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february
10
2016
november
1
2012

The Perfect Peach Layer Cake

Cooking time: 1 hour

Ingredients

3 cups of granulated sugar

2 sticks of unsalted butter, room temperature

1/2 cup of shortening

5 eggs, room temperature

1 cup of milk

3 cups of all purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon almond extract

1/2 teaspoon lemon extract

GLAZE:

1 cup of granulated sugar

1 cup of water

1 tbsp. vanilla extract

1/2 cup whiskey

1/3 cup light brown sugar

1 heaping tbsp. peach preserves

FROSTING:

2 packages of cream cheese

2 sticks of unsalted butter

4 cups of confectioner’s sugar

1/2 cup peach preserves

Cooking Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a medium bowl, combine flour, salt and baking powder and set aside. In a large bowl, cream butter, sugar and shortening. Once sugar mixture is well blended, add in 5 eggs ONE AT A TIME. Once the eggs are combined, begin to add flour mixture and milk. Always start and end with flour. (I start with a third of flour, then half of milk then a third of flour then remaining half of milk then remaining third of flour). Add extracts and mix until completely blended.

Grease and flour three (3) 9 inch cake pans. I know it’s old fashioned to grease and flour non stick pans but it leaves a lovely crust on the cake. Put a third of the mixture into each of the three cake pans. Lift each pan approximately 4 inches from the counter top then drop on counter to get all of the air out of the cake batter.

Put each of the cake pans into the preheated oven and bake for 60 minutes.

While the cakes are baking, combine the ingredients for the glaze… water, sugar, extract, whiskey, brown sugar and peach preserves in a sauce pan. Bring to a light boil then remove from heat and let sit until cakes are ready.

Once the cakes are done, poke each cake several times with a toothpick and soak each of the cakes with the glaze mixture. Let the cakes rest for about 5 minutes before turning them out onto parchment paper to cool. E cakes should rest at least an hour…preferably two hours.

Once the cakes are room temperature, in a large bowl combine cream cheese, butter and confectioner’s sugar, one cup at a time. Once the ingredients are combined, in a smaller bowl, mix the peach preserves and about a cup of the frosting. This mixture will be spread between the layers.

For the bottom and middle layers, you should level off the cakes before icing them. Place the first cake on a cake plate and frost the top with the peach preserves mixture, add the second layer and repeat with the peach preserves mixture and add the third cake a top. With the non peach preserves frosting, begin a crumb coat to cover the entire cake and refrigerate for a few minutes. Add another layer of frosting to the cake and refrigerate again for a few minutes and then once again frost your final “company’s coming” layer of frosting.

Now get ready for your friends and family to ask for this cake every birthday, holiday and dinner! Enjoy!!!

august
10
2012

TGIF! As you know, that abbreviation means nothing to me as my weekend happens from Sunday to Tuesday. Be that as it may, i hope everyone is having a great beginning to a wonderful weekend.

I apologize for being less than quick to add blogs etc…but as i am about to have a bit more free time,i’ll remedy that!

Until i can start writing some of the articles/rants/soapbox doozies that i have planned, just wanted to let you know what’s going on.
i recently finished writing my first screenplay! I’m so very proud of the accomplishment and the material. i hope you all get to enjoy it. I’m also in talks with a producer about a project that i’ve conceived from a existing work. I’m working on my show for Feinstein’s at the Loews Regency called, “Sweet and Hot, A night in Harlem ’34″ and i’ll be reprising my role in “Cotton Club Parade” at NY City Center this November 10-17. ALSO, don’t forget the NY Cabaret Convention at JALC on Thursday, October 18, 2012.

I think that’s it for now…hopefully more will come of singing. I think there will be a great announcement coming in early September…keep your fingers crossed and/or say lots of prayers!

Dream bigger!!!

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august
13
2011

We did it!

It’s hard to believe that, a little over two months ago, when I started to fundraising on Kickstarter.com that I’d actually be readying myself to record my first CD, but here I am…because of you and your support.

Thank you!

After meeting with Michael Croiter, Executive Producer of Yellow Sound Label, we’ve mapped out a schedule to start recording and we will begin on Monday, August 22, 2011. Of all days, my birthday! I take that as a very good sign.

The hope is to get all of the music done in a few days and then come back in later and lay the vocals over the music for the best possible sound. I’m working with three of the best musicians around…Larry Yurman, Damien Bassman and Mark Vanderpoel.

We are hoping that the CD will be ready for distribution on itunes and amazon, as well as hard copies but late October. Keep your fingers crossed!

That’s it for now. Just wanted to keep you all in the loop of what’s happening with the CD, as this would not be possible without the support of each of you. I can not thank you enough for being a part of my journey and I hope that you will proud to say that you were a part of it!

All my best!

T. Oliver

june
2
2011

Get ready everyone! My kickstarter page is almost ready and it’ll be time to start funding my first CD! i hope you are all as thrilled about that as i am!