Birthday Cake

Well well well. Looks like we’ve found ourselves back at a pretty awesome period of time. Myy birthday time.

Yes. I do like my birthday. Yes, I do act like a little kid and start yelling out that it’s going to be my birthday a month in advance (my roommates can vouch). Yes. I do bake my own birthday cake.

Who says someone else has to bake the cake?? In case you hadn’t noticed, I kinda like to bake. Get over it!!

This cake was special for several reasons. Let me list them off

• It’s my birthday, meaning it achieves automatic special status
• It had TWELVE, read it, a whole dozen eggs
• NO flour. None! what? Crazy!! I know!
• No butter either!

No really, this was a cake, and it wasn’t a diet cake. Do diet cakes even exist? Believe me, there was enough chocolate in this sucker that made up for the lack of butter. What is the point of a diet cake anyways? I am so confused now.

Nope, all twelve egg yolks are mixed with sugar and TONS of delicious melted chocolate. All TWELEVE (it’s crazy really) egg whites are beaten until they begin to take over your house like Strega Nona’s magic pasta pot did when Anthony forgot the magic words to stop it. Great book, check it out.

Some how, these things combine together to make the lightest chocolate you’ve ever eaten. So light, that the original recipe titled it “lighter than air chocolate cake”. I find that hard to believe. Air is pretty light. This comes pretty darn close.

The frosting? Alcoholic whipped cream. No, not like that stuff that started popping up in liquor stores. REAL whipped cream, with real(?) alcohol.

Of course it was fantastic, especially shared among wonderful friends who took time to come celebrate!

On another note – no flour means Passover friendly! I know you’re all excited now!

Let’s get this party started.

Warning- this cake was kinda a pain in the butt. GREASE WELL and you may have a prettier cake than mine.

Cake Ingredients:
12 oz fine-quality bittersweet chocolate (not unsweetened), chopped
6 tablespoons water
12 large eggs, separated, at room temperature
1 1/3 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons Dutch-process unsweetened cocoa powder

NOTE! I ended up using 3 cups heavy cream because I didn’t have enough to make good layers. Either be stingy with your frosting or get more cream!

Frosting:
2 cups heavy cream
6 tablespoons confectioners sugar, sifted
4 tablespoons Grand Marnier*

To make the cake preheat the oven to 350, and GREASEEEEE, line, and grease again 4 cake pans (I used two and changed them out)

Melt chocolate with water on the stove over low heat, stirring frequently to prevent burning. Turn off and let cool to luke warm.

Beat egg yolk 2/3 cup sugar, and salt in a large bowl with a beater until thick and pale (8 minutes with hand mixer). Fold in chocolate.

Beat egg whites in a very large bowl with a clean beater until whites hold soft peaks. Slowly mix in remaining 2/3 cup sugar and beat until stiff peaks (really, beat well). Fold in thirds the whites into the chocolate mixture. Fold gently but thoroughly .

Spread batter in four baking pans and bake until puffed and dry to the touch (anywhere from 15-20 minutes). Cakes will sink a bit in the middle (so sad!).

remove cakes from pans CAREFULLY, and freeze layers for roughly an hour.

To make frosting: Beat cream with sugar and Grand Marnier until whipped cream holds stiff peaks.

Alternate layers of frosting and cake until stacked pretty! (unlike mine). Refrigerate for at least an hour to ensure defrosted cake layers.

I have to apologize. Not only did my cake turn out ugggly (grease your pans!!!), I took really bad pictures of it.

What can I say, a drink in hand and a good conversation can be quite distracting.

Happy baking (and birthday to me )

Leah

Barley Black Bean Salad

 

 

 

I literally have 4 posts partially done.

I have delicious things to report on, that I want you to feel the need to run to your kitchen after reading. Why can’t I just finish them? I’ll get there.

For now I will distract you with a super simple, quick, wonderful grain salad.

I swear I eat real food. I don’t just bake and eat that all day…although that’s not a bad idea.

This is proof! This salad is bright and colorful, chewy from the barley, creamy from the beans, crunchy from the pepper, and gets a note of crisp freshness from the cilantro lime dressing.

Don’t like barley? I don’t like you!

