Search Results for '("C'

[chocomouse]

I don't believe I mis-measured, but that could be the problem, Mike. I read through all the comments, and one other baker said their's came very sugary, not sticky. I also used the alternative to the Sticky Bun Sugar. I haven't made these for ages, and I'm not sure which recipe(s) I've used in the past. I did not write down any comments on either of the KAF recipes. Now I've marked it so I won't use that glazing recipe again.

[BakerAunt]

I baked this recipe some years ago (before butter was out of my diet). My problem was that the mixture in the bottom of the pans boiled over in the oven and made a mess. I know that I wrote about it, most likely on the Baking Circle, although it could have been here. I did not have the Sticky Bun Sugar that KAF sells and used their suggested alternative. Some of the comments from people suggested that the Sticky Bun Sugar contains ClearJel. I never got around to trying the recipe again.

[BakerAunt]

Blood oranges are in season, and I was able to buy a bag at the local grocery a week ago. On Tuesday, I baked Blood Orange Yogurt Cake. The original recipe is on the internet at "How Sweet Eats," via Taste of Home. I make a few changes in that I use half barley flour, non-fat Greek Yogurt, add a tablespoon of milk powder, and replace the melted coconut oil with avocado oil. I will make the blood orange icing tomorrow (halving the recipe), when we will begin slicing it for dessert.

I also changed the mixing instructions on the recipe in that I combine the sugar and oil and the zest at the start, then mix in the yogurt, whisk in each egg, add the orange juice and vanilla, then gently stir in the flour mixture. I baked the cake in the Nordic Ware loaf pan that has the citrus slice design.

[Mike Nolan]

Restaurant croutons almost always have garlic on them, I don't put anything, not even butter on my home-made croutons. (Sometimes I'll take a small cup of them and add some butter, but they don't really need it.)

They're great in soups and on salads. I've used a variety of different breads for croutons over time, recently I've been using semolina bread.

They keep well once dried, but I usually have a bag of them in the freezer, too, and if I need bread crumbs I can make some quickly from croutons.

[chocomouse]

I made a basic whole wheat bread with oatmeal and maple syrup today. It makes a lot of dough, so rather than fuss with decreasing it, I made it into two 9 x 4 loaves (huge, great oven spring) and a 4 x 7 (guessing here, a Fat Didio pan), which I made into a cinnamon swirl.

[RiversideLen]

I have some large shells (pasta) that have been taking up space since before the pandemic so I thought I would make stuffed shells. I used Ricotta with a little mozzarella and seasoned it with a little oregano and garlic and a generous amount of dried parsley. I made a simple sauce from a can of tomatoes. It turned out good, I have leftovers for tonight.

[aaronatthedoublef]

Hi,

I know some of you have talked about toasting sugar. I'm looking at a shortbread recipe that uses toasted sugar and brown butter. I've started browning the butter on my own (really nice flavor). But I've been using brown sugar for a while (I think I picked that up from Dorie Greenspan). The hint of molasses is nice.

Has anyone tried shortbread with brown sugar or with toasted sugar? Maybe I'll do both and see.

[RiversideLen]

I'm a couple of days late but Happy Birthday Joan! Glad you had a great day.

On Tuesday I made a couple of pork chops in Mole sauce (from a jar). Had brown rice and broccoli with it. I have a leftover chop for tonight. Haven't decided on the sides yet. Yesterday I made fettuccini with broccoli and shrimp, seasoned with sesame seed oil and soy sauce.

[BakerAunt]

Thank you to everyone for the good wishes.

Answers to the comments:
I offered to bake them a mini-tier cake, as I have the mini-tier set that Wilton used to sell. I used it for my own wedding cake, as well as for my stepdaughter's college graduation. I sent them a picture of the latter. However, they wanted just a small two-layer cake the size of the top tier. I'm not sure if they plan to eat the entire cake that night--or perhaps save some for breakfast before they leave the next day--but I have given them instructions, so if they want to freeze part of it, they know to first refrigerate until the frosting hardens, then double-wrap in saran and pop into a Ziplock bag. I am assuming that a white chocolate-cream cheese-butter frosting will freeze well.

That is a sweet story, Aaron, about saving the top tier for your first anniversary. I like the idea of freezing the top layer and pulling it out for the first anniversary, but I did not have that option for our wedding cake, as we did not get married in the state in which we were living. Two of my friends ate their top tier on their one-month anniversary, as they were not sure if it would last for a year. I think it depends on the quality of the freezer.

If I were making a butter-based cake, freezing would be the way to go. I did that with the various layers I baked for my own wedding cake. One reason I chose the oil cake is that it would be hard to keep it frozen on a two-day drive, even if the weather is not overly warm. Oil cakes can be frozen if necessary.

We ate half of one layer this evening, and it is delicious with tender texture. We will compare over the next four days.

