February Daring Baker's Challenge-Quick Breads

The Daring Bakers’ February 2012 host was – Lis! Lisa stepped in last minute and challenged us to create a quick bread we could call our own. She supplied us with a base recipe and shared some recipes she loves from various websites and encouraged us to build upon them and create new flavor profiles.

I'm not going to lie, I wasn't hurt AT ALL that this month's challenge was super easy and quick.  I've been out of town this entire week and still hadn't even checked the website for the challenge by this morning.  The good news is that I had a little bit of time this afternoon to put this together and....am having friends over for brunch on Sunday so I may use the batter for muffins (instead of a loaf).  The basic quick bread recipe has flour, sugar, an egg, buttermilk, salt and baking soda.  I used some oats in place of part of the flour and added some spices to this as well.  I also made a crumb topping to sprinkle on the muffins before baking.

Blueberry Oat Quick Bread
Makes 12 muffins or 1 small loaf
1 cup blueberries (I used frozen)
1 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
8 oz (1 cup) sugar
2 eggs
8 oz (1 cup) buttermilk
1 teaspoon vanilla

Crumb Topping
1/2 c flour
1/2 c sugar
1/2 stick (2 oz) butter
1/4 tsp cinnamon

Pre-heat the oven to 350 and put muffin liners in your muffin pan.  Toss the blueberries with 1/4 cup of flour to keep them from sinking into the batter. In a large bowl, combine the remaining flour, oats, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg. In separate bowl, whisk together the sugar, eggs, buttermilk, and vanilla. Add the liquids to the dry ingredients and stir gently to combine. Fold the blueberries into the batter.

To make the crumb, combine all ingredients in a bowl and mix using your fingers until the pieces are pea-sized or smaller. Pour the batter into the muffin cups (fill almost full), add about a tablespoon of crumb mix to the top of each and bake for about 20 minutes.

They are done when the tops are puffed and dry, and when a toothpick inserted into the center of the muffin comes out clean.  Let cool in the pan for 10 minutes before unmolding.

All-Natural Red (Pink?) Velvet Cake

In honor of upcoming Valentine's Day (and to satisfy my curiosity about whether it could be done), I decided to attempt a red velvet cake using no food dyes.  I'm a food hippie for sure and I just could never understand the appeal of a cake that is red only because it uses a quarter of a cup of red food coloring in the batter.  (That's a lot right??)  But, I did some research and discovered that there is another way.  BEETS!  If you've ever handled a beet you know they can stain hands as good as any food color.  What you may not have known is that beets are often used in natural food colors to tint things reddish.  Now, I'm a good Polish girl and I do love my beets, but I know that some people don't.  It seems like beets are one of those things that people either love or hate.  Good news for those of you haters, this cake doesn't taste a thing like beets.  I even took a teensy taste of the raw batter and no beet taste there either.  It tastes like a dense, creamy, delicately chocolate-flavored pound cake.  (Many people do not know that Red Velvet Cake - the kind with the food coloring - is actually a chocolate cake.)  Ideally, I would have used fresh red beets for the recipe, but I didn't have any and there were 2 cans of sliced beets staring at me in the pantry when the idea to make this cake struck me.  So, I used the canned beets.  I can tell, though, that the red color is not nearly as intense with a canned beet, likely because it sat in water in the can, and I rinsed them before use.  These canned beets made a "pink velvet" cake, but I'll amend this post with "red velvet" made with fresh beets once I get to doing it.

I'm going to share a little bit of the challenges (and super-interesting nerd stuff that I like) about making this particular cake.  Think back to Chemistry 101.  Remember the pH scale?  Well, beets are alkaline, with a pH higher than 7 (which is "neutral").   In general, alkaline things tend to brown when baked.  So.....in order to make sure that this cake didn't turn brown or purple (actually that would be kinda cool) instead of red like the beet puree, it is important to keep the pH of the batter as low, or acidic, as possible.  So, that means that baking soda (which has a pH of 12 - very basic) shouldn't be used (I used baking powder instead) and neither should "Dutch-processed" cocoa.  Natural cocoa powder is just that, natural.  Dutch-processed cocoa is cocoa where the beans have been processed with an alkaline solution.  The resulting powder is 1. more alkaline (duh) and 2. reddish-brown colored.  I only keep natural cocoa powder on hand and, usually it can be used in most recipes that call for cocoa.  The other thing that I did to decrease the pH was to add 1/4 cup of lemon juice to the beet puree, as well as a splash of vinegar.

