mixing bowl combine graham cracker crumbs, butter, sugar, salt & vanilla. stir until combined.
  • press the mixture firmly into a greased pie dish creating a 1-inch crust around the edges.
  • bake at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes & let cool completely before adding the chocolate filling.

for the caramel chocolate filling

  • in a saucepan add milk, cream, sugar, cornstarch, sea salt & egg yolks. whisk until the egg yolks have broken up.
  • cook over medium heat, constantly stirring until mixture thickens.
  • remove from heat & immediately stir in dark chocolate, caramel chocolate, vanilla extract & butter until silky smooth.
  • pour into pre-baked graham cracker crust & let set in the fridge for 2-4 hours.

for the marshmallow meringue

  • when ready to serve, prepare the marshmallow meringue. in the bowl of a stand mixer with the whisk attachment add the egg whites. whip until soft peaks form.
  • gradually add the sugar & vanilla. whip until stiff peaks form.
  • spread over pie & using the broiler or a kitchen torch brown the top until golden brown to resemble a toasted marshmallow.
  • serve immediately!

this post was created in partnership with ghirardelli chocolate! you can find the two types of chocolate i used here &  here. 

like what you see? get it here. copper sauce pot | copper double handled pan | shun knife | cutting board | linens