BakeBakeBake

April Winner

2013-05-16T11:44:44Z

Hi bakers!

Belated announcement for this one. I have been waiting for lj media to contact me/reply to me/do anything regarding their arrangement with BBB. But since I have heard nothing from them, and was advised by a former employee to not expect LJ media to continue, I am going to assume they're not going to renew the contract unless they say otherwise. This means no more funding for prizes.

What this also means is that I'm removing the rule about needing to wait 3 months after winning before being able to win a theme contest. Which makes deciding what to do about this poll a helluva lot easier. superbadgirl will remain eligible for this theme contest, and as such her Strawberry and Lemonade Cupcakes are the winner of April's "Cupcakes" theme challenge as voted by you guys!

Congratulations!

Now, I need to ask you guys how you feel about the theme contests moving forward. We've run this without prizes before and everyone was keen, but participation has been dropping off lately. Winners will still get a banner and still be featured as Bake of the Month. As long as you guys are still interested enough. This is also a good time for any ideas or suggestions you have for the contests going forwards, so please do voice your opinions if you would prefer a changed format. Sooooo, here's a poll:

View Poll: Theme Contests

Meantime, this month's theme is GLUTEN FREE. Don't forget to tag your entry with the !theme post tag and include a recipe for your entry to be eligible.

Butterscotch Chewy Cake - A Vintage Pillsbury Award Winner!

2013-05-14T10:14:01Z

A winner from a 1955 Pillsbury baking contest, this chewy, pecan filled cake is rich with butterscotch flavor. Topped with butter pecan ice cream and caramel sauce makes it a decadent and very tasty warm weather dessert!

So much more over at The Alchemist.

Butterscotch Chewy Cake

Adapted from the 2nd prize winner of Pillsbury Grand National Recipe and Baking Contest 1955, Mrs. Richard Enloe Atlanta, Georgia

Ingredients

4 eggs

2 tsp vanilla

2 cups (400 g.) packed brown sugar

2 Tablespoons butter - melted

1 1/2 cups (190 g.) sifted all purpose flour - sift first then measure

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1 1/2 cups (146 g.) chopped pecans

3 Tablespoons Scotch Whiskey (optional, but recommended)

For serving

Ice cream, butter pecan or vanilla or whipped cream - optional

Store bought or homemade Caramel Sauce - optional

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit, 180 degrees Celsius, Gas Mark 4. Grease well a 13 x 9 inch pan, set aside.

Beat the eggs in a large bowl. Add brown sugar, vanilla and melted butter and stir together. In another medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt. Add to the egg mixture and stir together well, until incorporated. Add the chopped nuts and the scotch whiskey (if using) and stir again until well blended.

Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake for 25 minutes or until it springs back lightly when touched lightly in the center, and until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Serve with whipped cream or ice cream, I used butter pecan ice cream and store bought caramel sauce for topping and it was marvelous!

bakebakebake @ 2013-05-13T18:24:00

2013-05-14T10:05:28Z

I spent my entire life looking for McDreamy.

I've finally found it.

Okay, maybe this isn't a precise replacement for McDreamy, but I will guarantee that whether you're:
a) still searching for McDreamy/McDreamess,
b) looking to impress the current McDreamy/McDreamess in your life, or
c) just looking for a really excellent dessert to stuff your face with while you await McDreamy/McDreamess' arrival

this is your dream dessert.

So take the leap over here and try it--you won't want to miss this recipe!

Dreamy Raspberry Streusel Magic Bars

Adapted from a fantastic original recipe at Mom on Time Out

Ingredients:

3 cups graham cracker crumbs

2/3 cup white sugar

3/4 butter or margarine, melted

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

3 cups sweetened coconut, flaked

1 (14 oz.) can sweetened condensed milk

1 1/2 cups seedless raspberry preserves

1/3 cup semisweet chocolate (for drizzling)

1/3 cup white chocolate (for drizzling)

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease 9×13-inch baking pan and set aside.

In a large bowl, combine graham cracker crumbs, white sugar, 3/4 cup melted butter, and 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon. Press lightly and evenly into bottom of prepared pan.

Sprinkle coconut over graham cracker crust, then pour sweetened condensed evenly over coconut. Bake in preheated oven for 20-25 minutes.

Remove pan from oven and cool completely. While waiting for bars to cool, make streusel topping (recipe to follow).

Spread raspberry preserves over cooled bars. Press prepared streusel lightly into the jam.

Place semisweet chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl and heat on high for 30 seconds. Remove and stir; return to microwave and continue heating at 20-second intervals, stirring between each, until chocolate is completely melted. Do the same for the white chocolate. Drizzle melted chocolates over the bars, then cut and serve!

For streusel topping:

1 cup all-purpose flour

3/4 cup quick-cooking oats

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup butter or margarine, melted

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

3/4 cup chopped pecans or nut of your choice (optional–if you omit them, increase oats by 1/2 cup)

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Combine all ingredients in a medium bowl. Press lightly onto a baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes, until light brown. Crumble while still hot; set aside to cool completely.

Press into the tops of your magic bars!

Cookie Butter Cookies (with Coffee Butter and Salted Caramel Butter)

2013-05-14T10:04:23Z

I made cookies out of cookie butter (which is, essentially, ground up cookies) and then put flavored butter on top of them. Are you confused? Me too. SO many cookies, so much butter.

But they are delicious. I topped half of the cookie butter cookies with coffee butter and half with salted caramel butter.

Cookie Butter Cookies

Recipe by: Adapted from Housewife Eclectic
Yield: 24 cookies

These warm cookie butter cookies are delicious right out of the oven, or schmeared with coffee butter, salted caramel butter, or even a little extra cookie butter!

