Ling

^I agree. I haven't made the Black Magic cake, but a quick look at the recipe will confirm that the Double chocolate cake has proportionately more chocolate, so it HAS to be better!

I made Karen Barnaby's "Fresh Ginger Buttermilk" cake today. She's a local chef and cookbook author. I was so excited when I read this recipe last night b/c it had the elements I was looking for (buttermilk, a not-too-sweet ratio of brown sugar+ molasses to dry ingredients, and crystallized ginger.) I made a few changes to Karen's recipe. I increased the amount of fresh grated fresh ginger to 4 tbsp., and added the following: -1 tsp. cinnamon -1/2 tsp. black pepper -1/4 tsp. nutmeg -1/4 tsp. ground five spice (I will post the recipe later tonight but I have to go to work now! Sorry!) The resulting cake was quite complex in flavour, and really delicious! Next time, I think I might throw in some extra crystallized ginger, and increase the cinnamon to 2 tsp. The buttermilk in the recipe gives the cake a very moist and tender crumb. The cakes rose evenly in the oven without doming. They would make an awesome gingerbread torte! I inhaled most of the entire cake in like 15 minutes... I also defrosted a slice of David's 'Fresh Ginger' cake that I really like so I could taste them side-by-side, and I prefer Karen's version just by a little!

^You're welcome! I made Karen Barnaby's "Ginger Buttermilk cake" today. It is WONDERFUL! (Those are some cocoa nibs in front of the pomegranate seeds, in case you're wondering. My chocolate swirls look really crappy b/c I spent half an hour looking for my digital camera and the the creme anglaise started bleeding... )

I made Karen Barnaby's "Ginger Buttermilk cake" today. It is WONDERFUL! I ate most of the entire cake in no time, then remembered this thread and thought I'd plate a slice and post a picture. I defrosted a slice of David Lebovitz's "Fresh Ginger cake" so I could taste the two cakes side-by-side, and I prefer Karen's recipe. (Those are some cocoa nibs in front of the pomegranate seeds, in case you're wondering. My chocolate swirls look really crappy b/c I spent half an hour looking for my digital camera and the the creme anglaise started bleeding... ) I made a few changes to Karen's recipe. I increased the amount of fresh grated fresh ginger to 4 tbsp., and added the following: -1 tsp. cinnamon -1/2 tsp. black pepper -1/4 tsp. nutmeg -1/4 tsp. ground five spice The resulting cake was quite complex in flavour, and really delicious! Next time, I think I might throw in some extra crystallized ginger, and increase the cinnamon to 2 tsp. The buttermilk in the recipe gives the cake a very moist and tender crumb. The cakes rose evenly in the oven without doming. They would make an awesome gingerbread torte!

Fresh Ginger and Buttermilk cake Serves 8 as Dessert. **As with all gingerbreads, this cake tastes better when it's been allowed to mature overnight (or at least 12 hours.)** This delicious ginger cake is based on a recipe by Chef Karen Barnaby from Vancouver. I found the recipe in her cookbook, The Passionate Cook. My version includes a few extra spices, and a little less molasses than the original recipe. I also increased the amounts of both the crystallized ginger and the fresh ginger. The cake would be fabulous layered with a chocolate cinnamon mousse and covered in a light, chocolate whipped cream! I haven't made this cake into a torte yet, but I will very soon. The intense flavours of the cake would probably be best with lighter fillings, like a milk chocolate mousse, rather than heavier fillings, like a dark Valrhona ganache*. *This is probably the only time in my life that I will say this...haha! 3/4 c unsalted butter 1/2 c brown sugar, packed 2 eggs 14 T fancy (or mild) molasses 2 T light corn syrup 4 T finely grated fresh ginger 4 T chopped crystallized ginger 1 c AP flour 1 c whole wheat pastry flour 2 tsp baking soda 1/4 tsp sea salt 1 tsp ground ginger 2 tsp ground cinnamon 1/2 tsp ground black pepper 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg 1/4 tsp ground five spice powder 1 c buttermilk or yogurt (Karen bakes her cake in a greased and floured 10" springform pan, but I prefer to use two 9" greased non-stick pans. The choice is up to you!) Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Beat the eggs into the mixture one at a time, and then add the molasses, and both the fresh and crystallized ginger. In a separate bowl, blend the flours, baking soda, salt, and dried ginger and spices, and add to the butter/sugar alternating with the buttermilk. Bake on the center rack for about 50 minutes if using the 10" springform pan. The two 9" cakes will be ready in about 30 minutes. Keywords: Dessert, Easy, Cake ( RG1582 )

Of course, I am not transporting huge numbers of cupcakes at any one time, but I frost and fill the cupcakes, then pop them back into the muffin tin I baked them in, and transport them to my friends' houses that way.

