Team New Wave Upside Down Cake

[Heather]

Would this work for 5 yellow

Incantation

[Kristel]

LaurLa, blue and both of your reds work.

Heather Incantation can work for yellow.

[Kristel]

All the colour books have been claimed!

[Kristel]

Anne wrote: "Kristel wrote: "Got a no to The Wasp Factory, but a yes to Blood of the Earth."

I'm glad they nixed "The Wasp Factory". I was not looking forward to reading it. It se..."

Well, in that case, I'm glad that it didn't work 😂

[Kristel]

Anne wrote: "Has anyone heard from Franziska? I haven't seen a post from her in quite a while. I hope she is O.K. ❤"

She doesn't appear to be a frequent GR user. She was last active 7 days ago. I'm sure she will show herself soon:)

[Anne]

Kristel,
In the February mini I didn't find sharp on the cover of "The Enchantress of Florence". I only found eggs on p.270, pens on p. 275 and thickened on p.79.
Maybe you got me confused with someone else?

[Kristel]

Anne wrote: "Kristel,
In the February mini I didn't find sharp on the cover of "The Enchantress of Florence". I only found eggs on p.270, pens on p. 275 and thickened on p.79.
Maybe you got me confused with som..."

I didn't make a mistake. I used google books and Amazons "look inside" function. Both of them found "sharp" in the text and in the same place which leads me to believe that it's actually there:)

[Anne]

Kristel wrote: "Anne wrote: "Kristel,
In the February mini I didn't find sharp on the cover of "The Enchantress of Florence". I only found eggs on p.270, pens on p. 275 and thickened on p.79.
Maybe you got me conf..."

O.K. That's good. I just didn't want us to be involved in some lurid "GOODREADS CHEATING SCANDAL!" headline. (I'm joking, of course!) 😆

[WitchinglyBookish]

hey guys sorry I haven't been that active I've been working crazy hours at work unfortunately, I have some books finished for the challenge I'll post tomorrow!

[Kristel]

Fallyn Nichole wrote: "hey guys sorry I haven't been that active I've been working crazy hours at work unfortunately, I have some books finished for the challenge I'll post tomorrow!"

Glad that you are still playing! I was getting worried about you😅

Actually we managed to finish all the February tasks, so you don't have to post your books. Keep a lookout when March challenge starts: Start of March UNO. Books finished after this countdown ends (and started Feb 1st or after) can count for March hands. You can start posting your books again then:)

[Kristel]

Anne wrote: "O.K. That's good. I just didn't want us to be involved in some lurid "GOODREADS CHEATING SCANDAL!" headline. (I'm joking, of course!) 😆..."

I'm way too much of a rule follower to try to cheat. This captain is not a crook😂

[Anne]

I am glad to hear that, Madam Captain. 😇

[Lauri]

Kristel wrote: "Lauri, how does Blood of the Earth fit 8? It seems to work better for 4😅"

It could go either way 4 for author Faith or 8 for character Brother Ephraim....

I had to wait till I got home to look at the characters again!

[Kristel]

Lauri wrote: "Kristel wrote: "Lauri, how does Blood of the Earth fit 8? It seems to work better for 4😅"

It could go either way 4 for author Faith or 8 for character Brother Ephraim....

I had to..."

Okay, I think I'm going to use it for 4 just because it would be easier for the mods to confirm:)

[Kristel]

Our cake recipe has been sent to UNO Pixie.

[Anne]

Kristel wrote: "Our cake recipe has been sent to UNO Pixie."

Great job Kristel!

[Kristel]

So that's what I got back from UNO Pixie:
Maybe you'd like to add a spacey/intergalactic ingredient or two to your cake to make it extra special still? Or maybe special materials to be used for the creation?

If any of you can add something, that will be great!! I'm going to bed and hopefully can help you tomorrow. Right now my mind can't think of anything😅

[Anne]

Star dust, a cup of small meteors, some black holes, rocket fuel.....

[Kristel]

Using Anne's suggestions I made some changes.
I italicized the things I changed:
Ingredients:
Cake:
90g small black meteors
90g cocoa powder
400g flour
2 ½ teaspoon baking powder
A pinch of salt
226g butter
400g sugar
4 free-range alien eggs
320g buttermilk
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
Rocketcream:
4 free-range alien eggs
240g sugar
Neon food colouring (pink, purple, orange)
226g rocket fuel
A teaspoon vanilla extract
Ganache:
Light blue and light green food colouring
120g bittersweet chocolate
120 heavy cream
Glittery space dust (I sourced mine from Carina Nebula's „Mystic Mountain“ region)
Decoration:
Geometric 3D printed candy
A handful of small colourful meteors
2-3 micro black holes (From LHCs shop)

Chocolate cake:
1. Preheat oven to 160°C/320°F and line the bottom of three 18-cm/7-inch round cake pans with baking parchment.
2. In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, cocoa and salt. Set aside.
3. Take the cup of black meteors and grind them in a meteor grinder into a fine dust. Add it into your flour mixture to make the cake extra black.
4. In another bowl beat together the butter and sugar until lightened in colour and creamy.
5. Add the alien eggs one at a time. Once all the eggs have been added, beat for another minute, or until the mixture looks smooth and fluffy.
6 . Add the flour mixture and mix on low speed until just incorporated. Combine buttermilk and vanilla and add it to the batter, mixing until incorporated.
7. Divide the batter evenly over three prepared pans. Place on a rack in the middle of the oven and bake for 40-45 minutes.

