We ended our club volleyball season with a sweet 1st Place victory at the last tournament! Proud mama moment as I have never seen my girls play so incredible in their entire career...(that would be because I couldn't get any of it on video that day)...so of course they played like professionals when I can't get it recorded for recruiters...oh, well at least we have the fun memories of the day!!
The team came home with their 2nd pin (for 1st place in a tournament) for the season this year. These pins have more value to them than anyone could possibly understand!
...and speaking of pins. Back in the day when my girls were Girl Scouts, they had to participate in the annual cookie sales each year (to earn a pin or patch) which was also priceless! One year I had the insane idea to volunteer and be "The Cookie Mom". We had cookies in every room of the house, from wall-to-wall and floor to ceiling.
The downside of being the cookie mom was that you had to look and smell at all the wonderful cookie flavors every day!!
Today, we still support our local Girl Scout troops and buy cookies from them every year. Oddly enough though, we ended up with a box of Samoas that never got touched. I think we just burned out on them from so many years of cookies sales and inventory in our house.
I had heard about cookbooks using Girl Scout cookies as an ingredient. I searched out and found this cake that is so over the top and I'm embarrassed to say that I couldn't stay out of it! I have just recently lost about 20 pounds and I think gained half of it back from this cake (well maybe not that much)...so worth it though!!!
Adapted from Culinary Concoctions by Peabody
1 recipe butter cake (original recipe features directions from scratch)
1 recipe Samoas Mascarpone filling (recipe follows)
1 recipe coconut buttercream (recipe follows)
1 recipe ganache (recipe follows)
1 cup caramel sauce (store bought or homemade)
1 cup toasted, sweetened coconut (optional)
1 box of Butter Cake flavored mix (or you can make your own from scratch)
For the Mascarpone Samoas Filling:
1 ½ cups chilled heavy whipping cream
½ cup mascarpone cheese, at room temperature
1 box Samaos (20 cookies), smashed into pieces
1 tsp. vanilla extract
½ cup powdered sugar
Coconut Buttercream:
1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
pinch of salt
2 tsp. coconut extract (found in baking aisle)
¼ cup heavy cream
3 cups powdered sugar
Chocolate Ganache:
½ cup mini semisweet chocolate chips
½ cup heavy cream
¼ cup corn syrup
For the Cake:
Spray two 8 or 9 inch cake pans with nonstick baking spray and line the bottom of the
pans with parchment circles. Don’t skip the parchment as your cake will most
likely stick to the bottom without out it…cakes are mean like that.
Prepare your cake mix according to package directions.
For 8 and 9-inch pans bake for about 25 minutes or until tops
spring back when lightly touched in center and a wooden skewer comes out clean.
Let cakes cool for 10 minutes and then remove from pans. Let cool completely once out of pans.
Wrap in plastic and chill for several hours or overnight. This
helps the cake stay together when making the layer cake.
For the Samoas Mascarpone Filling:
Using a cold mixer bowl with the whisk attachment beat the heavy
cream until soft peaks form.
Add the mascarpone, vanilla, and powdered sugar and beat until it
forms stiff peaks.
Fold in the Samoas cookie pieces.
Put in a separate bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate
until ready to assemble cake.
Buttercream:
Using a stand mixer with a paddle attachment beat together the
butter and powdered sugar.
**Add one cup of the powdered sugar on low at first (to avoid it
flying everywhere).
Add the heavy cream and beat until combined.
Add the remaining powdered sugar and beat until fully combined.
If it’s too thin add a little more powdered sugar. If too thick
thin with more heavy cream.
Ganache:
Place the chocolate chips and corn syrup in medium bowl.
In a small saucepan bring the cream to a boil.
Pour the cream over the chocolate chips and corn syrup.
Let sit for 5 minutes.
Whisk the cream into the chocolate, it should combine easily.
Whisk until smooth and glossy.
Cake Assembly:
If you used 8 or 9-inch cake sizes, then split the cakes in half
horizontally.
Spread the Samoas mascarpone filling between the layers. If making
the 8 or 9-in cakes you will have thinner layers.
Place the cake in the fridge for an hour.
Frost with the coconut buttercream. You can do a crumb coat if you
like. But you don’t want super thick layers of frosting as this is being
covered in caramel and chocolate.
Spoon the caramel on top to the edges so it drips down the sides.
Spoon the ganache on top of the caramel again to the edges so that
it drips down the sides.
Add toasted coconut and an extra cookie (if you have any left) for
garnish (optional).
One Year Ago: "Un-Fried" Fried Ice Cream
Two Years Ago: White Pizza
