Two Novice Chefs, One Tiny Kitchen

Well I did have intentions on trying out the Fluted Polenta and Ricotta Cake for this week’s Tuesdays with Dorie, chosen by Caitlin of Engineer Baker, but then on Friday of last week we found out we were going to become parents….PUG parents!  Saturday morning we brought home our first baby, Toby the Pug.  He comes from a rescue outside St. Louis and he has kept us insanely busy!  I didn’t really eat for the first 3 days we had him, I was very anxious and stressed out (yeah I lost 7lbs in the last week, not good!!)  and the meals we’re having this week are super easy i.e. hot dogs, crockpot meals, frozen pizza, etc.  At least I am actually eating again!  Hopefully I’ll get back in the kitchen soon!  I really want to make the next TWD recipe so I will schedule time for that over the weekend!  Check back next Tuesday for the chocolate peanut butter torte!  And to tide you over until my next blog entry (which may not be until next Tuesday!), here’s a picture of my baby.  Yeah, you wouldn’t be cooking much either if that little face was staring you down every second you were home!

check out how the other TWD bakers did this week over on the blogroll!

Carrot cake was a challenge I knew I could handle! Unlike the marshmallows last week this recipe gave me very few headaches, and it turned out wonderfully. Now as much as I love a huge slice of carrot cake layered with cream cheese frosting, I only let myself join TWD on the condition that I would not use it as an excuse to gorge myself on sweet baked goods. So I opted to make cupcakes that Tyler and I could easily transport and pawn off on our co-workers and one mini-cake for us to split.

I had actually seen this recipe featured awhile back on Nemmie’s blog and I bookmarked it for later use. I love what she did with her mini-cakes! Unfortunately I dropped the pan while I was testing for doneness and my cake collapsed a bit and ended up lopsided. So I wasn’t able to cut it in half and turn it into a mini-layer cake. I just covered it with frosting instead. SO VERY DELISH! I think the toasted coconut on top really adds the perfect touch! I opted for pecans instead of walnuts and I also omitted the raisins. I know Tyler and I would have just picked them out. Everyone we shared the cupcakes with has just raved about them! They taste so delicious, the cake is perfectly moist and the frosting is just gooey enough.

The only real “problem” I had with this recipe was that the cupcakes sank a bit in the center, which I read other people had happen with their cupcakes as well. The frosting covered it up though so no big deal.

To see how other TWD participants fared with this week’s challenge, head on over to the blogroll.

Bill’s Big Carrot Cake (from Dorie Greenspan’s Baking From My Home to Yours)

Ingredients:

For the cake:
2 cups all purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
¾ teaspoon salt
3 cups grated carrots (about 9 carrots, you can grate them in food processor fitted w/ a shredding a blade or use a box grater) (I bought julienned carrots and ran them through the food processor a few times to chop them up, saved me a ton of time!)
1 cup coarsely chopped walnuts or pecans
1 cup shredded coconut (sweetened or unsweetened)
½ cup moist, plump raisins (dark or golden) or dried cranberries
2 cups sugar
1 cup canola oil
4 large eggs

For the frosting:
8 ounces cream cheese, room temperature (I used 1/3 less fat cream cheese and had no problems)
1 stick ( 8 tablespoons) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 pound or 3 and ¾ cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice or ½ teaspoon pure lemon extract
½ cup shredded coconut (optional)
Finely chopped toasted nuts and/or toasted shredded coconut (optional)
I also added 1/2 T of vanilla for some added sweetness

Since I made cupcakes I just put liners in the cupcake pan, I made two batches of 12 cupcakes each. I baked my cupcakes for 25 minutes and tested for doneness with a toothpick. For my mini-cake I sprayed a ramekin with non-stick spray and filled it 3/4 full with batter, baked for 25 minutes. Cooled 5 minutes in the ramekin, then I removed it and let it cool all the way on a cooling rack with my cupcakes.

Getting ready:

Position the racks to divide the oven into thirds and preheat the oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit. Butter three 9-x-2-inch round cake pans, flour the insides, and tap out the excess. Put the two pans on one baking sheet and one on another.

To make the cake:

Whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt. In another bowl, stir together the carrots, chopped nuts, coconut, and raisins.

Working with a stand mixer, preferably fitted with a paddle attachment, or with a hand mixer in a large bowl, beat the sugar and oil together on a medium speed until smooth. Add the eggs one by one and continue to beat until the batter is even smoother. Reduce the speed to low and add the flour mixture, mixing only until the dry ingredients disappear. Gently mix the chunky ingredients. Divide the batter among the baking pans.

Bake for 40-50 minutes, rotating the pans from top to bottom and front to back at the midway point, until a thin knife inserted into the centers comes out clean. The cakes will have just started to come away from the sides of the pans. Transfer the cakes to cooling racks and cool for about 5 minutes, then run a knife around the sides of the cakes and unmold them. Invert and cool to room temperature right side up.

