TWO FESTIVE CAKES, PART TWO

Posted in Cake by

Another great option for the holidays, this time the most intense chocolate hit in cake form for those chocaholics out there…


CHOCOLATE BUNDT CAKE
(from Two Peas and Their Pod)

for the cake:
1 cup unsalted butter (226g)
1/3 cup cocoa powder (35g)
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup water
2 cups all-purpose flour (240g)
1 + 3/4 cups granulated sugar (350g)
1 + 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
2 large eggs
1/2 cup sour cream
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

for the chocolate glaze:
4 ounces bittersweet chocolate finely chopped
1 tablespoon corn syrup
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 + 1/2 tablespoons granulated sugar
sprinkles to decorate

Heat oven to 350F. Prepare your Bundt pan by spraying it with cooking spray or coating with butter and flour.

In a small saucepan, combine the butter, cocoa powder, salt, and water and place over medium heat. Cook, stirring, just until melted and combined. Remove from the heat and set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, and baking soda. Add half of the melted butter mixture and whisk until completely blended. Add the remaining butter mixture and whisk until combined. Add the eggs, one at a time, whisking until completely blended. Whisk in the sour cream and the vanilla extract. Whisk until smooth.

Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and bake until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean, 45 to 50 minutes. Let the cake cool in the pan for 15 minutes and then invert onto a rack. Let cool completely before glazing.

While the cake is cooling, make the chocolate glaze. Place the chopped chocolate and corn syrup in a medium bowl and set aside. Combine the heavy cream and sugar in a small saucepan and put over medium heat. Stir until the cream is hot and the sugar is dissolved. Pour the hot cream over the chocolate and whisk until smooth. Generously drizzle the glaze over the cooled cake, allowing it to drip down the sides. Decorate with sprinkles while still soft.

ENJOY!

to print the recipe, click here


Comments: This classic Nordicware pan will always have a warm spot in my heart, as that was the very first pan I used in the tent in the Great American Baking adventure of years back. I remember the thrill when the cake un-molded beautifully in front of the cameras, and I always have the same smile when it un-molds at home (the thrill is not as intense, but still there!).

Once again it was a cake I did not get to taste, as it was donated whole. But I got real nice feedback about it, it cut very nicely in thin slices so that lots of people could get to taste it. Everybody loved it, the flavor of chocolate is intense and the ganache coating a perfect complement for it. I hope you give it a try!

ONE YEAR AGO: Peppermint Wreath Macarons

TWO YEARSAGO: Cornish Hens with Yogurt-Mace Marinade

THREE YEARS AGO: Cookies for the Holidays – Gingerbread

FOUR YEARS AGO: Incredibly Simple Times Four

FIVE YEARS AGO: White Chocolate and Raspberry Mousse Cake

SIX YEAR AGO: Panettone Time!

SEVEN YEARS AGO: Pistachio Creme Brulee

EIGHT YEARS AGO: Fast and Furious Bison Chili

NINE YEARS AGO: In My Kitchen, December 2014

TEN YEARS AGO: Braised Fennel with Saffron and Tomato

ELEVEN YEARS AGO: Revenge of the Two Derelicts

TWELVE YEARS AGO: Grilling Ribbons

THIRTEEN YEARS AGO: Peppery Cashew Crunch

FOURTEEN YEARS AGO: Baked Shrimp and Feta Pasta

TWO FESTIVE CAKES, PART ONE

Posted in Cake by

Perfect for the holiday season! First, a simple vanilla cake made special by a soft pink hibiscus glaze…

I debated for a while whether to order this gorgeous pan from Nordicware. It took me 24 hours of back and forth until I caved, and I am so glad I did! As all the products from that company, the pan is super high quality and the cake baked perfectly and un-molded like it was born to do so….

VANILLA BUNDT CAKE WITH HIBISCUS GLAZE
(from Nordicware)

for the cake:
1 + 1/2 cups flour (180g)
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 cup butter, softened (113g)
1 + 1/2 cups sugar (300g)
4 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
2/3 cup plain yogurt

for the glaze:
2 bags Hibiscus tea
1 cup water
1 + 3/4 cups Confectioners’ sugar (220g)
2 tsp fresh lemon juice
1-3 Tbsp brewed Hibiscus tea, cooled to room temperature

Make the tea: In 1 cup of boiling water, brew tea bags, covered, for 8-10 minutes. Set aside and cool completely.

