Showing posts with label photos. Show all posts
Showing posts with label photos. Show all posts
Sunday, January 29, 2012
I'm just going to give myself a 5 star awesome rating for today
Wrapping things in plastic makes me feel like Dexter. I spent a lot of time wrapping and re-wrapping the pain au chocolat dough this weekend. As per usual, a multi-day baking adventure, with a totally delightful and oh-so-pretty result.
Tuesday, October 4, 2011
Ohio wins again
When I was a kid, I used to love watching things bake. I don't know if I actually did this (I assume I did because my memory is freakishly good on a bad day), but I remember sitting in front of the oven watching the things I made bake. My attention span never made it from beginning to end, but I still find something extraordinarily comforting about watching something go from batter to cake, or dough to cookie, or brownie batter to only slightly cooked brownie batter. Plus, it's warm near the oven and it usually smells pretty good. I discovered recently that my oven here in O-H-I-O has a light! I can see into the oven! For the first time since my youthful baking at my parents' house. I'm baking for a bake sale at work. I'm making the Rolo cookies (quelle surprise!) and cupcakes (the same ones my "friend" commented looked like dog poop on a cupcake). Based on his helpful feedback, I went and got some decorative pastry tips today at Sur La Table (my love for that place is big enough for a post of it's own and there wasn't one in PA or FL so score another point for OH) so that I wouldn't be known as the girl that brought dog poop cupcakes to the bake sale. Myself and the kitchen are covered in chocolate frosting due to my manly grip and my generic brand ziplocs that burst at the seams, but all the baked goods have been decorated, individually wrapped, and put to bed. Perhaps I'll take a picture of my next baking project with a new iPhone since I totally don't care that it's a 4S instead of a 5. It's only not a "5" because they used an S instead. Semantics. I will miss the robot voice that says "Droid!" a little bit... I wonder if the iPhone has an app for that. 
Monday, September 5, 2011
I am moved
I drove on Thursday. It's a boring drive. Lots of cornfields. It rained a lot. 
The movers arrived on Friday morning. I have never seen such a flagrant waste of paper in my life. 
My parents arrived on Friday afternoon. I have been kept busy all weekend with shopping, cleaning, decorating, eating lobster, and trips to Costco, Ikea, and Jungle Jim's. 
My parents just left and now as I sit in the absolute quiet with only the tapping of my keyboard on stolen wireless (because the cable installation specialist hasn't arrived yet), all of the FEELINGS that have been kept at bay since March or last week or some time in between are finding their way out. There's most definitely excitement. But there's also a hefty dash of oh-my-god-what-did-i-just-do causing flip flops in my stomach. Although I suppose that could also be easily attributable to the Skyline chili for lunch. It's an interesting thing to start a life somewhere. There's a lot of activity involved. All those foundational things like finding a place to live and moving into it, and then the next layer of stocking it and decorating it and making it feel like a home, and then the next layer of finding your favorite grocery and local coffeeshop and take out sushi. Incidentally, there are three sushi restaurants within spitting distance which makes me think I did an excellent job of choosing this condo/apartment. I found a book club to join, which I'm excited about. The first meeting is in about 2 weeks or so and the organizer welcomed me even if I didn't finish the book in time. I refrained from telling her my dance card was not quite full yet and I had plenty of time to read. I shouldn't say that - I have some exciting plans this week so far: lunch with my friend who lives here, a pre-employment meeting, and hold onto your hats... a trip to the DMV! There's a rumor I have to re-take the Ohio driving exam. Let's hope I can pass it on the first try this time.
Thursday, June 16, 2011
Top chef I am not
I entered a bake-off at work. The last time I entered a bake-off I lost. I don't even think I got an honorable mention. My friend has long maintained that the reason I didn't win was because my dessert was not sexy enough. So for this bake-off, I thought about the sassiest desserts in my arsenal and settled on a Chocolate Cake with Peanut Butter Cream Cheese Frosting and Chocolate Ganache. Well hello lover! I baked it yesterday morning at SIX A.M. so that I wasn't rushing last night when I went to put it together. I lovingly swathed the cake layers in plastic wrap while I went to work, which made me feel slightly weird and serial-killerish. Like Dexter.
I labored over the icing, making sure it was smooth and artful, with no crumbs showing because that just wouldn't do. I gently smoothed the ganache over the sides and tried to shape the perfect drips because it was not as drippy as I was expecting. I carefully settled the cake into the refrigerator for bed. One does hate to have a sassy cake sleep alone, but it needed its beauty rest.
