[BakerAunt]

Thank you, Wonky for posting this wonderful news.

[BakerAunt]

Hi, Italian Cook. I had saved the "Lemon Curd as a Filling" thread from the Baking Circle. After looking it over, I decided that there is enough information that other people might find it helpful, so I have posted it in the "threads saved from the KAF Baking Circle" section. It has a lot of good cake advice.

[BakerAunt]

Great News: Kid Pizza is feeling better and has posted the following reply on Zen's (Pyewacket's) site:

BAKERAUNT:
Good morning my friend. Marliss I read somewhere you were looking for me. Because you had a slight baking disappointment recently in baking a "ORANGE BARLEY (flour) POUND CAKE.

Marliss I scrutinized this recipe that you provided. You are so correct. TOO sweet more sugar than required one reason it exceeds the weight of the flour. The dip in it's top surface most often has to do with the LEAVENERS. Not all the time but most often. In this case I will provide free of charge 2 choices. 1(a) reduce the bkg powder to 1,1/4 tsp....2(b) reduce bkg powder to 1, tsp & add 1/8th tsp of bkg soda (remember Marliss 1/8th tsp is 1/2 of 1/4 tsp. Marliss, one more thing. your posted ??? about the size of the 9 X 5 X 3, in pan is adequate but I believe a 8,1/2 X 4,1/2 X 2.5, inch pan is better.

I've not actually baked the recipe yet, since it seemed not quite right. I will bake it this week, following Cass's suggestions and let everyone know how it comes out.

• This reply was modified 8 years, 6 months ago by BakerAunt.

[BakerAunt]

Italian Cook: If you make a "dam" by piping frosting around the outside circumference of the layer, refrigerate briefly to harden, then put the lemon curd in the center, it will stay put. I learned about this technique when I made a lemon cake with lemon curd filling, and the wonderful people on the KAF Baking Circle told me about this method. I'm so glad that we now have this site, so that I don't lose all that wonderful advice and encouragement.

• This reply was modified 8 years, 6 months ago by BakerAunt.

[BakerAunt]

Note: I think that she uses the wheat gluten to help out the freshly ground whole wheat flour. (See her recipe for Honey Wheat Bread.)

[BakerAunt]

bakeraunt on September 15, 2013 at 11:26 pm

I baked this recipe last night, and my husband and stepchildren really liked it. However, I had to make some changes because some of the specific products are no longer available. First, I could not find a Ghirardelli sweet chocolate bar, so I used a semi-sweet bar. Also, the bars now come in 4 oz. (don't you love it when a company downsizes a product?), so I used one and a half bars. I might consider substituting Baker's Sweet chocolate bar next time. I added 1/4 tsp salt, as I used unsalted butter. I did not find Ghirardelli unsweetened cocoa powder at the store. I substituted King Arthur's Dutch Process cocoa, rather than natural cocoa (since the recipe called for baking powder not baking soda). The chocolate chips also required a substitution. Ghirardelli does not make the small double-chocolate chips anymore. Instead, they make a 60% cacao bittersweet one, and they are large--about three times the size of regular chips. These are nice for large cookies, but I miss the old product for some recipes, and I would have preferred smaller chips in these large ones. Finally, I used my 1/4 cup scoop and ended up with 13 rather than 18 cookies. I baked them in two batches, since I never have success in my oven with baking two sheets of cookies at once--even rotating them half-way through the time. I think it best to keep the batter refrigerated until shortly before baking.

reply by: --jej on September 16, 2013 at 9:47 am
You hit it on the money, bakeraunt. I use what I can get. Used a combo of Baker's bittersweet chocolate and some semi-sw. chips. There wasn't an alternative. Also couldn't find the Kahlua (must have been all used up -- it's been a while) so used the Italian Espresso Ground Coffee for that as well as for the Espresso... and they turned out beautifully delicious! I also used a small scoop for smaller cookies. I cannot get two pans in oven at once, so let the rest of the dough sit in fridge while one pan was baking. Didn't seem to bother or 'hurt' the next batch at all.

[BakerAunt]

I used 1 1/2 cups buttermilk and proofed the yeast in 1/4 cup water.

I used active yeast, which I proofed with a bit of the sugar.

I added 1 Tablespoon flax meal.

After mixing with the dough paddle, I found that I needed to use the Kneading spiral hook (Cuisinart stand mixer). I've also made the dough in a bread machine.

I use farina (cream of wheat) on the griddle pan. It's less likely to burn.

An infrared thermometer lets you know if the cooking surface is the correct temperature. I find that cast iron griddles work best. Also, do not crowd the muffins on the pan.

• This reply was modified 8 years, 6 months ago by BakerAunt.
• This reply was modified 8 years, 6 months ago by BakerAunt.
• This reply was modified 5 years, 10 months ago by BakerAunt.
• This reply was modified 5 years, 10 months ago by BakerAunt.

[BakerAunt]

These are a wonderful, not too sweet, small cookie. They stay soft. I used half white whole wheat flour.

[BakerAunt]

I have a variety of mini-Bundt pans from T.J. Maxx. They are great for freezing very small dessert portions.

[BakerAunt]

Wonderful news! I sent my card off this morning.

• This reply was modified 8 years, 6 months ago by BakerAunt.

[BakerAunt]

I remember seeing the doughnut idea in a recipe for maple glazed doughnuts that I think was in Reagan's recipes from the Baking Circle. I've now put Reagan's recipes in the recipe section, including this one for Vermont Apple Cider Donuts with Maple Glaze.

The mini-frittata idea looks great for portable, on-the-go breakfast or lunch.

• This reply was modified 8 years, 6 months ago by BakerAunt. Reason: update

[BakerAunt]

Zen's site seems to be having issues these past few days.

[BakerAunt]

Absolutely not!

[BakerAunt]

Thank you Nina for letting us know. Please keep us updated. I have his address and will send a card.

[BakerAunt]

You might want to look at Wonky's post in the thread "What Makes a Good Raisin-Cinnamon Swirl bread" (or some variation on that title). She posts the recipe and all the changes she makes, which alters the recipe somewhat.

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