A Mothers Day Opera

It's always a makes life easier when I can combine two jobs into one. Especially in the kitchen. Thats why I was glad when the latest Daring Bakers challange coincided with Mothers Day.

So thanks to Shea, Fran, Ivonne and Liz for their great choice of challange.

And their choice was... L'Opera cake.

Opera cake is a cake that origionated in France in the early 1900's involving serveral layers of jaconde (almond sponge) coated with a sugar syrup, filled with buttercream, topped with mousse and glazed. While traditionally Opera cakes are chocolate and coffee flavoured, our lovely hosts chose to challenge us all by making them light in both colour and flavour; no dark chocolate or coffe here.

If you think that's challanging you should try burning off the callories afterwards.

My choice of flavour was ruby grapefruit, I thought that the citrus might break up the white chocolate buttercream and mousse and glaze.

I candied grapefruit peal and made candy hearts to top the cake and coloured the glaze.

My opinion of the cake? Pretty, but I don't like white chocolate, and I'm not a big fan of buttercream either. The combination of white chocolate and buttercream was really over-sweet, overpowering the flavours of the jaconde, which was delicious by it's self.

Would I make it again? Not in white chocolate, but I'd love to try the traditional version.

So many Daring bakers have come up with some really beautiful cakes and some great flavours too. You should check them out. You can see the recipe here

Cupcake Hero - Cocoa powder

Cocoa is second only to chocolate in my list of favorite ingredients so I was happy when cocoa was announced as this months Cupcake Hero theme.

What I love most about cocoa is that it's always around, unlike chocolate my stash of cocoa rarely gets raided (meanwhile the box I keep all my chocolate in is conspicuosly empty *glares at husband*). This means that I have the means to bake a chockie cake anytime the need (re:craving) arises.

I decided to keep to a simple recipe, that is my currant favorite cupcake, a recipe by Chockylit, Devils Food Cupcakes that I made before.

Since leaving them plain seemed like cheating and I was in the mood for flirting with excitement, I took the opportunity to make something that seems to be on every blog but mine; Doulce De Leche. Hey I can spell it but I don't know how to say it, lets just call it caramel, okay. ;)

This is made by cooking condensed milk. My mother warned me against cooking it in the cans, as she remembers her grandmother cooking it and the cans exploding! I went with a recipe from David Lebovitz that recomends pouring it into a dish and cooking it in a water bath in the oven.

It turned out great.

I cut little holes in the tops of the Devils Cupcakes and filled it with Dulce de Leche poped the top back on of frosted it with a huge swirl of whipped cream.

I can say that they were delicious, there and none left, and this is the only photo I got of them.

Below is the recipe for the Dolce de Leche, the cupcake recipe can be found in my previous post, and the whipped cream is 1 cup of cream whipped with 1/4cup icing sugar.

Dulce de Leche
The Perfect Scoop (Ten Speed Press)
Preheat the oven to 425° F (220° C).
Pour one can (400 gr/14 ounces) of sweetened condensed milk (not evaporated milk) into a glass pie plate or shallow baking dish. Stir in a few flecks of sea salt.
Set the pie plate within a larger pan, such as a roasting pan, and add hot water until it reaches halfway up the side of the pie plate. Cover the pie plate snugly with aluminum foil and bake for 1 to 1¼ hours. (Check a few times during baking and add more water to the roasting pan as necessary).
Once the Dulce de Leche is nicely browned and caramelized, remove from the oven and let cool. Once cool, whisk until smooth.
Store in the refrigerator until ready to serve. Warm gently in a warm water bath or microwave oven before using.
Spoon warm Dulce de Leche over Vanilla Ice Cream or smear it on toasted slices of baguette for your morning breakfast, as I've been doing.

Cinnabon

I have never had real Cinnabon's - we don't get tham in Australia - but after this afternoon I don't need to. I tested out a recipe from Tartlet a Cinnabon knock-off recipe. She says it's close, I'll take her word for it, because they are indeed very tasty.

This recipe made 18, there are now only 15 sitting on my bench top, drizzled in their sweet frosting, stinking of cinnamon. Calling out to me...

