Category Archives: Cakes

Categories for different foods and meals

Banana Cake from Sally (again)

Posted on by
Reply

I had some over ripe bananas and not being one to thrown them out (or eat them) I looked for a use for over ripe bananas. Sally once again to the rescue!

Everything she said about them is true. Very nice banana flavor and delicious cream cheese frosting. As it contains bananas, which is a traditional breakfast food, and cream cheese, which is a natural on breakfast bagels, I advertised this cake as a breakfast dessert with a clear conscience.

QC Cadre comments were: “Cake is to die for” (hope not!); “Very Delicious”; “The cake is so moist and good and that frosting is fabulous. Very breakfasty.”

Banana Cake – Sally

INGREDIENTS
Banana Cake
• 345g (1 ½c) mashed bananas (about 4 medium or 3 large bananas)
• 375g (3 c) all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled)
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• ½ tsp ground cinnamon
• ½ tsp salt
• 170g (¾ c;12 Tbl) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
• 200g (1 c) granulated sugar
• 100g ( ½ c) packed light or dark brown sugar
• 3 large eggs, at room temperature
• 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 360 g (1 ½ c) buttermilk, at room temperature*
Cream Cheese Frosting
• 226 (8 oz) full-fat brick cream cheese, softened to room temperature
• 113g ( ½ c; 8 Tbl) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
• 360g (3 c) confectioners’ sugar, plus an extra 1/4 cup if needed
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
• ⅛ tsp salt

METHOD

  1. Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C) and spray a 9×13-inch pan.
    Make the cake:
  2. Mash the bananas using stand mixer with paddle on high speed for 1 minutes. Set mashed bananas aside.
  3. Whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt together. Set aside.
  4. Using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter on high speed until smooth and creamy—about 1 minute.
  5. Add both sugars and beat on high speed for 2 minutes until creamed together. Scrape down the sides and up the bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula as needed.
  6. Add the eggs and the vanilla. Beat on medium-high speed until combined, then beat in the mashed bananas. Scrape down the sides and up the bottom of the bowl as needed. With the mixer on low speed, add the dry ingredients in three additions alternating with the buttermilk and mixing each addition just until incorporated. Do not over-mix. The batter will be slightly thick and a few lumps is OK.
  7. Spread batter into the prepared pan. Bake for 45–50 minutes. Baking times vary, so keep an eye on yours. The cake is done when a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. If you find the top of the cake is browning too quickly in the oven, loosely cover it with aluminum foil.
  8. Remove the cake from the oven and set on a wire rack. Allow to cool completely. After about 45 minutes, I usually place it in the refrigerator to speed things up.
    Make the frosting:
  9. In a large bowl using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a paddle or whisk attachment, beat the cream cheese and butter together on high speed until smooth and creamy. Add 3 cups confectioners’ sugar, vanilla, and salt. Beat on low speed for 30 seconds, then switch to high speed and beat for 2 minutes. If you want the frosting a little thicker, add the extra 1/4 cup of confectioners sugar (I add it). Spread the frosting on the cooled cake. Refrigerate for 30 minutes before serving. This helps sets the frosting and makes cutting easier.
  10. Cover leftover cake tightly and store in the refrigerator for 5 days.

Extreme Chocolate, Chocolate, Chocolate Cake

Posted on by
2

My instructions for Vivian’s birthday cake were that it was to be a “Chocolate, chocolate, chocolate cake.” This is neither the prettiest or most imaginative cake I have made but it’s the most chocolate.

The cake (#1 chocolate) is my Extreme Chocolate Cake, which is universally loved and complimented, (by me also.) The frosting is new to me, a cream cheese chocolate frosting (#2 chocolate.) It is whipped up into a lighter, less sweet frosting when compared to my usual buttercream frosting. (My fav, however, is Italian Meringue.) The top of the cake is covered with chocolate shards (#3 chocolate) created during my failed attempt to make chocolate tubes. To be continued.

Around the bottom of the cake are shortbread cookies, shaped like 7’s with a chocolate foot (#4 chocolate.) Mission accomplished and she was very happy. (Me too.) There is also a golden shortbread trophy on the top as a result of her fabulous year swimming.

Extreme Chocolate Cake

Makes two 9” round cakes and can be scaled up, as this cake was
INGREDIENTS
• 2 cups white sugar
• 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup milk
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 cup boiling water

METHOD

  1. Preheat oven to 350⁰F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour two 9 inch cake pans.
  2. Use the first set of ingredients to make the cake. In a medium bowl, stir together the sugar, flour, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Add the eggs, milk, oil and vanilla, mix for 3 minutes with an electric mixer. Stir in the boiling water by hand. Pour evenly into the two prepared pans.
  3. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes in the preheated oven, until a toothpick inserted comes out clean or 205⁰F internal temp. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pans to cool completely.

Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting – Sally

INGREDIENTS
• 339g (12 oz) full-fat brick cream cheese, softened to room temperature*
• 170g (¾ c; 12 Tbl) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
• 420g (3½ c) confectioners’ sugar
• 55g (⅔ c) unsweetened natural or dutch-process cocoa powder
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 1–2 tbl heavy cream
• pinch salt

METHOD

  1. In a large bowl using a stand mixer fitted with a paddle or whisk attachment, beat the cream cheese for 1 minute on high speed until completely smooth and creamy.
  2. Beat in the butter until combined. Add the confectioners’ sugar, cocoa powder, vanilla extract, 1 Tablespoon milk, and salt and beat on medium-high speed until combined and creamy.
  3. Add 1 more Tablespoon of milk to slightly thin out, if desired. Taste, then add another pinch of salt if desired.
  4. Cover and store leftover frosting for up to 5 days in the refrigerator or up to 3 months in the freezer. After freezing, thaw in the refrigerator then beat the frosting for a few seconds so it’s creamy again.

Notes

  1. Make Ahead Instructions: Cover and store leftover frosting for up to 5 days in the refrigerator or up to 3 months in the freezer. After freezing, thaw in the refrigerator then beat the frosting for a few seconds so it’s creamy again.
  2. Tip for Piping Cream Cheese Frosting: Refrigerate the frosting inside the piping bag for at least 30 minutes prior to piping. Cream cheese frosting holds its shape much better when it’s piped cold.
  3. This recipe is enough to frost 18-24 cupcakes, one 9×13-inch sheet cake, or one 3 layer cake.

New Jersey Crumb Cake

Posted on by
Reply

QC wanted a New Jersey Crumb Cake and who am I to object? She asked for a layer of apples sandwiched between the cake and crumble topping. It was suggested, next time, to make the layer of apples thicker, so I adjusted the recipe accordingly.

The finished cake was quite sweet, due to the very thick layer of crumble topping, (no complaint, just fact.)

The overall cake was very good and well worth making again.

New Jersey Crumb Cake

INGREDIENTS
Topping
• 1 ½ c brown sugar
• 1 ½ Tbl ground cinnamon
• ¾ tsp kosher salt
• 2 ¼ c cake flour
• ¾ c RT butter melted (1 ½ sticks)
• 2 sweet apples, sliced ¼” thick
Cake
• 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
• ½ c sugar
• 2 tsp baking powder
• ¼ tsp baking soda
• ½ tsp kosher salt
• 1 RT large egg
• ½ c RT buttermilk
• Spray canola oil
• 2 tsp vanilla
• Confectioners sugar

METHOD
Preheat oven to 325°

  1. Cut 16-inch length parchment paper or aluminum foil and fold lengthwise to 8-inch width. Cut excess. Spray 9-inch square baking pan with nonstick cooking spray and fit parchment into pan, pushing it into corners and up sides.
  2. Let excess paper hang over the sides of the pan. Affix to the sides of the pan with metal binder clips. Spray the piece of parchment paper and repeat with a piece of parchment laying in the opposite direction.
    Crumb topping
  3. Whisk sugar, cinnamon, salt, and all purpose flour in medium bowl to combine. Add melted butter and mix with sturdy rice paddle or wooden spoon until mixture resembles thick, crumbly dough. Refrigerate while you make the cake batter.
    Cake batter
  4. Sauté apples to at denté in a frying pan with 1 tablespoon butter
  5. Whisk flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and kosher salt together in a medium bowl. Set aside.
  6. Mix buttermilk, vanilla and egg until combined.
  7. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and fold until just combined.
    Assemble and bake
  8. Transfer the batter to the prepared pan. Spread evenly.
  9. Add sautéed apples evenly in two layers across the batter.
  10. Break crumb topping apart, with your fingers, into pea-sized and slightly larger pieces and spread in even layer over batter, beginning with edges and then working toward center. It will seem like a lot of topping, but it’s worth it!
  11. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean, rotating the pan after 20 minutes then continue baking.
  12. Let cool at least 15 minutes. Remove cake from pan by lifting parchment overhang. Dust powdered sugar over the top of the cake.

Gateau St. Honoré

Posted on by
Reply

St. Honoré cake is a pastry dessert named for the French patron saint of bakers and pastry chefs and when created correctly is amazing.

