TWD: Perfect (Birthday) Party Cake

While you never stop learning in life (and boy some of the lessons are fun, aren’t they?), you do pick up a few tips as you muddle through.

1.                    Play to your strengths.  In other words, avoid your weak areas.  Run from them.  After over a year of seeing my how my interpretations stack up against a host of others’, I think we can all agree that my decorating/construction skills are lacking at best.  There was the leaning tower of tiramisu cake and who can forget the saddest little jack-o-lanterns ever?  Considering those masterpieces, I wasn’t about to attempt to slice a cake this thin in half.  Fool me 837 times and I finally get it.  We enjoyed a two-tiered cake.

As for layering frosting and jam?  Yeah, right.  You let me know when mangled goo looks appetizing and I’ll try the layering.  Fresh blueberries all the way.

2.                    Know your audience.   It was Patty’s birthday and Patty…LOVES whipped cream.  Really loves it.  This gave me the perfect excuse to skip buttercream which 1) is complicated and 2) is not my favorite.   Despite the pounds I rip through baking, I don’t really love the taste of butter.  But we’ll tackle that paradox another time.  I tried to make a chocolate whipped cream to account for the glaring lack of chocolate in Patty’s birthday cake.  I didn’t have the 4+ hours to tackle the version in the back of BFMHTY so I opted for a Maida Heatter version.  It was good but decidedly not very chocolatey.

Overall, I liked this cake.  I taste tested the batter (natch) and it was better than I expected.  I went with lime zest because I thought it would go well with the blueberries.  In the end, however, it was still white cake, which will never make my heart sing.  I offered a small layer of white at our wedding for the purists but I didn’t go anywhere near it.  I suppose there are occasions where this would be the perfect cake but those occasions probably call for elegant cakes.  If there is one thing my cakes aren’t, it is elegant.

My “helper.”  He is only in it for the sink “concoctions.”

The full recipe is at mix, mix…stir, stir by Carol.

Next week:  Brownies!  I don’t want to jinx it but I haven’t been disappointed by a Dorie brownie yet…

TWD: Not so fast…it’s a Whopper Cake

Happy Father’s Day to two great dads!

Well, it’s not exactly Roasted Coconut Pineapple Dacquoise.  I didn’t have an opportunity to make this ahead of time so it fell on father’s day weekend for me.  I have known the father I live with (Jamie) for almost 15 years and, in that time, I have never seen him eat anything coconut or profess any opinion about it whatsoever.  No german chocolate cake, no pina coladas.  Nuthin’.  For all I know, he could be a total coconut snob who will only deign to eat it within minutes of it falling off the tree (not likely here on the plains).  Or, he could be allergic.   Maybe he ate 15 Mounds bars in one sitting in junior high and hasn’t been able to look it in the eye since.  It’s anyone’s guess…I do know he isn’t so into meringue.  My dad likes coconut but I couldn’t see him drooling over the rest of it.  The final kicker was the kids’ ardent and vocal desire to make a “whopper cake” from the back of a library book.

Whopper cake in; dacquoise out.  I really hate to skip a week and try my best not to.  This is my 3^rd miss out of 63 (63!!) weeks.   If it hadn’t been father’s day, I probably would have sucked it up and made this sans coconut.  While I would like to promise that I will get back to this one, that may be wishful thinking.  But, who knows, when we get to the end of the book I might be tormented by those few recipes I didn’t get to.  If the dacquoise becomes my telltale heart, I’ll find some willing recipient.

Helpers extradordinaire

As for the whopper cake, I sadly admit there are no Whoppers or equivalent malted candies anywhere in the cake.  The title refers to the cake in the book, which is baked in the back of a truck bed.  Silly Grandpa gets a little crazy with the measurements for his wife’s cake.  It was very easy and good, but not my favorite chocolate cake.  I did, however, use a recipe I found in my clippings book (so last century) for Satin Frosting.  It was in a NY Times article in 2006 and they “borrowed” it from the Joy of Cooking.  SUPER easy and a great glossy finish.  I will definitely be making it again.

Satin Frosting

Ingredients

1. 1 c. heavy cream
2. 6 oz. unsweetened chocolate chopped
3. 3 c. powdered sugar
4. 6 tbsp butter (I let mine soften)
5. 1 tsp. vanilla (I forgot this)

Boil the heavy cream.  Add the chopped chocolate and wait 10 minutes.  Scrape into food processor.  Add melted butter, powdered sugar and vanilla.  Process until smooth and then process one minute more.  Let sit at room temperature until desired thickness.  I don’t know exactly how long that would be.  I processed mine, ate a quick lunch and frosted away.

TWD: honey peach ice cream

OK.

