I Blog What I Bake

One of the best bits of summertime is all of the fresh fruit and not only it’s availability, but it’s cost! I can finally buy a pint of raspberries for under $4.  Yay!

I love raspberries. They are one of my favorite fruits and one of the few raw fruits that my husband is not horribly allergic to.  That being said, I try to get these little berries into as many recipes as I can. This is the first time I tried putting them into cupcakes. Truth be told, they did not turn out as expected in the first go around. I over-beat the batter and turned them into raspberry muffins. Tasty? Yes. Cupcakes? No.  So, a word to the wise, DO NOT put the raspberries into the batter whole. Chop half, puree half and then FOLD them into the batter.

I made two options for the topping to go on these cupcakes because I couldn’t decided which I wanted to use, so I used both. The first is a raspberry cream cheese frosting, the second is chocolate ganache topped with a whole raspberry. One note, if you do the ganache it is best to serve them fairly soon after adding the ganache. I like my ganache a little more liquid than set.

Raspberry Cupcakes Recipe
Basic Vanilla Cupcake Recipe from “Magnolia Bakery”.

1 1/2 cups self-rising flour
1 1/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter softened
2 cups sugar
4 large eggs, at room temperature
1 cup whole milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 pint fresh raspberries

Raspberry Cream Cheese Frosting

1 8oz package of cream cheese, at room temperature
1 stick butter, at room temperature
3 cups confectioners sugar
1 pint fresh raspberries

Chocolate Ganache

8oz semisweet or bittersweet chocoloate
3/4 cup heavy whipping cream
2 tablespoons unslated butter

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Line two muffin tins with cupcake papers.  In a small bowl, combine the flours and set aside.

Chop one half of the raspberries. Set aside. Puree, or just mush with a fork, the remaining raspberries. Set aside.

In a large bowl, on the medium speed of hand held mixer, cream the butter until it’s smooth. Add the sugar and beat until fluffy. About 3 minutes. Add the eggs, one a time, beating well after each addition.

Add the dry ingredients in 3 parts, alternating with the milk and the vanilla. With each addition, beat until the ingredients are incorporated but do not over-beat! (unless you want muffins)

Using a rubber spatula, scrape down the batter in the bowl to make sure the ingredients are well blended.

Fold the chopped and pureed raspberries into the batter

Carefully spoon batter into cupcake liners, filling them about 3 quarters full. Bake for 20-25 minutes. Allow to cool in the muffin tin for 10 minutes before removing them and placing them on a baking rack to cool completely.

Now, for the cream cheese frosting.

Cream together the cream cheese and the butter. Slowly beat in the confectioners sugar one cup at at time. Beat in 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla. Add 1 pint of raspberries and beat until incorporated. Spread, or pipe, over cooled cupcakes.

For the chocolate ganache…

Place chopped chocolate into a heat resistant bowl. Set aside.  Heat cream and butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Bring just to a boil. Immediately pour the boiling cream mixture over the chopped chocolate. Allow it to stand for about 5 minutes. Whisk until smooth. Gently spoon ganache over cooled cupcakes and top with a fresh raspberry.

Enjoy!!

Sugar and spice and everything nice. That is what I think of when I think of this cake.  It was so sweet and comforting and just plain good!  This recipe has already been on two food blogs that I know of, but I just couldn’t resist making it. The original recipe comes from Smitten Kitchen and Hot Polka Dot featured the cake just over a week ago. I made a couple of super minor adjustments and added the drizzle.  My first attempt at the cake didn’t quite go as planned. I ignored one of my own baking rules. DON’T RUSH. Every time I rush I make mistakes and this was no exception. Let’s just say a tablespoon and a teaspoon of baking powder produce very different results indeed.  So don’t bake rushed, don’t bake distracted and don’t drink and bake. Bad things happen.  Anyway, the second go around worked out perfectly and produced very delicious cakes!

