Having arisen at what felt like before the crack of dawn this morning and got the shopping done, it easier early in the morning I must admit, I wanted to fall asleep after lunch but didn't dare in case we missed Matt's appointment. Could have set an alarm I suppose.
So, then I goofed, I thought Matt's appointment was at 3, nope, 3:30 so we sat there like a couple of
strays waiting. Finally, got to see Dr. Ma who examined the two basel cells on his face, beside his nose and closer to the eye. She told us of the possible problems. I hate it when doctors do that, I know they have to but I still hate it. He is booked into Cambridge Memorial hospital (next town) for May 3. Seems odd to me that they are affiliated with Cambridge Hospital rather than Waterloo/Wellington which is closer to them. Some of you may remember that this is Matt's third episode of skin cancer in Canada and the second time Dr. Ma has treated him. Previously it was Dr. Chesney but she was on pregnancy leave the second time Matt needed treatment. He once had treatment when we were in North Carolina too.
If only, when we were young, we had known just how dangerous the sun could be, but we just didn't at that time and so we lay out in the sun browningburning our skin for hours on end. There are so many people who still do so and I'm sorry, I think they are idiots because now we do know how harmful this can be. Smoking is the same, today we know the dangers and people still begin smoking despite all the warnings. I even knew someone who's husband smoked and got throat cancer and then she started smoking!!
Another thing we goofed on, we both wore fairly light coats and then were unable to get into the Surgery parking lot and so had a bit of a walk to get there. It was blowing a gale and starting to snow. We were both freezing. Then the surgery wasn't particularly warm. Getting back to the car we got even colder and we had the heater really blasting once it started to pump warm air. I was going to stop and do a couple of errands but decided I did NOT want to get out of the car again. We park underground of course.
The surgery is right next to where the Waterloo bowling alley used to be. It is now a block of apartments with what looks like a very interesting restaurant at street level. That is a recent addition apparently. It is called the Loloan and is so new, they don't have a website built yet. The apartments are really luxurious and, no doubt, cost a bomb to rent.
When I saw this recipe, I couldn't resist it. I have, however, included the web site address as there are a number of pictures showing one how to assemble it.
Great Canadian Toque Cake
This winter, let’s embrace the cold (and even celebrate it) with this chilly-weather inspired cake. Ultra-Canadian both inside and out, this maple and nutmeg flavoured dessert reminds us of bundling up for snowy winter days spent tobogganing or skating on the local rink.
To create this super cute cake, simply carve a small layer cake into the domed shape before using a few decorative piping techniques to mimic different knit patterns with buttercream icing. Pop a pom-
pom on top, and add a few marzipan maple leaves for extra Canadian flair!
This gorgeous cake is a perfect, whimsical showstopper for any party this season.
Maple Nutmeg Cake
2 1/2 cups cake flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup pure maple syrup
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 large eggs
1 cup buttermilk
Red gel food coloring (optional)
Maple Buttercream
1 cup unsalted butter, softened
3 to 4 cups confectioner’s sugar
1/4 cup maple syrup
1 to 2 Tbs milk
Assembly
2 oz marzipan (or fondant)
Red gel food coloring
Maple Nutmeg Cake
Pre-heat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour 3 6-inch round cake pans. Set aside.
In a mixing bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg. Set aside.
Using an electric mixer, beat the butter until smooth. Add in the sugar and mix on medium until light and fluffy. Add in the maple and vanilla. Mix until combined.
With the mixer on medium-low speed, add in the eggs 1 at a time. Stop the mixer and scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl.
With the mixer on low, add in 1/2 the dry ingredients. Once combined, stream in the buttermilk. Add in the remaining dry ingredients and mix until just combined. Do not over mix.
Remove 1/3 of the batter and mix in the red gel food coloring until desired shade is achieved. Mix the remaining plain batter by hand until smooth.
Place the red batter in one of the prepared cakes pans. Evenly divide the remaining batter between the other 2 pans. Bake for 24 to 26 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cakes comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack for 10 to 20 minutes before removing the cakes from their pans.
Maple Buttercream
Using an electric mixer, beat the butter until smooth. With the mixer on low speed, gradually add in the sugar and maple syrup and mix until combined. Once combined, turn the mixer up to medium-high and beat until fluffy, 3 to 5 minutes. Add more sugar and/or milk until desired consistency is reached.
Red Buttercream
Make 1/2 the frosting used for our Red Rose Cupcakes.
Assembly
Once the cakes are cool, trim the tops of the red layer and 1 of the white layers. Place the trimmed white layer on a cake board or serving dish. Spread on about 1/2 cup of buttercream with an offset spatula or the back of a spoon. Top with the red layer and repeat with the last white layer (dome side up, if present).
Using a long, serrated knife, trim and carve the cake into a domed shape. Save the cake scraps and set aside.
