I was recently watching Martha Stewart... can't say I do it all the time :P... and it happened to be the day of her cupcake show! I had been tempted to buy the magazine off the rack in stores when it had a heart made out of yummy cupcakes :D
For the show she tried a bunch of cupcakes from different cupcake shops in New York and picked out three that she liked best. All looked amazing and I madly scrambled to write down the ingredients only to remember that - oh yeah Martha is on the interwebs... Check out the recipes and video here --> Martha's Cupcake Show
Fantabulous!!
The different people she had on the show had really great tips on how to make the batter exactly how you want it, fluffy or moist or spongy...etc.
Recently, I created what was supposed to be a pound cake from a recipe on the back of a Duncan Hines box but instead ended up with an amazingly fluffy cake-like brownie. The only thing I changed was beating the eggs by themselves on high for a few minutes. Then I added the rest of the ingredients. [ The box wanted me to unceremoniously dump all of the ingredients together at the same time ... ugh] From the show I learned a lot about how to mix a great from-scratch batter.
Happy Baking :)
PS.. This recipe from Paula Deen has been my go-to cake recipe for all of the recent functions I have been attending - AHHH mazingly delicious!! The only thing I have edited is the amount of confectioner's sugar she puts in the icing - I use only 3-4 cups vs. her 7 cups. It tastes just right and isn't too sweet. I am sure substituting peach for all of the strawberry items would be just as tasty... I am hoping to try some other ones soon :D
Its most recent incarnation was cupcakes for my husband's students' piano/guitar recital... :) I used the leftover strawberry puree from the icing in some lemonade we were serving - voila! Yummy strawberry lemonade :)
Showing posts with label dessert. Show all posts
Showing posts with label dessert. Show all posts
Monday, June 15, 2009
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
Goofed up Snickerdoodles....
One thing I brought with us camping was a batch of Snickerdoodles to share. I love Sunset magazine and purchased their special "best ever cookies" edition when it came out this last holiday season. This is the first recipe I've tried from it and I was not disappointed... and it went over well with our camping group :)
[disappointing picture...ugh... but I think you get the jest :)]
I also goofed up on this recipe, and I don't know if it made a significant difference in the density or moisture of the cookies or not. Most of the ladies that tried them remarked that they tasted a LOT better than your traditional type of snickerdoodles, so I am guessing it was a good thing :)
Goofed-up Snickerdoodles :D
makes about 60 cookies
• 1 cup [1/2 lb] butter @ room temperature
• 1 cup vegetable oil
• 1.5 cups granulated sugar
• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 4 1/4 cups all purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon cream of tartar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
• In a bowl, with an electric mixer on medium speed, beat butter, oil, 1 cup granulated sugar [save the extra 1/2 cup for later] and the powdered sugar until very smooth. Beat in eggs until well blended, scraping down sides of bowl as needed.
• In another bowl, mix flour, baking soda, cream of tartar, salt, and cinnamon with a fork until well blended.
• Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture and stir or beat until blended.
• Put remaining 1/2 cup of sugar into a small bowl. Shape dough into 1 inch balls, then roll in sugar. Place balls 3 to 4 inches apart on buttered or cooking parchment- lined baking sheets.
• Bake in a 375º F oven until edges of cookies are lightly browned, 12 - 15 minutes.
• Using a spatula, transfer cookies to racks to cool completely.
Enjoy!
[disappointing picture...ugh... but I think you get the jest :)]
I also goofed up on this recipe, and I don't know if it made a significant difference in the density or moisture of the cookies or not. Most of the ladies that tried them remarked that they tasted a LOT better than your traditional type of snickerdoodles, so I am guessing it was a good thing :)
Goofed-up Snickerdoodles :D
makes about 60 cookies
• 1 cup [1/2 lb] butter @ room temperature
• 1 cup vegetable oil
• 1.5 cups granulated sugar
• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 4 1/4 cups all purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon cream of tartar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
• In a bowl, with an electric mixer on medium speed, beat butter, oil, 1 cup granulated sugar [save the extra 1/2 cup for later] and the powdered sugar until very smooth. Beat in eggs until well blended, scraping down sides of bowl as needed.
• In another bowl, mix flour, baking soda, cream of tartar, salt, and cinnamon with a fork until well blended.
• Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture and stir or beat until blended.
