Sprinkle Bakes

Chocolate Therapy Cake

noreply@blogger.com (Heather Baird) — Thu, 16 May 2013 11:57:00 +0000

Today I'm joining a talented group of ladies to help celebrate the fantastic flavors of Ben and Jerry's Ice Cream! This theme week is the brain child of Kristan and Shelly (they have the best ideas!) and they asked Peabody, Julie and I to pick out our favorite Ben and Jerry's flavors and recreate them in a dessert.

Years ago I had Chocolate Therapy ice cream at the Ben and Jerry's inside the Opryland hotel. It's a mixture of chocolate ice cream swirled with chocolate pudding and it's studded with chocolate cookies. Love at first bite. Even though I'm a Karamel Sutra girl through and through, I ultimately decided on this flavor because I can no longer find it in my area (boo-hoo!). I really hoped to capture this trifecta of chocolate in a dessert - but which one? I mused on brownies,trifles and mini tarts but none seemed just right. My motto has always been, "when in doubt bake a cake." So that's what I did!

I started with my favorite chocolate cake as a base, then added two cups of chopped fudge-dipped cookies to the batter. Boy, does this ever give the cake an amazing texture! In the baked cake, the cookies are soft, and the chocolate coating becomes melty and creates little pockets of fudge in the layers. I spent a good bit of time perfecting the chocolate pudding buttercream, too. It's so decadent and it does a good job keeping the cake moist.

I really wanted to give this recipe a name that would explain the components. Chocolate pudding cookie cake? Triple chocolate fudge-dipped cookie pudding cake? I tried everything, but there's just no better way to say it than "Chocolate Therapy" because that's what it feels like when you eat it.

My friends have been busy this week creating all kinds of Ben and Jerry's-inspired desserts! Be sure to check them out!

What a Cluster Bars
Cherry Garcia Cake
Phish Food Pie
Karamel Sutra Cupcakes
Everything But The…Cake
Everything But The…(kitchen sink) Brownies

Chocolate Therapy Cake
[click for printable version]
Source: Sprinkle Bakes original; flavors inspired by Ben and Jerry's Chocolate Therapy ice cream
Yield: 12-14 servings, one 9-inch triple layer cake
Prep: 1 hour, total time 2 hours 30 minutes

It’s especially important to line the pans with circles of parchment because the fudge coating on the cookies will melt as it bakes. This creates pockets of chocolate in the cake, and those near the bottom of the pan could stick if left unlined.

Cake Layers

3 ounces fine-quality semisweet chocolate

1 1/2 cups hot brewed coffee or hot water

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3 cups sugar

1 1/2 cups unsweetened cocoa powder (not Dutch process)

2 teaspoons baking soda

3/4 teaspoon baking powder

1 1/4 teaspoons salt

3 large eggs

3/4 cup vegetable oil

1 1/2 cups full fat sour cream

3/4 teaspoon vanilla

2 cups (about 6 oz.) chocolate-dipped cookies such as Keebler Fudge Stripe, roughly chopped

Chocolate pudding buttercream
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup cornstarch
1 cup hot (almost boiling) water
4 oz. semisweet chocolate
1 cup unsalted butter, softened
2 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (preferably dark), sifted
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Assembly
3/4 cup chocolate sprinkles
14 chocolate-dipped cookies such as Keebler Fudge Stripe

Preheat oven to 300°F. Grease three 9-inch round pans with shortening. Line bottoms with rounds of parchment paper and grease paper.
Finely chop chocolate combine it in a bowl with hot coffee or hot water. Let mixture stand, stirring occasionally, until chocolate is melted and mixture is smooth.
Sift together flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt into a large bowl. In another large bowl with an electric mixer beat eggs until thickened slightly and lemon colored (about 3 minutes with a standing mixer or 5 minutes with a hand-held mixer). Add oil, sour cream, vanilla, and melted chocolate mixture to eggs, beating until combined well. Add flour mixture and beat on medium speed until just combined. Fold in chopped cookie pieces with a rubber spatula. Divide batter between 3- 9” pans and bake in middle of oven until cake springs back when pressed in the center, approximately 40-50 minutes.
Cool layers in pans for 15 minutes on racks. Run a thin knife around edges of pans and invert layers onto wire racks. Carefully remove parchment paper and cool layers completely. Cake layers may be made 1 day ahead and kept, wrapped well in plastic wrap, at room temperature.
For the frosting, whisk together sugar and cornstarch in a medium saucepan. Add the chocolate and hot water, let stand a moment, then whisk until chocolate is melted. Place the saucepan over medium-high heat and whisk constantly until mixture boils.
Let cook until thickened to a pudding-like consistency. Remove pan from heat and transfer pudding to a metal bowl. Place metal bowl in a larger bowl filled 1/3 full with ice water. Beat pudding on high speed with a hand mixer until cooled.
Beat in butter and confectioners' sugar. Add in salt and vanilla extract. Beat on high speed until fluffy.
To assemble, place a cake layer on a cake stand or serving platter; cover top evenly with about 1/3 cup of frosting. Stack on another cake layer and top with another 1/3 cup frosting. Stack last layer on top. Transfer about 1/3 cup of frosting to a piping bag fitted with a large star tip; set aside. Coat entire cake with the remaining icing. Set the frosted cake (still on the cake stand) in a clean, dry, empty kitchen sink and toss sprinkles onto the sides of the cake. Brush away excess sprinkles around the bottom of the cake with a dry pastry brush. Using the reserved piping bag of frosting, pipe small stars around the top edge of the cake. Place whole cookies standing upright into the top edge of the cake between piped stars. Sprinkle top with additional chocolate sprinkles, if desired.

My Mom's Cinnamon Rolls

noreply@blogger.com (Heather Baird) — Sun, 12 May 2013 02:27:00 +0000

When mother's day rolls around, I always feel a little stressed about how I'm going to honor my mom. She's a pretty amazing person. If you're in her line of sight, she'll become your mom, too - and not in a bossy, pushy kind of way, but in her own quiet way that says "I see you, and I'm going to give you help if you need it.". She has a true servant's heart and I hope to be just like her one day. One thing is for sure, she deserves more than I could ever give her.

Mom and I are really close and, well... here's why. About a week before my ninth birthday my dad died. He had cancer. This was awful and sad as you can imagine (I'm sure some of you know the feeling first-hand). My mom had to raise me on her own, and I know it was a struggle but she did so much for me as a single parent I don't feel like I missed out on anything important. Now that I'm an adult, there are at least a dozen things that come to mind every day that I want to thank her for - or say I'm sorry for.

Mom.
Thanks for all the meals you made for me. I was not as grateful for them as I should have been.
I'm sorry for that boyfriend I had that one time (eye roll).
Thanks for letting me borrow your clothes when I was 16. I'm sorry that I did not always return them.
Thanks for helping me move all those times. If I were you, I would not have helped me.
Thanks for teaching me that it's okay to stir peanut butter and sugar together and eat it with a spoon.

The list goes on and always will.

Mother/Daughter

Mom passed down to me a love of bangle bracelets and coffee the color of caramel (but I did not inherit her green thumb,darnit). She also encouraged me to make good food. Years ago she gave me a cookbook with all the basics, and I was happy to give her my own cookbook in return all these years later.

Last week she came over to my house and we made her favorite cinnamon rolls. They're so fluffy and have just the right amount of glaze. I had three-ish strait from the oven and two more later that evening. No regrets!

Below is a complete visual to putting these delicious rolls together. I hope you'll give them a try!

Happy Mother's Day to all the moms out there! Hope it's the best one yet!

Mom's Cinnamon Rolls
[click for printable version]
Yield: 2 dozen
Source: Mom (magazine clipping from 1976)
Prep 2 hours; Total 2 hours 30 minutes

Dough
1 cup whole milk
1/2 cup sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
4 1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast
1 teaspoon sugar
1 cup warm water (90-110°F)
2 eggs, room temperature
6 cups all purpose flour, sifted
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

Filling
1/2 cup butter melted
1 cup sugar and 3 teaspoons ground cinnamon mixed together

Glaze
4 tablespoons butter, melted
2 cups confectioners' sugar
2-4 tablespoons hot milk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

For the dough, heat milk, 1/2 cup sugar and salt in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Stir until sugar melts and a few small bubbles appear at the edges of the pan. Remove from heat and let cool while you prepare the other elements.
Dissolve yeast and 1 teaspoon sugar in very warm water (90°F to 110°F) in the bowl of a standing mixer (or a large bowl if you don't have a stand mixer). Stir with the paddle attachment (or wooden spoon) until well blended. Let stand 10 minutes.
Beat eggs into yeast mixture. Stir in cooled milk mixture (it should be lukewarm), switch to the dough hook then add in flour a little at a time until dough is elastic. Add melted butter and mix, then add in more flour until dough is elastic and pulls away from the sides of the mixer. Note: you may not have to use all the flour. Do not add so much flour that the dough does not stick to your hands. Set a timer and knead with the dough hook (or knead with hands on a floured surface) for 5 minutes.
Place dough in a buttered bowl and turn it over to coat the entire surface. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place 1 hour or until doubled (mine took a little longer than an hour to double).
Punch down dough and turnout onto a lightly floured surface. Knead a few times and cut into two pieces. Roll out each piece to 12x9-inch rectangles.
For the filling, brush the rolled dough pieces with the melted butter. Sprinkle each with half the cinnamon sugar mixture and roll up jelly-roll style. Cut each roll into 12 pieces.
Place slices not quite touching in a well buttered pan. A 13x9 dish will work well, but I prefer them in 9-inch round cake pans.
Cover and let rise about 45 minutes or until doubled.
Preheat oven to 400°. Bake rolls for 18-25 minutes, or until golden. Keep a close eye on them so they don't over-bake!
Whisk together glaze ingredients, adding additional milk as needed. Glaze rolls in the pan while they are hot, or turn them out on a serving platter and glaze.

Mini Oreo Sprinkle Cakes

noreply@blogger.com (Heather Baird) — Wed, 08 May 2013 04:22:00 +0000

If these little party cakes look familiar, it's because they were inspired by this sprinkle cake I made a few years ago. The minute I spotted Birthday Cake Oreos (!) at the grocery store, I knew they were destined to crown little chocolate sprinkle cakes. I baked one inside each cake, too!

A few people have asked how/where the pugs are lately, so I decided to include them in this post! They make regular appearances on my Instagram feed if you'd like to keep up with their curly tails (and antics) there.

To answer the question - they are well. Sweet and spoiled and all-around stinkers!

Oreo surprise inside!

I baked these in straight-sided paper muffin cups (found here) then unwrapped the cakes and leveled the tops before frosting. These could certainly be made in a jumbo muffin tin, but I think they're pretty cute as mini cakes.

For the sprinkling of these cakes, I mixed together equal parts multicolored jimmies, jumbo nonpareils and regular nonpareils. You'll need about 2 cups of sprinkles for coating, so be sure to have plenty on hand before you begin. Getting the sprinkles on evenly can be tricky, but I found that frosting and coating the sides of the cake first works best. Then you can frost the top of the cake and sprinkle on more nonpareils with a spoon (see above).

This recipe uses Swiss buttercream, and if you've never made this icing before you can check out my how-to video in this post. It's not as sweet as a quick confectioners' icing, and it doesn't crust so you can take your time applying the sprinkles after frosting.

The Oreos inside are a nice surprise when you cut into the cake, and if you can find the Birthday Cake variety, the middles are dotted with sprinkles, too. A perfect match!

Mini Oreo Sprinkle Cakes
[click for printable version]
Source: Basic recipes from the SprinkleBakes book
Yield: 10 mini cakes
Prep: 2 hours

Cakes
10 Oreo cookies (Birthday Cake Oreos, if you can find them!)
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
3/4 tsp. baking powder
3/4 tsp. salt
2 eggs
3/4 cup hot water
3/4 cup heavy cream
3 tbsp. canola or other vegetable oil
2 tsp. vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Place 10 straight-sided muffin cups on a large baking sheet, or line a large capacity muffin tin (often called “Texas” tin) with paper liners. Place an oreo in the bottom of each cup.
Sift together cocoa, flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder and salt into a large bowl. Add eggs, water, heavy cream, oil and vanilla. Mix with a hand held mixer until smooth.
Divide batter among muffin cups, filling each three-quarters full. Bake for 20 minutes. Let cool before frosting.

Swiss buttercream/sprinkle decor

5 egg whites

1 cup sugar

Pinch of salt

1 pound unsalted butter, cubed, softened (room temperature works too, but takes longer to come together)

3 teaspoons clear vanilla extract

2 cups various multicolor nonpareils

10 Oreo cookies

Allsorts

Set a saucepan filled one-third full of water over medium-high heat and bring to a simmer.
Whisk together the egg whites, sugar, and salt in a large heatproof bowl ( I suggest a stainless bowl). Set over the simmering water and whisk until the mixture is hot to the touch and the sugar has dissolved (120-140 degrees on a candy thermometer, to be sure).
Transfer the mixture to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment.
Beat on low speed for 2 minutes. Increase to medium-high until stiff peaks are formed.
Continue beating at medium-high speed until the mixture is fluffy and has cooled (the mixing bowl should feel cool to the touch).
Turn the mixer off and switch from the whisk attachment to the paddle. Turn the mixer on medium-low and add the butter, a few cubes at a time, beating until well incorporated before the next addition.
Add the vanilla extract. Divide batter and tint with food coloring, if desired.
Beat until the frosting is thick and completely smooth.
Place the mix of nonpareils in a shallow dish. Frost the sides of a cake and roll in the sprinkles until completely coated. Place the cake on the shallow dish and frost the top of the cake; cover top of cake with nonpariels using a spoon to sprinkle them over. Lift cake with a spatula onto desired serving plate. Repeat with remaining cakes.
Transfer remaining icing to a piping bag fitted with a large star tip. Pipe a mound of frosting on top of each cake. Place an Oreo standing upright into each icing mound. Garnish further with Allsorts candies, if desired.

