HAPPY BIRTHDAY PATCHWORK PRESS!

We have a tradition in my family that my mother started and I’ve carried on for my own kids. Birthdays are a big deal and we always pull out all the stops and create a homemade cake for the celebration.

The famous unicorn cake for my sister’s seventh birthday. Surprisingly, my dad decorated it.

I would be the cutie in the blue dress.

Some of my more recent celebratory confections…

So what better way to celebrate Patchwork Press’s birthday, than an original cake creation? I asked the other members of our fledgling publishing company to contribute favorite cake flavors and ideas and this is what I came up with.

Neapolitan Birthday Cake

Cake

1 1/2 sticks (12 Tbsp) unsalted butter, softened

1 3/4 cups granulated sugar

4 large eggs at room temperature

2 1/4 cups flour, plus more for dusting the pans

1 1/2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp table salt

1 cup buttermilk

2 tsp vanilla extract

½ cup chocolate chips, melted

1/3 cup strawberry preserves

1/3 cup vanilla curd

Vanilla Curd

1/3 cup sugar

5 tsp cornstarch

1 vanilla bean, halved, split and scraped

10 oz milk

1 egg

1/3 tsp vanilla extract

Strawberry/Chocolate Filling

½ lb strawberries washed, hulled and sliced into quarters

pinch of salt

½ cup sugar

1 stick (8 Tbsp) butter

4 eggs

1/3 cup chocolate chips

Vanilla Buttercream Frosting

1 stick butter (8 Tbsp), softened

2 cups confectioners (powedered) sugar

1/8 tsp table salt

4 Tbsp milk or heavy cream

¼ cup vanilla curd

Take heart, I’ll be walking you through it.

Vanilla curd first. This is actually an old family recipe that’s really versatile. It can be used for vanilla pudding, ice cream, served warm over blackberry cobbler (my favorite use), or added to cakes.

Place milk, sugar, vanilla, and egg in a saucepan on medium heat. Whisk together.

Add a few teaspoons COLD water to the cornstarch, stir until smooth, and whisk it in too. Take the vanilla bean, slice open, and scrape out the insides. Add that to your pot. Cook for ten minutes until thick. It should look something like this.

See the lovely vanilla beans speckling the curd? Yum!

Set that aside and let it cool. Now to the cake.

The key to light fluffily cake, is the creaming of the butter and sugar. So put the 1 1/2 sticks of butter and 1 3/4 sugar in a bowl and beat for three minutes on medium high. I have a stand mixer and it makes this process so much easier.

Next, dry ingredient always go with dry, wet with wet. In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, and salt. Stir those together.

In another bowl, whisk the buttermilk and vanilla together.

We’ll be adding the wet and dry ingredients separately and alternately, starting with the flour mixture. With the stand mixer running slowly, pour in half the flour mixture, let it combine, then add half of the buttermilk mixture. Repeat until everything is together. (Except the chocolate, strawberry preserves, and vanilla curd. We’re getting to that.)

Next, prepare your melted chocolate. Place the chips in a microwave safe bowl and heat on high for 30 seconds. Take out and stir. Put back in for an additional 30 seconds. The chocolate should be smooth now.

Here’s where the neapolitan flavors come into play. We’ll be doing what’s called a marbling effect to combine the chocolate, strawberry, and vanilla into one cake.

Divide the batter equally into three bowls. Add the strawberry preserves to one bowl, the chocolate to the second bowl and the vanilla curd to the third.

Prepare two 9-inch cake pans by covering them with cooking spray and sprinkling flour into them. Gently tap the pan to spread the flour around. This will keep the cake from sticking.

Carefully, starting with the lightest batter (the vanilla) pour about a fourth of the batter into the center of each of the 9-inch cake pans. Pour the strawberry directly on top of the vanilla, letting the batter fall and spread naturally. Then pour the chocolate, repeating with all flavors until all the batter is used up.

It should look something like this.

Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes, or until the center is firm to the touch.

And while that’s baking… the filling.

