TWD Rewind: Quintuple Chocolate Brownies
January 29, 2009 at 4:13 pm | Posted in cookies & bars, events, groups, sweet things, tuesdays with dorie | 40 Comments
Quintuple–that’s five! I’m sure you know that and I’m not trying to insult your intelligence, but I myself am still a bit shocked that five types of chocolate can fit into a single brownie. Somehow, in one little square, there is room for cocoa powder and unsweetened, bittersweet, milk and white chocolates.
Talk about a fudgy brownie…I think this one may actually be fudge! If that white chocolate glaze looks I laid it on a little thick, well umm, that’s because I did. I thought the original amount seemed a little thin so I added a bit more white chocolate and a bit more cream, and suddenly I had a thick slick of icing!
These brownies are so dangerously good, that I’d feel guilty (in many ways) keeping them to myself. Jenny from All Things Edible has a beautiful new home, and I’m going to bring them to her housewarming party!
This was Brown Eyed Baker Michelle’s TWD pick shortly before I joined the group, about a year ago. For the recipe, look in Baking: From My Home to Yours by Dorie Greenspan (she also has it here on NPR’s website) or read Michelle’s post.
Tuesdays with Dorie: Fresh Ginger and Chocolate Gingerbread
January 27, 2009 at 1:46 am | Posted in cakes & tortes, groups, simple cakes, sweet things, tuesdays with dorie | 57 Comments
I’ve had my eye on this recipe for quite awhile, and I was pretty happy when Heather of Sherry Trifle picked it for this week’s TWD. My mum made gingerbread cookies with us every year at Christmastime, but gingerbread in cake form is one of those “newer discoveries” that I wish I hadn’t missed out on for so long.
With the addition of chocolate and icing (yay, icing!), Dorie’s version takes the classic gingerbread cake and shakes it up a bit. I have been a little cacao-deprived as of late, so I really liked the little flecks of chocolate speckled throughout the cake. And the chocolate icing..my gosh, the icing. I used a shot of espresso from the coffee shop to make it, so the coffee kick was quite noticeable, and quite tasty. The chocolate and coffee worked really well with the cake’s spicy ginger trifecta (fresh, ground and candied).
I made two-thirds of a recipe and baked it in an eight-inch sqaure pan. I did this before I even saw Dorie’s note, so I gave myself a pat on the back for that one. Dorie’s serving size suggestion was a bit…ummm…gigantic. I was actually able to get nine pieces (instead of six) out of my smaller cake. This was four nights worth of dessert for us, so we paired it with vanilla ice cream one night, whipped cream the next, and enjoyed it plain-Jane with tea another. Every which way, it was delicious, and stayed nice and moist the whole time.
For the recipe, read Sherry Trifle or see Baking: From My Home to Yours by Dorie Greenspan (she also has it here on Serious Eats). Don’t forget to check out the TWD Blogroll.
The Cake Slice: Banana Cake with Praline Filling and White Chocolate Ganache
January 20, 2009 at 7:30 am | Posted in cakes & tortes, groups, layer cakes, sweet things, the cake slice | 40 Comments
Ack–I didn’t realize that this post and the TWD one would fall on the same day! So in addition to having to crank out two posts on Monday night, I have also been subsisting on an all-cake diet for the past week!
This Banana Cake with Praline Filling and White Chocolate Ganache happens to be the latest installment of The Cake Slice. I guess the title kinda tells it all, right? You start with a white cake, softly flavored with banana purée. The tall layers are stacked with a white chocolate ganache frosting that has sugared pecans folded through. Then the cake gets frosted with the remainder of the ganache, and decorated with the rest of the pecans. I halved the original recipe to make a six-inch layer cake. Normally, I get six servings from a six-incher, but this cake was so toweringly high that I was able to get eight!
