HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME!

Posted in Breads, Cake, Cookies, Desserts, Desserts, Sweets by sallybr

The date came and went (March 11th), but only now I have a chance to share a few things I made for the occasion. As you may know, most of the sweets I bake we don’t get to eat, but this series of bakes is the exception that confirms the rule. We got to savor all the sweetness! But let’s start with the bread components.

FOCACCIA ART

Maybe you remember the Quilted Focaccia Buns of a recent past? I got this idea from the book Beautiful Bread, which I highly recommend, as Theresa Culletto shares amazing designs and all the tips to make them happen. It is all a matter of making a big enough dough to cover a large baking sheet, and then planning decorations with veggies cut in shapes.

It is quite amazing how much flavor and smell little pieces of leeks impart to the dough. You can also use chives for the stems if you prefer, they will likely be easier to work with, no real prep needed.

Moving on, I had to bake a sourdough, and chose a Springtime design for it…

And now, to the sweets… From Molly Yeh’s new book Sweet Farm, one of the most delicious cookies ever, a Cherry Mahlab Linzer! I cannot share the recipe for copyright issues, but I’m tempted to tell you that the book is worth it JUST for that one. Mahlab is a Middle Eastern spice that resembles cinnamon and imparts great flavor to the dough. I will be using it often.

The dough rolls like a dream, browns beautifully in the oven, and crumbles in your mouth with that texture that only almond flour will provide. Absolutely a must-make!

From the past, I re-visited the German Chocolate Macarons, which I did not have a change to taste the first time I made, but the feedback was so great, I was intrigued and could not wait to make again FOR US. Wonderful they were, all modesty aside… Recipe available here.

TWO VERSIONS OF BRIGADEIROS

Red Velvet and Lemon. They were both made with the same basic method: 1 can condensed milk + 1 tablespoon butter in a saucepan. To the Red Velvet I added one full tablespoon of cocoa powder + 1/2 tsp Red Velvet Emulsion from LorAnn and a pinch of salt.

To the Lemon version, I added 2 tablespoons Lemon Curd (store-bought), and a pinch of salt. On a later version I added a squeeze of fresh lemon juice and some lemon zest, I liked that better. Both versions cooked the way described in this old post of mine.

And now, for the Piece of Resistance, THE CAKE! Choice of the husband, who found the recipe online and twisted my 65 year old arm to make it. Recipe published here, and also in his cookbook SWEET.

This is one amazing cake! Luscious, moist, tender, almost feels like flourless. The ganache on top takes it exactly there: over the top. And of course, I had to add a Brazilian flair to it and topped with Red Velvet Brigadeiros. And some luster powder. Because if I cannot bling on my own Birthday, there would be something wrong with me.

ONE YEAR AGO: Incredibly Simple: Air-Fried Salmon Bites

TWO YEARS AGO: Chocolate-Covered Oreos

THREE YEARS AGO: Pan-Steamed Broccoli with Miso Vinaigrette

FOUR YEARS AGO: Cookies and Rubber Stamps

FIVE YEARS AGO: Macarons for all Seasons and Reasons

SIX YEARS AGO: Lentils and Radicchio? Yes, please!

SEVEN YEAR AGO: Tres Leches Cake

EIGHT YEARS AGO: The Joys of Grating Squash

NINE YEARS AGO: Auberge-Pecan Walnut Bread

TEN YEARS AGO: Gluten-free and Vegan Raspberry Bars

ELEVEN YEARS AGO: Lasserre, a French Classic

TWELVE YEARS AGO: Sourdough Bread with Walnuts and Dates

THIRTEEN YEARS AGO: Braised Brisket with Bourbon-Apricot Glaze

FOURTEEN YEARS AGO: The Real Vodka Sauce

FIFTEEN YEARS AGO: Pork Tenderloin and Blue Cheese

11Mar2025

CAKE PUCKS

Posted in Chocolate Bonbons, Desserts, Desserts, Sweets by sallybr

Back in July last year, I shared my first adventures with cake pucks (for a flash back, click here). I’ve made quite a few since then, some with boxed cakes and home-made buttercream, some with cakes crushed into crumbs while still warm, skipping the addition of buttercream. In my opinion, the texture of the cake component suffers a bit if you don’t use a little buttercream, but I am sure that is a matter of personal taste. Some bakers swear by the warm crumbled cake. Today I want to focus on a different recipe, one that uses a peanut butter fudge instead of cake for the center. And I also want to show you a new type of cake puck, made with a smaller mold. So, without further ado, let’s go over the peanut butter version.

