What's Baking?

Shoofly Pie

Hard to believe I grew up less than 30 miles from Amish Country and never had shoofly pie. It seems it’s been around since the 1880s and was a breakfast staple with a good strong cup of coffee before going out to work the fields. You’ll find quite a few great shoofly pie recipes on-line. I like to modify to make things my own. Sometimes they work…sometimes they don't. This one did.

What you will need:

Equipment:

9-inch Pie Plate

Rolling Pin

Pie Weights

Parchment

Large Pyrex Bowl

Food Processor

A 12-inch pie crust for filling. Rolling pins and I seem to have trouble relating to one another but on the pie here I made the crust- but you can easily just use store-bought.

For the filling:

¾ Cups boiling water

¾ cup dark molasses

½ teaspoon cinnamon

¼ teaspoon ground ginger

¼ teaspoon ground cloves

¼ t baking soda

2 cups all-purpose flour

2/4 cup light brown sugar packed

¾ cup of cold butter cubed

Here we go….

Step 1. Preheat your over to 400˚ and grease a 9-inch pie dish. (You can use cooking spray or butter).

Step 2. Blind Bake the pie crust. Blind baking allows you to get a flaky baked crust before you fill the thing. I use porcelain pie weights but you can also use beans. Cut a piece of parchment to goes under the pie weights- it should also cover the sides. Place on the center rack in the oven.

Bake 18 to 20 minutes with the pie weights
Remove the parchment and the pie weights and bake 10 minutes more. Careful not to burn.
Remove from the oven and let the pie crust cool completely
Turn your over down to 350˚

Step 3. Combine the following in a large Pyrex or other ovenproof bowl and then let cool for 10 minutes.

¾ Cup of boiling water
¾ Cup of dark molasses
1.2 t cinnamon
1.4 teaspoon ground ginger
1.4 teaspoon of ground cloves
½ teaspoon of baking soda

Step 4. In a food processor combine the following in order. Pulse and process until it has the consistency of sand.

2 cups of all-purpose flour
2/3 cup of light brown sugar packed
½ teaspoon of kosher salt

Step 5. Now add in ¾ cup of butter cubed a bit at a time until crumbly.

Step 6. Fill the pie shell with the cooled molasses mix.

Step 7. Layer the flour crumbly mixture on top. Do not press it into molasses.

Step 8. Bake at 350˚ for 25 mins or until set (tap with your finger to test). Remove from oven and let cool before cutting.

Swiss Hazelnut Cake

This was quite the experience. The one big lesson I learned is to exercise the gentlest of care when you are folding the egg whites into the batter for you see, it is the egg whites that give the cake its lift, sponge, and lightness. Better that then a Swiss brick. I looked at many recipes in books and on the Internet and tweaked and futzed (two of my favorite technical baking terms).

What you will need:

Equipment:

2 9in round cake pans

Parchment

Baking Spray

Rubber spatula/scraper

Food Processor or Nut Grinder

Stand Mixer

Vegetable Grater (large hole)

Offset Spatula

Cake Stand

Turntable

Small Baking Sheet

Metal Serving Spoon

For the Cake:

½ cup of hazelnuts

1 ¼ cup of cake flour*

1 cup of sugar

1 ½ teaspoons of baking powder

½ teaspoon of salt

½ cup canola or vegetable oil (I prefer canola- lighter texture)

¼ water

3 larger egg yolks

5 large egg whites

3 teaspoons of vanilla extract

¼ teaspoon cream of tarter

For the Cream Frosting:

1½ cups of unsalted butter (3 US sticks) softened

¼ teaspoon salt

1½ cups confectioner’s sugar

1 13-Ounce jar of Kraft Jet-Puffed Marshmallow Crème

2 tablespoons of Hazelnut liqueur (Frangelico)

6-8 Ounces of bittersweet baking chocolate

* TIP If you don't have cake flour you can make your own. For each cup of all-purpose flour remove 2 tablespoons of the flour. Then add 2 tablespoons of cornstarch and sift.

THE CAKE

Step 1.

Preheat over to 350°

Step 2.

Cut 2 pieces of parchment to fit the bottom of each pan.
Then grease the parchment and the sides of each pan with baking spray.

Step 3.

Place your ½ cup of hazelnuts on a baking sheet lined with foil and bake for 12 minutes at 350°.
Remove them and let them cool for about 10 minutes.
Once cooled place them in a kitchen towel, fold the towel over, and then roll the nuts in the towel to remove the skins.
Then place in a food processor with blade and grind until fine.

Step 4.

In your first mixing bowl whisk together

1 ¼ cup of cake flour
1 cup of sugar
1 ½ teaspoons of baking powder
½ teaspoon of salt

and then after those ingredients are combined

½ cup of ground hazelnuts

Step 5.