The various components of my cake were delicious. The size of the patisserie cream filled profiteroles were slightly large. I will know better next time. Bake and learn,

The cake is basically a circular (7” diameter) base of puff pastry with a ring of choux pastry about 1/2” thick piped around the perimeter. With the excess choux pastry a dozen or so profiteroles (about 1” to 1.5” diameter. are piped on the same baking sheet. This is baked, then cooled.

While the base is cooling make the cream patisserie and chantilly cream. Fill the profiteroles with cream patisserie and set aside. Using a St Honoré piping tip fill the base with a nice pattern of the traditional piping style.

Make the caramel and use it to stick the profiteroles to the edges of the round base. Add another filled profiterole to the center then drizzle caramel over all the profiteroles.

Gateau St. Honoré With Salted Caramel

Based on: https://www.monpetitfour.com/gateau-st-honore/

INGREDIENTS
Puff Pastry
• 1 sheet of puff pastry
• Or home made rough puff pastry
Pate a Choux
• 1/4 cup unsalted butter
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/2 tsp granulated sugar
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 eggs
Creme patisserie
• 1 cup milk
• 1/4 tsp vanilla bean paste, or 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/3 cup granulated sugar
• 2 tbsp cornstarch
• 2 tbsp all-purpose flour
• 1 egg
• 1 egg yolk
Chantilly cream
• 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
• 2 tbsp powdered sugar
• 1/4 tsp vanilla extract
Salted Caramel
• 2/3 cup granulated sugar
• ¼ c water
• 1/3 cup heavy cream
• 1/2 tsp salt, or more to taste

METHOD
Pate a Choux

  1. Preheat the oven to 425°F. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, warm the water, unsalted butter, sugar and salt together. Once the butter has melted, remove the saucepan from the heat.
  2. Pour in the all-purpose flour and stir together to combine. Move the saucepan over to low heat, and stir the now-formed dough/paste until it no longer sticks to the bottom of the pan (about 30 seconds to 1 minute).
  3. Remove the saucepan from the heat and stir in the eggs, one at a time. It will be slightly difficult to mix the egg into the dough, but just keep vigorously stirring and eventually they’ll become incorporated. Temporarily set this aside.
    Puff Pastry Base and Pastry Puffs
  4. Cut out a 7″ round from the puff pastry. You can use a bowl, pan, pot lid – whatever you have that will help you cut out a nice 7″ circle (or simply trace it after measuring with a ruler – perfection isn’t necessary!). Place this puff pastry circle on one side of a baking sheet fitted with parchment paper or a silicone mat.
  5. Fill a pastry bag (with no tip) with the pate a choux dough that you created in your saucepan. In one continuous motion, pipe the dough out along the edge of the puff pastry circle (creating a sort of wall for the puff pastry). Now, pipe out approximately 16 small mounds on the open side of the baking sheet, spacing the mounds slightly apart. Smooth out any ridges or pointed tips using your fingers.
  6. Bake the pastry for 10 minutes at 425°F, then WITHOUT opening the oven door, bake the pastry for another 12-16 minutes at 375°F, until they’re a deep golden color. Place the pastry ring and pastry puffs on a wire cooling rack to cool completely.

    Creme Patisserie
  7. Meanwhile, heat the milk in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat. In a medium bowl, whisk the sugar, cornstarch, flour, egg, and egg yolk together.
  8. Once the milk is hot and steam is beginning to rise from it, stir in the vanilla bean paste (if using extract, hold off for now). Then, pour half of the milk into the egg mixture, whisking the egg mixture vigorously as you do. Pour the rest of the milk in, and continue to whisk vigorously.
  9. Transfer the entire batter back into the saucepan and whisk over medium heat. It will take about 5 minutes for the cream to thicken up into a pudding-like consistency. Just keep whisking the whole time.
  10. Once the cream is starting to look like pudding, quickly remove the cream from the heat. If you’re using vanilla extract, stir the extract in now. If there are any lumps in your cream, just whisk the cream really vigorously to smooth them out.
  11. Transfer the cream to a clean bowl and cover the cream with a sheet of plastic wrap placed directly onto the cream (this will prevent a filmy layer from forming). Chill the pastry cream in the refrigerator.

    Chantilly Creme
  12. In the bowl of a stand mixer, whisk the heavy cream on high speed until indentations begin to appear. Pour in the vanilla extract and powdered sugar, then whisk on high speed until a frosting-like consistency is formed.

