The Baking Topic

[Quof]

I scattered crushed mini eggs on top, to give an Easter feeling.  

[Mittengirl]

I have made Wacky Cake twice since asking for a recipe and it is really good.  This is the recipe I used, but I mixed it in a bowl, rather than the pan.  I also made their frosting recipe.  Instead of regular Hershey’s Cocoa, I used their Special Dark in both cake & frosting.  It was really chocolatey.  I might make peanut butter frosting next time or maybe add PB chips.  The recipe makes an 8x8, single layer cake, which was exactly what I needed. Well, more than I needed, but I managed not to eat it all at once.

[Quof]

Interesting that the wacky cake recipe says an 8 x 8 pan makes 6 servings.  Usually it's 9 reasonably sized servings of cake, brownie, etc.  Some really stingy recipes claim you can cut 16 servings! 

[Trini]

Well, in my area it turned out cloudy, so the eclipse was kinda a bust. But I did do one of my cookie ideas. Next time, I'd do a couple things differently, though. But this was an experiment anyway.

The sun is lemon sugar cookie dough, and the moon is chocolate-orange-ginger.

 

Edited April 9 by Trini

[Mittengirl]

Quote

On 4/7/2024 at 6:42 PM, Quof said:

Interesting that the wacky cake recipe says an 8 x 8 pan makes 6 servings.  Usually it's 9 reasonably sized servings of cake, brownie, etc.  Some really stingy recipes claim you can cut 16 servings! 

 

 The cake is only about an inch thick and the frosting is more of a glaze, not like a thick buttercream.  That said, I would say 9 servings would be about right.  

[caitmcg]

On 4/7/2024 at 3:14 PM, Mittengirl said:

Instead of regular Hershey’s Cocoa, I used their Special Dark in both cake & frosting.  It was really chocolatey.

The Special Dark is Dutch processed, which generally is darker and richer tasting than natural (like regular Hershey's cocoa).

[scriggle]

I made a French Yogurt Cake the other day. I made a gluten free variation that I found (on a website I can't find right now) substituting 2 containers of GF flour plus 1 container of almond meal for the 3 of AP flour. It came out quite good, very moist and flavorful. I flavored it with orange zest and made some orange glaze for the top. Definitely will make again. Next time I think I'll make the marble version.

[annzeepark914]

5 hours ago, scriggle said:

I made a French Yogurt Cake the other day. I made a gluten free variation that I found (on a website I can't find right now) substituting 2 containers of GF flour plus 1 container of almond meal for the 3 of AP flour. It came out quite good, very moist and flavorful. I flavored it with orange zest and made some orange glaze for the top. Definitely will make again. Next time I think I'll make the marble version.

Love this recipe! Thanks for sharing. And orange zest is definitely what I'll use 🍊

[Bastet]

On 4/2/2024 at 3:36 PM, Quof said:

Reporting back, Fudgy Lemon Brownies are delicious. 

I kept thinking about these, so brought some baking spray home from my parents' house the next time I was there, but didn't muster up the enthusiasm to bake until tonight.  The batter is in the oven, and I don't think it's lemon-y enough on its own (I really like lemon), but I'm hoping once the glaze is on I'll be happy with the finished product (it says use 2-3T lemon juice and I'll definitely be using three.)  I already used more zest than the recipe likely intended, as it just called for the zest of two lemons in the batter and of one in in the glaze, and my lemons are larger than average.  However it turns out, it certainly can't be bad -- it's lemon and sugar!

I have a lemon tree, so if this turns out the way I'm hoping, this might be something I actually bother to bake several times, as it could hardly be easier.

(I don't know why I have such an aversion to baking, when I don't at all mind "regular" cooking and am not averse to things that require a greater degree of precision, but I do.  Maybe it's simply that I like "regular" food exponentially more than bread, pastries, cakes, etc. so I'm far more willing to take the time - and wash the subsequent dishes [I don't have a dishwasher] - for that.)

[Trini]

18 hours ago, Bastet said:

 

(I don't know why I have such an aversion to baking, when I don't at all mind "regular" cooking and am not averse to things that require a greater degree of precision, but I do.  Maybe it's simply that I like "regular" food exponentially more than bread, pastries, cakes, etc. so I'm far more willing to take the time - and wash the subsequent dishes [I don't have a dishwasher] - for that.)

LOL -- I'm the opposite! I'll do complicated baking, but 'regular' cooking I'll avoid. (I like to think that I have a couple good reasons, or explanations, at least.)

