Dear SugarSource: My Cake is Stuck!

Dear SugarSource,
I thought I properly greased my cake pans, but it turns out I must have missed several spots. I can’t get my cake out! Are they ruined, or is there something I can do?

Sincerely,
Stuck Baker

Dear Stuck Baker,
The good news is that there are a few steps you can take to try to mitigate the damage! After the cake has cooled for about an hour, pop it into the freezer. It is less likely to crumble or fall apart as you work it out of the pan when it’s cold.

After about six hours (or overnight), use a butter knife to loosen the cake around the edges. Hovering over a cutting board, flip the pan over and tap on the bottom. If it does not slip out, use forks to dislodge the cake’s edges, moving toward the center. Once it has been fully removed, let the cake defrost for a few hours before proceeding to frosting or decorating.

To avoid in the future, use a pastry brush to effectively coat all of the nooks and crannies of your pans with (very soft) butter. Good luck!

Until next time,
SugarSource

Dear Sugar Source: Second Life For Cake?

Dear Sugar Source,

I made chocolate cupcakes for a birthday party and though many were consumed, I still have 8-10 left! Is there anything I can make with the leftover treats? It seems like they are drying out by the day.

Sincerely,
Fellow dessert lover

Great question, Fellow Dessert Lover!

There is one very easy solution to dealing with leftover cake – cake balls! These little bite-sized treats remain a crowd pleaser time and time again. Steps below!

Step One: Unwrap the leftover cupcakes and crumble. If the cupcakes were previously frosted, you will want to make sure you break up those clumps for an even consistency. In this example, I had made my favorite chocolate cake recipe a few days prior.

Step Two: Mix in frosting. Depending on the number of treats remaining, you will need to eyeball the amount. If you bake a traditional sheet cake, it will take an entire can of frosting. Here, I had about 9 leftover cupcakes and delivered several hefty dollops of frosting (store-bought, I have to admit). This is really what you are using to bind the crumbled cake together. You will want the final product to be malleable, not crumbly, but not too wet either or it won’t set!

Step Three: Freeze (24 hours should do the trick).

Step Four: Dip! You can choose to dip in candy coating, chocolate, whatever your preference. While still drying, you can top (sprinkles or sugar are my go-tos). Here I used the chocolate ganache featured in my favorite chocolate cake recipe.

Step Five: Freeze again! You want to ensure the coating solidifies, or you will have very melty treats on your hands (literally).

Step Six: Serve and enjoy! One word of warning: the hotter the temperature, the messier these tiny treats will become.

Until next time and Happy Father’s Day,
SugarSource

Dear Sugar Source: Freezing A Cake

Dear Sugar Source,
I’m going to a party mid-week and I want to bake a cake for the event but I only really have time to do so on the weekends. Can I make the cake on Saturday, freeze it and bring it to the function the following Friday? Will this ruin the cake? I’m making a basic yellow cake with chocolate frosting. Please let me know!

Sincerely,
Concerned Part-Time Cake Baker

Dear Concerned Part-Time Cake Bakery,
I’m not sure the occasion, but I’ve found that homemade treats are received well at most functions. Regarding your concerns, you can absolutely bake ahead and freeze. Frozen cakes are actually easier to decorate – less crumbs flake off during the frosting process, and there isn’t a chance that the cake’s temperature will start melting the icing either. I’ve provided a few pointers below:
– Freezing works best with rich, dense cakes. Angel food, for example, may not hold up to this approach.
– Once the cake is completely cooled on wire racks, place in the freezer. Once completely frozen, wrap the cake in plastic wrap, followed by a layer of tin foil. If you have multiple layers, wrap them individually.
– Cream cheese frosting can stand up to being frozen. However, I would recommend leaving the frosting until the day-of.
– On the morning of the day you would like to serve the cake (Friday, in this case), take the cake out of the freezer. Whip up the icing and frost as usual. By the evening’s festivities, the cake should be thawed while still remaining moist for your guests.

Good luck with the cake – I’m sure it will be wonderful!

