Brr it’s cold outside and the streets are a mess – luckily I can work from home today as I have a lot of computer work to do getting all the marketing ready for Valentine’s Day - after about four hours of uploading pics and describing flower arrangements I was ready for some sustenance – and realized I had some homemade tortellini in the freezer and some left over sauce!  Then I remembered I had photographed making the tortellini so aren’t you lucky you stopped by the Amusing Florist blog today!

I use a Marcella Hazan recipe published in a Bon Apetit magazine from the early 80s.  Noodles were one of the first things Gramma taught me how to make – I remember at a very young age standing on a chair and grating noodle dough into a pot of boiling water.  Eventually I got to mix dough and roll it out with a rolling pin over newspaper – the cartoon section – had to be able to read the cartoons through the dough – so anyway, this is easy for me – with some practice you can master noodle dough too.

For the pasta:

10 oz pkg frozen leaf spinach, cooked, cooled, drained and squeezed dry and chopped fine

3 to 4 cups unbleached flower (oops, I mean flour – Valentine’s on the brain today)

4 large eggs

1 tbl extra virgin olive oil

1 tsp salt

pulse the spinach with 3-1/2 cups of the flour in your food processor, add eggs, olive oil and salt and pulse until it comes together – poke it with your finger, if it is sticky add more flour a little at a time until it is a cohesive but slightly crumbly mass.

dump the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead it for a minute or two until smooth – then shape into two disks, wrap in plastic wrap and let the dough rest for about an hour.

When you are ready to roll it out, you can find all kinds of instructions on the internet for rolling and shaping dough.  I use a crank roller and dream of the day I can buy that pasta roller for my KitchenAid mixer!   My roller has 6 settings and I roll my dough out to #5 “thinness” as I like a little “tooth” to my tortellini and I find that #6 sometimes has blowouts when the tortellini cooks.

While your pasta is resting you can prepare your filling.

1/4 to 1/2 pound (Marcella’s the recipe called for pork butt but I like to use a lean cut)

1/4 to 1/2 pound veal shoulder - I could only find ground at the market and it worked out fine

2 tsp butter

1/2 to 3/4 cup fresh ricotta (ricotta salata from Viviano’s is my choice)

2 tbl mortadella, chopped very fine (Viviano’s)

1/2 cup grated parmigiano-reggiano cheese (again Viviano’s)

1 or 2 egg yolks

Freshly grated nutmeg (to taste, I like lots and lots of nutmeg)

salt and black pepper

Cut the pork and veal into thin slices and then into small dice – keep the meats separate.  Cook the pork in the butter for about 5 minutes, browning all sides, then add the veal and cook for only a minute or two - just until the pink is gone.  Add a bit of salt and pepper, stir to coat well, then drain and cool.

When the meat is cool enough to handle, chop the pork and veal together to a grainy, slightly coarse consistency.  Put the chopped meat into a bowl and add the ricotta, grated cheese, egg yolk and at least 1/4 tsp of freshly grated nutmeg.  Add the finely chopped mortadella.

Mix well, then taste and correct for salt and pepper (and nutmeg).

Time to roll out the dough – this recipe is a double batch, only roll out 1/2 a disk of dough at a time or the pasta gets dry and doesn’t stick to itself to form the little Venus’ navels.  Cut 1-1/2 to 2 inch squares, put about a 1/4 tsp of meat filling in the center, top with one pea (my addition, nothing better than the pop of a pea when you bite into a tender tortellini!)

Shape your tortellini by folding opposite corners together to make a triangle, then flip it and pinch the wide ends together, the point will kinda flip on its own.  Set your tortelli on a cookie sheet, freeze until solid then store in zip lock bags in freezer for up to a couple months.

Now for the sauce – and this is the easiest most delicious tomato cream sauce ever.

1/3 cup butter

1/4 cup each onion, carrot, celery, all chopped very fine.

1 large can imported Italian plum tomatoes with their juice

pinch of salt

1/2 cup heavy (high fat) whipping cream, at room temperature or warmed slightly

Lightly saute celery, onion, carrot & salt in butter until onions are translucent.  Add tomatoes and cook for 45 minutes at a low simmer.

Bring a large pot of water to boil and add frozen tortellini – they will only take 3 to 5 minutes to cook.

