Desserts Divine

Frangipane Ripple Chocolate Pound Cake

2011-10-07T06:12:00.000-07:00

Wow, it that a mouthful or what! This easy-to-do bundt cake is another from Flo Braker wonderful collection. I am a frangipane fan so when this came up on the ABC Bakers list I didn't want to miss it. Frangipane is usually made from ground almonds, egg, sugar, and butter. It can be used as a filling for tarts topped with fruit, cake, pies, and assorted pastries. This is however, the first time I paired a frangipane with chocolate. Almonds usually go very well with chocolate so why wouldn't this? Well, it does and very well indeed!

The base of this bundt style cake is a chocolate pound cake. Also one of my favorite types of cake. I particularly enjoy the small crumb and smooth texture of a good pound cake. For this recipe this ingredients are: cake flour (this is the reason for the fine crumb), cocoa powder (keeps the chocolate from going over the top), baking powder, salt, sugar, eggs, vanilla, milk, and butter of course! My favorite pound cake recipe of choice contains cream cheese, this one uses milk. But alas fear not..... this will not disappoint!

As you can see I went with the mini-bundt pans which makes sharing with friends and neighbors easier. Plus who doesn't like a personal sized treat! I found this pound cake with the frangipane ribbon to be very tasty, moist, and not over the top chocolatey and as promised it did improve with age. I do hope you give it a try, you will not be disappointed.

Quintessential Cheese Blintzes

2011-09-06T17:14:00.000-07:00

The newest of the baking projects chosen for the ABC Baker's Challenges is the Quintessential Cheese Blintzes by Flo Braker. Whenever I hear "cheese blintzes" mentioned I am immediately flooded with fond memories. The oldest of them are from my childhood when my grandmother made these for my brothers and I. Light, slightly sweet pillows of delight! As my son was growing up I made them for him as a special breakfast, lunch, or brunch. It was something he also looked forward to equal enthusiasm. So for me doing the cheese blintzes with the ABC Baker's was sheer pleasure.

So last week with the coming storm, not knowing if we would have electricity or when it would return, I felt it best to make these early. As it turned out, just as I was serving them up to my husband the electric went out! Wow, that was spooky!

If you've never had these wonderful little rolls you really don't know what you are missing! And if you think they are difficult, think again. These are really simple to whip up and oh how they will make eyes pop!

The first thing you want to do is get the crepes made. This batter sits in the refrigerator 1-2 hours before you cook it up. All you need is butter, flour, eggs, salt, and water....oh and a nice heavy bottom, non-stick (if possible but not necessary) pan. The procedure is easy and goes quickly. Just pile them up on the side, keep them warm while you make the filling.

Flo suggests using farmer cheese, sugar, egg, salt, vanilla, and orange or lemon zest. Now over the years I've used ricotta and small curd creamy cottage cheese with equal success. They are all good so don't feel guilty substituting!

After the crepes are done and the filling is ready it is time to assemble. Spooning about 1 1/2 tbs of filling spread slightly across the center. Then flip the sides in onto the filling and roll from the top down until you have a neat, rectangular package (looks like an egg roll). Then saute them in butter until they are slightly brown. Flip them gently and brown the other side. Viola!

I served them with a yummy black cherry preserve over the top. You can use any jam or preserve, powdered sugar, or naked. They are all good. This was sooooo good I hope you will try them. Let me know what you topped them with!

A special birthday and a fun project all in one!

2011-08-17T12:15:00.000-07:00

I play around with fondant and gum paste whenever possible. Which believe me isn't often enough. So when my nephew's 30th birthday came up I figured I would use this celebration, make it special in my way and give him something he and his 70 guests can enjoy as well. The weather was promising to stay sultry and and we needed to travel two states over (probably in traffic). So with all this in mind I knew buttercream and cake were out! Why not cookies? I knew his favorite is chocolate chip. So how do I make this special...hmmm.

I thought I'd pick up a party bucket and fill it with cookies; that would be a variety of chocolate chip cookies. This meant: mint chocolate chip, white chocolate chip, toffee chocolate chip, peanut butter chocolate chip, milk chocolate chocolate chip, butterscotch & chocolate chip, and chocolate chocolate chip (phew). I filled the bucket with over 200 of these little darlings. Then to top the bucket and give me a good strong base I made a 14" diameter giant chocolate chip cookie. Then, here comes my favorite part........ I made a "30" out of rice krispie treats, covered it in fondant in the "steam punk" style. The reason I chose Steam Punk style due to its use of wood and metal. My nephew is a carpenter by trade so to me it was a good match.

Unfotunately I did not get the opportunity to take a picture of the assembled project. Hope you like it as much as he did!

Neapolitan Bars

2011-08-16T13:00:00.000-07:00

Neapolitan Bars, sounds interesting, right? Sounds like it has some layers of flavor like Neapolitan ice cream, right? Yes and yes, it is and does. I was so honored when Hanaa of the ABC Bakers asked if I would like to choose one of the next baking projects. There was no delay in my choice. I had just made these bars and was very excited to share. This special treat and newest baking project can be found in Flo Braker's book, "Baking for All Occassions".

One of the things that I like about Flo Brakers' books (I currently own 2) is that she has a wide assortment of recipes. Some cookbook authors are heavily into chocolate or some other ingredient. It becomes difficult to bake from such a book if you are not in love with that ingredient. But as I said, Flo is different and I never tire of perusing her books for a new baking project. And this recipe will not disappoint. Enough of all that lets get to the bar!

This bar actually has 4 layers of flavor. The first layer is a pastry like cookie layer rich in butter and delicate vanilla flavor. It is quick to assemble and and is baked to a slightly golden color.

The next layer is raspberry jam. This could probably be switched out for apricot, blackberry, strawberry or any flavor you desire. It is spread thinly on top of the cooled pastry.

Next the filling is prepared. It consists of almond paste (yum, right!), sugar, butter, eggs, and vanille. You can tint this green or not. The filling is spread over the raspberry layer. Bake this for 35-40 minutes until the top is just firm, not hard. Cool completely on a rack.

The last layer is a chocolate glaze. Butter, chocolate, whole milk, sugar, salt, and vanilla is melted together into a creamy, smooth, and rich glaze. Spread over the top of the filling using an offset spatula. Allow the bars to cool completely before cutting into small squares for serving.

These bars are extremely delicious. And are an impressive addition to any table for any occassion. Enjoy!

Old Fashioned Sour Cream Cookies

2011-08-11T10:50:00.000-07:00

Sour cream cookies sound a little bland to you? Well that depends on what you look for in a cookie and what tips the scale and makes it to your "favorites" list. Me? I usually go for crunch, a little color, and flavor I can taste. Sounds like these cookies shouldn't be on my list of favs but, they are! In fact they are one of my oldest and most favorite cookie. Here's why: they are soft as in cake-like, sweet but not over the top, the flavors are clean, simple, and delicate ( I just love vanilla and nutmeg too). These cookies are simple to prepare as long as you let the dough chill overnight in the frig. Don't forget to vary the size and shape too. What wrong with all that!? Nothing in my book so on with the full recipe....

1/2 cup butter

1 cup sugar

1 egg

1 tsp vanilla

2 2/3 cups flour

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp nutmeg

1/2 cup sour cream

A little sugar for sprinkling on top

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Mix butter, sugar, egg, and vanilla thoroughly. Blend dry ingredients; add to sugar mixture alternately with sour cream. Blend until combined (don't over mix). Cover dough tightly and chill several hours or overnight.

Divide dough, sprinkle with flour, and roll out between parchment paper to 1/4" thick. Cut with a 2" cutter and shape you wish. Sprinkle with sugar. Bake 8-10 minutes until slightly brown.

See how easy that was? Sometimes easy is suprisingly best. What is also very nice is that they can sit on any dessert table, for any occassion. Let me know what you think.

Congo Brownies

2011-08-03T12:11:00.000-07:00

The August baking project with the ABC Bakers was Congo Brownies, found in Flo Braker's Baking for All Occassions. Now just to set the story straight I am not a brownie person. In fact I couldn't tell you when the last time I made brownies. Now come on, stay with me here. This will end well, I promise. As I was saying......brownies to me are gooey, soft, over the top chocolatey. I don't mind chocolate if it is in the form of Lindt Truffles but over the top brownies not so much. But, being a good sport and having hungry neighbors I went with the program. As it turns out these were definitely different and....wait a minute you're just going to have to read through to find out how this story turns out.

This is not your usual brownie recipe, it is a combination of a brownie and a nut studded blondie, that's right! First the Congo layer (blondie incognito) made with all the usual participants including yummy brown sugar and studded with walnuts. This wonderful layer is partially backed then removed from the oven for the addition of the brownie layer.

The brownie layer again has all the usual participants but includes not only cocoa but melted unsweetened chocolate, over the top? Or maybe its just a nice balance of chocolate that helps to tone the chocolately sweetness down a bit. Back in the oven to finish baking.

After cooling there is a drizzle of melted chocolate and I added another drizzle of white chocolate for a continuation of the black and white theme. I must say this was not gooey and not mushy. The texture was closer to cakey, much more to my liking. The over all reaction from my tasters was very positive and I must admit that if I was to eat a brownie...this would be the one. I might even suggest some vanilla ice cream on top to finish it off! See it ended well! Enjoy!

Butterscotch Spiral Coffee Cake

2011-07-28T11:56:00.000-07:00

This has been the craziest, busiest, and hottest summer in quite some time. I've been baking, yes ....thank the air-conditioner gods. In addition I had the opportunity to do a fun, creative, eatible project for a family member that I will reveal soon.

For now on to this months late posting of the ABC Bakers project, Butterscotch Spiral Coffee Cake from Flo Brakers book "Baking for All Occassions". I'd never pass up an opportunity to bake a yeasted coffee cake so when this came up I was all over it! That is until the time came to post, well that was a few weeks ago...(head hanging with sad face). Enough of that you get my message.

This yeasted cake recipe called for the usual round up of flour, sugar, salt, yeast, some warm spices like: cinnamon, nutmeg, and cardamom. Also in attendence was milk, butter, eggs, and vanilla. Flo warned us that the dough would be sticky and boy she wasn't kidding. I'm not sure if I did this right but, I had to add much more flour than I expected. This really toppled my confidence but kept going.

At this point a butterscotch glaze is prepared with brown sugar, butter, and corn syrup. It is poured into the prepared pan. After the suggested rising time the dough is rolled out, spread with a cinnamon/butter filling then cut into strips. The strips are coiled around the pan. It is covered and left to rise again. Bake in a 350 degree oven. I took heed of our fearless leader, Haana's advise and was careful not to over bake. After a short cooling off period the pan is flipped and presto!

Now I'd like to say this was just wonderful but I cannot tell a lie. I didn't find the cake to be very tasty, or yeast-like flaky. However, in all fairness it could have easily been my fault with all that extra flour. The glaze was delicious as was the cinnamon-butter spread. I wouldn't mind trying this again but, I would probably make more changes to make it more interesting. If you try this recipe and get better results let me know.

Phyllo to Baklava!

2011-06-28T13:43:00.000-07:00

Erica of Erica's Edibles was our host for the Daring Baker's June challenge. Erica challenged us to be truly DARING by making homemade phyllo dough and then to use that homemade dough to make Baklava.

Baklava is a dessert made with phyllo dough, nuts, honey, sugar, and butter. The origin of this sweet is hotly contested but the most often claim is that it came out of the Middle Eastern region. This luxurious dessert was once eaten only by the rich. Today Baklava in its many versions are available for all to enjoy or make as is the case this month.

This was to be an interesting challenge as are all the challenges coming from the Daring Baker's. First, I am not usually a fan of Baklava. The commercial version is often way over the top sweet. Second, is sadly my honey cannot eat the nuts. However, I have thought about making my own phyllo but up until now never had the opportunity. I decided, hey why not just change the filling to dried fruit.

Making the dough proved to be the easiest part. Rolling it out super thin however was a bit of a challenge. But thankfully it did not stick to the counter. The filling was a mixture of raisins, plums, and dates soaked in orange juice then coarse chopped.

To assemble was simply layering the phyllo sheets brushed with butter in between. Adding the fruit anfter about 6 layers, then repeating. Using a sharp knife precut the Baklava. Into the oven for a slow bake at 350 degrees for one hour. In the meantime, a syrup of sugar, honey, water, ground cloves and a piece of orange rind was combine. Bring this to a boil and simmer for 10 minutes. This must cool before the Baklava comes out of the oven. Once out of the oven pour the cooled syrup over the top of the Baklava. The syrup will soak into the Baklava overnight.

I was pleasantly suprised to find that I enjoyed this version very much. My honey enjoyed it as well. We all agreed that it was even better the following day! I shall have to work with this phyllo again!

Favorite Buttermilk Cake

2011-06-07T11:54:00.000-07:00

Summer is quickly rolling in and I usually lean towards lighter desserts that require less baking and preparing time. It's a good opportunity to combine a cool and creamy vanilla bean pastry cream, vanilla whipped cream, and fresh, sweet strawberries. All I needed to make this dessert something special was a really good cake. Then along came the ABC's Baker's challenge for this month: Flo Braker's "Favorite Buttermilk Cake". Perfect!

The ingredients for the cake are:
cake flour, baking powder and soda, salt, buttermilk, vanilla extract, butter, sugar, and eggs. The procedure was quick and easy, welcomed on a hot day. The resulting cake is light, soft and moist. The buttermilk gives this cake a slight tang which I think will go well with many cream or fruit fillings.

I used Flo's recipe for vanilla cream filling under the "Boston Cream Pie" recipe. Milk, sugar, vanilla bean, yolks, flour, and butter. All came together resulting in a wonderful silky smooth vanilla cream. Boy, I could just eat this with a spoon and be very content!

To finish I whipped up some vanilla flavored whipped cream, cleaned and sliced strawberries and all was ready to assemble.

This is a wonderful and versital cake. It cut easily into small circles, and held up in the pastry cream without getting soggy. Can't you just see that wonderful crumb. Can you taste it, isn't it light? Can't? Then maybe you should give it a try for yourself. What will you use for a filling, or topping, or maybe all on it's own? So, very good I am sure you won't be disappointed.

Thank you Hanaa for this challenge!

Marquise on Meringue

2011-05-31T10:54:00.000-07:00

The May 2011 Daring Baker's challenge was hosted by Emma of CookCraftGrow and Jenny of Purple House Dirt. They chose to challenge everyone to make a Chocolate Marquise. The inspiration for this recipe comes from a dessert they prepared at a restaurant in Seattle.

Not only have I never tried making a Marquise but, I've never even heard of it before.So I was looking forward to this challenge. The directions were given for a full, half or quarter batch. How easy is that. I chose to make a quarter batch since it is just the two of us. And since it has several components I was able to start the process early. "Early", you say? Are you implying that I'm posting this late? Well, you are correct. But, but, but....I have good reasons! But, but, but....better late than never!

The first component is the Marquise. As it turns out this a very decadent, very smooth, very delicious mousse like dessert that sets up in the freezer. Sort of like ice cream but, better. If that can even happen! It starts off with a chocolate base: chocolate, heavy cream, salt, cayenne, hazelnut liquour, corn syrup, canilla, cocoa powder, pepper, and butter. After cooling the base is added to: egg yolks (many of them), whole eggs, sugar, heavy cream. The resulting mousse is spread into a parchment lined pan and placed in the freezer. Easy right?

The next component is a meringue. The usual egg whites, sugar, vanilla, and a splash of apple cider vinegar is whipped up into a billowy cloud of delicious meringue. This is where I have to be very careful. You see, I can just eat this by the spoonful right out of the bowl not thinking about what I originally needed it for.

For the third component I used some raspberry jam in place of the caramel sauce called for in the original challenge. I also omitted the spiced nuts since "J" can't eat them.

To plate this dessert requires careful timing if you live in a warm climate. The meringue needs to be ready at the same time as the sauce and spiced nuts. The mariquise is removed from the freezer and unmolded from the pan. I cut 2 1/2" squares and rolled them in cocoa powder quickly, it melts fast. Place the square on your serving plate. Add the meringue. Torch the meringue as desired. Add the sauce and spiced nuts. I allowed the dessert to sit out for approximately 10 minutes before eating.

It was light, creamy, dreamy, smooth, chocolatey, lovely and very rich (the only negative for "J"). I always enjoy making something new. Thank you Emma and Jenny for this challenge!

Pound Cake

2011-05-24T10:08:00.000-07:00

Pound Cake. I just love pound cake. I love the simple flavor of the vanilla and the butter. I love the tender texture and I love the small, yet moist crumb. I love to use it when I need sturdy tall layers and it never fails. I searched a long time, trying many different versions to find what I think is the best. Don't forget the versatility of pound cake. You can change the flavors easily and it's use is endless. I have used it in a 6 layer celebration cake, in a trifle, covered with whipped cream, fresh fruit or fruit curd. It can be taosted and spread with more butter too, if you dare! Today I bring it to you.

Humble Vanilla Pound Cake

1 cup butter, room temperature

2 cups sugar

8 oz Philadelphia cream cheese, room temperature

1 tsp vanilla or the scrapings from a vanilla bean

6 eggs

2 cups flour

1 tbs baking powder

1 tsp salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Beat butter in a large bowl with paddle attachment on medium about 1 minute. Gradually add the sugar, beating well after each addition. Beat additional 5 minutes, or until very light and fluffy. add the cream cheese and vanilla; beat one minute. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.

Combine Flour, baking powder, and salt. Add to the butter mixture. Beat one minute. Pour into a greased 10 inch tube pan.

Bake 1 hour or until golden brown. Cool 10 minutes; loosen from sides of pan and gently remove cake. Cool completely on wire rack.

Feel like sharing? How do you like your pound cake? Made with cream cheese, or sour cream or not. Spread with fruit, frosting, curd, or not?

Overnight Cinnamon Buns with the ABC Baker's

2011-05-18T04:58:00.000-07:00

Has it really been that long?! Oh my! It's not that I haven't been baking that's for sure. It's that there really isn't enough time in a weekend. So I vote for extending the weekends to three days. I'm sure everyone would agree but, sorry it isn't happening so we better make due.

On May 3rd I missed posting the Avid Baker's Challenge of Overnight Cinnamon Buns found in Flo Braker's, Baking for All Occassions. As you can see from some of my recent posts the combination of cinnamon and with any driy fruit or nuts is a favorite. Then add in the overnight rising aspect I wasn't about to miss this challenge. And I am glad I didn't.

The dough for this recipe is a sweet yeast potatoe dough. It called for a Russet potatoe. Since I didn't have one I substituted a Yukon Gold potatoe giving it a slightly more yellow hue. The dough itself was easy to put together (I just love the addition of orange zest). Then into the refrigerator to rise for 8 hours up to 24 hours.

The filling that Flo suggested contained Macadamia nuts. They are one of my favorite nuts; tender and delicious in any application. But sadly, my honey cannot eat them. That's how the raisins found their way in again. Along with brown sugar, cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg we had a warm and spicey filling.

