Daring Bakers November Challenge: Caramel Cake

Grr I set this post to show up yesterday because I was out of town and it didn't work. I hate blogger sometimes!!!!!!!!!!!

Whoa! Another Daring Baker's challenge has arrived yet again. I was really happy this month to find a new SWEET challenge. I must admit I am a sweet tooth at heart.
This month's challenge was brought to us by Dolores: http://culinarycuriosity.blogspot.com/, Alex: http://blondieandbrownie.blogspot.com/, Jenny:http://forayintofood.blogspot.com/and for our vegan/veggie buddies, Natalie:http://glutenagogo.blogspot.com/
The recipe is originally from Shuna Fish Lydon
http://blogs.kqed.org/bayareabites/2006/12/24/caramel-cake-the-recipe

I found this recipe really well informed and straight forward. Which is always great when making something for the 1st time. The only thing was that it was incredibly sweet! even for the likes of me and my family. I reduced the sugar in the cake to about 1/2c. BOY! was that a mistake. Instead of a cake i was left more with a dense sponge look a like. I somehow just couldn't imagine though so much sugar in a cake with such sweet icing.
The components on their own are delicious. Together were just a bit to much for me. However, this was a great challenge and I enjoyed every step of it.
In my final product I ended up making a bittersweet chocolate icing to go with the caramel icing to counter the super sweetness. This really helped I think.

Thanks again to all our wonderful hosts this month!!
Also, a HAPPY THANKSGIVING to all our US blogging friends out there.

CARAMEL CAKE WITH CARAMELIZED BUTTER FROSTING

10 Tablespoons unsalted butter at room temperature
1 1/4 Cups granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/3 Cup Caramel Syrup (see recipe below)
2 each eggs, at room temperature
splash vanilla extract
2 Cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup milk, at room temperature

Preheat oven to 350F

Butter one tall (2 – 2.5 inch deep) 9-inch cake pan.

In the bowl, cream butter until smooth. Add sugar and salt & cream until light and fluffy.

Slowly pour room temperature caramel syrup into bowl. Scrape down bowl and increase speed. Add eggs/vanilla extract a little at a time, mixing well after each addition. Scrape down bowl again, beat mixture until light and uniform.

Sift flour and baking powder.

Turn mixer to lowest speed, and add one third of the dry ingredients. When incorporated, add half of the milk, a little at a time. Add another third of the dry ingredients, then the other half of the milk and finish with the dry ingredients. {This is called the dry, wet, dry, wet, dry method in cake making. It is often employed when there is a high proportion of liquid in the batter.}

Take off mixer and by hand, use a spatula to do a few last folds, making sure batter is uniform. Turn batter into prepared cake pan.

Place cake pan on cookie sheet or 1/2 sheet pan. Set first timer for 30 minutes, rotate pan and set timer for another 15-20 minutes. Your own oven will set the pace. Bake until sides pull away from the pan and skewer inserted in middle comes out clean. Cool cake completely before icing it.

Cake will keep for three days outside of the refrigerator.

CARAMEL SYRUP

2 cups sugar
1/2 cup water
1 cup water (for "stopping" the caramelization process)

In a small stainless steel saucepan, with tall sides, mix water and sugar until mixture feels like wet sand. Brush down any stray sugar crystals with wet pastry brush. Turn on heat to highest flame. Cook until smoking slightly: dark amber.

When color is achieved, very carefully pour in one cup of water. Caramel will jump and sputter about! It is very dangerous, so have long sleeves on and be prepared to step back.

Whisk over medium heat until it has reduced slightly and feels sticky between two fingers. {Obviously wait for it to cool on a spoon before touching it.}

Note: For safety reasons, have ready a bowl of ice water to plunge your hands into if any caramel should land on your skin.

CARAMELIZED BUTTER FROSTING

12 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 -3 c. confectioner’s sugar, sifted
4-6 tablespoons heavy cream
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2-4 tablespoons caramel syrup
Kosher or sea salt to taste

Cook butter until brown. Pour through a fine meshed sieve into a heatproof bowl, set aside to cool.

Pour cooled brown butter into mixer bowl.

In a stand mixer fitted with a paddle or whisk attachment, add confectioner's sugar a little at a time. When mixture looks too chunky to take any more, add a bit of cream and or caramel syrup. Repeat until mixture looks smooth and all confectioner's sugar has been incorporated. Add salt to taste.

Note: Caramelized butter frosting will keep in fridge for up to a month.
To smooth out from cold, microwave a bit, then mix with paddle attachment until smooth and light

(recipes above courtesy of Shuna Fish Lydon)

Fudge Crackle Cookies: This one is for you Cathy!

