March 2008 Daring Bakers Challenge #17: Dorie Greenspan’s Perfect Party Cake

Now I know the best reason for becoming Daring Baker’s member, I have a chance to try something new, and if there is no challenge I didn’t make this kind of cake. Not that I don’t like it but I rarely make buttercream (due to one reason that my nephew don’t like it so if I make a cake with buttercream, he refuses to take even one bite). So, buttercream is not common for me. Anyway I wait for the last day until I decide to give it a try, and if I have to try one recipe Dorie Greenspan’s Baking: From My Home to Yours, is the one. I just finish it yesterday, with a lot of compliment from my family, they love it (ok, my nephew didn’t eat it anyway, but I make other thing for him). The cake is very good with a fine crumb, and good texture. The bettercream is very easy to make and hold its shape very well; it’s so much fun to making this challenge.

Lemon gives this cake a lovely taste, and I think a little tangy is the reason why my mom has a second piece.

Dorie's Perfect Party Cake

Makes 9 inch cake

For the Cake
2 ½ cups cake flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
1 ¼ cups whole milk or buttermilk (I prefer buttermilk with the lemon)
4 large egg whites
1 ½ cups sugar
2 teaspoons grated lemon zest
1 stick (8 tablespoons or 4 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature
½ teaspoon pure lemon extract

For the Buttercream
1 cup sugar
4 large egg whites
3 sticks (12 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature
¼ fresh lemon juice (from 2 large lemons)
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

For Finishing
2/3 cup seedless raspberry preserves stirred vigorously or warmed gently until spreadable
About 1 ½ cups sweetened shredded coconut

Getting Ready
Centre a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter two 9 x 2 inch round cake pans and line the bottom of each pan with a round of buttered parchment or wax paper. Put the pans on a baking sheet.

To Make the Cake
Sift together the flour, baking powder and salt.
Whisk together the sugar and lemon zest in a mixer bowl or another large bowl and rub them together with your fingers until the sugar is moist and fragrant.
Add the butter and working with the paddle or whisk attachment, or with a hand mixer, beat at medium speed for a full 3 minutes, until the butter and sugar are very light.
Beat in the extract, then add one third of the flour mixture, still beating on medium speed.
Beat in half of the milk-egg mixture, then beat in half of the remaining dry ingredients until incorporated.
Add the rest of the milk and eggs beating until the batter is homogeneous, then add the last of the dry ingredients.
Finally, give the batter a good 2- minute beating to ensure that it is thoroughly mixed and well aerated.
Divide the batter between the two pans and smooth the tops with a rubber spatula.
Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until the cakes are well risen and springy to the touch – a thin knife inserted into the centers should come out clean
Transfer the cakes to cooling racks and cool for about 5 minutes, then run a knife around the sides of the cakes, unfold them and peel off the paper liners.
Invert and cool to room temperature, right side up (the cooled cake layers can be wrapped airtight and stored at room temperature overnight or frozen for up to two months).


To Make the Buttercream
Put the sugar and egg whites in a mixer bowl or another large heatproof bowl, fit the bowl over a plan of simmering water and whisk constantly, keeping the mixture over the heat, until it feels hot to the touch, about 3 minutes.
The sugar should be dissolved, and the mixture will look like shiny marshmallow cream.
Remove the bowl from the heat.
Working with the whisk attachment or with a hand mixer, beat the meringue on medium speed until it is cool, about 5 minutes.
Switch to the paddle attachment if you have one, and add the butter a stick at a time, beating until smooth.
Once all the butter is in, beat in the buttercream on medium-high speed until it is thick and very smooth, 6-10 minutes.
During this time the buttercream may curdle or separate – just keep beating and it will come together again.
On medium speed, gradually beat in more lemon juice, waiting until each addition is absorbed before adding more, and then the vanilla.
You should have a shiny smooth, velvety, pristine white buttercream. Press a piece of plastic against the surface of the buttercream and set aside briefly.


To Assemble the Cake
Using a sharp serrated knife and a gentle sawing motion, slice each layer horizontally in half.
Put one layer cut side up on a cardboard cake round or a cake plate protected by strips of wax or parchment paper.
Spread it with one third of the preserves.
Cover the jam evenly with about one quarter of the buttercream.
Top with another layer, spread with preserves and buttercream and then do the same with a third layer (you’ll have used all the jam and have buttercream leftover).
Place the last layer cut side down on top of the cake and use the remaining buttercream to frost the sides and top.
Press the coconut into the frosting, patting it gently all over the sides and top.

