Mocha Icebox Cake

Icebox Cakes aren't the prettiest dessert in the world, but they are a great option when you don't want to turn your oven on. Icebox cakes all follow a pretty simple formula: Graham crackers, thin cookies or pre-made cake are layered with a pudding-type filling and whipped cream. The dessert is then left in the fridge for several hours to meld together. The filling softens the crackers into a cake-like consistency after several hours of refrigeration, and what you end up with is a cool refreshing "cake." The possibilities are limitless for flavor combinations, so experiment with different fillings.

Mocha Icebox Cake:

1 Box Graham Crackers (I used about 2/3 of the box)

Filling:
1 Cup Sugar
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 Tablespoon cocoa powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 Cup milk
1 teaspoon espresso powder

In the top of a double boiler combine the sugar, flour, cocoa, salt, and milk. Stir the mixture in the bowl while the water boils beneath it, cooking for about 10 minutes until the mixture thickens (stir it frequently). Remove from the heat. Stir in the espresso powder until dissolved. Let the mixture sit or chill it in the fridge until it is no longer hot (it can be lukewarm, just not hot).

Whipped Cream:
1 pint heavy cream
1/3 Cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla

The cream should be very cold before starting. (I even chill the mixing bowl and whisk in the freezer for about 20 minutes to keep everything very cold.) Pour the cream into the mixing bowl and beat with the whisk until thickened and soft peaks form. Add vanilla and gradually add sugar. Beat until  mixture is very thick and stiff peaks can form. Put it back in the fridge until ready to use.

To assemble:
In an 8x8 pan, place one layer of Graham Crackers on the bottom. Spoon a thin layer of the mocha filling over the graham crackers until completely covered. Spoon a thin layer of whipped cream over the top. Begin again with the graham crackers, then a layer of mocha filling, then whipped cream. Repeat if you have more filling left (this will depend on how thick you've been filling your layers). End with graham crackers and whipped cream on top. Dust with a little cocoa powder for garnish.

Cover with plastic wrap and let sit in the fridge overnight, or at least 6 hours.

Icebox cakes rarely slice up all pretty, but that's okay! It will taste cool and delicious.

Baking with Fresh Summer Fruits

Summertime brings gardens and farmer's markets full of fresh local fruits. But how to use all those different kinds of fruits in baking? What are the different types of fruit out there and which is best for each recipe? Here's a primer on some widely available summer fruits:  

Cherries:

 There are many different types of cherries, but most of us will only see one of three varieties at our local store or farmer's market. Sweet cherries such as Ranier (which is gold and red in color) and Bing (dark red, shown above) are the most readily available everywhere. I prefer Ranier for eating raw and Bing for baking. Sweet cherries are delicious in baked goods. They are not the cherries used in a traditional tart cherry pie (see sour cherries below), but sweet cherries are more versatile, being great for baking and also for eating raw.

Sour (tart) cherries are harder to find and usually very pricey when you can find them fresh. The reason for this is because sour cherries are grown in fewer areas and are not as hardy as sweet cherries, so there is more crop loss and they do not ship as well. Sour cherries are small and bright red; the most common type is Montmorency. You may see these cherries for a brief time in July at specialty stores or farmer's markets, or even in upscale grocery stores, but some years they can be hard to find at all. Sour cherries are generally used for traditional cherry pie (which is meant to be tart) or similar tart baked goods. They are not good for eating raw. If you are really set on making a tart cherry pie and cannot find fresh sour cherries, you can buy them frozen online (though pricey to ship overnight). There is also a brand of sour cherries packed in water, Oregon brand, which is available in most stores in the canned fruit aisle.

To prep fresh cherries for baking:

After washing the fruit, you can use a cherry pitter to get the pits out, or just

cut them in half and pull out the pits. If you want to keep your cherries whole,

you will need a pitter.

Even with a pitter, I prefer to still cut them in half. I think it releases the juices better.

Here is a bowl of dark red Bing cherries, all prepped and ready to go.

Strawberries:

Strawberries are easy to prep and so versatile. You can use them in Strawberry bread, strawberry shortcake, strawberry muffins, puree strawberries to make a real strawberry cake with strawberry buttercream. Or how about strawberry pie or a strawberry icebox cake? The list is endless. There are many different types of strawberry plants, but unlike cherries, the berries that come from those plants are pretty much the same, and totally interchangeable in baking. The most important thing is to try to get the freshest ripest strawberries you can. I highly recommend going to the farmer's market instead of your local grocery store.

To prep strawberries for baking, all you need to do is wash them, pat them dry, hull them, and then cut them into uniform pieces (or leave them whole if they are small berries).

 

Strawberry Buttermilk Cake, Real Strawberry Cupcakes, Strawberry Shortcake

Blueberries:

Blueberries are one of my favorite summer fruits to bake with. Not only do they taste great, but they are versatile and SO easy to use. Just pick over the berries to make sure there are no stems or rotten berries in the bunch. Then wash them and pat them dry. Done! Now you are ready to make a pie, muffins, bread, skillet cake, cobbler, custard, pancakes or any number of other blueberry things.