    Caramel
  13. In a medium saucepan, add the sugar and 1/4 cup of water. Do NOT stir the two together. Simply place the saucepan over medium-high heat, and allow the mixture to come to a simmer. Watch the sugar-water bubble for approximately 7 to 8 minutes, watching it go from white-ish/clear to a medium amber color. Do NOT step away from the caramel as it can burn in a matter of seconds.
  14. Once the caramel has reached a medium amber color and is JUST beginning to smoke, quickly remove the caramel from the heat. Carefully pour the heavy cream into the caramel (it will bubble), then stir to combine. Add the salt, and again stir to combine.
    Assembly
  15. Fit a pastry bag with a long, narrow filling tip. Fill the pastry bag with the creme patisserie and then pipe this into the pastry puffs. Flip the pastry puff upside down so that the flat side is facing you, then dip the top in the salted caramel. Gently give it a shake to pour off excess caramel, then carefully dip the bottom of the pastry puff in caramel too.
  16. Place the pastry puff onto the pate a choux wall that you created on top of the puff pastry circle. The caramel will act like a glue. Continue until you’ve got a ring of pastry puffs.
  17. Scoop the remaining creme patisserie onto the center of the puff pastry. Fill a new pastry bag fitted with whatever tip you like (plain, star, st. honore) with the creme Chantilly, and pipe the creme on top of the pastry cream.
  18. Stick one final pastry puff in the center of the dessert, then drizzle caramel all over. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Boston Cream-ish Cupcakes

Posted on by
Reply

Two more days before I can return to golfing! This forced time off is not helping my health.

I wanted to improve the cake in the Lady Baltimore cupcakes I am making for a friends birthday tbis weekend, but was not a fan of the traditional filling and frosting. Today I re-made the cake (3rd time is a charm) but filled the cupcake with creme patisserie and frosted them with my favorite chocolate frosting, topped with a white chocolate curl.

This modification of the cake recipe was excellent and what could be wrong with the rest?

Boston Cream-ish Cupcakes

INGREDIENTS
Cupcakes:
• 171 g (1½ c) cake flour
• 150 g (¾ c) sugar
• 2 tsp baking powder
• ¼ tsp of salt
• 84 g ( 6 Tbl) unsalted RT butter, cut into small pieces
• 90 g (3) egg whites
• 113 g (½ c) whole milk
• 2 Tbl KAB Bread and Cake Enhancer
• 1 Tbl sour cream
• ¾ teaspoon vanilla
• Optional: 1 Tbl vanilla pudding mix OR
• Optional: 1 Tbl vegetable oil
Frosting
• 62 g (3 Tbl) butter
• 63 g (¾ c) unsweetened cocoa powder
• 312 g (2⅔ c) confectioners’ sugar
• ⅓ c milk
• ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
Crème Patisserie
• ¾ c 2% milk + 2 Tbl heavy cream
• 2 (40g) egg yolks
• ¼ cup sugar
• 2 Tbl corn starch
• Pinch salt
• 1 Tbl butter
• ½ tsp vanilla

METHOD

  1. Heat an oven to 350⁰ F. Line 12 wells of a muffin pan with paper liners and set the pan aside.
  2. Add the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt to a large bowl and whisk to combine.
  3. Add the butter and mix by hand with a Danish whisk until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs, about 5 minutes.If necessary use you hands to break up butter balls as if you were making pastry.
  4. Mix the egg whites, milk, and vanilla in a small bowl, then pour it into the mixer bowl.
  5. Beat vigorously with a Danish whisk for 5 minutes until the batter is creamy and homogeneous. (Makes 2 c batter)
  6. Evenly distribute the batter among the lined muffin tins (50g/tin) and bake until the edge of the cupcakes are light golden brown and a toothpick comes out clean, 14-16 minutes.
  7. Set the pan on a wire rack and let the cupcakes cool in the pan for 15 minutes, then remove them from the pan and let them completely cool on the rack.
  8. Use an apple corer to to cut a cylinder out of the top of the cupcake. Slice the removed cylinder so that you have a ¼” thick disk of cake. Reserve the disk and discard (or eat) the rest of the cylinder.