…Just kidding. I love all of you.

Trade it out! I think the original recipe called for rice (borrinng!). I’ve made it with quinoa. I’m sure you could do something crazy like use…wheat berries?

Perfect potluck dish! Just…go make it. I don’t have a whole lot else to say.

Black Bean Salad with Chili Lime Dressing

Ingredients

1 can Black beans

1/2 cup Barley (or grain of choice)

1 to 1 1/2 Colored pepper (use different colors and it’s SUPER pretty!)

1 tomato (optional)

1/2 sweet/red onion (I actually forgot it this time and its fine)

1/2 cup fresh cilantro

dressing

1 lime

1 Tbs olive oil, or more to your preference

1/2 tsp cumin

1/2 tsp chili powder

pinch of cayenne (more if you want it spicier)

salt and pepper to taste

Directions

Bring 1 cup of water to boil in a small pan. Add Barley and simmer for 30-40 minutes or until tender. Chop all vegetables, and wash and chop cilantro. Mix all dressing ingredients together.

Add cooked barley, vegetables and dressing in a bowl and stir!

Makes about 3-4 servings

Super easy right?

Really, the barley should be cooled in the fridge and then all ingredients are mixed, but I am generally hungry by that time, so I just eat it warm. Still good.

On a side note…I definitely made the spice amounts up…just taste it until you think its right. You can always doctor later (welcome to my world of cooking!)

 

NOW!

Take a look at all my pretty pictures that I probably will never post on!

My first ever tomato plants!

I learned that container gardening is amazing

 

 

 

FYI Serrano chilies are hottt

Salsa roastingg!

Blueberry Birthday Cake

 

 

Holy life change Batman!

Wanna hear what’s been going on?

• Graduated with a Master’s
• Started working full time hours
• Moved home briefly
• Boyfriend returned home
• Moved to a new city
• Got my first SALARY and job title!

No biggie.

OH and my computer was broken for like THREE weeks!!!

The combination of switching to the “real world”, moving to a new place (and kitchen…hugeeee kitchen with a GAS STOVE!!), and it being stupid summer hot in the apt has severely limited the bakeage going on in my life.

Never fear, a birthday has once again struck the scene!

My darlin boyfriend has retuned home and obviousllllyyy I wasn’t' going to let the heat and all of my other excuses prevent me from birthday caking!

Summer is a special place in Massachusetts. We’re not California. We don’t cheat and get spoiled with delicious local produce all year round (jerks). So when things are in season, you horde them…enjoy them.

Therefore I chose to make this delicious berry cake!

It’s a vanilla butter cake with blueberries baked INSIDE (um giant blueberry muffin cake?) with a – get this – lemon whipped cream, cream cheese frosting, and of course, decorated with more berries.

 

The cake originally comes from Joy the Baker (sensing a theme?), but I upped the berries in the cake and chose a different frosting, and most likely didn’t measure as accurately. I’m sure you could use whatever berries are in season around you, or even something like peaches, although I would be careful how much water your fruit would add to the cake (either macerate the fruit or try adapting with more flour)

Big Berry Birthday Cake

(or giant blueberry muffin cake) 

from Joy the Baker

2 sticks unsalted butter, softened to room temperature

1 3/4 cups granulated sugar

4 large eggs

1 cup milk (the higher the fat, the more delicious)

1 Tablespoon vanilla extract

1/2 vanilla bean, seeds scraped out ( I didn’t use this but it would be SO good)

2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 Pint blueberries plus more berries of any type to decorate wtih

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Butter and flour two 8-inch round baking pans WELL and set aside.  DO THIS! Otherwise your muffin-like cake will end up sticking to the pan and you will break it trying to get it out and then you will glue it back together with frosting and then it will break and fall into your boyfriends lap when he is sitting on your very slanted porch. (don’t worry…he caught it and ate it)

Cream the butter and sugar on medium speed for 3 to 5 minutes or until light and fluffy.  Add the eggs, one at a time, beating for one minute after each addition.  

In a small bowl whisk together flour baking powder and salt.  

In a separate small bowl combine the milk, vanilla extract and vanilla seeds (if using).  

