The Baking Topic

[chessiegal]

I recommend fresh limes - bottled lime juice would not be as good.

http://www.marthastewart.com/356005/key-lime-pie

[biakbiak]

1 hour ago, chessiegal said:

I recommend fresh limes - bottled lime juice would not be as good.

http://www.marthastewart.com/356005/key-lime-pie

I agree, particularly in a pie like this that has so few ingredients.

I can take or leave the cream because I love the tartness but for a lot of people it helps balance the flavor.

[ariel]

3 hours ago, Mellowyellow said:

Does it need to be served with the cream? I like cream but I'm wondering if that's embellishment or it does add to the flavour.

Regarding the cream, I like it, but it does add extra calories.  What you can do is not put it on the pie, but serve it on the side for those who want it.

[DeLurker]

2 hours ago, biakbiak said:

I can take or leave the cream because I love the tartness but for a lot of people it helps balance the flavor.

Be careful on the sweetness of the pie - I've eaten lots of it growing up in South Florida and my preference was for the ones without sugar in the pie filling itself.  Of course, this is a subjective matter...a slightly carmelized crust is a big thing for me.  Some recipes call for a tablespoon of sugar in the graham cracker mix to help achieve this.

I've had several key lime pies that had a meringue topping instead of whipped cream.  Taste-wise I have no real preference, but an artistically done meringue top is visually more attractive to me.

[ethalfrida]

I had a slice of vegan key lime pie made from avocados. The whipped cream was made from cashews. I loved it more than traditional. I am like Delurker and prefer the not so sweet filling. I had it at Cafe Gratitude.

[Quof]

You can buy bottled key lime juice, it really is different than "regular" lime juice.   And juicing your own key limes is a b*tch.  Those suckers are tiny.

Quote

I had a slice of vegan key lime pie made from avocados. The whipped cream was made from cashews.

That is evil, bad and wrong.

Edited September 27, 2017 by Quof

[ethalfrida]

3 minutes ago, Quof said:

You can buy bottled key lime juice, it really is different than "regular" lime juice.   And juicing your own key limes is a b*tch.  Those suckers are tiny.

That is evil, bad and wrong.

Lol, if you had tasted it you would agree with me. I declare you couldn't tell the difference.

[Mellowyellow]

Thanks guys but......booo

I just found out it tastes like cheesecake! And I loathe cheesecake. 

So no keylime pie for me.  Will stick to lemon meringue methinks.

[Quof]

For the record, I loathe cheesecake, but love key lime pie.   

[biakbiak]

I agree to me it's much more the texture of a the base of a lemon meringue pie than a cheesecake. I am honestly confused at the comparison bit perhaps we are talking about different recipes and I say those as someone who loves cheesecake and have had killer key lime cheesecake before.

[DeLurker]

I'm iffy on cheesecake and a bit snootty on key lime pie, but I've never had any that seemed similar to cheesecake so perhaps it is a recipe thing.

[Quof]

You should say to hell with the baking, and settle in with some Haagen Dazs Key Lime Vodka ice cream. 

[ariel]

3 hours ago, Quof said:

You should say to hell with the baking, and settle in with some Haagen Dazs Key Lime Vodka ice cream. 

That caught my eye.  I will check that out.

[Bastet]

15 hours ago, Mellowyellow said:

I just found out it tastes like cheesecake! And I loathe cheesecake. 

I loathe cheesecake, too, and am thus thankful I've never been served a key lime pie that tasted like one.  I'm at a bit of a loss as to how that would happen.

[larapu2000]

I have found my people!  I thought I was the only human that hated cheesecake and loved key lime pie!!!

I think Martha Stewart's recipe is solid, I've made it several times with no issue and had great feedback.  I prefer whipped cream to meringue, but only slightly sweetened.  Like 1-2 tsp per pint.  

There is a local restaurant near me with a key lime pie that I swear has some cream cheese in it, but it's not cheesecake-y at all, it's just richer and a little more dense, but not as dense as cheesecake.  It was almost like an icebox key lime pie.  Whatever they're doing, it's delicious.