Take your 1/2 pound of strawberries and run through a food processor until chunky. Slowly add the sugar while the food processor is running until you get a smooth strawberry puree.

Pour your puree, butter, eggs, and salt into the top of a double boiler. If you don’t have one, like me, a glass bowl on top of a pot of water works just fine. Boil 2 inches of water in the pot, place the ingredients over it in the glass bowl. We’re still cooking things, just on indirect heat.

Whisk the puree for 10 minutes, it should thicken slightly. Add the chocolate chips and stir slowly until they’re completely melted. The mixture should be a good spreading consistency (and completely delicious!)

In the mean time you should have two beautiful round cakes that have come out of the oven and cooled completely.

See the pretty marbling effect?

*Tip: Remove the cakes from the pan while they’re still warm, but not hot, they’ll comes out easier. If your impatient like me for them to cool, stick them in the freezer for about 30 minutes.

If your looking for a more professional finish to your cake, you’ll need to level the two round cakes. If not, forge ahead with me.

Spread the strawberry/chocolate filling on top of one layer, gently centering the second cake on top.

On to the icing!

Buttercream is an easy to make, easy to use icing. We’re going to enhance the vanilla flavor and make it our own by adding in the vanilla curd we made earlier.

Cream the softened butter why whipping on medium for several minutes. Again, there are fewer sore arms in the process if you’ve got a stand mixer.

When the consistency is nice and smooth, slowly add the powdered sugar with the mixer running on low. It will be pretty stiff, which is where the milk comes in. Add that along with the vanilla curd and salt, whip until it is spreadable. You may have to tweak it with a little more milk or powdered sugar to get it just right.

There’s several different theories on getting a well frosted cake. Some say to freeze it, some say do a crumb layer, let it set, and then do another one. I’m not patient enough for either of that, so I just take a spatula and tackle it.

Not too shabby!

Here is where I fail almost every time. I cannot really decorate a cake, which is why so many past creations features coconut and fruit on the top. But I came across a new way to do lettering, so what the heck. Let’s try it.

All you need is a ziplock baggie with melted chocolate chips. The words you want to say printed off the computer (script fonts are easiest) and wax paper.

Tape the wax paper on the table so things don’t slide around. Clip the tiniest corner off the bag. You’re going to use this like piping. With a steady hand, trace the letters in chocolate.

You can also add sprinkles while the chocolate is still melty. Place in the freezer for about ten minutes so it hardens up. You should be able to peel the chocolate right off the wax paper and place on top of the cake.

*Note: I found this method okay. The chocolate was pretty delicate and kept melting before I could get the whole thing on the cake. I had to keep sticking it back in the freezer.

The finished product!

Honestly, one of my prettier cakes. I was really curious to see how the marbling turned out.

Looks good enough to eat.

And I do keep my own taste testers on hand. This is what they had to say about it.

Welcome to the family Patchwork Press!

Keeping with Patchwork Press’s amazing birthday bash week. Full of giveaways, awesome posts, and reveals….

It has been six months since Quinn and her friends returned home after barely escaping Elorium—but no one ever really leaves the world where fairy tales are born. Not a day has gone by where they haven’t thought about returning to save Jack. Even their dreams are urging them to return to the strange world.

Falling back into the fairy tale world, they find the situation even more dire than the way they left it. Jack has disappeared, and he’s not the only one. Elorium’s citizens are near panic as characters are missing and rumors are spreading about massive creatures roaming the sky. A rising darkness is enslaving the dreamers, and in a land filled with water nymphs and malevolent mazes, it’s hard to find any allies.

Despite the risks of their rescue mission, Fredrick is determined to bring back his grandfather, no matter how personal the cost.

I think Erica Crouch has really outdone herself on the covers for this series–and there are more to come! Grimm Memories is tentatively scheduled for release late summer of 2014.

