Rich and Creamy Ginger Scones

This month's selected recipe at Rose's Bread Bible Bakers, is Rich and Creamy Ginger Scones. Rose's Bread Bible Bakers is a group of bloggers who are currently baking from Rose Levy Beranbaum's book, The Bread Bible.

I've made half a recipe as I do not want to freeze any leftovers, there's no space in my freezer! And since I've made only half a recipe, I've mixed the dough by hand method. Rose has provided both methods of using the Food Processor Method and Hand Method. These scones are easy to make and did not take up much time at all. There's ground ginger and diced crystallized ginger in the dough.

One of the ingredients used is whipping cream, which is whipped just until soft peaks. But according to Rose's Pointer For Success at the end of the recipe, these scones will just be as delicious without whipping the cream. So I took the easy way out and did not whip the cream, that makes me smile as there will be no extra bowl and beater to wash! Ha! 

The dough is very sticky and with some sprinkling of flour on the work surface and a light dusting over the dough helps in handling the dough better. Shape into a 6" round, about 3/4" thick, and freeze for 15 minutes. Cut the firm dough into 6 or 8 wedges, brush the top with some whipping cream and sprinkle with some turbinado sugar. I did not have any turbinado sugar, so I have used what I have, demerara sugar. The oven is preheated with a baking stone placed on the middle rack. I do not have any baking stone, so I have used an upturned baking tray. Place the scones on greased baking tray, and place the baking tray on the preheated upturned baking tray in the oven. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes until the edges are browned and the tops are golden brown. Mine was done at 17 minutes. 

Cool to room temperature though these are so, so good when eaten while still warm. 

These scones are light and delicate, just as Rose described. They are tender, buttery and delicious! I love the crystallized ginger. These are so perfect with a cup of hot tea! Love these scones!

Up next in December, we will be baking "Levy's" Real Jewish Rye Bread, pg 324.

I'm also linking this post with Cookbook Countdown Specials : Bake

Irish Soda Bread

This month's selected bread recipe at Rose's Bread Bible Bakers, is Irish Soda Bread. Rose's Bread Bible Bakers is a group of bloggers who are currently baking from Rose Levy Beranbaum's book, The Bread Bible.

Rose's recipe calls for black raisins soaked in whiskey, drained before adding to the dough. The whiskey is then used to flavour softened butter which is used as a spread to enjoy slices of the soda bread later. 

The dough is made up of unbleached all-purpose flour, or a mixture of all-purpose flour and whole-wheat flour, sugar, baking soda, salt and buttermilk. I have used unbleached all-purpose flour. The dough is very sticky, but, Rose has advised to avoid adding extra flour, and only flour your hands if absolutely necessary. So I flour my hands, shape the dough and try to smooth out the surface as best as I can, even though I've seen that most Irish Soda Bread has a rustic and bumpy surface. I measured the shaped dough to a 6" round, about 1-3/4 inches in height as instructed. Slash a cross on the surface and bake until golden brown and cooked through. I measured the baked bread, and it is now 7" by 3-inch high bread, just as Rose says! 

Moist, not too sweet and the raisins are plump and fragrant from the whiskey. An excellent bread!

The Irish Whiskey Butter. Reserved whiskey from the raisins is heated with some sugar in the microwave until the sugar melts. Leave it to cool completely and whisk into softened butter until incorporated. 

A slice of Irish Soda Bread spread with Irish Whiskey Butter. What a tasty boozy treat for afternoon tea! The bread is even good on its own. This recipe is a keeper!

Up next in November, we will be baking Rich and Creamy Ginger Scones, page 143.

I'm also linking this post with Cookbook Countdown Specials : Bake

Basic Hearth Bread

September's selected bread recipe at Rose's Bread Bible Bakers, is Basic Hearth Bread. Rose's Bread Bible Bakers is a group of bloggers who are currently baking from Rose Levy Beranbaum's book, The Bread Bible. 

This is a rustic bread with golden crust containing only bread flour, some whole wheat flour, water, yeast, salt and small amount of honey. This bread starts with the sponge starter which is left to ferment for 1 to 4 hours. The dough is very easy to work with, it is just slightly sticky. With a light dusting of flour on your hands, it is easily handled without any fuss. One thing to note is to plan in advance, and start making this bread in the morning if you want to enjoy it for dinner, as it takes 3 risings, and needs some time to cool off before slicing. 

It can be shaped either as a free-form round loaf, or shaped into a rectangular and baked in a loaf pan. I chose to make mine as a free-form round loaf. When the dough has done it's final proofing, the top is slashed with several 1/2-inch deep slashes. This is one area where I need more practise! 

The first pic above, is taken when the risen dough is placed in the preheated oven at 475F.

The second pic is taken 10 minutes later, when the temperature of the oven is reduced to 425F for the rest of the baking time. It has very nice oven spring during the first 10 minutes! Makes me smile just looking at it! 

Golden brown crust 

slice beautifully

and soft chewy crumb

I was planning to have this bread for dinner, with some stew, but could not make it on time. But we did enjoy it the next day for brunch instead. Made into garlic bread, dipped in mushroom soup.

