Vanilla Cupcakes with Lime Buttercream

A fast post here: as part of my "thank you for helping out with the website" I was asked to make "vanilla cupcakes with sort of spring-looking frosting" so I baked up Smitten Kitchen's vanilla cake recipe, topped with a lime buttercream.

The results: mmmm. The cake is moist and tender and the frosting has an addictively pleasant zing.

(Note to Jordan, another website helper: I brought your scones in today. I emailed you twice. They were here all day, but you didn't arrive. I could not keep my co-workers at bay -- sorry!)

Yellow Vanilla Cake (adapted from Smitten Kitchen)
3 1/2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter, softened
2 cups sugar
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
4 large eggs, at room temperature
2 cups buttermilk, well-shaken

Preheat oven to 350-degrees F. Line two muffin tins with muffin cups.

Sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl. In a large mixing bowl, beat butter and sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer at medium speed until pale and fluffy, then beat in vanilla. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating well and scraping down the bowl after each addition. At low speed, beat in buttermilk until just combined (mixture will look curdled). Add flour mixture in three batches, mixing until each addition is just incorporated.

Spoon batter evenly in muffin pans, then rap pan on counter several times to eliminate air bubbles. Bake until golden and a wooden pick inserted in center of cake comes out clean, 15 to 20 minutes, rotating pans halfway through baking. Remove cupcakes from pan and allow to cook fully on cooling rack.


Lime Buttercream Frosting
2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
Finely grated zest from 2 limes (about 2 teaspoons)
Juice from 2 fresh limes (about 1/4 cup)
6 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted

Beat butter with a mixer at medium speed until smooth. Beat in lime juice and zest. Scrape down the bowl and gradually add the powdered sugar, beating just until smooth. Frost cooled cupcakes.

Coconut Macaroons and Confections of a Master Baker

A few weeks ago, Stephanie to participate in The Edible Word for Confections of a (Closet) Master Baker by Gesine Bullock-Prado.

The rules were to "pick a dish that she mentions in the book or an ingredient that she talks about. Find a recipe or create a recipe for that dish, pastry or ingredient, and make it! (or if you like, make one of the yummy recipes she's included in the book)

Post an entry with a picture to your blog and share with us what compelled you to pick that particular dish, and any history about the recipe you created or are using to make that dish."

Bullock-Prado's book is a fun read -- though the publishing company organized some of the recipes and chapters a bit oddly and I am bothered by the author's attitude toward people who aren't thin.

Bullock-Prado is known for her french-style, almond macaroons. It's a recipe and cookie near and dear to her heart, which she writes at length about. Unfortunately, it's so near and dear that she doesn't share her recipe with her readers.

Still all this talk about macaroons had me craving *coconut* macaroons and, fortunately, Bullock-Prado provides a nice recipe for these on her blog.

They come together quickly and easily -- and the result is absolutely delicious. I didn't dip these in melted dark chocolate, but that would be a nice touch!


Coconut Macaroons (adapted)

4 egg whites
3 ½ cups sweetened shredded coconut
¾ cup sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
½ tsp. salt

Preheat oven to 300-degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper; set aside.

Combine all ingredients into a metal/heatproof bowl and set the bowl on a saucepan of simmering water. Stir occasionally to prevent the bottom from burning.

When the mixture is hot and has thickened slightly (about 10 minutes), use a medium sized cookie scoop, to scoop and drop batter onto the prepared baking sheet. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the edges are dark golden brown, rotating the pans from front to back and top to bottom half-way through the baking time.

Chocolate and Vanilla Ice Cream Cake

Happy Birthday, Sadie!

Today is Sadie's 11th Birthday. And we celebrated, at her request, with a homemade ice cream cake.

Make an ice cream cake from scratch is dead simple. (Time-consuming but simple.) Basically, I followed the instructions outlined in this guide and made a few tweaks. I'd recommend watching the video before making this cake simply to get a visual of what to do, but it really is easy. And delicious.

I did not use my own ice cream for this cake, but that is my next ice cream cake goal. If you use store-bought, make sure to choose a high-quality brand so that the cake's taste is fantastic as its aesthetics.



Chocolate and Vanilla Ice Cream Cake
1 package of Oreo cookies
1/4 cup butter, melted
1 qt. chocolate ice cream
1 qt. vanilla ice cream
non-dairy whipped topping, thawed
sprinkles (optional)
cake decorating gel (optional)

Place chocolate ice cream in the refrigerator and allow to soften.

Set aside 6 Oreo cookies. Crush the remaining cookies and, in a medium bowl, mix cookie crumbs thoroughly with the melted butter.

Press half to two-thirds of the cookie crumbs into the bottom of a springform pan. (The amount you use with determine the thickness of the cake's crust.) Set the remaining crumbs aside. Place springform pan in the freezer for 10 minutes to allow the crust to harden.

Place softened chocolate ice cream into a medium bowl and stir; it should be smooth and spreadable. Remove springform pan from the freezer and spread the chocolate ice cream evenly over the chocolate cookie crust. Sprinkle the surface of the ice cream with the remaining cookie crumbs (use as much or as little as you choose) and gently press the crumbs into the ice cream. Cover the pan with aluminum foil and chill in the freezer until hard, at least four hours.

Once the cake layer is almost ready, place the vanilla ice cream in the refrigerator and allow to soften. Once the vanilla ice cream is ready, remove springform pan from the freezer and spread the vanilla ice cream evenly over the chocolate ice cream and cookie crumb layer. Recover the pan with aluminum foil and chill in the freezer until hard, at least four hours.

Remove the pan from the freezer and run a hot knife between the edge of the ice cream cake and the walls of the pan (this will help prevent the cake from cracking). Open the latch on the springform pan and remove the sides.

Place the cake on a cake decorating turntable or plastic cutting board and frost with the whipped topping. Split apart the reserved Oreo cookies and place the halves around the sides of the cake. If desired, decorated with sprinkles and decorating gel.

Return cake to freezer and chill for 3 to 4 hours until hardened. Before serving, allow to soften in the refrigerator for 10 minutes. Slice cake with a knife warmed in hot water; dry knife before slicing .

Very Vanilla Ice Cream

It's summer and we need to eat ice cream.


Vanilla isn't usually my go-to flavor; I like something different, something a little more adventurous. But when making ice cream at home, for a crowd, vanilla is a flavor everybody likes. And, frankly, when vanilla ice cream turns out this well, it should be a go-to flavor.

This recipe yields a wonderfully rich and creamy ice cream that packs a strong vanilla punch. It's not a wallflower vanilla; it can stand on its own. But if you felt like pairing it with other things, like some blueberries and blackberries heated up on the stove with a bit of berry jam, or in a tall, fizzy root beer float, fear not: this vanilla ice cream plays well with others.

Very Vanilla Ice Cream (adapted)

1 vanilla bean
1 tsp. vanilla extract
3 cups heavy cream
1 cup whole milk
1 1/2 cups sugar
3 large eggs

With a knife, halve vanilla bean lengthwise. Scrape seeds into a large heavy saucepan and stir in extract, cream, milk, and sugar. Bring mixture just to a boil, stirring occasionally, and remove pan from heat.

In a large bowl, lightly beat eggs. Add hot cream mixture to eggs in a slow stream, whisking, and pour into pan. Cook custard over moderately low heat, stirring constantly, until a thermometer registers 170-degrees. (This may happen instantaneously; do not let boil.) Pour custard through a sieve into a clean bowl and cool. Chill custard, its surface covered with wax paper, at least 3 hours or until cold, and up to 1 day.

Freeze custard in an ice-cream maker according to manufacturer's instructions, in 2 batches if necessary. Transfer ice cream to an airtight container and put in freezer to harden. Ice cream may be made 1 week ahead.

Yields 1.5 quarts.

Happy Independence Day!

Wishing you, your friends and your family a festive and fun-filled 4th of July!

Glazed Sugar Cookies

For the cookies:
3/4 cups butter, softened
1 cups white sugar
2 eggs
2.5 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt

In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar together until smooth. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Stir in the flour, baking powder, and salt. Cover, and chill dough for at least one hour (or overnight).

Preheat oven to 400-degrees F. Roll out dough on floured surface 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick. Cut into shapes and place cookies 1 inch apart on a parchment-lined cookie sheets.
Bake 6 to 8 minutes until light golden brown. Cool completely before glazing.
Yields about 30, 2-inch cookies

Glaze

1 cup confectioners' sugar
1 Tbsp. light corn syrup
2 Tbsp. water or milk
food coloring, if desired (I used gel food coloring)
1 tsp. extract (almond, orange, etc.; vanilla extract will turn white icing tan)

Stir confectioners' sugar, corn syrup, and water together. Stir in food coloring if desired. Stir glaze before each use to ensure a uniform color.

Strawberry Rhubarb Tart

If you've been looking for a recipe that shows off the bright, brilliant flavors of both strawberries and rhubarbs, that looks gorgeous on the plate and, of course, is lip-smackingly delicious, look no further.