Edited September 28, 2017 by larapu2000

[Mellowyellow]

I dropped my lemon meringue pie out of the oven yesterday. It was a rude shock. I actually had to sit down to process it. 

[Quof]

Did you sit on the floor with a fork like Rachel and Chandler?   Cuz I might have. 

[JTMacc99]

I love a well made cheesecake. I love the cream cheese frosting on carrot cake. Cream cheese and I get along on a spiritual level. 

Edited October 1, 2017 by JTMacc99

[Mellowyellow]

I rebaked the damn lemon meringue pie and have moved on with my life! 

I loathe the taste of cream cheese! It is deceptive in my opinion. Neither cheesy enough like proper cheese or yummy like proper cream! Tastes like cheesy cream that's gone off! 

Hubby HATES cream cheese and lentils/legumes. That man is my match made in culinary heaven! 

[Captain Carrot]

I have a question about using parchment paper for bar cookies. I recently made lemon squares using a recipe I've had for years, but used parchment paper in the pan. I baked the cookies for the correct amount of time, but they were slightly under baked. (fragile but still tasted good). Does anyone know how much time to add to an old recipe if you're using parchment paper instead of putting the dough directly onto the pan?

[BooksRule]

Quote

I love a well made cheesecake. I love the cream cheese frosting on carrot cake. Cream cheese and I get along on a spiritual level. 

It's my opinion that almost every food is improved with either cream cheese or sour cream (or in the case of some cheesecake recipes, both).  I love cheesecake.  Plain is good and so is flavored (lemon, chocolate, etc.).  I've never been keen on toppings (such as strawberries or cherries), but love different flavors baked into the mix.  Chiming in on the above discussion about key lime pie, I know that there are recipes where the pie is more 'gelatin-like' (such as the mixture in a lemon meringue pie--maybe more like a curd?), but I love the kind of lemon and lime pies that contain condensed milk.  Sweet but still tart.  And whipped cream on top, not meringue.  

[GreekGeek]

On 10/10/2017 at 8:16 PM, Captain Carrot said:

I have a question about using parchment paper for bar cookies. I recently made lemon squares using a recipe I've had for years, but used parchment paper in the pan. I baked the cookies for the correct amount of time, but they were slightly under baked. (fragile but still tasted good). Does anyone know how much time to add to an old recipe if you're using parchment paper instead of putting the dough directly onto the pan?

You don't say how long you baked them, but this recipe uses parchment paper. It bakes the crust for around 20 minutes before pouring in the filling and another 20-22 minutes after.

[MargeGunderson]

On 10/10/2017 at 8:16 PM, Captain Carrot said:

I have a question about using parchment paper for bar cookies. I recently made lemon squares using a recipe I've had for years, but used parchment paper in the pan. I baked the cookies for the correct amount of time, but they were slightly under baked. (fragile but still tasted good). Does anyone know how much time to add to an old recipe if you're using parchment paper instead of putting the dough directly onto the pan?

This may be too late to be helpful but I've used parchment paper for years and haven't found that I need to add any time to the recipe when I use it. It's so thin that it doesn't affect the baking time. Perhaps your oven was a little off in temperature? 

[Captain Carrot]

18 hours ago, MargeGunderson said:

This may be too late to be helpful but I've used parchment paper for years and haven't found that I need to add any time to the recipe when I use it. It's so thin that it doesn't affect the baking time. Perhaps your oven was a little off in temperature? 

You're right. I made something else without parchment paper, and had the same result. So I bought an oven thermometer, and there's a 30 degree difference between the temperature I set and the actual temperature of the oven.

[ethalfrida]

1 hour ago, Captain Carrot said:

You're right. I made something else without parchment paper, and had the same result. So I bought an oven thermometer, and there's a 30 degree difference between the temperature I set and the actual temperature of the oven.

Same here. It seemed to happen overnight because baking was something I did all the time. Then one day I had to bake a birthday cake it was horrible. When I bought the termometer I discovered the temperature difference. It's been working ever since.

[PRgal]

Any tips on lowering sugar content of sweet baked goods?  

 

Thanks!