The cakes can be wrapped airtight and kept at room temperature overnight or frozen for up to 2 months.

To make the frosting:

Working with a stand mixer, preferably fitted with a paddle attachment or with a hand mixer in a large bowl, beat the cream cheese and butter together until smooth and creamy. Gradually add the sugar and continue to beat until the frosting is velvety smooth. Beat in the lemon juice or extract. (I added the vanilla with the lemon juice)

If you’d like coconut in the filling, scoop about half of the frosting and stir the coconut into this position.

To assemble the cake:

Put one layer top side up on a cardboard cake round or a cake plate protected by strips of wax or parchment paper. If you added the coconut to the frosting, use half of the coconut frosting to generously cover the first layer (or generously cover with plain frosting). Use an offset spatula or a spoon to smooth the frosting all the way to the edges of the layer. Top with the second layer, this time placing the cake stop side down, and frost with the remainder of the coconut frosting or plain frosting. Top with the last layer, right side up, and frost the top- and the sides- of the cake. Finish the top with swirls of frosting. If you want to top the cake with toasted nuts or coconut, sprinkle them on now while the frosting is soft.

Refrigerate the cake for 30 minutes, just to set the frosting before serving.

Serving:

This cake can be served as soon as the frosting is set. It can also wait, at room temperature and covered with a cake keeper overnight. The cake is best served in thick slices at room temperature and while it’s good plain, it’s even better with vanilla ice cream or some lemon curd.

Storing:

The cake will keep at room temperature for 2 to 3 days. It can also be frozen. Freeze it uncovered, then when it’s firm, wrap airtight and freeze for up to 2 months. Defrost, still wrapped, overnight in the refrigerator.

Well I tried to make this week’s recipe for TWD! 2 attempts at sweet, fluffy, vanilla marshmallows and neither of them turned out I had never worked with egg whites before so I think that’s where I went wrong. (I was allergic to eggs as a kid and have never seen someone make meringue before.) The first time I clearly undermixed them (didn’t realize I was supposed to mix them until white and fluffy, I misinterpreted “firm but glossy”) and the second time I *thought* I beat them long enough but after about an hour the mixture separated in the pan. Bummer. I decided at that point that I wasn’t going to try again, it was late, I was out of gelatin, and I don’t really like marshmallows anyway, so I cleaned up the kitchen for the second time and called it a night. I am eager to see how everyone else did with this challenge. I will definitely give meringue a try again, I’d like to make a lemon meringue pie sometime this summer. I enjoyed the challenging aspect of this week’s recipe, I just wish I’d succeeded! I did go out and buy a candy thermometer, using a 40% off coupon at Michaels it was a great deal! I love getting new kitchen tools

I did take a couple of pictures of my “layered” marshmallows, and Tyler was brave enough to try them. He said they tasted like wet sugar, lol.

Here you can kind of see the gelatin layer on the bottom.

Here you can see what it looked like in the pan.

To see how other TWD participants fared with this week’s challenge, head on over to the blogroll.

Recipe for those that want to give it a whirl!!

Marshmallows (from Dorie Greenspan’s Baking From My Home to Yours, pp.404-405)

Makes about 1 pound marshmallows

Ingredients:

About 1 cup potato starch (found in the kosher foods section of supermarkets) or cornstarch
2 tablespoons light corn syrup
2 1/4-ounce packets unflavored gelatin
3 large egg whites, at room temperature
3/4 cup cold water
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups plus 1 tablespoon sugar (I don’t think anyone ever figured out where that 1 T of sugar goes!)

GETTING READY: Line a rimmed baking sheet — choose one with a rim that is 1 inch high — with parchment paper and dust the paper generously with potato starch or cornstarch. Have a candy thermometer at hand.

Put 1/3 cup of the water, 1 1/4 cups of the sugar and the corn syrup in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Bring the mixture to a boil, stirring until the sugar dissolves. Once the sugar is dissolved, continue to cook the syrup — without stirring — until it reaches 265 degrees F on the candy thermometer, about 10 minutes.

While the syrup is cooking, work on the gelatin and egg whites. In a microwave-safe bowl, sprinkle the gelatin over the remaining cold water (a scant 7 tablespoons) and let it sit for about 5 minutes, until it is spongy, then heat the gelatin in a microwave oven for 20 to 30 seconds to liquefy it. (Alternatively, you can dissolve the gelatin in a saucepan over low heat.)

Working in the clean, dry bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment or in another large bowl with a hand mixer, beat the egg whites on medium-high speed until firm but still glossy — don’t overbeat them and have them go dull.

As soon as the syrup reaches 265 degrees F, remove the pan from the heat and, with the mixer on medium speed, add the syrup, pouring it between the spinning beater(s) and the sides of the bowl. Add the gelatin and continue to beat for another 3 minutes, so that the syrup and the gelatin are fully incorporated. Beat in the vanilla.