I dragged the cake in this morning (it weights like 8 million pounds) and got it settled for the bake off. It was definitely the most alluring cake there if I do say so myself. I ended up winning 2nd place in the cake competition (after the lady that entered four desserts and is a huge cheater). And the prize for second place? Well, it is a 49 piece Dollar Store food storage set... which appears to be made out of shady looking poisonous plastic. Awesome. I don't know if my ego can take the cognitive dissonance between my effort and the prize. But then I came home and the valet guys in my building (who were the recipients of a Red Velvet Cake last weekend) said they would pay me to bake them a cake for a family party instead of getting one at the store. Validation station! Who needs a bake-off?
Sunday, May 29, 2011
I can survive a day without baking
What does one bring to a BBQ? This is the question that I don't tend to wonder about too much. I always bake. Always. So this time I decided not to bake. It feels uncomfortable and I am fighting the urge to go back on my decision. What I did whip up was a little batch of Alabama Caviar. I wish I had a Southern grandmother with a recipe box full of butter-filled, dressing-soaked, cheese-drenched delicacies served with a side of all the family secrets you can dream of. I don't, but I do have a family recipe for hummus. Many of my favorite recipes come from a friend of mine who does happen to have a Southern grandmother or two, and he was the one who introduced me to Alabama Caviar (and Chocolate Wet Cake and Grits a Yaya and a whole other mess of not-good-for-you food that takes me back in a second to the halcyon days of grad school). It's very satisfying when making Alabama Caviar to put all the ingredients together and then dump a bottle of cheapo salad dressing over top of everything and know, without a shadow of a doubt, that it will be delicious. I like to serve with Tostitos Scoops chips because you can eat more of it at a time. It's like a little mini edible bowl for the caviar- super classy.
Alabama Caviar
3 16-oz cans black-eyed peas, drained and rinsed of all juice
1 small jar chopped pimentos, juice included
1 bunch scallions, thinly sliced, green part only
1 tablespoon fresh oregano
1 tablespoon Tabasco sauce
1 tablespoon Worchestershire sauce
1 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 bunch parsley, chopped
3 canned or fresh jalapeño chiles, chopped*
1 firm, ripe, chopped tomato
2 cups vinaigrette (1 bottle Italian dressing- Kraft or Wishbone, nothing fancy)
1 green bell pepper, finely chopped
3 cloves fresh garlic, pressed or minced
In a large bowl, stir all ingredients very well. Refrigerate for at least 4-6 hours, preferably overnight, in a sealed or covered container. The longer it sits, the better it gets!
*If you are going to chop by hand, wear gloves. I didn't and it makes it hard to take contact lenses out later.
Alabama Caviar
3 16-oz cans black-eyed peas, drained and rinsed of all juice
1 small jar chopped pimentos, juice included
1 bunch scallions, thinly sliced, green part only
1 tablespoon fresh oregano
1 tablespoon Tabasco sauce
1 tablespoon Worchestershire sauce
1 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 bunch parsley, chopped
3 canned or fresh jalapeño chiles, chopped*
1 firm, ripe, chopped tomato
2 cups vinaigrette (1 bottle Italian dressing- Kraft or Wishbone, nothing fancy)
1 green bell pepper, finely chopped
3 cloves fresh garlic, pressed or minced
In a large bowl, stir all ingredients very well. Refrigerate for at least 4-6 hours, preferably overnight, in a sealed or covered container. The longer it sits, the better it gets!
*If you are going to chop by hand, wear gloves. I didn't and it makes it hard to take contact lenses out later.
Sunday, May 22, 2011
Smith Island Cake
A Smith Island Cake is the official state cake of Maryland. It's also ridiculously complicated looking, which of course makes me want to make it. I like triumphing over detailed desserts and then breezily saying, "Oh, it was no big deal at all! I just threw it together." (See photo of kitchen below). Smith Island is an island on the Eastern Shore. I've never been there, although I did make my mom take me to Crisfield which is close by because I really liked the book Homecoming (and its follow up Dicey's Song) which are set there. The books are tragic. But there is still something alluring about life on the Eastern shore. I have always had a secret desire to work in a crab picking factory there. I think I'd be good at it.