Serving
The cake is ready to serve as soon as it is assembled, but I think it’s best to let it sit and set for a couple of hours in a cool room – not the refrigerator. Whether you wait or slice and enjoy it immediately, the cake should be served at room temperature; it loses all its subtlety when it’s cold. Depending on your audience you can serve the cake with just about anything from milk to sweet or bubbly wine.

Storing
The cake is best the day it is made, but you can refrigerate it, well covered, for up to two days. Bring it to room temperature before serving. If you want to freeze the cake, slide it into the freezer to set, then wrap it really well – it will keep for up to 2 months in the freezer; defrost it, still wrapped overnight in the refrigerator.

ALMOND ROCHERS

Crisp and light, you may love or hate this kind of cookie, because the sweetness will prevent you from enjoying it. But for this recipe, a lot of almond makes it tastes less sweet and more delicious.

The recipe is coming from ................... The other thing that I like is this cookie took less time to bake by using higher temperature and keep the door ajar, the rocher will puff up and dry. I think I find the best way to use up all my egg white from ice cream making.

ALMOND ROCHERS

Makes 30 small cookies

115 g	Sliced almonds
2	Large egg whites, at room temperature
115 g	Confectioners’ sugar
	A pinch of salt
½ tsp	Vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 350°F

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a nonstick liner.

Spread the almonds on an unlined baking sheet. Place in the oven and toast until golden brown, 7 to 10 minutes. Let cool completely. Break up the almonds with your hands into pieces (keep in mind that any large bits of almond will clog the pastry tip).

Pour water to a depth of about 2 inches into a saucepan, place over medium heat, and bring to a simmer. Combine the egg whites, confectioners’ sugar, and salt in the stainless-steel bowl of a stand mixer that will rest securely in the rim of the saucepan over, not touching, the water. Whisk together and then place over the saucepan and continue to whisk until the whites are hot to the touch (120°F), about 5 minutes or so. Remove the bowl from over the water and place on the mixer stand. Fit the mixer with the whisk attachment and mix high speed until the mixture is very thick and holds glossy, stiff peaks when you lift the beater. Fold in the almonds and vanilla with a rubber spatula.

Immediately scoop the meringue into a pastry bag fitted with a ½ inch (no. 6 or 7) plain tip and pipe onto the prepared baking sheet, forming “kisses” about 1 inch in diameter and spacing them about 1½ inches apart. Or, you can drop the meringue by tablespoonfuls onto the baking sheet.

Place the baking sheet in the oven and keep the oven door ajar with the handle of a wooden spoon to allow moisture to escape. Bake the cookies until they puff slightly, crack along the sides, and feel dry on the outside but soft to the touch, 15 to 20 minutes. They will harden as they cool. Transfer the cookies to a wire rack and let cool. They will keep in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 weeks.

KITCHEN NOTES: Egg whites will break down in the presence of egg yolk or anything oily, so you must make sure that you clean the bowl and beater thoroughly before starting. Rinsing with hot water with a little lemon juice or vinegar works well. If you prefer completely dry, crisp meringues, bake at 200°F for about minutes with the door ajar.

Tartine

By Elisabeth Prueitt, Chad Robertson, Alice Waters, and France Ruffenach

The first time that I saw this book, I was so late and I must go home but the moment that I saw the cover of the book, I really wanted to have this one. I know that it’s not common for anyone to buy the book because of the cover but it’s common for me (that’s the reason, why I have many cookbooks, ha ha). I didn’t know TARTINE BAKERY before, so the cover of the book is the first thing that wins my heart. So you can guess what I did, I ran and grabbed it, buying without knowing what is inside.

Lucky me, the book is great from inside out, beautiful design and a lot of fantastic photographs. Now I know about this great bakery and the authors of the book: Elisabeth Prueitt is Pastry Chef and co-owner with her husband and renown baker Chad Robertson. Tartine Bakery had been rated in Zagat Survey as Best Bakery and Best Breakfast in San Francisco, so this is the book that came from the best.