In your second mixing bowl hand mix :

½ cup canola or vegetable oil (I prefer canola- lighter texture)
¼ water
3 larger egg yolks
3 teaspoons of vanilla extract

Step 6.

Pour the liquid contents of bowl 2 into bowl one and stir until combined in a batter.

Step 7.

In your stand mixer using the whisk attachment whip:

5 large egg whites
¼ teaspoon of cream of tarter
Whip until it forms stiff peaks

Step 8.

Spoon 1/3 third of the egg whites into the batter then using whisk lightly mix.

Step 9.

DANGER! Now you are going to carefully and lightly fold the remaining egg whites into the batter by hand using a spatula.
Be gentle and do not over mix. If you over mix the cake will be dense- and you’ll feel dense for making the over mixing mistake!

Step 10.

Divide the batter evenly between the two parchment-lined and greased cake pans.

Step 11.

Bake at 350° in the center rack of the oven for 13 minutes and then rotate the pans and bake for 8-10 mins or until the cake springs back to the touch.
Remove from the oven and let cool in the pans on the rack for at least 15 minutes.
After that run an offset spatula around the edges and turn out on to the cooling racks and peel off the parchment. Let cakes cool completely!

Step 12.

Line the small baking sheet with a piece of parchment. Put the lined baking sheet, the metal serving spoon the 6-8 Ounces of bittersweet baking chocolate, and the grater into the freezer.

THE FROSTING

Step 1.

Prepare the stand mixer with the whisk attachment and whip the following on medium until it is smooth
1½ cups of unsalted butter (3 US sticks) softened
¼ teaspoon salt

Step 2.

Reduce speed to slow and add
1½ cups confectioner’s sugar a little bit at a time once combined turn up the speed to medium and whip for 3 minutes until smooth.
Stop every once and a while and scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula.

Step 3.

Turn the speed down to low and add
13 ounces of marshmallow cream. (this can get super sticky and messy but it will be worth it!)
Turn up the speed to medium and whip until fluffy (5-6 minutes)

Step 4.

The speed down to low and add
2 tablespoons of Hazelnut liqueur (Frangelico). Turn speed up to high for a quick mix in.

Step 5.

Ice the cake.

Put the first layer on a cake stand and put the cake stand on the turntable (I use a simple Lazy Susan).
Spin the cake and spread a medium layer of frosting in the top of the cake with the offset spatula all the way to the edge.
Carefully place the top layer and press down LIGHTLY. Spin the cake and ice the top and the sides.

Step 6.

Time to grate the chocolate.

Take everything out of the freezer and work quickly.
Place the greater on top of the lined baking sheet and grate the chocolate.
Once grated, use the cold metal serving spoon to sprinkle across the top and onto the sides. Your hands may melt the grated chocolate to press it into the sides of the cake lightly.

Swedish Blueberry

Tosca Cake

VIDEO: https://youtu.be/mfbseZMRtGk

Believe it or not, I was a Skandinaviske Studier (Scandinavian Studies) major at University. So while I actually can speak Norwegian, there is not much call for it. While living in Washington, DC, I was a member of the American Scandinavian Foundation and I got to attend quite a few events that featured all sorts of delicious treats. I have had the opportunity to work in both Sweden and Norway (the salmon was the best I ever tasted, the whale, not so much) with a fast pass through of Denmark.

Back in 2015, NPR had professor and author Darra Goldstein on to talk about her newly released “Fire + Ice Classic Nordic Cooking” cookbook. It was on my doorstep within 2 days. Not only is this beautiful book chock full of Nordic deliciousness, but it also gives you the origins, the cultural background, and the traditions of each dish. According to Goldstein, “Toscakaka is one of Sweden’s classic cakes, supposedly to honor Puccini’s beloved opera.” Well, all I can say is this cake may very well send you into song. So, with a thank you to Ms. Goldstein here we go.

What you will need:

Equipment:

Stand mixer with the paddle attachment

9-in springform pan (it would seem appropriate to use Nordic Ware as I do

For the Cake:

3 eggs

1 cup of sugar

1 ¼ cups flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

¼ teaspoon salt

8 tablespoons of butter melted

2 teaspoons vanilla

2 cups fresh blueberries

For the topping:

8 tablespoons of butter melted

½ cup of sugar

2 teaspoons of flour

1 cup sliced almonds

1 tablespoon of heavy cream

Step 1. Preheat your oven to 350° and line the bottom of your springform pan with baking parchment. Then for that buttery goodness grease the paper and the sides of the pan with butter. Do not use cooking spray.