• Put remaining 1/2 cup of sugar into a small bowl. Shape dough into 1 inch balls, then roll in sugar. Place balls 3 to 4 inches apart on buttered or cooking parchment- lined baking sheets.
• Bake in a 375º F oven until edges of cookies are lightly browned, 12 - 15 minutes.
• Using a spatula, transfer cookies to racks to cool completely.
Enjoy!
Cream Cheese Poundcake!!! mmmmmm...
so... I have a bit of catching up to do :)
two weeks ago, I went over to Borders and caught up on a lot of reading material... using it as a more up-to-date library with a cafe inside - what could be better??
I found some excellent books on a lot of things, but stumbled across Sticky, Chewy, Messy, Gooey by Jill O'Connor.... wow.. the pictures alone made me drool :d I accidentally altered her recipe for pound cake, but it still came out delicious! The original recipe calls for 3 sticks of butter, and I only used one. I imagine the tops of my loaves would have been more cracked and beautiful like hers if I had used 3 sticks... I would highly recommend checking this book out - great tips and amazing desserts!
Cream Cheese Pound Cake
• 1 stick of unsalted butter @ room temperature
• 8 ounces cream cheese @ room temperature
• 3 cups sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 6 large eggs
• 3 cups flour, sifted & then measured [it does make a difference... sifted flour is fluffier than flour just out of the bag, so if you don't sift, you will add more flour than the recipe calls for - which is never a good thing... I measured and sifted it into a separate bowl with a pouring spout- which makes it easier when you are ready for it in the recipe]
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• Preheat oven to 325º F. Spray two 8.5 x 4.5 inch loaf pans with nonstick cooking spray.
• Beat butter and cream cheese together in a large bowl with an electric mixer until smooth and creamy. With mixer running [in my left hand], gradually add pre-measured* sugar beating until pale and fluffy.[*kind of hard to measure and keep a hand-mixer running at the same time... if you can recruit help... AKA a roommate or husband :)... even better!] Beat in salt and vanilla.
• Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each one until it is fully incorporated into the mix. This is the last step you will need your mixer for...
• Sift flour again along with baking powder into batter. I used a colander/strainer to sift my flour since I do not own a sifter. This video on YouTube shows you how to do this. Using a large rubber spatula, fold the flour and baking powder into the batter until no traces of flour remain and batter is smooth.
• Divide the batter between the two loaf pans. Bake until tops are golden and slightly cracked and when a skewer inserted into the center comes out with only a few moist crumbs clinging to it, 60 - 75 mins.
• Transfer to a wire rack and let cool in pans for 10 minutes. Then turn cakes out of pans and let cool to room temperature on wire racks before serving
Cakes can be stored at room temperature for up to 3 days or frozen for one month.
I apologize for the lack of photos... but between not being able to control the focus, not being able to control exposure, using up entire batteries while taking only 40-60 photos [and not rechargeable ones, mind you]... and maybe a hint of laziness :)... I have decided to stop taking pictures of each step. For now at least.
While I was waiting for the pound cakes to bake, I realized that I had some frozen strawberries and cherries in my freezer. So I decided to make up a recipe for some fruit sauce to go with - unfortunately I didn't document it very precisely, so the following recipe is my best guess...
Cherry Strawberry sauce
• 1 Tablespoon butter
• 3/4 cup frozen strawberries
• 3/4 cup frozen cherries
• 2 Tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 Tablespoon water
• 1.5 teaspoons cornstarch
• Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Once the butter is melted, add cherries and strawberries. [If you would prefer to use other berries, just make sure that you substitute using the same amount]
• Add balsamic vinegar. It sounds weird, but the vinegar really brings out the flavor of berries. Add the sugar and stir.
• Allow the mixture to come to a boil, stirring occasionally. I was hoping that the sugar alone would thicken the sauce, but it was taking it a while. So I went to my trusty friend - the Joy of Cooking - and found a recipe for a fruit sauce that added water and cornstarch at the end to thicken it.
• When your sauce has been boiling for about 3 or 4 minutes, mix the water and cornstarch in a small bowl until combined. Add the cornstarch mixture to your fruit sauce and stir until it starts to thicken... about one minute.
• Remove from heat and let cool slightly. Place into an open container until cooled completely.
• It is almost like a jam, so I served it over the pound cake cool or at room temperature and stored it in the refrigerator when not in use.