As many famous bakeries in our time, organic, fresh, and pure is importance, because they good for our body and mind (yes, having great food can make you feel better believe me), and it can be seen in this book. The recipes in the book are classic but not boring, even you have many cookbooks before (like me), you still find the recipes are worth trying: Croissant, Brioche Bread Pudding, Banana Cream Pie, many kind of fruit tarts, cookies, cakes, chiffon cakes, Creamy Bavarians, Devil's Food Cake, Lemon Pound Cake, Pumpkin Tea Cake and a lot lot more.

The recipe in the book written in 3-measuring systems, that’s very good because I always use weight measurement (most of the books from US, use cup measuring system, I have to convert into weight before using it). Many recipes have a kitchen note, which can give us a practical advice and trick. And the book also devoted one chapter to basic recipe, which is very useful and very good for the beginner.

What can I say about the book? I really love it and with a lot of gorgeous photographs throughout (but I have to tell you that not all the recipes have the photographs), this is an inspiring cookbook with invaluable recipes, as I tried some of the recipes and they turned out great.

Cookies and Cream Ice Cream

Oreo, Oreo and Oreo, you should know by now that I love many things like my nephew (or any kinds of children’s favorite), and this cookie is something that we eat it together. I made vanilla ice cream before so it not hard to make any variation, with only one factor that Oreo has its own sweetness. I cut down the sugar in the recipe because I like to have a good time with my ice cream, not feeling overwhelmed by it. In fact you can use other kind of cookie, but the sweetness will be varied too. I include the hand method as I found out not many people have ice cream maker at home.

Cookies and Cream Ice Cream

Serves 4-6

4	Egg yolks
5 tbsp	Sugar
1 tsp	Cornstarch
1¼ cups	Low-fat milk
1 tsp	Vanilla Extract
1¼ cups	Whipping Cream
4 ounces	Oreo Cookies cut into pieces

BY HAND:

1 Whisk the egg yolks, sugar and cornstarch in a bowl until the mixture is thick and foamy. Pour the milk into a heavy saucepan, bring it just to a boil, then pour it onto the yolk mixture, whisking constantly.

2 Return to the pan and cook over low heat, stirring until the custard thickens and is smooth. Pour it back into the bowl and cover closely. Let cool, then chill.

3. Stir the vanilla into the custard. Whip the cream until it is thickened but is still soft enough to fall from a spoon.

4. Fold the cream into the chilled custard, then pour into a plastic or other freezer proof container. Freeze for 4 hours, beating once with a fork, electric beater or in a food processor to break up the ice crystals. Beat one more time, then fold in the cookie chunks. Cover and return to the freezer until firm.

USING AN ICE CREAM MAKER:

1 Whisk the egg yolks, sugar and cornstarch in a bowl until the mixture is thick and foamy. Pour the milk into a heavy saucepan, bring it just to a boil, then pour it onto the yolk mixture, whisking constantly.

2 Return to the pan and cook over low heat, stirring until the custard is thickens and smooth. Pour it back into the bowl and cover closely. Let cool, then chill.

3. Stir the vanilla into the custard. Stir in the whipping cream and churn until thick.

4. Churn until thick enough to scoop then scrape the ice cream into a freezer proof container. Fold in the cookie chunks and freeze for 2-3 hours, until firm.

SNICKERS AND PEANUT-BUTTER MUFFINS

Snickers and peanut butter, sound good? Both of them are my favorite and when they come together, how can I resist it? The recipe is from................... Anyway I didn’t try it at a first glance, I read the recipe and I think it would be great but I’m so afraid of anything overly sweet. Anyway my nephew really want to try and he never afraid of sweetness (he needs a lot of energy, a lot more than me). The muffin came out great, I’m surprise, not overly sweet but full of flavor, peanut and yes, with a dot of chocolate. You may think that this is a muffin for children but I don’t and I really like the way my favorite can get along very well with each other.

SNICKERS AND PEANUT-BUTTER MUFFINS

Makes 12

250g	plain flour
6 tablespoons (85g)	golden caster sugar
1 ½ tablespoons	baking powder
	pinch of salt
6 tablespoons (60g)	crunchy peanut butter
60g	unsalted butter, melted
1	large egg, beaten
175m1	Milk
3 x 65g	Snickers bars, chopped

12-bun muffin tin with paper cases

Preheat the oven to 200°C

Stir together the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Add the peanut butter and mix until you have a bowl of coarse crumbs. Add the melted butter and egg to the milk, and then stir this gently into the bowl. Mix in the Snickers pieces and dollop into the muffin cases.