It's so good that Kian has asked if he could have one, all to himself, for his birthday.

I think I can make that happen.


Strawberry Rhubarb Tart (source)

Pie dough (either homemade or store bought)
2 cups sliced rhubarb
1/2 cup sugar
2 Tbsp. cornstarch
2 tsp. water
3/4 tsp. cinnamon, divided
3 cups sliced strawberries
1 Tbsp. sugar


Preheat oven to 400-degrees F. Press dough into bottom and up sides of a 10-inch removable-bottom tart pan. Line bottom of dough with a piece of foil; arrange pie weights or dried beans on foil. Bake for 5 minutes, remove pie weights and foil and bake an additional 5 minutes until lightly browned. Cool on a wire rack.

Combine rhubarb, 1/2 cup sugar, cornstarch, water, and 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil; reduce heat, and simmer 5 minutes or until rhubarb is tender, stirring frequently. Remove from heat, and stir in strawberries. Spoon strawberry mixture into prepared crust. Combine 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon and 1 tablespoon of sugar; sprinkle evenly over tart.

Place tart on a baking sheet. Bake for 30 minutes or until filling is set. Cool on a wire rack.

Apple Strudel: A Daring Bakers' Challenge

Guess what? It's that time again -- Daring Bakers' Challenge time!

The May Daring Bakers’ challenge was hosted by Linda of make life sweeter! and Courtney of Coco Cooks. They chose Apple Strudel from the recipe book Kaffeehaus: Exquisite Desserts from the Classic Cafés of Vienna, Budapest and Prague by Rick Rodgers.

Apple Strudel is not one of those desserts I'd normally think to make so, yet again, the DBers have pushed me to try new things. (Which is a good thing.) And strudel is a lot easier to make than I thought.

The dough came together quickly -- throw some flour, water, vinegar, salt and oil together, then knead -- and it was fairly easy to roll/pull out and make thin. The filling was as easy as, well if not pie, then strudel filling. And then you roll the whole thing up, put it in the oven and, presto, you've got yourself some strudel.

I would have preferred a sweeter filling; perhaps I'd add more sugar (and cinnamon) to the apples in the future, or try something else entirely (a sweet cheese filling mixed with Nutella?). The pastry, however, was just as a strudel should be: flaky and crispy.

Despite my quibbles, I had seconds with vanilla ice cream. As did Shane, Kian and my friends Jenny and Nancy, so how bad could it have been?


Apple Strudel

from “Kaffeehaus – Exquisite Desserts from the Classic Cafés of Vienna, Budapest and Prague” by Rick Rodgers
2 tablespoons (30 ml) golden rum
3 tablespoons (45 ml) raisins
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon (80 g) sugar
1/2 cup (1 stick / 115 g) unsalted butter, melted, divided
1 1/2 cups (350 ml) fresh bread crumbs
1/2 cup (120 ml, about 60 g) coarsely chopped walnuts
2 pounds (900 g) tart cooking apples, peeled, cored and cut into ¼ inch-thick slices (use apples that hold their shape during baking)
strudel dough (recipe below)
1. Mix the rum and raisins in a bowl. Mix the cinnamon and sugar in another bowl.

2. Heat 3 tablespoons of the butter in a large skillet over medium-high. Add the breadcrumbs and cook whilst stirring until golden and toasted. This will take about 3 minutes. Let it cool completely.

3. Put the rack in the upper third of the oven and preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C). Line a large baking sheet with baking paper (parchment paper). Make the strudel dough as described below. Spread about 3 tablespoons of the remaining melted butter over the dough using your hands (a bristle brush could tear the dough, you could use a special feather pastry brush instead of your hands). Sprinkle the buttered dough with the bread crumbs. Spread the walnuts about 3 inches (8 cm) from the short edge of the dough in a 6-inch-(15cm)-wide strip. Mix the apples with the raisins (including the rum), and the cinnamon sugar. Spread the mixture over the walnuts.

4. Fold the short end of the dough onto the filling. Lift the tablecloth at the short end of the dough so that the strudel rolls onto itself. Transfer the strudel to the prepared baking sheet by lifting it. Curve it into a horseshoe to fit. Tuck the ends under the strudel. Brush the top with the remaining melted butter.

5. Bake the strudel for about 30 minutes or until it is deep golden brown. Cool for at least 30 minutes before slicing. Use a serrated knife and serve either warm or at room temperature. It is best on the day it is baked.

Strudel dough
from “Kaffeehaus – Exquisite Desserts from the Classic Cafés of Vienna, Budapest and Prague” by Rick Rodgers

1 1/3 cups (200 g) unbleached flour
1/8 teaspoon salt
7 tablespoons (105 ml) water, plus more if needed
2 tablespoons (30 ml) vegetable oil, plus additional for coating the dough
1/2 teaspoon cider vinegar

1. Combine the flour and salt in a stand-mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix the water, oil and vinegar in a measuring cup. Add the water/oil mixture to the flour with the mixer on low speed. You will get a soft dough. Make sure it is not too dry, add a little more water if necessary.
Take the dough out of the mixer. Change to the dough hook. Put the dough ball back in the mixer. Let the dough knead on medium until you get a soft dough ball with a somewhat rough surface.

2. Take the dough out of the mixer and continue kneading by hand on an unfloured work surface. Knead for about 2 minutes. Pick up the dough and throw it down hard onto your working surface occasionally.
Shape the dough into a ball and transfer it to a plate. Oil the top of the dough ball lightly. Cover the ball tightly with plastic wrap. Allow to stand for 30-90 minutes (longer is better).

3. It would be best if you have a work area that you can walk around on all sides like a 36 inch (90 cm) round table or a work surface of 23 x 38 inches (60 x 100 cm). Cover your working area with table cloth, dust it with flour and rub it into the fabric. Put your dough ball in the middle and roll it out as much as you can.
Pick the dough up by holding it by an edge. This way the weight of the dough and gravity can help stretching it as it hangs. Using the back of your hands to gently stretch and pull the dough. You can use your forearms to support it.

4. The dough will become too large to hold. Put it on your work surface. Leave the thicker edge of the dough to hang over the edge of the table. Place your hands underneath the dough and stretch and pull the dough thinner using the backs of your hands. Stretch and pull the dough until it's about 2 feet (60 cm) wide and 3 feet (90 cm) long, it will be tissue-thin by this time. Cut away the thick dough around the edges with scissors. The dough is now ready to be filled.

Orange & Vanilla Bean Cheesecake

I love being a Daring Baker, but there are some months when I LOOOOOOVE being a Daring Baker. Love, loff, LURVE.

April is one of those months. Our host, Jenny of Jenny Bakes, gave us a base recipe -- "Abby's Infamous Cheesecake" -- and let us adapt the hell out of it.

It was awesome.

I knew I wanted to serve this cheesecake as part of Easter Brunch, so I wanted to keep the flavors light and bright. Orange was a natural choice (and afforded me the opportunity to try my hand at candying oranges for decoration, too). I added the seeds from a vanilla bean, too.

The result is seriously delicious cheesecake; creamy and dreamy, with a perfect balance of orange and vanilla. (And no cracks on the top!) We devoured it.

One note: this cheesecake isn't as firm as others I've made, but I'm not sure if that simply what the recipe yields, or if I should have baked it a tad longer.

No matter: it's a delicious cheesecake, a wonderful recipe ready for endless adaptations, and one of my favorite DB challenges. Thank you Jenny for a great challenge!

Check out hundreds upon hundreds of other cheesecake variations through the Daring Bakers' Blog roll.


Orange Vanilla Bean Cheesecake

Crust:
2 cups / 180 g graham cracker crumbs
1 stick / 4 oz butter, melted
2 Tbsp. / 24 g sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract

Cheesecake:
3 sticks of cream cheese, 8 oz each (total of 24 oz) room temperature
1 cup / 210 g sugar
2 Tbsp. grated orange zest
3 large eggs
1 cup / 8 oz heavy cream
1 Tbsp. freshly squeezed orange juice
Seeds scraped from 1 split vanilla bean

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (Gas Mark 4 = 180C = Moderate heat). Begin to boil a large pot of water for the water bath.

Mix together the crust ingredients and press into your preferred pan. You can press the crust just into the bottom, or up the sides of the pan too - baker's choice. Set crust aside.

Combine cream cheese, sugar and zest in the bowl of a stand-mixer (or in a large bowl if using a hand-mixer) and cream together until smooth. Add eggs, one at a time, fully incorporating each before adding the next. Make sure to scrape down the bowl in between each egg. Add heavy cream, vanilla, and orange juice and blend until smooth and creamy.

Pour batter into prepared crust and tap the pan on the counter a few times to bring all air bubbles to the surface. Place pan into a larger pan and pour boiling water into the larger pan until halfway up the side of the cheesecake pan. Wrap bottom of pan tightly with aluminum foil to prevent leaks.

