TWD Brownie-Cherry Torte and DB's Macarons, oh my

It has finally happened...the perfect storm of blog posting. Two of the baking groups I belong to, Tuesdays with Dorie and The Daring Bakers, have challenges that have to be posted today. As George Costanza would say, "worlds are colliding!" So rather than make 2 separate posts, today's blog will be a super-duper-mega-big post about two delicious things I've made recently: a brownie-cherry torte and (pumpkin spice and nutella) macarons.

It's kind of a shame these guys have to share the limelight, because I thought they were both worthy of their own entry. First up, TWD's brownie-cherry torte.

As you can imagine, my husband, being married to a pastry chef and candy writer/recipe developer, eats a lot of sweets. A LOT. I wouldn't say his enthusiasm for sugar has waned, but it takes more to really impress him these days. And friends, he was blown away by this torte. We're talking head rolled back, tongue sticking out of the mouth, making guttural moaning sounds. I think it's true love.

For the most part, I loved it too. I made a half batch in a 6" pan and it was still super deep-dish and dense. The brownie part was rich and fudgy, and the mascarpone mousse was a surprisingly nice topping. I wasn't sure about the combo as I was making it, but the mousse was so light and creamy, it was the perfect foil to the dark, fudgy brownie. I also loved the cherry flavor, but I wasn't sold on the texture of chewy dried fruit in my brownie. Next time I'd either use fresh cherries or morello cherries instead of dried.But there will be a next time, because this? Was amazing!


Now on to the DB's macarons. I know this is blasphemy, but I don't really like macarons. Shhhh, don't say it so loudly! I've had some that I've thought are pretty good, but for the most part, I think they're just not my ideal cookie. They're often too sweet, and I don't usually love the texture. I guess I'll always be a warm chocolate chip cookie girl at heart. And also, I think they're annoying to make, but that may just be because we have to make jumbo 3" ones at work and let me tell you, the good lord did not intend for macarons to be made so large. They're constantly causing problems and I think I have developed a big macaron-shaped chip on my shoulder because of it.

Aaaaanyways, I sucked it up and made two variations of macarons this time around: pumpkin spice, with a spiced cookie and pumpkin-flavored buttercream, and nutella, with a cocoa-hazelnut cookie and homemade nutella in the middle.

Did y'all know it's possible to make homemade Nutella? And if you did, why didn't you send me any?? This stuff is awesome! It's just ground hazelnuts, with some cocoa, sugar, and a bit of hazelnut oil and vanilla. The texture is closer to natural peanut butter than Nutella, but the hazelnut taste is much more intense, plus it doesn't have any nasty trans fats. Yes please! Subbing hazelnuts for the almonds in the cookie also worked like a dream and gave them a nice subtle hazelnut flavor.

The nutella cookies might have been my favorite because they were less sweet, but the pumpkin spice were a surprising dark horse contender! I added big pinches of cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and cloves to the cookie batter, and then used some pumpkin flavoring oil (used to make candies, like Lor-Ann brand) to make a pumpkin buttercream. It was like a delicious mouthful of autumn. I would also consider using pumpkin butter as a filling, to give it a pumpkin flavor and maybe cut down on the sweetness.

Making the decorations on top is the simplest thing in the world. Just mix a little liquid orange food coloring with water, and use a (clean) paintbrush or pastry brush to lightly stroke it across the top. You might need to experiment with several brushes to get the effect you want. Allow it to dry for about 10 minutes, and you're all set.

The 2009 October Daring Bakers’ challenge was brought to us by Ami S. She chose macarons from Claudia Fleming’s The Last Course: The Desserts of Gramercy Tavern as the challenge recipe. It can be found on just about any blog by googling, so I'll skip that for now, but I have put the homemade nutella recipe after the cut...



Homemade Nutella
from the Los Angeles Times


Servings: Makes about 1 1/2 cups
Note: Use good-quality cocoa powder, such as Scharffen Berger.

2 cups raw hazelnuts
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 cup powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/8 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons hazelnut oil, more as needed

1. Heat the oven to 400 degrees. Spread the hazelnuts evenly over a cookie sheet and roast until they darken and become aromatic, about 10 minutes. Transfer the hazelnuts to a damp towel and rub to remove the skins.

2. In a food processor, grind the hazelnuts to a smooth butter, scraping the sides as needed so they process evenly, about 5 minutes.

It was awesome to watch the hazelnuts go from this...

...to this!

3. Add the cocoa, sugar, vanilla, salt and oil to the food processor and continue to process until well blended, about 1 minute. The finished spread should have the consistency of creamy peanut butter; if it is too dry, process in a little extra hazelnut oil until the desired consistency is achieved. Remove to a container, cover and refrigerate until needed. Allow the spread to come to room temperature before using, as it thickens considerably when refrigerated. It will keep for at least a week.

