I will not balk at a challenge again. I will not balk at a challenge again.
I will not balk at a challenge again. I will not balk at a challenge again.
I will not balk at a challenge again. I will not balk at a challenge again.
I will not balk at a challenge again. I will not balk at a challenge again.

This month’s challenge is brought to us by Karen of Bake My Day and Zorra of 1x unruehren bitte aka Kochtopf.
They have chosen Tuilles from The Chocolate Book by Angélique Schmeink and Nougatine and Chocolate Tuilles from Michel Roux.

Thank you. Really. I sit before you, humbled.

Yes, admitted, I entered into this challenge with the “Oohh, it’s all about the creativity.” excitement. Right up to figuring out what my little tuiles should should taste like and be flavoured with. I was dripping with excitement. It IS citrus season after all.
Still sticky from the tangerine marmalade made just a couple of days ago, I wanted to incorporate the sweet, fragrance into serving these tuiles.

I’d settled on one of my favourite things: Crème brûlée, just without the brûlée, so I could serve it inside the tuiles.
Scented with cardamon and a hint of Contreau, I thought the custard would pair up really well with a candied tangerine slice and a cardamom spiked tuile. Mmmmm.

The custard was made, hell, I even made meringues with the leftover egg whites, but do you think that I could just spread the tuille batter evenly?? It globbed, it broke apart, it was thick and thin. I cut a template and still lumpy messes. Thankfully I had my antique cone roller and everything. Just the thought of finally getting to use it really kept me going.

Working two at a time, these 5 minutes cookies took about the afternoon to get through. However long, it still wasn’t long enough to set up the custard. Although staring disaster down with the evil eye, I picked at a little candied peel and was rushed into a memory of what my mom used to say, that it still goes down the same way.

The combination was pretty delicious and the crispness of the tuiles really balanced the custard well.
And with that, I thank heavens that February is just around the corner, full of new challenges ahead.

CARDAMOM INFUSED CUSTARD WITH ORANGE

6 Egg Yolks
1/2 Cup Sugar
1/2 teaspoon Vanilla
1 Cup Light Cream
1 1/4 Cup Whole Milk
12 -15 Cardamom Pods
3 Tablespoons Cointreau Liquor

Preheat the oven to 350ºF.
Crack the cardamom pods with the side of your knife and add them, the milk cream and orange liquor to a medium sized saucepan.
Heat the milk until it  just reaches a simmer, being careful not to scald it.
Remove from the heat and leave it to cool slightly while you separate the eggs.
In a stand mixer, beat the eggs and the sugar until well combined. Reduce the speed to low and add the vanilla.
Strain the steeped milk mixture to remove the cardamom pods and gently pour the milk into the beaten eggs.
Strain again into a shallow casserole dish. Place the dish into a larger pan with high enough sides to fill with water within one inch of the casserole dish inside, creating a bain marie.
Bake for about 25 minutes or until the custard has firmed but the centre is still jiggly.
Remove and cool.
Spoon into a piping bag just before serving to fill cooled, crisp tuiles.

The tuile recipe, in all it’s glory and variation, can be found here.

Somehow, I seem to luck out during these Daring Baker cake months. They thankfully co-ordinate with a birthday that I can share. The only glitch this month was a bit in the planning. I usually set aside a day to do my baking, but in this case, I made everything, the cake the icing and the caramels but I probably needed an extra day.
By the time we were out the door, I had only a few shots of the whole cake. The poor thing was so outrageously delicious I was lucky to get back home with my empty plate.

I almost found it surprising. As much as I liked this cake, as much as it made my house smell like a sugared carnival heaven, my caramels ended up as toffee, and the cake dense. Thankfully I’d followed the advice of other Daring Bakers and upped the salt while lessening the sugar in the icing, because it did make it perfect.
However, as they say you are your own worst critic and I don’t think anyone seemed to mind.

Still wanting that inside photo and another shot at getting the cake *right*, I went for half and made a miniature cake. Still, delicious but dense, the cake was once again a hit with it’s old fashioned perfection, balanced with it’s modern salty balance.

CARAMEL CAKE WITH CARAMELIZED BUTTER FROSTING
Recipes courtesy of Shuna Fish Lydon
10 Tablespoons unsalted butter at room temperature
1 1/4 Cups 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 all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup milk, at room temperature

Preheat oven to 350F
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 caramelization 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.

CARAMELIZED BUTTER FROSTING

12 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 pound 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.

