Brettany Bakes.

Pumpkin Cupcakes

2009-09-15T10:05:00.000-07:00

The weather was a little cooler last week and I got in the mood for Fall. It's my favorite season and pumpkin is one of those flavors that brings it home. The pumpkin cake was a recipe from one of my favorite books - Hello Cupcake by Karen Tack and Alan Richardson. It's a modified cake mix recipe so you start with a box of yellow cake mix (I use Duncan Hines) and add to it: 1 cup of canned pumpkin, 1 tsp. pumpkin pie spice, 3/4 c. of butermilk (instead of the water called for on the box), 1/3 c. of oil (instead of the amount called for on the box), and 4 large eggs (one more than the 3 called for on the box). The directions and baking times are the same as on the box. I made some cream cheese icing and topped each of the cupcakes with a candy corn pumpkin. They were delicious!

Happy Autumn!

Squidbillies Cake

2009-08-31T09:42:00.000-07:00

I made my most recent character cake for my fantasy football league live draft this past weekend. I realize that "squidbillies" has absolutely nothing to do with fantasy football but I wanted to do something randomly funny and "Early Cuyler," the patriarch of the hillbilly squid family, was a natural choice.

In honor of Early's strong preference to "get wild on party liquor," the devil's food cake was soaked in a subtle kahlua syrup and was filled with a kahlua-chocolate buttercream.

The carving and icing of the body and tentacles were the most difficult processes of the cake construction. The tentacles were carved down from 2 layers of 10" round cakes and the squid body consists of 2 layers of 6" round cakes. After all the carving, a crumb coat of icing was necessary to get a smoother finish for the squid.

If you watch the show, you know that Early's crudely hillarious trucker hats are part of his simple, Southern charm. I piped our league name (foregone conclusion) on his hat (spelled terribly wrong of course). The hat consists of 2 layers of 6" round cake (the top layer wasn't leveled) and is covered in white and blue fondant. Because the cake was so tall, the hat sits on a separate 6" cardboard round so that it could be removed from the body and cut separately. The bill of the hat is just a thin piece of blue foam sandwiched between the hat and the body.

The cake was delicious and a huge success at the fantasy league draft. "God Bless America!"

Daring Bakers August Challenge_Dobos Torta

2009-08-28T09:34:00.000-07:00

Daring Bakers time again and this month's challenge was a lovely Hungarian cake known as a dobos torta (or torte). It consists of at least 5 thin layers of sponge cake, filled with rich chocolate buttercream and topped with wedges of caramel.

The cake was trying on my patience at times but totally worth the challenge. I'll be taking it to family this weekend to sample - they've been begging me to bring them something : )

The August 2009 Daring Bakers' challenge was hosted by Angela of A Spoonful of Sugar and Lorraine of Not Quite Nigella. They chose the spectacular Dobos Torte based on a recipe from Rick Rodgers' cookbook Kaffeehaus: Exquisite Desserts from the Classic Caffés of Vienna, Budapest, and Prague.

Caramel-making process photos:

Equipment
•2 baking sheets
•9” (23cm) springform tin and 8” cake tin, for templates
•mixing bowls (1 medium, 1 large)
•a sieve
•a double boiler (a large saucepan plus a large heat-proof mixing bowl which fits snugly over the top of the pan)
•a small saucepan
•a whisk (you could use a balloon whisk for the entire cake, but an electric hand whisk or stand mixer will make life much easier)
•metal offset spatula
•sharp knife
•a 7 1/2” cardboard cake round, or just build cake on the base of a sprinfrom tin.
•piping bag and tip, optional

Sponge cake layers
•6 large eggs, separated, at room temperature
•1 1/3 cups (162g) confectioner's (icing) sugar, divided
•1 teaspoon (5ml) vanilla extract
•1 cup plus 2 tablespoons (112g) sifted cake flour (SUBSTITUTE 95g plain flour + 17g cornflour (cornstarch) sifted together)
•pinch of salt

Chocolate Buttercream
•4 large eggs, at room temperature
•1 cup (200g) caster (ultrafine or superfine white) sugar
•4oz (110g) bakers chocolate or your favourite dark chocolate, finely chopped
•2 sticks plus 2 tablespoons (250g) unsalted butter, at room temperature.

Caramel topping
•1 cup (200g) caster (superfine or ultrafine white) sugar
•12 tablespoons (180 ml) water
•8 teaspoons (40 ml) lemon juice
•1 tablespoon neutral oil (e.g. grapeseed, rice bran, sunflower)

Directions for the sponge layers:
(The sponge layers can be prepared in advance and stored interleaved with parchment and well-wrapped in the fridge overnight. )

