Your Daily Sweets (2005-2012)

[sazji]

Seasonal stuff, unfortunately the charge was out on the camera so no food porn to accompany. There are some wonderful big purple plums in season here now, so for a party the other night I winged a dessert with them. First I blind-baked a pie crust in a large baking dish (bigger than 9x13), then made a cheesecake filling with two packages of cream cheese, two eggs, a couple teaspoons of flour, sugar to taste and a bit of grated lemon peel. After pouring that into the crust, I arranged around 20 plum halves, cut-side up, over the filling. Put it into a 375 degree oven, lowered the temp after 10 minutes to 325 and cooked till the plums were done. The only pain is that my oven is a convection oven and tends to brown things on the edges a bit fast; and putting foil in to prevent it is hard because it gets blown off by the air currents.

But the dessert was wonderful, and I sent a lot home with people who requested pieces...good because I would have made repeated trips back to the kitchen otherwise...

[Velma]

This week, I wanted to try my hand at a homemade version of Hostess cupcakes so I found a recipe in Great Cakes by Country Living. I think they ended up more like Ding Dongs but anyway, I made the chocolate cake recipe and baked it in 18 oversized muffin tins. While they baked, I made the filling which consisted of a thickened milk and flour which looked like white gravy and this was beaten in with powdered sugar, butter and vanilla. When the cupcakes cooled, I turned them upside down and filled them with the cream and put them in the freezer overnight. Then the next day, I made the glaze using melted chocolate pieces and vegetable shortening. I iced the flat top where I made the insertion hole and iced the sides. My co-workers seemed to like them!

[apronstrings]

This week, I wanted to try my hand at a homemade version of Hostess cupcakes so I found a recipe in Great Cakes by Country Living.  I think they ended up more like Ding Dongs but anyway, I made the chocolate cake recipe and baked it in 18 oversized muffin tins.  While they baked, I made the filling which consisted of a thickened milk and flour which looked like white gravy and this was beaten in with powdered sugar, butter and vanilla.  When the cupcakes cooled, I turned them upside down and filled them with the cream and put them in the freezer overnight.  Then the next day, I made the glaze using melted chocolate pieces and vegetable shortening.  I iced the flat top where I made the insertion hole and  iced the sides.  My co-workers seemed to like them!

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They sound fabulous!! The best "Hostess" recipe I ever made is from Food and Wine... "Chocolate Cupcakes with Cream Filling". White squiggles on top and all. You can get the recipe from their website. It is a truly sensual eating experience. My daughter just happened to maket them this Monday for her co-workers. They are all still raving about them. Please try the recipe.

[CanadianBakin']

This week, I wanted to try my hand at a homemade version of Hostess cupcakes so I found a recipe in Great Cakes by Country Living.  I think they ended up more like Ding Dongs but anyway, I made the chocolate cake recipe and baked it in 18 oversized muffin tins.  While they baked, I made the filling which consisted of a thickened milk and flour which looked like white gravy and this was beaten in with powdered sugar, butter and vanilla.  When the cupcakes cooled, I turned them upside down and filled them with the cream and put them in the freezer overnight.  Then the next day, I made the glaze using melted chocolate pieces and vegetable shortening.  I iced the flat top where I made the insertion hole and  iced the sides.  My co-workers seemed to like them!

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They sound fabulous!! The best "Hostess" recipe I ever made is from Food and Wine... "Chocolate Cupcakes with Cream Filling". White squiggles on top and all. You can get the recipe from their website. It is a truly sensual eating experience. My daughter just happened to maket them this Monday for her co-workers. They are all still raving about them. Please try the recipe.

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Here's the link. I don't have marshmallow fluff but as soon as I get it I'm going to give these a try. I think my husband would really like them.

[Ling]

I brought a fig frangipane tart to a dinner party on Friday, and served it with stilton and honey ice-cream.

I had leftover dough and filling to make some individual tarts too. (Had to taste it before subjecting the other diners!)

Here's the big one...

Our hostess served a lovely, lightly sparkling dessert wine with the tart.

On Saturday, we had a bunch of sweet things. We had a potluck brunch, and of course I chose to serve a dessert-y item.

We got cinnamon raisin brioche from Macrina bakery, and I made french toast out of it. I also made a really rich caramel sauce to serve on top. It contained goat milk, a ton of cream and butter, Belize rum, and baby bananas.

I also received a package of dark chocolate Tim Tams from Shalmanese. They were really good...I ate a whole bunch of them with the leftover banana caramel. I also had some Australian chocolates...there was a honeycomb one I really liked.

Yesterday, my parents bought a bunch of mooncakes. I had some regular lotus seed ones, and also tried every flavour from the HK Maxim "ice pastry mooncake" line. They had coffee, chestnut, mango, and strawberry. I liked the coffee flavour best.

