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

[Panaderia Canadiense]

1 hour ago, JoNorvelleWalker said:

 

Oh wow!  @Panaderia Canadiense you are back!  I feared you'd been eaten by...by whatever it is that eats people in Ecuador.  Seriously you were missed.

 

Rabid cuyes? Jaguars? The volcano? 😂

Seriously, I forgot how much I missed you all!

[JoNorvelleWalker]

1 minute ago, Panaderia Canadiense said:

Rabid cuyes? Jaguars? The volcano? 😂

Seriously, I forgot how much I missed you all!

 

Jaguars I've read eat avocados.  They are a serious threat.

 

[curls]

Adding to the comments, so glad to see you posting again @Panaderia Canadiense! Also, what a lovely cake.

[Merry Berry]

On 5/9/2019 at 5:06 PM, shain said:

@Merry Berry the cake looks delicious!

 

@Merry Berry & @jmacnaughtan  - Opera cake was recently added to my to do list, so I'd appreciate recpies and tips from both of you I'd love to have the ratio right so that the cake is more nutty than chocolaty, and I obviously very jucy.

 

Sorry shain, I forgot to respond to your post.  Let me know when you take on the L'opera cake.  I will give you my notes or recipes if you want.  It is definitely one of my favorites.

[shain]

On 5/28/2019 at 6:49 PM, Merry Berry said:

Sorry shain, I forgot to respond to your post.  Let me know when you take on the L'opera cake.  I will give you my notes or recipes if you want.  It is definitely one of my favorites.

 

No worries  I appreciate your willingness to help. It might take me a short while to get to it, but I'd still welcome your recipe/tips. Thanks!

[shain]

In the spirit of Ramadan, I made atayef.

They are filled with ricotta and sour cream, lightly salted. Flavored with orange blossom water, a hint of cinnamon and lightly soaked in honey syrup. Apparently I'm out of pistachios, so I drizzled some pistachio paste (which is not as pretty, but delicious).

[mariesdoats]

Hi, new member here-- inspired to post, because of this question. 

 

My recent favorite is the Espresso Chocolate Cake (now retired) from Proof Bakery in Los Angeles. I got interested in the recipe after seeing this unlikely BuzzFeed clip online (whoa, what's up with 30+ *million* views!! I wondered):

https://ytcropper.com/cropped/n45cd99135de59e

 

and later found the recipe in the LA Times. Takes a few days to make the component parts--- at least, if you work full-time like me--- but otherwise easy. The final photo is from the online recipe-- and made by the bakery, not me! I include it here to inspire you to Extreme Baking Greatness, not yet achieved by me. But: delicious and fun, for a first try!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited May 29, 2019 by mariesdoats (log)

[mariesdoats]

From Ottolenghi "Sweet", The Incomparable Lemon Poppyseed Cake. Oh wait, I put the "incomparable" part in, didn't I?

[mariesdoats]

Also, now working on some of the cakes posted by John at Preppy Kitchen. Here's the little cake I made for Easter Sunday: white cake. Although the flecks make the icing look like mint-choc chip, it's just a Swiss Buttercream with flecks of chocolate flicked on with a paintbrush. The "nest" is coconut; the eggs are little candies from the grocery store. 

[Merry Berry]

11 minutes ago, mariesdoats said:

Also, now working on some of the cakes posted by John at Preppy Kitchen. Here's the little cake I made for Easter Sunday: white cake. Although the flecks make the icing look like mint-choc chip, it's just a Swiss Buttercream with flecks of chocolate flicked on with a paintbrush. The "nest" is coconut; the eggs are little candies from the grocery store. 

 

Ha.  I like how the nuthatches are checking on their eggs in the last picture!!

 

And if anyone ever asks for a mint chocolate chip cake, that is the perfect look!

[mariesdoats]

On 5/29/2019 at 12:53 PM, Merry Berry said:

 

Ha.  I like how the nuthatches are checking on their eggs in the last picture!!

 

And if anyone ever asks for a mint chocolate chip cake, that is the perfect look!

Ha! I hadn’t noticed that!

 

Here is the artist, in case anyone is interested: Keith Hansen of Bolinas, CA. If prints are not your thing, each ‘page of birds’ print comes from his wonderful book on the “Birds of the Sierra Nevada”, available for—well— a song at a bookstore near you:

http://keithhansen.com/product/birds-of-the-sierra-32/

[RWood]

I'm not a bread maker, but I decided to make focaccia. It's been years since I even thought about bread. I've had to make it in previous jobs, but it's never been something I really liked, compared to cakes and chocolate. 