All-Natural Red Velvet Cake
makes an 8" layer cake
(adapted from Sophistimom)

Beets (enough for 1 1/2 cups puree), about 2 large or 2 cans sliced beets
1/4 cup (2 oz) lemon juice
1 tablespoon vinegar
2 sticks (16 tablespoons, 8 oz) unsalted butter, softened
8 ounce cream cheese, softened slightly
2 cups (16 oz, 1 lb) sugar
4 eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
2 cups (10 oz) unbleached all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
2-4 tablespoons natural (not dutch processed) cocoa powder

1. Preheat oven to 350° F (165° C). Wrap beets in aluminum foil, and roast until tender, about 60-90 minutes. Allow to cool completely.
2. Spray or butter two 8 inch cake pans. Cut out parchment paper circles and place in the bottoms of the pans and set aside. Peel the beets and cut into large chunks. Place in a food processor with the lemon juice, and puree until smooth. Stir in the vinegar.

 3. In a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream butter and cream cheese with sugar until smooth. Add eggs, one at a time, and mix well.  Add in vanilla.
4. In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, salt, and cocoa powder. Slowly add dry ingredients to the wet ingredients. Add in the beet mixture and divide the batter evenly between the prepared pans.

5. Bake at 350 ° F for about 35 minutes, or until a knife inserted into the center of the cakes comes out clean. Invert cakes onto cooling racks, and allow to cool completely before filling and frosting.

Cream Cheese Icing
(from Sweetapolita)

1/3 cup  (75 g/2.5 oz) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 1/2 packages cream cheese (12 oz/345 g), cut into cubes, cold
1 1/2 lbs (5 1/2 cups/685 g) confectioners’ sugar
1/4 cup (60 ml) heavy cream
2 teaspoons (10 ml) vanilla
pinch of salt


Using electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, blend butter and cream cheese on medium low speed, until just combined, about 2 minutes.  Add confectioner's sugar and beat on medium speed for about 5 minutes.  Add heavy cream and vanilla, and beat at medium high speed for about 1 minute. Frosting will be fluffy.  Be careful not to overbeat.

Assemble the cake by splitting each layer in half (horizontally - this is called "torting"), spread a layer of cream cheese icing in between each and then cover the outside of the cake with the remainder.  Cream cheese icing won't spread as smooth as buttercream, so my suggestion is just to embrace it.  Keep it homestyle! You can tint remaining icing with leftover beet puree if you want to write your message in color!  Happy Valentine's Day!

January Daring Baker's Challenge-Biscuits

Audax Artifex was our January 2012 Daring Bakers’ host. Aud worked tirelessly to master light and fluffy scones (a/k/a biscuits) to help us create delicious and perfect batches in our own kitchens!

So, I've made a fair amount of biscuits in my day, so I decided to spice up this challenge a little by using some local produce!  In mid-January, there isn't a whole lot exciting going on in the produce section at the local grocery store.  Basically, it's cold out and, although you can get apples and oranges (heck, when can't you?), there isn't much else.  Except persimmons.  I found the biggest, ripest, juiciest persimmon and brought it home to use it in these biscuits.  What I didn't know is how juicy a persimmon needs to be in order to be considered "ripe." 

There are two main varieties of persimmon available in the US - Fuyu and Hachiya.  Although a Fuyu persimmon can be eaten before it completely ripens, a Hachiya persimmon will be terribly bitter if eaten before it is time.  The fruit has a high tannin content which makes the immature fruit bitter. The tannin levels are reduced as the fruit matures. The best way to describe a Hachiya persimmon that's ripe is that it looks and feels like a water balloon that's about to burst.  In order to help it along, I put the persimmon in a paper bag for a couple of days. When it was ready, I made some biscuits....