Note: Caramelized 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

& now, it’s the Holiday’s… make these, they’re good!
GOLDEN VANILLA BEAN CARAMELS
- makes eighty-one 1-inch caramels -
1 cup golden syrup
2 cups sugar
3/8 teaspoon fine sea salt
2 cups heavy cream
1 1/2 teaspoons pure ground vanilla beans, purchased or ground in a coffee or spice grinders, or 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into chunks, softened

Equipment
A 9-inch square baking pan
Candy thermometer

Line the bottom and sides of the baking pan with aluminum foil and grease the foil. Combine the golden syrup, sugar, and salt in a heavy 3-quart saucepan and cook over medium heat, stirring with a silicone spatula or wooden spoon, until the mixture begins to simmer around the edges. Wash the sugar and syrup from the sides of the pan with a pastry brush dipped in water. Cover and cook for about 3 minutes. (Meanwhile, rinse the spatula or spoon before using it again later.) Uncover the pan and wash down the sides once more. Attach the candy thermometer to the pan, without letting it touch the bottom of the pan, and cook, uncovered (without stirring) until the mixture reaches 305°F. Meanwhile, combine the cream and ground vanilla beans (not the extract) in a small saucepan and heat until tiny bubbles form around the edges of the pan. Turn off the heat and cover the pan to keep the cream hot.

When the sugar mixture reaches 305°F, turn off the heat and stir in the butter chunks. Gradually stir in the hot cream; it will bubble up and steam dramatically, so be careful. Turn the burner back on and adjust it so that the mixture boils energetically but not violently. Stir until any thickened syrup at the bottom of the pan is dissolved and the mixture is smooth. Continue to cook, stirring occasionally, to about 245°F. Then cook, stirring constantly, to 260°f for soft, chewy caramels or 265°F; for firmer chewy caramels.

Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the vanilla extract, if using it. Pour the caramel into the lined pan. Let set for 4 to 5 hours, or overnight until firm.

Lift the pan liner from the pan and invert the sheet of caramel onto a sheet of parchment paper. Peel off the liner. Cut the caramels with an oiled knife.  Wrap each caramel individually in wax paper or cellophane.

Variations

Fleur de Sel Caramels: Extra salt, in the form of fleur de sel or another coarse flaked salt, brings out the flavor of the caramel and offers a little ying to the yang. Add an extra scant 1/4 teaspoon of coarse sea salt to the recipe. Or, to keep the salt crunchy, let the caramel cool and firm. Then sprinkle with two pinches of flaky salt and press it in. Invert, remove the pan liner, sprinkle with more salt. Then cut and wrap the caramels in wax paper or cellophane.

Nutmeg and Vanilla Bean Caramels: Add 1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg to the cream before you heat it.

Cardamom Caramels: Omit the vanilla. Add 1/2 teaspoon slightly crushed cardamom seeds (from about 15 cardamom pods) to the cream before heating it. Strain the cream when you add it to the caramel; discard the seeds.

Another ground nut, torte-like cake this month. But not just any other – Hazelnuts, my favourite.
The nut so good, it tastes like chocolate.  …So much so we’ve all been blessed by that fantastic concoction of Nutella.

Even with my love for hazelnuts, I was a little miffed by what I figured to be a cooler weather cake. Of course I’d do anything for my beloved Daring Bakers – They’re global, so it’s not like our good friends down under don’t deserve some good seasonal comfort food too.

Although I feel I’ve been making a near career of grinding various nuts lately, skinning these hazelnuts were a task onto it’s own. The first batch of nuts I needed for the actual cake, I tried the Julia Child method of simmering them with a touch of baking soda for a minute or two. Half of the skins came off very well, leaving the others to pick and scrape at after retoasting. The next nut batch, I just put straight into the oven, figuring I’d have a little less mess, which was true, however I was distracted by my new 2:30am burn from pulling them from the oven to add to my collective “Scars of Pride”.

Being that it IS summer here, I’ve been desperately trying keep my expanding <<Daring Baker>> butter belly at bay and I halved the recipe, aiming for just double layer from an 8″pan. As Murphy’s Law would predict, my classic oober planning left me one lemon short. I figured it may not be quite as fresh, but I opted for a quick shot of lemon extract to pick it up in a pinch. The recipe also calls for an apricot fruit glaze, which I simply don’t have. I was sure it would make for an interesting flavour, not just one I was willing to buy especially for my beloved hazelnuts.

As luck would have it, I happen to have a lovely Swiss neighbour who loves chocolate and too shares a fondness for hazelnuts. I’d asked her about Swiss pairing traditions and she let me know that apples and plums are the popular match reached for by many Swiss bakers, however, seeing it’s not quite season here for either, I opter for the freshly picked raspberries I still had in my basket from only days before. Glaze and “no fresh fruit” was a rule for the month, but it is summer and that is when the best of rules tend to be broken. I did a test flavour run with my homemade Nutella, topped with a few ripe berries, squished in for good measure.
Mmmm. To those Swiss baker’s I offer a suggestion.

Any matching liquor was, of course, changed to Chambord, except for the ganache, which honoured two hits. One of the Chambord and another of Brandy, just ’cause.