This is an Italian potato focaccia that has always been a favorite, with rosemary and Fleur de sel. 

 

[heidih]

I recall Marlena de Blasi doing potato bread in her works. An underappreciated food writer.   https://www.amazon.com/Thousand-Days-Venice-Unexpected-Romance-ebook/dp/B00AFKIRRS

Edited June 1, 2019 by heidih (log)

[Panaderia Canadiense]

Simple white cake with chunks of candied mandarines in it, mandarine ICBM, edible flowers.

 

It's my friend René's birthday, except she hates birthdays so any cake one gives her has to look like not a birthday cake.

[Margaret Pilgrim]

On 5/29/2019 at 12:26 PM, mariesdoats said:

Hi, new member here--

 

 

 

Makes me wish I were six again.     Stunning,

 

[Okanagancook]

Wonderful looking cakes.  So jealous of your talents in the cake dept.

[jmacnaughtan]

14 hours ago, Panaderia Canadiense said:

Simple white cake with chunks of candied mandarines in it, mandarine ICBM, edible flowers.

 

A mandarine ICBM?  You really are breaking out the big guns

[Panaderia Canadiense]

5 hours ago, jmacnaughtan said:

 

A mandarine ICBM?  You really are breaking out the big guns

 

My autocorrect strikes again! That should be ICMB for Italian Meringue Buttercream...

[Smithy]

On 6/2/2019 at 12:04 PM, Panaderia Canadiense said:

 

My autocorrect strikes again! That should be ICMB for Italian Meringue Buttercream...

 

IMBC, perhaps?

[patris]

Tomorrow is our annual staff “retreat” - a day offsite to work on our culture and think about the future - and again this year I volunteered to provide dessert for lunch and snacks for the afternoon break. I always try to accommodate as many tastes as possible, which usually leads to an assortment of goodies. Before I wrapped them up on their platters I kept one of each aside for ... quality control:

 

 

Clockwise from 12:00: tangy citrus sandwich cookies, brown butter chocolate chip cookies with pecans, almond joy cookies, and extra-gooey Rice Krispie treats with handfuls of freeze dried blueberries, raspberries and strawberries mixed in.

 

We have a few folks on staff who shun gluten, so I thought I would try King Arthur Flour’s gluten free measure-for-measure flour blend in the chocolate chip and citrus cookies. It seemed to work just fine - I usually get more spread on the chocolate chip cookies with wheat flour, and there is a distinct grittiness/powderiness to them both, but I imagine they will get eaten by gluten free and gluten full folks without complaint.

Edited June 3, 2019 by patris (log)

[ElsieD]

On 9/18/2017 at 2:24 PM, MelissaH said:

I made a batch of toasted sugar shortly after the Serious Eats recipe came out. Mine took about 3 hours to turn a light beige color. To me, it does taste less sweet, and I use it in applications such as angel food cake that I often find too sweet for my tongue. Next time I'm going to bake longer and darker. It's something I do on a day when I'm home and not overly occupied with other tasks, or am working on something and need a reminder to get up and spend a bit of time looking at something other than the computer screen every so often.

 

Yesterday Serious Eats sent an e-mail which included a recipe for Eggless Chocolate Mousse.  It calls for toasted sugar.  I was not particularly impressed with it the first time I made it but when I looked the directions up again, Stella Parks mentions how to toast smaller amounts  of sugar, specifically one cup.  You spread it in a pan to a depth of no more than 1/4" thick.  It goes into a pre-heated 350F oven for half an hour.  That's it, no stirring required.  I did this last night so I could make the mousse today.  After the 30 minutes were up, I gave it a stir, popped it back in for 5 minutes and called it done.  It tastes nice and caramelly and I'm curious to see if that caramel taste comes through in the mousse.  

[Panaderia Canadiense]

On 6/3/2019 at 4:35 PM, Smithy said:

 

IMBC, perhaps?

 

Yeah, I give up. In my kitchen, ICBM is officially an intercontinental ballistic meringue. Which, given the frequency with which the dang stuff tries to escape its mixer bowl, is not entirely inaccurate... I swear, I was scraping it off the undersides of my cupboards the other day.