The next morning I jumped out of bed to finish the assembly of these yummy breakfast treats. Rolling the filled dough into a log is easy for any baker, however it's all about the slicing. The suggestion from Flo is something I discovered many moons ago. Using a long piece of dental floss (unflavored, please!) criss-crossed around the dough, then pull, makes a clean cut.

After rising again, a trip to the oven, a drizzle of icing and.......wow!!! Warm, spicey, slightly sweet, tender, delicate orange flavor, and gone! Not a complaint in the house. What's your favorite filling consist of? Thank you Hannah for this wonderful challenge!

Zebra or Striped Cookies

2011-04-05T14:46:00.000-07:00

This month the Avid Baker's Challenge was to make Zebra Cookies from Baking for All Occassions by Flo Braker. I must admit the name of these cookies got my attention immediately, it sounded like fun and it was definitely something I had never tried. Then I discovered there was no photo in the book to check myself. This meant I was at the mercy of my interpretation (Read carefully, I told myself. Don't be in a rush). Well, it was fun, a bit time consuming but not difficult at all and well worth it.

The recipe given started with a vanilla and a chocolate butter cookie. The ingredient list was short but, included cake flour. Now I knew this was to be a tender cookie (I like that). The time consuming part was in the assembly. Flo was suggesting the use of a 6x2 inch square pan for assembly. I do not have a pan this size so I just layered on a cutting board.

Each of the two rounds of dough was to be seperated evenly (I weighed mine) into thirds. Then placing one piece at a time between parchment it is rolled into a 6x3 inch rectangle and placed in the prepared pan. Each of the six pieces are rolled out in this fashion and layered, alternating flavors in the prepared pan. You should have 6 layers. I decided to cut the rectangle in half and layer the two halves together for a total of 12 layers. Cover and refrigerate the dough until firm (4hrs or overnight).

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line a large baking sheet with parchment.

The dough is then removed from the refrigerator and thinly sliced. Each slice is then cut on the diagonal, forming 2 triangles. place them on the baking sheet about 1/2" apart. Bake in the preheated oven for 8 to 10 minutes, just until they are no longer shiny on top and are pale gold on the bottom.

I found these cookies to be delicious and love the tenderness that the comes from using cake flour. They certainly get attention when placed on the table for tasting. I totally enjoyed making them and all my tester enjoyed eating them. Thanks Hanaa for the challenge!

Yeasted Meringue Coffee Cake

2011-03-27T09:53:00.000-07:00

The March 2011 Daring Baker's Challenge was hosted by Ria of Ria's Collection and Jamie of Life's a Feast. Ria and Jamie challenged the Daring Bakers to bake a yeasted Meringue Coffee Cake. This is the third yeasted cake I have baked this winter season. Each of these cakes were different yet the same. Oh don't misunderstand this is far from a complaint. It's just that each one was so delicious it was very hard to share. However this challenge yielded 2, yes two cakes. Can you see my smile? I can share this time!!!!

Ria and Jaime gave the Daring Baker's the freedom to choose the filling for these beautiful coffee cakes. I chose to keep it simple with a cinnamon and raisin filling. The recipe as you know can be found on some of my fellow baker's blogs. I will leave it in your capable hands to search out. However, I will review the directions.

To preparing the dough combine 1 1/2 cups of the flour, sugar , salt, and yeast in a bowl. Set aside. In a saucepan, combine the milk, water, and butter. Heat over medium heat until warm and the butter is melted.

Using an electric mixer on low speed, gradually add the warm liquid to the flour/yeast mixture, beating until well blended. Increase the mixer speed and beat 2 minutes. Add the eggs and 1 cup of the remaining flour. Beat 2 more minutes. I changed out the beater for the dough hook at this point and add only a little more of the flour. Then kneased the dough for 8-10 minutes until the dough was smooth, soft, and elastic.

The dough goes into an oiled bowl and covered with plastic for its first rise. In the meantime the filling may be prepared. I combined sugar, cinnamon, and raisins in a bowl and set aside. This version calls for a meringue to be prepared using egg whites, sugar, salt and vanilla. When the dough is ready- punch it down and divide it in half. Roll each half one at a time into a rectangle. spread them with the meringue and cinnamon raisin filling. Roll the rectangles into logs and form a ring. Using scissors cut slits along the outside edge.

Cover the cake with plastic and let them rise again. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Brush the cakes with an egg wash. Bake in the preheated oven for 25-30 minutes until golden brown and risen. the dough should sound hollow when tapped. I drizzled the top with a lemon juice, powdered sugar and milk glaze. Then sprinkled with chopped pecans.

The cake was soft, delicately sweet with just enough filling to make it difficult to stop at one piece. Consequently, I after tasting I found it very hard to part with the second cake. Although I really love to see that smile emerge when someone takes their first bite. So....off it went to make yet someone else happy.

King Cake for Mardi Gras

2011-03-09T10:11:00.000-08:00

This week is Mardi Gras and although I have never had the opportunity to join the festivities down south, it does not deter my curiousity. After reading and searching for information and a worthy King Cake recipe this is what I found. The King Cake tradition came to New Orleans with the first French settlers and has stayed ever since. Although some of the details have evolved and changed over the years, whoever got the porcelain baby, coin, or bean in their slice of cake would host the party next year.

For the recipe I decided to use a version from Emeril Lagasse. This version is filled with a sweetened cream cheese filling. This King Cake is a yeast cake enriched with egg and butter. So lets begin with the ingredients.

2 envelopes active dry yeast

1/2 cup sugar

1 1/2 sticks butter, melted

1 cup milk (about 110 degrees)

5 egg yolks, at room temp

4 1/2 cups flour

2 tsp salt

1 tsp nutmeg

1 tsp lemon zest

1 tsp oil

1 lb cream cheese, at room temp

3 cups powdered sugar

1 tsp vanilla

5 tbs milk, at room temp

2 tbs lemon juice

Purple, green, and gold sugar sprinkles (purple for justice, green for faith, and gold for power)

king baby, bean or pecan half

1.- Combine the yeast and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook. Add the melted butter and warm milk. Beat at low speed for 1 minute. With the mixer running, add the egg yolks, then beat 1 minute at medium speed. Add the flour, salt, nutmeg, and zest; beat until everything is incorporated. Increase the speed to high and beat until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl, forms a ball, and climbs up the dough hook.

2.- Remove the dough from the bowl. Using your hands, form the dough into a ball. Lightly oil a bowl with the vegatable oil. Place the dough in the bowl and cover with plastic, Set aside in a warm, draft-free place unmtil doubled, about 2 hours.

3.- Meanwhile, make the filling. In a large mixing bowl, combine the cream cheese, vanilla and 1 cup of the powdered sugar. Blend until smooth. Set aside. Line a baking sheet with parchment.

4.- Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and using your fingers, pat it out to a rectangle about 30" x 6". Spread the filling lengthwise over the bottom half of the dough. Flip the top half of dough over the filling and pinch the sides to seal. Shape the dough into a cylinder and shapre into a ring, seam side down on the parchment lined sheet. Insert the bean, baby, or pecan into the bottom of the ring. Cover the ring with a clean cloth and place in a warm, draft-free place. Let the dough rise until it is doubled, about 45 minutes.

5.-Brush the top of the risen cake with 2 tbs of milk. Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven until golden brown, about 25-30 minutes. Remove from oven and cool completely.

6.- Make the icing: Combine the remaining 3 tbs milk, lemon juice, and 2 cups of powdered sugar in a bowl. Stir to blend well. With a rubber spatula, spread the icing evenly over the top. Sprinkle the sugar crystals, alternating colors. Set aside to set up.

This cake yields 22-32 slices depending on how thick it is cut. The cake is wonderful, the nutmeg is delecate, not overpowering. The cream cheese filling is slightly sweet and the addition of vanillia makes it heavenly. I received many compliments from many tasters. It is really not as labor intensive as it sounds. I hope you give it a try. I know I will be making this again soon (but, I'll have to change the colors and its name)!

Old World Braided Coffee Cake

2011-03-01T05:50:00.000-08:00

Wow, a record....three posts over three days! Love it! The March project with the Avid Baker's or "ABC" was Old World Braided Coffee Cake from Flo Braker, Baking For All Occassions. This coffee cake is a traditional enriched yeast cake with a delicious walnut filling. It may look difficult and is definitely impressive. It can be enjoyed any time of day or for any occassion. Lets take a look.

I started with the filling a day early. The recipe calls for ground walnuts (but I am sure almonds, pecans, or macadamia nuts can be used with equal success), sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon, salt, heavy cream, maple syrup, vanilla, and egg whites. Quite a list but don't let that scare you away. Aside from the egg whites the ingredients come together very easily in a food processor. The egg whites are added to the mixture after they are whipped. I put the mixture in the refrigerator overnight.

I don't dabble heavily into yeast based recipes because my success rate is usually 50-50. I know, I know success comes with experience. Ok, I really just want a little better odds! Anyway the chicken that I am would have ran the other way at the sight of the "y" word. Lately however, I embrase them still keeping my fingers and toes crossed though.

The sweet yeast dough ingredients are flour, sugar, yeast, salt, milk, butter, vanilla, and eggs. The instructions are a little different in that the yeast is added to the dry ingredients without proofing first. However, to my suprise and relief it worked.

The most impressive part of this project is forming the coffee cake. When the dough is ready it is rolled into a 16x12 rectangle, divided into three vertical strips by gently poking it with a fork. The filling is spread down the middle section. More strips are cut horizontally into the side flaps. Then one by one alternating sides the strips are folded over the filling. The results are a very impressive braid.

The cake comes out of the oven a beautiful golden color with a delicious aroma. A simple sugar glaze is spread over the top for that added shine. This cake is very good and I surely won't hesitate to make it again. Great choice Hanaa!

Sticky Toffee Pudding

2011-02-28T16:02:00.000-08:00

This week I was able to hop over to the Heavenly Cake Bakers and join in the fun of making Sticky Toffee Pudding. Sticky Toffee Pudding is something I have never made but have it on my radar to try for quite some time. Several (and I mean probably 5 or more) summers ago a popular ice cream maker had a contest to come up with a new flavor. The winner was, yes you guessed it, Sticky Toffee Pudding. Ever since then it has remained on my mind so this was the perfect chance to give it a go.

The dessert is broken down into 3 main components. The first being the spice cake. The batter calls for stout beer, dates (yum, my favorite), butter, sugar, vanilla, eggs, flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg. As always I cut the recipe in half and used a small rectangular Pyrex baking dish. I reduced the oven temperature as per Rose's suggestion and it still took a bit more time than she suggested. No problem though.

The next component is a Butterscotch Toffee Sauce. Here I switched out and used Cinnamon-Honey Carmel Glaze, a recipe from my blogger friend Hanaa, at Hanaas Kitchen. It promised to be a little lighter and included some honey- I was sold! The rest of the ingredients are cinamon, brown sugar, heavy cream, butter, honey, and a little lemon juice. For these directions I'll have to direct you to Hanaa's Kitchen but, it is well worth the trip.

The last component to this lovely dessert is some lightly whipped creme fraiche (I used lightly sweetened heavy cream) and some pecans. To put this all together is a snap. Cut a square of the warm spiced, moist cake drizzled with the lovely, silky smooth Caramel Glaze. Top it off with a dollop of whipped cream and sprinkle with pecans. What is not to like!

All I can say about this is "Oh my this is devine!" Hope you get the opportunity to try some. Let me know what you think!

The Daring Bakers' Challenge for February 2011

2011-02-27T12:52:00.000-08:00

The February 2011 Daring Bakers' challenge was hosted by Mallory from A Sofa in the Kitchen. She chose to challenge everyone to make a Panna Cotta from a Giada De Laurentis recipe and Nestle Florentine Cookies. As soon as I saw this challenge I couldn't help but smile. Panna Cotta or "cooked cream" is one of my honey's favorites. It is light and creamy and simply delicious in any flavor. Topped with a fruit jam, fresh fruit, or gelee it's over the top good!

The recipe that Mallory suggested is from Giada De Laurentis and is my favorite "go to" recipe as well. The ingredients list is short: milk, powdered gelatin, heavy cream, honey, sugar, and a pinch of salt. For the directions I'll let you visit Mallory's blog or one of my fellow Daring Bakers blogs, or you can go back to my post from June 2010. I chose to top mine with some fruite gelee using blueberries that I had been saving in the freezer for just this sort of occassion. I also decided to try some of Mallory's suggested coffee gelee too. I couldn't decide which I liked best. Oh well, I'll just have to keep tasting. :)

The next part of the challenge was to make Nestles's Florentine Cookies. I have made many a cookie in my day but, never a florentine cookie using oatmeal. That's right something healthy....as in oatmeal, and fiber. Oh and a chocolate filling too. We all know how good chocolate is for us!

The cookie dough came together easily and baked up nice and chewy. I had some chocolate ganache from a previous project so I used it to fill the florentines. A wise choice if I do say so myself. These cookies were addicting!

Overall, this was a very tasty challenge. My honey was happy as were my other taste testers. Thank you Mallory for presenting this challenge.

Linzers for Valentine's Day!

2011-02-14T10:29:00.000-08:00

What better day to bake up a batch of seductive, deliciously addictive linzer cookies! Actually, I don't need a special day to whip these pretty little cookies up. Linzers can be just as yummy whether they are 2" or 4" in diameter. The nut flour used in the cookie batter can be almond, walnut, hazelnut, or pecan.The jam filling can be absolutely any flavor you want. They are fun and that's why I love these so much. They are also one of the most asked for cookie in my arsenal. Since it is a special day and I know you want to get going we'll get right to my easy recipe.

Raspberry Linzers:

3/4 cup butter

1/2 cup sugar

1 egg

1/2 tsp lemon zest

1 1/2 cup finely ground almonds

1 cup cake flour

1 1/4 cup flour

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/8 tsp salt

1/2 tsp cinnamon

Jam

Powdered sugar

Cream the butter with the paddle attachment (minimally). Add sugar and cream a bit more. Add egg, lemon zest, vanilla, and mix,. Add the nuts; mix well. Stir the remaining ingredient together and add to the butter-nut mixture. Form into a 6" disk, wrap with plastic and chill.

Roll out the dough to 1/8" thick on lightly floured surface or between two peices of parchment (preferred method). Cut with 2-4" round cutter. Cut the center out of half the cookies in whatever shape you desire (round, heart, flour, letter....you get the idea). Chill again for about 20 minutes.

Line cookies sheets with parchment, silicone matt, or silpat. Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 12-14 minutes, or just until the edges are golden. Cool completely.

Using a strainer sprinkle the cookie tops only with powdered sugar. Add a small amount of jam (too much will sqeeze out the sides when you take a bite) to the bottom halves and cover with sugared tops. Add a drop to fill the center cut out if necessary.

Well, that's it! Simple, right and a wonderful alternative or as a complimentary partner to chocolate.

Hope you enjoy some time with your special sweetie!

Date Nute Bread

2011-02-08T13:22:00.000-08:00

One of my favorite foods is.... am I that predictable? Yes, it is the wonderful date. I have made several posts over the past year with the date as the star attraction. Well, nothing takes me back to childhood than thoughts of Date Nut Bread. Anyone out there remember Thomas' brand Date Nut Bread? Well, I loved it smeared with cream cheese. Ooooo yeah! I have been searching but, now I found it! A recipe for it, a perfect recreation. So I won't tease you anymore. 1 cup boiling water 1 cup chopped dates 1 tbs butter 1/4 cup dark brown sugar 1/4 cup molasses 2 tsp vanilla 2 eggs 1/2 cup All-purpose flour 1/2 cup whole wheat flour 1 1/2 tsp baking powder 1/4 tsp baking soda 1/2 tsp salt 3/4 cup coarse chopped walnuts

1.- In a bowl, pour the hot water over the dates and butter. Stir and let stand until lukewarm.

2.- In a food processor, puree 1/2 of the date mixture to a paste. Stir paste back into the date bowl.

3.- Add brown sugar, molasses, vanilla and eggs. Mix until combines. Add the walnuts.4.- In another bowl, sift the flours, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and pour in the date mixture. Stir until well combined. Pour the mixture into a buttered and parchment lined loaf pan (9x5).

5.- Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 50-55 minutes until the tester pick comes out clean. Remove from the oven and allow to cool in the pan at least 30 minutes before turning out. Optional: Brush the top with honey while still warm. This is the closest I have been able to find to my old favorite. Let me know what you think of this version. And if you want to share your old favorites, please do.

Caramel Chocolate Cream Pie & the Avid Baker's Challenge

2011-02-01T09:54:00.000-08:00

The "Avid Baker's Challenge?! Yes, this month I joined this fine group of bakers and will continue to bake along with them, positing on the first Tuesday of each month. We are baking from Flo Braker's "Baking for All Occasions". It is not my first experience with Flo Braker. I have been baking from her book, "Sweet Miniatures" for at least 8 years. It contains many of my favorites, so I expect "Baking for All Occasions" to be wonderful as well. Sounds like it will be great fun and my first project with them was just that.

I am not a chocolate fanatic, definitely not a big fan of pudding (the box type), or pies really. But, I am a fan of an occasional piece high quality chocolate and anything creamy and smooth and a buttery, flakey home-made crust! This project contained all of that so I did not hesitate to accept this challenge. The Caramel Chocolate Cream Pie has 5 components: a buttery flakey crust, a layer of smooth, amber caramel, topped with a deliciously creamy chocolate pudding, garnished with sweetened whipped cream and toffee pieces (definitely not your mother's pudding pie!). Mouth watering yet? As you know I don't share recipes from my challenges. I am hoping to entice you enough to purchase the book for yourself. You won't be disappointed. So let me share this experience as best I can with you now.

The first component to prepare was a flakey, buttery crust. Now I am sure you have your favorite just as I do. Since Flo's recipe contained vegetable shortening ( I have an allergy to soy) I had to resort to my favorite this time (sorry Flo). But the balance of the ingredients remained the same. Flour, sugar (just a bit), salt, butter, and ice water. I let the crust chill overnight to insure optimal flakiness. Then I rolled out the dough cut circles and fit them into 4" tartlet pans. If you know me then you know I like individual size desserts (neater and more impressive when giving some away). The instructions required the shell to be fully cooked, or blind baked.

The next component is a caramel layer. For this the ingredients are: milk, butter, and heavy cream. Like most of the projects we bake technique is important and often it is as simple as keeping watch over a pot. I don't find that caramel is difficult unless I am not keeping a close vigil. There is a very fine line between just right and burnt when it comes to caramel. When the caramel has cooled for about 45 minutes pour a layer into the cooked shells, and let cool completely.

The real star of this show is the chocolate pudding. I used a Callebaut semi-sweet here along with the milk, egg yolk, sugar, corn starch, salt, butter, and vanilla. I think the most important step here is to pour the pudding through a fine sieve to insure a very smooth pudding. Covering the surface of the pudding with plastic wrap will prevent a skin from forming (believe me you do not want that on top of this little gem). It now needs to chill for 3-4 hours.

