Hostess Cupcakes

Some of you may know that I am a recipe tester with the fabulous blog Leite's Culinaria.  All of the recipes are tested by a variety of people - from home cooks like me to professional chefs.  I love being part of this select group of testers as I have learned a lot from them and they are all so passionate about preparing great food...like me!

One of the recipes I recently tested was Hostess cupcakes- these are the cream filled cakes that were first sold in 1919!  By 2011 Hostess sold over 600 milllion of these a year!   (according to Wikipedia)

You can still have a homemade Hostess Cupcake.  Here is the recipe. ..Homemade Hostess Cupcakes.  Once you arrive on this link you can see some my comments under Testers Choice.  They are actually fun to make.  

Make the cupcakes then

Poke holes in them

See all the holes!

Inject the cream filling

 Dip them in icing

and make the curly cues on top.

I made a bunch for a dinner at our friends Dave and Alexia.  I changed the design to a spiral!  A major design change!  hahaha.

They said they loved them...

They were devoured!

Until we bake again...
Penny
xxx

The Neiman Marcus Scandal - The Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookie and it's Urban Myth

This is the recipe, except halved, for Neiman Marcus cookies, which was passed around via email for years. The company disputed the story about how a woman paid 250.00 for the recipe she thought was 2.50. She was so angry she emailed it out for everyone to have.   They later went on to make a similar cookie to cash in on the popularity of it!

Here is the link to the story....

http://www.snopes.com/business/consumer/cookie.asp

This one is nut free and makes about 55-60 cookies. If you have a lot of cookie monsters at home double it, as they fly out of the cookie jar!

Ingredients:

2.5 cups rolled oats (measure first then blitz with the blender)
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
12 ounces semisweet chocolate chips
4 ounces milk chocolate, grated or finely chopped
optional- sprinkling of maldon salt

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line three baking sheets with parchment paper.

2. Measure the oats first, then blend them in a food processor or blender to a fine powder. In a medium bowl, whisk together the blended oats with all the dry ingredients -  the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt; set aside.

3. In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream together the butter and both sugars until light and fluffy, 3-4 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and beat in the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in the vanilla extract. Reduce the mixer speed to low and gradually add the flour mixture, beating just until incorporated. With a rubber spatula, fold in the chocolate chips and grated chocolate.

4. Roll the dough into 2-oz balls and place about 2 inches apart on the baking sheets. Bake one sheet at a time until the edges are set but the centre still looks undone, about 10 minutes. Cool the cookies completely on the baking sheets.

5. A sprinkling of maldon salt is loved by my family!

The cookies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days (they can also be frozen for up to 2 months).

Until we bake again...

Penny
xxx

I would love to hear your comments, so please feel free to leave one below!

Chocolate Bread....Better than Club Med's!

It really is a Yeasted Chocolate Coffee Cake according to Martha Stewart Living (March 2011)  but to me it is

CHOCOLATE BREAD.

Many of you know that I have worked in the travel industry a gazillion years, and so many times I have heard people ask when they were chatting with someone who had gone to Club Med was "Wasn't the Chocolate Bread Amazing?"  And everyone agreed.  At one time I had the recipe but can't find it now.....Who cares?  Move over Club Med...honestly I like this one better. 

My friend Ivonne, over at Cream Puffs in Venice, started "Magazine Mondays" back in 2007, and I have been meaning to participate, so here goes.  It is very informal and it really is about trying those recipes in Magazines you have hanging around.  Go check her out, she has a great Blog. 

Susan of Wild Yeast has another  blog that I follow religiously.  I wanted to mention her since she features all kinds of breads and products made with yeast.  I have been shown on her "Yeastspotting" feature on occasion....:)

Now for the Chocolate Bread/coffee cake.   Here are the ingredients:

Bread
2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons plus a pinch of granulated sugar
3/4 cup warm milk ( 110 degrees)
1 lg egg plus 1 lg yolk
3 cups All-purpose flour plus extra for dusting
Coarse salt
1 stick unsalted butter - room temperature plus extra for pan and bowl
1 lg egg plus 1 tbsp heavy cream lightly beaten for egg wash

Filling
8 ozs bittersweet chocolate (1 1/4 cups)
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
4 tbsps unsalted butter - cut into small pieces

For the crumb topping
1/4 cup plus 2 tbsps confectioner's sugar
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
3 tbsps unsalted butter - room temp

Sprinkle the yeast and a pinch of granulated sugar over the milk in a medium bowl and let it stand until foamy.

