December Challenge--Yule Log!!

This months challenge was hosted by Ivonne and Lisa, and they chose the yule log. What?! a yule log...I thought to myself...First of all, just let me start with saying, that I was scared to death to even read the instructions. First, I thought, well, I will just bail out on this one, but then I wouldn't be a very Daring Baker then, would I. So, right on the dead line, I decided that I would have to at least attempt to make this,and I am so glad that I did.

First, I started with the mushrooms. I made these out of meringue and I wish that I would have had more time to play with the meringue and maybe make some cute little snowmen or something, but ok....the mushrooms look like mushrooms and I am happy with that.

Then, to tackle the genoise cake. This made me a little nervous, with having to heat the eggs, and them whip them....would I get it to the right consistency...why, yes I did! How excited I was. Ok, the cake is in the oven, now it is time for the buttercream...I was scared to get to this part because I had been reading other posts about curdling. Would this happen to me and what would I do if it did? Of course, go to my trusty Daring Baker friends. They always have answers or suggestions to help figure out anything. But, got to separating my eggs, add the sugar, heat, and then whip in all of the butter. no curdling so far....I decided to do a chocolate buttercream, because my husband and the kiddos, wouldn't like the coffee flavor, although I would love it....so, back to the buttercream...added some vanilla and cocoa, whipped a little longer, and viola....no curdling!! Can I just get an AMEN!!

Now, it is time to spread half of my buttercream onto my cake, and roll. What if it cracks? My husband asked me...well, if it does, it is nothing that a little buttercream can't cover, right? Well, I did get a few cracks in rolling, but for the most part it all stayed together. I am really glad that I did this challenge. The little "rocks" with my yule log are Chocolate chip cookie dough truffles. I will post this recipe in the next day or so.

Now, go and check out the yule log craze that will hit this weekend.

I also wish everyone a safe Merry Christmas and very Happy New Year!!!

Kettle and Cup

I would like for you guys to check out one of my new favorite blogs, Kettle and Cup. Marye is having a huge Grand opening with weekly giveaways, however, I am a few weeks behind this. She has some really cool things on this blog. Go ahead, and check her out!

New to the Foodie Blogroll

If you have noticed something different on my sidebar, it is the foodie blogroll, created by The Leftover Queen herself. It is a list of nothing but food blogs! I am so excited to have found it. So, go ahead and join yourself...go ahead, just click....

Chocolate Sprinkled Creme Brulee

My husband just got back from his trip from Haiti from where he lived on rice and beans all week, and was ready for a real meal. So, we had his favorite, shrimp pasta, garlic bread and of course we had to finish off with a great dessert. This is one of his favorite...Chocolate Sprinkled Creme Brulee. I have said this before that I love Gale Gand and this recipe is from her book Butter, Sugar, Flour, Eggs. I have all of her books, except for her first and I am still looking for it. Every thing that I have made from her books and been wonderful. This recipe is really simple and quick to put together. My favorite thing to do with these desserts is to caramelize the tops with sugar with my little kitchen torch. I never realized how much fun it is to play with fire in the kitchen! :) It calls for 8 egg yolks, which leave all of the egg whites, so maybe I will try my hand at macarons with the left over egg whites.

Chocolate Sprinkled Creme Brulee

2 1/3 cups heavy cream
1/3 cup half and half
1/2 vanilla bean, split lengthwise
8 egg yolks
1/2 cup granulated sugar
4 tsp shaved bittersweet or semisweet chocolate
1/2 cup coarse, raw, or Demera sugar (I used left over vanilla sugar)

Heat the oven to 300 degrees.

Heat the cream, half and half, and vanilla bean in a saucepan over medium heat just until it comes to a boil. Immediately turn off the heat. Set aside to infuse for 10 minutes.

Whisk the egg yolks with the granulated sugar in a large bowl just until combined. Whisking constantly, gradually pour in the hot cream mixture. Strain the mixture into a pitcher to smooth it and to remove the vanilla bean.

Pour the mixture into 4-6 ovenproof ramekins and arrange in a hot-water bath. Sprinkle the custards with the chocolate shavings. Bake in the center of the oven until almost set but still jiggly in the center, 30-40 minutes. (The custard will finish cooking as it cools) Remove from the water bath and let set 15 minutes. Tightly cover each ramekin with plastic wrap, making sure the plastic does not touch the surface of the custard.

Refrigerate at least 2 hours or until ready to serve.

When ready to serve, preheat a broiler to very hot (or fire up your kitchen torch). Uncover the custards. Coat the top of each custard completely with an even layer of coarse sugar.

Place the ramekins on a baking sheet and boil until the sugar is melted and well browned, about 2 minutes. Let cool 1 minute before serving.

Mary's Butterballs

I knew as soon as I bought this book Chocolate & Vanilla by Gale Gand, that I wanted to make these cookies. You have a butter cookie sandwiched with chocolate ganache, or raspberry jam, and then rolled in vanilla sugar. They are simple to make, with only 3 ingredients for the cookie, and I will definitely make again. These may even go into goodie baskets for Christmas this year. Maybe next time, I will vary the filling, may strawberry and chocolate, or raspberry and white chocolate...

Mary's Butterballs:

1 Cup (2 sticks)unsalted butter, softened
1/2 Cup granulated sugar
1 3/4 Cup all-purpose flour
1/2 Cup chocolate ganache or raspberry jam
vanilla sugar, for rolling



*To make vanilla sugar, put a vanilla bean in a cup of sugar and let sit for at least 12 hours.


*Chocolate ganache recipe is here.

In a mixer with the whisk attachment, beat the butter on medium speed until it's light and fluffy, 3-5 minutes. Mix in the granulated sugar and when the mixture is well blended add the flour and mix until it forms a dough. Wrap the dough in plastic and chill for rat least 3 hours to make is easier to handle. This also helps prevent the balls from flattening out too much when they're baked.