PEANUT BUTTER FUDGE PUCK CAKES
(from bentycakes)

2 cups granulated sugar
1 + 1/3 cup creamy peanut butter
1/2 cup milk
2 tsp vanilla
dash of salt
melting chocolate (such as candy melts)

Bring sugar and milk to a boil over medium heat. Once boiling, whisk for 1-2 minutes. Add in vanilla, peanut butter and salt and mix until smooth. Working quickly, fill your small molds with the mixture.
The peanut butter fudge should set up pretty quickly at room temperature, but I prefer to stick in the fridge for 30 minutes or so.

Melt 17 ounces chocolate and a spoonful of refined coconut oil gently in the microwave at 50% power. for 1 minute. Place larger mold (with the Benty Cakes logo on the bottom) on the plastic tray and fill one cavity half full with melted chocolate.

Place chilled center on melted chocolate. Gently apply even pressure as you slowly press the center down until chocolate comes up from the sides and covers the top of the center. Scrape off any excess chocolate. If there is not enough chocolate to cover the center. Add chocolate and scrape away excess.
Tap the mold tray on the counter to eliminate air bubbles.

Let the pucks set in the fridge for 20 minutes or so, then gently un-mold. Decorate as desired.

ENJOY!

to print the recipe, click here

Comments: If you are a peanut butter lover in desserts these will blow your mind! The texture is creamy and luscious, and of course, the peanut butter with the chocolate around it is a perfect match. I will now show you mini-pucks, which I find even better than the original ones because they turn out as a two-bite thing, one is enough and not too much. You can order the set of molds by clicking here. Below, a comparison in size between this new version and the original.

This batch of minis was also made with the peanut butter fudge center…

As to decorations, I’ve been using several different techniques, one of them which I really love is painting the bottom of the mold with luster colors, then adding the chocolate on top

I love the way the surface turns out…

And using chocolate discs made with patterns using transfer sheets never gets old…

They also look pretty nice with just a drizzle of melted chocolate…

ONE YEAR AGO: Haniela’s Cheese Crackers

TWO YEARS AGO: Shrimp Tacos with Jicama-Mango Salsa

THREE YEARS AGO: Mini-Egg Brownies

FOUR YEARS AGO: The Luck of the Irish

FIVE YEARS AGO: When life gives you Eye-of-the-Round

SIX YEARS AGO: Carrot Cake Macarons

SEVEN YEARS AGO: Soup Saturday: Say Goodbye to Winter

EIGHT YEARS AGO: Manchego and Poblano Soup

NINE YEARS AGO: A Smashing Pair

TEN YEARS AGO: Spinach and Mushroom Stuffed Pork Tenderloin

ELEVEN YEARS AGO: Crispy Chickpea and Caper Spaghetti

TWELVE YEARS AGO: Spring has Sprung!

THIRTEEN YEARS AGO: Chickpea and Fire Roasted Tomato Soup

FOURTEEN YEARS AGO: Double Asparagus Delight

FIFTEEN YEARS AGO: Sun-dried Tomato and Feta Cheese Torte

2Feb2025

COCONUT CUPCAKES GET FROSTY

Posted in Cake, Desserts, Desserts, Sweets by sallybr

Several components needed for this bake, but isn’t it all worth it? I cannot take credit for the idea, I saw it by total accident in this Instagram page and fell in love with it. I adapted to use my own cupcake recipe and Tanya – tent-baker-extraordinaire and amazing friend – helped me with a frosting that holds well at room-temperature.

FROSTED COCONUT CUPCAKES WITH SNOWMAN COOKIE DECORATION
(adapted from several sources, inspired by Constellation Inspiration)

For the cupcakes (makes 12):
170g cake flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
113g butter at room temperature
200g sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract or paste
80g egg whites
90g sour cream
85g coconut milk

Heat oven to 350F. Make sure that the butter, egg whites, coconut milk and sour cream are at room temperature. Fill a cupcake pan with paper liners. Reserve.

Sift the cake flour baking powder, baking soda and salt. Reserve. Cream butter and sugar with the paddle attachment of a KitchenAid type mixer for about 5 minutes. Add vanilla to the egg whites and slowly pour into the creamed butter/sugar, continuing to mix and medium-low speed. Mix the coconut milk with the sour cream, then add to the mixer 1/3 of the reserved dry ingredients, 1/2 of the milk/sourcream, followed by 1/3 of the dry, 1/2 liquids, and finally the remaining amount of dry ingredients.

Place in the lined cupcake pan. Bake for 22 to 25 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow the cupcakes to cool completely before frosting.

COCONUT BUTTERCREAM
(from Tanya Ott)

1 cup butter, softened
3 cups powdered sugar
1/4 cup coconut milk

Whisk the butter with a Kitchen Aid type mixer and the paddle attachment for about 4 minutes. Add the powdered sugar in three batches, continue beating in medium-speed. Add the coconut milk, beat at medium-high for 2 minutes or so. Adjust consistency with powdered sugar if needed. Frost the cupcakes once they are at room temperature and immediately stick a snowman cookie on top.

