Baking

 

My favorite time of the day is when I realize that I am about to create something fun and unique!  Please use this post to ask me any questions or give suggestions on something you want to see me make.    The image on the right shows my dual colored piped frosting on mini homemade oreos.  Click here to visit my homemade Oreo recipe:  Homemade Oreo Cookies

The image on the left (or above) is a cake I made that is covered in frosting roses and yellow sparkle sugar.  The roses on the cake represent my first try at hand frosted roses.  To see more frosting roses please visit the following link: Frosting Tips - Flowers

Chocolate Thin Mint Girl Scout Cookies

This is a recipe for chocolate-dipped mint cookies, similar to the thin mint girl scout cookies.
Tools required:
mixing bowl, mixing spoon, rolling pin, cookie cutter, measuring cups/spoons, cookie tray, plastic wrap, spatula

Here is the recipe:
Chocolate Thin Mint Girl Scout Cookies
^{Makes 30 cookies}

Ingredients for cookies:
3 Tbsp butter
1 egg white
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
pinch of Baking Soda (1/16 of a tsp, but if you get more it is ok)
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1/2 cup flour (plus 1/4 cup)
2 drops pure peppermint or mint oil (If using mint or peppermint extract it'll be about a 1/4 tsp if not more, as the extract is not as concentrated as the oil)

Ingredients for mint buttercream layer:
2 cup packed powdered sugar
4 Tbsp melted butter
2-3 drops pure peppermint oil (again you will need more if using extract instead of oil)
1/2 tsp milk

Ingredients for melted chocolate:
1 1/2 c milk chocolate chips

 

For step by step instructions with pictures visit my page at: www.instructables.com/id/Chocolate-Covered-Thin-Mint-Cook...

Directions for cookies:

1. Combine all ingredients together.  Add the extra 1/4 cup flour as needed, until dough is roll-able and not sticky at all. 

2.  Flour the surface of a clean counter and use a rolling pin to roll the dough very thin. Use a cookie cutter to cut rolled dough into desired shapes.

3. Bake at 325 F  for 4-7 minutes on a greased cookie sheet, or until cookies have firmed.  For crunchier cookies let them cook a bit longer.  Remove from oven and cool completely.

Directions for buttercream:

1. Mix ingredients together (with a spoon, and then by hand, it is easier) until frosting dough becomes thick, you may need more powdered sugar. 

2. Spread powered sugar on a clean counter top and use a rolling pin to roll out that frosting-dough. You want the mint dough to be somewhere around 1/4″ thick, but if you make it thinner it will still be great!

3.  Use the same cookie cutter that you used to cut the cookies, and cut the frosting-dough into your chosen shape(s). 

4.  Place the cut frosting on top of cooled cookies.

Now you need to melt chocolate for dipping.  Many people fear melting/dipping things in chocolate -- but I know a fool-proof way, just follow the instructions below.

1.  Get milk chocolate chips, or unwrap a couple handfuls of Hershey kisses.  Place the chocolate into microwave-safe glass bowl.

2.  Heat the chocolate for about 1 min, in the microwave and then stir.  Continue to heat for 30 second intervals until you can stir out all the chunks.  Do not get ANY amount of water in the chocolate, and do not overcook.

3.  Now you are ready to dip your cookies.  Note that there is no added butter, or sugar to the chocolate, it is not needed.  You can also use the easy melt-away chocolates that you can get from your local baking store.

4. The easiest way to dip the cookies is to not dip them at all.  Simply spoon chocolate on top of the cookie, and use the bottom of the spoon to spread around the cookie top and sides. 

Allow cookies to dry on a piece of parchment paper, foil, or plastic wrap also works.  Place cookies in the refrigerator, or freezer to let the chocolate set.

Photographs are © Copyright to me (or others when indicated) and are not in the public domain and may not be used on blogs, websites, or in other media without advance written permission from me.

Batman Cake

I decorated and frosted this frosted cake.  The client really loved it.
The above image was takens before final finishing and delivery, I didn't remember to take any more photos of the cake.  The inside of the cake is a marbled checker board cake.

In case you can't tell this is a DC Comic Batman themed cake.  The butter-cream frosting is dual colored (really hard to tell in this picture), but the bottom is lighter blue and fades up to a darker blue.  There are edible stars in the sky and a fondant city silhouette along the bottom of the cake.



Photographs are © Copyright to me (or others when indicated) and are not in the public domain and may not be used on blogs, websites, or in other media without advance written permission from me.

Cinnamon Rolled Bread Recipe

This is my homemade whole wheat cinnamon spice swirl bread. This isn't my usual sugar-sweet recipe, but it is still worth the share. This recipe is actually incredibly low in sugar and very healthy for you. A glaze made of powdered sugar, butter and milk can be added to the top of the loaf if you're serving it at a party and want it to be a sweet treat instead of a good breakfast or less-sweet treat.
*Pictured is the plain cinnamon bread -- however raisins, walnuts, ginger, nutmeg, cloves, allspice, pumpkin pie spice, orange juice (spritz orange instead of water on the cinnamon).

