DiH

← 16 oz butter 7 oz sugar 2 oz water 5 lrg egg whites (5.25oz) 5/8 tsp cream of tartar 3 oz liqueur, optional other options.... up to 3/4 cup fruit puree 5 oz melted and cooled bittersweet chocolate 6 oz melted and cooled white chocolate RLB heats her syrup to 248 - 250. ← I need to make a double batch of IMBC and would like to use this recipe. Can it be simply doubled... or will I need to adjust something or other? Di

Thanks, CanadianBakin'... I can't wait to try it! Di

Yes, please. Di

Then the Krispy Kremes sold at Sam's and WalMart should do quite nicely. Di

Taken from the can of Libby's... "Ingredient: Pumpkin." Di

Man, that braid would be a pita. Di

Nope. Di

I just toss the bag on the countertop, then cut off a corner and squeeze the batter into a pan when it's thawed. Di

Besides the room in the freezer issue, for me it's the time issue. DiH -- you've certainly given me the message I wanted to hear! I think I will give it a go. ← Glad I could help! Ditto to the freezer space issue... 3-5 ziplocks of batter can be stacked in the same amount of space required for one baked cake layer. Plus, ziplocks are more versatile than baked layers... cake layers just don't roll up as well. Di

I freeze cake batters all the time and they bake up just as if they had been freshly mixed. No special freezing process... just ziplock freezer bags with the excess air squeezed out. Most of my frozen batters get used up within a few weeks - but - I have (unintentionally) kept a carrot cake batter frozen for 1 year... the ziplock got hidden behind something. Experimentally, I baked it off... it turned out beautifully. Di

Ganache makes the best hot chocolate... absolutely TDF!!! Di

Kolaches are made with a sweet bread-type dough rather than a laminated dough. Di

West, Texas... yessssssss!!!!! I never miss a chance to run down there... and have sometimes been known to create an excuse or two. Di

Big, yummy picture Here My favorite is the pineapple... TDF!!! Di

Absolutely beautiful... good job! What brands of chocolate and cocoa did you use? Di

Clicky Here... Di

Also here... $5.50/4 oz. Di

No, my dough's not dry and I don't have a problem with it tearing... I just don't see that there's a good enough reason for taking unnecessary risks. Di ← In my (amateur) experience, I think the greater risk is in not lifting the dough every roll or two. I find if I neglect to lift, the dough will sometimes stick to the counter and tear/bunch as I roll. I find that so long as I'm careful about the turning, and use my bench scraper to make sure the center of the dough isn't sticking, I never tear the dough when I turn it. ← Ahhhh, to stick or not to stick... that is the question. Well, if there's not enough flour in the rolling area to begin with, it's bound to. This is something that is easily remedied... just be sure to notate the recipe accordingly so the same mistake is not repeated. I only do a light sifting of flour over the entire area and it's always been sufficient. As regards 'to turn or not to turn', I personally view it as a time consuming, unnecessary step as well as over-handling of the dough... but we all have our own opinions/preferences and favorite ways of doing things. That each of us is happy with our individual results is what's important. Di

Clicky Here. Di

No, my dough's not dry and I don't have a problem with it tearing... I just don't see that there's a good enough reason for taking unnecessary risks. Di

Being a self-taught baker (and Wendy, I know you are too), I don't understand the reasoning behind the turning of the dough. What is the purpose? In my mind, each turn is a risk that the dough will tear. No? Di

Maybe someone else will help by describing this action, please? (I'm not the best person for decribing things.) It's become such second nature to me it's hard for me to see this thru the eyes of a less experienced baker. ← I'll take a stab at it... after working long and hard to overcome this same hurdle. Place flattened ball of dough in center of lightly floured surface. I always roll from the center toward the outside... and I never turn my dough while rolling out the crust. Visualizing the face of a clock and starting with the 12:00 position, I roll from the center toward each "number", i.e. Center to 12; Center to 1; Center to 2, etc., working my way around the entire face of the "clock", sometimes several times depending on the amount of pressure exerted. Clear as mud? Di

Wow, wow, wow!!! I'm sure that everyone was simply blown away. What baffles me now is how you prevent the weight of the decor from sinking into/smooshing such a soft icing. Di

Oh contrare, mpshort... I've just come from your website and your work is absolutely amazing! How lucky you are to be living on such a beautiful island. I was there in June, fell in love with all of the gorgeous flowers... and planted 18 hibiscus plants when I got back home. Like others, I have the same question for you: How do you achieve the flawlessly smooth top/sides when icing your cakes? Inquiring minds want to know. Di Edited to say: Another demonstration thread, maybe?

I agree... the CI recipe rocks! I made them yesterday but opted for tossing in a bunch of spices in lieu of making a special trip to the store for blueberries. Excellent muffins with just the texture I'd been looking for. Di