Sep.
08

Raspberry Cream Cake

Posted by Em at: 4:41 am | 10 Comments


Here’s another raspberry recipe… just cuz :) This really comes together quickly and without a lot of effort. Really. I’ll show you how. And the best part isn’t how it tastes (although it does taste amazing), no, the best part is how it’ll impress your friends!!
The hubs and I “took the afternoon off” and went to see the musical WICKED. Oh my – fantastic. Better than I’d hoped for. We arrived more than an hour ahead of time since, well, this is Los Angeles and heaven’s knows there’ll be a traffic tie up somewhere along your route – especially on a day when you have theater tickets. So we got there reeeeeeeeally early and had plenty of time to walk around down Hollywood Blvd. We came upon a Farmer’s Market of sorts on the corner of Hollywood and Ivar… and although it was about a billion degrees fahrenheit, and I was dressed for anything BUT perusing an outdoor marketplace, we strolled thru. I’m sure at this point of the story you’re asking “yeah Em, sure, nice, but what does this have to do with the raspberry cream cake?”… and the answer is, pretty much nothing :) Nothing except for the fact that the Farmer’s Market had raspberries and THERE’S the tie in :) They had red raspberries… and yellow raspberries… and even orange raspberries. I’d never seen those before! Pretty interesting – to me at least :) But I couldn’t buy any since we were soon to be heading into the theater. But I would’ve liked to :)

For this cake, yes, I used the end of some pints of raspberries I’d recently bought. I really love raspberries… but hate hate hate HATE the seeds. Oh gawd, can I just tell ya. A single one of those raspberry seeds getting in my teeth just irritates me so. Do they make a variety of seedless raspberry? Please tell me if they do. I’ll buy them! Sure, I’ve had seedless raspberry jam or preserves… but I’d love seedless raspberries. I mean, there’s seedless watermelon… there’s seedless grapes… how about seedless raspberries? I’d reeeeeeeeeally like that :)

The cake part itself is the butter cake recipe found in this post here with absolutely no variations. The buttercream icing is the recipe from this post here with the following modifications: increase the vanilla extract to one teaspoon, omit the rose extract altogether and add cocoa powder to taste. I seem to get into all sorts of hot water when I post about making chocolate buttercream from “plain” buttercream because I don’t say exactly how much cocoa powder to add. I do that on purpose and yanno why? It’s because there’s no right or wrong answer. Use as much cocoa powder as ya like to make it the right amount of chocolatey taste in your opinion. It’s not rocket science. In fact, it’s not science at all. Start adding cocoa powder one tablespoon at a time… mix it all in… taste it… and if it’s not chocolatey enough, then add another teaspoon and repeat. It’s just that simple. Repeat until you feel it is chocolately enough :)

The raspberry cream is simple as well. A few choices here… either use your favorite pastry cream recipe… or use vanilla pudding… or use whipped cream. Whatever rocks your world :) And toss in some fresh raspberries. I like to use the hand-mixer in the finished cream to “pulverize” the raspberries into the cream. Guess “pulverize” isn’t the best word… maybe I should say to “infuse” the cream with the raspberries. Yeah, okay, uh huh… but you get the picture :)

There are lots of “professional” ways to create a layer cake but here’s my quick-&-dirty cheater’s way :) Make the cake as directed and cool it completely. Slice both layers in half. Place the bottom layer on a cardboard form (or sheet of waxed paper) and spread 1/3 of your raspberry cream on top of it. Place the next layer on top of the first and spread another 1/3 of the raspberry cream on top. Place the next layer on top of the last layer and spread the remaining raspberry cream. Finally place the last cake layer **cut side down** on top. At this point I chill the assembled cake for about 30 minutes or so. Remove the cake from the fridge and apply a thin layer of buttercream icing all over it. This is your crumb-coat. Return the cake to the fridge for another 30 minutes or so. Remove the cake from the fridge and slather it in a generous amount of buttercream… decoratively or plainly – whatever ya like :)

That’s it. Really. You can do this – it really is just that simple.