SnoBall Cake Roll

noreply@blogger.com (Heather Baird) — Thu, 02 May 2013 16:13:00 +0000

I am a lover of all things pink coconut, (remember this?) and spring is the time when it shows up in my baking the most. I blame the darling buds of May. Around here cherry trees are raining their pink petals down like snow. It's a magical sight, but the event is too short lived. I guess this cake is my way of prolonging the magic.

It's also a riff (yes, another one) on the Hostess Sno Ball (I'm obsessed!) and the flavors are reflected here with dark chocolate sponge cake, marshmallow buttercream and moist, sweetened coconut.

Cake rolls can seem a little intimidating to make. The first time I made one (waaay long time ago) I had this internal dialogue.

"So basically I'm going to try to bend this sheet of cake? This is not going to work.
Um, it's not breaking into eleventy-nine pieces like I thought it would.
Okay, that worked somehow.
And what am I doing now - unrolling it? But I just got it all rolled up! Aaaarrg!"

The truth is, if you're good at following directions then you'll do fine. Back then, the whole process seemed like some magical thing I'd never master, but now it's just cake! After that first roll, you'll get a feel for the cake's spongy texture and you'll have an even prettier roll next time around. Occasionally the cake may split a little during re-rolling (because of the added weight of the frosting), but it rarely affects the cosmetic appearance of the cake. And if it's not perfect, it's still going to taste good.

Whenever I post a cake roll to this blog, I like to link this video. I feel it's a helpful visual, and I hope regular readers will forgive the repeat info. (smile)

My favorite part of this cake is the marshmallow buttercream. I could eat it strait from the mixing bowl with a spoon (and maybe I did)! The recipe uses ready-made marshmallow cream, but if you can't find it locally, there are recipes for homemade versions online, like this one.

SnoBall Cake Roll
[click for printable version]
Source: Cake portion adapted from the SprinkleBakes baking book (pg. 232)
Yield: 10 servings
Prep: 50 minutes
Total 2 hours

Cake
4 eggs
3/4 cup superfine sugar
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
2 tablespoons milk or cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup cake flour
1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon dark unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
Confectioners' sugar, for rolling the cake

Filling/frosting/topping
1 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 cup marshmallow cream
2 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups moist, sweetened coconut (Baker's Angel Flake recommended)
Pink food coloring

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease a jelly roll pan with shortening. Line the pan with parchment paper and grease the paper also. If you have a flour based baking spray such as Baker's Joy or Bake Easy, you may use it to grease the pan and skip lining it with parchment.
Place the eggs in a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, and with a timer set, beat for 5 minutes.
Slowly add the sugar and oil. Beat well. Add the milk or cream. Switch to the paddle attachment.
Sift together flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt, and slowly add to the liquid ingredients. Beat for 2 minutes, until well combined. The batter will be very thin.
Pour the batter into the prepared jelly roll pan and bake for 12-15 minutes. When done, the cake should spring back when touched in the center.
As the cake bakes, sprinkle a thin tea towel with a generous 1/4 cup of confectioners sugar.
When the cake is done, immediately turn it out onto the tea towel and remove the parchment (if using). Starting from the narrow end, roll the cake into the tea towel. Place the cake seam-side down on a cooling rack for 30 minutes.
To make the filling/frosting, combine the butter and marshmallow cream in a large bowl and beat until combined with an electric hand mixer. Add the confectioners' sugar, vanilla and salt. Beat well until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
Carefully unroll the cake and frost the inside with about three-quarters of icing. Re-roll the cake and frost the top and sides with the remaining frosting. Pour the coconut in a rectangular high-sided baking pan (9x13 casserole will work) and add a few drops of pink food coloring. Rub food coloring into the coconut with gloved hands, or stir together with a rubber spatula. Place frosted cake in the pan on top of the pink coconut and roll until coated. Place cake on a serving platter. For perfectly clean-cut slices, refrigerate cake for 30 minutes Bring slices to room temperature before serving.

Stanze Cake

noreply@blogger.com (Heather Baird) — Wed, 24 Apr 2013 01:54:00 +0000

It's a rare occasion that I'll watch a movie from beginning to end without having to prop my eyelids open, but recently I did just that! I watched Amadeus again. It's been years since I first watched it, and I've loved it since. There's Salieri, shaking his fist at God and cursing his own mediocrity. Young, impetuous Mozart overflowing with musical genius and that maniacal laugh. And Stanze. Sweet Constanze Mozart, a devoted wife and voice of reason, though she was inclined to ignore her own advise and follow her beloved into dark places.

She was my muse for this cake.

The Hollywood version of Stanze looks too young for enormous powdered wigs and the other garb from that time period. She reminds me of a doll, or a little girl all dressed up in adult clothing. And even though some of her dresses are rather revealing, she has an innocence that is undeniable. That's what made me want to capture her sweetness in cake form.

I'd just made some macarons the day before I planned to make this cake, and I decided they'd look pretty on her dress. Stanze was German, but she was fluent in French so I don't think she'd take issue with wearing them as an accessory.

I've put together a tutorial with plenty of step-by-steps if you'd like to try your hand at a Stanze cake, though I suppose she could be any early 18th century classical lady you'd like to imagine. You'll need a few special pieces of equipment, like this doll mold. I bought it for a project I'd planned for my book, but ran out of time and never realized the idea.

Important note! If you decide to use this idea with other molds, make sure they are labeled as non-toxic. I used Sculpey brand molds, they are non-toxic but the manufacturer states they have not been tested with food, so they are not labeled as food safe. Use your own judgment before starting this project. Or, use the doll portion as decoration and do not consume it. There are other clearly labeled food safe doll molds to be had like this one, if you're not keen on using the one I did.

Another special piece of equipment I used was half of this this ball pan made by Wilton. A 6-inch heat-proof bowl (aluminum or pyrex) could also be used if you haven't the storage or expense to spare.

This next part - the piecing together of Stanze - was kind of weird and wonderful. There were moments when my dining table felt like Geppetto's workshop!

Stanze Cake Assembly
[click for printable version]
Plan ahead for drying time. The head, arms and torso need to dry 24 hours before assembly begins.

Materials
1/4 lb. white vanilla fondant
Doll mold for head, torso and arms
Toothpicks
Paring knife
Baked 6-inch half dome cake (recipe follows)
1/4 cup seedless jam or lemon curd
Pastry brush
3" and 1" fondant cutters (or bottle caps or decorator piping tips)
Corn syrup
Small artists' brush
Tweezers
Pearl nonpareils
20-24 macaron shells (my recipe and batter technique can be found here)

1. Begin by lightly dusting the inside of the doll mold with powdered sugar. Tap out any excess. Press a small piece of fondant firmly into the head cavity and immediately pull it back out. If you are pleased with the impression, place the head on a toothpick and allow to dry. If not, try again with another piece of fondant. Repeat process with body and arms. Trim away excess fondant and tidy around fingers and arms with the paring knife. Repeat process with torso. Press toothpick on the head piece down into the body at the neck. Press a toothpick through the arm holes and press arms onto either end of that toothpick. Remove the arms and let all the pieces dry overnight.
2. The next day fondant will have firmed up considerably. Gently press a toothpick into the top of the head and use a piece of fondant to make the powdered wig.
3. Press the wig piece onto the toothpick and down around the doll's face.
4. Using a toothpick, make striations around the "hairline" to create the impression of up-swept hair. Make a few swirls with the toothpick all over the fondant wig.
5. Roll out a small piece of fondant to about 3x5 inches and fold in half. Wrap the doll's torso with the fondant with the top of the "garment" just under the arm toothpick. Set aside.
6. Place half dome cake on a cake stand or serving platter. Melt seedless jam or curd and brush over the cake with the pastry brush.
7. On a lightly confectioners' sugar dusted surface, roll out a piece of fondant large enough to cover the cake (I usually roll out twice the amount I think I'll need to be sure). Roll the fondant onto the rolling pin and lift onto the cake.
8. Smooth down sides and trim excess. Reserve fondant scraps for later use.
9. Using a knife, cut an "X" into the top of the cake
10. Try to center it as much as possible. (Try to do better than I did-ha!)
11. Press the doll's torso into the "X". You may choose to wrap the bottom of the torso in plastic wrap (just like you would when making a Barbie cake!) if you're concerned about the safety issues mentioned earlier.
12. Attach the arms using corn syrup to adhere. Create a frill using 3-inch and 1 inch fondant cutters, or improvise and use bottle caps or the large opening of decorator piping tips. Knead scrap fondant and roll out flat. Cut out a 3-inch piece of fondant and then use the smaller cutter to cut a circle from the middle. Use a toothpick or paintbrush handle to create ridges on the piece. Cut the piece in half.
13. Drape the piece around the doll's neck; cut away excess. Repeat this process once more for the frill around Stanze's waist. If pieces don't naturally adhere, use a dab of corn syrup to stick them together.
14. Apply pearl nonpariels, each with one side dipped in corn syrup to the neck area with tweezers.
15. Use jam or lemon curd to adhere macarons around the bottom of the cake.

Not pictured:

Use a toothpick inserted into the "wig" to attach a macaron, then use the jam or curd to adhere another macaron on top. Lift one of the arms and place a macaron underneath, if desired.
I made Stanze a small ponytail over her right shoulder from a scrap piece of fondant.
At the last minute, I made a cape from a 3x5 piece of fondant. I just pressed it around the neck area to create a standing collar. This will hide a multitude of sins on the back of the figure (unfinished areas).

I realize Stanze Mozart as a doll as a cake is pretty specific, but she could just as easily be Marie Antoinette or a pretty nameless centerpiece. Her dress can display any variety of sweets, like meringues, little candies and cookies.

I certainly enjoyed creating this cake - and eating it! The cake recipe is my favorite moist yellow cake. It usually makes a single 9-inch layer, but here I've used it in a 6-inch dome pan. I added a little almond oil to the batter to compliment the flavor of the macarons, and that made everything taste just right!

Moist Yellow Cake
[click for printable version]
Source: adapted from King Arthur Flour
Prep: 30 minutes
Total: 1 hour 20 minutes
Yield: 9" round layer, about 8 servings

1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup unsalted butter
2 large eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon almond extract
3/4 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup full fat vanilla yogurt
1/2 cup full fat sour cream

Preheat oven to 350F. Grease a 9-inch round cake pan and line the bottom with parchment. (If making the Stanze dome cake, I suggest spraying the 6-inch dome pan or heat proof bowl with a flour based cooking spray such as Baker's Joy or Bake Easy.)
Beat together sugar and butter until lightened. Add the eggs one at a time, then increase mixer speed to high for two minutes or until batter is light and fluffy. Add the vanilla, almond extract, salt, baking powder and soda; beat for another minute and scrape down the sides of the bowl.
Stir together yogurt and sour cream in a small bowl. Beginning and ending with flour, alternately add the flour and yogurt mixture. Beat well after each addition. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and beat again briefly.
Spoon batter into the pan. (If using the dome pan, it will hold about 2 1/2 cups of batter. You'll have a little left over and I suggest making a few cupcakes to snack on.) Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until the cake springs back when pressed in the center. Let cake cook in the pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely. Frost if desired.

Products for Stanze Cake
Satin Ice Rolled Fondant - White - Vanilla - 2 lb
Flexible Push Mold-Woman Doll
Wilton Sugar Pearls, White, 5 Oz
Wilton Ball Pan Set
OXO Good Grips Silicone Pastry Brush
Ateco 5357 11 Piece Plain Round Cutter Set

Giant Banana Split Ice Cream Sandwich

noreply@blogger.com (Heather Baird) — Fri, 19 Apr 2013 14:09:00 +0000

The only thing I can think of that's better than an ice cream sandwich, is a great big ice cream sandwich. I loved this treat as a kid, and never outgrew a fondness for melty ice cream sandwiched between chocolate cookies.

This super-sized version is stuffed with banana split ice cream and the soft chocolate cookie tastes exactly like the original sandwich. I think it would make a fun birthday cake because it can hold as many candles as you'd like, and it can be easily sliced into smaller sandwiches.

I looked high and low for banana ice cream at my local markets but found none. I improvised and made my own by mixing vanilla ice cream and instant banana pudding together, then folded in all my usual banana split toppings - maraschino cherries, pineapple and swirls of hot fudge sauce. It's heaven, I tell ya!

I loved serving slices in these little ice cream sandwich bags - they're so cute!

Sprinkles for dipping!

You'll have no problem putting the ice cream portion together, but I felt the soft cookie process could use some visuals. The cookie dough is more like a very thick cake batter, so you have to dollop it onto a parchment lined sheet then spread it evenly in the pan with a rubber spatula.

Another sheet of parchment is sprayed with oil, then pressed onto the batter and rolled out evenly. I used a plastic tumbler as a rolling pin and then smoothed the top further with my palms.

Remove the parchment before baking.

For the cookie shape, I cut a template to the same same size as the 1 1/4- quart Le Creuset stoneware baker that held the banana ice cream. It's the perfect size and shape for making this big ice cream sandwich.

Plastic drinking straws can be used to make holes in the piece you choose for the top layer. Here I'm using a tape measure to keep the rows straight.

Trim the ends/edges of the ice cream so they're straight, then place the ice cream onto a cookie piece.

Finally, place the top piece on and press down. Freeze until time to serve.

Marrying banana split flavors with an ice cream sandwich is my personal idea of bliss, but you may have other flavor ideas. Any flavor of ice cream can be sandwiched, so experimentation is encouraged!

Just don't forget the sprinkles! ♥

Giant Banana Split Ice Cream Sandwich
[click for printable version]
Source: Banana split ice cream is original to Sprinkle Bakes; cookie portion from Fine Cooking.
Yield: One 7x10 cake, serves 12
Prep: 1 hour
Total: about 4 hours with chill time

Banana split ice cream
1.5 quart container vanilla ice cream, softened
3 oz package instant banana pudding mix
1 cup maraschino cherries, rinsed and patted dry
1/2 cup pineapple tidbits, rinsed and patted dry
2/3 cup prepared hot fudge sauce

Place the vanilla ice cream in a large bowl. Add instant pudding mix and beat on medium-high speed with an electric and mixer. This will take about 5-7 minutes to combine, as the pudding granules will need to dissolve completely. Mixture should not be grainy. Fold in cherries and pineapple.
Line a 1 1/4 quart rectangular dish (approx. 7x10-inches) with plastic wrap overhanging all sides of the dish. Pour ice cream into the dish and smooth the top. Dollop hot fudge sauce by the spoonfuls on top and swirl through the ice cream using a butter knife. Fold the plastic wrap over the ice cream and freeze until solid, 2-4 hours.

