"Baking: From My Home to Yours" (Part 2)

[prasantrin]

I haven't tried these yet, but why is it that almost everyone who has made the vanilla-rum pound cakes has done it without the rum syrup?  It seems like the rum would have been a lovely addition to the pound cake.

pat

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I'm pretty sure I made mine with the rum syrup. I can't remember precisely, because it was about one year ago and I was as sick as a dog, but I clearly remember stabbing the cake with a knife (perhaps a bit too vehemently, as when I sliced the cake, some chunks fell off because I stabbed too deeply).

The cake with what I think was rum syrup was very well-received, and I think was one of the favourites of the crowd.

[Dianabanana]

Last week I made the chocolate/vanilla swirl poundcake, which was exactly what I expected (in a good way) and the Chocolate Chunkers. For anyone who hasn't made the chunkers yet, there's a serious salt component to them a la Korova cookies. I used kosher salt, but next time (if I can afford a next time--that's a lot of expensive chocolate!) I'll try fleur de sel.

[FoodMan]

Updated the list since some of you have made new things!  Those Chocolate Oatmeal Almost Candy Bars are calling my name!

Also alphabetized this time.

Almost Fudge Gateau

Alsatian Apple Tart

Amaretti Torte

Apple Cheddar Scones

Apple Coconut Family Cake

Apple Nut Muffin Cake

Apple pie cake

Applesauce Spice Bars

Arborio rice pudding

Banana Bundt Cake

Basic Biscuits

Bill’s Big Carrot Cake

Biscotti

Bittersweet Brownies

Black and White Banana Loaf

Black and White Chocolate Cake

Blackberry Cobbler

Blueberry Brown Sugar Plain Cake

Blueberry Cake

Bostock

Bourbon Bread Pudding

Brioche Raisin Snails

Brown Sugar Apple Cheesecake

Brown Sugar Bundt Cake

Brown Sugar Pecan Shortbread Cookies

Brownie Buttons

Brrrr-ownies

Buttermilk biscuits

Buttery Jam cookies

Caramel Brownie Cake

Caramel Crunch bars

Caramel peanut topped brownie cake

Caramel Pumpkin Tart

Caramel Topped Flan

Cardamom Crumb Cake

Carmelized Apple Bread Pudding

Carrot Spice Muffins

Cherry Rhubarb Cobbler

Chestnut Caramel Cake

Chocobanana Bread

Choco-ginger Crackles

Chocolate and Fresh Ginger Gingerbread

Chocolate Biscotti

Chocolate Bread Pudding

Chocolate Chip cookies

Chocolate Chocolate Chunk muffins

Chocolate Chunkers

Chocolate Crunch Caramel Tart

Chocolate Cupcakes

Chocolate Ganache Gelato

Chocolate Malted Whopper Drops

Chocolate Mint Chip ice cream

Chocolate Oatmeal Almost Candy Bars

Chocolate Oatmeal drops

Chocolate Pudding

Chocolate Raspbeerry Tart

Chocolate Shortbread Cookies

Chocolate Sorbet

Chocolate Souffle

Chunky Oatmeal and Peanut Butter Chocolate Chipsters

Chunky Peanut Butter and Chocolate Chippers

Cinnamon Raisin Swirl Bread

Cinnamon squares

Cinnamon Squares

Citrus Berry Muffins

Classic Brownies

Cocoa Almond Meringues

Cocoa Buttermilk Birthday Cake

Coconut Orange Tea Cake

Coconut Roasted Pineapple Dacquoise

Coconut Tea Cake

Coffee Break Muffins

Corniest Corn Muffins

Cornmeal and Fruit Loaf

Cornmeal Maple Biscuits

Cottage Cheese Puffs

Cranapple Crisps

Cranberry Lime Galette

Cranberry Shortbread Cake

Cranberry Upside Downer

Cream Puff Ring

Cream Scones

Crunchy and Custardy Peach Tart

Depth of Fall Butternut Squash Pie

Devil’s Food White Out Cake

Devilish Shortcakes

Dimply Plum Cake

Double apple bundt cake

Dressy Chocolate Loaf

Earl Grey Madelines

Espresso Cheesecake Brownie

Espresso Chocolate Shortbread

Far Breton

Flaky Apple Turnovers

Florida Pie

Fluted Ricotta Cake

French Brownies

Golden Brioche

Good for Everything Pie Crust

Great Grains Muffins

Holiday Bundt Cake

Honey Nut Brownies

Honey’s Apple Cake

Katherine Hepburn Brownies

Key Lime Cheesecake

Lemon Cream Tart

Lemon Poppyseed muffins

Lenox Almond Biscotti

Linzer Cookies

Lots of Ways Banana Cake

Mango Bread

Marbled banana chocolate loaf cake

Marbled Cheesecake

Marbled Pound Cake

Midnight Crackle cookies

Milk Chocolate Mini Bundt Cakes

Mocha Chocolate Bundt Cake?