Although freightened of the cake’s assembly, the praline buttercream was a scrumptious hit, which totally balanced my fears of lobsidedness. I made the full recipe of the ganache and good thing too. Making everything, in the long run, a success. Chilling is manditory in a sturdy construction, however, even liquid nitrogen couldn’t have kept my ganache from passing over the sides, skipping over and pooling at the bottom, as if it were taking it’s lead from the movement of Niagara Falls. The recipe called for the beveling of the top layers edge to aid in a consistant flow but no matter what or how I’d tried, I didn’t have much luck and opted for camoflage.

This was a totally surprising cake, which when willing to submit the time, I will certainly bake again.
Thanks for the recipe Chris, I never would have baked it without you.

Have a kid who won’t eat crusts? I do. So instead of having it continuously irritate me, I’ve decided to please both parties.

I was inspired after reading this New York Times article about wasted food. Where I’m really happy I live in an area which makes us separate so they can collect our organic waste, I was still annoyed at the pile of crusts at the end of most every lunch.
Determined to end the fight but win the battle, I started cutting the crusts from my Darling’s cucumber sandwiches. This little princess must have thought she’d died and gone to heaven, but dare she know that I was storing the crusts in the freezer and watching them accumulate.

Knowing they wouldn’t go bad in the freezer, like the brown bananas, and vegetable scraps before them, they were ready and on hand for anything I might be ready for like, crumbs, croutons or bread pudding.

Bread pudding that her highness had little trouble polishing off for dessert.

Now I just have to plan for those cherry pits.
For other great grocery money saving tips, check out the article put together over at Everyday Food.

CHERRY CHOCOLATE BREAD PUDDING

4oz Semi Sweet Chocolate, roughly chopped
2 Cups Bread (Crusts), any kind, whole wheat, flax, oat, just be sure it’s at least a day old and chopped into 1/2″ cubes
1 Cup Soy Milk
1/2 teaspoon Vanilla
1 Tablespoon Brandy
3 Tablespoons Sugar
1 Tablespoon Arrowroot Powder, cornstarch will work as a substitute
Pinch of Salt
1 Cup Fresh Cherries, pitted & roughly chopped – dried may be substituted when out of season
3 Tablespoons Cocoa Nibs, very optional but quite delicious

Preheat the oven to 350ºF.
Cube the bread and set aside in a large bowl.
Melt chocolate in a heat proof bowl over a pan of simmering water (or in a double boiler), stirring occasionally until smooth.
Measure milk in a pourable measuring cup.
Add the vanilla, brandy, sugar, salt and arrowroot powder, stirring well to incorporate and dissolve the arrowroot powder.
Pit the cherries, I used the flat side of my chef’s knife to pop the cherry open and the pit little more than a flick from your fingertips.
Roughly chop the cherries, reserving as much of the juice as possible.
Pour the milk mixture over the cubed bread, then add the cherries and their juice along with the cocoa nibs, if using.
Toss well to coat the bread and to soak up the liquid.
Drizzle over the melted chocolate, stirring well to combine.
Pour mixture into a short baking dish or divide between 4 – 1 cup ramekins.
Bake for 15 minutes.

Best served warm and with just about any ice cream you like.

It’s terrible but it’s the truth. I almost didn’t attempt to veganize this month’s Daring Baker Challenge.
Daunting to say the least when a cake has a dozen eggs in it to somehow replace. (…And that’s not including the other two that were in the buttercream recipe.)

After making the original version I had to share. I mean, what’s the point of this site if everyone can’t share good food together?

I halved the recipe (because the other cake was enormous) and started in on my trials. I stuck to the traditional recipe as close as I could without those eggs but having had the other I had a general idea as to what I was after. This cake is very light without too much flavour. It’s a perfect canvas to add your own and it this case we, The Daring Bakers, were able to get creative just as long as we kept it light in colour. Again having the other version I knew what I liked and didn’t so choosing a flavour this time around was pretty easy. In my traditional version, I really wanted to go give it a Taste of Yellow in honour of one great and Daring Baker, Barbara of Winos and Foodies, who hosts the Livestrong event. For that I made an Earl Grey with a lemon buttercream so for this version I wanted to keep the citrus but add some kick with just a little brandy syrup, and boy did my little cake sing.

L’OPÉRA CAKE

JACONDE

1 Cup Ground Almonds
1/4 Cup Confectioners Sugar
1/2 Cup Cake Flour
1 1/4 Cups Soy Milk
1 teaspoon Baking Soda
1 teaspoon Baking Powder
1 Tablespoon Vinegar

Preheat oven to 400ºF.
Line a 5 x 8 inch loaf pan with parchment then lightly spray with oil.
Add the dry ingredients together into a large bowl.
Combine the soy milk and the vinegar, then add to the dry.
Mix vigorously with a fork.
Once combined, consistency will be similar to a pancake batter.
Pour about 1/2 cup of batter into the prepared pan to cover the bottom to the edges.
Bake for 5 – 7 minutes or until the top appears golden, begins to dry and the edges come away from the sides.
Loosen edges with a knife, if necessary and top with an additional sheet of parchment or waxed paper.
Flip pan to remove the cake, cooling on a rack to room temperature.
Reline the pan and repeat with the remainder of the batter, baking three cakes.

