Panzerbundt: because what else do you name a tank-shaped cake?

So here’s the thing.  My buddy in Warfare class, Sasha, challenged me to make a cake in the shape of a tank.  I don’t know how this came about, really, I was probably talking about how I like to bake, but anyway the gauntlet was tossed.  NATURALLY I could not refuse such a challenge.  I mean, how often to you get to make cakes in the shape of a tank?

Though now that I think about that, I study military history war and society so I probably would get to make a tank cake more than most.

In case you ever wanted to make your own Panzerbundt, this is how to go about doing it.

1. are you out of your damn mind?  don’t be silly.

2. ok fine.  better look up pictures of cake tanks online.  Most of them use fondant for coverage, which was my initial idea… until our prof made a face at the notion of fondant, a face which I usually only see on my 5 year old niece when faced with a plate of squash.  Or pickles.  Or anything she doesn’t want to eat, really.  I’m getting off track.  Fondant was out: buttercream was in, which is good, because I’m better at manipulating buttercream anyway.  But that also meant that I couldn’t just wrap a skewer with fondant and call it a cannon barrel, I had to come up with another method.

3. choose your cake.  Choose wisely, young grasshopper.  You want a good, dense cake.  I froze mine for easier carving, which also kept it moist for serving by the time it thawed.  PRO TIP courtesy my cake decorating mom.

Getting ready for the assembly of the cake.

This wonderful, rich, decadently chocolate cake is from the fabulous Deb at Smitten Kitchen, and here’s the link if you ever need to make a chocolate cake for a party.  This is the one to make.  One batch fills my 10×14″ sheet pan nicely, two layers of those make a very good slab cake.  I cut the layers in half for the tank base, and then trimmed a rectangular turret structure out of the remaining cake.  Then I made an extra cake for Dad.

I enjoy a literal decoration.

I also went with a ganache filling and used said ganache also as a crumb coat.  This was not as effective as I would have liked, because the ganache did not harden, but it did work perfectly serviceably.  Just not ideal.  You know what I mean?  I don’t have a recipe cause I kind of made it up.  Sorry.  But it also made the icing for Dad’s cake, when whipped.  Ah yeah, I whipped it good.

4. the icing is also important.  Since fondant was out, I needed something that would withstand an hour and a half up highway 7 (I was driving slowly so as not to destroy the cake!).  Mom does a very solid icing with shortening and confectioner’s sugar, but I find that is tooth-achingly sweet.  So I turned again to Smitten Kitchen (seriously, what would I do without Deb?) and this is what I came up with, Swiss Meringue Buttercream.

The wonderful thing about Swiss buttercream is that it's not chintzy with the butter

I’ve used this before, you may recall, on Nate’s first birthday cake and on Marijke’s dog cake.  Did I blog those?  Probably.  Anyway, this icing is surprisingly hardy, and has a pleasant mild custard flavour.  Just the thing when you’re dealing with a super rich chocolate cake with whipped dark chocolate ganache.

Mom supervises most attentively from her new chair

I used gel colouring, not paste, because I wanted to get a pretty rich saturation on the Sherman Tank green.

5. when you’re assembling, don’t forget the stability.  I used bamboo skewers to make sure it would stay put.  You want to carve the cake so that it has the approximate shape of the tank.  I had a couple of pictures of tanks from Normandy that I was able to use as reference, plus the initial reference photos.  This is a key step, and it helps if your cake is frozen.  It’s way easier to carve that way.  I wound up using a fillet knife for the sloping curves of the armour, because I wanted to get the edge just so.  Research is key before assembling.

6. ice, ice, baby.

It's really Sherman Tank green. Go, me.

See how the icing spreads so beautifully?  And it has a satiny sheen.  Swiss buttercream, you are my friend.

And then, before you know it:

Yup, it looks like a tank.

There she be.  One iced tank.

7. now, I know what you’re thinking, where’s the cannon barrel.  Well, that was a conundrum and no denying, until I was walking through the Superstore earlier this week and I came across the perfect ingredient for the cannon barrel, and it was entirely edible to boot.

Piroulines. OF COURSE. And wrapped in moulding chocolate, which is already green. GENIUS.

So, I made a chocolate coated pirouline, and used the extra chocolate bark cut with a cookie cutter to make the wheels for the tank (because those tracks don’t turn on their own, you know).