The next 2 components are the garnishes. I have the most wonderful toffee recipe so instead of purchasing toffee bits I made some. Here is my favorite, simple recipe for toffee:

1 stick of unsalted butter

1 cup sugar

1/2 tsp vanilla

1/4 tsp salt

1 cup almonds (or other nut), optional

Foil line a 12"x7" baking sheet. Arrange almonds evenly (or not) on the bottom. In a heavy saucepan combine butter, sugar, vanilla, & salt. Cook over medium high heat stirring constantly with a clean, dry wooden spoon until butter is melted. Continue cooking about 5 minutes or until candy is the color of unblanched almonds. Immediately and quickly pour candy, without scrapping the pot, over the prepared pan &/or nuts. Cool completely. Remove from foil, break into pieces and set aside.

Now back to Flo's recipe. The next and final component is a sweetened whipped cream. I know you can do this! Use heavy cream, powdered or granulated sugar, vanilla and some cognac or other brandy. Yum! When you are ready to serve top the pie or tartlets, as in my case with some whipped cream and sprinkle with some of the toffee bits.

Phew! Sounds like alot of work but, it really isn't if you do one component at a time and build the dessert up as you go. The end result is a very tasty, grown up dessert. Thank you Haana I had fun with this one!

The Daring Bakers January 2011 Challenge!!!

2011-01-27T05:32:00.000-08:00

The January 2011 Daring Bakers' challenge was hosted by Astheroshe of the blog accro. She chose to challenge everyone to make a Biscuit Joconde Imprime to wrap around an Entremets dessert. The real task here is to making the joconde wrap properly in a beautiful molded dessert presentation.

What is a joconde, you ask? Basically, it is the outside cake wrapper of a dessert. I've seen it before, admired it on other blogs but, never really knew how to do it. So this was my perfect chance to try my hand at it. My version of this dessert consists of several components: the joconde sponge and decor paste, chiffon cake base, mocha bavarian cream filling, and chocolate ganache topping. Yes, this is not something you do when pressed for time.

The first up was the decor paste. I chose to make a vertical stripe with the chocolate decor paste (not too creative the first time around). The ingredient list consisted of butter, powdered sugar, egg whites, cake flour, cocoa powder. This very thick batter is spread paper thin on a silpat. I used a pastry comb to make the vertical stripes. You can make squiggles with your fingers, zig zags, wood grain, dots, letters, or words. You can do this in chocolate as I did or tint the yellow version of the batter whatever color you want. My imagination is running wild for the next time...back to the task. The silpat is placed in the freezer to chill.

Next up is the joconde sponge. This calls for almond flour or meal, powdered sugar, cake flour, whole eggs and whites, sugar, and butter. This sponge is very much like the cake I use when doing a roulade cake. This is the easy part and the batter comes out light and fluffy. It spreads easily over the chilled paste design, then baked. Not bad so far, right? The cake is cooled approximately 15 minutes and inverted onto a powdered sugar parchment paper. The silpat is gently removed and wow! The cake is cut into 2" strips and used to line molds. This is where you can again be as creative as you wish. I used 3" PVC pipe cut to 3" high so that I would have individual sized desserts. There is enough joconde to make about 8 this size.

Then I made a speckled chocolate chiffon cake for a base. I cut the cake into a 1" layer and then used a 2.25" round cutter to cut disks. I pressed the disks carefully into the bottom of the ring. Next I prepared a silky Mocha Bavarian Cream (marthastewartweddings.com) for the filling. The recipe is as follows:

6tbs cold water

2 envelopes unflavored gelatin

2 cups milk chocolate-expresso creme anglaise, room temp

2 tsp coffee extract or instant expresso

3 cups heavy cream, whipped to medium peaks

Put the cold water into a heat proof bowl, and sprinkle with the gelatin. let soften 5 minutes.

Set bowl over a pan of simmering water, and whisk until dissolved. Add half the creme anglaise, and whisk to combine. Whisk in remaining creme anglaise, then coffee.

Chill until cooled over an ice bath or in the refrigerator until the mixture begins to thicken. Whisk in one-third of the whipped cream, then fold in the remaining cream in 2 batches. It is now ready to pipe or spoon into your molds. Please the molds into the refrigerator to set up completely.

Then I made a smooth chocolate ganache and poured it over the top of the dessert. Back in the refrigerator to set up.

This dessert is best served at room temperature. Don't let the number of steps scare you away. The nutty texture of the joconde is delightful. The look is simply elegant. Martha Stewart's bavarian cream is silky smooth delicious. The chocolate ganache melts in your mouth. This is a great dessert to test your skills and learn a new technique. Thank you Astheroshe for pushing me into something new.

Genoise Tres Cafe

2011-01-24T15:55:00.000-08:00

I had the opportunity to bake with the Heavenly Cake Bakers this week and the project was Genoise Tres Cafe! Coffee isn't my most favorite of flavors but my hubby likes it and I didn't want to fall too far behind besides we were having guests so it was a good opportunity. The last time I attempted a genoise I found it to be a bit dry. Some of my fellow bloggers suggested that perhaps I didn't use enough of the simple syrup to moisten the cake. So I listened this time (see...sometimes I really do listen) and well......let's start from the top!

The genoise for this project called for beurre noisette (remember, that's browned butter..yum!!!) which is really why I didn't hesitate. Also in attendance was vanilla, eggs, superfine sugar and Wondra flour (I substituted cake flour). Rose suggested adding coffee extract or instant expresso which will eventually give you the "Tres" in "Tres Cafe". But, I decided to skip that part thus allowing the beurre noisette to stand out.

The next component was to be coffee syrup. This of course I did with sugar, water and instant expresso powder. I followed Rose's directions this time and soaked the bottom of the cake and the top of the cake with all of the syrup. If you look closely at the next photo you can see the syrup line.

The third component was a Mocha Whipped Ganache with chocolate, instant coffee powder, heavy cream and vanilla. This took me three tries to get and I still don't think it was perfect. Here is the directions: In a food processor, process the chopped chocolate with the coffee powder, until very fine. Scald the cream. With the processor running add the cream through the feed tube. Process until smooth. Scrape the mixture into the bowl of the mixer and chill 50-60 minutes. Stir the bowl 3 or 4 times, it will start to thicken as it chills. Do not allow the mixture to get too cold or it will thicken too much to whip. Well, of course this was try one- too thick to whip. So I warmed it again and chilled it again (much less time but I was making a smaller amount so that makes sense). Next using the whisk attachment whip the ganache on medium speed until it lightens...don't over beat or it will become grainy. Ok this was try #2, it was grainy. So again I warmed it and chilled it. This time I was very careful. I still don't think it was perfect. In any case I frosted the cake, chilled and served.

This genoise was definitly better than my last attempt. I do believe the beurre noisette AND using the proper amount of syrup made all the difference. The ganache just melted in your mouth.

And the coffee flavor wasn't over-powering. As you can see I made a smaller cake cutting everything in half. In spite of the size, amount of coffee flavor, failed attemps at making the whipped ganache, it was a very nice cake enjoyed by all.

Bread Baking and the Biscuit

2011-01-18T05:33:00.000-08:00

It used to be that I was terrified of yeast. I would veer as far from it as I possible could but, I realized that I was truly missing something special. So I started to dabble, using it here and there in sweet and savory applications. I'm not alway successful so I know I still have a long way to go. Yet, how will I ever become confident if I don't jump in, right?!

First let me take you back a bit. Several years ago like 8 (!!!), I purchased Rose Levy Beranbaum's "The Bread Bible". My intensions were to jump in and start baking bread on a regular basis. But, upon receipt I was further humbled. This book is sooo big and has sooo much detail that along with my lack of yeast confidence I was intimidated. Thus the book remained on my shelf unopened and unappreciated. Over the holiday I reached for it again. It was time.

The first recipe I chose was a simple one (no yeast yet) but a start. Butter biscuits, the ingredient list is short but the results are delicious! Butter (cold of course), flour (a combination of all-purpose and cake), sugar (just a little), hard cooked eggs (can you see the yellow speckles?), and heavy cream. I worked it all by hand and was very pleased with the batter. The rolling, cutting and baking procedure was typical. Rose uses this recipe for strawberry shortcake but I used it as a side with a slow cooked beef stew (of course I didn't think to get a picture of everything together, geez!). The biscuits were tender and very flavorful. Thes biscuits are a very delicious first step in a series of many into the world of bread baking.

Anyone wanting to join in this adventure just let me know!

"The" Cake!

2011-01-11T05:20:00.000-08:00

Phew....what a holiday season! I hope you enjoyed them as much as I did. So many dishes and platers of yummy sweets. So, where are the photos? Well......only "the" cake made it into my camera.

Before going out on holiday I teased you with a picture of the topper now you can see the rest. As I mentioned in my previous post this cake was for my niece who graduated from the Police Academy. Hence the hat, duh! I wanted to contrast the seriousness and dedication that the hat implies with her girly side.

The hat is made of rice krispie treats covered with fondant and embellished with gum paste details.The texture on the fondant ribbon achieved with a small textured roller. I just love that detail. The white of the box was created with a mixture of pearl luster and vodka. The flowers, my first attempt, are made from gum paste. Oh yeah I need to practice more!

Although there are many imperfections which I am sure you can see, I learned more.

But, the bottom line is.........she loved it and I had fun!

Happy Holidays 2010!

2010-12-21T10:42:00.001-08:00

I just wanted to stop in and wish everyone a Happy Holiday. Like you I have been knee deep in a "to do" list. But, I thought it would be nice to give you a sneak peek at the topper for a special cake I am making for my neice. It is to be delivered on Christmas Eve two states away! I can, I can, I can, I know I can (I hope)! Anyway enjoy your holiday, stay safe and stay tuned for more on "the cake"!

Maple-Pecan Medjool Date Rugelach

2010-12-07T05:35:00.001-08:00

This month the Avid Backer's Challenge was the Eastern European pastry called Rugelach. Rugelach is one of my holiday staples so when the ABC Baking group invited me to bake along this month using a version by Flo Braker, I was thrilled. Although I have been making rugelach for many years now I was looking forward to this challenge for three reasons. First of all, I have never been totally happy with my dough recipe. Second, I have never made rugelach with a date filling. And last but not least I have never tried out any recipes by Flo Braker. Not suprisingly I accepted the challenge with an open yet excited mind. Let's see the results.

Rugelach is traditionally made with a cream cheese pastry dough and this version is no different. However, in the past the pastry dough I used was often quite sticky and seldom flaky no matter how careful I was measuring the ingredients. The instructions suggest using a food processor to mix all the ingredients which makes the blending of ingredients faster therefore the butter and cream cheese stays a little cooler. I found this version to be much less sticky and much more flaky. Yay!

There are many different fillings for rugelach. I typically us a layer of jam (apricot or raspberry), sprinkled with raisins or currants, walnuts, brown sugar and cinnamon. There are however many more fillings to choose from such as- chocolate filling, prune filling and this date version. Flo Braker uses a mixture of brown sugar, cinnamon, and maple syrup, with chopped pecans and quartered dates. Now if you know me you will expect my brain to go into overdrive and make another filling using the same ingredients. Well, you would be correct. The picture above right is true to the recipe. The next photo on the left will show a second version. For this version of filling I will share my recipe.

Ingredients:

7 oz dried pitted dated; chopped

1/3 cup sugar

1/2 cup orange juice

1 tsp zest of orange

1/8 tsp cinnamon

Place all ingredients in a saucepan. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer and cook for 10 minutes, until most of the liquid is absorbed. Put mixture in a processor and puree. Set aside to cool.

The usual procedure for assembling the rugelach is to roll out a portion of the dough into a 8" circle. Cut into 12 pie-like sections. For Flo's version the wedges are brushed with maple syrup, sprinkled with brown sugar, and chopped pecans. A section of date is place at the top and the wedge is rolled. For my alternate version I brushed with the maple syrup, spread the pureed dates over the section, sprinkled with chopped pecans and rolled. The cookies are then baked until golden brown. After the come out of the oven s glaze of powdered sugar, maple syrup and hot water is brushed over the tops. They are then dipped into chopped pecans. Allow the cookies to cool completely.

I happily found Flo Braker's version of the cream cheese pastry to be more flaky and delicious than the version I have been using. The date filling no matter which version you choose are both heavenly. I had two volunteer tasters that replied only with big smiles and gentle moans. I found Flo Brakers recipe to be supreme! I will replace my old stand-by for this version when preparing this season's holiday rugelach.

If you have the opportunity to bake Rugelach don't miss it.

The Daring Bakers Crostata

2010-11-30T15:01:00.000-08:00

The 2010 November Daring Bakers' challenge was hosted by Simona of briciole. She chose to challenge Daring Bakers' to make pasta frolla for a crostata. She used her own experience as a source, as well as information from Pellegrino Artusi's Science in the Kitchen and the Art of Eating Well.

As soon as I read through the challenge I was thrilled. I make tarts often for family and friends and they are always met with big smiles. For this go around I couldn't decide if I wanted to use fruit or pastry cream so I figured I would make them as tartlets and prepare both! Good idea, right?

Simona provided two versions of pasta frolla to choose from so I chose the nut-free version for "J". The ingredients similiar to a pate sucree with the inclusion of lemon zest was a breeze to prepare and could easily be made ahead.

The filling choices were fruit preserves, pastry cream or any other of our choice!

The first filling I prepared was a small batch of pear compote:

Ingredients:

375 grams pears peeled, halved, cored, cut into 1/2" cubes

62 grams sugar

1tsp vanilla

50 ml of apriot brandy or water

1tsp lemon juice

Place all ingredients in a saucepan. Cover with a parchment round with a vent hole, over low heat, cook stirring occasionally. The compote is finished when the pears are translucent and the liquid is evaporated. Set aside until needed.

The second filling I prepared was a small batch of vanilla pastry cream:

Ingredients:

1 cup milk

1/3 cups sugar

2 tbs corn starch

3 yolks

1 tbs butter, softened

1 tsp vanilla

1 tbs apricot brandy or liqueur

Combine 3/4 cup milk and the sugar in a medium saucepan. Stir to disolve the sugar, then place over medium heat and bring to a boil. Pour remaining milk into a 1 qt bowl and whisk in the corn starch, then yolks. Temper 1/3 of the hot milk mixture into the egg mixture stirring constantly. Returm the remaining milk to medium heat and bring to a boil. With a hand whisk pour the egg mixture into the milk in a steady stream. The pastry cream will begin to thicken. Continue whisking until the pastry cream comes to a boil, careful not to scorch the sides. Cook for 1 minute. Remove from the heat. Add the butter, vanilla, and brandy; whisk until smooth.

Pour into a bowl and cover with plastic directly on surface of cream so as not to form a skin. Set aside to cool.

After the pasta frolla has chilled it is ready to roll out and fill the desired pan. The filling is added and the final step is making a lattice top using the left over dough. A short stay in the oven and voila!

This was a welcome challenge and the timing was perfect for the holiday. Thank you Simona!

Butternut-scotch Pudding & Ginger Cake

2010-11-17T12:12:00.000-08:00

I love the autumn; its colors, warm & spicy flavors, apples, wood fires, Halloween, Thanksgiving, and cool crisp air. It's a time when I like to experiment with new recipes before I get started on the holiday baking. Always looking for something new and special to share with family, friends and neighbors. This past weekend I tried out two new items: a pudding and a cake that looked so special I could hardly wait for them to cool before digging in.

Pudding is not something I would go out of my way for until I saw this one. Butternut squash is one of my favorites, it is sweet on its own and can be used as a side dish in many forms, or as a soup. This is the first time I've come across a dessert recipe with butternut squash as the main attraction. It truly conveys "comfort" to me and is perfect for a crisp autumn day.

Adapted from Bron Marshall

Ingredients:

3/4 cup brown sugar

3 tbs corn starch

1 cup roasted butternut squash; pureed

2 cups half & half

pinch of salt

3 egg yolks

1 tsp vanilla

2 tbs butter

In a small bowl stir together the brown sugar and corn starch. In a medium bowl combine the squash, half & half, brown sugar mixture, pinch of salt, and egg yolk. Blend with an immersion blender (or do this in a blender) until smooth. Pass through a strainer into a medium saucepan.

Cook the mixture over medium heat whisking constantly until thick and bubbly. Lower heat and continue cooking a minute or two until thick but pourable. Pass through a strainer and add the vanilla and butter. Stir until the butter has melted. Cover the top with plastic directly on the surface to avoid a skin from forming. Refrigerate until cold. Easy!!

Gingerbread Cake, well doesn't that say spicy all on its own. Moist, tender crumb, warm or at room temperature it was calling me. And wouldn't this go well with the pudding?!!

Adapted from Tish Boyle

Ingredients:

3 cups flour

1 1/2 baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

2 tsp ground ginger

1 1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp nutmeg

1/8 tsp ground cloves

1/2 tsp salt

10 tbs butter, softened

1 cup sugar

1 egg + 1 yolk

1/2 cup sour cream

1 tbs vanilla

1 tbs grated fresh ginger root

3/4 cup mild molasses

1 1/4 cup very hot water

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Grease the bottom & sides of a 9" square baking pan, dust with flour.

Sift the dry ingredients into a bowl and set aside. Whisk to combine well.

In the bowl of a mixer, using the paddle attachemnt, beat the butter until creamy. Gradually add the sugar and beat until light, about 2 minutes. Beat in the egg and yolk one at a time, scraping down the sides as needed. Beat in the sour cream, vanilla and grated ginger. Add the molasses and beat for another minute. Add the dry ingredients at low speed, mixing just until blended. Carefully add the hot water and beat until smooth. Pour into the prepared pan. Bake 50-60 minutes until the toothpick comes out clean. Serve warm or at room temperature. Top with whipped cream if desired.

These two recipes we a good find. They are a perfect ending to a perfect autumn day. Hope you give them both a try!

Apple Upside-Down Cake

2010-11-16T05:43:00.000-08:00

Whenever given a choice I use apples. Such a light, delicate, sweet, sometimes tart flavor. Never have I ever not liked something made sweet or savory with apples. And then there are so many varieties to choose from! I have my favorites for pie, others for tarts, and still more for apple sauce and savory applications. This week the Heavenly Cake Bakers left the choosing to the bakers and of course it was Apple Upside-Down Cake for me. Since I am already late to post, without further delay lets dive into this gem.

The project breaks down into 2-3 components. The first being the bottom or shall I say the topping. Rose's recipe calls for brown sugar, lemon juice, butter, apples of course and walnuts (although I had to delete the nuts for "J"). All of the ingredients are mixed together save the butter and some of the brown sugar to mingle together and release some delicious juices. The butter and brown sugar are cooked together to make some caramel. The apples are arranged on the bottom of the cake pan with caramel and juices poured over the top. Simple as 1-2-3. As you can see however, I didn't quite get enough of the juices. I will have to change out the Cortland apples for a juicier variety next time. So make a note of this. I was not totally happy with using brown sugar in place of white sugar here either. I felt that the molasses over shadowed the apple a little. Next time I would use white sugar so that the apples shine through.