Each tablespoon: 109 calories; 2 grams protein; 8 grams carbohydrates; 2 grams fiber; 9 grams fat; 1 gram saturated fat; 0 cholesterol; 13 mg. sodium.

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Pumpkin-Swirl BrownieCakeThingamajig

Sorry, TWD'ers. I can't think of many things that sound less tasty than sweet potato biscuits. Biscuits should be of the buttermilk variety, and sweet potatoes should be of the not-in-my-house variety, so it's a pass for me this week.

However, I have been baking up a storm lately, and one of my recent favorites were these Pumpkin-Swirl "Brownies." The recipe calls them brownies, but as you can see, the slices are approximately as tall as your average toddler, so I would place them firmly in the "cake" category. And what a lovely slice of cake they yield!
I had my doubts about these browniecakes (brakes? brokes? crownies?). Of course, the 9x9 pan filled to the brim with batter was a bit suspicious, but there wasn't a graceful way to remove the artfully swirled batter to a large pan without catastrophe, so I let it be. And then they seemed to take ages to bake--waaaaay longer than the recommended 40-45 minutes--and I was sure I was going to end up with burnt toast ends on the outside and gooey pumpkin baby food on the inside after all was said and done. It also didn't help that the top turned kind of a uniform muddy brown color. (Alas, beautiful swirling, I hardly knew ye).

However, my utter lack of faith was rewarded with deeeelicious pumpkin-chocolate brownie-cake extravaganza! The pumpkin kept it nice and moist, and the spices (the usual fall suspects, plus cayenne) made it interesting and flavorful. The chocolate flavor wasn't too pronounced, which is another reason I think this falls closer to a pumpkin-chocolate cake than an actual brownie.

My only regret was that I didn't have any ice cream to serve with it. Because this cake, plus vanilla ice cream? Sounds obscenely good. If you've been looking for a recipe to jump-start your fall baking, and if you don't mind that said recipe is tragically misnamed, give these browkes (cawnies?) a go. Recipe after the jump...



Pumpkin-Swirl Brownies
From the Queen of Baking herself

* 8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, plus more for pan
* 6 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
* 2 cups all-purpose flour
* 1 teaspoon baking powder
* 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 1 3/4 cups sugar
* 4 large eggs
* 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
* 1 1/4 cups solid-pack pumpkin
* 1/4 cup vegetable oil
* 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
* 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
* 1/2 cup chopped hazelnuts or other nuts

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 9-inch square baking pan or dish. Line bottom of pan with parchment paper; butter lining. [I recommend a 9x13 pan if you want more of a "brownie" sized bar.]
2. Melt chocolate and butter in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water, stirring occasionally until smooth. [...or not. This is why microwaves were invented!]
3. Whisk together flour, baking powder, cayenne, and salt in a large bowl; set aside. Put sugar, eggs, and vanilla in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment; beat until fluffy and well combined, 3 to 5 minutes. Beat in flour mixture.
4. Divide batter between two medium bowls (about 2 cups per bowl). [Or just stir half into the chocolate bowl, and add the pumpkin to the remaining half in the mixing bowl. Save yourself some washing up.] Stir chocolate mixture into one bowl. In other bowl, stir in pumpkin, oil, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Transfer half of chocolate batter to prepared pan smoothing top with a rubber spatula. Top with half of pumpkin batter. Repeat to make one more chocolate layer and one more pumpkin layer. Work quickly so batters don't set.
5. With a small spatula or a table knife, gently swirl the two batters to create a marbled effect. Sprinkle with nuts.
6. Bake until set, 40 to 45 minutes. [If using a 9x9 pan it might take longer, mine was closer to 55 minutes. Use a toothpick in the center to test for doneness.] Let cool in pan on a wire rack. Cut into 16 squares.

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TWD: Allspice Crumb Muffins

These Allspice Crumb Muffins looked great, but they really, really did not work for me. And I love muffins! And I love crumb topping! And I love spices! I even added some diced pears to the batter to give it a nice fall, fruit-and-spice-and-everything-nice flavor. However, all the pears in the world couldn't help these puppies...


I don't know why I disliked them so much. Nothing was wrong with them, per se, but I couldn't even make it through a whole muffin. I pulled the top off, Seinfeld-style, expecting to love it and all of its spicy, crumby, muffiny glory. Instead, it coated my throat and left me wanting water and a good tooth brushing. I felt like a dog eating peanut butter:



I could. not. stop. making those wet lip smacking sounds, but it wasn't a ooh, delicious-style smack, more of a why can't I swallow properly, get this gooey stuff out of my mouth-lip smack. Uch. Even typing this now, a week after eating it, I'm making that face. Not good.



My husband ate several and thought they were fine (not outstanding), so I know I didn't accidentally add arsenic or fatally screw up the recipe in some other way. However, the leftovers ended up getting tossed, which is unusual round these parts, so it's safe to say these were not a big hit with anyone. Now let us never mention allspice muffins again. Anyone seen my peanut butter?