COGNAC SYRUP

4 Tablespoons Sugar
1/3 Cup Water
1-2 Tablespoons Cognac

Add everything to a small saucepan and bring to a boil.
Remove from the heat and cool to room temperature.
(May be made in advance and kept covered in the fridge for up to a week.

ORANGE “BUTTERCREAM” ICING

2 1/2 Cups Confectioners Sugar, sifted
1/2 Cup Earth’s Balance Margarine, room temperature
Juice and zest of one large orange
1/2 teaspoon Vanilla

In the bowl of an electric mixer with the whisk attachment, combine half of the sugar with the margarine.
Add the orange zest and juice and mix on a medium-high setting.
Add the remainder of the sugar, half a cup at a time.
Once it has come together, then add the vanilla to incorporate.
Continue to up the volume with a higher speed until light and creamy.

ASSEMBLY

(Note: The finished cake should be served slightly chilled. It can be kept in the refrigerator for up to 1 day).

Line a baking sheet with parchment or wax paper.

Place one cake layer on the baking sheet and moisten it gently with the flavoured syrup.

Spread about one-third of the buttercream over this layer.

Top with the second layer of cake and moisten again with the flavoured syrup.

Spread another third of the buttercream on the cake and then top with the third layer of joconde. Use the remaining syrup to wet the joconde. Spread the remaining buttercream on top of the final layer of joconde and then refrigerate until very firm (at least half an hour).

At this point a glaze of white chocolate may be made. I omitted this tradition but for a vegan white chocolate try this one from Bittersweet. Melt 7 oz of the chocolate with 1/4 cup of soy milk. Once it has cooled, pour/spread it over the top of the chilled cake. Refrigerate the cake again to set the glaze.

Trim the edges 1/2″ to reveal the layers.
Garnish with additional orange zest, candied or not, if desired.

I have to admit my jaw dropped just a little when I saw the announcment for this months Daring Bakers challenge. I mean an Opera cake, wow. Layers of a torte like almond meal jaconde sandwiched between sweet buttercream, syrup, mousse and a white chocolate glaze. So yes, I was intimidated but thank you so very much to my hosts this month, Fran of Apples Peaches Pumpkin Pie, Shea of Whiskful and of course, Lis & Ivonne for being so patient and kind to the real daring baker like myself who dare to attempt such a cake, for intricately spelling out and testing these details. God bless you. Really.

Once I carefully read through the instructions (four or five not quite hundred times) I was ready and really, it wasn’t so bad. Broken down then recreated in stages, just like the cake, the layers came together just like any other.

I started with the cake itself, my first challenge as I didn’t have the exact sized baking sheet. Ah well, my cake plate is smaller too, so no big deal… The instructions indicated I could adjust my oven’s racks and bake both cakes I needed at once. With one cake overdone and the other barely baked, this is the one and only thing I would have changed and taken the time to do separately.

With the all of the cakes baked and cooling I was still on the fence for flavourings. Our only rule was to keep it light. Traditionally, L’Opéra cake was flavoured with chocolate and coffee. Finding the opposite of that and thinking of a Taste of Yellow, which is the LiveStrong Event hosted by fellow Daring Baker, Barbara of Winos and Foodies, I settled on Earl Grey and Lemon with a white chocolate glaze.

The buttercream method was new to me. It was an alteration from the original recipe and as informed, it was creamy. With a hint of lemon and my Earl Grey syrup ready I was just about set for assembly.

Chilled and firm, I prepared to trim the edges. You’d think I was about to carve a turkey not a cake the way I prepared my blade to meet the side of this cake.

My first taste was of the trimmed edges. Sweet. Very. The flavours were subtle, the sugar, not so much.
Being May, the weather around here is a bit unpredictable but the photographic debut of my cake was delivered a hot, muggy haze, always so perfect for a white chocolate sweat. However, the one perfect thing about photography, at least when I’m doing my own, is eating the props when I’m done.

Back to room temperature, the cake was much nicer, light, lemony and just perfect with a spot of tea.

A Taste of Light: Earl Grey and Lemon Opéra Cake

This recipe is based on Opéra Cake recipes in Dorie Greenspan’s Paris Sweets and Tish Boyle and Timothy Moriarty’s Chocolate Passion.