[Shaya]

Ling, that fig tart is gorgeous.

[Domestic Goddess]

Ling, I love mooncakes! The last mooncakes I've had was mailed to me from Singapore. A dear close friend found out that I love the ones with pumpkin seeds and salted cuck eggyolk in them. They're heaven and perfect with hot tea. The mooncakes I am used to are usually brown with chinese motifs and characters on top of it. Your mooncakes look absolutely delectable!

Edited September 26, 2006 by Domestic Goddess (log)

[SallyHardesty]

I’m having some cake that I tried to destroy yesterday. This is my first post, BTW, having recently become a participating member. I think this is funny, so I decided to share. I found a lovely recipe for Orange cake with chocolate chunks by Ina Garten (http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/recipes/recipe/0,,FOOD_9936_32831,00.html), and decided to make it for a small get-together. It’s not a complicated recipe, and while I am by no means any sort of professional, I’ve been baking since I was a kid. But I had a terrible dingbat day and screwed this recipe up from start to finish. I almost put twice too much butter in (misreading), my ingredients that were supposed to be room temperature weren’t (forgot), it was just a string of stupid mistakes. I also realized mid-recipe that our electric mixer was broken and that I had totally forgotten about it. I swear I’m not a moron; it’s been over a year since I’ve baked anything, and I didn’t immediately replace the old mixer because I’m trying to hold out for a good one (I was completely furious with myself by this point and ready to dump everything in the garbage, but I pressed on). This cake is flavored with orange juice and zest; half the juice goes in the batter and you save half for the syrup that goes over the cake(s). Guess what? I poured all the juice in the batter (I really have baked before, I swear). I realized what I had done right after the cakes went in the oven (I doubled the recipe and made 2, 9-in. rounds instead of individual cakes). After cursing for about 10 minutes I decide there’s nothing to be done but wait to see how they turn out (and drink a beer while I wait). And they turned out pretty well, actually. The texture is good, and since I dumped all the o.j. in the batter I decided to forego the syrup and just put the chocolate ganache on the top. People liked it. I think it’s hilarious that, despite all my efforts to just jack up this cake, it still turned out well. Now that’s a good recipe.

[Nina C.]

Given the late hour, I could post this in the "3 am grub" thread, but since I planned this genius idea earlier at the grocery store, I'll post it here instead.

Ice cream sandwiches made with peanut butter cup ice cream and still slightly warm korova cookies. SO FREAKING GOOD.

The cookies fell apart as I was assembling them, let alone eating them, so this was a solo messy excursion with ice cream dripping down my fingers. Fortunately I had made the cookies on the small side so they could be quickly gobbled down with a dirty pan as my only witness. But with the gooey chunks of guanaja and sweet creamy ice cream, I think I'll be indocrinating others into this fraternity.

There is still most of the batch of cookies in the fridge waiting to be baked properly tomorrow.

Edited September 26, 2006 by Nina C. (log)

[gini]

Bavarian Apple Tarte

Italian Plum Torte

[Domestic Goddess]

Peeled semi-ripe persimmons... so crunchy and sooo good!

[Kim Shook]

I’m having some cake that I tried to destroy yesterday.  This is my first post, BTW, having recently become a participating member.  I think this is funny, so I decided to share.  I found a lovely recipe for Orange cake with chocolate chunks by Ina Garten (http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/recipes/recipe/0,,FOOD_9936_32831,00.html), and decided to make it for a small get-together.  It’s not a complicated recipe, and while I am by no means any sort of professional, I’ve been baking since I was a kid.  But I had a terrible dingbat day and screwed this recipe up from start to finish.  I almost put twice too much butter in (misreading), my ingredients that were supposed to be room temperature weren’t (forgot), it was just a string of stupid mistakes.  I also realized mid-recipe that our electric mixer was broken and that I had totally forgotten about it.  I swear I’m not a moron; it’s been over a year since I’ve baked anything, and I didn’t immediately replace the old mixer because I’m trying to hold out for a good one (I was completely furious with myself by this point and ready to dump everything in the garbage, but I pressed on).  This cake is flavored with orange juice and zest; half the juice goes in the batter and you save half for the syrup that goes over the cake(s).  Guess what?  I poured all the juice in the batter (I really have baked before, I swear).  I realized what I had done right after the cakes went in the oven (I doubled the recipe and made 2, 9-in. rounds instead of individual cakes).  After cursing for about 10 minutes I decide there’s nothing to be done but wait to see how they turn out (and drink a beer while I wait).  And they turned out pretty well, actually.  The texture is good, and since I dumped all the o.j. in the batter I decided to forego the syrup and just put the chocolate ganache on the top.  People liked it.  I think it’s hilarious that, despite all my efforts to just jack up this cake, it still turned out well.  Now that’s a good recipe.