So this cake: 8 to 10 yellow cake layers, with chocolate icing and peanut butter cups in between. It's supposed to be 10 layers but due to some messy math and inexact use of my kitchen scale, I ended up with 9 layers. I am not super upset about this given the directions for the cake included "you will know the cake is done when you put it up to your ear and you don't hear sizzling." Baking is so much less exact than people believe it to be (says the girl who measured out cake batter by ounce on a kitchen scale so the layers would be even). I am proud to say I only sustained one large and painful burn on my arm (which I will not post a picture of), which is not bad given I rotated 9 cake pans 3 times each. If only I would use pot holders, which make me feel like a lobster with fine motor control problems, instead of dishtowels. If only. I'll post a picture of the inside of the cake later. It would be seriously unclassy to show up to a social event with a slice of cake cut out already.
The dishes! Mom! Help!
Smith Island 10-Layer Cake
Icing
2 sticks butter
2-12 oz. cans evaporated milk
8 heaping Tablespoons unsweetened Cocoa
2 lbs. confectioners Sugar
Cake
2 cups sugar
2 sticks unsalted butter, cut into chunks
5 eggs
3 cups flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 heaping teaspoon baking powder
1 cup evaporated milk
2 teaspoons vanilla
1/2 cup water
8 large Reese's peanut butter cups, frozen and processed in food processor into powder/small chunks
Cream together sugar and butter. Add eggs one at a time and beat until smooth. Sift together flour, salt, and baking powder. Mix into egg mixture one cup at a time. Don't overmix. With mixer running, slowly pour in the evaporated milk, then the vanilla and water. Mix just until uniform. Use nonstick spray to coat however many 9 inch cake pans you have. I put about 6 oz/3/4 cup of batter into each pan. Spread it around so it is evenly distributed. Make it slightly higher on the edges than the middle to create a more even layer. Bake cakes at 350 for 8 minutes. The recipe suggests 3 layers at a time. I did 4, and had to bake longer until they were finished. I baked 4 at a time for maybe 12 minutes. Let cool for five minutes and carefully remove cakes (using a knife or spatula to loosen) to finish cooling on a rack. Wash pans and repeat until all layers are baked.
Start making the icing when the first layer goes in the oven. Melt butter. Stir in evaporated milk (off heat). Whisk in cocoa until smooth, return to heat and cook on low heat for approximately 10 minutes. Don't let it boil. Remove from heat and whisk in confectioners sugar slowly. Cook slowly until thickened and will stick to back of a spoon/form a ribbon when you drizzle a spoonful.
To assemble:
Take one slightly cooled layer and spread with 1/3 to 1/2 cup frosting. Pour it in the middle and spread out to sides. I probably under iced mine in the layers in between because I had a ton of icing left over. So be generous. Don't worry if it drips off the sides. Sprinkle with 1 heaping tablespoon peanut butter cups. Add another layer, frosting, etc until you get to the last layer. Pour the frosting on top and let it drip down the sides, spread it around the sides, pour more on, even it out again, make it look pretty, etc. Sprinkle peanut butter cups on top for decoration and beautification.
So this cake: 8 to 10 yellow cake layers, with chocolate icing and peanut butter cups in between. It's supposed to be 10 layers but due to some messy math and inexact use of my kitchen scale, I ended up with 9 layers. I am not super upset about this given the directions for the cake included "you will know the cake is done when you put it up to your ear and you don't hear sizzling." Baking is so much less exact than people believe it to be (says the girl who measured out cake batter by ounce on a kitchen scale so the layers would be even). I am proud to say I only sustained one large and painful burn on my arm (which I will not post a picture of), which is not bad given I rotated 9 cake pans 3 times each. If only I would use pot holders, which make me feel like a lobster with fine motor control problems, instead of dishtowels. If only. I'll post a picture of the inside of the cake later. It would be seriously unclassy to show up to a social event with a slice of cake cut out already.
The dishes! Mom! Help!
Smith Island 10-Layer Cake
Icing
2 sticks butter
2-12 oz. cans evaporated milk
8 heaping Tablespoons unsweetened Cocoa
2 lbs. confectioners Sugar
Cake
2 cups sugar
2 sticks unsalted butter, cut into chunks
5 eggs
3 cups flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 heaping teaspoon baking powder
1 cup evaporated milk
2 teaspoons vanilla
1/2 cup water
8 large Reese's peanut butter cups, frozen and processed in food processor into powder/small chunks
Cream together sugar and butter. Add eggs one at a time and beat until smooth. Sift together flour, salt, and baking powder. Mix into egg mixture one cup at a time. Don't overmix. With mixer running, slowly pour in the evaporated milk, then the vanilla and water. Mix just until uniform. Use nonstick spray to coat however many 9 inch cake pans you have. I put about 6 oz/3/4 cup of batter into each pan. Spread it around so it is evenly distributed. Make it slightly higher on the edges than the middle to create a more even layer. Bake cakes at 350 for 8 minutes. The recipe suggests 3 layers at a time. I did 4, and had to bake longer until they were finished. I baked 4 at a time for maybe 12 minutes. Let cool for five minutes and carefully remove cakes (using a knife or spatula to loosen) to finish cooling on a rack. Wash pans and repeat until all layers are baked.