Ingredients:
1/4 cup shortening
1/4 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup sugar, plus extra for rolling
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup crunchy cookie butter (Trader Joe's Speculoos Spread or Biscoff Spread)
1 egg
1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F and cover two baking sheets with parchment paper. In a large bowl, cream together the butter, shortening, and two sugars until light and fluffy (2-3 minutes). Add the cookie butter and egg and combine. Add in the flour, baking sodar, and baking powder, and mix until combined, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.

Roll the dough into 1-inch balls and roll in sugar. Place about 2 inches apart on a baking sheet and bake for 7 minutes. Remove from the oven and gently remove from the pan to a cooling rack so the bottoms don't get too brown. Cool completely and spread with coffee butter, salted caramel butter, or more cookie butter!

To get the recipes for the salted caramel and coffee butter, read my review of the cookbook Flavored Butters, see my comparison of Biscoff Spread and Trader Joe's Speculoos Cookie Butter, or enter to nab a jar of Biscoff Spread, please head over to Willow Bird Baking!

x-posted to food_porn, picturing_food, cooking, bakebakebake

Red Berry and Vanilla Tarts

2013-05-12T23:20:43Z

I made these for brunch the other day and they were a big hit...even though they were a total accident.

Red Berry and Vanilla Tarts

Ingredients:

250g puff pastry (frozen or fresh, I usually use fresh)
200g cream cheese
1 TB sugar
1 egg
1 p. instant vanilla pudding powder (I used Dr. Oetker Garant)
1 cup red fruit (fresh or frozen, I used frozen)

1. Line 5 small tart forms (mine are 11cm in diameter) with the puff pastry. (Just cut a circle or a square, press it gently into the forms and up the sides and cut off any excess overflowing the form)

2. Using a hand mixer, mix the cream cheese, sugar, egg and vanilla pudding powder for about a minute.

3. Fill the tarte forms about 3/4 with the cream cheese mixture and put some red fruit on top (how much fruit is totally up to you).

4. Bake on 175°C for about 20 to 25 minutes (until the puff pastry turns golden).

5. Let the tarts cool down a bit and gently unmold them.

6. Sprinkle with powdered sugar before serving.

To find out how these tarts came to be and what my actual plan was, visit my BLOG!

♥ Nicole

Flourless Chocolate Cherry Cake

2013-05-12T22:37:18Z

Not super original, but super tasty!

I took this recipe and tweaked it just a smidge. Really, these things aren't cakes so much as they are ginormous pieces of fudge. Or a huge truffle. Prepare these only if you're in the mood to indulge heavily!

Ingredients:
1/4 cup maraschino cherry juice
1/4 cup kirschwasser (cherry brandy)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup honey
18 oz sweet dark chocolate
1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temp
1 6 oz cup of plain Greek yogurt
6 eggs, room temp

Directions:
Preheat oven to 300 degrees F (150 degrees C). Cut out parchment paper and lay on bottom of a 10 inch springform pan and set aside, spray paper and pan sides with cooking spray.

In a small saucepan over medium heat combine the cherry juice, brandy, salt and honey. Stir until completely dissolved and set aside.

Either in the top half of a double boiler or in a microwave oven melt the dark chocolate. Pour the chocolate into the bowl of an electric mixer.

Cut the butter into pieces and beat the butter into the chocolate, one piece at a time. Beat in the yogurt. Beat in the warm cherry/honey water. Slowly beat in the eggs, one at a time. (By now the batter should be cool enough to not scramble 'em, but watch out for this - you could beat the eggs together in a separate bowl and temper them if you're at all concerned.)

Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Have a pan larger than the cake pan ready, put the cake pan in the larger pan and fill the pan with boiling water halfway up the sides of the cake pan.

Bake cake in the water bath at 300 degrees F (150 degrees C) for 40-45 minutes. The center will still look wet. Chill cake overnight in the pan. To unmold, dip the bottom of the cake pan in hot water for 10 seconds and invert onto a serving plate.

EAT.

This slice is about twice the size a regular human being should be able to eat in one sitting.

Extremely rich, and the kirsch adds a bit of depth. I'd found myself in possession of maraschino cherries - no idea why, so I made a cherry/strawberry (strawcherry?) curd out of them, and retained the juice for the cake. Pretty great decision, if I do say so. The tang of the curd helps offset the richness of the cake.

Gluten Free Espresso Hazelnut Toffee Brownies

2013-05-08T11:34:39Z

I have two important people in my life who have to eat gluten free due to Celiac's Disease, which basically means that their bodies don't process gluten (wheat, barley, rye, oats, spelt, etc.) the way everyone else's does, making them very sick when do eat it.

I recently learned that there are ways of making things gluten free simply by swapping the kinds and amounts of flour that are used - no special ingredients necessary.

I was iffy going into the kitchen for these, but they ended up a total success! Like all good brownies, they're moist and chewy, with a little bit of nuttiness thrown in, too.

Gluten Free Espresso Hazelnut Toffee Brownies"
Endangered Species 72% Dark Chocolate with Espresso bar (tiger), broken into squares*
1/2 cup ghee (clarified butter)
1/2 cup honey
2 eggs
3/4 cup almond flour
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
Endangered Species 72% Dark Chocolate with Hazelnut Toffee (rhino), chopped into chunks*

*I specifically used Endangered Species brand chocolate bars because they're certified gluten free. If you don't have access to this brand or these flavors, any brand of GF chocolate with complimentary flavors (or just plain chocolate) will work!

Preheat oven to 325°F and grease a mini muffin pan; set aside
In a microwave safe dish, melt ghee and the Endangered Species tiger bar
Stir in honey and eggs
Add almond flour, vanilla and sea salt
Fold in the chocolate chunks
Fill each muffin tin with 1 tablespoon of batter
Bake for 15-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean

Let brownies cool. Run a knife around the outside edge of each mini muffin and lift each one out, carefully. It may help to use a spoon here so you can get underneath the brownies. Store in an airtight container and enjoy.

This particular recipe uses almond flour, so if you know someone who's gluten free AND allergic to almonds, you'll need to use something else. For more info on some other GF flour swaps, head on over to Elfie's Edibles.

