Tuesdays with Dorie: Tiramisu Cake
May 5, 2009 at 3:21 am | Posted in cakes & tortes, groups, layer cakes, sweet things, tuesdays with dorie | 48 Comments
Tiramisu may mean “pick-me-up,” but to me it’s more like “give-me-some,” so I had a smile on my face and a fork in my hand when I saw that Megan of My Baking Adventures chose Tiramisu Cake as this week’s TWD recipe. I’ve made plenty of tiramisu at home– in fact, my version of it is the very first recipe that appeared on this little blog (although I don’t think anyone actually read it!). This one’s a bit different, though…a re-interpretation of the classic dessert into a layer cake.
Rather than ladyfingers, a yellow cake acts as the sponge for an espresso-liqueur syrup (Myer’s rum, in my case). I like my tiramisu full of coffee and full of booze, and while this cake did have great flavor, I do think the layers could have been a bit more saturated with the syrup. (If it looks fully soaked in the top photo that’s only because, when I put the cake away the night before, I brushed the exposed sides with a little extra syrup to keep them from drying out.) I’ll try and figure that out if I make it again (which I probably will)…maybe poking the layers with a skewer before brushing on the syrup, or pouring the syrup into a pie plate and quickly dunking the layers would work?
The frosting, part mascarpone and part whipped cream, was silky smooth and light as a feather. Truly delicious, and easy to work with, too. That smile on my face is still there, just thinking about it.
For the recipe, see Baking: From My Home to Yours by Dorie Greenspan, or read My Baking Adventures. Don’t forget to check out the TWD Blogroll!
Tuesdays with Dorie: Chocolate Cream Tart
April 28, 2009 at 3:22 am | Posted in groups, pies & tarts, pudding/mousse, sweet things, tuesdays with dorie | 49 Comments
TWD started April with a Banana Cream Pie, moved on to two intense chocolate desserts and, thanks to Kim of Scrumptious Photography, we ended April with a Chocolate Cream Tart. It’s as if we’ve come full circle, really. Okay, maybe that’s pushing it, but sometimes I think it’s funny how the choices each month shake out.
Chocolate pastry cream with whipped cream on top, all in a chocolate crust– oh my word! I went halvsies with this week’s recipe, and had plenty for six individual-sized tarts. These little guys are super-chocolaty and super-good! R and I ate them in contented silence…then neither of us could move to do the dishes afterward! Some thought that all that chocolate was a bit too much, and opted for a plain tart crust instead. Personally, I wouldn’t change a thing. I was quite happy to try out Dorie’s chocolate shortbread crust recipe, and liked it a lot. I did find, though, that when making the dough, it was a little dry. I had to add a couple teaspoons of milk to get it to come together, but then it was pretty easy to work with.
For the recipe, see Baking: From My Home to Yours by Dorie Greenspan, or read Kim’s post. Don’t forget to check out the TWD Blogroll!
Tuesdays with Dorie: Four-Star Chocolate Bread Pudding
April 21, 2009 at 2:03 am | Posted in groups, pudding/mousse, sweet things, tuesdays with dorie | 46 Comments
I’m just back from seriously stuffing myself all over London (I’ll try and tell you more later…you will be either impressed or disgusted by what I was able to pack away in only five short days!), but I still say, “more chocolate, please!” My pal Lauren from A Baking Blog (aka Upper East Side Chronicle) has thankfully obliged by choosing Four-Star Chocolate Bread Pudding for TWD this week.
All the restaurants I’ve worked for have had some version of bread pudding on the menu at some point in time, so it should be old hat. Really, though, I’ve had limited success with making bread pudding at home. It’s my own fault…I usually cut corners with the cream and yolks in an effort to make it a little less fattening, but the end result is a tough, dry let-down. This go-around, I stuck to the recipe…my compromise here was to make just a third. Only a few portions, but each one would have the full effect.
Dorie recommends brioche or challah as the base for this bread pudding. Both yummy, but I happen to have a stash old croissants in the freezer (leftovers from work), so I just used a couple of those. Talk about cutting out that fat– ha! That picture up top may not look too appetizing (it’s just so darn brown), but let me assure you that this is good, squidgy stuff…even with the dried cherries, which I wouldn’t normally go for in a chocolate dessert.
For the recipe, see Baking: From My Home to Yours by Dorie Greenspan (it is also here on Leite’s), or read Lauren’s post. Don’t forget to check out the TWD Blogroll!
Tuesdays with Dorie: Chocolate Amaretti Torte
April 14, 2009 at 2:55 am | Posted in cakes & tortes, groups, sweet things, tuesdays with dorie | 40 Comments
Much like the Chocolate Armagnac Cake from last month, I actually made this Chocolate Amaretti Torte while we were still living in Sydney, and I’d been keeping it in my pocket ever since. Hmmm…do we see a pattern here with me jumping the gun on the luxurious chocolate cakes?? I am so glad that Holly chose it for TWD this week, because now I can say out loud that this is one of the best Dorie recipes we’ve made (thank you!)!