Start making the icing when the first layer goes in the oven. Melt butter. Stir in evaporated milk (off heat). Whisk in cocoa until smooth, return to heat and cook on low heat for approximately 10 minutes. Don't let it boil. Remove from heat and whisk in confectioners sugar slowly. Cook slowly until thickened and will stick to back of a spoon/form a ribbon when you drizzle a spoonful.
To assemble:
Take one slightly cooled layer and spread with 1/3 to 1/2 cup frosting. Pour it in the middle and spread out to sides. I probably under iced mine in the layers in between because I had a ton of icing left over. So be generous. Don't worry if it drips off the sides. Sprinkle with 1 heaping tablespoon peanut butter cups. Add another layer, frosting, etc until you get to the last layer. Pour the frosting on top and let it drip down the sides, spread it around the sides, pour more on, even it out again, make it look pretty, etc. Sprinkle peanut butter cups on top for decoration and beautification.
Monday, May 16, 2011
Out of hundreds there were 6
My parents got a dog after my sister and I left for college despite our many requests. It's clear who the favorite child is. Sam, who is a beagle/basset mix, does a perfect downward-facing dog (a yoga move for the uninitiated). He also does not enjoy having his photo taken and is a tidge bit hyperactive. I took about 100 photos of him this weekend, most of which ended up being of his rear end. My only goal for the weekend other than passing the exam, was to get a picture of Sam doing downward dog. This is the closest I got.
Looking regal and bored (but not at least not displaying his hind end):
These are the Chagrin Falls:
If you look closely you can see Sam's tail sticking out of the bushes:
These are my minis. They call me AnnaNicole because when the smart looking fella on the left was little he talked really fast and squished together Aunt Nicole into AnnaNicole. It stuck.
It is no wonder to me that his mama is such a good photographer, with him as her subject!
Looking regal and bored (but not at least not displaying his hind end):
These are the Chagrin Falls:
If you look closely you can see Sam's tail sticking out of the bushes:
These are my minis. They call me AnnaNicole because when the smart looking fella on the left was little he talked really fast and squished together Aunt Nicole into AnnaNicole. It stuck.
It is no wonder to me that his mama is such a good photographer, with him as her subject!
Sunday, May 8, 2011
Blog therapy
I have often said that when the lady genes were handed out in my family, I got the baking ones and my sister got the beautifying ones. My brother also got baking genes (and I think the baking genes might have originated on the paternal side) so perhaps I should not offend their manliness by calling them lady genes, but I digress. I do not fancy myself good at making things (other than cakes) pretty. I don't feel I interiorly decorate well, I can never figure out where to hang things (so I don't), color matching does not always make sense to me, and I am taken over by feelings of panic in places like Homegoods, where there is a veritable bounty of decorating accoutrements. I don't even have a unifying theme that pulls my apartment together. Much like Donny and Marie, my apartment is a little bit French Country and a little bit Iraq and roll. Or that general Middle Eastern area at least, but "carpets from Saudi Arabia" was not going to finish that play on words off well. So. This weekend, it is possible that I gained a small measure of self confidence in the decorating area. I went to visit my friend in D.C. (if you live there and I didn't call, please don't hate me). She's about to have a little mini and the baby furniture was getting delivered this weekend. So on Saturday afternoon, we spent some time moving things around in their apartment to make room. A bookcase got moved into a bathroom, and this is where all the magic happened. Things had to go on the bookcase; a rolled towel here, a cute basket there, a vase of branchy things on top. I think I actually made some good decorating suggestions for the bathroom. I think I am perhaps not as bad at this whole decorating thing as I thought! I think when I move to Cincinnati I'm going to finally have a cute and well-decorated living space that does not look like an eccentric mixture of clutter and mismatched furniture that can rather horrifyingly be characterized by a song by the Osmonds. And if I don't pull it off, I'm moving to D.C. to live in my friend's bathroom.
