SILIKOMART RAGGIO

Posted in Cake by sallybr

I have quite a few Silikomart cake molds for the most part acquired before the Great Pandemic of 2020, when I was baking cakes to include in my donation box. Once Covid hit, I went through a long time of donating exclusively stuff that could be individually wrapped, and cakes went into the back burner. Now I am set on trying to bring my molds to play, and plan to bake one cake every week. Should be a fun little adventure. Today it is time for Raggio to shine! ( Mold available here).

RAGGIO VANILLA AND CHOCOLATE CAKE
(adapted from several sources)

for the cake:
3 large eggs at room temperature
140 g white sugar (about 2/3 cup)
180 g butter, softened (about 3/4 cup)
1 tsp vanilla extract
225 g all-purpose flour (about 1 + 3/4 cup)
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
90 ml milk at room temperature (about 1/3 cup + 1 tablespoon)
60 g dark chocolate, finely chopped

for the ganache:
60 g dark chocolate
30 ml whipping cream
sprinkles of your choice

Heat oven to 350F.

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

In the bowl of a KitchenAid type mixer, cream the butter together with the sugar for several minutes, until light and fluffy. Gradually add the eggs to and mix each time until incorporated, then the vanilla extract.

Turn off the mixer. Add the sifted mixture of flour, and the milk, dividing the flour in three portions, and the milk in two. Start and end with the flour, eye-balling the amount it totally fine. Once all is incorporated, fold the chopped chocolate gently.

Spray your Silikomart or other Bundt pan (about 1.5 L volume). Pour the batter into the pan and level it gently with an offset spatula. Bake at 350F for 40-50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean.

Remove from the oven and wait until the cake is warm before removing it from the pan. I left it sit for about 30 minutes and it un-molded easily.

Make the ganache: Heat the cream until almost boiling and pour over the chocolate. Wait a few minutes, then whisk gently to combine. It should be smooth and shiny. Once it cools a bit, but it is still runny, pour over the cake. It is important that the consistency is right, so that it won’t simply run off the edges. Decorate with sprinkles before it is fully set, so they glue to the surface.

ENJOY!

to print the recipe, click here

Comments: The cake has such a beautiful shape that it would stand nicely with just a shower of powdered sugar. But the ganache is a perfect way to make it even more luscious. I cannot give personal feedback on the taste, as I donated the cake whole, but I heard that people really loved it… It is a simple cake, but the bits of chocolate add a lot, and of course the ganache makes it very festive. I hope that if you are like me, and have some Silikomart pans hiding in the depths of your basement, you’ll bring them to play…. Stay tuned for more in the future!

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28Oct2023

SCARY SKULL BAKES

Posted in Cake by sallybr

One pan, many possibilities to scare your family and friends, because now is the time to really go for it!

RED VELVET SKULL CAKES
(from the Bewitching Kitchen, inspired by Jo-Ann)

275g cake flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons cocoa powder (unsweetened)
1 tsp Red Velvet Emulsion (LorAnn)
red food gel (I used Super Red Americolor, about 1/2 tsp)
113g (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, at room temperature
300g sugar
2 eggs, at room temperature
1 cup buttermilk, at room temperature
1 teaspoon white vinegar
1 teaspoon baking soda

chocolate buttercream (home-made or store-bought)

Fondant (I used Renshaw)
Gun Metal food gel (Americolor)
Air-Brush silver (or Wilton silver spray)

Skull pan from Nordicware (available here)

Heat oven to 350F. Spray your skull pan with baking spray or coat with butter and flour. Reserve.

Sift together the cake flour, baking powder, and salt into a medium bowl; set aside. In a small bowl, mix food coloring, Red Velvet emulsion and cocoa powder to form a smooth paste.

In the mixing bowl of your stand mixer, cream butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Beat in the 2 eggs, one at a time, then add the cocoa-red gel mixture, scraping down the bowl with a spatula as you go. Add one third of the flour mixture to the butter mixture, mix well, then add half of the buttermilk. Beat in another third of flour mixture, then second half of buttermilk. End with the last third of the flour mixture, beat until well combined, making sure to scrape down the bowl with a spatula. As the mixer is going, whisk the baking soda with the vinegar, and as it is sizzling, add to the mixer.