Since I was in London last week, I was pretty pleased to have the TWD recipe be one that I’d already made. On the other hand, if I had been home, I would definitely have baked this torte again. It is seriously…soooo…good. And so easy, too, that Dorie dubbed it “fifteen minute magic.” All the ingredients need is a quick whiz in the food processor, and the batter’s done. The cake that comes out of the oven is a low-rider…not very high, but really intensely flavored with chocolate and almonds. (And, by the way, I just used cheapo grocery store armaretti cookies with no problems.) Don’t skip the bittersweet chocolate glaze or the almond whipped cream– with very little effort, you’ll have a dessert that’s fit for a swanky dinner party!
For the recipe, see Baking: From My Home to Yours by Dorie Greenspan (she also has a take on it here on Epicurious), or read Phe/MOM/enon. Don’t forget to check out the TWD Blogroll!
Tuesdays with Dorie: Banana Cream Pie
April 7, 2009 at 2:45 am | Posted in groups, pies & tarts, pudding/mousse, sweet things, tuesdays with dorie | 45 Comments
I’ve had such a busy week, running all over the city after work and on my days off to get errands done for a trip to the UK. I’ll actually be there by the time you read this (so I might not be able to do much commenting on cream pies, unfortunately). I’m Godmother to a friend’s baby boy. His name is Ian, he lives in London and I had lots of bits and pieces to pick up for the Baptism ceremony, which will be at the end of the week. Not to mention that Friday was my birthday, and on Saturday my husband and I went to see a live broadcast of A Prairie Home Companion, which is currently taping in New York. I’ve listened to the show since I was a kid, so it was fun to see goofy Garrison Keillor do his thing live. And Wynton Marsalis was a guest, so that was a pretty good present, I think.
Of course I still made the time to put together this Banana Cream Pie, Amy’s choice for TWD this week. I’ve said many times before that I don’t like raw bananas, but I like to keep an open mind about trying new things. I’ve never made or even had banana cream pie before, so why not give it a go? I had some homemade pie dough in the freezer anyway (it had been there forever, and I was actually itching to use it up), so the hardest part was already taken care of.
Hey, guess what– I thought this was good (and my husband loved it)! I do have a fondness for cream pies…they are tasty and squidgy, especially fresh, homemade ones. I’m not a banana convert, or anything, so I probably won’t make this one again…raw bananas still are a bit slimy in my book. I did really like the way Dorie uses brown sugar in the custard recipe and sour cream in the whipped cream topping. Yum on both counts there! My personal twist was using a little vanilla bean to flavor both.
For the recipe, see Baking: From My Home to Yours by Dorie Greenspan, or read Sing for Your Supper. Don’t forget to check out the TWD Blogroll, and happy spring holidays to everyone!
Tuesdays with Dorie: Coconut Butter Thins
March 31, 2009 at 2:11 am | Posted in cookies & bars, groups, sweet things, tuesdays with dorie | 53 Comments
If Jayne of The Barefoot Kitchen Witch hadn’t chosen Coconut Butter Thins for TWD, I probably never would have baked them. Even though they’re made with some of my favorite things– coconut, coriander and macadamias– they just didn’t sound “substantial” enough for me to have paid them real consideration. I would have missed out, because although they aren’t too fancy, they were just right in so many ways. Just right with lemon curd sandwiched between them; just right with a little bowl of ice cream; just right all on their own. They were golden, crispy, buttery and a little crumbly. Mine didn’t turn lacy like Dorie said they would in her intro description, but that could have been because I parked them in the freezer before baking so they’d hold their square shape.
For the recipe, see Baking: From My Home to Yours by Dorie Greenspan, or read The Barefoot Kitchen Witch. Don’t forget to check out the TWD Blogroll!
Tuesdays with Dorie: Blueberry Crumb Cake
March 24, 2009 at 9:02 am | Posted in breakfast things, cakes & tortes, groups, simple cakes, sweet things, tuesdays with dorie | 47 Comments
Homemade crumb cake for breakfast is something I definitley could do with more often. One small problem…I don’t know about you, but it’s awfully hard for me to put together a cake in the morning that takes almost an hour to bake! Solution…make it the night before, have some for dessert and heat the rest up for breakfast the next morning.
