Entries Tagged 'Daring Bakers' ↓

This months Daring Bakers challenge is brought to us by Elle & Deborah… who in my opinion are the 2 smartest ladies on the Daring Bakers Blogroll!!! This is by far my FAVORITE challenge!!!! They got this recipe from “Sticky, Chewy, Messy, and Gooey” by Jill O’Connor. This is a great title for a cookbook… but after this challenge I am going to just start referring to it as my Bible. As soon as I read this recipe I KNEW I had to have this book. Just thumbing through it I have found at least 15 recipes that I just HAVE TO try! I am so excited… stay tuned in for those later.

My favorite part of this challenge is that I got to dip my lollipops into all kinds of toppings. And I did EVERYTHING!!!!! I had granola, mint candy, pecans, cashews, pistachios, almonds, dried cranberries, and of course sprinkles. And I did them all in BOTH in Ghirardelli’s white chocolate & milk chocolate. I wrapped each one in a little baggie and tied it off with a cute little bow. They looked so fantastic and made me just giddy to look at them. Not to mention that they are just pure UNADULTERATED YUMMINESS!!!!

The only problem that I encountered on this challenge was my appetite. When I was scooping the cheesecake into balls my fingers and hands were all covered in cheesecake and I couldn’t stop eating my hands!!!! I must have washed my hands about a 100 times (have to wash hands after licking them…. Don’t put back into the batter!!!!). So today my hands feel all dry, lesson learned keep a bottle of lotion next to the kitchen sink.

Cheesecake Pops

Makes 30 – 40 Pops

• 5 8-oz. packages cream cheese at room temperature
• 2 cups sugar
• ¼ cup all-purpose flour
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 5 large eggs
• 2 egg yolks
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• ¼ cup heavy cream

Boiling water as needed

Thirty to forty 8-inch lollipop sticks

• 1 pound chocolate, finely chopped – you can use all one kind or half and half of dark, milk, or white (Alternately, you can use 1 pound of flavored coatings, also known as summer coating, confectionary coating or wafer chocolate – candy supply stores carry colors, as well as the three kinds of chocolate.)

• 2 tablespoons vegetable shortening

(Note: White chocolate is harder to use this way, but not impossible)

Assorted decorations such as chopped nuts, colored jimmies, crushed peppermints, mini chocolate chips, sanding sugars, dragees) - Optional

Position oven rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 325 degrees F.

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 eggs and the egg yolks, one at a time, beating well (but still at low speed) after each addition. Beat in the vanilla and cream.

Grease 2, 10-inch cake pan (not a springform pan), and pour the batter into the cake pan. Place the pan in a larger roasting pan. Fill the roasting pan with the boiling water until it reaches halfway up the sides of the cake pan. Bake until the cheesecake is firm 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 lollipop stick into each cheesecake ball. Freeze the cheesecake pops, uncovered, until very hard, at least 1 – 2 hours.

When the cheesecake pops are frozen and ready for dipping, prepare the chocolate. In the top of a double boiler, set over simmering water, or in a heatproof bowl set over a pot of simmering water, heat half the chocolate and half 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. Save the rest of the chocolate and shortening for later dipping, or use another type of chocolate for variety.

Alternately, you can microwave the same amount of chocolate coating pieces on high at 30 second intervals, stirring until smooth.

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. You can also drizzle them with a contrasting color of melted chocolate (dark chocolate drizzled over milk chocolate or white chocolate over dark chocolate, etc.) Place the pop on a clean parchment paper-lined baking sheet to set. Repeat with remaining pops, melting more chocolate and shortening (or confectionery chocolate pieces) as needed.

I had really big plans for this months Daring Bakers Challenge….The challenge was Dories Perfect Party Cake; and I was going to make a beautiful 3 tier topsy turvey cake with a cupcake sitting on top. But, that didn’t happen. I got way too busy. Oh well maybe next time. This month was exciting because we got to deviate from the exact recipe and fill it with what ever we wanted.

The cake itself is moist and light with a slight hint of citrus. However, the butter cream definitely had a lemon flavor… but it was not over powering. It was light and airy. Perfect combination of sweet & sour. For my fillings I made a brandy soaking syrup, topped with raspberry preserves, and topped that with white chocolate cream cheese. I topped it all off with raspberries, blackberries, and mint that had been soaking in rosewater. It didn’t look as pretty as I would have liked. But it was a SPECTACUALR combination! Plus I got to use my Agbay knife and that is ALWAYS fun for me. I love that my cakes always have perfect layers and is flat as a board!

All in all this challenge was a great success. I didn’t come across any problems. Everything was pretty straight forward. My only complaint is that I hate lemon zest. Let me clarify. I LOVE the flavor that the lemon zest gives the cake… but for some reason I dread having to zest a lemon! It is like nails on a chalk board for me. Plus I inevitably always scrape my knuckles on the grater… then get lemon juice in it! So, I had to be extra careful on this challenge.

Here is the recipe as I prepared it:

For the Cake

• 2 1/4 cups cake flour (updated 25 March)
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 ¼ cups whole milk or buttermilk (I prefer buttermilk with the lemon)
• 4 large egg whites
• 1 ½ cups sugar
• 2 teaspoons grated lemon zest
• 1 stick (8 tablespoons or 4 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• ½ teaspoon pure lemon extract

Getting Ready
Centre a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter two 9 x 2 inch round cake pans and line the bottom of each pan with a round of buttered parchment or wax paper. Put the pans on a baking sheet.