1.Position the racks in the top and centre thirds of the oven and heat to 400F (200C).
2.Cut six pieces of parchment paper to fit the baking sheets. Using the bottom of a 9" (23cm) springform tin as a template and a dark pencil or a pen, trace a circle on each of the papers, and turn them over (the circle should be visible from the other side, so that the graphite or ink doesn't touch the cake batter.)
3.Beat the egg yolks, 2/3 cup (81g) of the confectioner's (icing) sugar, and the vanilla in a medium bowl with a mixer on high speed until the mixture is thick, pale yellow and forms a thick ribbon when the beaters are lifted a few inches above the batter, about 3 minutes. (You can do this step with a balloon whisk if you don't have a mixer.)
4.In another bowl, using clean beaters, beat the egg whites until soft peaks form. Gradually beat in the remaining 2/3 cup (81g) of confectioner's (icing)sugar until the whites form stiff, shiny peaks. Using a large rubber spatula, stir about 1/4 of the beaten whites into the egg yolk mixture, then fold in the remainder, leaving a few wisps of white visible. Combine the flour and salt. Sift half the flour over the eggs, and fold in; repeat with the remaining flour.
5.Line one of the baking sheets with a circle-marked paper. Using a small offset spatula, spread about 3/4cup of the batter in an even layer, filling in the traced circle on one baking sheet. Bake on the top rack for 5 minutes, until the cake springs back when pressed gently in the centre and the edges are lightly browned. While this cake bakes, repeat the process on the other baking sheet, placing it on the centre rack. When the first cake is done, move the second cake to the top rack. Invert the first cake onto a flat surface and carefully peel off the paper. Slide the cake layer back onto the paper and let stand until cool. Rinse the baking sheet under cold running water to cool, and dry it before lining with another parchment. Continue with the remaining papers and batter to make a total of six layers. Completely cool the layers. Using an 8" springform pan bottom or plate as a template, trim each cake layer into a neat round. (A small serrated knife is best for this task.)

Directions for the chocolate buttercream:

1.Prepare a double-boiler: quarter-fill a large saucepan with water and bring it to a boil.
2.Meanwhile, whisk the eggs with the sugar until pale and thickened, about five minutes. You can use a balloon whisk or electric hand mixer for this.
3.Fit bowl over the boiling water in the saucepan (water should not touch bowl) and lower the heat to a brisk simmer. Cook the egg mixture, whisking constantly, for 2-3 minutes until you see it starting to thicken a bit. Whisk in the finely chopped chocolate and cook, stirring, for a further 2-3 minutes.
4.Scrape the chocolate mixture into a medium bowl and leave to cool to room temperature. It should be quite thick and sticky in consistency.
5.When cool, beat in the soft butter, a small piece (about 2 tablespoons/30g) at a time. An electric hand mixer is great here, but it is possible to beat the butter in with a spatula if it is soft enough. You should end up with a thick, velvety chocolate buttercream. Chill while you make the caramel topping.

Directions for the caramel topping:

1.Choose the best-looking cake layer for the caramel top. To make the caramel topping: Line a jellyroll pan with parchment paper and butter the paper. Place the reserved cake layer on the paper. Score the cake into 12 equal wedges. Lightly oil a thin, sharp knife and an offset metal spatula.
2.Stir the sugar, water and lemon juice in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil over a medium heat, stirring often to dissolve the sugar. Once dissolved into a smooth syrup, turn the heat up to high and boil without stirring, swirling the pan by the handle occasionally and washing down any sugar crystals on the sides of the pan with a wet brush until the syrup has turned into an amber-coloured caramel.
3.The top layer is perhaps the hardest part of the whole cake so make sure you have a oiled, hot offset spatula ready. I also find it helps if the cake layer hasn't just been taken out of the refrigerator. I made mine ahead of time and the cake layer was cold and the toffee set very, very quickly—too quickly for me to spread it. Immediately pour all of the hot caramel over the cake layer. You will have some leftover most probably but more is better than less and you can always make nice toffee pattern using the extra to decorate. Using the offset spatula, quickly spread the caramel evenly to the edge of the cake layer. Let cool until beginning to set, about 30 seconds. Using the tip of the hot oiled knife (keep re-oiling this with a pastry brush between cutting), cut through the scored marks to divide the caramel layer into 12 equal wedges. Cool another minute or so, then use the edge of the knife to completely cut and separate the wedges using one firm slice movement (rather than rocking back and forth which may produce toffee strands). Cool completely.

Beach Cupcakes

2009-08-23T10:33:00.000-07:00

I made a few cupcakes for a beach-themed wedding shower this weekend. There were 12 "beach umbrella" cupcakes with vanilla oreo sand and gum paste starfish, 5 "shark attack" with blue buttercream waves and gum paste fins, 5 "beach balls" decorated with a combination of fondant and buttercream, and 2 specially made "bride and groom" cupcakes for the happy couple.

Milan Cookies

2009-08-12T10:27:00.001-07:00

July's Daring Bakers challenge was to make either homemade mallow cookies or milan cookies. I chose the mallows for the actual challenge but really wanted to do the milans as well. I finally got a chance to bake them yesterday. The process was fairly simple with a few exceptions: the cookies were difficult to pipe the exact same size and shape each time and the baking time was very important to get exactly right - otherwise the cookies would be too soft or too crispy.

The cookies are very good...definitely better than their store-bought alter egos. I'm definitely getting them out of the house before I eat them all (I made that mistake with the mallows...).

It is very important to let the cookies cook until they are slightly brown around the edges or they won't be nice and crisp.

