The Baking Topic

[caitmcg]

My brother and I threw a party for our mother’s milestone birthday last weekend, and I baked the cakes. 

One was a ridiculously tall, three-layer chocolate stout cake with brown butter cream cheese icing between the layers and covered with coffee-brown sugar ermine icing. (I am decidedly not a decorator, especially when pressed for time!)

It was a challenge to cut thin slices (which were then halved horizontally) to serve, but luckily, my dad is good at that kind of thing. 

The second (and third) cakes were Rose Levy Beranbaum’s triple lemon velvet bundt cake, made with Meyer lemons from my folks’ backyard tree. I baked and syruped these two days ahead and glazed them the day before serving, and they were moist and thoroughly imbued with lemon flavor. 

Both cakes were big hits. 

Edited June 14, 2023 by caitmcg

[Bastet]

Looking at the recipe, I'm sure that lemon cake tastes every bit as delicious as it looks like it would.  I'd never fuss with it, but I'd be thrilled if someone made it for me.  I'm sure your mom appreciated it.

[caitmcg]

55 minutes ago, Bastet said:

Looking at the recipe, I'm sure that lemon cake tastes every bit as delicious as it looks like it would.  I'd never fuss with it, but I'd be thrilled if someone made it for me.  I'm sure your mom appreciated it.

Thanks, and yes, it’s very tangy and lemony and moist and frankly, everything I want in a lemon cake. It’s definitely a bit of a faff, with all the egg yolks (my freezer is full of egg whites now), but worth it for a party.

[Mondrianyone]

I would have to hold myself back from cutting in front of your mom to get a slice of that chocolate cake. I still have manners, but it would be hard. 😋

At first I thought those were chocolate coffee beans on top, but then my brain came up with the idea of chocolate dragées, which I didn't even know were a thing, but Google tells me they are. Now I have to get some.

Congratulations to you on some very wonderful-looking cakes! And a very happy birthday to your mom!

[caitmcg]

37 minutes ago, Mondrianyone said:

At first I thought those were chocolate coffee beans on top, but then my brain came up with the idea of chocolate dragées, which I didn't even know were a thing, but Google tells me they are. Now I have to get some.

Yep. Both Callebaut (which calls them “chocolate crispearls”) and Valrhona (“chocolate crispy pearls”) make them, and they’re virtually identical in size, appearance, and consistency. As the descriptions imply, they’re some kind of crispy substance coated in chocolate. They’re also available in milk chocolate.

[annzeepark914]

Good Lord, those cakes are stunningly beautiful & like Mondrianyone, I probably would've cut in front of your mom to get to that chocolate cake (with a thin slice, please, of lemon cake for "dessert")🥳

[caitmcg]

@annzeepark914, thank you!

[JustHereForFood]

On 6/11/2023 at 2:33 AM, PRgal said:

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.

I've tried baking bread with baking soda (I've used some Irish soda bread recipe), but to my surprise I didn't like it much. It was like doesn't taste like bread, doesn't taste like cake either. But I like making a dough with fresh yeast, so I have plenty of recipes to choose from when I want to bake my own bread. I usually make one with potatoes, or just a focaccia with olives when I have leftover dough from making a pizza.

[EtheltoTillie]

Rose Levy Berenbaum’s Cake Bible is a real masterpiece. Her basic pound cake is delicious. She has amazing techniques for getting a moist, delicious crumb. 

[BooksRule]

15 hours ago, EtheltoTillie said:

Rose Levy Berenbaum’s Cake Bible is a real masterpiece. Her basic pound cake is delicious. She has amazing techniques for getting a moist, delicious crumb.

I think I used to have one of her cookbooks, but I gave it away when I downsized my cookbook collection a few years ago.  

I actually have a pound cake in the oven right now.  It's a Lemon Pound Cake.  I've made lemon bundt cakes before, but I don't think I've ever made an authentic lemon pound cake. Also, I didn't realize until I started gathering up the ingredients that it's almost the same recipe I use when I bake my Sour Cream Pound cake.  The only difference is that I added fresh lemon juice/zest and didn't add any vanilla or almond flavoring.  I'm going to have to make a trip to the store if I want to glaze it, though. It took all but one of the lemons in the bag I bought for the cake batter lemon juice and the one lone lemon left won't be enough to juice for the glaze (the rinds were really thick so there wasn't as much pulp to squeeze).  That's okay, though, because I plan to make a grocery store run either later this evening or first thing tomorrow to pick up some fresh corn for tomorrow's BBQ.  I'll get some more lemons then.