Mix some softened salted butter, garlic powder and chopped chives. I love using garlic powder to make garlic toast. Spread a generous amount on each slice of bread, cut horizontally to get two long pieces, and toast in the oven until golden and crispy.

Toasted garlic bread, crispy and smells garlicky nice.

Serve with mushroom soup. Yums! Makes a very good brunch!

Up next in October, we will be baking Irish Soda Bread, page 148.

I'm also linking this post with Cookbook Countdown Specials : Bake

Raisin Bread : Rose's Bread Bible Bakers

This month's selected recipe at Rose's Bread Bible Bakers, an online group of bloggers who are currently baking through Rose Levy Beranbaum's book, The Bread Bible, is Cinnamon Raisin Bread. A soft white raisin bread which is spiraled with cinnamon sugar. I have however decided to omit the cinnamon sugar, as I wanted a soft white bread, with just raisins all over. 

The recipe makes two loaves of bread, but I've halved it to make one loaf. The dough is a pleasure to work with, soft but not sticky. Starts with a dough starter, which is left to ferment for 1 to 4 hours at room temperature. There are a couple of resting times during the process of mixing the dough. After that the dough is left to rise until doubled, then form into a rectangle, give it one business letter turn, covered in a container and refrigerate for an hour for easier rolling. I left it in the refrigerator for about 3 hours.

Since I have omitted the spiral with the cinnamon-sugar, I shaped the dough into a loaf and place it in the greased loaf pan. Leave to rise until it has risen about 1/2 inch from the top of the pan. Bake as directed in the recipe.

Bakes up lovely. Freshly baked, cooling off on a rack. 

I baked the bread the night before, and sliced the loaf the next morning for breakfast. The bread is soft, moist and wonderful! 

The lovely soft interior. I love raisins in breads.

Toasted and spread with butter and my homemade Orange and Cardamom Jelly, for breakfast, with a mug of hot coffee. Wonderful! My hubby enjoyed his three slices, without any jam or butter, with thumbs up from him! 

Rose has given a variation for Herb Spiral Loaves, sounds like the perfect bread for a sandwich! I will be trying that soon! 

Up next in September, we will be baking Basic Hearth Bread, on page 305.

I'm also linking this post with Cookbook Countdown Specials : Bake

Sticky Caramel Buns : Rose's Bread Bible Bakers

I've added a few cookbooks to my collection recently, one of it is Rose Levy Beranbaum's book, The Bread Bible. This is  one book that I've wanted to buy for ages, and so glad that I've finally bought it. I have four of Rose's fantastic books, but this is the one that I love the most! Could not wait to try many, many recipes, (if not all!) from this book. Upon googling for some info on some of the recipes, I've discovered a group of bakers who are currently baking through this book, and they are into their fourth recipe with this bake. Of course I could not help myself from joining in! This lovely group is "Rose's Bread Bible Bakers", who are baking one recipe each month. And I like it that the list of the bakes are notified months in advance, something that works really well for me. Gives us ample time to source for ingredients and any advance preparation if needed. 

To make the Sticky Caramel Buns, you would need to prepare the basic brioche dough first. I made the dough the day before I plan to bake these buns.

The brioche dough starts with a sponge. Mix the sponge in a mixing bowl, and a mixture of flour, yeast and salt is then sprinkled over the sponge. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and left to stand for 1-1/2 to 2 hours at room temperature. The sponge will bubble through the flour mixture. I am rather intrigued with this method, as I have never done this before. In less than an hour the sponge has already puffed and pushing through the flour mixture. 

Proceed with the rest of the recipe  (4 pages of ingredients plus instructions) from the book. 

Raisins are soaked in rum, drained before use. The rum is reserved to make the glaze which is to be brushed over the buns before baking. 

Prepare the sticky topping in advance by mixing the butter, brown sugar, and Lyle's golden syrup, and simmer for a few minutes until it bubbles and form a dark brown caramel. Pour it into the prepared lightly greased baking pan. Let it cool completely.  

The dough is rolled out to a rectangle, scatter over it the mixture of toasted chopped pecans, cinnamon, brown sugar and granulated sugar, with the drained raisins. Roll it up and sliced into 1 inch slices. At this point, before I sliced the dough, I freeze the rolled up dough as advised, for about 5-10 minutes, for easier slicing. Place 3 pieces of pecan halves onto each cut sliced dough and place it onto the prepared baking pan with the pecan side down. Cover with cling wrap and let rise until double in size. Make the rum glaze and brush it over the buns just before baking.

Freshly baked!

Unmould the buns onto a serving plate or  on foil-lined counter. With the sticky caramel on the top.

Look at the gooey sticky caramel! And the pecans! And the raisins peeking in between the swirls!

Eat while still warm.

Soft bread texture with gooey sweet caramel, moist plump raisins and nutty pecans, with the aroma of the cinnamon. Delicious!

I've also made the Blueberry Muffins, which was the first bake back in  May, for the group. Lovely muffins these are! Soft, tender crumbs, not too sweet, makes the perfect tea-time treat or a snack anytime of the day! 