Pan note: The creator of this recipe used to use a springform pan, but no matter how well she wrapped the thing in tin foil, water would always seep in and make the crust soggy. Now she uses one of those 1-use foil "casserole" shaped pans from the grocery store. They're 8 or 9 inches wide and really deep, and best of all, water-tight. When it comes time to serve, just cut the foil away.

Bake cheesecake 45 to 55 minutes, until it is almost done - this can be hard to judge, but you're looking for the cake to hold together, but still have a lot of jiggle to it in the center. You don't want it to be completely firm at this stage. Close the oven door, turn the heat off, and let rest in the cooling oven for one hour. This lets the cake finish cooking and cool down gently enough so that it won't crack on the top.

After one hour, remove cheesecake from oven and lift carefully out of water bath. Let it finish cooling on the counter, and then cover and put in the fridge to chill (preferably overnight). Once fully chilled, it is ready to serve.

The April 2009 challenge is hosted by Jenny from Jenny Bakes. She has chosen Abbey's Infamous Cheesecake as the challenge.

Chocolate Valentino with Blackberry Coulis: Celebrating The Blog's Birthday with the Daring Bakers

Guess what? This blog was born 3 years ago today!

Where did the time go?

How many calories were consumed?

Why has my photography only marginally improved?

In any event, I can't think of a better way to celebrate than with the Daring Bakers; today's our posting date!

The February 2009 challenge is hosted by Wendy of WMPE's blog and Dharm of Dad ~ Baker & Chef. "We have chosen a Chocolate Valentino cake by Chef Wan; a Vanilla Ice Cream recipe from Dharm and a Vanilla Ice Cream recipe from Wendy as the challenge."

A Chocolate Valentino is a flourless chocolate cake (mmmmmm) . Fortunately for me , we didn't *have* to make ice cream, just a topping to go along with the the cake. (We are still in the throws of winter in Upstate NY, and I just didn't have it in me to get creative with a cold dessert.)

So to accompany my cake, I made a simple blackberry coulis (adapted from this recipe).

I was faithful to the Chocolate Valentino recipe with two exceptions:
1) I melted the chocolate and butter in the microwave at 1 minute intervals on 40-percent power, stirring in between each go-round
2) I used a 9-inch, round springform pan.

And the result? A-MAZ-ING. It's like eating a fantastic chocolate truffle -- velvety, rich, decadent, fudgy -- and the coulis paired beautifully.

So thank you Wendy & Dharm for a fantastic challenge! This may be my favorite DB challenge thus far!




Chocolate Valentino

16 ounces of semisweet chocolate, roughly chopped
½ cup (1 stick) plus 2 tablespoons (146 grams total) of unsalted butter
5 large eggs separated

Put chocolate and butter in a heatproof bowl and set over a pan of simmering water (the bottom of the bowl should not touch the water) and melt, stirring often.

While your chocolate butter mixture is cooling. Butter your pan and line with a parchment circle then butter the parchment.

Separate the egg yolks from the egg whites and put into two medium/large bowls.

Whip the egg whites in a medium/large grease free bowl until stiff peaks are formed (do not over-whip or the cake will be dry).

With the same beater beat the egg yolks together.

Add the egg yolks to the cooled chocolate.

Fold in 1/3 of the egg whites into the chocolate mixture and follow with remaining 2/3rds. Fold until no white remains without deflating the batter.

Pour batter into prepared pan, the batter should fill the pan 3/4 of the way full, and bake at 375F/190C.

Bake for 25 minutes until an instant read thermometer reads 140F/60C. (Note – If you do not have an instant read thermometer, the top of the cake will look similar to a brownie and a cake tester will appear wet.)

Cool cake on a rack for 10 minutes then unmold.

Notes:
- Use your favorite chocolate – the finished cake will taste exactly like the chocolate you use. Be creative with your chocolate, if you like a sweeter cake use milk chocolate or a combination of the semisweet and milk chocolate. If you like bittersweet chocolate use that and add sweetness by mixing the semi sweet with bittersweet. If you are daring, try white chocolate.
A higher cocoa percentage increases the bitterness of the chocolate.

-Equipment - it is optional to use a heart shaped pan. For a real Valentino, bake it in a heart shaped pan or cut it out into a heart shape. You may use any shape pan that gives you an area of 50” - 6x8 or 7x7. An 8” spring form pan works with great results as do smaller pans or ramekins.

-An instant read thermometer highly recommended.

Heart Shaped Samoas

Do you follow Nic's Baking Bites ? It's filled with lots of tempting sweets and a week doesn't go by without a post that makes me drool.

Nic is especially good at recreating beloved recipes, especially Girl Scout cookies. She's got Thin Mints, Homemade Do-Si-Dos , Homemade Tagalongs and, Shane's favorite, Samoas.

So for Valentine's Day, I decided to follow Nic's Samoa recipe, but make the traditionally round cookies into hearts.

The verdict? YUM! With chewy caramel, toasted coconut, a buttery shortbread base, all kissed by dark chocolate, how could you go wrong? I'd say it was a spot-on recreation but this is so much better than the original. Those Girl Scouts better watch their backs...

The trickiest part of the recipe was spreading the coconut caramel topping onto the shortbread cookie base. The topping is awfully sticky and wanted to cling to almost everything it touched -- except the cookie. Eventually, I just used a spoon to spread the topping onto the cookie and, as the caramel & coconut cooled, I pressed it more firmly onto the cookie and shaped it into hearts.

Nic recommended Werther's Chewy Caramels but I was unable to find them at the store (what's up with that, Wegmans?!?) so I picked up Brach's Milk Maids instead. The end result was very tasty, but the caramel & coconut was a bit chewier than I would have liked; a softer caramel (but NOT a flowing one) would have been better.

I left the half the heart-shaped shortbread cut outs free of the coconut caramel, leaving some simply plain (for Kian's valentine gift), and others drizzeled in chocolate (for Sadie).

The unused caramel coconut topping didn't go to waste, however; it was pressed into a rectangle about 1/4-inch thick, allowed to cool, and then cut into bite sized pieces. Voila! Tasty caramel coconut chews.




Homemade Samoas from Nic's Baking Bites (slightly adapted)

Cookies
1 cup butter, soft
1/2 cup sugar
2 cups flour
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
up to 2 Tbsp milk

Preheat oven to 350-degrees.

In a large mixing bowl, cream together butter and sugar. Mix in flour, baking powder and salt at a low speed, followed by the vanilla and milk, adding in the milk as needed to make the dough come together without being sticky (it’s possible you might not need to add milk at all). The dough should come together into a soft, not-too-sticky ball. Add in a bit of extra flour if your dough is very sticky.

Working in two or three batches, roll out the dough between pieces of wax or parchement paper to about 1/4-inch thickness (or slightly less) and cut out shapes using a 1 to 1 1/2 -inch cookie cutter.

Place on a parchment lined baking sheet. If you'd like to make your rounds look just like samoas, use the end of a wide straw to cut a smaller center hole.

Bake cookies for 10-12 minutes, rotating the pans halfway through, until bottoms are lightly browned and cookies are set.

Cool for a few minutes on the baking sheet then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Coconut Caramel Topping
3 cups shredded coconut (sweetened or unsweetened)
12-oz good-quality chewy caramels
1/4 tsp salt
3 tbsp milk
1/2 tsp vanilla (optional)
8 oz. semisweet chocolate (chocolate chips are ok)

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Spread coconut evenly on a parchment-lined baking sheet (preferably one with sides) and toast 20 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes, until coconut is golden. Cool on baking sheet, stirring occasionally. Set aside.

Meanwhile unwrap the caramels and place in a large microwave-safe bowl with salt, milk, and vanilla. Cook on high for 3-4 minutes, stopping to stir a few times to help the caramel melt. When smooth, fold in toasted coconut with a spatula.

Using a small spoon or small offset spatula, spread topping on cooled cookies, using about 2-3 tsp per cookie. Reheat caramel for a few seconds in the microwave if it gets too firm to work with.

While topping sets up, melt chocolate in a small bowl. Heat on high in the microwave in 45 second intervals, stirring thoroughly to prevent scorching. Dip the base of each cookie into the chocolate and place on a clean piece of parchment paper. Transfer all remaining chocolate (or melt a bit of additional chocolate, if necessary) into a piping bag or a ziplock bag with the corner snipped off and drizzle finished cookies with chocolate.

Let chocolate set completely before storing in an airtight container.

Yields 3 1/2 to 4 dozen cookies.

French Yule Log -- Daring Bakers December 2008 Challenge

This month's challenge is brought to us by the adventurous Hilda from Saffron and Blueberry and Marion from Il en Faut Peu Pour Etre Heureux.

They have chosen a French Yule Log by Flore from Florilege Gourmand.

If you recall, the DBers did a yule log last year but this year's yule log is very different. Hilda & Marion explain:

In France you can buy two kinds of Yule log, either the Genoise and Buttercream type that we made last December, or what is more commonly purchased which is a frozen Yule Log very reminiscent of an ice cream cake, only often it’s not made of ice cream but rather frozen mousse of some sort. In French this is called an entremets which is sometimes loosely translated in English as simply a cream dessert. This also means that this recipe is not holiday-specific, it is also just a scrumptious dessert recipe.

