Wordless Wednesday: Toffee Cupcakes

White cake cupcakes, dipped in chocolate ganache, topped with crushed chocolate toffee pieces and a dallop of fresh buttercream icing.  Yum!

Heaven Smells Like Baklava

I was busy in the kitchen making baklava when my husband came home.  He took one sniff of the air and said, "Something smells like heaven."  When I told him the baklava was in the oven baking, he announced that heaven smells like baklava.  It made me smile!

I made baklava about 1 month ago and used the recipe on the back of the box.  It was not good.  The baklava was SWIMMING in sauce.  I put it in the fridge and checked it the next day, but to my dismay the sauce was still overwhelming.  Baklava will soak up some juice as it sits, but this was way too much.  After some research and tweaking, I came up with the recipe below.  Perfect!

Traditional baklava is a Greek dessert that is layered with nuts and sweetened with honey.  It takes time to brush all those layers of phyllo dough with butter, but it is totally worth it.

Something else to note...  Baklava is delicous and addicting.  ADDICTING!  You can never have just one tiny square.  So be prepared to make a lot and make it often.  The downside to this sweet little dessert is that it may cause your clothes to shrink.  Ha! 

 

Ingredients

For the Filling

• 1 ½ cups finely chopped walnuts
• ½ cup sugar
• 3 TB flour
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• Zest of 1 lemon

For the syrup

• 3/4 cup sugar
• 3/4 cup water
• ½ cup honey
• ¼ tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 tbsp lemon juice

For the cover

• 12 oz packet filo pastry (approximately 40 sheets)
• 2 sticks of butter, melted

Directions

1.    Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2.    Place all the ingredients under 'filling' in a bowl.  Combine until blended.

3.    Brush a 9x13 in baking dish with butter.  Layer 20 pieces of phyllo in the dish, brushing each piece with butter before adding the next (keep the remaining dough covered with a damp towel).

4.    Sprinkle half of the nut mixture over the dough.

5.    Layer 10 pieces of phyllo on top, brushing each with butter before adding the next.

6.    Sprinkle with the other half of the nut mixture.

7.    Layer the remaining 10 pieces of phyllo on top of the nuts, buttering each sheet as needed. You can trim off the excess pastry hanging on the side of your baking dish.

8.    With a sharp knife, score the top layers to make strips, about 1 1/2 inches wide.

9.    Bake until golden, 45 minutes - 1 hour.

10. Meanwhile place all the ingredients for the syrup together in a saucepan and bring it to a boil, while stirring for the sugar to dissolve. Turn on low and simmer for 10 minutes.  Set aside and leave it to cool.

11. Pour the syrup over the warm baklava.  Now comes the MOST DIFFICULT part. You have to let it sit in the refrigerator for at least 6 hours or overnight for it to absorb the syrup. 

12. Let baklava come back to room temperature by setting it out for 1 hour before serving.  Cut into diamond shaped pieces.

Banana Pudding Cupcakes

I asked myself, what combination could be better than banana pudding and cupcakes?  The answer, nothing.  These were very yummy!

Top of Form

Banana Cake:

Bottom of Form

· 1 1/2 cups mashed ripe bananas

· 2 teaspoons lemon juice

· 1 cup butter, softened

· 2 cups sugar

· 3 large eggs

· 3 cups cake flour

· 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

· 1/2 teaspoon salt

· 1 1/2 cups buttermilk

· 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Pudding Filling:

· 1 1/4 cups cold whole milk

· 1 (3.4-ounce) box vanilla instant pudding and pie filling mix

· 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract

Other Supplies:

· Buttercream Icing  (See this post for my favorite recipe)

· Nilla Wafer Cookies

· Paper baking cups

· Vegetable cooking spray

Directions:

     1.    Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2.    Combine mashed bananas and lemon juice in a small bowl; set aside.

3.    Beat butter and sugar at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating until blended after each addition. Combine flour, baking soda, and salt. Add to butter mixture alternately with buttermilk.  Beat at low speed just until blended after each addition. Stir in vanilla and reserved banana mixture.

4.    Place paper baking cups in 2 muffin pans lined with paper baking cups coated.  Spray paper cups with non stick cooking spray.

5.    Grab your Nilla wafers, eat a few, and then place one in the bottom of each cupcake liner.  Drop your batter on top of each wafer, it’s like a surprise at the bottom.

6.    Spoon batter into cups, filling two-thirds full. Bake for 10 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean.

7.    Cool in pans on wire racks 10 minutes; remove from pans to wire racks, and cool completely.

8.    Combine milk, instant pudding mix, and vanilla extract in a large bowl. Beat mixture with a hand mixer for 2 minutes, or until it thickens. Place mixture in refrigerator for 15 minutes.

