Cherry Vampire Cake

Those Vamps did it again! They got to my perfectly white and fluffy buttermilk vanilla cake–a helpless baked good. I can't say I'm surprised...it is prime Vampire season, after all. Seriously though, of all the Halloween themed treats I've made, this cake is my favorite. It's subtly gory and beautiful all at once. In choosing a "blood" filling for this cake, cherries just seemed perfect. Pomegranate, strawberry and even cranberry crossed my mind, but using frozen sweet cherries was the right choice for this cake. With a couple pokes from a straw and a drizzle of cherry juice, the vampire bite marks come to life. Keep this recipe around after Halloween if you ever need a perfect buttermilk vanilla cake or a light and fluffy marshmallow frosting. But beware, those Vampires might come for your cake next. 

Buttermilk Vanilla Cake
INGREDIENTS
2 3/4 cup flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 cups sugar
5 large eggs, at room temperature
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 1/2 cup buttermilk

DIRECTIONS
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease two 9-inch or three 8-inch cake pans and set aside. (You can also use cupcake tins.) In a medium sized bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder and salt and set aside.

2. Beat the butter and sugar together in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, until incorporated. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and add the vanilla. With the mixer on low, add half of the flour mix and beat until fully incorporated. Slowly pour in the buttermilk and mix until combined. Add the remaining flour and mix on medium speed for 15 seconds, or until all the flour is mixed in. Divide evenly between cake pans and bake for 40 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool completely. 

Once the cake has cooled, poke a few holes in the layers to make sure that cherry filling really seeps in. 

Cherry Filling
5 cups frozen pitted sweet cherries
1 cup orange juice
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon corn starch
pinch of salt

Combine all ingredients in a saucepan over high heat and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until sauce reduces and thickens, about 25 minutes. Break up softened cherries with the back of a spoon and set aside to cool completely.

Now, I think that looks perfectly gory and would serve as it, but this cake really needs the light-as-air marshmallow frosting! Remember to save some of the cherry juice for the vampire bite marks. 

Marshmallow Frosting
1 1/4 cup sugar
2 tablespoons light corn syrup
3 tablespoons water
5 large egg whites, room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
note: If you prefer not to use egg whites, meringue powder is a great substitute for the eggs.

Combine sugar, corn syrup and water in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Boil for 1-2 minutes, or until the sugar dissolves, then turn off the heat. Meanwhile, beat the egg whites in a standing mixer fitted with the whisk attachment until peaks form. Turn mixer on low and pour sugar mixture very slowly into the bowl. Add vanilla, then beat on high for another 5 minutes until peaks are very stiff and glossy. Use an offset spatula to spread a thin "crumb coat" layer on the cake. This will seal in all the crumbs and cherry filling. Then liberally spread the remaining frosting on the cake.

Poke 2 holes in the cake with a straw, then drizzle the cherry juice down the side of the cake.

What a Circus!

Every year at FOOD & WINE, the art department celebrates Halloween in a big way. We're not just talking pumpkins and spider webs, here. We really transform ourselves into some obscure theme, and this year we went with Under the Big Top. Past years have included Octoberfest, an old time saloon, a pizza parlor and even the band Devo. Take a look at some of the days highlights. Judging by our costumes, maybe we have become a little too comfortable around each other...what do you think?

Smooth as Pierre, the tight rope walker, yours truly as the gender defying Claud(ine), LeAnna as Esmerelda the fortune teller and Rory as strongman

Some of our circus features included: a popcorn and cotton candy machine, black cherry rum cocktails, fried oreos, corndogs, apple pies, bacon popcorn and excessive spandex. Hey strongman, you could have at least stood up to weightlift.A few trips to Goodwill and a dress from high school dances past made the ultimate sacrifice for my gender defying costume. We printed out vintage circus posters and pasted them all over our desks. The fried Oreos were really simple to make. Now, I don't condone making these as a snack every day, but everyone should try a fried Oreo at least once in their life!