For the Joconde

(Note: The joconde can be made up to 1 day in advance and kept wrapped at room temperate)

What you’ll need:

•2 12½ x 15½-inch (31 x 39-cm) jelly-roll pans (Note: If you do not have jelly-roll pans this size, do not fear! You can use different-sized jelly-roll pans like 10 x 15-inches.)
•a few tablespoons of melted butter (in addition to what’s called for in the ingredients’ list) and a brush (to grease the pans)
•parchment paper
•a whisk and a paddle attachment for a stand mixer or for a handheld mixer
•two mixing bowls (you can make do with one but it’s preferable to have two)

Ingredients:

6 large egg whites, at room temperature
2 tbsp. (30 grams) granulated sugar
2 cups (225 grams) ground blanched almonds (Note: If you do not want to use almond meal, you can use another nut meal like hazelnut. You can buy almond meal in bulk food stores or health food stores, or you can make it at home by grinding almonds in the food processor with a tablespoon or two of the flour that you would use in the cake. The reason you need the flour is to prevent the almonds from turning oily or pasty in the processor. You will need about 2 cups of blanched almonds to create enough almond meal for this cake.)
2 cups icing sugar, sifted
6 large eggs
½ cup (70 grams) all-purpose flour
3 tbsp. (1½ ounces; 45 grams) unsalted butter, melted and cooled

1.Preheat the oven to 425◦F. (220◦C).

2.Line two 12½ x 15½- inch (31 x 39-cm) jelly-roll pans **(or two 10 x 15 -inch rimmed cookie sheets)** with parchment paper and brush with melted butter.

3.In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment (or using a handheld mixer), beat the egg whites until they form soft peaks. Add the granulated sugar and beat until the peaks are stiff and glossy. If you do not have another mixer bowl, gently scrape the meringue into another bowl and set aside.

4.If you only have one bowl, wash it after removing the egg whites or if you have a second bowl, use that one. Attach the paddle attachment to the stand mixer (or using a handheld mixer again) and beat the almonds, icing sugar and eggs on medium speed until light and voluminous, about 3 minutes.

5.Add the flour and beat on low speed until the flour is just combined (be very careful not to overmix here!!!).

6.Using a rubber spatula, gently fold the meringue into the almond mixture and then fold in the melted butter. Divide the batter between the pans and spread it evenly to cover the entire surface of each pan.

7.Bake the cake layers until they are lightly browned and just springy to the touch. This could take anywhere from 5 to 9 minutes depending on your oven. Place one jelly-roll pan in the middle of the oven and the second jelly-roll pan in the bottom third of the oven.

8.Put the pans on a heatproof counter and run a sharp knife along the edges of the cake to loosen it from the pan. Cover each with a sheet of parchment or wax paper, turn the pans over, and unmold.

9.Carefully peel away the parchment, then turn the parchment over and use it to cover the cakes. Let the cakes cool to room temperature.

For the syrup

(Note: The syrup can be made up to 1 week in advance and kept covered in the refrigerator.)

What you’ll need:

•a small saucepan

Ingredients:

½ cup (125 grams) water
⅓ cup (65 grams) granulated sugar
1 Earl Grey Tea Bag

1. Bring the water to a boil and steep the tea bag until quite strong.

2. Add the 1/2 cup of tea and sugar to a saucepan and bring to a boil. Remove from the heat and let cool to room temperature.

For the buttercream

(Note: The buttercream can be made up to 1 month in advance and packed in an airtight container. If made way in advance, you can freeze the buttercream. Alternatively you can refrigerate it for up to 4 days after making it. To use the buttercream simply bring it to room temperature and then beat it briefly to restore its consistency.)

What you’ll need:

•a small saucepan
•a candy or instant-read thermometer
•a stand mixer or handheld mixer
•a bowl and a whisk attachment
•rubber spatula

Ingredients:

1 cup (100 grams) granulated sugar
¼ cup (60 grams) water
1 large egg
1 large egg yolk
1¾ sticks (7 ounces; 200 grams) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 teaspoon Lemon Extract
Zest of one Lemon

1.Combine the sugar, water and vanilla bean seeds or extract in a small saucepan and warm over medium heat just until the sugar dissolves.

2.Continue to cook, without stirring, until the syrup reaches 225◦F (107◦C) [*Note: Original recipe indicates a temperature of 255◦F (124◦C), however, when testing the recipe I found that this was too high so we heated to 225◦F and it worked fine] on a candy or instant-read thermometer. Once it reaches that temperature, remove the syrup from the heat.

3.While the syrup is heating, begin whisking the egg and egg yolk at high speed in the bowl of your mixer using the whisk attachment. Whisk them until they are pale and foamy.

4.When the sugar syrup reaches the correct temperature and you remove it from the heat, reduce the mixer speed to low speed and begin slowly (very slowly) pouring the syrup down the side of the bowl being very careful not to splatter the syrup into the path of the whisk attachment. Some of the syrup will spin onto the sides of the bowl but don’t worry about this and don’t try to stir it into the mixture as it will harden!

5.Raise the speed to medium-high and continue beating until the eggs are thick and satiny and the mixture is cool to the touch (about 5 minutes or so).

6.While the egg mixture is beating, place the softened butter in a bowl and mash it with a spatula until you have a soft creamy mass.

