I dare say caramel cake is going to be rather sweet

Hummmm... and so, I confess to having cut the amount of sugar of the recipe (oops!). I'm sorry to have broken a rule (already) but visiting my dentist absolutely terrifies me!

Anywhooo... enough confessing now back to business.

This month was my first ever daring bakers challenge! The recipe we had to recreate was Caramel Cake with Caramelised Butter Frosting courtesy of Shuna Fish Lydon from the Eggbeater. Our hosts were Dolores from Chronicles in Culinary Curiosity, Alex from Blondie and Brownie, Jenny from Foray into Food, and Natalie from Gluten-a-Go-Go. Nice to be acquainted with you all. Ok, enough introduction now back to business.

The cake itself was quite simple to make I found... I made the caramel syrup a day ahead and the frosting the day after. Yes, a three day baking bonanza basically. The result, a dense but quite moist cake of lovely caramel shade with caramel flavour nicely coming through. Not the most delicate I must say... in fact quite heavy indeed. I adjusted the amount of sugar for the frosting and only made half a batch, just enough to blanket the cake.

Original posting of the recipe can be found here.
I am including metric conversion below for fellow metric bakers.

Caramel cake with caramelised butter frosting

10 tablespoons or 140 gr unsalted butter at room temperature
1 1/4 cups or 280 gr granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/3 cup Caramel Syrup (see recipe below)
2 each eggs, at room temperature
splash vanilla extract
2 cups or 250 gr all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup or 250 ml milk, at room temperature

Preheat oven to 350F or 180C.

Butter one tall (2 – 2.5 inch deep) 9-inch cake pan.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream butter until smooth. Add sugar and salt & cream until light and fluffy.

Slowly pour room temperature caramel syrup into bowl. Scrape down bowl and increase speed. Add eggs/vanilla extract a little at a time, mixing well after each addition. Scrape down bowl again, beat mixture until light and uniform.

Sift flour and baking powder.

Turn mixer to lowest speed, and add one third of the dry ingredients. When incorporated, add half of the milk, a little at a time. Add another third of the dry ingredients, then the other half of the milk and finish with the dry ingredients. {This is called the dry, wet, dry, wet, dry method in cake making. It is often employed when there is a high proportion of liquid in the batter.}

Take off mixer and by hand, use a spatula to do a few last folds, making sure batter is uniform. Turn batter into prepared cake pan.

Place cake pan on cookie sheet or 1/2 sheet pan. Set first timer for 30 minutes, rotate pan and set timer for another 15-20 minutes. Your own oven will set the pace. Bake until sides pull away from the pan and skewer inserted in middle comes out clean. Cool cake completely before icing it.

Cake will keep for three days outside of the refrigerator.



Caramel syrup

2 cups sugar
1/2 cup water
1 cup water (for "stopping" the caramelisation process)

In a small stainless steel saucepan, with tall sides, mix water and sugar until mixture feels like wet sand. Brush down any stray sugar crystals with wet pastry brush. Turn on heat to highest flame. Cook until smoking slightly: dark amber.

When color is achieved, very carefully pour in one cup of water. Caramel will jump and sputter about! It is very dangerous, so have long sleeves on and be prepared to step back.

Whisk over medium heat until it has reduced slightly and feels sticky between two fingers. {Obviously wait for it to cool on a spoon before touching it.}

Note: For safety reasons, have ready a bowl of ice water to plunge your hands into if any caramel should land on your skin.

Caramelised butter frosting

12 tablespoons or 170 gr unsalted butter
1 pound or 453 gr confectioner’s sugar, sifted
4-6 tablespoons heavy cream
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2-4 tablespoons caramel syrup
Kosher or sea salt to taste

Cook butter until brown. Pour through a fine meshed sieve into a heatproof bowl, set aside to cool.

Pour cooled brown butter into mixer bowl.

In a stand mixer fitted with a paddle or whisk attachment, add confectioner's sugar a little at a time. When mixture looks too chunky to take any more, add a bit of cream and or caramel syrup. Repeat until mixture looks smooth and all confectioner's sugar has been incorporated. Add salt to taste.

Caramelised butter frosting will keep in fridge for up to a month.
To smooth out from cold, microwave a bit, then mix with paddle attachment until smooth and light



Note : Hurrah!! It's official! I am now listed on the daring bakers blogroll!

Four pots of crème brûlées and a batch of mayonnaise later

I had in my fridge, enough egg white to meringue my cat if I want to. But I didn't... after all, despite all his mischievous activities (of late) and rather bossy attitude (constant), I do have a soft spot for him.