SNOWMAN DECORATION

Bake rings of chocolate cookie dough small enough to fit over the cupcake. They will be fragile. Try to make them smaller than the ones I made, so they will have an easier time standing up on the frosted cake.

Once the rings are baked, use this recipe (minus the food gel color) to make the stained glass component. Pour inside the rings, let them set. Use Royal icing to create a snowy scene with a snowman.

ENJOY!

to print the recipe, click here

Comments: I absolutely loved making the stained-glass component with the snowman. You can do that a couple of days in advance, store at room temperature. They hold well. I made mine slightly too big, and at first I thought they would never stand up, but with “a little bit extra frosting” they did stay happily up. Consider decreasing the size a bit. Or, if you don’t mind the extra frosting, just go big!

The decorations matched very well our current situation in Manhattan, Kansas, aka The Little Apple.

We expect that by this weekend the snow will finally melt in our surroundings. It’s been a tough month of January. For too many reasons. Baking is keeping me reasonably sane. Or so everyone arounds me hopes.

ONE YEAR AGO: Mexican Bolillos

TWO YEARS AGO: Brazilian Style Banana Cake

THREE YEARS AGO: Tiger Shrimp in Chili Sauce

FOUR YEARS AGO: Tangzhong Hamburger Buns

FIVE YEARS AGO: Potato Soup with Spicy Shrimp

SIX YEARS AGO: Rose-Harissa Chicken Thighs

SEVEN YEARS AGO: Caramel-Chocolate Tartlets

EIGHT YEARS AGO: Chicken Korma-ish

NINE YEARS AGO: Sunday Gravy with Braciola

TEN YEARS AGO: In My Kitchen, February 2015

ELEVEN YEARS AGO: Avocado and Orange Salad with Charred Jalapeno Dressing

TWELVE YEARS AGO: Green Olive, Walnuts and Pomegranate Salad

THIRTEEN YEARS AGO: Romanian Flatbreads

FOURTEEN YEARS AGO: Ziti with Artichokes and Meyer Lemon Sauce

FIFTEEN YEARS AGO: Blasted Broccoli, Stove-top version

20Oct2024

HALLOWEEN ALMOND COOKIES

Posted in Cake, Cookies, Desserts, Desserts, Sweets by sallybr

I am not quite sure why they are described as cookies, to me they are more like little cakes. They are often served during the holiday season in Italy, known as Almond Rainbow Cookies. To mimic the colors of the Italian flag, the layers are green, white and red. I used the basic recipe and turned them into Halloween creatures. What do you think?

HALLOWEEN SESAME-ORANGE ALMOND COOKIES
(from the Bewitching Kitchen)

4 eggs (separated)
1 cup sugar
7 oz almond paste
2 + 1/2 sticks unsalted butter
1 tsp almond extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
½ tsp salt
2 tsp black sesame paste
1/2 tsp orange emulsion
black and orange food coloring
raspberry jam (I used SOLO raspberry filling)
7 oz semi-sweet chocolate
small amount of white chocolate and orange fat-soluble dye for decoration (optional)

Heat your oven to 350°F and line 3 baking pans (13 by 9 inch) with parchment paper. Reserve.

In an electric mixer, whisk the egg whites using the whisk attachment on medium-high speed and add 1/4 cup of the sugar a little at a time. Beat at high speed until you have glossy stiff peaks then transfer to another bowl and reserve until needed.

Clean the bowl and switch to the paddle attachment. Mix the almond paste and remaining 3/4 cup sugar until well incorporated, about 3 minutes. They will look like small pebbles. Add the butter and beat until pale and fluffy, another 3 minutes. Next add in the yolks and almond extract until well combined. Reduce the speed to low, then add flour and salt and mix until combined. Fold half of the egg white mixture into almond mixture to lighten, then fold in remaining whites gently until everything is mixed all together.

Weigh the batter and add 1/3 to one bowl, 2/3 to another. To the smaller portion, add the sesame paste and the black dye, mix well to incorporate. Add the orange extract and orange dye to the other bowl.

Spread the black batter into one of the prepared pans. Spread the orange batter divided in the two other pans. Bake each pan for about 12 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let them cool completely. Now it is time to assemble.

Place one orange layer onto a baking sheet with some parchment paper. Spread a thin layer of jam, then place the black layer on top, and spread another thin layer of the jam. Place the second orange layer on top of the black and cover with plastic wrap. Place another baking sheet on top with some weight and let it chill in the fridge for 4 hours.