Step 2. Stand Mixer on Medium-High Speed

Beat 3 eggs and 1 cup of sugar for 3-5 minutes.

Step 3

In a separate bowl combine 1 ¼ cups of flour, 1 teaspoon of baking powder, and ¼ teaspoon of salt
Add 8 tablespoons of melted butter and 2 teaspoons vanilla to egg mixture in the stand mixer bowl.
Add the flour/baking powder/salt mixture to the stand mixer bowl beating until it is combined. Do not overbeat.

Step 4

Pour the batter into the greased springform pan. Tap the pan on the counter to make sure it is evenly spread.
Add the blueberries to the top of the batter and press them down so they are spread throughout the batter from bottom to top.

Step 5

Bake for 50-55 minutes or until the cake is puffy and slightly browned at the edges. The cake should not be completely done.

Step 6

About ten minutes prior to the cake being done make the topping
In a small bowl, combine ½ cup of sugar and 2 teaspoons of flour
Melt 8 tablespoons of butter in a small pan. Once butter is melted…
Stir in sugar/flour mixture, 1 cup sliced almonds, and then 1 tablespoon of heavy cream and heat until it bubbles. Stir only once or twice

Step 7

Take the cake out of the oven and raise the oven temperature to 400°
Carefully pour the topping over the cake making sure it is evenly spread
Place the cake back in the oven for another 10 minutes or until the topping is crisp.

Step 8

Remove the cake from the oven and place on a cooling rack for 10-15 minutes.
Remove the springform ring

Chances are this cake will disappear before you know it. Mine did! But I didn’t refrigerate, I covered it with a cake plate dome to keep it at room temperature.

Links:

“Fire and Ice Classic Nordic Cooking” by Darra Goldstein https://www.amazon.com/Fire-Ice-Classic-Nordic-Cooking/dp/1607746107

Nordic Springform Pans

https://www.amazon.com/Nordic-Ware-Leakproof-Springform-Inch/dp/B000237FSA

The episode: https://youtu.be/mfbseZMRtGk

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Yellow Layer Cake

with

Maple Cream Frosting

VIDEO: https://youtu.be/bvBU1qbiGoc

I love layer cakes. Who doesn’t? I often try to think of new things and ways to combine the traditional with the not so traditional. At the same time, I like to see what’s in the cupboards and wing it. This time, I had a bag of pecans and a huge bottle of maple syrup. And so, I decided to take a shot at making a nut cream frosting without butter, milk, or sugar. Finally, in the quest for fun layer cakes, I had ordered some 10 X 4 in layer pans so I could do a fancy little 4-layer cake.

What you will need:

Equipment:

4- 10x4 inch layer pans https://bit.ly/3eN45Uk or 2- 8in round pans

Stand Mixer

3 Mixing Bowls

Baking Parchment https://amzn.to/3eRofwk

Cooking Spray

Food Processor or Chef's chopper https://bit.ly/3kmC9b3

For the Yellow Cake:

6 large eggs (6 yolks and 3 whites)

2 ½ cups of cake flour*

1 ¼ teaspoon of baking powder

¼ teaspoon of baking soda

¼ teaspoon salt

1 ½ cups sugar

1 cup buttermilk at room temperature

10 tablespoons of butter melted and cooled

6 egg yolks at room temperature

3 tablespoons of canola oil

2 teaspoons of vanilla extract

*If you do not have cake flour then use all-purpose flour and remove 2 ½ tablespoons of the flour and replace with 2 ½ tablespoons of cornstarch and you’ll have cake flour!

For Maple Pecan Cream Frosting:

4 cups pecans

4 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 cup of soy milk

½ cup maple syrup

YELLOW CAKE

Step 1 PREP

Bring 6 large eggs to room temperature

Melt 10 tablespoons of unsalted butter and let cool

Spray 2- 8in rounds or 4 layer pans. Line bottoms with parchment and spray again

Preheat oven to 350°

Step 2 WHISK DRY INGREDIENTS in BOWL 1

2-½ Cups (10 oz.) cake flour (replace 2.5 T with 2.5T Cornstarch)

1-1/4 teaspoons baking powder

¼ teaspoon baking powder

¾ teaspoon salt

1-1/2 Cups Sugar

Step 3 WHISK WET INGREDIENTS in BOWL 2

1-Cup Buttermilk (room temperature)

10 tablespoons unsalted butter melted and cooled

6 egg yolks (room temperature)

3 tablespoons of canola oil

2 teaspoons of vanilla extract

Step 4 Stand Mixer Meringue and then to BOWL 3

Using whisk attachment whip on medium-low:

3 egg whites and a pinch of cream of tartar until foamy (1 minute)

Turn mixer up to medium-high and whip for another minute until soft and billowy

Gradually add

¼ cup of sugar

Continue to whip for 3 minutes or until stiff and glossy peaks

Place meringue in Bowl 3

Step 5

Using whisk attachment put dry ingredient flour mixture into the stand mixer bowl and mix on low speed. Slowly add wet (buttermilk) mixture and mix for 15 seconds. Stop and scrape down bowl, then mix on medium-low for another 15 seconds or until smooth.

Step 6

Remove stand mixer bowl. Using rubber scraper then:

STIR one-third of the meringue into the mix.

FOLD the remaining 2/3 of meringue gently until fully combined

Divide evenly between cake pans

Step 7

Bake at 350 for 18-22 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean

Let cakes cool in the pans for 15 minutes

Turn out onto cooling racks and let cool completely.

MAPLE PECAN CREAM FROSTING

4- Cups Pecans

4- teaspoons vanilla extract

1- cup soy milk

1/2- cup maple syrup

Step 1

Roast 4-cups pecans in 350° oven on baking sheet for 10 minutes and let cool. Place roasted pecans in a food processor and process into a paste.

Step 2

Add the remaining ingredients and process until creamy.

Step 3

After your layer cakes have cooled using an offset spatula ice and assemble your layers and then front the top and sides of the cake

Wilton Layer Cake Pans

Reynolds Baking Parchment

KitchenAid Chef's Chopper

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No Sugar Honey

Blueberry Cake

video: https://youtu.be/-7sXCN9Rhcw

I love blueberries and there was nothing like the summer blueberries of South Jersey. My mother would make blueberry cakes and cobblers and sometimes we just had the blueberries in heavy cream. I wanted to experiment with this one to see if I could actually substitute honey in the place of table sugar. This time, however, I wanted to try it off-camera first to make certain it worked prior to sharing it with you. And it did! What I learned from the first one to the one you see here is that to gain some lift and fluffiness in the cake I needed to sift the flour, salt, and baking powder. I also learned that in this case, baking with honey required less baking time than baking with sugar.

What you will need:

Equipment: 8-inch springform pan

Parchment paper

Stand Mixer

Paddle Attachment for Standing Mixer

Rubber Scraper

Sifter

2 Medium Mixing Bowls

Cake tester (or toothpick)

Cooling Rack

Offset Spatula

For the cake:

1 cup all-purpose flour + 3 tablespoons

½ teaspoon of salt

1 teaspoon of baking powder

¼ teaspoon cinnamon

½ cup of unsalted butter at room temperature

¾ cup of honey

¼ teaspoon of vanilla extract

2 large eggs

2 cups fresh blueberries

juice of ½ lemon

Here we go…

Step 1.

Preheat your oven to 350˚
Prepare your springform pan by cutting a piece of baking parchment to fit the bottom. (I usually cut a sheet of paper, place it on the bottom and then place the springform ring on top of it and close making sure the parchment doesn't wrinkle.) Butter the bottom of the pan and then place the parchment on top. Butter and flour the sides of the pan.

Step 2.

Place 1 cup of flour, ½ of a teaspoon of salt, and 1 teaspoon of baking powder into a mixing bowl and whisk.
Sift the flour mixture into a separate bowl (one from which you can pour easily into the standing mixer)

Step 3. The Cake Batter

Using the paddle attachment place ½ cup unsalted softened butter in the stand mixer on medium to high beating the butter for 2-3 minutes. Then add ¼ teaspoon of vanilla extract. Turn off the mixer and scrape down the sides.
Turn the mixer back on to medium-high and add in ½ cup of honey. Beat for about 2-3 minutes and appears light and reasonable fluffy. Turn off the mixer and scrape down the sides.
Turn the mixer to medium and add the two eggs one at a time. Don’t add the second until the first is mixed.
Turn the mixer to low and slowly add in the flour mixture and mix until smooth

Step 4. The Blueberries

Place 2 cups of blueberries rinsed and patted dry into the second mixing bowl.
Add the juice of ½ a lemon and toss
Add 1 tablespoon of flour and toss

Step 5. Prep the Cake

Pour the cake batter into the pan. Use a scraper to spread the batter evenly
Sprinkle the blueberries evenly over the top of the batter and then using the palm of your hand lightly press them into the batter

Step 6. Bake

Place the cake at the center of the over and back for 45 minutes. I’d check it at 40 minutes with a cake tester or toothpick. When it comes out clean the cake is done.
Remove the cake from the oven to a cooling rack (do not place it on the counter). Let cool for ten minutes
Slowly run an offset spatula around the edge of the cake and then remove the springform.
Cut cake with a cake or serrated knife.

Step 7. ENJOY!