Blueberry Custard Pie

Traditional Blueberry Pie

Raspberries and Blackberries:

Raspberries and Blackberries are great for jams and baked goods. For things like pie fillings, I prefer to use them mixed with other berries like blueberries and strawberries. The reason is that raspberries turn mushy and juicy when cooked, so they need to be paired with firmer berries when used in something like a pie. And both Raspberries and Blackberries contain seeds which can be overwhelming when used alone (i.e. Blackberry pie tastes great, but it is very seedy, so I do mixed berry instead). But for baked goods such as breads and muffins, you can use them alone. These berries just need to be picked over to get rid of stems, then washed and patted dry before use. As with all berries, don't wash them ahead of time, wash them right before using. (If you wash them when you first bring them home and then leave them piled in their containers for a day or two, they can turn moldy due to high moisture). Be sure to be very gentle when handling blackberries and especially raspberries - they are fragile and will break up easily!

Raspberry filled white cake with Raspberry Buttercream

Peaches:

I love peaches, but if I am honest here, I'll admit that my favorite way to eat them is raw. I prefer other fruits in my pies, cobblers and muffins. But for those who do like to bake with peaches, here is the low-down: Peaches are very easy to use in baking. Choose the ripest ones you can find (again, farm-fresh is best). Wash, peel, and slice the peaches, removing the pit. Slices should be uniform in size, (I cut them about 1/2" thick) so they bake evenly. Peaches are almost never pre-cooked before putting them into a pie or cobbler - just peel and slice them, add sugar and thickener according to the recipe, then fill and bake as instructed. You can also add raw cut peaches to breads, muffins, pancakes (cut very small) or make a peach puree to add to cakes.

Taste-testing Buttercreams

 

As a baker and sometimes cake decorator, I have many frosting recipes that I use depending on what the cake will be used for. Since there is a battle of opinion raging among bakers, pastry chefs, and cake decorators about which buttercreams are best, I wanted to have my own taste test with a group of "Average Joe" Americans. I had about twenty people at my house for the Fourth of July, so I pounced on this opportunity to make them all my guinea pigs. These are the (somewhat surprising) results of my *totally unscientific* taste test:

 

 

 

I offered three of the buttercreams that I use most often. I made them all with no color added, and only vanilla extract as flavoring, so tasters could concentrate on the buttercreams themselves.

Here's a little about each one and what I consider to be their pros and cons:

 

American Buttercream - a simple butter frosting made from creaming butter with confectioner's sugar and a little milk or other liquid. Vanilla is the common flavoring, but you can use any flavor with it. Some people think that "American Buttercream" is made with shortening instead of butter, but no, that is the stuff you see in grocery store cakes, and who really knows what to call that? American Buttercream is usually the frosting of choice for beginning bakers because it is so easy to make. Various versions of this are also used by many cake decorators because it withstands heat and humidity better than other frostings.

 

Pros: Easy for anyone to make, holds up well to a moderate amount of heat (can serve a cake outside on a hot day)

 

Cons: Very sugary, texture always has a bit of grittiness, even after beating it a long time. Sweetness cannot be reduced the way it can in other frostings, since the confectioner's sugar provides the body of this buttercream (although it can be offset somewhat by adding other flavors).

 

Swiss Meringue Buttercream - A very basic explanation of Meringue buttercreams is that they are made by mixing beaten egg whites with sugar and butter. Italian Meringue Buttercream and Swiss Meringue Buttercream differ in the method used to combine these ingredients, but the result is pretty much the same taste - a buttercream that is airy and light with a silky texture and a rich buttery taste. Usually preferred by Pastry Chefs, Swiss Meringue Buttercream is notoriously difficult to make but it's actually not that hard once you get the hang of it.

 

Pros: Sophisticated taste appeals to adult taste buds when many other types of frosting are too sweet; texture is nice and light while the flavor is rich and buttery

 

Cons: Can be kept at room temp but NOT in high heat, so cake decorators need to advise clients that the cake must be refrigerated or at least kept in a cool room (Sometimes this is not possible for every event). The flavor can be too sophisticated - kids often don't like meringue buttercreams.

 

Cooked Milk Buttercream - This is an old-fashioned frosting that, like seven-minute icing, is rarely used these days. It is made by making a slurry of flour and milk and then cooking this mixture until it thickens. You then add this mixture to a mixture of butter and superfine sugar, which has been creamed for several minutes. Whip until fluffy and what you end up with tastes like a combination of whipped cream and vanilla pudding. This is my personal favorite.

 

Pros: Sweet enough for kids while also appealing to adult palates. Creamy and light, not gritty 

 

Cons: Does not pipe intricate decorations; does not hold up to high heat

 

 

**THE RESULTS**

American Buttercream:
The winner, overwhelmingly, was American Buttercream. I was surprised by this, but I suppose I shouldn't have been. A lot of Americans grew up with this kind of frosting made by their grandmas, so nostalgia factors in heavily here. Very famous bakeries have made their names in large part by cashing in on this nostalgia - It's on Magnolia Bakery's famous cupcakes, as well as Sprinkles cupcakes and countless others. 

Surprisingly, some of the things I considered "cons" about this frosting were things that tasters liked. That slight grittiness and super-sweetness? The heavier texture? All considered good things by this crowd. What I considered "unsophisticated and child-like" were the very things that brought tasters back to their childhood. BUT it was not unanimous - Although one person said, "This is what frosting should taste like!" one other person said, "Tastes kind of like canned frosting."

Cooked Milk Buttercream:
Second place went to the frosting that had the best of both worlds: Sweet and creamy, light, but not too light. I actually expected this one to win, but then I am biased. I really love this one. Tasters did really like this one, though it was a bit more popular with adults than kids. Some comments were, "Creamy, Airy. Sweet but not too sweet." Unfortunately, this is not one that can really be used to decorate cakes with intricate decorations, so I only use it for cupcakes and simple layer cakes.