Cook for 20-25 minutes, when the tops should be raised, golden and firm to the (light) touch. Sit the tin on a wire rack for 5-10 minutes before taking out each muffin in its case and leaving them on the wire rack to cool.

Candied almond clusters

I keep my promise even it’s a promise that I made with myself that I will make this cookie and now, I did it. The Almond Long, which I want to make for many months, I read a lot of book for the recipe that comes so close to the original and I found it in ................... (................is the author of ............ the book that never lets me down) How could I forget about this book, I really don’t know.

I remember the moment that I had Almond Long for the first time at Starbucks, the crunchy feeling, the almond fragrance and crispness, all in one, and I fall in love with it. But I can’t go on buying it I want to make it, duplicate it and share it with all of you. (Ok, I’m so excited, I really want to post it write about it, and it’s so good to make something you really want to)

This recipe uses a lot of almond. The first time that I read the recipe I couldn’t believe that the egg white in this recipe can hold this amount of almond, but it can.

Candied almond clusters

Makes 15 (12 X 1.5-2 cm pieces)

1 large (2 tablespoons) egg white

1/3 cup (65 grams) packed light brown sugar

2 cups (8 ounces) sliced almonds

1/8 tsp salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper.

Place the egg white in a large bowl, add the brown sugar and salt, and whisk just to combine. Place this bowl over another bowl filled with just enough hot water to touch the bottom and sides of the container without floating it. Stir the mixture just until the sugar is dissolved. Add the almonds stir with a rubber spatula to coat the nuts.

Drop the mixture, one at a time to form 12 X 1.5-2 cm piece, 2.5 cm apart on a baking sheet.

Bake one sheet at a time, for 8 to 10 minutes, or just until the nuts are golden. Clusters will feel soft, but become crisp as they cool. Remove baking sheets from the oven to a cooling rack.

Plain and light Pita bread

Would you like to go to the basic? For a week that I baked so many heavy and seriously dessert, why don’t we have something plain and light for today?

Pita is almost the first kind of bread that I wanted to make when start baking, that is almost 10 years by now. I always nervous every time that I make, will the bread puff up like a little pocket or will it stay flat like a flatbread? But I have a peace of mind that even it do stay flat, this recipe give me a good flavor bread that I can munch on its own. You can use pita bread to make a sandwich by cutting it to make a hole and filled it with anything you like. I know that it easy to go to the supermarket and buy a bag of pita bread but it’s not hard to make it yourself too, believe me.

The recipe is coming fromパン作り12か月―手軽に焼ける本格パンとクイックブレッド

(Easy bread and quick bread for 12 months) by Naomi Nanasawa and Masayuki Tanikami

The book will guide through the year with bread and quick bread recipes which suitable to the weather and occasion. As other Japanese cookbook, the first part of the book is about basic; ingredients and how to knead illustrating. Then the recipe of bread and quick bread for each month

January: Bagel and Scone

February: English Bread and Potato Bread

March: Croissant and Amashoku

April: Brioche and Onion bread

May: Nuts bread and Carrot bread

June: Fladen and Muffin

July: Pain de Campagne and Soda bread

August: Graham bread and Banana bread

September: Focaccia and Pumpkin bread

October: Pitta and Pao de queijo

November: Pain d’olive and Apricot rock

December: Marinade and Sesame bread

Each bread recipe has illustration from beginning to finish and each month comes with essay or bread note, and I forgot to tell you that the pictures are great too.

The recipe is easy to follow because the book clearly illustrates, so even you don’t make any bread before this book will guide you through each years with delicious recipes.

Pita bread

Makes 8 pita breads

250 g	Bread flour
6 g	Instant yeast
7 g	Sugar
3 g	Salt
25 ml	Olive oil
150 ml	Water

Put flour, yeast, sugar and salt together in a bowl, whisk to combine. Form a well in the center; pour in the water and olive oil.