Rocketcream:
1. Combine alien egg whites and sugar in a medium-sized bowl and stir until incorporated. Set the bowl over a pan of simmering water and gently heat the egg mixture until the sugar has dissolved.
2. Remove the alien egg white mixture from the heat and transfer it to the bowl of a stand mixer. Beat the mixture until the meringue holds stiff peaks.
3. Transfer the meringue to another bowl and add the rocket fuel in the bowl of the mixer. Beat until creamy and fluffy.
4. Add the cooled meringue and mix until the buttercream is smooth and fluffy and add the vanilla and mix.
5. Divide the buttercream in 3 and colour each batch in different neon colours (purple, pink and orange).

Assembly:
1. Place the first cake layer onto a serving plate. Take your three colours of rocketcream and add them layer by layer into the same piping bag. Try avoiding mixing the colours as much as possible. Pipe about 200g of the rocketcream on the cake layer, spreading it gently to make it even.
2. Place the second cake layer on top of the layer of rocketcream. Frost with 200g of the rocketcream.
3. Place the last cake layer on top. Use the remaining rocketcream to frost the top and sides of the cake with a thin layer of rocketcream. Use an offset spatula to spread the rocketcream, creating a colour gradient.

Make the ganache for the upside-down effect:
1. Combine white chocolate and cream in a small saucepan. Place over low heat and stir with a rubber spatula until all of the chocolate has melted.
2. Divide into two and colour half light green and half light blue. Add some glittery space dust to both of them to make it seem more holographic.
3. Take the cake from the fridge and use a piping bag to apply the glittery-green ganache near the edges of the cake so that it drips down the sides of the cake. When the ganache has hardened flip the cake upside down to create an upwards drip effect.
4. Take the glittery-blue ganache and like the green one pipe it near the edges, so it drips down making the green and blue drips meet in the middle. Pour some ganache on top of the cake and spread evenly using an offset spatula.


Lastly, when the ganache has set add 3D printed geometrically shaped candies,colourful meteors, and some micro black holes to the cake to finish off the look.


What do you think?

[Heather]

I like it!

[Kristel]

Okay, I'll wait for another few hours and then I'll resend it to Uno Pixie:)

[Anne]

Kristel wrote: "Using Anne's suggestions I made some changes.
I italicized the things I changed:
Ingredients:
Cake:
90g small black meteors
90g cocoa powder
400g flour
2 ½ teaspoon baking powder
A pinch of salt
22..."

Brilliant!

[UNO Pixie, Our UNO Helper]

Congrats on your recipe!

Great work. 30 points has been added to your spreadsheet!

[Anne]

Yay! Good work Kristel!

[Kristel]

March uno has officially started. Books finished after this post can count for March hands!

[Jeanette]

Wow Kristel. Simply WOW!🤩🤗standing ovations for you🤗

[Jessamine]

Yes No Maybe So by Aisha Saaed & Becky Albertalli
Date: March 1

Works for:
0 - SA
2 - Char. FN Tessa Andrews
3 - Char. FN Hannah
4 - Char. FN Felipe
6 - Char. FN Sophie Goldberg
9 - Char. FN Nolan
Skip - Char. FN Kevin Mullen


Three Things I Know Are True by Betty Culley
Date: March 1

Works for:
0 - SA
2 - Title Three Things I Know Are True
3 - Char. FN Hunter
6 - Char. FN Sara
7 - Char. FN Vivian
8 - Char. FN Elinor
9 - Char. FN Nikki
Skip - Char. FN Kate

[Lauri]

Completion Post!
The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek
Kim Michele Richardson
Finished 3/1/20
Page count: 251
Great story!
Works for the following cards:
0 - standalone
1 - character Oren Taft
2 - setting Troublesome Creek, Kentucky
3 - character Martha Hannah
4 - character Charles Frazier
7 - character Vester Frazier
8 - Eula Foster
9 - Norton
Skip - author's 1st name Kim



Could someone please add it to our spreadsheet for me? Thanks so much!

