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The Baking Topic

Athena

By Athena
in Food & Drink

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Meredith Quill
Meredith Quill

I've only just discovered this topic, heh. This is a selection of Christmas cupcakes I made this year. These are vanilla with a Victorian Christmas colour theme These ones had a Ferrero Roch

Mya Stone
Mya Stone

I just had to show off my almost Pinterest fail of the one thing my 3 year old asked for for his birthday (today). He asked, "Mommy, Bran can have An-dee-mall cupcake for berfday peez?"  And I couldn

caitmcg
caitmcg

I don’t bake yeast breads all that often, but I tried a couple of new-to-me things the past couple of weeks, and they turned out great. First khachapuri (Georgian cheese bread both stuffed and topped

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EtheltoTillie

EtheltoTillie

(edited)

I once made a version of brownies with bacon grease instead of butter. It gives a smoked flavor. It was a recipe from the NYT, and I made it as a goofy challenge. I brought it to my office and put up a sign saying guess the mystery ingredient. It wasn’t something you’d make again. 
I love to make gingerbread at Christmas but I wouldn’t combine the idea with chocolate. The gingerbread recipe I like to use, from the Joy of Cooking, gives chocolatey notes.

Edited by EtheltoTillie
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Mondrianyone

Mondrianyone

(edited)
On 4/8/2023 at 5:27 PM, caitmcg said:

I like coffee and cardamom in browbies

That's a funny coincidence. I'd never heard of these two ingredients in brownies before but got a recipe in my daily email from the NYT on the same day you posted this. Haven't tried it yet, but if you're interested, @caitmcg, here you go:

https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1024100-brownies-with-coffee-and-cardamom

*Don't know why username isn't tagging. It's always something.

Edited by Mondrianyone
BooksRule

BooksRule

I never got around to making a cake to take to work around Easter, but we are having a little 'snacks and sweets' get together for two new staff members tomorrow, so I decided to bake a chocolate pudding poke cake.  It's in the oven now (milk chocolate cake mix, baked as a sheet cake).  All I have to do is wait for it to cool, poke some holes in it here and there and then pour some chocolate pudding (instant from a box) over it.  It'll sit in the fridge overnight and right before I leave for work tomorrow morning, I'll spread some Cool Whip over as frosting.  I even have a few malted milk 'Robin's Eggs' candy left from Easter that I can sprinkle on top as a garnish. 

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Bastet

Bastet

3 hours ago, BooksRule said:

chocolate pudding poke cake

Oh dear, until you mentioned poking holes in it, I was so confused, since poke brought to mind a poke bowl, which is definitely not compatible with a chocolate pudding cake (or any cake) -- I was wholly ignorant of this cake until reading your post.  I'm pretty well traveled and I love to eat, but I definitely have knowledge gaps and this exposed another one.

Interesting idea; as I understand it, you use pudding for frosting, and poke holes in the cake so it also gets down inside the cake.  I would not be into it as chocolate on chocolate (I don't like chocolate cake with chocolate frosting in any form, but will eat a small piece if it has a good filling of another flavor, such as raspberries), but when I looked up "pudding poke cake", I found a recipe for vanilla cake with chocolate pudding poked into it, and I doubt I'll ever make it as I rarely bake, but if I ever came across it, I'd absolutely try it!  So I'll keep an eye out.  Am I correct in assuming I'd be most likely to come across this in the South?

BooksRule

BooksRule

7 hours ago, Bastet said:

Am I correct in assuming I'd be most likely to come across this in the South?

This is probably a southern thing, but I can't be sure.  If you like citrus-flavored cakes, I have a recipe for a Lemon poke cake (with a cream cheese-based filling  in it) and another one for a Key Lime flavor that is delicious.  I've also made one that is a chocolate cake with a white chocolate mint pudding filling (you put chopped up Andes mints or York peppermint patties on top). I think the 'pudding/cream cheese/etc.' flavored ones evolved from the type of poke cake I grew up with, which was the Jello ribbon ones.  You would bake a white cake (sheet pan), poke some holes in it, and pour whatever flavor Jello you wanted (usually a green or a red one) and frosted it with whipped cream.  When you cut into it you had ribbons of the color with the flavor of the Jello.  (It tasted better than it sounds, and was always pretty).