Georgetown:
The Capitol Building:
The Supreme Court:
Georgetown:
The Capitol Building:
The Supreme Court:
Wednesday, May 4, 2011
Mini cookies with mini chips
Email I received today at 9:56 am: "I thought I'd pass along this recipe since I just had one of these and it was amazing!!!!" The recipe was for Nutella Chip Cookies. These are the questions I asked: Will I like them even if i don't like Nutella? Are they hazelnutty tasting? And now here we are at 9:47 pm and I have the answers to those questions. Yes I will like them even if I don't like Nutella (which I might like now). No they are not hazelnutty tasting. They are deliciously delightfully chocolately, with a Nutella undertone, and the added bonus of having a gooey middle. They looked lonely so I also made them some friends, and substituted dulce de leche for Nutella. The Nutella ones are way better, but I wouldn't kick the dulce de leche ones out of bed.
Nutella
Dulce de Leche
Nutella and/or Dulce de Leche Chip cookies
Yield: 4 dozen cookies
Ingredients
1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature*
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup Nutella or dulce de leche (but I'd go with the Nutella)
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup mini chocolate chips**
*Late night bakers who get home from work and have not brought butter to room temperature - cut it into cubes before creaming and it will almost be like being at room temperature
**These are relatively delicate cookies and definitely need the mini chips, not regular sized ones.
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Cream butter and sugars until light and fluffy, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Add in the egg and vanilla. Add Nutella and mix until well combined.
In a small bowl combine together the flour, baking soda, and salt. Slowly add dry ingredients to wet ingredients, and mix until the dough is smooth. Fold in chocolate chips.
Using a mini ice cream scoop (1 tbls size) or a spoon (eek! not uniform cookies!), form the dough into balls and place on parchment-lined baking sheet. I don't usually get wrapped up in the parchment paper issue but for these I think it is important. Bake 6-7 minutes or until set. Let cookies cool about 5 minutes and transfer to a rack to cool completely.
Nutella
Dulce de Leche
Nutella and/or Dulce de Leche Chip cookies
Yield: 4 dozen cookies
Ingredients
1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature*
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup Nutella or dulce de leche (but I'd go with the Nutella)
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup mini chocolate chips**
*Late night bakers who get home from work and have not brought butter to room temperature - cut it into cubes before creaming and it will almost be like being at room temperature
**These are relatively delicate cookies and definitely need the mini chips, not regular sized ones.
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Cream butter and sugars until light and fluffy, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Add in the egg and vanilla. Add Nutella and mix until well combined.
In a small bowl combine together the flour, baking soda, and salt. Slowly add dry ingredients to wet ingredients, and mix until the dough is smooth. Fold in chocolate chips.
Using a mini ice cream scoop (1 tbls size) or a spoon (eek! not uniform cookies!), form the dough into balls and place on parchment-lined baking sheet. I don't usually get wrapped up in the parchment paper issue but for these I think it is important. Bake 6-7 minutes or until set. Let cookies cool about 5 minutes and transfer to a rack to cool completely.
Sunday, May 1, 2011
Twinsies
A few momentous things happened this weekend. The Amish flower man is back in Rittenhouse:
I also bought sunglasses that did not cost 5 dollars and do not say Panama Jack on the side. Those were my favorites from a Walgreens in Sarasota. I'm a huge fan of crappy sunglasses because I tend to lose things easily. I especially like buying them at rest stops. Well yesterday I bought Mr. Marc Jacobs' sunglasses. I don't have any pictures of them because right after I bought them I went to get my makeup done and the makeup artiste was a little heavy handed with the black eyeliner. I looked like a drag queen. The worst part was trying to get the makeup off later. So there is also not a picture of the sunglasses today because my poor eyes were mad at me after I tried to use body lotion to remove the eyeliner. Supposedly that works. I disagree. Do not try it. It burns. The other momentous thing that happened this weekend was that my sister and I went shopping at the outlets and bought the exact same, totally adorable, and very on sale Coach purse. It is clearly a sign from the universe that we are meant to match; two hours later we got the exact same amount of self-serve frozen yogurt from Sweet Endings. I love coincidences like that. They cause me to have esoteric ponderings about genetic determinism. Or perhaps we just have an ounce-for-ounce matching love of frozen yogurt.
