Archive for October, 2006
Occasionally, you’ll see a blogger write in that “real” life – in some form – got in the way of blogging and interrupted their flow. I have to say that I, too, recently had that very same conflict and. as a result, my posting schedule was interrupted. I had a busy couple of weeks and, to cap it all off, it was my birthday. I don’t apologize for that last bit, but I do apologize to everyone who enjoys visiting my blog as much as I enjoy writing it. I’ll try to get back on a more regular posting schedule.
But first, here are some cupcakes that I made in honor of my birthday. Don’t worry – I had a “real” cake, too, and I suspect that I may yet have another cake before the week is up. This is just something quick that I through together, taking the very easy eggless chocolate cake and making it a little bit richer by using buttermilk in place of milk and melted butter in place of oil. They’re quite chocolaty, but they are also light and moist. I think that the buttermilk and butter make them have a little more depth than the recipe with oil, but they are both excellent. I think that this serves as a good example of how some substitutions can be made in recipes and still produce good results. You do, however, have to take into account the properties of the things you are substituting. In this case, I reduced the amount of vinegar in the mix because the buttermilk is acidic.
For the cake in the picture, I used lightly sweetened whipped cream as a “frosting.”
But my favorite part was blowing out the candle.
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Lime and vanilla really is a fantastic flavor combination, although it’s not necessarily the first one you might think of when it comes to desserts. Lemon and orange are far more popular when it comes to citrus, but lime deserves a role at least as prominent.
In this chiffon cake, lime really plays a starring role and many will be surprised to find that it isn’t overpowering in the least. The cake is sweet with a great citrust tast, and much less tart than other lime desserts, such as key lime pies. I think that the glaze is a nice touch and included simple instructions after the cake recipe, though I should hope that you all will know how to make a simple glaze with powdered sugar after the number of times I’ve mentioned it here!
This cake is moist, light and very tender. Even though it is an egg-based cake, it doesn’t taste overly “eggy,” but has that plesant springy texture that sponge cakes have. It goes extremely well with berries, but is equally good on its own if berries aren’t available.
You’ll note that the recipe calls for sifted cake flour. Simply sift more flour than you think you’ll need onto a sheet of parchment paper, then spoon it up to fill the measuring cups to the desired amount. Funnel the rest of the flour back into its box/bag for next time. The flour is so light that the amount (i.e. the weight) will be too much if you sift after measuring, so be sure to do it first!
One other thing to note is that the egg whites should be at room temperature to whip up to their full volume. Eggs are easier to separate when they are cold, so separate the yolks and whites (disposing of the extra yolk) into two small bowls, cover with plastic wrap and let sit out for about an hour or so before beginning.
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If you have ever stayed at a Doubletree Hotel, you will probably remember only one thing about your visit: they give guests warm chocolate chip cookies at check in, and pretty much any time you feel like wandering down to the main desk to get one. And the cookies are fantastic: warm, chewy, packed with chocolate chips and nuts (yes, even I liked the nuts in these cookies, though I usually omit them at home).
Many recipes claim to be the real Doubletree version, but this recipe is the closest that I have found. It makes cookies that are large, chewy and dangerously addictive. I make them about hald the size that the recipe recommends (2 tbsp instead of 1/4 cup) and only sometimes chill the dough. In either case, they turn out well. The only thing you have to watch is the baking time, because these can go from done to over-done in less than a minute.
The cinnamon is minimal and not really present in the final cookie, it just adds to the depth of flavor. The vinegar adds a lightness to the cookie, really giving the baking soda something to react with.
Now, in all honesty, I can’t say that this really is the recipe for Doubletree’s chocolate chip cookies and unless I ordered some online and did a side-by-side taste comparison, I can’t even guarantee that they will taste exactly the same. What I can guarantee is that these are excellent cookies that are at least as good as the original Doubletrees that inspired this.
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I wanted to try this recipe for a very long time. Land O’ Lakes (yes, the butter company) has a great recipe section on their website and I frequently browse through it when I don’t have anything in particular in mind to make. Their pictures are tempting and since this is the very first entry in their Bars and Brownies section, it stared up at me every time I opened the page. This time, I finally made them.
The main reason why these look relatively almond-free for a bar cookie with “almond” in the name is that I left off the slivered almonds that were supposed to be sprinkled on top. By the time they came out of the oven and cooled, I discovered that I no longer felt like bothering with the icing, either. I love the almond flavor, but I generally prefer my cookies nut-free, so it didn’t surprise me when I liked these cookies just as I (lazily) made them.
The entry describes them as “a cross between a cookie and a slice of coffeecake,” though I would just say that they are fairly cakelike, but slightly dense, cookies. I thought that the texture went well with the almond flavoring (and a cup of coffee), which was strong and would have been far too overpowering in a fudgier sort of bar. The recipe was easy to make and the individual cookies look lovely, though they are on the small side and you might want to make a double batch if you’re expecting to share.
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I know that I’ve mentioned before how I don’t like breakfast to be a fattening affair. Once in a while? Sure, but because I really enjoy breakfast foods and want to have them more than once in a blue moon, I like to work out ways to have my cake – waffles, in this case – and eat it, too.
These waffles are based on a recipe that a friend gave to me, so I’m not sure where they originated, but when I first made them I was surprised that they came out as well as they did. After all, waffles are usually generous about the amount of fat that they use, so to see a recipe for a waffle that didn’t use butter, oil or eggs, but still turned out to be quite tender and, if you grease the iron well, they will come out crisp, just as you would expect any other waffles to. Greasing the iron is very important with this recipe because they can stick even in a nonstick pan.
The waffles are flavored with a combination of spices that is often used in apple pies and other apple-flavored baked goods. It brings out the subtle sweetness of the applesauce and goes very well with maple syrup.
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