Preheat oven to 375 degrees.



Taking off pieces of dough with your hands, roll small (3/4 inch) balls of dough. Chill them for 30 minutes in the freezer, then place them 2 inches apart on cookie sheets to allow for some spreading. Bake for 10-12 minutes, or just until the cookies are firm but not browned. Remove from the oven and let cool on the pans.



Spread the flat face of half of the cooled cookies with the jam or ganache and top with a second cookie to form a little sandwiched ball. The filling will not show very much. Once you've sandwiched them all together, bury them in vanilla sugar to coat the entire outside.

Petit Fours

I made these petit fours for a friend's shower today. Although there is nothing spectacular about the cake, I used a box cake mix..shhhhh, the glaze is what I am happy with. It is a recipe from my favorite pastry chef, Gale Gand, with a few little changes. What I did was, baked a white sheet cake, let it cool completely. Cut into desired shapes, and brush tops with a simple syrup:
1 Cup sugar
1 Cup water
1 tsp of vanilla, or other flavorings of your choice.

Put into a small saucepan and bring to boil. Boil until sugar is dissolved.

Once you have brushed the cakes with simple syrup, I put in the refrigerator until chilled. Then glaze.

Glaze recipe:
2/3 Cup corn syrup
2/3 Cup hot water
1 1/2 tsp of almond extract
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 lb bag of powdered sugar

Combine the corn syrup and hot water and mix to combine. Add flavorings (you could use any flavoring of your choice, lemon is good also!) Next, stir in powdered sugar with whisk.

Pour glaze on top of cakes and let drip down the sides to make sure all is covered.

These little petit fours were so moist, and the glaze was great.

Millionaire Shortbread Tartletts

I feel like it has been forever since I posted, and once I did start to post..My USB cord wouldn't download my pics from my computer!! I was totally...should I say...not happy. Anyways, after searching all over Knoxville for something that would get my pics up...here I am. November was a crazy month for me, and hopefully December will be just as crazy..only with baking. I love this time of year when you can bake and bake and bake, and it is justified.

I made these tartletts for Thanksgiving, for my in-laws dinner. We only do finger foods on Thanksgiving night, which I am so ready for. Isn't it crazy that when you have finger foods, you can eat like 5 plates full, but if you were eating a regular meal, you would probably only eat 1 plate. I love it! These were a hit, and I was happy with them too. Maybe next time, I will add a layer of chopped pecans before I add the chocolate.

Millionaire Shortbread Tarts:
Crust: borrowed from Tartelette
1 1/2 Cups all-purpose flour
1/2 Cup brown sugar
8 Tbsp butter, room temp

Caramel filling:
1 Can of sweetened condensed milk

Chocolate Ganache:
12 oz semi-sweet chocolate, chopped
8 oz heavy cream

Mix all of the ingredients for the crust until combined. Using your fingertips, put into mini muffin tin, and push the dough in the bottom and up the sides. Bake at 350 degrees for about 8-10 minutes, or until lightly browned.

Do this ahead of time!!
Remove the paper from the sweetened condensed milk and put in a pot of water, making sure that water covers the can at all times....boil for 3 hours. Let cool completely.

To make the ganache:
Place chopped chocolate into a clean and dry glass bowl. Set aside. Place the heavy cream into a small saucepan and heat until warm. Do not bring to a boil! Pour the heavy cream onto the chocolate and let sit for a few seconds. With a whisk, start in the middle of the bowl and start mixing, so that the chocolate will start to melt and incorporate with the heavy cream. This may take a minute or so, but you will start to see a very smooth and glossy chocolate ganache form.

To assemble:
Fill the cooled shells with the caramel and then layer with the chocolate ganache.

Daring Baker, I am not...this month

I am so disappointed in myself this month....the November edition of the Daring Bakers, Tender Potato Bread. I have never tasted this, or have even attempted to make it before. So, I was really excited to try it. I will get to it, just not by today. Time just went by too fast. So, with that said go and check out all of the other wonderful Daring Bakers and check out their experience with the bread.

Pumpkin Bread and Marshmallows

I am still continuing my bake sale frenzy and now I have pumpkin bread baked in loaves, packaged and my house smells wonderful! Now all I need is some cream cheese to spread on a slice!

Pumpkin Bread

3 1/2 Cups all-purpose flour

1 1/4 tsp salt

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp nutmeg

3/4 Cup water

4 eggs

1 Cup oil

3/4 Cup chopped walnuts or pecans (optional)

1 tsp cinnamon

3 Cups sugar

2 cups pumpkin puree

Mix all of the ingredients together...I just throw them all into a mixing bowl at one time..and pour into well greased and floured loaf pans. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour, until toothpick comes out clean.

This makes 2 regular loaves.

Next, I have marshmallows, I have made these before and the recipe that I use is from the very talented Tartlette. This recipe has not failed me yet. After making and eating homemade marshmallows, I cannot bring myself to buy another bag of these. You can find the recipe here.

Pay it Forward

Today, I am going through some of my Daring Baker's friends blog and came across The Feast Within, who got this idea from someone who got it from someone, and I thought I would become involved. I have only been a "blogger" for a couple of months now and I am intrigued by how many people you meet, and all the swaps, challenges that you can become involved in..so here it is:

"I will send a handmade gift to the first 3 people who leave a comment on my blog requesting to join this PIF exchange. I don’t know what that gift will be yet and you may not receive it tomorrow or next week, but you will receive it within 365 days, which is my promise! The only thing you have to do in return is pay it forward by making the same promise on your blog.”

If you would like to join in, just leave a comment. It should be a ton of fun, and I am curious to see how long it will continue to go!

Oh Christmas Tea! and turtles....