The next step is the cake batter. I can tell you straight out that with the inclusion of sour cream this batter was very smooth and that it was delicate, buttery, and had a small crumb.

The third component as you can see I omitted. It was a Bourbon flavored whipped cream garnish. Have to watch the waistline sometimes!

Overall all my tasters enjoyed this cake as did I. It was easy to like and went well with coffee and a glass of milk. I know I will do this cake again with the small changes I mentioned. Hope you give it a try too and let me know if you change the fruit.

Sweet Potatoe & Date Cake with Caramel Sauce

2010-11-11T05:32:00.000-08:00

There is something about dates that I simply can't resist. Maybe its the intense sweet, or perhaps the sticky, smooth texture. I'm not sure but, anytime I see a recipe that calls for dates I am surely going to try it. I spotted this recipe on Bron Marshall's blog several months ago and set it aside for just that moment when I could whip it up. Then when fellow blogger and fellow Heavenly Cake Baker, Haana mentioned that she too had a love for dates, I just knew I had to share this find, so here we go Haana!

Ingredients:

1 cup sweet potatoes; cooked & pureed until smooth

1 cup dried dates; pitted & chopped

3/4 cup brown sugar

3/4 cup boiling water

75grams soft butter

1 tsp baking soda

1tsp vanilla

2 eggs

1 1/2 cups flour, sifted

2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp cardamon

Line a 9" square cake pan with parchment or use a greased & floured muffin pan. Preheat oven to 356 degrees.

In a bowl place the chopped dates, brown sugar, boiling water, and butter. Let stand for at least 15 minutes while the butter melts and the dates swell.

Stir the date mixture and add the baking soda. Stir to combine, the mixture should foam up. Add the sweet potatoe, eggs, and vanilla. Fold in the flour, cardamon, and baking powder.

Pour the batter into the baking vessel of choice and smooth the top. Bake for 35-50 minutes, or until the skewer comes out clean.

Caramel Sauce (optional):

3/4 cup sugar

3/4 cup cream

pinch of salt

In a clean dry saucepan place the sugar and heat over medium heat until it begins to melt. Gently swirl the pan to get even color. As soon as it is golden remove from the heat and carefully add the cream. Be cautious, it will bubble up and release alot of steam at the beginning. Stir carefully. Add the salt and let stand until it cools.

Pour it over the cake and allow to soak in. I found this to be wonderfully moist, flavorful, soft,and not overly sweet in spite of the carmel sauce. The dates are soft, sticky and oh so marvelous. Hope you give it a try and enjoy it as much as I did!

Swedish Pear & Almond Cream Cake Rerun

2010-11-08T11:47:00.000-08:00

When I saw that this weeks project with the Heavenly Cake Bakers was the Swedish Pear & Almond Cream Cake that I did in error on May 31th I was glad. Since this is a wonderful multi-purpose cake as is I couldn't help but wonder how it would taste if I changed the fruit. Having this opportunity to bake it again I thought instead of pears I would try apples. This recipe is set up in the usual easy to follow multi component format that I love so much. So let us get going.

The first component to prepare is the almond cream. Almond cream is one of those mixtures that can and should be tried out different ways. I use it as a middle layer in apple, pear, and blueberry tarts or tartlets, as a spread on brioche (just spread and brown under a broiler), and now as a component of a "coffee" cake. It is simply a mixture of almond paste, sugar, butter, flour (or cornstarch), egg, and vanilla (of course). All ingredients go together quickly in a food processor and can be frozen (up to a month) for later use or stored in the refrigerator for 1 week.

The next component to prepare is the batter. This batter contains sour cream (ooooh the promise of a creamy smooth batter), cake flour (ahhh, delicate crumb), butter, sugar, vanilla, egg, and the leavenings. And lets not forget the pears (or shall I say apples in this run) sliced thinly and sprinkled with lemon juice.

The batter is spread in a greased and floured bundt pan. A 1/2" depression is made around the middle of the batter where the almond paste is spooned. Top the with the thinly sliced pears or apples and it is ready to bake.

There is two things I learned from this rerun. The first is that while some batches of cakes or cookies can be cut in half and baked in smaller pans, this is not one of them. Although the finished cake was still delicate, light, small crumb and wonderful in its vanilla-apple flavor, I was left with the desire for more. More cake that is- the piece was just too short! Therefore, I would not reccomend cutting the batch size but rather go for a SLIGHTLY smaller pan for a higher cake. The other thing I learned was- pears or apples this is a wonderful addition to anyones favorites list.

Hope you enjoyed!

P.S.- I would also consider some cinnamon if I was to do the apple again :)

The Bostini

2010-11-01T03:37:00.000-07:00

The very moment I laid eyes on the Bostini I couldn't wait to make it. What can be better than an orange chiffon cake sitting in vanilla bean pastry cream sauce with chocolate glaze spilling ovr the top? I for one could think of nothing (at the moment that is). Well, this week the Heavenly Cake Bakers all set out to do this project. I can't wait to surf around to my fellow bakers blogs to see the various results. So, without further delay lets break this one down into 3 components; the cake, pastry cream, and glaze and get going.

The cake derives it wonderful orange flavor from fresh orange zest and fresh squeezed orange juice, The tender crumb is due to the cake flour I am sure. And the ethereal texture of this wonderful cake is certainly due to the meringue that is carefully blended into the batter. I was very pleased with the results of this cake from start to finish. No dryness with this cake.

The vanilla bean pastry cream sauce was the next component to be prepared. Made from milk, yolks and a single whole egg, vanilla bean (of course), sugar, salt and heavy cream. There is nothing not to like about this pastry cream. Simple to prepare, creamy texture, and unbelievable vanilla flavor.

My family are not big fans of chocolate and I didn't want to over power the light flavors of the cake and cream, so I went very light on the chocolate glaze. It was easy to prepare with butter and chocolate. Slowly melted into each other and poured over the top before cooling.

The sight of this beautifully presented dessert had the whole family antsy to try it out. We were all delighted with the Bostini. The only draw back is that it was gone as soon as the photo shoot was done!!!

Going Donuts with the Daring Bakers

2010-10-27T10:09:00.000-07:00

The October 2010 Daring Bakers challenge was hosted by Lori of Butter Me Up. Lori chose to challenge DBers to make donuts. She used several sources for her recipes including Alton Brown, Nancy Silverton, Kate Neumann and Epicurious. I don't know about everyone else out there but donuts just plain scared me. So this was truly a challenge for me.

Lori gave us quite a number of choices (yeast or cake) and many variations (fillings and toppings) to choose from. Since this was to be my first attempt I chose to make yeast donuts with a coat of cinnamon and sugar. I know it doesn't sound very courageous, but the thought of deep frying without the help of a deep fryer had me very wary from the start.

The ingredients and directions can be found on some of the Daring Bakers blogs if you want to give it a try. The yeast dough was suprisingly easy to assemble and rose nicely. If you have been reading my blog you would know that yeast used to send me running in the opposite direction. However, over time I have come to terms with it simply by making sure the water is at the correct temperature and that the yeast is fresh.

Since I do not have a deep fryer I substituted a deep saucepan filled with oil to the required 3 inches. I used a thermometer and brought the oil to 365 degrees. The fry time was about 1 minute per side. I slid the cooked donuts out onto a rack and let them cool before rolling them in the cinnamon-sugar mixture.

I must admit this challenge was fun and educational for me. Not only did it give me an opportunity to try something never before attemped but, I was able to take the fear out of deep frying. The donuts themselves were very tender and delicious! My family loved them and polished them off before they were totally cooled! Thanks Lori!!!

Chocolate Angel Food Cake

2010-10-25T05:33:00.000-07:00

This week with the Heavenly Cake Bakers it was a Angel Food Cake challenge. Challenge because even though the ingredients list is short and the directions seem easy, don't be fooled. The first few times I tried my hand at Angel Food I failed miserably. However, that was when my stubborn streak kicked in. I wasn't going to give in to something as light and feathery as an Angel Food Cake!

Soon after and many eggs later I realized the key to success with this type of cake is in the meringue. Yup, that would be the egg whites and sugar! And the key to success with meringue is in recognizing when the egg white is at the soft peak stage. Then and only then should the sugar be introduced in a slow and steady stream. After achieving success with your meringue the rest is a matter of following the authors directions. Rose Levy Beranbaum's version of Chocolate Angel Food Cake was easy to follow and.....well you'll see what we thought at the end, so read on.

Ingredients:

superfine sugar (superfine is very important)

cake flour or Wondra flour (I used cake flour)

salt

egg white

cream of tarter

vanilla extract

grated chocolate (I used a semi-sweet)

Directions:

Whisk half the sugar, flour and salt together; set aside. In the bowl of a stand mixer using the whisk attachment, the egg whites and cream of tarter is beaten until soft peaks are foamed.

The balance of the sugar is gradually added with the mixer running on a medium-high speed. Continue beating until stiff peaks form.

Carefully and slowly fold in the dry ingredients. Then fold in the grated chocolate, again careful not to deflate the batter.

Empty the batter into a tube pan and bake on 350 degrees for 25-40 minutes. The last step to success is to turn the cake pan upside down for 1 1/2 hours to cool completely.

There are many ways to finish off an Angel Food Cake. You can simply dust with powdered sugar, drizzle with chocolate, top with ice cream and on and on. My family wanted it simply "as is" for their first taste. We found this cake to be moist, tender, and simply delicious. Perhaps tonight it should sit next to a scoop of ice cream!

Ginger Snaps with a snap!

2010-10-20T07:25:00.000-07:00

I didn't always like Ginger Snaps. I thought they were boring, no challenge, too simple. Then I started to yearn for and test out a Sauerbraten recipe. If you don't know what Sauerbraten is you are truly missing a treat. To put it simply, Sauerbraten is a pickled or sweet & sour pot roast. Don't wrinkle your nose at that description until you've had the pleasure of trying it. This is truly a yummy dish. Anyway, I'm not trying to convince you to try Sauerbraten today so lets continue. The gravy for this dish contains ground ginger snaps which lead me on a quest for the perfect ginger snap. I was looking for a punch of flavor, a little heat and a snap. This is what I found and tweeked to my version of perfection.

Ingredients:

9oz flour

2 tsp baking soda

2 tsp ground ginger

1/2 tsp allspice

1/4 tsp salt

1 stick butter; melted, cooled

1/4 cup molasses

1/2 cup sugar

1/3 cup brown sugar

2 tbs grated fresh ginger

1 egg

1/3 cup finely chopped crystallized ginger

1/2 cup sugar for rolling

Directions:

In a medium bowl combine all dry ingredients; set aside. Combine warm butter, molasses, sugars, fresh ginger in mixer bowl. Mix on medium-high speed until light and fluffy. Add the dry ingredients and chopped ginger; blend just until incorporated. The dough will be soft and should be refrigerated for at least 1 hour. Form dough into 1" balls, roll into the sugar. Bake on a parchment lined baking pan 12-15 minutes in a 350 degree oven. If you like them crisp leave the dough in the refrigerator over night and bake 14-18 minutes. Cool completely on a rack.

Hope you enjoy these as much as we do!

Many-Splendored Quick Bread

2010-10-18T10:15:00.000-07:00

It was nice to bake a quick bread with the Heavenly Cake Bakers this week. Quick bread isn't something I would normally choose to bake but, the addition of carrot & zucchini made this one a little more interesting. The recipe presented in Rose's Heavenly Cakes book looked easy to do so I'll just get on with it.

The ingredients list was a little longer than usual but very nothing odd or hard to get. It included walnuts (for a gentle crunch), oatmeal (fiber-so maybe this is healthy?), banana (moist), oil (which means it will stay soft even straight out of the refrigerator), brown sugar (mmmm, warm flavor), sugar, egg, zucchini, carrot (nice colors), flour, and the usual leavenings. The instructions called for toasting the walnuts which gaves this quick bread much needed flavor.

After making the batter and baking I brushed the top with honey and sprinkled with a sugar-cinnamon mixture. Then allowing the bread to cool I sliced it up and popped a piece right into my mouth. I found the cake to be tender, moist, and colorful. However, I wish I had tasted the batter before baking I would have added some spices. I felt that there just wasn't enough flavor. But, then again if you were in the mood for something simple and not too sweet, this would be nice with tea or coffee.

~Wordless Wednesday #13~

2010-10-13T10:07:00.000-07:00

Apple Tart with an Almond Cream Center

2010-10-11T11:13:00.000-07:00

Phew, what a week it has been! I have returned to reality after spending some quality time with and preparing for a visit from friends. Dale is my very special friend of 47 years! We grew up together, we each had ups and downs; good times and bad times, the births of our children, the loss of loved ones, and battles with cancer. Through it all we remained the best of friends. So this was a special visit from special people that deserved only the best of eats!

The four of us (husbands included- after all they truly complete the "us") baked an Apple Tart, stage it for a photo op and took turns with the camera! Oh and I almost forgot- we ate it...what a bast! Ok, ok, I'm moving on to the yummy part. This tart has several components and is worth all the effort so hang in there. First is an Pate Sucree, then almond cream, an apple compote, and poached apples. So, lets get going!

Pate Sucree or Sweet Dough:

2 cups Flour

1/2 cup sugar

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 tsp baking powder

4 oz butter, cool, 1/2" cubes

2 eggs

Stir together dry ingredients. Add butter cubes; toss to coat. Using your impeccably clean hands rub the butter pieces into the flour. No visible pieces of butter should remain and it should have a sandy appearance. Beat the eggs and pour over the butter mixture. Stir with a fork until evenly moistened. Press together, shape into a flat disk. Wrap in plastic and chill. Remove from refrigerator and blind bake on 350 degrees for 15 minutes. Set aside.

Apple Compote: (sorry about the metrics)

375g peeled, cored, and 1/4"cubes, golden delicious apples

62g sugar

1/2 tsp vanilla

1 tsp lemon juice

50ml water or apple brandy

Place everthing in a saucepan.Cover, place over low heat, and cook, stirring occassionally. The compote is finished when the apples are translucent and the water is evaporated. Set aside.

Almond Cream:

125g butter

125g sugar

125g ground almonds or almond flour

1 egg + 1 yolk

15g corn starch

Add all ingredients to the bowl of a food processor and pulse until thoroughly combined.

Poached Apples:

3 Golden Delicious apples, sliced

1/4 cup sugar

1/4 cup apple brandy

Add all ingredients to a saute pan; cover. Poach just until the fruit has softened. Remove from liquid and set aside to cool.

Assembly:

Spread almond cream evenly over cooled shell. Top with the apple compote. Arrange the slices around the top. Sprinkle with sugar. Bake in a 375 degree oven for 35-40 minutes until the crust is brown and the apple slices are carmelized and tender. I usually brush the top with warm apple jelly to give it a nice shine and keep the apples from drying out.

I hope you have as much fun making and eating this as we did!

Orange Flower Scented Madelines

2010-10-01T07:56:00.000-07:00

Madelines are a diverse, little shell-shape cakes. They are light and delicately flavored, great anytime of day. Madelines are elegant enough to place on the table at a dinner party, tea party, or family gathering. I love these little sweeties and make them in quite an assortment. Today though I flavored the Madelines with orange flower water. So lets get started.

This version is based on a recipe from one of my favorite cookbook authors, Nick Malgieri. The original can be found in "A Bakers Tour" (a great book I highly recommend).

Ingredients:

3/4 cup flour

1/2 tsp baking powder

2 eggs

1/2 cup sugar

2 tsp vanilla

1 tbs orange flower water

5 tbs butter, melted, and cooled

Directions: In a small bowl, combine the flour and baking powder. Set aside.

In the mixer bowl, whisk the eggs until opaque. Then add the sugar in a stream. Whisk in the vanilla and flower water. Whip the mixture until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes.

Add the cooled butter slowly in a stream down the side of the bowl, while the mixer is running. Remove the bowl from the mixer and gently fold in the flour mixture.

Cover the bowl and place in the refrigerator until completely cooled or overnight.

When you are ready to bake the madelines, preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Butter a madeline pan well and chill while waiting for the oven to preheat. Spoon batter into the cavities about 3/4 full. Bake about 10 minutes, the madelines will be slightly golden on the edges and the hump will feel firm when touched gently. Remove from the pan from the oven and the madelines from the pan. Let them cool on a rack.

Madelines can be made in many ways some of which are: chocolate, pumpkin, lemon, vanilla, gingerbread, cinnamon, and on and on. Enjoy them with coffee, tea, milk, or on their own. Have fun with them, I hope you will love these as much as I do.

~Wordless Wednesday #12~

2010-09-29T05:40:00.000-07:00

NYC Green Market

Decorated Sugar Cookies

2010-09-27T05:48:00.000-07:00

The September 2010 Daring Bakers' challenge was hosted by Mandy of "What the Fruitcake?!" Mandy challenged everyone to make Decorated Sugar Cookies based on recipes from Peggy Porchen and The Joy of Baking. "Oh yes!", was my first thought. I don't usually make sugar cookies and never have I ventured into decorating cookies with royal icing. Such a simple project yet a perfect chance to let the inner artist (raised eyebrow) take over.

Mandy requested only two things. First to use the Basic Sugar Cookie recipe provided and second that it must be in the theme of September. So first up is the sugar cookie; butter flour, superfine sugar, egg, and vanilla ( I added a touch of nutmeg to give them a little warmth to go along with the September theme). How easy is that! Yet this sugar cookie had just the right crunch (you know it's all about the crunch!) and lots of buttery goodness. I made the dough and froze it until I had the time to bake it off. The cookie dough was easy to roll out and didn't stick to the parchment (ahh, such a pleasure). After baking I froze the cookies until I had the opportunity to decorate.

Royal icing from scratch (using egg whites instead of meringue powder) is another one of those things that I just not had the opportunity to try out. Royal icing is quick, easy, and actually tasty when almond extract is added to the powdered sugar, lemon juice and egg white. After getting this completed it was time for the best part, the decorating.

The first step before decorating the cookies is to plan it all out. What you want to cover with icing and what colors. Get it all set up and ready; that means bowls for mixing color, bags to hold the icing and tips on the bags. Then outline the area you plan on covering with the tinted royal icing. This creates a dam so to speak. Then thin the icing just a tad so that it will "flood" the area and look smooth. More planning than I originally thought but no worries.

This was really enjoyable and quite relaxing. I learned that first of all and probably most importantly that you cannot be in a rush. And that I need to use a smaller tip for the outline next time. Lastly to keep the outline neat because it shows. Although my decorating wasn't as neat as I invisioned this was a fun project, thank you Mandy.

Orange Date Pinwheels

2010-09-24T05:53:00.000-07:00

The date has been a staple in the Middle-East for thousands of years. The Ancient Egyptians used the date to make wine. It was regarded as a symbol of fertility. They can be eaten as they are or stuffed with nuts or candied fruit. Dates can be used in all types of baking, ice cream, made into wine, and vineagar. The sweet and creamy-like texture of this delectable fruit is one of my favorites. Today in preparation for the visit of a special friend I am making Orange Date Pinwheel. Lets get started!