And, it *was* a challenge. In fact, looking at this recipe (a frozen dessert in December? with all those steps?) and at all the things I had to do this month, I thought I might skip out.

But I needed an after-Christmas project, and here it was!

We had a bit of leeway in preparing each of the SIX components (you can see the original recipe here) but I opted for:



Chocolate Icing
Milk Chocolate Chantilly
Cinnamon Vanilla Crème Brulée
Dark Chocolate Crisp
Cinammon-Chocolate Ganache Insert
Dacquoise Biscuit (Almond Cake)

The order in which the recipe is laid out below is different from the original; it reflects the order in which I made things, and includes a few changes.

I had quite a bit of difficulty with the creme brulee. The recipe advises baking the creme in a water bath for 1 hour at 210-degrees F. After baking my creme that way for an 80 minutes, it still wasn't set. I took it out of the water bath, placed it back in the oven and then, finally, it set up.

Following that, I let it cool and placed the creme, in its mould, in the freezer. The next day, I couldn't get the damn thing out -- the liquid had seeped under the parchment and formed a custard glue, bonding the creme to its mould. So, while still frozen, I divided it into three pieces and popped each section out one-by-one.

The other challenge on *this* challenge was getting an even coating of icing on the yule log. The top came out fine but the sides were patchy ... hence the cookies! What you see above are dark chocolate Piroulines and Jules Destrooper Virtuosos (chocolate covered cinnamon cookies).

And how does it taste? Mmm, delicious. I especially love the cinnamon ganache layer. The crisp layer was a bit too crisp for me; maybe next time I'd use a finely crumbled wafer cookie and spread the chocolate very thin before it sets.

Thank you to Hilda and Marion for throwing down the dessert gauntlet and really challenging us this month! Check out hundreds of other yule logs via The Daring Bakers' Blogroll.



French Yule Log

Element #1 Cinnamon Vanilla Crème Brulée Insert

Preparation time: 15mn + 1h infusing + 1h baking

Equipment: Small saucepan, mixing bowl, baking mold, wax paper

Ingredients:
1/2 cup heavy cream (35% fat content)
½ cup whole milk
1 cinnamon stick
1/2 vanilla bean
4 medium-sized egg yolks
2 Tbsp granulated sugar

1. Heat the milk, cream, cinnamon and vanilla to just boiling. Remove from the stove and let the cinnamon and vanilla infuse for about 1 hour.
2. Whisk together the sugar and egg yolks (but do not beat until white).
3. Pour the cinnamon & vanilla-infused milk over the sugar/yolk mixture. Mix well.
4. Wipe with a very wet cloth and then cover your baking mold (whatever shape is going to fit on the inside of your Yule log/cake) with parchment paper. Pour the cream into the mold and bake at 210-degrees F for about 1 hour or until firm on the edges and slightly wobbly in the center.

Tartelette says: You can bake it without a water bath since it is going to go inside the log (the aesthetics of it won't matter as much since it will be covered with other things)....BUT I would recommend a water bath for the following reasons:
- you will get a much nicer mouth feel when it is done
- you will be able to control its baking point and desired consistency much better
- it bakes for such a long time that I fear it will get overdone without a water bath
Now...since it is baked in a pan and it is sometimes difficult to find another large pan to set it in for a water bath, even a small amount of water in your water bath will help the heat be distributed evenly in the baking process. Even as little as 1 inch will help.

5. Let cool and put in the freezer for at least 1 hour to firm up and facilitate the final assembly.


Element #2 Chocolate Chantilly

Preparation time: 20mn

Equipment: stand or hand mixer with whisk attachment, thermometer, double boiler or equivalent, spatula

Milk Chocolate Whipped Cream (Chantilly):
(Can be made the day before and kept in the fridge overnight)
2/3 cup heavy cream 35% fat
7.8 oz milk chocolate
2 1/3 tsp (corn syrup
1 1/3 cup heavy cream 35% fat

1. Chop the chocolate coarsely.
2. Heat the 2/3 cup of cream to boiling and pour over the chocolate and glucose syrup.
3. Wait 30 seconds then stir the mix until smooth. Add the remaining 1 1/3 cups cream.
4. Refrigerate to cool, then whip up.




Element #4 Chocolate Crisp Insert

Preparation time: 10 mn

Equipment: Small saucepan, baking sheet (if you make lace crepes).
Double boiler (or one small saucepan in another), wax paper, rolling pin (or use an empty bottle of olive oil).

3.5 oz (100g) dark chocolate
1 oz. (25g) Special K

1. Melt the chocolate in a double boiler.
2. Add the cereal. Mix quickly to thoroughly coat with the chocolate.
3. Spread between two sheets of wax paper to a size slightly larger than your desired shape. Refrigerate until hard.


Element #5 Dacquoise Biscuit (Almond Cake)

Preparation time: 10 mn + 15 mn for baking

Equipment: 2 mixing bowls, hand or stand mixer with whisk attachment, spatula, baking pan such as a 10”x15” jelly-roll pan, parchment paper

Note: Try to bake the Dacquoise the same day you assemble the log to keep it as moist as possible.

Ingredients:
3/4cup + 1Tbsp almond meal
1/2 cup confectioner’s sugar
2Tbsp all-purpose flour
3 medium egg whites
¼ cup granulated sugar

1. Finely mix the almond meal and the confectioners’ sugar. (If you have a mixer, you can use it by pulsing the ingredients together for no longer than 30 seconds).
2. Sift the flour into the mix.
3. Beat the eggs whites, gradually adding the granulated sugar until stiff.
4. Pour the almond meal mixture into the egg whites and blend delicately with a spatula.
5. Grease a piece of parchment paper and line your baking pan with it.
6. Spread the batter on a piece of parchment paper to an area slightly larger than your desired shape (circle, long strip etc...) and to a height of 1/3 inches.
7. Bake at 350-degrees F for approximately 15 minutes (depends on your oven), until golden.
8. Let cool and cut to the desired shape.


Element #5 Cinammon-Chocolate Ganache Insert

Preparation time: 10mn

Equipment: pan, whisk, stand mixer.

Note: Because the ganache hardens as it cools, you should make it right before you intend to use it to facilitate piping it onto the log during assembly. Please be careful when caramelizing the sugar and then adding the cream. It may splatter and boil.

Cinammon-Chocolate Ganache Insert
4 Tbsp granulated sugar
2/3 cup minus 1 Tbsp heavy cream
A pinch of cinnamon (or more, to taste)
2.7 oz milk chocolate, finely chopped
3.2 oz dark chocolate, finely chopped
3Tbsp + 1/2tsp unsalted butter softened

1.Make a caramel: Using the dry method, melt the sugar by spreading it in an even layer in a small saucepan with high sides. Heat over medium-high heat, watching it carefully as the sugar begins to melt. Never stir the mixture. As the sugar starts to melt, swirl the pan occasionally to allow the sugar to melt evenly. Cook to dark amber color.
2. Heat the cream with the cinnamon (use the quantity of cinnamon you want to infuse the cream, a pinch is the smallest amount suggested) until boiling. Pour cream into the caramel and stir thoroughly. Be very careful as it may splatter and boil. (You can help minimize splattering by creating an aluminum foil "lid" for the saucepan with the caramel. Make a small hole in the foil, top the caramel pan with it, and pour in the cream through that opening.)
3. Place milk & dark chocolate into the bowl of a stand mixer. Pour the hot caramel-milk mixture over the chocolate. Wait 30 seconds and stir by hand until smooth.
4. Add the softened butter and beat using the mixer's paddle attachment. The chocolate should be smooth and shiny.


Element #6 Milk Chocolate Icing

Preparation time: 25 minutes (10mn if you don’t count softening the gelatin)

Equipment: Small bowl, small saucepan

Note: Because the icing gels quickly, you should make it at the last minute.

Ingredients:

Milk Chocolate Icing
1.5 gelatin sheets or 3g / 1/2Tbsp powdered gelatin
4.2 oz milk chocolate
2 Tbsp butter
¼ cup heavy cream (35 % fat content)
1 Tbsp + 2 tsp. corn syrup

1. Soften the gelatin in 2 Tbsp. cold water for 15 minutes.
2. Coarsely chop the chocolate and butter together.
3. Bring the cream and corn syrup to a boil.
4. Add the gelatin.
5. Pour the mixture over the chocolate and butter. Whisk until smooth.
6. Let cool while checking the texture regularly. As soon as the mixture is smooth and coats a spoon well (it is starting to gel), use immediately.

Assembling the French Yule Log

Each time you pipe the chantilly, you will want to tap your mold gently on the countertop to get rid of any air bubbles.