When carrots are tenderm puree tomato sauce in blender until smooth (or use one of those handy dandy boat motors!) – return to pot, add heavy cream and warm it back up but do not boil.  It is important to use heavy cream at room temp or even warmed up a bit in the microwave, ALL OTHER MILK PRODUCTS curdle – although it will taste fine it looks ugly.

Top your tortellini with the tomato cream sauce and some freshly grated parmigiano-reggiano and dive in.  You’ll want to eat this with a spoon!

Okay, back to work – check out our Valentine’s Line Up – we have some great flowers and gifts for you!

 

 

 

Do you listen to the Splendid Table on NPR?  I often catch a bit or more of it on the weekends and I heard something about a Green Tomato Merengue pie -  so I hit the splendidtable.org web site only to have no luck finding said pie – but I did have some ham I needed to use up and ran across a Chicken & Ham pie – and here is my adaptation of this pie originally from Plenty by Diana Henry. Copyright 2010

• 1/4 cup butter
• 3 leeks, cleaned and sliced into 1/2 inch pieces
• 1/2 cup flour, plus more to dust crust
• 2 to 2-1/4 cups milk
• salt and pepper
• 1 tsp English mustard (available online, or substitute Dijon mustard)
• 2 cups leftover grilled chicken, pulled into chunks
• 1 cup cooked ham, cut into approximately 1/2 inch dice
• 1/4 cup or more chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
• lots of freshly grated nutmeg
• 1 puff pastry sheet (thawed if frozen)
• 1 egg yolk, mixed with a little water and salt

Melt the butter in a heavy pan and add the leeks.

 

Cook gently for 5 minutes, add a splash of water, reduce the heat, cover the pan and sweat for 10 minutes. Add the flour and stir for 1 minute. Take the pan off the heat and gradually add the milk. Return to heat and bring to a boil, stirring; reduce the heat and simmer for 5 minutes. Season, and add the mustard, chicken, and ham. Heat through, then add the parsley and nutmeg to taste. Cool.

Preheat the oven to 400°F. Spoon the chicken into a glass baking dish (measuring approximately 8 x 9 in). On a floured surface, roll out a pastry sheet to the thickness of a quarter. Cut off a strip, wet it and wet the edge of your dish and place on the lip of the pie dish.

Lay the rest of the pastry on top, pressing down firmly. Trim off the excess. Crimp the edges and use pastry scraps to decorate. Make 3 cuts in the middle to let the steam escape.  Brush with the egg yolk and bake for 30—40 minutes, or until golden.

This would be really great to make with leftover turkey after Thanksgiving – just make a little extra pie crust when you are doing your pies.  I also think I will spice it up with some hot chili’s next time.

and . . . speaking of Thanksgiving – we have a great ceramic pumpkin this year that makes a great centerpiece and later a cookie or candy jar!

 

From Barb Eastman’s comment on 1/19/10 red velvet cake blog – “Here is another wonderful recipe for you to try, Di. I got it from my brother Pat’s mother-in-law, Colleen Moening.  Uses a 10″ springform pan and it’s outstanding.”

Polish Apple Raisin Cake

3 sticks butter (2 for the cake; one for the topping)
2 cups sugar
4 eggs
2 cups flour
2 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. baking soda
3 cups apples, grated (2-3 apples, depending on size)
1-1/2 cups raisins (half for the cake and half for the topping)
1-1/2 cups chopped walnuts (half for the cake and half for the topping – and I like them toasted)
1/2 cup brown sugar (all for the topping—none in the cake)
For the cake

Grease and flour a large spring form pan.

Cream 2 sticks butter with 2 cups sugar, until light and pale.

Add the eggs, one at a time and mix until incorporated.

Add flour, cinnamon and baking soda and beat for about 3 minutes.

Fold in 2 cups apples, 3/4 cup raisins and 3/4 cup walnuts.

Bake in prepared springform pan at 350F for 1 to 1 hour and 15 minutes (toothpick should come out clean).

Cool cake completely before doing topping.
For the topping

Melt remaining stick of butter with 1/2 cup brown sugar.

Bring to a boil and then add the remaining raisins, 1 cup grated apple and remaining walnuts.

Turn down the heat and cook slowly until the raisins plump and the sauce begins to thicken.

With a wooden skewer, wooden knitting needle or the tines of a large fork, pierce the cake and then pour the sauce over the cake.

Allow to cool completely. As the sauce cools it begins to set up.

Serve with whipped cream (whipping cream, sugar to taste, and about 1 tsp. vanilla).