7.With the mixer on medium speed, begin adding in two-tablespoon chunks. When all the butter has been incorporated, raise the mixer speed to high and beat until the buttercream is thick and shiny.

8.At this point add the lemon extract and zest and beat for an additional minute or so.

9.Refrigerate the buttercream, stirring it often, until it’s set enough (firm enough) to spread when topped with a layer of cake (about 20 minutes).

For the white chocolate ganache/mousse (optional)

(Note: The mousse can be made ahead and refrigerated until you’re ready to use it.)

What you’ll need:

•a small saucepan
•a mixer or handheld mixer

Ingredients:

7 ounces white chocolate
1 cup plus 3 tbsp. heavy cream (35% cream)
1 tbsp. liquor or flavouring of your choice (limoncello – optional)

1.Melt the white chocolate and the 3 tbsp. of heavy cream in a small saucepan.
2.Stir to ensure that it’s smooth and that the chocolate is melted. Add the tablespoon of liqueur to the chocolate and stir. Set aside to cool completely.
3.In the bowl of a stand mixer, whip the remaining 1 cup of heavy cream until soft peaks form.
4.Gently fold the whipped cream into the cooled chocolate to form a mousse.
5.If it’s too thin, refrigerate it for a bit until it’s spreadable.
6.If you’re not going to use it right away, refrigerate until you’re ready to use.

For the glaze
(Note: It’s best to make the glaze right when you’re ready to finish the cake.)

What you’ll need:

•a small saucepan or double boiler

Ingredients:

14 ounces white chocolate, coarsely chopped
½ cup heavy cream (35% cream)

1.Melt the white chocolate with the heavy cream. Whisk the mixture gently until smooth.
2.Let cool for 10 minutes and then pour over the chilled cake. Using a long metal cake spatula, smooth out into an even layer.
3.Place the cake into the refrigerator for 30 minutes to set.

Assembling the Opéra Cake

(Note: The finished cake should be served slightly chilled. It can be kept in the refrigerator for up to 1 day).

Line a baking sheet with parchment or wax paper.

Working with one sheet of cake at a time, cut and trim each sheet so that you have two pieces (from each cake so you’ll have four pieces in total): With a 10×15 inch pan, I cut two 7 1/4″ squares and made a test cake from the scraps (to snack on really) but you can cut one larger 10″ square and a 5-inch rectangle from each cake, depending on your baking sheet size.

Place one square of cake on the baking sheet and moisten it gently with the flavoured syrup.

Spread about one-third of the buttercream over this layer.

Top with the two rectangular pieces of cake, placing them side by side to form a square. Moisten these pieces with the flavoured syrup.

Spread another third of the buttercream on the cake and then top with the third square of joconde. Use the remaining syrup to wet the joconde. Spread the remaining buttercream on top of the final layer of joconde and then refrigerate until very firm (at least half an hour).

If using the mousse, layer it now and chill until firm (2-3 hours) before proceeding with the glaze.

Make the glaze. After it has cooled, pour/spread it over the top of the chilled cake. Refrigerate the cake again to set the glaze.

Serve the cake slightly chilled.
This recipe will yield approximately 20 servings.

After visiting my Grampa last weekend I’ve been craving cookies. Usually it’s me making the cookies for him, not visits causing cravings in me, but my Great Aunt was up as well, baking up a glorious aroma in my grandparents kitchen. Obviously stoked by my Grampa’s mentioning of their childhood slathering of butter and molasses over bread, she was making Ginger Crackles. Spicy, sugary and crisp, the house was like Christmas just with better weather.

Back home with the craving still strong in my nose, I finally knew what to do with the fancy molasses taking up space in the pantry.

…And once I had my cookie, what’s better than it than making whoopie?

Using a cream filling lightly scented with orange blossom water, which so nicely complemented the sticky spice of molasses.

The test batches didn’t last, so I’ll have to make these again for our next Greastest Grampa visit.

SOFT MOLLASSES COOKIES

1/4 Cup Soft Margarine, or butter
1/4 Cup Brown Sugar, firmly packed
1/3 Cup Fancy Molasses
1 1/2 Cups Cake & Pastry Flour
1/2 teaspoon Baking Soda
1/4 teaspoon Salt
3/4 teaspoon Ground Ginger
1/2 teaspoon Cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon Orange Zest
1/2 Cup Soy Milk
1/2 teaspoon Lemon Juice

3 Tablespoons (approx.) Granulated Sugar

Preheat the oven to 375ºF.
Cream the margarine and brown sugar then add the molasses, continuing to mix until well blended.
In a separate bowl combine the flour, soda, salt, ginger and cinnamon.
In a pourable measuring cup combine the soy milk and lemon juice.
Add half of the dry ingredients to the creamed sugar. Blend, then continue with half of the milk.
Add the orange zest and while still mixing, finish with the remaining dry ingredients and milk.
Drop rounded tablespoonfuls of batter, evenly spaced, onto a parchment lined cookie sheet.
Sprinkle the granulated sugar into a shallow bowl and using a dampened, flat bottom glass, dipped into the sugar, flatten each cookie. Recover the glass bottom with the sugar as necessary to keep the dough from sticking.
Bake for about 10 minutes or until golden and puffed.
Cool on a rack before filling.
Makes 18 cookies/9 whoopie pies.