[caitmcg]

On 6/30/2023 at 9:17 PM, EtheltoTillie said:

Rose Levy Berenbaum’s Cake Bible is a real masterpiece. Her basic pound cake is delicious. She has amazing techniques for getting a moist, delicious crumb. 

She uses the reverse creaming method for all her butter cakes, which produces a fine, soft crumb.

[PRgal]

For someone who has ZERO patience for yeast recipes, this bagel recipe is a dream come true.  I have yet to try, but definitely on the baking bucket list.

[caitmcg]

On 7/5/2023 at 10:48 AM, PRgal said:

For someone who has ZERO patience for yeast recipes, this bagel recipe is a dream come true.  I have yet to try, but definitely on the baking bucket list.

Bagel-shaped quick breads, maybe. But the baking powder measurement has to be a typo. Four and a half tablespoons is more than a quarter cup. Teaspoons, perhaps? The writing on that whole post is pretty sloppy. 

[PRgal]

15 hours ago, caitmcg said:

Bagel-shaped quick breads, maybe. But the baking powder measurement has to be a typo. Four and a half tablespoons is more than a quarter cup. Teaspoons, perhaps? The writing on that whole post is pretty sloppy. 

I'll be swapping out flour + baking powder for self-rising anyway, so I'm good on that.  I also eat keto/low carb breads a lot and just found out my favourite brand has shuttered.  I'm now attempting to recreate the bread from scratch (most alternatives use xanthan or guar gum and I'm trying to avoid that).  I know what's IN the bread, just not the proportions.  Wish me luck!

[EtheltoTillie]

I am very proud of these blueberry muffins.  Most professional-looking thing I ever made.  They also taste good.  This is the New York Times's recipe for the famous Jordan Marsh blueberry muffins.  I made 6 large muffins instead of 12 small.  And I didn't have two cups of blueberries, just used what I had. 

I figured out a very good tip:  filling the muffin cups before putting them in the tin is much easier than trying to fill them when they are in the tin. 

 

 

Edited July 12, 2023 by EtheltoTillie

[caitmcg]

Gotta take advantage of peak summer fruit, so blackberry and apricot shortcake. I macerated the fruit with a sprinkle of sugar and a little peach liqueur while we ate dinner.

[JTMacc99]

15 hours ago, caitmcg said:

Gotta take advantage of peak summer fruit,

On the same note, I've got my first handful of small tomatoes waiting for me when I get home (soon to be far more than handfuls), so I'm trying to figure out what I'm going to do with them. Feels like a simple salad with cucumber will be the way to go.  I'll get more creative when I'm picking a dozen every day.

[BooksRule]

I usually try to bake from scratch when possible (mainly cobblers, pound cakes, etc.), or just use a little shortcut (for example, I usually use a milk chocolate or devil's food cake mix when baking Ina Garten's chocolate cupcakes with peanut butter frosting, but the frosting is totally from scratch).  But I wanted to try the '2 ingredients lemon bar' recipe that I've been seeing posted around.  The verdict?  They definitely didn't have the 'fresh' taste that they would have if I had baked from scratch using fresh lemon juice, but they did taste pretty good.  And both ingredients (angel food cake mix and lemon pie filling) can be stored practically forever in the pantry so you can whip up a quick dessert if you have unexpected visitors or if you have to take a dessert somewhere (and don't want to go to the store).

[CheshireCat]

I felt very ocean-y for our 4th of July street party this year.

 

[SuprSuprElevated]

Beautiful @CheshireCat!

[chessiegal]

Nice job @CheshireCat. A friend sent us pictures of cookies at a store that said "Happy Forth!" 🤣

[Gramto6]

They look amazing!

I'm sure I posted that before but post seems to be gone...

[SuprSuprElevated]

A serious baking topic deserves a serious baking photo. This was the beginning of my baking addiction - 

[Mondrianyone]

On 7/11/2023 at 8:06 PM, EtheltoTillie said:

I figured out a very good tip:  filling the muffin cups before putting them in the tin is much easier than trying to fill them when they are in the tin. 

I meant to ask at the time, then forgot. Why did you find it easier to do this way? I've never filled the empty cups and then put them in the tin, but it seems like that would be the harder way to do it, the cups being all floppy when they're empty though stabilized if they're in the tin.

But the thirst for knowledge propels me.

Did you use an ice-cream scoop as your tool?

However you did it, they look delicious!

[EtheltoTillie]

4 hours ago, Mondrianyone said:

I meant to ask at the time, then forgot. Why did you find it easier to do this way? I've never filled the empty cups and then put them in the tin, but it seems like that would be the harder way to do it, the cups being all floppy when they're empty though stabilized if they're in the tin.

