I'm so glad they got there in one piece! The TSA recently ruined some of my luggage by just shoving it all back in rather than repacking it with even a small amount of care so my heart sunk when I read the opening of this post!!
That’s too bad! I seldom check luggage now unless I have to and always get pulled aside for extra screening with carry on. I was bringing some nice sea salt to my sister in Nantucket and although not a liquid and the container sealed and labeled, they opened it and ran it through litmus like testing. Crazy!
Honestly compare American airport security to Europe and you'll understand why everyone from Europe gets frustrated with the TSA! Though particularly annoyed this time as I'd borrowed one of the items so it was not mine, and it is just common human decency not to shove it all back in without care. Also: if you're not an American citizen the only recourse that is realistic is claiming on your travel insurance, many companies of which won't cover TSA inflicted damage.
They do! Such fun. Molly Yeh is right that if you are in a pinch and need to decorate a cake, just bedazzle it with sprinkles. I will add to that…a few flower blooms around the perimeter, and set the cake up on a stand. Easy upgrades!
How many people for a 4 year old party??? Holy smokes. 1)why would you want to and 2)that's a hard act to top and 3)that's insanely expensive. As to traveling gramma act -- well done! I am not a fan of sprinkles so I would pass them up but you did an amazing job.
I remember my mom and grandma making confetti cakes before it was a thing.
I have The Cake Bible cookbook. And, I've never used it. Shame on me.
I remember sprinklegate.
Since I grew up in Delaware, a suburb of Philly, we used that term for all colors of sprinkles. I found this article from last week interesting: https://www.boston.com/news/wickedpedia/2023/09/05/sprinkles-jimmies-ice-cream/ The etymology is still not clear about the connotation--not arguing for it--but I'll make a change in what I call them. Because when you know better, you do better.
Good question! Just take the chill off it. Not straight from the fridge. Either leave it out on the counter to come to room temp or gently warm it. It should not be hot to the touch. This prevents the batter lumping, and you’ve worked so hard to keep the batter smooth with the room temp eggs and soft butter. Hope this helps explain?
The Cake Bible was revolutionary for me too. I’ve been weighing ingredients in my baking ever since. One can see the true ratios in cakes & thus adjust the sugar in
But long after I was mixing her cakes without the first step of creaming the butter & sugar…I learned that Betty Crocker had a similar method, at least as early as 1950, that they called “the new double-quick way”. I don’t know why they dropped it later (I don’t recall it in their Kennedy-era update which I learned to cook from), but they did.
Paula, I believe it was a method long practiced in bakeries and there is a name for it. I’ll look it up in Shirley Corriher and Harold McGee’s books. It has to do with a high fat and sugar ratio keeping the gluten in the flour tender. Or something like that! Funny how cream the butter and sugar took over after that!
This is lovely 😍 From Grandmother to granddaughter. Your idea is fantastic about her baking her cake next year, I'm sure she's gonna love to bake her birthday cake 🎂 as well.
Thank you. I think she will. She helped frost a few of the cupcakes, but at 4 the sprinkles were too distracting. She couldn’t keep her hands out of them! 🤣
I’m pretty awful at frosting, so the idea of using sprinkles as an eye-catching topping strikes me as a brilliant solution! But I’d want to use the naturally flavored ones, which I swear I saw on a visit to Japan--the colors were completely different! My backlog of Anne Byrn recipes to make is steadily mounting--cheesecake, confetti cupcakes, caponata... Guess I’d better get busy. 😅
I'm so glad they got there in one piece! The TSA recently ruined some of my luggage by just shoving it all back in rather than repacking it with even a small amount of care so my heart sunk when I read the opening of this post!!
That’s too bad! I seldom check luggage now unless I have to and always get pulled aside for extra screening with carry on. I was bringing some nice sea salt to my sister in Nantucket and although not a liquid and the container sealed and labeled, they opened it and ran it through litmus like testing. Crazy!