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TWD: Mint and Chocolate Split-Level Pudding

Originally, I wasn't going to make these split-level puddings. We're not...how you say...pudding people around my house, and it seemed like a waste of time and energy to make something no one would really eat. But then, my friends, I had a vision.

A vision of adorable mini pudding glasses filled with rich chocolate ganache sloping downward at an artistic angle, a vision of creamy pale green pudding infused with fresh mint leaves, a vision of these pudding glasses topped by the weensiest of chocolate truffles and garnished with more fresh mint leaves. And friends, I had to make this vision a reality. CAN I GET AN AMEN?

Yes, for me, this week was all about style over substance. If we weren't going to gobble down the pudding, at least we could rhapsodically gaze at it for awhile. Want to recreate my vision? Making the asymetrical ganache layer is dead simple--the hardest part is finding a sturdy way to tilt your glasses/containers so that they can stay at an angle. Sometimes balancing them in an egg carton works. For these glasses, I placed them in a box, leaning against the side, and wedged a book underneath so they wouldn't fall. Then I piped in the ganache when it was nice and warm and liquidy, and carefully placed the box in the fridge to set the ganache. Once it's set, you can remove it from the setup and the ganache will stay at an angle in the cups.
I'm a little obsessed with mint right now, so there was no question that the pudding would be infused with fresh mint leaves. The flavor is so subtle yet refreshing, there's really no comparison with mint extract. And it's so lovely against the chocolate ganache. I wasn't sure about coloring the pudding, but the thought of a mint-flavored pale yellow pudding seemed wrong (I guess I'm a literalist) so I added just a smidge of green color and prayed that green pudding wouldn't be too off-putting.

The extra ganache was rolled into tiny truffles, and some extra mint leaves were used as garnish on top. They were mainly for decoration, but I also liked how they added more chocolate flavor, since the recipe as written provides a lot more pudding than ganache.

And how did they taste? Well, someone--let's not name names, now--forgot to add the butter to the pudding, so it was a little stiffer and less silky than one would hope. And rubbery pudding, even when paired with nice chocolate ganache, is not so delightful. But the flavors were good, and they looked great, so I guess this counts as a win for the week, once again proving that it's appearances, not what's inside, that truly counts.

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TWD: Caramel Crunch Tart with Nougat Ice Cream

Hello, Snickers bar disguised as a fancy tart! I mean, that's what this was, right? A crispy tart shell encased a fabulously dark caramel sauce studded with salty peanuts, topped by a rich chocolate ganache. Caramel + peanuts + chocolate = Snickery goodness. Of course, this tart was waaaay better than your common candy bar.
I decided to dress this tart up a bit by sprinkling crushed peanuts in a ring on top, and making some sugar corkscrew curls. The stars aligned and I was a sugar spinnin' rockstar, making dozens in no time flat. Usually I decide to play with sugar on the one day a year we get rain in LA, and the humidity wreaks havoc, so this was a welcome break from pattern.

I kind of couldn't stop taking pictures of the corkscrews and making "booooiiiing" noises in my head. They were mesmerizing:

You'll poke your eye out, kid!

I loved this tart because, although the flavors were familiar, almost common, it tasted very sophisticated, I think because it really wasn't very sweet. I cooked my caramel very dark so it had that smoky-verging-on-burnt taste, and I used salted peanuts instead of honey roasted to keep it sort of savory. I used a fairly dark chocolate, too, and the combination of these fillings meant that this was a very "adult" dessert.

Of course, I had to go ahead and ruin the sophistication with some ice cream! I couldn't get the Snickers comparison out of my head, so I made some nougat ice cream to complete the similarity. The real Snickers candy bars have a peanut-flavored nougat, while this one is more of a traditional Torrone-style nougat flavor. However, the sweet honey and almond flavors, and the creamy texture, were the perfect complement to the tart. Even if you've already devoured your tart, bookmark this nougat ice cream recipe--it's one of my favorites (and no ice cream maker required!)

Also, I've put together a tutorial showing how to make sugar corkscrews!

I taught myself how to make them by reading other recipes, and had some frustrations in the beginning, because I didn't realize how the sugar should look and behave when it was ready to be spun. Once I got my sugar to the right stage/temperature, it became really, really easy. So hopefully this tutorial will help by showing exactly what texture and appearance the sugar should have. I put it up on my candy site, check it out here: How to Make Sugar Corkscrews. Let me know if you guys try it out!

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TWD: Cottage Cheese Pufflets

Wow, sucks to be these Cottage Cheese Pufflets. On any other week, I'd make them and think, "Hey, those were pretty good. The dough was ridiculously soft and finnicky, and they could have been flakier, but overall they were pretty solid." However, the Pufflets (which, by the way, will be my next band name) had the unfortunate luck to follow on the heels of the Flaky Apple Turnovers, a truly excellent pastry.



