Wilton Course 1 Lesson 2

For the second class we were required to bring in a cake and frosting to decorate it. We first practiced bead borders and building up 3d designs on the practice boards. We were also shown how to transfer a design from parchment paper onto the cake using parchment paper. I used a Swiss meringue butter cream to frost my cake which doent harden up like regular butter cream, so I wasn't able to use the parchment paper trick and just free handed my cupcake design. I think it came out pretty good, I need to practice more on making borders as mine are a little uneven. This was a very fun class because we were decorating the whole time.

The cake I made had no flour, butter, or sugar and it was delicious! Its a healthy low carb cake made from black beans, eggs, and coconut oil that I adapted from Healthyindulgences.net. The texture was similar to carrot cake and the coco powder covered up any bean taste and the cake just tasted chocolaty. I think next time I'll add some mini chocolate chips or walnuts to camouflage the not perfect texture. I gave a piece to my boyfriend without telling him what it was and he really liked it, he said it tasted just like cake!

The frosting I chose was not healthy at all. Swiss meringue buttercream, dangerous stuff. Creamy buttery taste, silky smooth texture, and beautiful satiny finish makes this my new favorite frosting. Its also wonderful to pipe with, the egg whites really stabilize it so you don't need to add a ton of powdered sugar to make it stiff enough for decorating. Unfortunately, it contains a pound of butter, I'll have to reserve it for special occasions because that's way too much saturated fat to be eating regularly.

Healthy Indulgence Chocolate Cake

adapted from Healthyindulgences.net

makes one 9 inch cake

Ingredients:

1-15 ounce can of low sodium black beans
5 large eggs, room tempuratue
1 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
6 tablespoons coconut oil, melted
1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon Truvia brand stevia
6 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 tablespoon water


Preheat oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease one 9 inch cake pan and dust with coco powder.

Drain and rinse beans and shake off excess water. Blend beans in a food processor until they are very smooth and set aside.
Sift together cocoa powder, salt, baking soda, and baking powder, set aside.
In a heat proof bowl, combine the stevia and coconut oil. Whisk in the eggs until smooth. If the coconut oil hardens up, whisk the mixture over a pan of simmering water until it is completly smooth. Whisk in the vanilla and water. Beat in the pureed beans until completely combined. Add this mixture to the dry ingredients and blend well.
Pour into the cake pan and bake for 35-40 minutes. It will dome up while baking but fall flat as it cools. Let it cool in the pan for at least 10 minutes before removing it.

Notes
I think the chocolate flavor could really be enhanced with a little espresso powder. As for a healthy frosting, Peanut Butter & Co's Dark Chocolate Dreams, fresh fruit, or I'm thinking of a greek yogurt and cream cheese combo I wanna try out.

Swiss Meringue Buttercream

from Bakersroyale.com, they have a wonderful how-to post

Makes approximately 3 1/2 cups

Ingredients:

5 large egg whites
11/2 cup sugar
4 sticks unsalted butter, sliced and softened
1/4 teaspoon salt


1.Combine egg whites and sugar in a stand mixer bowl and place it over (not on) simmering water. Heat mixture to 160 degrees F while whisking constantly.
2.Transfer mixer bowl to stand mixer, fitted with a whisk attachment and beat on medium high speed (speed 8 on a KitchenAid stand mixer) until mixture cools, doubles in volume and forms stiff peaks; about 10-12 minutes.
3.Add butter in one piece at a time, mixing to incorporate after each addition. The mixture may appear clumpy and almost curdled looking at first—this is normal. Keep mixing and it will become even and smooth again.
4.Add flavoring, such as vanilla extract, mix to combine.

Rosemary Simmered Cannellini Beans and Parmesan Garlic Chicken Wings

Beans work great when cooking for vegetarians and omnivores at the same time. They serve as a protein packed entree for the vegetarian and a fiberful side dish for the meat eater. Plus they are super easy to make. I like to make a big batch of dried beans and then freeze them in 1-2 cup portions, then when I want to use them I either move them into the fridge the night before or microwave them. The dried beans are cheaper but if they seem like to much prep work, canned beans work just as well and at .99 cents a can they're pretty cheap as well. Much less costly than meat. I did use canned cannellini beans for this dish because I didn't have any dried on hand. It was a snap to make, I just simmered them with some aromatic rosemary and roasted garlic. I love roasted garlic, its deep caramelized flavor takes garlic to another level.

I made Parmesan garlic chicken wings for my boyfriend, he said they were very good but I can;t say for myself. I used this recipe from Steamy Kitchen and just made a few changes based on what I had in my kitchen. I subbed dried basil for the dried oregano because some how, I was completely out of oregano! And I used roasted garlic instead of fresh like the Steamy Kitchen recipe called because not everyone enjoys raw garlic.
Another aspect that makes it easier to cook vegetarian and meat meals at the same time is to use the same herbs and seasonings for both dishes.

Rosemary Simmered Cannellini Beans

Ingredients
1 can cannellini beans, not drained
1/4 cup water
1-2 tablespoons roasted garlic
1 teaspoon dried rosemary
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano or basil
salt and pepper to taste
fresh basil and Parmesan cheese to serve

Directions
1. Combine everything in a medium sized pot over medium high heat. When it just reaches a boil turn the heat down to low and let it simmer for 15 to 20 minutes or until it thickens. Serve topped with fresh basil and Parmesan cheese

Tex-Mex Rice n' Bean Casserole

Cilantro is my favorite herb ever, I think its why I like Spanish food to much. Its bright flavor adds a splash of freshness to this tasty Tex-Mex rice n' bean casserole. It was my first time making this recipe and it turned out delicious, super cheesy and pretty healthy too. And while its vegetarian, it also received great reviews from meat eaters. Its made of spicy brown rice, black eyed peas, veggies, and cheddar cheese to hold every thing together.
I cooked the rice earlier in the day to save time so this meal was super quick to make and after dinner there was only ONE pan to clean up!

Tex-Mex Rice n' Bean Casserole

Ingredients
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 teaspoon paprika
pinch red pepper flakes
salt and pepper, obviously
1 small onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup brown rice
2 cups water

1 can black eyed peas, slightly drained and NOT rinsed
1 14oz can diced tomatoes with chilies
2-3 big handfuls baby spinach
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/4 cup fresh cilantro plus more for garnishing
lots of salt and pepper to taste

Directions
1. For the Rice: Heat the oil in a medium sized pot. Add the onions and cook about 5 minutes then add the garlic, paprika, red pepper, and salt and pepper. Add the rice and stir to coat in the oil and sauté until fragrant, it should smell nutty. Add the water and bring to a boil, stir once, reduce heat to low, and cover, do not stir or uncover for 40 minutes or until all the water is obsorbed. Once its fully cooked, wait 10 minutes then fluff with a fork.
2. Casserole Assembly: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and spray an 8x8 inch pan with nonstick cooking spray. Dump all the ingredients in a bowl and mix well except for 1/4 of the cheese. Transfer mixture into the prepared pan. Bake uncovered for 20 minutes.
3. Sprinkle remaining cheese on top of the casserole and bake for another 10 minutes or until the cheese is melted. Serve with extra cilantro.