50 Tips for Baking Better Cakes Happy American Thanksgiving! I was sitting here planning a bunch of upcoming baking posts, when I realized that we’ve never really chatted about some of the basic steps that make for consistent baking and caking. I thought that it may be helpful to post these tips now, before we get too hot and heavy into more cake recipes. This collection of tips and tricks is made up of suggestions that happen to work for me, that I have either learned from the pros, read in books, or figured out along the way (and am still learning). I can say that implementing these steps completely changed my life as a baker, and I thought it would be fun to share. I hope that even one of these tips will help you along too. {print} Recipe Ingredients: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 1 large egg white = 37 grams, 1 large egg yolk = 20 grams. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. Mixing: 16. 17. 18. 19. 20. 21. 22. 23. 24. 25. 26. 27. 28. 29. 30. Baking Cakes: 31. 32. 33. 34. 35. 36. 37. 38. 39. 40. Cooling & Frosting: 41. 42. 43. 44. 45.
The Same Sun I was lucky enough to spend some time recently, with dear friends who live many miles away (hence the prolonged absence of posts). I feel blessed to count these people as friends and I’m always a little sad to return home. Coming home from a vacation is always difficult for me, but especially troublesome when I have to leave people I really care about. It brings to light how much I am not a part of their daily lives and routines and they are not a part of mine. But who says I have to run the same route? Hawaiian Banana Bread source: inspired by the interwebs 2.5 C all purpose flour1 tsp baking soda1 tsp baking powder1/2 tsp salt1/4 C butter at room temperature3/4 C vanilla yogurt (I use non fat)1 C brown sugar1/2 granulated sugar2 tsp vanilla3 eggs or 3/4 C egg beaters3 to 4 really ripe bananasZest of one lemon3/4 C toasted, sweetened coconut Optional: Notes: The riper the banana the sweeter your baked goods will be. Like this: Like Loading...
Charlottes Just like a Charlotte russe, a Charlotte royale can take a variety of forms. This domed version is probably the classic, though I’ve seen lots of flat ones made in rounds as well. They can be just about any flavor. Mango is a true delight. It starts with a sheet of joconde, half as thick as my regular recipe calls for. Loosen it from the pan as soon as it emerges from the oven. Then lay on a sheet of parchment and a rack. Flip everything over and peel away the paper. Apply another parchment sheet and another rack (or an upside-down sheet pan)… …and flip it back. Reader Ed had the suggestion that instead of making one long jelly roll, which would leave leftovers of jelly roll and a bottomless Charlotte, I should use half the sheet for the roll and half for a bottom. …then trim off the crusty edges to make it easier to roll. Now I’ll apply some orange marmalade. Then I’ll just roll up the marmalade-covered half. I’ll wrap that in plastic wrap… There’s my Charlotte bottom.
French Toast Cookies Attention: These cookies taste like french toast, but they also taste just like a brown sugar cinnamon Pop Tart. In other words, childhood, reclaimed! They’re insanely delicious pillowy clouds of cinnamon-y, maple goodness and I could not wait to share them with you. The initial idea was to make a french toast cookie, and I think I achieved that. I took these to a summer BBQ at work and the entire pan was annihilated within the hour. Now that would’ve been a complete cookie-eating experience, no doubt. I highly recommend them as an afternoon treat or a late-night indulgence. Yes, I’m saying that these cookies will make you friends. French Toast Sugar Cookies I can't decide if these taste more like french toast or a brown sugar cinnamon pop tart! Author: Minimalist Baker Serves: 36 cookies Ingredients Instructions Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Nutrition Information
Quick and Easy Lemon Cake This is the lemon cake that my Nana usually always makes for me when I go home to California. We both forgot about it during my last visit and I didn’t realize until I got back to Sicily that I hadn’t had my Lemon Jello Cake fix. Luckily, I have the recipe! This is one of the easiest cakes you can make and I will argue that it’s one of the best-tasting cakes you will ever eat. What makes this cake so great is the glaze. Hope you enjoy it as much as I do! Nana’s Lemon Jello Cake 1 package yellow cake mix 1 small package lemon jello 3/4 C. water 4 eggs, well beaten 3/4 C. oil glaze: Juice and zest of 2 lemons 2 C. powdered sugar 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. As you can see, the batter will be lumpy. One of the greatest inventions ever, the microplane grater is perfect for zesting a lemon in seconds! How do you juice your lemons? When making the glaze, you don’t have to use a cute little whisk like this one. After the cake comes out of the oven, pierce it all over with a large fork. Related Recipes:
Black Tea Cake with Blackberry Lime Curd & Honey Whipped Cream Black Tea Cake with Blackberry Lime Jam & Honey Whipped Cream By now you are aware I have a love-hate relationship with cake. The love part is easy: it’s all about the devour (okay, and as of late, the cake smashing). The hate part comes with—well, sculpting it. But even with that, I have a foot on each side of the dividing love-and-hate line. As a result, this year I’m going to ask the magnificent one to please bless me with a deft caking decorating hand for my birthday. Because come’on no one wants to hear me drone on about my cake carving skills paralleling those of a crying toddler whose crayon-fisting hand can’t stay in the lines while coloring. Dramatics aside, it’s a bit tiresome and frustrating, trying to get vision and reality to align at times. Alright, I guess we should talk about the cake at hand, since I seemingly (more of that fuzzy vision and reality stuff) run a food blog. Printthis recipe Saveto recipe box Black Tea Cake with Blackberry Lime Curd & Honey Whipped Cream Cake
Cinnamon Sugar Pull-Apart Bread « Recipe Looks yummy, right? And let me tell you, this cinnamon bread really is yummy! Immensely! I am actually so impressed by it that I would call it a gift from heaven. Okay, maybe not exactly from heaven since the original recipe was born in Joy the Baker’s kitchen. Dear friends, please prepare this delicious, finger-licking, soft, yeasty, cinnamony bread over the weekend for your family. If you wonder how, I’ll show you… Here’s the list of ingredients. 1. 2. 3. You can also melt the butter in milk in a small saucepan over medium-low heat. 4. 5. I kneaded the dough by hand for about 10 minutes. You can, of course, use an electric mixer and have the job done in about half the time. 6. O-oh, we have a serious case of yeastafalitis here. Or, in other words, this is what happened after I let the dough rest for one hour. 7. 8. 9. 10. Melt the butter (in the microwave oven or in a saucepan). 11. 12. 13. I went horizontally, it’s the rebel in me. Joy said she drooled at this phase. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18.
to make: cobbler baked in jars I made these for the Seattle Bake Sale for Share Our Strength organized by Frantic Foodie (thanks Keren!). I had so much fun making pies in jars that I figured this was the perfect opportunity to bake something else in jars. This time I used half-pint wide mouth jars, a nice size for a bake sale. (Half pint jars washed and drying.) I used the blueberry cobbler recipe from Baking Illustrated. (Look! These are great for bake sales because the packing is an eye catcher. The recipe, with notes on actually making it in jars, is below. Seriously, the cornmeal added to the biscuit batter makes all the difference here. I call this mise en jars, I used the washed jars from the overflowing and sticky (but sooo worth it) test batch. For each batch I used a 10-ounce package of frozen wild blueberries and, for the sake of economy, filled out the rest with locally grown (and gorgeous) frozen blueberries that are sold in 48-ounce bags. The scent of these baked goods right here is amazing. 1. 2. 3. 4.
Apple Walnut Cinnamon Roll Cupcakes In all my years on the internet, I’ve received three unforgettable emails. Each were typed by my mother. I picture her sitting at the keyboard, perfectly positioned to type as though she were being tested for proficiency. Either full caps or none at all. Her nose turned slightly up at the computer because she can’t quite see the 24” monitor. And truth be told, neither can I at 25 years old. These electronic notes are the joy of my existence. The first email appeared in my inbox the day my mother discovered the internet. Truly perfect. The second best email was one that I’d like to have chiseled into stone. Love, articulated. And then there was the third email. Just so you know, she looks fabulous with bangs. The genius of email is the terseness. But back to the email itself. And I don’t question her. I baked the cinnamon rolls. These are not light, they are not classically healthy, they can’t even be considered simple. Apple Walnut Cinnamon Roll Cupcakes Let’s get started, shall we?
Red Velvet Cheesecake Swirl Brownies Decadent red velvet brownies swirled with cheesecake. Today was the first time I’ve ever made a red velvet dessert before. Actually, my first time was on Friday. Yes, they’re that good. Truth be told, the first time I’ve ever really loved a red velvet a dessert was last year at my friend’s wedding. But at my friend’s wedding last year, I was converted. Bite after bite, I fell in love. After months and months deciding what kind of homemade red velvet recipe would be my first, I finally settled on a swirly brownie recipe. For those unfamiliar with red velvet, let me take you through a quick briefing about what this gorgeous little dessert flavor is like. Today’s brownies are basically a fudgy chocolate brownie with lots of buttery vanilla flavors; I wasn’t up for making a lavish red velvet cake just yet. Chocolate, vanilla, and cream cheese swirls… no wonder I’ve made these twice in 3 days! These brownies are so easy to make and are the perfect recipe for red velvet beginners. Bake time!