This Saturday the church that I attend is having our annual Christmas Tea. This is a day of just girl time, where you can host a table of 8, decorate your table until you are just sick about it, and the best part is..the men serve you!! Let me just tell you, this only happens once a year for me, and I take full advantage of my girly day. Every year we have a theme, and this years theme is "Christmas around the world" all the money raised for the tea will go to the Haiti missionary trip that my husband will be part of in a couple of weeks. Within the tea, we are having "the Market in Bethlehem" with a bake sale, and other goodies. All of this money will go to the children of Haiti that are in orphanages. It is such an exciting day, I will have pics after Saturday to show of all of the other table decorations. So, where does this "Santa Turtle" come in? It is for the bake sale, of course.



My turtle is a mold, filled with a shell of tempered chocolate, filled with caramel and pecans and topped with another layer of chocolate to seal in the inside "guts." Then with white chocolate with a little bit of red food coloring and a little of just white chocolate makes the little hats that make my turtles little "santa's."



To make the caramel, I used a can of sweetened condensed milk, removed the label, put it in a pot of water--make sure the can is completely covered with water at all times--and boil for 3 hours. Let it cool completely, open the can and you have great caramel!! Use 3 cans of this and you can make a caramel pie that is just like O'Charley's. Yum!!




Next, I have Coconut Joys. These are so simple to make!

Coconut Joys:

1 stick of butter

2 Cups of powdered sugar

3 Cups of sweetened coconut

1/2 cup chocolate chips

Melt butter in a medium sized saucepan, remove from heat. Add the powdered sugar and coconut and mix until it is all combined well. Roll into balls and let set to "dry" for a few minutes. Melt the chocolate chips and drizzle over the tops of the coconut balls.

Stay tuned for more bake sale items.....

Dutch Apple Pancake

I had never had a Dutch Apple Pancake before and always wanted to try it. I still have granny smith apples that I had bought at the Asheville Farmer's Market a couple of weeks ago, and thought that this would be the perfect time to try it. My kids loved it. It is not too sweet and the apples give you just enough sweetness that it needs.

Where is the time going? I can't believe that we are into our 2nd week of November and less than 2 weeks until Thanksgiving, which then puts me to less than 3 weeks until my husband leaves for Haiti for a week on a missionary trip...and then we all know what is in less than 2 months! yep....the big day that kids live for, and if you are like me...adults too. Too many things that need to be baked and posted about, but not enough time. Hopefully, I can organize myself to get it all done. The one thing that I liked about this pancake was that it was quick and easy, and that is definitely what I need right now to make sure that I can get all of the other things done.

Apple Dutch Pancake

6 eggs

1 1/2 Cup milk

1 tsp. vanilla

1 Cup all-purpose flour

2 Tbsp granulated sugar

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp cinnamon

pinch of nutmeg

1/2 Cup unsalted butter, room temp

4 apples, peeled, cored and thinly sliced

1 Tbsp light brown sugar

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Combine eggs, milk and vanilla, mix until well combined. Add flour, granulated sugar, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Mix until dry ingredients are well incorporated, set aside.

Place butter in a 9X13 inch baking dish. Transfer dish to oven and heat until butter has just melted. Carefully remove from oven and place apples in a single layer in a baking dish. Return to oven and cook until butter begins to bubble, about 4 minutes. Remove from oven and pour batter over apples, sprinkle with brown sugar and continue baking until puffed and golden, about 20 minutes.

*The pancake will puff in the last 5 minutes of baking.

Apple Cream Tart

A little brown on the top, but don't let that scare you...it is really yummy! This tart is originally made with peaches, but when you have tart granny smith apples and it feels like fall, I think that apple will go well in anything. This doesn't take long at all to put together and you have the tartness of the apples with the sweetness of the filling...almost like an apple cobbler, only in tart form.

Crust:

1 1/4 Cups all-purpose flour

1/2 Cup (1 stick)butter, softened

2 Tbsp sour cream

Filling:

About 3 medium apples, peeled, cored and thickly sliced

3 large egg yolks

3/4 Cup sour cream

3/4 Cup sugar

1/4 Cup all-purpose flour

Glaze:

1/2 Cup apple jelly, warmed

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

To make the crust, place the flour, butter and sour cream in food processor and pulse to combine. When the dough has formed a ball, pat with lightly floured hands into the bottom and sides of an ungreased 10-inch tart pan with a removable bottom and 1/2 inch sides. Bake for about 15 minutes, until the crust is set but not browned. Let cool while preparing the filling.

To make filling, arrange the apple slices in overlapping circles on top of the crust, until it;s completely covered. Overfill the crust, as apples will draw up during baking. Combine the yolks, sour cream, sugar and flour and beat until smooth. Pour the mixture over the apples.

Place the tart pan on a baking sheet and bake for about 1 hour, until the custard sets and is pale golden in color. Cover with an aluminum foil tent if the crust gets too dark. (I forgot this part!ha!)

Transfer the tart pan to a wire rack to cool. When cool, remove the side wall of the pan. Spread the apple jelly with a pastry brush over the top of the tart.

My own chocolate from Paris!

I am so excited when I went to check my mail today, there is was...my child labor free chocolate bar from R Khooks. I won this by guessing the dessert that she made for the Stop the Traffiking Competition she had...you can check out the round up here.. There are some really wonderful creations. Thanks again!

October Daring Baker challenge

What is this? Bostini Cream Pie, of course...not to be confused with Boston cream pie. The bottom layer is a vanilla custard, topped with an orange chiffon cake, then topped with a chocolate ganache. I loved the custard, I could eat it by itself. The cake was good, but the only mistake that I made was that I used salted butter with the chocolate, which made the whole dessert a little salty. Next time I will definitely use unsalted butter! This month was hosted my Mary at Alpineberry, you can find this recipe here.

