Just a short note to follow up the Week 2 dessert. The taste was good, but the overall dessert was not what I had hoped for when I started.
First...the cake recipe was definitely a delicious pound cake. However, as with all pound cakes, the "crust" from the sugar content made the "cupcake" version MUCH too crusty. There was too much surface area and not enough inside to maintain the moisture of a soft inside. The cupcakes almost had a cornbread consistency.
Second...the filling did not turn out as airy as I wanted. It was much more runny. Not liquid-y, but too dense to be a fluffy Twinkie-like filling. Not sure what I can do with this, other than find a different combination. I think the marshmallow fluff really did not allow for enough air. I will keep searching. I do want to make a fake Hostess cupcake one of these weeks.
Finally...because the cupcakes were dense, the filling really was not able to be pushed into the dessert. Kind of a let down.
This is definitely a learning experience and I am enjoying the adventure!
Coming up this weekend, I am celebrating Martin Luther King Day. Dessert-making will take place on Monday so that the outcome can be taken to work on Tuesday. More later...
Thursday, January 17, 2013
Sunday, January 13, 2013
Week 2 of 52: Golden Globe Cupcakes
In honor of the Golden Globes on television tonight, I decided to create a recipe that would somehow relate to this. Growing up, I remember watching awards shows with great interest. Keep in mind, I grew up before the internet was pervasive and the news came on three times a day, not 24/7. Seeing the stars was not a daily, nay hourly, thing, and these awards shows really drew a crowd in front of the tv. So for me...honoring the Golden Globes is just the start of the season...there will be more (think Academy Awards).
This year is the 70th awards show. It will be hosted by two of my favorites - Tina Fey and Amy Poehler. Both women are SNL alums, another television show that had a big impact on my life. I have that similar dark comedy streak and find the strangest things funny!
Thinking about golden, I immediately went to a golden poundcake. And thinking comedy...well, Twinkies can't be funnier. They are long-lasting, and unfortunately, they went away this past year. So what better way to honor both in this week's dessert.
I went in search for golden poundcake recipes, and fake Twinkie recipes, and this led to a lot of research.
Traditionally, a pound cake was named for its weighted ingredients: a pound of sugar, a pound of butter, a pound of eggs, and a pound of flour. Many of the recipes I found had some variation of this ratio, but some included baking powder, milk, evaporated milk, and powdered sugar.
I found a posting on baking powder versus baking soda on About.com (http://chemistry.about.com/cs/foodchemistry/f/blbaking.htm). Very insightful to understand that both of these leavening agents are key to not having a flat cake. Makes sense, as many pound cakes I have had were very dense, thus assuming they were following the traditional recipe. In addition, I learned that baking soda needs something like buttermilk and baking powder needs something like milk to activate it. Baking powder in cake recipes is used to make more light and raised and does not add any particular taste, whereas baking soda is used in more cookie recipes and tends to be more acidic, thus the buttermilk. Knowing this, and wanting something more fluffy, I chose to include the baking powder in my recipe.
In searching for exactly what evaporated milk was, I found the definition, "...more calorie-laden... (http://homecooking.about.com/od/cookingfaqs/f/faqcannedmilk.htm). Well that sold me right there! That and that it is more nutritious and has a caramelized taste. So in goes evaporated milk to the recipe.
As for the addition of powdered sugar in some recipes, powdered sugar is just that - sugar that has been crushed into a powder (with some corn starch added to reduce clumping). Commonly, powdered sugar is used in icings and gives recipes a lighter, flakier texture. While I can understand using this in a recipe that I want to more on the fluffy side, I felt that it would be too spongy. I want the taste of the Twinkie, but not so much of the sponginess like a sponge cake, rather than a pound cake. If you want to make your cake more spongy, you can substitute powdered sugar for sugar 1:1.75, that is, 1 cup of sugar to 1.75 cups of powdered sugar. However, note that the crispiness you get with sugar will be lost on powdered sugar, so a complete replacement would result in losing the crunchy outside of your cakes.