Okay now there are only 14, it's not my fault I'm just so weak when it comes to cinnamon.
Just one more batch of goodies I need to share out before I eat the whole darned lot.
Here take one, take two, please?




Cinnabon™ Knock-off Cinnamon Rolls
Rolls:
1 pkg. active dry yeast (1/4 oz. size or 2 1/4 tsp.)
1 c. warm milk (105º to 110º F.)
1/2 c. granulated sugar
1/3 c. margarine, melted (used butter)
1 tsp. salt
2 eggs
4 c. all-purpose flour
Filling:
1 c. packed brown sugar
2 1/2 TBS. cinnamon
1/3 c. margarine, softened (used butter)

Icing:
1/4 c. (1/2 stick) margarine, softened (used butter)
1/4 c. (2 oz.) cream cheese, softened
1 1/2 c. powdered sugar
1 TBS. whole milk ( I added a bit extra as it was a bit thick)
1/4 tsp. vanilla
1/8 tsp. lemon extract

For the rolls, dissolve the yeast in the warm milk in a large bowl
Mix together the sugar, butter, salt & eggs. Add flour and mix well
Knead the dough into a large ball, using your hands lightly dusted with flour.
Put in a bowl, cover, and let rise in a warm place about an hour or until the dough has doubled in size.
Roll the dough out on a lightly floured surface. Roll the dough flat until it is approximately 21 inches long and 16 inches wide. It should be about ¼ inch thick.
Preheat oven to 400º F.
For the filling, combine the brown sugar and cinnamon in a bowl. Spread the softened butter evenly over the surface of the dough, and then sprinkle the cinnamon-sugar evenly over the surface.
Working carefully from the top (a 21 inch side), roll the dough down to the bottom edge.
Cut the rolled dough into 1 ¾ inch slices and place 6 at a time, evenly spaced, in a lightly greased baking pan. Let the rolls rise again until doubled in size (about 30 min.). Bake for 10 minutes, or until golden on top.
While the rolls bake, make the icing by mixing the butter and cream cheese in a large bowl with an electric mixer on high speed. Add the powdered sugar and mix on low speed until the sugar is incorporated, then add the milk and flavorings. Mix on high speed again until the icing is smooth and fluffy.When the rolls come out of the oven, let them cool for about 10 minutes, then coat generously with the icing.

Berry Streusel Muffins

I picked up this recipe a while ago on a blog trawl and tucked it away on my hard drive to use later. I rediscovered it the other day and made these muffins and I am blown away.


I could have been eating these muffins months ago. What was I thinking?


I picked up the recipe from the Kitchen Wench the first food blog I ever read, and still one of favorites.


They are dubbed Lawsuit Muffins. I can totally understand using these muffins to bribe a jury, or intimidate the oppostion. It would definately succeed.


Essentially these are a buttermilk muffin with a little fruit and a streusel topping. Like the 'Wench I didn't have any nuts in the cupboard so I used her substituted topping recipe.
I used some blueberries and raspberries left over from cheese cakes, for the fruit filling. I have plans to do some apple or apricot ones in the near future.


This recipe is a keeper, for sure.

Lawsuit Buttermilk Muffin Recipe

Muffin Ingredients

1/2 cup vegetable oil

3/4 cups firmly packed brown sugar

1 1/2 tbsp grated citrus zest or 2 tsp lemon juice

1 egg, lightly beaten

2 tsp vanilla extract

1 cup buttermilk

2 1/2 cups all-purpose (plain) flour

*Pinch of salt

2 1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp bicarb soda

1 3/4 - 2 cups fruit (if using large fruits you may want to coarsely chop them)