Soft chocolate cookie
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1/2 cup unsweetened natural cocoa powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. table salt
2/3 cup milk

Preheat oven to 350F. Lightly grease an 11x13-inch rimmed baking sheet with white vegetable shortening. Line with parchment to cover the bottom and edges of the pan.
Beat butter and sugar together until combined on medium high speed with an electric hand mixer or in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Beat in the vanilla.
In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt. Add about 1/3 of the flour mixture to the butter mixture and beat well. Add half the milk and beat until just blended.Add another third of flour and blend. Pour in remaining milk, beat well and then mix in remaining flour.
Dollop batter evenly onto the prepared baking sheet; spread with a rubber spatula. Spray a sheet of parchment paper with oil and lay it, oiled side down, onto the dough. Press flatly with your hands to even the dough, or use a small rolling pin. Carefully peel away the parchment. Bake until a toothpick inserted comes out clean about 10-12 minutes. Allow to cool in the pan on a wire rack. Turn out cookie carefully then gently slide it back onto the baking sheet and flip it right-side up. It is very soft like cake, so handle very carefully.
Cut cookie into pieces a little larger than the size of the container that holds the ice cream (you may want to use a template as I did, see picture). Use a plastic straw to make rows of holes in one piece that will be used as the top of the sandwich. Remove ice cream from freezer and trim the edges to straighten, if needed. Place the ice cream on the bottom piece of cookie and top with the remaining piece. Store in the freezer until ready to serve.
Slice sandwich into pieces with a sharp knife. Have a few plates full of assorted press-on garnishes like chopped nuts and sprinkles for dipping.

Chilled Strawberry Bisque

noreply@blogger.com (Heather Baird) — Mon, 15 Apr 2013 14:57:00 +0000

Three years ago I developed a quirky little recipe called chocolate soup. It's a chocoholic's velvety dream come true and one of my favorite recipes to make on this blog. It's been published in a few magazines and in the Foodista Cookbook. Who knew a dessert SOUP would be so well received? It remains one of my most popular posts to date!

I recently found a completely different kind of dessert soup recipe, and I love it just as much as chocolate soup. It's cold, creamy, and chock-full of fresh strawberry flavor. Its lightness is perfect for springy weather and just the thing for Mother's Day this year.

Just for fun, I made some dessert "caviar" with grenadine and Grand Marnier. It makes a pretty topping and compliments the slight amount of orange liqueur in the bisque. I'd also just made a vanilla pound cake so I cut two slices into cubes for "croutons". I think they look pretty adorable as an accompaniment.

The bisque is really simple to make, and I love its naturally pink color. You can serve it as an appetizer, but it's certainly sweet enough to be considered dessert. It's absolutely fresh and delightful and I hope you'll try it!

Chilled Strawberry Bisque
[click for printable recipe]
Source: SprinkleBakes original recipe, but inspired by a soup from the Wild Plum
Yield: fourteen 1/2 cup servings, or about 7 cups
Prep: 30 minutes plus 1 hour for chilling

3 lbs. fresh strawberries or unsweetened frozen strawberries (thawed)
1 cup sugar
3 cups vanilla yogurt
1 cup half and half or light cream
1/4 cup Grand Marnier
2 cups whipped cream for garnish
Mint sprigs for garnish

Roughly cut fresh strawberries and place in the bowl of a food processor. Process until strawberries are pureed, about 5 minutes. Add sugar and process again until thoroughly mixed. Place a sieve over a large bowl and pour mixture through to remove seeds.
Add the yogurt, half and half and Grand Marnier to the mixture. Whisk together until completely blended. Cover and place in the refrigerator to chill, at least 1 hour. Pour 1/2 cup servings into small bowls or teacups and top with whipped cream and mint sprigs.

Very detailed tutorial (with video) for dessert caviar can be found here. For this recipe, I used 1/4 cup grenadine and 2 tablespoons Grand Marnier for the 3 oz. of liquid called for in the recipe.

Homemade Marshmallow Ropes

noreply@blogger.com (Heather Baird) — Wed, 10 Apr 2013 14:40:00 +0000

I first saw marshmallow ropes a few years ago at a local specialty market and loved them instantly. They looked so colorful and fun sitting there on the shelf, I felt compelled to try making a homemade version, but back then the task was too daunting. I was ill-equipped. My previous marshmallow attempts seemed promising at first but I always ended up with a pan of weepy mallows. I blamed the humidity. I blamed the egg whites. I never really figured out what I was doing wrong.

These days my confidence in marshmallow-making has grown (largely due to this book) and I felt sure that I could make homemade marshmallow ropes happen. And boy, did they happen. Miles of them!

This recipe uses no egg whites, and I've never had a problem with the mallows weeping. The marshmallow coating keeps everything powder fresh and non-sticky, so be sure to dust your work surface liberally before you begin piping ropes.

I've been making more how-to videos lately -maybe you've noticed? I do my best to articulate the instructions in my recipes, but sometimes it's easier to show you a technique - and, I'll admit - I can get overly wordy in text. I feel this video will be especially helpful alongside the recipe provided.

When you first make the ropes they will be very soft, so they need to stand at least 24 hours after twisting so they'll hold their shape. After that you can cut them into pieces, tie them in knots and make them into lollipops -which is so much fun! Their texture will be slightly chewy, but they'll still have that homemade freshness that chalky grocery store mallows lack.

(You can find those cute wooden lollipop sticks here!)

Now admittedly, this is a project. Be prepared to spend an entire day smelling sweet vanilla candy and twisting up tactile marshmallow. Even though it's time consuming, I promise it's not a bad way to spend the day!

Homemade Marshmallow Ropes

[click for printable recipe]

Source - recipe adapted from Marshmallow Madness by Shauna Sever

Prep - 4-5 hours plus 24 hours drying time

Yield - A ton. Kidding! Approximately twenty-five 18-24-inch ropes.

To make the marshmallow ropes, this recipe will need to be made three consecutive times using three different colors of food coloring. Gel food coloring is recommended and will not affect the consistency of the marshmallow batter.

Marshmallow coating

3 cups confectioners’ sugar

1 1/2 cups cornstarch

Whisk confectioners’ sugar and cornstarch together in a large bowl. Place several large sheets of parchment paper over a large work surface (I used the entire surface of my dining room table – you’ll need lots of space!); dust parchment paper generously with the marshmallow coating. Reserve the remaining coating for later use.

Marshmallow

4 1/2 teaspoons unflavored gelatin

1/2 cup cold water

3/4 cup sugar

1/2 cup light corn syrup, divided

1/4 cup water

Pinch of salt

1/2 tsp. clear vanilla extract

Your choice of gel food coloring

Toothpicks

Whisk together the gelatin and cold water in a small bowl. Let set for 5 minutes until gelatin absorbs liquid.
In a saucepan with a candy thermometer inserted, combine sugar, 1/4 cup corn syrup, 1/4 cup water and salt. Place over high heat and bring to a boil. Meanwhile, pour the remaining 1/4 cup corn syrup in the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Heat the gelatin in the microwave or on the stove-top until melted completely and pour into the mixing bowl with the corn syrup. Turn mixer on low and keep it stirring until the sugar syrup is ready.
When the syrup reaches 240°F, slowly pour it into the mixer bowl. Increase the speed to medium and beat for 5 minutes, then increase to medium-high and beat 5 more minutes. Finally, increase to highest speed and beat 1-2 more minutes, add vanilla then beat again for 1-2 minutes. Mixture should be opaque and tripled in volume. Add food coloring and beat until incorporated. Immediately scoop marshmallow into the large piping bag fitted with a plain 1/2-inch tip. You can also use a disposable piping bag with the end snipped to size.
Pipe long lengths of marshmallow batter onto the prepared sheets until all the batter is used. The marshmallow will set quickly, so be sure to pipe as quickly as possible. Repeat recipe twice more with different colors of gel food coloring. Dust all of the piped marshmallows with some of the remaining marshmallow coating. Allow to dry about 1 hour or until marshmallow is set.
When the marshmallows are set, dust your hands with the remaining marshmallow coating and roll one of each color of rope back and forth in the mixture so they are completely coated. Lay the three colors of ropes side by side and skewer all three with a toothpick. Twist the ropes together and skewer the other end with another toothpick. Repeat process with remaining ropes. The ropes can be enjoyed immediately, but they will be soft and won’t hold their shape. Leave ropes uncovered at room temperature for 24 hours to dry. The next day, remove toothpicks and cut into pieces, tie into ropes or coil them up and skewer them through the center to make a marshmallow lollipop.
Keep leftovers in an air-tight container.

Overloaded Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookie Cake

noreply@blogger.com (Heather Baird) — Fri, 05 Apr 2013 16:50:00 +0000

Cookie or cake? If I had to choose, I'd call it a cookie. It's a great big fluffy chocolate and peanut butter chip cookie that's baked in a 10-inch pan, piled with marshmallows, caramel and peanut butter cups, then sliced up like cake. It's so good that when I woke this morning, I stumbled downstairs half asleep and ate a piece while standing at the dining room table.

I got the idea for this cookie cake from a catalogue I received in the mail. Maybe you get them too. It was from a mail-order bakery that sells delicious looking (though mass-produced) cakes at $50 and upward. I'll admit, I've ordered one of these cakes before when I was short on time and wanted something extra special for a get-together. And, don't get me wrong, I truly believe bakers should be paid well for their craft and product - if it's top-notch and memorable in a good way.

I'll just say this. Next time I'll save my dollars for something from Lauren or my local Panache girls.

But if you have time to take matters into your own hands, I recommend this recipe. And if you don't have time to fuss with the frosting and toppings, then just make the cookie part. It's easy and utterly delicious. Just promise me you'll serve it warm with a big scoop of vanilla ice cream on top.

Overloaded Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookie Cake

[click for printable version]

Yield: 14 servings; one 10-inch cookie

Source: Cookie base adapted from Food.com

Prep: 1 hour 25 minutes

Cookie

1 cup unsalted butter, softened

1/2 cup granulated sugar

2/3 cup brown sugar, packed

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 cups flour, all purpose

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon cream of tartar

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

1 cup peanut butter chips

Preheat oven to 350° F. Grease a 10-inch cake pan with white vegetable shortening and line the bottom with a circle of parchment paper. Set aside.
In a large bowl, beat together butter and both sugars until well combined. I used a stand mixer at medium speed, but you can also use a hand mixer at medium-low speed. Add in eggs and vanilla extract. Beat again until well mixed.
In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, baking soda and cream of tartar. Pour flour mixture into the butter mixture and mix until a thick batter forms. Add chips and mix on the lowest setting until all the chips are evenly dispersed.
Pour batter into the prepared pan and spread evenly with an off-set spatula. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick tester comes out clean. Remove from oven and let cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Turn cake onto a wire rack and then again so that it's right side up on a serving plate or cake stand. Let cool completely.

Peanut butter frosting

1 cup unsalted butter, softened

1/2 cup creamy peanut butter

3 cups confectioners' sugar

pinch of salt

1-2 tablespoons milk or cream

Combine the unsalted butter and peanut butter in a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer. Beat together until well blended. Add confectioners' sugar and salt. Beat until well incorporated. Mixture may be crumbly.
Add milk or cream 1 tablespoon at a time and beat again until light and fluffy. Frost the sides of the cake (do not frost the top) and transfer the remaining frosting to a piping bag fitted with a large star tip. Pipe large swirls of frosting around the top edge of the cookie.

Toppings
1 cup marshmallow cream or fluff
3 tablespoons mini chocolate chips
1/2 cup mini marshmallows
2 tablespoons peanut butter chips
15 mini peanut butter cups, each halved
1/2 cup caramel sauce (homemade salted caramel is good if you have it)

Spray a small bowl with cooking spray and place the 1 cup marshmallow cream in the bowl. Heat gently in the microwave for 20-30 seconds, or until just loosened, then pour in the center of the cookie. Spread evenly over the top.
Sprinkle marshmallows, chips and peanut butter cup halves over marshmallow cream. Top with caramel sauce.

Ginger Ale Cupcakes and a Hey YoYo Giveaway!

noreply@blogger.com (Heather Baird) — Mon, 01 Apr 2013 19:57:00 +0000

Today I have a fun little giveaway with my favorite party supply shop - Hey YoYo! Whenever I need a jolt of inspiration, I just hop on over to the online store to get a fix of kitsch and color. Amanda is the shopkeep, and she has an eye for the cutest cupcake papers, treat bags and partyware of all kinds!

I recently received some squee!-worthy items from the shop, like these party hats. They're reversible! And how cute are those confetti napkins? The pattern reminds me of sprinkles, so I was in for those immediately! Honestly, I fell in love with the entire Toot Sweet line of paper napkins, cupcake liners, pinwheel toppers and etcetera. Gimme, gimme, gimme!

My good friend Christen was having a birthday, so she was the perfect person to help model party hats. She also came up with the idea for ginger ale cupcakes (which look extra cute in these liners). They really turned out delicious and quite apropos for party fare.

Love those Pinwheel Toppers!

Christen's cute pooch tagged along and he was caught giving crazy puppy-dog eyes for a bite of cupcake. Awww! And you should have seen him and Biscuit-the-pug playing together, they were double trouble!

Contest Entry

a Rafflecopter giveaway

This contest is open worldwide because Hey YoYo ships worldwide, how awesome is that!?

Balloon toppers can be found here!

The ginger ale cupcakes were light and delicious. Christen commented that the cake portion tasted "bubbly", and with their faint gingery flavor, they do! We toasted each other with them after a day filled with laughing and chasing rambunctious pups. Hope you'll enjoy them too!