Sadly, these just could not compare to the turnovers. In form they're practically identical--a tangy, slightly sweet, flaky dough folded over a fruit filling--in this case, homemade strawberry preserves. This dough had cottage cheese blended into the butter, which is something I had never heard of, and I'm cottage cheese's #1 fan. In fact, I could go for some cottage cheese pancakes right now. But pastry dough? That's a new one to me.

In contrast to the low-maintenance turnover dough, THIS dough required multiple extended chilling times, kid gloves, shiatsu massage, and a snack of peeled grapes before it would consent to being handled. And even then, I felt like I was gambling every time I touched it and tried to persuade it to enclose just one more spoonful of dough. Diva!



And after all the babying of the dough, the cookies were...good. Tasty. But certainly not worth the time and effort, when I could whip up a batch of flaky apple turnovers and have time leftover for re-watching Glee for the 100th time (yesssss!). Sorry, pufflets. Maybe next time you'll follow, like, Spam Snickerdoodles or something, and you'll be extra-tasty in comparison.

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TWD: Flaky Apple Turnovers

I just fired my husband, and these flaky apple turnovers are to blame.

See, his job to is bring mindfulness and moderation to my dessert consumption. Without his gentle reminders, I am prone to eating enormous quantities of desserts all at once and then loudly whining about how much I regret it for the rest of the day. We both quickly grew tired of this vicious cycle, so he now has the responsibility to be the voice of reason to counteract my insane sweet tooth.


A few minutes ago I wandered out into the living room, complaining that I wasn't sure what to write about these turnovers. Sure, they tasted great, were easy to make, and had a fantastic flaky crust, but I just wasn't inspired. I didn't have an angle. Our talk eventually turned from blogging to a game he was playing, and I sneakily, casually, got up and started picking at the lone remaining turnover. It looked lonely! It needed a friend! Pretty soon I'd demolished the crisp corners and moved onto the center, bursting with sweet apple filling. I gave him a few token bites, but let's be honest--this baby was mine, start to finish. And did he stop me? Did he even suggest that a turnover was not an appropriate pre-bed snack? No! FIRED.

We both think it was worth it, though. He got a few bites of apple turnover, and I got a blog post. Aside from the awkwardness of firing my own husband, it's a win-win situation.

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Baby, You're A Rock Star Shower Cake

Something's in the water round these parts, because all of my friends are either new mothers or expecting. Downside: being (blissfully) left out of dirty diaper and breastfeeding discussions. Upside: baby showers and the desserts that go along with them! (Oh, and the resulting babies are a pretty big upside too.) This past weekend we celebrated my friend Jane and her soon-to-be-son, and I got to do the cake for the shower.

Jane is doing a rock & roll theme in her nursery, so the shower theme was ROCK-a-bye Baby, with stars and music note decorations. I decided to roll with the star theme for the tiered cake I made:
The cake is chocolate with layers of mint buttercream. The blue and white material is fondant, and the brown is chocolate plastic. The plaque is white chocolate, and the stars on top are gumpaste.

The stars were yet another example of something that seems awesome in my head, but could use a dress rehearsal before I attempt it on a cake. The wire I had wasn't the right thickness to support the stars like I wanted, and they kept spinning around in ways that aggravated the OCD side of me that wanted them just to stay put. I don't know that gumpaste was the right choice--next time I might try fondant, and definitely use a sturdier gauge of wire.

The woman of the hour, the cake, and yours truly, right before we cut it. I'm bummed that this picture is blurry, but it's too cute not to post.

And the inside, with a blue buttercream layer just for fun:



Speaking of baby shower cakes, one of the first large cakes I made (and one of my first posts on this blog!) was a baby shower cake about 3 years ago. It's funny--and surreal--to look back on it now and see how much I've learned and grown as a baker and a blogger during this time, and of course it's even crazier to think about the baby from that shower, who is now a full-on walking, talking little person. Time flies, and I'm so grateful to have these occasions to help us celebrate milestones.

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Tuesdays with Mommie II: Chocolate Souffles

Guess who's back baking with me?!
I'll give you a hint: you may know her from such baking adventures as Tuesdays with Mommie: Linzer Sables. Yes, it's my ma! She's here visiting us for a few days, and she brought our signature baking move with her:
Seriously, how fun is it to bake with friends and family? (So fun!) She had never made a souffle before so this week's TWD pick was perfect. We got to try something new together, have fun in the kitchen, and eat gobs of chocolate before, during, and after the process.

I'm not going to lie, though, the afternoon had its stressful moments. The egg whites were a little overbeaten, and the ramekins I have were not straight-sided. After we put our babies in the oven, we were overcome with worry. Would they rise? Would they maintain their shape? Fingers crossed!

