It’s April break week here and we’re enjoying the time off from “school”. What we’re not enjoying is the weather whiplash we’re getting, but I guess we ought to expect that since we live in Vermont. So far this week we have had one nice day, and that’s even a stretch. We’ve also had snow (and not a little), rain, REALLY cold wind, and now it’s trying to be nice again but it’s still pretty darn cold for the end of April. All this crazy weather sent us to our favorite room in the house, the kitchen! We decided to try a new recipe, but as we were going along we added some thing, subtracted some things, and kind of made it our own! The result, a really delicious maple cake with maple frosting. Seriously, we love maple.
The big kid was curled up with a book when we started the cake so she didn’t really participate in the cake making, but she took the lead for the frosting. The little kid was instrumental in the cake making, she mixed, measured, and whisked the eggs (but did not crack them of course! Some day I’m going to make them to this!). I think her flour measurements were a little off (I wasn’t watching but I don’t think she scraped the top, the cake batter was slightly thicker then I expected.) I counter acted this by cooking for a shorter time period and keeping a close eye on it. The end result was slightly dried then I like in a cake but not bad at all. The positive impact of her doing this by herself far outweighs the slightly dry, but still super yummy cake.
For the frosting we decided we needed to double the recipe. We baked this cake on a sheet pan and wanted a 4 layer cake vs the 2 in the recipe. The big kid wrote down all the new measurements so it would be easy for us to follow. I did double check it so that we didn’t end up with frosting soup, but she nailed it! She did the measuring, controlled the mixer, and we didn’t even have any huge explosions! We’re all learning!
Once the cake was cool and the frosting was ready it was time to assemble. I cut the giant cake into quarters and the kids too over. They filled it and frosted it, and when we ran out of frosting they came up with the idea to make it look better with sprinkles! Problem solved! Now, you wouldn’t see this cake in a bakery window, but I think it turned out beautiful. The goal for us is not to produce something beautiful, but do learn by doing and to have fun. We checked those boxes for sure.
Maple cake with maple frosting:
This recipe was adapted from Maple Sampler by Jan Siegrist
For the cake: preheat the oven to 350
1/2 cup salted butter (room temp)
1/2 cup sugar
1 cup maple syrup
2 eggs
2 1/2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ginger
1 cup hot water
1 teaspoon vanilla
Cream together butter and sugar, then add maple syrup and eggs. In a separate bowl combine the dry ingredients, then add to the syrup mixture. Stir in the hot was and the vanilla and beat until we’ll combined. Poor onto a parchment lined cookie sheet and bake for 18-20 min at 350. Allow to cool completely before frosting.
For the frosting:
8 cups confectioners sugar
1 cup butter (softened)
3 tablespoons heavy cream
3 tablespoons milk
1/2 cup maple syrup (the darker the better)
1 teaspoon vanilla
Cream the butter in the bowl of a stand mixer, then add the sugar on cup at a time. Add the milk, cream, maple syrup, and vanilla and mix (scraping the sides of the bowl occasionally) until it reaches the desired consistency.
Praline crunch: preheat the oven to 350
1 cup walnut pieces
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup maple syrup
Mix together the syrup and brown sugar then add in walnuts. Pour onto a sheet pan covered in parchment and bake for 15 min until sugar is bubbly and crunchy. (This can take longer depending on the consistency of the maple syrup you use. Keep a close eye on it as there is a fine line between just right and burnt) Let cool and the break into small pieces.
To assemble:
Cut the large cake into 4 equal pieces. Lay one piece onto a cake stand or large flat plate. Spread a layer of frosting, then top with a 1/3 of the praline crunch. Place another piece of cake on top of that, and do the same. Repeat into you place the last layer of cake and finish by frosting the outside with the rest of the frosting. Place in the fridge to set for at least an hour before cutting.
Let us know if you try this recipe and how it turns out! Come follow us on Facebook at 100 days of baking with kids or on Instagram @100daysofbakingwithkids. Happy baking friends!
100 days of baking with kids 