Something Witty About Birthdays Here

I decided to go out on a kind of limb for my birthday cake, and I found a recipe in my mom’s cookbook/binder. I picked one of those inserts that all moms inevitably have in their recipe collections. This specific one, a cheesecake with a chocolate swirl, is from the Great American Home Baking collection. This was my first time making cheesecake, and I have to admit that I didn’t quite realize that it was baked.



My birthday chocolate cheesecake was, at first taste, a real let-down. Even though I blended the cream cheese at room temperature for at least fifteen minutes, I could not get the small lumps out. For whatever reason, the three packets of cream cheese I had purchased had decided to just bead up. This really took away from the overall attractiveness of the cake for me; when you sliced it, you could see a cross-section of cream cheese blobs, instead of a delightfully smooth and flawless surface.



The really surprising part of this cake was the frosting. I had never heard of a cheesecake with frosting and my mom was skeptical, but it ended up not being too sweet, and it had a delicious tangy flavor, thanks to the sour cream.



Although the cake never smoothed out, the flavor kept getting better, which is actually an excellent thing to hope for with birthday cake. I only let my mom take a small portion to work, so that I could actually get to eat some of my own cake this year, and I ended up eating about half of it by the end of a week and a half. Which means: my birthday cheesecake was victorious! If I can ever find out what I did wrong with the cream cheese, I will definitely make it again.



Chocolate Cheesecake
Makes one 9-inch cheesecake

2 cups chocolate wafer crumbs
5 tablespoons melted butter

3 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese, room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
5 large eggs
2 ounces semisweet chocolate, melted

6 ounces semisweet chocolate, melted
1/2 cup sour cream

In a medium bowl, mix together chocolate crumbs and melted butter until well-blended. Press into 9-inch a springform pan.

Preheat oven to 300 degrees.

Next, make the filling. Ina large bowl, beat together cream cheese, sugar, and eggs at medium speed until smooth and fluffy. Spoon half of cream cheese mixture into crust.

Stir chocolate into remaining cream cheese mixture until well-blended. Drizzle over batter in crust to make swirls.

Bake for 50 minutes. Transfer pan to a wire rack and cool completely. Transfer cheesecake to a serving plate, cover with plastic wrap and chill for 2 hours.

Uncover cheesecake and carefully remove the side of the pan. To make the frosting, mix chocolate and sour cream together in a small bowl. Spread over cheesecake and chill briefly until set.

ULTIMATE

Just to be clear, this wasn't dubbed the Ultimate recipe by me, but by these people. I have to admit, they are pretty amazing. This was another recipe that I made twice in one week; I had to try it out before I made it for a friend for commission. The yeast, etc. was pretty time-consuming, as it usually is, but it was definitely worth it. For the first batch, I didn't even have to proof the sliced rolls because they were already so big from the first proofing.



These were gooey on the inside, and soft and bread-y on the outside; the dough reached a lovely golden-brown color. The frosting was a little overpoweringly sweet, so I used it sparingly and I let it soak in overnight. And I made some dairy-free frosting for the two rolls I gave to Andrew by combining a little bit of soy milk and vanilla with powdered sugar.



Ultimate Cinnamon Rolls with Vanilla Frosting
Makes 9 big rolls

1 ½ packages (about 3 ¼ teaspoons) dry yeast
¼ cup warm water
½ cup shortening
1/3 cup sugar
1 ½ teaspoon salt
1 cup milk
1 egg
4 to 5 cups sifted flour
Melted butter
Brown sugar
Cinnamon
Raisins (optional)

2 cups powdered sugar
1 tablespoon butter, melted
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 to 4 tablespoons milk or cream

Add the warm water to the yeast and soak 10 minutes.

Scald milk; pour over the shortening. Add sugar and salt and cool to tepid. Add the dissolved yeast and beaten egg. Add 4 cups flour adding one at a time beating after each addition.

Dough should be soft yet firm enough to handle. Knead on floured board until elastic and smooth. Avoid too much flour. Turn dough into well oiled bowl. Let rise for 1-1/2 hours.

Press dough down and divide into workable size. Roll dough out into a rectangle. Cover with melted butter. Layer with a generous thick layer of brown sugar. Sprinkle on cinnamon as desired. If you like raisins, layer on a layer of raisins. Roll up jellyroll fashion. For all of this stuff, I just sort of eyed the amounts; don't be afraid to add a lot of cinnamon.

Using scissors or a piece of string (I just used a knife), cut off slices about 1 to 1-1/2 inches thick. Place slices in an 9-inch square greased cake pan. Press rolls down to even out and fill pan. Let rise until rolls fill the pan generously, about another hour.

Bake in a 350 degree F oven for about 25 to 30 minutes. If rolls get too brown, cover with a piece of tine foil until the end of baking. Do not over bake rolls.