I make mine with heavy cream (whipping cream) and yolks. I like them to be as rich as possible.

I had a few requests for my caramel apple pie recipe, and it's now entered in Recipe Gullet. Ling's caramel apple pie Sorry about the delay! I hope you decide to try it. (And yes, I do realize that the instructions are a little anal...)

Hi, I know this isn't Jmahl's recipe, but here's a really simple souffle-style cheesecake Mid-Atlantic recipe I've also seen souffle-style cheesecake recipes that call for proportionately more eggs (say, for example, 8 eggs per 1 lb. of cream cheese) while the rest of the ingredient ratios are pretty typical. Perhaps you could experiment--all you have to do differently is separate the eggs, then make the batter using only the yolks. Then, whip the whites to stiff peaks, and fold the cheesecake batter into the beaten whites. The cheesecake should souffle in the oven, then fall.

^My friend has! He says he likes the food there...but then again, he doesn't eat out much...

I picked up Karen Barnaby's The Passionate Cook tonight! As with all cookbooks, I flip to the dessert section first, and this cookbook contains a number of comforting desserts with an interesting twist. I looked at all the proportions and they all look good--not too much sugar, and plenty of good things that I generally look for (the inclusion of buttermilk or sour cream in cakes, a high ratio of stuff like cream cheese, heavy cream, dark chocolate, nuts, liqueur... ) What I'm MOST excited about is the "Fresh Ginger and Buttermilk cake" recipe on page 233. It's very similar to David Lebovitz's "Fresh Ginger cake" recipe posted in this thread I'm participating in--"The Best Gingercake". I love David's recipe, but I was going to start making some changes, trying to incorporate all my favourite components that I've recently discovered I like in a ginger cake. What draws me to Karen's recipe is that it already contains some of the things I was going to include in my version--both fresh and ground dried ginger, buttermilk, and crystallized ginger. Also, the proportion of molasses+sugar and flour is very similar to David's recipe, which I already know I like. The bonus is that Karen's recipe also contains whole-wheat pastry flour, which I confess I've never baked with before, but I imagine the slightly nutty flavour would be very good in this sort of cake!! I will take a few liberties with Karen's recipe tomorrow (adding cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and ground black pepper) and see what happens...but I'm already sure that I will love her recipe the best out of all the ones I've tried in the past.

^Thanks for all the advice! I remember reading the article, and that's why I was interested in the Pro 6 and the Delongi mixer. I should note that I'm just a home baker, but I do bake quite often. I don't think I'll ever be in the restaurant industry, so I don't need huge batches of anything done. I would like to start making my own brioche this year, so that's one of the main reasons why I need a standmixer. I just figured that I would get the best that's out there right now, so there's very little chance of me ever becoming dissatisfied with the machine, or feeling that I've outgrown it. (I have another 50 years or more of baking to do, at least!! )