Persimmon Biscuits
Servings: about five 3-inch (7½ cm) biscuits

Ingredients:
1 1/4 cup (6.25 oz) all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons sugar
3 teaspoons baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons (30 gm/1 oz) frozen grated butter
3/4 cup persimmon puree
1/4 cup (2 oz, 60 ml) cold milk

1 tablespoon milk or cream, for glazing the tops of the biscuits

Frozen grated butter to be rubbed into dry ingredients

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to very hot 475°F/240°C.
2. Sift the dry ingredients into a large bowl.
3. Rub the frozen grated butter into the dry ingredients until it resembles very coarse bread crumbs with some pea-sized pieces if you want flaky biscuits.
4. Add nearly all of the liquid at once into the rubbed-in flour/fat mixture and mix until it just forms a sticky dough (add the remaining liquid if needed).
5. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured board, lightly flour the top of the dough. Knead very gently about 4 or 5 times (do not press too firmly) the dough until it is smooth.
6. Pat or roll out the dough into a 6 inch by 4 inch rectangle by about ¾ inch thick. Using a well-floured 3-inch biscuit cutter, stamp out rounds without twisting.  Gently reform the scraps into another ¾ inch layer and cut more biscuits (these will not raise as well as the others since the extra handling will slightly toughen the dough).
7. Place the rounds on a baking sheet and glaze the tops with cream.  I also topped them with chopped, toasted pecans.
8. Bake in the preheated very hot oven for about 10 minutes (check at 8 minutes since home ovens at these high temperatures are very unreliable) until the biscuits are well risen and are lightly coloured on the tops. They are ready when the sides are set.
9. Immediately place onto cooling rack to stop the cooking process, serve while still warm.

The biscuits were fantastic!  The persimmon flavor was not as pronounced as I would have hoped, but it did add some moisture and faint color to the dough.  I may try it again, using more persimmon puree (no milk, but a splash of cream).  However, I really think this fruit needs another medium.  Back to the drawing board in the search of the perfect persimmon recipe! 

Weekend Danish

A danish is a special breakfast treat.  It's flaky, it's fruity, it's creamy.  It's sweet, it's rich, it's unexpected.  Oh, and guess what....?  IT'S EASY!

As long as you are not afraid of a rolling pin, making a danish is really easy.  It does take a few steps, so I recommend starting the day before you want to eat it.

First, make your fillings.  I like to have a combination of a fruit-based filling and a creamy filling.  Todd asked for mixed berries and almond, so I made a mixed berry jam filling and almond cream.

Mixed Berry Jam Filling
yield: 2 cups

2 cups crushed mixed berries
1 cup sugar
2 Tablespoons lemon juice

Cook the berries and sugar together over medium heat until most of the liquid evaporates and the mixture thickens and becomes glossy.  This can take up to 20 minutes or more.  Stir regularly and don't overheat.  Remove the filling from the stove and stir in the lemon juice.  Cool, then refrigerate for up to one week.  Bring to room temperature before using. 

Almond Cream Filling
yield: 1 cup

3/4 cup blanched almond flour (or 1 cup blanched almonds, toasted)
1/2 cup powdered sugar
2 tablespoons butter, room temperature
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
1 egg white

Use a food processor to blend the almond flour (or almonds) and powdered sugar.  Add butter, then almond extract and egg white and process to mix.  Refrigerate for up to one week.

Once the fillings are made, get out your ingredients, food processor and a large bowl.  It's time to make the danish dough.

Danish Pastry (from Baking with Julia)
yield: 2 pounds

1/4 cup (2 ounces) warm water (105-115° F)
2 1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast
1/2 cup (4 ounces) milk, room temperature
1 egg, room temperature
1/4 cup (2 ounces) sugar
1 teaspoon salt
2 1/2 cups (12.5 ounces) all-purpose flour
2 sticks (8 ounces) cold, unsalted butter


Pour the water into a large bowl.  (Tip: Since body temperature is almost 100°F, an easy way to test water at 105°F is to make it just warm to the touch, definitely not "hot." There is no need to use a thermometer.)  Sprinkle the yeast on top to soften.  Add the milk, egg, sugar and salt and whisk to blend.  Set aside.  Put the flour into the bowl of a food processor with a blade attachment.  Drop tablespoon slices of cold butter into the flour, then pulse about 8-10 times.  DO NOT over do this, you want the butter to remain in large chunks, no smaller than 1/2" in diameter.  Empty the flour/butter mixture into your large bowl with the yeast/egg mixture and stir gently with a sturdy rubber spatula just until the dry ingredients are moistened.  Again, do not over mix the dough, it must remain in discrete pieces to end up with a flaky pastry dough.  (You are not mixing to the consistency of cookies or bread.)


Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator overnight or up to 4 days.  