Ginger Ale Cupcakes

[click for printable version]

Source: SprinkleBakes original recipe

Yield: About 18 cupcakes

Prep: 1 hour 15 minutes

Ginger Ale Cake

1/2 cup butter softened

1 cup granulated sugar

2 eggs

1 tsp. vanilla

1 3/4 cups flour

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/4 tsp. baking powder

1/4 tsp. salt

1 tsp. ground ginger

1/2 cup sour cream

1/2 cup ginger ale

Preheat oven to 350°F.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time beating well after each addition. Add vanilla and mix. Whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt and ground ginger; set aside. In a small bowl, whisk together 1/2 cup ginger ale and 1/2 cup sour cream (mixture will fizz and bubble a little). Add flour and champagne mixture alternately, beginning and ending with flour. Batter will be thick.
Fill cupcake papers with 1/4 cup level measures of batter. Bake for 17-22 minutes. Set aside.

Ginger Ale Buttercream

1 cup ginger ale

1 tablespoon cornstarch

2 tablespoons water

1 tsp. ground ginger

2 sticks of butter softened

4 cups confectioners' sugar

Place the 1 cup of ginger ale in a small saucepan. Simmer over medium-high heat until reduced to 1/2 cup. Reduce heat to low. In a small cup, whisk together cornstarch and water until no lumps remain. Add mixture to 1/2 cup ginger ale reduction. Whisk constantly as you heat. Mixture will thicken and have a soft gel appearance. Remove from heat and whisk in ground ginger. Transfer mixture to a bowl and allow to cool completely.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, cream softened butter and cooled ginger ale mixture together until smooth. Stir in confectioners’ sugar 1 cup at a time on low speed until thickened to piping consistency. You may not have to use all the confectioners’ sugar. Conversely, If the ginger ale gel mixture is added while still slightly hot or if it was not cooked enough, you may need to add more confectioners’ sugar.
Transfer frosting to a piping bag fitted with a large star tip and pipe onto cooled cupcakes. Decorate with white nonpareils.

Spumoni Mousse Cake

noreply@blogger.com (Heather Baird) — Wed, 27 Mar 2013 15:07:00 +0000

Okay. Calling this cake is a bit of a misnomer. Yes, it's cake-shaped with stacked layers made for slicing and it's even frosted, but there's nary a crumb to speak of. It's 100% mousse, in cherry chip and pistachio flavors, surrounded by vanilla whipped cream - my take on spumoni.

The trio of cherry, pistachio and vanilla flavors were the primary inspiration for this ~~cake~~ dessert, but I also find myself preternaturally drawn to this color palette. Remember these? Yeah. This cake and those mallow cones need to get together and have a party.

Tart server from Leif; Ice cream spoons from Hey YoYo.

Since this cake was inspired by its ice cream counterpart, I decided to try it as a frozen dessert - and it's delicious as such. I could see this served at a summertime gathering in place of a typical ice cream cake. After the half-slice I tested as a frozen dessert had sat on the counter and thawed somewhat, I tried it again. It's just as delicious at room temperature, and much softer with a true airy mousse texture.

I found that using instant pistachio pudding to flavor the top layer created a pretty green hue, and the flavor is easily recognizable. It also has just the right amount of ground pistachios in the mix to keep the mousse texture nice and smooth. If you don't have access to instant pistachio pudding, you may omit the pudding from the recipe, add a handful of ground pistachios and use pistachio flavoring.

The cherry layer is my favorite because, well, I'm just a cherry lovin' girl. There's something so wonderful about getting a bite filled with cherry chips. It tastes like happy.

Spumoni Mousse Cake
[click for printable version]
Yield: one 7 or 8-inch cake; about 12 servings
Source: SprinkleBakes original recipe, icing technique inspired by Sweetapolita
Prep: 1 hour 15 minutes plus 4-5 hours chilling time

Cherry Layer	Pistachio Layer
1/4 oz. package of powdered gelatin	1 tsp. powdered gelatin
2 tbsp. maraschino cherry juice	2 tbsp. cold water
3 egg yolks	1 1/2 tablespoons egg yolk
1/2 cup sugar	1/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup whole milk or half and half	1/4 cup whole milk or half and half
8 oz. high quality white chocolate, chopped	4 oz. high quality white chocolate, chopped
1 tsp. almond extract or 1/4 tsp. almond oil	3 tablespoons instant pistachio pudding
Few drops of pink food coloring	Drop of green food coloring (if desired)
24 maraschino cherries, chopped into “chips”	-
1 1/2 cups whipping cream	1 cup heavy whipping cream

For the cherry layer

Lightly grease the bottom and sides of two 7 or 8-inch spring form pans. Line the bottoms with a parchment paper round. Set aside.
Place the 2 tbsp. cherry juice in a medium saucepan and sprinkle gelatin over water. Let stand for 1 minute. Whisk in egg yolks and sugar; mix well. Stir in milk. Cook over medium heat, whisking constantly. Cook until thickened considerably 7-10 minutes. When done, it should be thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Stir in chopped white chocolate and blend with a whisk until chocolate has melted and has an even color. Let cool.
When mixture is cooled to just barely warm, whisk in almond extract and pink food coloring. Stir in cherry chips.
Whip cream until stiff peaks form. Gently fold whipped cream into the cooled cherry mixture until well blended. Pour into a prepared spring-form pan and level the top with a rubber spatula. Pick up and drop the pan once or twice to settle any gaps that may have been created when the mixture was poured. Place in freezer and freeze until firm. Wash and dry your saucepan, bowl, spatula, whisk and beaters for the next layer.

For the pistachio layer

Place the 2 tbsp. water in a medium saucepan and sprinkle gelatin over water. Let stand for 1 minute. Whisk in egg yolk and sugar. Stir in milk. Cook over medium heat, whisking constantly. Cook until thickened considerably 5-7 minutes. When done, it should be thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Stir in chopped white chocolate and blend with a whisk until chocolate has melted and has an even color. Whisk in instant pistachio pudding mix. Let cool.
When mixture is cooled to just barely warm, whisk in a drop of green food coloring to intensify the green color, if desired.
Whip cream until stiff peaks form. Gently fold whipped cream into the cooled pistachio mixture until well blended. Pour into the remaining prepared spring-form pan and level the top with a rubber spatula. Pick up and drop the pan once or twice to settle any gaps that may have been created when the mixture was poured. Place in freezer and freeze until firm.

Vanilla whipped cream and assembly

1 1/2 cups heavy cream

1/4 cup sugar

2 tsp. clear vanilla extract

Pink food coloring

12 whole maraschino cherries, rinsed and patted dry

Remove pans of mousse from the freezer. Use a dish towel soaked in hot water then wrung dry to warm the outside of the spring-form collars and then gently unlatch and remove the collars. Turn the cherry layer onto a serving platter or cake stand and peel off the parchment round. Stack the pistachio layer on top of the cherry layer and press down until layers are even. If you have gaps between the layers, use an off-set spatula to smooth the two layers together. Peel off parchment circle.
Whip heavy cream until soft peaks form, and then gradually add the sugar. Add in the vanilla and beat until stiff peaks form. Frost the upper half of the mousse cake white whipped cream; avoid frosting the top – we want the pretty green color of the pistachio mousse to show. Tint the remaining whipped cream pink and frost the lower portion with the pink whipped cream. Use one large spatula to smooth the two colors together on the sides of the cake. Transfer remaining pink whipped cream to a piping bag fitted with a large star tip. Pipe 12 pink whipped cream florets on the top outer edge of the cake. Place a cherry in the center of each floret. Store cake in the freezer. Slice into pieces while still partially frozen. Serve frozen or let slices come to room temperature – it’s delicious both ways!

Chocolate "Wax" Seals on Poured Fondant Honey Cupcakes

noreply@blogger.com (Heather Baird) — Fri, 22 Mar 2013 04:37:00 +0000

I found the inspiration for chocolate "wax" seals in a magazine last year while I was researching wedding cakes. Maybe you remember my plight? I was nervous about making my first wedding cake so I studied a mountain of books and magazines on the subject ad nauseum. It was a great learning experience, but I'll never forget the car ride to the reception hall with a triple-tier cake in the back. My heart was in my throat exactly nineteen times (the number of bumps in the road) and I may have shed a tear when we arrived with the cake intact. (I digress.)

I've seen chocolate seals plenty of times on Sacher tortes and other fancy pastries, but I couldn't find instructions for making them at home. So, I ordered a couple of inexpensive wax stamps - and some real sealing wax in case things didn't turn out as expected - and experimented with bittersweet chips. I found a neat no-temper method that I think just about anyone could replicate at home.

I used an "H" to indicate the flavor of the cake but plan to get double use since it's my initial, too. The crown imprint turned out well, and even the more intricate bee stamp worked perfectly, which was surprising. Those little bee legs are so delicate!

I made a video to show how easy it is to make your own at home. It simply involves keeping the wax stamps on ice so the chocolate sets fast when the impression is made.

I could talk finishing touches all day, but I have to tell you about this poured fondant recipe. It's delicious and so simple. The usual recipe is made with corn syrup but I substituted honey, and wow- what a difference! It's so flavorful, and has the most beautiful smooth matte surface when dry. I love it with the honey-lemon cake in this recipe.

There are a couple additional things to keep in mind when making the seals, and I've explained that in detail in the body of the recipe. If you need a wax stamp, then you can find one here (around $10 apiece), but I've also seen them at art supply shops so there's a chance that you may find them locally.

I think these would be beautiful on a wedding reception table, but they may be making an appearance for our 10 year anniversary this year. My husband loved the lemon-honey cakes and the honey fondant really is something special - hope you'll give it a try sometime!

Poured Fondant Honey Cupcakes
with Chocolate "Wax" Seals
[click for printable version]
Yield: 16 cupcakes
Prep: 1 hour 30 minutes, plus setting time for fondant and seals
Source: cake recipe re-jiggered from womensday.com; fondant and stamps are original to SprinkleBakes

Cakes
1 1/4 cups plus 2 tbsp all purpose flour
3/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tbsp salt
1/4 cup sour cream
3 tbsp. milk
Zest of 1 lemon
2 tbsp. lemon juice
6 tbsp unsalted butter, softened
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons sugar
1 large egg

Preheat oven to 350F. Line a cupcake tin with paper liners. This recipe makes about 16 cupcakes so if you have two tins, line four additional cups with liners.
In a medium bowl whisk together flour, baking powder and salt. Whisk sour cream, milk, lemon zest and juiced in a small bowl until thoroughly combined.
Beat butter, honey and sugar in a large bowl with a mixer until light and fluffy. Beat in egg. Turn off mixer and add half of flour, combine on low until just mixed. Add the sour cream mixture and beat again. Add remaining flour and beat until well combined.
Spoon 2 1/2 level tablespoons of batter into each cupcake liner. Bake for about 18 minutes. Cakes should rise up to just below the top edge of the cupcake liner. Let cool completely.

Poured fondant
1/2 cup water
2 1/2 cups sugar
1/4 cup honey

Stir all the ingredients together in a medium saucepan and place over high heat. Insert a candy thermometer into the mixture and bring to a hard boil. Boil to a temperature of 238 degrees. Immediately pour the syrup into a food processor fitted with a steel blade.
Let mixture stand uncovered in the food processor until the temperature cools to 140 degrees; about 25-30 minutes. Attach the lid of the food processor to the bowl and remove the small feed tube. Process for 2-5 minutes or until the liquid is pale and opaque. Immediately pour fondant over cupcakes and fill to the top of the cupcake liner. Let stand until set and completely cooled.

Chocolate "wax" seals
2/3 cup semisweet chocolate chips
Parchment paper
Cup filled with crushed ice
Metal wax seal stamps

Gently heat chocolate in a double boiler or in the microwave at 30 second intervals; be careful to not over heat.. Stir smooth.
Transfer chocolate to a clean bowl. Let it stand 3-5 minutes or until it's barely warm to the touch. It's important the chocolate is not too hot when you make an impression with the stamp. The heat from the chocolate will warm the metal stamp and it will cause the chocolate to smear.
Place metal wax seal stamps in the cup filled with crushed ice. The stamp bottoms need to be thoroughly chilled.
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Drop dime-size amounts of chocolate onto the parchment paper. Remove a stamp from the ice and quickly wipe it free of water droplets with a towel. Place the stamp onto a mound of chocolate, press down gently then release. Let the stamp stand pressed in the chocolate for 3-5 seconds. Press down again very gently but firmly once more before you lift the stamp (see instructional video for clear visual). You should be left with a clear impression in the chocolate. Replace metal wax stamp into the crushed ice until it is thoroughly chilled and repeat with remaining melted chocolate. Refrigerate finished chocolate seals until firm.
Place a dot of melted chocolate or honey to the center of the set cupcakes. Use a spatula to transfer the seals onto the cupcake tops; press gently to adhere.

Irish Coffee Pudding

noreply@blogger.com (Heather Baird) — Fri, 15 Mar 2013 04:21:00 +0000

Here's a little something for St. Patrick's Day that takes very little effort to put together. It's inspired by Irish Coffee, a drink that consists of brown sugar, cream, Irish whiskey and strongly brewed coffee. It seemed like the perfect kind of thing to turn into my favorite comfort food - pudding.

The whipped-cream-to-pudding ratio is about 50/50 here. The pudding is filled with potent coffee flavor, and the whiskey imparts barley and oak flavors. It's not overly sweet, so the sweetened whipped cream gives the entire dessert a nice balance.

I found some chocolate coins at the grocery store and decided they'd make cute St. Paddy's embellishments. A few coins were made into picks using bamboo skewers. It's easy to do, and there's an instructional picture below the recipe if you'd like to try it for yourself.

I think they're pretty cute, and hellooo - chocolate!

This dessert was so well loved, it was gone in a snap! And since it's so easy to whip up, I'll be making a second batch for our St. Paddy's Day dessert this Sunday. Hope you enjoy it too!

Irish Coffee Pudding
[click for printable version]
Source: SprinkleBakes original recipe
Prep: 15 minutes plus 2 hours chilling time
Yield: 4 servings

This is an easy recipe, but if you want to shortcut it further, use prepared whipped topping from the grocery store. I use heavy cream in the pudding recipe, but whole milk can be substituted. If you want to make this dessert non-alcoholic, omit the whiskey and add 1 teaspoon vanilla extract.