8. serve and enjoy all the compliments you are going to get, because this thing is crazy, yes, but crazy like the fox.  So tasty, so sweet, and still it’s a frickin’ tank.

DAS PANZERBUNDT is ready for action.

So I totally feel like the Cake Boss, except there is neither fondant nor rice krispie squares holding this thing together.  It is, with the exception of the skewers and the tray, entirely edible.  I must admit, I’m pretty impressed with myself.

And apparently the next challenge is a U-boat cake.

Yeah, that one can wait awhile.

The Internet Famous Snowblower and other Maritime stories

So a friend of mine had to sell his snowblower, and he put an ad on Kijiji.  Because, you know, it’s the maritimes, and this is how people sell things.  So far, normal, right?

But he’s funny, see.  Really funny.  So of course he couldn’t write a normal ad.

It went viral.  Me, I knew when I started seeing it being posted by my former students that it had gotten big.  It was on the local news, and then the maritime news, and then it was read nationally on CBC’s As It Happens.

Over a third of a million people saw that ad.

Incredible, really, the power of social media.  That a guy in Moncton had his ad seen by people in Australia.  We live in the future!  Where’s my flying Delorean?

And yes, he (finally) sold the snowblower.

The importance of remembrance

Last term, my History kids did a project researching various soldiers killed in action in WW1, all alumni from the school at which I teach.  I thought it was a really good project, very worthwhile, it seemed to connect with the kids.   I had received some netbooks from the gov’t and used those to make the project a bit more techie – instead of doing a poster project or oral presentation, the kids’ research was all posted to a class blog.

And then the semester ended, and I left it at that.  Project completed.

So I thought.

Today, there was a comment on the class blog.  A gentleman out West found it, and read it.  One of our soldiers’ was his great-uncle, and he found information the family had not seen or known.  He thanked us for doing such a worthwhile project.

Wow.  I mean, what an unexpected result to this project.  I can’t wait to tell the kids in that group.

Also this week, I’ve been working to help my friend She plan a trip to the battlefields in France with her excellent husband.  We even found where her great-grandfather is commemmorated at Loos so she can go visit.  It’s to the north of Vimy Ridge, not far out of her way at all.  I prepared her a ginormous binder of goodies – bits and bobs of various tour guides and maps.  I really hope it will be useful to her.

And while that has been going on, the tour for the summer is getting started back up.  It’s going to be different this year, in that we’re going to run the tour at the same time as the English language one.  We’re all going to be staying at the Moulin at the same time.  I think it’s going to be fabulous for the networking potential, but Stephane and I are going to have to work extra hard in order to make sure the French is consistently spoken and very openly used amongst ourselves.  I foresee translating in my future…

Come Dine With Me – Chinese New Year update!

Yay!  The girls are posting their challenge responses.  Awesome.  I love this project.

First, I have to say, I have been PUT TO SHAME by a sizzling wok of oil and the nerve to tackle squid.  Most impressive. I am in awe of Melissa‘s culinary skills.  Plus, her kids are totes adorbs.

And secondly, how cute is that menu card?  See for yourself and behold the amazing food that Su-Li put together.

I mean, wow, ladies.  Way to step up.  Mad skillz.  I am so impressed!  One of these months we will have to get together so we can all sample each others’ dishes.

On a fresh start

I took control of my domains this week.  They had been under the control of my ex, who had kindly purchased them for me when I was first setting up my personal blog.  I’m really glad to have them under my own control, and lesson learned:  always control your own digital voice.  When I was taking them back over, it occurred to me that I should update the look of the blog.  I mean, why not, right?  Fresh start for the new year.  And so, here it is.

I like it! I find the darker background easier on the eyes.

So what else is going on, in this new year?  Well, I still have the blue hair as you can see in the header image.  My flirtation with looking like Coraline.  That won’t be for much longer though.  In truth, though blue hair has been great fun, I had been hoping for it to be rather more purple-y and less like slate grey.  It matches my eyes, and that’s been cool, but I’m yearning to regain a more natural coppery hue.

My application was officially received by the University’s School of Graduate Studies today.  They didn’t reject it out of hand, that’s a good thing.  That is, I wasn’t called or sent an email saying “ARE YOU KIDDING ME YOU RIDICULOUS PAWN” which is kind of what I usually expect from dealing with a University Registrar, to be honest.