When you are ready to roll out the dough, flour your countertop or other flat surface, and pour the dough out onto it.  Lightly flour the top of the mound and use your fingers to shape the dough roughly into a square.  Use a floured rolling pin to roll out the dough into a square, about 16 inches on each side.  Fold the dough into thirds like a letter.  Fold up the bottom first, then flip the top over.  Turn the dough so that the closed fold is on the left (like the spine of a book).  

Roll the dough out again, this time into a narrow rectangle, about 10" wide x24" long.  Fold the rectangle in thirds again, bottom up, top down, then turn so that the spine is on the left.  Roll again, to a 20" square.  Fold again, roll out to a rectangle, 10"x24", then fold one last time.  Wrap the dough well in plastic and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes (or up to 2 days).  The danish braid only calls for 1/2 recipe of dough, so at this point you can cut the dough in half, wrap one half well and freeze (for up to a month), and wrap the other half to refrigerate until cool.


Once your dough is cool, place on the floured countertop and roll out for the danish braid, to about 10" wide x 16" long.  Move to a sheet of parchment (or Silpat) and spread your fillings down the center.  If you made two fillings, start with the fruit jam on the bottom, spread it about 1/3 the width of the dough in the center.  Put the creamy or almond filling on top of the jam, spreading it not quite as wide so that the jam peeks out underneath.  

Use a sharp knife or pizza roller to cut diagonal slits in the sides of the dough, angling the cuts from the center of the pastry to the edge.  Strips should be about 3/4" wide.  Fold the strips of pastry into the center, criss-crossing the filling by alternating one strip from the left then one strip from the right.  Lightly press the ends together to seal and run your hands along the sides to straighten.  

Brush the pastry with a beaten egg white, then sprinkle with sugar and/or sliced almonds.  Cover with a light kitchen towel and allow to rise at room temperature for 30 minutes.  Since the dough is cold, it will not rise much, but should feel slightly puffy.


Bake in preheated 400°F oven for 15-20 minutes or until golden.  Remove to cooling rack.  Make a glaze by combining 1/2 cup powdered sugar with a tablespoon of coffee.  Whisk smooth then drizzle over the top of the pastry.  Best when served warm!  

HAPPY WEEKEND!!

November Daring Bakers Challenge - Filipino Sans Rival

I always love trying something new!  It's one thing to try something new that catches my eye, and entirely another to make something new that is suggested by others.  This challenge is what led me to join the Daring Bakers years ago!  The Daring Bakers is a group of people across the world, united by the internet and a desire to come together for a monthly dessert challenge.  Each month, a different member comes forward and challenges the group to make something new, unusual, difficult or in some way "a challenge."  This month's Sans Rival perfectly embodies the spirit of the Daring Bakers.

Catherine of Munchie Musings was our November Daring Bakers’ host and she challenged us to make a traditional Filipino dessert – the delicious Sans Rival cake! And for those of us who wanted to try an additional Filipino dessert, Catherine also gave us a bonus recipe for Bibingka which comes from her friend Jun of Jun-blog.

The Sans Rival translated means "without rival."  This gluten-free cake has its origins in France, but is one of the most popular desserts in the Philippines.  In the 1920s and 30s there were many Filipinos who went abroad to study. Many went to France and, while there, learned French cooking techniques which they then brought home. A Sans Rival is made with layers of dacquoise, which is a baked meringue that incorporates finely crushed nuts.  There is no flour in the cake, with the nuts completely taking the place of flour.  The recipe typically uses crushed cashews, and is layered with a rich, French buttercream. This cake nicely pairs the two, with the silkiness of the buttercream complimenting the nutty crunch of the dacquoise cake layers.

Polish Pierogi

OK, so they are not really a dessert, but they sure are delicious and they do require a dough.  So, here goes...I got a hankering for my grandmother's pierogi.  I decided to make her dough and fill it with a bunch of different fillings using the stuff I happened to have on hand at the house.  I ended up making them one of the nights that Anna was here visiting me so she could help!  We made 3 kinds - sauerkraut ("kapusta" to which I also added finely chopped German brats and caramelized onions), sweet potato and butternut squash (with a little maple and cream) and a sweet variety using brie and strawberry preserves.
 

They were all delicious, but I have to say I liked the sauerkraut ones the best.  It might be the Polish in me!  Basically, you can stuff just about any food you want in these babies.  The recipe below is for my grandmother's pierogi dough, along with instructions on how to make it and fill and cook the pierogi.  Enjoy!

Death by Chocolate...