Pudding
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons brown sugar, packed
Pinch of salt
2 cups heavy cream
1 tablespoon instant espresso powder or 1 1/2 tablespoons instant coffee
3 tablespoons Irish whiskey

Whipped topping
1 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon sugar

Pudding directions

Whisk the cornstarch, sugar and salt together in a medium saucepan. Stir in the heavy cream. Bring the mixture to a bubble over medium-high heat whisking constantly until thickened and smooth. Remove from heat and whisk in espresso powder and whiskey.
Divide the pudding evenly between four 6 oz. dessert glasses. Chill for 2 hours.

Whipped cream directions

In a medium bowl, whip heavy cream on medium high speed with an electric mixer. Gradually pour in extra fine sugar, 1 tbsp at a time. Increase speed to high and whip until thick and fluffy. Dollop or pipe whipped cream on top of puddings.
Sprinkle a pinch of instant espresso powder over the whipped cream if desired. Embellish with chocolate gold coins if desired. Refrigerate leftovers.

To make the picks: gently skewer coin at an angle. Do not press skewer point all the way through the coin. Stand skewered coin upright and shake slightly to make sure it's secure. Place skewer upright into puddings.

Pink Vanilla Key Lime Mallow Cones

noreply@blogger.com (Heather Baird) — Mon, 11 Mar 2013 15:46:00 +0000

It's still bleak and wintry here, but spring is already bubbling over in my kitchen. Heaps of marshmallow and meringue were whipped up this weekend and then tinted in the softest pastels. I'm so ready for the season's lightness and effervescence - I can't wait a moment longer to embrace it all!

Sugar cones make great little vessels in which to carry fluffy homemade marshmallow. To make it a ringer for soft-serve, I piped it with a large French decorator tip. The colors and flavors were inspired by two paint swatches I've been toting around in my purse since late December. Maybe someday I'll get to use those colors on a wall, but for now they look pretty good on dessert.

Both recipes are adapted from my friend Shauna's book Marshmallow Madness! (highly recommend!). I increased the gelatin slightly to make sure the marshmallow batter would pipe well and hold up to a second layer stacked on top. I couldn't have asked for better results!

The key lime marshmallow flavor is so delicious, and together with the crunchy cone it reminds me of key lime pie. The pink vanilla layer swirled on top is a nice compliment, too. After the marshmallow is piped and set, the layers really stick together well, so I wouldn't hesitate to make these for a kid's party. There's no chance of the marshmallow falling off/out of the cone, and it's something that would be so easy for little hands to hold.

These were a delight to make, and pretty easy, too. Just a note - like most marshmallow recipes, you'll need a candy thermometer to make these. If you need a large french star piping tip, you can buy one here.

Pink Vanilla Key Lime Mallow Cones
[click for printable version]
Yield- 15 servings (15 cones)
Prep- 1 hour 30 minutes
Source: Adapted recipes from Marshmallow Madness by Shauna Sever

You'll be making two consecutive batches of marshmallow for these, so when you get finished piping the first layer in the cones, be prepared to wash up your saucepan, piping tip and batter bowl for the next layer. I tried dividing one batch of marshmallow into the two colors and flavors, but after piping the first color (lime), the second color had already begun to set up. An attempt at re-whipping only made the vanilla layer lax and un-pipeable. Two consecutive batches is the way to go, here. Small glasses make a nice holder in which to stand the cones upright while piping. I used 2 oz. cylinder dessert glasses (pictured).

Cones
Piping gel or clear corn syrup
White nonpareils

Brush piping gel or clear corn syrup around the top edges of 15 ready made sugar cones. Place the nonpareils on a small plate and then roll the edge of a cone in the sprinkles. Repeat with remaining cones and leave to dry on parchment paper. Have the cones placed upright in glasses and ready to receive piped marshmallow.

Key lime marshmallow	Pink-Vanilla Marshmallow
5 teaspoons unflavored gelatin	5 teaspoons unflavored gelatin
1/4 cup key lime juice (ready-made is fine)	1/2 cup cold water
1/4 cup cold water	3/4 cup sugar
1 cup sugar	1/2 cup light corn syrup, divided
1/2 cup light corn syrup, divided	1/4 cup water
1/4 cup water	Pinch of salt
Pinch of salt	1/2 tsp. clear vanilla extract
Green food coloring	Pink food coloring

Have ready to hand a large pastry bag fitted with a large french piping tip.

Key Lime Marshmallow

Whisk together in a small bowl - gelatin, key lime juice and 1/4 cup cold water. Let set for 5 minutes until gelatin absorbs liquid.
In a saucepan with a candy thermometer inserted, combine sugar, 1/4 cup corn syrup, 1/4 cup water and salt. Place over high heat and bring to a boil. Meanwhile, pour the remaining 1/4 cup corn syrup in the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Heat the gelatin in the microwave or on the stove-top until melted completely and pour into the mixing bowl with the corn syrup. Turn mixer on low and keep it stirring until the sugar syrup is ready.
When the syrup reaches 240F. slowly pour it into the mixer bowl. Increase the speed to medium and beat for 5 minutes, then increase to medium-high and beat 5 more minutes. Finally, increase to highest speed and beat 5 more minutes, until tripled in volume. Add food coloring and beat until incorporated. Immediately scoop marshmallow into the large piping bag - do not tarry here -and quickly pipe the mixture into the cones, swirling in a circular motion as you pipe.

Pink Vanilla Marshmallow

Whisk together in a small bowl - gelatin and cold water. Let set for 5 minutes until gelatin absorbs liquid.
In a saucepan with a candy thermometer inserted, combine sugar, 1/4 cup corn syrup, 1/4 cup water and salt. Place over high heat and bring to a boil. Meanwhile, pour the remaining 1/4 cup corn syrup in the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Heat the gelatin in the microwave or on the stove-top until melted completely and pour into the mixing bowl with the corn syrup. Turn mixer on low and keep it stirring until the sugar syrup is ready.
When the syrup reaches 240F. slowly pour it into the mixer bowl. Increase the speed to medium and beat for 5 minutes, then increase to medium-high and beat 5 more minutes. Finally, increase to highest speed and beat 1-2 more minutes, add vanilla then beat again for 1-2 minutes. Mixture should be opaque and tripled in volume. Add food coloring and beat until incorporated. Immediately scoop marshmallow into the large piping bag - do not tarry here -and quickly pipe the mixture into the cones, swirling in a circular motion as you pipe.

Tip: Combine 3/4 cup confectioners' sugar with 1/2 cup cornstarch and dust the cones with this mixture. This will take away any stickiness and makes them easy to bag in cellophane for party favors.

Double Chocolate Stout Mousse Cake

noreply@blogger.com (Heather Baird) — Tue, 05 Mar 2013 16:25:00 +0000

I've been toying with the idea for a stout mousse cake for a couple of weeks now, and at first, I couldn't get my head around how to make it happen. I didn't know if stout mousse was even a thing, but I was sure if it wasn't, it needed to be. It turns out there are a few stout mousse recipes online but they all seem best suited for a dessert glass. I needed a recipe that was stable enough to turn into a cake layer.

I finally knuckled down and figured out my own recipe based off another mousse cake on this blog. I'm happy to say it worked, and my vision for this cake - realized!

This cake is delicious, too. The double chocolate stout gives the cake layer a richness that is nuanced with malt and hops. The light texture and flavor of the stout mousse on top is a nice contrast.

Visually, the pale mousse on top of the dark chocolate cake reminds me of the froth that rises to the top of a freshly poured pint.

Any stout can be used, but I chose Fort Collins Double Chocolate Stout because it's already a little sweet and has coffee-and-cream undertones. I think it'll be a lot of fun to experiment with other kinds of stout in this cake, so don't be afraid to get creative!

Double Chocolate Stout Mousse Cake
Yield: One 9-inch cake; serves 12
Prep: 1 hour 45 minutes plus more for chilling
Source: SprinkleBakes original recipe, cake portion adapted from Epicurious
[click for printable version]

The cake batter portion of this recipe makes a little more than a standard 9-inch cake pan can hold, so I suggest employing the use of a spring-form pan with tall sides -at least 9x3-inch. Or, you can divide the batter between two standard 9-inch cake pans and stack both layers on the bottom. The cake layers will need to be leveled with a serrated knife so the mousse can lay flat on top.

Chocolate stout mousse
1/4 oz. package of powdered gelatin (about 2 tsp.)
2 tbsp. double chocolate stout
3 egg yolks
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup milk

1/4 cup chocolate stout
8 oz. white chocolate, chopped (Ghiradelli recommended)
1 1/2 cups whipping cream.

Sprinkle gelatin over 2 tablespoons stout in a small saucepan. Let stand for 1 minute. Whisk in egg yolks and sugar. Whisk in milk and 1/4 cup chocolate stout. Cook over medium heat, whisking constantly. Mixture will thicken after 5 minutes or so. When done, it should be thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Stir in chopped white chocolate and blend until chocolate has melted and mixture is well combined. Let cool.
Whip cream until stiff peaks form. Gently fold whipped chocolate mixture into the whipped cream. Pour into prepared spring-form pan and smooth the top with a rubber spatula. Place in freezer for a few hours or until mousse is frozen solid.

Chocolate stout cake

1 cup double chocolate stout

1 cup unsalted butter

3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 cups sugar

1/2 tbsp. baking soda

3/4 tsp. salt

2 eggs

1/2 cup plus 2 tbsp. sour cream

Preheat oven to 350 F. Grease and line a 9x3-inch spring-form pan with parchment. Be sure to use a pan with deep edges, this recipe makes slightly more batter than one standard pan can hold. Combine stout and butter in a large saucepan. Sift in cocoa powder and whisk to combine. Let cool slightly.
Whisk flour, sugar, baking soda and salt in a large bowl to blend; set aside.
Whisk eggs and sour cream into the cocoa/stout mixture. Pour in flour and mix with an electric hand mixer until well combined. Mixture will be thick. Pour batter into prepared pan and bake for 35-45 minutes, or until a toothpick tester comes out clean. Let cake cool in pan for 10 minutes then turn out and let cool completely on a wire rack. Level top with a serrated knife or cake leveler.
When stout cake is completely cooled, remove frozen mousse from freezer and run a knife around the top edge. Run a dish towel under hot water and wring out slightly; press hot towel around the edge of the pan for 1 minute so mousse will release easily. Remove spring-form collar. Turn frozen mousse out onto the top of the stout cake. Refrigerate until ready to frost.

Chocolate frosting:

1 cup unsalted butter, softened

4 cups powdered sugar

1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder, sifted

2 tablespoons double chocolate stout

Milk or cream, optional

Chocolate jimmies

Combine butter, confectioners’ sugar and 2 tablespoons cocoa in the bowl of a stand mixer. Beat on low until just combined, and then add chocolate stout. Beat until light and fluffy. If mixture is too thick to spread, add milk or cream 1 tablespoon at a time until consistency is reached. Frosting should be a pale chocolate color.
Remove 1/3 portion of frosting from the bowl and coat the top of the cake. Beat additional 1/4 cup of cocoa into the remaining frosting until a consistent dark cocoa color is achieved. Beat in milk or cream 1 tablespoon at a time if mixture is too thick to spread or pipe. Transfer half the chocolate icing to a piping bag fitted with a large star tip. Frost the sides of the cake with the remaining frosting. Pipe stars around to top and bottom edge of the cake. Sprinkle with chocolate jimmies.
Keep cake refrigerated. Serve slices cold or at room temperature.

Cover the top first, then add more cocoa to the remaining frosting and cover the sides of the cake.

Bottoms Up! Irish Cream Hot Fudge Cupcakes

noreply@blogger.com (Heather Baird) — Wed, 27 Feb 2013 23:53:00 +0000

Whenever dessert can be interactive, that's a plus in my book. I love dishing up sweets that will make people feel special, and for me, that doesn't always mean handing out slices of cake. I'm talking individual desserts, all dressed up for one with an element of surprise. I live for that sort of thing.

This is one such recipe. It yields 6 muffin-sized cupcakes, and you'll need 6 mini bottles of Irish cream to make them. The Irish cream is used to flavor all four elements of the cupcake - and my favorite of all is the homemade hot fudge sauce that sits atop the frosting in an upturned bottle.

(email subscribers click here to view how-to video)

The trick to getting the sauce to stay in the bottle is to insert it directly into the middle of the cupcake and down into the ganache. The ganache acts as a bottle stopper. You may want to serve these with a wooden pick on the side in case the ganache clogs the bottle mouth. It's less prone to happen if your hot fudge sauce is, well - hot. I use a skewer in the video because my bottles of sauce had gotten cold while hanging around during filming. With a bit of help, they still pour just fine cold too.

There's a few things to remember when making these.

When you remove the bottle cap, there's an aluminum ring that stays attached to the bottle neck. That piece should be removed, and can be easily snipped off with a pair of work scissors (I wouldn't use your best cloth-cutting scissors for this).
The sauce can be made in advance and then warmed on the stove-top or in a 4 cup measure with a spout in the microwave just before serving. The hot sauce shouldn't be screaming hot, so don't heat it for too long.
The sauce should not be re-heated in the bottles in the microwave. This will cause the sauce to bubble over. Also, there's foil on the label (hellooo sparks!) and that's a possible fire hazard in the microwave.
As stated before, you can serve these with wooden picks in case the sauce has cooled. We had no problems without - just a squeeze and a shake is required when the sauce is still warm.
Serve these on a plate with an extra napkin. They can be a little messy, but there's nothing wrong with licking frosting and ganache from your fingers. Modest guests will want a napkin.

These will be such fun at St. Paddy's day parties, and with their upturned bottles they'll look snazzy on display.

Even though there's no partying to speak of today, we'll be celebrating little things like finished chores. There's no better reward than a hot fudge cupcake after walking the dogs on a freezing cold, grey day!