1) Line your mold or pan with plastic film.
2) Pipe one third of the chantilly component into the mold.
3) Take the Creme Brulee Insert out of the freezer at the last minute and set on top of the mousse. Press down gently to slightly ensconce it in the mousse.
4) Pipe second third of the Chantilly component around and on top of the Creme Brulee Insert.
5) Cut the Praline/Crisp Insert to a size slightly smaller than your mold so that it can be surrounded by mousse. Lay it on top of the chantilly you just piped into the mold.
6) Pipe the last third of the chantilly component on top of the Praline Insert.
7) Freeze for a few hours to set. Take out of the freezer.
8) Pipe the Ganache Insert onto the frozen mousse leaving a slight edge so that ganache doesn’t seep out when you set the Dacquoise on top.
9) Close with the Dacquoise.
Freeze until the next day.

the order is:
1) Chantilly
2) Creme Brulee Insert
3) Chantilly
4) Praline/Crisp Insert
5) Chantilly -- FREEZE
6) Ganache Insert
7) Dacquoise


THE NEXT DAY...
Unmold the cake/log/whatever and set on a wire rack over a shallow pan.
Cover the cake with the icing.
Let set. Return to the freezer.
You may decorate your cake however you wish. The decorations can be set in the icing after it sets but before you return the cake to the freezer or you may attach them on top using extra ganache or leftover mousse, etc...
Transfer to the refrigerator no longer than ½ hour before serving as it may start to melt quickly depending on the elements you chose.

Chocolate Bread

Almost a year ago, I came upon this recipe for Chocolate Bread. Why did it take me so long to bake it? God only knows. But I finally did, and it was worth the wait.

While the final product is supposed to be have a "feathery yet rich texture," mine was denser, with a tighter crumb and a chewy crust. My guess is that, given the distinct chill in my house, I didn't allow enough time for the dough to rise before punching it down.

The flavor, however, is wonderful. The bread has a rich cocoa flavor accentuated by its chunks of dark chocolate. It tastes delicious alone but imagine spreading it with mascarpone cheese and topping it all off with a dollop of raspberry preserves? Mmm, divine.

Chocolate Bread

1 1/2 cups warm water, divided (or, if not using espresso powder, 1/2 cup warm water and 1 cup warm coffee)
2/3 cup plus 1 teaspoon granulated sugar, divided
2 teaspoons dry yeast
4 1/2 cups bread flour
2/3 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
2/3 cup cocoa powder, sifted
1 teaspoon instant espresso powder, optional (see above)
2 teaspoons salt
1 large egg, at room temperature
12 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
8 ounces good-quality dark chocolate, chopped into 1/2-inch chunks

Egg Glaze

1 large egg
1 teaspoon water

In a small bowl, combine 1/2 cup of the warm water with 1 teaspoon of the sugar. Sprinkle the yeast over the water and set the mixture aside for 10 minutes, until foamy. If the mixture doesn't foam, the yeast might be inactive and you should try again with fresh yeast.

In the bowl of a heavy-duty electric mixer, place the flour, the remaining 2/3 cup of granulated sugar, the light brown sugar, the cocoa, the espresso powder (if using) and the salt. Using the paddle attachment, mix at low speed for 1 minute, until combined. If mixing by hand, use a whisk and combine thoroughly.

Add the remaining 1 cup warm water (or warm coffee, if not using the espresso powder) and the egg to the yeast mixture. Add this to the flour mixture while continuing to mix at low speed. Increase the speed to medium and continue to beat the mixture for 2 minutes, or until the dough is smooth and elastic. At low speed, beat in the softened butter 1 tablespoon at a time, until it is incorporated into the dough. Remove the paddle attachment and replace it with the dough hook. (Alternatively, you can knead by hand. Just make sure the butter is well softened.) Knead the dough at low speed for 2 minutes. Increase the speed to medium and knead the dough for 2 minutes longer.

Add the chocolate chunks and knead just until incorporated. Transfer the dough to a buttered bowl (the dough will be quite moist). Cover the dough closely with plastic wrap or a damp tea towel and allow to rise in a warm, draft-free place for 2 hours (or until almost doubled in bulk).

After the chocolate dough has risen, punch the dough down and cover again with plastic wrap. Place the dough in the refrigerator for at least 8 hours or up to 2 days.

Butter two 8 1/2-by-4 1/2-by-2 1/2-inch loaf pans. On a lightly floured work surface, divide the chocolate dough in half. Divide each dough half into 6 equal pieces so that you have 12 equal pieces in all. With lightly floured hands, shape each piece into a smooth, round ball. Place 6 dough balls — two by two, at a diagonal (see photo above) — in each prepared pan, pressing them lightly together if necessary. Cover the pans with a tea towel and allow the dough to rise at room temperature for 1 hour.

Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 400 degrees.

In a small bowl, whisk together the egg and water until blended. Using a pastry brush, brush the egg glaze over the tops of the loaves.

Bake the loaves for 10 minutes. Lower the oven temperature to 375 degrees and bake the bread for an additional 30 minutes. Cool the bread in the pans set on a wire rack for 15 minutes. Unmold the bread and cool the loaves on the rack completely.

Mini Caramel Cupcakes with Carmelized Butter Frosting

November 2008 Daring Bakers Challenge

Author: Shuna Fish Lydon
Recipe Origin: Caramel Cake, the recipe
DB Challenge Hosts: Dolores of Culinary Curiosity, Alex of Blondie and Brownie, and Jenny of Foray into Food with gluten-free recipe assistance from Natalie of Gluten-a-Go-Go .
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It will come as no shock if I point out that two days ago was Thanksgiving, the mother of all American cooking holidays. It's also the end of the semester, and the papers I have to grade are piling up. And then there's this other holiday that's coming -- you, know: Christmas -- and preparations have already begun. So getting this challenge together was, well, challenging.

By far, the most difficult part of this was making the caramel syrup. I wasn't sure what I was looking for - how dark? How thick? I'm still not sure if I got it right, or if I just ended up with simple syrup.

The cake and frosting were reasonably straightforward. I did enjoy practicing browning butter; it's always fun to play with a technique you didn't know or had forgotten, and browned butter really does add a nuttiness that melted butter lacks.

As for the whole package -- the cupcakes topped with frosting -- I wasn't wowed. They remind me of yummy vanilla cupcakes, but the caramel notes are lost on me. Perhaps this is due to my issues with the caramel syrup.

DBers, how did you do with this challenge?

---

Caramel Cake with Carmelized Butter Frosting (adapted)

10 Tablespoons unsalted butter at room temperature
1 1/4 Cups granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/3 Cup Caramel Syrup (see recipe below)
2 each eggs, at room temperature
splash vanilla extract
2 Cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup milk, at room temperature

Preheat oven to 350F. Line two mini-muffin pans with cupcake liners.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream butter until smooth. Add sugar and salt & cream until light and fluffy.

Slowly pour room temperature caramel syrup into bowl. Scrape down bowl and increase speed. Add eggs/vanilla extract a little at a time, mixing well after each addition. Scrape down bowl again, beat mixture until light and uniform.

Sift flour and baking powder.

Turn mixer to lowest speed, and add one third of the dry ingredients. When incorporated, add half of the milk, a little at a time. Add another third of the dry ingredients, then the other half of the milk and finish with the dry ingredients. {This is called the dry, wet, dry, wet, dry method in cake making. It is often employed when there is a high proportion of liquid in the batter.}

Take off mixer and by hand, use a spatula to do a few last folds, making sure batter is uniform. Turn batter into prepared cake pan.

Place pans on cookie sheets. Set first timer for 15 minutes, rotate pan and set timer for another 10-15 minutes. Your own oven will set the pace. Bake until a skewer inserted in middle comes out clean. Cool cake completely before icing it.

Cake will keep for three days outside of the refrigerator.

CARAMEL SYRUP
2 cups sugar
1/2 cup water
1 cup water (for "stopping" the caramelization process)
In a small stainless steel saucepan, with tall sides, mix water and sugar until mixture feels like wet sand. Brush down any stray sugar crystals with wet pastry brush. Turn on heat to highest flame. Cook until smoking slightly: dark amber.

When color is achieved, very carefully pour in one cup of water. Caramel will jump and sputter about! It is very dangerous, so have long sleeves on and be prepared to step back.

Whisk over medium heat until it has reduced slightly and feels sticky between two fingers. {Obviously wait for it to cool on a spoon before touching it.} Note: For safety reasons, have ready a bowl of ice water to plunge your hands into if any caramel should land on your skin.

CARAMELIZED BUTTER FROSTING

12 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 pound confectioner’s sugar, sifted
4-6 tablespoons heavy cream
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2-4 tablespoons caramel syrup
Kosher or sea salt to taste

Cook butter until brown. Pour through a fine meshed sieve into a heatproof bowl, set aside to cool.

Pour cooled brown butter into mixer bowl.

In a stand mixer fitted with a paddle or whisk attachment, add confectioner's sugar a little at a time. When mixture looks too chunky to take any more, add a bit of cream and or caramel syrup. Repeat until mixture looks smooth and all confectioner's sugar has been incorporated. Add salt to taste.

Note: Caramelized butter frosting will keep in fridge for up to a month.