Peanut Butter cookie recipe help

2013-05-08T10:16:41Z

Hey everyone!

I managed to lose all of my links :O( and one of them was for a peanut butter oatmeal cookie which I think I adapted from a Monster Cookie recipe? I've searched through a lot of pb oatmeal and monster cookie recipes and haven't come across it yet, so I hope one of you may know it? What I can vaguely remember was it had maybe 6 cups of oatmeal, a lot of eggs and only 1/2 a cup of flour which was important. As were the instructions to leave it in the fridge overnight or the cookies wouldn't work.

Sound familiar to anyone? Thank you guys and happy baking.

cinnamon and dark chocolate rolls

2013-05-07T12:19:57Z

This recipe for my bread machine makes 16 rolls of cinnamon deliciousness. I added dark chocolate chips to the final dough, because chocolate. I also sprinkled with coloured sugar crystals, because sugar :D

Yes, there's only 15 rolls in the picture.

I regret nothing :P

Dough:
2/3 cup water
1 tablespoon margarine or butter, softened
1 egg
2 1/4 cups bread flour
3 tablespoons sugar
3/4 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons regular active dry yeast
OR
2 teaspoons bread machine yeast or quick-acting active dry yeast

Filling:
1/4 cup sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
2 tablespoons margarine or butter, softened
Glaze (below)

DIRECTIONS:
1. Place all Dough ingredients in breadpan in the order listed. Select SWEET DOUGH cycle.
2. Grease 9x9x2-inch square pan. Mix 1/4 cup sugar and the cinnamon. Flatten dough with hands or rolling pin into 15x9~inch rectangle on lightly floured surface. Spread with 2 tablespoons margarine or butter; sprinkle with sugar-cinnamon mixture. Roll up tightly, beginning at 9-inch side. Pinch edge of dough into roll to seal. Cut roll into 1-inch slices. Place in pan. Cover; let rise in warm place 40 to 60 minutes or until double (depending on your kitchen temperature, this step may take up to 2 hours - be patient, you will be rewarded!)
3. Heat oven to 375F. Bake 23 to 28 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from pan; drizzle glaze over warm rolls.

Glaze: Mix 1 cup powdered sugar, 1/2 teaspoon vanilla and 1 to 2 tablespoons milk until smooth and thin enough to drizzle.

Serve them warm, with freshly brewed hot tea or coffee. Be prepared to beat people back when they try to eat all *your* cinnamon rolls!

Flan Tres Leches Cake

2013-05-06T09:56:27Z

Happy Cinco de Mayo! I made you a flan cake.

A flan tres leches cake, to be exact. Like, flan and tres leches cake in the same dessert. No kidding.

Flan Tres Leches Cake

Recipe by: Willow Bird Baking, inspired by and/or adapted from Bake Love Give and All Recipes
Yield: 10-12 servings

If you love flan and/or tres leches cake, you're in for a treat. This cake has an incredible flavor and an even more fantastic texture. It's also surprisingly easy to whip up. It's perfect for Cinco de Mayo, but I hope you'll make it all year long.

Flan Ingredients:
1 (13.4-ounce) can can dulce de leche (or make your own)
3 eggs
1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
1 (12-ounce) can evaporated milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Cake Ingredients:
3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 cup white sugar
2 1/2 eggs (To get 1/2 egg, break one egg into a bowl and lightly beat it; discard half)
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

Tres Leches Ingredients:
1/2 cup whole milk
1/4 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
1/4 (12-ounce) can evaporated milk
2 cups heavy whipping cream
3 tablespoons powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F and spray a 10-inch bundt cake pan really well with cooking spray. Pour the dulce de leche evenly over the bottom of the pan and set aside.

Make the flan batter: In a large bowl, mix together the 3 eggs, 1 can sweetened condensed milk, 1 can evaporated milk, and vanilla extract until well combined. Pour this mixture evenly over the dulce de leche layer.

Make the cake batter: In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. In a separate bowl (if you used a spatula to scrape all your flan batter out of its bowl, just use that one again), cream together the butter and sugar until pale yellow and fluffy (about 2-3 minutes). Add in the 2 1/2 eggs and 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract and mix well. Add the dry ingredients slowly, mixing after each addition. Pour batter over the flan layer in the bundt cake pan (it'll sink in a bit -- no worries). Bake for 40-45 minutes or until tester inserted into just the cake comes out with just a few moist crumbs. Pierce the cake several times with a skewer or fork. Let the cake cool.

Drench the cake: Whisk together 1/2 cup whole milk, 1/4 can condensed milk, and 1/4 can evaporated milk. Pour this mixture over the top of the cooled cake. Cover and chill the cake overnight (or at least a couple of hours, I'd say -- you want the mixture all to sink into the cake) before loosening with a thin knife or spatula all around the sides. Carefully invert onto a serving plate (caramel and milks will ooze -- it's a saucy dish -- so one that has a shallow lip or even a slightly bowl-like platter is ideal). Whip up the heavy whipping cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla extract to stiff peaks and dollop or pipe it all around the cake. Serve chilled with strawberries.

To read about the demise of my $600 leather couch, find out whether or not I disowned my cat after that incident, or see more photos, please head over to Willow Bird Baking!

x-posted to food_porn, picturing_food, cooking, bakebakebake

Decorated cookies

2013-05-05T23:51:24Z

Chocolate cookies covered with royal icing and decorated with sugar paste flowers.

Visit my blog for more pictures and a video tutorial that shows how to make this flowers. It's really simple!:)

Honey Sweet Rolls

2013-05-05T02:22:51Z

I, like every reasonable person, am extremely fond of excuses. I love excuses because they can come in a variety of forms. Observe.

Please excuse these honey sweet buns. I’m sure your boss didn’t even notice you salivating, so you can wipe the drool off your keyboard and continue browsing these pictures at your leisure–er, or discretion.