Filling

10oz of pitted dates chopped

2/3 cup orange juice

3 tbs light brown sugar

1/4 tsp cinnamon

Combine dates, orange juice, brown sugar and cinnamon in a medium saucepan and place over medium heat. Simmer, stirring often for 5-6 minutes until the liquid is absorbed. Remove from heat, cover and let cool. Place in food chopper or food processor and pulse until smooth. Cover and set aside.

Dough 3 1/3 cups flour 3/4 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp cinnamon

3/4 cup butter, room temperature

2/3 cups sugar

2/3 cup light brown sugar

2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla

1 tsp orange zest

Stir together dry ingredients. Place butter in a the mixer bowl and beat until light. Add sugars, eggs, and vanilla, zest, and beat until smooth. Beat until fluffy and well blended. Gradually add the dry ingredients mixing just until incorporated. Wrap dough in plastic and place in refrigerator to chill at least1 1/2 hours or overnight.

To form the pinwheels, roll the dough out on a lightly floured surface into a 12" x 18" rectangle. Spread filling evenly over the surface. Working from the longer end roll up jelly roll style to form a 24" log. Wrap in plastic and chill at least 2 hours. Yes, chill it's worth the extra time. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line cookie sheets with parchment. Using a shap knife slice 1/4" slices from the log. Bake 13-15 minutes until the edges are golden. Remove from oven and cool completely. Keep them in an airtight container no longer than a week or freeze for longer storage. You can substitute drien plums for the dates, they are just as delicious. I hope you enjoy these as much as we do!

Ice Cream Roll + a recipe!

2010-09-22T10:21:00.000-07:00

I've been a little remiss in my posting lately and I feel terrible about it. It's not that I let my life get in the way or that I haven't baked....really. Quite the opposite actually. I've been baking up a storm testing some recipes for an adult pastry class I teach and entertaining house guests. So you know there has been plenty around to photograph. Yet it is disappearing faster than I can set up and snap a photo! So anyway, I made this delicious ice cream roll cake and hide two slices just for you, awww.

This recipe is one of my stand bys and it is one of my most requested. It is easy, versitale, and very forgiving. So lets get down to it.

Ingredients:

1 cup cake flour

1/4 cup cocoa

1 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

3 eggs

1 cup sugar

1/3 cup water

1 tsp vanilla

1/2 gal ice cream (any flavor homemade or store bought)

Heat oven to 375 degrees. Line a jelly roll pan 15x10x1 (approx) with parchment and coat lightly with butter or non-stick spray. Stir together flour, cocoa, baking powder, and salt; set aside.

In a mixer bowl, with the whisk attachment beat the eggs about 5 minutes or until thick and lemon colored. Gradually beat in the sugar. Lower the speed, blend in the water and the vanilla. Gradually add the dry ingredients, beating just until the batter is smooth.

Pour into the pan and spread to the corners. Bake 12-15 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in the center comes out clean. Loosen the cake from the edges; invert on clean piece of parchment sprinkled with powdered sugar. Carefully remove the original parchment. While the cake is still hot, roll cake from narrow end. Cool on wire rack.

Remove ice cream from freezer and place on your counter for 10 minutes then proceed. Unroll cake carefully and spread softened ice cream over cake leaving 2" of the edge opposite you without ice cream. Re-roll cake, wrap with plastic, place in freezer to set up at least 3 hours.

Dust top with powdered sugar before serving.

Remember I said this is versatile. That means change the ice cream flavors, or fill it with a layer of cut up fruit and whipped cream or just whipped cream. If you want a yellow cake just substitute the 1/4 cup of cocoa for 1/4 cup more of cake flour.

Have fun and enjoy!

~Wordless Wednesday #11~

2010-09-22T06:17:00.000-07:00

Autumn

~Wordless Wednesday #10~

2010-09-15T07:10:00.001-07:00

Trash or Treasure

Free Choice- Lemon Meringue Cake

2010-09-13T05:32:00.000-07:00

This week with the Heavenly Cake Bakers it was a free choice. Free choice to me meant something I missed doing which this time meant Lemon Meringue Cake, which was really Lime Meringue Cake, phew! Before I get into talking about this wonderful cake I want to thank Marie at the Heavenly Cake Place for making me, yes me, the featured baker last week. It was an honor, thank you. I must admit that most of what I have baked from Rose's Heavenly Cakes has been very tasty, with easy to follow instructions and I am happy to be a part of this group.

Now, on to this weeks challenge of Lime Meringue Cake. There were three components to this light and airy cake. First the cake of course, a genoise cake with Wondra Flour again (note to self- must get some and try it out). Not my favorite type of cake since it is usually a bit dry. However, there are those times when the cake needs to be a bit drier to support a very moist filling or topping, as in this case. The cake was soft and billowy and easy to put together. Next up is a quick and easy lime simple syrup which btw takes care of most of the dryness in the cake.

The next component is a lemon curd (again lime in my case). Made with silky, golden egg yolks, lime juice, zest, sugar and salt....easy. No suprises here with successful results. However, I did take some liberty here and lighten the finished curd with some whipped cream. This made for a creamy, lighter filling not too over-powering. In one word- lovely.

The final component was a meringue, not just any meringue nope, an Italian Meringue. Italian Meringue is made with a boiling (248-250 degree) sugar syrup poured slowly over the whipped egg whites. This mixture also contained some lime juice, sugar, and cream of tarter. Making meringue can sometimes be a little tricky along with the danger of burning yourself should any of the syrup splatter on you. To avoid this either turn the mixer off when adding the syrup to the egg whites or pour it very carefully down the side of the bowl being mindful not to hit the whip attachment. Whichever you chose take your time with this step or the eggs will deflate and you will not have the cloud-like meringue you so deserve.

Time to assemble and finish this lovely cake. As you can see I cut this recipe in half (which is standard for me)yielding a small cake and a mini-me cake, just enough. I sliced both cakes into 2 layers, brushed the lime syrup on each layer. Then filled the layers with the lightened curd and covered the cakes with the Italian Meringue. Now the part where I feel like the mad scientist.....using my handy torch I slowly, artfully toasted the meringue allowing some of the texture to show up.

Alas, overall I think this is a tasty cake. I like the smooth filling, the flowery flavor of lime, and the light meringue topping. I still feel the the cake is dry. Maybe I am not soaking the layers with enough of the syrup. Anyway, I am hoping a day of rest in the refrigerator will allow all the flavors and moisture to merge more evenly. Am I the only one who thinks genoise cake is too dry? If so what could I use instead?

Golden Round Ingots

2010-09-06T13:34:00.000-07:00

If you visit me often you already know that I make Financiers often so when I saw that this week the Heaven;y Cake Bakers were to make Gold Ingots I paused only for a moment and thought. This meant I would have to deviate from my recipe of choice and try something new. Not such a bad concept so I went for it. However, being the over achiever that I am, not only did I make the Golden Ingots (in the round) but I proceeded to make the Chocolate and Peanut Butter Ingots as well. This proved to be very interesting for me on a few levels. First off the most obvious is that I don't have a loaf shapped silicone pan. Silicone is not my favorite vessel for baking but, I had purchased one many moons ago to experiment with.

The three financiers recipes and my own all call for the same basic ingredients; almond flour, butter, superfine sugar, flour, baking powder, egg whites, and flavoring (vanilla, almond, cocoa, or peanut butter).

The techniques for the three varieties from Rose's Heavenly Cakes along with my recipe of choice were almost the same. Almost I say for two reasons. The first reason is that Rose's directions call for beurre noisette which is what intrigued me from the start. There isn't a recipe that I have tried that does not benefit from browning the butter. This was no exception. The second difference was in making the batter. Specifically in the treatment of the egg whites. In the Gold and the Chocolate Ingots the egg whites are added to the dry ingredients and mixed with a flat beater just to incorporate. In the Peanut Butter Ingots and my recipe of choice, the egg white are beaten first with the whisk attachment. After which the dry ingredients are added and then the butter is added slowly giving the mixture a chance to emulsify. I prefer this procedure and find that it makes for a fluffier batter and a lighter financier.

In the end I found the Golden Ingots to be a little dryer, rougher in texture and not as flavorful as I had expected even though I added extra vanilla. The Peanut Butter and Chocolate Ingots were much more flavorful and moist.

Clearly I will rotate my recipe of choice to include Rose's Chocolate and Peanut Butter versions. Let me know what you think or feel free to share your recipe. Mine can be found in an earlier post if you you want to try it.

Baked Alaska with The Daring Bakers

2010-08-31T05:03:00.000-07:00

The August 2010 Daring Bakers' challenge was hosted by Elissa of 17 and Baking. For the first time, The Daring Bakers partnered with Sugar High Fridays for a co-event and Elissa was gracious hostess of both. Using the theme of beurre noisette, or browned butter, Elissa chose to challenge Daring Bakers to make a pound cake to be used in either Baked Alaska or on Ice Cream Petit Fours. The sources for Elissa's challenge were Gourmet magazine and David Lebovitz's "The Perfect Scoop".

August is a great time for an ice cream challenge and to make it even better this was also a special birthday celebration in our home. Yes, a special day for a special lady who turned 85 and just loves ice cream! As in any flavor any time, so this was just perfect. Baked Alaska is a combination of components; cake , ice cream, and a meringue topping. Elissa's challenge called for a Brown Butter Pound Cake, any flavor ice cream and either a chocolate glaze or meringue topping depending on whether you were finishing it as a Baked Alaska or Petit Four.I chose Baked Alaska for our finished dessert.

Brown butter or beurre noisette is a great way to add a depth of flavor to sweet as well as savory recipes. The nutty flavor can be used over pasta, vegetables, fish, eggs, and more. On the sweet side it can be used in cakes, frosting, cookies, sauces and on and on. To brown butter is simple but you must remain watchful or it will burn. Just put the butter in a saucepan or skillet over medium heat until the milk solids are a toasty golden color. Keep in mind it will continue to cook after removed from the heat. Therefore, I suggest removing the pan at the golden stage.

This pound cake comes out very moist and delicious. The recipes for the cake, ice cream and meringue can easily be found on many of my fellow Daring Bakers blogs.

I chose to make my ice cream strawberry since that is the favorite of the birthday girl. David Lebovitz's recipe is the best I've ever made. With the inclusion of 5 egg yolks the results are creamy, smooth and definitely that which dreams are made of. The meringue is straight forward, quick and easy.

The cake and ice cream can be made in advance and kept frozen until needed. When you are ready simply whip up the meringue,aim and fire your handy dandy blow torch.....and celebrate! This was a fun project and although I am a little late to post it was quick, easy and very yummy!

Happy Birthday Mom and many, many more!

Mini Black and White Cookies

2010-08-25T05:06:00.000-07:00

Another nice recipe came my way via marthastewart.com and my tastebuds were peaked. One of my favorite bakery items is Black and White cookies. I don't frequent bakeries often but, when I do this is the treat I purchase. I have tried over the years to find what I would call the perfect one, but no such luck until now. I made a few minor changes to the original recipe and I believe this one is almost perfect.

Ingedients:

1 1/4 cups flour

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

6 tbs unsalted butter, softened

1/2 cup sugar

1 egg

3/4 tsp vanilla extract

1/3 cup milk

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line baking sheet with parchment. Sift flour, baking soda, and salt into a bowl; set aside. In the bowl of the mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mixbutter until creamy, about 2 minutes. Add sugar; mix until fluffy, about 3 minutes. Mix in egg and vanilla. Mix in flour mixture, alternating with milk.

Roll tablespoons of dough into balls; place them 2" apart on baking sheet. Bake until bottoms are golden, about 10 minutes. Transfer to rack; let cool completely.

Icing ingredients:

1 cup powdered sugar

2 tsp light corn syrup

1 1/4 tsp fresh lemon or lime juice

2 tsp cocoa powder

1/4 tsp vanilla extract

Icing directions:

Whisk powdered sugar, corn syrup, lemon or lime juice, vanilla extract , and one tbs of waterin a smal bowl until smooth. You may need to add a bit more water to achieve a honey-like consistency. Transfer half to another bowl; add cocoa powder. Again you may need a bit more water.Spread white icing on half of each cookie's flat side, and cocoa icing on the other hal; let set 30 minutes.

I hope you enjoy this as much as we did! If you have a great black and white cookie recipe please share with me.

Marionberry Shortcake

2010-08-23T05:07:00.000-07:00

This weekend the very welcomed baking project with the Heavenly Cake Bakers was a Marionberry Shortcake. Fresh fruit on light cake topped with sweetened whipped cream, what's not to like about that! The first challenge in my prep stage turned out to be locating Marionberries. I can tell you with certainity that there isn't a grocer within 40 miles of my home that carries marionberries. No worries though.... I picked up some beautiful raspberries instead.

This recipe easily seperated into three components; cake, filling, and topping. The first component is the shortcake. I must say I expected this to be dry with the small amount of butter and "Wondra" flour. I am happy to say this was not the case. So onward...

The ingredients for this version of genoise is the ever tasty beurre noisette (browned butter for any of you new comers), eggs, sugar, vanilla and Wondra flour. Since I do not use this flour I followed Rose's suggestion and substituted a mixture of cake flour and corn starch. The directions were easy to follow and yielded a nice amount of light and fluffy batter. Here I used a large muffin pan to bake off the 6 individual sized cakes taking only about 20 minutes in the oven. After the cakes cooled completely I trimmed the bottom and top (that stickly layer that forms after cooling). Then proceeded to cut a 1/4" deep cavity for the fruit to rest.

Ah, now the fruit! I really would have liked to find Marionberries since I have never tasted them. But, as mentioned above, no such luck. Anyway, I took the raspberries and added some sugar, covered and let them rest in the refrigerator. This didn't yield as much juice as I would have liked. But once again Rose rescued me with her suggestion to add some Chambord to the muxture. Now this was a nice addition I didn't mind at all!

The last step was to whip up some sweetened whipped cream for the topping (I gave it a little pink tint to match the berry syrup). Now on to assemble then taste of course! Taking one cake at a time the top and bottom was gently brushed with some of the syrup. Next spoon some berries into the pre-cut cavity and top off with whipped cream.

I was very pleased with the results of this project. The cake was light and very tasty (thanks to the browned butter), and the timing for the raspberries was perfect. Overall the finished dessert was very pleasing and satisfying- a success.

Nutella Filled Sandwich Cookies

2010-08-20T16:23:00.000-07:00

Sometimes when the sweet cravings hit and you need something satisfying but not heavy- think Nutella Sandwich Cookies. This recipe is adapted from a recipe found on marthastewart.com. It has quickly become one of my favorites for any reason

These simple yet gratifying cookies will easily fulfill your sweet needs (does this sound like a commercial? Oh my!). The vanilla cookies have just the right crunch and the filling (hmmmm) a smooth chocolate-hazelnut filling. I love hazelnut, don't you? The best part.....ready.......it is quick and effortless to whip up.

Ingredients:

1 cup flour

1/4 cup sugar

1/2 tsp coarse salt

1/4 cup cold unsalted butter

1/4 cup of whole milk

1+1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1 egg yolk

2 tbs sugar

chocolate-hazelnut spread

Directions:Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Pulse flour, sugar and salt in a food processor until combined. Add butter, and pulse until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. With the machine running, pour the milk and vanilla, process until the dough comes together.

If the dough is too soft refrigerate until firm. Then roll the dough between lightly floured sheets of parchment until 1/16" thick. Using a 1 1/2" cutter (whatever shape you want), cut out 30 rounds. Space 1" apart on parchment lines baking sheets Chill in the freezer until firm (about 15min).

Whisk the egg yolk with 1 tsp of water. Brush onto tops of cookies and sprinkle ith sugar. Bake until golden brown, 15-20 minutes. Let cool completely.

Turn over the bottoms and spread with 1 heaping teaspoon of chocolate hazelnut spread. Top with remaining cookies, and give a little twist. Refrigerate until set, about 15 minutes. That's it....yup!

Enjoy! I know we all did!

Strawberry Crumb Bars

2010-08-18T16:55:00.000-07:00

If you visit often you already know that I get inspiration from many sources and for many reasons. I have many wonderful books on my shelves, I like to try some of the recipes from my favorite blogs, I enjoy the challenge of the Heavenly Bakers and the Daring Bakers, and sometimes friends graciously share. The recipe for this project came from one of my favorites blogs, so I won't be writting up this recipe today. Instead I am going to rave about it so much that you won't be able to contain yourself and you will seek it out at Technicolor Kitchen in English.

The reason for this project is that this week I have a partner in the kitchen. She is a very special helper. With old but loving hands. Hands that are going to turn 85 years old on Sunday. So this week we need a small variety of treats for my helper to snack on until her day- a special birthday celebration. But more on that next week.

Back to the baking project at hand. Strawberry Crumb Bars! This is one of those recipes that as soon as it cools and that as the first bite goes in your mouth you know, you just know that this is a keeper. And its versatility lends itself to so many possible variations.

The recipe is in three components. First is a cookie base that bakes up seperately. Sweet but not overy, tender but holds together. A perfect blend of ingredients.

As the base cools the filling can be prepared. This is where it gets exciting. The first time I made this I used a fresh home made blueberry jam. Oh yeah! The second time I made it with a dried plum and orange zest puree. Yum! The third time (pictured here) I used a home made strawberry jam....pure bliss!

The last component is a not too sweet crumb topping and then back in the oven. The finished product is addicting and light, and wonderful. I already know what I will use as a filling the next time I make it!

Let me know if you try it and what you use as a filling!

~Wordless Wednesday #9~

2010-08-18T05:42:00.000-07:00

Busy Bee

Cake Sculpting Workshop

2010-08-16T03:27:00.000-07:00

Yes, it was a most incredible weekend. I never thought I would have the opportunity to attend a workshop so close to home. Never thought I would be attending a workshop taught by the infamous Colette Peters either! But, there it was advertised in our local paper and only 20 minutes away! I was beyond excited if that could be possible.

I've worked with fondant a few times in the past but nothing as intricate, or detailed as I would have liked. So my goal was to takes notes and pick up as many techniques as I possibly could in the three-day workshop.

So first up was carving the cakes (for our purposes the cakes were foam cylinders or squares) and learning the importance of correct dowel placement. The key to a structurally sound cake is balanced and dowels.

I kept my focus on technique of the details rather than going for the crazy crooked cake structure. Using 4 cakes and three three sizes I carved a tapered cylinders and made a donut shape. I was amazed at the ease of attaching the fondant to these shapes when using a high quality, moist fondant. And even more amazed that all fondant doesn't need to taste nasty.

The details on the cake are in gum paste and royal icing. I tinted with powered food coloring for the intense black on the top tier then marbled a soft violet for the rounded donut. The detail on the leaves is from a press that made them look amazingly life-like. The bottom is painted for an antiqued look. The gum paste pearls are painted with pearl dust and lemon extract. The round/donut shape is quilted and detailed with simple hand tools. The ribbon around the hat is ribbed with a rolling pin. The beads on the hat are threaded onto floral wire as is the little daisy. The button detail on the ribbon is brush embrodery.