[David Ross]

Other than my family members who are of my generation, my friends and younger family members shake their head this time of year whenever I start talking about how delicicous rhubarb is.  Of course, then I ask them if they've ever actually tasted rhubarb and they're somewhat evasive.  I think rhubarb is one of those things that has lovers and detractors without a lot of middle ground.  At best sometimes we'll be at a family gathering and people may take a bite out of a store-bought rhubarb-strawberry pie, but that's only if it's got strawberries blended in to temper the rhubarb flavor.  

 

I love rhubarb and have since I was a kid and my folks grew it in the back garden.  Father didn't do much to it and it came back bigger every year.  This is my annual rhubarb pot pie.  It's basically a rhubarb pie mixture in a ramekin and topped with puff pastry.  Served with vanilla ice cream and the little crock to the right holdss rhubarb chutney.  I make the chutney this time of year and freeze most of it so it's ready to serve with Thanksgiving turkey in November.

 

After filling the ramekin with the rhubarb filling, I top it with store-bought puff pastry.  Then brush the top with egg wash, cut a hole in the middle to vent during baking, and sprinkle with some demera sugar.  Had one last night and another one for breakfast this morning!

 

Rhubarb Pot Pie filling-

6 cups chopped fresh rhubarb

1 cup granulated sugar

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

1/4 tsp. nutmeg

3 tbsp. flour

6 tbsp. butter, cut into small chunks

 

I blanch the rhubarb for 2 minutes in boiling water to soften, then drain.  Mix the rhubarb with the sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, flour and butter then spoon into ramekins.  Top with puff pastry, brush with egg wash and sprinkle with demera sugar.  Bake in a 425 oven about 20 minutes or until golden brown and puffed.

 

[Merry Berry]

28 minutes ago, David Ross said:

Other than my family members who are of my generation, my friends and younger family members shake their head this time of year whenever I start talking about how delicicous rhubarb is.  Of course, then I ask them if they've ever actually tasted rhubarb they're somewhat evasive.  I think rhubarb is one of those things that has lovers and detractors without a lot of middle ground.  At best sometimes we'll be at a family gathering and people may take a bite out of a store-bought rhubarb-strawberry pie, but that's only if it's got strawberries blended in to temper the rhubarb flavor.  

 

I love rhubarb and have since I was a kid and my folks grew it in the back garden.  Father didn't do much to it and it came back ckbigger every year.  This is my annual rhubarb pot pie.  It's basically a rhubarb pie mixture in a ramekin and topped with puff pastry.  Served with vanilla ice cream and the little crock to the right holdss rhubarb chutney.  I make the chutney this time of year and freeze most of it so it's ready to serve with Thanksgiving turkey in November.

 

After filling the ramekin with the rhubarb filling, I top it with store-bought puff pastry.  Then brush the top with egg wash, cut a hole in the middle to vent during baking, and sprinkle with some demera sugar.  Had one last night and another one for breakfast this morning!

 

Rhubarb Pot Pie filling-

6 cups chopped fresh rhubarb

1 cup granulated sugar

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

1/4 tsp. nutmeg

3 tbsp. flour

6 tbsp. butter, cut into small chunks

 

I blanch the rhubarb for 2 minutes in boiling water to soften, then drain.  Mix the rhubarb with the sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, flour and butter then spoon into ramekins.  Top with puff pastry, brush with egg wash and sprinkle with demera sugar.  Bake in a 425 oven about 20 minutes or until golden brown and puffed.

 

 

David, 

I absolutely adore rhubarb and I am finally starting to see it in the stores this week.  My grandmother would make a rhubarb cobbler from plants she had in her garden and to this day, it is my favorite dessert.  She did not cut it with strawberry or anything.  Just the right amount of sugar so that it was just sweet enough without killing the wonderful tartness of the rhubarb.  I cannot think of anyone I know who enjoys rhubarb or even knows what it is besides me (well my mother, but she despises it).  I would love to see it make a comeback!!

[Darienne]

56 minutes ago, David Ross said:

Other than my family members who are of my generation, my friends and younger family members shake their head this time of year whenever I start talking about how delicicous rhubarb is.  Of course, then I ask them if they've ever actually tasted rhubarb and they're somewhat evasive.  I think rhubarb is one of those things that has lovers and detractors without a lot of middle ground.  At best sometimes we'll be at a family gathering and people may take a bite out of a store-bought rhubarb-strawberry pie, but that's only if it's got strawberries blended in to temper the rhubarb flavor.  

 

 

We have two rhubarb patches just to the west of the farm.  I cannot imagine how old they are...how far back they go.  The house is far more than 100 years old.  How long can a rhubarb patch last?