You will also need to excuse my lack of consideration in posting yet another fluffy yeast-filled gif that makes you wish they’d hurry up and figure out a way to make the stuff you see on your computer screen edible.

Sorry guys!

Intrigued? Hop on over to my blog for some more drool-worthy gifs and ridiculously fluffy dinner roll pics :)

Enjoy!

Honey Sweet Rolls

Original recipe from Averie Cooks, who knows what she’s doing

Ingredients:

1 cup water, warmed to ~130 degrees F (slightly hot to touch but not so hot it will scald your skin)

1 packet (2 1/4 teaspoons) instant dry yeast

1/4 cup white sugar

1 large egg

1/4 cup honey

3 tablespoons oil

1/2 teaspoon salt

3 3/4 to 4 cups flour (bread flour will yield chewier + lighter results; I used APF and it was still pretty fluffy)

2 tablespoons butter, melted

2 tablespoons honey

Directions–from Averie’s site:

Add water to a glass measuring cup or microwave-safe bowl and heat on high power to warm it, about 30 seconds. Testing with a thermometer is highly recommended, but if testing with your finger, water should feel warm but not hot.

To the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, add the water and sprinkle the yeast on top of it. Beat on low speed for about 10 seconds, just to combine; let mixture stand for 10 minutes.

Add the egg, 1/4 cup honey, oil, salt, and mix until well-combined, about 2 minutes on low to medium-low speed. Add 3 cups flour and beat until a sloppy, wet, loose dough forms. Scrape off any dough bits stuck to the paddle, remove the paddle attachment, and put on the dough hook.

With the dough hook attached, turn mixer on low speed, and slowly sprinkle in remaining 3/4 cup flour. If necessary to obtain soft, smooth, non-sticky dough, sprinkle in the full 1 cup flour that remains (for a total of 4 cups flour, rather than 3 3/4 cups, noting that the more flour used, the denser the finished rolls will be). Knead dough for about 8 minutes. It will be firm, smooth, not sticky, and elastic. Turn dough out onto aSilpat Non-Stick Baking Mat or floured work surface and knead dough by hand for 1 to 2 minutes, just to get into the nooks and crannies with your fingers the dough hook may have missed and make sure dough is very smooth and uniform in texture. Place mounded ball of dough in a cooking sprayed or lightly greased large bowl and cover with plasticwrap. Place bowl in a warm place until it has doubled in size, about 2 hours. Tip – Preheating your oven for 1 minute to 400F, then shutting it off (make sure you shut it off), and quickly sliding the bowl in so the hot air doesn’t escape is one way to create a warm environment; think 85 or 90F summer day warm environment. A cooler environment simply means dough will take longer to rise.

After dough has risen and doubled, punch it down to release the air bubbles, and turn it out onto a Silpat or floured work surface. Knead for about 1 minute. Mound dough into a ball, place it back into the bowl, cover it, and allow it to rest and relax for about 10 minutes, making it easier to shape into rolls.

Prepare a 9-by-13-inch baking pan by lining it with aluminum foil, spray with cooking spray; set aside.

Place dough on Silpat or floured work surface, and using your hands, roll it into a long cylinder shape, about 12 to 15 inches in length, and it will about 3 to 4 inches in girth. Divide the log into 12 uniformly-sized pieces with a dough cutter or sharp knife. Roll each piece into a ball, creating surface tension on the top of the ball by stretching the dough over itself a bit and pinch off the bottom, tucking the dough into itself. Place each piece into the prepared pan, seam side down, uniformly spaced, four rows by three. (Dough may also be rolled into just a simple ‘plain ball’, without pulling on the top surface of dough to create tension and not bothering to pinch off the bottom a bit, but I find they rise better and are fluffier if they’re pinched off rather than just round dough globes)

After all pieces are in the pan, cover it with plasticwrap and allow to dough to rise for about 30 minutes. While dough rises, preheat oven to 400F. A good place for this rise is placing baking pan on the stovetop while oven is preheating for the carryover warmth.

Prepare honey-butter mixture by melting butter in a microwave-safe bowl on high power, about 1 minute. To the melted butter, add 2 tablespoons honey and stir to combine; set aside. After the rolls have risen and before baking, brush tops and sides of dough with the honey-butter mixture, getting into the sides and crevices and with a pastry brush. Bake rolls for about 15 minutes or until golden; they bake up very fast and watch them closely so the honey-butter mixture doesn’t burn in this very hot oven. Allow rolls to cool before serving. Serve with Honey Butter or Cinnamon-Sugar Butter

Banana Pudding Cake

2013-05-05T02:21:31Z

Inspired by a blog post about banana pudding cupcakes, I had to translate the idea in to a cake!

I pieced together a few different recipes for this cake, since there wasn't really anything I liked that had all of the elements I wanted online. I started with a basic banana layer cake, pastry cream and a stabilized whipped cream frosting.

Banana Dream Cake, from The Novice Chef

Ingredients:
3/4 cup butter
2 1/8 cups granulated sugar
3 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract [I added in a teaspoon of banana extract since my bananas weren't as overripe as I would have liked]
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup milk
1/2 cup sour cream
4 oz applesauce
2 teaspoons lemon juice
1 cup mashed over ripe bananas (about 2 large bananas)

Directions:
directions:
Preheat oven to 275 degrees F (135 degrees C). Grease and flour 3 8-inch round cake pans. In a small bowl, mix mashed bananas with lemon juice, set aside. In a medium bowl, mix flour, baking soda and salt. Set aside. In a large bowl, cream 3/4 cup butter and 2 1/8 cups sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then stir in 2 teaspoons vanilla, sour cream and applesauce. Beat in the flour mixture alternately with the milk. Stir in banana mixture.

Divide batter (about 2 1/2 cup batter in each pan) into prepared pans. Bake for 40-50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Remove pans from oven and immediately place in freezer for 45 minutes. (This keeps the cake moist by immediately stopping the baking so the cake does not continue to bake when you remove it form the oven.) [I just always let my cakes cool to room temperature on flexible plastic cutting boards, then wrap them up for freezing since I generally don't put them together on the same day].