Next on the list for August is Cinnamon Raisin Loaf. I'll be making the Flaky Scones which was the second bake, back in June, to catch up with everyone at Rose's Bread Bible Bakers!

White Velvet Ombre Cake For A Birthday

A few days ago was my daughter's 15th Birthday. She requested for a purple ombre cake. I am hopeless when it comes to cake decoration, my piping skills are much to be desired! I have never decorated a whole cake, complete with piping before. My daughter says, "No matter how it turns out, I will still like the cake". There! Even she knows the limitation of my cake decoration skills! Haha!

 Purple Roses Ombre Cake.

View from the top

From the photo it looks like blue, but the colours are actually shades of purple!  An Ombre Cake is a cake with layers of different hues of the same colour and the frosting outside is of matching shades of the same colour. The darker colour would usually be at the bottom, getting lighter as it reaches the top. Though there is still room for improvement, I was quite happy with my first try!! :)

Happy Birthday to our daughter.

She was totally happy with the cake.

The cake is White Velvet Cake, which I coloured with tinge of purple. 

The three different shades of the same colour for the frosting.

The three different shades of the same colour for the cake layers.

For the cake, I have used White Velvet Cake from Rose's Heavenly Cakes, pg 17 (serves 8 to 10) or you may get the recipe from Rose's website here (which serves 12). The changes I made was (based on the recipe serving for 12) :

~ to reduce the amount of sugar to 220gm instead of the original 300gm.

~ used salted butter, thus omitted the salt.

~ divide the batter into three equal amount, tinge one portion with some purple colouring, second portion with a lesser amount of the purple colouring and the third portion with even lesser amount of the purple colouring.

~ used 3 baking pans of 7" diameter and baked for 25 minutes.

For the buttercream : You can use any of your favourite buttercream recipe.
Here I have used as follows :
Buttercream
400 gm salted butter
3 to 3-1/2 cups icing sugar, sifted
1 tsp vanilla extract
1-2 tbsp whipping cream

Beat butter and icing sugar for about 3-4 minutes. Add in vanilla extract and 1 tbsp whipping cream, and beat for another minute or two. Add more cream if buttercream is too thick, or add more icing sugar if it is too soft to pipe. Divide into three portions and tinge as per the cake layers above.

#92/100

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Designer Choc Baby Grands : Free And Easy Bake-Along #36

It's Bake-Along time! And for this week, my baking buddy, Zoe from Bake For Happy Kids has chosen Designer Choc  Baby Grands for our bake. This is one interesting and very challenging bake! For those of you who are familiar or has baked from Rose Levy Beranbaum's recipes before, would probably know that most of Rose's recipes are mostly out of the ordinary, requiring more steps than any other, rather long-winded, but very informative, I suppose. The same goes for this bake! It takes quite a few steps just to make these cupcakes, but these are no ordinary cupcakes! They are so yummy and you would not stop at just one!
And Rose is in the midst of authoring another baking book, scheduled to release in 2015! 

Now, if Zoe did not choose this cupcake for our Bake-Along bake, I would probably skipped baking this, reading the lengthy instructions is enough to make me turn to the next recipe!  All the steps for just a cupcake, let's just see how good it is!

The instructions says to fill the cup liners to just under half full, well I did that, at least I thought I did, and these little gems really rose. Some of them rose higher than the top of the liners and am wondering how in the world am I supposed to fill the choc syrup and glaze on top. So I cheated, I cut off the top of the cake. (The little cut off tops got eaten up pretty quickly by my daughter and my visiting niece!) I got 12 cupcakes instead of 14, so it was without doubt, my fault!

Next is the preparation of the chocolate syrup. The recipe calls for milk chocolate, but I used semi-sweet dark chocolate as that was what I had. Some heavy cream was heated and mixed into the chopped chocolate and stir till it is all smooth and nice. This syrup is then brushed over the cupcakes, which are first poked with a wooden skewer so that the syrup is easily absorbed by the cake. Repeat till all syrup are used up and a thin coating coats the top. Leave it to set for about an hour. Mine did not set even after two hours, but decided to go ahead with the next step.

The next step is the preparation of the chocolate glaze which requires some heating on the stove. Ingredients used are corn syrup, cocoa powder, sugar, gelatin, water and heavy cream. Please do refer to the recipe below on how to prepare this chocolate glaze, it involves some heating and straining.

The chocolate glaze is then spooned over the cupcake and leave to set for about an hour. Mine did not set even after a couple of hours. The three kids are getting impatient and have been eyeing this delicious looking cupcake every so often popping into the kitchen and asked whether is it ready! OK, so I took three of these cupcakes and kept them in the fridge, hoping that the choc glaze will set soon.  Since the ones outside are still so chocolaty wet, they ate it with a spoon, scoop the cake directly from the cake liners! It was so delicious! The cake is soft and moist, all coated with the "un-set" chocolate syrup and glaze and so chocolaty good!

The picture above was taken the next morning, I left the cupcakes in the fridge to set overnight. Look at the  shape of the cupcake at the side where the chocolate glaze has flowed, but who's complaining about the shape, when it tastes so good! 