Mocha Walnut Marbled Bundt Cake

Molasses Spice Cookies

Molten Chocolate Cakes

Normandy Apple Tart

Nutty Chocolaty Swirly Sour Cream Bundt Cake

Oatmeal Breakfast Loaf

Oatmeal Nutmeg Scones

Orange Blueberry Muffins

Orange Current Sunshine Muffins

Parisian Apple Tarts

Peanut Butter Crisscrosses

Peanut Butter Torte

Peanuttiest Blondies

Pear Torte

Pecan Honey Sticky Buns

Pot de Crème

Pound Cake

Pumpkin Spice Marshmallows

Pumpkin Spice Muffins

Quintuple Chocolate Brownies

Raspberry Coulis

Rhubarb Strawberry Crisp

Rugelach

Rum-soaked Vanilla Cakes

Russian Grandmother’s Apple Cake

Sables

Sables

Salt and Pepper Cocoa Cookies

Savoury Corn Muffins

Snickery Squares

Sour Cream Pecan Biscuits

Sour Cream Pumpkin Pie

Split Level Pudding

Sugar Cookies

Swedish Visiting Cake

Sweet Potato Biscuits

Tarte Tatin

Tartest Lemon Tart

Tenderest Shortcakes

Thanksgiving Twofer Pie

Thumbprints

Tiramisu

Toasted Almond Scones

Toffee Brown Sugar Ice Cream Bars

Vanilla ice cream

Vanilla Pound Cake

White Chocolate Blonde Raspberry Brownies

White Chocolate Brownies

World Peace Cookies

Yogurt Cake

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Thanks for the list. It sure looks impressive. The latest recipe I made is the classic brownies recipe. I also galzed them with a little melted white chocolate. They looked and tasted great. I made about 60 of them for a special occasion. Definitly a big hit.

[Malawry]

OK, I have to ask... 

I haven't tried these yet, but why is it that almost everyone who has made the vanilla-rum pound cakes has done it without the rum syrup?  It seems like the rum would have been a lovely addition to the pound cake.

pat

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Hi Pat,

I would have loved to have used the rum syrup. However, my husband is a teetotaler and really dislikes the taste of alcohol. I also have a 21 month old son, and while I'm not neurotic about alcohol around him, I don't make a habit of giving it to him either. Also, I wanted to freeze one of the cakes and eat the other one with my family, and a soaked cake doesn't freeze well.

[Pat W]

OK, I have to ask... 

I haven't tried these yet, but why is it that almost everyone who has made the vanilla-rum pound cakes has done it without the rum syrup?   It seems like the rum would have been a lovely addition to the pound cake.

pat

←

Hi Pat,

I would have loved to have used the rum syrup. However, my husband is a teetotaler and really dislikes the taste of alcohol. I also have a 21 month old son, and while I'm not neurotic about alcohol around him, I don't make a habit of giving it to him either. Also, I wanted to freeze one of the cakes and eat the other one with my family, and a soaked cake doesn't freeze well.

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Actually, it's nice to know the that this poundcake is so good that the syrup is optional.

By the way, I completely agree with you. I'm probably as far from neurotic about alcohol as you can get, but I wouldn't dream of giving it to children either.

pat

[Malawry]

The syrup is definitely optional. I did use the rum called for in the cake itself, though. I used Pyrat and its aroma really added something special to the cake--yet it was subtle enough that my husband didn't object (and neither did my son, for that matter).

I made the chipster-topped brownies and the chocolate chip-peanut butter-oatmeal cookies today (those may not be the actual names, but you can figure it out from there). The brownies are INCREDIBLE. I'd wanted to try them for a long time since the idea of spooging brownies and chocolate chip cookies took me back to my second-grade chocoholic self, and these treats did not disappoint. I froze most of them to take to a friend's for the super bowl and I'm sure they will be a big hit. The cookies are good, but not as peanutty as I'd hoped. If I make them again I may add some chopped salted peanuts (I think the cookies need a little more salt, too).

ETA: I can't remember the last time I was compelled to make so many things from a single book. Today I cooked, what, the tenth thing from this cookbook so far? I don't bake very often, but I am loving this book so much that it is making me bake more. And I'm nowhere near done trying out recipes that look appealing. Thanks, Dorie.

Edited January 31, 2008 by Malawry (log)

[emmalish]

I can't remember the last time I was compelled to make so many things from a single book. Today I cooked, what, the tenth thing from this cookbook so far? I don't bake very often, but I am loving this book so much that it is making me bake more. And I'm nowhere near done trying out recipes that look appealing. Thanks, Dorie.