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Sally, let me be the first to say welcome! I completely sympathize with your cake experience. Some days you are just not meant to bake - the chemistry is off or something! Glad it turned out good anyway! Kim

[ludja]

I’m having some cake that I tried to destroy yesterday.  This is my first post, BTW, having recently become a participating member.  I think this is funny, so I decided to share.  I found a lovely recipe for Orange cake with chocolate chunks by Ina Garten (http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/recipes/recipe/0,,FOOD_9936_32831,00.html), and decided to make it for a small get-together.

...

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I couldn't help chuckling when I read your story. I think we've all been there at some time when baking... It's pretty cool that it still turned out well.

Thanks for the post, and welcome to eGullet.

[Patrick S]

Ling, you did a great job with the lighting in your photos -- and your tart looks great.

[Abra]

Ling's tart was great, and was almost as good for breakfast the next morning. The wine was a La Meridiana Malaga, which is absolutely worth trying if you're ever lucky enough to stumble over a bottle.

Those moon cakes look incredible, so light and un-stodgy. I really enjoy even the run of the mill ones, but those look exceptional.

[Ling]

^The mooncakes are indeed very good. The (HK) Maxim is very famous, and not to be confused with the Vancouver Maxim bakeries! Those were pretty expensive too...a box of 8 mini mooncakes (like 4 bites each) were about $25.

[shaloop]

Peeled semi-ripe persimmons... so crunchy and sooo good!

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Don't semi-ripe persimmons make your mouth pucker?

[Domestic Goddess]

Shaloop - I got my semi-ripe persimmons with just a tiny hint of sweetness. I love having these as a midnight snack. Very healthy, too!

[Pam R]

There are different varieties of persimmon. Astringent vs. non-astringent. Astringent are only good ripe.

[Lumas]

Ah, the joy of starting my fall semester of college. I haven't had much time to bake and when I have, I forgot to take pictures. Iv'e been trying a ton of recipes from Fran Costigan (A Vegan Baker).

Chocolate Chip Cookies:

Cookies were good, I should have added a little more flour, but the taste was good. Just a little too soft. Ugh, I also should not have rolled the cookies in sugar.

[Ling]

I had some Michel Cluizel chocolate that I'm less than crazy about. It's the "Maralumi" bar. It has very strong cherry notes...in fact, if you told me it was cherry-flavoured chocolate, I'd believe you. Also quite a lot of spice.

[Renee K]

Ah, the joy of starting my fall semester of college.  I haven't had much time to bake and when I have, I forgot to take pictures. Iv'e been trying a ton of recipes from Fran Costigan (A Vegan Baker).

Chocolate Chip Cookies:

Cookies were good, I should have added a little more flour, but the taste was good. Just a little too soft. Ugh, I also should not have rolled the cookies in sugar.

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Lumas, those vegan CCCs look mighty good! May I know which Fran Costigan book the recipe came from? Thanks.

Ling, I really like that shot of the mooncakes! And the tart looks absolutely delish!

[sazji]

Wow, I wish I'd seen that fig tart a few weeks back when my purple fig tree was still producing more figs than I knew what to do with! (Besides eating them fresh, making preserves and giving away lots to the neighbors.)

The moon cakes do look wonderful. I'm planning a trip back to Seattle in late October, and that's definitely on my list of things to eat! That, and lots of Pho...but this is a dessert thread...

[Edited because I couldn't find the word "wonderfu" in any of my dictionaries.]

Edited September 27, 2006 by sazji (log)

[Ling]

The moon cakes do look wonderful. I'm planning a trip back to Seattle in late October, and that's definitely on my list of things to eat! That, and lots of Pho...but this is a dessert thread...

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The iced pastry mooncakes were purchased in Richmond, BC. I don't think you can get them in Seattle, unfortunately!

BTW--you can still make the fig tart with your preserves. Just add a layer of fig preserves on the bottom of the tart, then top with almond frangipane. (I used about 1 cup of ground almonds, 2 whole eggs, 2 yolks, 14 tbsp. of Plugra, 3/4 cup of sugar, a tablespoon of rum, and 1 tbsp. of flour. Most recipes use about 1 1/4 cup of sugar for the same amount of frangipane, but I usually cut down the sugar, so 3/4 cup or less might be good if your preserves are sweet already.)

Edited September 27, 2006 by Ling (log)

[Domestic Goddess]

I baked Peach Cobbler for the first time for dessert today. My husband, who insists he doesn't like peaches, had two servings.

My Peach Cobbler:

Edited September 27, 2006 by Domestic Goddess (log)