This is the only one with the smooth top out of the three that I've kept in the fridge, just pretend that it is perfectly round! 

The chocolate glaze on the top contains some gelatin, so when they set, it is kinda like eating soft jel-like chocolate top! Feedback from the kids, they love it, but they prefer eating these cupcakes with the spoon when the chocolate glaze is still runny and moist. Me included!

Would I make this again, I'm not sure! These are very delicious, one of the best chocolate cupcakes I've eaten, but all the washing of the different bowls and time spent on making these, makes me sigh! But I'm glad that this cupcake was chosen, otherwise I would probably shy away from this recipe, and miss out on one super delicious bake! Thanks, Zoe!

Please visit my baking buddies, Lena from Frozen Wings and Zoe from Bake For Happy Kids, and all our friends who has baked along with us in the linky below :

For our next bake, we will be baking based on a theme bake, where our theme will be Theme : Chocolate Eclairs.  The linky will start on 11/12/2012 until 17/12/2012. Do join us, everyone's welcome.

A friendly reminder when linking to our blog hop :

1. Please mention Bake-Along event in your own post linking direct to any of the hosts' post (Joyce, Lena or Zoe)

2. Please link only new and current post, related to the current bake or theme provided by us. Unrelated post will be deleted.
3. Feel free to display our Bake-Along badge in your post.

Designer Choc Baby Grands
(adapted from "Rose's Heavenly Cakes" by Rose Levy Beranbaum)

The Cupcakes

Makes 14 cupcakes

Batter:

33 g unsweetened (alkalized) cocoa powder

1/4 cup boiling water

1/4 cup canola or safflower oil, at room temperature 

2 large eggs, separated, plus 1 additional white, at room temperature

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

37 g cake flour

37 g bleached all-purpose flour

150 g superfine sugar

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda 
1/8 tsp salt

Equipment:

14 foil cupcake liners, white inner liners still attached, coated with baking spray with flour, set in muffin pans

Preheat the oven 20 min or more before baking, set an oven rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat the oven to 350°F/175°C.

Mix the cocoa and liquid ingredients. In the bowl of a stand mixer, by hand, whisk the cocoa and boiling  water until smooth. Cover with plastic wrap to prevent evaporation and cool to room temperature, about 30 min. To speed cooling, place the mixture in the refrigerator. Bring it to room temperature before proceeding.

Add the oil and yolks to the chocolate mixture. Attach the whisk beater. Starting on low speed, gradually raise the speed to medium and beat for about 1 minute, or until smooth and shiny, and resembling a butter-cream. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Beat in the vanilla for a few seconds.

Mix the dry ingredients. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flours, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

Make the batter. Add half the flour mixture to the chocolate mixture. Beat on low speed until the dry ingredients are moistened. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the remain­ing flour mixture. Raise the speed to medium-high and beat for I minute. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl. The mixture will be very thick.

Starting on low speed, add the egg whites. Gradually raise the speed to medium-high and beat for 2 mins. The batter will now be like a thick soup. Using a silicone spat­ula, scrape it into a 2-cup or larger cup with a spout. Pour the batter into the prepared cupcake liners. They will be just under half full, 3/4 inch from the tops.

Bake the cupcakes. Bake for 15 to 20 min, or until a wire cake tester inserted in the centers comes out clean and the cupcakes spring back when pressed lightly in the centers. While the cupcakes are baking, make the ganache syrup. When the cupcakes are baked, set the pans on a wire rack.

Milk Chocolate Ganache Syrup

Makes: about 2/3 cup

85g (3 ounces) milk chocolate, 40% to 41% cacao (or 2 ounces lower percentage milk chocolate and 1 ounce dark chocolate, 60% to 62% cacao), chopped

1/4 cup plus 2 tbsp heavy cream

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Make the milk chocolate ganache syrup. In a food processor, process the chocolate until very fine. In a 1-cup or larger microwavable cup with a spout (or in a small saucepan over me­dium heat, stirring often), scald the cream (heat it to the boiling point; small bubbles will appear around the periphery). With the motor  of the food processor running, pour the cream through the feed tube in a steady stream. Process for a few seconds until smooth. (Alternatively, grate the chocolate, place it in a small bowl, and stir in the scalded cream until the mixture is uniform in color.)

Transfer the chocolate syrup to a microwavable bowl and stir in the vanilla.

Apply the syrup. Remove the cupcakes still in the muffin pan to a wire rack. While they are still hot, poke about 12 deep holes in each cupcake with a wooden skewer. Brush the cupcakes with syrup. It penetrates most readily when at least 110°F/43°C almost hot to the touch. If necessary, reheat as it cools by giving it a few seconds on high power in the microwave. Allow them to sit for a few minutes, and then apply more syrup to fill the little holes left by the skewer. Continue applying the syrup until all of it has been used. There should be a thin coating covering the top of each cupcake. Allow the syrup to set until, when touched with a fingertip, it leaves no mark, about 1 hr.

