Step by Step to Picture-Perfect Frosting

I find this really helps! So I’d thought I’d share the wisdom from ‘bon appetit Desserts’ again.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(http://cookbooks.andrewsmcmeel.com/?p=3493)

• Fill and layer: Spread the filling over the cake layer, keeping it within a half inch of the edge of the cake; then top with the second cake layer (this allows some wiggle room for the filling to ooze). It’s best to place the bottom layer cut side up and the top layer cut side down; the cut surfaces absorb some of the filling, while the smooth, flat surface forms a nice shape for the finished cake. Sometimes the top layer slides around, which makes frosting the cake difficult. To solve this, cover the layered cake with plastic and chill it until the filling becomes firm and the top layer is securely set in place.
• Add the crumb coat: Spread a thin layer of frosting over the entire cake, then chill the cake until the frosting is cold. Don’t worry if the cake doesn’t look attractive at this point; the crumb coating is simply used to glue any loose cake crumbs to the cake’s surface to make it easier to apply the final coating of frosting. (Not all recipes call for this step.)
• Frost: Finally, spread the remaining frosting decoratively over the sides and top of the cake. Setting the cake on a cake turntable or lazy Susan and using a long offset spatula will help you create
  a perfectly smooth finish.

Red Velvet Cake with Raspberries and Blueberries

We all know the deal with red velvet – its moist, rich and red. You can have it in cupcake form, cakes or even trifles (wait for that blog in Dec). Because its so rich which just a hint of chocolate, it mates best with cream cheese icing. Cream cheese icing, in my opinion, is one of the best inventions ever made, and no where close to low fat, which is why it may be so good. This blog is about a 2 layer red velvet cake, and in between and on top are raspberries and blueberries, which serve as a yummy surprise in each bite.This recipe is adapted from ‘bon appetit Desserts’.

Ingredients:

Cake:

• 2 1/4 cups sifted cake flour
• 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 1 tablespoon red food coloring
• 1 teaspoon distilled white vinegar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 2 large eggs

Frosting:

• 2 8-ounce packages cream cheese, room temperature
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 2 1/2 cups powdered sugar
• 3 1/2-pint baskets fresh  blueberries

Preparation

FOR CAKE:

Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter and flour two 9-inch-diameter cake pans with 1 1/2-inch-high sides. Sift sifted flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt into medium bowl. Whisk buttermilk, food coloring, vinegar, and vanilla in small bowl to blend. Using electric mixer, beat sugar and butter in large bowl until well blended. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating until well blended after each addition. Beat in dry ingredients in 4 additions alternately with buttermilk mixture in 3 additions.

Divide batter between prepared pans. Bake cakes until tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 27 minutes. Cool in pans on racks 10 minutes. Turn cakes out onto racks; cool completely.

FOR FROSTING:

Beat cream cheese and butter in large bowl until smooth. Beat in vanilla. Add powdered sugar and beat until smooth. Spread 1 cup frosting over top of cake. Arrange 1 basket raspberries and 1/2 basket blueberries atop frosting, pressing lightly to adhere. Top with second cake layer, flat side down.

Spread remaining frosting over top and sides of cake. Arrange remaining berries decoratively over top of cake. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and refrigerate. Let stand at room temperature 1 hour before serving.)

Enjoy!

See next post on Step by Step Picture-Perfect Frosting

 

 

Delicious Food Show in TO

This past weekend (October 21-October 23, 2011), The Delicious Food Show was put on by the Food Network in Toronto. It consisted of: Stellar culinary creations, Cutting edge kitchen design, Fine wines, Top industry professionals, Celebrity chefs, Innovations in food preparation, Exciting new ingredients and The latest trends in food and design.  Hosting Food Network celebrities such as David Rocco, Mark McEwan, Corbin Tomaszeski, Bal Arneson, Lynn Crawford and Padma Lakshmi.

I was invited to go with my mother, freelance writer Melody Wren, with press passes and all. I had originally thought that I would want to go to meet the foodie celebs and see all of the shows, but I was wrong! We spent 4 amazing hours, touring around the exhibits, hearing about different products and stuffing ourselves so full of samples that we barely wanted lunch.

Of course, I took lots of pics of baking exhibits for all of you out there….but I couldn’t pass up including some of my fav non-baking displays as well!