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Same here. I love to bake and have a shelf full of various cookbooks, but since discovering this book, it's the only one I use anymore.

[FWED]

This weekend I made the Peppermint Cream Puff Ring. It eventually turned out wonderful and taste was everything that I had expected. It did not happen effortlessly though and there in lies the question. The Cream would not whip. I followed the directions exactly and after steeping the cream and mint chilled the cream and the kitchen aid bowl and whip. When I tried to whip the mint cream, peppermint extract, and sugar on medium speed it just stayed a heavy cream and never even got to soft peaks. It eventually got slightly grainy and funky looking. So I threw it out and started again with another batch of cream that had not been infused but did contain the extract and the sugar. Everything worked as it should and I proceeded with the fabrication of the dessert. Has anyone had this problem with this cream or any other cream not whipping?

[laniloa]

I made the chocolate biscotti with dried cherries tonight. They are outstanding. Deep chocolate flavor, not too sweet. Another winner.

This was my 23rd recipe from the book. I haven't come close to that number in any other cookbook. My co-workers, recipients of most of my baking, agree that this was a great investment.

[emmalish]

Oooh, biscotti... I haven't tried Dorie's biscotti yet. I think I might know what I'll be making this weekend!

[Pat W]

Last night it was cold with snow & blowing snow, so I did the only sensible thing and baked an All-In-One Holiday Bundt Cake. (If we count Groundhog Day as a holiday I'm not too far out of season.)

It's still cold & snowy, but this with coffee was a great way to start the day.

laniloa has inspired me to try the chocolate biscotti with dried cherries next.

pat

[CaliPoutine]

Beautiful cake Pat. Are those candied cherries?

[Pat W]

Beautiful cake Pat.  Are those candied cherries?

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Thanks Randi,

No, they are cranberries... but now that you mention it, candied cherries might be a nice variation. I also think raisins might be a good idea.

pat

Edited February 6, 2008 by Pat W (log)

[frogprincess]

Last weekend I made the perfect party cake. I took it to a birthdayparty, so that part was taken care of, but perfect, it was not. I had a lot of problems with this cake! The layers did not rise at all. I have to ask though what 'cake flour' means. The cake flour I buy, has rising agents added (I assume baking powder, although it is not the same as selfrising flour). Anyway, I used the cakeflour which is supposed to rise on its own, and added baking powder too, but the cakes did not rise  . maybe in this case, 1 + 1 is 0?? I think the main culprit was the fact that I had to do all mixing by hand (I mean really by hand, without electricity...) because I forgot I had left my mixer at a friends house. 

I tried to cut the layers in half anyway, which resulted in layers so thin and fragile that they crumbled all over the table as I tried to assemble the cake. I ended up baking another layer! And used the broken bits and pieces to construct a decent looking cake.

I used my homemade redcurrantjelly, and fresh raspberries, for the filling. The meringue buttercream, by the way, was really really good. I was very proud of that because I had never made anything like it before. And it was very nice to plaster the cake with buttercream, at least from the outside, it looked okay!

I made this last night for Valentine's day after lusting over the photo for months! But like you I had the same problem, the cakes did not rise during baking. I did not bother slicing the layers in half, because I knew that would be a disaster. I was thinking that perhaps the cakes should have been baked in 8" pans, rather than 9" ones but maybe it was the cake flour I used.

Even though the cake was quiet dense everyone enjoyed it, and I am regretting sending the leftovers home with a friend

[CanadianBakin']

Last weekend I made the perfect party cake. I took it to a birthdayparty, so that part was taken care of, but perfect, it was not. I had a lot of problems with this cake! The layers did not rise at all. I have to ask though what 'cake flour' means. The cake flour I buy, has rising agents added (I assume baking powder, although it is not the same as selfrising flour). Anyway, I used the cakeflour which is supposed to rise on its own, and added baking powder too, but the cakes did not rise  . maybe in this case, 1 + 1 is 0?? I think the main culprit was the fact that I had to do all mixing by hand (I mean really by hand, without electricity...) because I forgot I had left my mixer at a friends house. 

I tried to cut the layers in half anyway, which resulted in layers so thin and fragile that they crumbled all over the table as I tried to assemble the cake. I ended up baking another layer! And used the broken bits and pieces to construct a decent looking cake.

I used my homemade redcurrantjelly, and fresh raspberries, for the filling. The meringue buttercream, by the way, was really really good. I was very proud of that because I had never made anything like it before. And it was very nice to plaster the cake with buttercream, at least from the outside, it looked okay!

I made this last night for Valentine's day after lusting over the photo for months! But like you I had the same problem, the cakes did not rise during baking. I did not bother slicing the layers in half, because I knew that would be a disaster. I was thinking that perhaps the cakes should have been baked in 8" pans, rather than 9" ones but maybe it was the cake flour I used.