Lacquer Glaze

makes: 1-1/3 cups

1/4 cup cold water

2 tsp powdered gelatin

133 g sugar

1/3 cup water

28 g (1 tbsp plus 1 tsp) golden syrup or corn syrup 

66g unsweetened (alkalized) cocoa powder

1/3 cup heavy cream

Make the lacquer glaze. Have ready a fine-mesh strainer suspended over a medium metal bowl. In a small bowl, place the 1/4 cup of cold water and sprinkle the gelatin over the top. Stir to moisten and soften the gelatin and allow it to sit for a minimum of 5 min. Cover tightly with plastic wrap to prevent evaporation and set aside. 

In a small heavy saucepan over medium heat, whisk together the sugar and 1/3 cup of water. Stir constantly with the whisk until the sugar dissolves.

Remove the pan from the heat and, with the whisk, gently stir in the golden syrup and then the cocoa until smooth, making sure to reach into the corners of the pan. The mixture will be glossy. Using a silicone spatula, stir in the heavy cream.

Return the pan to medium heat and, stirring constantly, bring the mixture to the boil­ing point (190°F/88°C). Bubbles will just start to form around the edges.

Remove the pan from the heat and strain the mixture into the medium bowl. Cool slightly, for about 10 minutes. An instant-read thermometer should register 122 to 140°F or 50 to 60°C. With the silicone spatula, stir in the softened gelatin until dissolved completely and no longer streaky.

Strain the glaze into a 2-cup heatproof glass measure or bowl. (Metal will impart an undesirable flavor if the glaze is stored in it.) Cool for a few minutes, stirring very gently so as not to incorporate any air. For these cupcakes, the glaze coats best when just made (80°F/26°C). If the glaze is made ahead and reheated. it will be thicker and should be used at 82 to 85°F or 28 to 29°C.

Lift the cupcakes from the pans and carefully remove them from the foil liners, leaving the white inner liners still attached to the cupcakes. Set the foil liners aside.

Glaze the cupcakes. Place the cupcakes on a wire rack set on a 17 1/4 by 12 1/4 by 1-inch half-sheet pan or a large piece of aluminum foil to catch the excess glaze.

Use a regular tablespoon (not a measuring spoon) to coat the tops of the cupcakes with the lacquer glaze. Smooth it into place with the rounded back of the spoon in a circular motion. Some of the glaze will cascade  over the sides and can be reheated and re-poured. Use the aluminum foil as a funnel to pour the excess glaze back into the glass measure. Should they appear, any tiny bubbles can be pierced with a sharp needle. Allow  the glaze to set for about 1 hr, or until just barely tacky when touched lightly with a fingertip. Set the cupcakes back in the foil liners. They are at their most shiny within 6 hrs of pouring the glaze. To revive the shine, brush lightly with a soft brush or wave a hair dryer set on low heat briefly over the cupcakes. If desired, encircle them with cupcake wrappers.

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Lemon Poppy Seed-Sour Cream Cake : Free and Easy Bake-Along #19

This lovely cake was chosen by Lena for our Bake-Along No. 19.  Did you know that this is the signature cake of Rose Levy Beranbaum? Rose describes this cake as "buttery and tender and melts in your mouth. I love the little crunch of poppy seeds, but the cake is also fabulous without them." And I couldn't agree more!

I have made this cake before, about one and a half years ago (I made a note in Rose's Heavenly Cakes) and I remembered that it was really dense and heavy, did not rise at all, but it tasted good. I have always wanted to try making it again, but well, you know, I sort of forgotten all about it, as I have tons of other recipes to try! So I was glad when this cake was chosen for our bake-along, even though I was rather apprehensive about baking this again!

The only change I did was I used my homemade yoghurt instead of sour cream and I reduced the sugar to 180gm instead of the original 250gm. This cake turns out delicious! It is just as Rose describes, buttery, tender with the delightful crunch of the poppy seeds. Even the lemony taste is just the right balance, and I did not even bother measuring the zest, I just used the zest from two large lemons.

Can you see the zest of the lemons, a slice of this cake looks very nice with the zest against the speckled poppy seeds! For the glaze, I used the juice from one large lemon and top with about 4-5 tablespoons of sugar, heating till the sugar dissolved and tasting the sweetness to my liking. Do not skip the glaze, I think that the glaze brings out the lemony taste of the cake, and making it moist.

This cake is really delicious! According to Rose, for best flavour, complete the cake 1 day ahead, but I had two slices while still warm !  :)

After all, it is Rose's signature cake! So tender and deliciously yummy!

Let's go over to Lena and Zoe, and see their Lemon Poppy Seed-Sour Cream Cake. Also, pay a visit to our friends that have baked along with us in the linky below. We have included in our Bake-Along, a blog-hop linky, to submit your bake, just click on the linky link "get the Inlinkz code", select and copy the code provided, paste it at the bottom of  your drafted post in your HTML code page, save, publish your post as usual, submit your link, and all the links will pop right in your own post! If you are unsure about how to go about it, just send any of us an email and we will gladly assist you.

For our next Bake-Along, our theme is "Ciabatta". Ever made Ciabatta before? Ciabatta is an Italian bread with large airholes, this will be a challenge for me, I'm really looking forward to try my hand at making some Ciabatta. Do bake some and join us in our blog-hop, which will be opened on 12/03.  Everyone's welcome! See you!

