Updated 06/29/2010 11:53 AM
Smart Living: Cakes for a cause
By: Ivanhoe Broadcast News
To view our videos, you need to
enable JavaScript. Learn how.
install Adobe Flash 9 or above. Install now.
Then come back here and refresh the page.
Katie Unkel is taking it to a new level for her big brother Ben. He's one of the 1.5 million kids living with Autism today.
"When we were in elementary school, people would tease him a lot," Katie said. "Being his sister, it's kind of hard because I don't know how he's feeling or if what I'm saying is hurting him or how he’s feeling about what I said.”
Autism is the fastest growing developmental disability in the United States. One in every 70 boys has been diagnosed with it. Treating and researching a cure is costing about $35 billion a year.
These facts are what pushed Katie into the kitchen. She started Cakes for a Cause, baking her grandma's chocolate velvet tortes for $16 each. The money she makes goes to autism research.
"I really want them to find a cure for autism," she said.
As for Ben, he's found the right words when it comes to his sister.
"I'm very flattered that she would do that. It makes me really proud," he said.
Chocolate cake rounds
1 (8 ounce) package semisweet chocolate squares, coarsely chopped
3/4 cup butter, softened
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup sifted cake flour
6 eggs (large), separated
1/4 teaspoon salt
Orange-flavored whipped cream filling
1 envelope unflavored gelatin
1/4 cup cold water
2 cups heavy whipping cream
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup Grand Marnier liqueur
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Chocolate Glaze:
1 (8-ounce) package semi-sweet chocolate squares, coarsely chopped
1/3 cup heavy whipping cream
¼ cup butter, softened
Directions:
You will need three 8-inch round cake pans, an 8-inch spring-form pan and the ingredients listed at right. Use non-stick pans if you have them available.
Preheat oven to 350° F (175° C). Spray the three cake pans with cooking spray. Line the bottoms of the pans with wax paper and then coat the wax paper with cooking spray.
Makes one 8-inch layer cake.
Prepare the cake layers:
In a heavy saucepan, melt 8 ounces of semisweet chocolate over low heat. Stir often and then remove from the heat. Whisk in the butter a couple of tablespoons at a time until all of the butter is melted and combined with the chocolate. Whisk in the sugar and then the flour.
Every Monday and Thursday YNN's Jennifer Borget offers lifestyle reports that help families make decisions about careers, finances, nutrition, fitness and parenting with our
.