9.  Spoon filling into a pastry bag fitted with a medium-size plain tip.  Use a knife to cut a hole in the top of the cupcakes.  Fill cupcakes with vanilla pudding filling by inserting tip into top of cupcake and squeezing a couple of tablespoons of filling into each cupcake.

10. Top with a layer of buttercream icing.  Decorate with a whole Nilla cookie.

Note:  Keep cupcakes refrigerated because of pudding filling.

Chocolate Caramel Thumbprints

Today I participated in a bake sale for Share Our Strength.  It is an organization to help end childhood hunger.  I donated plates of chocolate caramel thumbprint cookies and white chocolate raspberry cookies (See below for chocolate caramel thumbprint recipe).  Kimberly Henricks-Friedhoff of Rhubarb and Honey and Stef of Cupcake Project were the gracious hosts for the sale.

Childhood Hunger in America

Nearly one in five children in America can’t count on having enough to eat. Their bodies may not be rail thin, nor their bellies bloated like their counterparts in other countries, but they’re at risk of hunger all the same. They lack the energy to learn, grow and thrive.  2011 Childhood Hunger Factsheet.

• More than 16 million children in America are at risk of hunger. That’s more than 1 in 5.
• 15.7 million children in America live in poverty.
• 18.6 million children benefit from SNAP (food stamps).
• Over 20 million children get a free or reduced-price school lunch on an average school day.
• Only 10.5 million children get a free or reduced-price school breakfast on an average school day.
• 6 out of 7 children who qualify for a free or reduced-price school lunch do not currently access free summer meals.

Sources: U.S. Dept. of Agriculture; U.S. Census Bureau; Food Research and Action Center. For more statistics, please visit our Hunger Facts Page.

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 2/3 cup sugar, plus 1/4 cup sugar reserved
• 1 egg
• 2 tablespoons 2% milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/3 cup baking cocoa
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

Filling:

• 12 to 14 caramels
• 3 tablespoons heavy whipping cream
• 1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips
• 1 teaspoon shortening

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 350°
• In a large bowl, cream butter and 2/3 cup sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg, milk and vanilla. Combine the flour, cocoa and salt. Gradually add to creamed mixture and mix well. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour or until easy to handle.
• Roll into 1-in. balls. Place reserved sugar in a shallow bowl. Coat balls of dough with sugar.

• Place 2 in. apart on greased baking sheets. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until set. Remove to wire racks to cool.
• Using the back of a spoon, make a 1/2 in indentation in the center of each cookie.

• Meanwhile, in a large heavy saucepan, melt caramels with cream over low heat; stir until smooth. Using about 1/2 teaspoon caramel mixture, fill each cookie. In a microwave, melt chocolate chips and shortening; stir until smooth. Drizzle over cookies.
• Yield: about 2 dozen.

Nazook

THE DARING BAKERS’ APRIL, 2012 CHALLENGE:  NAZOOK

The Daring Bakers’ April 2012 challenge, hosted by Jason at Daily Candor, were two Armenian standards: nazook and nutmeg cake. Nazook is a layered yeasted dough pastry with a sweet filling, and nutmeg cake is a fragrant, nutty coffee-style cake.

Before this challenge I had never heard of nazook.  I didn't know what I was missing.  It is absolutely wonderful!  It is a light and buttery pastry rolled around a delicious creamy filling.  Traditional nazook has a vanilla filling.  Since I had never made nazook before I made a tried 2 different fillings.  I did the traditional vanilla and a raspberry.  They were both wonderful.  Neither my husband nor I could decide which one we liked better.

The pastry is best hot and fresh, but it was still good the next day.  After about 48 hours it got very dry.  This recipe makes a lot of pastry. 40 pieces total.  I recommend making a half batch or plan to share it with lots of friends and family.

Equipment required:
Nazook:

• 1 large bowl
• 1 medium bowl
• 2 cookie sheets (if doing full recipe; 1 if doing half)
• pastry brush
• rolling pin, or empty win bottle
• crinkle cutter, or a sharp knife
• measuring spoons/cups

Nazook

Yields 40 pieces
Video instructions

Ingredients

Pastry dough

• 3 cups all-purpose flour, sifted
• 2½ teaspoons (1 packet) active dry yeast
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1 cup softened butter (room temperature)

Filling

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, sifted
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 3/4 cup softened butter (room temperature)
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract OR 1 cup of raspberry jelly

Wash

• 1-2 egg yolks (lightly beaten for the wash)
• 2 TB sugar

Directions:

Make the Pastry Dough
1. Place the sifted flour into a large bowl.
2. Add the dry yeast, and mix it in.
3. Add the sour cream, and the softened butter.
4. Use your hands, or a standing mixer with a paddle attachment, to work it into a dough.
5. If making manually, continue to knead for about 10 minutes, or until the dough no longer sticks to the bowl or your hands. If it remains very sticky, add some flour, a little at a time.
6. Cover the dough and refrigerate for 3-5 hours, or overnight if you like.