I also bought sunglasses that did not cost 5 dollars and do not say Panama Jack on the side. Those were my favorites from a Walgreens in Sarasota. I'm a huge fan of crappy sunglasses because I tend to lose things easily. I especially like buying them at rest stops. Well yesterday I bought Mr. Marc Jacobs' sunglasses. I don't have any pictures of them because right after I bought them I went to get my makeup done and the makeup artiste was a little heavy handed with the black eyeliner. I looked like a drag queen. The worst part was trying to get the makeup off later. So there is also not a picture of the sunglasses today because my poor eyes were mad at me after I tried to use body lotion to remove the eyeliner. Supposedly that works. I disagree. Do not try it. It burns. The other momentous thing that happened this weekend was that my sister and I went shopping at the outlets and bought the exact same, totally adorable, and very on sale Coach purse. It is clearly a sign from the universe that we are meant to match; two hours later we got the exact same amount of self-serve frozen yogurt from Sweet Endings. I love coincidences like that. They cause me to have esoteric ponderings about genetic determinism. Or perhaps we just have an ounce-for-ounce matching love of frozen yogurt.
Thursday, April 28, 2011
Spring
I can't wait to take my photography class! I have no idea what I'm doing. Or I have some vague idea because I have eyes and I see things that are pretty. But I think I'm underutilizing the bells and whistles on the old camera. Don't even get me started on Photoshop. Thankfully I downloaded some "actions" for Photoshop and I can make this...
look like this...
Rittenhouse today...
and in yesteryear...
look like this...
Rittenhouse today...
and in yesteryear...
Wednesday, April 27, 2011
Cupcakes
I never like the buttercream frosting I make for cakes at home. It is always missing something I can't put my finger on. This frosting, however, is missing nothing. Totally delicious. As are the cupcakes. 
Vanilla Bean Cupcakes (from Joy the Baker who I think got them from someone else but this is not a research paper so I'm not going to go out of my way with the citations). I believe the frosting is hers.
makes 24 cupcakes
2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter, softened
1 3/4 cup granulated sugar
4 large eggs
1 cup whole milk
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 vanilla bean, seeds scraped out
2 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line two cupcake pans with liners and set aside. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder and salt. In a small bowl, whisk together milk, vanilla extract and vanilla bean seeds. In a stand mixer (if you have one), fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Otherwise use beaters for 100 years and ask for a stand mixer for your birthday. Scrape down the sides of the bowl to make sure everything is mixed in.
Add the eggs, one at a time, beating for one minute after each addition. The mixture might look a bit curdled but keep going. With the mixer on low speed, alternately add the flour mixture and the vanilla milk mixture in three batches, starting and ending with the flour. When the batter is almost combined, stop the mixer and finish mixing the batter with a spatula, making sure that everything from the bottom of the bowl is well incorporated.
Use an ice cream scoop to divvy up batter into pan. Or a spoon. But an ice cream scoop is easier. Bake for 25 minutes or until golden and a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow to cool in the pan for 10 minutes before removing to cool completely before frosting.
The Best Chocolate Buttercream Frosting (I agree)
makes enough to frost 24 cupcakes or one 8-inch layer cake (I don't agree, I ran out toward the end).
1 1/2 sticks (3/4 cup) unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 1/4 cup powdered sugar, sifted
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 tablespoons milk
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/3 cup Ovaltine
Cream together butter, cocoa powder and salt. Butter mixture will be very thick. Turn off the mixer, scrape down the sides of the bowl and add powdered sugar. Turn mixer on low and mix in powdered sugar while adding milk and vanilla extract. As the sugar incorporates, raise the speed of the mixer to beat the frosting. Beat until smooth. In a 1-cup measuring glass, stir together heavy cream and Ovaltine. Turn mixer speed to medium and pour cream mixture into frosting in a slow, steady stream, until you’ve reached your desired consistency. You may not need the full amount of Ovaltine and cream. I only used about half. And it was not really pourable. No clue, but it still tastes and looks great.
Vanilla Bean Cupcakes (from Joy the Baker who I think got them from someone else but this is not a research paper so I'm not going to go out of my way with the citations). I believe the frosting is hers.
makes 24 cupcakes
2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter, softened
1 3/4 cup granulated sugar
4 large eggs
1 cup whole milk
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 vanilla bean, seeds scraped out
2 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line two cupcake pans with liners and set aside. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder and salt. In a small bowl, whisk together milk, vanilla extract and vanilla bean seeds. In a stand mixer (if you have one), fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Otherwise use beaters for 100 years and ask for a stand mixer for your birthday. Scrape down the sides of the bowl to make sure everything is mixed in.
Add the eggs, one at a time, beating for one minute after each addition. The mixture might look a bit curdled but keep going. With the mixer on low speed, alternately add the flour mixture and the vanilla milk mixture in three batches, starting and ending with the flour. When the batter is almost combined, stop the mixer and finish mixing the batter with a spatula, making sure that everything from the bottom of the bowl is well incorporated.