[PRgal]

12 minutes ago, forumfish said:

@PRgal, when I bake for Mom, I usually use Splenda, 'cause that is what she bought before she had her stroke and stopped doing her own shopping (for things I eat/drink, I try to avoid artificial sweeteners). I have experimented with stevia in some recipes, and I use honey substitute or sugar-free pancake syrup, depending on the recipe (the syrup makes great sticky buns!).

Mostly, I reduce the amount of sugar but not to the point where the formula of the recipe is messed up. It's kind of trial and error.

I have found this site helpful, and bought one of her cookbooks:

https://chocolatecoveredkatie.com/

Actually, I'm looking to lower sweetness, period - not subbing stevia, agave, maple syrup, etc...(open to fruit, though).

[ethalfrida]

11 hours ago, PRgal said:

Any tips on lowering sugar content of sweet baked goods?  

 

Thanks!

I saw a discussion on Chowhound about lowering sugar content.

And Dr. Mercola has an apple dessert that has no sweetener at all. It contains butter, granny smiths, almond meal and cinnamon. The apples and cinnamon combine for just a taste of sweetness. I will post the links in a minute.

Lowering sugar in baking

 

Apple Crumble

[MargeGunderson]

On 11/10/2017 at 9:06 AM, PRgal said:

Any tips on lowering sugar content of sweet baked goods?  

 

Thanks!

The King Arthur Flour blog did several posts on adapting recipes with less sugar. This link should take you to search results on their blog on different types of baking (cookies, muffins, bread, etc.) with less sugar.  I haven't tried any (no time to bake lately) but hope to get some in for the holidays.

[scriggle]

Today I made gluten-free cranberry corn muffins for my father. I admit fully to cheating and using Bob's Red Mill Cornbread mix as the base. I added about 2/3 cup brown sugar and 1 cup cranberries to the mix. They tasted really good.

[Spunkygal]

Today I was watching a rerun of an All Star Thanksgiving where some of the FN stars shared how to make their dish. The pioneer woman puts a tablespoon of vinegar in her pie crust dough. I've never heard of that. Does anyone here do that and does it really make the crust more tender?

[biakbiak]

5 minutes ago, Spunkygal said:

Today I was watching a rerun of an All Star Thanksgiving where some of the FN stars shared how to make their dish. The pioneer woman puts a tablespoon of vinegar in her pie crust dough. I've never heard of that. Does anyone here do that and does it really make the crust more tender?

According to Serious Eats it does not, it's myth no. 5.

[ariel]

8 minutes ago, Spunkygal said:

Today I was watching a rerun of an All Star Thanksgiving where some of the FN stars shared how to make their dish. The pioneer woman puts a tablespoon of vinegar in her pie crust dough. I've never heard of that. Does anyone here do that and does it really make the crust more tender?

I've heard of adding vodka (America's Test Kitchen) but not vinegar.

[chessiegal]

4 minutes ago, biakbiak said:

According to Serious Eats it does not, it's myth no. 5.

Imagine that, Ree Drummond perpetuating BS/snark.

[Qoass]

I made a  five by seven inch chocolate cake with chocolate icing with a recipe from Kitchen Mischief last night.  It makes six little servings which are perfect for having my cake and eating it too calorie-wise.

[HunterHunted]

On 11/12/2017 at 8:09 PM, ariel said:

I've heard of adding vodka (America's Test Kitchen) but not vinegar.

The vodka crust recipe was developed for America's Test Kitchen when Kenji Lopez, now of Serious Eats, worked for ATK.

http://www.seriouseats.com/2015/03/science-of-pie-7-myths-that-need-to-go-away.html

I often go to Serious Eats because I find that Kenji loves to test and retest. I imagine it's a combo of his degree from MIT, work as a chef, and experiences at ATK and Serious Eats.

[ethalfrida]

Hey guys, just made this incredible lemon cheese that is suitable for Keto, low carb or regular food.

I do low carb but don't like artificial sweeteners. However, this dessert takes so little of any kind I used real sugar, half the amount listed. It was incredible and so refreshing. The whipped cream recipe is separate and not listed. So find one that uses 1 cup heavy cream, tsp lemon juice, sweetener and grated lemon rind.