Enjoy!
two weeks ago, I went over to Borders and caught up on a lot of reading material... using it as a more up-to-date library with a cafe inside - what could be better??
I found some excellent books on a lot of things, but stumbled across Sticky, Chewy, Messy, Gooey by Jill O'Connor.... wow.. the pictures alone made me drool :d I accidentally altered her recipe for pound cake, but it still came out delicious! The original recipe calls for 3 sticks of butter, and I only used one. I imagine the tops of my loaves would have been more cracked and beautiful like hers if I had used 3 sticks... I would highly recommend checking this book out - great tips and amazing desserts!
Cream Cheese Pound Cake
• 1 stick of unsalted butter @ room temperature
• 8 ounces cream cheese @ room temperature
• 3 cups sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 6 large eggs
• 3 cups flour, sifted & then measured [it does make a difference... sifted flour is fluffier than flour just out of the bag, so if you don't sift, you will add more flour than the recipe calls for - which is never a good thing... I measured and sifted it into a separate bowl with a pouring spout- which makes it easier when you are ready for it in the recipe]
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• Preheat oven to 325º F. Spray two 8.5 x 4.5 inch loaf pans with nonstick cooking spray.
• Beat butter and cream cheese together in a large bowl with an electric mixer until smooth and creamy. With mixer running [in my left hand], gradually add pre-measured* sugar beating until pale and fluffy.[*kind of hard to measure and keep a hand-mixer running at the same time... if you can recruit help... AKA a roommate or husband :)... even better!] Beat in salt and vanilla.
• Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each one until it is fully incorporated into the mix. This is the last step you will need your mixer for...
• Sift flour again along with baking powder into batter. I used a colander/strainer to sift my flour since I do not own a sifter. This video on YouTube shows you how to do this. Using a large rubber spatula, fold the flour and baking powder into the batter until no traces of flour remain and batter is smooth.
• Divide the batter between the two loaf pans. Bake until tops are golden and slightly cracked and when a skewer inserted into the center comes out with only a few moist crumbs clinging to it, 60 - 75 mins.
• Transfer to a wire rack and let cool in pans for 10 minutes. Then turn cakes out of pans and let cool to room temperature on wire racks before serving
Cakes can be stored at room temperature for up to 3 days or frozen for one month.
I apologize for the lack of photos... but between not being able to control the focus, not being able to control exposure, using up entire batteries while taking only 40-60 photos [and not rechargeable ones, mind you]... and maybe a hint of laziness :)... I have decided to stop taking pictures of each step. For now at least.
While I was waiting for the pound cakes to bake, I realized that I had some frozen strawberries and cherries in my freezer. So I decided to make up a recipe for some fruit sauce to go with - unfortunately I didn't document it very precisely, so the following recipe is my best guess...
Cherry Strawberry sauce
• 1 Tablespoon butter
• 3/4 cup frozen strawberries
• 3/4 cup frozen cherries
• 2 Tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 Tablespoon water
• 1.5 teaspoons cornstarch
• Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Once the butter is melted, add cherries and strawberries. [If you would prefer to use other berries, just make sure that you substitute using the same amount]
• Add balsamic vinegar. It sounds weird, but the vinegar really brings out the flavor of berries. Add the sugar and stir.
• Allow the mixture to come to a boil, stirring occasionally. I was hoping that the sugar alone would thicken the sauce, but it was taking it a while. So I went to my trusty friend - the Joy of Cooking - and found a recipe for a fruit sauce that added water and cornstarch at the end to thicken it.
• When your sauce has been boiling for about 3 or 4 minutes, mix the water and cornstarch in a small bowl until combined. Add the cornstarch mixture to your fruit sauce and stir until it starts to thicken... about one minute.
• Remove from heat and let cool slightly. Place into an open container until cooled completely.
• It is almost like a jam, so I served it over the pound cake cool or at room temperature and stored it in the refrigerator when not in use.
Enjoy!
Saturday, May 16, 2009
Sorry for the delay... :P
I have some more recipes in store for you all, but I had to test them out first and make sure they were delicious. No sense in wasting anyone's time :)
Here is a preview of what is to come!! [inspired by bakerella]
stay posted!! :D
Here is a preview of what is to come!! [inspired by bakerella]
stay posted!! :D
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