To Make the Cake
Sift together the flour, baking powder and salt.
Whisk together the milk and egg whites in a medium bowl.
Put the sugar and lemon zest in a mixer bowl or another large bowl and rub them together with your fingers until the sugar is moist and fragrant.
Add the butter and working with the paddle or whisk attachment, or with a hand mixer, beat at medium speed for a full 3 minutes, until the butter and sugar are very light.
Beat in the extract, then add one third of the flour mixture, still beating on medium speed.
Beat in half of the milk-egg mixture, and then beat in half of the remaining dry ingredients until incorporated.
Add the rest of the milk and eggs beating until the batter is homogeneous, then add the last of the dry ingredients.
Finally, give the batter a good 2- minute beating to ensure that it is thoroughly mixed and well aerated.
Divide the batter between the two pans and smooth the tops with a rubber spatula.
Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until the cakes are well risen and springy to the touch – a thin knife inserted into the centers should come out clean
Transfer the cakes to cooling racks and cool for about 5 minutes, then run a knife around the sides of the cakes, unfold them and peel off the paper liners.
Invert and cool to room temperature, right side up (the cooled cake layers can be wrapped airtight and stored at room temperature overnight or frozen for up to two months).

Brandy Soaking Syrup

• ½ cup water
• ¼ cup sugar
• 2 tablespoons brandy

In a heavy saucepan on medium heat bring water and sugar to a boil. Take off heat allow to cool and add Brandy. With a pastry brush moisten the top of each layer of cake.

Then follow this warm raspberry preserves (it is easier to spread when warm)

White Chocolate Cream Cheese Filling

• 3 large egg whites
• 11 ounces white chocolate
• 2 – 8oz. packets of cream cheese at room temperature

In a heat resisting bowl over a sauce pan of boiling water, whip egg whites on high speed with an electric mixer for 5 minutes. Continue beating while adding in cream cheese 4 ounces at a time. Continue to whip for another 3 minutes. Take off heat and set aside. In a separate Pyrex bowl melt white chocolate over sauce pan with boiling water. Stirring continuously till creamy. Add chocolate to cream cheese mixture and whip for 2 minutes. Spread a thick layer on top of raspberry preserves.

For the Butter cream

• 1 cup sugar
• 4 large egg whites
• 3 sticks (12 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• ¼ cup fresh lemon juice (from 2 large lemons)
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Put the sugar and egg whites in a mixer bowl or another large heatproof bowl, fit the bowl over a plan of simmering water and whisk constantly, keeping the mixture over the heat, until it feels hot to the touch, about 3 minutes.
The sugar should be dissolved, and the mixture will look like shiny marshmallow cream.
Remove the bowl from the heat.
Working with the whisk attachment or with a hand mixer, beat the meringue on medium speed until it is cool, about 5 minutes.
Switch to the paddle attachment if you have one, and add the butter a stick at a time, beating until smooth.
Once all the butter is in, beat in the butter cream on medium-high speed until it is thick and very smooth, 6-10 minutes.
During this time the butter cream may curdle or separate – just keep beating and it will come together again.
On medium speed, gradually beat in the lemon juice, waiting until each addition is absorbed before adding more, and then the vanilla.
You should have a shiny smooth, velvety, pristine white butter cream. Press a piece of plastic against the surface of the butter cream and set aside briefly.

This is my first month with the Daring Bakers. It took me a while to get up the courage to join. And I have been waiting with anticipation for my very first challenge. Finally, February came along and the challenge was announced. And wouldn’t you know it!?!… French BREAD!!

You see I am one of those very rare folks that hates bread. I mean really…. HATE!! It reminds me of that glue that you make in kindergarten out of flour and water - YUK! I wrap my hamburgers in lettuce…. and pick the croûtons out of my salad. Sorry, that is just me. What can I say; I am 1 in a million! But there was no way that I was going to sit out my very first challenge!!! NO WAY! Besides, my husband and daughter both LOVE fresh french bread. LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE it! So, I went full speed ahead!

This particular recipe for French Bread came from Julia Child’s and was a whopping 15 pages long! Pure craziness… and totally intimidating. I use to watch Julia when I was little. She was always so full of life, and funny. She had the “Oh Well” kind of personality that I loved. She was very down to earth and always stayed true to who she was. My favorite Julia Child’s moment was when I saw her on Oprah, and Oprah surprised Julia with her FAVORITE food. And I was SHOCKED to find out that it was McDonalds french fries! I LOVED that. She had tasted every gourmet food on the face of the planet, yet she preferred good old fashioned McDonalds!

The recipe itself could not have been more simple. Flour, salt, yeast, and water. That is it. Nothing more. I started kneading dough at around 7:30 am and finally put it in the oven at 8:00 pm. Lots and lots of kneading was envolved… and then lots and lots of waiting for it to rise. Then you deflate… and then you let it rise again. Then you shape, and let it rise again. Basically a whole lot of risein’ goin’ on! I was able to follow the instructions perfectly all until I got to the shaping part of the instructions. I really wish that it would have come with a diagram. I found comfort in the memory of Julia and how she herself wasn’t perfect, and would just make due. So that is exactly what I did.

Once my dough finally made it into the oven. I sat right next to it the entire time with a spray bottle and gave the dough a little spritz every 3 minutes. I also had a broiling pan with about 1/4″ of water sitting in it to create steam. When my bread was done it was a beautiful golden brown color. I could not have been more proud. I had made 2 loaves 1 for my family to dig into right away (I knew there was no way to keep them away), and another to actually allow to sit the full 2 hours as instructed. When the bread first came out of the oven the crust was very hard, yet the inside was very soft. I thought for sure that I had messed it up. As it turns out that after 2 hours the crust softens! It was the wierdest thing ever.

I roasted some garlic and preparred some olive oil with rosemary, thyme, basil, and chili peppers to dip the bread in. I liked the garlic and oil part of the deal… the bread I thought was OK. My husband and daughter LOVED it! So, I am going to declare this mission a complete success!

For those of you who have a day to kill and are interested in making this bread here you can get it here