To smooth out from cold, microwave a bit, then mix with paddle attachment until smooth and light

Rustic Napoleons

I've decided that anything I make -- be it baked, sauteed, fried, roasted -- that doesn't come out looking like something out of a Williams-Sonoma cookbook will be dubbed "rustic."

Hence, rustic Napoleons. (I should probably go back through the archives and rename 95-percent of the recipes here.)

Being rustic, these Napoleons were fairly easy to whip up. I sliced a sheet of thawed frozen puff pastry into six equal pieces and baked them. After they cooled, I divided each rectangle in half horizontally for a total of 12 pieces. Then, I simply layered the puff pastry sheets with vanilla bean pastry cream, drizzled the tops with melted dark chocolate, and let them chill for an hour before serving.

Voila! Rustic Napoleons. A perfect pairing of crisp and savory layered with luscious, creamy, and sweet.

Vanilla Bean Pastry Cream (adapted from CookWise by Shirley O. Corriher)

1 cup whole milk
1/2 cup heavy or whipping cream
1 vanilla bean
1/3 cup sugar
salt
3 Tbsp. cornstarch
5 large egg yolks at room temperature

Place milk and cream in a medium saucepan. Slice a vanilla bean open with the tip of a paring knife and scrape some of its beans into the milk and cream; add the bean as well. Heat the mixture over medium heat just until everything begins to steam.

In another medium saucepan, stir together the sugar, a good pinch of salt, and cornstarch. Remove the vanilla bean from the cream and milk, and in a thin stream, pour the liquid into the the sugar mixture, stirring constantly. Return the saucepan to the heat and cook over medium, stirring constantly, until the mixture thickens.

Stir the egg yolks together in a bowl. In a thin stream, stir in about 1/4 cup of the hot mixture into the yolks, then scrape the yolk mixture into the saucepan. Return to heat and bring to a gentle boil, stirring constantly until the mixture is thick and smooth.

Transfer the custard to a bowl and cover with a piece of plastic wrap touching the entire surface of the custard. Chill until needed.

Yields about 2 cups.

Cinnamon Apple Cake

When September rolls around, I want apples.

I want to go apple picking. I want to drink apple cider. I want to eat caramel apples.

I want to bake with apples.

I stumbled across this recipe, which combines apples with my favorite spice, cinnamon. It’s very simple to pull together; the most complicated thing about it is needing a springform pan, and you could even do away with that.

The result is a tender, moist cake, almost like an English steamed pudding. It’s chockful of apple flavor and the cinnamon topping gives everything a nice lift. I wish the cake itself had more cinnamon flavor but a) that could probably be easily achieved by combining more cinnamon sugar with the apples and b) I always want more cinnamon, so this may be more of my personal taste rather than a fault of the recipe.

Cinnamon Apple Cake (adapted)

1 ¾ cups sugar, divided
1 stick unsalted butter (1/2 cup), softened
1 tsp. vanilla extract
6 ounces block-style fat-free cream cheese, softened (about 3/4 cup)
2 large eggs
1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
1 ½ tsps. baking powder
¼ tsp. salt
1 Tbsp. ground cinnamon
3 cups chopped peeled baking apples (about 2 large)

Preheat oven to 350-degrees F. Lightly oil a 8-inch springform pan* and set aside.

Beat 1 ½ cups sugar, margarine, vanilla, and cream cheese at medium speed of a mixer until well-blended. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.

In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder, and salt. Add flour mixture to creamed mixture, beating at low speed until blended.

In a small bowl, combine 1/4 cup sugar and cinnamon. Toss two tablespoons of the cinnamon mixture with the apples in a bowl. Fold apple mixture into batter. Pour batter into prepared pan and sprinkle with remaining cinnamon mixture.

Bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes or until the cake pulls away from the sides of the pan. Cool the cake completely on a wire rack, and cut using a serrated knife.

*You can substitute a 9-inch square cake pan or a 9-inch springform pan if you reduce the baking time by 5 minutes.

Chocolate Dipped Butter Cookies

For my mom's birthday (which is today) I offered to bake her anything she liked. Always a butter cookie lover, she requested:

A butter cookie that is partially dipped in chocolate. You know, like the old fashioned delicious cookies that bakeries used to make themselves before they bought them wholesale from large commercial bakeries made with butter flavoring.

Can you tell our family is into quality food?

The recipe for the cookies appears below; as for the chocolate, I melted and tempered Ghirardelli semi-sweet chocolate, getting a refresher in the method from Cooking for Engineers. After tempering, I dipped each cookie halfway, ran a fork gently through the liquid chocolate to provide visual interest, and set the cookie on a parchment-lined baking sheet to set up.

I hope these cookies do her request -- and she herself -- justice. Happy Birthday, Mom.

Chocolate Dipped Butter Cookies (adapted)

2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt, plus a bit more for sprinkling
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter, softened
1 cup sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla

Sift flour, salt, and baking powder together in a medium bowl.

In a large bowl with an electric mixer, beat butter until creamy. Gradually add sugar, beating until light and fluffy. Add egg and vanilla and beat until well combined. Gradually add flour mixture, beating just until mixture forms a dough.

Divide dough between 2 large sheets of parchment or wax paper and form each half into a 10- x 1 1/2-inch log, wrapping it in the paper, and sealing the wrapped logs in a zip top plastic bag. Chill until firm, at least 4 hours and up to 5 days. (Or, dough may be frozen up to 2 months.)

Let dough soften slightly before cutting (or, if frozen, thaw). Preheat oven to 375-degrees F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Slice dough into 1/4-inch-thick slices and place about 1 inch apart on baking sheet. VERY LIGHTLY sprinkle the tops of cookies with a bit of sea salt. To quote PJ Hamel, who used the technique on chocolate chip cookies, "We’re not talking pouring salt on your popcorn here. Just a minimalist’s sprinkle is what you’re after."

Bake cookies in batches in middle of oven until golden around edges, 10 to 12 minutes. Transfer to a rack to cool completely before dipping in chocolate. Store cookies in an airtight container at cool room temperature for up to 5 days.

Yields about 50 cookies.

Filbert Gateau with Praline Buttercream: A Daring Baker Challenge

There are a lot of steps in making the Filbert Gateau with Praline Buttercream -- the recipe is almost as long as the name -- but it wasn't an overly difficult cake to make. (Though getting a cake to look beautiful is difficult, and I need a lot more practice before one of my cakes could be mistaken for a professional one.) I did cheat a bit by not splitting the cake into three layers, which made things easier. Instead, I baked 2/3rds of the batter in one pan, the remaining 1/3 in another, split the larger cake in half and then proceeded as outlined below. (I still managed to f**k up the layers. But, buttercream-as-spackle came to the rescue.)

I liked the cake soaked with the simple syrup and apricot glaze very much, but the buttercream – for which I found my own recipe – and the ganache didn’t do it for me. It wasn’t bad, and I certainly ate more than one slice. But this is not something that I’ve craved since baking it, unlike, say, Danish or sticky buns. Though, now that I think about it, I’m not sure I’m an over-the-top decadent cake kinda girl; I pine for simple classics: carrot cake with cream cheese frosting, yellow cake with chocolate buttercream, or maybe even a strawberry cake.

The hazelnut brittle and the subsequent praline, however, were to die for. I need to figure out more ways to incorporate those little goodies into desserts.

Many thanks to the lovely Chris of the lovely Mele Cotte, who is not just a Daring Baker and not just this month's host, but full-on Bakenista! Chris, you are always a pleasure to bake with and learn from.

For more DB goodness, please visit the blogroll and forum!

Filbert Gateau with Praline Buttercream
From Great Cakes by Carol Walter

1 Filbert Gateau
1 recipe sugar syrup, flavored with dark rum
1 recipe Praline Buttercream
½ cup heavy cream, whipped to soft peaks
1 recipe Apricot Glaze
1 recipe Ganache Glaze, prepared just before using
3 tablespoons filberts, toasted and coarsely chopped

Filbert Gateau

1 ½ cups hazelnuts, toasted/skinned
2/3 cup cake flour, unsifted
2 Tbsp. cornstarch
7 large egg yolks
1 cup sugar, divided ¼ & ¾ cups
1 tsp. vanilla extract
½ tsp. grated lemon rind
5 lg. egg whites
¼ cup warm, clarified butter (100 – 110 degrees)

Position rack in the lower 3rd of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a 10” X 2” inch round cake pan.

Using a food processor, process nuts, cake flour, and cornstarch for about 30 seconds. Then, pulse the mixture about 10 times to get a fine, powdery mixture. You’ll know the nuts are ready when they begin to gather together around the sides of the bowl. While you want to make sure there aren’t any large pieces, don’t over-process. Set aside.

Put the yolks in the bowl of an electric mixer, with the whisk attachment, and beat until thick and light in color, about 3-4 minutes on med-high speed. Slowly, add ¾ cup of sugar. It is best to do so by adding a tablespoon at a time, taking about 3 minutes for this step. When finished, the mixture should be ribbony. Blend in the vanilla and grated lemon rind. Remove and set aside.