Bottoms Up! Irish Cream Hot Fudge Cupcakes
Source: SprinkleBakes original recipes
Yield: 6 muffin-sized cupcakes
Prep: 1 hour 15 minutes, plus chilling time for ganache
[click for printable recipe]

The cake portion of this cupcake reminds me a little of a brownie, but they’re not as dense. They bake up with a crackled top, but inside they’re fluffy with a deep chocolate flavor. You won’t use a whole egg since this is a small batch recipe, so you’ll need to measure out a portion. To do so, lightly beat a whole egg in a small cup then pour the egg into the measuring spoon. If you'd like to shortcut this recipe, buy prepared chocolate sauce and stir in a little Irish cream for flavor.

Cakes
1/2 cup Irish Cream liqueur, or two mini bottles (50 ml each)
3 tablespoons well-beaten egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
2/3 cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/8 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened

1/4 cup strongly brewed coffee

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a muffin tin with 6 large muffin papers.
Place Irish Cream liqueur, egg, and vanilla in cup; beat together vigorously with a fork, set aside.
Whisk together flour, sugar, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl. Add butter and liquid mixture; beat with an electric mixer on low speed until dry ingredients are moistened. Add coffee and beat again until well incorporated. Scrape down the sides of the bowl using a rubber spatula and beat well again.
Divide batter between muffin cups. Bake for 25-27 minutes or until cupcakes spring back when pressed in the center. Cool completely on a wire rack.

Chocolate ganache filling

1/3 cup plus 2 tbsp. heavy cream

1 cup milk chocolate chips

2 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons Irish Cream liqueur (about half a mini bottle)

Combine heavy cream and chocolate chips in a medium saucepan or a microwaveable bowl. Heat on medium low until chips are melted and can be stirred smooth. If using the microwave, heat at 30 second intervals until completely melted and mixture can be stirred smooth. Add butter in pieces and stir until melted. Add Irish cream. Stir well. Refrigerate until ganache is thickened but still fairly soft (see video).
Cut a large divot out of each cupcake and fill with ganache. Discard cake piece or save them for breakfast tomorrow (smile).

Irish cream frosting

2 sticks unsalted butter, softened

3 cups confectioners’ sugar

1/4 cup plus two tablespoons Irish cream (about 1 1/2 mini bottles)

1 tsp. vanilla extract

Combine butter and confectioners’ sugar in a large bowl and mix on low speed with a hand mixer until just combined. Gradually add in Irish cream. Scrape down sides of bowl and mix in vanilla. Beat on high speed until light and fluffy. Transfer to a piping bag fitted with a large closed star tip. Pipe frosting over the surface of the cupcakes.

Irish cream hot fudge sauce

1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa

1/4 cup milk chocolate chips

1/3 cup plus 1/4 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup coffee

1/2 cup Irish cream (2 mini bottles)

Combine all ingredients in a medium saucepan and place over medium heat. Whisk to incorporate. Bring to a boil and let bubble one minute. Remove from heat and let cool slightly before pouring into the empty Irish cream bottles.
Pour a scant 1/4 cup of hot fudge sauce in each empty Irish cream bottle. Turn them upright and press the bottle neck into the frosting and down to the chocolate ganache filling. Sprinkle with cocoa powder and serve.

Rainbow Frosting Cupcakes

noreply@blogger.com (Heather Baird) — Fri, 22 Feb 2013 14:25:00 +0000

I remember learning the colors of the rainbow as a kid in piano class. It was one of the first lessons in my primer - a song titled "Roy G. Biv". Just saying it takes me back to that ticking metronome. I'm tapping out a few rudimentary notes that are supposed to resemble a song about rainbows. I must have played that little ditty a hundred times before getting it right!

All these years later I still remember the simple words to that song. It was stuck in my head as I frosted these cupcakes in the same sequence of hues.

The idea for these came from a nice big box of goodies that Wilton sent me. Inside was a book all about cupcakes and other fun things like colorful batter mix-ins and candy sprinkles. I thought the green "batter bits" with rainbow frosting would make a great St. Paddy's day treat. But heck! They turned out so cheery, I'd make them anytime someone needed an infusion of sugary happiness. Talk about a pick-me-up!

There were some similarly frosted cupcakes on the cover of the book I was given by Wilton, and I hoped it would tell me how much icing I'd need to complete these. Unfortunately, it was not mentioned and I was left trying to estimate how much I'd need for a dozen. I ended up using 6 cups, but I'd err on the side of caution next time and make 6 1/2. I realize that sounds like a huge amount, but these have about a half cup of icing topping each cake, which is no less than you'd get at a fancy cupcake boutique. That said, I wasn't able to eat a whole one by myself, so I'd suggest splitting one with a friend.

I can't wait to try out a mini version of these. I've got some Sixlets candies that would make a perfect mini "cherry" on top. I also think this same technique would be beautiful done in ombre hues.

Rainbow Frosting Cupcakes
Yield: 12-13 cupcakes
Start to finish: 3 hours +
Source: SprinkleBakes original recipes, technique inspired by Cupcakes! by Wilton
[click for printable version]

These are a bit of work from scratch, so using a white cake mix may be a time-saving option for busy bakers. I do suggest homemade frosting . It should be one you really love because these cupcakes hold a tall amount. Using disposable cups or bowls is a good idea when mixing so many different colors of icing. I chose a maraschino cherry as a topper, but you could use a candy cherries found at bulk candy stores.

Sour cream cake

1/2 cup butter softened

1 cup granulated sugar

2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla

1 3/4 cups flour

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 cup sour cream

1/2 milk

Wilton Green color mix-ins, optional

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time beating well after each addition. Add vanilla and mix. Whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt, set aside. in a medium sized bowl, whisk together 1/2 cup milk and 1/2 cup sour cream. Add flour and milk mixture alternately, beginning and ending with flour. Batter will be thick. Fold in color mix-ins, if using.
Fill cupcake papers with 1/4 cup level measures of batter. Bake for 17 minutes. Let cool and set aside.

Buttercream frosting

This is a simple confectioners' vanilla buttercream that is white so it will show color well, but if you prefer, you can find my Swiss buttercream recipe here, which will work well also.

2 cups of unsalted butter, softened

2 lbs. confectioners’ sugar - the finest you can find (usually 10x)

3/4 cup milk

1 tsp. Clear vanilla extract

* Additional milk or heavy cream, as needed

In a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, mix together the butter and confectioners’ sugar. Begin mixing on low speed until crumbly, and then increase to high and beat for 3 minutes. Add milk.
Add vanilla extract and beat again for several minutes until light and fluffy.

*Note: If you find the buttercream is too stiff, you may add milk or heavy cream 1 tablespoon at a time until the mixture is spreading consistency.

Tint/top

Violet gel food coloring

Royal blue gel food coloring

Leaf green gel food coloring

Golden yellow gel food coloring

Orange gel food coloring

12 maraschino cherries with stems, drained and patted dry

This is an estimation of the tinted icing amounts I used for these cupcakes. You’ll need a larger amount of violet versus the much smaller amount of orange.

Divide the icing and tint accordingly. The only color you’ll need to create is indigo, and you can do that by adding one part blue food coloring to one part violet food coloring to untinted icing.

Have ready these amounts and frost in this order:

2 1/3 cups violet

1 1/2 cups indigo

1 cup blue

2/3 cup green

1/2 cup yellow

1/3 cup orange

Transfer violet icing to a piping bag fitted with a large plain tip (Wilton 2A). I’m confident this could also be done with a zip-top bag with a corner snipped.
Pipe an even line of frosting around the edge of a cupcake and then lightly fill in the middle with frosting. Repeat process with remaining frostings, getting smaller in diameter as you change icing colors. Repeat process with remaining cupcakes. Top each cupcake with a maraschino cherry.

Disclaimer: Colorburst batter bits and Cupcakes! book were provided by Wilton. Wilton did not ask me to review these products, but I found them useful and of possible benefit and interest to SprinkleBakes readers.

Strawberry Shindig Ruffle Cake for a Special Birthday

noreply@blogger.com (Heather Baird) — Tue, 19 Feb 2013 13:03:00 +0000

My friend Darla of Bakingdom is having a birthday today!

Because I love birthdays - and Darla more so - I want to help celebrate! She's an inspiration to me and I feel that we are, in many ways, kindred spirits. For example...

She's not afraid to wave her geek flag high.
She hates spiders as much as I do (okay, clearly more than I do).
Without a doubt, her heart beats for artistry in sugar.
She agrees that pink is one of the four major food groups.

Now, I could list about a dozen more reasons why I love her, but I'll name just one more. She's a fellow browncoat. A Firefly fanatic. And if you don't know what that is, then Darla will tell you all about it here.

The inspiration for this cake is taken from Kaylee's dress in the "Shindig" episode, and Cap'n Tightpants even calls it a "layer cake" when they are at said fancy shindig. I'd have to agree! It's a confection made of satin, and just as sweet as the person who wears it.

This cake is appropriately strawberried through-and-through, and there's a gold button on top because, well, shiny.

This was my first time ever making fondant ruffles. I bought a large ruffle cutter over a year ago, and have never used it until now. I was surprised at how easy it is to make ruffles! The cutter does a good bit of the work for you.

I recommend using a pointed fondant modeling stick for frilling (creating the ridges) and it comes in this nice set of gumpaste tools (unfortunately I can't find it sold separately). It works especially well with the large ruffle cutter, just be sure to place the tool's point as close to the center as possible (see picture). To create the frills you gently rock the tool back and forth against the fondant, working your way all the way around the circle.

When you're done frilling, cut the circle between a scallop and gently lay the piece flat. You may find it easiest to cut the large fondant ruffle into 3 smaller pieces, making it easier to place without tearing. Reconstituted dry egg whites or meringue powder makes a good adhesive with which to adhere the ruffles onto the cake. Apply it to the cake with an artists' brush just before you add a ruffle.

The cake gets its strawberry flavor from a generous helping of strawberry preserves. I also kicked it up a notch with some LorAnn strawberry flavoring oil. It's dense texture is ideal for torting, and can stand up to the many layers of fondant ruffles. The frosting is simple American buttercream with a little cream cheese added.

In addition to birthdays, I think this cake would be great for any girly-girl party, like bridal showers, sweet-sixteens and spring tea parties - anywhere ruffles are already welcome.

Happy birthday Darla, hope it's the best one yet!

Thanks to Tina who arranged this virtual "shindig"! Be sure to check out what she's baked up for Darla over at Sugar Bean Bakers!

Strawberry Shindig Ruffle Cake
Yield: One 7-inch layer cake
Cake/Icing prep and bake time: 1 hour 30 minutes
Total time with ruffles: All day. Don't plan to do anything else.
Source: cake recipe from Food.com
[click for printable recipe]

It doesn't take an expert fondant artist to make this cake, just a ruffle cutter and some patience. The entire cake is covered in fondant before the ruffles are attached, but since it’s completely covered by the ruffles, the undercoating doesn't have to be perfect. Wilton ready-made fondant is the easiest for novice hands to work with, but I suggest Satin Ice brand fondant because it tastes good.

There were many interpretations for Kaylee’s dress colors by fans online, ranging from hot pink to tangerine. Since the show was seemingly filmed through a warm filter, I chose colors more in the salmon/watermelon family. Feel free to disregard my color palette and create your own.

Special equipment

Large fondant ruffle/frill cutter
Fondant/gum paste modeling stick
Artists’ brush

Cake

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 cup butter, softened
1 1/2 cups sugar
3/4 cup strawberry preserves
4 large eggs
3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup buttermilk
Pink gel food coloring
1/3 dram bottle LorAnn strawberry flavoring oil

Preheat oven to 350°. Line the bottoms and sides of of two 7-inch cake pans (can also use two 9-inch pans) with parchment paper. Set aside.
Sift flour, baking powder, salt, and baking soda together in a large bowl; set aside.
In a separate large mixing bowl, beat butter and sugar together until light and fluffy (this may take up to 4 minutes to fully incorporate). Add the strawberry preserves and then beat in eggs one at a time. Scrape down sides of bowl and add vanilla extract and enough food coloring to achieve desired color. You may also omit the coloring, but the interior is a much prettier color with the addition of food coloring.
Mix in flour alternating with the buttermilk. Begin and end with the flour mixture. Add the flavoring oil, if using. Divide batter equally between the pans
Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until a tester inserted in the center of each cake layer comes out clean. Turn cakes out onto a wire rack and peel of the parchment paper. Let cool completely. Torte cakes so there are four layers.

Icing

1 1/2 cups unsalted butter, softened

5 cups confectioners’ sugar

4 oz. cream cheese softened and cubed

1/2 dram bottle LorAnn strawberry flavoring oil

Combine butter and confectioners’ sugar in a large bowl and mix on low speed until just combined. Switch to high speed and add cream cheese a little at a time. Finally, add the strawberry flavoring oil. Scrape down bowl and mix again on high speed until light and fluffy.
Fill cake layers and apply an even crumb coat to the outside of the cake with frosting. Refrigerate until frosting develops a crust, or until ready to cover in fondant.

Fondant cover and ruffles

1 lb. vanilla pale pink ready-made rolled fondant such as Satin Ice brand

1 lb. vanilla white ready-made fondant such as Satin Ice brand

Pink gel food coloring

Golden yellow gel food coloring

Clear vegetable shortening

Meringue powder or dried egg whites reconstituted in water

On a work surface lightly coated with shortening (or powdered sugar) knead well 1/2 lb. white ready-made fondant; reserve the remaining 1/2 lb. for later use (keep air-tight). If there are dry crusty areas on the fondant, knead in a little clear vegetable shortening to soften it, or remove and discard the pieces. Roll piece out with a large fondant roller or rolling pin until the pieces is 1/4” thickness. Roll fondant onto the rolling pin and drape over cake. Smooth down edges and trim with a paring knife or pastry wheel. Place fondant-covered cake on a cake stand or serving plate.
Divide the pink fondant in half, tint both portions with pink and yellow gel food colorings, but make sure one color is darker and more pink in color that the other.
Roll out the darker pink color fondant and cut a ruffle using the large frill cutter. Remove excess pieces and keep air tight. Frill/ indent fondant piece using the fondant modeling stick. Be sure to place the tool’s point as close to the center as possible, then rock the tool back and forth. When you're done frilling, cut the circle between a scallop and gently lay the piece flat. You may find it easiest to cut the large fondant ruffle into 3 smaller pieces, making it easier to place without tearing.
Mix the meringue powder or egg whites in a little water and have the artists’ brush ready. Hold the fondant ruffle up to the cake to approximate the placement. Apply meringue mixture to the cake with the brush, then press ruffle onto the cake. You can also overlap a little of the ruffle onto itself to create ruffles that stand out.
Re-roll fondant scraps and cut out another ruffle piece. Repeat the entire process, continuing with the lighter color fondant and then with the remaining 1/2 lb. white fondant. At the very top, I cut out a 3-inch circle and gently ruffled the edges by pressing with my fingers. An edible gold chocolate button was pressed in the center, but you could omit this or use a scrap piece of colored fondant rolled into a button-shape.