Swiss Meringue Buttercream:
I was really surprised this one didn't do better. I expected it to come in second or maybe even first. I hear so many raves about this frosting from online foodies, and celebrity pastry chefs are always singing the praises of it. I personally love it, but then I like all different kinds of frosting. Kids overwhelmingly pushed this one aside, while adults gave it mixed reviews. Most said it was TOO light and not sweet enough. A few of them said, "This one has no texture to it. Doesn't taste like much" But a couple of people really liked that it was so light, especially one taster who said she usually doesn't like frosting.

***********

I have to tell you a very puzzling thing about these results: People that had previously liked one kind of frosting (my husband) gave it disparaging remarks in a blind taste test when it was not on an actual cake. And one taster who previously stated that she did NOT like a particular frosting, actually chose it as her FIRST choice in the blind test. One frosting that two people said was "not sweet enough" two other people said was "too sweet." I think people's opinions were also based on which order they tasted the frostings in. If they tasted a really sweet one first, maybe the others seemed bland in comparison.

So apparently in my non-scientific poll, only one thing is clear: everyone has different tastes after all!

Here are links to the Buttercreams I used:

American Buttercream

Swiss Meringue Buttercream

Cooked Milk Buttercream

Independence Day Desserts!

Everyone likes to get festive for the Fourth of July! I live just outside of Boston, so revolutionary war history (and Independence day in particular), is a big deal in our area. My family always has a big party, so I thought I'd share some of my dessert ideas here, from the simple to the show-stopping. Click on the links for recipes:

"As American As..." New England Apple Pie

 

 

Red Velvet Cake frosted with Sour Cream Frosting

 

 

 "I cannot tell a lie" Cherry Pie

 

Classic Blueberry Pie

 

 

 

Old-Fashioned Rolled Sugar Cookies decorated with Royal Icing

 

 

Hidden Flag Cake - Next time I make this cake, I plan to make it a more accurate representation of the flag, with 13 stripes. Anyway, this was not difficult but it does require some precision and time. I can't take credit for the idea; other bloggers did it first. I got the idea from Cake Central

 

How to do it:

 

One recipe of my Moist White Cake can make all the layers you need here, or use any white cake.

 

1) Make three 8" pans of white cake dyed red (or red velvet cake).

2) Make one thick 6" layer of white cake dyed blue (fill the pan a little over halfway full) if you have them, use "bake even" strips for the blue to get a nice flat top.

3) Torte each red cake into three thin layers (Cut it horizontally - I use a ruler to measure where I am cutting - see my post on Leveling Cake Layers for how to torte a cake)

4) Make white buttercream frosting (this will be the white stripes).

5) Cut the dome off of your blue cake (if there is one) and measure how thick it is. This will tell you how many stripes you can stack your red and white before adding the blue.

6) After measuring how many stripes thick the blue field is going to be, (for example, 2 inches thick might equal 5 stripes), you can start assembling the cake.

7) Put down a red layer, frost it with white frosting, repeat. Go up a little more than halfway, or however far it is until you will be adding the blue.

8) Take your other red layers and stack them, frosting in between layers. Set this part of the cake aside.

9) Decide how big of a circle you want your blue cake to be and cut it with a cookie cutter (I think I used a 4" circle to cut mine out).

10) Cut a circle in the center of your assembled top striped layers. Put these layers on the cake. You should have a hole where the blue will go.

11) Add your blue to the center, gently pressing it into the rest of the cake. 

12) Frost as you would like. When you cut it, each slice should look like the flag :)

 

 

 

 

Cake with edible fondant flag on top

 

Take your favorite cake and top it with an edible flag: Use white fondant rolled out and cut into a rectangle. Measure out lines for your 13 stripes with a ruler so they will be even, and mark lightly with a toothpick so you will know where to paint. Count down seven stripes from the top and mark a spot that is slightly more than 1/3 of the width - that is where your blue field of stars will go. Using gel food colors (available at craft stores or cake supply shops) paint the blue field and the red stripes directly onto the fondant with a fine tip brush. (Leave the white fondant bare for the white stripes) Add tiny dots of white Royal Icing to represent stars. Before the flag is dry, set it on your cake either flat or slightly waved. (Once it is dry it will not be pliable).

 

 

 

 

Coconut Cream Pie

If you love coconut, you will love this pie. It is almost a triple coconut pie - Coconut Milk and flaked coconut are in the filling, plus toasted coconut on top. Cool and creamy, this makes a delicious Summertime dessert.

Coconut Cream Pie:
For the crust, you can use a Flaky Pie Crust (as shown in the picture), but I usually prefer a Graham Cracker Crust for cream pies, because cracker crusts do not have to be baked like a flaky crust does. For coconut cream pie, you could use Vanilla wafers or Ritz crackers instead of Graham crackers if you'd like. Just remember to add more or less sugar depending on how sweet your crumbs are.

Filling:
1 cup sugar (or you can start with 3/4 cup and add more as you go - this pie is very sweet)
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 2/3 Cups (one 14oz can) Coconut milk (NOT coconut water or Crème de Coco - plain Coconut milk is usually in the international foods aisle of your grocery store, it is used in Asian recipes)
3 egg yolks
1/4 Cup flaked coconut, (plus a little more for garnishing later)

In the top of a double boiler combine the sugar, flour, salt, and coconut milk. Stir the mixture in the bowl while the water boils beneath it, cooking for about 12-14 minutes until the mixture thickens (In the first five minutes it doesn't seem to get thicker, but once it starts to thicken, it goes quickly. Make sure to stir it frequently and scrape the sides with a plastic spatula). Remove from the heat.