Heat oven to 350° F. Prepare pan with baking spray. In a small bowl, mix together flour, baking soda and salt. Set aside. Using a mixer with a paddle attachment, cream butter and sugar. Mix in eggs until thoroughly incorporated. Add vanilla, flour mixture and yogurt. Blend until smooth. Pour into prepared pan, filling no more than 3/4 of the capacity. Tap on counter to release air bubbles. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes or until toothpick inserted into center of cake comes out clean. Remove from oven and let cake cool for 10 minutes before inverting onto a cooling rack.

While cake is cooling, mix the rest of glaze ingredients. To the confectioners’ sugar, add lemon juice and cooled brewed tea, adding 1 tablespoon at a time and up to 3 tablespoons for desired consistency and color. Drizzle glaze over cooled cake.

ENJOY!

to print the recipe, click here

Comments: I don’t think it is possible not to smile when a cake un-molds like that… I was actually smiling the whole day. I was not sure if the glaze would cover the details too much but in fact, I think it turned out pretty perfect.

I sprayed a little gold dust on some spots of the cake because I cannot help it. The cake was donated so I could not taste it but I heard it was absolutely delicious, very moist and tender, and everybody was mesmerized by the look…. So I say mission accomplished!

Stay tuned for PART TWO of Festive Cakes, coming up very soon, I promise…


ONE YEAR AGO: Broccoli Slaw Salad with Poppy Seed Dressing

TWO YEARS AGO: Vegan Blueberry-Lemon Cheesecake

THREE YEARS AGO: Green Tea Rice with Edamame and Butternut Squash

FOUR YEARS AGO: Santa Hat Mini-Mousse Cakes

FIVE YEARS AGO: Fun with Sourdough

SIX YEARS AGO: Pasteis de Nata

SEVEN YEARS AGO: New Mexico Pork Chile, Crockpot Version

EIGHT YEARS AGO: Chocolate on Chocolate

NINE YEARS AGO: Double Chocolate and Mint Cookies

TEN YEARS AGO: The Story of my first Creme Brulle’

ELEVEN YEARS AGO: Sourdough Mini-rolls

TWELVE YEARS AGO: Focaccia with Sun-dried Tomatoes and Gorgonzola

THIRTEEN YEARS AGO: Mediterranean Skewers

FOURTEEN YEARS AGO Fettuccine with Shrimp, Swiss Chard, and Tomatoes

BAKE IT BETTER, THE BOOK & THE VIRTUAL SPOT

Posted in Cookbook Reviews by



Wondering what to give to that friend who loves to bake but seems to own every single gadget known to mankind? Here is a suggestion for you: offer Matt Adlard’s Bake it Better, still hot from the press! And if you want the gift to be even more special, add to it a membership to his virtual cooking school, where every month a series of two or three recipes of increasing complexity are shared. Not just the recipe, but a super detailed video tutorial to make it happen flawlessly in your own kitchen. And when you join the site, you will immediately gain access to the closed Facebook group, where you can hang out with other baking-addicts such as yours truly… To order the book, click here… To get the membership-gift, click here.

I will now share a few recipes I’ve tried from this wonderful book, which recently was the focus of a nice baking weekend with my friend Tanya (see post about it here). The recipes are listed in the order I made them.

CHOCOLATE CHUNK BROWNIES


These are fudge-y, intensely flavored, and have a crackly topping made more special with the drizzle decoration. Matt is known for always gilding the lily in unexpected ways, often simple touches that add a lot to the final bake.

TOASTED MILK POWDER AND BROWN BUTTER COOKIES

What is different and unique about these cookies is the use of toasted milk powder plus browned butter. If you have ever heard of “bronze butter”, this is pretty much the easiest way to achieve that level of buttery intensity. His trick to add a few chips right when the cookies are out of the oven make them look pretty professional… Yes, it is the “bake it better” at work!

ALL-BUTTER SHORTBREAD

These are very special cookies that remind Matt of his Dad’s special cookies baked at his restaurant. Matt’s technique is quite straightforward, with small details that make this one of the simplest bakes of the book, but with amazing complexity of taste and texture. I aded just a little pattern on top with a rolling cutter.

PEANUT AND WHITE CHOCOLATE COOKIES

These are simply amazing! Delicious cookie that bakes soft and tender, with a puddle of peanut butter in the center. The whole design and simple decoration is typical of Matt, taking a humble cookie into a cute playful presentation through the little details. These cookies were a huge hit with our departmental colleagues.

TIGER MADELEINES

My favorite bake of this series, it required me to buy a special silicone pan for the madeleines because to do the coating with tempered chocolate you cannot quite use metal pans. Totally worth it.