Fill the cavities of the skull pan about 2/3 of the volume. You might have a little batter leftover. Bake for 28 to 30 minutes, until toothpick comes out clean. Cool for 15 minutes in the pan, then invert on a rack for the cakes to cool.

Coat them with a very thin layer of buttercream, place in the fridge. Grab a portion of fondant and dye it with gun metal gel. Roll it thin to a size large enough to coat one of the cakes. Remove the cakes from the fridge, and coat with the fondant. Use a fondant baller tool to get the fondant to go into the eyes and nose cavities. Trim the excess. Air-brush the surface with silver, or spray with Wilton Silver Shimmering Mist. Once the fondant is fully set, you can carve out a small portion to reveal the red cake underneath.

ENJOY!

to print the recipe, click here

Comments: I saw these mini-cakes at Jo-Ann site, but the instructions were a bit vague, and it also used a boxed cake mix, so I took baking matters into my own hands. My only shortcut was to buy buttercream icing at the store because my schedule was tight and I figured that the buttercream was such a tiny component, basically just a glue to get the fondant to stick to the cake. You can serve it in two different ways, intact or with some of the skull exposed…

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Just grab a fork and go at it… yes, the baker can eat the piece removed, and call it “quality control”. I really wanted to make a knife in fondant to stick into the cake, but my skills were not good enough and I don’t have a knife mold. I know, SHOCKING!

The red cakes can also be decorated with a simple buttercream, if you prefer them to be more festive. I think they get a little scarier this way.

The skull mold also works for savory bakes, but I cannot share a recipe yet because it is a work in progress…. I need to tweak the tortilla component.

The tortilla was gluten-free and the recipe I used was impossible to roll out thinly. It turned out too dense and heavy. But I will work on it some more. The filling was ground turkey with the usual taco seasonings, corn, black beans and peppers. But I definitely like the way the mold behaved for a savory bake.

I am already sad that Halloween is almost gone… I feel that for one reason or another, I did not bake enough scary things. Oh, well… there are much more serious problems in life. Let’s go with the flow and embrace…………. THANKSGIVING!

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25Aug2023

THREE DELICIOUS BAKES

Posted in Cake, Desserts, Sweets by sallybr

These three recipes are absolutely delicious, I cannot pick the top favorite, no matter how much thought I put into it. I will list them in the order they materialized in my kitchen, over the past couple of months. Each recipe has some interesting twist that makes it special. They are available online, so I provide you the links to the original author, because giving credit matters!

BAKE #1
HERMIT BARS WITH LEMON GLAZE

RECIPE AVAILABLE HERE

If you are into spiced cookies, this is THE most delicious bar concoction you will ever taste. Period. I have made Hermit cookies in the past, but this bar format with the lemon glaze on top is infinitely better. I urge you to try it. As usual, Helen’s instructions are absolutely spot on. The bar component bakes beautifully, it will end up with the perfect height to welcome the luscious lemony topping.

All flavors go together beautifully and the texture is also wonderful. I cannot recommend this recipe enough! Please make it…

BAKE #2
STRAWBERRY CURD BROWNIE BITES WITH MERINGUE

RECIPE AVAILABLE HERE

Look at those cutie pies! Or should I say cutie-brownies instead? The twist in this recipe is the topping, a strawberry curd… OMG that is to die for! I advise you to make the curd the day before, then the recipe is super easy. The brownie component calls for almond flour, which gives it a very nice texture and slightly more complex taste. Adding the meringues on top is a cute detail that you can skip if you like to simplify it. My only change from the recipe as published by Amisha, was to make the meringues separately – I used a Swiss meringue recipe for that, and just placed them on top of the brownies while they were still a tad warm.

Above you see some of the steps involved to make this delicious concoction…

To make them, I used this silicone pan, which was also used for the other brownie in this post. It makes for a super polished final look.

BAKE #3
ANNA OLSON’S FUDGE BROWNIES WITH SALTED PECANS

RECIPE AVAILABLE HERE

What makes this recipe special is definitely the addition of the pecans, both in the brownie batter and to top each little square. Do not omit the flake salt, it definitely works a special kind of magic here. I have made this recipe years ago, but now I found it available online and feel it is ok to share. It is from one of her great cookbooks, Bake with Anna Olson, which I bought in 2018 (according to my amazon records!).

I am obviously in love with my little brownie pan, and use it often. If you’ve missed it, I included the link to get it in the previous recipe.