1. My original post was going to be something along the lines of a celebration of summer.  I was making the ice cream on Saturday and it was supposed to be low 80s and sunny.  Perfect summer day.  I had visions of peach ice cream after the pool.   Of course, it was mid 70s and cloudy…great for gardening, watching a movie, hiking, plenty of things really…none of which remotely scream peach ice cream.
2. Take 2.  The next post was going to somehow involve ice cream preferences (big hunks, no hunks, cone, cup, etc – you get the idea).   For the record, I pureed all my peaches.  Then I got sick Saturday night after eating a giant peach ice cream sandwich.  I hope – really hope – the two were not related.  But, tolerance for any long post about ice cream was gone.  GONE.
3. So, by strange circumstance, I was the only one who happened to eat the ice cream on Saturday.  I have banned it from anyone else until I take another test (probably tonight).  Wish me luck.  Cuz the peach ice cream stuffed between two peanut butter oatmeal cookies was good.   So good I am willing to test it again after Saturday night’s fiasco.

You wouldn’t hurt me, would you?

Thanks to Tommi of Brown Interior for forcing us to dust off the ice cream maker and embrace summer.  The recipe is at Brown Interior.

Next week:  Coconut Roasted Pineapple Dacquoise.  I am trying wrap my brain around how I am going to make this the same week as father’s day.  This isn’t what either of the dads in my life would order.  And, of course, I haven’t baked ahead.  Stay tuned.

TWD: Not-so-apple Parisian Tart

Let’s get one thing straight.  I love apples.  Truly.  If an apple a day keeps the doctor away, I figure I’m good til about 138.  But, and there is always one isn’t there, it’s June.  I have been surviving on apples, pears and the occasional orange for months upon months now.  To say I am ready to move on would be an understatement.  The second other fruits starting appearing regularly in the grocery, I start buying them (even though I know their arrival is always a bit premature).  Come late August I will be salivating over Pink Ladys, Jonagolds and the sheer beauty of a McIntosh.  But that is August (and through what always seems like the never ending midwestern hell some people politely refer to as winter).

Cherry, nectarine, mango, combo

So, with Dorie’s stated approval, I ventured forth in other directions.  I had three tarts to make and a mango (sigh), cherries (double sigh) and a nectarine ready to go.  It being summer (hooray! it just can’t be said enough), I had a date with the pool and not homemade puff pastry.  Pepperidge Farm at the ready.

This is the kind of dessert that seems deceptively difficult if you don’t spend much time in the kitchen.  It is a lot of bang for your buck without a lot of effort on your part.  I am not sure this is something I would make a special trip to the store to get puff pastry for, but it is definitely something I would make again if there are leftovers in the freezer (as there are right now).  You will have to check out those who persevered through the homemade puff pastry to see if their efforts were rewarded.

I cut all the variations (cherry, mango, nectarine and cherry-mango) into little slices and we all agreed the cherry was the best.  Pitting the cherries increased the effort required but, since a miniscule amount fit on each tart, don’t let it scare you off.

The full recipe is on Jessica’s blog My Baking Heart. Next week:  honey peach ice cream.  Now, we are really talking summer.

TWD: Cinnamon Squares (aka Cappucino Cake)

Car-in-shop + AC-on-the-fritz + last-day-of-school + yard-torn-up-from-front-walkway-repairs + usual-adult-responsibilities = lack of real post.  (I am barely even making it on Tuesday)

I made the cappuccino version (the alliteration of Cappuccino Cake appeals to me).  Hubs and I liked it.  Too sophisticated for Will.   Unappetizing (surprise) to Colin.  The chocolate frosting is *required* if you going for dessert.  If you are going for coffee cake, I would give it at least a struesel topping.  But I am not much one for plain jane desserts.

Recipe is at Tracey’s Culinary Adventures.  Next week: Tarts for the tarts!

TWD: Chipster Topped Brownies (a long overdue idea)

From the what-took-them-so-long-to-come-up-with-this file:

1. Flavored toothpaste for kids
2. Resealable raisin bags
3. Velcro sneakers
4. Clorox/Tide pens
5. Flip top soup cans
6. Chipster-topped brownies

 Let’s face it.  There are things in life that you appreciate but you can see how it took a lifetime to discover them.  We couldn’t go straight from three channels with no remote (not including youngest child in the room, of course) to DVR complete with caller ID on the TV (praise be!).  Other things, however, seem so obvious it is shocking that they weren’t around sooner.  We didn’t have DVRs in the 70s but we had flavors for crying out loud.  Why we were all stuck with mint toothpaste is a wonder.  We had Velcro long before parents were freed from the daily hourly burden of re-tieing a four old’s sneaker.   My purple Trapper Keeper was really the best use for the stuff?

Following this train of thought, it came as a complete and utter shock for me to realize that I entered middle age** before I had ever had brownie and cookie together.  Really?  These aren’t at my local bakery much less produced and waiting for my children at the local convenience store?  Shocking.   Dorie missed her chance for millions I think.

Cookie + brownie + ice cream = all swimsuits happily in the trash

Clearly, we enjoyed these.  Some members of my family really enjoyed them and they were gone by nightfall.  No joke.  Patty put them on her Dorie top 5 list (which seems a wee bit bigger than five these days, but I am not going to nitpick when it comes to positive feedback).  The differences between the layers weren’t as pronounced as I thought they would be but I don’t think it mattered in the end.  We will definitely make these again.  I should probably go for the gusto and make a whole batch next time but I am not sure they would last any longer.

Thanks to Beth at Supplicious for an awesome recipe!  The full recipe is at her site.  Check out the other brownies here.

** Splicht.  Plooey.  Splatt.  It is difficult for me to write middle-aged but, since 74 seems firmly in the senior citizen camp, I suppose I am obliged.  Reluctantly.

What happens when you turn your attention to the cookie layer…

TWD: My Fresh Mango Bread! (well, my pick anyway)

I have said it before…fruit is my environmental downfall.  OK, I have several but that is beside the point.  My enduring and ardent love of fruit knows no bounds.  My assistant once remarked that she half expects to walk into my office and find I have turned into a fruit basket.  Now, don’t get me wrong, I love chocolate and don’t stand between me and a bowl of ice cream.  But, I think it has been years since I have gone a day without fresh fruit.  My name is Kelly and I routinely ignore the carbon footprint of my daily snack.

At the top of my fruit pyramid, mangoes and cherries are tied.  My husband once said to me that if I could marry a mango I would.  That I did not discover them until my 20s I consider a glaring omission in an otherwise satisfying childhood.  So, I had been eyeing the Fresh Mango Bread for awhile.  After the chocolate intense month of April, it seemed like the perfect choice.  And, for me, it was.

I really enjoyed this bread.  I enjoyed it so much I ate two pieces late at night when it came out of the oven (I really liked it warm).  And another giant slice the next morning for breakfast.  And a nibble after work.  It was getting ugly.  The brown sugar, the mango, the cinnamon…irresistable in the true sense of the word.

So, I made a second loaf that I lightened up.  I wish taste were the only consideration out there but my jeans would argue otherwise.  I adored this bread in its original incarnation and enjoyed it in my version.  Make Dorie’s when you are looking for a treat or need to bribe someone (my neighbor will be getting a loaf when his garden starts producing tomatoes and zucchini).  Consider my version when you are craving something different for breakfast and aren’t ready to commit to indulgence.

Mango 2.0

In an unfortunate twist of timing, I am in an all day meeting at work on Tuesday and gone most of the day on Wednesday.  I really want to get to as many blogs as I can but it may take a little while.

Fresh Mango Bread (my changes are in red).

Ingredients

3 large eggs (1 small container plain non-fat yogurt)

3/4 flavorless oil, such as canola or safflower (3/8 c of oil; 1/2 c of applesauce)

2.5 cups all purpose flour (2.25 c of whole wheat pastry flour; 1/4 c oat bran)

1 c sugar (1/2 c. sugar)

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1.5 tsp ground ginger (1/2 tsp)

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 c (packed) light brown sugar (3/8 cup)

2 c diced mango

3/4 c moist, plump golden raisins (didn’t have golden…)

Grated zest of 1/2 lime

Directions

Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.  Butter an 8.5 x 4.5 inch loaf pan, dust the inside with flour and tap out the excess.  Put the pan on an insulated baking sheet or on two regular baking sheets stacked one on top of the other.  (This extra insulation will keep the bottom of the bread from overbaking).

Whisk the eggs and oil together.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, spices and salt.  Rub the brown sugar between your palms into the bowl, breaking up any lumps, then stir it in.  Pour the wet ingredients over the dry, switch to a sturdy rubber spatula or wooden spoon and mix until blended — the batter will be very thick (really more like a dough than a batter) and not easily mixed, but persevere, it will soon come together.  Stir in the mango, raisins, and zest.  Scrape the batter into the pan and smooth the top with a rubber spatula.

Bake the bread for 1.5 hours, or until it is golden brown and a thin knife inserted ino the center comes out clean.  (If the bread looks as if it’s getting too brown as it bakes, cover it loosely with a foil tent).  I did this at 45 minutes. Transfer the pan to a rack and cool for 5 minutes before running a knife around the sides of the pan and unmolding.  Invert and cool to room temperature right side up on the rack.