Once again the traditional madeleines are made super especial by just splitting the batter in two portions, adding chocolate to one of them and making a simple pattern with a piping bag. Genius. Coating the back with chocolate just ties the whole thing together, but you can conceivably skip that step, and just bake them in a regular, metal pan. They are spectacular!

I hope you enjoyed this little peek into Matt’s first (and let’s hope NOT last) cookbook! If you love to bake or if you are a beginner baker and would like to learn perfect technique, this book is for you. Apart from the recipes I listed today, I was honored to test a few other recipes from the book while Matt was writing it and I can tell you that the Cardamon and Orange Custard Tart is simply to die for…

(available at amazon.com)

ONE YEAR AGO: Broccoli Slaw Salad with Poppy Seed Dressing

TWO YEARS AGO: Vegan Blueberry-Lemon Cheesecake

THREE YEARS AGO: Green Tea Rice with Edamame and Butternut Squash

FOUR YEARS AGO: Santa Hat Mini-Mousse Cakes

FIVE YEARS AGO: Fun with Sourdough

SIX YEARS AGO: Pasteis de Nata

SEVEN YEARS AGO: New Mexico Pork Chile, Crockpot Version

EIGHT YEARS AGO: Chocolate on Chocolate

NINE YEARS AGO: Double Chocolate and Mint Cookies

TEN YEARS AGO: The Story of my first Creme Brulle’

ELEVEN YEARS AGO: Sourdough Mini-rolls

TWELVE YEARS AGO: Focaccia with Sun-dried Tomatoes and Gorgonzola

THIRTEEN YEARS AGO: Mediterranean Skewers

FOURTEEN YEARS AGO Fettuccine with Shrimp, Swiss Chard, and Tomatoes

PUMPKIN SHAPED SOFT PRETZEL ROLLS

Posted in Breads by

The cuteness factor of these is huge! They are adorable and so simple to make that you can plan to bake it with kids. The only messy (and potentially dangerous) part is the mandatory boiling in alkaline water so that you get the right texture and amazing color, but you can take charge of that step and let the kids get involved with all else. The recipe is from Haniela’s blog, she is not only a fantastic cookie artist, but a great cook too…

PUMPKIN SHAPED SOFT PRETZEL ROLLS
(from Haniela’s blog)

for the dough:
1 + 1/2 cup warm water
1tsp honey
1 package dry yeast (2 + 1/4 tsp)

2 cups (260g) all-purpose flour
2 + 1/2 cups (325g) bread flour (divided)
1tbs kosher salt
6tbs melted butter

For the alkaline solution:
5 cups water
1/3 cup baking soda

for brushing the rolls:
egg yolk
1 tbs water
pretzel salt (available here)

cashews (or other nuts) for stems

Pour warm water into the bowl of your mixer, add honey and stir in the yeast. Let stand for 5 minutes, until foamy.

Add 2 cups of all purpose flour, 2 cups (260g) of bread flour, melted butter and salt into the bowl with yeast and knead using the dough hook attachment. If dough is too sticky add additional 1/2 cup (65g) of bread flour. Knead for 5 minutes, or until the dough turns into a smooth ball. Lightly coat a large bowl with oil and put the dough into the bowl.Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place for one hour.

Invert the dough onto a clean work surface but do not use any additional flour. Roll the dough into a rectangle and using a knife or pizza cutter cut the dough into squares. The size is not important, just make them very small if you like to have tiny little rolls, or bigger. I divided my dough in about 25 portions. Using both hands, pull the dough together, form a ball from each square.

Bring 5 cups of water to boil, add 1/3 cup baking soda. Stir well until baking soda is dissolved.”Blanch” the pretzel rolls in the baking soda bath for 30 seconds. Remove from the solution onto a tray or bare baking sheet and continue with remaining rolls. Transfer pretzels onto a sheet lined with parchment paper, using kitchen shears, hold pretzel roll in your hand and using shears cut total of 8 cuts through the dough, all around, keeping the center of the roll intact. Then using a wooden spoon handle press deeply into the center of the roll, leaving a small dimple.

Whisk together egg yolk and water, strain through a small sieve. Brush sparingly tops of the pretzel pumpkins, sprinkle with pretzel salt. Bake pretzels at 450F for about 10-12 minutes, until golden brown.
Push a cashew into the center, into the dimple while still warm from the oven.

ENJOY!

to print the recipe, click here

Comments: The dough is a total pleasure to work with, soft, smooth, and the intense color when it bakes due to the alkalization of the surface is gorgeous. Some of my rolls got only six slits around, make sure you go for eight, it gives a better pumpkin impression. You will need the special salt to get the right pretzel experience, so I recommend you bite the bullet and order some.