I also add very (very) thinly sliced apples and roll it up in the swirl to make some very good and moist bread.

When I use orange juice instead of water, I also add orange zest to the actual bread dough, to make a lovely winter bread that friends and family will love. **

Here is the recipe:
Cinnamon Raisin Bread

Ingredients
1 (.25 ounce) package active dry yeast
1/4 cup warm water (105 degrees to 115 degrees)
2 cups warm milk (110 to 115 degrees F)
1/3 cup sugar
1/4 cup vegetable oil
2 teaspoons salt
5 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups raisins **

1 tablespoon ground cinnamon **
1/2 cup sugar
1 tablespoon water**

Directions
1. In a mixing bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Add milk, 1/3 cup sugar, oil, salt and 2 cups flour. Beat until smooth. Add raisins and enough remaining flour to form a soft dough. Turn onto a floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, about 6-8 minutes. Place in a greased bowl, turning once to grease top. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1-1/4 hours.
2. Punch dough down. On a lightly floured surface, divide in half. Roll each into a 15-in. x 7-in. rectangle. Combine cinnamon and remaining sugar; sprinkle over dough. Sprinkle with water.Roll and Cover and let rise until doubled, about 1 hour.
3. Bake at 350 degrees F for 30-35 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from pans to wire racks to cool completely.




Photographs are © Copyright to me (or others when indicated) and are not in the public domain and may not be used on blogs, websites, or in other media without advance written permission from me.

Cookies and Cream Fudge

Here is a picture of the Cookies and Cream Fudge that I made. It tastes AMAZING!!! I seriously had a hard time not eating it all, I had to give some of it away! If you want to try it out (you should, because it is so amazingly good) please feel free.

The recipe:

Cookies and Cream Fudge

Ingredients:
3 c sugar
¾ c (1.5 sticks) butter
2/3 c (5 oz) evaporated milk
2 c white chocolate chips
1 jar (7oz) marshmallow cream
1 tsp vanilla extract
½ c finely crushed Oreo cookies (takes about 1 row of cookies, or one roll)
1 cup crushed Oreo cookies (usually 4-6 cookies, to spread on top)

Directions:
For thick fudge, use a 9in pan, for thinner fudge use a 12 inch pan. (I prefer the 12 inch pan, as the 9 inch pan made fudge that was very thick!!) Line the pan with foil.
Combine sugar, butter and evaporated milk in a medium(to large) saucepan. Bring to a rolling boil, stirring constantly. Boil, stirring constantly for 3 minutes. Remove from heat.
Stir in white chocolate chips, marshmallow cream, finely crushed cookies and vanilla extract. Pour into prepared pan.
Sprinkle crumbled cookies on top of the fudge and then use a knife to swirl them into the top portion of the fudge, being careful not to touch the bottom of the pan with the knife.
Refrigerate for 1.5 hours, or until set and completely cold. Lift from the pan, and cut into pieces.
Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.


**Oreo Cookies are just cream-filled chocolate sandwich cookies.
*can add mint extract instead of vanilla for cookies and mint-cream fudge. :)


Photographs are © Copyright to me (or others when indicated) and are not in the public domain and may not be used on blogs, websites, or in other media without advance written permission from me.

Rainbow Hawaiian First Birthday Smash Cake

    

I was asked to make a swirled colorful cake that was also chocolate flavored, which was quite the challenge.  I decided to make my usual white cake recipe (re-posted below) as well as a dark chocolate fudge cake recipe.  After separating and coloring the cake batter I put them in the cake pan and swirled them with an offset spatula. 

White Cake recipe

1 c plus 2 Tbsp butter

4 ½ c cake flour  

1 ½ c milk

9 large egg whites, lightly beaten

1 Tbsp vanilla extract

1/2 tsp almond extract

2 Tbsp baking powder

1 ½ tsp salt

2 ¼ c sugar

Directions

1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter and flour three 9-by-2-inch round cake pans, tapping out excess flour.

2.  In a medium bowl, stir together, milk, egg whites, and extracts. Into a second medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt; set aside.

3.  Place butter in a medium bowl and using an electric mixer beat the butter on medium speed for 30 seconds, gradually add the sugar. Continue beating until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.

4.  Add one-third of the flour mixture and one-third of the milk mixture, and beat on low speed until just incorporated. Add remaining flour and milk mixtures in 2 separate batches beating between additions to fully incorporate.

5.  Divide batter evenly between prepared pans. Bake until top of cake springs back when lightly pressed and a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean, 25 to 30 minutes.

6.  Let cakes cool in pans on wire racks for 5 minutes before gently removing the cakes from their pans.  Allow to cool completely before adding any frosting, filling, or other decorations.

(*recipe adapted from a Martha Stuart Cookbook*)

   

I was asked to make two cakes using the method as described above.  The first cake was a “smash cake” for a 1 year old baby and had to look like a giant cupcake but with the rainbow colored cake inside.  The second cake was to be a rectangular single layer cake that I frosted first with chocolate frosting and then piped on detailed swirls and flowers (It was a Hawaiian themed party).