~ The Baking Circle

recipes

Thanks to Shiloh for treating us to the delicious taste of yester-year:

Supreme Coconut Cake

Note: Make cake four days before serving. Keep it in the refrigerator the whole time. Allow five days in all.

Mix together and put in the refrigerator overnight:

2 cups plain granulated sugar
2 cups sour cream
2 6 oz. packages (12 oz. total) frozen or fresh grated coconut

The next day make a 2 layer cake with white or yellow cake mix or from scratch. Use 8-inch or 9-inch round cake pans. Cool layers in pans about 30 minutes; then turn out the layers onto a cooling rack or a dry dish towel on your cabinet top. Make sure both the layers are lying with their tops up to cool until really cold.

When the 2 layers are completely cold, using a serrated long bladed bread knife, split the 2 layers horizontally to end up with 4 thin layers.

Fill and also frost all 4 layers as you stack them up into a four layer cake. Place cake in an airtight cake box in the refrigerator. DO NOT CUT FOR 4 MORE DAYS. You might want to check the cake daily to see that the layers are not sliding around. When this happens, prop the cake TOWARD the other direction with a fork that you slide under the edge of the cake plate.

This cake is very juicy, so place it on a cake plate that has a little upward rim. You can dip away some of the frosting if it overflows your cake plate.

Bookmark to:

recipes

Ingredients:

• 250mL Canned Pumpkin
• 2 Eggs
• 1/2 c Oil
• 1 tsp Vanilla
• 2 1/2  c Flour (may have to add additional to get dough to consistency…will be sticky when done)
• 1 c White Sugar
• 2 tsp Baking Powder
• 1 tsp Cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp Salt
• 1 tsp Baking Soda
• 1 c Chocolate Chips (add at end)

Mix wet ingredients in one bowl, in another mix dry ingredients.  Add dry ingredients mixed into wet ingredients a little at a time.  (Dough should be sticky, and a bit on the wetter side than your usual chocolate chip cookie dough.)  Mix in chocolate chips.  Drop by teaspoonful onto baking sheet.  Bake @ 375F for 10-12 min.

Bookmark to:

missives

Our illustrious leader and mentor, Stuart, has updated the official bakers roll call.  If you’re on the list, we’re expecting big things!  And no lame excuses like “But, I was out of the country!” or any such nonsense will be tolerated!

Bookmark to:

irish soda bread recipe recipes

This recipe is for a bread machine - simply add all liquid first, then dry ingredients and then yeast into the machine.  The setting is for regular bread.

• 2 1/2 teaspoons of dry yeast
• 3 cups of white bread flour
• 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda
• 1 teaspoon of salt
• 2 tablespoons of sugar
• 1/2 cup of raisins
• 2 tablespoons of melted butter
• 3/4 cup of buttermilk
• 1 cup of water

Add all ingredients in the order as stated above except the raisins which should be added during the second part of the kneading cycle in your machine. 

Bookmark to:

cream cheese lemon raspberry recipes tart winners

So, perhaps I was trying a little too hard to make up for skipping the country when I was on baking duty a few weeks back.  Was the “on-site carmelization” over the top?  You decide. . . But I think people liked the tart nonetheless.  I can’t take much credit for it, as I found the recipe on the joyofbaking.com site.  Here it is reposted here in case you want to try it at home.  Flame-thrower not required:

Shortbread Pastry:

1 cup (140 grams) all purpose flour

1/8 teaspoon salt

1/3 cup (36 grams) powdered (confectioners or icing) sugar

1/2 cup (1 stick) (114 grams) chilled unsalted butter, cut into pieces

Filling:

4 ounces (125 grams) cream cheese, room temperature

1/2 cup (100 grams) granulated white sugar

2 large eggs

3/4 cup (180 ml) light cream or half-and-half (coffee cream)

1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

zest of 1 medium lemon

1 - 1 1/2 cups (110 - 165 grams) fresh raspberries

Confectioners Sugar for dusting top of tart

A pretty rustic-looking tart that starts with a pre-baked shortbread crust that is filled with fresh raspberries and a cream cheese filling. The finishing touch is to caramelize the top of the tart by placing it under the broiler for a few seconds until nicely browned. When raspberries are out of season or just too expensive, try making this tart with other fruits such as blackberries, pitted cherries or even sliced peaches, nectarines or pears. This tart is delicious warm from the oven or cold.