Lemon Poppy Seed-Sour Cream Cake
(adapted from Rose's Heavenly Cakes by Rose Levy Beranbaum)
Plan Ahead : For best flavour, complete the cake 1 day ahead
Batter 
2 large eggs (100gm / 3.5 ounces), at room temperature
1 large egg yolk (18gm / 0.6 ounce), at room temperature
200gm (7 ounces / 3/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon) divided, sour cream (I use my homemade yoghurt)
1-3/4 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
250gm (8.7 ounces / 2-1/2 cups) cake flour (or bleached all-purpose flour) sifted into the cup and leveled off,
250gm (8.7 ounces / 1-1/4 cups) superfine sugar  (I use 180gm)
1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
10 gm (0.5 ounce / 5 teaspoons, loosely packed) lemon zest, finely grated (I use 2 large lemons)
50gm (1.7 ounces / 1/3 cup) poppy seeds
200gm (7 ounces / 1-3/4 sticks) unsalted butter (softened, at room temperature)

SPECIAL EQUIPMENT : One 10-cup Nordic Ware Elegant Heart Pan or metal fluted tube pan, coated with baking spray with flour.

PREHEAT THE OVEN : Twenty minutes or more before baking, set an oven rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat the oven to 350F/175C (325F/2160C if using a dark pan).

MIX THE LIQUID INGREDIENTS : In a medium bowl, whisk the whole eggs, yolk, 1/4 cup of the sour cream, and the vanilla, just until lightly combined.

MAKE THE BATTER : In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the flat beater, mix the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, lemon zest, and poppy seeds on low speed for 30 seconds. Add the butter and the remaining sour cream. Mix on low speed until the dry ingredients are moistened. Raise the speed to medium and beat for 1-1/2 minutes. The mixture will lighten in colour and texture. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.

Starting on low speed, gradually add the egg mixture in two parts, beating on medium speed for 30 seconds after each addition to incorporate the ingredients and strengthen the structure. Using a silicone spatula or spoon, scrape the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the surface evenly with a small metal spatula.

BAKE THE CAKE : Bake for 45 to 55 minutes, or until a wire cake tester inserted between the tube and the side comes out clean and the cake springs back when pressed lightly in the center. The cake should start to shrink from the sides only after removal from the oven.

Shortly before the cake is finished baking, make the lemon syrup.

Lemon Syrup
Makes : 2/3 cup / 5.3 fluid ounces / 7 ounces / 200gm
112gm (1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon / 4 ounces) sugar (I use about 4 to 5 tablespoons)
94gm (6 tablespoons / 3 fluid ounces / 3.3 ounces) lemon juice, freshly squeezed from 2 large lemons (I use one large lemon)

MAKE THE LEMON SYRUP : In a 1-cup or larger microwaveable glass measure (or in a small saucepan over medium heat), heat the sugar and lemon juice, stirring often, until the sugar is dissolved. Do not allow it to boil. Cover it tightly to prevent evaporation.

APPLY THE SYRUP AND COOL AND UNMOLD THE CAKE : As soon as the cake comes out of the oven, place the pan on a wire rack, poke the cake all over with a thin skewer, and brush it with about one-third of the syrup. Let the cake cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Invert it onto a 10-inch cardboard round or serving plate. Brush the top and sides of the cake with the remaining syrup. Cool completely and wrap airtight.

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Catalan Salt Pinch Cake : Free and Easy Bake-Along #6

A simple cake with simple ingredients, but so tasty and so good! Catalan Salt Pinch Cake is our Bake-Along No. 6, together with Lena and Zoe. I made this cake twice. The first time I made this, the cake was flat with  an "eggy" smell to it. I knew then, that I did not beat the egg whites long enough. Dissatisfied, I made this again, and this time making sure that I beat the egg whites till really thick and glossy as instructed. 

It came out really fluffy, soft and very tasty. This cake is similar to our local sponge cake. This time, it doesn't have the 'eggy' smell, as the lemon zest gives it a light lemony fragrance. 

Just as Rose says, this cake is best eaten by pinching! She's right! I did cut a slice to eat and somehow it is not the same as pinching some from the pan! Do not remove the parchment paper till the whole cake is consumed. Try it! It's a fun way of eating cake! The kids enjoyed eating it this way!

According to Rose, this cake was created in 1985 in Spain by Salt Bakery. This cake does not contain any oil or salt. The egg whites and the sugar must be whisked till really thick and glossy. Be prepared to whisk the egg yolks into the meringue 2 tablespoons at a time, whisking for 2 minutes after each addition. This took me about half an hour. But it is so worth it! My family loves it. I made this the evening before, ate a small piece to try and the next day, my son took some to school (he seldom asks for cakes to bring to school)! My daughter took some for breakfast and my hubby ate most of it, leaving me ....

....with this piece! I had this with a cup of Chinese tea. A lovely and light cake to snack on anytime of the day! Definitely worth making again. Let's go over to Lena of Frozen Wings and Zoe of  Bake For Happy Kids and see their Catalan Salt Pinch Cake.