[Bastet]

If I ever make those "fudgy lemon brownies" (horrible title!) again, I'll put more lemon in the batter to see if I like them even more that way, but once I got the glaze on I indeed liked the lemon content of the finished product. 

I gave a third to my parents and a third to a friend, figuring a third would be how much I'd eat while they were reasonably fresh.  Sure enough, I have only one square left.

[fairffaxx]

I made those & followed the directions about taking them out of the oven promptly at the end of the cooking time.  But even after they were not only cooled but chilled, they never did really set up properly.  I used a glass baking pan -- should I have increased the time due to that?  We did all like them but had to eat them with forks & they weren't really lemony enough (even though I used large Eureka lemons).

[GreekGeek]

On 4/28/2024 at 5:25 PM, Trini said:

LOL -- I'm the opposite! I'll do complicated baking, but 'regular' cooking I'll avoid. (I like to think that I have a couple good reasons, or explanations, at least.)

I'm the same; I'll bake multiple cakes in a week but put off making a pot of soup for myself--maybe because I like to think about baking making others happy. I also like the exactitude of baking and the fact that I'm not expected to tinker with the recipe.

[Bastet]

19 hours ago, fairffaxx said:

I made those & followed the directions about taking them out of the oven promptly at the end of the cooking time.  But even after they were not only cooled but chilled, they never did really set up properly.  I used a glass baking pan -- should I have increased the time due to that?

Glass is what I used (lined with foil, per the recipe, even though I have no idea why that was necessary) and mine was set right in the middle of the range given for baking time.

[fairffaxx]

Hmmm -- I was sure that my glass pan must be the reason.  I use an oven thermometer, but maybe it's not entirely accurate -- an extra 5 minutes might be all that was needed.  If I ever feel like zesting 2 big lemons again, maybe I'll retry this & bake it a little longer -- or use a metal pan.

By the way:  I'm calling it "Lemon Squares" because "Lemon Brownies" somehow just doesn't work for me.

[RealityCheck]

On 5/2/2024 at 8:21 PM, fairffaxx said:

I made those & followed the directions about taking them out of the oven promptly at the end of the cooking time.  But even after they were not only cooled but chilled, they never did really set up properly.  I used a glass baking pan -- should I have increased the time due to that? 

This article goes into a detailed explanation of the difference between glass and metal for baking.

Here are some of the highlights:

Quote

Glass, as well as ceramic, will conduct heat more slowly than metals like copper or even aluminum.

In fact, using glass or even ceramic baking pans for certain recipes, such as brownies or banana bread, may create adverse results!  This is because they take LONGER to conduct heat. Often times the edges become overcooked before the heat has transferred enough to cook through the center.

 

The author suggested the following adjustments for baking with a glass pan.

• Drop the temperature by 25°F
• Increase the bake time anywhere from 5 to 15 minutes, depending on the volume of batter

Edited May 4 by RealityCheck

[fairffaxx]

Thanks -- that's kind of what I thought, glad to have it confirmed.  Clearly, the only way to know for sure is to mix up 2 batches of brownies & bake 1 in glass next to the other in metal!  Science can be so fattening....

[caitmcg]

Here's my best tip for maximizing flavor any time you're baking something sweet that includes citrus zest: Before you combine the sugar with anything else, rub the zest into it until the sugar is damp and fragrant and starting to take on the color of the zest. This releases the citrus oil from the zest and coaxes a lot more flavor out of it than simply stirring it in. You can use your fingers to rub it into the sugar, or make even quicker work of it with a wire whisk or the paddle attachment of a stand mixer on low speed, if you're using the mixer anyhow,

[Bastet]

I made the lemon squares again already, they are that easy and delicious (and I again did them in a glass baking dish, lined with foil, and they again came out perfectly set without any burning at the edges -- no adjustment to the oven temp or cooking time needed).  I had planned to use 8T of lemon juice total this time, five in the batter (the recipe calls for four) and three in the glaze (which is what I did last time; the recipe calls for 2-3), but when I juiced a lemon and a half it came out to 9T, so I used it all -- five in the batter and four in the glaze.  I definitely like it better with more lemon, but I think next time I'll keep the glaze at 3T and put either 5 or 6 in the batter, just depending on how much juice I get.

[Quof]

On 4/2/2024 at 7:36 PM, Quof said:

And I've taken to eating chunks of the lemon ricotta cake, with real whipped cream squirted from a can, while standing in my kitchen.  So keep an eye out for the opening of my charm school.