For those of you interested in the recipe, I've included it below:

Milan Cookies
Recipe courtesy Gale Gand, from Food Network website

Prep Time: 20 min
Inactive Prep Time: 0 min
Cook Time: 1 hr 0 min
Serves: about 3 dozen cookies

• 12 tablespoons (170grams/ 6 oz) unsalted butter, softened
• 2 1/2 cups (312.5 grams/ 11.02 oz) powdered sugar
• 7/8 cup egg whites (from about 6 eggs)
• 2 tablespoons vanilla extract
• 2 tablespoons lemon extract
• 1 1/2 cups (187.5grams/ 6.61 oz) all purpose flour
• Cookie filling, recipe follows

Cookie filling:
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 8 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped
• 1 orange, zested

1. In a mixer with paddle attachment cream the butter and the sugar.
2. Add the egg whites gradually and then mix in the vanilla and lemon extracts.
3. Add the flour and mix until just well mixed.
4. With a small (1/4-inch) plain tip, pipe 1-inch sections of batter onto a parchment-lined sheet pan, spacing them 2 inches apart as they spread.
5. Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 10 minutes or until light golden brown around the edges. Let cool on the pan.
6. While waiting for the cookies to cool, in a small saucepan over medium flame, scald cream.
7. Pour hot cream over chocolate in a bowl, whisk to melt chocolate, add zest and blend well.
8. Set aside to cool (the mixture will thicken as it cools).
9. Spread a thin amount of the filling onto the flat side of a cookie while the filling is still soft and press the flat side of a second cookie on top.
10. Repeat with the remainder of the cookies.

Packaged and ready to go for Shawn, Cydney, Allison and Steve.

Apron

2009-08-05T15:38:00.001-07:00

I just finished sewing my new apron. Can't wait to make some cupcakes and try it out!

Vote for Me.

2009-07-29T05:52:00.000-07:00

Voting is now open for Iron Cupcake July. My fresh mint-mocha cupcakes are in the running. You can vote here: http://www.ironcupcakemilwaukee.com/ and the listing is under 'brettany bakes'. The voting closes Wednesday, August 5 at 12 noon central time. Thanks guys!

Daring Bakers July Challenge_Mallows

2009-07-28T10:38:00.000-07:00

The July Challenge for Daring Bakers was to bake either Mallow Cookies (Chocolate Covered Marshmallow Cookies) or Milano Cookies - or both. I chose to do the Mallows first and hopefully will have enough time to do the Milanos over the next couple of days as well.

There were three basic parts to these: a simple shortbread cookie base, homemade marshmallow topping, and chocolate glaze. They were fairly easy and delicious - I'll definitely be making these again!

The July Daring Bakers' challenge was hosted by Nicole at Sweet Tooth. She chose Chocolate Covered Marshmallow Cookies and Milan Cookies from pastry chef Gale Gand of the Food Network.

I wanted to include the recipe for those of you that might be interested...enjoy!

Mallows(Chocolate Covered Marshmallow Cookies)
Recipe courtesy Gale Gand, from Food Network website
Prep Time: 10 min
Inactive Prep Time: 5 min
Cook Time: 10 min
Serves: about 2 dozen cookies

• 3 cups (375grams/13.23oz) all purpose flour
• 1/2 cup (112.5grams/3.97oz) white sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 3/8 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 12 tablespoons (170grams/ 6 oz) unsalted butter
• 3 eggs, whisked together
• Homemade marshmallows, recipe follows
• Chocolate glaze, recipe follows

1. In a mixer with the paddle attachment, blend the dry ingredients.
2. On low speed, add the butter and mix until sandy.
3. Add the eggs and mix until combine.
4. Form the dough into a disk, wrap with clingfilm or parchment and refrigerate at least 1 hour and up to 3 days.
5. When ready to bake, grease a cookie sheet or line it with parchment paper or a silicon mat.
6. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
7. Roll out the dough to 1/8-inch thickness, on a lightly floured surface. Use a 1 to 1 1/2 inches cookie cutter to cut out small rounds of dough.
8. Transfer to the prepared pan and bake for 10 minutes or until light golden brown. Let cool to room temperature.
9. Pipe a “kiss” of marshmallow onto each cookie. Let set at room temperature for 2 hours.
10. Line a cookie sheet with parchment or silicon mat.
11. One at a time, gently drop the marshmallow-topped cookies into the hot chocolate glaze.
12. Lift out with a fork and let excess chocolate drip back into the bowl.
13. Place on the prepared pan and let set at room temperature until the coating is firm, about 1 to 2 hours.

Note: if you don’t want to make your own marshmallows, you can cut a large marshmallow in half and place on the cookie base. Heat in a preheated 350-degree oven to slump the marshmallow slightly, it will expand and brown a little. Let cool, then proceed with the chocolate dipping.

Homemade marshmallows:
• 1/4 cup water
• 1/4 cup light corn syrup
• 3/4 cup (168.76 grams/5.95oz) sugar
• 1 tablespoon powdered gelatin
• 2 tablespoons cold water
• 2 egg whites , room temperature
• 1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1. In a saucepan, combine the water, corn syrup, and sugar, bring to a boil until “soft-ball” stage, or 235 degrees on a candy thermometer.
2. Sprinkle the gelatin over the cold water and let dissolve.
3. Remove the syrup from the heat, add the gelatin, and mix.
4. Whip the whites until soft peaks form and pour the syrup into the whites.
5. Add the vanilla and continue whipping until stiff.
6. Transfer to a pastry bag.

Chocolate glaze:
• 12 ounces semisweet chocolate
• 2 ounces cocoa butter or vegetable oil

1. Melt the 2 ingredients together in the top of a double boiler or a bowl set over barely simmering water.

YUM!

