Your Daily Sweets: What Are You Making and Baking? (2016 – 2017)

[shain]

@Toliver I feel silly, Iv'e linked to a different blog then the one I intended. Thank you for posting one that works! I'll fix the link in mine for the ease of future readers...

 

@pastryani That's one crispy looking sugar crust!

[Franci]

This morning I wanted to surprise my son with something like a cake/tart, my daughter no, she is for savory things...but I didn't have much time. So came to mind this "crostata morbida" from Marina, a friend from an Italian cooking forum. This recipe has been popular for years on that forum and I've never tried before. It's not really a tart but it's not a cake. It takes 5 minutes to put together and while my son didn't like it, I found it really delicious. I creamed some butter and sugar (150 g+ 150/170 g depending on the jam used), added 2 egg and one yolk, 200 g flour sifted with 1 scant teaspoon baking powder and a pinch of salt. I spread it in a rectangular tart tin with remouvable bottom (8x12 inches), added some jam here and there (delicious marasque sour cherry from D'arbo) and baked in the convection oven until golden (325 F about 25 to 30 minutes).

 

 

 

Edited September 9, 2016 by Franci (log)

[Anna N]

@Franci

 

 I can't help but see a close resemblance to the plum torte that is all over the place.   I can see this becoming equally popular.

[Kerry Beal]

Added to the Manitoulin list!

[Franci]

5 hours ago, Anna N said:

@Franci

 

 I can't help but see a close resemblance to the plum torte that is all over the place.   I can see this becoming equally popular.

 

I went to read the recipe on Smitten Kitchen. Proportion a little different but very, very similar concept, in fact my friend use the same recipe and substitute other cooked fruits. Also replace some of the flour with cocoa and substitute jab with hazelnut/chocolate spread.

[Fernwood]

8 hours ago, Franci said:

This morning I wanted to surprise my son with something like a cake/tart, my daughter no, she is for savory things...but I didn't have much time. So came to mind this "crostata morbida" from Marina, a friend from an Italian cooking forum. This recipe has been popular for years on that forum and I've never tried before. It's not really a tart but it's not a cake. It takes 5 minutes to put together and while my son didn't like it, I found it really delicious. I creamed some butter and sugar (150 g+ 150/170 g depending on the jam used), added 2 egg and one yolk, 200 g flour sifted with 1 scant teaspoon baking powder and a pinch of salt. I spread it in a rectangular tart tin with remouvable bottom (8x12 inches), added some jam here and there (delicious marasque sour cherry from D'arbo) and baked in the convection oven until golden (325 F about 25 to 30 minutes).

 

 

 

 

 

6 hours ago, Anna N said:

@Franci

 

 I can't help but see a close resemblance to the plum torte that is all over the place.   I can see this becoming equally popular.

 

Exactly what I was thinking, particularly as I made two versions of the Marian Burros recipe http://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/9035-the-original-plum-torte just the other evening.  (One was almost the original, the other a slightly denser version that has evolved in my kitchen, good for baking in 9x13" pan, cutting in squares and taking to potluck events.)  The annual appearance of those little plums in our market is always cause for celebratory baking.  

It's a versatile concept.  Yours looks great, Franci!  There's not much I like better than sour cherries.  

[pastryani]

8 hours ago, Franci said:

 

 

This looks DEEElicious, I want to reach through the monitor and scarf it down!  Will have to try this out.

[shain]

Chocolate swiss roll, filled with banana whipped cream and crisp chocolate flakes.

I kind of wish it was yellow...

[RWood]

Some friends asked me to make the cake for their wedding. It was an outdoor, rustic type deal.  The groom picked the cake flavors, the bride didn't care because she had a pie table, she just wanted a naked cake. 

Top tier-vanilla cake with salted caramel buttercream and toffee bits

middle-brown sugar cake with vanilla cream and bananas

bottom-chocolate cake with Nutella buttercream and hazelnuts

 

 

[Anna N]

Looks rather good for a casual dessert doesn't it? But it's a failure. Don't know what happened. Set out to make a lemon pudding cake and what I have is meringue floating on top of a very liquid base with something resembling cake in between. Ah well.   It is why I don't make wedding cakes.  

 

Edited to make it a sweet not an expanse of sand.

Edited September 12, 2016 by Anna N (log)

[pastrygirl]

Seahawks birthday cake for someone who turned 30 on the season opener yesterday.  Chocolate cake, coffee buttercream between the layers, and cream cheese icing with marshmallow fondant topper and message.  Hawks won and client was happy.  BUT!  As I was painting with food color and vodka on the other cake I made that day, I was totally kicking myself for spending an hour cutting out and piecing together the Seahawks logo.  Next time, I'll just paint it. Duh! Oh, that learning curve    Didn't get a pic of the other cake, which was a WW 2 tank on top of a bunker.  Turned out OK, but I wished I'd had at least another hour to add details to the tank.  I always think I can decorate faster than I really can!