Alternate adding the flour mixture and the milk mixture in three batches, starting and ending with the flour.  When the batter is just combined, shut off the mixture and thoroughly incorporate the dough with a rubber spatula. the batter should be this awesome fluffy light texture. DON’T beat it too much. Carefully add in roughly a pint or less (I used about a big handful under) of blueberries, and barely mix in.

Divide the batter between the two pans.

Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, or until a pale golden color, and a skewer inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean.  

Let the cakes cool in the pan for 15 minutes, and continue on a wire rack.  Frost and berry only when cakes are completely cool.  

Lemon-Whipped Cream-Cream Cheese Frosting

1 lemon zested and juiced

1 Pint of whipping or heavy cream

8 oz of cream cheese

1 Tbs of sugar

1 splash of vanilla extract

pinch of salt

In a chilled bowl, beat together all ingredients except for the heavy cream. Once everything is nicely mixed, beat in the cream until stiff (but not too stiff!) peaks form. Chill until ready to frost. (isn’t whipped cream easy?)

To assemble the cake, cut berries (if using something like strawberries to decorate) into pretty slices. Frost bottom layer and cover with berries of choice. Stack top cake layer and cover with remaining frosting. Decorate with berries. Impress everyone with deliciousness!

 

So good! It was summery and wonderful.

Happy birthday Sam!

-Leah

Pyrex Bread Pudding

Leah moved out a little over two weeks ago, and it is 2 more til we move back in together (Miss you, Leah!) When she was moving out, she asked me if I wanted her to leave any baking supplies. I furiously shook my head, mentioned something about not wanting the responsibility of any subletters damaging or breaking anything, and spouted off a line about probably not baking much anyway. Of course the next day was spent kicking myself for having had turned down the offer to hold on to: a muffin tin, cake pans, cooling rack, casserole dish, cookie sheet, loaf pan, measuring cups, etc.

Because I logistically could not bake anything, I had the overwhelming desire to do it. I frantically looked around for ANYTHING I could bake in. After contemplating some ceramic bowls (I don't recommend using them unless specifically oven proof - the glaze could melt and release dangerous chemicals into your food, not to mention it would heat very irregularly) I spotted the pyrex measuring cup. It is made from the same stuff as the baking dish, right? I did some research and decided to go for it. The beauty happens to be a 4 cup measuring cup, and I HIGHLY suggest getting one if you don't already have one.
I had made a few large boules of wheat bread a few days before and found my last one stale and hard as a rock. Instead of carrying it around as a weapon I decided to salvage it by making some bread pudding.

The following recipe is a basic one adapted from epicurious that can be dressed up in a ton of ways. It makes 5-6 servings.

4 Cups of stale bread (pretty much anything will work, you can even toast it a bit)
4 Tablespoons unsalted butter (1/2 stick) melted
3/4 Cup white sugar
3 Eggs
2 Cups milk
2 Tablespoons vanilla extract (I didn't have any, so I used amaretto again)
1 Teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 Teaspoon nutmeg

Grease/butter a small casserole dish (in my case it was the pyrex measuring cup) and preheat the oven to 350 F. Saw the bread into bite sized pieces. If your bread is as stale as mine was, you may need a real saw... In a bowl combine the butter, sugar, eggs, milk, vanilla extract, cinnamon and nutmeg. Lay the bread in the dish and pour your mixture over the top, making sure to get the bread nice and saturated. Stir if you need to ensure it is all soaked. Bake for 40 min and serve hot or cold.




















The pudding can be made more custard-y by adding additional eggs. You can also add in things like raisins or other dried fruit, nuts, chocolate chips, etc. I kept mine pretty simple and polished it all off in 2 days...

So much for not baking!
~Kai

Oh My God, We’re Back Again (Cinnamon Sugar Pull-Apart Bread)

 

Which brings me to two points.

First. Um the Backstreet Boys are actually back? That’s like…wrong. I loved them-when I was thirteen!! As in, they are OLD. I’m not sure how I feel about this

Second, I definitely started this recipe a few days ago, yelling at Kai for never being present EVER on this blog. BUT he surprised me by posting!

Kai-Can we vow to post more? I vow to post more.

Readers-You should vow to comment more!

Now that we’re all vowed up. Let’s bake.

