Wednesday, January 5, 2011
Pretty cake, huh? So whaddya think about the ring on top of it?
Yup! The Boy (The Fiance?), did pretty darn good. Not ONLY was I caught off guard with the proposal, he had also organized a HUGE surprise New Year’s/Engagement party at our house! It all started around 7pm New Years Eve. I had pizza in my mouth when he proposed. I was shocked, but of course I said yes. I thought the excitement was over for the night, but about 15 minutes later my way-out-of-town friends showed up on my doorstep, and I was informed that many more people would be showing up soon. We rang in the new year dancing on the 3rd floor of our house filled with a ton of our good friends. Damn good new year I must say.
Now, for this cake. I did not make this cake! That might be a first for this blog, but my uber-talented friend & coworker Jamie brought this cake to the engagement party, and I couldn’t resist sharing it with you. It was SO gorgeous, and SO delicious, I asked her for the recipe because I know others would love this delicious cake. Thanks Jamie for the cake, and thanks to everyone who came, or wished me congratulations on Facebook or Twitter!
Also… there were more treats at the party, check out the adorable Strawberry Champagne Cupcakes that Lindsay of Love & Olive Oil brought, and the Chocolate Peppermint Bark Cookies Kira brought! Yes, it is unfair to be blessed with so many talented friends.
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White Chocolate Cake
cake adapted from my talented friend Jamie (she doubled this recipe to make my tiered cake)
frosting from Wilton, yields 3 cups
Ingredients:
Cake:
1 box white cake mix
3 egg whites
canola oil (amount called for according to cake mix instructions)
water (amount called for according to cake mix instructions)
1 (3.4 oz) pkg. white chocolate flavored instant pudding mix
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 bag white chocolate chips
Frosting:
1/2 cup solid vegetable shortening
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter or margarine softened
1 teaspoon clear vanilla extract
4 cups sifted confectioners' sugar (approximately 1 lb.)
2 tablespoons milk
*Makes: About 3 cups of icing.*
Optional: Raspberry jam to spread between layers.
Directions:
Cake:
Mix cake mix, egg whites, oil & water according to package directions. Add instant pudding mix and sour cream (Jamie says these are a must for moist cakes!). Mix on medium speed for 2 minutes or until all ingredients are thoroughly combined. Stir in white chocolate chips. Bake in greased and floured pans according to package directions (it does take a little longer with the the pudding and sour cream).
Frosting:
In large bowl, cream shortening and butter with electric mixer. Add vanilla. Gradually add sugar, one cup at a time, beating well on medium speed. Scrape sides and bottom of bowl often. When all sugar has been mixed in, icing will appear dry. Add milk and beat at medium speed until light and fluffy. Keep bowl covered with a damp cloth until ready to use.
For best results, keep icing bowl in refrigerator when not in use. Refrigerated in an airtight container, this icing can be stored 2 weeks. Rewhip before using.
**Jamie spread raspberry jam between the layers of cake, and I thought it was DIVINE!
Saturday, January 1, 2011
Being drawn to all things pumpkin when Elly Says Opa posted this recipe for a granola, I just knew I’d have to try it! Most of the ingredients are staples, or things I happened to have on hand. It came together super quick, and smelled wonderful while baking.
The finished product was a perfect breakfast topper for yogurt, and is incredibly healthy. Elly adapted it from an Ellie Krueger recipe, and she’s known for really healthy & delicious foods. I like that this was a low fat recipe.
–Side Note– Now… I don’t want to downplay this Nutty Pumpkin Granola, but I can’t help but hold every granola recipe up to the standard of my absolute favorite, hands down, most incredible granola of all time. OF ALL TIME. (to quote Kanye) Way back in July of 2009, I adapted a recipe I read in the New York Times, to make my Olive Oil Granola with Pistachios & Cherries. And Oh.My.Gawd. It is incredible, outstanding, addictive, and just all around knock your socks off good. Other granolas I’ve tried since then, like this Tropical Granola, are good in their own right, but it’s almost not fair to compare! It’s especially not fair to compare low-fat granola recipes to the olive oil one.
Seeing that the holidays are over, I know a lot of people might be looking for ways to cut calories & fat, and this Nutty Pumpkin Granola is a great way to still eat granola, but just a lighter version!
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Nutty Pumpkin Granola
Ingredients:
1.5 cups rolled oats
1/4 cup chopped raw or slivered almonds
1/4 cup chopped walnuts
1/4 cup pepitas
1/8 tsp. salt
3/4 tsp. cinnamon
1/8 tsp. nutmeg
1/4 tsp. cloves
1/8 tsp. ginger
1/8 tsp. allspice
1/3 cup pumpkin puree
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1/3 cup pure maple syrup
1/3 cup dried cranberries
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 300 and spray a baking sheet with nonstick spray. (Recently I purchased Reynold's nonstick aluminum foil, and it worked AWESOME here. I didn't need to spray the pan at all.)
Mix together the oats, nuts, salt, and spices. Then, stir in the pumpkin puree, vanilla, maple syrup and cranberries. Be sure everything is well combined.
Spread the mixture onto the prepared baking sheet and bake for 30-40 minutes, stirring occasionally, until golden brown and crisp. The granola will crisp up a bit more after it’s out of the oven, too.