On the creme filling front, I found recipes that called for both shortening and butter, sugar and powdered sugar, and milk with flour and evaporated milk. I remember making a similar filling years ago and felt comfortable with using both shortening and butter. While shortening is 100% fat, it generally has no taste but traps air more than butter, thus resulting in fluffier fillings. The butter is needed for the flavor. As for the all granulated versus powdered recipes, I used the powdered sugar due to the notes made above...more fluffy. And since the recipes that called for a rue, reminiscent of gravy, I chose the evaporated milk versions to base my recipe on. Some recipes state that if you sub evaporated milk for regular milk that you should mix with water. That is, 1 cup of regular milk would be replaced by 1/2 cup of evaporated milk and 1/2 cup of water. Other recipes did not make this note, but rather just sub 1 for 1. So I went with direct subbing.
Good luck in trying this one out. I hope you enjoy!
In your stand mixer, cream butter and sugar until fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, mixing well each time. Add in extracts. Alternating between flour/baking powder and the milk, mix in slowly and then beat until very fluffy.
Pour into prepped muffin tins and bake for 25 minutes, until golden and toothpick comes out clean. Cool in pan for 10 minutes and then remove from pan to cool completely on a rack.
While cupcakes are baking, prepare the filling.
Cream all ingredients in stand mixer until very fluffy. Incorporate the milk in the end. Fill a resealable baggie or pastry bag or pastry fill tube with cream filling. Using the pastry filling tube tip, gently press into the bottom of each cooled cupcake and insert one squeeze of filling (this is an exact science...lol).
Keep filled cupcakes in a sealed container in the fridge.
This year is the 70th awards show. It will be hosted by two of my favorites - Tina Fey and Amy Poehler. Both women are SNL alums, another television show that had a big impact on my life. I have that similar dark comedy streak and find the strangest things funny!
Thinking about golden, I immediately went to a golden poundcake. And thinking comedy...well, Twinkies can't be funnier. They are long-lasting, and unfortunately, they went away this past year. So what better way to honor both in this week's dessert.
I went in search for golden poundcake recipes, and fake Twinkie recipes, and this led to a lot of research.
Traditionally, a pound cake was named for its weighted ingredients: a pound of sugar, a pound of butter, a pound of eggs, and a pound of flour. Many of the recipes I found had some variation of this ratio, but some included baking powder, milk, evaporated milk, and powdered sugar.
I found a posting on baking powder versus baking soda on About.com (http://chemistry.about.com/cs/foodchemistry/f/blbaking.htm). Very insightful to understand that both of these leavening agents are key to not having a flat cake. Makes sense, as many pound cakes I have had were very dense, thus assuming they were following the traditional recipe. In addition, I learned that baking soda needs something like buttermilk and baking powder needs something like milk to activate it. Baking powder in cake recipes is used to make more light and raised and does not add any particular taste, whereas baking soda is used in more cookie recipes and tends to be more acidic, thus the buttermilk. Knowing this, and wanting something more fluffy, I chose to include the baking powder in my recipe.
In searching for exactly what evaporated milk was, I found the definition, "...more calorie-laden... (http://homecooking.about.com/od/cookingfaqs/f/faqcannedmilk.htm). Well that sold me right there! That and that it is more nutritious and has a caramelized taste. So in goes evaporated milk to the recipe.
As for the addition of powdered sugar in some recipes, powdered sugar is just that - sugar that has been crushed into a powder (with some corn starch added to reduce clumping). Commonly, powdered sugar is used in icings and gives recipes a lighter, flakier texture. While I can understand using this in a recipe that I want to more on the fluffy side, I felt that it would be too spongy. I want the taste of the Twinkie, but not so much of the sponginess like a sponge cake, rather than a pound cake. If you want to make your cake more spongy, you can substitute powdered sugar for sugar 1:1.75, that is, 1 cup of sugar to 1.75 cups of powdered sugar. However, note that the crispiness you get with sugar will be lost on powdered sugar, so a complete replacement would result in losing the crunchy outside of your cakes.
