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

[JoNorvelleWalker]

 

First cake I've baked since my health difficulties began.  The recipe is Rose Levy Beranbaum's All-Occasion Downy Yellow Butter Cake, perhaps my all time favorite.  The batter was baked as a single layer in a 10x3 inch aluminum pan I needed to evaluate for Amazon.  Because of the pan size, baking time was an hour and fifteen minutes, twice what the recipe calls for.

 

And the crumbs are excellent.

 

[Shel_B]

On 11/4/2024 at 7:30 PM, JoNorvelleWalker said:

First cake I've baked since my health difficulties began.  The recipe is Rose Levy Beranbaum's All-Occasion Downy Yellow Butter Cake, perhaps my all time favorite.  The batter was baked as a single layer in a 10x3 inch aluminum pan I needed to evaluate for Amazon.  Because of the pan size, baking time was an hour and fifteen minutes, twice what the recipe calls for.

 

And the crumbs are excellent.

 

This looks like my kind of cake. I found a couple of recipes and videos for it online and am planning to make it sometime.  Thanks for posting.

 

https://www.realbakingwithrose.com/blog/2019/9/4/rose-on-video-presents-downy-yellow-butter-cake-c4afe

 

Video part 1:   https://youtu.be/3rwG-sg0QZk

Video part 2:   https://youtu.be/wphL-16j2_s

 

I don't know anything about your health difficulties, but I do hope you're doing and feeling better now.

Edited November 6 by Shel_B (log)

[JoNorvelleWalker]

The cake was well received at work.

 

[oli]

What would be the ideal frosting besides chocolate that will take it over the top?

[Shel_B]

12 minutes ago, oli said:

What would be the ideal frosting besides chocolate that will take it over the top?

 

It was suggested that a raspberry buttercream might be nice. Perhaps an orange or lemon glaze.

[Neely]

Regarding the making of condensed milk into caramel, I have used the boiling water method several times but always pierced the tin because I’m scared of an explosion. It still goes to caramel after a couple of hours. I don’t think I have the nerves to try it in the oven or an IP. 
 

I made Madeleines. They occasionally turn out differently. Once they were almost meringue like which was rather good. 
These were like normal Madeleines. 
 

[JoNorvelleWalker]

15 hours ago, oli said:

What would be the ideal frosting besides chocolate that will take it over the top?

 

If your question is addressed to me, in the past I have made orange buttercream for this cake -- using Tang for the orange flavor!  (Though I confess I have not attempted a buttercream of any kind in a quarter of a century.)  I also once frosted a three layer rendition of this cake with an Italian meringue.  The Italian meringue was memorable, as while transporting my creation to a party the top layer slid off onto a quiche.

 

For a time I investigated methods of heating the KitchenAid mixer bowl in order to simplify making a meringue.  I found there was a patent on using metal tubing on the outside of the bowl.  I looked into using a laboratory version of an Anova to circulate hot water.  Nothing came of it.  Then @Kerry Beal enabled me into getting a KitchenAid Precise Heat Mixing Bowl.  I haven't tried it but the PHMB might work.  Problem is the PHMB bowl is smaller than a standard mixing bowl and would not make much meringue.  Perhaps enough for at least one layer.  Hmm.

 

Last night I dusted Penzeys' high fat Dutch cocoa over a slice of my cake.  Simple and delicious.

 

Edited November 7 by JoNorvelleWalker (log)

[oli]

18 minutes ago, JoNorvelleWalker said:

 

If your question is addressed to me, in the past I have made orange buttercream for this cake -- using Tang for the orange flavor!  (Though I confess I have not attempted a buttercream of any kind in a quarter of a century.)  I also once frosted a three layer rendition of this cake with an Italian meringue.  The Italian meringue was memorable, as while transporting my creation to a party the top layer slid off onto a quiche.

 

For a time I investigated methods of heating the KitchenAid mixer bowl in order to simplify making a meringue.  I found there was a patent on using metal tubing on the outside of the bowl.  I looked into using a laboratory version of an Anova to circulate hot water.  Nothing came of it.  Then @Kerry Beal enabled me into getting a KitchenAid Precise Heat Mixing Bowl.  I haven't tried it but the PHMB might work.  Problem is the PHMB bowl is smaller than a standard mixing bowl and would not make much meringue.  Perhaps enough for at least one layer.  Hmm.

 

Last night I dusted Penzeys' high fat Dutch coco over a slice of my cake.  Simple and delicious.

 

I might do the orange buttercream or lemon. The Meringue has my attention aswell.

Using cocoa powder might be a little too bitter for me.

[JoNorvelleWalker]

5 minutes ago, oli said:

I might do the orange buttercream or lemon. The Meringue has my attention aswell.

Using cocoa powder might be a little too bitter for me.

 

The cocoa is Dutch process, I did not find it bitter at all.  Plus the cocoa gently cut the sweetness of the cake.

 

[OlyveOyl]

Apple walnut streusel tart, the minis were so good I made an 8” version.  Pink lady apples, a dash of cinnamon and extra walnuts.  This will probably be a favorite apple tart, the streusel stays nice and crisp on day two.