I haven't been posting as much lately, since I've been spending a lot more time at DaisyCakes baking fantastic things on a daily basis!  I am, however, going to try to start snapping more photos of the things I'm making there, even though I can't share a recipe.  At least I can share some decorating tips and ideas and maybe hope to advertise a little for my new employer.  Tonight I'm starting on a "Death by Chocolate" cake that I'm making for my brother Tom's birthday this weekend.  The cake is a moist chocolate cake, made using melted chocolate and sour cream.  I'll cut the two cake layers in half (making four), then stripe each layer with a small amount of whipped ganache and fruit preserves.  I'll also squeeze some whipped cream in between each layer.  To top it off, I'll pour liquid chocolate ganache over the top, let it set and finish with an elegant chocolate design.  Then, everyone's favorite part, we will cut into it and eat it!!  Ahhhh...what a great way to go!

Heidi's Chocolate Cake
makes two 9" round cake layers

{Print this recipe!}

Ingredients:

16 oz (2 cups) sugar

7 oz (1 1/3 cup) all-purpose flour

½ teaspoon salt

¾ teaspoon baking soda

4 ounces unsweetened chocolate, cut into ¼” pieces

8 fluid oz (1 cup) hot water

2 eggs, room temperature

4 fl oz vegetable oil

1 ½ teaspoon vanilla

½ cup sour cream

1 fl oz buttermilk

Directions:

Butter and line two 9” cake pans (or spray with non-stick spray).  It is essential that you line these pans with parchment paper, otherwise your cake will stick and will not be able to be removed from the pan. (Trust me, I know this personally to be true...#canyousayeatingchocolatecakepiecesforweeks?)  Stir sugar, flour, salt, baking soda in mixing bowl. Put chocolate in another bowl and place hot water over it.  Whisk eggs in a third mixing bowl until liquid, then whisk in oil, vanilla, sour cream, and buttermilk, one at a time. Whisk chocolate and water mixture smooth, then scrape into egg mixture. Whisk smooth.  Stir in the dry ingredients.  Divide between prepared pans and smooth tops. Bake at 325 for 30-40 min, until well-risen and toothpick is clean. Cool on racks for 5 min, then invert, peel paper and invert again to cool.

Basic Recipe for Chocolate Ganache  

Mix equal parts chopped chocolate and heavy cream by heating the cream to scald, then pour over chopped chocolate.  Let sit for 2 minutes, then whisk smooth.  Allow the ganache to cool to close to room temperature (so that it will not melt the icing on top of the cake).   Prepare the cake for ganache covering by icing smooth and bringing the cake close to room temperature.  (You don't want the cake to be too cool, or else it will give you less time to work with the ganache once it's been poured.)  Also, if you put some of this ganache in a metal bowl in the fridge or freezer for a few, and then, once it's solid, whip it up using a mixer, you'll have a nice whipped ganache that is of spreading consistency.

Stabilized Whipped Cream

This is a good recipe to have.  Everyone knows how to whip some cream.  Not everyone, however, knows how to stop.  Yes, you must STOP when you have whipped cream.  Or else you will get butter.  Seriously.  Stop when the cream is peaked.  To make a delicious sweetened whipped cream, simply add 1/2 cup of powdered sugar to 2 cups cream and whip together in a bowl.  Adding a little softened gelatin will help to stabilize the whipped cream, great for if you want it to hold up during travel or overnight.  This part can be a little tricky, so pay attention.  Get yourself about 2 teaspoons of powdered gelatin and sprinkle it over about 2 Tablespoons of cold water.  This will allow the gelatin to absorb the water, called "blooming."  Once the gelatin is softened, melt it into a liquid either by microwaving it in short bursts (5-10 seconds at a time) or by setting the bowl over a double boiler.  Once the gelatin is liquefied, set it aside and allow the liquid to cool (but not set back up).  You want the gelatin liquid to be sorta close in temperature to the whipped cream and if it's too hot it will solidify immediately when it hits the cold whipped cream.  This creates hard little gelatin chunks in your cream which is not what you were wanting, was it?  Once the gelatin liquid has cooled a little, pour it slowly into your mixer when the sweetened cream is at medium peaks.  Keep whipping until at stiff peaks.  This stabilized gelatin will be great for squeezing in between cake layers. 

Stop reading and make this cake.  Seriously, it will get you over any hump and make your day, week, month better.  Yummy!  Peace out -