Yesterday, I ordered a package of 8-inch cake circles from Michael's. I looked at my stash--or what I can find of it (our remodel project continues) --and found 6-inch, 10-inch, and 12-inch but no 8-inch. As cake circles are rather thin, I will tape two together for a sturdier base, then cover them with the foil Michael sells for that purpose, as I still have plenty in my stash. It and the other cake circles are left over from when I would bake the office birthday cakes. I ordered a cake box as well, so that I can transport it to the reception, and send it home with them afterwards.

I'm not sure about a cake stand. I have several that are 10-inches wide, which would dwarf a 6-inch cake, and two of those are family heirlooms that I would not want to subject to a cross country jaunt. I have a Wilton set of three stands of different heights that reflect a rage in the past for three different sizes of cakes on three levels. I used one of them for the mini-tier cake for my wedding, so I might use the 8-inch one. If I lived near stores, I would probably be browsing T.J. Maxx and Tuesday Morning frequently over the next few weeks. I may check out the thrift store in town. I have done some looking online but found nothing. I know they exist, but where they exist is the problem.

[skeptic7]

The rules for masking are going away all over the country. There are lots of people who aren't wearin masks around here but NY Times still has Lexington, KY ( Fayette County ) as extremely high risks. I wish masks were still mandated and enforced until there is extra room at the ICU in most of the hospitals. There is still too many people gettig very sick.
I was grocery shopping this weekend and some of the clerks are now unmasked and many of the customers.

[aaronatthedoublef]

So... do they want to keep a layer to freeze for their 1-year anniversary? Will they want to keep some cake for that. It was great to pull it out of the freezer and celebrate. It was first anniversary, we just found out we were going to have our first kid, and it was my 40th, so lots to be happy about.

My two main cakes, one chocolate and one white, freeze very well. I double wrap them in plastic and then in a freezer bag (the freezer bag probably isn't needed). My boss at the Seattle bakery used to do this so she always had a cake on hand for a special customer.

You could freeze the layers and thaw them at your destination. If you're worried about them being dry you can make a simple syrup or something else to add some moisture and brush the layers with it before you frost them.

[BakerAunt]

My younger stepson will be getting married this spring. He and his fiancee have asked me to bake a special little wedding cake just for the two of them. Others at the wedding will choose from the desserts the venue supplies with dinner. I sat down with them over Skype to work out details. One of my friends told me that even her professional baker relatives had a hard and fast rule about never doing the cake for a family wedding, since the stakes are high and there is always the chance for disaster or disappointment. I wanted to make sure that we were on the same page, and that I could bake what they would enjoy. We settled on a two-layer 6-inch cake, with topper to be supplied by them. They both like chocolate, so it will be my variation on the Favorite Fudge Birthday Cake on the King Arthur site. I will make a White Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting.

The wedding is in another state, and we will be driving for a day and a half. I know from experience that, while we will be staying in a condo with a kitchen, the ovens in rental places can be an issue. At the last three places we stayed for my husband's cousins' reunions, the ovens presented major problems, which is not good for a group that prides itself on its cooking and baking. I plan to bake the cake layers the day before we leave, wrap them in saran, and transport them in a container. I would also make the frosting here, take it with me, along with my hand mixer and a larger bowl, and whip it before frosting the cake the day before and refrigerating it overnight. We will arrive early at the site (wedding and reception is at the same place), where I will put it on a cake stand, and we will put the topper on it.

I experimented by making a half recipe of the Favorite Fudge Birthday Cake, using two 6-inch cake pans (Fat Daddio's) with cake strips around the outsides. I did the volume calculations, and while it is slightly less batter per pan, it worked fine. I checked at 25 minutes, and they were not yet done, so I gave them another 5 minutes and the tester came out clean. After a 10-minute rest in the pans, I turned them onto a rack to cool. I had used The Grease, as well as parchment paper cut to fit the pans, so they released easily. Each layer is about 1 1/2 inches tall.

After they cool, I plan to wrap one in saran and keep it for four days, so that I can test how well it holds up. Oil cakes are always better on the second day, at which time we will start eating the other layer, so that we have a point of comparison. We are selfless in our scientific quest!

[cwcdesign]

I made a recipe for a French lentil salad from Barefoot Contessa. She used kielbasa which she just sliced without warming up to the warm lentils. I used Portuguese chorizo the I sliced and warmed in a pan. We really enjoyed it. Her accompaniment was toasted baguette with herb goat cheese. Ours was toasted sourdough with Brie (it was on sale)

[BakerAunt]

For Sunday dinner, I made black-eyed peas with brown rice, yellow bell pepper, ham, rehydrated dried onion, some kale, parsley, and black pepper. The bread I baked yesterday, thinly sliced with a bit of butter (ok, Land of Lakes Light Butter Canola spread) goes with it very well.

We have enough for several more meals, so I can alternate it with the roast chicken.

[cwcdesign]

BakerAunt, I keep a bookmark to the King Arthur Ingredient Weight Chart. It lists a lot of ingredients that I'm often curious about regarding weight and cups, etc. It lists the cups (sometimes ¼ or ½ cups but all you have to do is double) ounces and grams. I find it helps me with my visuals.

For example it lists ½ a cup of olive oil so if I need say 1/3, I'll double the grams then divide by 3. It works for me.