Apple Cake
Adapted from Smitten Kitchen, “Mom’s Apple Cake”, www. smittenkitchen.com

6 macintosh apples – peeled, cored and cut thin
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon nutmeg
5 tablespoons of sugar

2 3/4 cups flour, sifted
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon of nutmeg
1 teaspoon of cinnamon
1 teaspoon of salt
1 cup vegetable oil
2 cups sugar
1/4 cup fresh squeezed orange juice
1 tablespoon fresh orange zest
4 eggs

Cream Cheese Drizzle
Courtesy of My Baking Addiction, www.mybakingaddiction.com

4 oz. of cream cheese, softened
1 tablespoon unsalted butter, softened
2 cups confectioners sugar
1/2 teaspoon of pure vanilla extract

The original recipe called for a tube pan. I don’t have one, so I used two 9 inch cake pans instead. Having two cakes is never a bad thing. Line the bottom of the pans with parchment paper and butter and flour the pan.

Peel, core and chop up six macintosh apples and place in a mixing bowl.  Stir cinnamon, sugar and nutmeg into the apples and set aside.

Sift together flour, salt, baking powder, cinnamon and nutmeg together in a large mixing bowl. In a separate bowl whisk together oil, vanilla, orange juice and zest.  Mix the wet ingredients into the dry ones.  Next, add eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition.  Scrape down the sides of the bowl to make sure all the ingredients are incorporated. Note: this dough is thick and sticky!!  (At first I thought I did something wrong.)

Pour half the batter into the pans. Because it’s so sticky you will have to work it to the sides with spatula.  Layer half of the apples on top of the batter. Pour the remaining batter on top and then finish with another layer of apples. Be patient with it.

Bake in a 350 oven for approximately 50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cakes comes out clean.  Allow to cool in pans for 10 minutes. Turn out of the pan, remove the parchment paper and allow to cool completely on baking racks.

Now for the cream cheese drizzle.

In a medium sized bowl, cream together the cream cheese and the butter. Add the confectioners sugar, alternating with the milk and vanilla and beat until it reaches desired consistency. If it’s too think to drizzle, add more milk. If it’s too watery add more sugar.  I used a squeezy bottle to apply  the drizzle. You can also pipe it with a pastry bag.

Slice it up and enjoy with good cup of coffee!

Cheesecake. You know its bad for you and that’s why you love it.  Every time you have a slice of cheesecake you can’t help but feel a little naughty and a little dangerous. It’s one of the top five desserts in America and there are hundreds of varieties (it’s a very versatile dessert).  Just look at the dessert menu at the Cheesecake Factory…clearly we love our cheesecakes.

The recipe posted today is a hybrid. The cake recipe comes from my Uncle Peter, who is an excellent chef,  and the Oreo crust and raspberry topping I added myself.  I like the flavor and color combination.  The raspberry topping is also hiding the fact that I somewhat over-baked the cake and the top got all brown. Cheesecake tops should be as cream colored and smooth as possible. Mine was not. In comes the fruit. In the end I was happy I added the raspberries because it made the cheesecake just that much more rich and delicious.

OBSCENELY DECADENT CHEESECAKE
Recipe adapted from Peter Jones

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees

OREO CRUST
18 Oreos processed until fine
5 Tablespoons of unsalted butter, melted,

CHEESECAKE FILLING
2 ½ pounds of cream cheese ( 5 8oz packages), left to stand at room temp for about thirty to forty minutes
1/8 teaspoon of kosher salt
1 ½ cups of white granulated sugar
1/3 cup of sour cream
2 teaspoons fresh squeezed lemon juice
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
2 large egg yolks plus six large whole eggs

RASPBERRY TOPPING
1 ½ Cups raspberry jelly (not jam and not preserves)
2-3 half pints of fresh raspberries (depends on how loaded up with berries you want the cake)
1/2 teaspoon of fresh lemon juice

First things first, make the crust.  Put all of the Oreos into a food processor and process until fine. There shouldn’t be any big Oreo chunks left. With the food processor still on, slowly pour in the melted butter and process until incorporated. If you don’t have a food processor, put them in a ziploc freezer bag and beat the heck out of them with a rolling pin or other heavy object. Pour the crumbs and the butter into a bowl and mix together.