Begin to mix with hand until the dough comes together. Turn out onto a floured surface and knead for about 10 to 15 minutes (or 100 time), until smooth and no longer sticky.

Place dough in oiled bowl and turn to coat with oil. Cover with a damp cloth and put in a warm place free of drafts for 1 to 1 ½ hours. Dough should be doubled in bulk.

Take the dough out of the bowl and knead for a few minutes then divide into 8 pieces and roll the dough into balls and let the dough rest for 10-15 minutes. Roll balls into circles on a lightly floured surface with floured rolling pin.

The circles should be about ¼ -inch thick. Let the dough rise for about 30 minutes in a warm place. Preheat oven to 220°C. Place dough on oiled baking sheets and bake 5 to 10 minutes. Remove to wire racks to cool.

From: パン作り12か月―手軽に焼ける本格パンとクイックブレッド

Chocolate Mascarpone Cheesecake Pots

This one is real good, can you imagine a creamy texture cheese with a load of chocolate. The recipe is coming from .......................again, but how can you resist it, only reading it make me want to go to the kitchen and whipping up something. In fact I fall in love with both Mascarpone and chocolate, so the combination of both is the best. Even the author suggests serving this delicious cup with shortbread spoon, I didn’t, my spoon is great enough (ok, a confession: I couldn’t do anything more, even the word waiting was not in my dictionary at that time, I just used my spoon to taste it and I couldn’t stop). It’s sticky, messy, gooey as the name of the book.

*Note: I suggest you taste your chocolate before adjust the right amount of the sugar, as I use simple semisweet chocolate as Lindt Dark with only 43% cocoa mass, I reduced the sugar to ⅛ cup).

Chocolate Mascarpone Cheesecake Pots

Serves 8

1 cup	Heavy cream
4 oz	Semisweet chocolate finely chopped
8 oz	Mascarpone cheese
¼ cup	Sugar (* see note)
3	Large eggs
1 tsp	Vanilla extract
	Pinch of salt
1 tbsp	Dark rum (optional)
	Boiling water as need
	Sweeten whipped cream
	Chocolate grated

Preheat the oven to 325° F

Put the cream in a saucepan; bring to simmer over medium heat. Remove the pan from the heat before the cream starts to boil and add the Chocolate, stirring constantly until mixture is smooth. Set aside and let cool to room temperature.

Whisk together the mascarpone and sugar in a large bowl until smooth. Add the eggs one at a time, whisking well after each addition until the mixture is smooth.

Add the vanilla, salt, and rum (if using) and whisk to combine.

Pour the cooled chocolate mixture into the mascarpone cheese mixture and whisk gently until smooth.

Put eight 4-ounce custard cups ramekins or small ovenproof coffee cups in an empty 9-by-13-inch baking pan. Divide the chocolate-cheesecake mixture among the cups.

Put the baking dish in the oven and then carefully pour boiling water into the pan, adding just enough water to reach halfway up the sides of the custard cups.

Cover with aluminum foil.

Bake until the tops of the cheesecakes appear solid but jiggle slightly hen shaken, 30 to 40 minutes. The perfect consistency is a little soft, but not liquid. The cheesecake pots will firm up as they cool. Transfer the pots from the baking pan to a wire rack and let cool to room temperature. Cover each pot with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or preferably overnight before serving. The cheesecake pots can be prepared up to 2 days before serving.

Top each cheesecake pot with a dollop of whipped cream and chocolate.

From: Sticky, Chewy, Messy, Gooey: Desserts for the Serious Sweet Tooth

Jam Filled Butter Cookies

I make a lot of children friendly recipes lately, but for everyone who lives with children, it’s so much fun to have an activity with them. I found out that not only the kid will love this cookie you will love it too, but with some suggestion that if you make them for yourself or your company use only 175 g of sugar because we need less energy than the children. But for my nephew (who now become my little taster now, and he’s so proud of his duty), he said that it’s very delicious for children. I have some note for choosing jam; don’t use the one that’s too chunky, the smooth one will melt better in the oven.

Jam Filled Butter Cookies

Makes about 30

180 g	Unsalted butter, softened
200 g	Caster sugar
1	Egg
250 g	All purpose flour
½ tsp	Baking powder
¼ tsp	Salt
	Jam to decorate

Preheat the oven to 180°C

Place the butter and sugar in the bowl of an electronic mixer and beat until light and creamy. Add the egg and beat well. Sift the flour, salt and baking powder together and mix into the dough.