And in the most exciting event of the day, I brought The Beast out of its box.  Yes, The Beast is the new name of my brand new KitchenAid Professional Series stand mixer.  It is a thing of beauty and wonder.  And lovely cheerful redness.  I am entirely enamored of it.  I could wax poetic about my mixer all evening.  Which is about all I can do because idiot me doesn’t have any butter and therefore any recipe I should like to have tried is out of the question.  Tomorrow I’ll have to stock up!

Oh, the things I am going to make.

Gotta say.  2011.  So far, so good!

Twenty eleven

I watched the Doctor Who Christmas Special this year – A Christmas Carol.  It was cute.  But it had a description of the holidays that take place at this time of year that I find particularly apt: halfway out of the dark.  What a great way to look at it.  Halfway out of the dark (even if it’s bitter cold, by the time you hit February at least there’s some warmth to the sun).

So when I started to think of things I’d like to accomplish in the year ahead, that’s the kind of frame of mind I was in.  Looking back over the past year, I feel like I’ve been building toward my next big project.  I did all kinds of theatre (I’m still burned out on the theatre) and I thought up a topic for a dissertation.  I got my ducks in a row for applying to doctoral studies.  At the end of the year, I sent off the application.

It’s been a good year.

But there’s so much to look forward to in the year to come:

• I’m going to start a PhD, if my application gets accepted (and I’m reasonably confident it will be, or I wouldn’t be applying).
• I’m going to run another 10k.  This Spring would be nice.  I feel like a slug, I want to get running again.
• I’m going to see U2 this summer.
• I’m hopeful we will have enough registrations that I will get to do my summer job in France this July, ahead of starting PhD work in the fall.  France on Bastille Day!  That’s always fun.
• I’m really, really looking forward to getting my hair back to a normal, ginger, non-blue shade.
• I’m looking forward to spending more time with my cute niece and nephew and seeing them grow.

Life is good!  And if I’m really lucky, there will be a trip someplace warm at the end of the year.  Halfway out of the dark seems a good time to go someplace sunny and warm, no?

Christmas is coming, the goose is getting fat

Seventeen days till Christmas, and I’m done my shopping.  Well, not quite:  I want to get Mom and Dad a Blu-ray for their new TV.  I’m at a loss as to what Blu-ray to get them, actually.  Something that will showcase their new TV of gorgeousness.  I don’t know what one to choose!

So far I am considering:

• Avatar
• Sherlock Holmes
• Planet Earth (but I don’t want to spend a fortune)

… and I don’t know what else.   It’s a tough call, the first Blu-ray.

I also want to pick up my traditional bottle o’ wine for the folks.

Otherwise, my decorations are out.  I’ve enough food (I think) to get the lads through Christmas.  My students are working on fun projects.  Now I can start wrapping the jams for my friends.   It’s all good!   I love the holidays

I can has a new toy

My brand new, shiny, lovely, squee-inducing, iPhone 4.  I love it, and my love is unsullied and true.  Perhaps I shall compose it a po-em.  I am so happy I was able to upgrade.

My precious.

Home for a rest

No, I’m not traveling. I wish.

Busy days and busy weeks. Midterm marks went in this week and I was marking essays pretty much till the last bell rang on Tuesday. Metaphorically, I mean. In actuality I stopped marking before the Rankins show on Tuesday night.

Oh, the Rankins. That was a fun show. Some good, toe-tappin’ music. A fun maritime evening! I went with a couple gals from work, we had a blast.

We were kind of lucky we didn’t blow away though. We had a terrible rainstorm system that dumped hundreds of mm of rain over 6 days. It was so grey and dark and depressing. It was so bad I drove to work last Friday.

I’m glad that system has passed, but now it’s unnaturally warm out there. It’s just plain odd, this weather. It snowed at Halloween but now, 3 weeks later, it’s pushing 20 degrees? Weird.

And of course now that Remembrance Day has passed I’m happy to put out my Christmas lights. I’m really pleased with my decorating this year, I think I did a good job. I have a lovely new wreath on my door and a festive holiday mat. I put up an illuminated garland around my mirror over my (handpainted by moi) Christmas village (still need to float my faux TARDIS) and I think it looks really lovely.

Not to mention I succeeded in tracking down on EBay the North Pole post truck. My shrine to the Red-Headed Santa is now complete, and I am very happy.

O how I loves me the Red-headed Santa

My subject is War, and the Pity of War.

The Poetry is in the Pity.
- Wilfred Owen, 1918.