Whisk together the remaining sugar, the egg and yolk in another bowl, then whisk it into the yeast mixture

Combine the flour, salt in the mixture (whirl it around a bit to mix)

 then add the egg/yeast mixture.  Beat on low about 30 seconds. Switch to dough hook and add butter and beat until smooth, soft and slightly sticky.

Butter a large bowl. Turn out onto a floured surface and knead a little until smooth.  Place in the bowl, turn to coat and cover with plastic wrap.  Let stand in a warm place until doubled - about 1 to 1 1/2 hours. 

Now let's make the filling!

 Coarsely chop the chocolate 

Combine chocolate, granulated sugar  and cinnamon then cut in the butter with a pastry cutter or rub it in with your fingers...that's what I did!

Now let's assemble!

Punch down the dough then transfer it to a floured surface - let it stand for 5 mintes to relax.

Roll it out to an 18-inch square (1/8 inch thick)- brush edges with egg wash.  Spread the filling over the dough (reserve 1/2 cup) - leave a 1 inch border - and tightly roll like a jelly roll.

Pinch the seam to seal. Now fold this in half to form a U and twist 3 or 4  times.  I forgot to take a picture of the twisted dough...sorry....

Make a crumb topping

Combine confectioner's sugar,flour and butter

Butter a 5x10 inch loaf pan and line with parchment, leaving 1inch overhangs, butter parchment and transfer dough to pan.  Brush top with egg wash and sprinkle crumb topping and reserved 1/2 cup of filling over bread/cake.  Drape a plastic wrap over dough/pan.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees....

and let dough stand until risen by half (20-30 minutes)

Remove plastic wrap and bake, rotating half way through, until golden about 55 minutes.  Reduce oven temperature to 325 degrees and bake until deep golden 15-20 minutes more.  Have some foil to cover it if it gets too dark.  Transfer to wire rack and let cool.

It was good.... Camera Guy

enjoyed  it toasted with butter....yummy... and chocolatey....

Until we bake again....

Penny

Chocolate Cake Yes another one!

Place a picture of a pretty chocolate cake in front of me and you can be assured I will want to bake it. I love my mom’s chocolate cake, but the chocolate cake from Ina Garten is fabulous too. My mom’s cake is more casual and very easy to make while this one is richer and looks a little more impressive, for special occasions.

I had just taken the cake out of the oven when my friend Sherman came over and presented me with this very special little gadget that I now love! It’s a Wilton cake leveler that evens out cakes, jelly rolls and other baked goods, so you have a flat surface to work with. I can’t tell you how many times I started shaving off the tops of my cakes with a knife until there was no top left. I would have a mound of crumbs sitting beside it...so much for a pretty cake, and what choice did I have but to eat the crumbs! The leveler is about $5.00 and is a great gift for bakers!

After letting the cake cool, I asked Sherman, who is now taking a cake decorating class, to help me level and frost it. Sherman and I took baking classes together and I must say he is very good at frosting...really... really...sometimes painfully precise! I think the cake looked beautiful, but best of all, it tasted amazing!

Here is the recipe
Adapted from Beatty’s Chocolate Cake from Barefoot Contessa at Home.

1 3/4 cups all- purpose flour ( plus more for the pans)
2 cups sugar
¾ cup good cocoa powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup buttermilk , shake well!
½ cup vegetable oil
2 large eggs – room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup hot coffee

Frosting
6 ounces semisweet chocolate
2 sticks (1/2 Pound) unsalted butter
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 ¼ cups confectioners’ sugar
1 tablespoon instant coffee powder
Cake
Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Butter 2 8-inch round cake pans. Line with parchment, then butter and flour the pans.
Sift flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, and salt into the bowl of mixer with the paddle attachment,
Mix on low until combined.
In another bowl, combine the buttermilk, oil, eggs and vanilla.
With the mixer on low speed, slowly add the wet ingredients to the dry.
Continue mixing on low and add the coffee. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and give it a short last mix.
Pour into the pans and bake 35 to 40 minutes until a toothpick (or cake tester) comes out clean.
Cool in the pans for 30 minutes then turn out on cooling rack and cool completely.