The cake is filled with a basic pastry cream and the cream is topped with sliced bananas. I just pulled the pastry cream recipe from the Joy of Cooking so I don't have one I've personally used to share with you. I'll simply direct you to Brown Eyed Baker, as her posts have helped me in the past and her Pastry Cream How-To page is extremely detailed!

I spread the first two layers with the pastry cream and topped with bananas, then covered the cake with a doubled amount of this Stabilized Whipped Cream. My grocery store was sold out of unflavored gelatin, so I turned to this recipe instead. I had some trouble at first, before I finally realized my pudding mix was pretty old. Not wanting to waste a giant bowl of almost whipped cream, I added a pinch of cornstarch and it all came together no problem.

Ingredients:
1 pint heavy whipping cream
1 tablespoon Jello Instant Vanilla Pudding Mix (dry)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/3 cup confectioners' sugar (or to taste)

Directions:
1. Put all the ingredients in a large mixing bowl.
2. Mix on low speed until ingredients are combined.
3. Mix on high speed until soft peaks form, scraping sides of bowl often.
4. Store tightly covered in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

Finally the cake was topped with simple piped whipped cream swirls (this was my first time piping anything ever, so pardon the unevenness), sliced bananas tossed in a bit of lemon juice to slow browning and of course, a Nilla Wafer on each swirl!

The cake has been a huge hit so far, and I was really pleased with how it came out! The only changes I might make next time are using a different pastry cream recipe (this was my first time ever making it, as well, so the texture wasn't quite perfect) and adding Nilla wafers between the pastry cream and sliced bananas on the cake, for that perfect soggy wafer taste of banana pudding :)

It's my birthday and this is my cake!

2013-05-05T02:20:20Z

Her dress has a brain motif on the black parts and a bone theme on the red part.

The corset has a rib cage and spinal column which turns into a choker up top and fans out into lengths of bone/spine down the skirt.

Here's the view from the back. I piped all of the designs freehand with about 50 paper piping bags (maybe that's an exaggeration but it sure felt like I had to make that many).

Here's the view from the side

Thanks for looking! Oh and a nifty side bonus of this cake is that it's gluten free because my mum is gluten intolerant... meaning that I'm not late for a theme post for once! I'll edit the post and add some pics of what it looks like after it's cut (it's a chocolate cake with raspberry ganache on the exterior), but that won't be happening till the party later!

Edit: couldn't bring myself to destroy it :( had other cake instead.

Kulichi (Russian Easter cakes)

2013-05-03T06:31:50Z

Originally posted by foodstory at Kulichi (Russian Easter cakes)

I rarely go into baking yeast cakes or bread, but sometimes there is definitely room for that in life. Exactly like I do enjoy making my own cakes for Christmas, some years I do like baking my own kulichi for Easter. They are not really labor intensive, but they certainly are time consuming. However there are times when spending a thoughtless half a day around the kitchen making something homey the same as times and times before feels just right. Especially given that proper home made kulichi are incredibly good. None of the bought counterparts will ever get close to them. Read more...

Éclairs

2013-05-03T04:43:29Z

Recipes are from:
http://www.browneyedbaker.com/2008/06/17/eclairs-and-cream-puffs/
http://ruhlman.com/2009/01/pate-a-choux/

INGREDIENTS:

Pastry Cream:
2 cups half-and-half
1/2 cup sugar
Pinch salt
5 large egg yolks
3 tablespoons cornstarch
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) cold unsalted butter, cut into 4 pieces
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Pâte a Choux:
1 cup water
2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 cup butter (1 stick)
1 cup flour
1 cup eggs (4 large eggs)

Chocolate Glaze:
4 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
2 tablespoons heavy cream
4 teaspoons light corn syrup

DIRECTIONS:

Pastry cream:

1. Heat the half-and-half, 6 tablespoons of the sugar, and the salt in a medium heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium heat until simmering, stirring occasionally to dissolve the sugar.

2. Meanwhile, whisk the egg yolks in a medium bowl until thoroughly combined. Whisk in the remaining 2 tablespoons sugar and whisk until the sugar has begun to dissolve and the mixture is creamy, about 15 seconds. Whisk in the cornstarch until combined and the mixture is pale yellow and thick, about 20 seconds.

3. When the half-and-half mixture reaches a full simmer, gradually whisk the simmering half-and-half into the yolk mixture to temper. Return the mixture to the saucepan, scraping the bowl with a rubber spatula; return to a simmer over medium heat, whisking constantly, until a few bubbles burst on the surface and the mixture is thickened and glossy, about 30 seconds. Off the heat, whisk in the butter and vanilla. Strain the pastry cream through a fine-mesh sieve set over a medium bowl. Press plastic wrap directly on the surface to prevent a skin from forming and refrigerate until cold and set, at least 3 hours or up to 2 days.

This was my first try at pastry cream, and I screwed it up by leaving it on the stove for about 10 seconds too long, so it curdled a little. I googled “fix curdled pastry cream” and found this tip that says to heat up some heavy cream (I microwaved it) and whisk it, about a tablespoon at a time, into the curdled pastry cream, and it worked like a charm!

Éclairs:

1. Bring the water, sugar, and butter to a simmer over high heat. Reduce the heat to medium, add the flour and stir rapidly. The flour will absorb the water quickly and a dough will form and pull away from the sides. Keep stirring to continue cooking the flour and cook off some of the water, another minute or two. Transfer the paste to the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment.

2. Add the eggs one at a time mixing rapidly until each is combined into the paste. The paste will go from shiny to furry, slippery to sticky as the egg is incorporated. The pâte a choux can be cooked immediately at this point or refrigerated for up to a day until ready to use.