In a separate bowl, beat the egg yolks. Take a small amount of the hot milk/flour mixture (about a tablespoon) and stir it into the eggs. Add another spoonful and stir it in (you are "tempering" the eggs so they don't cook and curdle). Now pour the egg mixture into the rest of the hot milk mix. Return it to the double boiler and cook until thickened some more (about 3 more minutes) stirring constantly. Take it off the heat.

Now let it cool a bit. I place a layer of plastic wrap over the top to prevent the usual "pudding crust." You can stick the filling in the fridge or freezer to help it chill faster, just remember to take it out and stir it occasionally. When the filling has cooled, pour it into the pie shell. Then return it to the fridge to for another hour to make sure it is well-chilled before topping it with whipped cream. Keep it in the fridge when not serving.

Fresh Whipped Cream Topping:
1 pint heavy cream
1/4 - 1/2 cup confectioner's sugar, depending on how sweet you want it
Optional: 1 teaspoon Vanilla extract or 1/2 teaspoon coconut extract

Make sure the cream is well-chilled, (I even chill the mixing bowl and beaters when I make whipped cream). Beat the cream with a wire whisk (or electric mixer with the whisk attachment on high) until it is thicker and can form soft peaks. Add in the sugar and vanilla and continue to beat until very thick and can form stiff peaks. Spread it over the chilled pie and garnish with toasted coconut:

Spread 2 Tablespoons coconut flakes onto an ungreased cookie sheet and put in the oven at 350 degrees. Watch the coconut carefully, it only takes a few minutes to brown. You can choose how brown you want it. I usually only leave it in there for 5 minutes, stirring once halfway through.

Put the pie back in the fridge until serving.

Cut this with a very sharp knife dipped in hot water. Clean the knife with a towel between slices to keep it neat.

About Cream Pies

Cream Pies are wonderful in the Summer not only because they are cool and tasty to eat, but because you don't have to turn on your oven to make them! Some pie lovers don't consider cream pie a true pie, but I won't argue the technicalities - I'd rather just eat some pie.

At its most basic, cream pie is a thick, creamy filling (usually made with thickened milk) topped with whipped cream. There are endless varieties you can make with any basic recipe by adding different flavoring agents. My own cream pie recipe is adapted from an old edition of The Joy of Cooking, and I have made several different flavors based on the original. Here is my basic Cream Pie recipe, followed by some of the cream pie variations I have made (with links to the recipes).


Basic Cream Pie:
1 recipe Graham Cracker Crust, using whichever type of cookie or cracker will best fit your filling (you could use vanilla wafers, chocolate cookies, Ritz crackers, etc.)

Filling:
1 cup sugar (or you can start with 3/4 cup and add more as you go - this pie is very sweet)
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 2/3 Cups milk
3 egg yolks
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

In the top of a double boiler combine the sugar, flour, salt, and milk. Stir the mixture in the bowl while the water boils beneath it, cooking for about 10-12 minutes until the mixture thickens (In the first five minutes it doesn't seem to get thicker, but once it starts to thicken, it goes quickly. Make sure to stir it frequently and scrape the sides with a plastic spatula). Thickening time depends on how cold your milk is to start with. It can take up to 14 minutes to get nice and thick like a pudding. Once it is thickened, remove from the heat.

In a separate bowl, beat the egg yolks. Take a small amount of the hot milk/flour mixture (about a teaspoon at first) and stir it into the eggs. Add another spoonful and stir it in (you are "tempering" the eggs so they don't cook and curdle). After mixing in a few spoonfuls, pour the egg mixture into the rest of the hot milk mix. Return it to the double boiler and cook until thickened some more (about 3 more minutes) stirring constantly. Take it off the heat.

Stir in the vanilla extract to the filling mixture. Now let it cool a bit. I place a layer of plastic wrap over the top to prevent the usual "pudding crust." You can stick the filling in the fridge to help it chill faster.  When the filling has cooled, pour it into the pie shell. Then return it to the fridge to for another hour to make sure it is well-chilled before topping it with whipped cream. Keep it in the fridge when not serving.

Fresh Whipped Cream Topping:
1 pint heavy cream
1/4 - 1/2 cup confectioner's sugar, depending on how sweet you want it
Optional: 1 teaspoon Vanilla extract

Make sure the cream is well-chilled, (I even chill the mixing bowl and beaters when I make whipped cream). Beat the cream by hand with a wire whisk, or use an electric mixer with the whisk attachment on high. When the cream is thicker and can form soft peaks, add in the sugar and vanilla. Continue to beat until it is very thick and can form stiff peaks. Spread it over the chilled pie.

Keep the pie back in the fridge until serving.

Cut this with a very sharp knife dipped in hot water. Clean the knife with a towel between slices to keep it neat.

Coconut Cream Pie

Cappuccino Pie

 

 Maple Cream Pie

 

 

 Banana Cream Pie

Milk Chocolate Cream Pie

 

Butterscotch Pie

(Yes, this one has meringue in the picture, but it is the exact

same recipe I use for Butterscotch Cream Pie, I just

put whipped cream on top instead of meringue.)

 

 

 

Eggnog Pie (ugly picture, but super-tasty pie!)