Now for the frosting...
Chop the chocolate and melt in a heat proof bowl over simmering water. Stir and cool to room temperature.
Beat the butter on medium high speed until light yellow and fluffy (3 minutes)
Add vanilla and blend in.
Turn the mixer to low, and gradually add the confectioners’ sugar and beat on medium, scraping down the bowl as necessary, until smooth and creamy. Dissolve the coffee powder in 2 teaspoons of hot water. On low speed, add the chocolate and coffee to the butter mixture and mix until blended.

Assembling the cake:
Option 1 – smooth version
Place 1 layer, flat side up, on a plate. With an offset spatula or a knife, put a heaping scoop off frosting and spread evenly.
Use the leveller or a knife to cut the top of the second layer (before placing it on the first layer) just enough to make it flat. Eat the cake you cut off to give you energy to continue!
Place the second layer on top of the first. Put a good size scoop of icing on top and using your offset spatula, move it around and spread all over the top and sides. You can make it really even with this icing.

Option 2 – more swirly version
Place 1 layer, flat side up, on a plate. With an offset spatula or a knife, put a heaping scoop off frosting and spread evenly.
Place 2nd layer round side up and put a good size scoop of icing on top and using your offset spatula, move it around and spread all over the top and sides, swirling it around.

Hope you like it!

Until we bake again...

Penny

Chocolate Valentino - A Flourless Chocolate Cake

And the star of the Daring Baker's Challenge this month is Chocolate! And you may ask how this cake is held together? With the help of its supporting ingredients – Take a bow butter and eggs!

Chocolate Valentino is a very simple cake to make but it is very rich – 1 pound of chocolate! This is why it is soooooo important to use good chocolate because the finished cake will taste exactly like the chocolate you use.

You will want to serve this chocolate cake in smaller pieces, as that is all you need to satisfy your chocolate cravings. If you would like a more fluffy cake with icing then try my mom’s (Sadie’s) chocolate cake. Dan still prefers that one!

I would like to say thank you to this month's hosts of The Daring Bakers challenge. The February 2009 challenge is hosted by Wendy of WMPE's blog and Dharm of Dad ~ Baker & Chef. They have chosen a Chocolate Valentino cake by Chef Wan; a Vanilla Ice Cream recipe from Dharm and a Vanilla Ice Cream recipe from Wendy as the challenge. You can find the ice cream recipes on the above blogs but I decided to make a Lavender Honey Ice cream.

When I vacationed in France this past June, I visited the Lavender Museum and picked up some Lavender tea. I have been waiting to make some ice cream with it so I have included the recipe here. By the time I figured out the camera, it had started melting, but it was very good and quite fragrant.

Chocolate Valentino

Preparation Time: 20 minutes
16 ounces (1 pound) (454 grams) of semisweet chocolate, roughly chopped
½ cup (1 stick) plus 2 tablespoons (146 grams total) of unsalted butter
5 large eggs separated

1. Put chocolate and butter in a heatproof bowl and set over a pan of simmering water (the bottom of the bowl should not touch the water) and melt, stirring often.
2. While your chocolate butter mixture is cooling. Butter your pan and line with a parchment circle then butter the parchment.
3. Separate the egg yolks from the egg whites and put into two medium/large bowls.
4. Whip the egg whites in a medium/large grease free bowl until stiff peaks are formed (do not over-whip or the cake will be dry).
5. With the same beater beat the egg yolks together.
6. Add the egg yolks to the cooled chocolate.
7. Fold in 1/3 of the egg whites into the chocolate mixture and follow with remaining 2/3rds. Fold until no white remains without deflating the batter. {link of folding demonstration}
8. Pour batter into prepared pan, the batter should fill the pan 3/4 of the way full, and bake at 375F/190C
9. Bake for 25 minutes or until an instant read thermometer reads 140F/60C.
Note – If you do not have an instant read thermometer, the top of the cake will look similar to a brownie and a cake tester will appear wet.
10. Cool cake on a rack for 10 minutes then unmold.