[Lauri]

Uno Mas!
With the Fire on High
Elizabeth Acevedo
Finished 3/1/20
Page count: 400
4 stars-- Awesome!
Fits the following cards:
0 - standalone
2 - character Tyrone
4 - Ms. Fuentes
6 - character Emoni Santiago
8 - Emma Santiago
Skip - setting Philadelphia, Pennsylvania




Could someone please add this to our spreadsheet for me? Thank you!

[Heather]

Completion Post

Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy
Read 3/1/20

0-stand alone
1-character LN Oblonsky
2-author LN Tolstoy
6-character FN Stepan
7-character LN Vronsky
9-character FN Nikolay
Skip - character LN Karenina

[Heather]

Completion Post

Incantation by Alice Hoffman

5 Yellow

[Kristel]

Updated to here.

[Jeanette]

Completed Sadie. Can only recommend

[Heather]

Completion post

The Stationary Shop by Marian Kamali
Read 3/3/20

0-character FN Zari
2-Title
4-character LN Fakhri
6-Title
Skip-character LN Khanom

[Kristel]

Jeanette wrote: "Completed Sadie. Can only recommend"

I second the recommendation! I half-accidentally picked it up and loved it:)

[Franziska]

Hey guys. I am so sorry for my silence in the last week. I felt pretty bad ... my nausea due to my pregnancy came back & I couldn't do anything....
But now I feel better and I also could finish a next book. Hope to be a better co-captain in the next weeks. Thank you Kristel for all your work!

[Kristel]

Franziska wrote: "Hey guys. I am so sorry for my silence in the last week. I felt pretty bad ... my nausea due to my pregnancy came back & I couldn't do anything....
But now I feel better and I also could finish a ..."

I'm glad you are feeling better!

[Anne]

Franziska wrote: "Hey guys. I am so sorry for my silence in the last week. I felt pretty bad ... my nausea due to my pregnancy came back & I couldn't do anything....
But now I feel better and I also could finish a ..."

I'm so glad you are feeling better! We missed you.

[Heather]

Franziska wrote: "Hey guys. I am so sorry for my silence in the last week. I felt pretty bad ... my nausea due to my pregnancy came back & I couldn't do anything....
But now I feel better and I also could finish a ..."

I was like that when I was pregnant. It is the worst!! I am so glad that you are feeling better!

[Jeanette]

Aaaah just enjoy the feeling of life inside. The times where you can feel a tiny kick or bustling around. That was a nice feeling. I miss that part☺️

[Jessamine]

Franziska wrote: "Hey guys. I am so sorry for my silence in the last week. I felt pretty bad ... my nausea due to my pregnancy came back & I couldn't do anything....
But now I feel better and I also could finish a ..."

I'm glad you're feeling better!

[Jessamine]

Pucked Up by Helena Hunting
Date: March 4

Works for:
2 - 2nd in series
3 - Author FN/LN Helena Hunting
6 - Char. Nickname Sunny Waters
7 - Char. FN Violet Hall
9 - Char. FN Natasha
Skip - Title Pucked Up

[Kristel]

Updated to here.

[Anne]

COMPLETED

Downriver: (Or, the Vessels of Wrath) a Narrative in Twelve Tales

0 - Stand alone
5 - Author FN Iain
6 - Author LN Sinclair

[Lauri]

Completion Post!
Not a Girl Detective
Susan Kandel
Finished 3/4/20
Page count: 326
Works for BLUE Cover, card 7 with character Victoria Dalthrop



Could someone please add this one to our spreadsheet for me? Thank you!

[Jessamine]

When You Trap a Tiger by Tae Keller
Date: March 4

Works for:
0 - Standalone
2 - Author FN Tae Keller
6 - Char. FN Sam Reeves
8 - Char. LN Ricky Everett
Skip - Author LN Tae Keller

[Lauri]

Completion Post!
The Voyage of Patience Goodspeed
Heather Vogel Frederick
Finished 3/5/20
Page count: 219
Verified by AR @ 42,565 word count
Fits the following cards:
1 - character Obadiah Glumly
2 - Character Thaddeus Goodspeed
3 - character Captain Harris
4 - author Heather Vogel Frederick
5 - character Isaiah Goodspeed
6 - character Spriggs
7 - title
Skip - MC Patience



Could someone please add this to our spreadsheet, please? Thank you!

[Jessamine]

The Female of the Species by Mindy McGinnis
Date: March 6

Works for:
0 - SA
1 - Setting Ohio
2 - Title The Female of the Species
4 YELLOW - Char. LN Jack Fisher
6 - Char. FN Sara
9 - Char. LN Nolan
Skip - Char. Nickname Peekay
Reverse - Read by Kristel

[Kristel]

Updated to here.

[Anne]

Dr. Rat by William Kotzwinkle COMPLETED

0 - Stand alone
Skip - Author LN Kotzwinkle