Remove the weight and plastic and bring layers to room temperature (so that the chocolate won’t set too fast when you spread it). Melt chocolate in a microwave at 50% power until smooth. Trim the edges of the assembled layers and spread a thin layer of the chocolate on top of the cake. Place it back in the fridge to chill and until chocolate is firm. Cover with a sheet of parchment paper, place another baking sheet on top, carefully flip the cake. Spread a thin layer of chocolate and chill again until firm. Melt some white chocolate and dye it with fat-soluble orange dye, then make swirls on top (optional).

With a serrated knife cut the cookie/cake in rectangles while still very cold.

ENJOY!

to print the recipe, click here

Comments: I cannot lie to you, as it stands right now, I am not sure I will ever make these again… Labor of love, yes, no doubt. Maybe a second time will be easier but I was quit exhausted at the end and until I cut the pieces and looked at them all lined up, I was not sure of the outcome. For starters, it is hard to judge the thickness of the batter as you spread it on the baking sheet, so it was not easy for me to make sure the three layers had the same dimension. But overall, I think it was all fine. The taste (I tasted some trimmings) was really pretty spectacular. I love almonds and any sweets made with almonds so if you are part of my cheerleading team, you will love these!

ONE YEAR AGO: Miso-Honey Chicken Thighs

TWO YEARS AGO: Raw Zucchini and Chickpea Salad with Tahini Yogurt

THREE YEARS AGO: Black Tahini Shortbread Cookies

FOUR YEARS AGO: A Fruitful Trio (of Macarons)

FIVE YEARS AGO: Halloween Entremet Cake

SIX YEARS AGO: Pork with Prunes, Olives and Capers

SEVEN YEARS AGO: Kansas Corn Chowder

EIGHT YEARS AGO: Impossibly Cute Bacon and Egg Cups

NINE YEARS AGO: Pulling Under Pressure

TEN YEARS AGO: Cooking Sous-vide: Two takes on Chicken Thighs

ELEVEN YEARS AGO: Miso Soup: A Japanese Classic

TWELVE YEARS AGO: On my desk

THIRTEEN YEARS AGO: A must-make veggie puree

FOURTEEN YEARS AGO: Vegetarian Lasagna

FIFTEEN YEARS AGO: Brazilian Pão de Queijo

24Sep2024

AÇAI-BLACKBERRY SORBET

Posted in Desserts, Desserts, Sweets by sallybr

Sorbet is Phil’s area of expertise, I rarely make it or eat it, but I have to tell you, this one turned out so spectacular that I find myself craving it and going for a little bowl at the end of the night. I urge you to give it a try, as açaí is readily available these days in most supermarkets. Recipe was conceived by the amazing man I married, and I am just here to share his greatness.

AÇAÍ-BLACKBERRY SORBET
(from The Bewitching Kitchen)

4 cups blackberries
300g frozen açaí pulp (3 sleeves of Sambazon brand)
1/2 cup sugar
1 banana
juice of 1 lime
2 Tablespoons vodka
2 Tablespoons creme de cassis (or another liqueur of your choice)

Mix all ingredients in a Vitamix type blender. We don’t mind the seeds of the blackberries, so no need to sieve them out. Process until fully smooth, let it sit in the fridge overnight, covered.

Next day, mix it briefly with a spoon, churn in your ice cream machine.

ENJOY!

to print the recipe, click here

Comments: Above you see the two recent productions of the husband. The first one is already in the blog for many years, he adapted the Cantaloupe Cayenne to make it with two kinds of melons (Cantaloupe and Santa Claus). For my taste, the açaí-blackberry is a total winner, very complex flavor, not very sweet, excellent texture. Keep in mind that the small amount of alcohol is never cooked out, so this is not appropriate if you are serving dessert for people who cannot consume it. You can also omit it, the texture will suffer a bit, but it will still be delicious.

ONE YEAR AGO: A Bouquet of Macarons

TWO YEARS AGO: Chocolate-Hazelnut Tartlets

THREE YEARS AGO: Turkey Taco Salad

FOUR YEARS AGO: Cheese and Pesto Emmer Roll-ups and Elaine’s Cookbook Review

FIVE YEARS AGO: Mango-Hazelnut Entremet Cake

SIX YEARS AGO: Lebanese Lentil Salad and a Cookbook Review

SEVEN YEARS AGO: Cottage Loaf

EIGHT YEARS AGO: Sourdough Loaf with Cranberries and Walnuts

NINE YEARS AGO: Sichuan Pork Stir-Fry in Garlic Sauce

TEN YEARS AGO: Our Green Trip to Colorado

ELEVEN YEARS AGO: Ditalini Pasta Salad

TWELVE YEARS AGO: Celebrate Wednesday with a Thai Seafood Curry