Prepare a 8 - 9 inch (20 - 23 cm) tart pan with removable bottom by lightly spraying with Pam or greasing with butter. Set aside.

FOR CRUST: In a food processor, place the flour, salt, and sugar and process to combine. Add the butter and pulse until the pastry starts to come together and form clumps. Place the pastry in the prepared tart pan and, using your fingertips, evenly press the pastry onto the bottom and up the sides of the pan. (Can use the back of a spoon to smooth the surface of the pastry.) Pierce crust all over with the tines of a fork. (This will prevent the pastry crust from puffing up while it bakes.) Place the pastry crust in the freezer for 15 minutes to chill the crust. (This will help prevent the crust from shrinking when it bakes.)

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C) and place rack in center of oven.

Place the tart pan on a larger baking pan (makes it easier to remove from oven) and bake until crust is golden brown, about 13 - 15 minutes. Place tart pan on a wire rack to cool while you make the filling.

Reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees (177 degrees C) and have oven rack in the center of the oven.

FOR FILLING: In a food processor or electric mixer place the cream cheese and process until smooth. Add sugar and beat until incorporated. Add eggs, one at a time, and process until thoroughly combined. Add remaining ingredients and beat until well blended and smooth.

Place the tart pan on a larger baking pan. Carefully pour the filling into the pre-baked tart shell. Arrange the raspberries evenly around the tart shell and then bake the tart for about 35 minutes or until the filling is set (test by gently shaking the pan). Transfer tart to wire rack to cool. Lightly sprinkle the top of the tart with confectioners sugar and cover the edges of the tart shell with aluminum foil (this prevents the edges from burning). Place under the broiler until the top of the tart caramelizes (turns a golden brown color). Watch carefully.

Serve cold or at room temperature accompanied by softly whipped cream and fresh raspberries.

Refrigerate leftovers.

Makes one - 8 or 9 inch (20-23 cm) tart.

Bookmark to:

missives

So, I’ve never been from the bakers, but I was so pleased that you all enjoyed my carrot cake.  Thanks for the raves - that felt nice.  Here’s the recipe:

2 cups flour, 2 cups sugar, 1 tablespoon baking soda, 2 teaspoons cinnamon, 1 teaspoon salt, 4 eggs, 3 cups of grated carrots and 1 and 1/2 cups of vegetable oil.  Mix everything together and then add the oil at the end, slowly.  Grease 2 8″ rounds and bake for 35-40 minutes at 325 degrees.  Center should be toothpick clean.

For the cream cheese icing:

1 lb. confectioners sugar, 1 stick butter, 8 oz. cream cheese, 1 tablespoon vanilla and orange rind.  Beat the butter and cream cheese, add vanilla and then add sugar in thirds.  Beat until creamy and add rind and then beat for another 30 seconds.

Let cake cool and ice each layer.  Top with chopped walnuts, if you’d like.

Bookmark to:

brownie brownie pan brownies perfect brownie winners

Thursday, March 22, 2007

Labyrinthine brownie pan is all edges

The Baker’s Edge brownie pan is a labyrinthine trough running through a rectangular pan. The topology means that every brownie cut from the pan has at least two edges, to ensure maximum crunchy/doughy contrasts throughout the snack. Link (via Joshua)
Update: Spencer sez, “Cooking for Engineers has an in-depth review of this:

Each of the brownies from the Baker’s Edge did indeed have chewy edges - two of them (and sometimes three) in fact. It was almost like every piece was a corner piece from the standard pan. Therein laid a problem I hadn’t considered. I had tasters that liked brownies with edges and tasters that liked brownies that didn’t have any chewy edges but were soft and moist throughout. With the regular pan, I had corner pieces, edge pieces, and center pieces (although there are always more than four people who want corner pieces and not enough edge pieces). For the edge lovers, the brownies from the Baker’s Edge were perfect - chewy edges surrounding a moist chocolate brownie. For the center lovers, the brownies were good, but they much preferred the texture of the brownies from the 9×13 pan.

Bookmark to: