Chocolate-Rasperry Baby Blocks Cake

My brother is expecting his first child, who will also be my first nephew (first kid to make me an aunt for that matter). As a special surprise for my brother and his wife at their Baby Shower I  made the cakes. Two blocks of which are chocolate cake with a raspberry filling, the same exact recipe I used when making their wedding cake as a matter of fact. 

Cake Ingredients:
3 egg slightly beaten
1 & 2/3 cup sugar
1 & 1/2 cup milk
3 one-ounce squares of bakers unsweetened chocolate
1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
2 cups cake flour
1 teaspoon baking soda

 In a medium saucepan, combine 1 egg, 2/3 cup sugar and 1/2 cup milk and 3 ounces of bakers unsweetened cooking chocolate. Stir constantly over medium heat  till chocolate melts and mixture comes just to boiling, set aside and let cool.

sauce pan mixture

In a mixer cream 1 cup sugar and 1/2 cup butter until light and fluffy. Add vanilla and remaining 2 eggs, one at a time,  beating well after each addition. Sift flour and soda together and add to creamed mixture alternately with remaining 1 cup of milk, beat well after each addition. blend in chocolate mixture and pour into a large 8x11 inch rectangle cake pan or two 9x9 square pans. Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 25 to 30 minutes.

When baking the cakes cut a piece of wax paper the size of the bottom of the pan and place it in the bottom after greasing the pan. Pour the cake batter in and bake. the Wax paper works as a liner so when the cake cools and you're ready to pop it out of the pan merely run a knife around the edges and turn upside down the cake will come right out. Just don't forget to peal the wax paper off the bottom of the cake. 

Filling:
Take one can of Organic Oregon Raspberries, drain as much liquid out as possible (save liquid for frosting). Add one cup of nestles mini morsels to raspberries and spread between cake layers. If the filling has a little liquid that is fine, it'll just seep into cake and be delicious, if its too watery however it may make the cake too mushy, so be careful.

 Due date (back) and  "Kyan" (front)  building block cakes

• For the baby shower I wanted to go with a baby theme for the shape of the cake. So I made blocks. Little building blocks  that would spell out his name. Since I was cutting the cakes down to make the block shape it inevitably left scraps and trimmings to be either composted or consumed (for an ideas of how to use the cake scraps see my "Strawberry Volcano" post). What makes cakes great is even though there is a distinct recipe you must follow, after its out of the oven you can do whatever grabs your fancy from blocks to bath tubs and diapers to dinosaurs it is completely up to your creative whim. 

Whip Cream Frosting Ingredients:

8 ounces reduced-fat Cream Cheese, softened

1/2 cup sugar

1 Teaspoon Vanilla extract 

1/2 Teaspoon Almond extract

2 cups Heavy Whipping Cream

Whip Cream Frosting Directions:

Combine cream cheese, sugar, vanilla and almond in a large mixing bowl fitted with the whisk attachment. mix on medium speed until smooth and creamy. once it is smooth, while the mixture is still mixing slowly pour about half of the heavy whipping cream into the bowl. let blend completely and stop and scrape bottom and edges. Continue whipping and add remaining cream when completely blended scrape bottom and sides once more. Whip frosting again until  it can hold a firm peak.  then frost and enjoy. Frosting can be refrigerated, frozen and left at room temperature without melting, (however for health safety always store in a refrigerator for no more than five days).

Cake after round one of consumption

Frosting an decorating is always an adventure. Especially today since as of eighteen hours ago I had literally never used a frosting piper before in my life. Risks are taken, adventures are embarked on and decorating endeavors underwent. And really the only thing that matters when all is said and done is; Was it good?