Why am I going on about crumb cake? Well, Sihan of Befuddlement chose Dorie’s Blueberry Crumb Cake for TWD this week. It is loaded with berries (I went with the standard blue ones, but next time I just may try cranberries), and has a crumb topping that is sweet, nutty and crisp. I swapped out a little bit of AP flour for whole wheat in both the crumb and the cake. How healthy, right?! Also, I made a half recipe and baked it in a loaf pan. It’s just perfect with coffee.
For the recipe, see Baking: From My Home to Yours by Dorie Greenspan, or read Befuddlement. Don’t forget to check out the TWD Blogroll!
Tuesdays with Dorie: French Yogurt Cake with Marmalade Glaze
March 17, 2009 at 2:50 am | Posted in cakes & tortes, groups, simple cakes, sweet things, tuesdays with dorie | 56 Comments
I always have yogurt in the fridge (a granola/yogurt mush-up is my standard pre-work brekkie), but sometimes the expiration date does sneak up on me. A yogurt loaf cake is the perfect use-it-up recipe, so I’m no stranger to Liliana’s (of My Cookbook Addiction) pick for TWD this week. I’ve actually made a similar version of Dorie’s French Yogurt Cake before. There was also the time I made Ina’s lemon yogurt cake. Oh, and I even did yogurt cupcakes awhile back. See– these cakes have saved a lot of yogurt from the bin!
A yogurt cake is kind of like a pound cake, but without that nagging, butter-filled guilt. I used low-fat (2%) yogurt and cut back on the oil in the recipe by a couple tablespoons. My cake still stayed nice and moist for a few days. Dorie flavors hers with lemon, but since TWD just did lemon custards last week (and I’m doing something else lemon at the end of this week, too), I used orange zest and orange marmalade in mine. Any citrus works great here, to tell the truth.
I love the addition of almond meal in this version of the cake…très French, I think. The marmalade glaze gives it some bittersweet stickiness. Dorie says to strain the marmalade first. I’m not sure why…I like the zesty bits, so I didn’t bother.
For the recipe, see Baking: From My Home to Yours by Dorie Greenspan, or read My Cookbook Addiction. Don’t forget to check out the TWD Blogroll!
Tuesdays with Dorie: Lemon-Clove Cup Custard
March 10, 2009 at 2:58 am | Posted in groups, pudding/mousse, sweet things, tuesdays with dorie | 47 Comments
Bridget, from the gorgeous blog The Way the Cookie Crumbles, chose Dorie’s Lemon Cup Custard for TWD this week. I opted to go for the lemon-clove “Playing Around” suggestion in the book, and since it is a cup custard, I naturally baked mine in a cup.
I actually don’t have too much to say on this one, but there was a lot of talk (mostly not-so-positive) on the comment board. For group members who didn’t like the recipe, the main problem was the “egginess” of the custard. I happen to love eggy custards. In fact, I chose Dorie’s flan when my turn to pick came around last March (I was worried that if I didn’t, no one would!). These little cups are prepared similarly to flan custard, and their texture and eggy taste did remind me of flan. But without the caramel sauce, they were rather unremarkable. This recipe was not bad by any means, just a bit boring.
If you’d like to check it out for yourself, read The Way the Cookie Crumbles or see Baking: From My Home to Yours by Dorie Greenspan for the recipe. Don’t forget to scroll through the TWD Blogroll.
Tuesdays with Dorie: Chocolate Armagnac Cake
March 3, 2009 at 2:44 am | Posted in cakes & tortes, groups, sweet things, tuesdays with dorie | 58 Comments
I’ve been waiting for more than a year for someone to choose Dorie’s Chocolate Armagnac Cake for TWD! Not just hoping it would be chosen for the sake of trying it…it was actually the very first recipe I made from BFMHTY, when I was still living in Sydney and I hadn’t yet joined TWD. A couple of weeks later, I signed on to the group and have been waiting patiently, holding on to the picture, ever since. Finally LyB of And then I do the dishes came through and picked it for this week’s recipe!
It was my brother who requested this cake. I was looking for something to make for dessert while he was staying in Sydney with us, and asked him to choose a recipe from the book. I think he did it on picture alone, because he sure was surprised to see me chopping up prunes! That’s right, prunes. Armagnac-flamed prunes are part of what gives this cake it’s little something-something, and a great texture. I actually didn’t use Armagnac here but used Jameson instead, which thanks to my father (yeah, please don’t ask), I had already had on-hand.
This is another dense, chocoholic type of cake. (There have been a lot of those lately, right?) Really good, as far as I can remember, and a bit of glaze puts it over the top. If you are baking for someone who’s anti-prune, sub another dried fruit, like raisins, or just keep it hush-hush…they’ll probably never pin it down.
For the recipe, see Baking: From My Home to Yours by Dorie Greenspan (read Dorie’s funny story about the cake, too). It will also be on And then I do the dishes. Don’t forget to check out the TWD Blogroll.
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