Even though the cake was quiet dense everyone enjoyed it, and I am regretting sending the leftovers home with a friend

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It didn't rise when I made it either.

[Dorie Greenspan]

I'm really confused about what's happening with the Perfect Party Cake. In one case that I heard of, the baker used self-rising flour and it seemed that the batter was tuckered out from trying to rise from the combination of the self-rising flour and the leavening in the recipe. But now the problem seems to be occuring even with regular cake flour. I'd blame it on kitchen gremlins, but that wouldn't be fair. I really don't understand it.

I'll try to make the cake during the week (I'm someplace without an oven now -- hard as that is to believe and difficult as it is) and see if I can figure out what the problem is.

Back to you soon.

WAIT -- I'm afraid I didn't read the post carefully -- I think THE CULPRIT IS THE CAKE FLOUR WITH RISING AGENTS -- sounds like the batter was being pushed too hard and so just didn't achieve take off.

The cake was tested with Swan's Down Cake Flour, which does not have any rising agents.

Edited February 16, 2008 by Dorie Greenspan (log)

[frogprincess]

Thanks for your reply, Ms. Greenspan : )

These are the listed ingredients in the Robin Hood brand cake flour that I used:

Wheat Flour

Benzoyl

Peroxide

Chlorine

Niacin

Iron

Thiamine Mononitrate

Riboflavin

Folic Acid

Are any of them leaving agents?

Edited February 16, 2008 by frogprincess (log)

[Dorie Greenspan]

Frogprincess, none of those sounds like leaveners to me.

Here's what's in Swan's Down, I just pulled it off their site:

Ingredients: enriched cake flour (bleached wheat flour, niacin, iron, thiamine mononitrate and riboflavin).

Looks kinda the same, doesn't it?

Edited February 16, 2008 by Dorie Greenspan (log)

[Pat W]

I was converted to Dorie's biscuit recipe the first time I tried it. But, I must confess that I never used the whole milk the recipe calls for. We usually just have 2% on hand. I'm posting because yesterday I made the recipe exactly as written. I used whole milk with the cake flour option.

These are without a doubt the best biscuits I have ever had. Fluffy inside with a delightful flaky crunch outside. I cannot gush enough about them.

So, if you haven't made these exactly as Dorie directed, you really, truly must.

pat

[FoodMan]

If you all have some chocolate cravings (and all of us do), you have to make those cupcakes!! We needed an easy chocolate fix and my wife asked me to bake those. They so exceeded our expectations. They were slightly dense, rich and loved by us (30 somethings who love bitter chocolate taste) and the kids (oldest is 4. 'nough said). I cannot say enough good things about these and they taste almost as good two days after they were baked.

So, go home and make some chocolate-chocolate cupcakes...I think that's the name, I do not have the book with me now.

[Dorie Greenspan]

Pat W -- it's great that you liked the biscuits. I'm leaving for Paris this afternoon and I'm bringing a tin of baking powder so that I can make a batch of biscuits for my French friends -- I think they'll love them.

Foodman -- I love your kids! A four-year old with a taste for bitter chocolate has a future in the food world, I"m sure.

[MelissaH]

Last week I made a rum-soaked pound cake again. Except that instead of using rum, I used single malt scotch, specifically Balvenie Doublewood. I thought that the vanilla-like flavor of this particular whisky would go nicely in a cake, and it most definitely did!

MelissaH

[Becca Porter]

If you all have some chocolate cravings (and all of us do), you have to make those cupcakes!! We needed an easy chocolate fix and my wife asked me to bake those. They so exceeded our expectations. They were slightly dense, rich and loved by us (30 somethings who love bitter chocolate taste) and the kids (oldest is 4. 'nough said). I cannot say enough good things about these and they taste almost as good two days after they were baked.

So, go home and make some chocolate-chocolate cupcakes...I think that's the name, I do not have the book with me now.

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Okay, I haven't had supper yet, AND I am positively craving chocolate right now. This was actually painful to see/hear.

I will be making these within the week...

[yunnermeier]

I have been lusting after this book eversince it came out but could never justify buying it (only have hot-air oven ) . After resisting for so long, I finally succumbed and bought a copy yesterday. It should arrive in 5-7 working days. I can't wait to try out everything:)

[LizD518]

I just made the dough for the World Peace Cookies and it is in the fridge now, resting. I have read all the great reviews on this thread and have wanted to try them.

But I have a question... I copied the recipe from my friend's copy of the book and didn't notice that it doesn't have eggs. Please tell me that I didn't miss them when I copied the recipe!! The dough was a bit crumbly, but seemed like it should hold together after some rest time.

Please let me know if I made a mistake - and if I can still fix it!