This was an amazing class thanks to a very talented instructor. The cake and experience will stay with me for many years to come.

~Wordless Wednesday #8~

2010-08-11T06:44:00.001-07:00

Ahhhhh........

Apricot Upside-Down Torte & an INCREDIBLE Weekend

2010-08-09T05:22:00.000-07:00

Crazy busy can translate to stress or it can translate to an incredible fun time. This past week and weekend was most exciting and very incredible. The Heavenly Cake Baker chose Rose's Plum & Blueberry Upside-Down Torte for this week. I decided to take Rose's suggestion and substitute the plums and blueberries for some golden, deliciously sweet apricots which are is season in here now. I knew it would be impossible to bake over the weekend so I completed the project during the week instead. After all I had already missed a couple of weeks and didn't want to miss another so lets get goin'.

As with most of the recipes in Rose Levy Beranbaum's book there are three components to this cake. The first up is to prepare a caramel sauce using sugar and water. This is quick and easy as long as you remain attentive. The sauce is poured into the carefully prepared pan.

Next the sweet, floral apricots are nestled cut-side down into the sauce. The third and final component is the cake batter.

Ingredients:

flour sugar (super fine, please)

baking powder

salt

butter (room temp, of course)

eggs

vanilla

The instructions suggest using a food processor to blend the ingredients. Since I don't usually do this I figured it was worth a try. The batter came together quickly and was silky smooth. After baking, the cake needs to cool slightly before inverting on a dish. Unfortunatly I left it to cool a bit longer than suggested and was dreading the results. But....fear not! Having used my smaller cake pan with it's removable bottom, the cake released without a hitch! In my humble opinion this cake is one of the easiest yet, one of the most flavorful. "J" and I both enjoyed the sweetness of the apricots in its caramel sauce together with the moist vanilla flavoring of the cake. I hope you give it a try.

Now just for peak I'll explain briefly the reason for the "incredible part of this weekend.

I was truly lucky enough to be able to participate in a cake sculpture workshop with none other than the most talented Colette Peters. If you do not know who this incredible lady is and have even the slightest interest in cake sculpting and decorating then please take a look at her website. I hope to have an entry dedicated to this weekend soon. In the meantime here is just one picture>

~Wordless Wednesday #7~

2010-08-04T08:47:00.001-07:00

The lofty lobster

Blueberry Financiers

2010-08-03T05:19:00.000-07:00

Financiers popular in France are little almond cakes traditionally shaped into a rectangle to resemble gold bricks. They are considered to be petit fours and can be baked into a variety of shaped molds, or mini muffin tins. They can be topped with fruit or sliced almonds before going into the oven. Their distinct flavor comes from the combination of "browned butter" and ground almonds. Financiers are slightly crunchy on the outside, moist and chewy on the inside. These little gems are not only one of my favorites but are elegant, easy to make, and always a a crowd pleaser.

"Browned butter" is an important component in this recipe so I think that is where I will start you off. The technique is simple but requires your full attention.

Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat stirring often. The butter will foam up and bubble. as the ater is cooked off. The milk solds will fall to the bottom. Cook until the solids turn a golden color, usually 5-7 minutes depending on your stove and the amount of butter. Watch carefully if the solids burn the butter will be bitter and you will need to start again. Let the mixture cool (not solidify). At this point many recipes instruct you to strain out the solids. I like to keep them for maximum flavor. You now have "browned butter". Set aside.

Ingredients for the Financiers:

1 tbs butter, melted

1/2 cup almonds, finely ground

3/4 cup sugar

1/2 cup flour

Pinch of salt

1/2 cup egg whites (appox 4)

5 tbs butter, melted, browned, cooled

1/2 tsp almond extract

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Blueberries, cleaned and dried

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. With a pastry brush, using the 1 tbs melted butter, generously coat the molds. Arrange the molds on a baking sheet (not touching). Place in the freezer until needed.

In a large bowl, combine the ground almonds and flour; stir to blend and set aside. Add the extracts to the browned butter. Be careful with your timing you do not want the butter to solidify. In a clean dry bowl using the shisk attachment, bea the egg whites and salt until they form a soft peak. On a high speed add the sugar in a slow stream and continue to whisk until the egg whites hold a medium peak. Slowly add the browned butter mixture on high speed. The mixture should be light in color and very fluffy. Fold in the dry ingredients (do not over mix). Fill the molds about 3/4 full. Top with a 2-3 blueberries or other fruit or sliced almonds. Place the baking sheet in the center of the oven. Bake until well risen and firm; about 15-20 minutes depending on your molds.

Remove from oven, let cool for about 5 minutes. Unmold and cool completely. Dust with powdered sugar or drizzle with a chocolate glaze. The financiers will not keep well in a humid climate so make only what you plan on serving.

Enjoy!

Swiss Swirl Ice Cream Cake

2010-07-26T17:50:00.000-07:00

The summer so far has been crazy, fun, hot and humid. I know what you are saying with that crooked smile, "yeah..... and so?". Well you are absolutely right nothing should come between me and my baking. Therefore, I decided this was as good a time as any to expand my horizons and take on another challenge. This time it is with the Daring Bakers. The July 2010 Daring Bakers' challenge was hosted by Sunita of Sunita's world -life and food. Sunita challenged everyone to make an ice-cream filled Swiss roll that's then used to make a bombe with hot fudge. Her recipe is based on an ice cream cake recipe from Tastw of Home. What a great project to start with and so perfect for this time of year. There is not alot of baking involved but it does have several components. Sunita requested only that we have fun and stay true to the original idea. Making the Swiss rolls with a filling, two ice creams and a fudge sauce were mandatory. No problem you must know by now what an ice cream lover I am.

Making the Swiss rolls was the first step that needed to be completed, so lets get started.

Ingredients for the cake:

6 medium eggs

1 cup caster sugar + extra for rolling

6 tbs flour + 5 tbs cocoa powder sifted together

2tbs boiling water

a little oil for brushing the pans

Ingredients for the filling:

2 cups whipping cream

1 vanilla pod cut into small pieces

5 tbs caster sugar

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Brush two 11"x9" baking pans with oil and line with parchment paper.

1.- In a large mixing bowl, add the eggs and sugar and beat until very thick; when the beaters are lifted it should leave a trail.

2.- Add the flour mixture in three batches and gently fold. Fold in the water.

3.- Divide the mixture in the two pans and spread evenly. Bake in center of oven for about 10-12 minutes.

4.- Spread a kitchen towel on the counter and sprinkle a little sugar over it.

5.- Turn the cake on to the towl and peel the parchment away. Trim any crispy edges.

6.- Start rolling from the shorter sides. Cool the wrapped roll on a rack, seam side down.

Make the filling:

1.- Grind the vanilla pieces and sugar in a food processor or blender until nicely mixed together.

2.- In a large bowl add the cream and vanilla sugar and beat until very thick.

3.- Divide the cream between the completely cooled cakes.

4.- Open the rolls and spread the cream mixture.

5.- Roll the cakes up again, this time without the towel. Wrap in plastic and chill in the refrigerator until needed.

I must take a minute here and mention how wonderful the vanilla-sugar came out. A very simple method of incorporating the vanilla into the sugar and adding to other ingredients. Yet I have never done this betore. I added vanilla puree and vanilla bean to cream many times in the past yet never has it ever tasted this good. I will remember this and do it again!!! Thank you Sunita.

At this point I made my own strawberry ice cream and vanilla ice cream (using the method above to incorporate a vanilla pod into the cream). I have writtten out the directions if you are interested in an earlier post. Next up is the preparation of the hot fudge sauce.

Ingredients:

1 cup caster sugar

3 tbs cocoa powder

2 tbs corn starch

1 1/2 cup water

1 tbs butter

1 tsp vanilla extract

Directions:

1.- In a small sauce pan whisk together the sugar, cocoa powder, corn starch and water.

2.- Place the pan over medium heat, stirring constantly until it begins to thicken and is smooth.

3.- Remove from heat and mix in butter and vanilla. Set aside to cool completely.

The final step is assembly (this is the fun part too):

1.- Cut the swiss rolls into 20 slices (approximately 1/2")

2.- Cove the bottom and sides of a bowl (large and about 4" deep) with plastic wrap.

3.- Arrange 2 slices at the bottom and continue around and up the sides. Cover with plastice and freeze until firm. (about 30 minutes)

4.- Soften and spread the first flavor of ice cream (strawberry for me!). Recover and freeze (approximately 1 hour).

5.- Add the fudge sauce over the frist layer of ice cream. Recover and freeze until firm (approximately 1 hour)

6.- Soften and spread the second layer of ice cream (vanilla for me!). Recover and freeze for at least 4-5 hours until completely set.

When ready to serve: remove the plastic and place serving dish on top. Invert and remove the bowl and plastic. Keep the cake out of the freezer at least 10 minutes before slicing.

Well, that's it! The instructions seem long, I know but it is really easy. You can use commercial ice cream and the can will still be fabulous. You can add nuts or even some fresh fruit of the season. I hope you give this a try and I know you will enjoy trying out the many combinations and possibilities. I know I'll do this again.

~Wordless Wednesday #6~

2010-07-21T05:38:00.000-07:00

Lazy Daisy Days of Summer

Chocolate Banana Stud Cake

2010-07-19T05:29:00.001-07:00

The banana with it's more than 500 varieties is one of nature's more perfect foods. It contains 3 natural sugars, several different vitamins, minerals, and fiber. It is not only healthy but helps to overcome and prevent many illnesses and conditions. They can be eaten straight off the plant, baked into desserts, fried, broiled, steamed or sauteed. Bananas can be pureed and used to replace eggs in a dessert to reduce the fat content or aid in the conversion of a recipe to vegetarian. This week however, my mind was not on the healthful aspect of the banana but on it's sweet, heavenly flavor. Keep in mind when matched with chocolate its flavor can be over powered and may also result in a rubbery texture. This week the Heavenly Cake Bakers project was Chocolate Banana Stud Cake. Sounds sexy and complicated, right? Well, not this time! So, let's talk cake: The list of ingredients doesn't skimp on the good stuff, like butter, eggs, cake flour (ah, the promise of a soft crumb), cocoa (yes, again not an overpowering of chocolate- the banana will shine), sour cream (makes for a smooth consistency), vanilla extract and leavenings. Just a reminder: I hope that in not listing the measurements and recipe details that you are sufficently teased and are more likely to purchase your own copy of this lovely book (enough sales!!!). One of the details that seems to be repeated in many of Rose's chocolate cakes is the use of cocoa instead of squares or slabs. The baker is instructed to moisten the cocoa powder with boiling water and stir until smooth, then cover to cool. This technique I like very much and is probably one of the things I like best about this book. The remainder of the steps are very easy with no suprises. For this cake as with much of my baking I chose to make a half batch and use a smaller cake pan. It baked up nicely and unmolded without a hitch (thanks to the use of my beloved parchment paper). The cakes is finished off with a chocolate ganache which I applied thinly. As you will remember we are not big chocolate lovers. The "stud" look came from applying chocolate chips upside down around the top of the cake. I used both semi-sweet and milk chocolate chips. The slight haze over the top of my chips is from storing them in the refrigerator. If kept too cold some of the cocoa butter will rise to the surface of the chocolate. This does not alter the taste. If this cake was to be given away I would have used a new bag to avoid that haze.

The banana shares the spot light with chocolate amicably. The cake presents itself well and the taste is phenomenal. The fine texture and crumb earns it's place on my "favorites" list.

~Wordless Wednesday #5~

2010-07-14T05:36:00.000-07:00

An unexpected dinner guest. Too late or too early?

Mini Vanilla Bean Pound Cakes

2010-07-12T05:07:00.000-07:00

This week's project with the Heavenly Cake Baker was Mini Vanilla Bean Pound Cakes. Pound cake is one of my favorite cakes and coupled with the star ingredient vanilla bean, I was looking forward to this from the time I spotted it on the schedule of projects. The cake in this version is soaked with a vanilla Cognac syrup too, yum! Pound cake is a British creation dating back to the 1700's. The original recipe used one pound each of eggs, butter, sugar, and flour. No leaveners were used except for the air whipped into the batter. Over the years the ratio of these ingredients has changed and leaveners are used to lighten it up a bit. The pound cake is very versatile and has many variations and versions. Rose Levy Bernanbaum, author of the lovely, "Rose's Heavenly Cakes" gives the baker a short ingredient list, nothing complex for technique and flavor that raises the bar on this version to excellent. So lets talk. The star ingredient here is the vanilla bean, two to be exact. Then there is sugar, eggs, milk, cake flour (yes, a fine crumb), leavening, salt, butter (of course) and vanilla extract. The vanilla beans are to be split and scrapped into the sugar and rubbed to distribute evenly (.a.k.a: vanilla sugar which on its own can be used in many applications). The liquid ingredients are mixed together as are the dry ingredients. Then the butter is added to the half the liquid mixture followed by the dry ingredients and the balance of the liquid. See? Simple......remember the vanilla and the delicate cumb is what makes these little cakes so special. As the cakes cool a vanilla Cognac syrup is prepared. I used Vanilla Schnapps in place of the Cognac along with sugar and water. After bringing the mixture to a boil remove it from the heat. Cover and cool. Once the cakes are cooled the syrup is brushed over the cakes. This cake rates high on my list. It was a breeze to prepare, the fine crumb and moist cake was delicious. The syrup inhanced the beautiful vanilla flavor. This is truly a keeper as "J" would say.

~Wordless Wednesday #4~

2010-07-07T05:59:00.001-07:00

Promise

Tomatoes and basil oh my!

2010-07-06T05:40:00.000-07:00

So did you guess? It wasn't hard, there are actually two correct answers to my previously posted question from my favorite market stops. For the first delicious combination we took the semolina bread, tomatoes and mozzarella and them up about 1/4" thick. A chiffonade of basil was made and the olive oil was standing ready. A slice of tomatoe and cheese is placed on the bread sprinkled with basil and drizzled with olive oil. Wow....yummy! Now I'm sure you are looking for a photo of this delicious finger food but, sadly it was eaten faster than you can say "wait for the camera"!

Anyway the second delicious combination was set up for a grilled pizza (thank the stars the camera ws ready for this one). The dough recipe is easy and I have posted it in the past (you can search it or use your favorite). A light marinara sauce was prepared and set aside. Again sliced tomatoes, mozzarella and a chiffonade of basil was ready to assemble. Cooking pizza on the grill is fun and easy. I use a bread stone on the grill top with the burners to it side on only so as not to burn the bottom.

The two combinations here are our favorite summer-time eats.

Chocolate Ice Cream Cake

2010-07-05T03:34:00.000-07:00

Chocolate cake and ice cream, let me see......is there anything here not to like? Thought so. This week with my fellow Heavenly Cake Bakers it was Rose Levy Beranbaum's recipe for Chocolate Ice Cream Cake. I was so looking forward to this project I couldn't wait to get started. There are three components for this recipe and all could be made in advance. Perfect!

For the ice cream portion Rose suggests a home made version. The reason is that commercial ice cream contains more air and will loose two-thirds its volume when softened. Well, we can't have that happen! I chose to make some strawberry ice cream. And being the end of strawberry season I wanted to showcase the little red orbs one last time. Sadly, there will be no more talk of strawberries until next year. The recipe and photos for this egg-less version of ice cream was posted a bit earlier this week. To see it just scroll down a little. Now that the ice cream was safe and sound in the freezer, I moved on.

Rose recommends using the recipe for her German Chocolate Cake when making the cake portion of this project. Remember if you plan on serving a cake cold or even frozen it is important to choose a cake that uses oil rather than butter. This will insure the cake maintains a soft texture. The other interesting technique in this recipe is the egg whites went into the batter unbeaten. The cake rose suprisingly high without the addition of air into the whites, hmmmm. Rose also suggests that you only need to use three-quarters of the batter for this project. I decided to make the full batch and use the last quarter to make a "mini-me" cake. Look left....cute huh!

I would like to take a minute here to give Rose's Heavenly Cakes some praise. I do hope you put this book on your "must have" list. I have yet to be disappointed by the instructions, technique, photos, or results. Please see her book for the ingredients and instructions for this wonderful chocolate, light as air cake. Back to the matter at hand.

The last component is a hot fudge sauce. Since "J" and I don't really like an abundance of chocolate I knew I wasn't going to use much. Luckly I had some of the Dark Chocolate Frosting in the freezer from the Strawberry Cake we made a few weeks ago. Now that the components were prepared I could compose the cake.

This really was quick and easy. The cakes were sliced so the top layer was thinner than the bottom layer.Place the ice cream in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes to soften (a little less if you use a commercially made ice cream). Using an offset spatula spread the ice cream over the bottom layer. Top with the thinner cake layer and drizzle with the fudge sauce or in my case, the softened frosting. Cover well with plastic wrap and place the cake back in the freezer. The hardest part was waiting for the ice cream to firm up!

I can't say how thoroughly please I am with the cake and it soft, light texture. I will definitely be using this again. The ice cream.....well, if you know me you know I could probably survive happily on ice cream! All were very pleased to help with this one!

Favorite Saturday Morning Market Stops

2010-07-03T11:37:00.000-07:00

Farm stands and quaint italian markets are among my favorite Saturday morning stops. I just had to post this picture quickly since these beauties will be eaten quickly. There aren't too many farm stands in my local area so I make the trip when we are yearning for something special that can not be gotten at the local grocers. Today I picked up just a few of our favorite treats. No, you aren't imagining things there is nothing with sugar here today. Oh what a feast this will be, I can hardly wait!Can you guess how these items will be used?

~Wordless Wednesday #3~

2010-06-30T06:10:00.000-07:00

Strawberry Ice Cream & recipe

2010-06-29T06:25:00.001-07:00

I can't imagine my life without ice cream, gelato or semi freddo. Yup, I could easily live on this creamy, sensual, smooth, cool concoction without even the slighest blip. It can be in a dish, on a stick, in a cone, soft or firm. I'd take it anyway, shape or form, for breakfast, lunch, dinner or snack!!!

There are many different ways to make ice cream. Some versions use egg yolks which really vamps up the creamy factor. The milk to cream ratio changes the consistancy as it is juggled around from recipe to recipe. And then we get to the multitude of flavors and additions.The combinations are endless!

A few years ago I was thrilled when I received an ice cream maker as a gift. (Of course the gift givers also gave me a list of flavors that they wanted first dibs on too!) So when I read this week's project with the Heavenly Bakers and saw that it called for ice cream- well now!. A perfect reason to whip up a batch of fresh strawberry ice cream!

The version I used for this project was adapted from "A Passion for Ice Cream" by Emily Luchetti.

Ingredients:

1/4 cup sugar

1/8 tsp kosher salt

2 cups heavy cream

1 cup milk

1/3 cup homemade (of course) strawberry preserves

Put the cream, milk, sugar, and salt in a heavy sauce pan. Cook over medium heat, stirring occassionally, until the liquid is almost simmering. Cool over an ice bath to room temperature. Refrigerate for 4 hours or overnight.

