m'inspire

although this blog is about baking, and ostensibly reading, i can't help but share some of what is inspiring me visually right now: This issue of French Elle Decor makes me want to ditch my mixture of grandma's hand-me-downs and ikea and aspire to live like a grown up (almost...i could never part with my grandma's wares!)

I just love this yellow couch:


And these children's rooms have such unusual use of color, i love that they don't fall back on cliche pastel blues and pinks...





This wallpaper is just beautiful:


Ah, those French...je les aime!

hello stranger

well, it's been a while since i've posted...but not for lack of baking! i have been cookin' up a real storm over here in Bernal Heights, in fact i got my first professional order from a real, bonafide, cafe here in SF! I made coconut lime with cream cheese-coconut frosting, vegan chocolate with dark chocolate ganache, and golden vanilla with strawberry buttercream. They sold so well i even got reorders, if you can believe that!

Yesterday my dear friend Danica ordered some birthday treats for her partner Tony. I thought the Vegan Brooklyn vs. Boston Cream Pie Cupcakes (from Vegan Cupcakes Take Over The World) were in order, and mini cakes seemed apt, dont know why. I am reluctant to post the recipe, mostly because i just want you to buy their book. it is amazing!!

I love boston cream pie. when i was little, my mom and i would visit my grandma on saturday evenings, and if we were lucky, my grandma would break out the Pepperidge Farm Boston Cream Pie after dinner. I looked forward to this cake/pie treat more than is rational. Sadly, Pepperidge Farm stopped making the cake, and my mom and I lament that fact at least once a week. Finally, something to fill the void in my heart left by PP's vacating of the boston cream pie market, and they are as good as the real thing (if not better)!

One thing to note, the vegan vanilla pastry creme is a little time consuming, requiring 10 minutes of stovetop constant stirring and two hours of chilling, as well as some sort of obscure ingredients (arrowroot powder and agar powder). But it is well worth it and very easy. I even added some vanilla bean scrapings to up the vanilla impact. Yum!

cooking class

Last week, i went to a cooking class taught by the charming and talented Emily Dellas. If you are in San Francisco you really should check out her classes, they are taught out of her lovely home kitchen. Afterwards everyone sits down and eats dinner together. That Emily is a wealth of culinary knowledge! This menu was California-Mexican and was filled with very fresh, bright flavors like lime and cilantro. But I'm going to be honest with you, I was much more focused on the dessert recipe than the savory dishes, as simple and elegant as they were. We made mexican chocolate cake!! and it was truly delicious- the cake was so moist, and the flavor of chile and cinnamon really came through. But most importantly, it was CHOCOLATEY. So i had to run home and look at my calendar and find some social engagement to give me the excuse to make cupcakes using the recipe. A sleepover at my friend Jess's fit the bill nicely.

Mexican Chocolate Cupcakes with Chocolate Frosting (courtesy Emily Dellas, First Class Cooking)

(makes 24 big cupcakes)

Cake:
- 2 Dried Red Chiles
- 2 Cinnamon Sticks
- 1 C boiling water
- 1 3/4 C all purpose flour
- 2 C sugar
- 3/4 C unsweetened cocoa
- 1 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 5 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp ground allspice
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 eggs
- 1 C milk
- 1/2 C vegetable oil
- 1 tsp vanilla

Directions: Place the chiles and cinnamon sticks in the boiling water and allow to stand while you prepare the rest of the cake batter. These may stand for up to 30 min., then discard the chiles and cinnamon.

Preheat oven to 350 and line 2 muffin trays.

In a large bowl combine flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda and powder, salt, cinnamon and allspice. Stir together with a whisk or wooden spoon until evenly combined, and set aside.

In a different bowl combine eggs, milk, oil and vanilla and beat well with a whisk. Pour the boiling water through a strainer (to collect the chiles and cinnamon) and mix water with other wet ingredients.

Pour the wet ingredients into the flour mixture and stir gently until batter is smooth. Fill cupcake liners 2/3- 3/4 full. Bake for 20 minutes, until toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.




While cake is baking, and filling up your kitchen with wonderful aromas, make frosting:

- 3 1/2 C powdered sugar
- 1 C cocoa powder
- 2 tsp cinnamon
- 12 Tbsp (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened to room temp
- 1/2 C milk, room temp
- 2 tsp vanilla extract

In a med bowl sift together the powdered sugar and cocoa. Add the ground cinnamon, butter, milk, and vanilla and stir until smooth and free of lumps.

Remove cakes from oven and allow to cool before frosting!!

Bakeshops of Barcelona

I got back from barcelona on thursday. Since Andreas was working a lot, i had plenty of time to do what i like to do in that city, which is walk the streets and look at everything, stopping for cafe con leche and pasteles many many times per day. I am slightly obsessed with the pastry shop windows in barcelona, like the above assorted macaroons at Bubo.....here are a few more:


stunning pastry case at Bubo, in the Borne district




Demasie cookie shop



Demasie's beautiful display tables



pastry window in El Raval neighborhood



pile of tiny chocolate croissants...i think i could eat them all.