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BooksRule

BooksRule

3 hours ago, emma675 said:

Poke cakes are big in the south (as are dump cakes). Both sound odd, but can be really delicious and convenient. 

I tend to bake things to take to work or to potlucks, so I'm always looking for recipes that transport easily.  So, dump cakes, poke cakes, pound cakes, and cobblers are usually my 'go to' desserts.  I want to make a strawberry cobbler as soon as I can find some that are reasonably inexpensive. I also have a Key Lime Pound Cake that I want to make when I find some key limes (they aren't too easy to find around here). 

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Browncoat

Browncoat

On 4/18/2023 at 6:50 PM, BooksRule said:

I also have a Key Lime Pound Cake that I want to make when I find some key limes (they aren't too easy to find around here). 

I can't ever find Key limes, either, but I've found that the Key lime juice (the brand here is Nellie and Joe's) works well.  My grocery store sometimes shelves it with the fruit juices and sometimes in the baking aisle.

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Mondrianyone

Mondrianyone

No answers yet?

I am a baker, but I've never been in love with cupcakes (except for the beautiful icing on @SilverStormm's), so I just looked around a little. Here's what King Arthur says on the subject. They don't seem to recommend pound cake because of its heaviness, and I'd agree. Maybe subbing cake flour for AP would make them a bit lighter.

Let us know what you end up doing.

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Meredith Quill

Meredith Quill

10 hours ago, CheshireCat said:

I was going to ask if there was any chance that @SilverStormm had made any Mother's Day cupcakes so we could get pictures. Then I remembered that the UK already celebrated Mother's Day. Too bad. 😞

We've been slowly refurbishing our house for about 2yrs now and that's been taking my time & attention (among other things) since Easter. Currently prepping our back garden ready for summer activity, although I will admit to my fingers itching to do some more baking/piping before much longer. Worst case scenario, Father's Day is coming up!

ETA Oh and! we got a new cocker spaniel puppy two weeks ago, so she's kept us busy as well. 😅

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meep.meep

meep.meep

On 5/12/2023 at 10:19 PM, Bastet said:

I'm a great cook, but I am so NOT a baker.  If I want to make pound cake as cupcakes rather than a loaf cake, can I just use a typical recipe and cut the baking time, or do I need to make any ingredient changes?

I don't think pound cake would work well as cupcakes, but if you want to make smaller versions, buy a 3 pack of the aluminum little loaf pans and try it in those.  That works for quick breads (banana, pumpkin, etc.) that are heavy like pound cake.

BooksRule

BooksRule

I'm off work this week and want to try a few new recipes.  I have one for a Key Lime Pound Cake (with a lime glaze) that really sounds good.  However, I know I'm going to have problems finding key limes in my area.  I can find Persian limes easily.  From doing some googling, I don't think that it'll make a huge difference if I use regular limes instead of the key limes (especially in a cake where you might get a hint of the lime flavor instead of a huge lime flavor--such as you would need in a Key Lime Pie).  Have any of you had experience in substituting Persian lime juice for Key Lime juice?  Did you see any or much difference in the taste?

EtheltoTillie

EtheltoTillie

(edited)

@Bastet  In case you get another urge to bake:  I'm late to that cupcake discussion, but a long time ago I compared a bunch of cupcake/muffin/loaf cake recipes from Joy of Cooking, and they are all very similar.  I think for the muffin you would indeed just bake for a shorter time.  JOC lumps these all together in the quick bread category. 

Edited by EtheltoTillie
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BooksRule

BooksRule

Well, after my questions about key limes vs Persian limes, I decided to make a different kind of pound cake instead of the key lime one.  They actually had bags of key limes at my local Walmart (which I hardly ever see there), but I didn't know if I could get enough juice out of that one little bag and two would have been too expensive (and like stated above, they are a PITA to squeeze).  Reviews seem to say that Nellie & Joe's Key Lime Juice is one of the best to use, but I forgot to check in the juice aisle and was not about to go all the way back to the back of the store to check (I remembered near the checkout area).  So, I'm going to try a Brown Sugar Pound Cake with a Caramel Glaze and save the Key Lime one for another time.  I'll post a link with the recipe if it turns out well (probably going to bake it tomorrow).

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BooksRule

BooksRule

(edited)

Tomorrow, I'm going to bake a pineapple upside down cake to take to a neighbor and I've never baked one before.  I have a recipe that you bake in a sheet cake pan (instead of a round pan) which I want to use because there are a lot of people who live at her house.  Anyway, I worry about it sticking to the pan when I turn it over.  When I was looking up recipes, I saw several that recommended lining the pan with parchment paper, so it would turn out without sticking and you could then just carefully peel away the parchment paper.  Has anyone used parchment paper when baking this type of cake?  Or do you think if I follow the recipe faithfully (which I generally do anyway when baking something for the first time), it should be okay?  

Edited by BooksRule
caitmcg

caitmcg

6 minutes ago, BooksRule said:

Tomorrow, I'm going to bake a pineapple upside down cake to take to a neighbor and I've never baked one before.  I have a recipe that you bake in a sheet cake pan (instead of a round pan) which I want to use because there are a lot of people who live at her house.  Anyway, I worry about it sticking to the pan when I turn it over.  When I was looking up recipes, I saw several that recommended lining the pan with parchment paper, so it would turn out without sticking and you could then just carefully peel away the parchment paper.  Has anyone used parchment paper when baking this type of cake?  Or do you think if I follow the recipe faithfully (which I generally do anyway when baking something for the first time), it should be okay?  

I’ve used parchment liners when baking upside-down cakes, and it does the job.

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BooksRule

BooksRule

(edited)

Well, I baked my pineapple upside down cake.  I didn't use parchment paper, mainly because I forgot about it until I had put the butter in the pan.  It turned out okay, though.  The cake looks done, and although a couple of the pineapple rings moved slightly out of place, I nudged them back in order.  Hopefully, it'll taste good, but I won't know since I baked it as a 'thank you' for a neighbor.  

My next baking project (this afternoon if I can set aside some time) is a key lime pound cake.  I did pick up some key limes because they were fairly cheap at the store, but if I get tired of squeezing them part the way through the process, I also got a bottle of lime juice.  I have two recipes and haven't decided which on to use yet.  One calls for more lime juice and butter than the other one, but has evaporated milk in it.  The other one is less juice and butter, but calls for a cup of milk.  One has a recipe for a lime cream cheese frosting (which sounds divine!) but I don't have any cream cheese, so whichever one I end up baking will have a lime glaze on it.

Edited by BooksRule
typo
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Mondrianyone

Mondrianyone

Have any of you ever used pastry shortening (vegan) or extra dry butter (non vegan)? Earlier today I saw a YT video of someone making shortcut puff pastry (not rough puff) using one of those ingredients. It was very intriguing, and I thought I'd try it. I Googled whether it was another name for vegetable shortening, which is what it looked like (picture butter-flavored Crisco) but came up empty. It seems odd that I've never heard those terms before, but live and learn, I guess.

EtheltoTillie

EtheltoTillie

(edited)
On 5/30/2023 at 5:20 PM, Mondrianyone said:

Have any of you ever used pastry shortening (vegan) or extra dry butter (non vegan)? Earlier today I saw a YT video of someone making shortcut puff pastry (not rough puff) using one of those ingredients. It was very intriguing, and I thought I'd try it. I Googled whether it was another name for vegetable shortening, which is what it looked like (picture butter-flavored Crisco) but came up empty. It seems odd that I've never heard those terms before, but live and learn, I guess.

I have a feeling the shortening is just Crisco or similar.  I am intrigued by extra dry butter.  There is some sold on a professional baking supply site.   https://www.elle-et-vire.com/int/en/pro/butters/products/extra-dry-butter-84-fat/

Still not a real explanation of what it is or why it would be better. 

ETA:  seems to have less water and therefore somehow better for layered pastries.

Edited by EtheltoTillie
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Mondrianyone

Mondrianyone

Yep, I found lots of hits to that site and places that sell their products. I may end up ordering, but I thought that if the vegan version is basically just glorified Crisco, I would try using that first. I have so much work right now that I don't even have the time, so it's basically academic anyway.

Here's the video that got me interested:

 

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Mondrianyone

Mondrianyone

Just to update: I'm pretty sure the vegan version is not the same as Crisco. I looked at the video again, and there's a mention of what percentage of fat is in the stuff she's using--much higher than what's in Crisco, I learned by Googling. So I guess when I get around to trying this, I'll be ordering the extra dry butter. And then see if I can reproduce her shatteringly crispy pastry.

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caitmcg

caitmcg

(edited)
10 hours ago, EtheltoTillie said:

I have a feeling the shortening is just Crisco or similar.  I am intrigued by extra dry butter.  There is some sold on a professional baking supply site.   https://www.elle-et-vire.com/int/en/pro/butters/products/extra-dry-butter-84-fat/

Still not a real explanation of what it is or why it would be better. 

ETA:  seems to have less water and therefore somehow better for layered pastries.

Based on fat percentage, at first glance this seems similar to European or American “European-style” butters, which are 82 percent and upwards butterfat (vs. the 80 percent USDA standard for American butter). But the statement, “Its high melting point makes it is extremely heat resistant” leads me to suspect that it is lower in milk solids (which readily burn) as well as water, but it’s impossible to know how that varies proportionately from other high-fat butters. 

Edited by caitmcg
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RealityCheck

RealityCheck

About dry butter, this explanation is not based on my experience since I'm not a baker.  However, I recall from the first two seasons of Creme de la Creme (now knows as Bake Off, The Professionals), in season one, the Royal Navy (RAF) team's pastries had smoked in the oven and lost all the butter, resulting in dry pastries.

The RAF team returned in season two and had to do pastries again.  When Benoit (judge) spoke to the RAF team, he mentioned that the dry butter had a high melting point so the butter will not melt out while the pastry baksd.

I hope this helps.

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BooksRule

BooksRule

I finally got around to baking the Key Lime Pound Cake that I've been talking about for the last few days (LOL!).  It's in the oven right now, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed that it tastes good.  I did sample the batter and the lime isn't overpowering, but you could taste it in there.  It'll also have a key lime glaze on top.  I ended up buying some key limes at the store since I found some that weren't very expensive (but I bought a bottle of Nellie & Joe's Lime juice just in case).  The cake only called for 1/4 c. of juice, so I was able to juice some fresh limes without much trouble to get that much.  There will also be about a tablespoon needed for the glaze.  It also called for some zest.  I have a ton of limes leftover, though (I thought it would take more limes that it did, so I bought two bags).  I guess I'll juice them and freeze the juice.

I'll know in a couple of hours if the recipe was a success.

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BooksRule

BooksRule

I think the Key Lime Pound Cake was a success.  I cut a piece while it was still warm and it was pretty tasty.  The cake was dense (like a pound cake should be) but still tender.  I would have liked more of a lime flavor (it was barely there), but the glaze was pretty and lime-y and tart.  The only change I made from the recipe was to bake it in a tube pan instead of bundt pan and I made the glaze thicker because I like the glaze to sit on top of the cake and run down the sides a little instead of soaking into the cake.  As for increasing the key lime flavor, maybe more lime zest next time (it only called for a teaspoon) or the flavor might be stronger if I use bottled lime juice instead of the fresh.  Anyway, it was pretty good and I'm taking it to work tomorrow to leave in the lounge for others to (hopefully) enjoy.

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PRgal

PRgal

I started making my own bread at the beginning of the pandemic, using a blend of flours (quinoa, oat, khorosan wheat, whole wheat, spelt and buckwheat), baking soda and kefir.  I've since modified it a bit, lowering carbs by subbing some of the flour with a mix of psyllium flakes and flax meal - approximately 1/3.  The texture is a bit different, a bit more like a muffin, but not quite.  My son is okay with it, my husband not so much.  My parents?  My mom largely stays silent, but my dad is critical.  Sometimes,  I feel like I'm on the chopping block on Chopped.

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