Cinnamon sugar pull-apart bread

Magic bread.

It’s a sweet  yeast doughy bread that is slathered with  browned butter and cinnamon and sugar.

The dough is then cut into long strips and stacked up, and cut again into squares. Then the stacks are stuffed into a loaf pan where it chills out and grows (ugh waiting sucks).

Then after 30 minutes of baking, this warm, soft, cinnamon sugar wonderland is released from the oven. Your house will smell good, your dog will smell good, even your dirty laundry may smell good.

 

Swimsuit season? Er…sorry, that one may need to wait a bit longer (especially with Kai over there posting Guinness cupcakes)

But this bread is warm, sugary-buttery-reminds me of cinnamon toast mornings good! It’s pull it apart (duh) and shove happiness into your mouth good. It’s roommate clean your damn dishes before I chuck them at you, but first have some bread  good. It’s boyfriend- I’m so sorry for doing whatever that stupid thing was that I did, here have some delicious bread and forget everything good

Swimsuit? psh.

Does your swimsuit hold you at night and solve all of your problems? …Neither does this bread, but it will make you forget about your troubles for a few minutes.

Cinnamon Sugar Pull-Apart Bread

Makes: one 9x5x3-inch loaf

Recipe adapted from Joy the baker (go check it out…she takes much better pictures than I do)

Dough:

· 2 3/4 cups plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

· 1/4 cup granulated sugar

· 2 1/4 teaspoons (1 envelope) active dry yeast

· 1/2 teaspoon salt

· 2 ounces unsalted butter

· 1/3 cup whole milk

· 1/4 cup water

· 2 large eggs, at room temperature

· 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

 Filling:

· 1 cup granulated sugar

· 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

· 1/2 teaspoon fresh ground nutmeg

· 2 ounces unsalted butter, melted until browned

In a large mixing bowl mix  2 cups flour, sugar, yeast, and salt.  Set aside.

Whisk together eggs and set aside.

In a small saucepan, melt together milk and butter until butter has just melted.  Remove from the heat and add water and vanilla extract.  Let mixture stand for a minute or two

Pour the milk mixture into the dry ingredients and stir.  Add the eggs and stir the mixture until the eggs are incorporated into the batter.  Add the remaining 3/4 cup of flour and stir with the spatula for about 2 minutes.  The mixture will be sticky.  

Place the dough is a large,  greased bowl.  Cover with plastic wrap and a clean kitchen towel.  Place in a warm space and allow to rest until doubled in size, about 1 hour.  *The dough can be risen until doubled in size, then refrigerated overnight for use in the morning.  If you’re using this method, just let the dough rest on the counter for 30 minutes before following the roll-out directions below.

While the dough rises, whisk together the sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg for the filling.  Set aside.  Melt 2 ounces of butter, STIRRING FREQUENTLY until browned.  Set aside.  Grease and flour a 9x5x3-inch  loaf pan.  

Deflate the risen dough and knead about 2 tablespoons of flour into the dough.  Cover with a clean kitchen towel and let rest for 5 minutes.  On a lightly floured work surface, roll the dough out.  The dough should be 12-inches tall and about 20-inches long.  If you can’t get the dough to 20-inches long… that’s okay.  Just roll it as large as the dough will go.  Use a pastry brush to spread melted butter across all of the dough.  Sprinkle with all of the sugar and cinnamon mixture.

Slice the dough vertically, into six equal-sized strips.  Stack the strips on top of one another and slice the stack into six equal slices once again.  You’ll have six stacks of six squares.  Layer the dough squares in the loaf pan like a flip-book.  Place a kitchen towel over the loaf pan and allow in a warm place for 30 to 45 minutes or until almost doubled in size.

Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees F.  Place loaf in the oven and bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until the top is very golden brown.  The top may be lightly browned, but the center may still be raw.  A nice, dark, golden brown will ensure that the center is cooked as well.

Remove from the oven and allow to rest for 20 to 30 minutes.   Run a butter knife around the edges of the pan to loosen the bread and invert onto  a clean board. EAT

 

So good. Maybe I’ll start writing about all the light summery things I make too…

Eh.

Happy baking!

Leah