Ling's caramel apple pie Serves 8 as Dessert. A few years ago, I set out to make what I hoped would be the best apple pie. I tested a wide variety of apples that were readily available in Vancouver, and finally settled on a mix of Fuji and Granny Smith. The combined weight of the apples used should be just over 3 pounds. I probably made over twenty apple pies to arrive at this recipe. I hope you enjoy it! (The baking from frozen tip is one I picked up from Wendy DeBord this year! Baking the pie this way allows the crust to brown before the filling starts to cook, and even the bottom crust is browned through. Prior to using Wendy's method, I was baking the pie at 450 degrees for 15 minutes, then lowering the temperature to 350 for 45 minutes.) 4 large Fuji apples 2 Granny Smith apples 1/2 c brown sugar 1/2 c granulated sugar 3 T cornstarch 2 T ground cinnamon* 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg 1/2 tsp sea salt 1 T lemon juice 1 T vanilla extract 4 T softened butter 1 T AP flour 1 double crust pie crust recipe (I use lard, a bit of sour cream, and a tsp of vinegar in mine) *I like an intense burst of cinnamon in my pie, but you can lower the amount to 1 tbsp or 1.5 tbsp if you prefer. Peel the apples, then quarter them. Cut out the core, and then cut each quarter into 4 wedges (so each apple yields 16 wedges). Each wedge should be about ½ inch thick. Then cut each wedge into 3 pieces (so that each piece is bite-sized.) Taste the apples and note whether they are particularly firm, of medium firmness, or a bit on the soft and mealy side. Put the apple wedges in a large mixing bowl and cover with the remaining ingredients in the filling, except the butter and remaining 1 tbsp flour. ' Toss everything to mix, making sure the dry ingredients coat the apple wedges evenly. In a large pan, melt the butter and add the apples. Cook, stirring occasionally. If the apples you bought are firm, cook them on medium heat for 7 minutes, so they are a little bit softened on the outside, but still raw. The sugars should have melted with the butter and combined with the cornstarch to make a thick, brown syrupy sauce. If the apples are not very juicy and your sauce becomes as thick as glue, you might have to add 1 or 2 tablespoons of water to the sauce to loosen it. (The sauce should have the consistency of Chinese oyster sauce.) If the apples were not very firm to begin with (or if you are using apples with a slightly softer texture, like Golden Delicious, then only cook the mixture on medium heat for 5 minutes.) Roll out one of the disks of dough on a floured surface with a floured rolling pin. Make sure the dough is larger than the 9” glass pie plate, so you can seal the edges of the pie later. Scoop the filling into the pie, then sprinkle the top of the filling with 1 tablespoon of flour evenly. Roll out the other disk of dough (larger than 9” diameter) and place it on the pie. Seal the edges using whatever decorative method you desire. Brush the top crust with a beaten egg white thinned out with a few tbsp of water, if you wish. Cover the pie with plastic wrap, then place it in the freezer. When it is frozen all the way through, preheat your oven to 350 degrees F (or 325 degrees F if you're using a convection oven.) Bake the pie for approximately 2 hours-2 hrs. 15 minutes, until the crust is browned and crisp. Keywords: American, Dessert, Intermediate, Pie ( RG1580 )

Happy Birthday and best wishes! Thank-you for documenting the making of your birthday cassoleut. You've inspired me to attempt this dish in 2006 too!

That cake looks beautiful, Filipe! Is "yellow sugar" sugar that's in between white (granulated) and brown sugar? I have "golden sugar" in my pantry...it's yellow-ish.

^Mm...looks great, Megan! I did two white cakes today, so I ate two slices of each. (One slice when each cake cake out of the oven, and another slice from each when they had cooled down a little bit. I am very stringent with my taste-testing, you know. ) I liked the KA cake a bit more, which is the cake on the right. I had chocolate at breakfast too. (Valrhona on toast, with olive oil and fleur de sel).

^Thanks for your recipe, Malarkey! I baked both the "Gift of Southern Cooking" cake Malarkey suggested, and the KA white cake just now. Before baking, I scaled the two recipes on paper to compare them, and they are not too different. The KA cake contains more fat and is more moist. Here are the two cakes side-by-side. Malarkey's cake is on left, and the KA cake is on the right. Right out of the oven, I liked Malarky's cake more. It was softer and more tender than the KA cake. However, after cooling for 10 minutes, the KA cake tasted better to me. It was definitely richer, and I really like the flavour of the almond extract. By this time, the "Gift of Southern Cooking" cake had dried out a bit, though I suspect it would be wonderful with a rich filling and frosting (like in a Lane cake recipe, as it is intended to be used.) The GoSC cake has a tighter crumb. (I took pictures of the interior of both cakes, but they aren't very clear b/c I can't figure out how to turn off the flash, so I decided not to post them.) My brother and two of his friends were home, so I got them to taste the two cakes too. We all prefer the KA cake, but agree that both cakes are good. I've never made a white cake mix cake, but I've tasted them in grocery store cakes. To me, there's no comparison--the scratch cakes are a hundred times better. ETA: I got a few more people to taste the cakes--my sister finds the GoSC too dry, and my mom thinks both cakes are a bit too sweet. One of my students prefers the GoSC cake because she likes the drier texture.

