Wedding Cake!

Ok folks, here it is, the reason I have been so lackadaisical about photographing and beautifying my other posts.  The day after Thanksgiving a friend of mine got married.  Many months ago she had asked me to make her wedding cake.  After making my brother-in-law's wedding cake, I swore to myself I wouldn't do anymore.  But, somehow, I found myself saying yes to her.  This was only the second wedding cake I would have ever made, not to mention I have no formal training in this area.  On top of all that I am a bit of a perfectionist, and I am very hard on myself.  This makes making wedding cakes a very stressful thing for me.  However, the adrenaline rush after it is all over and the feeling of utter relief is worthwhile in some ways.  I changed the way I was going to decorate this cake about 5 or 6 times (at least), and didn't settle on this design until 2 days before the wedding.  Her wedding was fall-themed, and this cake ended up going perfectly with her decor.  The bottom tier was a cake I invented based on the Linzer torte, a hazelnut spice cake with a raspberry filling.  The middle tier was a pistachio cake with a chocolate ganache filling, and the top tier was a repeat of the bottom flavor (as that was the couples' favorite).  I also made an additional sheet cake that wasn't decorated that was a plain cake with chocolate ganache filling, and I used the caramel butter frosting from the Daring Baker's Challenge!  The cake tasted delicious, and I think everyone enjoyed it.  However, I made way too much, and there was plenty left over.  Again I say, I will never make another wedding cake again!  We'll see how long that lasts . . . The cake was topped with chocolate fondant on all three tiers.  The bottom and top tiers were covered with marbled chocolate shingles.  The middle tier was covered in ribbon and fondant balls covered in copper luster dust.  The white roses were made from white chocolate.  The flowers on top of the cake are real (except for the white rose).

TWD -- Twofer Thanksgiving Pie

I am definitely late posting all of my blogs this month, but there's a good reason.   There's also a good reason why I didn't put much effort into the presentation of this pie as well as my Daring Baker's challenge this month.  That reason will be posted shortly.  Anyway, I made this pie for Thanksgiving.  We had to tell my grandma not to bring her typical array of pies (pumpkin and pecan) because I was making a pie for my blog.  I think she understood.  This pie is, as the name implies, two for one -- pumpkin and pecan pie combo.  It was really pretty good!  I'm not a big pumpkin or pecan pie person, but I did enjoy this pie.  I made a couple of changes, due to a lack of certain ingredients (also caused by the object in the post that I will soon divulge).  Instead of using dark rum, I used Brandy, and instead of cream I used 1/3 + 1/6 cup of milk and 1/3 + 1/6 cup of butter.  If you're interested in making this recipe, check out Dorie Greenspan's Baking book.

Daring Bakers -- Caramel Cake=delicious!

I am posting a day late for this month's Daring Baker's Challenge.  It was really a great challenge.  Not only do I LOVE caramel, but this recipe was absolutely delicious (especially the frosting).  I loved it so much that I used the frosting recipe for an additional sheet cake for the wedding cake that I made (which I shall reveal shortly).  Unfortunately, I did not care so much about the presentation at the time I was making this recipe, as I previously mentioned, I was too wrapped up in worrying about presentation for the wedding cake.  Thank you to our wonderful hosts this month: Alex of blondie and brownie, Jenny of Foray into Food, and to help out with the alternative Daring Bakers, Natalie of Gluten-a-Go-Go.  The woman leading the pack this time was Shuna Fish Lydon of Eggbeater.  The recipe for the caramel cake and its delectable frosting comes from Shuna Fish Lydon as published on Bay Area Bites.  The Golden Vanilla Bean Caramels (which I have yet to try and make) are a recipe from Pure Dessert by Alice Medrich, Artisan Press, Copyright 2007, ISBN: 978-1579652111.  And now, the moment you've been waiting for, the recipe:

Caramel Cake with Caramelized Butter Frosting

10 T unsalted butter, room temperature

1 1/4 cups granulated sugar

1/2 tsp kosher salt

1/3 cup Caramel Syrup (see recipe below)

2 each eggs, at room temperature

splash vanilla extract

2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 tsp baking powder

1 cup milk, room temperature

Preheat oven to 350F.

Butter one tall (2-2.5 inch deep) 9-inch cake pan.

In the bowl of  a stand mixer, fitted with a paddle attachment, cream butter until smooth.  Add sugar and salt and cream until light and fluffy.