And the answer is, yes, they rose, and um, they sort of retained their shape. They had some round puffiness going on, but I like to think this just adds to their homemade charm.
The best part, though, was the creme anglaise we made to go with the souffle. I had some fresh mint, so I infused a plain anglaise recipe with fresh mint leaves for several hours, and it gave it the most wonderful minty, refreshing, floral fragrance. It was nothing like mint extract, it was so fresh and herbal. It was the perfect way to cut down on the richness of the souffle. I also served it with fresh raspberries, which is one of my favorite herbal mint accompaniments.

All in all, it was a big success and a great afternoon spent in the kitchen. This recipe isn't my favorite chocolate souffle recipe (that honor goes to this beauty from Epicurious) but it still tasted great in my opinion. And what did everyone else think? I tried to ask, but their mouths were too full of souffle to answer!



For the chocolate souffle recipe, head on over to Susan's blog at She's Becoming DoughMessTic. The fresh mint creme anglaise recipe is after the cut.




Fresh Mint Creme Anglaise
Makes about 1 cup, enough to serve with 3-4 mini souffles

1/2 cup whole milk
1/2 cup cream
4-5 large mint leaves
3 large egg yolks
1/4 cup sugar

Place the milk and the cream in a small saucepan over medium heat, and bring to a simmer. Remove from the heat, and chop or tear the mint leaves. Place the torn leaves in the milk and put a lid on the pot to infuse the flavor, let it set for at least 30 minutes. (Mine sat for more like 2 hours).

Once you're ready to proceed, strain the leaves from the milk and place the pan back on medium heat. Put the yolks in a medium bowl and whisk them, then add the sugar and whisk to combine. When the milk is at a simmer, slowly pour it into the yolks, whisking the whole time, then return the mixture to the saucepan. Cook the custard over medium heat, stirring constantly, until it reaches 175 degrees on a thermometer. Remove it from the heat, pour it through a strainer into a bowl or tupperware, and press clingwrap to the top to prevent a skin from forming. Chill for several hours before use.

Can also be churned into really delicious fresh mint ice cream!

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Dulce de Leche Brownies (and more!)

This week's TWD recipe was an espresso-cheesecake brownie, which sounds fabulous...if you like espresso. Or cheesecake. Unfortunately, neither of those elements are too popular around my house. BROWNIES, on the other hand, will earn you fawning compliments, a kiss, and a folded twenty slipped into your palm, easy. So instead of the given recipe, I decided to make a recipe I've been dying to try: David Lebovitz's Dulce de Leche Brownies.

My husband loves dulce de leche. Looooves it. Busts out a spoon and hovers protectively over the dulce de leche and snaps like a chihuahua at anyone trying to get near it-style love. So knowing this, you'd think I would make it a point to work dulce de leche into our dessert rotation on a regular basis, but no. It just doesn't usually occur to me to make a batch and then use it for baking. However, now that we've had these brownies, we may start seeing a lot more of it around these parts.

I made the dulce de leche the old-fashioned way: boiling a can on the stovetop for about 5 hours. Some folks have a problem with this, to which I say, feh! If you let a little thing like exploding cans and grievous bodily harm worry you, you have no place in my kitchen. NO FEAR, SUCKAS. Buuuut I suppose if you're really going to wuss out, you can make it using other methods, like in a pressure cooker, crock-pot, or out of the can and baked in a water bath in the oven. (Weenies.) At any rate, once you have the gorgeously thick dulce de leche, you'll want to eat a bunch of it on its own, until you start to vibrate from all of the sugar in your system. At that point, you're ready to use the rest to make these brownies!

The brownies turn out rich and somewhat fudgy, although the 3 eggs in the recipe prevent them from being too dense or gluey. The dulce de leche is swirled throughout the batter but I tried to leave some in pockets so the flavor wouldn't be lost, and it worked well--most bites had at least a little dulce de leche, and some had big gobs of the caramelized goodness. DELICIOUS. These were pretty intense, so they can be cut into fairly small squares, and I found a pan stretched pretty far.

I also made these wonderful candies with some of the dulce de leche. They're super-simple but incredibly addicting! I took two jumbo pecan halves and sandwiched them with a small spoonful of dulce de leche. Then the whole package was dipped in dark chocolate. It was such a great combo--crunchy toasted nuts, rich chocolate, and creamy, caramelized dulce de leche. They're a perfect one or two-bite candy, almost too easy to munch, if you know what I mean. You don't really need a recipe but if you'd like one it can be found here: Dulce de Leche Pecan Bites.



The recipe for the brownies can be found after the cut...


Dulce de Leche Brownies from the ever-fabulous David Lebovitz
Yield: 12 brownies

8 tablespoons (115g) salted or unsalted butter, cut into pieces
6 ounces (170g) bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, finely chopped
1/4 cup (25g) unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder
3 large eggs
1 cup (200g) sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup (140g) flour
optional: 1 cup (100 g) toasted pecans or walnuts, coarsely chopped
1 cup Dulce de Leche (or Cajeta)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees (175 C).