Pour the crumb/butter mixture into a springform pan and press the mixture until it covers the bottom of the pan and a little of the sides. Make sure there aren’t any gaps.  Bake the crust at 325 degrees for 13 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool while preparing the cheesecake filling.

Time for the filling. Place all the cream cheese into a stand mixer, fitted with a paddle attachment, or a large bowl. (At this stage you should hear you arteries start to softly whimper.) Beat the cream cheese at medium-low speed until broken up and soft. About one minute. Scrape down the sides of bowl and paddle (or beaters).

Add the salt and half of the sugar and beat at medium-low speed until combined. Scrape down bowl and paddle. Add the remaining sugar and beat until combined. Scrape bowl – sensing a theme yet? Add sour cream, lemon juice and vanilla and beat at low speed until combined. Scrape bowl.

Add the two egg yolks and beat at medium-low speed until combined. Yup, scrape the bowl. Add the whole eggs two at a time, beating until thoroughly combined and scraping the bowl between additions.

Brush the sides of the springform pan with melted butter. Pour the filling into the cooled crust.

Wrap the bottom of the pan with foil (prevents water from getting in) and place into a water bath. A roasting pan is the only pan I had that was big enough. Fill water a little less than half way up the pan. Place the whole thing into an oven that has been preheated to 325 degrees and bake for approximately 1 1/2 hours. KEEP AN EYE ON IT. I should have been watching it closely at around the 1 hour mark. It was some where between 60-90 minutes that it browned on me.

Here it is. My brown wrinkely cheesecake. Oy. It still tasted great. Anyway, once the cheesecake is out of the oven leave it in the springform pan until almost completely cooled, about 2 1/2 hours. Once cooled, release from pan, cover with plastic wrap and set it in the fridge to set completely. At least another 3 hours.

I have zero pictures of the next part. Bear with me. Place the raspberry jelly in a small saucepan over low heat until the the jelly has liquefied. About 5 minutes. Stir in a teaspoon of lemon juice. Place fresh raspberries into a bowl and our the liquid jelly over the berries. Gently stir until all the berries are coated. Pour over the top of the cake. Cover with plastic wrap and pop it back into the fridge. Preferably overnight.

So, the next time you feel like indulging yourself with a dangerously delicious dessert this cheesecake recipe should just about do it.  Thanks for reading and thank you Uncle Peter for the recipe! Enjoy! I know I will.

After multiple guest blog posts over on I Blog What I Eat, the iBlog folks have given me my own blog! I now have you all to myself. Welcome to I Blog What I Bake!

So you all know, I am not a trained pastry chef and I’ve never so much as taken a single class at a pastry school.  I’m an experimenter and I bake because I love it and I love sharing my baked goods with others. (Although I think my husband is convinced I just enjoy destroying the kitchen a few times a week.)  Most of what I will make for this blog I have never made before.  The recipes will be an assortment of of my own creations, other food bloggers recipes and tasty treats from various food magazines and TV shows. I promise to blog my kitchen catastrophes (believe me, there are plenty) as well as the happy moments.  If you want to know more about me I will eventually get around to posting a mini-bio in the “WHO” section.  Okay, on with today’s post!

On Wednesday my niche of the country got inundated with snow. Trapped in the house with nothing to do, I decided to make what came to be known as a Chocolate Snowball Cake. Fitting given the 20 inches of snow that was falling at the time. This is a dark chocolate cake with cream cheese frosting that has been smothered in shredded coconut.  The idea for the flavor combination came courtesy of  “The Best Thing I Ever Ate” on the Food Network. (One of the chefs was raving about a similar cupcake.)  There wasn’t a recipe available, so I just took my favorite dark chocolate cake recipe(thank you Hershey’s), my own cream cheese frosting recipe and a couple of bags of shredded coconut and went to town.  A bit of advice, have a vacuum handy. The coconut gets EVERYWHERE.