I will admit that I did not make the sugared pecans according to the recipe’s directions, which call for deep frying. I didn’t want to use up half a bottle of oil to fry off a few nuts, so I dry-toasted them in a skillet instead. Then I added a pat of butter, a couple spoonfuls of brown sugar and a sprinkle of salt, and cooked the nuts until the sugar and butter made a glaze. I use this technique to make crunchy candied nuts for snacks and salads all the time, and it works really well.
As someone who is not terribly fond of white chocolate, it surprises me to say that I thought the ganache frosting/filling was the star of the show! The banana cake definitely has the texture of a white cake, rather than something more banana bready, and the flavor is gentle, too. It goes so well with the frosting, which is made by mixing ganache into softly whipped unsweetend cream. The whipped cream really mellows out and tones down the tooth-achy sweetness of the white chocolate, and the resulting frosting is soft, light and decadent. I will definitely be using this recipe again, as it’s super-good and much less rich than a traditional whipped ganache frosting (which I have described here and here).
All-in-all, this was a delicious cake…and one I’m really glad I made! Here’s a printable link to the recipe (better yet, get your hands on a copy of Sky High: Irresistible Triple Layer Cakes by Alicia Huntsman and Peter Wynne), and cruise through the list of The Cake Slice Bakers to check out all of our banana cakes this month.
Tuesdays with Dorie: Berry Surprise Cake
January 20, 2009 at 1:14 am | Posted in cakes & tortes, groups, layer cakes, sweet things, tuesdays with dorie | 32 Comments
Surprise! I love a surprise…the good kind only, of course, and Dorie’s Berry Surprise Cake certainly falls into that category. Mary Ann of Meet Me in the Kitchen chose it for TWD this week.
A single layer of genoise sponge is cut in two horizontally, hollowed and filled (bread-bowl style) with a lightly-sweetened cream cheese and fresh berry mixture, then craftily reassembled. Whipped cream frosting hides what’s going on inside (hence the surprise). At Fairway, blackberries were not only the best looking, but also the cheapest, so I went with those and used cassis to flavor my soaking syrup. When berry season rolls around, I’ll be trying out raspberries as well.
From the outside it is pretty unassuming, right? Trust me, it is really delicious…not too sweet, and I love the way genoise kind of takes everything in. We especially liked this cake after a day or two, when it became almost trifle-like.
For the recipe, read Meet Me in the Kitchen or see Baking: From My Home to Yours by Dorie Greenspan. Don’t forget to check out the TWD Blogroll.
Tuesdays with Dorie: French Pear Tart
January 4, 2009 at 3:33 pm | Posted in groups, pies & tarts, sweet things, tuesdays with dorie | 59 Comments
Guess what — this is my 50th Tuesdays with Dorie post!! Seems quite appropriate that my TWD golden anniversary be celebrated with a golden dessert, chosen by none other than Dorie Greenspan herself. Dorie has picked a French Pear Tart for the group to bake this week.
This tart is a classic French dessert. It has three main components: pears, almond cream (frangipane) and a sweet tart dough (pâte sablée). Dorie says that it is most acceptable to make this tart using canned pears, but here I used fresh ones, poached in a sugar syrup until deliciously soft and sweet. Regular pie dough is flaky, but sablée is like a sweet crisp, butter cookie. (Incidentally, we make a type of sweet tart dough at the bakery where I work. It is affectionately referred to as “STD”…we are a classy bunch.) When the almond cream bakes, it puffs up around the pear, becoming almost cake-like.
If you make this and poach your pears, too, please don’t throw out the poaching liquid! I’ve learned from working in restaurants that there are a million uses for poaching liquid. It can be made into a granita or turned into sorbet base. It can be reduced to a thicker syrup, and used in cocktails, over ice cream or to decorate a plate (like I did here). Or it can simply be used to poach more pears. You can also add things to the liquid to give additional flavor, like wine, vanilla bean or whole spices.
I made individual tarts, which I assembled and baked off as needed, since I figured a big one would go soggy before we could get through it. Rather than fanning out cut slices of pear, I just used one of its “cheeks” in each tartlette. Doesn’t it look a little like a fried egg when viewed from above? I served the baked tartlettes with a vanilla goat’s milk ice cream from Laloo’s.