    Frosting
  9. Cream butter until light and fluffy.
  10. Stir in the cocoa and confectioners’ sugar alternately with the milk and vanilla.
  11. Beat and add additional milk to achieve a spreading or piping consistency

    Crème Patisserie
  12. Whisk eggs and milk together and add to all other ingredients (except vanilla) to a medium saucepan.
  13. Bring to boil whisking constantly
  14. Cook until thickened (it will look lumpy, its ok)
  15. Vigorously whisk mixture, add vanilla, and vigorously whisk thoroughly
  16. When incorporated, cover with plastic directly on the crème patisserie and cool about an hour.
  17. Alternatively, slide the piping tip you would use to fill the pâte à choux into the piping bag but don’t cut off the tip. Spoon the hot batter directly into the piping bag with sealed end.
  18. When the crème patisserie is cool, cut the tip off, force the bag around the piping tip and squeeze the crème pat to fill the end.
  19. Pipe crème patisserie into each cylinder. Place a reserved cake disk on top of the filling and press down on it to seal the cupcake.
  20. Frost the cupcakes with the chocolate frosting.

For Flavored Cream Patisserie with Liqueur
Replace vanilla with 3 Tbl banana liqueur or an other flavored liqueu

April 2025 Sally’s Baking Challenge

Posted on by
Reply

This month SallysBakingAddiction Baking Challenge is Caramel Coconut Macaroon Thumbprints. She always gives an alternate recipe for those (raises hand and waves) who do not resonate with the main challenge recipe. The alternate is a Mini No-Bake Cheesecake, (my choice.)

These are plain mini cheesecakes with a graham cracker biscuit base topped with berries, a mint leaf, and strawberry sauce. Sally’s picture displayed a blackberry on top but unfortunately someone all all my blackberries. (Raises hand a waves again.) They are easy to make and delicious.

Mini No-Bake Cheesecakes – Sally

INGREDIENTS
Graham Cracker Crust
• 240 g (2 c) graham cracker crumbs (about 16 full sheet graham crackers)
• 67 g (⅓ c) packed light or dark brown sugar
• 113 g (½ c; 8 Tbl; 1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
Filling
• 240 (1 c) cold heavy cream or heavy whipping cream
• 452 g (16 oz) RT full-fat brick cream cheese
• 67 g (⅓ c) granulated sugar
• 30 g (2 Tbl) RT sour cream
• 1 tsp fresh lemon juice
• ½ tsp pure vanilla extract
optional: your desired toppings (see recipe Note)

METHOD

  1. Line two standard 12-count muffin pans with cupcake liners. Make sure you have room in your refrigerator for both pans. (You refrigerate them in step 6.)
  2. Use a food processor to pulse the graham crackers into fine crumbs. Pour crumbs into a medium bowl and stir in the brown sugar and melted butter until combined. Mixture will have the consistency of wet sand. Spoon 1 ½ Tablespoons of the crust mixture into each cupcake liner and use the back of the spoon to pack it down tightly.
  3. Bake the crusts for 5 minutes in a 350°F (177°C) oven. The crusts are a little sturdier this way. Let the warm crusts cool for 10 minutes before adding the filling on top.
  4. Place metal stand mixer bowl and whisk in freezer for 30 minutes before proceeding. Whip the cold heavy cream into stiff peaks on medium-high speed, about 2-3 minutes. Set aside.
  5. Using a hand mixer or a stand mixer fitted with a whisk or paddle attachment, beat the cream cheese and granulated sugar together on medium speed until smooth and creamy. Scrape down the sides and up the bottom of the bowl with a silicone spatula as needed. Add the sour cream, lemon juice, and vanilla extract. Beat on medium-high speed until smooth and combined, about 1 minute. Make sure there are no large lumps of cream cheese. If there are lumps, keep beating until smooth.
  6. With a silicone spatula, fold the whipped cream into the cheesecake filling until combined. This takes several turns of your rubber spatula. Combine slowly as you don’t want to deflate all the air in the whipped cream.
  7. Use piping bag to transfer the filling on top of the crusts. Pipe about 2 Tablespoons of filling over each crust. Fit your piping bag with a large star or round piping tip, then transfer the filling to the bag and pipe. Use the back of a spoon to smooth the tops so they are flat.
  8. Refrigerate the mini cheesecakes in the pans for at least 3 hours and up to 2 days. If refrigerating for longer than 3 hours, cover with plastic wrap.
  9. Keep refrigerated until ready to serve. Serve with optional toppings (see recipe Note). The cheesecakes begin to soften and stick to the liners after about 30–60 minutes at room temperature.
  10. Cover and store leftover mini cheesecakes in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
    NOTES
  11. Make Ahead & Freezing Instructions: The mini cheesecakes can be made 1-2 days in advance and refrigerated for up to 2 days before serving, as noted in step 6. Another way to prep these mini no-bake cheesecakes is to freeze them. Refrigerate them as directed in step 6, then remove them from the muffin pan (keep the liners on them) and line in a single layer in a large freezer-friendly container. Cover tightly and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator for at least 24 hours before serving.
  12. Optional Toppings: Right before serving, you can add toppings to the mini cheesecakes. You can also add the following toppings after the cheesecakes have chilled in the refrigerator for just 1–2 hours (step 6), then store the topped cheesecakes in the refrigerator for the remaining time. Use 3/4 cup strawberry sauce divided over each chilled mini cheesecake. (Spoon about 1/2 Tablespoon over each.) And/or use 1 cup mixed berries, plus a few mint leaves, divided over each for additional garnish. Instead of strawberry sauce, try the same amount of lemon curd, apple butter, or your favorite fruit preserves. You can also top with chocolate ganache. I recommend spooning a little over each mini cheesecake before refrigerating so the ganache can set up too.
  13. Lemon Juice: Lemon juice brightens up the flavor. This cheesecake does not taste like lemon. For lemon flavored mini no-bake cheesecakes, replace the sour cream with 2 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice (in addition to the 1 teaspoon lemon juice that it already calls for) and add 2 teaspoons lemon zest.
  14. Room Temperature Ingredients: Bring the cream cheese and sour cream to room temperature before beginning. Room temperature ingredients guarantee a smooth cheesecake filling. Beating cold ingredients together will result in a chunky cheesecake filling. (The heavy cream, however, MUST be cold in order to whip into stiff peaks.)