While looking over at a fellow DBer Lis on her blog...it states that the Daring Bakers have now grown to 299 members!! WOW!! That is amazing! Go and check out all of the other's posts of this months challenge from our blogroll. They truly are a bunch of talented bakers!

Cranberry Upside Down Cake

It finally feels like fall here, after having 90 degree weather for so long, it is now in the 60's, and it is the last week of October. Crazy, I know!! There is nothing better than cranberries, and pumpkin..that will come later...that says "Fall is finally here!" If you like tart and sweet, here is a great one to try. This cake is moist, sweet, with a hint of cinnamon, with the buttery and tart topping. You can use pecans in the topping also, if you choose. I chose not to use the pecans.

Cranberry Upside Down Cake
Topping:
2/3 Cup packed brown sugar
1/3 Cup butter
1 1/4 Cups cranberries
1/2 Cup chopped pecans

Cake:
1/2 cup butter, room temp
3/4 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1 Cup sour cream
1 1/2 Cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Wrap the outside of a 9 inch spring form pan with aluminum foil to prevent leaking. Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt. Set aside.
In a saucepan over medium heat, combine brown sugar and 1/3 cup of butter. Bring to a boil, then pour into bottom of spring form pan. Sprinkle with cranberries and pecans.
In a large bowl, cream together the butter and 3/4 cup sugar until light and fluffy. Beat int he eggs one at at time, then stir in the vanilla. Beat in the flour mixture alternately with the sour cream. Pour batter into the prepared pan.
Bake in the preheated oven for 45-60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Cool in pan for 10 minutes, then invert onto serving platter and carefully remove pan. Serve warm.

Chocolate Covered Strawberry Jam

I ran across the jam/jelly exchange hosted by Molly at Batter-splattered and thought that this would be so much fun to participate in. I have only made jam a few times, but this has to be my favorite so far. It is a little thicker than normal jam, but still tastes great. Who doesn't like chocolate covered strawberries? Now I can enjoy them on a biscuit! White chocolate raspberry is next on my list of jams to create.

Chocolate Covered Strawberry Jam

2 lbs strawberries, sliced
4 1/2 Cups sugar
2 Tbsp vinegar
pinch of salt
3 oz. of bittersweet chocolate, chopped

Combine all of the ingredients, EXCEPT the chocolate in a large pot. Bring to a rolling boil on medium-high heat, stirring frequently for about 15-20 minutes, or until you reach 220 F on a candy thermometer. Once you reach this temp, remove from heat and add the chocolate. Stir until all the chocolate has melted and is combined. Transfer to jelly jars and top with the lids. The heat from the jam should make the tops seal. Also, you don't need to skim off the foam, once you add the chocolate and get that all mixed in, the foam dissolves back into the jam.

The newest addition on my kitchen shelf

Today I was just sitting around, watching the TN/GA ballgame and thought, this is really boring. I so need to go to the bookstore. I had intended on buying Dorie Greenspan's book, Paris Sweets, but when I got to the cooking sections, there it was..just calling my name. Sherry Yard's new book, Desserts by the Yard! I was totally surprised, because I wasn't expecting it to hit the shelves until November. So, Dorie's book will be the new guest on my shelf on the next go around. I cannot wait to dig into this book! Some of it makes me a little nervous to tackle, but the pictures are great, and this book tells the story of her life. Anita from Dessert First gave a wonderful review of this book. I would encourage you to check that out here. I would also encourage you to check out Veronica's review from Veronica's Kitchen too. I have Sherry's first book, The Secrets of Baking and I love it, so I was curious to see how the 2nd one would compare. I am not disappointed in the least bit. I would say that this new one is just as good, if not better than book number 1. This would definitely be the one to put on your wish list.

Lemon-Buttermilk Poundcake

Lemon desserts run really close to chocolate desserts in being my favorite. I love anything lemon..but then again, I really like anything sweet. Go figure.... Anyways, this will be a recipe that I refer to again and again to make for anything. It is dense like a pound cake should be, but moist from the lemon vanilla simple syrup you make to brush over it while it is still warm, so that all this yumminess soaks all the way through. Maybe the only thing that I would do differently would be to maybe add a thin lemon glaze to it after it cools, but it is just fine without it.

Lemon Buttermilk Pound cake
1/2 lb. butter, at room temperature
2 Cups Sugar
2 1/2 Cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp. baking powder
4 large eggs
1/3 Cup lemon juice, about large lemons
2 tsp. vanilla
3 egg yolks
1/2 Cup buttermilk
1 Tbsp. grated lemon zest

For the simple syrup:
1/2 Cup water
1/2 Cup sugar
1 Tbsp. lemon juice
1 tsp. vanilla

Prepare a 10 inch bundt pan-buttered and then floured.

Combine butter, sugar, flour and baking powder in a mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. beat on low speed for 2 minutes. Combine remaining ingredients into a bowl and add to mixer in 3 additions, beating 1 minutes between each addition. Scrape batter into prepared pan and bake about 1 hour. Place cake on cooking rack in pan.

Prepare the simple syrup: Combine water and sugar in saucepan and bring to a boil until sugar is dissolved. Remove from the heat and add the lemon juice and vanilla. Unmold the cake and brush the syrup over the cake-allow to cool.

Pretzels

I love working with yeast dough. Ever since I completed my first DBer challenge, sticky buns, I have wanted to make something with a yeast dough again. The Daring Bakers started out with 2 people, Ivonne and Lis, who in discussion decided to make pretzels on the same day and post about it, that has been almost a year ago. After reading this, I thought this would be the perfect thing to make, except, I made mine sweet. You can find this recipe here. After they came out of the oven, I brushed them with butter, and then sprinkled with a cinnamon and sugar mixture. Now, for the taste test..big, soft, and chewy. Very tasty!