Once the cake has been carved into the shape of a toque, crumb coat the cake with a thin layer of buttercream all over.
Fill 2 piping bags fitted with decorative piping tips with the red and maple buttercream. Stating from the bottom, pipe rows of the maple buttercream 1/3 of the way up (or until the red cake layer appears). Pipe red buttercream where the red cake layer is. Continue on to pipe maple buttercream over the top layer of cake.
For the pom-pom on top, gather a portion of the scraps and roll/form into a large cake ball. Place on top of the cake and pipe on red buttercream using a grass piping tip.
Tint the marzipan with red gel food coloring. Roll out to about 1/8 to 1/4 inch and cut out maple leaves using a small cookie cutter. Place on the cake as desired.
For the maple buttercream (white) piping details, use a small rose tip (104) to pipe roses of small, interlocking V’s to create the woven pattern. Reverse the direction of the piping every-other row.
For the red buttercream piping details, use a small star tip (18) to pipe ropes (spirals) of buttercream. Use a grass tip to cover the pom-pom on top.
Servings 6 to 10
Author: Tessa Huff
Source: Food Network
Web Page: http://www.foodnetwork.ca/shows/great-canadian-cookbook/blog/get-cozy-with-the-great-canadian-toque-cake/
Have a great day
So, then I goofed, I thought Matt's appointment was at 3, nope, 3:30 so we sat there like a couple of
If only, when we were young, we had known just how dangerous the sun could be, but we just didn't at that time and so we lay out in the sun browning
Another thing we goofed on, we both wore fairly light coats and then were unable to get into the Surgery parking lot and so had a bit of a walk to get there. It was blowing a gale and starting to snow. We were both freezing. Then the surgery wasn't particularly warm. Getting back to the car we got even colder and we had the heater really blasting once it started to pump warm air. I was going to stop and do a couple of errands but decided I did NOT want to get out of the car again. We park underground of course.
The surgery is right next to where the Waterloo bowling alley used to be. It is now a block of apartments with what looks like a very interesting restaurant at street level. That is a recent addition apparently. It is called the Loloan and is so new, they don't have a website built yet. The apartments are really luxurious and, no doubt, cost a bomb to rent.
When I saw this recipe, I couldn't resist it. I have, however, included the web site address as there are a number of pictures showing one how to assemble it.
Great Canadian Toque Cake
This winter, let’s embrace the cold (and even celebrate it) with this chilly-weather inspired cake. Ultra-Canadian both inside and out, this maple and nutmeg flavoured dessert reminds us of bundling up for snowy winter days spent tobogganing or skating on the local rink.
To create this super cute cake, simply carve a small layer cake into the domed shape before using a few decorative piping techniques to mimic different knit patterns with buttercream icing. Pop a pom-
This gorgeous cake is a perfect, whimsical showstopper for any party this season.
Maple Nutmeg Cake
2 1/2 cups cake flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup pure maple syrup
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 large eggs
1 cup buttermilk
Red gel food coloring (optional)
Maple Buttercream
1 cup unsalted butter, softened
3 to 4 cups confectioner’s sugar
1/4 cup maple syrup
1 to 2 Tbs milk
Assembly
2 oz marzipan (or fondant)
Red gel food coloring
Maple Nutmeg Cake
Pre-heat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour 3 6-inch round cake pans. Set aside.
In a mixing bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg. Set aside.
Using an electric mixer, beat the butter until smooth. Add in the sugar and mix on medium until light and fluffy. Add in the maple and vanilla. Mix until combined.
With the mixer on medium-low speed, add in the eggs 1 at a time. Stop the mixer and scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl.
With the mixer on low, add in 1/2 the dry ingredients. Once combined, stream in the buttermilk. Add in the remaining dry ingredients and mix until just combined. Do not over mix.
Remove 1/3 of the batter and mix in the red gel food coloring until desired shade is achieved. Mix the remaining plain batter by hand until smooth.
Place the red batter in one of the prepared cakes pans. Evenly divide the remaining batter between the other 2 pans. Bake for 24 to 26 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cakes comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack for 10 to 20 minutes before removing the cakes from their pans.
Maple Buttercream
Using an electric mixer, beat the butter until smooth. With the mixer on low speed, gradually add in the sugar and maple syrup and mix until combined. Once combined, turn the mixer up to medium-high and beat until fluffy, 3 to 5 minutes. Add more sugar and/or milk until desired consistency is reached.
Red Buttercream
Make 1/2 the frosting used for our Red Rose Cupcakes.
Assembly
Once the cakes are cool, trim the tops of the red layer and 1 of the white layers. Place the trimmed white layer on a cake board or serving dish. Spread on about 1/2 cup of buttercream with an offset spatula or the back of a spoon. Top with the red layer and repeat with the last white layer (dome side up, if present).