Make the filling
7. Mix the flour, sugar, and the softened butter in a medium bowl.
8. If making traditional vanilla flavored nazook, add the vanilla extract.  I left it out of the raspberry flavored one (the raspberry is strong and would mask the vanilla).
9. Mix the filling until it looks like clumpy, damp sand. It should not take long. Set aside.

Make the nazook
10. Preheat the oven to 350°F
11. Cut the refrigerated dough into quarters.
12. Form one of the quarters into a ball. Dust your working surface with a little flour.

13. Roll out the dough into a large rectangle or oval. The dough should be thin, but not
transparent.


14. Spread 1/4 of the filling mixture across the rolled-out dough in an even layer. Try to spread the filling as close as possible to the edges on the short sides, but keep some of pastry dough uncovered (1 inch) along the long edges.  If making raspberry flavored, melt the raspberry jelly.  Pour 1/4 cup of filling over mixture near one long end.  This end will be the middle of the nazook.

15. From one of the long sides, start slowly rolling the dough across. Make sure to start with the jelly side if making raspberry flavored nazook.  Be careful to make sure the filling stays evenly distributed. Roll all the way across until you have a long, thin loaf.


16. Pat down the loaf with your palm and fingers so that it flattens out a bit (just a bit).

17. Apply your egg yolk wash with a pastry brush.  Sprinkle lightly with sugar.











18. Use your crinkle cutter (or knife) to cut the tips off the loaf.  Then cut the loaf into 10 equally-sized pieces. Put onto a cookie sheet that has been lined with parchment paper.

19. Place in a preheated oven for about 25-30 minutes, until the tops are a rich, golden brown.
20. Allow to cool and enjoy!

Wordless Wednesday: Pomodoro's

Sandwich for my son's third birthday.  Made with famous sweet bread that is baked fresh daily.  Thank you Pomodoro's Pasta and Subs!

Buttercream Icing

In the world of buttercream, there are really 3 main types: Swiss, Italian, and American.  I've been trying for a couple of months to find the perfect buttercream recipe.  I would love to find a recipe that tastes like one of my local bakeries.  Being from St. Louis, my favorite cake EVER would be from McArthur's Bakery.  I have not found an exact replica, but I think I've found one that is pretty good.  It is a Swiss Meringue Buttercream. 

Before I share the recipe, let me explain the different buttercreams.  First, the American buttercream is very popular and very simple.  It is base of butter and powdered sugar.  The texture can be kind of fluffy but a little bit gritty since it is based on powdered sugar. Powdered sugar contains some corn starch to keep it from clumping, and sensitive palates can pick the raw starch flavor up.  Personally, I did not like the American buttercream.  I tried several versions and they all tasted like powdered sugar.  The most common American buttercream recipe is probably the Wilton version. 

Wilton Buttercream Icing Recipe

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup solid vegetable shortening
• 1 stick butter, room temperature
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 lb. sifted confectioners' sugar
• 2 tablespoons milk

I should mention that Swiss meringue buttercream and Italian meringue buttercream are almost identical, but the difference lies in how they are made.  Italian buttercream is made by heating sugar and water then adding it to whipped egg whites.  Swiss buttercream is made by cooking the egg whites and sugar together in a bowl placed on a pot of boiling water. The mixture is whisked while it cooks until the temperature of the mix reaches 140°F. The mixture is then removed from the heat and whipped at high speed until it forms stiff peaks.


The recipe below is my own creation.  The original recipe came from Martha Stewart's Cupcake book.  I had to tweak it to my own taste.  Here is my final recipe.

Swiss Meringue Buttercream

Ingredients:

• 1 cup sugar
• 3 large egg whites
• 1 stick butter, room temperature
• 1/2 cup shortening
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

1. Combine egg whites and sugar in the metal bowl of a standing mixer.  Set over a pan of simmering water.  Attach candy thermometer to edge of bowl.  Whisk ocassionally until mixture reaches 140°F (the mixture should feel completely smooth when rubbed between your fingertips).
2. Attach the bowl to the mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Starting on low and gradually increasing to medium-high speed, whisk until stiff peaks form. Continue mixing until the mixture is fluffy and glossy (about 10 minutes).
3. With mixer on medium-low speed, add the butter a few tablespoons at a time, mixing well after each addition.  Then add the shortening in the same fashion.  Once all butter has been added, whisk in vanilla.
4. Switch to the paddle attachment, and continue beating on low speed until all air bubbles are eliminated, about 2 minutes. Scrape down sides of bowl with a flexible spatula, and continue beating until the frosting is completely smooth. Keep buttercream at room temperature if using the same day.       

Note:  This buttercream is good at room temperature for 48 hours.  It will keep in the refrigerator up to 5 days.