Line a 8-inch (20 cm) square pan with a long sheet of aluminum foil that covers the bottom and reaches up the sides. If it doesn't reach all the way up and over all four sides, cross another sheet of foil over it, making a large cross with edges that overhang the sides. Grease the bottom and sides of the foil with a bit of butter or non-stick spray.

Melt the butter in a medium saucepan. Add the chocolate pieces and stir constantly over very low heat until the chocolate is melted. Remove from heat and whisk in the cocoa powder until smooth. Add in the eggs one at a time, then stir in the sugar, vanilla, then the flour. Mix in the nuts, if using.

Scrape half of the batter into the prepared pan. Here comes the fun part.
Drop one-third of the Dulce de Leche, evenly spaced, over the brownie batter, then drag a knife through to swirl it slightly. Spread the remaining brownie batter over, then drop spoonfuls of the remaining Dulce de Leche in dollops over the top of the brownie batter. Use a knife to swirl the Dulce de Leche slightly.

Bake for 35 to 45 minutes. The brownies are done when the center feels just-slightly firm. Remove from the oven and cool completely.

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The Daring Bakers: Dobos Torte

I posted a few days ago about the baking slump I'm in. I've said it before, and I'll say it again: dieting is bad for baking mojo. So much of the fun of baking is sucked out of the experience when you can't fully enjoy the finished product! Or, in the case of these mini Dobos Tortes, when you enjoy too much of the finished product and then feel massive pangs of guilt. (What? Chocolate buttercream isn't one of the healthy foodgroups? Surely you jest.)

So yes, it was with a heavy heart and a hungry stomach that I made these chocolate and hazelnut layer cakes. I wanted to save a little work so I made a half batch, but my first attempt fatally stuck to the parchment (don't believe anyone who tells you not to grease and flour your parchment! THAT WAY DISASTER LIES) so I ended up making it twice, equaling a full batch in the end.

My mini cake layers were brushed with a hazelnut-infused simple syrup, to add some moisture and a nice subtle nutty taste. For the chocolate buttercream I used unsweetened chocolate, to give it a deeper flavor, which was intensified by the chocolate ganache glaze. I omitted the traditional caramel-glazed cake slices on top, opting instead for a hazelnut praline that was formed into shapes and also crushed. The crushed praline added a really nice--and necessary--crunch to the cake without being too overwhelmingly hard to chew.

My original plan was to go big--12 layers! 20!--but they turned out a bit thicker than planned, and I opted to scale the layers to the size of the 3" cakes. So I ended up with 6 layers of cake, which still looked lovely and impressive when cut. All in all, tasty little cakes with a delicious flavor profile. Perhaps in another life, at another time, with another diet program, we shall meet again...and next time, I'm coming with a fork.



The August 2009 Daring Bakers' challenge was hosted by Angela of A Spoonful
of Sugar and Lorraine of Not Quite Nigella. They chose the spectacular Dobos
Torte based on a recipe from Rick Rodgers' cookbook Kaffeehaus: Exquisite
Desserts from the Classic Caffés of Vienna, Budapest, and Prague.






DOBOS TORTE

Sponge cake layers

* 6 large eggs, separated, at room temperature
* 1 1/3 cups (162g) confectioner's (icing) sugar, divided
* 1 teaspoon (5ml) vanilla extract
* 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons (112g) sifted cake flour (SUBSTITUTE 95g plain flour + 17g cornflour (cornstarch) sifted together)
* pinch of salt

Chocolate Buttercream

* 4 large eggs, at room temperature
* 1 cup (200g) caster (ultrafine or superfine white) sugar
* 4oz (110g) bakers chocolate or your favourite dark chocolate, finely chopped
* 2 sticks plus 2 tablespoons (250g) unsalted butter, at room temperature.

Caramel topping

* 1 cup (200g) caster (superfine or ultrafine white) sugar
* 12 tablespoons (180 ml) water
* 8 teaspoons (40 ml) lemon juice
* 1 tablespoon neutral oil (e.g. grapeseed, rice bran, sunflower)

Finishing touches

* a 7” cardboard round
* 12 whole hazelnuts, peeled and toasted
* ½ cup (50g) peeled and finely chopped hazelnuts

Directions for the sponge layers:

NB. The sponge layers can be prepared in advance and stored interleaved with parchment and well-wrapped in the fridge overnight.