Honestly compare American airport security to Europe and you'll understand why everyone from Europe gets frustrated with the TSA! Though particularly annoyed this time as I'd borrowed one of the items so it was not mine, and it is just common human decency not to shove it all back in without care. Also: if you're not an American citizen the only recourse that is realistic is claiming on your travel insurance, many companies of which won't cover TSA inflicted damage.
And it does vary from airport to airport with the US. Sorry Rachel!
You have nothing to be sorry for!
Well, I think a lot of the world lumps us Americans together in one group. I am forever apologizing for ‘’Americans.’’
Sprinkles and Jimmie’s, confetti and glitter...all these things bring inexplicable joy. 🎉
They do! Such fun. Molly Yeh is right that if you are in a pinch and need to decorate a cake, just bedazzle it with sprinkles. I will add to that…a few flower blooms around the perimeter, and set the cake up on a stand. Easy upgrades!
How many people for a 4 year old party??? Holy smokes. 1)why would you want to and 2)that's a hard act to top and 3)that's insanely expensive. As to traveling gramma act -- well done! I am not a fan of sprinkles so I would pass them up but you did an amazing job.
Thank you, Bernie! Good questions! ❤️
I remember my mom and grandma making confetti cakes before it was a thing.
I have The Cake Bible cookbook. And, I've never used it. Shame on me.
I remember sprinklegate.
Since I grew up in Delaware, a suburb of Philly, we used that term for all colors of sprinkles. I found this article from last week interesting: https://www.boston.com/news/wickedpedia/2023/09/05/sprinkles-jimmies-ice-cream/ The etymology is still not clear about the connotation--not arguing for it--but I'll make a change in what I call them. Because when you know better, you do better.
Thanks Denise for that link. And that’s good advice. Pull out the Cake Bible when you have a chance. Rose makes the processes detailed and fool proof.
😁
Your Eleanor’s cheesecake was beautiful!
When you say “warmed milk”, how warm are we talking? 😬
Good question! Just take the chill off it. Not straight from the fridge. Either leave it out on the counter to come to room temp or gently warm it. It should not be hot to the touch. This prevents the batter lumping, and you’ve worked so hard to keep the batter smooth with the room temp eggs and soft butter. Hope this helps explain?
Yes, this definitely helps, thanks so much!
Are there any leftover cup cakes 🧁?? 😂 be right over....
I’m sure there were! I always over bake!!
Always informative and good to have family interest.I remember when the mother of your granddaughter was of a similar age .Julie
And they are so similar! ❤️
Good enjoy the lovely family.Julie
The Cake Bible was revolutionary for me too. I’ve been weighing ingredients in my baking ever since. One can see the true ratios in cakes & thus adjust the sugar in
But long after I was mixing her cakes without the first step of creaming the butter & sugar…I learned that Betty Crocker had a similar method, at least as early as 1950, that they called “the new double-quick way”. I don’t know why they dropped it later (I don’t recall it in their Kennedy-era update which I learned to cook from), but they did.
Paula, I believe it was a method long practiced in bakeries and there is a name for it. I’ll look it up in Shirley Corriher and Harold McGee’s books. It has to do with a high fat and sugar ratio keeping the gluten in the flour tender. Or something like that! Funny how cream the butter and sugar took over after that!
This is lovely 😍 From Grandmother to granddaughter. Your idea is fantastic about her baking her cake next year, I'm sure she's gonna love to bake her birthday cake 🎂 as well.
Thank you. I think she will. She helped frost a few of the cupcakes, but at 4 the sprinkles were too distracting. She couldn’t keep her hands out of them! 🤣
I can imagine 😂
I’m pretty awful at frosting, so the idea of using sprinkles as an eye-catching topping strikes me as a brilliant solution! But I’d want to use the naturally flavored ones, which I swear I saw on a visit to Japan--the colors were completely different! My backlog of Anne Byrn recipes to make is steadily mounting--cheesecake, confetti cupcakes, caponata... Guess I’d better get busy. 😅