 

[Thanks for the Crepes]

2 hours ago, pastrygirl said:

I always think I can decorate faster than I really can!

 

Very nice work on the Seahawks cake, and I'm glad your client was happy.

 

I would guess you love decorating. When I am zoning on a task I enjoy, I have no real perception of time. That phenomenon is difficult enough to manage in a home kitchen with other people expecting food to be served at a reasonable hour. It would be very much harder in a professional setting, I imagine.

 

That no-time-perception zone is also where I do my best work in the kitchen or out.

[pastrygirl]

19 hours ago, Thanks for the Crepes said:

 

Very nice work on the Seahawks cake, and I'm glad your client was happy.

 

I would guess you love decorating. When I am zoning on a task I enjoy, I have no real perception of time. That phenomenon is difficult enough to manage in a home kitchen with other people expecting food to be served at a reasonable hour. It would be very much harder in a professional setting, I imagine.

 

That no-time-perception zone is also where I do my best work in the kitchen or out.

 

Thanks!  Love is a strong word for it - I do enjoy the challenge of custom creations (when I have time), and it's fun to have different projects, but cake decorating has always kind of stressed me out.  Trying to get it all perfect and round with straight sides ... but yeah, it is fun when I can get in the zone and just play sculptor/artist.

 

Here is another one from a couple of weeks ago - it was the hubby's birthday the day before the couple was leaving for a 3 week, 222 mile trek on the John Muir Trail in the Sierras, so wife wanted to surprise him with a mountain themed cake.  It was a mountain of cake, alright!

 

[suzilightning]

First attempt at making gluten free for the husband...blueberry and lemon muffins.  Followed the recipe on Bob's Mill replacement flour and it came out OK.  I will have to cogitate on what I want to up or add to get it to the exact taste/crumb I am happy with.  Guess I'll check my notes from when I was testing for a book.......

 

I do believe that Marion Burros recipe for plum cake may be on the front burner for this weekend.

Edited September 16, 2016 by suzilightning (log)

[Anna N]

6 hours ago, suzilightning said:

First attempt at making gluten free for the husband...blueberry and lemon muffins.  Followed the recipe on Bob's Mill replacement flour and it came out OK.  I will have to cogitate on what I want to up or add to get it to the exact taste/crumb I am happy with.  Guess I'll check my notes from when I was testing for a book.......

 

I do believe that Marion Burros recipe for plum cake may be on the front burner for this weekend.

 

Here's  some interesting background on Marion Burros' recipe and the many ways in which it can be adapted. 

[pjm333]

[Tri2Cook]

Those are awesome. I may have to steal... errr... borrow!... that one.

[NWKate]

@Pastrygirl. Go Hawks!  Very nice!

[ElsieD]

11 hours ago, pjm333 said:

 

Those are adorable.

[pjm333]

Pretzel's

[Franci]

I made schiacciata con l'uva. 

 

 

 

[Kerry Beal]

13 hours ago, Franci said:

I made schiacciata con l'uva. 

 

 

 

Franci - you bake the most interesting stuff!

[Franci]

8 hours ago, Kerry Beal said:

Franci - you bake the most interesting stuff!

 

Thanks Kerry

 

The season for wine grape is short. Table grape doesn't work well for this. You should try! Make a bread dough 70-80% hydration (here I was lower and still good but if I can make another round before season is over, I'll make a wetter dough). 250-280 g flour are plenty for a 11 inch pan. When double in bulk, oil well (with extra virgin)  the pan, spread half of the dough, add the grapes, sprinkle with sugar, add a second layer of dough, repeat with grapes and sugar. Cook at 375 until golden.  It's crunchy  on the sides, with the good taste of oil and slightly sweet with sugar and caramelized syrup from the grape. My son was not keen on this, it's my kind of treat instead. And the day after it toasts really well in the CSO 

[Tri2Cook]

Sounds really good but if table grapes don't work in it, I'm out of luck. No wine grapes where I live.

[Franci]

50 minutes ago, Tri2Cook said:

Sounds really good but if table grapes don't work in it, I'm out of luck. No wine grapes where I live.

 

I was reading on Emiko's blog about schiacciata, looking for the English name of the wine grape used,  and she suggests using blueberries for people as an interesting alternative when wine grape is not available. I'm not sure how I'd like blueberries in it but she thinks it's better than table grape.