RuthWells
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Posts posted by RuthWells
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Good grief, I'm in too much of a rush to add my reply!
Uses for whites that have been frozen would be for buttercream... um, basically anything that calls for whites with the exception of meringues. I would use fresh whites for meringues.
Curiosity -- why the fresh for the meringue. I know there are advantages of using "old" whites for some things and "fresh" for others and not using frozen for some things.
I use frozen whites for meringues all the time with no ill effect -- I'll be interested to hear feedback from everyone on this question.
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Nertz! I'm sorry to hear your news. Hopefully as this window closes, another door is preparing to open for you.
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Should I give up on the Italian buttercream and just go with a regular butter/powdered sugar deal or does anyone have a better suggestion?
Thanks!!
Don't give up on Italian buttercream! I haven't tried the FC recipe yet, but the one from The Cake Bible is very reliable, pipeable, and much more delicious than butter and 10x sugar. I have a picture in the What's for Dessert thread of a cake covered in flowers piped from Italian buttercream, if you want to see it in action.
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Hi All,
I am making a baby shower cake for someone. At first we discussed different shape and decorating ideas until she decided that she would really like it covered in whipped cream. I am unsure as to what is possible with whipped cream decorations. How much piping is possible? It does not seem like it would be very stable for any elaborate decoration. I've been thinking of fondant figures placed on the cake. Maybe piping buttercream decoration on the whipped cream?
Anyone have any experience with this and/or ideas to share?
Thanks!
Chris
Hi Chris,
I would hesitate to mix fondant with whipped cream for, and I have no idea what piped buttercream would look like on top of whipped cream. I'm guessing buttercream is going to be too heavy and do bad things to the whipped cream.
However, you could stablize the whipped cream with some gelatin and achieve some simple piped decorations with the whipped cream itself -- certainly shell borders and the like, maybe even simple flowers. I always like the simplicity of fresh berries or nuts with whipped cream -- or chocolate curls, even.
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Soooooooooo to update what I've been baking........
Hi Wendy,
You didn't mention it in this post, but I was wondering whether you'd had a chance to try the Whimsical Bakehouse recipes, and if so, what you thought of them?
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Ling, your new project sounds amazing, and I'm BEYOND jealous!! Please keep us posted -- maybe this calls for a blog where you can record pix and results of your creations?!
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Hey, Ling, are you baking professionally now? I knew you couldn't hold out for long!
Beautiful cake, Ruth.
Thanks, Abra. Your new avatar looks delicious!
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I haven't had much time to bake over the last few days, but I did put together a plated dessert over the weekend. I made the components and assembled them, but the recipe ("Chocolate Temptation") is from Greenspan's Desserts by Pierre Herme. The sauce is banana/citrus/avacado, and I added about 1T of sugar. There is about 1/3C on the plate. The Manjari chocolate cake is flourless and somewhat molten (out of the oven). The recipe called for infusing the butter with a sliver of habanero, but I didn't do that. The cake is garnished with an orange tuile, and the plate with a few caramelized banana slices.
Wow, Patrick -- that's a work of art. Bravo! (When are you serving? I'll be there.......)
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^That cake is GORGEOUS! Wow!
I haven't been baking at home that much this week. I've been eating biscotti and Nutella.
Thanks, Ling! -
Gorgeous cake! You did a beautiful job!
Thanks! It was a labor of love.
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I made a birthday cake for my grandmother, who just turned 88. Three layers of lemon ginger cream cheese pound cake, filled with lemon curd (top layer) and ginger bavarian (bottom layer). Icing and decorations are all mousseline buttercream from The Cake Bible.
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Ok folks - forget the peanut butter - need an original, decadent caramel dessert for birthday that does not have to be refrigerated. Milk chocolate OK - not dark and needing a "show stopper" type as this will be the "present". Thanks
I don't know whether it would need refrigeration, but I've been meaning to attempt a Dobos torte for a while......... lots of caramel there!