Iron Cupcake Challenge_Herbs

2009-07-24T08:49:00.001-07:00

This month's iron cupcake challenge was to use a fresh herb/herbs in a cupcake. I have an immense weakness for anything minty (especially paired with chocolate) so it was obvious right away what I should do. I thought of lots of different ideas using mint but ultimately decided on a cupcake version of my favorite coffee drink - the peppermint mocha. The cupcake is mocha flavored, filled with dark chocolate/mint ganache and topped with fresh mint whipped cream. I played around with the decorative toppings - using fresh mint leaves, red sugar sprinkles (like they put on top at starbucks), and chocolate chips.

The mocha cupcake recipe came from Julie Hasson's book "125 Best Cupcake Recipes". The coffee flavor of the cake was just strong enough to be prominent without getting bitter or overwhelming and the cake was moist and dense.

The chocolate ganache filling recipe is from my go-to cupcake blog: cupcake bakeshop by chockylit. It was sweet and minty - although I think it could have been a little mintier.

And the fresh mint whipped cream I just kind of made up but it turned out pretty tasty. I made alot so that I would have extra to eat with all the fresh blueberries, blackberries, and strawberries I have in the fridge. Here's the approximate recipe:

Fresh Mint Whipped Cream

1/2 c. fresh mint leaves (chopped)
1/4 c. + 1 TBSP sugar
4 TBSP water
2 c. whipping cream

In small saucepan over medium-low heat, stir together water, sugar, and mint leaves. Heat until they begin to boil, stirring periodically. Cover and remove from heat and let sit for about 1 hour. Strain the syrup into a glass bowl and let cool. Add whipping cream and beat with a hand mixer until stiff peaks form.

yummy.gooey.coffee.minty.goodness

Voting begins Tuesday July 28, so if you get a chance stop by Nobody Puts Cupcake in A Corner and vote. And if you'd like to get in on the challenge visit Iron Cupcake's cuphub.

Our June ETSY PRIZE-PACK is from artists:
A sweet cupcake ID bracelet by INSANEJELLYFISH, http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5021935
A delicious treat from CIRCLEMONKEY http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5335273
a sweet surprise from Sweet Cuppin' Cakes Cupcakery, http://www.acupcakery.com/
PLUS, IronCupcake:Earth can not forget our good friend, CAKESPY, http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5243382, who is now going to be doing a piece for our winner each month until further notice - sweet!
Last and certainly not least, don’t forget our corporate prize providers: HEAD CHEFS by FIESTA PRODUCTS, http://www.fiestaproducts.com, HELLO CUPCAKE by Karen Tack and Alan Richardson, http://blog.hellocupcakebook.com, JESSIE STEELE APRONS http://www.jessiesteele.com; TASTE OF HOME books, http://www.tasteofhome.com; a t-shirt from UPWITHCUPCAKES.COM http://www.upwithcupcakes.com/. Iron Cupcake:Earth is sponsored in part by 1-800-Flowers, http://www.1800flowers.com.

4th of July Cupcakes

2009-07-07T10:32:00.000-07:00

I whipped these up with a 4th of July Wilton kit and some red, white, and blue sprinkles. I just used a box mix for the cake and made a batch of buttercream so they were super-easy and super-cute.

50th Anniversary Cake

2009-07-07T09:43:00.000-07:00

I'm a little late posting this...hubbie, puppy, and I have been moving/unpacking for the past week.

I had the priveledge of making my grandparents' 50th Anniversary cake a few weeks ago. The party was casual - bbq and bluegrass - and the cake was the centerpiece. I designed the cake around my grandmother's favorite flower - the sunflower - so the color scheme was determined by that. My dad made the '50' topper for me (thanks, dad!). The top layer of the cake is lemon pound cake with a lemon curd filling and the bottom layer is chocolate/vanilla marble pound cake. The whole cake is iced with buttercream in a basketweave pattern and accented with gumpaste sunflowers. My favorite part, the fondant bluebirds, were originally going to be on top but I made them a little too large. The cake was a huge success and everyone loved it - especially the grandparents.

Jesse's Graduation Cake.

2009-06-16T10:09:00.000-07:00

I had the opportunity this weekend to make a cake for my cousin's high school graduation party. He is starting NC State in the fall so I thought a nice wolfpack (red and white) color scheme would be appropriate. The cake was vanilla pound cake for the bottom layer and a dense chocolate cake for the top layer. I iced the cake with buttercream and then covered it with a home-made marshmallow fondant. The stripes and polka dots were made from Wilton's colored fondant.

The marshmallow fondant was really good and very simple to make. It was a little more difficult than the store-bought stuff to work with but looked great and tasted SO MUCH better.
I got the marshmallow fondant recipe here.

My favorite parts of the cake were the 'graduation hat strawberries'. The idea came to me one day and I immediately tried out a few to see if the idea would work. They were so cute that I planned the cake around them.

They're really simple to make - all you need are strawberries (with the tips cut off so that they will stand flat on the chocolate bar), a regular hershey's bar (broken into squares-you can make 4 out of one bar), and some semisweet chocolate to melt. After you rinse and dry the strawberries and snip the tips off, dip the strawberries in chocolate and immediately place on the chocolate squares (hershey side up) to dry.

The cake was a huge hit and my cousin loved it.

In Search of the Perfect Pound Cake

2009-06-09T19:58:00.000-07:00

I have always loved pound cake (who doesn't?) and have always wanted to learn to make a great one. I am in the process of searching for the perfect recipe. I have several to try and this is just the first.