And now, it’s time to give stuff away to thank you all for your support of Patchwork Press this past year!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Happy Birthday to Patchwork Press! We’ve had a wonderful week so far with an introduction to a new member of our team, a cover reveal and giveaway, and a fun video introduction to ‘Abberant’ from our intern, Madeline. If you haven’t checked them out, please do that! We have another treat in store for you. The second book to the ‘Painted Maidens Trilogy’ called ‘The Betrayed’ is in the editing process. Cover reveal will be coming soon. For now, I’d like to treat you all to the first chapter.

If you haven’t checked out the first book of the trilogy yet, now is your chance to get ‘The Rising’ for free! All you have to do is comment below – either let us know your favorite mermaid book or your favorite Patchwork Press book. Be sure to leave an email address in your comment so I can contact you with a free e-copy of ‘The Rising’ (sent as .pdf, .mobi, or .epub). Then sign up for our newsletter (http://www.patchwork-press.com/newsletter/) so you’ll be the first to know when ‘The Betrayed’ is available for purchase along with other great Patchwork Press titles!

The Rising by Terra Harmony
Series: The Painted Maidens Trilogy
Published by Patchwork Press Published Fall 2013
Genres: Fantasy, Paranormal, Young Adult
Synopsis:

Fifteen-year-old Serena is the youngest member of a dying race. The increasing acidity of the ocean is destroying her home, slowly eating away at the once thriving underwater landscape. But since the night of Serena’s birth, it is an outside force that most threatens their dwindling population. Werewolves, who once served as protectors for mermaids in the Kingdom of the Undine, now seek to eliminate all who dwell in the ocean—and Serena is about to find herself right in the middle of the deadly conflict.

Given the title of Werewolf Liaison, Serena is determined to make things right for her people. When she ventures to The Dry, she meets Liam, the werewolf with hazel eyes, and her whole world gets turned upside down. As Serena discovers the real history between werewolves and mermaids, she is left wondering who her true enemies are.

Learn more about The Painted Maidens series on Terra’s blog, or see reviews on the following platforms:

• Amazon
• Barnes & Noble
• Smashwords

The Betrayed
Book Two of the Painted Maidens Trilogy

Chapter One

After calming her fins, Serena’s natural buoyancy carries her to the surface until her head rises just above the water. The glassy coating that protects her eyes retracts, and The Dry comes into focus—shimmering bronze sand, illuminated in moonlight beckons Serena to come ashore and bury her toes. It is the shadows creeping out from the forest beyond the beach that warn her to stay away.

Serena scans the beach and the Ungainly footprints that pockmark the otherwise pristine surface. As the tide inches higher, the footprints disappear. The wind moves in to decimate what the waves do not reach, blowing granules of sand and blurring the outline of sandaled feet. Her eyes come to rest on a different set of prints–three in total. These are not Ungainly, these have claws—and they are fresh.

The werewolves have already began their patrols, barely after the last of the Ungainlies have left the beach. Each night since the King’s Massacre, one less wolf is spared for the patrols. Serena can’t decide if they are growing tired waiting or doing it to entice the Undine out.

They can’t be that smart, Serena thinks. But the predictability itself gives cause for concern. Werewolves are not predictable.

Like Liam, the one person I though could lead us on a path of peace alongside the wolves. Instead, he turned out to be one giant roadblock, and my twin brother.

Liam sustained injuries during the last battle, but they weren’t life threatening. He must be with his pack now, but the question remains—is he persona non-grata? Is he being punished because of his secret meetings with Serena? Or did they go just as he planned, leading the Undine to war ultimately resulting in the death of their king.

Serena bites her lip, and she can hear Nerin’s voice echoing in her head. A queen does not bite her lip. Serena releases her lip, instead gritting her teeth. There has been a lot of that as of late.

She considers her options, but the truth of it is, the Undine are running out of options. Cordelia is ready to give birth to the only calfling blessed to Society since Serena herself, and she’ll need a place to do it, and she needs to feel safe while doing so. Poseidon-forbid the child enter the world weak and dying. It would not be a good foretelling of Serena’s reign to come. Kelp reaches up to tickle Serena’s fins. She flicks it away.

A queen does not play with her food.

Serena grits her teeth again.