Until next time,
SugarSource

Dear Sugar Source: Quick Bread Leftovers

Dear Sugar Source,

I ran into a situation the other day – I had several slices of pumpkin bread left over (a miracle, really) but were quickly drying out. I couldn’t bare to let the final crumbs go to waste, but wasn’t in the mood to eat them for the next few breakfasts. What can I do to avoid tossing the rest??

Sincerely,
Hopeful treat upcycler

Great question, Hopeful!

I have run into this situation before, and decided to throw together a version of a popular dessert – bread pudding.  As they say, waste not, want not…though I did end up wanting a little more – the experiment turned out to be delicious! I’ve provided the recipe below, and I have a feeling you (and those lucky enough to have a taste) will not regret it.

Until next time,
SugarSource

Ingredients
– egg – sugar – quick bread (pumpkin/banana/zucchini bread) – vanilla  – cinnamon  – milk

Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Dice 1 1/2 cups of the quick bread of choice – I used the pumpkin bread from an earlier post. Spread out on a cookie sheet and bake for 10 minutes, drying out the bread. In the meantime, mix together 1 egg, 2 T sugar, 2 T milk, 1/4 tsp vanilla, and 1/4 tsp cinnamon. Mix the dried, cubed bread with the egg mixture, and let soak for 20 minutes. Grease a small pan (it will only take up about 1/3 of traditional bread pan). Pour in soaked egg+bread combination, and bake 15-20 minutes. Test the top of the pudding – it should be springy to the touch.

Let cool for 5 minutes. Serve with vanilla ice cream or without any accompaniment.

Dear Sugar Source: Christmas Cookie Party!

Dear SugarSource,

I would like to host a holiday cookie exchange this year (they sound like a lot of fun) but don’t quite know where to start. What do I need to make sure the event is successful? I’m hoping this turns into an annual tradition if all turns out well. Any tips you have would be helpful!

Sincerely,

Holiday Baker

Dear  Holiday Baker,

Tis the season for a Holiday Cookie Party! If you are serving as the potential hostess this year, there are a few simple steps you can take to make sure that this is as fun and stress-free as possible:

– Send invites. Why not send a festive e-vite? Snail mail would be preferable, but if you are on a time-crunch or stressed with holiday errands, an e-vite will certainly do. E-vite.com and other sites will let you select a template that best fits your event.

– Set guest expectations. This really depends on the kind of party you would like to have – if it is just a cookie exchange, then maybe it will be a little more low-key. If you want guests to decorate a few cookies, make that clear in the invite (so no one shows up in apparel that can’t take a little accidental frosting encounter). For my parties, I request that each person bring at least one type of Christmas cookie to share, and recommend that they have a rough count of how many cookies they’ve baked and to either pre-package them in portions or bring plastic bags/gift containers to parcel them out at the party. A crucial part of a cookie exchange is knowing how many attendees you will have – stress this in the invitation so everyone can plan accordingly.

– Serve yummy food! This is particularly important if you are scheduling the party over lunch, brunch or dinner times. Finger foods, snacks and a central meal item like chili/soup can be sufficient to satiate guests while leaving plenty of room for cookie-tasting – no need to make several courses for this casual holiday get-together! Depending on the number of people and the atmosphere you are trying to create, you could ask guests to bring certain items as well – bread, dips, wine, etc.

– Prepare a decorating station (optional). If you would like to give your guests an option to decorate a few cookies, I have a few tips to keep the mess under control. First, you should provide the cookies for decorating (perhaps they will count as your batch to share). Tape wax paper onto the decorating surface. Mix a basic icing on the spot, asking guests for preferred colors (white, blue, yellow, green will be the most popular – red is best saved for sugars, as it will take a lot of food coloring to get close to a true red). I recommend making quite a bit of white icing, putting half into a Ziploc bag, sealing and snipping a corner for an easy piping bag for detailing. I would instruct party attendees to sprinkle to their hearts’ content over a pie plate (to collect any stray sugar crystals), and have sections segmented out onto wax paper/cookie sheets for each guest to keep track of their decorated items. You can give this a try the first year and, if guests aren’t particularly interested in decorating the first go-round, maybe scrap it for the following year.