Churn in a ice cream machine according to directions. In my case, the liquid is passed through a strainer directly into the freezer bowl of my machine. It is churned for 25 minutes. During the last 5 minutes the preserves are added to the partially frozen mixture.

Scoop the soft ice cream into a freezer container and place in the freezer overnight. Or it can be served immediately. Easy, right! It's like nothing you've tasted before!!! Now I better hide it in the freezer before the taste testers see it.

My favorite is nutella with chopped hazelnut. "J" loves strawberry (the reason it is hidden). What is you favorite combination?

Genoise Rose with Triple Sec Syrup

2010-06-28T05:42:00.000-07:00

This week with the Heaenly Cake Bakers group the selected project was the Genoise Rose soaked with a Triple Sec syrup. But first a little about the genoise cake. Genoise is a french term for a sponge cake that was originally taken from Italy. Its distinguishing technique is that the eggs and sugar are heated together over hot water before being whisked. The genoise is usually used for special occassion cakes, wedding cakes, jelly rolls and petits fours. The crumb is strong and capable of holding liquid without getting soggy. The cake is typically soaked in flavored syrups to add moisture and another layer of flavor. Some versions have no butter while others can have 2-8oz of butter. The key to success is in the folding of the dry ingredients into the whipped eggs. Since the eggs are whipped to add tons of air it is important to keep it there. Therefore a light hand in folding is a must, so read the directions in your version very carefully.

This week it was Rose Levy Beranbaum's version, the Geniose Rose baked in a metal rose tube pan. I however do not have a rose pan but I do have a mini bundt pan just waiting for its chance to shine. The last time I used this pan was a disaster. I was being very stubborn (if you know me you will agree I can often be very stubborn), I just did not want to use a "baking spray". There was something chemical about it that I was not willing to expose my family or friends to. I buttered the pan diligently then floured it. Alas it was not enough and sadly my little cakes would not come loose from the pan. This time I wanted not only the little darlin's to come loose but I wanted them to remain completely in tack, no divots. Where am I going with this you ask? All this was just to make a point, that being- use a baking spray with flour as the recipe suggests when preparing the pan of your choice for this project.

Back on track now. The list of ingredients is pretty short with two very interesting changes from the verison I usually prepare. Rose calls for beurre noisette (or clarified butter) this adds a delicious nutty taste to the cake. Vanilla, eggs, sugar, cake flour and cornstarch also different from my norm. The cornstarch and cake flour will help give the cake a nice rise.

After preparing your pan of choice set it aside. Next is preparing the neurre noisette (aka: brown butter). To do this heat the butter (a little more than called for) in a heavy saucepan until the milk solids are golden. Then strain out the solids through a fine-mesh strainer into a heatproof cup.Stir in the vanilla, cover and keep warm.

As I mentioned earlier the eggs and the sugar are warmed over a pan of simmering water just until lukewarm to the touch, stirring constantly. They are then whipped on high for at least 5 minutes. The eggs will be light yellow, thick, airy and quadruple in volume. While you whip the butter, sift the flour and cornstarch; set it aside.

Now on to the mixing and folding. Take about one cup of the egg mixture and whisk it into the butter mixture. Sift half of the flour-cornstarch over the top of the egg mixture. With a large balloon whisk fold gently yet rapidly until the flour has been absorbed. Repeat with the remaining flour. Fold in the butter mixture just until incorporated. Pour the batter immediately into the prepared pan. Bake 20-30 minutes on 350 degrees. The genoise cake should be unmolded as soon as it has been baked, onto a wire rack that has been coated with baking spray to avoid collapse. Yay! Success! The little cakes fell out of the pan with ease! Ok, so maybe I'll keep a can around to use with this pan. Let cool completely.

In the meantime preparing the syrup is a snap. Sugar and water are combined to make a simple syrup to which Triple Sec is added when cooled. I can easily see that any number of liquours can be used for flavoring. The cake is soaked with this syrup after it has cooled completely.

I found this cake to come together easily, have a beautiful fine crumb and hold the syrup well- as stated in Rose's introduction to this cake. On the same note, I found it to be extremely dry and I needed additional syrup to make it edible on its own. That being said I would not hesitate to use it again in a Tiramisu Cake or any other cake that was to be soaked with a syrup.

I look forward to next week's ice cream cake!

~Wordless Wednesday #2~

2010-06-23T05:49:00.001-07:00

Coconut Cheesecake with Coconut Cookie Crust

2010-06-21T05:44:00.000-07:00

Cheesecake conjures up a variety of images different for each one of us. They can range from being as creamy as custard to a heavier more dense consistency. There are a zillion different flavors and or fruit combinations to choose from: chocolate, vanilla, caramel, strawberry, mocha, lemon, and on and on. Some combinations are simply marbled throughout the cake. Then we have toppings: fresh or cooked fruit, coconut, chocolate shavings or simply naked. So when cheesecake came up on the baking list for the Heavenly Bakers I was interested and looked forward to trying something new. So it was Rose's Coconut Cheesecake that went into my oven this week.

After reading over the instructions and ingredient list I could see why this was on the quick and easy list. The coconut cookie crust as well as the batter could be made in advance too! It all fit into my schedule easily. Unfortunately it went so smoothly and fast that I only have pictures of the finished cake this time. So sorry....

Anyway on to the task. First up was the coconut cookie base: coconut, store-bought vanilla wafers (typically I would make my own cookies-not this time), butter, and a little salt. The dry ingredients pulsed in a food processor after which the melted butter was added. The mixture is pressed into the prepared spring-form pan and set aside.

The filling is equally as easy to prepare. The ingredients for this was cream cheese, yolks (a whopping 8 of them!!!), vanilla & coconut extract, salt, sour cream and.................the star of the show (in my opinion) cream of coconut. As it turned out what I thought could be the only snag, the cream of coconut was actually easy to find. The only secret to success here is waiting for the cold ingredients to warm to room temperture. Oh, don't forget not to over mix.

A creamy cheesecake should always be baked in a bain-marie. This not only helps to prevent cracking, but it helps to keep the filling creamy as well as evenly cooked throughout by disssipating the bottom heat. The instructions suggests leaving the cake in the oven to cool for one hour after its 45 minutes of cook time. When the cake is finally removed from the oven I suggest running a sharp knife between the cake and pan. This will also help to prevent cracking as the cake cools and shrinks. Just before serving a layer of toasted coconut is sprinkled over the top of the cheesecake. Chill preferrably overnight and it's that easy.

I found this version of cheesecake to be moist and creamy (as I like it) and unmistakably coconut-y. With cream of coconut, coconut extract and flaked coconut it was hard to get away with not tasting coconut, not like I'm complaining! However, I found the cookie crust drawing from the moisture of the filling made it a bit soggy. "J" was also please with the smooth texture and enjoyed all the coconut additions.

Care to share your favorite version?

~Wordless Wednesday~

2010-06-16T08:05:00.000-07:00

Chocolate-Covered Strawberry Cake

2010-06-14T03:50:00.000-07:00

This week with the Heavenly Bakers it was a Chocolate-Covered Strawberry Cake. A multiple component project, the cake not only has multiple types of chocolate (white being my personal favorite) but the filling contains my beloved fruit the strawberry! How could this be anything but delicious! The cake is a soft and moist white chocolate cake with a luscious light strawberry mousseline filling and a dark chocolate frosting. Oh my! This is just spot on for satisfying multiple levels of you inner most desires. Rose's directions have never disappointed me and is one of the many reasons this is one of my favorite books.

Multiple components allows me to prepare in steps as I attempt to do with any baking project I take on. It helps keep life in this house running smooth. I like smooth, oh yeah back to cake, sorry.

The cake batter as mentioned contains white chocolate (mmmmmm..), eggs, milk, vanilla, cake flour (this promises to have a fine crumb now), sugar leavenings and of course BUTTER! Yes, I found this batter came together with ease and baked up very nicely. Oh yeah, btw: I always lick the beaters since my little one is no longer little and I have no competition for it except when my mother in-law is visiting! As you can see I chose to make only a half batch, and you can see it still baked up very nicely. Good to know since you can't always cut a recipe in half successfully.

The instructions did not mention how thick the layers should be and this is where I took some liberty that later I would reget. I had already tasted the batter and was more than happy to test the cake tops that were cut off, so I knew this cake was superb. I then decided (bad move) to keep the layers at 1 inch. Please learn by my mistake and make them 1/2" to 3/4" max when you get to this point.

Next ups is the strawberry mousseline. I do not find that mousseline spreads well after refrigeration so I did not prepare it in advance. Again Rose's directions were easy to follow and fool proof. The ingredients are; butter, eggs, sugar, water, cream of tarter, strawberry butter (I used pureed strawberry preserves), and vanilla. The butter is beaten until smooth and set aside. A sugar syup is made and heated to 248 to 250 degrees. Meanwhile the egg whites are beaten to stiff peaks with cream of tarter and some of the sugar. Then the sugar syrup is slowly poured into the beaten egg white to make a meringue. This is put in the refrigerator to cool to 70 degrees. Now I have to mention this is the aspect of Rose's Heavenly Cakes recipe that I love the most. Temperature. Temperature of components can be the difference between success and failure. If the recipe mentions temperature, whether it be of the butter or chocolate or in this case the meringue then it must be and this time was important. So be careful don't skip ahead or try to rush! Back to the business at hand... The meringue is added to the butter in portions with caution and beaten until well blended (again not so much that it seperates). The strawberry butter or preserves is added and the filling is complete and set aside.

On to putting it all together: Rose tell us to sandwich each layer with the strawberry mousseline topped with some of thr strawberry butter/puree. However, I got a little carried away with the strawberry and with my layers so thick this caused some instability. This you will see in my final picture and do the "tisk, tisk" noises along with me.

The frosting was next up as the final step to this wonderful cake. I had some trouble here which was either my impatience or humidity. The ingredients were; two dark chocolates a 99% cacao and a 62% cacao. I had to substitute a semi-sweet chocolate. Also some butter, corn syrup and vanilla was on the list. It seemed pretty straight forward and came out smooth and shiney as promised. I poured the top while is was still fluid and waited the requiset 30 minutes for the sides. But as you can see I wound up warming the frosting again and pouring. A big mistake I know that now. However, it is what I did.

All that being said I must say this is one of the best tasting cakes I've tasted. It was light, fine and moist. The strawberry mousseline was flavorful, smooth and creamy. The chocolate frosting was definitely a contrast but balanced. Overall, very nice! I hope you give this a try and share your frosting escapades with me. Or maybe some suggestions for the next time I give it a go.

Onion & Olive Calzone

2010-06-11T05:35:00.000-07:00

My food experiences growing up were very limited. I was the oldest of three and we were all picky eaters. If it wasn't due to alleries then it was the texture or color or the smell. But, don't fret I really didn't know what I was missing.It wasn't until I met my husband and his family that I began to taste and experience new and interesting foods. Now don't get excited again I'm the one with food allergies!

As a newly wed I wanted to learn how to make the foods that my husband liked. It was my dear, sweet (no lie) mother in-law that came to my rescue. She taught me all her savory dishes. One such item was a Onion & Olive Calzone. Now this isn't your typical calzone- nope no cheese in this one. It is simple to make and very tasteful. For us it is a finger food, something I make as a nibble for company or a easy lunch for my family (easy yes just time consuming but worth it).

Onion Olive Calzone starts with a pizza dough; made from scratch which I will explain shortly or with a store bought or pizzeria bought dough. It is filled with carmelized onions and sliced olives. Sounds simple, right? So here goes:

Basic Pizza Dough:

1 pkg or 1 tbs Yeast

1 cup Water (@ 110 degrees no higher

1 1/2 tsp Salt

1 1/2 tbs Olive Oil

1/2 tsp Sugar

2 1/2 to 3 cups Flour

In a large bowl combine the water, sugar, and olive oil; sprinkle the yeast over the top and give it a stir. Let this mixture sit for 5 minutes to allow the yeast to proof. You should see a foamy layer on top. If not the yeast is dead and you need to start all over with fresh yeast.

Add half the flour ( about 1 1/2 cups) and the salt and stir with a large spoon until smooth (it will be very sticky). Add another 1/2 cup and dump (nice word) mixture on a lightly floured surface. Begin kneading with your hands adding about 1/4 cup more of the flour until you have a moist (tiny bit sticky) mass. Knead this at least 5 minutes sprinkling flour only as needed. The amount of flour will depend on the humidity and your measuring skills. (It could change each time you make this dough.)

The dough with be smooth, pliable, and won't stick to your hands. Now the dough goes into a large well oiled bowl, cover with plastic and let rise in a warm, draft free spot until doubled in size ( about 1 hour).

Then punch (so violent) the mass down and divide into two portions. Cover and let rest 15 more minutes in a warm place. This amount of dough will make a finished calzone of approximately 12x18. You can make 2 smaller ones if you prefer.

In the meantime thinly slice up about 3-4 LARGE onions. In a large skillet add the onions, 2 tbs butter, and 2 tbs olive oil. Cover and let sweat until slighly softened. Uncover and continue to cook until golden and caramelized; set aside. Slice up some black olives (as many as you like); set aside.

Pour about 2 tbs of olive oil into your baking pan. Put one ball of dough in the prepared pan, using your finger tips spread the dough to fill the pan. Spread the onions and olives across the surface. On your work surface using your fingers aand some olive oil make a disk large enough to cover cover the onion-olive mixture. Place in and tuck the edges all the way around. Cover the calzone and let rise 15-20 minutes. In the meantime preheat your oven to 375 degrees.

When the oven is ready smear a little olive oil on the surface of the calzone and bake 20-30 minutes until golden; top and bottom. Remove from the oven and let cool. Turn out of baking pan.

Slice in strips about 1-1 1/2" thick. It can be served warm or room temperature.

I know this sounds like alot of work, but it really isn't. If you like onions and olives you will love this.

Hope you try it! Enjoy!

Vanilla Panna Cotta with Strawberry Coulis

2010-06-09T07:26:00.000-07:00

Panna Cotta or "cooked cream" is a northern Italian dessert with different versions found in Greece & France. My best description is that it is a distant cousin to custard without the eggs. Panna Cotta is simple and quick to prepare, looks impressive, tastes light and smooth. It can be made in many flavors; chocolate, mocha, vanilla, strawberry, and more. It can be chilled in a glass then served or chilled in a bowl then inverted onto a dish for serving. You can serve it with a fruit coulis or fresh fruit or on its own. If you have never tried it I highly recommend it.

This week I decided to make a simple Vanilla Panna Cotta and top it with a fresh strawberry coulis, since it is still strawberry season and I love strawberry anything!

Ingredients:

1/2 cup whole Milk

1 1/2 tsp powdered Gelatin

1 1/2 cup Heavy Cream

1/4 cup Sugar

Pinch Salt

1 1/2 tsp Vanilla

Coulis or fruit as desired

Instructions:

Place the milk in a heavy saucepan. Sprinkle the gelatin over the surface and let stand for 5 minutes to soften (a.k.a.- bloom) the gelatin.

Stir over medium heat just until the gelatin desolves, but the milk does NOT boil, about 2 minutes.

Stir in the cream, sugar, and salt. Remove from the heat.

Divide equally into desired vessels, place a small piece of plastic wrap directly to the surface (to prevent skin). Chill until set (several hours). Remove plastic, serve as desired with or without fruit.The possibilites are limited only to your imagination.

Coulis is a sauce make with fruit puree. I took some strawberry jam that I made a couple of weeks ago along with some fresh strawberries and gave them a whirl in the food processor. This lucious sauce was spooned over the chilled and set panna cotta. Topped with some fresh sliced strawberries and done! That easy and boy oh boy does this make a hit!

I hope you give it a try.

Chocolate Butter Cupcakes

2010-06-07T07:03:00.000-07:00

This week the Heavenly Cake Bakers baking project was Chocolate Cupcakes. I love individual sized portions and I love cupcakes so I was happy to partake. Rose describes these as velvetly, moist and deeply chocolatly. The only thing she left out was: quick and easy. With the heat and humidity this past week the quick and easy part was whole-heartedly appreciated.

I usually mise en place the dry ingredients a day or two before I plan on baking, then seal it in an airtight container or zip lock bag. The butter and eggs come out the morning of, to achieve room temperature. Then the wet ingredients are combined just before I start.

The chocolate butter cupcake batter is made with cocoa combined with boiling water. I was very happy to use cocoa again since I find it not as chocolately as the chunks of semisweet or bittersweet chocolate are . Not to mention I am totally out of quality chocolate and shy away from purchasing a fresh supply during the summer months.

Ok, back to the matter or batter at hand. The liquid ingredients; eggs, water and vanilla ar combined and set aside. The dry ingredients which were cake flour, superfine sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt are mixed in the bowl of the mixer. The butter and the chocolate mixture is added and mixed on low speed until the dry ingredients are moistened. After scrapping down the sides the wet ingredients are added in two parts, mixing only until blended (about 30 seconds).

At this point I decided to make small or mini cupcakes. It is easier on the waistline and much easier to share. To finish these little cakes off I used a butter cream frosting and gave it a little green tint to match the liners. Cute, huh?!

These little cakes were just delicious, the fine choclate crumb were tasty and moist, as promised. The buttercream melts in your mouth making every bite of these little cakes simply "heavenly"!

What is your favorite topping?

The Miracle of Life

2010-06-01T09:47:00.000-07:00

Look closely and you will see one of the miracles of the animal world. Early summer is the usual time of year when the doe population in our area give birth. Although it is common to see the deer traveling through the yards, occassionaly we are lucky and get to see one of the many fawns born each year. The doe isn't usually too far from her young but, she does need to eat. So during the first few weeks of life she will instinctivly leave the fawn or fawns in a "safe" place while she feeds, then go back to that "safe place" to retrieve her young. This little fawn was happened upon by accident and I took advantage of the opportunity to snap a few pictures. She kept her eyes closed and stayed very still so she wouldn't be noticed! But, don't worry she was fine and not an hour later she was reunited with her mom and off they went. Once the babies are a few weeks old they will follow their mother wherever she goes and eventually feed beside her. This is special and is a beautiful thing to watch. I wouldn't trade it for anything.

Swedish Pear & Almond Cream Cake

2010-05-31T17:17:00.000-07:00

This week the Heavenly Cake Bakers assignment was "free choice"! Yes! This worked out very well since we were traveling and the weather was hot and sticky. I knew I wanted something simple, tasty and different. The Swedish Pear and Almond Cream Cake fit the bill perfectly. Pears; light, sweet, delicate. Almond paste; whats not to love there and a sour cream base cake; yum.

So misen place the three components- the Almond Cream filling, the cake batter and the pears.

First the Almond cream which can be made in advance and kept in the refrigerator. Putting it together was a snap in a food processor by just combining the almond paste, butter, sugar, egg, vanilla, and a little flour.