Recipe Review - Alton Brown's Angel Food Cake

 

After making this recipe several times, I decided to write a review of Alton Brown's Angel Food Cake. Mainly because I wanted to put this cake on my blog but since it isn't my recipe I felt like I really needed to give credit where it is due.

 

Here is my review of Alton Brown's Angel Food Cake recipe: It is incredibly good, and you should make it. Done. Okay, I am just kidding. But really, that is it in a nutshell. This recipe has come out great every time I've made it. The cake is incredibly light and moist, delicate and slightly springy. The best part is that Alton Brown's recipe is very easy to follow for anyone who has never made an Angel Food Cake from scratch. Most of Alton Brown's recipes are like that - he spells it out for you as if you are making a particular food for the first time. Anyway, this cake is not only easy to make, but you can change up the flavor a bit by replacing the vanilla with a touch of orange or lemon extract. Serve it alone or topped with fresh berries and whipped cream. 

 

There are three keys to success with any Angel Food cake: 1) After beating the egg whites, sift the dry ingredients over the beaten egg whites and fold in very gently, adding a little at a time. 2) Bake in an ungreased tube pan - this helps the cake "climb" the walls of the pan and gain height. 3) Cool the cake upside down. This is why tube pans have a long center support and sometimes have little "legs" on them. Angel food cakes and chiffon cakes should be cooled upside down to maintain the height and lightness while cooling.

 

So, on we go to this wonderful recipe. I thought the Food Network might not appreciate bloggers posting their recipes, so I am going to link back to the recipe on their site. Here you go:

Alton Brown Angel Food Cake Recipe

Strawberry Dessert Festival!

 

I recently learned about the Mass Farmer's Markets 6th Annual Strawberry Dessert Festival, and I wonder how I never knew about it before! From June 7th through July 7th 2013, eateries throughout Massachusetts will use fresh local strawberries to create fabulous desserts, donating a percentage of those profits to Mass Farmers Markets. This organization's mission is to partner with farmers, consumers, and communities to promote and sustain farmers market in Massachusetts. Local Farmers Markets improve regional farm viability, consumer nutrition, and community social and economic development. If you live in Massachusetts and want to learn more or see a list of participating eateries, here is a link: 2013 Strawberry Dessert Festival

 

 

Why should you use farm-fresh seasonal strawberries?  Because they taste better! Since they come from local farms, these strawberries can be picked at the peak of ripeness and driven to you within a day or two of picking. Berries from the grocery store usually travel a LONG way to get to you, meaning that they must be picked before their peak ripeness to avoid spoilage. Look at how red and ripe these local berries look:

 

 

 

 

Now how about some great recipes to use those fresh strawberries? Here are some of my own tried-and-true Strawberry Desserts below. Just click on the links to get the recipe:

 

Summer Strawberry Shortcake is one recipe where it really is important to use the best, freshest strawberries possible. Local fruit from your Farmers Market is the best, because you know you are getting the freshest, ripest strawberries around, which really makes a difference in this dessert.

 

 

Real Strawberry Cake is made from scratch using pureed strawberries

and topped with Fresh Strawberry Buttercream

 

 

 Pair strawberries with dark sweet cherries for this tempting Cherry Berry Pie

 

 

If you have some great recipes using fresh seasonal strawberries, I would love to know about them!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Maple Cinnamon Rolls

 

A touch of maple makes these cinnamon rolls just a little different. If you can get your hands on Maple Sugar, replace 1/4 cup of the brown sugar in the filling with maple sugar for an even stronger maple flavor. These cinnamon rolls can be made the night before and the second rising done overnight in the fridge. Then all you have to do the next morning is bake them!

 

 

Dough:

4 1/2 Cups all-purpose flour

1/2 Cup sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons instant yeast

1 teaspoon salt

1 Cup Milk

1/3 Cup butter, melted

3 eggs

 

Filling:

1/4 Cup Real Maple Syrup

3/4 Cup Brown sugar (or 1/2 Cup brown + 1/4 Cup Maple Sugar)

1 Tablespoon Cinnamon

Optional: 1/2 Cup chopped walnuts or pecans

 

Maple Cream Icing:

1 1/4 Cups Confectioner's Sugar

2 Tablespoons Heavy Cream

1 teaspoon real maple syrup

1/2 teaspoon maple extract

 

To make the dough:

 

Mix the flour, sugar, yeast, and salt together in a large mixing bowl. Set aside.

 

Heat the milk in the microwave until warm but not hot (in my microwave, one minute is good if the milk is straight from the fridge). Stir the melted butter into the milk. In a separate bowl, beat the eggs lightly. Gradually stir the milk into the eggs, beating lightly with a fork to combine.

 

Add the liquid ingredients into the flour mixture and stir until well-combined. Turn out onto a well-floured board and knead for about eight minutes, until it feels smooth and elastic and is no longer super-sticky to the touch.  (If you prefer, you can use your KitchenAid mixer with the dough hook attachment for the mixing and kneading. This usually takes less time than doing it by hand, so check it and feel the dough after 5 minutes to see if it is ready.)

 

Place the dough ball in a greased mixing bowl and cover with plastic wrap (but don't create a an air-tight seal with the wrap). Let sit in a warm place for about an hour and fifteen minutes, until it has approximately doubled in bulk.

 

Punch down the dough and turn it out onto a floured board. Pat it into a rectangle, about 10x14 inches.

 

For the filling:
Mix the sugar and cinnamon together. Brush the maple syrup onto the dough and then sprinkle the sugar/cinnamon mixture over the top, making sure to cover the whole rectangle.