Slowly pour room temperature caramel syrup into bowl.  Scrape down bowl and increase speed.  Add eggs/vanilla extract a little at a time, mixing well after each addition.  Scrape down bowl again, beat mixture until light and uniform.  

Sift flour and baking powder.

Turn mixer to lowest speed, and add one third of the dry ingredients.  When incorporated, add half of the milk, a little at a time.  Add another third of the dry ingredients, then the other half of the milk and finish with the dry ingredients.  (This is called the dry, wet, dry, wet, dry method in cake making.  It is often employed when there is a high portion of liquid in the batter).

Take off mixer, and by hand, use a spatula to do a few last folds, making sure batter is uniform.  Turn batter into prepared cake pans.

Place cake pan on cookie sheet or 1/2 sheet pan.  Set first timer for 30 minutes, rotate pan and set timer for another 15-20 minutes.  Your own oven will set the pace.  Bake until sides pull away from the pan and skewer inserted in middle comes out clean.  Cool cake completely before icing it.

Cake will keep for three days outside of the refrigerator.

Caramel Syrup

2 cups sugar

1/2 cup water

1 cup water (for "stopping" the caramelization process)

In a small, stainless steel saucepan, with tall sides, mix water and sugar until mixture feels like wet sand.  Brush down any stray sugar crystals with wet pastry brush.  

Turn heat to highest flame.  Cook until smoking slightly: dark amber.

When color is achieved, very carefully pour in one cup of water.  Caramel will jump and sputter about (NO JOKE!).  It is very dangerous, so have long sleeves on and be prepared to step back.

Whisk over medium heat until it has reduced slightly and feels sticky between two fingers (obviously wait for it to cool on a spoon before touching it).

Caramelized Butter Frosting

12 T unsalted butter

1 pound confectioner's sugar, sifted

4-6 T heavy cream

2 tsp vanilla extract

2-4 T caramel syrup

Kosher or sea salt to taste (I used Fleur de Sal)

Cook butter until brown.  Pour through a fine meshed sieve into a heatproof bowl, set aside to cool.

Pour cooled brown butter into mixer bowl.

In a stand mixer, fitted with a paddle or whisk attachment, add confectioner's sugar a little at a time.  When mixture looks too chunky to take more, add a bit of cream and/or caramel syrup.   Repeat until mixture looks smooth and all confectioner's sugar has been incorporated.  Add salt to taste.

Note: Caramelized butter frosting will keep in fridge for up to a month.

To smooth out from cold, microwave a bit, then mix with paddle attachment until smooth and light.

Golden Vanilla Bean Caramels

(Makes eighty-one 1-inch caramels)

1 cup golden syrup

2 cups sugar

3/8 tsp fine sea salt

2 cups heavy cream

1 1/2 tsp pure ground vanilla beans, purchased or ground in a coffee or spice grinders, or 1 T plus 1 tsp pure vanilla extract

3 T unsalted butter, cut into chunks, softened

Equipment

9-inch square baking pan

Candy thermometer 

Line the bottom and sides of the baking pan with aluminum foil and grease the foil.  Combine the golden syrup, sugar, and salt in a heavy 3-quart saucepan and cook over medium heat, stirring with a silicone spatula or wooden spoon, until the mixture begins to simmer around the edges.  Wash the sugar and syrup from the sides of the pan with a pastry brush dipped in water.  Cover and cook for about 3 minutes (Meanwhile, rinse the spatula or spoon before using it again later).  Uncover the pan and wash down the sides once more.  Attach the candy thermometer to the pan, without letting it touch the bottom of the pan, and cook, uncovered (without stirring) until the mixture reaches 350F.  Meanwhile, combine the cream and the ground vanilla beans (not the extract) in a small saucepan and heat until tiny bubbles form around the edges of the pan.  Turn off the heat and cover the pan to keep the cream hot.

When the sugar mixture reaches 350F, turn off the heat and stir in the butter chunks.  Gradually stir in the hot cream; it will bubble up and steam dramatically, so be careful.  Turn the burner back on and adjust it so that the mixture boils energetically, but not violently.  Stir until any thickened syrup at the bottom of the pan is dissolved and the mixture is smooth.  Continue to cook, stirring occasionally, to about 245F.  Then cook, stirring constantly, to 260F for soft, chewy caramels, or 265F for firmer chewy caramels.

Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the vanilla extract, if using it.  Pour the caramel into the lined pan.  Let set for 4 to 5 hours, or overnight until firm.

Lift the pan liner from the pan and invert the sheet of caramel onto a sheet of parchment paper.  Peel off the liner.  Cut the caramels with an oiled knife.  Wrap each caramel individually in wax paper or cellophane.

Variations:

Fleur de Sel Caramels: Extra salt, in the form of fleur de sel or another coarse, flaked salt.  Add an extra scant 1/4 tsp of coarse sea salt to the recipe.  Or to keep the salt crunchy, let the caramel cool and firm.  Then sprinkle with two pinches of flaky salt and press it in.  Invert, remove the pan liner, sprinkle with more salt.  Then cut and wrap the caramels in wax paper.

Nutmeg and Vanilla Bean Caramels: Add 1/2 tsp freshly grated nutmeg to the cream before you heat it.

Cardamom Caramels: Omit the vanilla, add 1/2 tsp slightly crushed cardamom seeds (from about 15 cardamom pods) to the cream before heating it.  Strain the cream when you add it to the caramel, discard the seeds.

Caramel Sauce:  Stop cooking any caramel recipe or variation when it reaches 225F or, for a sauce that thickens like hot fudge over ice cream, 228F.  Pour it into a sauce boat to serve or into a heatproof jar for storage.  The sauce can be stored in the refrigerator for ages and reheated gently in the microwave or saucepan just until hot and flowing before use.  You can stir in brandy to taste.  If the sauce is too thick or stiff to serve over ice cream, it can always be thinned with a little water or cream.  Or, if you like a sauce that thickens more over ice cream, simmer it for a few minutes longer.

Iron cupcake: Cranberry!

This month's challenge for the Iron Cupcake was to incorporate cranberries into a cupcake.  I was rather excited about this challenge, because, well, cranberries go along well with desserts.  However, it was a challenge to come up with a creative flavor combination that others may not use.  I decided with all of the money that I am throwing down for holiday baking, along with making a wedding cake for a friend, that I would go with a flavor combination that I would enjoy eating, rather than worrying too much about creative flavor combinations.  The result was a Chocolate-Cranberry cupcake with a cranberry filling and a chocolate frosting with just a hint of cranberry.  They ended up tasting very good.  I think next time I would use a different chocolate cupcake base, as this particular recipe ended up being a bit dry.  Don't forget to vote here starting November 30th at noon.  I could win these great prizes:

-Lollipop Workshop 

-Cookie Sunshine

- a pair of earrings from Lots of Sprinkles

-a piece of art from Cakespy

-Sweet Cuppin Cakes Bakery and Cupcake Supply

-Head Chefs by Fiesta Products

-Hello Cupcake by Karen Tack and Alan Richardson

-Jessie Steele Aprons

-Cupcake Courier

-Taste of Home books

-1-800-flowers

But, the combination of flavors was great!  Here's the recipe I used, so you can try it for yourself.  It's based on a recipe found here:

For the Cupcakes:

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 cup granulated sugar

1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 cup cranberry juice (100% juice)

1/2 cup vegetable oil

3 tsp balsamic vinegar

3 tsp vanilla extract (I think I would use almond extract next time)

2 eggs

1/2 cup - 1 cup chopped sweetened dried cranberries

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda and salt.  In a small bowl, whisk the cranberry juice, oil, vinegar, and vanilla.  Make a well in the dry mixture and add the cranberry mixture to the dry mixture.  Stir just until moistened, then using a spoon, beat in the eggs.  Add in the dried cranberries and beat with a spoon until mixture is smooth.  

Divide mixture evenly among 12 paper liners and bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.  Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pan to a wire rack to cool.

For the Frosting:

4 oz semi-sweet chocolate, chopped

1/2 cup heavy cream

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened

2/3 cup confectioner's sugar

2 tablespoons cranberry juice

1 tsp vanilla

Place the semi-sweet chocolate in a mixing bowl.  In a microwave-safe measuring cup, microwave the cream until it boils.  Pour the hot cream slowly over the chocolate and stir until chocolate is melted and mixture is smooth.  Place bowl in the refrigerator and chill for 45 minutes or until it is very cold -- it shouldn't take more than an hour.  Don't chill too long or mixture will get too stiff.