Remove immediately from pan by inverting onto a plate and then tip over onto another plate to right the rolls.

To make the frosting, place sugar, butter and vanilla in a medium-sized bowl. Then stir in enough milk or cream to reach a thick, hardly-able to stir consistency.

Spread over warm rolls as soon as they are placed on a plate to let the frosting melt and run into the rolls.

Crunchy Chunky Chewy

This was the first recipe out of Dorie Greenspan's Baking: From My Home to Yours that I got to try out. I have to highly recommend this book; it's the best baking book I've ever seen. I was so excited to cook these blondies that I promptly mis-measured the sugar and screwed up my first try.



Thankfully, the second ones turned out great, thick, chewy, crunchy, and filled with delicious-ness. However, be sure to keep a cautious eye on them because they can brown very quickly on top.



Dorie Greenspan's Chewy, Chunky Blondies
Makes about 32 bars

2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, at room temperature
1 1/2 cups light brown sugar, packed
1/2 cup white sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
6 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, chopped, or 1 cup store-bought chocolate chips
1 cup butterscotch chips or toffee bits
1 cup coarsely chopped walnuts
1 cup sweetened shredded coconut

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees; butter a 9-by-13 inch baking pan and put it on a baking sheet.

Whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

Working with a stand mixer, preferably fitted with a paddle attachment, or with a hand mixer in a large bowl, beat the butter on medium speed until smooth and creamy. Add both sugars and beat for another 3 minutes, or until well incorporated.

Add the eggs one at a time, beating for 1 minute after each addition, then beat in the vanilla. Reduce the mixer speed to low and add the dry ingredients, mixing just until they disappear into the batter. Using a rubber spatula, stir in the chips, nuts, and coconut. Scrape the batter into the buttered pan and use the spatula to even the top.

Bake for about 40 minutes, or until a knife inserted into the center of the blondies come out clean. The blondies should pull away from the sides of the pan a little and the top should be a nice honey brown. Transfer the pan to a rack and cool for about 15 minutes before turning the blondies out onto another rack. Invert onto a rack and cool the blodies to room temperature right side up.

The Easter Coco-Bunny

This coconut cake I made for Easter was very pretty, but not very good. So, I'm not even listing the recipe. Here are the pretty, pretty pictures, though. However, the Seven-Minute Frosting was good; I'll post that.





Seven-Minute Frosting
Makes frosting for 2 layers

2 egg whites
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
1/3 cup water
1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 teaspoon salt

Beat egg white, sugar, cream of tartar, water, and salt in the top of a double boiler, using an electric mixer at top speed.

After one minute, cook over boiling water while continuing to beat with the mixer. Continue cooking and beating the mixture until firm enough to hold peaks.

Remove from heat, beat in the vanilla, and beat until thick enough to spread well.

When Class Gives You Lemons

During the Cake and Cookie chapter in my Foods class, I noticed that we skipped quite a few recipes; specifically, these lemon squares. I'd never had lemon bars before I made these in my Foods class, so I came home and put these together. During the next class, we backtracked and I got assigned to make these for a grade, which was great because I got to change some of the sugar content and make modifications.



These squares have a really great crumbly crust and a crispy coconut topping. The filling is a little runny immediately after being cooked, but after refrigeration for a few hours, the lemon flavor really comes out. As I mentioned before, I cut the sugar the second time around and the topping wasn't so overwhelmingly sweet.



These would be really great cut into dainty squares and served at a party or shower or something dainty like that. Also, be sure to keep these covered and refrigerated if you don't finish them all in one go.



Lemon Squares
Makes 16 squares

1/2 cup butter
1 cup flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 egg
4 egg yolks (or 2 eggs)
2 tablespoons butter
1 cup sugar
2 teaspoon lemon zest
1/4 cup lemon juice
1 egg
1/2 cup sugar
2 cups grated coconut

Preheat oven to 350 degrees; grease a 9-inch square pan.

Mix butter, flour, baking powder, and egg together; press into a uniform layer in the bottom of baking pan.

In the top part of a double boiler, mix together the beaten yolks, butter, sugar, lemon zest, and juice. Stir constantly while heating over boiling water until thickened.

Spread uniformly over the bottom layer in the pan.

Beat remaining egg well with the sugar and add coconut. Spread evenly as a topping. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes.

Never Mind the Starbucks

I made these in an attempt to appease all of the Starbucks lovers that come into the Iron Horse, asking for White Chocolate Mochas. They didn't sell nearly as well as I expected them to, but they looked festive.



By the way, does anyone know what a White Chocolate Mocha really is? Is it supposed to be white milk with white chocolate flavoring or chocolate milk with the white chocolate flavoring? I just sort of crap-shoot it every time someone asks for one.