Thank you Helen, Amisha and Anna for three absolutely great recipes!

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15Aug2023

MINI-CAKES, TWO WAYS

Posted in Cake by sallybr

This is a wonderful, simple recipe that works well even in very small silicone molds, as you can see further down in my article. For the mini cakes below, I used the pan featured in this post from my past.

MINI-RASPBERRY CAKES WITH RUBY RED GANACHE FILLING
(from The Bewitching Kitchen)

250g butter, soft, at room temperature
200 grams of sugar
1 tsp vanilla paste
pinch of salt
5 large eggs, at room temperature
250g all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
3 tablespoons milk at room temperature
25g freeze-dried raspberries – finely crushed

for ruby red ganache:
100 g ruby red chocolate (from Godiva)
110 g whipping cream

Make the ganache. Heat the whipping cream in the microwave until very hot, and pour over the pellets of ruby chocolate. Allow to sit 5 minutes at room temperature, then stir gently until fully dissolved. Reserve at room temperature.

Heat the oven to 350F.

Mix the flour, baking powder and salt in a bowl and set aside. Cream the butter and sugar until the sugar is fully dissolved and the butter turns lighter and fluffy, about five minutes in a Kitchen Aid type mixer with the paddle attachment. Add the eggs one by one, mixing for about 30 seconds before you add each egg. Gently fold the flour mixture and then the milk. Once that is incorporated, add the freeze-dried raspberry powder.

Fill the mold of choice to 3/4 of their capacity. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, depending on the size of your mold. Let the cakes cool completely before removing them, at least 45 minutes. Fill the center with ruby red ganache. Wait until it sets before serving.

ENJOY!

to print the recipe, click here

MINI-HEARTS RASPBERRY CAKES

Use the same recipe for the cake, distribute the batter into the cavities of this mold. Use store-bought or home-made raspberry jam to fill the center of the cakes.

These are soft, moist and delicious little cakes. The hear-shaped ones are tiny, as you can see in this close-up picture.

Two bites, and you are done! They were a huge success with colleagues from our department. The cakes filled with ganache are richer (and considerably bigger, although still small). I do love ganache so maybe my heart moves more in the direction of those, but if you prefer the sharp taste of raspberry jam to pair with the sweet cake, consider making a batch of the tiny hearts.

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25Jul2023

ROLLED BUTTERCREAM

Posted in Cake by sallybr

I am super excited to share this recipe, something I had never tried before and it is great not just for cupcakes, but also for cookie decorating. In fact, I have a post right now in my cookie blog using this exact recipe in several different ways. I would love a visit, so if interested, click here.

ROLLED BUTTERCREAM
(slightly modified from recipe and detailed video tutorial available here)

2 sticks (1 cup), soft butter
3 TBS. cornsyrup
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp lemon extract
1 tsp. white gel color
2 lbs. powdered sugar

Beat all ingredients together in a KitchenAid type mixer with a paddle attachment until it comes away clean from the sides of the bowl. It should feel like soft play dough. Turn out and wrap with plastic wrap. Let rest or use right away. Store unused dough wrapped in the fridge(up to 3weeks). Freeze for 3 months. It warms immediately in your hands as you work with it.

Roll out in the thickness you need, and place a mat with any kind of design over it, rolling gently with a rolling pin to get the impression on the buttercream. You can dust it lightly with cornstarch if needed. Cut to fit the top of your cupcakes. Place o the cupcake with a little bit of buttercream or a light brushing with simple syrup as glue.

ENJOY!

to print the recipe, click here

Comments: This rolled buttercream feels a lot like fondant as you work with it, but it tastes much better, and in some ways I believe it handles better too. Fondant can crack easily if it gets too dry, I felt rolled buttercream to be more forgiving. You can roll it thin and simply cover the cupcake, bringing the edges all the way to the sides, but I liked the look of the layer sitting on top with the edges cut flush with the cake. See which way you prefer.

For these cupcakes, I sprayed the surface of the buttercream with PME luster. You can also paint it or color it as you would a normal buttercream or fondant. In my cookie post, you will be able to see several ways to work with it, and they can all be adapted to cupcakes.

If you visit Pam Kennedy’s youtube channel, you’ll see that she has many video tutorials and recipes for cookies, icings, and cookie decoration techniques. Fantastic source of information, I recommend you start following her. All her videos can be found here at Pam Kennedy Bakes.

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