Now, I'm not sure why this delicate little biscuit is called almond bread. By the by, if there is one recipe that is going to make me rich, this is the one. I can not believe how much they charge for a little packet in my local grocer. I suppose it is kind of laborious to thinly hand slice trays and trays of these but I'm inclined to think the professional must have some sort of machinery to speedily cut them with even thickness. Unless... they are produced by some biscotti cutting pro Italian nonnas who would probably be a bit peeved with me as I'm going to share the recipe. Don't worry nonnas, I have very very scarce audience.



Almond Bread
makes hundreds (literally)

200 gr egg whites
180 gr caster sugar
180 gr plain flour
180 gr raw almond

Preheat oven to 180°C. Line a rectangle pan with baking paper.
Use an electric mixer unless you have strong arm...

Beat egg whites until firm peaks form, then gradually whisk in sugar.
Beat until sugar has dissolved and the meringue is thick and glossy.
Use a rubber spatula and gently fold in flour and almond.
Spoon mixture into pan and use spatula to flatten the surface.

Bake for 40-45 minutes until top is lightly brown and quite firm to touch.
Leave to cool on wire rack, then wrap with aluminium foil and chill in the fridge overnight to ease slicing.

Cut the loaf into several columns of approximately say 5-7cm then slice thinly (not unlike slicing bread) with serrated knife (rather fine serrated knife and not big toothed bread knife sort). I normally do this in batches, uncut loaf can sit happily in the fridge wrapped for a few days.

Place sliced 'bread' on baking trays and bake gently until dry and crisp, in a 40°C oven for about 1 hour. I wouldn't go any higher than 40-50°C otherwise, the biscuits will take on a bit of colour.



Recipe adapted from a book by Christine Manfield, Paramount Desserts. An excellent recipe may I say.

When I was a wee little baker

I played with biscuit dough, pressed it with my tiny thumb through decorative nozzle and made little flower biscuits. When I was a juvenile baker, I started making bread. Sweet yeasted golden buns, fluffy and soft like cotton balls.

I'm an adult baker girl now... more than ever I seek solace in preparing food. I do not suggest, I repeat I do not suggest that I am mentally unsteady, perhaps a tad melancholy and in bread baking I find, one of the gentlest therapy to clear the mind.



Cheese Loaf
makes 1 loaf

2 tsp dried yeast
350 ml water
500 gr strong white flour
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 tbsp olive oil
250 gr Gruyère grated

I substituted Gruyère with a handful of parmesan and 200 gr tasty/cheddar cheese.
When I made this the other night, I planned to bake it in the morning so I used only 1 tsp of yeast. My loaf rose slowly overnight in the fridge.

Sprinkle yeast into 100 ml of the water in a bowl. Place flour in a large bowl, make a well and pour in the yeasted water.Use a wooden spoon to draw in enough flour in to the yeast to form a thickish paste, and leave to 'sponge' for about 20 minutes.

Pour the remaining water and use your hand to incorporate the flour to form a firm moist dough.At this stage, add the olive oil and salt. Knead until smooth and elastic, about 10 minutes, adding flour if necessary.

When smooth and elastic, knead in grated cheese. Shape into a loaf and place in a rectangle baking pan, or just a baking tray if you prefer. Liberally sprinkle cheese on top, and leave to rest in the fridge overnight, ready to pop in the oven as you rise from slumber.

Preheat oven to 180-200 degrees, bake for 40-50 minutes. Cover with foil if top gets too brown too quickly.

Note : The slower a dough rises the more chance it has to develop flavour and texture. If you are using 2 tsp of yeast, your dough will rise faster. Letting it to rise twice therefore would be advised, i.e. leave the dough to rise until double in size for 1 1/2 hours. Knock back and shape bread into a loaf, then prove dough until it rises and slightly puffy about 45 minutes. Sprinkle with extra cheese, then bake away.



Recipe adapted from Bread a book by Eric Treuille and Ursula Ferrigno (Pain au Fromage p.98) present from A my birthday last year.

Nationwide best seller

French women don't get fat. The secret of eating for pleasure by Mireille Guiliano.

My copy was given by my sister S a few years ago, sitting pretty all this while on the bookshelf unread. Curiously, as I flipped the pages I noted that croissant and mousse au chocolat are on the recipe index. I am thinking that I should probably start reading it and learn the mastery because I'm not French = I get fat. Oh yes I do.

Alas! Crème brûlée I love! And I make it relatively frequent now that I have a mini blowtorch. In my humble opinion, it shouldn't be that bad for you. From time to time I have it in the morning in place of a pot of yoghurt actually...