For the recipe for this delicious tart, look on Dorie’s blog or in her book, Baking: From My Home to Yours (she also has a version of it here on Epicurious). Don’t forget to check out the TWD Blogroll.
So, fifty recipes from BFMHTY…what are my favorites so far? Honestly, they’ve almost all been winners, but I regularly daydream about Bill’s Big Carrot Cake and Almost-Fudge Gâteau. What do I hope someone will pick soon? Every month I keep my fingers crossed that Oatmeal Breakfast Bread, Coconut Tea Cake or any of the Bundts will be on our list.
Tuesdays with Dorie: Tall and Creamy Cheesecake
December 30, 2008 at 1:52 am | Posted in cakes & tortes, cheesecakes, groups, sweet things, tuesdays with dorie | 45 Comments
When I saw that Anne of AnneStrawberry had chosen Dorie’s Tall and Creamy Cheesecake for TWD, my first reaction was something like “errrgh.” Now, I love me some cheesecake (one of my favorites can be seen here), but I didn’t know how I’d make it fit into my holiday eating plans. Then I realized that my holiday eating plans basically boiled down to eating as much as possible, so cheesecake would actually fit in quite nicely.
I did jazz up the basic recipe to make it a bit more festive. Rather than a graham cracker crust, I made a gingersnap one. Then, I topped each piece with homemade cranberry sauce (because I love it, and must have it more often than just at Thanksgiving).
This cheesecake is fantastically good! Thanks, Anne and, it probably goes without saying, Dorie! I used 1/3 less fat cream cheese (you know, that “Neufchâtel” stuff) to make mine. Combined with full fat sour cream, it was just perfect. One more note: I like to use the food processor, rather than a mixer, to make cheesecake batter. It still requires a scrape or two, but as long as your cream cheese and eggs are room temperature, you will never get a lump. Oh, yeah, I also wanted to say that a half recipe works nicely in a high-sided six-inch springform.
Did anyone find the instruction to let the cheesecake “luxuriate in its water bath” amusing? I was jealous– I would like to luxuriate in a water bath!
For the recipe, look in Baking: From My Home to Yours by Dorie Greenspan (she also has it here on Serious Eats). You can find it on AnneStrawberry, too. Don’t forget to check out the TWD Blogroll.
Happy New Year!!
Daring Bakers in December: French Yule Log
December 29, 2008 at 5:29 pm | Posted in cakes & tortes, daring bakers, groups, other sweet, sweet things | 41 Comments
This month’s challenge is brought to us by the adventurous Hilda from Saffron and Blueberry and Marion from Il en Faut Peu Pour Etre Heureux. They have chosen a French Yule Log by Flore from Florilege Gourmand. Now, now…before you go thinking that we did that last December, let me assure you that this is a very different dessert altogether.
This yule log is a truly impressive, multi-layered affair. Almond dacquoise, chocolate-caramel ganache, praline feuilletine, and vanilla crème brulée…all nestled between layers of dark chocolate mousse, and capped off with a super-shiny glaze. Sounds lush, right? It certainly is. (The ganache layer, by the way– amazing!! Also the crispy feuilletine…I could have eaten the whole layer by itself, before it even made it into the log.)
This is kind of an investment in time and ingredients, but taken separately, each component is actually quite easy and quick to prepare. I spread my work over three days. On day one, I made the ganache, feuilletine and brulée layers. (I can see the feuilletine layer being a bit of a pain, but I had it easy, because I was able to purchase gavottes and praline paste through work.) On day two, I made the dacquoise and mousse and assembled the layers, leaving it to freeze overnight. On the last day, all that was left was to unmold and prepare the glaze. I used a standard loaf pan (lined with plastic wrap) to mold my log. The finished dessert is quite large…it’s probably about ten servings. And we will enjoy each and every one.