3. Pipe or spoon onto a baking sheet (press the peaks down with a moistened finger) and bake at 425°F for 10 minutes, then at 350°F for 30 minutes. You can make them any size you want, from cream puffs to éclairs. I made them mini-éclair size.

4. Fill the éclairs with pastry cream and dip the top in the chocolate glaze. Some people slice the éclairs in half and spoon the pastry cream inside, but I prefer to poke a hole in the side and fill them with a pastry bag.

April Poll + May Theme

2013-05-02T16:41:29Z

Hey bakers,

A couple of notes before we move to the poll. A few people have messaged me over the last few weeks and when I try to reply LJ tells me I can't send you a message due to your privacy settings. So then I've got to your LJ but I can't comment on anything because the comments are friends only. There's no way I can contact you if everything is set to friends only, especially if you've not posted to this community in recent memory. So if you're going to message me with a question, please make it so I can reply otherwise I'll seem to be ignoring you. If you don't want to change your settings, send me a message though our Facebook page and I'll respond there.

Second, we've had a lot of first-time posters lately and we've found ourselves having to reject a lot of them because of too large or too many photos outside the LJ cut. Most people are pretty good at fixing it up and reposting, though some others have become upset, aggressive or abusive. We've been asked before to make exceptions for first-time posters, but that's unfair to everyone else. Everyone has to fellow the same rules, and all those rules are there for a reason. So if you're a newbie, please check out the community rules to avoid us having to reject your post and your feelings being hurt by said rejection.

Nooow, poll time! Here are all the scrumptious cupcakes entered for this month's theme.

View Poll: April Theme Poll

May's theme will be GLUTEN-FREE.

Merry baking!

Bacon & Cheese Bread

2013-04-30T11:05:04Z

This recipe is from America's Test Kitchen, and it's pretty fantastic. I'm not really a fancy cheese girl, so I used cheddar instead of gruyère. Despite the wordy directions, it's a very easy recipe.

Quick Cheese Bread with Bacon, Onion, and Gruyère

Makes one 9 by 5-inch loaf

Ingredients:
3 ounces Parmesan cheese, shredded on large holes of box grater (about 1 cup)
5 slices of bacon (about 5 ounces), cut into ½-inch pieces
1/2 medium onion, minced
3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour (15 ounces)
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon table salt
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
4 ounces Gruyère cheese cut into ½-inch cubes, or mild Asiago, crumbled into ¼- to ½-inch pieces (about 1 cup)*
1 1/4 cups whole milk
1 large egg, beaten lightly
3/4 cup sour cream

*If using Asiago, choose a mild supermarket cheese that yields to pressure when pressed. Aged Asiago that is as firm as Parmesan is too sharp and piquant for this bread.

1. Adjust oven rack to middle position; heat oven to 350 degrees. Spray 5 by 9-inch loaf pan with nonstick cooking spray, then sprinkle 1/2 cup Parmesan evenly in bottom of pan. I recommend lining the bottom of the pan with parchment paper. The first time I made this recipe, I didn't use parchment and the bread stuck to the bottom of the pan.

2. Fry bacon in medium nonstick skillet over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until browned and crisp, about 8 minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer bacon to paper towel–lined plate and pour off all but 3 tablespoons bacon fat from skillet. Add ½ medium onion, minced (about ½ cup), to skillet and cook, stirring frequently, until softened, about 3 minutes; set skillet with onion aside.

3. In large bowl, whisk flour, baking powder, cayenne, salt, and pepper to combine. Using rubber spatula, mix in Gruyere, breaking up clumps, until cheese is coated with flour. Add bacon and onion mixture and stir to combine. In medium bowl, whisk together milk, egg, and sour cream. Using rubber spatula, gently fold wet ingredients into dry ingredients until just combined (batter will be heavy and thick). Do not overmix. Scrape batter into prepared loaf pan; spread to sides of pan and level surface with rubber spatula. Sprinkle remaining ½ cup Parmesan evenly over surface.

4. Bake until deep golden brown and toothpick or skewer inserted in center of loaf comes out clean, 45 to 50 minutes. Cool in pan on wire rack 5 minutes; invert loaf from pan and continue to cool until warm, about 45 minutes. Cut into slices and serve.

If, when testing the bread for doneness, the toothpick comes out with what looks like uncooked batter clinging to it, try again in a different--but still central--spot; if the toothpick hits a pocket of cheese, it may give a false reading. The texture of the bread improves as it cools, so resist the urge to slice the loaf while it is piping hot. Leftover cheese bread is excellent toasted; toast slices in a toaster oven or on a baking sheet in a 425-degree oven for 5 to 10 minutes, not in a conventional toaster, where bits of cheese may melt, burn, and make a mess.

Freezing Instructions: Although the recipe title Quick Cheese Bread is no misnomer (the batter is in the pan in 15 minutes), when you add time for baking and cooling, the recipe does require a total of two hours. Luckily, like many of our other bread recipes, a baked loaf of cheese bread freezes beautifully, meaning a warm loaf need be only minutes away. To freeze the bread, wrap the cooled loaf tightly with a double layer of aluminum foil and place in the freezer; it will keep for up to three months. When you’re ready to serve the bread, place the frozen, wrapped loaf on the middle rack of a preheated 375-degree oven and heat for eight to 10 minutes, until the loaf yields under gentle pressure. Remove the foil and return the unwrapped bread to the oven for five minutes to crisp the exterior. Take the bread out of the oven and let cool on a rack for 15 minutes to make slicing easier. Enjoy.

Strawberry Lemonade Cupcakes

2013-04-28T22:43:41Z

When life gives you extra strawberry curd, make cupcakes.

This poor thing will never win a beauty contest, but makes up for it in personality.