Roll 2 tsp of the mixture into balls, or use a small scoop to measure out the cookie dough (this method will make less smooth dough but it’s easy and less messy when the children make it).

Place the dough balls on a baking sheet lined with non-stick baking paper, allowing room for the cookies to spread, and flatten slightly.

Press a finger into the middle of the dough to make an indent.

Fill the hole with jam. Bake for 12-14 minute or until golden.

Flans with raw sugar sauce

It takes me a lot of time to take this picture of this flan, because it’s quite soft but anyway this is the best picture that I got. The recipe came from ...................... I just got this book a week ago, and I like her idea of sweet, that sweet don’t have to be overly sweet (but I still reduce the sugar amount). My brother said that this is the best flan that I made, rich and smooth but I think the brown sugar sauce is a bonus as sugar dissolves into a sauce when the flans are chilled. It’s so easy to put the brown sugar in the cup without having to make a caramel and the salt in the sugar make the sauce taste very good.

I can’t say that this is the best flan but I can say that this is the easiest and very good texture one.

Flans with raw sugar sauce

Serves 8

130 g	light or dark muscovado sugar
⅜ teaspoon	salt
5	large eggs
120 g	sugar
⅛ teaspoon	salt
3 cups	half-and-half

EQUIPMENT: Eight 6-ounce custard cups or ramekins

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Put a kettle of water on to boil.

Combine the muscovado sugar thoroughly with ⅜ teaspoon of the salt, pinching or mashing the sugar to eliminate lumps. Divide the mixture among the custard cups or ramekins and press the sugar lightly with another small cup to even it out and compact it. Set the cups in a baking pan large enough to hold them with space between them.

In a large bowl, whisk the eggs, sugar, and the remaining ⅛ teaspoon of salt until well combined. Heat the half-and-half in a saucepan over medium heat until steaming (140° to 145°F); it will be just too hot for you to insert a finger for more than a moment at this temperature. Gradually whisk the half-and-half into the eggs. Strain the mixture into another bowl to eliminate any hits of egg.

Ladle the flan mixture very gently onto the sugar in the custard cups or ramekins, disturbing the sugar as little as possible. Some of the sugar may float up, but it will eventually settle back down in the bottom. Place the baking pan in the oven, pull out the rack, and carefully pour enough boiling water into the pan to come halfway up the sides of the custard cups or ramekins. Slide the rack back into the oven and bake until the custard is just a little wobbly in the center, 20 to 25 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven and remove the cups with tongs. Let cool for 15 minutes, then refrigerate at least 4 hours, but preferably 12 for maximum sauce.

To serve, run a thin knife around the edge of each cup and invert onto a rimmed plate.

Adaptation from : Pure Dessert by Alice Medrich

AMERICAN BREAKFAST PANCAKES

Why we need pancakes recipe? I think because the simplest thing is the most forgetting too. It’s not easy to find a good pancake, which I like some of them turn out quite tough but this one is very puffy. It’s fun to make and I love to see it when you see the pancake puff up when you turn the upper side down. The recipe base on
................... but I add some salt and sugar to my taste (and I think that you will like it too). My nephew really loves this one and I have to tell you that he is very prickly about his food.

AMERICAN BREAKFAST PANCAKES

Makes 16 pancakes

225g	plain flour
1 tablespoon	baking powder
¼ teaspoon	salt
1½ tablespoon	sugar
2	large eggs, beaten
30g	butter, melted and cooled
300ml	Milk
	butter for frying
To serve
	Salted butter
	Pure maple syrup

Put all the ingredients into a blender and blitz.

But if you mix up the batter by hand in a bowl, make a well in the flour, baking powder, salt and sugar then whisk together. Beat in the eggs, melted butter and milk, then whisk together and transfer to a Jug.

Leave the batter for 20 minutes before using it.

When cooking the pancakes pour the batter into the pan when the upper side of the pancake is blistering and bubbling it’s time to cook the second side, and this needs only about 1 minute.

Serve with salted butter and pure maple syrup.