On the creme filling front, I found recipes that called for both shortening and butter, sugar and powdered sugar, and milk with flour and evaporated milk. I remember making a similar filling years ago and felt comfortable with using both shortening and butter. While shortening is 100% fat, it generally has no taste but traps air more than butter, thus resulting in fluffier fillings. The butter is needed for the flavor. As for the all granulated versus powdered recipes, I used the powdered sugar due to the notes made above...more fluffy. And since the recipes that called for a rue, reminiscent of gravy, I chose the evaporated milk versions to base my recipe on. Some recipes state that if you sub evaporated milk for regular milk that you should mix with water. That is, 1 cup of regular milk would be replaced by 1/2 cup of evaporated milk and 1/2 cup of water. Other recipes did not make this note, but rather just sub 1 for 1. So I went with direct subbing.
Good luck in trying this one out. I hope you enjoy!
Creme-filled Golden Globe Cupcakes
Ingredients for cupcake
4 sticks butter, salted (1 pound) - add 1/4 t salt if using unsalted butter
1 2/3 + 1/4 c sugar (1 pound)
8 eggs (1 pound)
3 1/2 c + 2 T flour (1 pound)
1 1/2 t baking powder
1/2 c evaporated milk
2 t vanilla extract
1 t lemon extract
Ingredients for filling
1/4 c shorteningPreheat oven to 350F. Grease and lightly flour muffin tins.
1/4 c butter, softened
2 c marshmallow creme, one 7 oz jar
1 t vanilla extract
1 c powdered sugar
3 t evaporated milk
In your stand mixer, cream butter and sugar until fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, mixing well each time. Add in extracts. Alternating between flour/baking powder and the milk, mix in slowly and then beat until very fluffy.
Pour into prepped muffin tins and bake for 25 minutes, until golden and toothpick comes out clean. Cool in pan for 10 minutes and then remove from pan to cool completely on a rack.
While cupcakes are baking, prepare the filling.
Cream all ingredients in stand mixer until very fluffy. Incorporate the milk in the end. Fill a resealable baggie or pastry bag or pastry fill tube with cream filling. Using the pastry filling tube tip, gently press into the bottom of each cooled cupcake and insert one squeeze of filling (this is an exact science...lol).
Keep filled cupcakes in a sealed container in the fridge.
Friday, January 11, 2013
Week 1 Follow-up!
I am finally able to access the blog today...it was having issues.
First, let's talk about what was good and not so good about Dessert #1...
The comments at work were good. I added some Andies Candies chips to some of the dessrt cups and some liked them and others liked them plain.
Personally, I wish there would have been just a bit more filling in each cup. And I was not fond of the mint ones, despite my love of Andies mints!
I am including more photos as well on the steps.
For this weekend, I will honor the Golden Globes. More tomorrow!
First, let's talk about what was good and not so good about Dessert #1...
The comments at work were good. I added some Andies Candies chips to some of the dessrt cups and some liked them and others liked them plain.
Personally, I wish there would have been just a bit more filling in each cup. And I was not fond of the mint ones, despite my love of Andies mints!
I am including more photos as well on the steps.
For this weekend, I will honor the Golden Globes. More tomorrow!
Sunday, January 6, 2013
Week 1 Dessert: Break Your Resolution dessert cups
Well...my husband decided that before I went back to work tomorrow, we needed to get away for a few days. It was a blessing. We did a mini road trip to eastern Iowa and central Iowa. A bit of the slots, hot tubs, and relaxation. It was a nice treat and I truly appreciated the mini vacation.