But the thirst for knowledge propels me.

Did you use an ice-cream scoop as your tool?

However you did it, they look delicious!

I was using an ice cream scoop. The thing that I realized was that when the cups were in the tin the edges seemed to close off the opening, making it somewhat narrower and therefore more difficult to get the batter in and it was all messy.  Contrary to what you’d think With the cups outside the tin the opening is larger and it’s easier to get the batter in. 

Edited July 28, 2023 by EtheltoTillie

[Mondrianyone]

It is contrary to what I'd think, but I'll give it a try next time. Thanks, @EtheltoTillie!

[EtheltoTillie]

You will really  laugh. I never used muffin cups before a month ago. I used to struggle with scrubbing the tins. Forty plus years.  🤦‍♀️ What a dufus. I suddenly realized oh yeah that’s why they have those paper cups on bakery muffins. I made a batch of 12 small muffins then I got the large cups to make 6 large muffins. On that second batch I had that revelation. 

[Mondrianyone]

Trying very hard not to laugh.

Until I was quite far into adulthood (and I'm in the language biz), I thought "infrared" was pronounced "in-FRAIRD." So we all have our blind spots.

Yours is pretty funny, though.

[Meredith Quill]

I'm old-skool, I use two tablespoons to decant batter into the baking cups. I tried and find it way messier and harder with an ice-cream scoop.

[Trini]

I find using the 1/4 or 1/3 measuring cup is good for filling cupcake tins evenly.

[EtheltoTillie]

I'm going to try the spoon idea.  You can scrape the batter off one spoon with the other. 

[EtheltoTillie]

To show how much of a dufus I was about the muffin cups, I have been using parchment sheets for cookie sheets for years!  But I didn't get the parallel. 

[Meredith Quill]

After a break, baking resumed today with a batch of apple & cinnamon cupcakes.

I've also baked a batch of vanilla, and strawberry + pistachio, piping in progress...

[Gramto6]

As usual, those look stunning! And yummy too!! I really admire your talent!

[Meredith Quill]

And now for something completely different; after the mellow vibe of an all white 'wedding' theme...

Welcome to a vibrant and colourful summer tropical island vibe!

Vanilla sponge with vanilla buttercream, dressed up and ready to paartay (proof vanilla doesn't have to be, er, vanilla, heh).

[CheshireCat]

I'm in love with the colors. Tropical island summer vibes 🥰

[Meredith Quill]

13 minutes ago, CheshireCat said:

I'm in love with the colors. Tropical island summer vibes 🥰

Thanks. I figured if I can't be in the tropics, I'll bring the tropics to me. 😉 🌴 🍹

[Meredith Quill]

Final bake of the week, a batch of strawberry & pistachio. After going from one extreme to another with the previous two, heh, normal service has resumed; aka pinks, white and green seems to be my jam, yo.

[Gramto6]

On 8/10/2023 at 1:39 AM, SilverStormm said:

And now for something completely different; after the mellow vibe of an all white 'wedding' theme...

Welcome to a vibrant and colourful summer tropical island vibe!

Vanilla sponge with vanilla buttercream, dressed up and ready to paartay (proof vanilla doesn't have to be, er, vanilla, heh).

Love the colors too! The flowers are gorgeous as usual!

 

On 8/10/2023 at 11:23 AM, SilverStormm said:

Final bake of the week, a batch of strawberry & pistachio. After going from one extreme to another with the previous two, heh, normal service has resumed; aka pinks, white and green seems to be my jam, yo.

Also beautiful! I really want a taste of the strawberry pistachio sounds delish!

Edited August 12, 2023 by Gramto6

[annzeepark914]

First time doing this so I hope this link works. It's a recipe for Forgotten Chocolate Cookies (in the Washington Post) and is so much better than what I'm accustomed to (whipped eggwhites & sugar). I used Ghirardelli chocolate powder with the powdered sugar & walnuts. They are so darn delicious! Now I have an easy to make rich & memorable cookie recipe. 

https://wapo.st/3L7J1cr

Edited August 30, 2023 by annzeepark914

[WendyCR72]

On 8/10/2023 at 1:23 PM, SilverStormm said:

Final bake of the week, a batch of strawberry & pistachio. After going from one extreme to another with the previous two, heh, normal service has resumed; aka pinks, white and green seems to be my jam, yo.

These are so PRETTY!