Fried Oreos

(makes about 20)

INGREDIENTS

1 cup pancake mix

1 egg

1 cup milk

2 tsp. vegetable oil

1 15.5 oz. bag of Oreos, frozen for about an hour (this helps when frying)

about 2 quarts vegetable oil for frying

DIRECTIONS

1. In a large, deep saucepan, heat your oil to 375 degrees. (You'll know the oil is ready when you place a drop of batter in, and it immediately rises to the top and starts to fry. If it falls to the bottom of the pan, the oil's not hot enough.)

2. Mix pancake mix, egg, milk and oil in large bowl. 

3. Working with three Oreo's at a time, place the cookie in the batter, and using a fork, coat each cookie thoroughly with the batter. 

4. Fry the Oreo until batter is golden brown and puffed up. Using a slotted spoon, remove and place on a rack over paper towels to cool. 

5. For a finishing touch, sprinkle fried Oreo's with 1 tablespoon confectioners sugar. Enjoy! 

Black cherry soda made the cocktails a perfect side show! (Check out the menagerie) 

Did I mention it was work as usual all day long?

Candy Corn Shortbread

There are two types of people in this world, those who love candy corn, and those who don't. Clearly I like candy corn, but it's understandable that some might not have a sweet tooth like I do. My recent candy corn indulgence is what inspired me to make these shortbread wedges. One thing's for sure, everyone loves a crumbly, buttery shortbread and these "candy corns" are sure to be a crowd favorite. A touch of orange and yellow coloring makes these brown sugar shortbread wedges Halloween ready. Feel free to half the recipe for a thinner shortbread.

Candy Corn Shortbread

makes 12 wedges

INGREDIENTS

3 cups all-purpose flour

1 cup corn starch

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup light brown sugar

16 oz (2 cups) cold unsalted butter, cut into small cubes

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

DIRECTIONS
1. Pre-heat the oven to 300° F. In a standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix the flour, cornstarch, salt and brown sugar on low speed to blend the ingredients (about 20 seconds). With the mixer running add the butter cubes one at a time, mixing until dough clumps together. Add the vanilla, mixing until large clumps form and there is no loose flour. Do not over mix. There may be streaks of butter that aren’t fully mixed in (that’s ok!).

2. Transfer the dough to a work surface and divide into 3 portions–one small, one medium and one large. Set the smallest portion aside (this will be the white tip of the candy corn). Place the largest portion in the standing mixer and add about 1/4 teaspoon of yellow gel food coloring. Add more depending on how vibrant you want your yellow to be. Transfer yellow dough back to the work surface. Without cleaning out your mixing bowl place the medium sized dough portion in the bowl. Add 1/4 teaspoon of yellow gel food coloring and a drop of red gel food coloring. Mix until incorporated and dough is a bright orange. Add more depending on how vibrant you want your orange to be. Transfer the orange dough to your work surface.

3. Place the white dough in the middle of your springform pan, lightly press down with the palm of your hand to create an even circle about 3 inches wide. Wrap the orange dough around the white dough, leaving room for the outer ring of yellow dough. Lastly, wrap the final yellow layer of dough around the orange dough ring. Dough should now cover the entire pan. Use the palm of your hand to evenly smooth out the dough, making sure to keep the colors separate. Using a fork, prick the dough every 2 inches. Use a sharp knife to cut 12 even wedges in the dough. 

4. Bake the shortbread until the top is light golden, about 1 hour. Use a small sharp knife to carefully cut through the pre-cut wedges. Cool the shortbread thoroughly in the pan. Remove the side of the pan and separate the cookies. The cookies can be stored in a tightly covered container for up to 1 week.

Here's the Recipe Card

We're Gettin' Ghoulish

Given my absolute love of fall, it should come as no surprise that Halloween is my favorite holiday. I can barely wait until the 31st, so I've decided to share some of the things I'm excited about this Halloween season. Take a look and stay tuned for more trick-or-treats to come (mostly just treats). And in the meantime, get your costumes stitched, your candies purchased and your pumpkins carved...'cus it's Halloween time!

1. Candies and Chocolates tray by John Derian 2. Gingerdead Man Cookie Cutter 3. Scull Cookie Jar 4. Brown Paper Bag Broom Favors 5. Knife Cutting Board 6. Canvas & Leather Scull Tote 7. Haunt Tumblers & Hi Balls