But of course, that meant that I was not able to blog for the past couple of days. Not that I was not doing the planning for today though. As with all new things, I am a bit out of my comfort zone and this will be a real adventure to complete the first of 52 desserts for 2013. As I mentioned, whether you are talking with friends and family, or watching the television, it is all about resolutions right now. Get a gym membership, update the paint on your car, buy an indoor mini trampoline (okay...that one was me!), lose weight, spend more time with your family...all really good things. Yet, I wonder how many of us keep those resolutions beyond January? Should we not think more about what we do and say on every occasion and start living a more balanced and kind life? I say yes! And to that...I say, welcome to the Break Your Resolution dessert cups!
I was told long ago that if you need to scrimp and save, don't let it be on food. Eat the really good stuff and you won't eat as much. I hope that this recipe will inspire you to rethink the concept of a resolution and just enjoy life more!
This recipe was adapted from Millionaire's Pie: http://www.recipe.com/millionaires-pie/
But of course, that meant that I was not able to blog for the past couple of days. Not that I was not doing the planning for today though. As with all new things, I am a bit out of my comfort zone and this will be a real adventure to complete the first of 52 desserts for 2013. As I mentioned, whether you are talking with friends and family, or watching the television, it is all about resolutions right now. Get a gym membership, update the paint on your car, buy an indoor mini trampoline (okay...that one was me!), lose weight, spend more time with your family...all really good things. Yet, I wonder how many of us keep those resolutions beyond January? Should we not think more about what we do and say on every occasion and start living a more balanced and kind life? I say yes! And to that...I say, welcome to the Break Your Resolution dessert cups!
I was told long ago that if you need to scrimp and save, don't let it be on food. Eat the really good stuff and you won't eat as much. I hope that this recipe will inspire you to rethink the concept of a resolution and just enjoy life more!
Break Your Resolution dessert cups
2/3 c light Karo syrup
1/2 c sugar
1/2 c butter, softened
4 eggs
1 tsp pure vanilla
1/4 c flour
semisweet chocolate chips, I used Nestle
Sweetened flaked coconut
Diamond glazed pecans
2 sheets of puff pastry, I used Peppridge Farms
12-cup muffin tin, lightly greased with a spray oil
- Start by thawing your puff pastry sheets if they are frozen.
- Preheat oven to 325F.
- In a small saucepan, bring the syrup and sugar to a boil (about 5 minutes on 4 of 6 on a gas stove). Pull of the heat, stir in butter and let cool.
- With a hand mixer, beat eggs until fluffy. Add in the flour and vanilla and beat until smooth. Slowly add in the butter/sugar mixture beating until smooth.
- Open up and lay out pastry sheets on a clean surface. Cut each sheet in half lengthwise, and then in thirds to get 12 squares total. Push a square into each pan cup.
- Add a pinch of chips, a pinch of coconut, and a pinch of pecans into each cup. This is to taste, if you want to use more of one filling over another.
- Add the wet mixture to each cup filling to the top. This is done in steps as the liquid will seep into the filling. I had about 1/4 cup of wet mixture remaining.
- Bake for 45 minutes, or until pastry is golden and filling is set in the middle. It should resemble a "tight" pecan pie filling.
- Cool in the pan and then remove and store in a sealed plastic container. These won't last long!
This recipe was adapted from Millionaire's Pie: http://www.recipe.com/millionaires-pie/
Tuesday, January 1, 2013
Happy New Year!
The new year is here and it's day 1 of 52 Weeks of Desserts. I plan to talk about desserts in general and anything else that seems to go along with that. I will take what I learned in home ec in high school and in baking during my life (not much) to share stories and ideas that I hope will be useful to others. If you have suggestions or questions, I look forward to hearing from you. So let's get started...
I have been reading stories and watching shows all day and in fact for a few days all about New Year's Resolutions. According to wikipedia, (my source for all information! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Year's_resolution) 40% of us make resolutions. I have been making various resolutions for as long as I can remember. From lose weight, get organized, eat better, eat less, and on and on. Well, needless to say, I barely remembered what I resolved by the end of each January!
