Smith Family Weblog

As promised, here’s  an update on Ava’s weekend project. She  began on Saturday by baking the cakes—and since the recipe was for a single 9-inch layer, we just doubled it. She measured and poured and mixed—all I had to do was prep pans and set the oven.

She also made the pastry puffs on Saturday. It’s in interesting process, in which you melt butter and sugar into water, then stir in flour and eggs to form a batter.

Ava piped about 60 puffs onto parchment. They bake up hollow, and she filled them with a raspberry-flavored whipped cream and dipped them into a chocolate glaze (the same glazed used on the cake–you can see them hanging out in the background, pre-glaze).

We struggled a bit when it came to the glazing—I wanted to show Ava how to push the glaze with the offset spatula, and she had no time for my instruction. Really, though, that was the only issue along the way. (I’m trying so hard to let this independent child be independent…).

Livie offered some assistance as well.

The finished product looked pretty great, and Ava seemed very proud! Definitely worth the effort.

Our resident taste-tester—seen here with a cream puff in each cheek—agreed.

I’m looking forward to the next project!