The Best One Bowl Chocolate Chunk Pecan Cookies: Chicken farm Baker’s Project #1

We bake by the heart, I want to say that. I love the way daring bakers rule but I like this way too. When following the recipe in daring bakers, I feel like I in a class to learn more but with this style I feel like I’m playing. Chicken farm Baker’s Project is the project that, start with the love for baking of me any my friend Koy, who has a big interest in baking and cookbook. We decided to try the recipe by adapting it from our taste. So, I taste the dough when I make it, add more or less sugar to my taste and get the cookie that I will love, and yes, I really love this one. The recipe is coming from..................... the lovely book that I wrote about. I reduce a lot of white sugar in the original recipe as I once said that I want to have more of it with out feeling overloaded. The cookies come out great and I hope you will love it as I do if you try.

The Best One Bowl Chocolate Chunk Pecan Cookies
Makes about 18 cookies

2 CUPS / 200 g	PECAN HALVES
1 CUP (2 STICKS) / 227 g	UNSALTED BUTTER
3/4 CUP / 180 g	FIRMLY PACKED DARK BROWN SUGAR
1 CUP / 100 g	GRANULATED SUGAR
1 TEASPOON	SALT
2 TEASPOONS	PURE VANILLA EXTRACT
2 ¼ CUPS / 320 g	BLEACHED ALL- PURPOSE FLOUR
1/2 TEASPOON	BAKING SODA
1/4 TEASPOON	BAKING POWDER
200 g	SEMISWEET CHOCOLATE CHUNKS
2	LARGE EGGS

Preheat oven to 35O°F

Place the pecans on a large baking sheet and toast in the oven until they are warm and fragrant, 6 to 9 minutes. Transfer to a plate and let cool completely.

Place the butter in a large microwave-safe bowl and microwave uncovered on high for 1 minute.

Remove from the microwave and stir until completely melted. Using a large wooden spoon, stir both sugars into the melted butter.

When combined, add the salt, vanilla, and eggs. Stir until smooth.

Stir the flour, baking soda, and baking powder into the batter just until incorporated and a soft dough forms.

Carefully fold in the chocolate chunks and cooled toasted pecans.

Use a 2-ounce self-releasing ice-cream scoop to measure out the cookie dough.

Place the cookie dough balls on a baking sheet and refrigerate until firm, 45 to 60 minutes. Toward the end of the chilling time, return the oven to 350°F.

Place the chilled dough balls on the parchment paper-lined baking sheets.

Bake until the cookies are crisp and golden around the edges but still a little soft in the centers without being gooey, 15 to 18 minutes. Transfer the baking sheets to wire racks and let cool slightly.

Using a large metal spatula, transfer the cookies from the baking sheets to the wire racks and let cool to room temperature.

Adaptation from: Sticky, Chewy, Messy, Gooey: Desserts for the Serious Sweet Tooth

Coffee Gelato

I have my ice cream maker for 4 year now. I rarely use it by the fact that I still can’t find the right recipe. May be because my machine is so small, most of the recipe won’t churn into the right consistency and most of them too sweet. I spot the little book about the ice cream in the bookstore last week and I want to give another try. This book is not for the people who like super rich and heavy texture ice cream, because the recipe is called for milk than cream. I have a question at first but I try it anyway, the ice cream’s taste is very good but the texture is quite grainy. So, I adjust the recipe by add some cream only in half, the texture is getting better and I feel great that this ice cream is not too sweet (or you can put more or less sugar according to your taste). I love my ice cream this way, but if you don’t want to make it heavy you can use only milk (and it good to your waist, too).

Coffee Gelato

Serve 3-4 (small cup)

125 ml	whole milk
125 ml	heavy cream
45 g	sugar
1	yolk
1 tsp	Instant coffee powder

In a small saucepan, combine the milk and cream together. Heat the milk mixture over medium heat until bubbles form around the edges of the pan sprinkle with instant coffee powder. Set aside and cover to keep hot.

In a bowl, with a whisk, beat the sugar and egg yolk together until very thick and smooth. Gradually add the hot milk mixture, whisk all the time to prevent the yolk to become curdle. Return the mixture to the saucepan and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, until the mixture thickens slightly and coats the back of the spoon. Remove the pan from heat and set it in a bowl of ice water. Stir to cool the mixture. Cover and refrigerate for 2 hours, or until thoroughly chilled.