This recipe is from one of my mom's old cookbooks - one of those great southern, county-wide compilations.

Blue Ribbon Pound Cake

2 cups butter (or 1 cup shortening and 1 cup margarine)
3 cups sugar
6 eggs
4 cups sifted all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp baking powder
1 cup milk
2 teaspoons vanilla flavoring
1/2 tsp. nutmeg (opt. - add to batter during final beating)

Sift and measure flour, to this add salt and baking powder, and set aside. In another bowl, cream shortening until light and fluffy, then add sugar gradually, creaming all the while. Add eggs one at a time beating after each addition. In a measuring cup, measure milk and add vanilla flavoring to this. While the mixer is on low speed, gradually add the dry ingredientsa nd the milk to the creamed butter and sugar, adding the flour and milk alternately, beginning and ending with the flour.

Pour the mixture into a greased and floured 10 inch tube pan and bake in a preheated oven at 300 degrees F. for 1.5 hours.

This cake was a total success. It was dense and moist and had a subtle vanilla flavor. I had a few "taste-testers" (aka dessert moochers) and everyone loved it. I'm looking forward to trying more recipes but this one is going to be very difficult to top.

Vote for me.

2009-05-30T20:01:00.000-07:00

Voting is now open for Iron Cupcake May. My twice-baked potato cupcakes are in the running. You can vote here: http://www.ironcupcakemilwaukee.com/ and the listing is under 'brettany bakes'. The voting closes Friday, June 5 at 12 noon central time. Thanks guys!

Daring Bakers May Challenge_Strudel

2009-05-27T00:01:00.000-07:00

Another thing I decided to start in May was 'Daring Bakers.' After I had tapped out all of my local resources for cake decorating classes at the end of April, I needed something else to keep me occupied. Baking has grown into a real passion for me and the Daring Bakers program seemed like a perfect fit for what I wanted. A new recipe is chosen every month by the host/hostess and the Daring Bakers recreate the recipe and then blog about their efforts. The bakers are supposed to follow the recipe exactly, except in cases of dietary need (vegetarian, gluten free, etc...). This group is not a competition, but rather a sort-of "baking support group" focused on developing baking skills and offering technical advice.

Here are some photos from my very first challenge: the apple strudel.

(Rolling out the dough and sprinkling with fresh breadcrumbs and crushed walnut.)

(Adding the apple, raisin, and rum filling.)

(The rolled strudel, just before going into the oven.)

(Fresh from the oven and ready to serve.)

(Voila! Bon Appetit!)

The May Daring Bakers’ challenge was hosted by Linda of make life sweeter! and Courtney of Coco Cooks. They chose Apple Strudel from the recipe book Kaffeehaus: Exquisite Desserts from the Classic Cafés of Vienna, Budapest and Prague by Rick Rodgers.

This challenge was really intimidating. I was especially nervous to make the strudel dough and roll and stretch it to paper thinness. But after letting the dough rest for a few hours, everything went very smoothly. It was definitely time and space intensive (it was not intended to do this is tiny apartment kitchens)...but the end result was quite tasty. It was also very satisfying to complete something totally new, I don't know if I would have ever attempted to make homemade strudel if it weren't for daring bakers.

I'm going to include the recipe for those of you that might be interested:

Strudel dough
from “Kaffeehaus – Exquisite Desserts from the Classic Cafés of Vienna, Budapest and Prague” by Rick Rodgers

1 1/3 cups (200 g) unbleached flour
1/8 teaspoon salt
7 tablespoons (105 ml) water, plus more if needed
2 tablespoons (30 ml) vegetable oil, plus additional for coating the dough
1/2 teaspoon cider vinegar

1. Combine the flour and salt in a stand-mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix the water, oil and vinegar in a measuring cup. Add the water/oil mixture to the flour with the mixer on low speed. You will get a soft dough. Make sure it is not too dry, add a little more water if necessary.
Take the dough out of the mixer. Change to the dough hook. Put the dough ball back in the mixer. Let the dough knead on medium until you get a soft dough ball with a somewhat rough surface.

2. Take the dough out of the mixer and continue kneading by hand on an unfloured work surface. Knead for about 2 minutes. Pick up the dough and throw it down hard onto your working surface occasionally.
Shape the dough into a ball and transfer it to a plate. Oil the top of the dough ball lightly. Cover the ball tightly with plastic wrap. Allow to stand for 30-90 minutes (longer is better).

3. It would be best if you have a work area that you can walk around on all sides like a 36 inch (90 cm) round table or a work surface of 23 x 38 inches (60 x 100 cm). Cover your working area with table cloth, dust it with flour and rub it into the fabric. Put your dough ball in the middle and roll it out as much as you can.
Pick the dough up by holding it by an edge. This way the weight of the dough and gravity can help stretching it as it hangs. Using the back of your hands to gently stretch and pull the dough. You can use your forearms to support it.

4. The dough will become too large to hold. Put it on your work surface. Leave the thicker edge of the dough to hang over the edge of the table. Place your hands underneath the dough and stretch and pull the dough thinner using the backs of your hands. Stretch and pull the dough until it's about 2 feet (60 cm) wide and 3 feet (90 cm) long, it will be tissue-thin by this time. Cut away the thick dough around the edges with scissors. The dough is now ready to be filled.