Strawberry Sauce

INGREDIENTS
• 1 Tablespoon cornstarch
• 3 Tablespoons (45ml) warm water
• 1 lb strawberries, hulled and sliced in half (you can use frozen; don’t thaw)
• Zest and juice from 1/2 small lemon
• 1/4 cup (50g) granulated sugar

METHOD

  1. Whisk the cornstarch and water together until all the cornstarch has dissolved. (I just use a fork to mix—very easy.)
  2. Place the cornstarch mixture, along with the rest of the ingredients, into a small saucepan over medium heat. Using a wooden spoon or rubber spatula, stir the mixture as it cooks. Break up some of the strawberries as you stir. For smoother sauce blend the strawberries in advance.
  3. Bring it to a simmer and allow to simmer for 5 minutes, stirring constantly. After 5 minutes, remove pan from the heat and allow to cool. The mixture will thicken as it cools. I strained the mixture with a fine mesh strainer and ended up with a cup of clear sauce.
  4. You can serve the sauce warm before it cools completely if desired, or store in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. Strawberry topping will be thick after refrigeration, so microwave for 15 seconds or warm on the stove to thin out, if desired.

Is This The Train to Baltimore M’Lady?

Posted on by
1

I don’t bake for hire. It’s a hobby for me. But, when a once-neighbor asked me to make Lady Baltimore cupcakes as a surprise for his wife’s birthday (they were one of her favorites but not available near here) I was intrigued. I told him I don’t bake for “hire” but as I had never heard of Lady Baltimore cupcakes I couldn’t resist.

Lady Baltimore cake (or cupcakes in this case) is a light, delicate white cake, hollowed out and filled with a mixture of slivered almond flakes, raisins and figs bound with Italian meringue frosting. It (they) are frosted with more of the Italian meringue frosting and topped with a few almond slivers.

Current reports are they are delicious. Still waiting for reviews from the QC Cadre.

Cupcakes in various stages of production
Finished Lady Baltimore cupcakes.

Lady Baltimore Cupcakes

(makes 24 cupcakes)

INGREDIENTS
For the cupcakes:
• 3 c cake flour
• 1½ cup sugar
• 3 ¾ tsp baking powder
• ½ tsp of salt
• 1 ½ sticks unsalted RT butter, cut into small pieces
• 6 egg whites
• 1 cup whole milk (2% + 1 Tbl heavy cream)
• 1 ½ teaspoon vanilla
For the filling:
• 9 tablespoons slivered almonds, coarsely chopped
• 6 tablespoons golden raisins, coarsely chopped
• 6 dried California or Turkish figs, chopped
• 1/3 c fig jam
• ¾ cup Italian meringue frosting
Frosting:
• 3 ¾ cups Italian meringue frosting