 

 

 

Starting on the wider (longer) side, roll the dough into itself firmly, forming a log:

 

Cut into 12 pieces about 1 inch wide (you may get more depending on long your

log is and how thick you cut your slices):

 

Place your cinnamon rolls in a greased 9x13 pan. They should be close to each other but not crowded. Usually 12 is all you can fit in a 9x13 pan without crowding. (You can bake any extra pieces in a separate smaller pan.)

 

Cover with plastic wrap and let rise again for another hour to an hour and a half, until they have again doubled.

 

-OR-

 

Put them in the fridge overnight. (If you do this method, be sure to pull them out in the morning before you preheat your oven. They will need 20-30 minutes at room temp before baking.

 

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until golden brown.

 

Icing:

Mix together the confectioner's sugar, heavy cream, maple syrup, and maple extract. Stir until all lumps are dissolved.

 

When you pull the cinnamon rolls out of the oven, spread the icing over them while they are still very warm.

 

Serve warm. These are best eaten the same day they are made. If there are any leftover, you can reheat them on half power in the microwave and they will still be reasonably good the next day.

 

Enjoy!

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

 

 

 

 

 

Sour Cream Frosting

 

Sour Cream Frosting is a great alternative to Cream Cheese Frosting for anyone who wants something a little tangy but does not care for cream cheese. Sour Cream Frosting is similar but a little more versatile than Cream Cheese frosting - it works well with pretty much any cake and can be flavored any way you like by adding extracts. One flavor combination that is strangely popular with my family and customers is Sour Cream Frosting with just a touch of Rum extract (about 1/2 teaspoon).

 

 



Sour Cream Frosting:
1/2 Cup (1 stick) butter at room temperature

4 Cups confectioner's sugar

1/4 Cup Sour Cream

1/2 - 1 teaspoon vanilla or other flavoring

dash of salt

 

 

Place ingredients into the bowl of an electric mixer. With the paddle attachment, mix on low speed until moistened, then turn up to med-high and beat for about 5 minutes, until fluffy. Cover with plastic wrap if not frosting the cake right away. This recipe will frost and fill one small layer cake or one dozen cupcakes.

 

 

 

Buttermilk Cake with Strawberry Whipped Cream

This is the Norman Rockwell of cakes - the homey, All-American taste makes you nostalgic for picnics and summertime. Buttermilk cake is deliciously paired with fresh whipped cream and strawberry jam, reminding us that sometimes the best desserts are the simplest. Make the cake the same day so it can be as fresh as possible. Use any good quality Strawberry Jam for the filling and the whipped cream (I prefer a seedless one that does not have large chunks when I use it for fillings).

Buttermilk Cake:

2 cups sifted Cake Flour
1 Cup Sugar
1 Tablespoon Baking Powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 Cup (1 stick) softened butter
4 egg yolks
2/3 Cup Buttermilk
1 teaspoon Vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease or line with parchment one 9" pan or two 6" round pans. (To get the four layers shown here, I used two 6" pans and then cut the cakes in half horizontally).

Combine the flour, Sugar, Baking Powder and Salt in a large mixing bowl (or the bowl of your KitchenAid mixer). Mix together by hand or on low speed with the mixer until ingredients are thoroughly combined, about one minute. Add the softened butter into the flour mixture in small chunks and add in half of the buttermilk. With an electric mixer, beat on low until combined. Turn up to medium and beat for one minute to aerate the batter.

Mix together the rest of the buttermilk with the egg yolks and vanilla. Beat lightly. Add the liquid mixture to the batter in three batches, beating on low after each addition just until combined. Scrape down the bowl.

Pour batter into the pans and bake 30-40 minutes for the one 9" cake or 25-30 minutes for the two 6" layers. Let cool completely before frosting.

Strawberry Whipped Cream:
1 pint heavy cream
1/4 cup confectioner's sugar
1 Tablespoon Strawberry Jam

Chill your mixing bowl and wire whisk in the freezer for about 20 minutes. Have the cream and the jam very cold as well.

Place the cream into the mixing bowl and whip vigorously with the wire whisk until soft peaks form. Add the sugar and jam and continue to beat until you can form stiff peaks.

NOTE: If you are not serving the cake within ah hour of frosting it, you can add a "stabilizer" to the whipped cream so it will not separate. Commercial stabilizers are available such as Whip It from Dr. Oetker which is available at most cake decorating stores or online. OR you can make your own stabilizer with gelatin. Dissolve 1 teaspoon unflavored gelatin over 4 teaspoons water, and let sit five minutes. Then microwave on high until the gelatin is dissolved (Cooking only 15 seconds at a time and stirring. Repeat until dissolved). Let sit until it cools to room temperature but it is still liquid. Add into the whipped cream when you add the sugar.

When cooled, cut the cake horizontally into layers. Fill the cake layers with strawberry jam and frost with the Strawberry Whipped Cream.

Enjoy!

Milk Chocolate Cream Pie

 

Who can resist homemade chocolate cream pie? Don't ever use a pudding mix for cream pies - making your own filling lets you use good quality chocolate for a rich, divine chocolate pie. And if you like it dark, this same recipe makes a decadent dark chocolate cream pie, just substitute dark chocolate for milk.

 

1 recipe Graham Cracker Crust using, chocolate graham crackers or chocolate cookie crumbs.