1. Preheat oven to 200 degrees C ^ and line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners.
2. Mix together flour, salt, baking powder and bicarb soda in a bowl then set aside.
3. In another bowl, combine the oil, brown sugar, citrus zest/lemon juice and egg. Once combined, stir in the buttermilk and vanilla extract.
4. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix till combined but do not overmix. Once combined gently add the fruit and mix in. Leave to sit for about 5 minutes and check the batter consistency - if it is still quite watery then add a little more flour as the batter should be quite stiff and hold it’s shape.
5. Spoon the batter into the muffin cups and fill pretty much to the top. Don’t do anything silly like smooth the tops over as muffins look tastier when their tops are messily puffed! Sprinkle whichever streusel topping you’re using evenly on top of each muffin and make sure they are well covered as when they cook they expand a lot and suddenly there isn’t as much streusel as you thought there was!
6. Bake for 15 minutes, then lower temperature to 160 degrees C^ and bake for another 10 minutes. When the muffins are done they will spring back when lightly touched.
7. Let the muffins cool in the tray for 10 minutes, then remove to a wire rack to cool completely.
8. Enjoy! (especially if you have a nice cup of tea or hot chocolate!)
* If you’re using fruit flavouring of the liquid kind such as concentrated orange juice, you’ll need to slightly increase your flour amounts so bear this in mind at step 4 when checking the consistency.

Someone get me some bigger jeans!

If I hadn't been very careful to make sure that I shared this desser I'd seriously be needing some larger jeans.

I invited my sister and her boyfriend over for dinner, sent him home with three slices for his dad, gave a huge chunk to my other sister and her boyfriend, and another chunk to my mum and dad. I am sharing the lard! There is still two slices left in my fridge.

Who do I blame for the fattening of my hips? Another Dorie recipe.

For about two weeks everywhere I turn I seem to see blogs coverd in Dorie Greenspans Peanut Butter Torte. Tuesdays With Dorie crew strike again.

I have rarely tasted salted peanut butter and chocolate in the same mouthfull but seeing all the photos of those delicious tortes... oh boy.

Oh my gosh in that drool on my key board?! Ah-hem.

So yeah I made it. I made sure I shared it with as many people as possible. And then I ate it.

Oh my gosh! It was great. Rich, sweet, salty and chocolatey, soooooo yummy.

One change I might make next time is to make some holes in the torte before I poor on the ganache so the the ganache is through the middle of the torte. I love the nuts and chocolate together, a lot!

So here it is. My Peanut Butter Torte. One more blog to tease the world with this fantastic dessert.

Triple Layer Cupcake?!?! WT?

I know! Whos ever heard of a triple layed cupcake? Who could think of something so cute?

This recipe comes from my Womens Weekly Cupcake Cookbook.

Tiramisu is a great desert and also makes a pretty darn tasty cupcake.

The recipe calls for vanilla buttercakes cute into four layers, I only did 3 layers as my cakes were so little I didn't want then to crumble away because they were sliced to finely. The layers are painted with coffee and stacked together with marscapone cheese.

These are devilish little cakes let me tell you. You will want more than one, but isn't that always the way with Tiramisu?

PS I left out the liquor, I don't really like having uncooked alcohol in food that my children may eat, even if it's only tiny amounts.

Tiramisu Cupcake

Vanilla Buttercake

90g Butter, soft

1/2tsp canilla

1/2cup castor cugar

2eggs

1cup self raising flour

2tbs milk

Preheat over to 180 degrees or 160 fan forced.

Beat butter, vanilla sugar eggs flour and malk in a sall bowl with electric mixer on low untill ingredients are just combines. Increase speen to medioum and beat till a pale colour.

Divide mixture between 12 regular cupcake papers or 6 'texas' muffin pans.

Bake 25 min for large cakes 20 for small.

Marscapone Cream

250g marcapone cheese

1/4 icing sugar

1tbs marsala ( I ommited this)

3/4 cup thickened cream, whipped

Combine marscapone, sifted incing sugar and marsala in a small bowl fold in cream

Coffee mixture

Combine coffee, the water and marsala in a small bowl, cool.

To assemble

Carefully sclice the cupcakes into three or four layers, brush coffe mixture on the top of each slice, spoon marcapone cream on each slice and stack cakes back together. Spread cake tops with marscapone cream and sprincle with a little chocolate shavings.

Devils Food Cupcakes

I have mentioned before that I've started baking for a local cafe, a new favorite there is these Devils Food Cupcakes, a recipe from Chockylit. When ever I need a cupcake recipe I hop on over to the Cupcake Bakeshop. I have found her recipes to be totaly reliable. And if you want something different she's your gal. Cupcake ingredients that no mere mortal like me could ever come up with.