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No, no beveling. The only "trick" really is inverting the loaf -- the top of the Pave is the bottom of the cocoa loaf, which is just rounded to the shape of the bottom of the loaf pan.
Brilliant. It's the simple little trivial things that really make a difference sometimes!
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I am a big fan of chocolate+orange, probably even moreso than chocolate+raspberry or chocolate+lemon, so I'll have to try that!
I decided to make the Pave again. This time I filled it with the caramel ganache, as usual, but finished it with the glaze, which I made according to Herme's recipe using Valrhona 61%, which is what I happen to have at the moment. Lucky for me, I have some left-over chocolate sauce from making the glaze, and I found that the chocolate sauce doubles as an amazing hot chocolate. I made the apricots but omitted them from the cake, instead adding a sprinkling on the plate.
Gorgeous as always, Patrick. I'm intrigued by the rounded top edges of your pave -- did you bevel it before glazing, or use some other trick?
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More ideas: traditional shortbread and non-traditional French macarons.
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I had the same hazelnut butter cake from yesterday, and 8 chocolate hazelnut cigarette cookies.
Only eight? Are you feeling okay?
Edit -- I just saw your second post -- phew, you had me worried!
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All opinions/ideas welcome.
What goodies/specialties would you like to see or do you already enjoy at your local tea room like for lunch???
What would you like to see for Afternoon Tea?? Afternoon Tea being the one person serving on a little three tier tray with one tray of tea sandwiches, one tray of scones, cream & jam and one tray of desserts.
We can Americanize this a bit of course. I'm more into shabby chic and whimsy as opposed to tradition & formal.
But tea parties for sure!Oooooh, what fun! Are you opening a tea room?
I think I would enjoy a mix of very traditional pastries with some way-out-there selections (if you think your market would tolerate them). For the traditional side, I would think cream puffs, eclairs, mini lemon meringue tarts, something gooey with pecans (maybe tassies?), a gorgeous mini fruit tart (either mixed fruits or all strawberry), perfect little chocolate truffles........
For the non-traditional side, I would think using exotic fruits like kumkwats, persimmons, and star fruit would be fun and visually exciting. And certainly something like an Earl Grey madeleine (I think there's a recipe in Paris Sweets) would be appropriate!
I'll post more as I think of them.
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Ruth,
Thanks for your pointers - I did in fact add all THREE ounces of liqueur she called for, plus I added the 3/4 CUP of lemon curd that she suggests for to make the fruit flavored version. I'll definitely not include as much liqueur next time. How much do you usually add? The emulsion definitely started to do weird things when I added the liqueur (I did it gradually, although it didn't seem to matter much). I wrestled with the buttercream until it finally emulsified, but it became almost transparent when it came to room temp.
Also, about the transportation question - I don't have a problem at all with freezing the iced layers and transporting them frozen (thawing). I've got the freezer space, and I'd feel much more secure transporting the very smooth finish I am able to get with this buttercream recipe if it were frozen for most of the trip. How long should I expect the 12" tier to stay frozen in a very air conditioned vehicle? If I began my trip safely frozen, could I expect to get there relatively frozen still? If I am planning to go to the site the day before the wedding, could I assemble the cake that night, or do you all think I would need to keep the cake chilled until the next morning? (RLB says the icing is fine for two days at room temp).
Thanks so much for your help!
Lauren
Yup, definitely sounds like too much liquid was added. I usually stick to maybe 1TBS max of liqueur or vanilla and never have a problem. I also find that her guidelines with regard to curds and added chocolate are reliable. If you're adding a liqueur AND a curd or puree, I would start with the puree and watch the emulsification carefully while gradually adding additional liquids.