Chocolate Traffiking

I had never really thought about this or had even any idea about chocolate traffiking. Children under the age of 12 work on cocoa and coffee plantations, working 12 hour days and only make less than $150 a year. That broke my heart! Having 3 children myself under this age, I tried to imagine them having to do this to support our family. I couldn't. I know that other countries have different cultures than we do here in America, but those "babies" don't get to be kids and have to do more labor than I will probably have to ever do as an adult. So, when I read that R Khooks was doing this challenge, I knew that I would have to participate...if I could find a chocolate that was slave free. I only found 1 place in Knoxville that carried it, and it is a Nature store.

I found 3 oz blocks for $6 a bar...kind of pricey, but I loved how it baked and melted down. It is made from Theo and the fairtrade logo is on the front, however, it smelled great, it tasted great...it chopped great. I could also get it in different cocoa percentages, so I bought the 75%. Now....I found the chocolate..what to make. With loving chocolate and have so many favorite chocolate recipes, that was the next challenge..what to bake. While watching Barefoot Contessa on Foodtv, she made a Black and White Angel Food Cake with a chocolate ganache, I knew that I had to try it, and it was so worth it..light and fluffy, and just a little chocolate to satisfy the chocolate craving. My kids have loved it and my husband has eaten a piece (or two) in the past 2 days. I am happy to have participated in this to support such a great cause! Thanks for letting me be a part of it!

Black and White Angel Food Cake

2 Cups sifted superfine sugar

1 1/3 Cups sifted cake flour (not self rising)

1 1/2 Cups egg whites at room temperature (10-12 eggs)

3/4 tsp kosher salt

1 1/2 tsp cream of tarter

1 tsp vanilla

1/2 Cup coarsely grated semi sweet chocolate

Chocolate Glaze:

1 Cup chopped semi sweet chocolate

4 Tbsp butter

2 Tbsp light corn syrup

Melt all 3 ingredients together in a double boiler. Drizzle over the cake.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Combine 1/2 cup of the sugar with the flour and sift them together 4 times. Set aside.

Place the egg whites, salt, and cream of tartar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment and beat on high speed until the eggs form medium-firm peaks, about 1 minute. With the mixer on medium speed, add the remaining 1 1/2 cups of sugar by sprinkling it over the beaten egg whites. Beat on high speed for a few minutes until thick and shiny. Add the vanilla and continue to whisk until very thick, about 1 more minutes. Scrape the beaten egg whites into a large bowl. Sift 1/4 of the flour mixture over the egg whites and fold it carefully into the batter with a rubber spatula. Continue adding the flour in 3 equal additions, sifting and folding until it's all incorporated. Fold in the grated chocolate.

Pour the batter into an ungreased 10-in. tube pan, smooth the top, and bake it for 35-40 minutes, until it springs back to the touch. Remove the cake from the oven and invert the pan on a cooling rack. When cool, run a thin, flexible knife around the cake to remove it from the pan. Drizzle with the chocolate glaze.

Sticky Buns--a 1st Daring Baker Challenge

When the September challenge was announced as "cinnamon rolls/and or sticky buns" I was so excited. I have never been able to make a yeast dough and get it to rise, so this was another try at it and it worked! I chose to only make the sticky ones, because, how can you go wrong with just sticky, sugary, goodness soaked into a light and fluffy dough..yum!!
Thanks to Marce for a great challenge!
Go and check out the Daring Bakers blogroll and see their experience with this challenge and their variations as well!!

Sticky Buns
6 1/2 Tbsp granulated sugar
1 tsp salt
5 1/2 Tbsp shortening or unsalted butter margarine
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 tsp lemon extract OR 1 tsp grated zest of 1 lemon
3 1/2 Cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp instant yeast (instant yeast is also called rapid-rise or fast-rising)
1 1/8-1 1/4 cups whole milk or buttermilk, at room temp
1/2 Cup cinnamon sugar (6/2 Tbsp granulated sugar plus 1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon--or any other spices you would like to use)
Walnuts, pecans, or other nuts that you may choose as well as raisins or other dried fruits, such as dried cherries or cranberries.
Caramel Glaze--recipe at bottom

1. Cream together the sugar, salt and shortening or butter on medium-high speed in an electric mixer with a paddle attachment. Whip in the egg and lemon extract/zest until smooth. Then add the flour, yeast, and milk. Mix on low speed until the dough forms a ball. Switch to the dough hook and increase the speed to medium, mixing for approximately 10 minutes, or until the dough is silky and supple, tacky but not sticky. You may have to add a little flour or water while mixing to achieve this texture. Lightly oil a large bowl and transfer the dough to the bowl, rolling it around to coat it with oil. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap.
2. Ferment at room temperature for approximately 2 hours, or until the dough doubles in size.
3. Mist the counter with spray oil and transfer the dough to the counter. Roll out the dough with a rolling pin, lightly dusting the top with flour to keep it from sticking to the pin. Roll into a rectangle. Don't roll the dough too thin , or the finished buns will be tough and chewy rather than soft and plump. Sprinkle the cinnamon sugar over the surface of the dough and roll the dough up into a cigar-shaped log, creating a cinnamon sugar spiral as you roll. With the seam side down, cut the dough into 8-12 pieces each about 1 3/4 inches for thick, larger buns or 1 1/4 inch thick for smaller ones.
4. Coat the bottom of 1 or more baking dishes with sides at least 1 1/2 inches high with a 1 /4 inch layer of the caramel glaze. Sprinkle on the nuts and raisins (if you are using). You do not need a lot of nuts and raisins, only a sprinkling. Lay the pieces of dough on top of the glaze, spacing them about 1/2 inch apart. Mist the dough with spray oil and cover loosely with plastic wrap.
5. Proof at room temperature for 75-90 minutes, or until the pieces have grown into one another and have nearly doubled in size. You may also retard the shaped buns in the refrigerator for up to 2 days, pulling the pans out of the refrigerator 3-4 hours before baking to allow the dough to proof.
6. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees with the oven rack on the lowest shelf for the sticky buns.
7. Bake the sticky buns for 30-40 minutes, or until golden brown. Remember that the sticky buns are really being baked upside down, so the heat has to penetrate through the pan and into the glaze to caramelize it. The tops will become the bottoms, so they may appear dark and done, but the real key is whether the underside is fully baked.
8. Cool the buns in the pan for 5-10 minutes and them remove them by flipping them over into another pan. Carefully scoop any run-off glaze back over the buns with a spatula. Wait at least 20 minutes before serving.

Caramel Glaze
1/2 Cup granulated sugar
1/2 Cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 pound unsalted butter, at room temp
1/2 Cup corn syrup
1 tsp lemon, orange or vanilla extract.

1. Combing granulated sugar, brown sugar, salt and butter in a bowl and cream for 2 minutes. Add corn syrup and extract of your choice and continue to cream for about 5 minutes, or until light and fluffy.
2. Use as much of this as you need to cover the bottom of the pan with a 1/4 inch layer. Refrigerate and save any excess for future use, it will keep for months in a sealed container.

It's official!!

It is official! I am now a Daring Baker. Check back on the 30th to check out my first completed challenge.
The Daring Bakers are a group of bakers from all over the world that come together and build friendships through the love of baking. Every month there is is a challenge that we all make by the same recipe to see what different outcomes we all have.
I am very excited to become a part of this group!

Blueberry Crumb Cake

What can I say about this? Wonderful! All you need to go with this cake is a hot cup of coffee. This is from Dorie Greenspan's book "Baking From my home to yours". There are so many great things to make in this book that I have a hard time deciding on what to bake. This cake is light and buttery, with the sweetness of the berries, with a topping that is crunchy, nutty and buttery...how can you go wrong with that?!

Blueberry Crumb Cake

For the crumbs:

5 Tbsp unsalted butter, at room temp

1/4 Cup sugar

1/3 Cup (packed)light brown sugar

1/3 Cup all-purpose flour

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 Cup chopped walnuts (I didn't have walnuts, so I used pecans instead)

For the cake:

2 Cups blueberries (preferably fresh, or frozen, not thawed)

2 Cups plus 2 tsp all-purpose flour

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp ground cinnamon

1/8 tsp freshly grated nutmeg

2/3 Cup sugar

Grated zest of 1/2 lemon or 1/4 orange

3/4 stick (6 Tbsp) unsalted butter, at room temp

2 eggs. at room temp

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 Cup buttermilk

Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Butter an 8-inch square pan and put it on a baking sheet.

To make the crumbs: Put all the ingredients except the nuts in a food processor and pulse just until the mixture forms clumps and curds and holds together when pressed. Scrape the topping into a bowl, stir in the nuts and press a piece of plastic against the surface. Refrigerate until needed.

To make the cake: Using your fingertips, toss the blueberries and 2 tsp of the flour together in a small bowl just to coat the berries; set aside. Whisk together the remaining 2 cups flour, the baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg.

Working in the bowl of a stand mixer or in another large bowl, rub the sugar and zest together with your fingertips until the sugar is moist and aromatic. Add the butter and, with the paddle or whisk attachment, or with a hand mixer, beat the sugar with the butter at medium speed until light, about 3 minutes. Add the eggs one by one, beating for about 1 minutes after each addition, then beat in the vanilla extract. Don't be concerned if the batter looks curdled-it will soon smooth out. Reduce the mixer speed to low and add the flour mixture and the buttermilk alternately, the flour in 3 parts and the buttermilk in 2 (begin and end with the dry ingredients). You will have a thick, creamy batter. With a rubber spatula, gently stir in the berries.

Scrape the batter into the buttered pan and smooth the top gently with the spatula. Pull the crumb mix from the refrigerator and, with your fingertips, break it into pieces. Scatter the crumbs over the batter, pressing them down slightly.

Bake for 55-65 minutes, or until the crumbs are golden and a thin knife inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.

*My cake was done in about 45 minutes, so you may want to check on yours after it has baked for about 35-40 minutes, just in case your oven decides to bake a little hotter than usual. :)

I hope that you enjoy this cake as well as I did!

Creamy Pecan Pralines

Over the summer my family went to Myrtle Beach, SC for vacation. While we were there shopping we came across one of the candy shops and sampled a piece of pralines there and they were so good...but very experience. This recipe is out of Jill O'connor's book "Sticky, Chewy, Messy, Gooey". They are very simple to make, but make sure that it is a warm, dry day or the humidity can turn into little puddles of yummy goo..

Creamy Pecan Pralines

1 1/2 Cup granulated sugar

1 1/2 Cups packed dark brown sugar

1/2 tsp salt

2 Tbsp light corn syrup

1 Cup heavy cream

3 Tbsp unsalted butter, at room temp and cut into bits

2 tsp vanilla extract

2 Cups pecan halves, toasted and cooled

2 Tbsp bourbon or TN whiskey (optional)

Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.

-Spray the sides of a heavy 2-quart saucepan with nonstick cooking spray. combine the granulated sugar, brown sugar, and salt, corn syrup, and cream in the pan. Heat slowly over low heat, stirring constantly, until the sugars are melted and the mixture is smooth. Increase the heat to medium-high heat and bring the mixture to a boil. Boil gently until the mixture reaches the soft-ball stage (about 236 F on a candy thermometer), about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and let the mixture cool until it reaches 220F, about 10 minutes.

-Using a wooden spoon, beat in butter and vanilla until the mixture turns creamy and opaque. Stir in the pecans and whiskey, if using. Drop in 1/4-cup portions on the prepared baking sheets. Let the pralines cool completely until firm. When cool, serve immediately, or wrap each praline individually in plastic wrap or waxed paper and store in a tightly covered container for up to 1 week.