TWD: Lemon (strawberry) Tart

Major announcement:  These pictures were not – I repeat – were not taken with my laptop.  They are the product of an actual camera.  A Thanks, Jamie!  Unfortunately, it was late in the day before I got it charged and the weather gods decided this Mother’s Day should be gloomy and melancholy.  Oh well, it is a still a camera.  The photography can only improve from here.  Huzzah!

As for the tart, I wasn’t really feeling it this week.  I started late in the day and was lacking in my usual enthusiasm.  I made a six inch in my springform.  In fact, I was really really wishing I had some graham crackers on hand for the crust.  What kind of mother of two young children has no graham crackers in the pantry?  I feel certain I am breaking some unwritten rule.  Since I didn’t think the ranch flavored Goldfish (I know…ick) would be a good fit, I quickly threw together the crust.

Speed was my downfall.  I was rushing too much to see the abandoned bowl of melted butter on the counter…until I had thrown the tart in the oven.  Oops.  Unfortunately, since I decided to get cute and put sliced strawberries in the tart, I couldn’t just dump out the filling and mix it all together.  Looking back, I wish I would have thrown it all back into the blender.  I bet it would have turned a cool pink shade.  But, my thoughts were more along the lines of “Oh, crap. I boiled the damn peel only to skip the butter.  Idiot.”  So, I carefully poured the butter in, stirred and prayed.

Happily, I don’t think you could tell.  We had no comparison but nothing seemed glaringly out of place.  The lemon wasn’t too tart and I did like the addition of the strawberries (I thought they would stay on the bottom – boy it would be nice to know what I am doing sometimes).  Truthfully, though, I really liked the Most Extraordinary Lemon Cream Tart better.  It was the recipe that convinced me to join TWD.  So, when a lemon tart is necessary I will probably go with that one.

I don’t have any pictures as I made it on Saturday (pre-camera), but the Sour Cream Coffee Cake from Baked?  oh my.  An amazing coffee cake.  I gave a small one to  my 95 yr old grandma and she couldn’t stop eating it.  I found the recipe on Megan’s site.  Make it.  Soon.

The full recipe is at Babette Feasts.  Next week:  Fresh Mango Bread.  My choice!  I hope it works out…the pressure.

TWD: Tiramisu is so money

Tiramisu…is a da bomb!

Tiramisu…schwing?

Yup.  I’m going there.  Dorie was right.  Tiramisu was everywhere in the 90s (and still makes a respectable showing).  I myself went through an 18 month period when I ordered it every time it was on the menu.  Then, and I am sorry to admit this is the honest truth, it randomly occurred to me one day that I prefer about a million other desserts, especially ones that up the chocolate quotient.  Tiramisu was my favorite dessert…not!  Either I was just sucked into the hype or had experienced a tiramisu overload – both are entirely possible.  It wasn’t as bad as the time my friend and I ate an entire bag of Nacho Cheese Doritos while watching Valley Girl and pining for our own Randy (Nicholas Cage).  I still can’t stand the sight or smell of those.  But, I haven’t ordered tiramisu in probably 15 years.

I was stoked when one of my favorite bloggers, Megan of My Baking Adventures, chose the Tiramisu Cake this week. Coffee, cake, cream…sweet. I made half the recipe in a 6 inch springform. Next time I need to use two separate pans – my layering/cutting skills are hella bad. I did not halve the syrup or the filling/frosting. As if.

ignore the slope…

Since we are going back to the 90s with this one, I have decided my cake is an ode to the style and spirit of grunge.  I scoff at your perfectly flat and frosted cakes.  Cobain lives!

PS  the cake was dope.  We ate it in like 10 seconds.

Peace out, dawg.

TWD: Mainlining Chocolate (Cream Tart)

GOOD

BETTER

OH MY…

Things I expect to find in the afterlife:

1. Loved ones I have lost and family members gone before I was born, especially those with interesting stories (great great aunt Mary, I am so looking you up).

2. The perfect swimsuit.

3. Justification for a few life events that has so far escaped me.

4. A reasonable explanation for the indestructible packaging on children’s toys, specifically the little gray wires (see also Howie Mandel and cankles).

5. My grandparents as young people.

6. Calorie free ice cream.

7. All of the photographs I have accidentally been part of (courtesy of Jamie).

8. Animals long extinct.

9. The real and proper ending to Deadwood (shame on you, HBO).

10. Chocolate cream tart. Slightly chilled.

For the full recipe go see Kim at Scrumptious Photography.  To see other tarts click here.

Next week:  tiramisu cake.  Back to the gym….