This is an amazing cake – it makes easily enough for a dozen servings!  The first time I made this cake I accidentally put all the grated apples into the batter and had to grate more apples for the topping – did not matter, amazing cake!  The second time I made this cake I added about half a bag of these Kraft caramel bits – OMG!!!! – so good, but have not been able to find these at my local markets again!

Don’t have time or it’s too hot to bake?  Check out the pies and cakes and cookies at Walter Knoll Florist!

WWarren, a senior designer (and friend) at work

gave me four homegrown lemons this week!

Check out his tree!

 

I dug out a favorite lemon bar recipe and doubled it so that I have lots of lemon bars to take to Warren tomorrow!  This is a mildly tart lemon bar – if you like it extra tart, add another lemon’s worth of zest and juice.

Lemon Bars

adapted recipe from Baking Illustrated

Makes two 9″ square pans

Crust
2-1/2 cups (6 1/4 oz) all-purpose flour
1 cup powdered sugar
1 teaspoon salt
2 sticks unsalted butter, softened & cut into 1-inch pieces

Filling
14 large egg yolks, plus 4 large eggs
2 cup plus 4 tablespoons granulated sugar
1-1/3 to 1-1/2 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/2 cup lemon zest
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 stick unsalted butter, cut into 4 pieces

To make the crust: lightly pray two 9-inch square baking pans with cooking spray.

Line the pan with aluminum foil or parchment, leaving an overhang on opposite sides to lift the bars out after they’ve baked.

Spray the parchment or foil lightly with cooking spray.

Add the flour, confectioners’ sugar and salt to the bowl of your food processor.

Pulse a few times to combine.  Add the butter and process to blend, about 8-10 seconds.

Pulse just a few more times, until the mixture is pale yellow and resembles coarse meal.

Divide and dump the mixture into the prepared baking pans;

use the tips of your fingers to press it into an even layer over the bottom of the pan.

Refrigerate the crust for 30 minutes (or freeze for 15 minutes).

While the crust is chilling, preheat the oven to 350 F.

Grate the zest from approximately 4 lemons (about 1/2 cup)

Squeeze the lemon juice by hand or with your handy electric juicer!

After chilling, bake the crusts for about 20 minutes, or until light golden brown -

turn the pans once about half way thru.

While the crust bakes, make the filling:

In a large saucepan, whisk the egg yolks and eggs together until combined.

Combine the sugar and lemon zest in a small bowl and use your fingertips

to rub the zest into the sugar until the sugar is moist and fragrant.

Add the sugar to the egg mixture and whisk to combine.

Finally, add the lemon juice and salt and whisk until all ingredients are blended.

Place the pot of filling over medium-low heat and add the butter.

Stirring continuously, cook until the curd thickens slightly and registers 170 F  thermometer.

Pour the curd through a strainer into a large bowl.

 

Pour the filling over the warm crust (this is important – you don’t want to let the crust cool before adding the filling).

Bake for 10-15 minutes, or until the the center jiggles just slightly when shaken.

Remove the pan to a wire rack and cool completely.

Use the foil to lift the bars out of the pan and cut into squares.

 

Dust with confectioners’ sugar if desired.

 

Yellow Lemon, Yellow Spring Flowers – Daffodils are blooming at Walter Knoll Florist -

stop into one of our stores for our wholesale bunch special – 10 stem daffodil bunches for $10

Visit us at wkf.com for specials on daffodil bouquets delivered

Wondering what to do with that 4 pound butternut squash you bought a month ago?

Roasted Squash and Escarole with Farfalla & Asiago Cheese

Serves 6 to 8

3  to 4 pounds butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cut into bite-size chunks

1 medium to large red onion, cut into chunks

2 large heads of escarole cut into 1 inch strips

15 to 20 large fresh sage leaves, torn

5 large cloves garlic, coarsely chopped

1/2 cup pine nuts

1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil

1 teaspoon (or less if you are not a fan of) hot red pepper flakes

1 tightly packed tablespoon brown sugar

Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

1/2 cup half-and-half

1 pound bow tie cooked and drained pasta,

6 ounces (about 1-1/2 cups) freshly shredded Asiago cheese

Freshly grated nutmeg.

Preheat oven and 2 large sheet pans to 450°

In a really, really big bowl, toss together all the ingredients except half-and-half, pasta and cheese.