Apple strudel
from “Kaffeehaus – Exquisite Desserts from the Classic Cafés of Vienna, Budapest and Prague” by Rick Rodgers

2 tablespoons (30 ml) golden rum
3 tablespoons (45 ml) raisins
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon (80 g) sugar
1/2 cup (1 stick / 115 g) unsalted butter, melted, divided
1 1/2 cups (350 ml) fresh bread crumbs
strudel dough (recipe below)
1/2 cup (120 ml, about 60 g) coarsely chopped walnuts
2 pounds (900 g) tart cooking apples, peeled, cored and cut into ¼ inch-thick slices (use apples that hold their shape during baking)

1. Mix the rum and raisins in a bowl. Mix the cinnamon and sugar in another bowl.

2. Heat 3 tablespoons of the butter in a large skillet over medium-high. Add the breadcrumbs and cook whilst stirring until golden and toasted. This will take about 3 minutes. Let it cool completely.

3. Put the rack in the upper third of the oven and preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C). Line a large baking sheet with baking paper (parchment paper). Make the strudel dough as described below. Spread about 3 tablespoons of the remaining melted butter over the dough using your hands (a bristle brush could tear the dough, you could use a special feather pastry brush instead of your hands). Sprinkle the buttered dough with the bread crumbs. Spread the walnuts about 3 inches (8 cm) from the short edge of the dough in a 6-inch-(15cm)-wide strip. Mix the apples with the raisins (including the rum), and the cinnamon sugar. Spread the mixture over the walnuts.

4. Fold the short end of the dough onto the filling. Lift the tablecloth at the short end of the dough so that the strudel rolls onto itself. Transfer the strudel to the prepared baking sheet by lifting it. Curve it into a horseshoe to fit. Tuck the ends under the strudel. Brush the top with the remaining melted butter.

5. Bake the strudel for about 30 minutes or until it is deep golden brown. Cool for at least 30 minutes before slicing. Use a serrated knife and serve either warm or at room temperature. It is best on the day it is baked.

Iron Cupcake Challenge_Savory

2009-05-23T17:48:00.000-07:00

I'm going to apologize in advance - this is going to be a long blog post...
As many of you know, I have decided to do the monthly "iron cupcake" challenges. This is my very first entry into the competition and I'm REALLY excited about it.

For those of you that don't know anything about "iron cupcake," here is a brief summary:
each month a theme or special ingredient is chosen (this month the theme is "savory cupcakes"), then each iron cupcake baker comes up with original ideas for a cupcake recipe based on the chosen theme, after the recipe is perfected, the baker blogs about the experience and outcome, the recipe is then submitted to the "iron cupcake" competition via email and flickr by the 24th of each month, voting begins approximately 1 week after that, and a winner is chosen about 1 week after that. Each month there are awesome prizes. In May, we are competing to win:

May ETSY PRIZE-PACK is from artists:
A sweet cupcake ID bracelet by INSANEJELLYFISH, http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5021935
something sweet and dangly from CHERRYCREEKCHARMS at http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=6686445.
a sweet surprise from Sweet Cuppin' Cakes Cupcakery, http://www.acupcakery.com/
PLUS, IronCupcake:Earth can not forget our good friend, CAKESPY, http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5243382, who is now going to be doing a piece for our winner each month until further notice - sweet!
AND corporate prize providers: HEAD CHEFS by FIESTA PRODUCTS, http://www.fiestaproducts.com, HELLO CUPCAKE by Karen Tack and Alan Richardson, http://blog.hellocupcakebook.com, JESSIE STEELE APRONS http://www.jessiesteele.com; TASTE OF HOME books, http://www.tasteofhome.com; a t-shirt from UPWITHCUPCAKES.COM http://www.upwithcupcakes.com/. Iron Cupcake:Earth is sponsored in part by 1-800-Flowers, http://www.1800flowers.com.

Now, moving on to my savory cupcake entry: The Twice-Baked Potato "Cupcake".

These turned out better than I could have ever hoped. I wanted to do something savory that's individual elements translated well to cupcake form. Everything about the twice baked potato was perfect for what I wanted. The skin even makes a perfect edible cupcake liner. The hubby and I had these as a side dish with dinner tonight and they were delicious! I just have to share the recipe with you:

"Twice Baked Potato Cupcakes"
(makes 4 cupcakes)

Ingredients:
2 medium sized Russet potatoes
1/4 cup sour cream
1/8 cup homemade buttermilk Ranch dressing
1/4 cup milk
4 slices cooked bacon
4 Tbsp chives or green onions
1/4 cup sharp cheddar cheese
salt and pepper to taste

Wrap potatoes in aluminum foil and bake in 400 degree oven for appoximately 1 hour (until soft). Let cool until you can handle fairly easily. Slice potatoes in half. Take a small slice off the bottom of each half so that the halves sit flat in a muffin tin. Scoop out the potato, leaving about a 1/8" layer of potato and skin for the "cupcake liner." In a bowl, mash the scooped-out potato and add all other ingredients except for 1/8 cup of sour cream, 1 Tbsp of the chives, and 2 slices of bacon. Combine the potato mixture thoroughly and pipe back into the liners (I used a large "star" tip). Bake for an additional 20 minutes in the 400 degree oven until the tops are slightly browned. Let cool for 5 minutes. Pipe the remaining sour cream "icing" on each cupcake, sprinkle with remaining chives, and add 1/2 slice of bacon to the top. Enjoy!