Spain's pastelerias inspire me- there is such artfulness, such pride in presentation. I ate too much.

Will Bake For Clothes

I've been sort of reluctant to accept payment for my baked goods in the past....I mean baking is what I like to do. But when a friend and former coworker requested a batch of cakes for a party and insisted on paying me with the above grey Gap sweatshirt that i have been coveting I couldn't really resist. So consider this my first paying gig in sweets!





I decided on the red velvet cupcakes with vanilla bean cream cheese frosting, as they are always a crowd pleaser....the buttermilk-cocoa cake and the tangy vanilla frosting wins over even the most staunchly skeptical. (For unknown reasons, people have weird prejudice against red velvet...some "fear" of red cake. Come on people, it's a weird southern tradition, and it's GOOD!)
Red Velvet Cupcakes, slightly modified from Epicurious.com
*makes 24 cupcakes*

2 1/2 C All Purpose Flour
1 tsp salt
1/2 C unsalted butter, softened
1 1/2 C sugar
2 eggs
4 Tbsp cocoa powder
2 oz hot water
2 oz red food coloring
1 C buttermilk
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp vinegar
1 tsp baking soda

Instructions:
- Preheat oven to 350, line muffin pans with papers
- Cream butter and sugar to fluffy
- Add eggs, blend well
- In separate small bowl, make past of cocoa and food coloring, then add the butter mixture
- Sift flour and salt together into mixture
- One at a time add the buttermilk, then vanilla, then water, mixing on med-low
- In a small prep bowl combine vinegar and baking soda- will fizz up. Fold this fizzy mixture into batter by hand to just incorporate
- Fill cupcake liners 2/3 full and bake 15-20 minutes
- Cool completely before frosting

Vanilla Bean Cream Cheese Frosting (unfortunately don't remember where i picked up this recipe, but it's pretty basic, and so good that people, i'm not going to name names here, have been known to eat it by the spoonful on it's own.)

12 oz cream cheese (1 1/2 packages), softened
1/2 stick unsalted butter, softened
4-5 C sifted powdered sugar, depending on your taste (i like scant 4 cups)
seeds of 1/2 vanilla bean, scraped from bean (vanilla bean is spendy but worth it. if you're not up to buying it, use a little extra vanilla extract).
1 tsp vanilla extract

Instructions:

- Beat butter and cream cheese to creamy
- add 3 cups of sifted sugar until combined.
- Add vanillas and beat until combined
- Add more sugar til you get the consitency and sweetness desired.


*note these aren't as red as they should be- i forgot that when using regular food coloring, as opposed to icing colors i usually use which are concentrated, you really do need to use the full 2 oz to get the true red red. If using more concentrated icing coloring (like wilton, for example), which is more like a paste that comes in pots, can use like 4 or 5 swirls of a toothpick full of the paste.

**Also, a word about the sweatshirt, which i think is merited. Can we talk about it's perfect jennifer-bealeness. It's just the right amount of 80's a gal might need to punch up her tired ole skinny jeans and ballet flats. I wore with a black and white horizontal stripe knit turtleneck underneath, grey black skinny jeans, and black flats and was rather pleased with the results! I could get used to this whole baking-for-apparel thing....

possibly, maybe, the best cookies i´ve ever made

FRENCH ALMOND MACAROONS- STRAWBERRY

Hi, so I really don´t like to brag or anything, but i was so delighted at how these macaroons turned out. And they don´t even have a chocolate component, yet i love them. how could it be?! The texture- sort of chewy on the outside, soft on the inside; the flavor- not too sweet, almondy....heaven. I made them for a party a few weeks ago and the people really liked.
The thing about french macaroons is, the ingredients are surprisingly simple and the batter is easy to make...it´s the set up that´s a bit of a pain. Once the batter is made, you have to use a 1" round cookie cutter, dipped in flour, and some parchment paper, to make circles. Then the batter has to be piped in using a pastry bag and plain tip to fill in these circles so they are perfect and uniform.

The Recipe (courtesy of Martha Stewart Baking Handbook):

1 3/4 C. powdered sugar
1/4 tsp vanilla
all purpose flour, for dipping
1 1/2 C. almond flour (or sliced almonds ground in food processor)
3 large egg whites
pinch salt
1/4 C granulated sugar
red food coloring
Strawberry Swiss Buttercream frosting, recipe follows

Instructions:
-Preheat oven to 300
-Sift powdered sugar into a large bowl, then whisk in almonds, set aside.
- Line 2 baking sheets with parchment or silpat, dip 1 " cookie cutter in flour, and mark circles
- in bowl of electric mixer, whisk egg whites on medium til foamy; add salt
- gradually add granulated sugar, 1 tsp at a time, til whites reach med soft peaks, transfer to a large bowl, fold in 4 drops red food coloring
- sprinkle half the sugar-almond mixture over the egg whites and fold til just incorporated; add the vanilla and the rest of the sugar-almond mixture and fold til just incorporated. bang the bowl on the counter to eliminate any air pockets.
- transfer mixture to large pastry bag fitted with a plain tip and fill in marked circles on prepared baking sheet. Bake, rotating halfway through, 20-25 min., until slightly firm to the touch and can be gently lifted off the paper with a spatula. Let cool on baking sheet 5 minutes, then transfer to rack to cool completely.
- Frost flat side of half the cookies with strawberry swiss buttercream, then sandwich together...yummmm.