Generously salt and pepper, then pour out onto the  pre-heated pans.

It will look like a lot but the escarole will shrink a lot

Bake 25 minutes, turning a couple time until squash is tender.

Be careful not to burn the escarole – it will get crispy.

Once the squash is tender, flip on the broiler for about 5 minutes to caramelize the squash.

You want crusty brown edges on the squash and wilted, crisp escarole.

Scrape into a serving bowl,  add the half-and-half, hot pasta, and 1 cup of cheese.

Toss to blend, tasting for salt and pepper, and enough cheese.  Grate some fresh nutmeg in to taste.

Adjust seasonings to your liking and may I suggest serving with a nice glass of red wine  and more grated Asiago cheese.

I especially like the Cougar Run Merlot from my cousin’s vineyard

Carlson Vineyards in Colorado

Note: You could peel the squash a day ahead and store it, tightly covered, in the refrigerator.  I found the best way to peel the squash is to cut it in half lengthwise, then slice into one inch pieces, peel with a sharp knife and then cut into chunks. Heating the pan ahead cuts cooking time and the cold veggies make such a nice sizzle.  I also am a big fan of the non stick aluminum foil for easy cleanup!

This would make for a very nice Valentine’s Day dinner!  Just add flowers from Walter Knoll Florist!

Or better yet, schedule Elvis to deliver your flowers!

Our Valentine’s selection this year is amazing and I am adding product daily so visit soon!

Anyone who listens to 105.7 the Point’s Woody and Rizzuto Show knows we are working with them to help get folks out of the “dog house” with flowers, and you have probably heard Woody going on about the great Bacon Burgers at Kendrick’s Meat Market in South County.  Well, I love bacon and all pork for that matter, so I had to check the burgers out.  Fried a couple up for breakfast while down in Creekieside near Ironton, MO at my friend Rick’s place – good stuff!  I think they are a mix of bacon and pork with just a bit of pepper added for seasoning.  Not being cholesterolly able to eat bacon day after day for breakfast, I found myself with some left-over patties which I incorporated into a sort of Bolognese sauce with great results!  Here’s the recipe

Bolognese Sauce

1/4 cup  Olive Oil

2 cups Grated Carrots

1 whole Large Red Onion, Diced

3 bacon burger patties from Kendrick’s, shredded

1 can (6 Ounce) Tomato Paste

5 cloves Garlic, chopped fine

1 to 2 cups White Wine

2 Tablespoons Worcestershire Sauce

2 28-Ounce cans Whole Tomatoes

1 28-Ounce can Crushed tomatoes

2 cups Milk

¼ cup Fresh Oregano Leaves

½ cup Fresh Basil Leaves

Salt And Pepper, to taste

Fresh Parmesan Cheese

Heat oil in a large Dutch oven or skillet over medium heat. Add grated carrots and onions and cook for a few minutes. Make a well in the center of the mixture, and then add in the ground beef.

Cook for a few minutes until brown, gradually stirring it into the carrot mixture.  Make another well and add tomato paste and stir while it toasts up. Add garlic and stir to combine.  Add wine and Worcestershire and cook for a few minutes, stirring, then add the canned whole and crushed tomatoes.  Stir to combine, then add milk and oregano and basil. (Use fresh herbs if you have them or if using dried herbs, use half the amount).   Let simmer for 30 minutes to 2 hours—however long you need.

Serve with pasta and a generous sprinkling of Parmesan Reggiano.

I’m thinking this could be a great New Year’s meal served over my homemade noodles with a garlicky Ceasar salad!  Maybe a grilled flank steak sliced thin and tossed into that salad!

Or take the easy route for a holiday meal and check out the gourmet dinners we offer at wkf.com

I’m a fan and subscriber to the King Arthur Flour newsletter -

every recipe I have ever tried has been wonderful.

Lately a ginger snap recipe came thru and since I had some around,

I finely diced some candied ginger and added it to the batter.

Then I poked a dark chocolate covered ginger candy into each one – voila, delish!

So, anyway,  here’s my take on their recipe

Gingersnaps – makes about sixty cookies

For the cookie dough

3/4 cup vegetable shortening*

1 cup sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons baking soda

1 large egg

1/3 cup molasses

2 1/3 cups unbleached all purpose flour

1 to 2 teaspoons ground ginger

1/2 teaspoon ground cloves

3/4 cup finely diced crystallized ginger

about 60 small pieces of dark chocolate covered candied ginger

For the coating

1/4 cup sugar

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Preheat the oven to 375°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

Beat together the shortening, sugar, salt, and baking soda.