Using a large rubber spatula, scrape the meringue mixture onto the baking sheet, laying it down close to a short end of the sheet. Then spread it into the corners and continue to spread it out, taking care to keep the height of the batter at 1 inch; you won’t fill the pan. Lift the excess parchment paper up to meet the edge of the batter, then rest something against the paper so that it stays in place (I use custard cups).

Dust the top of the marshmallows with potato starch or cornstarch and let the marshmallows set in a cool, dry place. They’ll need about 3 hours, but they can rest for 12 hours or more.

Once they are cool and set, cut the marshmallows with a pair of scissors or a long thin knife. Whatever you use, you’ll have to rinse and dry it frequently. Have a big bowl with the remaining potato starch or cornstarch at hand and cut the marshmallows as you’d like — into squares, rectangles or even strips (as they’re cut in France). As each piece is cut, drop it into the bowl. When you’ve got 4 or 5 marshmallows in the bowl, reach in with your fingers and turn the marshmallows to coat them with starch, then, one by one, toss the marshmallows from one hand to the other to shake off the excess starch; transfer them to a serving bowl. Cut and coat the rest of the batch.

SERVING: Put the marshmallows out and let everyone nibble as they wish. Sometimes I fill a tall glass vase with the marshmallows and put it in the center of the table — it never fails to make friends smile. You can also top hot chocolate or cold sundaes with the marshmallows.

STORING: Keep the marshmallows in a cool, dry place; don’t cover them closely. Stored in this way, they will keep for about 1 week — they might develop a little crust on the outside or they might get a little firmer on the inside, but they’ll still be very good.

It’s Tuesday! Which means Tuesdays with Dorie of course! Except I got really busy last week, was out of town over the weekend, and unfortunately did not make this week’s recipe: the most extraordinary French lemon cream tart! It looks delicious though (it better be with 3 sticks of butter!) so head on over to the TWD website to scroll through the blogroll and see tarts made by other TWD bakers. I will be back here next Tuesday to show off our next challenge, homemade marshmallows! Should be interesting!

I have been waiting for weeks to join TWD! I have been drooling over all the tasty baked goods that show up in my Google Reader each Tuesday. A couple of things had to happen before I could join, well actually 3 things. 1) Lent needed to be over so I could bake for personal pleasure again. 2) I needed to acquire the cookbook Baking: From My Home to Yours by Dorie Greenspan and 3) I needed to get to a point where I didn’t lose my cool around homemade baked goods (i.e. stuff them all in my face while my husband wasn’t looking.) All three things have come to pass so I am jumping right in!

This week’s challenge was a gooey chocolate cake. For whatever reason mine didn’t turn out gooey, molten, or lava-like, but they were still delicious! I think my oven cooks hot and I shouldn’t have baked these the full 13 minutes. I can’t wait to see what others have done with the recipe! Also, I have to give credit to my sister for helping me whip these up on Friday night while she was over. She brought over her double-boiler which was really helpful! We all had our cake with ice cream, except for Tyler, who never has ice cream or coolwhip with dessert. He is a wacky purist I suppose. The only way these cakes could be any more delicious would be with some kind of raspberry sauce, mmmmm. Maybe next time.

Gooey Chocolate Cakes (from Dorie Greenspan’s Baking From My Home to Yours pp. 261-262)

Ingredients:

1/3 cup all purpose flour
3 T unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 t salt
5 oz bittersweet chocolate (4 oz coarsely chopped, 1 oz finely chopped)
1 stick unsalted butter, cut into 8 pieces
2 large eggs, at room temp
1 large egg yolk, at room temp
6 T sugar

Directions:

Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Butter (or spray) 6 cups of a regular-size muffin pan, preferably a disposable aluminum foil pan, dust the insides with flour and tap out the excess. Put the muffin pan on a baking sheet.

Sift the flour, cocoa, and salt together.

Set a heatproof bowl over a saucepan of gently simmering water (we used a double boiler), put the coarsely chopped chocolate and the butter in the bowl and stir occasionally over the simmering water just until they are melted–you don’t want them to get so hot that the butter separates. Remove the bowl from the pan of water.

In a large bowl, whisk the eggs and yolk until homogenous. Add the sugar and whisk until well blended, about 2 minutes. Add the dry ingredients and, still using the whisk, stir (don’t beat) them into the eggs. Little by little, and using a light hand, stir in the melted chocolate and butter. Divide the batter evenly among the muffin cups and sprinkle the finely chopped chocolate over the batter.

Bake the cakes for 13 minutes. Transfer them, still on teh baking sheet, to a rack to cool for 3 minutes. (There is no way to test that these cakes are properly baked, because the inside remains liquid.)

Line a cutting board with a silicone baking mat or parchment or wax paper, and, after the 3 minute rest, unmold the cakes onto the board. Use a wide metal spatula to life the cakes onto dessert plates.