[OlyveOyl]

Chocolate banana muffins, just four, using up the last banana.  An amalgamation of several different chocolate banana breads, these are small, just a few bites each of chocolate goodness…and now I wish I wrote down what I did !

Edited November 13 by OlyveOyl (log)

[Pete Fred]

Pineapple Pudding by Nicola Lamb (recipe)...

 

 

 

It was so-so. I liked the (tinned) pineapples but didn't care much for the cake, which was less "ultra-light, fluffy" and more clafoutis-esque or Dutch Baby-ish. I didn't have créme fraîche so subbed-in Greek yoghurt; maybe that was the problem. Out of curiosity I might make it again as directed, but I suspect I'd be better off sticking with the spoon-cake batters I've enjoyed in the past, or even the NYT Plum Torte mix.

[Pete Fred]

Tarte Tatin...

 

 

[OlyveOyl]

Pear cranberry almond, mostly almond flour with a little AP. This has been a favorite of ours, it’s very adaptable to most any fruit, from apricots to a mix of summer fruits, it can also be successfully made with all almond flour.  Adapted from Donna Hay.

[gulfporter]

First attempt at canalés, beginner's luck as they are pretty darn tasty. 

 

 

[patris]

On 6/29/2023 at 5:16 PM, lemniscate said:

Ah crap!  Just when I was getting into icebox cakes, Nabisco’s Famous Chocolate Wafers have been discontinued from Mondelez International’s product line to make way for a “new innovation,”

 

 

Although it seems nothing will convince Nabisco to bring back those wafers, I’m happy to share that I’ve found a pretty darn good substitute - Dewey’s Bakery Brownie Crisps. Wegmans carries them near me so I picked up a package to use in my peppermint bark, because I like a cookie crunch in the dark chocolate layer. They’re great! Crispy, chocolatey, very similar to my recollection of the original. They’re a bit smaller than Nabisco’s but that’s the main difference as far as I can tell. I’ll likely be making 30-plus pounds of peppermint bark this year so I was especially delighted to be freed from the need to make the cookie element from scratch.

[Pete Fred]

There were a couple of apples and some puff left over from the Tatin so I tried my hand at a tarte fine aux pommes...

 

 

I might ask Santa for a mandoline this year for neater slices, but it was simple and tasty.

[gulfporter]

Blueberry Sour Cream Pie.  My go to for blueberries.  I think the recipe was in Gourmet many many years ago.  These days I cheat with a pre-rolled pie crust. 

 

 

 

 

[TdeV]

@gulfporter, that does look tasty. Could you please tell us the approx. recipe?

[gulfporter]

This recipe is identical to the one I use with the exception that I substitute VANILLA extract for the ALMOND extract (family preference).   I also squeeze a bit of lemon juice into the blueberry mixture, not a lot, maybe a tablespoon??

 

I use a pre-rolled store-bought pie crust because I am lazy.  

 

https://pieofthebeholder.com/2011/02/14/pie-12-blueberry-sour-cream-pie/

Edited Thursday at 10:25 PM by gulfporter (log)

[curls]

On 11/16/2024 at 6:22 PM, patris said:

Although it seems nothing will convince Nabisco to bring back those wafers, I’m happy to share that I’ve found a pretty darn good substitute - Dewey’s Bakery Brownie Crisps. Wegmans carries them near me so I picked up a package to use in my peppermint bark, because I like a cookie crunch in the dark chocolate layer. They’re great! Crispy, chocolatey, very similar to my recollection of the original. They’re a bit smaller than Nabisco’s but that’s the main difference as far as I can tell. I’ll likely be making 30-plus pounds of peppermint bark this year so I was especially delighted to be freed from the need to make the cookie element from scratch.

 

Ack! I bought a box of these based on your recommendation and they are delicious.  😋 

 

Picked up a box of their ginger cookies too but haven't sampled them yet.

[patris]

22 hours ago, curls said:

 

Ack! I bought a box of these based on your recommendation and they are delicious.  😋 

 

Picked up a box of their ginger cookies too but haven't sampled them yet.

They are! Fortunately, one full box is just about the exact amount I need for a large batch of peppermint bark, so that keeps me from snacking on them.

[Pete Fred]

Baked rice pudding...

 

 

 

I normally flavour these with vanilla but this time I grated at whole nutmeg on top instead, much as I do when making a custard tart. It was good, and I'll be doing it this way from now on.

 

Incidentally, although perhaps not unconnected, I was chatting with a friend a couple of days ago about how these days you never hear of kids sniffing glue or aerosols for a cheap high, at which point his teenage son (who seemed to have a wide knowledge of such matters) chimed in that an alternative is nutmeg. Nutmeg! This was news to me so I did a search and, yup, it's a thing. I've just thought to check what that whole nutmeg I grated represents and, according to the shadier parts of reddit, I may be currently experiencing a very light buzz equivalent to a beer or two. It brings a whole new meaning to 'baked' rice pudding.

 

*Before any of you crazy kids rush off to the spice rack to get fried, do check out the dangers of myristicin toxicity.