Beat in the egg, then the molasses.

Add the flour and spices, beating to make a smooth, fairly stiff dough.

Stir in the finely diced candied ginger

To make the coating, combine the sugar and cinnamon, and place in a shallow pan or dish.

Drop the dough in 1″ balls into the cinnamon-sugar mixture.

Roll the balls in the sugar to coat, then transfer them to the prepared baking sheets,

leaving at least 1-1/2″ between them.

Poke a chocolate covered candy into each cookie.

Bake the cookies for 11 minutes, for cookies that are crisp around the edges, and “bendy” in the center.

Bake for 13 minutes, for cookies that are crisp/crunchy all the way through.

(I baked for 8 minutes then rotated the pan and baked for 7 more minutes.)

Remove the cookies from the oven, and cool right on the pan, or on a rack.

Cool completely, then store tightly wrapped, at room temperature.

I only baked 24 and rolled and stuffed the remaining batter and put the balls on waxed paper on a cookie sheet in the freezer and will bag them when they are hard.  I’ll have to get back to you on how the chocolate holds up!

Here is a photo of one of this summer’s moonflowers -(remember the seed pods in the basket above?  Nothing works better to pretty up a chain link fence! And the hummingbirds love the flowers.  But, then again, it was a lot of work today to cut those vines away.  I think I’ll plan on something else next year, maybe something I find in the spring at the Walter Knoll Florist garden center!

Got your holiday shopping started?  We’ve got our holiday features up!  Gifts from Walter Knoll are great for corporate gift giving! Check out our poinsettias – better than anything you’ll get at the big box hardware stores!  We also have any size gourmet gift basket you could want!

I’ve made these 4 or 5 times, finally “measured” and photographed them. 

The marshmallows in the batter melt into it to make a really chewy gooey brownie – the neighbors’ favorite!

S’more Brownies

1 18.4oz box Betty Crocker Original Supreme Premium Brownie Mix with Hershey’s Syrup in Pouch.

2 cups mini marshmallows (divided)

1 pkg of 9 graham crackers (divided)

For the brownie mix:

1 egg

¼ cup water

¼ cup oil

Preheat oven to 350F.  Line bottom and sides of an 8-1/2” x 11-1/2” (quarter size) sheet pan with parchment paper.  USE PARCHMENT or you’ll never get it out of the pan.

Break up about half the graham crackers into ½ or so size pieces into the bottom of the lined pan. 

Mix brownie mix per package instructions. 

Fold in 1 cup of mini marshmallows and spread mixture onto broken grahams in lined sheet pan. 

Break up the remaining crackers over the mixture and bake for 15 minutes. 

Remove from oven and sprinkle remaining 1 cup of mini marshmallows over mixture and put back in oven for 15 to 18 minutes.  Toothpick will come out with crumbs on it – find a spot with no marshmallows to test.

 

Allow to cool before slicing.  Use a knife dipped in hot water to cut into desired size portions.

Are you looking for a cute Halloween gift to send?  Check out our “Hey Jack” mug bouquet

Not exactly Jack Skellington, but just as cute, our Halloween pumpkin face mugs are just the seasonal gift with a bouquet of orange roses, statice, wax flowers, grevelia and purple ting ting.

I have connected with my cousin Lynette on Facebook and she asked me lately if I had Grandma’s angel food cake with strawberry glaze recipe.  Every birthday growing up my Grandma Boerschig would make whatever cake we requested  for our birthday.  Often I went for the pineapple upside down cake make in an iron skillet, but more often I went for her Angel Food Cake with a hardened strawberry glaze.  Sometimes she made a homemade Angel Food Cake and sometimes she used a box mix.  You could tell if  she used a box by the colored speckles in the cake!  I remember her teaching me how to make the glaze once, with a tin of frozen sliced strawberries, but for the life of me I am not sure if she used egg white or egg yolk.  This cake I made with a yolk, and except for it it being made with fresh berries and not hardening because I put it on so thick, I think this glaze is dang good!