Place egg whites in a large, clean bowl of the electric mixer with the whisk attachment and beat on medium speed, until soft peaks form. Increase to med-high speed and slowly add the remaining ¼ cup of sugar, over 15-20 seconds or so. Continue to beat for another ½ minute.
Add the yolk mixture to the whites and whisk for 1 minute.

Pour the warm butter in a liquid measure cup (or a spouted container). Put the nut meal in a mesh strainer (or use your hand – working quickly) and sprinkle it in about 2 tablespoons at a time – folding it carefully for about 40 folds. Be sure to exclude any large chunks/pieces of nuts. Again, work quickly and carefully as to not deflate the mixture. When all but about 2 Tbsp. of nut meal remain, quickly and steadily pour the warm butter over the batter. Then, with the remaining nut meal, fold the batter to incorporate, about 13 or so folds.

With a rubber spatula, transfer the batter into the prepared pan, smoothing the surface with the spatula or back of a spoon. (If collected butter remains at the bottom of the bowl, do not add it to the batter! It will impede the cake rising while baking.)

Tap the pan on the counter to remove air bubbles and bake in the preheated oven for 30-35 minutes. You’ll know the cake is done when it is springy to the touch and it separates itself from the side of the pan. Remove from oven and allow to stand for 5 minutes. Invert onto a cake rack sprayed with nonstick coating, removing the pan. Cool the cake completely.

*If not using the cake right away, wrap thoroughly in plastic wrap, then in a plastic bag, then in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. If freezing, wrap in foil, then the bag and use within 2-3 months.

Sugar Syrup
Makes 1 cup, good for one 10-inch cake – split into 3 layers

1 cup water
¼ cup sugar
2 Tbsp. Cointreau

In a small, yet heavy saucepan, bring the water and sugar to a boil and simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from heat, add the liqueur. Cool slightly before using on the cake. *Can be made in advance.

Praline Buttercream
1 recipe Swiss Buttercream
1/3 cup praline paste


Praline Buttercream (source)
1/2 cup milk
1 cup granulated sugar
1 vanilla bean, halved lengthwise, or 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
6 large egg yolks
4 sticks (2 cups) unsalted butter, softened to cool room temperature In a small heavy saucepan simmer milk, sugar, and vanilla bean if using, stirring, until sugar is dissolved. In a bowl whisk yolks and add milk mixture in a stream, whisking. Transfer mixture to pan and cook over low heat, stirring, until a candy thermometer registers 170°F. Pour mixture through a fine sieve into another bowl and cool completely. In a bowl with an electric mixer beat butter until light and fluffy and beat in custard, a little at a time, until smooth. Beat in 1/3 cup praline (reserving remaining praline for another use) and vanilla extract if using.

Praline Paste
1 cup (4 ½ oz.) Hazelnuts, toasted/skinless
2/3 cup Sugar
Line a jelly roll pan with parchment and lightly butter.

Put the sugar in a heavy 10-inch skillet. Heat on low flame for about 10-20 min until the sugar melts around the edges. Do not stir the sugar. Swirl the pan if necessary to prevent the melted sugar from burning. Brush the sides of the pan with water to remove sugar crystals. If the sugar in the center does not melt, stir briefly. When the sugar is completely melted and caramel in color, remove from heat. Stir in the nuts with a wooden spoon and separate the clusters. Return to low heat and stir to coat the nuts on all sides. Cook until the mixture starts to bubble. **Remember – extremely hot mixture.** Then onto the parchment lined sheet and spread as evenly as possible. As it cools, it will harden into brittle. Break the candied nuts into pieces and place them in the food processor. Pulse into a medium-fine crunch or process until the brittle turns into a powder. To make paste, process for several minutes. Store in an airtight container and store in a cool, dry place. Do not refrigerate.

Apricot Glaze
Good for one 10-inch cake

2/3 cup thick apricot preserves
1 Tbsp. water

In a small, yet heavy saucepan, bring the water and preserves to a slow boil and simmer for 2-3 minutes. If the mixture begins to stick to the bottom of the saucepan, add water as needed.

Remove from heat and, using a strainer, press the mixture through the mesh and discard any remnants. With a pastry brush, apply the glaze onto the cake while the cake is still warm. If the glaze is too thick, thin to a preferred consistency with drops of water.

Ganache Glaze
Makes about 1 cup, enough to cover the top and sides of a 9 or 10 inch layer or tube cake

**Ganache can take on many forms. While warm – great fudge sauce. While cool or lukewarm – semisweet glaze. Slightly chilled – can be whipped into a filling/frosting. Cold & solid – the base of candied chocolate truffles.

6 oz. (good) semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, like Lindt
6 oz. (¾ cup heavy cream
1 tbsp. light corn syrup
1 Tbsp. Cointreau
¾ tsp. vanilla
½ - 1 tsp. hot water, if needed

Blend vanilla and liqueur together and set aside.

Break the chocolate into 1-inch pieces and place in the basket of a food processor and pulse until finely chopped. Transfer into a medium sized bowl and set aside.

Heat the cream and corn syrup in a saucepan, on low, until it reached a gentle boil. Once to the gently boil, immediately and carefully pour over the chocolate. Leave it alone for one minute, then slowly stir and mix the chocolate and cream together until the chocolate is melted and incorporated into the cream. Carefully blend in vanilla mixture. If the surface seems oily, add ½ - 1 tsp hot water. The glaze will thicken, but should still be pourable. If it doesn’t thicken, refrigerate for about 5 minutes, but make sure it doesn’t get too cold!

Assembling Cake

Cut a cardboard disk slightly smaller than the cake. Divide the cake into 3 layers and place the first layer top-side down on the disk. Using a pastry brush, moisten the layer with 3-4 Tbsp. of warm sugar syrup. Measure out 1 cup of praline buttercream and set aside.

Spread the bottom layer with a ¼-inch thickness of the remaining buttercream. Cover with ½ of the whipped cream, leaving ¼-inch border around the edge of the cake. Place the middle layer over the first, brush with sugar syrup, spreading with buttercream. Cover with the remaining whipped cream.

Moisten the cut side of the third layer with additional sugar syrup and place cut side down on the cake. Gently, press the sides of the cake to align the layers. Refrigerate to chill for at least 30 minutes.

Lift the cake by sliding your palm under the cardboard. Holding a serrated or very sharp knife with an 8-inch blade held parallel to the sides of the cake, trim the sides so that they are perfectly straight. Cut a slight bevel at the top to help the glaze drip over the edge. Brush the top and sides of the cake with warm apricot glaze, sealing the cut areas completely. Chill while you prepare the ganache.

Place a rack over a large shallow pan to catch the ganache drippings. Remove the gateau from the refrigerator and put it the rack. With a metal spatula in hand, and holding the saucepan about 10 inches above the cake, pour the ganache onto the cake’s center. Move the spatula over the top of the ganache about 4 times to get a smooth and mirror-like appearance. The ganache should cover the top and run down the sides of the cake. When the ganache has been poured and is coating the cake, lift one side of the rack and bang it once on the counter to help spread the ganache evenly and break any air bubbles. (Work fast before setting starts.) Patch any bare spots on the sides with a smaller spatula, but do not touch the top after the “bang”. Let the cake stand at least 15 minutes to set after glazing.

To garnish the cake, fit a 12 – 14-inch pastry bag with a #114 large leaf tip. Fill the bag with the reserved praline cream. Stating ½ inch from the outer edge of the cake, position the pastry tube at a 90 degree angle with the top almost touching the top of the cake. Apply pressure to the pastry bag, moving it slightly toward the center of the cake. As the buttercream flows on the cake, reverse the movement backward toward the edge of the cake and finish by pulling the bag again to the center. Stop applying pressure and press the bag downward, then quickly pull the tip up to break the flow of frosting. Repeat, making 12 leaves evenly spaced around the surface of the cake.

Make a second row of leaves on the top of the first row, moving the pastry bag about ¾ inch closer to the center. The leaves should overlap. Make a 3rd row, moving closer and closer to the center. Add a 4th row if you have the room. But, leave a 2-inch space in the center for a chopped filbert garnish. Refrigerate uncovered for 3-4 hours to allow the cake to set. Remove the cake from the refrigerator at least 3 hours before serving.

Leftover cake can be covered with foil and kept in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

Summer's Best Blackberry Sorbet

If you live in or around Canandaigua, Pittsford, or Geneva, NY, sign up for the Fellenz Family Farm CSA next year. (In the meantime, stop by their roadside stand right now.) The quality of produce we get is phenomenal -- just last night, I toted home a large bag filled with just-picked spinach, green beans, mizzuna, swiss chard, early season sun gold tomatoes, summer squash and cucumbers.

But if I hadn't already taken home so many, I would have also picked up some of Andy Fellenz's beautifully dark and flavorful blackberries too.

This is a recipe I developed to accompany an article I wrote on the Cayuga Lake Creamery for the current issue of Edible Finger Lakes. Due to space constraints, the recipe was cut (SIGH) but the article on the Creamery remains (the article is now online, click here for a pdf.).