METHOD

  1. Heat an oven to 350⁰ F. Line 24 wells of a muffin pan with paper liners and set the pan aside.
  2. Add the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt to the bowl of a mixer (or a large bowl) and mix to combine (mixer: lowest speed; by hand: whisk). Add the butter and mix on low speed until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs, about 2 minutes.
  3. Whisk the egg whites, milk, and vanilla in a small bowl, then pour it into the mixer bowl. Beat on medium-high speed for 2 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl halfway through.
  4. Evenly distribute the batter among the lined muffin tins and bake until the edge of the cupcakes are light golden brown and a toothpick comes out clean, 14-16 minutes.
  5. Set the pan on a wire rack and let the cupcakes cool in the pan for 15 minutes, then remove them from the pan and let them completely cool on the rack.
  6. Mix the filling ingredients in a bowl.
  7. Use a small paring knife to cut an inverted cone out of the top of the cupcake. Flip the cone over and slice it so that you have a ¼” thick disk of cake. Reserve the disk and discard the rest of the cone. If necessary, use a small spoon to scoop out some of the cake to make the hole larger.
  8. Use a small spoon to evenly distribute the filling among the cupcakes. Place the reserved cake disk on top of the filling and press down on it to seal the cupcake.
  9. Frost the cupcakes with the Italian meringue frosting.

Dark Chocolate Blackberry Cupcakes

Posted on by
1

I am a big berry buff and when I saw this recipe I knew I would make these.

I followed the recipe exactly on my first bake, but made changes the second time around. Mainly, I swapped the blackberry buttercream for a blackberry meringue frosting. I used some purple food coloring and added some freeze dried blackberry powder. Blackberry is not an overpowering flavor but this added just enough to complement the dark chocolate cupcake.

Dark Chocolate Blackberry Cupcakes

Makes 18 cupcakes

INGREDIENTS
For the cupcakes:
• 1 c AP flour
• ½ c unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• ½ tsp salt
• ½ c unsalted butter, melted
• ¾ c brown sugar
• 2 large RT eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• ½ c buttermilk (milk with ½ Tbl lemon juice)
• ½ c hot water
• ½ c mashed, fresh blackberries
Blackberry Italian Meringue
• 3 egg whites room temperature
• 2/3 cup caster sugar
• 1/4 cup water
• 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
• 1 Tbl freeze dried blackberry powder

METHOD

  1. Wash 2 c fresh blackberries in cold water
  2. Blend cleaned blackberries until totally broken down.
  3. Add 1 Tbl sugar and blend again.
  4. Separate into ¼ c and ½ c portions. Set both portions aside. (Use any leftover on ice cream or in a margarita, etc.)
  5. Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Line a cupcake pan with liners.
  6. In a bowl, whisk flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt.
  7. In another bowl, mix melted butter and brown sugar until smooth. Add eggs and vanilla, then stir in ½ c mashed blackberries.
  8. Alternately add dry ingredients and buttermilk, mixing gently. Stir in hot water until just combined.
  9. Fill cupcake liners ¾ full and bake for 18-20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Let cool completely.
  10. For the frosting, beat butter until creamy. Add powdered sugar, ¼ c blackberry puree, and vanilla. Beat until fluffy, adding cream if needed. Be sure the frosting is thick enough to hold its shape after piping.
  11. Pipe frosting onto cooled cupcakes and enjoy!

Italian Meringue Method

  1. Wipe down all tools with white vinegar.
  2. Place sugar and water mixture over medium heat for 5 minutes. Do not stir it at all during this time. The mixture will look cloudy.
  3. Gently stir the mixture for 1 minute. There should be little to no granules of sugar left at this point.
  4. Once the mixture begins to bubble from the bottom, 3 to 5 minutes, place the digital thermometer in the pot and increase to medium-high heat. Do not stir it at all after this.
  5. In the bowl of an electric mixer, whip the eggs whites on low speed until foamy. Add the cream of tartar, increase the speed to medium, and beat until soft peaks form.
  6. Allow the sugar mixture to come to a boil and watch carefully. Once it reaches 230 °F turn stand mixer on highest speed to whip egg whites to peaks.
  7. 7. Once the sugar syrup reaches 240 °F, remove from heat and remove the probe. This takes about 4- 6 minutes.
  8. Allow the boiling to come to a slow bubble before moving on.
  9. Slowly pour sugar syrup (steady stream) into whisked egg whites. Avoid the whisk attachment or it will fling your mixture all over the bowl.
  10. Add 1 Tbl blackberry powdered and ~ 3 drops purple food coloring
  11. Allow mixture to whisk for another 3-5 minutes until the mixer bowl is cool/room temperature to the touch.

80 Is The New…

Posted on by
Reply

Today is the 80th birthday of one of our good friends, and golf buddy. She asked me to make cupcakes for the 15 guests coming to her bowling/birthday party. I decided to make cupcakes using my Extreme Chocolate Cake recipe with Italian Meringue frosting, because that combination is my fav. I did ask her what her favorite color is, and pink was among her answer, so I made a bi-color frosting.