My Panera

A bakery that has 3 locations in Canada and 1500 in the U.S. Every loaf is baked fresh with no preservatives and all of the leftovers at the end of the day are given to Food Banks and Group Homes (that’s one of my fav things about them, no waste!). They also created a cherry vanilla bagel in the shape of a Breast Cancer ribbon and in Oct, all of the proceeds go to research. I regret not picking up a loaf of their tomato bread.

 

 

 

St. Phillips Bakery

Located in Vaughn, everything at St. Phillips is made from scratch. They make 3000 wedding cakes a week and have 50 different styles of pastries. The adorable owner Joe Bozzo told us that the bakery is 3rd generation,  and despite suggestions of not joining the family business, he wanted to. Joe demonstrated how their amazing zappoles are made. Zappoles are a kruller cut in half, filled with chantilly creme and aramona cherries. More info can be found at http://www.stphillipsbakery.com

 

 

 

 

Bite Me Bakery

A bakery that creates bite-sized cupcakes – - great for those who don’t want to indulge in a whole one! They have a variety of flavors including Lai’d (coconut); and Elvis (chocolate, peanut butter, banana and bacon). The cupcakes can be bought individually, in multiples, or they can be ordered in a the form of a cake of cupcakes More info can be found at http://www.bitemebakery.ca

 

 

 

And now….my other favorites!!

Euro Mediterranean Foods Ltd

Obviously passionate about what he does, Kosta Kostis is the manager of Euro, started by he and his father. Their 32 different products have no artificial ingredients and they offer spreads, dips and salads. Their best seller is the crab and 3 cheese dip (it is sooo yummy), and Euro is still a family run company 5 years later. More info can be found at http://www.euromediterraneanfoods.com

 

 

 

Hank Daddy’s BBQ

Born Frank, this down-to-earth owner says the name is because his friends call him “Hank” and his kids call him “daddy”. Simple enough. The feature of this exhibit was pulled pork parfait – a plastic parfait cup filled with layers of pulled pork, mashed potatoes, special sauce and topped with baked beans. I was too full of samples to test it out but there was a line up at his stand for lunch time!  Hank Daddy does catering of different meats and sides, and is thinking about settling down in a retail location.  More info can be found at http://www.hankdaddysbbq.com

 

 

 

Lighthouse Lemonade

I’m a sucker for lemonade, so this exhibit and its samples caught my eye right away. This original recipe is based out of Rockwood, ON and 1 bottle of the lemonade concentrate makes 7 litres. Lighthouse Lemonade had the honor of being asked to provide lemonade for Prince William and Kate’s Royal Wedding this past year. Yes, its that good. Want more info? http://www.lighthouselemonade.com

Apple-Spice Cake with Brown Sugar Glaze

Did I tell you what I ordered in August with my cousin’s gift of an Amazon gift card?! A used (but in great condition) copy of Bon Appetit Desserts.  686 pages of mouth watering recipes and enticing pictures. For those of you who don’t know me, I have a monthly subscription to Bon Appetit magazine, so ordering this book was just the icing on the cake. Pun intended!

Aaaaanyways, this book is my new Go-To. Want something chocolatey? Go to the book. Want a pie? Go to the book. Want a great cookie? Go to the book. Want to make something with apples? Go to the book. And enter this recipe! Apple-Spice Cake with Brown Sugar Glaze – a great cake to serve in the Fall and serve with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Enjoy!

CAKE

• Nonstick vegetable oil spray
• 3 cups unbleached all purpose flour
• 1 t baking soda
• 1 t ground cinnamon
• 3/4 t salt
• 1/2 t ground nutmeg
• 1/4 t ground cloves (I omitted these)
• 1/4 t ground allspice
• 1 3/4 pounds Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, coarsely grated (about 7 or 8 apples)
• 1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 1/2 cup packed golden brown sugar
• 1 t finely grated lemon peel
• 3 large eggs
• 1 t vanilla extract
• 1 t fresh lemon juice

GLAZE

• 1/2 cup packed golden brown sugar
• 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
• 1/4 cup whipping cream
• 1/2 t vanilla extract
• 1/2 t fresh lemon juice
• 1/4 t salt

CAKE

Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 325 degrees F. Spray 12-15 cup Bundt pan with nonstick spray. Sift flour, baking soda, cinnamon, salt, nutmeg, cloves and allspice into medium bowl. Drain grated apples in strainer. Using hands or kitchen towel, squeeze out excess liquid from apples. Measure 2 cups grated apples.

Using electric mixer, beat butter, both sugars, and lemon peel in a large bowl until fluffy. Beat in eggs 1 at a time. Mix in vanilla and lemon juice. Beat in flour mixture. Mix in grated apples. Transfer batter to prepared pan.

Bake cake until tester comes out clean, about 1 hour. Cool in pan rack about 30 minutes.

GLAZE

While cake cools, prepare glaze. Stir sugar, butter, cream, vanilla, lemon juice and salt in a small nonstick skillet overmedium-high heat until sugar dissolves and mixture comes to a boil. Reduce heat to medium, whisk until glaze is smooth, about 1 minute. Remove from heat.

Invert cake onto rack set over baking sheet. Using small skewer, pierce holes all over top of warm cake. Pour hot glaze over top, allowing it to be absorbed before adding more. Cool cake 30 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.

 

Happy Thanksgiving!!

As Thanksgiving approaches, I start planning to make my way to Ottawa for the weekend to visit my dad, step-mom and younger brother. In the past, these weekends have been filled with markets, walks, drinks and lots of food. We’re usually a traditional family when it comes to holiday food, so I know what to expect.But a phone call from my dad suggested this years Thanksgiving dessert would be a bit different, and who would be making said dessert? Me! Yay! You can imagine my excitement to dive into something new. The goal? Pumpkin Pecan Cake with Brown Butter Icing from this Fall’s LCBO Food & Drink magazine (if you haven’t already, you should definitely pick one up).

This cake turned out amazingly well, very moist and flavorful. It didn’t taste too much like pumpkin so much as it did like a spice cake, so you could bring this to any Fall event you need a dessert for!

This recipe calls for baking 2 cakes, and cutting each in half and making it a 4 layer cake. My cakes came out a bit too thin for me to try to brave this with an already unsteady hand… so next time I think I will double up the recipe to make them thicker to cut. Leave a comment and let me know how yours turn out!

Ingredients

CAKE

• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 1 1/4 cups packed, light brown sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup fresh or canned pumpkin puree (not pie filling)
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cups unbleached cake and pastry flour
• 1/2 cup ground toasted pecans
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp each ground ginger, cinnamon and allspice
• 1 tsp orange zest
• 1/4 cup buttermilk

ICING

• 1/2 cup unsalted butter
• 8 0z (250 g) cream cheese, softened
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1 1/4 cup confectioner’s sugar

ASSEMBLY

• 2 cups chopped candied pecans

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Grease sides of two 9-inch round metal cake pans; line bottoms with parchment paper. Set aside.

In a large bowl, beat butter with sugar until light and fluffy, beat in eggs 1 at a time, beating well after each. Beat in pumpkin and vanilla until incorporated.

In a separate bowl, whisk flour, ground pecans, baking soda and powder, salt, ginger, cinnamon, allspice and orange zest. Stir into butter mixture alternately with buttermilk, making 3 additions of dry ingredients and 2 of wet. Scrape into pans; smooth. Bake in the centre of the oven until a cake tester comes out clean, about 25 to 30 minutes. Turn out onto racks; peel off paper. Invert, let cool.

For icing, in a large heavy skillet, melt butter over medium heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the butter turns a golden brown, about 4 minutes. Pour into a bowl and let stand until the little bits sink to the bottom, about 5 minutes. Transfer to freezer and chill until firm, about 15 minutes. Scrape the top of the butter from the bits at the bottom, discard bits.

Transfer brown butter to bowl, with the cream cheese and brown sugar. With an electric mixer beat until the brown sugar has dissolved, about 2 minutes. Gradually beat in confectioner’s sugar until incorporated and fluffy, 1 to 2 minutes.

To assemble the cake, brush any crumbs from the cake layers. Cut each in half horizontally. Place 1 layer, cut-side up on cake plate. Spread with about 3/4 cup of the icing. Sprinkle evenly with 1/2 cup of the candied pecans. Repeat layers twice. Top with remaining layer, cut-side down. Spread entire cake with remaining icing and decorate with remaining pecans.

Coconut Cupcakes

The perfect amount of coconut flavor.

There was a half-full carton of Coconut milk staring at me in my fridge – “use me, use me”. With the wonderful Internet, it has become so easy to open up Google and type in something like “coconut recipes” or more specifically: “coconut cupcakes”. If google doesn’t float your boat, you could always use my ole’ fall back, Martha Stewart. She has her own search engine, and her recipe suggestions are usually delicious and what you are looking for.

This recipe is from her, however it includes her ‘Seven Minute Frosting’ recipe which looks amazing, yet uses 6 eggs, aside from the 2 you use for the actual cupcakes. I opted for a cream cheese frosting, sprinkled with sweetened coconut flakes to decorate. Its up to you! Her frosting does make for better pictures….

Ingredients

• 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup packed sweetened shredded coconut
• 6 ounces (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
• 1 1/3 cups sugar
• 2 large eggs, plus 2 large egg whites
• 3/4 cup unsweetened coconut milk
• 1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 1 1/3 cups large-flake unsweetened coconut

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line standard muffin tins with paper liners. Whisk dry ingredients in a large bowl. Cream butter and sugar with a mixer until light and fluffy. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating after each addition.
2. Reduce speed to low. Mix any remaining wet ingredients in a bowl if needed. Add dry ingredients to butter mixture in 3 additions, alternating with wet ingredients and ending with dry. Scrape sides of bowl. Divide batter among muffin cups, filling each 2/3 full.
3. Bake cupcakes until testers inserted into centers come out clean, about 20 minutes. Let cool in tins on wire racks. Once cupcakes are cool, mound frosting on tops. Sprinkle with unsweetened coconut. Serve immediately.

My Cream Cheese Frosting:

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup cream cheese
• 1/4 cup butter
• 1/2 tsp vanilla
• 1-1/2 cups icing sugar

Preparation

In bowl, beat cream cheese with butter; beat in vanilla. Beat in sugar in 2 additions until smooth.

Martha’s Seven Minute Frosting:

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups plus 2 tablespoons sugar
• 2/3 cup water
• 2 tablespoons light corn syrup
• 6 large egg whites, room temperature

Directions

1. Combine 1 1/2 cups sugar with the water and corn syrup in a small saucepan; clip a candy thermometer to side of pan. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until sugar dissolves. Continue boiling, without stirring, until syrup reaches 230 degrees.
2. Meanwhile, in the bowl of a standing electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whisk egg whites on medium-high speed until soft peaks form. With mixer running, add remaining 2 tablespoons sugar, beating to combine.
3. As soon as sugar syrup reaches 230 degrees, remove from heat. With mixer on medium-low speed, pour syrup down side of bowl in a slow, steady stream. Raise speed to medium-high; whisk until mixture is completely cool (test by touching the bottom of the bowl) and stiff (but not dry) peaks form, about 7 minutes. Use immediately.

 

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle: Jamaican Banana Fritters

With all the influx of fresh Ontario fruit, its hard to keep up with what you’ve got at home! If you’re busy eating the peaches, strawberries and cherries…who’s eating the bananas?

If you notice the bananas when its too late, they’ve gone a rich brown color – don’t be hasty with tossing them! You can make these yummy twist on the pancake and save a banana’s life; or 3.

Jamaican Banana Fritters

Ingredients

• 3 ripe bananas
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon of nutmeg
• 1/2 cup of sugar
• 2 cups of all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1/2 cup milk

Directions

Peel and mash the ripe bananas.

Beat egg, sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, and nutmeg.

Next, blend egg mixture with mashed bananas.  Make sure it is all incorporated.

Then sift flour and baking powder into the banana/egg mixture.  Mix it all together.

If the batter seems to be too dense, add some milk – I added 1/2 cup .

Add oil to a frying pan and place on medium high heat.  Drop spoonfuls of the banana fritter batter into the hot oiled frying pan. Flip when you see the edges starting to get brown and golden.

Lastly, combine cinnamon and sugar together to create your cinnamon sugar.  This is used to sprinkle on top of the fritters once they are finished cooking and still hot.

Sprinkle cinnamon sugar.

(Adapted from Thatssoyummy.com)