Angel Food Cake Recipe adapted from www.epicurious.com

1-1/2 cups egg whites (11 to 12 large eggs) room temperature (save 1 yolk for glaze)

1-1/2 cups sifted powdered sugar

1 cup sifted cake flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

1-1/2 teaspoons cream of tartar

1 cup granulated sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

a 10-inch tube pan (about 4 inches deep) with a removable bottom

Macerated Strawberries and Glaze

4 cups thinly sliced ripe strawberries

½ cup granulated sugar

Combine above strawberries and sugar and refrigerate overnight.

1 egg yolk

½ cup powdered sugar

For the Cake

Set oven rack in lower third of oven and preheat oven to 350°F.

Sift together powdered sugar, flour, and salt onto a sheet of wax paper.  Beat whites in mixer until frothy.

Add cream of tartar and beat at medium speed until they form soft peaks.  Add granulated sugar gradually, beating, and continue beating just until whites are thickened and form soft, droopy peaks. Beat in vanilla.

Sprinkle one fourth of sifted dry ingredients over whites and fold in with a rubber spatula gently but thoroughly. Fold in remaining dry ingredients, one third at a time. Gently pour batter evenly into ungreased tube pan and bake until top is light golden, cake retracts a bit from pan and springs back when touched lightly, and a tester comes out clean, 40 to 45 minutes.

Invert pan and cool cake completely. Place cake small end up on an over-sized plate.

Divide cake into 3 even-ish layers with serrated knife.   Arrange 1/3 of the macerated strawberries on the two inside layers of the cake. Sprinkle a bit of the juice on as well.

For the Glaze

Strain the remaining strawberries and mash with a fork or wooden spoon –

Beat the egg yolk with about 2 tablespoons of the strawberry juice and stir gently into the mashed berries – try not to make a lot of bubbles. Gradually and gently stir in sifted powdered sugar until consistency of lumpy gravy. Drizzle over cake. Top with any remaining strawberries.

I think I went a bit heavy on the drizzle and the glaze will probably not harden up – perhaps 2 tbl of the strawberry juice is too much also.  It’s delicious whether it hardens or not!

Last fall Robin Knoll gave me a copy of an old typed recipe from a great aunt. “Will you make it for me?” Finally got around to making it, strange recipe, no butter in the cake and granulated sugar and flour in the icing! It was delicious though I thought it kinda skimpy in size and volume of icing so below is my revamped version of Robin’s great aunt’s
Waldorf Red Cake

¾ c shortening
2-1/4 c granulated sugar
3 eggs
1-1/2 oz red food coloring
1-1/2 t vanilla
2 t cocoa
½ 2 salt
1-1/2 cup buttermilk
1-1/2 t baking soda
1-1/2 T vinegar
3-1/2 cups cake flour (sifted)

Grease two 9” cake pans, line bottoms with greased parchment paper. Preheat oven to 350F.

Sift together the flour and salt on a piece of waxed paper.

Make a loose paste of the food coloring, vanilla and cocoa.

In standing mixer, cream shortening and sugar until fluffy, add eggs all at once, beating to combine.
Add cocoa mixture. Alternately add buttermilk and sifted flour mixture (1/3 of the milk, then a 1/3 of the flour and so on, ending with flour)
Add baking soda to vinegar in separate bowl (it will foam up). Gently stir into cake batter.

Divide batter evenly into the two prepared pans.
Bake at 350 for approx 30 minutes (rotating pans at 15 minutes) or until toothpick comes out clean – be careful not to overbake – check at 25 minutes.

Allow to cool in pans on rack. Make cooked part of frosting while cakes are baking and set aside to cool or refrigerate)

FROSTING
4-1/2 T all purpose flour
1-1/2 c milk
1-1/2 c granulated sugar
1-1/2 c whipped butter (not stick butter) at room temp.
1-1/2 t vanilla

Cook flour and milk until thick, whisking constantly. This will only take a minute.

It will be the consistency of that gravy you get with biscuits. Remove to bowl and set aside to cool and then refrigerate.

Press plastic wrap on top of flour/milk mixture to avoid a skin on it.
Cream butter and sugar until very fluffy and sugar has dissolved – about 5 minutes.
Add vanilla and blend well.

Add cold cooked mixture and beat again until the icing is the consistency of whipped cream.

Carefully split the each cake into 2 even layers, ice between each layer and the top.

I think next time I make this cake I’ll cut off the mounds on top for even layers – those mounds will be good snacking!
Happy Birthday Robin!

Want to send a zero calorie birthday cake? Walter Knoll Florist has just the cake for you!