These are one of the more simple flavours, and a very simple recipe as well, so of course I love them. And as I found out when I stuck them in the cafe I'm not the only one who does.
I topped them with the recomended butter cream because I don't like eating mountains of frosting (as cute as it is) I only use half the recipe of the butter cream.

Devil’s Food Chocolate Cake

makes 24 cupcakes / 180 degree oven
2 cups flour

2 cups sugar

1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1-1/2 teaspoons baking soda

1-1/2 cups milk

110g butter

2 teaspoons vanilla

2 eggs
Preheat oven to 180 degrees.
1. Measure out everything but the eggs directly into your mixer bowl.

2. Mix on low speed just until incorporated.3. Beat on high speed for 2 minutes.

4. Add eggs, beat on high speed again for 2 minutes.
Measure out into cupcake pan lined with cupcake papers. A 2″ ice cream scoop works great for this (I used a ¼ cup measuring cup). Bake for about 15-20 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean. Let cool slightly in the pan then transfer to a rack to cool completely before frosting.

Chocolate Buttercream

enough to lightly frost 24 cupcakes
110g butter

1/2 cup cocoa

4 cups confectioner’s sugar

1/4 cup milk

1. Beat butter on high for about 30 seconds until soft.

2. Add cocoa and 1 cup of sugar and beat until incorporated

3. Add half of the milk and the remainder of sugar and beat until incorporated.

4. Continue to add milk until you get to the consistency you want.

Assemble

There are many ways to go here, in this case, Chockylit simply piped the frosting onto the cupcakes with a large star tip. I spread the buttercream over the cake and added cachous to the top.

Carrot Cake

About a fortnight ago I began baking for a local cafe. Nothing big, just a few cakes a fortnight and a couple dozen cupcakes. I've really been enjoying it. All the joy of baking for myself and my family with none of the calories.

Though Husband is complaining that he isn't getting any baking anymore because I'm too busy baking for everyone else. Tipical. Last month he complained because I'm makeing him fat! Men! *rolls eyes*. Lol.

Anyhoo. Carrot Cake is quite popular with the customers so the owned requested a large slab of carrot cake.

I wanted to make sure to get a good recipe, because carrot cake while delicious in almost anyform has a tendancy to be either to dry or to oily. I didn't want to have either of these problems with this cake so I hunted around the blogosphere for a day. I considered Bill's Big Carrot Cake made by the Tuesdays With Dorey crew for a little while but I didn't want to risk ruining it in converting it to a slab cake.

I found this recipe at Sunday Night Dinner. I was a bit wary, because I'm used to carrot containing nut, and not pineapple, but since it sounded so delicious, I decided to give it a shot.

It turned out a very moist and tender cake. Made in a 33x22 cm pan and over an 5cm deep, it is a lot of cake.

The frosting is perfect, light creamy and tangy, everything creamcheese frosting should be.

And aparently this cake sold out fast. So it must be good.

Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting Recipe
Carrot Cake Ingredients
270g all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
225g granulated sugar
200g brown sugar
375ml vegetable or canola oil
4 large eggs
2 cups carrots (4-5 medium carrots), peeled
235g crushed pineapple, lightly drained
100g coconut flakes
Cream Cheese Frosting Ingredients
235g cream cheese, softened but still cool
115 g butter, softened but still cool
1 teaspoon vanilla
470g confectioners' sugar 470g
Directions
Adjust oven rack to middle position; heat oven to 180°c. Grease 33x22 cm (13 by 9-inch) baking pan with vegetable oil. Line bottom of pan with parchment and oil.
In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg; set aside.
Shred carrots using small holes of box grater; set aside. In bowl of standing mixer fitted with paddle attachment (or in large bowl and using hand-held mixer), beat eggs, granulated and brown sugars on medium-high until thoroughly combined, about 45 seconds. Reduce speed to low; with mixer running, add oil in slow, steady stream. Increase speed to high and mix until mixture is light in colour and well emulsified, about 45 to 60 seconds longer.
On low speed, add the dry ingredients until just combined. By hand stir in the carrots, pineapple and coconut until well combined. Pour into cake pan and bake until toothpick or skewer inserted into centre of cake comes out clean, 35 to 40 minutes. On a wire rack, cool cake to room temperature in pan, about 1-2 hours.
Mix cream cheese, butter, and vanilla at medium high speed in clean bowl of standing mixer fitted with whisk attachment ( or in large bowl using handheld mixer) until well combined, about 30 seconds, scraping down bowl with rubber spatula as needed. Add confectioners’ sugar and mix until very fluffy, about 1 minute.
Run paring knife around edge of cake to loosen from pan. Invert cake onto wire rack, peel off parchment, then invert again onto serving platter. Using icing spatula, spread frosting evenly over surface of cake. Cut into squares and serve.