ORANGE BLOSSOM ICING

1/4 Cup Margarine
1/4 Cup Granulated Sugar
1/2 Cup Confectioners Sugar
1/2 teaspoon Orange Blossom Water

Add margarine and granulated sugar to the bowl of an electric mixer and whip until creamy with the whisk attachment.
With the motor running add the orange blossom water and half of the confectioners sugar.
Scrape sides and add the remaining sugar.
Continue to whisk for a few minutes, until light and fluffy.

To assemble, dollop a heaping tablespoonful of icing to the underside of a cookie. Top with a matching cookie, pressing down lightly to spread the icing and secure.

I know that Mother’s Day has come and gone, but I just had to share this perfect everyday, great with tea or Coffee Cake.

One of the many things that I’ve learned through my Nana and her baking is that men love coffee cake. It’s a crazy notion, but you can go ahead and quote me on this. So with all my motherly advice aside for now, I’d been eying this recipe handed down from my Nana. Originally called Sour Cream Coffee Cake, it’s moist and satisfying and it’ll wrangle afternoon peckishness like the dickens.

Seeing that I have a habit of buying up anything organic or that I’d want to see in stock at my local grocery store just to send a message, I was the new owner of some soy yogurt. I’m good with tofu but I won’t be eating the “soygurt” à la carte again. However, as an equal replacement for the original sour cream in this recipe, I know I’d buy it again.

Although a nice bundt pan would be pretty, my Nana is of the depression generation so you can put it in what ever pan fits. I used a square 8×8 and it worked out really well, just could have been bigger since, even with all the birthdays lately, this is about the fastest I’ve seen cake go around here in a long time.

NANA’S COFFEE CAKE

1 Cup Granulated Sugar
1/2 Cup Margarine, softened
1 Tablespoon Baking Powder
1 Cup Soy Vanilla Yogurt, plain is o.k. in a pinch, just add 1 tsp vanilla
1/2 Cup Plain Soy Milk
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 Cup All Purpose Flour
1/2 Cup Whole Wheat Flour

TOPPING
1 Cup Walnuts, broken
1/3 Cup Brown Sugar
1 teaspoon Cinnamon

Preheat the oven to 350ºF.
Toss the walnuts, sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl and set aside.
Cream the sugar with the margarine, then add the baking powder and continue to mix until fluffy.
In a measuring cup, combine the yogurt, soy milk and baking soda.
Add half of the yogurt mixture to the creamed sugar, then half of the flour, mixing until each is combined, repeating with the remainder.
Lightly spray and dust an 8×8 cake or bundt pan with flour.
Add half of the cake batter to the pan. Add half of the walnut topping. Finish with the remaining batter, then evenly sprinkle over the last of the topping.
Bake in the center of the oven for 45 – 50 minutes.
Cool completely in the pan before turning it out to a serving plate.

It would seem that I’ve been having a short slue of serendipitous mishaps in my kitchen lately.
First I have the uncheesecake pops from the Daring Bakers challenge and now I have crumbly peanut butter cookies.

After a craving and an urge of inspiration from seeing a jarful of banana jam, I wanted to make thumbprint cookies. My first batch of cookies were pretty good but with a cup of oatmeal they lost the peanut butter Pow! and were mostly just oatmeal cookies with a sinkhole of banana in the center. A cookie I’d try again, but just not for this…

Next, I stuck clear of the oats and stayed traditional. I pretty much mimicked my Nana’s peanut butter cookie recipe. (You know the ones with the fork or potato masher prints?) To veganize, I just left out the egg and added a drop of soy milk. No matter how I’d mixed the batter it was dry. I added another tablespoon of milk, then another… and another. I managed to shape them into balls to get into the fridge but there was no way I would be getting a potato masher anywhere near these things. I flattened and shaped a trays worth by hand and watched the edges crack as I squished my thumb into the middle to get the jam blob in.

The results were creamy, peanut-buttery but d-r-y. Certainly not a satisfying cookie. As the jar runnith empty, I was getting tired of inventing new disasters to eat. Then it donned on me that these were good for about one thing – and no, not wanting to waste everything, it wasn’t the compost. These crusty, crumbly cookies were just that, crust and with combined with something even creamier, a potentially perfect dessert base.

Given that mini tart pans make for a great finished dessert, these looked almost like they came from the bakery with little to no effort. Of course, if you don’t have the pans, I’m sure you could go larger into a pie dish. Of anything I’ve learned lately is to just go with the flow, because you might just end up with something pretty great where you least expected it.