So as I was doing my daily browsing of Blogs last week, I came across a most peculiar recurrence on many of my daily readings. Cookies! Cookies absolutely everywhere.

What was all this buzz all of a sudden...a new cookie book perhaps??

Turns out I was right. A new cookie book, not just any book but a fellow blogger's cookie book.

Anita Chu, of Dessert First has written the quintessential guide to all things cookie. This book entails all of the most 100 popular and bake-able recipes for cookies you can find.
I first saw her appearance for her Blog book tour at Helen's Tartelette, then it was Aran's Cannelle et Vanille, where I stumbled across these tiny little tasty morsels.

These cookies hot out of the oven taste like rich flourless chocolate cake, even though they do have flour.
I made a full batch and froze half, the other half I baked up and got 2 dozen cookies out of. These were all promptly eaten in the span of 24 hours....

I used Anita and Aran's recipe but interchanged the 72% chocolate, for bittersweet chocolate chips, since that's what I had.

Make these and they will disappear instantly. (I will not be held responsible for expanding waistlines).

Adapted from "Field Guide to Cookies", by Anita Chu

and Aran, of Cannelle et Vanille

6 oz bittersweet chocolate chips
1/4 cup plus 2 Tbs unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
2 Tbs cocoa powder
3/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
confectioners sugar for rolling

Melt chocolate and butter over a double boiler. Remove from heat and cool.

In the meantime, whip the eggs with the sugar until thick. Add the vanilla extract and the melted chocolate and mix.

Sift flour, cocoa powder, salt and baking powder into a bowl and add this to the chocolate mixture. Mix until combined.

Place this bowl in the refrigerator for about 2 hours until the dough hardens enough to scoop out.

Preheat oven to 325F. Scoop one inch balls or teaspoon size. Roll these in powdered sugar and place them on cookie sheets lined with parchment or a Silpat. Flatten the cookies with your fingers, so they look like fat little discs and bake until set for about 12 minutes.

Makes about 4 dozen.

Mint Chip Fro Yo and Malted Chocolate Chip Cookie Sandwiches

I recently celebrated my birthday a couple of weeks ago and the number 1 thing on my list was, Dorie Greenspan's, "Baking from my home to yours".
It came by mail. So when I came home one day it was sitting there just like Christmas!...or my birthday.
I diligently read it from cover to cover. I read a few blogs that participate in "Tuesday's with Dorie" and I am always jealous when everyone refers to it as the "Bible" of home baking.

FINALLY it's mine...all mine!!!!!


So my first recipe were these amazing malted cookies, which are bascially Whoppers or Maltesers in cookie form.

Recipe:

1 3/4 c. of Ap flour

1 c. of Malted milk powder, I used Ovaltine

1/4 c. unsweetened cocoa powder

1/4 tsp. salt

1 stick US butter, room temp.

2/3 c. sugar

2 eggs

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1/4 whole milk, I just used 1 %

2 c. malted milk balls, Whoppers or Maltesers coarsley chopped

1 c. chocolate chips or chunks

So the funny thing was that there was no direction of how hot the oven was supposed to be. I did the 350 rule just to be on the safe side.

Position racks so you can fit 2 sheets one on top of the other. Line with Silpat or parchment.

Sift together, Flour, milk powder, cocoa, baking powder and salt.

Cream sugar and butter together until pale about 3 minutes. Add 1 egg at a time and incorporate after each addition. Add vanilla.

Add half the flour mixture and then the milk, mix until just incorporated. Add the remaining flour and mix just until incorporated.

Add malt balls and chocolate chunks, fold in by hand.

Drop tablespoons onto baking sheet, spaced 2 inches apart.

Bake 11-13 minutes.

Cool for 2 minutes and then remove to a cooling rack.

Makes about 30 cookies.

Pictured above, I just but some mint chocolate chip frozen yogurt inbetween to make sammies.

Daring Bakers Challenge: Pizzaiollo Styles - Apple Turnover Pizza

This month's challenge was hosted by Rosas yummy yums.
http://www.rosas-yummy-yums.blogspot.com/.
Rosa presented us with a fab challenge this month and one of my personal favourite foods PIZZA!
This month's blog will be short and sweet.
Who doesn't love pizza? To me it's the quintessential meal in a jiff. As a former student I think you find a bond to pizza that some people don't always understand. Late night study sessions and after a night on the town are 2 of my most vivid memories. Of course burning the roof of my mouth off with cheese is also a memory, but maybe one I would like to forget.
This month since we are still in the season of harvest I made an apple turnover pizza. I figured something a little less conventional would be fun.
So enjoy!