My notes in my recipe said the recipe would make 36 cupcakes, but of the 3 different sizes of cakes in the recipe, it didn’t say which one made the 36. I decided to go with the medium size cake (10” round.) Well long story shorter, that made 54 cupcakes. I have since modified the recipe.

The cupcakes are soft and delicious and the meringue isn’t too sweet and pairs nicely.

Yippee Ki-Yay!

Posted on by
1

I made a western themed cake for this year’s annual auction-fundraiser for the girls school. My extreme chocolate cake (six full layers, not torted) is 12 inches high and weighs 18 lbs. Whew!

Fresh raspberry mousse filled the layers. I developed the mousse last year and found using fresh raspberries resulted in a much better mousse than using frozen berries.

I made and froze all the cakes two weeks in advance and made all the fondant decorations a week later. The bandana was the most difficult decoration as the fondant needs to be exactly the right texture and strength to fold and arrange without stretching or tearing.

Crumb Coating
Buttercream Dams
Mousse Filled
Frosted Cakes
Beginning to Decorate
Finished

Extreme Chocolate Cake Single Recipe

Makes two 9” round cakes
INGREDIENTS
• 2 cups white sugar
• 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup milk
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 cup boiling water

METHOD

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour two 9 inch cake pans.
  2. Use the first set of ingredients to make the cake. In a medium bowl, stir together the sugar, flour, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Add the eggs, milk, oil and vanilla, mix for 3 minutes with an electric mixer. Stir in the boiling water by hand. Pour evenly into the two prepared pans.
  3. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes in the preheated oven, until a toothpick inserted comes out clean or 205F internal temp. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pans to cool completely.

Raspberry – Cream Cheese Mousse


INGREDIENTS
Raspberry Puree
• 340 g (~2 ½ c, 12 oz) fresh raspberries
• 2 Tbl confectioner’s sugar
• 1 Tbl instant vanilla pudding mix (substitute corn starch if desired.)
• 112 g (4 oz) cream cheese softened
• ¼ c powdered sugar
• 1 Tbl freeze-dried raspberry powder
• Optional: ¼ tsp red food coloring
• Optional: 1 tsp ouzo (for tartness)
Whipped Cream – Stabilized
• 1 cup heavy whipping cream, chilled
• 2 Tbl instant vanilla pudding powder (substitute corn starch if desired.)
• 2-3 Tbl powdered sugar

METHOD

  1. Combine raspberries and 2 Tbl confectioners’ sugar in a small bowl and add to a food processor and pulse until berries are reduced
  2. Sieve the mixture allowing enough time for most of the raspberry juice to drip into a bowl, (enough to make 200ml (2/3 c) puree)
  3. In a large bowl, add raspberry juice, 1 Tbl vanilla pudding, softened cream cheese and 1/4 cup powdered sugar, raspberry powder and ouzo and beat until well combined (3-4 minutes on high.) Mix in red food coloring in 2 or 3 aliquots until desired color is attained.
  4. In the bowl of a stand mixer whip the heavy cream, vanilla pudding mix and confectioners’ sugar.
  5. Add red food coloring (in several small amounts until desired color is attained) and whip to firm peaks.
  6. Fold the raspberry mixture into the whipped cream until combined.

Marshmallow Fondant

INGREDIENTS
• 1 package (10 ounces) white mini marshmallows
• 2-5 tablespoons water
• 851 g (1 ¼ lbs or 20 oz) sifted confectioners’ sugar, divided in half
• 1/4 cup solid vegetable shortening

METHOD

  1. Grease your mixing bowl and a glass bowl that can be used to melt marshmallows in the microwave.
  2. Place the marshmallows, water and flavoring of your choice in greased glass bowl and microwave on high at 30 second intervals.
  3. Stir every 30 seconds until marshmallows are completely melted, about 2 minutes.
  4. Sift half of the confectioner’s sugar in a greased mixing bowl. Make a well in the center of the confectioner’s sugar and pour in the melted marshmallows.
  5. I use the paddle attachment for my KitchenAid mixer for this first part of the mixture.
  6. Mix until all the melted marshmallows are incorporated in the confectioner’s sugar.
  7. Add any food coloring at this point.
  8. Mixture will be thick but still runny.
  9. Sift the remaining half of confectioner’s sugar into the melted marshmallows.
  10. Mix on low until it comes together.
  11. Change to your dough hook attachment as this will get extremely thick.
  12. Fondant will be very thick and have a dough like consistency
  13. Wrap fondant in saran and make sure no air gets to it.
  14. Rest fondant for at least an hour before use.