CRUMBLY PEANUT BUTTER COOKIE CRUST

1/3 Cup Butter, choose Earth Balance if you want it vegan
1/2 Cup Sugar
3/4 Cup Creamy Peanut Butter
1/2 teaspoon Vanilla
1 teaspoon Baking Powder
1/4 teaspoon Salt
1 1/3 Cups All Purpose Flour
1/4 Cup Milk, soy for vegan version

Cream the butter and sugar.
Add peanut butter and vanilla mixing well to combine.
Add the baking powder and salt followed by half of the flour.
Combine the milk then add the remaining flour.
Refrigerate for about one hour, or freeze for later use after shaping into a disk and wrapping well.
Preheat the oven to 350ºF.
Break off walnut sized pieces, flattening as best as possible and press into tart pans.
Bake for 10-12 minutes cooling completely before filling.

Fill with vegan caramel 1/2 way up the sides and top with an even layer of walnut halves.
Melt a semi-sweet or dark chocolate in a double boiler or in a heat safe bowl over simmering water until smooth.
Pipe or drizzle chocolate over top of the nuts and lightly sprinkle with coarse sea salt.
Chill until ready to serve.

This is twice now that I’ve suddenly noticed Daring Baker posts all over the interwebs a little early. I quickly found that we were able to post three days before the end of the month. Regardless, I learned my lesson in reading the fine print and got to the recipe. … And then I found how many it made. Not typically a huge fan of cheesecake, I decided to reduce the recipe. Shrunken by more than half, the recipe made about a dozen of these little delights and they were fantastic. Even for me – revealing that bite sized portions really are an amuse for my bouche.

I’ve been quite lucky lately getting these great recipes challenges to make with the surplus of birthdays in my house.
My son, my sous chef, turns 3 tomorrow, so the last of the terrible two tantrums were taken out on me not letting him lick the raw batter fast enough. You might assume he enjoyed it – thoroughly.

I wanted to jazz these up a bit for the adults coming to the party who rarely gorge on cake in the same way three year olds can. I’d recently been out specialty food shop browsing and discovered this great line of Belgian chocolate bars. The flavour combinations included, Provincial Lavender, White Pepper and Cardamom from Guatemala and Japanese Matcha, just to name a few. So after dipping the cheesecake pops, I melted down the 1oz Matcha and drizzled it over. Mmmm.

Such a fun recipe co- hosted by Deborah at Taste and Tell and Elle of Feeding My Enthusiams . Even if you’re not in the middle of a birthday mayham, they’re fun and they’re good – give them a try.

CHEESECAKE POPS
Adapted from Sticky, Chewy, Messy, Gooey
by Jill O’Connor
Makes about 10 pops

1 – 8oz Package Cream Cheese
1/2 Cup Sugar
1 Tablespoon All Purpose Flour
Pinch of Salt
1 large Egg
1 Egg Yolk
1/2 teaspoon Vanilla
1 Tablespoon Heavy Cream, 35% whipping
4 oz Semi-Sweet chocolate, good quality chips or chopped chunks
1 teaspoon Vegetable Shortening
Lollipop Sticks or Candy Apple Skewers
Sprinkles, Sanding Sugar or Contrasting Chocolate for decoration

Preheat oven to 325F. Set some water to boil.
In a large bowl, beat together the cream cheese, sugar, flour, and salt until smooth. If using a mixer, mix on low speed.
Add the whole egg and the egg yolk, one at a time, beating well (but still at low speed) after each addition.
Beat in the vanilla and cream.
Pour the batter into a wide loaf pan, coated with cooking spray. Place the pan in a larger roasting pan and fill the roasting pan with the boiling water until it reaches halfway up the sides of the loaf pan.
Bake until the cheesecake is firm in the center and slightly golden on top, 35 to 45 minutes.

Remove the cheesecake from the water bath and cool to room temperature. Cover the cheesecake with plastic wrap and refrigerate until very cold, at least 3 hours or up to overnight.
When the cheesecake is cold and very firm, scoop the cheesecake into 2-ounce balls and place on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet.
Carefully insert a stick or a straw into each cheesecake ball.
Freeze the cheesecake pops, uncovered, until very hard, at least 1 – 2 hours.

In a small saucepan, heat the chocolate and the shortening, stirring often, until chocolate is melted and chocolate and shortening are combined. Stir until completely smooth. Do not heat the chocolate too much or your chocolate will lose it’s shine after it has dried.

Quickly dip a frozen cheesecake pop in the melted chocolate, swirling quickly to coat it completely. Shake off any excess into the melted chocolate. If you like, you can now roll the pops quickly in optional decorations. Place the pop on a clean parchment paper-lined baking sheet to set.
Refrigerate the pops for up to 24 hours, until ready to serve.