In this recipe cake flour or all-purpose flour can be used. I chose cake flour. There is also sour cream along with the usual eggs, sugar, vanilla with baking powder and baking soda for leavening. I love a cake with sour cream, I find it to be richer and smoother especially when paired with cake flour.

The pears are simply thin sliced and drizzled with lemon.

For the assembly begin with a well coated and floured bundt pan. The cake batter is spread evenly all around and smoothed with a small metal spatula. Using the spatula again make a shallow depression in a circle around the pan. Spoon the almond cream into the depression. This helps to keep the cream from touching the sides of the pan. Next and last layer is the pears; in two overlapping rows around the top. Simple... right?! Exactly what I needed for this holiday weekend too.

Although the Swedish Pear and Almond Cream Cake is simple to make it is not an ordinary cake. The taste is incredible, the cumb is fine, and the almond flavor is just enough not to over power the sweet delicate taste of the pears.

I had no problem with this cake, it traveled well and everyone enjoyed it. Boy, am I glad I got the final picture when I did because it was gone in two days!

Traveling with baked goods is always a challenge. I find that I either make something that can take the heat or travel with a cooler filled with the components. What are you favorite traveling sweets?

Strawberry Season

2010-05-26T08:02:00.000-07:00

Anyone familiar with the east end of Long Island knows what a thrill it is when spring starts to turn into summer. The strawberry fields are abundant with large, sweet, red berries. The signs are all over; "pick your own strawberries here"! Every year we picked baskets full; one for me- one for the basket, two for me- one for the basket until our fingers were red and our bellies were full. Now we live in a more rural mountainous area where strawberry fields are few. But, as soon as I see the season's first berries in the supermarket the memories flood back in.

Strawberries are at their peak here and I can't seem to get enough of them. I've made strawberry preserves, strawberry puree, strawberry ice cream and strawberry tarts so far. You'd think we're going to be able to eat these red orbs all summer, huh? Well, not the case since we have been eating and sharing everything, saving only a few small tid bits in the freezer.

I found a simple low (well, maybe just a little lower) cal Strawberry Meringue Tart in Nick Malgieri's, "Perfect Light Desserts" and just had to try it. "J" usually doesn't like meringue but agreed to give it a try. First up I needed to make a not-too-sweet strawberry puree (not called for in the recipe but, I thought it would enhance the strawberry-ness of the tart). This is super simple; using strawberries, sugar, lemon juice and a little lemon zest. Just reduce down to a jam like consistancy and cool. Now that was easy and you can do this with just about any fruit.

The next component is the Pate Sucree tart shell. Instead of making one large tart I chose to make six small ones. This makes it easier to share therefore, I eat less therefore, less caloric intake if you catch my drift. The dough is then divided among the 3 1/2" tartlet pans, docked, blind baked, and cooled.

The recipe then calls for the meringue to be made. This was probably the easiest and yummiest meringue I ever made (I licked the whisk and bowl since no one was there to stop me!). The directions are to put the eggs, sugar, and pinch of salt over simmering water just until the sugar melts and the mixture is hot (continiously whisking). Using the mixer and whisk attachment; the egg mixture is whisked until risen in volume and almost completely cooled.

Now the fun part. Take the cooled shells spread a layer of puree on the bottom. Arrange sliced or halved cleaned strawberries over the puree, then pile on the meringue (freeform peaks, piped like a beehive or smooth tops). Placed them in a 400 degree oven for about 5 minutes (keep close watch) to give the meringue a golden color. Or if you have a handy dandy torch that works well too.

The result: "J" and the neighbors we very happy with the tart as was I. It is very refreshing and the beloved strawberries are front and center! Maybe next I'll try Strawberry Scones......

What do you do with strawberries?

Bernachon Palet D'Or Gateau

2010-05-24T05:43:00.000-07:00

Heavenly Cake Bakers, a group of incredible bakers using Rose's Heavenly Cakes by Rose Levy Beranbaum for weekly inspiration. Yes, I joined just waiting for official confirmation that I'm in. But, that won't stop me from this week's challenge- nope. My only hope is that I can create cakes half as good as those I have seen so far.

This week's challenge is a mouthful in many ways. The Bernachon Palet D'Or Gateau is a wonderfully beautiful, (cover photo for the cookbook) cake. I was ready for a challenge and this did not disappoint.

The first step is to put together and bake the chocolate cake base. The sour cream addition to the cake batter gave it a smooth texture and fine crumb.The cake uses only cocoa powder here for its rich chocolate taste.The ganache layer however is something else indeed.

For this layer Rose's recipe calls for a chocolate ganache with the addition of sour cream for a little tang. I however decided, since I was craving peanut butter for two days that I better make a ganache with some tasty, creamy peanut butter. I used the chocolate peanut butter ganache recipe on page 186 to satisfy my craving. Since the chocolate takes center stage in either version of ganache it is important to use a good chocolate. I have in my arsenal a semi-sweet Callebaut for just such an occassion.

The final step is a thin illustrious Chocolate Laquer Glaze. Again this uses cocoa powder, not that that is a bad thing just different than the galzes I've used in the past. But the result is an incredible shine and beautiful presentation.

The only problem I ran into is that the glaze remained quite wet even after 12hrs. The only reason I can think of is that is is very humid here and may have contributed to the wetness. My testers all agree that this cake is very good and encourage me to keep on baking!!! I am very happy with Rose's book and the resulting cakes that I have made thus far.

Gateau Breton & Heavenly Cakes

2010-05-19T10:28:00.000-07:00

I have been following the escapades of the Heavenly Bakers and was inspired by some of the delicious looking cakes they baked. So I decided (with very little arm twisting) that Rose's Heavenly Cakes was a must have in my collection and a must try. After having received and perused though this lovely book I decided to begin my adventure with the Gateau Breton. Never having made this before it looked easy enough, maybe too easy. Boy, was I suprised at the results.

As described in her book, the Gateau Breton is a cross between a pound cake and shortbread. I love the simple flavors of both, however this version steps up a notch with the addition of ground almonds (nice texture). The recipe calls for vanilla and dark rum for flavoring. Well, I never bother to measure vanilla (that was easy). But, dark rum is not something I keep around. BUT, I do keep over-proof white rum in the cupboard, so in it went. Of course lots of butter and eggs then presto chango!

The resulting cake is firm around the edges and a slightly softer in the middle, and pleasantly moist. The vanilla and rum together with the fine texture of the almonds was simply beautiful. "J" loved it so much that he went in for seconds. "This is a keeper", he exclaimed!

I think for now I will just follow the "bakers" from a distance. With the summer coming up I am not sure I can keep up their pace (I'll have to put more thought to that decision).

My next project will be the Swedish Pear and Almond Cream Cake! Until then....happy baking!

Chocolate & Coconut Mousse Parfait

2010-05-13T10:34:00.000-07:00

Inspiration comes from many sources. One of my favorite places to search is not only the many books and magazines in my collection but, other blogs. If you follow me at all you would know I love anything "mousse". So when I happened upon one of my favorites, Cannelle et Vanille, and she was featuring chocolate & coconut as a mousse on top of a hazelnut cake base. Well, I just couldn't resist. The cake portion or "biscuit" as it is referred to uses hazelnut flour, cocoa powder, egg whites and butter. Along with the usual leavenings this is the quick and easy part. The results is a very moist and very tasty cake base to compliment the next two layers. Next up is a delectable chocolate mousse using the eggs' golden treasure (yolks) & a wonderful Calebaut semi-sweet chocolate. The mousse is lightened with whipped cream and is ready for it's place on the cake. The only thing I would change is at this point I would prefer the mousse to be a little lighter. (A good excuse to make this again, huh!) The third and last layer is a scrumptious coconut mousse. Picture this: you have rich and smooth coconut flavored cream mixed with fresh grated coconut set up with gelatin and then lightened with whipped cream. Oooo yeah.... Now the finale: Simply sprinkle the top with more fresh grated coconut! Well, I thought I died and went to baking heaven when I tasted this beautiful dessert. My husband (not a big chocolate fan) loved it. And my son, well he likes anything homemade! (Taught him well!) If you are interested in obtaining this recipe I suggest you visit Cannelle et Vanille's blog. You won't regret it! Enjoy :)

Almonds, almonds and more almonds!

2010-04-28T10:08:00.000-07:00

Almonds go back in history to 1400 BC. In ancient societies the almond had a symbolic value. The Romans showered newly weds with almonds as a fertility charm. Later travelers ate almonds as they traveled the Silk Road between China and the Mediterranean. The almond was first brought to California in the mid 1700's by the Spanish missionaries. Today almonds are not only a healthy food but a valued source of trade.

Almonds are eaten whole, in slices, slivers, chopped, as flour or meal, as paste or butter, as an oil and an extract. It can be used in sweet or savory applications or simply as a snack food. Almonds are a healthy food. They are a good source of vitamin E, fiber, plant protein, calcium & are cholestrol free. Healthy and delicious!

I use almonds in many forms in many of the sweets I prepare. Two in particular that quickly come to mind is: almond biscotti and pignoli cookies. It is the almond version of my biscotti recipes that I go to and are requested the most. The almonds are coarse chopped before adding to this dough. I have found that if whole almonds are used as some recipes suggest the log will crumble when sliced. I also use some almond oil &/or almond extract in this dough. Not only do they taste incredible but the aroma in the house is unmistakable.

Pignoli cookies have just a few ingredients and is simple to prepare. The most important ingredient for success, the ingredient that disdiguished this cookie from all others is the almond paste. Although it is possible to make your own I opt for the commercial version and always have some in my freezer.

Well, that's two of our favorites. What are yours?

Opera Cake

2010-04-20T12:00:00.000-07:00

It was over one year ago (yes, that long) that the Daring Bakers featured Opera Cake. I must admit it was delish looking and landed on my "must try" list. Sounds like a challenge? Yet, it took me this long to give it a try. However, I finally broke down and set my sights on a taste of said cake. The recipe I used was from "The Cake Book" by Tish Boyle. Opera Cake has quite a story behind it. It seems in the late 1800's a parisan pastry chef created this cake in honor of the grand opera and its great singers. The classic opera is a work in six acts. Thus, we have three layers of cake. A wonderful moist and light cake made primarily with almond flour and eggs (of course there is more). The layers are also brushed with a coffee syrup as they are assembled. Then there are three layers of delicious, smooth, creamy buttercream; in chocolate, coffee, and mocha. All topped with a smooth, glossy chocolate glaze. Traditionally, the word "Opera" is written across the top. And a piece of edible gold leaf is added for just the right bling. The cake is cut into rectangular slices for serving. Although a large piece would have been just fine with me, the small piece was really enough. The buttercream gave me a problem and I had to do it twice. Overall the recipe was easy to follow and the results were very pleasing. The testers were happy so I was happy! If you are interested in the recipe leave a comment and I will write it out. Enjoy!!!

Alas spring...........

2010-04-15T12:03:00.000-07:00

Spring is slow to arrive here in the northeast. Crocus usually the first to peak through the snow, are seldom seen here. It is the daffodil & the forsythia, slightly longer & slightly warmer days that make the first appearance. Ah,.....welcome spring I hope you can stay for awhile!

What are the first signs of spring in your area?

Hazelnut Cream Tuiles

2010-04-07T10:25:00.000-07:00

I'm always looking for something different to try out. Although I prefer a challenge I don't always have the time needed. So when I come across a recipe that is not too time consuming I set it aside for those times. Then there are the favorites that I must occassionally purchase at the grocery store because I haven't yet figured out how to replicate nor have I found a recipe for them. Well, happily now I have come across a recipe for cream filled tuilles that satisified all my criteria! IThis came to me via email from MarthaStewart.com.

These Hazelnut Cream Tuiles consist of a tasty vanilla tuile that I easily made on my under-used pizelle maker. The hazelnut cream is quick, creamy, delicious and easily made in a food processor. I included the recipe for this gem below to share with you. We brought a tray of these with us on Easter and they flew off the plate in spite of very full bellies! Hope you enjoy them as much as we did!

For the Tuiles:

1/4 c butter, softened

3/4 c Powered Sugar

2 Egg Whites

1/2 tsp Vanilla extract

The seeds from 1 Vanilla Bean

1/2 c Flour

pinch Salt

For the Hazelnut Cream:

1/2 c Hazelnuts, toasted, skins rubbed off

10 tbs Butter, softened

3/4 c Powdered Sugar

2tbs Heavy Cream

pinch of Salt

Make the tuiles:

Put butter & sugar in the bowl of the mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Mix on medium high until pale and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Mix in egg whites, extract, and vanilla seeds. Reduce speed to low. Add the flour and salt; mix just until combined.

I used my pizelle maker at this point to make the tuiles. Then wrapped them around a 1/2" dowel until cooled. If you don't have a pizelle maker continue on to use the oven. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Spoon 1 1/2 tsp catter onto a baking sheet lined with a silicon mat. Spread to about a 4" round. Bake until golden , about 10 minutes. Remove from the oven; working quickly remove 1 cookie and wrap around a 1/2" dowell Hold until cooled. Continue with the other three. Repeat until all the batter is used.

Make the cream:

Process nuts in a food processor until they resemble coarse meal. Add butter, sugar, cream and salt; stir until smooth. Transfer to a pastry bag fitted with a star or round tip the will fit into one end of the cookie. Fill both ends of the tuiles both. Repeat with remailing tuiles. Serve immediately. Thank you Martha Stewart for such a wonderful treat!

Pasta & Chickpea Soup

2010-04-02T05:51:00.000-07:00

Soup is one of our favorite courses. They come sweet or savory, hot or cold, with or without meat, as an appetizer, a single course or main course. The options and combinations are endless. This is why we love soup. As I was recently flipping through one of my cookbooks; The Italian Cooking Encyclopedia there was a very interesting, main course with meat soup. We love it so now I must share.

The ingredients are simple here's how it goes:

1 cup dried Chickpeas

3 cloves Garlic, peeled

1 Bay Leaf

6 tbd Olive Oil

pinch of Pepper

1/4 cup Bacon, diced

1/2 cup Ham, diced

2 1/2 cups water or Chicken broth

2 cups Pasta, small

1.- Soak the chickpeas in water overnight. Rinse well and drain. Place the chickpeas in a large saucepan with water to cover. Boil for 15 min.

2.- Return the chickpeas to the pan. Add broth or water to cover, 1 garlic clove, the bay leaf, 3 tbs olive oil, and the pepper.

3.- Simmer until tender, about 2 hrs, adding more water as needed. Remove the bay leaf. Pass about 1/2 of the chickpeas through a food mill or food processor with a few tablespoons of the liquid. Return the puree to the pan with the liquid and remaining chickpeas.

4.- Saute the bacon, ham and garlic in the remeiaing oil just until the meat starts to carmelize and the garlic is golden. Discard the garlic.

5.- Stir the meat mixture into the chickpea mixture.

6.- Add more liquid (broth or water) for desired thickness, and bring to a boil. Add cooked pasta and sprinkle with parmesan cheese if desired.

I have made this soup now several times.I hope you enjoy this as much as we do.

Absent but not forgotten

2010-04-01T05:37:00.000-07:00

I've not been here but, I really am here just not here. Got all that! Life has gotten in my way these past few weeks and used up all my spare minutes. But I have lots of ideas and will make it up in the near future. For today I want to introduce my silent observer (no not taster or tester). This guy just uses his eyes or the tilting of his head and the raising of his eyebrows to state his opinions. He is though always at my side whether it be awake or asleep. He name is Riley (sometimes we call him Monster), this diva's favorite four-legged friend!

Opps, back to work.

Maple Pecan Friands

2010-03-04T11:14:00.000-08:00

"Friands" I had never heard of a friand (I still don't know how to properly pronounce it) until about 6 months ago. I was surfing my favorite blogs and came upon a recipe for Coconut Banana Friand (I am sorry I do not remember the author). Ooooo, my eyes lit up knowing "J" loves anything coconut and it looked perfect for the warm weather, so I had to try it. Besides I just had to know what a "friand" was. For my first go around I followed the directions to the letter. As soon as I took the first bite I knew they were the cousin to the Financier. For my second attempt I utilized the same techniques I use when making financiers. Now they were great! :) So when I came across this recipe, courtesy of Patricia at Technicolor Kitchen I was excited. I followed the measurements and ingredients as written but again changed up the technique. How you ask? Well, I like to beat the egg whites until foamy and slowly add the sugar, as you would for meringue. Then I slowly add the melted, cooled butter as done for an emusion. Lastly, the dry ingredients are folded in. The resulting batter is light and when baked the finished cake is light and delicate as well. I like to use a mini-cheesecake pan filling each cavity about 2/3 full. They pop out easily and make a very attractive presentation. The pecan half sunk to the bottom on most of the cakes. So in the future I'll wait until they are almost done baking then pop on the nut half. The pecan and maple flavors together are heavenly. This is definitely a keeper. As a matter of fact I'll be making them for house guests this weekend!

Chocolate Chip Shortbread Cookies

2010-02-23T10:13:00.000-08:00

When family comes to visit it's just another excuse to bake something special. But "special" can be anything from a cookie that is easy to prepare to a cake that has many steps to it's preparation. When my mother in-law comes she generally stays for two weeks. "Argh", you say but, this little lady is the best anyone could ask for. And she is my biggest fan...what's not to like? So we embark on a two week baking frenzy-sugar high, in between work that is! Our first project had to be simple since we had to get something sweet on the counter to avoid any of those nasty sugar withdrawals. So we chose shortbread cookies with chocolate chips (can't forget the chocolate fix). Shortbread consists of only a handful of ingredients and have so many possible variations. But first a good base is essential. This recipe is one of many recipes received through my email from: dailycookie@marthastewart.com . I first tried it on a whim not having had a favorite recipe for shortbread as yet. I generally find shortbread cookies to be a little greasy and aside from the taste of butter which has to be really good butter, unexciting. This rendition was a pleasant suprise. The butter flavor does not over power the delicious vanilla taste. The snap and texture is perfect. I love, love, love these cookies. Thank you Martha from mom and I!

V-Day

2010-02-16T07:57:00.000-08:00

I'm not big on Valentine's Day (too commercial) but, decided to be creative this year. I combined that thought with a self challenge. Since the weather was cold outside it would be a good time to do a batch of puff pastry again. I truly love puff pastry and therefore choose not to make it too often (high fat and many calories). The results is I always feel rusty when attempting it again. So this time I searched out a new version with a lower fat ratio. Thank you Kaffeehaus by Rick Rodgers.

The dough came out beautiful thanks to the easy to follow directions and a cool kitchen. I did 6 turns; 3 letter and 3 book. I was so excited about the results until I realized I hadn't thought of what I wanted to do with the dough!

Ah ha, why not make some small Palimers in honor of Valentine's Day! So as not to over do my enthusiasm I took only half the dough freezing the rest for another project.

They came out golden and cute, crunchy and sweet from the carmelized sugar and simply crumbled in my mouth. My tester was thrilled to help and quickly finished the whole dish!

I'd sy that was over an all success. Hope you had a wonderful Valentine's Day too!