An aged skunk lumbers out of the tree line, and makes its way toward food wrappers left by beach picnickers. It noses through them, not concerned with the shadows at its back.

Would it be out if wolves are still in the area? She trusts the skunk’s nose better than her own; it has survived the forest this long.

Serena’s fins go stagnant once again, until her neck and shoulders rise above the water. The skunk pauses, looking up, but it cannot distinguish her form amongst the waves. He goes back to pawing through Ungainly trash.

Serena moves forward, already eyeing the breaker that will bring her to shore. Bubbles float up in front of her, popping open along the surface. Serena has only a split second to lean back when a golden trident shoots up, piercing the air in front of her. Three sharp barbs come into focus, inches from her nose. In between them, the blurred form of the skunk scurries back into the tree line.

The trident lowers as another Undine head breaches the surface. Serena allows herself to breath, and a small, one-sided smile creeps onto her face at the sight of sea-green eyes. “You again?”

In front of her, Kai smiles back. “You aren’t very good at sneaking out.”

“I made it to the surface this time, didn’t I?”

Kai moves his trident to his side. “Only because you had outside help. You knew the guard on watch couldn’t resist Rayne’s noodled kelp.” He sighs, briefly looking up at the moon, then back to her. “I suppose I’ll just have to take on more watches with the queen.”

Serena bits her lip.

Kai frowns. “A queen doesn’t—”

Serena splashes water at his face with both hands, effectively cutting off his reprimand. The smile is gone from her lips.

He runs his palm down his face and shakes water from his sandy hair. It has grown longer since the Queen’s Guard increased their duties; there has barely been time for them to eat, much less for personal grooming.

Serena moves around him, eyes locked on the shore. In one swift movement, his hand shoots out, grabbing her arm above the elbow.

His grip is tight, painful almost. Serena doesn’t twist away. His touch, however uncomfortable, is a welcome sensation. No one ever touches the queen.

Kai loosens his fingers, one by one, then lets go all together. He reaches down and yanks up, dragging a plucked kelp stem with him. Serena moves back, watching as he winds the brown seaweed into a tight ball around his fist. His eyes don’t leave her face.

Once done, Kai grips the ball with his other hand, turns toward the shore and takes aim. The wet ball of seaweed arcs in the air. The tail becomes loose and hisses as it vibrates back and forth. The whole thing lands with a splat on the sand, just in front of the tree line.

Not seconds later, a furry muzzle emerges, sniffing at the kelp.

Serena’s breath catches in her throat.

That damn skunk would’ve been the death of me.

The wolves have been there all along. Another muzzle shoots out, baring his teeth and forcing the other one back into the shadows. This muzzle is black, indiscernible from the dark forest besides the shiny nose and gleaming, white teeth.

Serena remembers those teeth well, tearing into the kings neck, then ripping away pieces of his beautiful, rainbow tail – the last of its kind. Alaric, first of the wolves, is out tonight. Could be that he is there every night, patrolling the shores and keeping the Undine at bay.

Serena and Kai exchange a glance as the wolves slip back into shrouded shadows. Serena nods at Kai; it is all the thanks she will give, and even that much is wholly unnecessary according to the Queen’s Guard. Kai returns the nod anyway.

“Summon Cordelia to the Great Hall,” Serena says. “We need to talk.” She turns away, preparing to dive.

Kai’s hand on her arm stops her once again. “After I escort her majesty safely back to the kingdom, of course.”

Serena glances at his hand, then back to his wild green eyes. “Of course.”

Happy Monday! Monday? Happy? What?! Well, you’ll have to take my word on it because this is indeed a very happy Monday! We are now only eight days away from Patchwork Press’s first birthday, and we are so so excited! One year! Can you imagine? Well, some of you can because you’ve been here with us since the beginning. But whether you were here from day one or saw your first PWP book last week, we want to say thank you for enjoying the ride with us so far.

We have a lot planned for the coming week… a lot! And we hope you’ll keep checking back for all these announcements and giveaways. They kick off tomorrow with the one and only, Erica Crouch.

But for now… Our first surprise comes from one of our interns, Madeline.