Tractor Cake

A great cake for a fall birthday.  

A simple 2 layer chocolate cake decorated to resemble corn rows and harvest time. 

Tools needed for decorating:

Lazy susan

4 pastry bags

4 tips: #6, #7, #47, #789 

Candy circles

Plastic spackle tool

Cardboard cut into a circle covered with tin foil or a cake plate

Plastic trees

Tractor and trailer

Decorating Instructions:

Step 1:  Apply a crumb coat using tip #789, smooth it out with spackle tool. Refrigerate for 10-15 minutes. 

Step 2:  Apply a thick coating of frosting and smooth out while spinning it on your lazy susan. Smooth the sides first, then the top. 

Step 3:  Apply the boarder using tip #47. 

Step 4:  Create the green grassy area for the trees. Can use tip #47 to give it a more grassy look.

Step 5:  Make your rows using tip #47, leaving a space between each for the corn and leaving a spot for your tractor and trailer. 

Step 6:  Add candy circles. 

Step 7:  Using tip #7 or similar, add corn to your husks and any other creative lines to the boarders and sides. 

Step 8:  Writing on cake can be done using tip #6 or similar.

Step 8:  Now you can put the trees and Tractor/trailer on your cake. 

Tip:

You can go to your local large chain grocery store that decorates cakes (Ralphs, Vons, Cub Foods, Publix, Walmart etc.) and purchase any of their cake decorating kits. Flip through the book and decide what you want. I have even just asked for a random thing like a snowmobile kit, even though it was not in their display book and they had it. Grocery stores have shelves upon shelves of cake decorating kits. They cost about $5.

Plumsauce and Applesauce

 Who's Who? The above picture are wild plums, below are little apples. 

 Step 1 -  Pick a whole lot of apples and/or plums

Step 2 -  Bring them to a boil with about 1/2 water in a big kettle.

Step 3 -  Boil until the skins split and they are soft.

Step 4 -  Scoop them into a food mill. Out comes your hot apple/plum sauce

 Step 5 -  Add a whole lot of sugar. As much as your tongue desires.

Step 6 -  Scoop 2 cups into freezer bags and freeze. If I had more time I would have canned it so it wouldn't take up freezer space.

Mmmmm hot applesauce and ice cream! 

Homemade Buttermilk Cake Doughnuts

Ever wonder how to make doughnuts? It's quite simple and doesn't take much time. I can make a batch of cookies in about the same amount of time.

Buttermilk Cake Doughnuts with Chocolate icing and sprinkles

The recipe comes from an old, really old, Tupperware specialty cookbook/pamphlet.

I made 4 different recipes this week for cake doughnuts and these turned out the best. Especially when eaten warm with the edges still a little crispy.

12-Step Buttermilk Doughnut Recipe
Makes roughly 2 dozen doughnuts

4 c. all purpose flour (I used half cake flour)

4 tsp baking powder

3/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp baking soda

2 eggs, beaten (room temp if possible)

1 c. granulated sugar

1/4 c. vegetable oil (I used Crisco)

1 tsp vanilla

1 c. buttermilk (room temp if possible)

Other items needed:
2 cookie sheets
2 dish towels or wax paper
Extra flour
Rolling pin
Apron
Ruler
1 or 2 Skewers
Metal tongs or slotted spoon with holes
Paper towels
Tin foil
Plastic wrap
Kitchen timer, watch or clock with second hand for frying
Deep fryer and canola oil, Dutch oven works too. If using a Dutch oven, fill with oil 2" from the bottom and leave at least 2" from the top. Measure temp with candy thermometer.

Step 1 - Stir together flour, baking powder, salt and soda. 

Step 2 - In your mixer bowl, blend eggs and sugar until thick and lemon-colored.

Step 3 - Stir in oil/shortening and vanilla (shortening will make mixture clumpy).

Step 4 - Add dry ingredients and buttermilk alternately to egg mixture, beginning and ending with dry. ingredients. Beat just until incorporated - dough will be sticky. 

Step 5 - Let dough rest for 10-15 minutes in bowl with plastic wrap covering it. 

Step 6 - Lightly flour the counter top.

Step 7 - Roll out sticky dough, adding as much flour as needed so it doesn't stick to the rolling pin or counter top. Roll out to 1/2" thick. Measure this with a ruler if needed because it makes a big difference when it hits the hot oil-they expand.

Step 8 - Cut with floured doughnut cutter

Step 9 - Lift from counter top with metal turner (flipper) and set on a cookie sheet that has either wax paper dusted with flour or a dish towel dusted with flour. 

Step 10 - Fry in hot oil. I gently slide the metal flipper under them and slowly slide them off in the hot oil. Oil should be 375 degrees, fry for about 1 minute per side - dark golden brown. I flip mine with a wooden skewer and remove them with metal tongs. 

Step 11 - Dry them on a drying rack covered tin foil (less mess) and paper towels to absorb grease. 

Step 12 - Let cool before adding icing. The icing was my own creation made with a combination of recipes and I did not write it down but it's basic:

Icing Recipe 

 From memory -- not real accurate but you can play with it, it's very forgiving. 

3-3 1/2 c. Powdered Sugar

1 tsp corn syrup

1 tsp vanilla

1/4 tsp salt

8-9 Tb cocoa powder

1/3-1/2 c. milk

1/3 c. water with 1TB granulated sugar heated to boiling on the stove, simmer 1 minute.

Step 1 - Whisk powdered sugar, corn syrup, vanilla and salt in bowl.

Step 2 - Add the hot sugar water. Whisk until thick.

Step 3 - Begin to add cocoa powder and milk alternately - the mixture should be smooth and drizzly :-)

Step 4 - Taste it. See if you need more cocoa powder. I just kept adding and adding until I liked it. As I added more cocoa I also needed to add more milk to smooth it out.

Step 5 - Dip cooled doughnuts in icing

Enjoy with a hot cup of coffee!


Enjoyable Doughnut cookbooks that I have used:
Doughnuts: Simple and Delicious Recipes to Make at Home by Lara Ferron
Top Pot Hand-Forged Doughnuts: Secrets and Recipies for the Home Baker by Mark Klebeck