Lavender Honey Ice Cream – adapted from Ice Creams and Sorbets by Lou Seibert Pappas

2 cups half-and-half milk or milk
4 lavender tea bags
3 large egg yolks
2/3 cup honey
1 cup heavy (whipping) cream

Prepare a large bowl or pan of ice water

In the top of a double boiler, heat the half-and-half and lavender over simmering water until steaming. Remove from the heat and steep for 10 minutes. In a bowl, whisk the egg yolks until blended, then whisk in the honey. Whisk in about half of the hot half-and-half then pour the yolk mixture into the pan of half-and –half. Sir and cook over simmering water until the custard coats the back of a silicone spoon or spatula, about 10 minutes. Immediately place the custard pan in the ice bath and stir the custard occasionally until it cools to room temperature. Strain the custard into a container and discard the lavender. Stir in the cream, cover, and refrigerate until thoroughly chilled, about 3 hours.

Freeze in an ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Transfer to a container, cover, and freeze until firm, about 2 hours.

Makes about 1 Quart.

Chocolate and Lavender....wonderful memories of Provence...

Until we bake again
Penny

Crispy......Chewy......Warm...Chocolatey The Ultimate Chocolate Chip Cookie!

When I was growing up in Montreal and living at home, my father and I sat around the kitchen table each evening and chatted about the day over milk and cookies. They were Sadie's cookies of course, as my mom always had something freshly baked. Recently my Dad came to visit us in Toronto and we had our milk and cookies again....and life was good....

In July of this year (2008) David Leite wrote in the NY Times about the perfect chocolate chip cookie. Bloggers all over the world tested the recipe. I finally made it and when I asked Dan what he thought...his response was "OMG...they are awesome!"

The recipe was developed after the NY Times visited the best New York City Bakeries and talked to experts in the field.

Why is this cookie awesome? First...you need to eat them while they are still warm. Chocolate in its warm and melty state is ....ummmmm.

Next...The dough rests 36 hours before baking! It is all about hydration ...allowing the dough and the other ingredients to absorb all the liquid.

And then there is size - a five inch cookie allows for three distinct flavours...the crunchy outer ring, the next ring full of flavour and chewiness and then the soft middle.

But really I think what makes this recipe is the chocolate! There are no little chocolate chips in this cookie...instead we have thin couverture, typically used to cover truffles. It melts so nicely and each bite oozes chocolate!

And the finishing touch is a sprinkle of sea salt. Why? Because it brings out the flavour...don't leave it out because it really does make a difference.

Here is the recipe and the link to the NY Times full story.

Adapted from Jacques Torres

Time: 45 minutes (for 1 6-cookie batch), plus at least 24 hours’ chilling

2 cups minus 2 tablespoons (8 1/2 ounces) cake flour
1 2/3 cups (8 1/2 ounces) bread flour
1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons coarse salt

2 1/2 sticks (1 1/4 cups) unsalted butter
1 1/4 cups (10 ounces) light brown sugar
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons (8 ounces) granulated sugar
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons natural vanilla extract
1 1/4 pounds bittersweet chocolate disks or fèves, at least 60 percent cacao content ( I used Guittard Chocolates)
Sea salt.

1. Sift flours, baking soda, baking powder and salt into a bowl. Set aside.
2. Using a mixer fitted with paddle attachment, cream butter and sugars together until very light, about 5 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Stir in the vanilla. Reduce speed to low, add dry ingredients and mix until just combined, 5 to 10 seconds. Drop chocolate pieces in and incorporate them without breaking them. The mixer breaks them a bit. Press plastic wrap against dough and refrigerate for 24 to 36 hours. Dough may be used in batches, and can be refrigerated for up to 72 hours.
3. When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a nonstick baking mat. Set aside.
4. Scoop 6 3 1/2-ounce mounds of dough (the size of generous golf balls) onto baking sheet, making sure to turn horizontally any chocolate pieces that are poking up; it will make for a more attractive cookie. Sprinkle lightly with sea salt and bake until golden brown but still soft, 18 to 20 minutes. Transfer sheet to a wire rack for 10 minutes, then slip cookies onto another rack to cool a bit more. Repeat with remaining dough, or reserve dough, refrigerated, for baking remaining batches the next day. Eat warm, with a big napkin.
Yield: 1 1/2 dozen 5-inch cookies.
Enjoy the ultimate chocolate chip cookie!

Until we bake again...

Penny