White Chocolate Mocha Bars
Makes 24 bars

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
2/3 cup baking cocoa
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) butter or margarine, softened
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2/3 cup packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 large eggs
2 tablespoons instant coffee
2 cups white chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees; grease a jelly roll pan.

Combine flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt in small bowl. Beat butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar and vanilla extract in large mixer bowl until creamy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Gradually beat in flour mixture. Stir in morsels. Flatten into jelly roll pan.

Bake for 15 to 17 minutes. Cool on baking sheet for 2 minutes; cut into bars.

The 12-Step Program for Cinnamon Rolls

There are a few things that I did wrong with the Simple Sweet Dough recipe when I halved it. Let's list them:
A. I used three times the amount of butter needed (1 1/2 cups, as opposed to 1/2 cup).
B. I don't have a standing mixer and I don't have a paddle attachment.
C. I failed to finish Step 1 properly; I didn't let the yeast become bubbly.

I think A is the most serious offense, though.



Other than the rolls being very, very, very tender and buttery (due to A), they were good. All they really needed was a little more salt in the dough and a little more cinnamon in the filling, and perhaps in the frosting, and who knows? Those things could have been fixed by using less butter. Unfortunately, I will have to make these again to find out how they really taste.



The entirety of this recipe comes from a blog called Pittsburgh Needs Eated



Simple Sweet Dough
Makes enough for 2 pans of cinnamon rolls

4 tablespoons sugar
1/4 cup warm water (110 to 115 degrees)
1 package (2 1/4 teaspoons) active dry yeast
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup unsalted butter, cut into cubes
1/2 cup milk
3 large egg yolks
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Rinse a small bowl in hot water to warm it. Add 1 tablespoon of the sugar and the warm water to the bowl. Sprinkle the yeast over the water; don't stir. Cover the bowl with a saucer and let the mixture stand for 5 minutes. Stir it briefly with a fork, cover again, and let it stand for 2 to 4 minutes more, or until bubbly.

In a bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, mix on low speed the 3 cups of flour, remaining 3 tablespoons of sugar, and the salt. Add the slightly firm cubed butter and continue to mix until meal-sized crumbs form, 2 to 4 minutes, depending on the temperature of the butter. Stop the mixer.

In a small, separate bowl, mix the milk, egg yolks, and vanilla with a fork. Add the milk mixture to the flour, along with the dissolved yeast, and mix on low speed for about 15 seconds. Stop the mixer and scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Mix on low speed for another 30 seconds, or until smooth dough is formed. Don't worry if the dough is sticky; this is a soft dough.

Lightly butter a medium bowl for storing the dough. Empty the dough into the prepared bowl, smoothing the top with lightly-floured hands. Spread a thin layer of softened butter over the top and cover tightly with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for a least one night and up to 3 days. If making cinnamon buns, be sure to remove the dough from the refrigerator 1 to 1 1/2 hours before using.

Cinnamon Rolls
Makes 9 rolls

1/2 recipe Simple Sweet Dough
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
3 tablespoons, firmly packed, dark brown sugar
2 tablespoons light corn syrup
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 large egg, lightly beaten with 1 teaspoon water, for egg wash
1 small recipe vanilla glaze, optional

Generously butter an 8-inch square pan. Line the bottom with parchment and set aside.

In a small bowl, using a wooden spoon, mi x the butter, sugars, syup, cinnamon, and salt until smooth.

Place the dough on a lightly-floured surface. Gently knead six or eight times to coat with flour. Pat or shape the dough into a rectangle; roll the dough into a 9-by-12-inch rectangle with the 9-inch side parallel to the edge of the counter.

Spoon dollops of the cinnamon filling evenly across the dough. If the butter wasn't too soft, you should be able to spread the filling across the dough with your hands; make sure the leave a 1 1/2-inch border on the far edge. Lightly brush the border with the gg wash.

Starting at the side of the rectangle closest to you, roll the dough tightly. Pinch the seam well to seal the flap. roll the log back and forth a few times to seal the layers. With your hands, gently stretch the log until it measure about 12 inches in length.

Cut the log into 9 even pieces and place them cut-side-up in the baking pan, spacing them evenly. Press the tops of the buns gently to even the surface. Cover the pan with a tea towel and set it in a warm place to allow the buns to rise until puffy and almost doubled, 45 to 60 minutes.

Before baking, preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Gently brush the tops of the bunns with egg wash. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until golden brown. If the buns are browning too quickly, lay a sheet of aluminum foil over the top to allow the center of the buns to bake through. Remove the buns from the oven and allow them to sit for 15 minutes. While the buns are cooling, make the glaze.

Invert the buns onto a cooling rack or plate and remove the parchment paper. Invert the buns once more onto a rack or plate and drizzle with glaze while they are still warm.