So, this year, I have again made a resolution...to blog. This is actually mutlifaceted. I want to become a better baker. I am married to a Moroccan and learning to cook meals that he would find familiar came easy to me. I can make a mean lasagna and vegetarian spaghetti, but I also make a great beef and prune tagine and chicken ghamelah. But desserts have eluded me. This blog will allow me to practice my skills and hopefully get better, it will hold my feet to the fire to stick to my resolution, and it will give me opportunities to branch out and learn about desserts from different cultures and regions.
I am good at the simple things...cupcakes, cookies, regular cakes...but when it comes to moving out of my comfort zone, I am a scared duck. But with all things new...you have to take your first step off the edge and then just grin when things don't look like the fancy picture!
More tomorrow.
I have been reading stories and watching shows all day and in fact for a few days all about New Year's Resolutions. According to wikipedia, (my source for all information! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Year's_resolution) 40% of us make resolutions. I have been making various resolutions for as long as I can remember. From lose weight, get organized, eat better, eat less, and on and on. Well, needless to say, I barely remembered what I resolved by the end of each January!
So, this year, I have again made a resolution...to blog. This is actually mutlifaceted. I want to become a better baker. I am married to a Moroccan and learning to cook meals that he would find familiar came easy to me. I can make a mean lasagna and vegetarian spaghetti, but I also make a great beef and prune tagine and chicken ghamelah. But desserts have eluded me. This blog will allow me to practice my skills and hopefully get better, it will hold my feet to the fire to stick to my resolution, and it will give me opportunities to branch out and learn about desserts from different cultures and regions.
I am good at the simple things...cupcakes, cookies, regular cakes...but when it comes to moving out of my comfort zone, I am a scared duck. But with all things new...you have to take your first step off the edge and then just grin when things don't look like the fancy picture!
More tomorrow.
Sunday, December 16, 2012
t -16 days...getting prepped!
It is now just over a week from Christmas and just over two weeks from the new year. I have been doing more prep and have already planned out the ideas for January. There will be more research posted, recipes checked on Saturdays, baking on Sundays, and the tasters at work on Mondays.
To start, the first dessert will be called "Breaking the Resolution." Not sure what it will be exactly, but I figured that by January 6 it was appropriate. The other Sundays will be devoted to the likes of peanut butter, Scrabble(tm), awards shows, and Alice in Wonderland. I will explain in later posts!
Enjoy the remainder of the month and have a very Happy Holidays!
See you in 2013!!!
To start, the first dessert will be called "Breaking the Resolution." Not sure what it will be exactly, but I figured that by January 6 it was appropriate. The other Sundays will be devoted to the likes of peanut butter, Scrabble(tm), awards shows, and Alice in Wonderland. I will explain in later posts!
Enjoy the remainder of the month and have a very Happy Holidays!
See you in 2013!!!
Sunday, November 11, 2012
t-51 days and counting...
I am getting closer to the start of my 2013 blog on desserts and I have been gathering lots of information. So far I have been considering topics such as techniques, substitutes such as pumpkin for butter and trying vegan and gluten-free options, types of pans, etc. There will be much discovery in my blog and I am getting very excited.
I have also been thinking about cultures and regions and how they affect tastes and techniques. I think that I will consider choosing a region or a culture to focus on each month, and delve into each as much as I can to get the most learning and skills from this endeavor.
Again, I ask for your input as I continue to prepare for 2013 and for your constructive comments throughout the year.
That's all for now.
I have also been thinking about cultures and regions and how they affect tastes and techniques. I think that I will consider choosing a region or a culture to focus on each month, and delve into each as much as I can to get the most learning and skills from this endeavor.
Again, I ask for your input as I continue to prepare for 2013 and for your constructive comments throughout the year.
That's all for now.
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