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

[Matthew.Taylor]

7 hours ago, Thanks for the Crepes said:

I made the prune cake I grew up with yesterday. It's kind of an unusual recipe that I'm pretty sure we got off the Sunsweet prunes container. It's made with buttermilk in both the cake and the glaze and the cake is spiced with cinnamon, nutmeg and allspice and contains chopped walnuts.

 

The cake is moist to start with and then you poke it all over while still hot with a skewer and pour on a glaze, so it comes out really moist and good. Not much of a flashy looker, but I have never served this to anyone who didn't love it, including prune haters.

 

The glaze is weird. It has butter, sugar, a weench of corn syrup and baking soda. If you make this cake, use a much larger pan than you think you will need for the glaze. The soda makes it foam up during the boiling to four times the size! I guess this brings a lightness to what would otherwise be a heavy glaze that allows it to penetrate the cake. I cut the sugar way down, as usual from the original recipe, and I think I will cut it even further next time. 

 

This was made in the CSO in the smallest of my French White Corning ware casserole dishes. We used to always make this in a Bundt pan, and while my Bundt pan fits in the CSO, I just think a full recipe would've risen too near the top elements. So I cut the recipe in half which is perfect for me cooking for just myself.

 

It's so good I grabbed a small piece as soon as I woke up.

Nothing wrong with getting a recipe off of a container. I'll wager that alot of the great recipes we take for granted these days started that way. Look at Toll House chocolate chip cookies? I've heard that this is one of the few recipes where you actually have to work to get wrong. Key Lime Pie was created strictly to capitalize and show off Sweetened Condensed milk.

 

I occasionally get the impression that a lot of bakers today might "look down" upon such origins, but it's really  fine place to put a recipe, right on the package for one of the main ingredients.

[Kim Shook]

4 hours ago, Thanks for the Crepes said:

The glaze is weird. It has butter, sugar, a weench of corn syrup and baking soda. If you make this cake, use a much larger pan than you think you will need for the glaze. The soda makes it foam up during the boiling to four times the size! I guess this brings a lightness to what would otherwise be a heavy glaze that allows it to penetrate the cake. I cut the sugar way down, as usual from the original recipe, and I think I will cut it even further next time. 

 

Intersesting - the apple cake that Mr. Kim makes has a similar glaze - sugar, butter, buttermilk, and baking soda.  

[shain]

Creme brulee.

 

[Matthew.Taylor]

Not bad, not bad. Though I feel the sugar on top could be toasted a bit more, plus I would suggest making sure the sugar is spread from edge to edge. Despite the criticism, this is a good piece of work. Well done.

[jbates]

My first attempts using the dendrite technique in a snack mold. Unfortunately the nicer ones with the red were liberated before I got to take their closeups 😄.

 

I figured out that less is more when doing this, I started with more on the brown/gold bars and less on those with the red backspray. Used a 50:50 mix of chocolate and cocoa butter, and a food-safe putty imprinter.

[Shelby]

@Kim Shook  How did your bake sale go???  I'm sure your goodies sold like hot cakes!

[Kerry Beal]

19 minutes ago, jbates said:

My first attempts using the dendrite technique in a snack mold. Unfortunately the nicer ones with the red were liberated before I got to take their closeups 😄.

 

I figured out that less is more when doing this, I started with more on the brown/gold bars and less on those with the red backspray. Used a 50:50 mix of chocolate and cocoa butter, and a food-safe putty imprinter.

I found this mold more of a challenge with this technique than other molds.

[Kim Shook]

It went ok.  We had a very poor turn out - even our own parishioners were few and far between.  The people who were there loved everything they tasted.  We are starting to think that, at least in our area, the whole craft/vendor markets are played out.  Everyone we've talked to in other churches and venues has seen a real decline in the past few years.  I'm guessing that this was the last one that we'll host.  But the bake sale brings in so much money, that we'll probably continue to do that in some form.  Its too bad, because I've always enjoyed doing it.  

[Shelby]

2 minutes ago, Kim Shook said:

It went ok.  We had a very poor turn out - even our own parishioners were few and far between.  The people who were there loved everything they tasted.  We are starting to think that, at least in our area, the whole craft/vendor markets are played out.  Everyone we've talked to in other churches and venues has seen a real decline in the past few years.  I'm guessing that this was the last one that we'll host.  But the bake sale brings in so much money, that we'll probably continue to do that in some form.  Its too bad, because I've always enjoyed doing it.  

Well dang.  

 

I used to go to craft shows a few years ago, but like you said, they are few and far between anymore.  

 

I wonder if you could do a set up at a fall Farmer's Market?

[Kim Shook]

Just now, Shelby said:

Well dang.  

 

I used to go to craft shows a few years ago, but like you said, they are few and far between anymore.  

 

I wonder if you could do a set up at a fall Farmer's Market?

