Tuesday, February 11, 2014

Cookie Dough Oreo Cake with Browned Butter Buttercream {Recipe}


Have y'all tried the new Oreo flavors?  About a week ago Oreo released two new flavors: Cookie Dough and Marshmallow Crispy. I was on a computer in my college library when I saw an article that these two new flavors were coming out. I was so excited and looked around to see if anyone else was seeing what I was seeing. They weren't. I was halfway hoping that somebody would catch my eye as I was looking around so that I could tell them about the new flavors. They didn't. It's probably better that way, though, because they might have realized thought that I was crazy.

I have yet to try the Marshmallow Crispy kind, but the Cookie Dough ones are really good! They don't taste exactly like cookie dough, but they are still tasty. They have sort of a caramel-y flavor which is why I thought they would go really well in a cake with a browned butter frosting. And did they ever!




Cookie Dough Oreo Cake with Browned Butter Buttercream
Source: Once Upon a Tier original. 
Yields 12-14 servings

Ingredients:
Cookie Dough Oreo Cake:
1 box vanilla cake mix
1 small box vanilla pudding mix
3/4 cup canola oil
3/4 cup milk
4 large eggs
1 1/2 cups crushed Cookie Dough Oreo cookies 

Browned Butter Buttercream:  
3 sticks salted butter
1 1/2 pounds powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
5-6 tablespoons milk

Directions:
For the cake:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray two 9-inch cake pans with floured baking spray. 

2. With an electric mixer, mix the cake mix, pudding mix, oil, milk, and eggs on low speed until combined, about 30 seconds. Increase the speed to medium and beat for 2 minutes. Fold in the crushed Oreo cookies. Pour half of the batter into each prepared pan and bake until a toothpick inserted in the middle of the cake comes out clean, about 25 minutes. Let cool on wire racks for about 10 minutes, then flip the cakes out of the pans and let them cool completely. 

For the buttercream:
3. Place the butter into a saucepan. Melt the butter over medium heat, stirring constantly. Continue to cook and stir the butter until it starts to turn a golden brown (it will get very foamy before it starts to turn color). When the butter is golden brown and smells like toffee, remove it from the heat. Let the butter sit until cool. If you're like me, you will want to drink it at this stage. Instead, pour the butter into a container lined with plastic wrap. Place in the refrigerator until it is the consistency of softened butter (or refrigerate in until solid and then take out to soften).

4. In an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the softened browned butter on medium speed until fluffy. Add the powdered sugar and beat on low speed for 30 seconds. With the mixer still on, add the vanilla and milk, 1 tablespoon at a time, until the buttercream is spreading consistency.

Assembling the cake:
5. Level the cake layers and place one on a cake stand. Spread some buttercream and place second layer on top. Cover the entire cake with frosting, reserving some for the rosettes on top if desired. Crush Cookie Dough Oreo cookies in a food processor and press the crumbs onto the side of the cake. If desired, pipe 4 evenly spaced rosettes on top of the cake. Stand a Cookie Dough Oreo cookie in each rosette. Pipe 4 smaller rosettes in between the larger rosettes. Sprinkle with cookie crumbs. 

Enjoy! 



  

Monday, February 10, 2014

Browned Butter Buttercream {Recipe}


When I first started writing this post, the only thing that popped into my head to say about this buttercream was a Frozen reference (I'm not obsessed...): browned butter and buttercream are both so intense, put them together, it just makes sense! It is completely cheesy, but I had to use it because it is so true. I love buttercream and I love browned butter, so it only made sense to use browned butter for buttercream.

If you have never heard of browned butter (you are missing out), it is butter that has been cooked until it is a golden brown color and smells and tastes like nutty, toffee-y goodness. This is what it looks like in its solid form:


 Look at that beautiful layer of golden deliciousness.

Anyway, this buttercream is seriously amazing. I don't want to make buttercream with plain, boring butter anymore. After you try it, you won't either.

Browned Butter Buttercream
{Printer Version Here}
Source: Once Upon a Tier original.

Ingredients:
3 sticks salted butter
1 1/2 pounds powdered sugar
5-6 tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract  

Directions:
1. Brown the butter. Place the butter into a saucepan. Melt the butter over medium heat, stirring constantly. Continue to cook and stir the butter until it starts to turn a golden brown (it will get very foamy before it starts to turn color). When the butter is golden brown and smells like toffee, remove it from the heat. Let the butter sit until cool. If you're like me, you will want to drink it at this stage. Instead, pour the butter into a container lined with plastic wrap. Place in the refrigerator until it is the consistency of softened butter (or refrigerate in until solid and then take out to soften).

2. Make the buttercream. In an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the softened browned butter on medium speed until fluffy. Add the powdered sugar and beat on low speed for 30 seconds. With the mixer still on, add the vanilla and milk, 1 tablespoon at a time, until the buttercream is the consistency you are looking for.

Enjoy!

Tuesday, February 4, 2014

Olaf Cake (Rachel's Birthday Cake)

Today is Rachel's birthday! I made her a cake. ;)

"Hi, everyone. I'm Olaf. And I like warm hugs!"

I remember having no idea a few months ago that a new Disney movie was coming out. Rachel was really excited for this new Disney movie that was going to be called Frozen, so she looked up a trailer for me to watch. I thought it looked good and wanted to see it, but she thought it looked really good and was chomping at the bit to see it. About a week after it came out, she and I went to see it together. We absolutely loved it! When we came out of the theater we couldn't stop talking about it and wanted to see it again. A couple weeks later, we went to see it again.

If you haven't seen Frozen yet, you really should. It's one of the best Disney movies in my opinion. I won't give anything away for those who haven't seen it yet, but it shows that true love is not always in the form you expect it to be in.

Which brings me back to the cake. ;)


I had every intention of photographing the step by step process of this cake, but...unfortunately that just didn't happen. Olaf is the first standing fondant figure I have made. I was always really intimidated by fondant figures, but it's not so bad! I used a great picture tutorial from Puckycakes.

"So cute! It's like a little baby unicorn!"
 
The trees are sugar cones that I just piped green icing onto with a star tip. Add a little powdered sugar for snow and it's a little winter scene! 



"Some people are worth melting for."

Happy birthday, Buddy ol' Pal! <3