Isanti County News

Wednesday, 09 September 2009


That takes the cake

Shirl Chouinard, of Cambridge, was one of the top finishers in the Minnesota State Fair’s, C & H Cake Decorating Contest and in the new King Arthur Great Cake Contest. The judges looked for taste, presentation and texture. Fair officials stated that Chouinard’s flavors shined through. Texture is where people usually fall short. Cakes should be soft and moist; never crumbly or hard and her cake was soft and tender to cut. For the presentation, you want at least some basic eye appeal. As Chouinard is an exhibiting sugar artist, her cake stood out for how it looked. Her details were amazing as it was decorated to look like a King Arthur cookbook. Chouinard got to appear with Corbin Seitz on KARE 11’s Showcase Minnesota program, Monday, Aug. 31, and her rich Dark Chocolate King Arthur cake recipe was found on KARE’s Web site.

• 1/2 cup boiling water


• 4 Tbsp unsweetened Dutch Processed cocoa powder and 3 Tbsp unsweetened regular cocoa powder


• 1/2 cup softened butter


• 2 cups sugar


• 3 eggs


• 1 tsp vanilla extract


• 1 tsp Orange Liquor (such as Grand Marnier)


• 2 cups King Arthur (All Purpose) Flour


• 1 tsp baking powder


• 1 tsp baking soda


• 1 cup sour cream

Mix boiling water and both unsweetened cocoa’s in small bowl until smooth. Let cool and set aside. Cream butter and sugar till light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, mix well and set aside. Add vanilla extract and orange liquor then mix. Sift flour, baking powder, baking soda together. To butter/sugar mixture, alternately add portions of the dry ingredients, unsweetened cocoa mixture and the sour cream, mixing well after each addition. Divide into to two 8”cake tins. Bake at 350 degrees F for 40-50 minutes or until cake tests done. Let cakes completely cool and slice across the middle to make four layers. Frost with your favorite frosting