A little mustard, a little ham, and that was a super tasty lunch, even after cutting my finger on a sharp ceramic knife…. Clumsy, who, moi?

ONE YEAR AGO: Cod Coconut Curry

TWO YEARS AGO: The Best Ever Eggplant Parmigiana

THREE YEARS AGO: Roasted Butternut Squash and Grapes with Maple Pomegranate Glaze

FOUR YEARS AGO: A Really Big Announcement

FIVE YEARS AGO: Stir-Fried Chicken in Sesame-Orange Sauce

SIX YEARS AGO: Monday Blues

SEVEN YEARS AGO: A New Way to Roast Veggies

EIGHT YEARS AGO: Two Takes on Raspberries

NINE YEARS AGO: Spice Cake with Blackberry Puree

TEN YEARS AGO: Own Your Kitchen with Cappuccino Panna Cotta

ELEVEN YEARS AGO: Chicken Parmigiana, the Thriller

TWELVE YEARS AGO: Wild Mushroom Risotto

THIRTEEN YEARS AGO: Tartine Bread:  Basic Country Loaf 

FOURTEEN YEARS AGO:  Pugliese Bread

FARRO WITH CHICKPEAS AND SPINACH

Posted in Rice and Grains by

Lovers of farro, rejoice! This is a hearty side dish that might even be enough for a fully vegetarian meal and also perfect for entertaining. We enjoyed it with grilled pork tenderloin and it was a great midweek dinner.

FARRO WITH CHICKPEAS AND SPINACH
(from The Bewitching Kitchen)

1.5 cups farro
2 celery sticks, sliced 1/4 inch thick
1 shallot, diced
2 tablespoons olive oil
½ teaspoon table salt
2 tsp za’atar
1 (15-ounce) can chickpeas, rinsed
1/2 cup vegetable broth
1/2 cup water
4 cups baby spinach, coarsely chopped
lemon juice to taste

Cook the farro in a large volume of salted water until it starts to get soft, about 20 minutes. Drain, and reserve.

Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan, add celery and shallots, cook until fragrant. Add a little salt, za’atar, sauté everything together for a couple of minutes, stirring often. Add the reserved cooked farro, chickpeas, vegetable broth and water, season with salt, bring to a gentle boil. Reduce the heat and cook until farro is tender, about 15 minutes. If there is too much liquid left, allow it to simmer for a few more minutes. Add the spinach, adjust seasoning with more salt if needed, and right before serving, add the lemon juice. Fluff with a fork and serve.

ENJOY!

to print the recipe, click here

Comments: Farro takes a bit of time to cook and also I find that each new bag might behave differently. Also make sure that for this preparation you don’t buy a quick cooking version, although if might work if you simply skip the pre-cooking step. Keep in mind I have not tried it with the quick cooking kind. I normally cook farro as I cook pasta, plenty of water, then test a few grains and stop cooking when ready. In this case, I make sure it is still al dente as it will cook with everything else for 15 more minutes. If you are interested in the pork tenderloin, it is almost a non-recipe. I eye-ball a marinade whisking olive oil, soy sauce (I actually used tamari in this one), lemon juice, honey, a touch of mustard. Cut the pieces, marinade whole day in the fridge. Grill the pieces about 12 minutes total, seasoning with a little salt right before grilling. I do it all the time, sometimes with butterflied tenderloin.

ONE YEAR AGO: Bison a la Mode de Bourgogne

TWO YEARS AGO: Masala Mashed Potatoes

THREE YEARS AGO: Lessons from Tanya: Sugar Cookie Silhouettes

FOUR YEARS AGO: Cherry-Chipotle Chicken Thighs

FIVE YEARS AGO: White Chocolate Mini-Mousse with Sugared Cranberries

SIX YEARS AGO: You Say Ebelskiver, I say Falafel

SEVEN YEARS AGO: Happy Thanksgiving!

EIGHT YEARS AGO: Two Takes on Raspberries

NINE YEARS AGO: Spice Cake with Blackberry Puree & The Global Pastry Review

TEN YEARS AGO: Own Your Kitchen with Cappuccino Panna Cotta

ELEVEN YEARS AGO: Chicken Parmigiana, the Thriller

TWELVE YEARS AGO: Wild Mushroom Risotto

THIRTEEN YEARS AGO: Tartine Bread:  Basic Country Loaf 

FOURTEEN YEARS AGO:  Pugliese Bread