For our next Bake-Along, we will be baking Coca-Cola Chocolate Cake from Cake Keeper Cakes by Lauren Chattman. Feel free to join in if you have this book, and just post it on 15/08, there's no linky to link to, as this is a Free and Easy Bake-Along! 

I'm sharing this with
Full Plate Thursday over at Miz Helen's Country Cottage
Bake With Bizzy over at Bizzy B. Bakes
Dessert Recipe Linky Party over at Joy Of Desserts
Sweets For A Saturday over at Sweet As Sugar Cookies

Catalan Salt Pinch Cake
(adapted from "Rose's Heavenly Cakes" by Rose Levy Beranbaum)
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons / 4 ounces / 112 gms sliced almonds, preferably unblanched
3/4 cup plus 2-1/2 tablespoons, divided / 6.3 ounces / 181 gms superfine sugar (I use 150gm)
6 large eggs / 1 cup plus 3 tablespoons (9.5 fluid ounces) / 10.6 ounces / 300 gms 
2 large egg whites / 1/4 cup (2 fluid ounces) / 2 ounces / 60 gms
1 teaspoon, loosely packed lemon zest, finely grated
1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon (or 1/2 cup) / 2 ounces / 56 gms, cake flour (or bleached all-purpose flour)


SPECIAL EQUIPMENT :

One 9 by 2-1/2 to 3 inch springform or cake pan, coated with shortening, bottom and sides lined with parchment. For the sides cut a 33 by 3-inch band of parchment, overlapping an extra piece if necessary to make it long enough. Wrap and press it against the inside wall of the pan. Use some extra shortening to coat the overlapping ends to hold them in place against the first strip of parchment.

PREHEAT THE OVEN :

Twenty minutes or more before baking, set an oven rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat the oven to 325F/160C.

TOAST AND GRIND THE ALMONDS : (I skipped this step as I use almond meal)

Spread the almonds evenly on a baking sheet and bake for about 7 minutes, or until pale golden. Stir once or twice to ensure even toasting and avoid overbrowning. Cool completely. In a food processor, pulse the almonds and 2-1/2 tablespoons of the sugar until as fine as possible. Stop before the nuts start to become pasty.

PREPARE THE EGGS :

Pour the whole eggs into a 2-cup measure with a spout and whisk them lightly to break them up.

MIX THE MERINGUE :

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk beater, beat the egg whites on medium-low speed until foamy. Raise the speed to medium-high and beat until soft peaks form when the beater is raised. Gradually beat in the remaining sugar, stopping the mixer once to scrape down sides of the bowl. Continue beating until the meringue is very thick and glossy, but it will not be smooth. Detach the whisk from the mixer and use it to stir the almond mixture into the meringue until evenly incorporated.

MAKE THE BATTER :

Reattach the whisk beater and, with the mixer on medium speed, add the beaten egg to the meringue 2 tablespoons at a time, beating for 2 minutes between each addition. It should take a total of 20 to 25 minutes, but be sure to beat for a minimum of 20 minutes. Beat in the lemon zest. Remove the bowl and beater from the stand. While the mixture is beating, weigh or measure out the flour.

Sift the flour onto the batter and, using the whisk beater or a large balloon whisk, fold in the flour until fully incorporated. Reach to the bottom of the bowl and be sure that no white specks of flour remain. The best way to accomplish this is with your fingers, pinching any bits of flour to moisten them. Pour the batter into the prepared pan. (If using a 2-inch-high pan, the batter will come almost to the top of the pan).

BAKE THE CAKE :

Bake for 25 to 35 minutes, or until a wire cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean and the cake springs back when pressed very lightly in the center. The cake will rise just a little and then sink slightly in the center.

UNMOLD AND COOL THE CAKE :

Set the pan on a wire rack and immediately loosen and remove the sides, leaving the parchment attached to the cake. (If using a solid pan, lift the cake out using the parchment and set it on the wire rack). Allow the cake to cool until it is warm or room temperature, about 1 hour. Set the cake, still in the parchment, on a serving plate. (Leave the parchment in place until the entire cake is consumed).

Delicious eaten in the traditional way by pinching out pieces of the fluffy cake, the cake is also lovely for a tea: Serve pinched or sliced with fresh raspberries and lightly sweetened whipped cream. The cake keeps wrapped airtight for 1 week at room temperature, for 10 days refrigerated, and for 6 months frozen.

Free and Easy Bake-Along #2 : Gateau Breton

For our Free and Easy Bake-Along #2, we have chosen to bake Gataeu Breton, recipe from Rose's Heavenly Cakes. Lena of Frozen Wings and Zoe of Bake For Happy Kids, together  with myself,  have decided to bake together from the same cookbooks that we have, so we will randomly pick a recipe from any of the books, bake and will do a post on that. It is a good way of using our cookbooks which otherwise will just be another "decorative book" on the bookshelf.