A further update to my Easter baking saga.  The last of the lemon ricotta cake from my freezer makes a great strawberry shortcake.   

[Anela]

I didn't have a recipe, because I was supposed to be baking along with someone (a streamer), but I missed that she moved it up a day, so she was baking, as I was getting ready to go to the store on Friday. 

Anyway, I've just made pumpkin and chocolate chip cookies, and I actually like them. I messed up in the beginning, because I thought she was just going to mix the wet and dry ingredients together in different bowls, but she first used paper towels to remove some of the liquid from the canned pumpkin. I had already added the oil, when she said that, so I still tried the paper towels, but they caught some of the oil.

I threw them all together, and have to bake them for a bit longer, because of my oven, but they're good. She said you could use cake flour, and they are slightly cakey on the inside. I wasn't expecting to like them. I like pumpkin pie, when I'm in the mood for it, but I'm not a pumpkin spice latte person. I might try cold pumpkin spice foam, with my iced chai one day, but I'm not usually rushing to get anything like that. 

I can't find a recipe that matches the basics she put up on twitter, so I'll just link the twitter post: 

 

And I continue my run of baking at 2am. 

I needed to do something, because I've not been getting much done, so I thought I'd try easy bake-a-longs, or just doing my own thing, when I have the ingredients. I got no holiday baking done last year, so maybe if I keep this up, I'll be in the groove, and get some Christmas cookies made, at least. 

[PRgal]

The Mid-Autumn Festival is on Tuesday, and I made mooncakes (with pumpkin puree and applesauce.  In other words, NOT TRADITIONAL.  I never make them "traditionally").  Okay, more like moon scones...See below for before/after pictures.

[EtheltoTillie]

The New York Times had an easy recipe for berry clafoutis.  I made it  with blueberries and raspberries.  I really enjoyed it. 

[isalicat]

Does anyone have a recipe for pistachio muffins? I don't usually bake, or eat sugar/flour filled treats, but I had one of these yesterday and it was amazing good. Bright green on the inside, which may be off-putting to some, but excellent pistachio flavor and very moist.

[EtheltoTillie]

On 9/27/2024 at 3:24 PM, isalicat said:

Does anyone have a recipe for pistachio muffins? I don't usually bake, or eat sugar/flour filled treats, but I had one of these yesterday and it was amazing good. Bright green on the inside, which may be off-putting to some, but excellent pistachio flavor and very moist.

I had a recipe from the NYT for pistachio Bundt cake. It uses pistachio pudding mix. That’s how they get that color and flavor.  It also uses a lot of egg whites. You can use the container egg whites. 

If you can’t find it I can try to link it but can’t do it right now. 

Edited September 29 by EtheltoTillie

[Anela]

I've just baked these. I messed up the glaze on my first batch, and then remembered I had a little bottle I could use to apply it.

I haven't tried them yet, because I still have no appetite. They're apple streusel muffins.

[BooksRule]

Has anyone here used dried milk (mixed with water, of course) as a substitute in recipes when it calls for regular milk?  I've used buttermilk powder instead of regular buttermilk before and it worked fine, but I've never used the dried milk in recipes. My googling seems to indicate that it works fine and you won't notice a difference in taste or texture, but I was curious to find out if this is true.

I usually have half & half on hand (for my coffee), but rarely have milk.  And I hate buying milk (even the smallest container) for a recipe that calls for 1/4 cup.  I know you can freeze milk to use later, but I know myself and would put that off until the milk went bad.

[fairffaxx]

I use evaporated milk for baking & cooking.  It keeps forever in cans, which hold one & a half cups -- if I don't need that much, I pour the leftover into a glass jar & freeze it for the next recipe.  It can be used as is from the can & that's similar to using cream -- or dilute it with an equal amount of water & it becomes whole milk.

I've never used the dry milk powder, but don't see why that wouldn't work.  I just find the canned evaporated milk easier.

[isalicat]

On 11/8/2024 at 1:20 PM, BooksRule said:

 

I usually have half & half on hand (for my coffee), but rarely have milk.  And I hate buying milk (even the smallest container) for a recipe that calls for 1/4 cup.  I know you can freeze milk to use later, but I know myself and would put that off until the milk went bad.

Would it not be easier to just dilute the half & half a little? (particularly if you only need 1/4 cup - or just use the half & half as it is...it would make for a little "richer
result but that is not necessarily a bad thing, right?) Rather than buying powdered milk specially...

[Anela]

I’m going to make a small pumpkin cheesecake, next week, and I might try cinnamon rolls again, too.