Step #4: "You can also overlap [...] the ruffle onto itself to create ruffles that stand out."

Baked Churros

noreply@blogger.com (Heather Baird) — Thu, 14 Feb 2013 05:03:00 +0000

Happy Valentine's Day, friends!

We've already been celebrating this week with one of our favorite sweets - churros! It's almost unbelievable that it's taken me so long to blog about them, considering our dog is named Churro. It's true, we love them that much! And we love our little ridged-face Churro-the-Pug.

Check out those wrinkles!

Churro love

These are no ordinary churros because they're baked, and at first, I wasn't sure such a thing could be done considering they are so wonderfully crisp when fried. It took a few test-runs (and the endless brushing away of cinnamon-sugar from my shirt front) but now the recipe is ready to share!

Baked churros for everyone!

Party tip: furbabies make the best valentines.

No valentine? You can find one here.

Biscuit love

These pastries bake until slightly puffed, then you toast them within an inch of their life under the broiler. They're best fresh and served with a side of dulce de leche or chocolate sauce. They are so light and delectable straight from the oven, I couldn't help but eat exactly three and a half immediately. Which ended up being my lunch. Oops!

(I couldn't feign regret if I wanted to. Best. Lunch. Ever.)

Sending you pugs and kisses!
xoxo

Baked Churros
Yield: eight 10-inch churros, about 6 servings
Prep: 15 minutes; Total: 45-50 minutes
Source: Adapted from Latina.com
[click for printable version]

These are made as normal churros are - from choux paste. I've found that these bake best when piped in long thin sticks. I used earth balance margarine in the batch pictured, but I also made a batch with unsalted butter that was successful - they just puffed up slightly larger than the margarine version. Overall, the baked version is less crisp than the usual fried churros, so it's important to toast them well under the broiler so they're as crisp as possible. You can store leftovers (if there are any) in an air-tight container but they will become soft. You can remedy this by placing them under the broiler for a few minutes (watch carefully) and they will regain their former crispiness. Serve with prepared dulce de leche, chocolate sauce, marshmallow fluff - they're good with everything!

2 tablespoons light brown sugar, packed
1/2 teaspoon table salt
1/3 cup margarine or unsalted butter (I used tub-style Earth Balance Whipped Buttery Spread)
1 cup all-purpose flour (I used King Arthur unbleached)
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon (or to taste)

1. Preheat oven to 425°F. Cover two baking sheets with parchment paper; set aside.
In a medium saucepan, stir together 1 cup water, brown sugar and salt. Add butter and place over medium-high heat. Heat until butter is melted and mixture starts to boil. Remove from heat and add flour, stirring with a wooden spoon. Mixture will clump and pull away from the sides of the pan. Mix/mash with wooden spoon until no streaks of flour can be seen.
2. In a small bowl, combine eggs and vanilla. Scramble mixture with a fork and then add to the dough-ball in the saucepan. Stir and mash, breaking up the dough until loosened. Stir well until eggs are incorporated and mixture has the appearance of mashed potatoes.

R: dough clumps when flour is stirred in; L: texture is like mashed potatoes when eggs have been fully incorporated

3. Transfer dough to a piping bag fitted with Ateco decorator tip #867. You could also pipe the dough in a zip-top bag with the corner snipped, but the churros will be ridge-less (delicious, nonetheless).

4. Pipe dough into long thin lengths on the parchment covered pans. Use a pair of kitchen scissors to cut the end of the dough from the piping tip. Leave about 2-inches of space between the churros.

Use scissors to cut the dough ends.

5. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until slightly puffed. Turn oven to broiler setting and watch carefully as churros toast and turn deep golden brown. Remove from oven and let cool slightly. Transfer to a wire cooling rack. If you're baking the churros one pan at a time, be sure to return the oven setting to 425°F before putting in the next pan.

6. Combine sugar and cinnamon and pour onto a long dish. Roll churros in mixture. Serve.

Tips!

Piping tip 867 made by Ateco (also known as French Star size 7) is just about the most perfect tip for piping these churros. It has a 9/16 diameter opening. I experimented with a few and this made them just thick enough and produced the most prominent ridges.
Add a pinch of cayenne pepper to the cinnamon-sugar mixture. Brings little heat and adds a faint smokiness.
I had no problems with the cinnamon-sugar sticking to the hot churros, but if you let them cool to room temp they might resist the sugar. Brush churros with a tiny amount of olive oil using a pastry brush, then roll in the sugar mixture.
As I said in the description, these will become soft and rubbery if stored in an air-tight container. Put them under the broiler (even if they've been rolled in cinnamon-sugar, this works!) they'll come back to life and crisp up under a watchful eye. Re-roll in cinnamon sugar.

Guinness-Pretzel Truffles

noreply@blogger.com (Heather Baird) — Mon, 11 Feb 2013 18:44:00 +0000

I'll usually wait until March to start parading around ale-infused sweets, but since beer-flavored truffles make a great Valentine's Day gift for the guy in my life, exceptions are made. Plus, a thought occurred to me while watching my Grizzly Adams-bearded hubby eat a heart shaped cookie - maybe he deserves a break from all the pink and frilly that comes from my kitchen.

Frequent readers will find this a familiar flavor combination. There's something about the deep malty flavor of Guinness paired with chocolate and that crunchy, salty last bite of pretzel that just does it for me. What's better, these are a snap to make so there's no good reason to turn up empty-handed on Valentine's Day -or even St. Paddy's Day.

The thing I really love about these truffles - there's no heavy cream involved. Because of this, the ganache is slightly more firm when chilled. And if you're one of those people who have trouble palm-rolling ganache because you have very warm hands, then this may be your truffle recipe.

These look nice all lined up on a party tray, and skewering them with cocktail forks will make for easy pick-up!

You can find some of my other chocolaty Guinness treats, here.

Guinness-Pretzel Truffles
Yield: 16 truffles
Prep: 30 minutes
Total with chilling: 3 hrs 15 minutes

[click for printable version]

12 oz. bottle Guinness Extra Stout (divided)

8 oz. semisweet chocolate

1/2 cup softened unsalted butter, cut into pieces

3/4 cup finely pulverized pretzel rods

3/4 cup crushed pretzels for rolling truffles

Place 1/4 cup plus 2 tbsp. Guinness Stout in a 2 cup saucepan. Set aside.
Pour the remaining Guinness Stout in a separate small saucepan and bring to a simmer. Cook until reduced to 1 tablespoon, about 15- 20 minutes. Be sure to keep an eye on this because, once reduced considerably, it can burn easily.
Chop the chocolate into pieces and place in the saucepan with the Guinness Stout. Place the saucepan over medium- low heat and let stand until the chocolate starts to melt. Stir with a wire whisk to blend together the chocolate pieces, but don’t whisk vigorously – we’re not trying to incorporate air.
When the chocolate is melted and smooth, begin to add butter 1 tbsp. at a time. Whisk gently until butter is melted, and then add the 1 tbsp. Guinness Stout reduction. Stir in the pulverized pretzels.
Pour the chocolate mixture into a bowl and chill in the refrigerator until firm (or overnight).
Line a cookie sheet with wax paper. Scoop out ganache out by the heaping tablespoon and quickly roll between your palms.
Once all the chocolate is used up, chill the truffles in an air-tight container in the fridge until ready to roll in crushed pretzels. These chocolates will keep for 7 days when stored properly in the refrigerator. Roll truffles in crushed pretzels just before serving (so they’ll be crunchy!).

Tips:

Pretzel rods can be finely pulverized in a food processor. Avoid getting large pretzel pieces in the ganache, it will give the finished truffle a lumpy, undesirable texture.
If crushed pretzels resist sticking to the chilled truffles, roll the truffles between your palms to warm them up, and then roll in the pretzels. The pieces should stick.
If you're watching your salt content, unsalted pretzels may be used in the ganache mixture.

Cupid's Truffle Skewers for The Etsy Blog

noreply@blogger.com (Heather Baird) — Wed, 06 Feb 2013 15:00:00 +0000

Today on The Etsy Blog, I'm sharing one of my favorite truffle recipes, ever! It's adapted from Julia Child's Amaretti Truffles recipe, and with the bunches of step-by-step photos we've put together it's nearly fool-proof! I also show you how to make these paper-party-inspired Cupid's Arrow skewers. They're so simple and there's no gluing involved. Easy peasy for those with not much time to plan a fancy Valentine's Day dessert.

Find instructions for all of the above HERE!

Jeweled Heart Sugar Cookies

noreply@blogger.com (Heather Baird) — Tue, 05 Feb 2013 02:32:00 +0000

Diamonds and pearls are usually given in jewelry boxes for Valentine's day, but this year I'm giving them in cookie tins! These faux precious stones are made of sugar and entirely edible.

The jewels came from a favorite online baking supply shop (here). They'd catch my eye every time I browsed the edible decorations section and I'd always wondered if they were as pretty in person as they were in the pictures online. Boy, are they ever!

The large jewels are $15 for eight, or you can get sixteen clear diamonds for the same price. I think they are lovely, well packaged and worth every penny. That said, they also sell the molds inexpensively so I ordered a couple to see if I can make them at home. I'm eager to see how they turn out!

Tiny 2mm dragees were used to create the illusion of "prongs" for the jewels. I was able to place them with my fingers, but a pair of sugar-crafting-dedicated tweezers might allow for easier and more precise placement.

The clear diamonds are my favorite. They bring just enough bling and look great with any color frosting or fondant. The larger stones are best displayed on white because their color looks truer and brighter on a stark background.

The sugar cookie recipes are from the SprinkleBakes book and are my top pick for decorating. They hold their shape well and are slightly sweet; a perfect vehicle for the sweetest frosting your heart desires (though I've been known to eat a stack of 'em plain)

I used fondant on these cookies, and if you're a fondant hater then I'd suggest you try Satin Ice brand ready-made fondant. It's soft, marshmallowy-tasting and not overly sweet. I bought it on Sweetapolita's recommendation and I've been hooked ever since. If you've tried Satin Ice and still don't like fondant, then you probably just don't like fondant. You might find rolled marzipan a more pleasing alternative.

Vanilla or Chocolate Sugar Cookies

Yield: Approximately two dozen

[click for printable version]

This recipe is a great blank canvas for whatever cookie art you're dreaming up. To make the chocolate version, omit the almond extract, replace 1 cup of flour with 1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder and blend it with the flour in step 3.

Vanilla Sugar Cookies
1/2 lb. (two US sticks) unsalted butter
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 tsp. almond extract
3 cups all-purpose flour
Pinch of salt

In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix the butter and sugar together until just incorporated. Do not over-mix at this stage, or the cookies may spread while baking.
Add the egg and vanilla and almond extracts. Mix again on low speed, stopping to scrape down the sides of the bowl intermittently as needed.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour and salt. Add to the butter and egg mixture. Mix on low speed until a dough is formed and there are no longer any streaks of butter in the mixing bowl. The dough will often clump around the paddle attachment while being mixed. This is normal and a good sign that your dough is the right consistency. If your mixture does not come together and is crumbly, add ice cold water 1 tbsp. at a time until the dough clumps.
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Turn the dough out onto a sheet of wax paper and top with a second sheet. Roll dough into an oblong disc between the paper with a rolling pin. Transfer dough - wax paper and all - to a large cookie sheet. Wrap the dough tightly onto the cookie sheet with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour.
Remove top sheet of wax paper and roll dough a little thinner. It should not be sticky. You may dust the surface lightly with flour if it is sticky, but not too much! You don’t want streaks of white flour baked onto your pretty sugar cookies.
Roll dough to a ¼-inch to ½ -inch thickness.
Cut out desired shapes from the dough and transfer to the prepared baking sheet. Be careful not to stretch the cutout shapes or they will be distorted after baking.
Refrigerate the cutouts for 30 minutes. This will help the cookies maintain a crisp shape during baking.
Preheat the oven to 350°F.
Bake the cookies for 15 to 20 minutes.
Let cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack. Decorate the cookies when completely cooled.

Jeweled Heart Sugar Cookies
Yield: About fifteen 4-inch cookies
[click for printable version]

I used a large 4 1/2-inch heart-shaped cutter to cut the smooth-edged heart-shaped cookies. A slightly smaller scalloped heart-shaped cutter was used to cut the fondant. If you don't have a smaller sized heart cookie cutter to cut the fondant, you can use the same one that you used to cut the cookie dough.

1 recipe Vanilla Sugar Cookies, baked into 4 1/2-inch heart shapes
1 recipe Chocolate Sugar Cookies, baked into 4 1/2-inch heart shapes
3/4 lb Satin Ice ready made fondant, white vanilla
Pink gel food coloring
Pearl dragees
2mm silver metallic dragees
An assortment of edible jewels
4-inch scalloped heart-shaped cutter
Fondant quilting tool or toothpick

Fondant quilting wheel.