I have to say that this whole experience has been a real joy. I loved the creative aspects of iron cupcake and the opportunity to do something different. So, if you get a chance - vote for my cupcake entry starting May 30 here: Nobody Puts Cupcake in a Corner.

If any of you are interested in joining the challenge, you can get more info at Iron Cupcake's cuphub.

Bridal Shower Cupcakes

2009-05-17T16:52:00.000-07:00

My friend, Allison, asked me to help her with some mini cupcakes that she agreed to do for her stepsister's bridal shower. I tried a new vanilla cake recipe, which went really well, and we iced them with my basic buttercream. We colored the icing to match the colors of the shower and piped the icing on with a few different star tips. I added a sugar pearl to the top of the icing and it was a very cute extra level of detail. Overall, the cupcakes were simple - light and tasty - and very cute!

Mother's Day Cakes.

2009-05-12T13:18:00.001-07:00

The chocolate/raspberry cake for my mother-in-law was made with the same raspberry buttercream and raspberry filling as the cupcakes. The chocolate cake is a recipe from the cupcake blog cupcake bakeshop by chokylit - it is a very dense chocolate cake, almost like a chocolate pound cake. I think this is my new favorite chocolate cake recipe. The cake was a small oval with 4 layers each separated by a buttercream dam and raspberry filling layer. It was really pretty when cut and, might I add, delicious!

The vanilla/raspberry cake for my mom was based on the cupcakes I made to try out the new filling and icing. It was a 6 inch cake made up of two layers that were separated by a layer of raspberry buttercream and a layer of the raspberry filling.

I decorated both of these cakes very simply - sorry there are no photos, my camera died - but they turned out great and both moms really loved them!

Raspberry/Vanilla Cupcakes.

2009-05-12T13:04:00.000-07:00

I made these cupcakes to try out new raspberry filling and raspberry buttercream recipes for mother's day. I just used a french vanilla cake mix and infused it overnight with a vanilla sugar syrup. The cake was very moist and really delicious. Next, I took out cones from the top of the cupcake and added the raspberry filling. I made the buttercream by adding 3 tablespoons of seedless raspberry jelly to my basic buttercream recipe. Overall, everything was a huge success. The raspberry filling and icing was easy and really "fancied up" a basic vanilla cupcake.

Fantasy Flower.

2009-04-23T07:57:00.001-07:00

Look how pretty! I had to give this flower its own post because it turned out so well and I went a little crazy taking pictures of it. Wilton calls it the fantasy flower because it's not based on a real flower. It is made in two parts which are allowed to dry and then put together with "gum glue". The stamens make it very lively but they are inedible so you have to remove this flower from a cake before serving it.

Gum Paste Flowers.

2009-04-23T07:40:00.000-07:00

These are my first attempts at the gum paste flowers that we learned last night in course 4. I came home from class with everything in photo 1 - from top left to bottom right: 1 - carnation base, 2 - finished carnation with calyx, 3 - fondant daisy, 4 - fondant leaf, 5 - middle of fantasy flower, 6 - base of fantasy flower. Gum paste molding is really fun, fairly simple, and the outcome is gorgeous.

Fondant Roses

2009-04-23T07:24:00.000-07:00

The fondant rose is gorgeous! We actually learned to make this last week in course 3, but I just got the chance to practice this week and get really good at it. The rose is actually made of a fondant and gum paste blend, which allows it to set up a little faster. The centers of the roses are made in advance and allowed to dry on toothpicks for 2 days (photo 1). Next, the rose is made in 3 layers - you can stop after the 1st layer for a rose bud (photo 2), after the 2nd layer for a medium sized rose (photo 3), or finish the 3rd layer for a large rose (photo 4). The rose is put together with either a vanilla extract used as an adhesive or some home-made "gum glue". These are beautiful but they definitely are time-consuming - I'm sure I'm a little slow because I'm just learning, but it took me about 15 minutes per rose.

Royal Icing Flowers

2009-04-23T07:14:00.000-07:00

We learned a new batch of royal icing flowers on Monday night in course 3. These turned out pretty good, although not nearly as lively and dainty as the fondant and gum paste flowers that I learned to make this week in course 4. Royal icing does have its advantages though - it's definitely easier and less time-consuming than fondant/gum paste, which is a huge concern when you're covering a cake in flowers. I think the morning glory (far right) is my favorite.

Flowers from left to right: white - easter lilies, red - poinsettias, yellow - petunias, blue - morning glories

Another Great Birthday Present.

2009-04-22T21:20:00.000-07:00

I have the best friends! This week Allison and Steve surprised me with an adorable 'sleepy cupcake' framed watercolor by Jessie Oleson at cakespy. Cakespy has an etsy shop with lots more adorable, one-of-a-kind pieces if you're interested.

Wilton Cake Course 3_Cake 1

2009-04-14T21:34:00.000-07:00

Fondant Fun! I'm taking Wilton courses 3 and 4 this month. This was my first fondant cake from course 3 and my first time ever working with fondant. It is a chocolate cake covered in white fondant and the pink ribbon and bow are made of fondant with a gum tex additive to make it stiffer. The process is a lot of fun, although all the kneading gets tiresome after a while. The fondant is ready-made by Wilton and it tastes HORRIBLE!...as soon as I discover a good recipe for home-made fondant I'll post it.