When ready to frost, pull melted chocolate/cream mixture from refrigerator and using a hand-held electric mixer, beat until it fluffs up and becomes a bit paler.  Beat in the butter, then slowly beat in the sugar.  Beat in the cranberry juice and vanilla.  If mixture seems too stiff, add a little more cranberry juice.  

For the filling:

2 tablespoons cornstarch

1/2 tsp of salt

1 cup sugar

1 cup water

1/4 cup molasses (I would use honey instead next time, as the molasses was a bit overpowering)

1 tsp butter

2 cups fresh cranberries, chopped fine

1.  Mix together, thoroughly, two level tablespoons of cornstarch, half a teaspoon of salt, scant measure, and one cup of sugar.  Pour on one cup of boiling water and stir until boiling, then add molasses, butter, and cranberries.

2.  Mix together thoroughly, and let simmer ten or fifteen minutes.

Let cool, and then fill cupcakes using the cone method.  Cover hole with chocolate frosting.

TWD: Kugelhopf

This is my first post as a member of the Tuesdays with Dorie blog.  I made this Kugelhopf to be eaten at our election night party.  I wasn't sure what to expect, as I had never had (nor heard of) Kugelhopf before.  Apparently the name refers to the type of pan that it is traditionally baked in, which resembles a Turk's hat.  I guess I expected more of a cake-like consistency, but this is a bread for sure.  It is somewhat similar to a brioche, but far less eggy (to me).  The recipe called for raisins, which I don't love, so I used Craisins instead.  The bread turned out beautiful, and while time consuming, it was very easy to make.  I think it would make an EXCELLENT base for a bread pudding!  I will have to try that next time I make it.

Check out what the other Tuesdays With Dorie bakers created here.

Election Confection!

Better late than never:

I wanted to honor and pay tribute to my favorite presidential candidate, and for me, what better way to do so than with a cookie!  These are my Barack Obama campaign inspired sugar cookies.  The royal icing wasn't cooperating this time as well as it had with my fall leaf cookies in my previous post.  But, they still got their message across and tasted good too!  

Daring Bakers -- Bake like a real Pizzaiolo!

Before I start this post, I want to apologize for the photography on my page.  :(  What's worse is that I am the daughter of a pretty talented photographer (if you ask me), and the wife of a photography college graduate.  You would think I should have picked up some skills somewhere along the way.  Part of my problem is my camera.  The other part of my problem is that I tend to bake at night, and with the winter fast approaching, it's getting dark so early.  Therefore, I have no natural light to assist with ridding my photos of the blur.  Arrrrrrgh, I'm a perfectionist, and these pics just aren't cutting it.  Anyway -- on with the show.

This month the Daring Bakers challenge was to bake a pizza "like a real Pizzaiolo" which included tossing the dough into the air like a professional.  I wish it were just that easy.  Actually, the tossing part wasn't so bad.  I struggled when it came time to transfer the pizza dough and toppings into the oven.  My dough wouldn't budge.  I had to pretty much slop the whole thing down onto the pizza stone and just hope that some of the dough made it under the toppings.  I learned my lesson from the first pizza, and prepared the second pizza directly on the preheated pizza stone (quickly, mind you).  I guess a better solution would have been to properly oil and flour the area I was topping the dough on.  Oh well, I still have 4 more dough balls in the freezer to experiment with.

The pizza was very good.  The dough was thin in the middle, and chewy with a hint of crunch around the outside.  I topped our dough with homemade marinara from this Cooking Light recipe (it's wonderful and simple).  I precooked some turkey bacon that I crumbled on top of the sauce along with some caramelized onions.  Then I topped that with fresh mozzarella, turkey pepperoni and a sprinkling of oregano.  This pizza had delicious flavor!  I can't wait to make it again!  I wasn't very "daring" with my toppings, but I just love pizza, and I love the more traditional (American traditional) flavorings.

Check out what the other daring bakers did with their challenges here.