Using a long, serrated knife, trim and carve the cake into a domed shape. Save the cake scraps and set aside.
Once the cake has been carved into the shape of a toque, crumb coat the cake with a thin layer of buttercream all over.
Fill 2 piping bags fitted with decorative piping tips with the red and maple buttercream. Stating from the bottom, pipe rows of the maple buttercream 1/3 of the way up (or until the red cake layer appears). Pipe red buttercream where the red cake layer is. Continue on to pipe maple buttercream over the top layer of cake.
For the pom-pom on top, gather a portion of the scraps and roll/form into a large cake ball. Place on top of the cake and pipe on red buttercream using a grass piping tip.
Tint the marzipan with red gel food coloring. Roll out to about 1/8 to 1/4 inch and cut out maple leaves using a small cookie cutter. Place on the cake as desired.
For the maple buttercream (white) piping details, use a small rose tip (104) to pipe roses of small, interlocking V’s to create the woven pattern. Reverse the direction of the piping every-other row.
For the red buttercream piping details, use a small star tip (18) to pipe ropes (spirals) of buttercream. Use a grass tip to cover the pom-pom on top.
Servings 6 to 10
Author: Tessa Huff
Source: Food Network
Web Page: http://www.foodnetwork.ca/shows/great-canadian-cookbook/blog/get-cozy-with-the-great-canadian-toque-cake/
Have a great day
Cute idea for the cake. I was not much of a sun worshiper, even though I was a boater in my 20s and 30s. And I almost always wore sunscreen. I have a friend who had to have her nose reconstructed because of basal cell cancer. She and her husband are in their 80s and still getting spots removed.
ReplyDeleteLucky you then Denise. Matt is 83 and is likely to have problems forever I suppose. So far, I have been extremely lucky. A boater? What kind of a boater?
Deletetwo cabin cruisers and a ski boat - though I never skied.
DeleteNo, I never skied either Denise, was too scared of it.
DeleteI'm pale and burn easy so I've never been out in the sun much.
ReplyDeleteSaved you a world of trouble then Alex.
DeleteHi Jo - just hope I don't develop too many .. but am glad it's being sorted out for Matt ... and yes roll on the warmer weather - take care and cheers Hilary
ReplyDeleteHave you had any then Hilary?
DeleteOh yes, definitely.
I have to give my parents credit on the sun worries. I don't think they knew the long term hazards, but they were very diligent in keeping my fair skinned brother and I covered in that thick, white zinc oxide. I always had to wear the tee shirt and the hat as a kid with the zinc on my face, feet, and shoulders. And I was never allowed to lay out, though my sisters did. But they both would turn a lovely brown. I always joked that I had two colors- white or red.
ReplyDeleteI hope all goes well for Matt. Keep me posted!
Yes but you are quite a bit younger than me Liz, when we were kids, nobody worried about the sun or sun cream much at all.
DeleteThanks, I will.
I know what you mean about the sun and youth. My sister still suns herself, and smokes. I really wish she'd stop both, but, she's an adult. That cake looks divine, and wow, butter maple icing? Totally decadent! I hope it works out well for Matt, fingers crossed!
ReplyDeleteI am surprised at your sister Lisa, and anyone else that still does both these days. I gave up smoking around 20 years ago and am so glad I did.
DeleteYes, does sound decadent and quite a bit of work too. It should be OK for Matt but I will keep everyone posted, thanks.
My father was a farmer and suffered many bouts like Matt's. He had to be out in the sun but it was only when he got older that he learned to wear a big floppy hat instead of just a baseball cap. That cake looks really good but I'm too lazy to do all that work.
ReplyDeleteI would imagine a lot of farmers would suffer from skin problems later in life Susan. I know, not sure if I am not too lazy as well.
DeleteThankfully I was never much for the sun but I remember my aunt loving it and I always thought her skin looked like a leather purse. You are right, people know much better now but still do it which mystifies me. I hope, next time, you can park closer and it will be warmer.
ReplyDeleteYeah Birgit, we had a friend in NC who's skin looked like leather too and he used to really get browned. I never heard he had any problems but he was a bit younger t han us.
DeleteWell yes, at least it will be May next time.
I had a very deep skin cancer lasered out when I was 39. I haven't had any cut out since then but we live in the skin cancer capital of the world. Luckily, I didn't spend much time as a kid playing sport in the sun. I was in a ballet hall. I rarely expose myself in the sun now but even walking with sunscreen on has given me an obvious tan line from my wrist watch.
ReplyDeleteSounds nasty Pinky. Glad you haven't had any more problems. The sun, in moderation, is good for you, moderation is the key of course. It is the best source of Vitamin D but you only need a little sun to get the right amount.
DeleteExcellent article. Very interesting to read. I really love to read such a nice article. Thanks! keep rocking. saphenectomy
ReplyDelete