Divide the fondant in half and tint one portion with a little of the pink gel food coloring. Knead both pieces of fondant well. Roll out one piece of fondant with a rolling pin to 1/4-inch thickness on a confectioners' sugar-dusted work surface. Keep the other piece covered or sealed tight in a zip-top bag for later use. Cut heart-shaped pieces from the fondant with the scalloped cutter. Cover them with plastic wrap so they stay soft and don't dry out. Brush a baked cookie's center with a little water using the artists' brush. Place a fondant heart on top and press gently.
With a quilting tool or toothpick make perforated lines that intersect on the fondant's surface (It should look quilt-like). Use a piece of thick craft paper as a straight-edge if you have trouble keeping your lines straight.
Place pearl dragee on the "x" where each line intersects. Press it into the soft fondant with your finger.
Place a jewel in an upper corner of the heart and press it firmly into the soft fondant. If the jewel doesn't want to stick, brush a little water or corn syrup on the bottom to adhere. Place 4 evenly spaced 2mm dragees around the small jewels, and 8 (2 per corner) for the large jewels. Press them in with a fingertip.
Repeat with remaining fondant and cookies.
Store in an air-tight container.

Espresso-Biscoff Heart Cake

noreply@blogger.com (Heather Baird) — Fri, 01 Feb 2013 15:07:00 +0000

It's something that makes my heart beat faster: coffee in desserts. And no, I'm not talking about the side-effects of caffeine. Latte this, cappuccino that - I blog about it more than necessary (see here, here, here and here) and I'm always trying to sneak coffee into any chocolate dessert I make.

Coffee is my valentine!

Crisp butter cookies dunked in strong coffee is a favorite flavor combination of mine, and it's the inspiration for this cake. Espresso cake layers are filled with Biscoff buttercream and the entire cake is frosted with Mocha-Biscoff icing. I wrapped the cake in chocolate with the help of a decorative chocolate transfer sheet.

You can find instructions for applying a chocolate transfer sheet to a cake in my video here. I'd suggest trying it if you're looking for a little wow factor, but the cake is just as delicious without.

Since I don't own any heart-shaped cake pans, I cut a heart from a piece of wax paper and used it as a template for cake carving. The cake's dense crumb was very forgiving and I really love how it turned out! (I recycled this idea from my Heritage Red Velvet cake.)

The quilt-like texture on top is fairly easy to achieve. You'll need 1/2-inch plain piping tip or just use a piping bag with the tip snipped to size. If you're making the heart-shaped cake, you'll start with piping a line across the upper 1/3 of the cake as indicated in the photo above. Pipe rows of icing on either side of the line, allowing the icing to overhang the edges.

Smooth the edges of the piped icing down and frost the edges with more icing, then dust the top with cocoa powder for a soft, velvety look.

This cake was instantly a family favorite. The Biscoff filling was especially well loved and I think it would be a real treat between butter cake layers, too.

Espresso-Biscoff Heart Cake
Yield: One 9-inch cake
Source: Cake adapted from Cooking Light; all other components are original to SprinkleBakes

I used Biscoff spread for this cake, but you could use your favorite brand of cookie butter. If you plan to carve the cake in a heart-shape as I have, consider allowing the cake to stand overnight so the crumb fully develops. It will be slightly firmer and easier to cut. I've included instructions to carve this cake into a heart-shape, but you could also just serve it as a standard round layer cake. It'll be pretty (and tasty) either way.

[click for printable recipe]

Espresso cake
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup hot water
2 tablespoons espresso powder
1 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar, packed
1/2 cup white vegetable shortening
3 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup low-fat buttermilk

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease two 9-inch round cake pans and line the bottoms with parchment circles. Grease paper, set aside.
Sift flour, baking soda and salt onto a large piece of parchment or wax paper. Set aside. Combine water and espresso powder. Let cool slightly.
Whisk together the granulated sugar and brown sugar in a small bowl. Place 1/4 cup of this mixture along with the white vegetable shortening in the bowl of a stand mixer. Mix until well incorporated. Add the rest of the sugar 1/4 cup at a time, beating well with each addition. Add the espresso mixture; blend well. Add eggs one at a time, and then the vanilla. Add flour mixture alternately with the buttermilk, beginning and ending with the flour. Divide batter between the two pans and bake for 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let cakes cool for 5 minutes in the pans then turn out onto wire racks for further cooling. Peel off wax paper and discard.
For the heart template: Trace the bottom of a cake pan on wax paper, cut out the 9" circle. Fold it in half and cut into a heart shape. Lay the paper heart on the cake and trim it down if it doesn't comfortably fit inside the cake's circumference. Stack cooled cakes and place template on top; make strait cuts around the template with a serrated knife using a sawing motion until the heart shape is achieved.
Reserve cake scraps for breakfast, if desired. (smile)

Biscoff filling
1 cup Biscoff spread or other cookie butter spread
2 cups confectioners sugar
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
3 tbsp. heavy cream or milk

Place all ingredients except heavy cream or milk into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Beat until well incorporated. If mixture is dry add milk or heavy cream 1 tbsp at a time until a smooth consistency is achieved. Mixture should be thick but spreadable.

Mocha-Biscoff buttercream
1 cup unsalted butter, softened
2 cups confectioners sugar
1/4 cup Biscoff spread or other cookie butter spread
1/2 tbsp. espresso powder
2 tbsp. unsweetened cocoa powder

Combine softened butter, Biscoff and confectioners sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer. Beat until well combined. Add espresso powder and cocoa powder. Mix again; scrape down sides of bowl and beat at high speed until light and fluffy.
Transfer half of the frosting to a piping bag fitted with a plain 1/2-inch tip. Pipe lines diagonally lines across the top of the cake (see picture for heart cake instructions) allowing the icing to overhang the edges. Smooth piped edges down onto the edge of the cake with a metal spatula. Frost sides of cake with remaining frosting.

Chocolate transfer sheet application *optional
1 cup chocolate chips
1 chocolate transfer sheet, your choice of pattern

Measure side of cake and cut the chocolate transfer sheet to size. Melt chocolate chips in the microwave at 30 second intervals until smooth. Let chocolate cool slightly, then spread onto the chocolate transfer sheet with an offset spatula in one or two even strokes. Apply to cake.
Allow chocolate to harden then peel away the acetate, revealing the patterned chocolate. Cut a heart shape out of the leftover chocolate transfer sheet and spread with chocolate to create an embellishment, if desired.

Winter White Marshmallow Mousse and Red Currant Verrines

noreply@blogger.com (Heather Baird) — Fri, 25 Jan 2013 20:00:00 +0000

This week we've been piling on layers and the warmest wool socks. It's darn chilly here! We're scheduled to get more icy weather this weekend, so businesses will close and the world will slow temporarily. What better opportunity to whip marshmallows into mousse while wearing flannel PJ's, right?

I consider these snowy verrines with garnet red berries my ode to January. I can't believe we're nearing the month's end.

The sky is low.

The wind is gray.

The radiator

Purrs all day.

January

-- John Updike

One thing that I've been loving lately - dresden trim. Little foil stars and snowflakes... I just can't keep them off my confections. I use them for cupcake toppers and I like to tie them onto cookie-filled treat bags. They make everything so pretty. These were found at D. Blumchen and Co. if you're interested in getting some for yourself.

The marshmallow mousse is sweet and cloud-like. I flavored it with a little crème de cacao, but you can use any clear flavoring you like. The tart red currant jam really balances out the sweetness. You could endlessly vary this verrine by replacing the red currant with any flavor of fruit jam. I could even see a strawberry jam version with a chocolate covered strawberry on top for Valentine's day. This marshmallow mousse goes with everything!

Stay warm, friends!

Marshmallow Mousse and Red Currant Verrines
I use clear crème de cacao liqueur to give this mousse a light chocolaty flavor. You could also use clear vanilla or no flavoring at all! The marshmallow flavor is easily recognizable with or without additional flavoring.
[click for printable version]
Source: SprinkleBakes original recipe
Yield: Six servings

1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons red currant jam

1 cup heavy whipping cream

25 marshmallows (regular-size, not mini)

2 tablespoons clear crème de cacao liqueur

Whipped topping (recipe below)

6 little bunches of red currants, about 1/3 cup

Heat the red currant jam in the microwave or on the stove-top until loosened considerably. Fill six 3oz. dessert glasses with 1 tablespoon of the jam. Tilt a glass and tap on a counter-top to level. Wipe away any smears of jam on the glass with a damp paper towel. Place glass, tilted, in a plastic egg container. Repeat with remaining glasses and refrigerate the glasses until jam is firm.
Whip the cream until stiff peaks form.
Microwave the marshmallows in a large heatproof bowl for 45 seconds, or until they have puffed up considerably. Remove from the microwave and stir until the marshmallows have melted and completely lost their original shape. This will be very sticky and gooey – keep stirring.
Stir the crème de cacao into the marshmallow until the mixture is smooth. If the mixture is warm, let it stand until it reaches room temperature.
Fold the whipped cream into the marshmallow mixture. Spoon or pipe the mixture on top of the red currant jam in the dessert glasses.
Refrigerate until set (about 1 hour). Top with whipped cream and berries.

Whipped crème topping:

1 cup heavy whipping cream

5 tablespoons superfine sugar

Place the heavy cream in a large bowl and beat with a hand mixer until soft peaks form.
Gradually add the sugar and whip until stiff peaks form.
Transfer to a pastry bag fitted with a small closed star tip and pipe on top of the verrines.

Deep Dish Banoffee Pie

noreply@blogger.com (Heather Baird) — Fri, 18 Jan 2013 14:30:00 +0000

Things have been quiet around here this week, but my hands have been busy with new opportunities and happy things on the horizon. There's also been rain - which I usually love, but this week it's been a non-stop-icy-cold rain of biblical proportions. We just might need an ark! And we certainly need the comfort of a good pie.

When it comes to pie, I always seem to gravitate toward deep-dish. And ever since the creation of this pie, I can't seem to keep sprinkles out of my graham crusts. Although the sprinkles are optional for this pie, the extra touch of chocolate in the crust is nice -pretty too. If you can find chocolate vermicelli such as Deruyter brand (check your local international market) the chocolate flavor will be more pronounced than the usual cake-decorating variety of chocolate sprinkles.

Most banoffee pies have a soft texture that I find comparable to banana pudding or Tiramisu This version is a little different. It is still rather soft, but its toffee portion is more firm and caramel-like. I love how well it holds up to slicing. It has a great big cloud of whipped cream and a whole mess of chocolate curls on top - heaven!

Achieving perfect chocolate curls is all about timing. You can find my chocolate curls video here, but I'd like to add another ~~note~~, er... visual cue, rather. As you begin scraping the chocolate away from the baking sheet the chocolate may start to flake instead of curl. That means the chocolate is too cold. Let it stand at room temp for 3-5 minutes longer and try scraping a very small section again. As soon as the chocolate begins to curl, go to it!

I really enjoyed developing this recipe. It only took a couple of tries to perfect and you can avoid some of my early mistakes by reading my notes below the recipe.

With all its curlicues, this pie practically begs to be made for celebrations and happy gatherings. Who says pie can't be cute?

Deep Dish Banoffee Pie
Source: SprinkleBakes original recipe
Yield: One 9 x 2.5-inch pie about 18 servings
[click for printable version]

One thing that is especially important to remember when making this pie is that we're using sweetened condensed milk here, which is quite viscous and syrupy from the can due to the added sugar - not evaporated milk which is unsweetened and very liquid. Plan ahead because this pie needs to chill for several hours, overnight is preferred.

Crust:
2 cups fine graham cracker crumbs
1/2 cup chocolate sprinkles
1/4 tsp. salt
2 tbsp. granulated sugar
8 tbsp. unsalted butter, melted and cooled

Combine graham cracker crumbs, sprinkles, salt and sugar in a large bowl. Whisk until thoroughly combined and jimmies are evenly dispersed.
Make a divot in the middle of the graham cracker mixture and pour in the melted butter. Mix together using a rubber spatula; turn mixture over from the bottom of the bowl to the top until all the crumbs are moistened.
Pour crumbs into an 9 x 2.5-inch springform pan; press tightly and evenly into the bottom and up the sides of the springform pan. Chill in the refrigerator until ready for use.

Filling:
4 large bananas
2 tbsp. lemon juice
1 cup butter
2 14oz. cans sweetened condensed milk
1 1/3 cup light brown sugar
1/4 cup dark corn syrup
1 1/3 cups heavy whipping cream
1/4 cup granulated sugar
Chocolate curls or chocolate shavings

Slice two bananas and place in a medium bowl. Toss bananas and 1 tbsp. lemon juice together with your hands or with a large wooden spoon (This will prevent the bananas from turning brown). Arrange banana slices in the bottom of the graham crust and return the pan to the refrigerator.
Combine the butter, brown sugar, condensed milk and corn syrup in a large non-stick saucepan. Roughly stir together and place over medium heat. When butter has melted and sugar has dissolved, raise heat to medium-high and bring to a bubble. Be careful because this mixture is sticky and will bubble and sputter onto your bare hands. Wear an oven mitt on your stirring hand if possible. Keep mixture at a gentle bubble for 6-10 minutes (set a timer), stirring constantly so the mixture does not burn. Edit 1/27/12 - I'm getting some feedback that 10 minutes is too long to boil the toffee. It should not be so thick that you can't pour it. If you half the recipe (I've noticed some are) the cooking time will definitely need to be reduced.
Remove from heat and let cool slightly. Stir well then pour mixture over bananas in the graham crust. Chill until set, several hours or overnight.
Slice remaining two bananas and toss with 1 tbsp. lemon juice as before; set aside. Whip heavy cream with an electric hand mixer until slightly thickened, then gradually add the 1/4 cup sugar. Whip until stiff.
Place a few banana slices on the top center of the set pie and then cover with the entire batch of whipped cream. Place remaining banana slices on and around the whipped topping and cover entire pie with chocolate curls or chocolate shavings. If you have extra chocolate sprinkles from making the crust, sprinkle over a little of those, too.
Keep uneaten portion chilled.

Notes:

It's important to allow the butter to cool before adding to the graham cracker crust, especially if using the chocolate sprinkles. Hot butter will cause the sprinkles to melt and lose their shape.
Be sure to let the toffee mixture cool down before pouring it over the bananas. The mixture hot from the stove-top will cook the bananas and cause them to weep and your pie will have pockets of liquid.
If you have time constraints or are not ready to conquer chocolate curls, chocolate shavings can easily be made with a block of chocolate and a vegetable peeler. Just place the chocolate on a plate and scrape the side of the chocolate with a vegetable peeler until the desired amount is achieved.