Transfer to an ice cream maker and freeze according to the manufacturer's instructions.

Adaptation from: コ－ヒ－牛乳アイス (coffee milk ice cream)

From: アイスクリーム大好き!―手作りだからヘルシー&おいしい

Butter Cupcake with Strawberry and Cream

I like cupcake but having cupcake with a lot of butter cream is not for today when there are a lot of strawberries in my house. This recipe is an adaptation from the well known book ............ I like this cake with whipped cream because it adds the richness in flavor but full of lightness and if you don’t add too much sugar in it, this little cake will have a lovely taste plus when adding a strawberry, sweet fragrance of it, bring so much life to this cake.

-In fact you can have it with a butter cream if you like and I must say this recipe is very good; the texture of the cake is light (this is not a pound cake, right?).

Butter Cupcake with Strawberry and Cream

MAKES 24 CUPCAKES

1 cup (2 sticks)	unsalted butter, softened
2 cups	Sugar
4	large eggs, at room temperature
1½ cups	self-rising flour
1¼ cups	all-purpose flour
¼ teaspoon	salt
1 cup	milk
1 teaspoon	vanilla extract
	Strawberry (sliced and whole)
1 cup	Whipping cream
4 teaspoons	Sugar

Preheat oven to 350 °F.

Sift together self-rising flour, all-purpose flour and salt.

Line two 12-cup muffin tins with cupcake papers.

In a large bowl, cream the butter on the medium speed of an electric mixer, until smooth. Add the sugar gradually and beat until fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Combine the flours and add in four parts, alternating with the milk and the vanilla extract, beating well after each addition.

Spoon the batter into the cups about three-quarters full. Bake until the tops spring back when lightly touched, about 20-22 minutes. Remove cupcakes from pans and cool completely on a rack before icing.

Decoration: Whip the whipping cream with the sugar until stiff peak form, then put the cream into piping bag with star nozzle.

Cut the cake into 3 slices.

Squeeze the cream on the cake, then put the strawberry on top, or you can use or fruits that you like.

From: Traditional vanilla birthday cake

The Magnolia Bakery Cookbook: Old-Fashioned Recipes From New York's Sweetest Bakery

Tiramisu

I know that I don’t have to tell you any story of this soft and sweet dessert, most of us knows about it. Many people have their own dearest dessert, mine is Tiramisu. The love affair start form Italian restaurant in the childhood and it grows. I try any one that I can (I really love the Tiramisu at Harrods, but you have to eat it real soon after it leave the counter, the softness, lightly sweet, oh mine). I want to have a good recipe and I found this one. I love the lightness of this recipe, you can see that it uses only 150 g of mascarpone but it’s still rich enough to fulfill your mind (do you have the same feeling, when you eat something that you really like, it’s so comforting). Some of the easy recipe has a lot of cream, which I found it too rich, but you will only get the soft and light from this one. The original recipe ask for the grounded coffee or cocoa powder, but I found it too hash for many people so I change to grated dark chocolate and I like it more. I don’t see any liqueur in the recipe, and I don’t think that we should leave it out, so Kahlua®, I need you now (in fact you can use other kind of liqueur that you like).

I love this one, even the recipe is for 8 people, and I already finished half of it by now.

Tiramisu

Serves 8-10

1 cup	strong black coffee
5	eggs, separated
120 g	caster sugar
1 tsp-2 tsp	Kahlua® or other brand coffee liqueur
150g	mascarpone
	sponge fingers
	Dark chocolate to grate

Pour coffee into a shallow dish. Set aside.

Beat egg yolks and 60g of the sugar in a large bowl over lowest heat with a whisk until pale and thick and the temperature is about 60°C. Add the mascarpone and coffee liqueur, mixing gently until just combined.

Beat egg whites with 60g of the sugar in a medium bowl with electric beaters until soft peaks form. Using a large metal spoon, gently fold egg whites into the mascarpone mixture.

Add a layer of mascarpone mixture to cover the base of a 15X24cm glass dish; Dip enough sponge fingers into the coffee mixture Add a layer of soaked sponge fingers. Dust generously with grated chocolate. Cover the biscuits with the rest of the mascarpone mixture. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.

There is no link for this book because it’s so old that it’s already out of print.