BAKING WITH LOVE

Posted in Cake, Cookies by sallybr

Valentine’s Day is just about here! Today I share a few ideas to sweeten up this special weekend… Make sure to visit my cookie blog tomorrow for a series of cookies that celebrate love. And now, let’s get started, shall we?

I open this post with a Vanilla Pound Cake with Hibiscus Glaze

VANILLA POUND CAKE WITH HIBISCUS GLAZE
(from The Bewitching Kitchen)

for the cake:
3 sticks (339g) unsalted butter, softened (room temperature)
8 oz Cream Cheese, at room temperature (one regular package)
2 + 1/2 cups (500g) sugar
1 tsp salt
2 tsp vanilla paste or extract
6 Eggs, at room temperature
3 cups (375g) flour

for the glaze:
3 tablespoons hibiscus tea
200g powdered sugar
squeeze of lemon juice

Heat oven to 325F.

Cream butter, cream cheese and sugar with hand mixer until light and fluffy. Pound cakes do not contain leavening agent, so make sure to work the butter until fluffy. Add salt and vanilla, beat well.
Add eggs one at a time, mixing after each addition. Gradually mix in the three cups of flour.

Pour into well greased bundt pan. Bake for about 90 minutes, covering with foil if the top gets too brown before a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Wait for 15 minutes before un-molding over a rack. Let the cake cool completely, then make a glaze whisking all the ingredients. Pour the glaze over the cake, decorate with sprinkles, if desired.

ENJOY!

to print the recipe click here

Comments: The Bundt pan I used is this one. Any cake will look good with a simple dusting of powdered sugar, but I decided to go with a light glaze and sprinkles.

CHOCOLATE-COVERED
BROWNIE HEARTS

If your heart is set on chocolate, but you don’t feel like a simple tray of brownies, here is a very cute idea… Bake the brownies in a heart-shape silicone mold, then use the same mold to coat each piece in chocolate (I went with compound chocolate dyed red). I used these molds to bake and coat the brownies. And my favorite recipe for the little cakes (check here).

When you bake the brownies, the bottom side, that touches the mold, will be super flat. You can flip them when you coat and place the non-flat side touching the chocolate. That will end up smooth, so both sides of your little cakes will be nice and flat.

So the process goes like this: bake the brownies, cool them completely in the mold. Freeze for 10 minutes to make sure the brownie will be nice and firm. Remove cakes. Wash the mold, dry well. Melt compound chocolate in the color of your choice, add a layer to the bottom of the mold and immediately insert the cake back. Push gently all the way down. Make sure you see the chocolate coming up a bit around the edges, no need to come all the way to the top. Freeze for 15 minutes. Un-mold, and decorate.

Once they are coated, you can pipe a drizzle of melted chocolate and add sprinkles.

CHOCOLATE-COVERED OREOS

No need for recipe, just a little festive decoration, made with Royal icing and sanding sugar. Leftover melted chocolate was used to form little hearts using this mold.

VALENTINE’S SQUARE CAKE

I cannot share the recipe, as it is copyrighted. Published as Sunny Sprinkle Layer Cake, it is in a great book by Molly Gilbert called Sheet Pan Sweets. I baked it in a half-sheet pan, then cut 4 squares to make the layers, used a simple American Buttercream to frost it. It was not easy to frost smoothly a square cake, but oh, well. What does not kill you, makes you stronger.

I wish you a wonderful weekend, no matter where you stand on the festivities of February 14th!

ONE YEAR AGO: Baking with the Heart

TWO YEARS AGO: Baking with the Heart

THREE YEARS AGO: Roasted Cauliflower with Chickpeas and Quinoa

FOUR YEARS AGO: A Savory Phyllo Pie

FIVE YEARS AGO: Nut-Free Lady Grey Macarons

SIX YEARS AGO: Mini-Heart Cakes for your Valentine

SEVEN YEARS AGO: Blue Moon Milk

EIGHT YEARS AGO: Slow-Cooked Chicken Meatballs

NINE YEARS AGO: Zesty Flourless Chocolate Cake

TEN YEARS AGO: Maple Pumpkin Pecan Snacking Cake

ELEVEN YEARS AGO: Silky Gingered Zucchini Soup

TWELVE YEARS AGO: Sweet Fifteen!

THIRTEEN YEARS AGO: Sesame and Flaxseed Sourdough

FOURTEEN YEARS AGO: Green Beans with Miso and Almonds

FIFTEEN YEARS AGO: Saturday Morning Scones

SIXTEEN YEARS AGO: White Bread

5Aug2024

LEMON BUNDT CAKE, A REAL WINNER

Posted in Cake by sallybr

Lemon Cakes can be a bit tricky as far as flavor goes. I have made a cake from a super reputable source that promised to deliver the most intense, most lemony flavor coupled with a moist and tender cake. It was tremendously convoluted, a ton of work and to be absolutely honest with you, the America’s Test Kitchen version delivered it all for 1/10 of the trouble. Which is saying a lot, as they are known for never cutting corners.

They are super strict about copyright issues, and rarely reply to requests asking permission to publish their recipes, however I was able to find this one online. If you’d like to make this deliciously lemony cake, pay a visit to this site. No difference from the recipe found in The Perfect Cake (2018), a cookbook I highly recommend. To bake this particular version, I used the Bavaria Bundt pan from Nordicware, but any pan with 10 to 12-cup capacity will do the job. I just love the way they un-mold like a dream!

When I make a Bundt cake, I donate it whole, so I cannot share a picture of the crumb, but I’ve had excellent feedback about this baby. In fact, I’ve made it three times already, using different Bundt pan shapes. Always a winner!

ONE YEAR AGO: Aji-Amarillo Roasted Chicken Thighs

TWO YEARS AGO: Karen’s Quick Shrimp Fried Rice

THREE YEARS AGO: OMG Peanut Butter Bars

FOUR YEARS AGO: Kansas Sunflower Seed and Black Walnut Macarons

FIVE YEARS AGO: Curry Turmeric Sourdough

SIX YEARS AGO: Black Olive Tapenade and Deviled Eggs

SEVEN YEARS AGO: Blueberry Crumble Coffee Cake

EIGHT YEARS AGO: Fresh Strawberry Yogurt Bundt Cake

NINE YEAR AGO: Quinoa Salad with Red Grapes and Avocado

TEN YEARS AGO: Strawberry Coffee Cake

ELEVEN YEARS AGO: Lemon-Poppy Seed Muffins

TWELVE YEARS AGO: Mascarpone Brownies

THIRTEEN YEARS AGO: Salmon Tacos

FOURTEEN YEARS AGO: Cinnamon Turban Bread

FIFTEEN YEARS AGO: Summertime Gratin

13Dec2023

TWO FESTIVE CAKES, PART TWO

Posted in Cake by sallybr

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

9Dec2023

TWO FESTIVE CAKES, PART ONE

Posted in Cake by sallybr

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

7Nov2023

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!