~ BASIC PIZZA DOUGH ~

Original recipe taken from “The Bread Baker’s Apprentice” by Peter Reinhart.

Makes 6 pizza crusts (about 9-12 inches/23-30 cm in diameter).

Ingredients:
4 1/2 Cups (20 1/4 ounces/607.5 g) Unbleached high-gluten (%14) bread flour or all purpose flour, chilled
1 3/4 Tsp Salt
1 Tsp Instant yeast
1/4 Cup (2 ounces/60g) Olive oil or vegetable oil (both optional, but it’s better with)
1 3/4 Cups (14 ounces/420g or 420ml) Water, ice cold (40° F/4.5° C)
1 Tb sugar
Semolina/durum flour or cornmeal for dusting

DAY ONE

Method:
1. Mix together the flour, salt and instant yeast in a big bowl (or in the bowl of your stand mixer).

2. Add the oil, sugar and cold water and mix well (with the help of a large wooden spoon or with the paddle attachment, on low speed) in order to form a sticky ball of dough. On a clean surface, knead for about 5-7 minutes, until the dough is smooth and the ingredients are homogeneously distributed. If it is too wet, add a little flour (not too much, though) and if it is too dry add 1 or 2 teaspoons extra water.

NOTE: If you are using an electric mixer, switch to the dough hook and mix on medium speed for the same amount of time.The dough should clear the sides of the bowl but stick to the bottom of the bowl. If the dough is too wet, sprinkle in a little more flour, so that it clears the sides. If, on the contrary, it clears the bottom of the bowl, dribble in a teaspoon or two of cold water.
The finished dough should be springy, elastic, and sticky, not just tacky, and register 50°-55° F/10°-13° C.

3. Flour a work surface or counter. Line a jelly pan with baking paper/parchment. Lightly oil the paper.

4. With the help of a metal or plastic dough scraper, cut the dough into 6 equal pieces (or larger if you want to make larger pizzas).

NOTE: To avoid the dough from sticking to the scraper, dip the scraper into water between cuts.

5. Sprinkle some flour over the dough. Make sure your hands are dry and then flour them. Gently round each piece into a ball.

NOTE: If the dough sticks to your hands, then dip your hands into the flour again.

6. Transfer the dough balls to the lined jelly pan and mist them generously with spray oil. Slip the pan into plastic bag or enclose in plastic food wrap.

7. Put the pan into the refrigerator and let the dough rest overnight or for up to thee days.

NOTE: You can store the dough balls in a zippered freezer bag if you want to save some of the dough for any future baking. In that case, pour some oil(a few tablespooons only) in a medium bowl and dip each dough ball into the oil, so that it is completely covered in oil. Then put each ball into a separate bag. Store the bags in the freezer for no longer than 3 months. The day before you plan to make pizza, remember to transfer the dough balls from the freezer to the refrigerator.

DAY TWO

8. On the day you plan to eat pizza, exactly 2 hours before you make it, remove the desired number of dough balls from the refrigerator. Dust the counter with flour and spray lightly with oil. Place the dough balls on a floured surface and sprinkle them with flour. Dust your hands with flour and delicately press the dough into disks about 1/2 inch/1.3 cm thick and 5 inches/12.7 cm in diameter. Sprinkle with flour and mist with oil. Loosely cover the dough rounds with plastic wrap and then allow to rest for 2 hours.

9. At least 45 minutes before making the pizza, place a baking stone on the lower third of the oven. Preheat the oven as hot as possible (500° F/260° C).

NOTE: If you do not have a baking stone, then use the back of a jelly pan. Do not preheat the pan.

10. Generously sprinkle the back of a jelly pan with semolina/durum flour or cornmeal. Flour your hands (palms, backs and knuckles). Take 1 piece of dough by lifting it with a pastry scraper. Lay the dough across your fists in a very delicate way and carefully stretch it by bouncing it in a circular motion on your hands, and by giving it a little stretch with each bounce. Once the dough has expanded outward, move to a full toss.

NOTE: Make only one pizza at a time.
During the tossing process, if the dough tends to stick to your hands, lay it down on the floured counter and reflour your hands, then continue the tossing and shaping.
In case you would be having trouble tossing the dough or if the dough never wants to expand and always springs back, let it rest for approximately 5-20 minutes in order for the gluten to relax fully,then try again.
You can also resort to using a rolling pin, although it isn’t as effective as the toss method.

11. When the dough has the shape you want (about 9-12 inches/23-30 cm in diameter - for a 6 ounces/180g piece of dough), place it on the back of the jelly pan, making sure there is enough semolina/durum flour or cornmeal to allow it to slide and not stick to the pan.

12. Lightly top it with sweet or savory toppings of your choice.

13. Slide the garnished pizza onto the stone in the oven or bake directly on the jelly pan. Close the door and bake for about 5-8 minutes.

NOTE: After 2 minutes baking, take a peek. For an even baking, rotate 180°.

If the top gets done before the bottom, you will need to move the stone or jelly pane to a lower shelf before the next round. On the contrary, if the bottom crisps before the cheese caramelizes, then you will need to raise the stone or jelly.

14. Take the pizza out of the oven and transfer it to a cutting board or your plate. In order to allow the cheese to set a little, wait 3-5 minutes before slicing or serving.

Apple Turnover Topping:
To top 1 pizza

4 apples peeled and sliced thinly
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tbsp brown sugar
1/4 tsp of cornstarch
1 tbsp butter
2 tbsp confectioners sugar
1 tsp apple cider

In a bowl mix together brown sugar, cinnamon and cornstarch
Coat top of pizza dough with butter, then place apples across so they overlap
Bake for recommended time above about 5- 6 minutes
Mix icing sugar and apple cider together to form a smooth icing, adding more cider if necessary.
Drizzle on hot pizza.

Caramel Apple Charlottes: A recipe in progress

When your a child there are certain memories you put in your mind and save them forever. Hoping that when your older you might be able to pull them out and use them for a rainy day.
The last week or so the air has been getting crisp and the leaves have all turned their beautiful colours of reds, oranges and golds. Fall is here.
When the weather in Ontario gets chilly and people start to feel the looming of winter upon them, this is the time to pull those warm memories from your mind and put them to good use. So that is exactly what I did.
When I was growing up my parents would go on exotic vacations a couple times a year. This meant that my sister and I would take the 30 minute drive out to the country and stay with my Nan and Bamp. Most kids in their early years of adolescence would despise this I'm sure. But when you had the grandparents I had this was like freedom only kids dreamt about.

Let me give you an example:

When dinner was finished and you thought that most elderly people would round themselves out and watch reruns of "Corrie Street" or the evening news, my grandfather would break out the cards. First order of business, "Cath, where are the quarters?", my Bamp would yell.
Yep you guessed it, this wasn't "Snap" or "Go Fish", this was Blackjack...gambling Blackjack to be precise.
My Nan would go to her quarter jar, which she kept to throw her quarters into so that each of her ( I can't remember how many we all are, but there are alot) grandkids could have $50 every birthday and Christmas, and pour them out onto the table and divvy them up so we each ended up with about 8 or 10 a piece.

After about 4 or 5 hands of cards my Nan would get up from the table and "POOF" dessert would appear. There was always something different when we went to stay, but my favourite was her Apple Charlotte.
Warm vanilla sponge baked and underneath a soft layer of apples and cinnamon. If this wasn't enough custard would magically appear out of thin air, and dessert was served. We would all dig in with haste and relish in the moment of utter perfection. It was always "Silubrious" my Bamp would say,which was his word for delicious, whatever the dessert was. Then it was back to business, Blackjack style.

So this week's recipe is an homage to my Nan and Bamp. The two people I learned quintessential life skills from. Like when to say "stay" and when to say "hit me". Also, how to never be flustered in the kitchen. Though I haven't perfected the recipe from scratch, I'm working on it...until then you can all shudder at the cake mix I used. Don't knock it to you tried it, it still tasted "silubrious".

Caramel Apple Charlottes:

1 box of golden cake mix, prepared to instructions
3 Apples, peeled, cored, sliced thinly into 2 inch pieces
Caramel Sauce, I made my own but use whatever you like

Caramel Sauce:
1/2 c sugar
2 tbsp butter
1/4 cup heavy cream
pinch of salt

Bring sugar and about 1 tsp of water to a boil for about 5 minutes or until carmel in colour. Remove from heat and add butter, cream and salt. Place back on low heat and stir together until smooth.
*If caramel goes grainy on you, just heat back up and add more cream until smooth.*

Heat oven to 350.
Prepare a cupcake pan, do not flour.
Pour a teaspoon of caramel sauce into each hole.
Then lay about 4 - 5 slices of apple into the bottom.
Top each with about 2 Tbsp of cake mix, or about 3/4 full.
Bakefor 18 - 20 mintues, or when you push on the top the spring back.
Cool for 5 mintues and then flip onto cooling rack.

Makes 24 cupcakes

Peach Vanilla Rosemary Jam

As Autumn fast approaches in Ontario, I feel that I am trying to grasp at the last strings of summer. Still wearing flip flops in 7 degree weather, still running in shorts and eating ice cream every last chance I get, I think pretty much qualifies me in the "grasping at straws" department.
The leaves here are finally turning their brilliant colours of red, gold and fiery oranges. The pumpkins have arrived and we are officially into apple picking season (stay tuned).

So in my last homage to summer, I went to the market a few weeks ago and bought the last of the slightly sad looking peaches in an effort to salvage their blushing pink and orange skins and sweet juicy flesh, (sorry for the "harlequin" descriptive).

As in my last post, I had recently tried canning for the first time and it was a resounding success. So I thought I would have another crack at it with my remaining jars. Martha Stewart has this amazing "Peach Rosemary Jam" recipe that I had seen a few years ago posted on her website.

My younger sister makes this amazing jam, and when I visited her in Halifax, there was always a stash in the fridge to be eaten on her organic whole grain bread or yummy croissants from the market.
Now she has moved ALL the way across the pond, so now I am left with no more of her jam. :(

So this recipe is for you Jess, and rest assured when you come home at Christmas I will be filling your suitcase with Peach AND Pear jam so that when you go back to jolly old England, I can come THERE and once again eat jam out of your fridge.

Recipe:

3 pounds of peaches, skinned*, pitted and roughly chopped
1/3 c. lemon juice, fresh
2 c. sugar
2 c. vanilla sugar
3 - 4 sprigs fresh rosemary

Toss all the ingredients in a large bowl and leave for 4 hours, stirring occasionally until the sugar has dissolved.

Pour mixture into a large pot and bring to a boil, cook for about 15 minutes until mixture thickens.
Puree with hand held mixer or use a potato masher and crush fruit lightly.
Skim any foam that has formed on the top of the mixture.
Discard rosemary.

Fill jars and leave about 1/3 inch at the top. Process for 10 minutes.
Let rest for 24 hours and then test seal. If sealed properly then store in a cool dry place for up to 1 year. If seal does not take store in fridge and eat within 1 month.

Makes: 6 1/2 c. jars

*I find the easiest way to skin peaches is to cross hatch them at the bottom and throw them in whole into a pot of simmering water for about 1 - 2 minutes.
Remove into a bowl of ice water, optional, or just leave them to cool for a few minutes and then peel.

Bon Appetit: Pear Caramel Butter

So I tried my hand at canning on the weekend. My first time out and all in all it was really successful! I was so pleased when I heard the seal's take. I was on the phone with my sister in England and as I was taking out the jars we both heard the "pop", I started to yelp in excitement, my sister then said, "you've never done this before have you?", "no I haven't" I replied, hence my ridiculous amount of hysteria.
The recipe below I got in this month's Bon Appetit, which I get really excited for once a month when it comes in the mail. The recipe is also REALLY labour intensive. Peeling coring and chopping 7 pounds of pears is nobody's idea of a good time. Also I don't own a food mill, so I pureed it by potato ricer.
I'm really excited to try new recipes! Next I'm making "Peach & Rosemary Jam" a la Martha Stewart.
Happy canning everyone!

Makes about eight 1/2-pint jars
Recipe by Jill Silverman Hough
Bon Appetit October 2008

Ingredients:

7 pounds ripe Bartlett pears

1/4 cup Apple Juice

6 Tbsp of lemon juice, separated

3 cups (packed) golden brown sugar

1 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg

3/4 teaspoon coarse kosher salt

* Note the bee/wasp

Preparation:

• Combine apple juice and 4 tablespoons lemon juice in heavy large deep pot. Peel, core, and cut pears, 1 at a time, into 1/2- to 3/4-inch pieces; mix pears into juice mixture in pot as soon as pears are cut, to prevent browning. Cook over medium heat until pears release enough juice for mixture to boil, stirring frequently, about 16 minutes. Reduce heat to medium-low; cover and simmer until pears are very tender, stirring frequently, about 20 minutes (mixture will splatter). Remove pot from heat. Press pear mixture through fine plate of food mill into large bowl. Return pear puree to same pot. Add 2 tablespoons lemon juice, brown sugar, nutmeg, and 3/4 teaspoon coarse salt. Bring to boil over medium heat, stirring until sugar dissolves. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer uncovered until pear butter thickens and is reduced to 8 cups, stirring every 5 minutes to prevent scorching, about 1 hour.

• Ladle pear butter into 8 hot clean 1/2-pint glass canning jars, leaving 1/4-inch space at top of jars. Remove air bubbles. Wipe jar threads and rims with clean damp cloth. Cover with hot lids; apply screw bands. Process jars in pot of boiling water 10 minutes. Cool completely. Store in cool dark place up to 1 year.