Filling:
1 cup sugar (or you can start with 3/4 cup and add more as you go - this pie is very sweet)
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 Tablespoon cocoa powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 2/3 Cups milk
3 egg yolks
2 oz. chopped milk chocolate (use good quality chocolate here)
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

In the top of a double boiler combine the sugar, flour, cocoa, salt, and milk. Stir the mixture in the bowl while the water boils beneath it, cooking for about 10-12 minutes until the mixture thickens (stir it frequently). Thickening time depends on how cold your milk is to start with. It can take anywhere from 9-14 minutes to get it nice and thick like a pudding. Once it has thickened, remove it from the heat.

In a separate bowl, beat the egg yolks. Take a small amount of the hot milk/flour mixture (about a tablespoon) and stir it into the eggs. Add another spoonful and stir it in (you are "tempering" the eggs so they don't cook and curdle). Now pour the egg mixture into the rest of the hot milk mix. Return it to the double boiler and cook until thickened some more (about 3 more minutes) stirring constantly. Take it off the heat.

Stir in the chocolate and the vanilla extract to the filling mixture. Now let it cool a bit. (You can stick the filling in the fridge or freezer to help it chill faster, just remember to take it out and stir it occasionally). When the filling has cooled pour it into the pie shell. Then return it to the fridge to for another hour to make sure it is well-chilled before topping it with whipped cream (you can add the whipped cream ahead of time or just before serving) Keep it in the fridge when not serving.

Fresh Whipped Cream Topping:
1 pint heavy cream
1/4 - 1/2 cup confectioner's sugar, depending on how sweet you want it

Make sure the cream is well-chilled, (I even chill the mixing bowl and beaters when I make whipped cream). Beat the cream on with a wire whisk (or electric mixer with the whisk attachment on high) until it is thicker and can form soft peaks. Add in the sugar and continue to beat until very thick and can form stiff peaks. Spread it over the chilled pie and garnish with shaved or curled chocolate. (To make chocolate curls, warm the chocolate bar slightly in the microwave for about 5 -10 seconds, then scrape a vegetable peeler along the edges. If it doesn't curl, it may not be warm enough, put it back in the microwave for 5 seconds, but be careful not to melt it.)

Keep the pie back in the fridge until serving.

Cut this with a very sharp knife dipped in hot water. Clean the knife with a towel between slices to keep it neat.

Happy Mother's Day!

Instead of a recipe, today I'd like to share this moving essay I read in "The Little Big Book for Moms." As a mom of two who was pretty terrified of motherhood at first, this essay really speaks to me.  Happy Mother's Day!

"Mortal Terrors and Motherhood" By Amy Herrick

Often I wonder, if it had been given to me to know beforehand what I now know about motherhood--the swift and merciless loss of innocence, how you are transformed from being someone's child to being someone's parent, handed summarily a love so incandescent and irrevocable that you have to stay awake twenty-four hours a day to protect if from all the dark dangers our of left field--if I had known all this beforehand, would I have agreed to have a child?

My little one sits in his bath splashing around contentedly. I am not prepared, my breath is taken away, when suddenly he looks up and asks me point-blank if it's true we all must die.

The answer I give him, of course, is not good news. I wait for him to say something, to rise up angrily and punch me in the nose at this, the greatest betrayal. But he just looks away and busies himself with his rubber frog.

I'm washing his face when he says, "And then after you die, you get to be a baby again?"

"Well, I don't know. Some people think after you die, you get to come back and be another person or animal."

"Do you think that?"

"No. I think after you die, you go back to nature. You become part of the trees and the grass and the sky."

"When are we going to die?"

" I dont' know. I hope not for a long time. I dope I don't die until you're grown up and have your own family and children"

"What about me?"

"Oh, I don't think you're going to die till you're very old and have your own grandchildren."

"Maybe it won't happen."

"Maybe not."

I hold my breath and think about it. Who knows? Then I laugh and see how I've been duped, duped by the cunning and perfect beauty of nature's system, which used babies as a way of securing allegiance to life, of commanding us to go forward and grow better, even though we are burdened with the certainty that in the end we must all return to dust. It is no use to ask the question would we have had them if we had known? There is no going back. We are all driven headlong by a force that has only one thing on its mind, which is to make something of nothing, pattern out of chaos, babies out of the dust motes dancing in the void.

It is the most darling of paradoxes that as fast as the universe makes itself, it is falling apart.

One picks oneself a baby out of the pot and in an instant the world is transformed into a gigantic booby trap. You are forced to see, not only how heartrendingly fragile a child is, but also that your own childhood is over, that there is an inevitable time limit to all things. Yet, faced with this, do you throw your hands up in despair and sink down into lassitude and indifference?

Certainly not, because here before you is that which you jump into a burning building, or out of a speeding locomotive, for. Here before you, by a trick of light upon the bathwater, is the little stroke of genius--the face, the sign, the map-- to show you your next move, to lead you through the doors of your own mortal confines to where you will outlast yourself.

Honey Sourdough Bread

 

 

I love Sourdough Bread, and I wanted to find a way to use the delicious honey I had bought from a roadside stand. So I tinkered with my recipe for sourdough and came up with this.

It is not your typical crusty sourdough bread, which takes significantly more time to produce. But it is a nice way to use some of that starter that you have sitting in the fridge. This recipe gives you a slightly sweet bread with a touch of that springy-ness that sourdough is known for. It makes a good sandwich bread or toasting bread, and a decent french toast. Mix 1 stick of softened butter with two Tablespoons of honey to make a delicious honey butter to go with it.