Makes 12

Cupcake
1/4 cup canola oil
1/4 cup applesauce
3/4 cup evaporated cane sugar
2 eggs, room temp
1 1/2 cup AP flour
1/4-1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup almond milk, room temp
2 TB fresh lemon juice
zest of one large lemon

Preheat oven to 325F. Cream oil, applesauce and butter for a minute or so. Add eggs, one at a time. Combine flour and baking soda, then add into the creamed mixture, alternating with the milk. Once that's all incorporated, add the lemon zest and juice. Beat for another thirty seconds. Line muffin pan and fill cups 2/3 full. Bake for 17-20 minutes, let cool on rack.

I wanted to make cream cheese frosting, but didn't have cream cheese. Enter sour cream frosting, because I did have light sour cream on hand. This decision, as it turns out, is why these things are so homely. I couldn't get the frosting to be ungloppy. With a strawberry or lemon buttercream or whipped cream, these would be bells of the ball.

Sour Cream Frosting
1/2 cup sour cream (if you use light or it's watery - I recommend thickening it by straining out some of the water through cheesecloth)
2-4 TB butter, room temp
2 TB strawberry curd
2-4 cups confectioner's sugar

Cream the butter and sour cream until smooth. Add curd, then sugar and beat until you get the consistency you want.

When cupcakes are cool, use cone method to fill with strawberry curd. Pop the tops back on and give 'em a healthy dollop of frosting.

(Not So) Pretty in Pink

Nom.

Cupcake help?

2013-04-28T13:19:30Z

Hi all, it's my friend's birthday in a couple of days' time and I was planning to bake these mango cupcakes since mango's her favourite fruit. I LOVE the appeal of mango curd oozing out with each bite in this recipe, but now I have a problem. I planned to skip the frosting step since my friend doesn't eat it (she reckons it's fattening). Then I realised I have nothing to cover the hole created to fill the curd into the cupcake!

Is there any way I can cover the hole created for the curd without frosting? Thanks a lot!!

Strawberry and Mango Kolaches

2013-04-28T12:35:33Z

When I was a kid and we had "coffee and rolls" social time once a month after church on Sunday, one thing that was inevitably there were kolaches, which is a Czech sweet roll, typically with prune or poppyseed filling. I ... hated them. Prunes, yuck! They were not a kid's pastry. (Of course, I don't think I actually tried one. They had me running at prune.)

In the interest of exploring my own heritage, I decided to embrace the kolache. Sans prune. Instead, I made mango and strawberry curd, two things that make these worth it even if they didn't turn out anything like what I remember the church ladies' kolaches to be. If I'd made them in a 13x9 pan, I think I would have gotten closer. Still, all differences aside - yum.

I found this recipe on allrecipes.com and decided to go with it. I think I'd try another one next time. I made a couple of modifications.

Makes 18

Ingredients:
1/4 cup organic shortening
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup evaporated cane sugar
3/4 teaspoons salt
1 1/4 cups scalded almond milk
2 egg yolks, beaten
zest of one large lemon
1 packet active dry yeast
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 cup fruit curd

Directions:
1. Cream shortening/butter and sugar together. Stir in salt, hot milk, beaten egg yolks, and zest. When lukewarm, add yeast to mixture. Let stand 5 minutes. Add flour, beating well. Knead down into bowl (or use dough hook). The dough will be slightly sticky. Let rise 1 hour.
2. Cut off small balls of dough. Roll into rounds in your hands, and place on greased cookie sheets 2 inches apart. Let rise 15 minutes.
3. Make a depression into the center of each roll. Fill with fruit curd.
4. Bake at 450 degrees F (230 degrees C) until brown. Watch carefully. Cool on wire racks.

Note: Temp is ridiculously high. Mine burned on the bottom after ten minutes, but were golden on top. I'd adjust this, for sure! I pretty much always burn the first batch. You'd think I'd learn to do a very small test batch, but nope. Burn them all!

The dough was beyond soft, which might have been because I chose to use some butter for shortening? Other than a panicky "eep, stuff stuck to fingers!" (am I the only one who hates that feeling?), it was still pretty easy to parse out. Hard to make look pretty, though:

^ Doesn't the strawberry curd look vibrant and amazing, though?

Mango and/or Strawberry Curd

1 large mango or 1 cup sliced strawberries
2-4 TB sugar, to taste (less is more, honestly, for a nice, tart curd)
2 TB fresh lemon juice
2 1/2 tsp cornstarch

Cube mango and puree in food processor with sugar, until as smooth as possible. In a small bowl, mix the lemon juice and corn starch. Add mixture to the fruit puree, process until well blended.

Strain the puree into a small saucepan, using a fine mesh strainer, toss the seeds/solids. Cook strained puree on medium heat until it boils, then cook a few more minutes until it thickens. Stir frequently, or even continuously. Remove from heat, then strain again into a heat-safe bowl. To avoid a skin, place the plastic wrap directly on the curd and refrigerate overnight.

Oh, MAN, the curds are amazing. A few of the strawberry pips got through, but not so much as to be totally distracting. I could eat both straight.

The church ladies also never used posypka, but I chose to sprinkle some on top, because how can you go wrong with sugar, butter and cinnamon?

Posypka (or, apparently, drobenka - posypka seems more Polish, now that I look at the etymology more closely)
1/4 c evaporated cane sugar
1/8 c all purpose flour
cinnamon to taste
2 tsp melted butter

Melt butter, add flour, sugar and cinnamon. Mix until it's a good crumble consistency.

Rustic Pizza Stuffed Mushrooms

2013-04-28T12:31:57Z

I like pizza but don't always want all the crust carbs. I love portobello mushrooms. So: pizza stuffed mushrooms!

I wanted an umami-heavy pizza here, so along with the roasted mushroom "crust," I added an anchovy filet. I also found that a few black olives and a smashed clove of roasted garlic did not go unappreciated. You should feel free to add whatever pizza toppings you enjoy -- in fact, you'll notice that I tucked a few leftover crumbles of Italian sausage into the mushroom cap in the foreground below, though those weren't in the original recipe. The sky's the limit!