Easter Cupcakes

2009-04-14T07:43:00.000-07:00

For Easter, I decided to make carrot and coconut cupcakes for my family and friends. The carrot cupcakes were made with a delicious Alton Brown recipe from my new baking book: I'm Just Here for More Food: Food x Mixing + Heat = Baking. The cream cheese icing on these was particularly amazing.

The coconut cupcakes were made with a combination of 2 family recipes. I used my grandmother's recipe for 7-minute frosting and freshly grated coconut. For those of you that have never done the whole 'breaking into a coconut' thing...it isn't for the faint-hearted. It is a much more difficult and time-consuming process than the Food Network chefs would lead us to believe. But, I have to say, as someone who doesn't particularly care for the taste of coconut, these were quite good. So I have to think that the fresh coconut made all the difference.

So after all the baking and icing was finished, I packed my cupcakes up in my new carrier. This is by far the best purchase I have made in a while. It holds 36 cupcakes and each one has it's own shallow ring to hold the cupcake in place but also allow you to easily take it out (without getting icing all over your fingers). You can find it here at Bed, Bath and Beyond. I bought the clear one, but it also comes in pink, green, yellow, and blue.

Early Birthday Present

2009-04-10T15:37:00.001-07:00

Ryan and Paul got me the cutest cupcake necklace, made by a local artist here in Raleigh, for my birthday. Do they know me or what?

Chocolate Chip Cupcakes

2009-04-10T15:20:00.000-07:00

Last weekend Heath decided to have a few friends over. Since I didn't have a lot of time, I made something fast and simple - cupcakes! I just used Duncan Hines dark chocolate cake mix, but I made the buttercream and added mini chocolate chips. They were delicious!

Wilton Cake Course 2_Final Cake

2009-03-31T06:41:00.000-07:00

Course 2 was all about flowers. For the past 3 weeks we have been making royal icing flowers and drying them in flower formers to save for our final cake. In the first class we learned a few more buttercream flowers - rosettes, chrysanthemums, and rosebuds - but we didn't save any of those for the final cake. In the second class we started the royal icing flowers - apple blossoms and violets - and we also made those cute color flow icing birds. The color flow objects are very simiple to create but they are very fragile to store and transport. In the third class we learned the last batch of royal icing flowers - a variation on the Wilton rose (the Victorian rose), daisies, daffodils, pansies, and primroses. I have to say the flowers were intimidating at first, but after a little practice (each flower uses the same basic petal technique with slight variations) they became a lot easier. Finally, in the last class we brought all of our dried flowers together and after learning the do the basketweave and a new rope border for the cake, put everything together. It came out pretty nice I think.

Cupcake Sundaes

2009-03-24T09:20:00.000-07:00

These were Heath's birthday cupcakes. I found the recipe on one of my favorite cupcake blogs, Cupcake Bakeshop by Chocylit. They were DELICIOUS! The melt-in-your-mouth chocolate cake was exactly how it sounds - very rich and dense - more like a brownie than cake. The whipped cream complimented the cake nicely because it was so light and subtle. And the cherry on top, well that's just adorable!

Cake #3_The XBOX cake

2009-03-21T07:34:00.000-07:00

Heath's 24th birthday cake. The XBOX is yellow cake and the controller is chocolate - both covered in buttercream. For the XBOX, I started by stacking 2 13x9 cakes and carved down from there. For the controller, I used an 8" round cake, cut into 2 semicircles and stacked. I wasted quite a bit of cake carving down to the shapes I needed, but I think the end result was worth it. Heath seemed to like it...although, he did complain that there was no HDMI port on the back.

Get Well Soon Cupcakes

2009-03-11T22:36:00.001-07:00

I made these to cheer up my friend, Shandale, who's been in the hospital for the past 2 weeks. Half of the cupcakes were chocolate chip and half were vanilla, all covered in chocolate buttercream and decorated with buttercream flowers and polka dots in bright pink, orange and green. She LOVED them!

Wilton Cake Course 1_Final Cake

2009-02-23T20:19:00.000-08:00

Allison and I finished our 4th class tonight and this is our grand finale cake. It's a chocolate cake with chocolate raspberry buttercream and topped with a group of buttercream Wilton roses and leaves. The course was short but we learned a lot of new techniques and we had fun taking it together. We start course 2 next Monday - can't wait! (Allison took the picture)

Cheese

2009-02-23T19:56:00.000-08:00

So, I'm totally aware that these aren't cake...or even dessert, but they turned out so pretty I couldn't resist posting them. I made a collection of miniature cheeseballs for the Academy Awards party. I was looking for something to serve on my crate and barrel glass slab and when I found the recipe for these, I knew they would be perfect. (photos courtesy of Allison)

Tuxedo Strawberries

2009-02-23T19:54:00.000-08:00

In honor of the Academy Awards, I decided to make some fancy strawberries. They were cute AND delicious. (photo courtesy of Allison)

Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cupcakes

2009-01-18T14:58:00.000-08:00

These were really simple to make and turned out really pretty. I made chocolate buttercream for these and it was AMAZING!

Cake #2_Owl-ette

2008-10-26T16:56:00.000-07:00

My second cake, made this weekend, for my best friend Allison's 24th birthday. She has a somewhat unhealthy obsession with owls so we thought it was completely appropriate to give her the cutest owl ever for her birthday!

Cake #1_Meat Wad

2008-10-26T16:31:00.000-07:00

I started doing this to show off my new cake-decorating hobby. This was my first cake, made for my sister's birthday this past July.