CHOCOLATE SNOWBALL CAKE RECIPE

DARK CHOCOLATE CAKE

Courtesy of herseyskitchens.com
2 cups granulated sugar
1 3/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
3/4 cups dark cocoa powder (Hersey’s Special Dark)
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 eggs (room temperature)
1 cup whole milk
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup boiling water
2 9 inch cake pans
Parchment Paper

Preheat oven to  350 degrees

JILL’S CREAM CHEESE FROSTING RECIPE
2 8oz blocks of  room temperature cream cheese
1 stick of room temperature butter
2 cups confectioners sugar
3 tablespoons of whole milk
1 - 1 1/2 cups of Cool Whip (I tend to eyeball this part)
1 1/2 bags of sweetened shredded coconut for topping

Here is just about everything you are going to need. I like to get everything I will be using out all at once. Nothing is worse than searching for ingredients half way through only to learn that you don’t have a key element. I have done this before and it has resulted in 10pm excursions to the grocery store.  Totally ruins the baking “mood”.

Before you do anything else, line two 9 inch cake pans with parchment paper and butter and flour them. As I have mentioned in other posts, this will seriously reduce the amount of praying you will have to do when it comes time to turn the cakes out of the pan.

After you are done prepping the pans, combine the sugar, flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a large bowl. Sifting of these ingredients is highly recommended.

Add the eggs, milk, oil and vanilla and beat on medium speed of an electric mixer for about 2 minutes. Next, STIR in the boiling water. The only reason I can think of for stirring and not beating here is the chance for boiling hot water to go flying. Not usually a good thing. Just a note, this batter will be thin.  Pour the batter evenly into the prepared pans and place in the center of an oven preheated to 350 degrees and bake for 30-35 minutes. The time depends on your oven.  You can check the progress by sticking a toothpick into the center of the cake. When it comes out clean, your cake is done!

Once the cake is out of the oven let it cool in the pans for about 10 minutes.

After 10 minutes, turn the cake out onto a wire baking rack and let them cool completely. Remember to remove the parchment paper from the bottom of the cakes!

Time for the frosting! The picture above is the only one I remembered to take while making the frosting, so written instructions is all  you’re going to get here. Place the cream cheese and butter in a large bowl and beat on medium-high speed of an electric mixer until combined and creamy. Alternately add the milk and confectioners sugar , starting and ending with the sugar.  Next, beat in the Cool Whip until combined and frosting has reached spreading consistency. If you are wondering why I add Cool Whip, it’s because I often find cream cheese frosting’s to heavy. The Cool Whip was a nice easy way to lighten up the consistency.

Please forgive the funky pictures. They are a somewhat blurry and the lighting is odd. I will get better at this. Promise. ANYWAY, take one of the layers and place it on cake stand. I like to line the cake stand with pieces of parchment paper so I don’t get icing all over it. Spread a nice even layer of frosting onto the cake and generously sprinkle with shredded coconut. You don’t need a ton of frosting here, just enough to hold the layers together.

Next, apply the top layer and scoop all of the remaining icing onto the top of the cake.  Using an offset spatula (or whatever you have handy) slowly work the icing over the cake and down around the sides until it has been evenly distributed and cake is completely covered.  Generously sprinkle coconut all over the top of the cake. This is supposed to look like snowball after all. Next comes the fun part. The only way to get coconut onto the side of the cake is basically by throwing it at the cake.  Have at it. Your cake is now complete!

Thanks everyone for checking out my blog!  Please follow me and all the other iBlog sites! On that note, www.iblogwhatieat.comis having a contest for McCormick & Schmick’s gift cards for Valentine’s Day. Go check it out!