The kitchen is the heart of the home: it’s where we gather to cook and eat as we share not only meals, but our stories with our loved ones. It’s a safe space for trial and error as we test recipes made generations ago. Jane Hodson is the custom cake artist of Jane Baked It. Jane loves bringing community together with her desserts.
Here is a recipe Jane loves, "It’s my go to dark chocolate cake."
Ingredients
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 3/4 cups black cocoa powder
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1.5 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp sea salt
- 1/2 tsp espresso powder
- 1 cup buttermilk (room temp)
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- 2 large eggs (room temp)
- 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1 cup hot coffee
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees, grease, flour and line two 9-inch round pans.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and expresso powder.
- Add buttermilk, vegetable oil, eggs, and vanilla extract to the dry ingredients until combined.
- Gradually add the hot coffee. Mixture will be thin.
- Separate the cake batter into the two 9-inch pans.
- Bake for 30 -35 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean or a few moist crumbs.
- Decorate as you choose. (See additional notes below.)
It all started in Chandler, Arizona as Hodson, who had moved from New Jersey, craved a sense of community. Everything was too far and spread out; Hodson didn’t feel like she belonged there. Instead of retreating inwards, Hodson took her skills and shared them with those around her. She baked for neighbors, her husband's coworkers—anyone she could reach out to with a cake and a smile.
“Then I found the beautiful Media [borough] that I love and it fit my vibe way better,” says Hodson, who has been in Media for a year and a half now. “I worked my tail off to submerge myself in the community and part of my business plan was giving back as well.”
Hodson has a signature Swiss Meringue Buttercream that brings her sweet treats to another level. She hosts group, private, and “Mommy & Me” cake classes where there is never a dull moment. In addition, Jane Baked It hosts community events throughout the year. Another is the Bourbon and Buttercream Social, where folks can taste delectable desserts paired with wines and cocktails in a setting she describes as “warm and intimate.” Tickets can be purchased via her website.
“I had a cake class two weeks ago at the Radnor Golf Indoor Golf Club and it was hectic and crazy! Let me tell you, those kids had icing from their heads to their feet,” says Hodson with a laugh. “Nobody followed directions and I didn’t care. I just saw smiles, moms laughing, kids hugging mom. That’s what it’s about.”
Hodson loves to see the joy in baking; she knows life is hectic but for her, it’s a way of relaxing. In fact, it is why Hodson asks her customers to book well in advance as she only takes up to five orders at one time.
“I (limit the number) because then you become a level of frustration and frenzy. That’s not quality work because when you rush, it’s not your best,” Hodson explains. “That’s why when I say I’m a custom cake boutique, I really am. When you order from me, you’re going to get that one-on-one concierge service.”
This also allows Hodson to focus on what she describes not as the next order, but as the next creation that Jane Baked It does.
When she creates these cakes, Hodson not only focuses on the cake’s design but the taste as well. “A lot of times when you get these higher-level cakes, they tend to be a bit more dense or drier because they need to be really stable to hold all that stuff that goes into it.”
To combat this, Hodson developed her recipes to withstand the decor of her cakes. This way, the customer receives something that both looks and tastes amazing. The way Hodson achieves this is by using fresh and locally sourced ingredients. Her signature Swiss Meringue Buttercream was even tested by both the State of Pennsylvania and Arizona to make sure it was safe for her to utilize. Jane Baked It is a licensed Limited Food Establishment (LFE) which is a “home-based or residential-style kitchen registered with the PA Department of Agriculture to produce and sell non-hazardous baked good directly to consumers.”
Hodson also refuses to cover an entire cake in fondant and much prefers to use it to make smaller decorations. She notes that while other cake designers do hone that skill and it is a craft, “it’s just not what Jane Baked It’s made of.”
When decorating, Hodson isn’t only limited to buttercream and fondant. For her favorite chocolate cake creation, she uses her Dutch processed cocoa powder and uses edible gold leaves that she purchases in sheets to give it a pop of color. Hodson loves to shop locally and with small businesses because she believes in them so much.
“I’ll go to Bevan’s Own Make Candy in Media and I’ll buy a little chocolate or I’ll find one of the local bakeries around here that have macarons because I haven’t mastered that and I’ll put them on a cake,” says Hodson. She even visits Game on State to purchase candy for children’s cakes - all in an effort to support the other businesses in Media.
Hodson encourages others to bake and urges them to start small. She suggests buying a box of Betty Crocker cake mix and starting there. “Start getting comfortable with your pans. Start getting comfortable with measuring. Get used to your stove temperatures.” Get used to that trial and error with your loved ones because that’s what generational recipes are made from.
www.janebakedit.com/cake / Instagram: @janebakedit / Facebook: @jane.baked.it