Have a delicious day :)

Posted in Chocolate, alton brown, buttercream icing, cake, recipes | 10 Comments »

Aug.
23


Recently I was browsing thru Sur la Table and came across Rose extract. Intriguing. On our honeymoon we frequented a nice champagne bar that served Rose Champagne. Not rosé champagne… but rose. Pretty much just a nice champagne poured over a pink rose petal… and a bit of rose syrup added in. The rose was delicate but distinct and to this day, DH remembers it well. So when I came across the small bottle of rose extract, I figured I had to buy it and see what I could come up with. Hmmm… could I find the right balance? Just the right item to showcase this wonderful extract. I mean, too much of it and it’s like eating grandma’s hand-soap… blecccch! But just the right amount? Ohhhh so lovely. DH’s daughter absent-mindedly grabbed one of these chiffon tea-cakes w/rose buttercream icing and asked “what kind of frosting is this – I think it’s the best ever”. Coming from a mood-swingy 15 year old, that’s quite a statement! LOL

The chiffon cake part is simply my boyfriend’s recipe for Chiffon Cupcakes which I baked in a square shape using this pan here

which I used for these lovelies, too. The method for making chiffon cake calls for separated eggs… the yolks blended in the batter and the whites whipped to stiff peaks then gently folded in. This makes for a very light cake with a distinct crumb.

In his recipe, my boyfriend (uhm… that’s Alton Brown, btw) mentions baking these cakes in ovenproof coffee mugs. Cute idea… but our coffee mugs are functional (read: unattractive). Instead I reached into the china cabinet and pulled out these cute little tea-cups from a china set I’ve had since I stashed it away in my closet as a googly-eyed teenager dreaming of marrying prince charming (which I did btw… I married the nerdy-boy who lived across the street growing up… he’s my prince charming… a total hack just like my boyfriend Alton Brown… yup… I have a thing for the nerdy-boys! LOL).

Were my tea-cups “ovenproof”? Heck I had no idea I just threw caution to the wind, loaded them with batter and baked ‘em in the oven. Came out pretty good too :)

For the rose buttercream icing, I wanted something silky smooth… something creamy… something unforgettably dreamy. While the base recipe is not available online this fantastic gem of a frosting recipe came from my boyfriend’s episode “Honey I Shrunk The Cake” which can be viewed here on YouTube (I tried imbedding a launchable link to it… didn’t work so the clickable link is the best I can do… hey… come on… no hating… cut a girl some slack… I tried… I did! I did!). Quite arguably it’s among the top two buttercream icing recipes I’ve ever tried. Fantastically good.  And with the addition of the rose extract, it beautifully complements the chiffon tea-cakes. (btw, click here for my #1 hands-down favorite buttercream icing)

Rose Buttercream Icing
Adapted from Alton Brown’s Buttercream

Ingredients

6 oz butter (at room temperature)
2 oz shortening (at room temperature)
1 egg (room temperature)
16oz confectioner’s sugar
3/4 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp rose extract

 

Directions
Using a hand mixer (or in the bowl of a stand mixer) on high speed, combine butter & shortening until well blended.
Mix in the egg until well combined – about 2 minutes.
With the mixer on low begin to add the sugar in small amounts ensuring each addition is well blended before adding the next.
After the sugar is fully incorporated, add the vanilla and rose extracts.
Blend well on medium-high speed for 2-3 minutes until the frosting is light and fluffy.

Have a delicious day :)

 

Posted in alton brown, buttercream icing, cake, recipes | 11 Comments »

Aug.
09

Overnight Cinnamon Rolls

Posted by Em at: 4:00 pm | 13 Comments


M’mmmm don’t these look good? Yes indeed they do! Not only do they look good, they taste phenomenal and make your whole house smell incredible while they’re baking. What a crazy week this has been. I’ve baked so many different things and I’m totally behind in sharing them… but I’d like to begin correcting that right this instant :) Not many of you know this but Alton Brown is my boyfriend. Yes yes, I know, I’m married. And married women are not supposed to have boyfriends. But Alton Brown is spayshul… I watch his show Good Eats on the Food Network and just go positively mushy over him. He’s entertaining, he’s funny, he’s got some great recipes… and he’s smart as can be.