Possibly.  Also, there is one market that is done at a nearby 55+ upscale neighborhood that a lot of our members live at.  I am going to suggest that we rent a table at that market, if they'll have us.  Table rates are generally $30-$60 and we usually make upwards of $700 (this year, even with the lack of turnout, it was $500).  

[shain]

3 hours ago, Matthew.Taylor said:

Not bad, not bad. Though I feel the sugar on top could be toasted a bit more, plus I would suggest making sure the sugar is spread from edge to edge. Despite the criticism, this is a good piece of work. Well done.

 

Thanks. Completely agree about the paleness, but I was using a broiler (got no torch) and was worried about overcooking the custard. 

[Anna N]

1 hour ago, shain said:

 

Thanks. Completely agree about the paleness, but I was using a broiler (got no torch) and was worried about overcooking the custard. 

Nice work @shain.  I would’ve eaten it without  missing a beat. 

[shain]

Kugel, not the log-cooked Jerusalmi version, but rather one made with apples, cinnamon, raisins, nuts and brown sugar.

 

The crisp top is the best part.

 

Edited November 10, 2018 by shain (log)

[Darienne]

On 11/9/2018 at 12:39 PM, Kim Shook said:

It went ok.  We had a very poor turn out - even our own parishioners were few and far between.  The people who were there loved everything they tasted.  We are starting to think that, at least in our area, the whole craft/vendor markets are played out.  Everyone we've talked to in other churches and venues has seen a real decline in the past few years.  I'm guessing that this was the last one that we'll host.  But the bake sale brings in so much money, that we'll probably continue to do that in some form.  Its too bad, because I've always enjoyed doing it.  

I'll go along with that.  We no longer participate in them...and we don't go to them either.  Craft showed out. 

I seem to have lost track of this excellent thread.  Well, I'm back and happy to look at all the wonderful items you all have made.  Loved those cookies and lollipops, Rwood.

[kayb]

The big annual craft show in Jonesboro is this weekend. I was GOING to go, until I saw the parking lots (jammed) and lines waiting to get in (long, and while it was a pretty sunny day, it was in the upper 40s/low 50s and a BRISK wind out of the north), and I drove right on by. Nothing I needed that badly.

 

Supposed to be in the 30s tonight and not get out of the 40s tomorrow. It's pot roast time for Sunday dinner!

[jmacnaughtan]

It looks like there'll be no more local fruit around this year, so I've looked a bit further afield.  Bizarrely, this is the first ever dessert I've made with mango...

 

Mango and lime tart

 

 

Lime sablé breton

Mango brunoise

Lime and mint chantilly

 

I've really gone off glazing cakes recently, possibly due to an Instagram overdose of glazing videos.  Here's to visual texture!

 

Eta: formatting

 

Edited November 18, 2018 by jmacnaughtan (log)

[Pete Fred]

Coffee Cake from Thomas Keller's Bouchon Bakery book.

 

 

It's an excellent cake, flavoured with vanilla, cocoa and cinnamon. The almond streusel topping has a nice texture. The crumb is a little less airy than I would like, but that's down to using a hand mixer rather than the brute force of a stand mixer for the creaming.

[Norm Matthews]

I don't bake very often (except bread) but  I am taking a chocolate pecan pie to take to my sisters for Thanksgiving tomorrow.  This is how it turned out. Next year will be my turn to host the whole family.

 

 

[Smithy]

Norm, I'd take a chocolate pecan pie over a regular pecan pie any day, and yours looks beautiful!

[Kim Shook]

A late item for our church bake sale.  Someone wanted a Gingerbread cake with Cranberry filling for Thanksgiving.  Unfrosted:

 

With the Cream cheese/orange zest frosting:

 

[Tri2Cook]

6 hours ago, Smithy said:

Norm, I'd take a chocolate pecan pie over a regular pecan pie any day, and yours looks beautiful!

I prefer the regular version myself (with the disclaimer that I've only tried the chocolate version once) but I agree, nice looking pie.

[Pete Fred]

Another take on Flan Parisien. I've only ever made ones containing eggs (whole or just yolks) so I was intrigued to see it done without them.

 

 

Not quite as smooth and creamy as my regular recipe but still a superior tart. Should Arm-egg-eddon wipe out the world's chickens, it's comforting to know there will still be flan.

[ChocoMom]

The light colored pies are buttermilk pies. The other two are pumpkin, made with fresh pumpkin.  

[chromedome]

On 11/18/2018 at 5:10 AM, jmacnaughtan said:

It looks like there'll be no more local fruit around this year, so I've looked a bit further afield.  Bizarrely, this is the first ever dessert I've made with mango...

 

 

Yes, but was it... the last mango in Paris?


(Sorry, I'll be quiet now...)

[Matthew.Taylor]

15 hours ago, chromedome said:

 

Yes, but was it... the last mango in Paris?


(Sorry, I'll be quiet now...)

Frankly, I'd choose a Cheeseburger in paradise over that.