Chocolate Malted Whopper Cookies

I LOVE baking cookbooks and magazines. I have a ton of them and I am always looking for one to give a new home on my shelf. My favorite magazine right now is Tea Time Magazine. This weekend I went to the book store and bought "Baking, From my home to yours" by Dorie Greenspan, and "Sticky, Chewy, Messy, Gooey" by Jill O'Connor. I cannot wait to make every single thing in both of these books! :)

This is the first thing that I have made...Chocolate Malted Whopper Drops, only I made them in mini muffin tins. They are from Dorie Greenspan's book. If you need a chocolate fix, and want in cookie form, this would definitely be an option. You also need a big glass of cold milk with these. Enjoy!

Chocolate Malted Whopper Drops

1 3/4 Cups all-purpose flour

1 Cup malted milk powder

1/4 Cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1/4 tsp salt

1 stick plus 3 Tbsp unsalted butter, at room temperature

2/3 Cup Sugar

2 large eggs

1 tsp vanilla

1/4 Cup whole milk

2 Cups chocolate-covered malted milk balls (I used Whoppers), coarsely chopped

6 oz. bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped, or 1 Cup store-bought chocolate chips or chunks

-Sift together the flour, malted milk powder, cocoa, baking powder and salt.

-Working with a stand mixer, preferably fitted with a paddle attachment, or with a hand mixer in a large bowl, beat the butter and sugar together on medium speed for about 3 minutes, until very smooth. Add eggs one at a time, beating for 1 minute after each addition. Beat in the vanilla; don't be concerned if the mixture looks curdled-it will even out when the dry ingredients are added. Reduce the mixer speed to low and add half the dry ingredients, mixing just until they disappear into the batter. Mix in the milk, then the remaining dry ingredients, mixing only until they are incorporated. The batter will look more like fudge frosting than cookie dough-and that's fine. With the mixer on low, or by hand with a rubber spatula, mix in the malted milk balls and chopped chocolate.

-Drop the dough by rounded tablespoonfuls onto the sheets, leaving about 2 inches on space between spoonfuls. Bake for 11-13 minutes. When done, the cookies will be puffed and set but slightly soft to the touch. Let the cookies rest for 2 minutes before using a wide metal spatula to transfer them to racks to cool to room temperature.

September 11th--just a thought

Today is the 6th anniversary of the day that we as American's will never forget. It reminds me of how blessed I am to live here, with my husband and to raise my 3 beautiful children here, in this country. This morning, while taking 2 of them to school, I reminded them of today and to remember the families that lost their loved ones, and the children, like themselves, that lost their parents. I would imagine the anniversary of this date doesn't get any easier for them.

I am very proud of the men and women fighting for our freedom and the soldiers prior to this time.

Blackberry-Lime Cupcakes

Blackberry-lime cupcakes?! Such a strange combination, but refreshing! Here it is--a vanilla bean and lime cupcake, filled with a blackberry-lime curd, topped with cream cheese icing. Yum! The lime is not as strong as I imagined that it would be, but just a hint, and that is plenty. I would have never thought of a cupcake with lime as an ingredient, I would rather have chocolate, but when I saw "Who will be the next cupcake hero"
(http://slush.wordpress.com/2007/09/03/cupcake-lovers-of-the-world-unite/)I knew that I had to at least try. So, here it is...



Vanilla Bean & Lime Cupcakes:

1/2 Cup unsalted butter, softened
zest and juice of 1 lime
1 Cup sugar
2 eggs, room temp
3/4 Cup self-rising flour
1/2 Cup plus 2 Tbsp all-purpose flour
4-5 Tbsp milk
1/2 vanilla bean


Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

-Cream butter and zest in the bowl of an electric mixer on medium speed until butter is smooth. Gradually add sugar and continue beating until fluffy.

-Add the eggs 1 at a time, scraping the bowl and beating until smooth after each addition.

-Squeeze the lime directly into a liquid measuring cup. Add enough milk to total 1/2 cup of liquid, whisk to combine. In a medium bowl, whisk flours together to combine.

-Add the flour mixture to the batter in four parts, alternating with thirds of the milk mixture and beating after each addition until incorporated.

Add in the vanilla beans.

-Divide batter among the 12 cups of a lined standard cupcake pan. Bake for 12-15 minutes, until cupcakes are just starting to turn brown and toothpick comes out clean. Remove cupcakes from pan and let cool completely.



Blackberry-Lime Curd



2 Cups blackberries
1 Stick unsalted butter, cut into cubes
1/2 Cup sugar
1/4 Cup fresh lime juice
3 Large eggs
4 Large egg yolks


-Fill medium saucepan three-quarters full of water and bring to a simmer over medium heat.

-Puree the berries in a food processor or blender, then pass the puree through a fine-mesh strainer into a small bowl. Measure 1 cup of puree and reserve any remaining puree for another use.

-Melt the butter and blackberry puree together in a small saucepan over low heat, stirring occasionally, for about 1 minute. Stir in the sugar and lime juice and stir until the sugar is dissolved.

-Combine the eggs and egg yolks in a medium heatproof bowl and whisk briefly to combine. Slowly drizzle the hot blackberry mixture into the eggs, whisking continuously.

-When all the mixture has been added to the eggs, place the bowl over the saucepan of simmering water. Cook, whisking continuously, for about 5 minutes. Use a rubber spatula to scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl from time to time. Insert a thermometer and check the temperature. The curd is done when it has the consistency of sour cream and a temperature of 160 degrees F.

-Strain the curd through a fine-mesh strainer into another medium bowl and let cool completely.



Cream Cheese Frosting:

8 oz. Cream Cheese, room temp
2 lb. bag powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla
about 4 Tbsp milk


Cream together the cream cheese, vanilla and about 1/2 of the powdered sugar. Continue to add powdered sugar and milk to get your desired consistency for the frosting.