What is Gateau Breton? Just as Rose Levy described it, Gateau Breton is somewhere between a cake and  a shortbread. It has the buttery, sweet, salty taste, top with the light aroma of the rum. The texture is crumbly and soft with fine sand-like grains, but at the same time is is moist and not dry at all, with a light crisp on the outer crust. If you like shortbread, then I'm sure that you would enjoy this. A nice cup of black plain hot coffee goes well with a slice of Gateau Breton. I had a slice about an hour after baking, when it is still warm, and it tastes heavenly and buttery! This "shortbread-cake" even tastes marvellous the next day. I baked this about a week ago, and now I'm thinking of it again!

I baked this in a 9" x 2" round cake pan. 

This is extremely easy and quick to make.

It makes a nice afternoon treat with a cup of coffee or even tea.

When I'm in the mood for something plain and good, this would be the one.

Pay a visit to Lena of Frozen Wings and Zoe of Bake For Happy Kids, and see their lovely Gateau Breton. We will be making Butterscotch and Hazelnut Pudding next from Donna Hay's magazine Apr-May 2011 issue, I'm so excited and really looking forward to make the pudding, sounds yum!

Lovely bakes like this are meant to be shared. I'm sharing this with this lovely blog hops :

Cookbook Sundays hosted by Mom's Sunday Cafe

Bizzy B. Bakes hosted by Comfy Cook

Sweet Tooth Friday hosted by Alli n Son

Sweets For A Saturday hosted by Sweet As Sugar Cookies
Potluck Sunday hosted by Mommy's Kitchen

Gateau Breton
(adapted from "Rose's Heavenly Cakes" by Rose Levy Beranbaum)
1/2 cup (1.5 ounces/42 grams) blanched sliced almonds (I use ground almond)
3/4 divided (5.3 ounces/150 grams) superfine sugar (I use 120gm)
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 sticks plus 2 tablespoons (9 ounces/255 grams) unsalted butter, preferably high fat  OR
2-1/2 sticks (10 ounces/284 grams) high-quality lightly salted butter
4 large egg yolks (2.6 ounces/74 grams), at room temperature
1 tablespoon (0.5 ounce/15 grams) kirsch, dark rum, or water
1/1/4 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
2 cups (sifted into the cup and leveled off) plus 3 tablespoons (8.7 ounces/250 grams) bleached all-purpose flour
about 1 tablespoon , 1 whole egg, lightly beaten


Special Equipment 
One 9-1/2 by 1-3/8-inch (or 1 inch) fluted tart pan with removable bottom, preferably nonstick, or one 9 x 2-inch round cake pan, encircled with a cake strip, coated with baking spray with flour.


Preheat The Oven
Twenty minutes or more before baking, set an oven rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat the oven to 325F/160C.


Toast And Grind The Almonds (I skipped this step as I use ground almonds)
Spread the almonds evenly on a baking sheet and bake for about 7 minutes, or until pale gold. Stir once or twice to ensure even toasting and avoid overbrowning. Cool completely. In a food processor, process the almonds with about 1/4 cup of the sugar and the salt until fairly fine but not powder fine.


Make The Batter
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the flat beater, mix together the remaining sugar and the butter on medium speed for about 1 minute until smooth and creamy. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Beat in the yolks,1 at a time, beating for about 20 seconds between each addition. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.
Add the almond mixture, kirsh, and vanilla and mix on low speed until the dry ingredients are moistened. Raise the speed to medium and beat for about 20 seconds until evenly incorporated. Add the flour in four parts, beating on the lowest speed for about  15 seconds and turning off the mixer between additions. Detach the beater and, with a silicone spatula, finish mixing in any flour that may remain, reaching to the bottom of the bowl. Using the silicone spatula, scrape the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the surface evenly with a small offset spatula. If you are using a 1-inch-high tart pan, the batter will be about 1/4 inch from the top of the pan and will rise to about 1/4 inch above the top during baking. In a 1-3/8-inch-high pan, the batter will be about 1 inch from the top and rise to about 3/8 inch from the top. (If using a cake pan, the gateau will rise higher and dip slightly in the middle).


Glaze The Top Of The Cake
With the beaten egg, brush the top pf the cake well, using a little less than 1 tablespoon. Use the tines of a fork to make a crosshatch of three long lines in two directions. (If the batter has softened, refrigerate or freeze it briefly to make it more firm). The fork lines will help prevent the batter from puffing by unevenly and after baking will leave a bare tracing.


Bake The Cake
Bake for 35 to 45 minutes, or until deep golden brown and the cake springs back when pressed lightly in the center. It should just begin to come away from the sides of the pan. An instant-read thermometer will register about 205F/96C.


Cool And Unmold The Cake
Let the cake cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes. If using a pan with a removable bottom, remove the sides of the pan. Invert the cake onto a cookie sheet and remove the pan bottom. Reinvert it onto a serving plate. Cool completely.


Notes from Rose :
If using Vermont salted butter, which is lightly salted, use only 1/8 teaspoon salt. Butter that is 80 percent fat contains about 2 tablespoons more water than the 86 percent, which will result in a slightly moister crumb. If you prefer a moister crumb and you want to use the higher 86 percent butter, you can add 2 tablespoons water to the batter when adding the almonds. (If using 84 percent butter, you can add 4 teaspoons water).