And, make sure you try it for yourself by following this recipe:

Basic Pizza Dough

(Original recipe taken from "The Break Baker's Apprentice" by Peter Reinhart)

Makes 6 pizza crusts (about 9-12 inches in diameter)

Ingredients:

4 1/2 cups (20 1/4 ounces) unbleached high-gluten (14%) bread flour or all purpose flour, chilled

1 3/4 tsp salt

1 tsp instant yeast

1/4 cup (2 ounces) olive oil or vegetable oil (both optional, but it's better with)

1 3/4 cups (14 ounces) water, ice cold (40 F)

1 T sugar

Semolina/durum flour or cornmeal for dusting

DAY ONE

Method:

1.  Mix together the flour, salt and instant yeast in a big bowl (or in the bowl of your stand mixer).

2.  Add the oil, sugar and cold water and mix well (with the help of a large wooden spoon or with the paddle attachment, on low speed) in order to form a sticky ball of dough.  On a clean surface, knead for about 5-7 minutes, until the dough is smooth and the ingredients are homogeneously distributed.  If it is too wet, add a little flour (not too much, though) and if it is too try add 1 or 2 teaspoons of extra water.

NOTE:  If you are using an electric mixer, switch to the dough hook and mix on medium speed for the same amount of time.  The dough should clear the sides of the bowl but stick to the bottom of the bowl.  If the dough is too wet, sprinkle in a little more flour so that it clears the sides.  If, on the contrary, it clears the bottom of the bowl, dribble in a teaspoon or two of cold water.  The finished dough should be springy, elastic, and sticky, not just tacky, and register 50-55 F.

3.  Flour a work surface or counter.  Line a jelly pan with baking paper/parchment.  Lightly oil the paper.

4.  With the help of a metal or plastic dough scraper, cut the dough into 6 equal pieces (or larger if you want to make larger pizzas).

NOTE:  To avoid the dough from sticking to the scraper, dip the scraper into water between cuts.

5.  Sprinkle some flour over the dough.  Make sure your hands are dry and then flour them.  Gently round each piece into a ball. 

NOTE:  If the dough sticks to your hands, then dip your hands into the flour again.

6.  Transfer the dough balls to the lined jelly pan and mist them generously with spray oil.  Slip the pan into a plastic bag or enclose in plastic food wrap.

7.  Put the pan into the refrigerator and let the dough rest overnight or for up to three days.

NOTE:  You can store the dough balls in a zippered freezer bag if you want to save some dough for any future baking.  In that case, pour some oil (a few tablespoons only) in a medium bowl and dip each dough ball into the oil, so that it is completely covered in oil.  Then put each ball into a separate bag.  Store the bags in the freezer for no longer than 3 months.  The day before you plan to make pizza, remember to transfer the dough balls from the freezer to the refrigerator.

DAY TWO

8.  On the day you plan to eat the pizza, exactly 2 hours before you make it, remove the desired number of dough balls from the refrigerator.  Dust the counter with flour and spray lightly with oil.  Place the dough balls on a floured surface and sprinkle them with flour.  Dust your hands with flour and delicately press the dough into disks about 1/2 inch thick and 5 inches in diameter.  Sprinkle with flour and mist with oil.  Loosely cover the dough rounds with plastic wrap and then allow to rest for 2 hours.

9.  At least 45 minutes before making the pizza, place a baking stone on the lower third of the oven.  Preheat the oven as hot as possible (500 F).

NOTE:  If you do not have a baking stone, then use the back of a jelly pan.  Do not preheat the pan.

10.  Generously sprinkle the back of a jelly pan with semolina/durum flour or cornmeal.  Flour your hands (palms, backs and knuckles).  Take 1 piece of dough by lifting it with a pastry scraper.  Lay the dough across your fists in a vary delicate way and carefully stretch it by bouncing it in a circular motion on your hands, and by giving it a little stretch with each bounce.  Once the dough has expanded outward, move to a full toss.

11.  When the dough has the shape you want (about 9-12 inches in diameter for a 6 oz piece of dough), place it on the back of the jelly pan, making sure there is enough semolina/durum flour or cornmeal to allow it to slide and not stick to the pan.

12.  Lightly top it with sweet or savory toppings of your choice.

NOTE:  Remember that the best pizzas are topped not too generously.  No more than 3 or 4 toppings (including sauce and cheese) are sufficient.

13.  Slide the garnished pizza onto the stone in the oven or bake directly on the jelly pan.  Close the door and bake for about 5-8 minutes.

NOTE:  After 2 minutes baking, take a peek.  For an even baking, rotate 180 degrees.

If the top gets done before the bottom, you will need to move the stone or jelly pan to a lower shelf before the next round.  On the contrary, if the bottom crisps before the cheese caramelizes, then you will need to raise the stone or jelly.

14.  Take the pizza out of the oven and transfer to a cutting board or your plate.  In order to allow the cheese to set a little, wait 3-5 minutes before slicing or serving.