1.Position the racks in the top and centre thirds of the oven and heat to 400F (200C).
2.Cut six pieces of parchment paper to fit the baking sheets. Using the bottom of a 9" (23cm) springform tin as a template and a dark pencil or a pen, trace a circle on each of the papers, and turn them over (the circle should be visible from the other side, so that the graphite or ink doesn't touch the cake batter.)
3.Beat the egg yolks, 2/3 cup (81g) of the confectioner's (icing) sugar, and the vanilla in a medium bowl with a mixer on high speed until the mixture is thick, pale yellow and forms a thick ribbon when the beaters are lifted a few inches above the batter, about 3 minutes. (You can do this step with a balloon whisk if you don't have a mixer.)
4.In another bowl, using clean beaters, beat the egg whites until soft peaks form. Gradually beat in the remaining 2/3 cup (81g) of confectioner's (icing)sugar until the whites form stiff, shiny peaks. Using a large rubber spatula, stir about 1/4 of the beaten whites into the egg yolk mixture, then fold in the remainder, leaving a few wisps of white visible. Combine the flour and salt. Sift half the flour over the eggs, and fold in; repeat with the remaining flour.
5.Line one of the baking sheets with a circle-marked paper. Using a small offset spatula, spread about 3/4cup of the batter in an even layer, filling in the traced circle on one baking sheet. Bake on the top rack for 5 minutes, until the cake springs back when pressed gently in the centre and the edges are lightly browned. While this cake bakes, repeat the process on the other baking sheet, placing it on the centre rack. When the first cake is done, move the second cake to the top rack. Invert the first cake onto a flat surface and carefully peel off the paper. Slide the cake layer back onto the paper and let stand until cool. Rinse the baking sheet under cold running water to cool, and dry it before lining with another parchment. Continue with the remaining papers and batter to make a total of six layers. Completely cool the layers. Using an 8" springform pan bottom or plate as a template, trim each cake layer into a neat round. (A small serrated knife is best for this task.)

Directions for the chocolate buttercream:

NB. This can be prepared in advance and kept chilled until required.

1.Prepare a double-boiler: quarter-fill a large saucepan with water and bring it to a boil.
2.Meanwhile, whisk the eggs with the sugar until pale and thickened, about five minutes. You can use a balloon whisk or electric hand mixer for this.
3.Fit bowl over the boiling water in the saucepan (water should not touch bowl) and lower the heat to a brisk simmer. Cook the egg mixture, whisking constantly, for 2-3 minutes until you see it starting to thicken a bit. Whisk in the finely chopped chocolate and cook, stirring, for a further 2-3 minutes.
4.Scrape the chocolate mixture into a medium bowl and leave to cool to room temperature. It should be quite thick and sticky in consistency.
5.When cool, beat in the soft butter, a small piece (about 2 tablespoons/30g) at a time. An electric hand mixer is great here, but it is possible to beat the butter in with a spatula if it is soft enough. You should end up with a thick, velvety chocolate buttercream. Chill while you make the caramel topping.


Directions for the caramel topping:

1.Choose the best-looking cake layer for the caramel top. To make the caramel topping: Line a jellyroll pan with parchment paper and butter the paper. Place the reserved cake layer on the paper. Score the cake into 12 equal wedges. Lightly oil a thin, sharp knife and an offset metal spatula.
2.Stir the sugar, water and lemon juice in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil over a medium heat, stirring often to dissolve the sugar. Once dissolved into a smooth syrup, turn the heat up to high and boil without stirring, swirling the pan by the handle occasionally and washing down any sugar crystals on the sides of the pan with a wet brush until the syrup has turned into an amber-coloured caramel.
3.The top layer is perhaps the hardest part of the whole cake so make sure you have a oiled, hot offset spatula ready. I also find it helps if the cake layer hasn't just been taken out of the refrigerator. I made mine ahead of time and the cake layer was cold and the toffee set very, very quickly—too quickly for me to spread it. Immediately pour all of the hot caramel over the cake layer. You will have some leftover most probably but more is better than less and you can always make nice toffee pattern using the extra to decorate. Using the offset spatula, quickly spread the caramel evenly to the edge of the cake layer. Let cool until beginning to set, about 30 seconds. Using the tip of the hot oiled knife (keep re-oiling this with a pastry brush between cutting), cut through the scored marks to divide the caramel layer into 12 equal wedges. Cool another minute or so, then use the edge of the knife to completely cut and separate the wedges using one firm slice movement (rather than rocking back and forth which may produce toffee strands). Cool completely.


Assembling the Dobos

1.Divide the buttercream into six equal parts.
2.Place a dab of chocolate buttercream on the middle of a 7 1/2” cardboard round and top with one cake layer. Spread the layer with one part of the chocolate icing. Repeat with 4 more cake layers. Spread the remaining icing on the sides of the cake.
3.Optional: press the finely chopped hazelnuts onto the sides of the cake.
4.Propping a hazelnut under each wedge so that it sits at an angle, arrange the wedges on top of the cake in a spoke pattern. If you have any leftover buttercream, you can pipe rosettes under each hazelnut or a large rosette in the centre of the cake. Refrigerate the cake under a cake dome until the icing is set, about 2 hours. Let slices come to room temperature for the best possible flavour.