The Creamery is another must-visit if you're in the Finger Lakes. The owners, Jeff Kostick and Judy Gonroff, are the nicest people you'll ever meet (as are their employees) and their ice cream is innovative, of superb quality and, most importantly, delicious.

I'll tease you a bit with the intro from my article:

Close your eyes and imagine your ideal ice cream flavor.
Is it a bright and flavorful raspberry, dotted with toothsome bits of icy fruit?
Does it taste of strongly-brewed iced coffee, mellowed with sugar and fresh cream?
Or do you crave a darkly decadent chocolate, lush with cocoa and studded with of homemade brownies and dark chocolate chunks?
Fulfill your ice cream dreams with these flavors--or one of many, many others--at Interlaken’s Cayuga Lake Creamery.

This sorbet will tide you over until you can make it to the Creamery yourself.

Summer's Best Blackberry Sorbet

1 cup water
1 cup sugar
4 cups fresh blackberries *
2 tbsp fresh squeezed lemon juice
2 tbsp crème de cassis (optional**)

Combine sugar and water in small saucepan. Bring to boil over high heat, stirring until sugar dissolves. Boil one minute, then remove from heat and allow syrup to cool to room temperature.
Puree blackberries with lemon juice in a food processor. Remove seeds by forcing the puree through a fine strainer into a bowl. Add the syrup and crème de cassis to the strained puree and chill until very cold.

Process berry mixture in ice cream maker according to manufacturer's instructions. Transfer sorbet to an air-tight container, cover and freeze until firm, about 6 hours.

Yields three generous cups.

*frozen blackberries may be substituted. Measure while frozen, allow to thaw, and proceed as outlined above.
**omitting the liqueur will result in a firmer sorbet.

Daring Bakers & The Danish Braid

I've said it before, and I'll say it again: what I love most about the Daring Bakers is that each month's challenge pushes me beyond my comfort zone and forces me to question my notions of baking and what I can do.

Preconceived notions about this challenge?
1) Making a laminated dough is difficult.
2) I don't like danish.

Realities realized after completing the challenge?

1) Making a laminated dough -- at least from this recipe -- is well within my ability! Sure, the instructions are lengthy, but the steps are fairly easy. The most important skill is patience: waiting for the dough to come together, waiting for the dough to rest or rise, waiting to roll and re-roll between turns and -- the most difficult to wait for -- waiting for the danish to cool so it can be eaten without burning my mouth!

2) I hadn't eaten real danish before. I love to eat real danish! The baked dough has the perfect chew, run through with flavor -- butter, vanilla, cardamom, orange -- so scrumptious! And the apple filling is to die for. Make sure you use Fuji apples; their taste and texture hold up well through the sauteeing and baking for a final result that is amazing.

So thank you Kelly and Ben for hosting this month's Daring Bakers challenge and, once again, pushing me to learn more about baking (and a little more about myself, too).

Check out the loooooooong list of Daring Bakers at the Daring Bakers Blog Roll!

Note: watching the danish braid video on this page (featuring Julia Child and Beatrice Ojakangas) really helped me visualize how to construct the braid. I highly recommend taking a look!

Danish Braid

Makes 2-1/2 pounds dough, enough for two braids

For the dough (Detrempe)
1 ounce fresh yeast or 1 tablespoon active dry yeast
1/2 cup whole milk
1/3 cup sugar
Zest of 1 orange, finely grated
3/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
2 large eggs, chilled
1/4 cup fresh orange juice
3-1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt

For the butter block (Beurrage)
1/2 pound (2 sticks) cold unsalted butter
1/4 cup all-purpose flour

DOUGH
Combine yeast and milk in the bowl of a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and mix on low speed. Slowly add sugar, orange zest, cardamom, vanilla extract, vanilla seeds, eggs, and orange juice. Mix well. Change to the dough hook and add the salt with the flour, 1 cup at a time, increasing speed to medium as the flour is incorporated. Knead the dough for about 5 minutes, or until smooth. You may need to add a little more flour if it is sticky. Transfer dough to a lightly floured baking sheet and cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Without a standing mixer: Combine yeast and milk in a bowl with a hand mixer on low speed or a whisk. Add sugar, orange zest, cardamom, vanilla extract, vanilla seeds, eggs, and orange juice and mix well. Sift flour and salt on your working surface and make a fountain. Make sure that the “walls” of your fountain are thick and even. Pour the liquid in the middle of the fountain. With your fingertips, mix the liquid and the flour starting from the middle of the fountain, slowly working towards the edges. When the ingredients have been incorporated start kneading the dough with the heel of your hands until it becomes smooth and easy to work with, around 5 to 7 minutes. You might need to add more flour if the dough is sticky.

BUTTER BLOCK
1. Combine butter and flour in the bowl of a mixer fitted with a paddle attachment and beat on medium speed for 1 minute. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and the paddle and then beat for 1 minute more, or until smooth and lump free. Set aside at room temperature.


2. After the detrempe has chilled 30 minutes, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface. Roll the dough into a rectangle approximately 18 x 13 inches and ¼ inch thick. The dough may be sticky, so keep dusting it lightly with flour. Spread the butter evenly over the center and right thirds of the dough. Fold the left edge of the detrempe to the right, covering half of the butter. Fold the right third of the rectangle over the center third. The first turn has now been completed. Mark the dough by poking it with your finger to keep track of your turns, or use a sticky and keep a tally. Place the dough on a baking sheet, wrap it in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 30 minutes.


3. Place the dough lengthwise on a floured work surface. The open ends should be to your right and left. Roll the dough into another approximately 13 x 18 inch, ¼-inch-thick rectangle. Again, fold the left third of the rectangle over the center third and the right third over the center third. No additional butter will be added as it is already in the dough. The second turn has now been completed. Refrigerate the dough for 30 minutes.


4. Roll out, turn, and refrigerate the dough two more times, for a total of four single turns. Make sure you are keeping track of your turns. Refrigerate the dough after the final turn for at least 5 hours or overnight. The Danish dough is now ready to be used. If you will not be using the dough within 24 hours, freeze it. To do this, roll the dough out to about 1 inch in thickness, wrap tightly in plastic wrap, and freeze. Defrost the dough slowly in the refrigerator for easiest handling. Danish dough will keep in the freezer for up to 1 month.

APPLE FILLING
Makes enough for two braids

Ingredients
4 Fuji or other apples, peeled, cored, and cut into ¼-inch pieces
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 vanilla bean, split and scraped
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
4 tablespoons unsalted butter

Toss all ingredients except butter in a large bowl. Melt the butter in a sauté pan over medium heat until slightly nutty in color, about 6 - 8 minutes. Then add the apple mixture and sauté until apples are softened and caramelized, 10 to 15 minutes. If you’ve chosen Fujis, the apples will be caramelized, but have still retained their shape. Pour the cooked apples onto a baking sheet to cool completely before forming the braid. (If making ahead, cool to room temperature, seal, and refrigerate.) They will cool faster when spread in a thin layer over the surface of the sheet. After they have cooled, the filling can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Left over filling can be used as an ice cream topping, for muffins, cheesecake, or other pastries.

DANISH BRAID
Makes enough for 2 large braids

Ingredients
1 recipe Danish Dough (see below)
2 cups apple filling, jam, or preserves (see below)

For the egg wash: 1 large egg, plus 1 large egg yolk

1. Line a baking sheet with a silicone mat or parchment paper. On a lightly floured surface, roll the Danish Dough into a 15 x 20-inch rectangle, ¼ inch thick. If the dough seems elastic and shrinks back when rolled, let it rest for a few minutes, then roll again. Place the dough on the baking sheet.



2. Along one long side of the pastry make parallel, 5-inch-long cuts with a knife or rolling pastry wheel, each about 1 inch apart. Repeat on the opposite side, making sure to line up the cuts with those you’ve already made.


3. Spoon the filling you’ve chosen to fill your braid down the center of the rectangle. Starting with the top and bottom “flaps”, fold the top flap down over the filling to cover. Next, fold the bottom “flap” up to cover filling. This helps keep the braid neat and helps to hold in the filling. Now begin folding the cut side strips of dough over the filling, alternating first left, then right, left, right, until finished. Trim any excess dough and tuck in the ends.

Egg Wash
Whisk together the whole egg and yolk in a bowl and with a pastry brush, lightly coat the braid.

Proofing and Baking
1. Spray cooking oil (Pam…) onto a piece of plastic wrap, and place over the braid. Proof at room temperature or, if possible, in a controlled 90 degree F environment for about 2 hours, or until doubled in volume and light to the touch.


2. Near the end of proofing, preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Position a rack in the center of the oven.


3. Bake for 10 minutes, then rotate the pan so that the side of the braid previously in the back of the oven is now in the front. Lower the oven temperature to 350 degrees F, and bake about 15-20 minutes more, or until golden brown. Cool and serve the braid either still warm from the oven or at room temperature. The cooled braid can be wrapped airtight and stored in the refrigerator for up to 2 days, or freeze for 1 month.