Now, to assemble:
Cut a cone out of the top of the cupcake and fill with the curd. Replace the top on back on the top of the blackberry-lime curd and frost with the cream cheese frosting.

Strawberry Blossom Tart

This weekend was my cousin's fiance's "thunderstorm" and for those of you like me, that had never heard of such a thing...it is a shower for the groom. As always, I was in charge of a dessert..so, as I was looking through one of my Chocolatier magazine, I found this recipe and thought that it sounded great and light for an outside event, and how can you go wrong with a White Chocolate pastry cream and strawberries, when it is almost 100 degrees. It was a ton of fun to make and looked very pretty...although, I am not sure if I liked the taste of it or not. It is kind of iffy.. Here is the recipe and if anyone else out there tries it, I would love to hear from you and what you thought about it.

Strawberry Blossom Tart

Pate Sablee:
1/2 C (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into cubes
1/4 C granulated sugar
1 1/2 C all-purpose flour
1 large egg yolk
2 Tbsp ice-cold water

White Chocolate Pastry Cream
1/2 C granulated sugar
3 Tbsp cornstarch
3 large eggs
3 large egg yolks
2 C milk
3 oz. high-quality white chocolate, chopped

Assembly:
1/3 C raspberry preserves
2 pints fresh strawberries, washed, hulled and quartered
Powdered sugar for dusting

1. Make pate sablee: Put butter and sugar in bowl of food processor and pulse until combined. Add flour and pulse several times, until butter is in pea-sized pieces. Add yolk and water and pulse until dough is combined, but still crumbly. Transfer dough to work surface and shape into disc. Wrap disc in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

2. Make pastry cream: In medium bowl, combine sugar and cornstarch. Whisk in eggs and egg yolks until smooth.
In a large saucepan, heat milk over medium-high heat until bubbles begin to form around edge of pan. Whisk about 1/3 of milk over yolk mixture until well blended. Pour in remaining hot milk, then return entire mixture to saucepan. Cook over medium heat, whisking constantly, until mixture thickens and boils. Let mixture boil for 1 minute while continuing to whisk. remove pan from heat and add white chocolate. Whisk until chocolate is melted and mixture is smooth. Transfer pastry cream to bowl and let cool for 10 minutes.
Place plastic wrap directly on surface of cream and refrigerate until ready to use.

3. Line tart pan: Remove dough from refrigerator and let softened 15-20 minutes, until pliable. Place dough in center of tart pan with removable bottom and press dough into bottom and up sides of pan, covering it completely and removing excess dough from edges. Chill dough in pan for at least 1 hour.
Preheat oven for 425 degrees. Line the pan with parchment paper and fill with pie weights, beans or rice. Place pan in center of oven and bake for 7 minutes. Remove pan from oven and reduce oven temp to 350 degrees. Remove parchment paper and weights from crust and bake for an additional 8-12 minutes, until it is just beginning to turn light golden brown around the edges. Cool completely and remove tart from pan.

4. Assemble the tart: Brush bottom and sides of the tart crust with raspberry preserves. Fill with the white chocolate pastry cream and top with the strawberries, pointed end up. Lightly dust with powdered sugar before serving.

**I cheated a little with the crust part :) ...and it turned out fine. I didn't have any pie weights, so I docked the bottom of the crust with holes, and baked it on 350 for about 15 minutes. It turned out the same that it would have if I used the weights, it didn't puff at all.

Happy Baking!!

Marshmallows

A couple of years ago, I decided that I wanted to make "homemade marshmallows"....well, I used the Martha Stewart recipe and to make it a really short story, it ended up with my hands looking like the Michelin Man and a cookie sheet attached..that is a mental picture that I do not want to relive. So, as I was looking at different blog spots and came across Tartelette's I found her recipe and the picture above is what I ended up with. They taste great...look great...and were a hit at the fondue party that my husband, Jamey, and I just hosted. This will definitly be a Christmas gift and maybe I will try flavors...peppermint or coconut...Maybe be adventurous and try pumpkin spice. Here is the recipe and I would advise anyone who wants to tackle this project to do so. It is well worth the effort!!



Marshmallows




2 1/2 envolpes unflavored gelatin (2 Tbsp plus 1 1/4 tsp)

3/4 Cup cold water, divided

2 Cups granulated sugar, divided

2/3 Cup light corn syrup

1 Tbsp vanilla extract

1/4 tsp salt

2 Large egg whites

2/3 cup powdered sugar

3 Tbsp cornstarch



Line a 9X13 in baking pan with heavy duty plastic wrap, allowing plastic to extend 1 inch over sides of pan. Lightly coat the plastic wrap with cooking spray. Sprinkle gelatin over 1/2 cup cold water in a small bowl, set aside. Combine remaining 1/4 Cup water, 1 3/4 cups granulated sugar, and corn syrup in a large saucepan. Cook, without stirring, over medium-high heat until a candy thermometer registers 260 degrees (about 15 minutes). Remove from heat; gradually stir in softened gelatine (mixture will appear foamy).

While sugar mixture cooks, beat the vanilla, salt, and egg whites at high speed in a heavy-duty stand mixer with whisk attachment until foamy (about 1 minute).

Gradually add remaining 1/4 Cup granulated sugar, 1 Tbsp at a time, until stiff peaks form. Gradually pour in gelatin mixture, beating until very thick (about 5 minutes). Gently pour marshmallow mixture in prepared pan. Coat 1 side of another sheet of plastic wrap with cooking spray. Place plastic wrap, coated side down, over marshmallow mixture. Chill 8 hours or until firm.

Sprinkle powdered sugar and cornstarch over a cutting board. Remove top sheet of plastic wrap. Invert marshmallow mixture over powdered sugar