Use an ice cream scoop to divvy up batter into pan. Or a spoon. But an ice cream scoop is easier. Bake for 25 minutes or until golden and a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow to cool in the pan for 10 minutes before removing to cool completely before frosting.
The Best Chocolate Buttercream Frosting (I agree)
makes enough to frost 24 cupcakes or one 8-inch layer cake (I don't agree, I ran out toward the end).
1 1/2 sticks (3/4 cup) unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 1/4 cup powdered sugar, sifted
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 tablespoons milk
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/3 cup Ovaltine
Cream together butter, cocoa powder and salt. Butter mixture will be very thick. Turn off the mixer, scrape down the sides of the bowl and add powdered sugar. Turn mixer on low and mix in powdered sugar while adding milk and vanilla extract. As the sugar incorporates, raise the speed of the mixer to beat the frosting. Beat until smooth. In a 1-cup measuring glass, stir together heavy cream and Ovaltine. Turn mixer speed to medium and pour cream mixture into frosting in a slow, steady stream, until you’ve reached your desired consistency. You may not need the full amount of Ovaltine and cream. I only used about half. And it was not really pourable. No clue, but it still tastes and looks great.
Thursday, April 21, 2011
Que lindo! or would it be que linda?
Cake Balls Take 2. Yellow cake. Chocolate icing. Cake ball perfection. They were a little less lumpy this time due to a longer stay in the freezer; midway through their creation I was distracted by a Skype fourway. I love them with the sprinkles, plus they cover up some of the imperfections that make them look like dumpy little blobs instead of elegant balls of cakey goo robed in the finest non-returnable chocolate purchased from Sheila's Party World. Make! Enjoy!
Update: I decided to post the recipe instead of linking to it
Cake Balls
(adapted from Bakerella). Check out her website for decorating ideas!
1 box cake mix and ingredients to make it- I used yellow cake
1 16 oz tub frosting- I used chocolate
1 lb candy melts or chocolate bark- I used chocolate
wax paper
decorations
Bake the cake according to directions on the box for a 9x13 cake. Allow it to cool completely. I take it out of the pan immediately to help it cool faster because (a) I'm usually baking at night and I don't want to be up until 2 am and (b) I don't care if it cracks or breaks because it gets crumbled anyway.
After the cake is cooled, crumble it into a large bowl. Don't worry if there are crunchy bits, it will all get mixed in. Add about 3/4 tub of frosting. Mix well with a wooden spoon until it comes together and looks sort of like dough. Add more frosting if it seems dry. It's sort of inexact.
Use a cookie scoop to make balls and then roll with hands to even out. Or, roll with your hands into quarter-ish to golf ball-ish sized balls in the first place. If it seems like it will be two good bites of cake, it's probably the right size. Put on a cookie sheet and refrigerate until not squishy (a few hours). Or, put in the freezer (see reason I take cake out of pan immediately).
Melt candy melts or bark. Dip each ball into chocolate until well coated. I've tried a spoon, I've tried a fondue fork, I've tried a regular fork. I don't have a good system. Whatever works to get the cake balls coated. Try to tap off excess chocolate. Place them on a wax paper covered plate or cookie sheet to harden. If you want to decorate with sprinkles, you have to do it immediately after dipping because they harden really quickly.
That's it! You can refrigerate or store at room temperature. Apparently they last a long time, but so far mine haven't stuck around more than a few hours.
Notes: Michael's has tons of flavors/colors of candy melts. So does Sheila's Party World (and I imagine other Party Worlds not owned by Sheila). I think you can really do any cake/frosting combo that you want. The yellow cake/chocolate frosting combo was definitely the most popular in my world. Although no one complained about the devils food/cream cheese frosting combo either.