Even if you halve the sugar in the recipe, the proportions are not out of line with what I've seen and used. What temperature are you baking the cakes at?

Mmm...corned beef hash! I haven't had that in a long time! Today I had two sunny-side up eggs, three sausage links, three slices of ham, a marinated duck wing (Chinese style) and two pieces of bread with melted Valrhona, a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil, and a sprinkle of fleur de sel.

I've flipped through the La Regalade one several times. They also had it at Costco back in December. I remember that the recipe for the La Regalade chocolate cake looked pretty good.

I have no problem stopping at one Lay's potato chip. Kettle chips, on the other hand, usually meet a quick and untimely demise.

Pulling up an old thread...my tastes have changed. My no. 1 favourite for eating is the Michel Cluizel - Hacienda 'Los Anconès' bar, followed by Valrhona Guanaja. The Guanaja was a bit too bitter for me about a year ago (I preferred the Manjari), but I love the Guanaja now.

^That's a great idea. Alternatively, you could do a brownie base with the chopped, salted peanuts in the brownies (or white chocolate chips), top with the white chocolate cheesecake (and maybe use the peanut butter swirl) and top the cheesecake with pieces with homemade peanut brittle for crunch. Or you could crush the peanut brittle and press it onto the sides of your cheesecake too.

I'm pulling up an old thread, but I was wondering if anyone else has had any experience with the Kitchenaid Pro 6 mixer. I'm trying to decide on a standmixer right now, something that will definitely last a lifetime. I like the look of the Kitchenaid mixers the best, but I'm also considering the Delongi one. I'd like to pay no more than $600 Cdn, if possible. Thanks!

I don't own a lot of local cookbooks, but I have Lumiere. Lumiere Light, and Feenie's. I've only cooked out of Lumiere, I believe. I've made the "Cote de boeuf and braised short rib with celeriac puree" on pg. 150, and it is wonderful. (I think I remember adding carrots, onions, and celery when braising, though.) I like the "duo des pommes de terre" recipe on page 10. The "Alsace tarte flambee" on pg. 55 is also good and very easy to do. I've also made the "Seared Alaskan scallops with a saffron-vanilla cream" on pg. 140. (I believe this was the starter the night I made the short rib recipe. This was also my first time using saffron.) I also had chantrelles for the first time five years ago when I made the "Seared scallops with baby leeks and blue cluster chantrelles in herb vinaigrette" on pg. 98, though I confess I remember using the dried chantrelles I found at Save-on-Foods. (Sorry to disappoint--I was 18 and cooking blindly without the guiding light of Egullet. ) The recipes I've tried were chosen because of their simplicity. Lumiere was my first "real" cookbook, and I remember spending many hours pouring over the pages and reading the recipes! I do have an issue with one of the dessert recipes--the only one I've tried so far. I made the walnut maple cake a few years ago and followed the recipe, even though I was puzzled by the equal measurements (1.5 cups each) of flour and butter. The cake was inedible. I think there must've been a mistake in the measurements. I posted the "Chocolate tango cake with bittersweet chocolate sorbet" recipe that won the 1999 Quandy Dessert competition HERE, also noting further down in the thread: "Before you make this, don't you think the proportion of butter in both the tangerine cake and the chocolate cake (which is almost like a flourless chocolate cake) seem unnaturally high? It seems like 1/4 cup of butter is more than sufficient for the tangerine cake and the chocolate cake. [...] I think the cake would turn out if you cut the butter down to 1/4 cup in the tangerine cake (and even then it would be very dense with the almond meal) and 1/4 cup of butter in the chocolate cake, so it's more in line with other flourless chocolate cake recipes." I would love to try this recipe soon...and just wanted to include it here for anyone who may not have a copy of the Lumiere cookbook!