Crème brûlée
(A few different CB recipes I have tried. Many a time I have made them that I came up with my own version)
Makes 4 servings

4 egg yolks
200 ml milk
200 ml cream
1 vanilla pod
60 gr sugar
extra sugar for top

As a rule I use 1 egg yolk and 15 gr of sugar for 100 ml of liquid (50:50 milk/cream). So depending on how many servings I want to make, I use the same ratio.

Use the freshest eggs you can find, and organic I believe is best. Once, I splurged on organic milk and cream. Super duper!

Scrape the inside of lovely vanilla pod into a saucepan, throw the pod in as well for good measure. Add to it, milk and cream.

Heat slowly and before it gets to boil, remove from heat. Leave to infuse for half an hour or so.

Heat oven to 120-130 degrees. Place in it a baking pan half filled with water for the bain marie.

In a big bowl, mix the egg yolks and sugar with a whisk until sugar dissolves. The mixture should feel quite creamy and light.

Add milk mixture to the egg yolk whilst whisking lest they curdle. (Chances are they won't because the milk should have cooled)

Sieve this mixture a few times before pouring into the ramekins (125ml ramekins are perfect). I recommend removing froth that appear on top.

I also recommend adding things such as raspberries or rhubarb compote for variation.

Place them in bain marie and bake for 40 minutes approximately or until they set but the tops should still be quite wobbly.

Leave to cool and store in refrigerator overnight or at least a few hours before serving.

If you have blowtorch, great! Easy peasy... sugar the top, cover everything so they caramelise evenly and fire away. I normally would return them to the fridge for 15-20 minutes before serving, though most sources say serve immediately.

If you don't own a blowtorch I'm afraid I am in no position to give you advice on how to use your oven griller to caramelise the top. (I'm sorry but I had rather disastrous result last time I tried) Please do your own google research.

Note : I figured out how I can insert accents. Yay!

Uh oh!

A few days ago I might have just committed one of the 7 deadly sins that is greed.

I went completely cuckoo and bought myself excessive amount of vanilla pods, one of my very favourite things... My only excuse is that it was an amazingly good buy... so good that I felt almost giddy with excitement.




Note: I have already given out some of my pods as penance... (I am still left with 58). My plan is also to share my vanilla laced creations with precious ones (enough virtue to let me off the hook I should hope).

Thank you Mr Postman!

One fine morning, something exciting got delivered to my desk at work. It was the long awaited copy of Elle a Table magazine, first of a one year subscription thoughtfully given to me for my birthday by A & B.

The photos are oh so lovely! I am truly blown away by how beautiful the food are presented. I am not big on red meat, but never has hamburger 'maison' looked better.

Gateau tatin aux pommes looks especially bon, and it was indeed tres bon.



The recipe seems to be simple enough, though some internet research proved to be prudent (and saved me from calamitous ending). Apparently it is something of tradition to use yoghurt container as a measurement device in France. In Australia I find one individually portioned pot is too much even for a yoghurt fancier such as myself (a rather gigantesque 175-200ml per container). In France an average pot comes in a more sensible size of 125ml, when measuring your ingredients please keep this in mind. My googling prowess also found that in France a packet of levure chimique is 11 grams.

Pardon the slapdash translation... or if you are so inclined, a French version of this recipe is available on Elle a Table's website.

Gateau Tatin Aux Pommes

3 apples
40 gr butter
3/4 pot of melted butter
2 soup spoonful of sugar
2 pots of sugar
1 pot of yoghurt
3 pots of flour
1 sachet (11 gr) of baking powder
3 eggs

Preheat oven to 180 degrees. Butter a 22cm round cake pan.

Finely slice the apples and cook in a pan with the 40 gr of butter, caramelise for 2-3 minutes with the 2 spoonfuls of sugar.

Arrange the caramelised apples in the cake pan.

In a bowl, whisk yoghurt with the 2 pots of sugar and a pinch of salt.

Add to it the flour and baking powder.

Incorporate the eggs and the melted butter. Mix well until combined.

Pour over the apples, bake for about 40 minutes approximately.


Note : Alternatively one can replace 1 pot of flour with 1 pot of almond or hazelnut meal. An advice that I duly followed.

Cat in charge

Ciao! I'm Figaro. Pleased to meet you.

Miss has been unwell all week.

I therefore forbade her to do any baking and blogging to get much needed rest.

Said that I wouldn't help her do the dishes... didn't think she could face a sinkful of dirty dishes.

Sure enough she sank back into bed and laid next to me.

Till next time,

xoxo

Fig.