Vanilla Glaze

2/3 cup strained powdered sugar
2 to 3 tablespoons very hot water
1 1/2 teaspoons light corn syrup
1/8 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon lemon juice
dash of salt

Place the powdered sugar in a small bowl. Add 2 teaspoons of the hot water with the rest of the ingredients. Stir until smooth and add the rest of the hot water or more as needed to make a thin glaze.

Be sure to make this just before using, as it gets crusty very quickly. Milk or cream can be substituted to make a creamier glaze.

Peanut Butter Lovers

I found the recipe for these Peanut Butter Bars somewhere online the summer before I went to college. I remember the first time I made them; our friends had organized a potluck picnic and I had nothing to do all day before it began. So, I looked up a recipe and found this one; they were a huge hit. One guy in particular ate half the pan.



On repeats of this recipe, the same thing always happens; everyone tries one and one person in particular eats five or six. The point is, they're very good and fairly easy, although I don't make them very often. These bars are dense, chewy, creamy, and above all, very very peanut butter-y.



Peanut Butter Bars
Makes 8 large or 16 regular bars

1 1/4 cups creamy or crunchy peanut butter (I usually do a combination of the two)
1 1/2 cups firmly-packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup butter, extrememly softened
4 large eggs, room temperature
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt

Heat oven to 350 degrees and grease the bottom of a 13-by-9-inch baking pan.

Combine peanut butter, brown sugar, vanilla, and butter in a large bowl; mix until smooth. Stir in eggs and beat until well mixed.

In another bowl, combine cinnamon, flour, baking powder, and salt. Stir flour mixture into peanut butter mixture until completely combined.

Pour into prepared pan and bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until brownies begin to pull away from sides.

First Day of Spring

I honestly have no idea where I got this recipe, but I'm pretty sure it was vegan when I found it. Slowly I've added all sorts of animal by-products and other assorted ingredients and now I guess it's technically mine.



This is a very hearty fall/winter quickbread that I'm posting about at exactly the wrong time. People will eat it year round, however because it's mild and sweet and a good accompaniment to coffee. I like to coarsely chop the pecans, while the original asked for finely-chopped, but that's just because I like big crunchy things in my breads to add some interest and texture. I think my favorite part of this bread is that it has a crusty outside, which doesn't often happen when it comes to quickbread.



Don't be afraid to give this to a picky eater or someone who especially dislikes oatmeal; after the bread is baked, the quick oats are barely discernible.



Maple Oat Pecan Bread
Makes 2 loaves

3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons cinnamon
4 large eggs
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 cup maple syrup
6 tablespoons (3/8 cup) packed brown sugar
3 cups buttermilk*
2 cups quick-cooking oats
1 cup chopped pecans

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease the bottoms only of two nine-inch bread pans.

In a large bowl, sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon. Whisk together until blended. In a medium bowl, whisk the eggs with the oil until smooth. Whisk in the maple syrup, brown sugar, and buttermilk. Stir in the oats and pecans.

Add wet ingredients to dry and stir with a wooden spoon until just combined. Pour into pans, smooth top, and bake until golden-brown and a tester inserted into the center of a loaf comes out clean, about 60 minutes.

*To make buttermilk, take 3 cups of milk and add 2 tablespoons of vinegar or lemon juice to it. Let sour for at least 10 minutes and use in place of buttermilk.

Another One for Your Afternoon Tea

The cookie book (500 Cookies) that I got this particular cookie recipe from frequently calls for superfine sugar. The book also specifies that you can make your own by putting the sugar in a food processor and blending it. Further investigation into castor sugar talked about how it only really needed to be superfine if the recipe depended on the ability of the sugar to dissolve quickly. Anyway, I usually don't have the time or foresight to blend all of my sugar before using, so I always tend to just use plain granulated sugar.



I made these butter cookies for gb, and they actually ended up being refrigerated a lot longer than recommended (about two days), due to an incident with Velveeta and hamburger buns. This ended up only making the cookies easier to slice off and the end result was creamy, buttery, and a little salty.



All in all, the cookies were very suitable for a teatime or if you're feeling creative, you could make a filling or put jam in between the cookies.



Butter Cookies
Makes 2 1/2 dozen

1 cups unsalted butter
3/4 cup superfine sugar
1 1/2 teaspons vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 cups all-purpose flour

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Beat the butter, sugar, and vanilla until smooth and creamy, but not fluffy!

Add the salt and flour and mix to a smooth paste.

Shape the dough into a log about 1 1/2 inches thick, wrap in foil and refrigerate for 2 hours until the dough is firm.

When ready to bake the cookies, cut the log into 1/4-inch-thick slives. Place the slices 1 1/2 inches apart on a non-stick baking sheet or use parchment on a standard baking sheet. Bake for 12 to 14 minutes.