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TWD: Lime Cream Meringue Tarts

For some reason, motivating myself to make these lime meringue tarts was like pulling teeth this week. No, scratch that. Making these tarts was like visiting your tiresome Great Aunt Gladys for the holidays. You don't want to do it, but you feel a great sense of obligation, and you imagine the pangs of guilt that will result if you don't do it. You tell yourself it won't be that bad, and you might even enjoy it. And then you spend the whole visit wanting to poke your eyes out just to give yourself an excuse to leave early. I know, strong words for such cute little tarts:

After many hours of procrastination, I finally convinced myself to make the Great Aunt Gladys tarts, but I was just not excited about this recipe. Partly it's that I don't like cream pies or meringue in general. Partly it's that I'm taking a sugar vacation for a few weeks so I'm trying to limit my exposure to sweets. Partly it's that I was feeling oh so lazy and the whole thermometer/whisking/food processor/extended chilling time seemed bothersome.

In the end, I halved the recipe and it made enough for two deep-dish mini tarts. They were adorable, and the lime cream filling was nice and refreshingly zesty (I omitted most of the butter and it was still plenty creamy and rich.) The crust was decidedly iffy because I used a bag of mystery crumbs in the cupboard (I was at least 80% certain they were graham crumbs before I used them, but the taste of the final tart shell reduces that certainty to about 63%), but that's my own fault. It's not a bad recipe, and it certainly didn't make me want to poke my eyeballs out. I can see making these for someone who loves lemon citrus meringue pies, but for my tastes, I should have listened to myself and skipped out this week. Score another one for the Aunt Gladyses of the world.

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TWD: Applesauce Spice Bars

Say hello to entry #276 in the "Not Much To Look At But Darn Tasty" category of desserts: Dorie's Applesauce Spice Bars.



I wasn't head-over-heels about making this recipe, since it seems very autumn-ish and it's still only August. More fresh berry desserts, please! However, the day after I made this, we had a beautiful overcast morning in my fair city, with cooler temperatures and a cloudy sky until after 12. Do you think this means I can now control the weather through my baking? *evil raised eyebrow*



And once again, my skepticism was misplaced, because these "bars" were great! (Don't let the name fool you, though--I thought they were much closer to an apple cake than any sort of bar. But still, apple cake! Yum!) I halved the recipe but kept the full amount of spices and frosting, so it had a great flavor and a generous topping. And OF COURSE I omitted the raisins. [See ya in hell, shriveled grapes corpses!] All in all, a great pick by Karen, and a great way to start what I hope will be a long, long fall season. Now off to summon a rainstorm with pumpkin bread...

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TWD: Brownie Buttons

I loved everything about these wee cute-as-a-you-know-what brownie buttons.
Adorable size? Check.
Easy to make? Yes.
Good crunchy-crust-to-fudgy interior ration? Uh-huh.
Twee name? Absolutely.
Great taste? Certainly!After a morning of airplane travel and hours spent at the Sprint store and grocery store, it was a relief to be able to come home, make these, photograph them, and still have daylight left in which to put up my feet! Super fast, super tasty, super cute.

Instead of orange zest I used a little orange oil (but I think mint would also be fab) and the tops were dipped in a bowl of swirled white and dark chocolate.

Some folks have complained about the yield and baking time both being inaccurate. I would say that's about right--I got 12, not 16, little buttons, and the bake time was closer to 13 minutes. With the shortened time and the increased amount of batter per cup, these were the perfect afternoon pick-me-up: indulgent, but not so guilt-inducing that I couldn't enjoy a few more after dinner!

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TWD: Yes, We Have Banana Bundt Cake

Fans of Arrested Development may be familiar with this little guy here:

Allow me to introduce Mr. Bananagrabber, who is, in the words of the Arrested Development wiki, "an anthropomorphic banana who rides a Segway and steals and eats other bananas. When he speaks, his S's whistle." [You may well be asking yourself the same thing Michael Bluth asked: "Why would a banana grab another banana? I mean, those are the kind of questions I don't want to answer."]

Well, this week's Tuesdays with Dorie recipe spawned an imitator right in my very home:


Mr. Banana Cake Grabber.

He doesn't ride a Segway, and he doesn't lisp, but he does have the amazing ability to make a whole banana bundt cake morph from this...


To this....

To this.

My very own husband went bananas over this banana cake, and ate a full quarter of it for breakfast yesterday. (It's a fruit serving, right?) I myself thought it was good but not exceptional--it was your standard yummy banana bread/cake texture and flavor. I'm guilty of always peeling off the outside and leaving the sad innards lying around, neglected, but that's more a sign of my poor manners than any deficiency on the part of this cake. All told, this was an easy cake to whip up and a real winner with you-know-who.

[And don't worry--we're keeping the animation rights to Mr. Banana Cake Grabber.]

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