Wednesday, December 22, 2010
Ginger is a flavor I think I’ve been settling into liking more & more. While I have always enjoyed ginger ale, and the seasonal gingerbread cookies, those are rather mainstream varieties of the ginger flavor. It kept creeping it’s way into new spheres of my tastes. Perhaps it began with the homemade ginger beer in the wonderful Cumberland Sidecar, a formerly off-the-menu special concoction crafted by my favorite bartender Charles at my former neighborhood bar, Rumba. That opened my flavor palate up, and then I also began to love the La Nouvelle Mode at Suzy Wong’s House of Yum, which featured a ginger liqueur. So while I obviously have developed a love of sipping on the ginger flavor, I’d yet to taste a ginger flavored dessert that truly captured my taste attention without overpowering it.
And then these cookies came along. I decided to try them on a whim, because the baking list was pretty short, and I already had everything on hand. You might be wondering, “Erin, did you really have crystallized ginger just hanging out in your pantry?” And the answer is, why yes, I did, thanks to a random splurge purchase at Trader Joe’s. Good ol’ TJ’s is a good place for random purchases. Often I browse their snack aisle thinking of things I might one day bake into a treat, knowing full well I will usually just open the package and eat them all. (Like I did with their chocolate covered sunflower seeds and the dark chocolate peanut butter cups.) Well, I bought a package of candied crystallized ginger, went home & opened them up to try one. BLECH! That was my first thought. I did NOT snack on those, and so they stayed in my pantry.
Somehow, someway, despite my dislike of the candied ginger on it’s own, when combined in this cookie with the wonderfulness that butter, sugar, & flour bring the the bowl, the end result is a cookie that is delightfully rich with flavor & complexity. It was such a great departure from a sugar cookie, a peanut butter cookie, or a chocolate chip cookie. I personally loved eating this cookie for breakfast with a warm cup of coffee. This is a cookie I know I personally will turn to again and again!
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Double Ginger Crackles
Ingredients:
10 oz. (2-1/4 cups) unbleached all-purpose flour
2-3/4 tsp. ground ginger
1 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. table salt
6 oz. (3/4 cup) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 1/3 cups granulated sugar
1 large egg, at room temperature
1/4 cup molasses
3 Tbs. finely chopped crystallized ginger
Directions:
Position racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven and heat the oven to 350°F. Line two large cookie sheets with parchment or nonstick baking liners.
In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, ground ginger, baking soda, and salt. In a large bowl, beat the butter and 1 cup of the sugar with an electric mixer (a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or a hand-held) on medium-high speed until well blended. Add the egg, molasses, and crystallized ginger; beat well. Add the dry ingredients and mix on low speed until well blended.
Pour the remaining 1/3 cup sugar into a shallow bowl. Using a 1-Tbs. cookie scoop, a small ice cream scoop, or two tablespoons, shape the dough into 1-inch balls. Roll each ball in the sugar to coat. Set the balls 1-1/2 to 2 inches apart on the prepared cookie sheets.
Bake, rotating the sheets halfway through baking, until the cookies are puffed and the bottoms are lightly browned, 12 to 14 min. If you touch a cookie, it should feel dry on the surface but soft inside. The surface cracks will look a bit wet. Let the cookies sit on the cookie sheet for 5 min. and then transfer them to a rack to cool completely. When cool, store in airtight containers.
Ginger flavor intensifies with time, making these cookies excellent candidates for long keeping. When stored in an airtight container, the cookies remain impressively delicious for up to five days from baking. Well wrapped, the cookies will keep for several weeks in the freezer.
nutrition information (per serving):
Size: per cookie; Calories (kcal): 80; Fat (g): 3; Fat Calories (kcal): 25; Saturated Fat (g): 2; Protein (g): 1; Monounsaturated Fat (g): 1; Carbohydrates (g): 12; Polyunsaturated Fat (g): 0; Sodium (mg): 40; Cholesterol (mg): 10; Fiber (g): 0;
Sunday, December 19, 2010
For more than a couple years now I’ve wanted to make homemade caramels to give as gifts at Christmas. I found myself with some heavy cream in my fridge for a recipe I didn’t end up using, so it seemed like the perfect opportunity to finally do it!
I can’t believe it took me so long to finally get around to making these! Much simpler (and less messy) than making cookies, these caramels are the perfect addition to a holiday treat bag. I must admit, the presence of fleur de sel wasn’t as prominent as I’d hoped, but that doesn’t detract from the deliciousness. These also weren’t quite as soft as I was thinking they would be, but that might have been my fault, as I didn’t notice the mixture had reached the “soft ball” stage until it was a couple degrees past! You’ve really got to keep an eye on it, as it can change fast. Either way, this is a recipe I’d definitely make again, perhaps upping the amount of salt, and keeping a closer eye on the thermometer. These were well received with the staff of the show I edit, that I gave them to as well. So here ya go Kahla, here’s the recipe. 😉
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Fleur de Sel Caramels
Ingredients:
1 cup heavy cream
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1 teaspoon fleur de sel
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/4 cup light corn syrup
1/4 cup water
Special equipment: parchment paper; a deep-fat thermometer
Directions:
Line bottom and sides of an 8-inch square baking pan with parchment paper, then lightly oil parchment.
Bring cream, butter, and fleur de sel to a boil in a small saucepan, then remove from heat and set aside.
Boil sugar, corn syrup, and water in a 3- to 4-quart heavy saucepan, stirring until sugar is dissolved.
Boil, without stirring but gently swirling pan, until mixture is a light golden caramel.
Carefully stir in cream mixture (mixture will bubble up) and simmer, stirring frequently, until caramel registers 248°F on thermometer, 10 to 15 minutes. Pour into baking pan and cool 2 hours. Cut into 1-inch pieces, then wrap each piece in a 4-inch square of wax paper, twisting 2 ends to close.
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