– Create a festive ambiance! Holiday music seems like a given, but you would be surprised! A holiday movie playing in the background can be a nice touch as well as long as the television isn’t too large or distracting. After all, you don’t want your guests to be crowded around the TV – you want them to be socializing and celebrating the season! Holiday-specific plates and napkins aren’t necessary, as festive colors and touches on serving and dining surfaces will do the trick. That being said, if you want to step it up a notch you could have a fantastic array of colored sugars and decorations, or try one of the Holiday party starters from Revelry House.

– Provide small party favors. This year, for example, I am giving each guests an oven mitt with my cookies inside. It’s a cute way to package your sweets for everyone, and gives them a useful holiday gift for any additional baking/cooking this season. To save yourself and your guests from headaches, have extra plastic bags on hand for guests to use to divide up cookie portions during the exchange. I’ve found peppermint-striped cellophane at party stores to be a festive vehicle for holiday treats.

I hope this is helpful. Best of luck putting together your party!

Until next time,

SugarSource

Dear Sugar Source: Sweet New Mother Gift

Dear Sugar Source:

One of my clients recently had a baby, and I would like to send her something small and sweet. It can’t be too personal, but I want it to be thoughtful and something from New York City (since that is where our office is located). What would you recommend?

Thanks,
Manhattan Account Executive

Hi Manhattan Account Executive,

It sounds like you want to skip the Toys R’Us/baby gift card route, which is perfectly fine! It’s important to note that you don’t want to make her life more stressful with your gesture, as her family is adjusting to the presence of a newborn. In this case, I would advise against sending cupcakes – while great for a baby shower, the potential mess and generally two-handed nature of the treats may end up being more of a challenge to eat.

Eleni’s Bakery New Baby Cookie Collections

I would recommend ordering cookies from Eleni’s Bakery (especially if she cannot, or prefers not to, consume gluten).  They come in nicely curated packages, are beautifully decorated with icing , and present several options for the new mother, ranging from gender-specific to the gender-neutral. If you happen to know the sex of the child, that will only help you narrow down your choices. The cookies can be a treat for her or her family, or she can leave them out for visitors coming to see the new bundle of joy for themselves. They can also keep for several days, so there is no pressure to consume them immediately (though she may very well be tempted to do just that).

Don’t forget a simple card congratulating her on the latest addition to her family as well!

Until next time,
SugarSource

Dear Sugar Source – Red Velvet Cake

I am often asked for recommendations when selecting desserts for a special occasion. In “Dear Sugar Source,” I will provide examples of questions posed and suggestions provided. Do you have an event coming up that will require some sweet advice? Submit below as a comment, and you may just have an answer in an upcoming edition!

Dear SugarSource,

My boyfriend’s birthday is in two days and I haven’t ordered a cake yet. We are going to have the party on the Upper East Side at a restaurant on 76th St. He loves red velvet, and there will probably be 12-15 people there (but I don’t think people will be eating huge slices or anything). Any ideas of places to go? I want to get this figured out ASAP.

Thanks,
JerseyGirl

Hi JerseyGirl,

Thankfully there are a lot of options! If you are ever in a pinch in NYC, you can always swing by a Magnolia Bakery or Crumbs location, which will have a variety of flavors (and sizes at Crumbs) for you to choose from for a birthday celebration. That being said, it sounds like you are looking for a more traditional cake.  With this particular time crunch, I would recommend Buttercup Bake Shop. Located on the Upper East Side, they can take delivery requests within two days of the event, which is perfect for your circumstances. They have reliable delivery service and delicious, balanced cakes, so this should be a crowd-pleaser, and you should only need the 9″ inch three-layer option to ensure all guests get a taste.

However, one of my favorite bakeries on the Upper East Side, Two Little Red Hens, has a great cake selection as well. There is one caveat – they are only able to accept custom cake orders at least three days in advance and are sticklers with this policy. If you are willing to take the risk, you could walk in day-of to see if they have a prepared red velvet cake available for purchase within the display case – they will add a message on the spot for free. I wound up at the bakery early one Sunday morning in pursuit of a 4″ chocolate raspberry cake for my parents’ anniversary (which was the same day), and was very pleased with the purchase (as were they!).

Hope this helps – and Happy Birthday to your boyfriend!

Until next time,

SugarSource