2 Cups White Flour
2/3 Cup Wheat Flour
2 tsp Instant Yeast
1 Tablespoon salt
3/4 Cup Sourdough Starter
2 Tablespoons wildflower Honey (I like to use fresh, local honey)
1/2 Cup lukewarm water

In a large bowl, mix the flour, yeast, and salt together. Stir in the starter, water, and honey, and mix well. Knead with your hands for several minutes until the dough becomes smooth. Put it in a lightly greased large bowl and cover loosely. Allow to rise for about 1 1/2 hours or until doubled.

Punch down the dough and turn it out onto a floured bread board. Flatten it out into a rectangle. Starting at one end, roll the dough into itself, forming a log. Place in a loaf pan. Brush top with melted butter. Cover loosely and let rise until doubled in bulk again, about another hour to an hour and fifteen minutes.

Preheat your oven to 425 for at least 20 minutes before placing the bread in.

Bake 25-30 minutes until golden brown on top and firm to the touch. I take my bread out and give it a pat on the underside - it should sound hollow. Cool for a little bit before slicing. Serve with honey butter.

Cheesy Beer Bread

This is a really tasty savory bread that is not too heavy. You can choose to make the outside nice and crusty like a traditional French Bread or, by skipping one small step, leave the outside softer and less crusty. This recipe makes one good-sized loaf. You can double the recipe if you want two loaves.

3 - 3 1/2 Cups All-purpose flour (start with 3 C and only add more if needed)
2 teaspoons instant yeast
2 teaspoons salt
1 1/4 Cups good quality Beer at room temperature (I use Sam Adams Boston Lager)
1 Cup grated Cheddar Cheese
1 Tablespoon melted butter

Optional for crusty exterior:
1 egg white
1 Tablespoon water

Add the yeast and the salt to the flour and stir well. Add in the grated cheese and mix gently. Slowly add in the beer and melted butter, and stir well. (You can also do this step in a KitchenAid mixer with the dough hook attachment). Add more flour a little at a time as needed to make the dough workable - it should be very moist, but not so sticky that it won't come off your hands when you work with it). Turn the dough out onto a floured board and knead for a few minutes until smooth and soft.

Place the dough in a greased bowl and cover loosely with plastic wrap. Put it in a warm place free from drafts, and let rise until doubled in size, about 1 hour - 1 hour 15 minutes. I like to put it in my oven (unheated but with the light on and the door closed).

 

When it has doubled in size, punch down the dough. With a rolling pin, roll the dough into a rectangle (about 12" wide by 15" long). Starting on one of the long sides, tightly roll the dough into a long loaf. Pinch the ends a little to taper them. Place the loaf on a greased cookie sheet and cover loosely. Let rise again for another hour or until doubled in bulk.

During the last 25 minutes of rising time, preheat your oven to 450.

When the loaf has doubled, take a sharp knife and make four diagonal slits on top of it (gently - don't press down hard and deflate the loaf). Bake at 450 for 15 minutes. (Meanwhile, place the egg white in a small bowl and add 1 Tablespoon water, beating gently with a fork to combine.)

Take the loaf out when the 15 minutes has passed, and brush it with one egg white mixed with a little water. (Optional: Sprinkle with parmesan or a little more grated cheddar on top.) Put it back in the oven and bake another 5-8 minutes. (If you do not want the traditional crusty outside, you can skip this step and just leave it in the oven until done.) If it is browning too much and doesn't seem completely done yet, you can tent aluminum foil over the top.

Enjoy!

Baking with Beer

        

                              Beer Brownies                               Savory Beer Bread

 

Chocolate Beer Bread                         Guinness Cake

 

Cheesy Beer Bread

 

 

This week there is a beer festival going on in my area, The South Shore, Cape & Islands Beer Week. It got me thinking about a wonderful recipe I have for Guinness Cake. I know people use beer in baking quite often, so I decided to tinker in the kitchen a bit and see what else I could come up with. The resulting breads and sweets were delicious, and I learned quite a bit about baking with beer along the way.

When you are baking with beer (or any alcohol for that matter) the alcohol will evaporate during the cooking process. That means that if alcohol is added before the food is cooked, the food isn't going to get you tipsy (a good or bad thing, depending on how you look at it!) The flavor of the beer that stays in baked goods will be subtle, but noticeable. One important thing to remember: Any item you bake with alcohol in it will generally taste even better the next day, when the flavors have had a chance to meld together and mellow a bit. In some cases you can actually taste the beer more after the bread/cake sits overnight, but the flavors will blend more harmoniously. For that reason, when I am making any baked item with alcohol in it, I try to make it the night before I plan to serve it.

There are so many beers out there that it can make your head spin! I am not a very knowledgeable beer drinker, so I tend to stick to a few tried and true ones when I am baking. A good rule to remember is match the shade of your beer to your baked item - sounds simple, but it seriously works: Chocolate loves Stout, Rustic Hearth Breads like medium amber ales, and light, crusty breads like pale ales. Some beers I love to bake with are Guinness, Young's Chocolate Stout, Sam Adams Boston Lager, Sam Adams Summer Lager, and Bass. You generally want a beer with a good body to it, but no unusual quirky flavors that could overpower the baked item.

One last rule, and I say this with some humor: Ask yourself if the beer would be great to have in the keg at a Frat party. If the answer is yes, DON'T BAKE WITH IT!



Here are links to the recipes I developed using beer:
Guinness Cake
Savory Beer Bread
Chocolate Beer Bread
Beer Brownies
Cheesy Beer Bread


Happy Baking!