Grapefruit and fig bran muffins

The only thing that makes baking better is when you can use the 'but it's healthy' excuse.

These muffins totally fall into the healthy category.

They not only contain three kinds of fruit but also flax seeds, bran and oats.

I have really enjoyed having them for brekkie for the last few days. I got to eat the lot because my girls wont touch them, I think it may be because of the figs, oh well, more for me.

I modified the recipe from the Skinny Gormet for her Orange and fig buttermilk muffins. I had ruby grapefriut in the fridge so I subbed them in. They didn't have a strong flavour like oranges would have, just a subtle hint of citrus under the figs. A very yummy muffin. Even better warmed sliced and buttered at breakfast.

Orange Fig Buttermilk Bran Muffins

Makes 12-14 muffins

Ingredients

1 cup wheat bran

1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour ( I used wholemeal)

2 Tablespoons ground flax seed

4 Tablespoons old fashioned oats

1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda

1/8 teaspoon salt

1.25 cups low-fat buttermilk

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce

1 large egg

1.5 tablespoons olive oil

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/4 teaspoon cloves

Zest from one orange, ( I used ruby grapefruit)

1/2 cup dried Calimyrna figs, chopped ( I used regular figs)

Directions

In a large bowl, combine the dry ingredients: bran, flour, flax, baking soda and salt. Zest the orange with a microplane zester.

In a separate medium bowl, combine wet ingredients: buttermilk, sugar, applesauce, egg, oil, extract, cloves and zest.

Whisk with a wire whisk until frothy.

Add wet ingredients into the dry. Using large strokes, mix until just combined. Do not overmix.

Add chopped dried figs, mix just to combine.

Line muffin tin with muffin liners. Distribute batter evenly among 12-14 muffin tins. Bake in the center of the oven on 180 degrees C for 18-20 minutes.

If you press muffin top gently and it forms a depression without springing back, give them another minute and check again. Remove to a wire rack to cool.

Pie anyone?

Since I'm feeling quite lazy today I'm not going to post a recipe, but I wanted to blog this pie.

When ever I see rhubarb in the shops I buy it. It's almost compolsive. My dad loves rhubarb, he will do anything for rhubarb pie, perhaps even pass up lemon merigue in favour of the pie. But I love it too. The tart, sour tast that makes you squint and your teeth feel furry. Yum

I always use a Jamie Oliver pastry, which always turns out lovely, and stew the rhubarb with some apple and bake it in the pie crust. Nothing could be easier.

Hot or cold it's comfort food at it's best.

Offering for the inlaws

The way into a mans heart is through his family, and you get in there with food!
My sister went home with her boyfriend this weekend to meet the fam, a big deal. She wsa nervos a he... well really nervous.
What better to boost her confidence with that a truely amazing desert.
I suggested a pannacotta, I really liked what I'd read about them on several blogs, and I've never actually had it before.
My sister mentioned that her bf's dad had joked about a sponge with strawberries and cream, made by vorgin hands. Sadly my cupboard, as well stocked as it may be was fresh out of virgin hands. Bugger. What were we going to do.
Well we finally settled on this from Tartlet; Tada



Though we did change it a little by using strawberries instead of rasberries and I drizzled a little honey over the top, just to look pretty.
It is without a doubt one of the most stunning deserts I have ever made. Not only is it uber pretty, it is so delicious, you can just keep eating it, it's so light.
It seems like a very complicated and dificult recipe but its actually fairly easy to do. And so worth the effort.
Oh and yes it did fulfill it's duty, My sister stunned her parents inlaw, aparantly it tasted just like the fathers mothers sponge cake. He had seconds at lunch and then ate the rest of it that night.
I think we have a winner.