Rustic Pizza Stuffed Mushrooms

Recipe by: Willow Bird Baking
Yield: 2 servings

Ingredients:
2 large portobello mushroom caps
2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons olive oil, divided
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt and few grinds pepper, divided
freshly grated Mozzarella cheese, to taste
4-6 slices pepperoni
a handful of sliced black olives*
2 cloves roasted garlic**, smashed
1 anchovy filet, chopped lightly with a fork
6 tablespoons pizza sauce of your choice***
crumbles of cooked Italian sausage (optional)
*I used some pitted black Cerignola olives marinated in olive oil and red chili flakes from my specialty grocer, but you can use any you like.
**I bought mine from the specialty grocer, but you can roast a head yourself using this guide -- you won't believe the sweet, mild flavor. You can use raw, but use less, because raw garlic is much hotter, spicier, and obnoxious. Not that there's anything wrong with that!
***I just used a jarred brand I love.

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Clean the mushroom caps by brushing gently with a wet brush. Remove the stems from mushrooms and gently remove gills with a spoon. Brush each mushroom cap with 1 tablespoon olive oil and sprinkle with a pinch of kosher salt and a grind of pepper. Roast for 15-20 minutes (depending on the size of the mushroom) or until they are nicely roasted but still holding their general shape.

Let the mushrooms cool until they can be handled. Drain any excess moisture from the caps and spoon a few tablespoons of pizza sauce into each one. Top with sliced olives, anchovy pieces, pepperoni, Italian sausage (if you're using it), the smashed roasted garlic, a generous sprinkle of Mozzarella cheese, and another small grind of pepper. Place the mushrooms back into the oven until the cheese is melted and bubbly. Serve immediately.

To read about how I survived three days with 28 7th graders, share about your favorite field trips, and see more photos, please head over to Willow Bird Baking!

x-posted to food_porn, picturing_food, cooking, bakebakebake

Shipping Cupcakes

2013-04-25T11:32:38Z

I moved aout a year ago and a good friend of mine is not doing so well. She loved the cupcakes that were served at my wedding- which happened to be my favorite recipe. I would love to ship some to her and her husband, to help her get a little cheer.
I've tried looking it up via google, but I figured soe of you may have some good advice- how should I ship these cupcakes? I know one thing- I'd rather not ship them in glass mason jars.
ANy one have any good ideas or have any tips on what NOT to do? ANy info would be appreciated! Thank you!

Caramelized Pear Bread Pudding

2013-04-25T11:32:28Z

Ingredients
    2 1/2 cup(s) low-fat milk
    4 large eggs
    1/2 cup(s) sugar
    1 teaspoon(s) vanilla extract
    1/2 teaspoon(s) freshly grated lemon zest
    1/8 teaspoon(s) nutmeg
    4 cup(s) cubed, day-old country-style bread
    2 tablespoon(s) raisins or currants
    1 teaspoon(s) unsalted butter
    2 ripe pears
    1 tablespoon(s) lemon juice

Directions

1. Heat milk in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat, stirring, until steaming, 4 to 6 minutes. Whisk eggs in a large bowl until blended; gradually whisk in 1/4 cup sugar. Slowly whisk in the hot milk until blended. Whisk in vanilla, lemon zest and nutmeg.
   2. Add bread and raisins (or currants) to the milk mixture; gently fold together. Press down lightly with the back of a large spoon. Cover and set aside at room temperature.
   3. Butter the bottom and sides of a round 2-quart baking dish with 1 teaspoon butter. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Put a kettle of water on to boil.
4. Cut each pear half lengthwise into 4 slices. Place in a medium bowl and toss with lemon juice.
   5. Heat a medium skillet over low heat until hot. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons butter and swirl until just melted and the foam subsides. Sprinkle the remaining 1/4 cup sugar over the melted butter. Arrange the pear slices on their sides in the pan in an even layer. Increase the heat to medium-low and, without stirring, let the pears begin to brown and the sauce slowly caramelize, adjusting the heat as needed to prevent burning, about 10 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and carefully turn each pear slice with a fork. Return to the heat and cook until the sauce is uniformly golden, 2 to 4 minutes more.
   6. Carefully transfer the pears one at a time to the prepared baking dish, arranging them decoratively in a circle and slightly overlapping them if necessary. Use a heatproof silicone spatula to scrape any remaining syrup over the pears.
   7. Set the baking dish in a shallow baking pan. Spoon the bread and custard mixture into the baking dish. Press down on the bread until it is submerged in the custard. Place the pan in the oven and carefully add the hot water to the shallow baking pan until it is halfway up the sides of the baking dish.
8. Bake until the pudding is browned on top and set in the center, 1 to 1 1/4 hours. Carefully remove the pan from the oven. Transfer the baking dish to a wire rack and let cool for at least 45 minutes. To serve, run a knife around the edge of the pudding. Place a serving platter over it and invert the pudding onto the platter.

how to cook a rice cake (bibingka)

2013-04-25T04:46:10Z

This food is usually cook every Christmas season. Because this is a traditional for Filipino to do this. Here the ingredients hoow to cook rice cake.

Ingredients:

1 cup thick galapong "glutenous rice"

1/2 cup white sugar

2 tsps. baking powder

2 tbsps. melted butter

4 tbsps. sugar for topping

3 eggs, well-beaten

1 cup coconut milk

3 tbsps. grated cheese and salted duck's eggs

Procedures:

Add sugar to the glutenous rice.

Add baking powder, melted butter, and the well-beaten eggs and coconut milk. Mix well.

Pour a thin layer of this batter into a hot (native clay) baking pan or molds lined with banana leaves (which has previously been passed over an open flame, to soften the fibers).

Cover each baking dish with a galvanized iron sheet with live embers on it. (or Bake in a pre-heated hot oven (375 F) until golden brown).

When almost cooked, sprinkle grated cheese and sugar on top of each — and cover again. Continue baking until brown; brush top of bibingka with melted butter and serve hot with grated coconut.