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
Fruit
I HATE bananas. Well known fact for all who know me. I don't like the smell, taste, texture, or anything about bananas. I have returned smoothies which had bananas in them, as the lady argued with me that bananas gave a better consistency. I understand bananas are good for you and contain potassium and are an excellent breakfast or treat for after running. My running career was relatively short lived so I don't worry about that too much, but I tend to go for the soft pretzel after a well-walked "race" anyway. For a long while, I banned bananas in my immediate vicinity, but my office this year is quite small and that's not really fair to my friends and coworkers who enjoy the occasional (or twice daily) banana. Despite my love for all things baked, I can't do banana bread either. Have you ever noticed that when baked, the seeds in bananas look like hairs? Since I never buy bananas, I never have to worry about what to do with overripe bananas but many people make banana bread out of them. Well, when my friend and her son came to visit, all I was instructed to buy was bananas. Which I did. Because I'm a good person. But I forgot to tell my friend to take the bananas when she left so I now have two OVERRIPE bananas on my counter (I cropped out the clutter): 
So here's the thing. Every night I've come home from work, and thought, huh, I should make banana bread. No need for them to go to waste. The problem is that the last time I made banana bread, (it has occurred on occasion because I have a sister who I like a lot who likes bananas) I had to hold my nose because the smell gave me a tummy ache. So I have neither made banana bread nor thrown the bananas away. I'm gearing myself up to do one of those two things. As soon as I get a biohazard suit and some tongs.
Sunday, April 17, 2011
There's no basement at the Alamo!
Monday, April 11, 2011
What it would be like to run a B & B?
So I made a very cute little boy pancakes this morning. If he had asked me to make him an elaborate breakfast buffet I would have done that too. I also would have given him world peace if he had asked. He didn't, but we did have a good talk about our favorite zoo animals. Mine is a camel in case anyone is curious.
I like to make my pancakes in shapes, so I made an S, a W (inexplicably his favorite letter), and a mancake. My brother invented mancakes but that is a story for another time. So I loaded the pancakes up with chocolate chips because that's how it's done at AnnaNicole's house, dumped 2 kinds of syrup on them, and sent him along with his mommy with a sugar high that probably hit about 15 minutes out of Philadelphia. But how can you resist this face? Wearing only Big Bird underwear at the breakfast table??
And then I got home from work and I made these delicious scones, which should be made immediately (unless you are my coworker because then we might have too many scones tomorrow morning).
My picture takin' ain't so bad!
I like to make my pancakes in shapes, so I made an S, a W (inexplicably his favorite letter), and a mancake. My brother invented mancakes but that is a story for another time. So I loaded the pancakes up with chocolate chips because that's how it's done at AnnaNicole's house, dumped 2 kinds of syrup on them, and sent him along with his mommy with a sugar high that probably hit about 15 minutes out of Philadelphia. But how can you resist this face? Wearing only Big Bird underwear at the breakfast table??
And then I got home from work and I made these delicious scones, which should be made immediately (unless you are my coworker because then we might have too many scones tomorrow morning).
My picture takin' ain't so bad!
Thursday, April 7, 2011
Chef Paul's chocolate balls
I'm in the process of making chocolate cake balls, which sounds just saucy enough to make me chuckle. I have a younger brother and many younger boy cousins and on vacation one year we had a personal chef (one evening only, we're not that fancy) whose specialty was chocolate truffles, lovingly referred to as Chef Paul's chocolate balls. I digress. Cake balls/cake pops are tres chic these days. I am not one to get left behind on a trend (a baking trend anyway). I bought candy melts at a shady party supply store. I hope they aren't made of lead and poison. The best thing is I needed no new pans.
I had an interesting conversation (or gmail chat) with my madre today, who suggested that prior to moving, I purge my old clothes (great idea) and my kitchen (bad idea)! It got me thinking that while I believe I have a moderately well stocked kitchen from both appliance and bakeware perspectives, others might find it a tad cluttered. And I don't even have madeleine pans, or mini springform pans, or popover pans. And I only have six metal pie pans and two ceramic ones (I used to have three but one met an untimely end during a Canadian Thanksgiving party). What if I needed to make ten pies one day? I'm also unsatisfied with the number of mini muffin tins I have. So no mommy, no I will not get rid of my kitchen things! I might even buy some new ones. And since I'm a real grown up with a real job I can do that.
Update: they look more like Miracle Max's miracles than fancy cake balls...
I had an interesting conversation (or gmail chat) with my madre today, who suggested that prior to moving, I purge my old clothes (great idea) and my kitchen (bad idea)! It got me thinking that while I believe I have a moderately well stocked kitchen from both appliance and bakeware perspectives, others might find it a tad cluttered. And I don't even have madeleine pans, or mini springform pans, or popover pans. And I only have six metal pie pans and two ceramic ones (I used to have three but one met an untimely end during a Canadian Thanksgiving party). What if I needed to make ten pies one day? I'm also unsatisfied with the number of mini muffin tins I have. So no mommy, no I will not get rid of my kitchen things! I might even buy some new ones. And since I'm a real grown up with a real job I can do that.
Update: they look more like Miracle Max's miracles than fancy cake balls...
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