I'm afraid I won't be much help re: your 12" tiers, as I don't bake on that scale very often! But I would think that it would still be somewhat chilled when you arrive (4 hours, right?) and you could either stack your tiers that night (nothing will spoil) or refrige everything until the next morning. What time of day will the cake be served? You may prefer to assemble everything the night before to reduce hassle on the day of the wedding...... Sounds like a fun project!
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At room temp, my RLB Mousseline Buttercream seems unstable. Does anyone else have this problem? Also, does any one of you use the Mousseline to ice the entire cake? Do you have buttercream recipes that you swear by? I loved the way that the Mousseline tasted, but I am worried about transporting (four hours away) the wedding cake I'm making this June if it is iced in this. Can you tell if I have done something wrong to the recipe that might cause it to seem unstable, or is it just like that?
Thanks!
Lauren
Hi Lauren,
I love the Mousseline buttercream and use it often, to cover entire cakes as well as for piped decorations. I never have a problem with it seeming unstable, which makes me think you may have had a problem with the recipe. Did you add the full amount of optional flavoring that she suggests -- I think she says up to 2 fluid ounces? I have never been able to add that much liquid without the emulsification starting to get funky, so that's one possibility.
As for transporting a cake iced with this buttercream, I agree with Sarensho. Chilling the cake down hard is the key. In fact, if you're driving 4 hours, I'd freeze the iced, decorated cake overnight and let it slowly thaw during the drive. Just be sure to have it well boxed so that any condensation will form on the box rather than on the cake itself.
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I made RLB's Mousseline buttercream today. This was the first time I tried a "real" buttercream. I got really nervous there in the middle when it was totally curdled and look so icky, but everything I've read here says just keep forging on and it'll all be ok. And it was. I flavored it with Chambord and tinted it ever so slightly pink.
The part I had a hard time with, aside from not panicking in the middle, was pouring the syrup. I was using a kitchenaid and tried to follow the pour-mix-stop-pour-mix-etc. method, but I ended up with what I thought was a lot of syrup left in the measuring cup that wouldn't come out. Then I discovered a glob that was attached to the bottom of the mixing bowl.
Any tips for pouring the syrup in? How important is it to get every last drop in there? Was that a factor in the curdy gloppy mess I eventually overcame?
Congrats, Marmish! Once you have experienced true buttercream, there is no turning back.
The glob in the bottom of the bowl suggests that the sugar syrup was a bit overcooked -- either it came off the heat too late, or it got added to the meringue so slowly that the carryover cooking went too far. The pyrex measuring cup (sprayed with a bit of Pam) is a good tool to prevent the carryover cooking.
As for adding the syrup, I have never cared for RLB's stop-n-start method. I simply leave the beater running and carefully pour from the pyrex in a thin stream between the beater and the side of the bowl. It takes a somewhat steady hand and a wee bit of practice, but results are great.
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grease and then freeze and you can push them out, or you can use acetate strips to line the molds. don't heat the pvc as i think it gives off a toxic gas.
Right -- I knew that PVC is not food-safe when heated, but good idea to note that again. Acetate strips are another great idea. Thanks!
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PVC pipe lengths would definitely be the better choice. Coat the inner side with vegetable oil before adding the mousse and it shouldn't be a problem to unmold the mousses.
D'oh! Why didn't it occur to me to grease the molds?! Thanks so much!
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I want to play with my new plated dessert cookbook, but don't want to spend a small fortune on ring molds in all sizes. Can I use clean food cans, tops and bottoms cut off, as a sub? My main concern is with unmolded mousses and the like, as most cans have ridges on the sides. Does anyone have any experience with this? Would PVC pipe lengths be a better choice? Or would it be harder to unmold from PVC as it is less heat-conductive than metal?
Thanks in advance.
Baking 101
in Pastry & Baking
Posted
Ah, so we're really talking about whether frozen whites weep more than fresh when used as a meringue topping? I use a cooked-syrup meringue (using brown sugar - yum!) for lemon meringue pie, so I can't speak to the weeping issue.
As for the mental part -- you're on your own!