[Trini]

Bake sale this weekend! Planning on a 'pretty but simple' option (iced & sprinkled chocolate cutouts), a lower sugar option (walnut raisin biscotti), and if I have time and ingredients, a vegan option (spiced coconut crisps). These all have to be able to store well and survive a hot summer day.

[caitmcg]

On 8/30/2023 at 2:39 PM, annzeepark914 said:

First time doing this so I hope this link works. It's a recipe for Forgotten Chocolate Cookies (in the Washington Post) and is so much better than what I'm accustomed to (whipped eggwhites & sugar). I used Ghirardelli chocolate powder with the powdered sugar & walnuts. They are so darn delicious! Now I have an easy to make rich & memorable cookie recipe. 

https://wapo.st/3L7J1cr

I know these as Francois Payard’s flourless chocolate walnut cookies, which I first made years ago (this version is all over the web). I also find your standard meringue cookies (like forgotten cookies) way too sweet. 

[Trini]

On 9/5/2023 at 8:31 PM, Trini said:

Bake sale this weekend!...

So I did have time for my vegan option, those and the biscotti turned out pretty good. Although next time if I do that biscotti recipe I'll have to quadruple the recipe since it makes a relative small batch and small-ish cookies (I did double the recipe but only got a little over 3 dozen).

The chocolate cutouts are fine, but I think I could do better about making sure they were all a consistent texture. Some were softer when they all should have been crispy. I tend to have trouble rolling dough out to the proper and even thickness on my warped kitchen island.

I won't actually be at the sale tomorrow, so I'll have to find out how well the cookies sell from others. At least I know they look and taste good!

[Trini]

So it looks like the coconut crisps turned out to be bestsellers, and I made way too many chocolate cookies! I heard people liked the biscotti, but they didn't sell as well. Oh, I I forgot to mention earlier that the walnut-raisin biscotti were actually pecan-raisin biscotti since I did not pay attention to a very clearly labeled bag - LOL!

[EtheltoTillie]

https://smittenkitchen.com/2013/10/purple-plum-torte/

 

Well, it's time for the annual celebration of the "legendary" New York Times Plum Torte recipe, first published exactly 40 years ago.  I don't like plums, so I've never made it, but today I thought that it would be interesting to try it. After all, what better way for me to observe Yom Kippur than by baking and eating a cake.  Has anyone else ever made it?

Above is a link to the recipe on the Smitten Kitchen web site, as I don't think I can link the NYT version as easily.  It's exactly the same, though.

Anyway, it's just blah.  The plums were kind of tasteless before baking (I got black plums, but I could not find the recommended small prune plums).  After baking, it reminded me of apple cake, which I also don't really love.

I'm going to try it again with nectarines.  I have a good bunch with some flavor.  You can also use any fruit, they say.  I might try with raspberries. The method is that the fruits sink into the cake and melt into pools of fruity goodness (allegedly).

What is it about plums, anyway?   I am 68 years old and I've never had a good one.  Always seem tasteless/mealy.  I love other stone fruit.  I love prunes!

 

[Bastet]

3 minutes ago, EtheltoTillie said:

What is it about plums, anyway?   I am 68 years old and I've never had a good one.  Always seem tasteless/mealy.

My parents' plum tree produces incredibly tasty plums.  Neighbors practically line up each year.  Plums are not my favorite, but I love them off that tree.

[EtheltoTillie]

11 minutes ago, Bastet said:

My parents' plum tree produces incredibly tasty plums.  Neighbors practically line up each year.  Plums are not my favorite, but I love them off that tree.

Wow, I sure wish I could have that experience.  Are they as juicy as peaches?  I have tried plums from our local orchards where we get great peaches each year, but I still don't enjoy the plums. 

[Bastet]

1 minute ago, EtheltoTillie said:

Are they as juicy as peaches? 

Oh, yeah -- you gotta eat 'em standing over the kitchen sink.

They also grow peaches and nectarines (plus citrus, but I'm just sticking to stone fruit for this discussion), which are delicious, but I love those from any local tree and I'll even find some good ones in grocery stores during peak season.  Plums I only love from their tree.

They didn't do anything other than buy it and plant it, so just lucked out.  But, come to think of it, they lucked out twice.  When the plum tree they planted when I was a kid - which was also a neighborhood favorite, as the plums were exceptionally juicy and delicious - died years ago, we all despaired, thinking the replacement would never be as good. 

[SuprSuprElevated]

I like fruit in general (haven't had them all), but of the fruits I've tasted, plums, prunes, dates and figs do not make the cut. I will however, enjoy a Newton from time to time.

Edited September 26, 2023 by SuprSuprElevated