If you’ve never seen his show, Good Eats, I highly recommend it. I’ve learned so much about the “why” behind food and recipes that I can almost, kinda sorta, maybe, perhaps, sometimes come close to sounding like I know a thing or two when I’m having a food- or cooking-related conversation. And I have my boyfriend to thank for that :) I’ve bought two of Alton’s books as well… they’re both on the right hand sidebar of my blog. He’s not drop-dead gorgeous… but he’s got a little geeky-nerd-boy thing goin on that appeals to me. Hey, what can I say… I graduated from engineering school and during all those years of study I was surrounded by the geeky-nerd-boys. Certainly not all of them do it for me (ever caught an episode of Big Bang Theory on CBS? LOL!!!) but the ones with personality and a great sense of humor usually catch my attention… and that, folks, pretty much describes my boyfriend Alton ;-)


The recipe can be found here and while I won’t lie and tell you they’re quick and easy, I will tell you the results are pretty much worth it… if you’ve got the time. You’ll use up a few bowls and make a bit of a mess in the kitchen… but your friends and family will love you for it -uhm… that is unless you devour them all yourself! LOL. If you’re thinking about serving these for tomorrow morning’s breakfast… get started now. My boyfriend Alton named these OVERNIGHT Cinnamon Rolls for a reason!!!

Have a delicious day :)

Posted in alton brown, breakfast, cinnamon, recipes | 13 Comments »

Jul.
13

Frozen Vanilla Custard

Posted by Em at: 5:24 am | 3 Comments


Okay I’ll admit it… I have somewhat of a fascination with making ice cream lately. After getting the Ice Cream Maker attachment for my KitchenAid stand mixer, I’ve made lots and lots of ice cream. Plus it’s summer and to me this is a season tailor made for ice cream :) And I’ll also admit to having a rather insane crush on Alton Brown… the host of Food Network’s Good Eats. When I came across AB’s recipe for Vanilla Ice Cream well, come on, you know it simply was a MUST TRY.

This is decadent stuff. I’m talking straight out loaded with eggs, half-n-half and heavy cream. Since I’d never made a cooked custard ice cream with eggs, I decided to halve the written recipe. Just in case it really didn’t work out I didn’t want to waste a large amount of rather expensive ingredients.

Once you check out the recipe, you’ll see it’s somewhat labor intensive… and remember I’m laaaaaaaaazy… so this was quite a commitment for me ;-)

After cooking and chilling in the fridge overnight, it was time to let my ice cream maker work its magic. Usually it takes about 25-35 minutes before it’s completed enough for ice cream to be transferred to the freezer. Not so with this recipe. After only about 10-12 minutes AB’s Vanilla Ice Cream was done… done to the point of serious soft serve. And the taste was so good I immediately regretted not making the full recipe… I mean, I had trouble getting it to a container because I kept doing “quality control taste tests” baaaaaaaaahahahahah!

The taste was simply amazing. So rich… so creamy… so smooooooth. Really it’s more than ice cream… if you ask me, this is frozen vanilla custard!!! This is not one I’d make for the kids since they really wouldn’t appreciate all the goodness it contains. They prefer the quick stuff with just milk, cream, sugar and “stuff”… and truth-be-told that’s A-OK by me since those are easier and far less expensive :)

I decided such a fantastic vanilla ice cream was worthy of being the centerpiece of a hot fudge sundae – complete with rainbow sprinkles and a maraschino cherry.

Frozen Vanilla Custard
(Alton Brown’s Vanilla Ice Cream)

Ingredients
3 cups half-and-half
1 cup heavy cream
8 large egg yolks
9 ounces vanilla sugar
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

Directions
Place the half-and-half and the heavy cream into a medium saucepan, over medium heat. Bring the mixture just to a simmer, stirring occasionally, and remove from the heat.
In a medium mixing bowl whisk the egg yolks until they lighten in color. Gradually add the sugar and whisk to combine. Temper the cream mixture into the eggs and sugar by gradually adding small amounts, until about a third of the cream mixture has been added. Pour in the remainder and return the entire mixture to the saucepan and place over low heat. Continue to cook, stirring frequently, until the mixture thickens slightly and coats the back of a spoon and reaches 170 to 175 degrees F. Pour the mixture into a container and allow to sit at room temperature for 30 minutes. Stir in the vanilla extract. Place the mixture into the refrigerator and once it is cool enough not to form condensation on the lid, cover and store for 4 to 8 hours or until the temperature reaches 40 degrees F or below.

Pour into an ice cream maker and process according to the manufacturer’s directions. This should take approximately 25 to 35 minutes. Serve as is for soft serve or freeze for another 3 to 4 hours to allow the ice cream to harden.

Have a delicious day :)

Posted in alton brown, ice cream, recipes, vanilla | 3 Comments »

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