Sorry that I don’t have more (or better) pictures to share, but my apartment is like a cave with the low winter sun, or lack thereof! I have to take what I can get. Let me assure you that this dessert is as decadent as it sounds, so if you’re up for a challenge, visit Hilda’s post for the recipe.
Tuesdays with Dorie: Real Butterscotch Pudding
December 23, 2008 at 1:47 am | Posted in groups, pudding/mousse, sweet things, tuesdays with dorie | 29 Comments
Donna of Spatulas, Corkscrews & Suitcases chose Real Butterscotch Pudding for TWD. Delightful, Donna– how did you know butterscotch is one of my favorite flavors (for candy, ice cream sauce, pudding, whatever)?!? I love the brown sugar sweetness and the boozy kick (I used good ol’ JD here) of this old-fashioned treat.
Usually I just make half-batches of the TWD recipes, but butterscotch is worthy of full-batch treatment, I think! I’ve made butterscotch tarts for you before, so this time I just went with my little old-school Pyrex cups. I did go the extra mile, with whipping up cream and toasting some pecans in butter, brown sugar and a sprinkle of salt. The sweet and salty crunch was perfect with the smooth pudding. The only thing I’ll tweak with Dorie’s recipe next time will be to go half and half on light and dark brown sugar, just to boost the color a bit.
For the recipe, look in Baking: From My Home to Yours by Dorie Greenspan. You can find it on Spatulas, Corkscrews & Suitcases, too. Don’t forget to check out the TWD Blogroll!
Happy holidays, everyone!!
The Cake Slice: Chocolate Hazelnut Nutcracker Cake
December 20, 2008 at 1:31 am | Posted in cakes & tortes, groups, layer cakes, sweet things, the cake slice | 26 Comments
Gosh–hasn’t December gone by so fast?!? It’s already time for the third installment of The Cake Slice! This go-round, the group cooked up a very festive Chocolate Hazelnut Nutcracker Cake from the book Sky High: Irresistible Triple Layer Cakes by Alicia Huntsman and Peter Wynne.
You’ll need to fish out your nutcracker to make this one– the batter has plenty of hazelnuts, ground fine. It also contains an unusual ingredient…graham cracker crumbs. I’m wondering if these are there for subtle flavor, or if they really just act as an extender for the nut meal. The cake is filled and frosted with vanilla whipped cream (a.k.a crème chantilly, if you want to get all fancy-like).
While this cake was certainly good, R and I both though it was missing something. The flavor was predominately hazelnut, and I think, for a cake with the word “chocolate” in its name, it needed to taste of chocolate, too (just a very small piece is grated into the batter). If I get around to making it again, I think I’ll fill the layers with a dark chocolate ganache, and just leave the chantilly for the outside. The rum soaking syrup, though, is a must! Visit Gigi and Katie for the recipe (or get your hands on a copy of Sky High: Irresistible Triple Layer Cakes), and cruise through the list of The Cake Slice Bakers to check out all of our nutcracker cakes!
Tuesdays with Dorie: Buttery Jam Cookies
December 16, 2008 at 1:33 am | Posted in cookies & bars, groups, sweet things, tuesdays with dorie | 33 Comments
TWD’s holiday cookie extravaganza continues, with Heather of Randomosity and the Girl choosing Buttery Jam Cookies as this week’s recipe. These are pleasantly chewy, sturdy little cookies, with a surprisingly delicate flavor. Lightly sweet and jam-kissed (I used peach-apricot jam from Sarabeth’s), they keep their shape in the oven, so what you scoop is what you get. I’ll certainly make them again– they were perfect with chamomile tea.
For the recipe, look in Baking: From My Home to Yours by Dorie Greenspan. You can find it on Randomosity and the Girl, too. Check out the TWD Blogroll to see lots of jammy cookies!
Baked Fresh Weekly
Blog at WordPress.com.
Entries and comments feeds.
a whisk and a spoon 