Here is photo of the one I baked. Pan could have been smaller so it could sit higher but ... 

www.ketovale.com/recipe/lemon-cheesecake

Edited November 23, 2017 by ethalfrida
link

[Qoass]

This cake is one of my favorite ways to turn blueberries into comfort food but I subbed in fresh cranberries last night and it was fabulous!

[festivus]

I baked Chinese 5 spice chocolate chunk cookies last night and man are they delicious. Quite rich though.

[ariel]

Can you share your recipe for the Chinese 5 spice cookies?

[festivus]

I used this recipe http://goodiegodmother.com/chocolate-chinese-five-spice-cookies/ 

The recipe reads a little funny, she means 2 sticks of unsalted butter which equals 1 cup. I also used chocolate chunks instead of chips.

[BooksRule]

I just put a Sour Cream Pound Cake in the oven.  I hope it turns out okay.  The only 'rule' I broke was not waiting until the eggs were at room temperature before I mixed them in.  I forgot to take them out of the fridge.  They weren't ice cold, though.  They had been out a while--were probably just cool.  In about a half an hour, the house should begin to smell like almond (my recipe uses 1/2 t. of almond flavoring in it).  I love a good basic pound cake (although flavored pound cakes--lemon, banana, pineapple, brown sugar, etc. are nothing to sneeze at!).  My sister is baking a red velvet cake for Christmas, so a pound cake should balance it out.

[biakbiak]

10 minutes ago, BooksRule said:

forgot to take them out of the fridge.  They weren't ice cold, though.

When i do this which is faitly often i just put them in a bowl with warm tap water and let sit for a few minutes. 

[BooksRule]

I just had a slice of my still-warm Sour Cream Pound Cake.  I think it's one of the best I've ever made (I was lazy this year and didn't make the cookies/candy/other sweets that I usually make, so I'm going to brag a little on this one thing). It has the texture of a pound cake, but also has a very tender crumb.  The top is crunchy but not over-brown and it was actually baked all the way through (I've had the occasional gummy result in the past).  I'm very pleased.  

[MargeGunderson]

I’ve finished day one of the Yule log extravaganza. Chocolate pastry cream, kaluha simple syrup, meringue mushrooms, sugared cranberries and sugared “pine” needles (actually rosemary). If the cake doesn’t turn out I’ll be stuck with useless decorations!

[biakbiak]

30 minutes ago, MargeGunderson said:

I’ve finished day one of the Yule log extravaganza. Chocolate pastry cream, kaluha simple syrup, meringue mushrooms, sugared cranberries and sugared “pine” needles (actually rosemary). If the cake doesn’t turn out I’ll be stuck with useless decorations!

That sound lovely. I don't know why I have never thought of doing meringue mushrooms! I absolutely loathe marzipan so when I have made a bûche de noël it was more minimalist.

[auntlada]

12 hours ago, MargeGunderson said:

I’ve finished day one of the Yule log extravaganza. Chocolate pastry cream, kaluha simple syrup, meringue mushrooms, sugared cranberries and sugared “pine” needles (actually rosemary). If the cake doesn’t turn out I’ll be stuck with useless decorations!

When it's all done, please take a photo and share it here. I've done Yule logs before, but they didn't look all that great, so I'd like to see some better examples in case I go crazy in the future and try one again.

[MargeGunderson]

There were some tense moments involving Swiss buttercream but I persevered:

 

 

I have so so much frosting left over. I cobbled this together from a few different recipes so it’s not surprising. I guess New Years cupcakes are in my future.

Edited December 24, 2017 by MargeGunderson
Better pic

[chessiegal]

18 minutes ago, MargeGunderson said:

There were some tense moments involving Swiss buttercream but I persevered:

 

 

I have so so much frosting left over. I cobbled this together from a few different recipes so it’s not surprising. I guess New Years cupcakes are in my future.

Adorable! Good job.

[biakbiak]

Excellent work!

I made sausage rolls and substituted turkey schmaltz I made on Thanksgiving for the lard in the dough and it was absolutely delightfuly and had a great texture. Going to use it next time I make empanadas.