Strawberry Swiss Meringue Buttercream Frosting:

- 2 large egg whites
- 1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, room temp, cut into small pieces (1 tbsp)
- 2/3 C sugar
- 1/2 tsp vanilla
- 1/3 c strained strawberry preserves*

Instructions: (seems daunting, easier than it looks).

- In a heatproof bowl set over simmering water, whisk egg whites and sugar and cook until sugar is dissolved and mixture is warm to the touch, about 5 minutes
- Attach the bowl to the mixer and, using whisk, beat to stiff peaks
- Switch to the paddle attachment, and on medium low speed, add butter several tablespoons at a time, mixing well after each addition. (Don´t worry if the frosting appears to separate, just keep beating a few minutes until smooth).
- Add vanilla, keep beating 2 more minutes on low to eliminate air bubbles
- fold in strawberry preserves by hand.

***to strain preserves i used a seive lined with cheesecloth, set over a bowl, and pushed preserves through with a wooden spoon.

The great thing about this recipe is that it could be adapted to accomodate any flaovr- lemon, using yellow food coloring and plain old lemon curd for filling....or chocolate, substituting cocoa for part of the powdered sugar in the cookies and using nutella to frost....

they're filled with nutella

I always like nutella, anytime, anywhere.  Inside a cupcake is no exception.  However, when filling a cupcake with nutella, one runs up against the following problem:  how to frost?  You don't want to just use nutella again, i mean you've already got the stuff inside.  No, what you need is...a complementary flavor; what you need is.....peanut butter!  The natural accompaniment to nutella and pb is, obviously, banana.  The following cupcake emerged, called "The Tricky," in honor of my best friend, who is nicknamed thusly. 

**You will note that the cupcake recipe is one-bowl, not the usual cream -butter -and -sugar then -alternatively -add -flour -and -liquid -method....and i was skeptical.  But it worked!!

The Tricky: Nutella, Peanut Butter and Banana Cupcakes

Makes 12

Cupcakes (recipe courtesy of Baking Illustrated):

1 1/2 C unbleached all purpose flour (no sifting needed)

1 C sugar

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

8 Tbsp (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened

1/2 C sour cream

1 large egg + 2 large egg yolks, at room temp

1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Additional Ingredients:

1 banana

1/2 jar of nutella

1/2 cup of smooth peanut butter (approx)

chocolate ganache frosting, recipe below

Preheat oven to 350, line cupcake pan with cupcake papers.

- Whisk flour, sugar, baking powder and salt in the bowl of a standing mixer.  Add butter, sour cream, egg, yolks and vanilla and beat until smooth and satiny, about 30 seconds (it was longer for me, like 1 min.)  Scrape down sides of bowl with rubber spatula and stir by hand until smooth and no flour pockets remain.

- Divide the batter evenly among cups in the prepared pan.  Bake until cake tops are pale gold and a toothpick comes out clean, 20-24 minutes.  Cool to room temp.

- While the cakes are baking, prepare the ganache frosting.  I adapted this recipe from Sherrie Yard's "The Secrets of Baking,"  a book i love:

4 oz bittersweet chocolate

2 oz (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, softened

1/8 to 1/4 C powdered sugar, to taste- i like less sugar

- using a serrated knife, finely chop the choco into 1/4 inch pieces and place it in a medium heatproof bowl with the butter

- place bowl over a medium pot of simmering water.  stir the choco occasionally until melted, about 2 min.  remove from heat.

- sift powdered sugar into melted choco and slowly stir in, using a rubber spatula.  Stir for 3 or 4 minutes, until all powdered sugar is absorbed.

***frosting should be used immediately for easy spreading.

Assembly:

with a small sharp knife, cut 1 inch circles in the center of the cooled cupcakes, and remove this "core."  Cut off tip so you have just a top left.  Now you have a hollow to place the nutella in.  You can either pipe nutella in, use a spoon, or cut a whole in the corner of a ziplock bag, fill with nutella, and use this as a makeshift pastry bag.  Fill the hole and place the "lid" back on the cake.  Repeat with all 12.

With a pastry bag and simple tip (or makeshift with ziplock, as above) pipe a dollop of peanut butter around the circumference of the lid to cover up the evidence of the hole.  don't worry about making it that pretty- you are going to smash a banana slice down on top of this dollop.*

cut your banana into 12 round slices and place 1 each on the dollops of pb. 

put your chocolate ganache frosting in a plastic squeeze tube or make one with ziplock (again) and pipe 2 lines over the center of the cake, like an "X".

garnish with chocolate shavings, sprinkles, cocoa powder, powdered sugar, or cinnamon.

* A note about the peanut butter:  some found the peanut butter flavor a little overpowering....couldn't taste enough nutella/chocolate.  Next time, i might try mellowing the peanut butter flavor by beating it with a little cream and powdered sugar in the mixer first.