Baked

Hope your Monday has been a good one! It's a very dreary, rainy, day here in Vancouver, which is fine with me. Lots of photo editing to do, so it keeps me inside glued to my computer.

I baked a really easy almond cake over the weekend. So flipping good. It's great on it's own, but adding baked orange slices makes it even better. Next time, I might make the oranges boozy. ;)

Almond Cake with Baked Oranges - makes one round 8 inch cake

1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup sugar
1 cup almond meal
1 teaspoon almond extract
3 large eggs, beaten
1/4 cup all-purpose flour

To make cake: Preheat oven to 350f/180c. Lightly butter and flour cake tin, and knock remaining flour.
With a mixer, beat the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Add the almond meal, almond extract, eggs and flour and beat until well combined. Spoon the batter into the prepared cake tin, place in oven and bake for about 35 minutes, or until cake is just coming away from edge of pan. Allow to cool in tin for 10 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack.

Baked Oranges

3 large oranges, peeled and sliced

2 tablespoons light brown sugar

remaining juice squeezed from peel

To make baked oranges: Peel and slice oranges, then arrange in an oven proof pan or baking dish.

Squeeze remaining juice from peel, and drizzle over top of sliced oranges. Sprinkle brown sugar over top. Place pan under the broiler and cook until they start to bubble and colour, about 10 minutes. Keep an eye on them so they don't burn. Place a couple of slices, along with a little juice, on top of each slice of cake. Enjoy!!

That's it for today! Back soon.
Janis

Baked (late) on Monday! - Estelle's Whipped Shortbread

Hi Everyone! Had a baking day planned with my friend, Tamara (Modern Mommy), but we got off to a bit of a late start so it's now "Baked On Tuesday" for some of you! We've both had "one of those days" ;)

This delicious, and very easy, recipe comes from Tamara's Grandma, Estelle. Here is an early 70's photo her, proudly displaying her cupcakes. Love it.

Estelle's Whipped Shortbread - makes about 24 (we made a combo of trees with my cookie press and Estelle's simple dollops)

1/2 pound of softened butter
1/4 cup cornstarch
1/2 cup icing sugar (powdered)
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour

Preheat oven to 325f.
Place butter in a mixing bowl, and beat for about 3 minutes until light and fluffy. Add the cornstarch, icing sugar and flour, and beat for another 3-4 minutes.

For little pillow shapes, just place tablespoons of batter onto ungreased baking sheet. Bake for about 25 minutes, or until just golden on edges.

 

For trees, we used a cookie press, and added dragees for the tree "ornaments". Very festive! These baked for about 12 minutes.

These cookies really couldn't be easier to make. Thank you Estelle! A good, basic shortbread recipe that you can add to if you like. Enjoy!

PS: check out  great, and fairly new blog, Lost and Fawned for a fun gift guide.  Thanks Lindsey! That picture of me is a touch massive, but I still love you. ;)

Back again soon. Have a great evening...or day!

Baked On Monday - Sugar Cookie Mittens and Snowballs

I'm back. After a week of major appliance break downs (washer, dryer and dishwasher), and 2 last minute shoots, I'm ready to bake.  Let's see how the rest of the week pans out.

I've had this recipe forever. It was from an old Martha Stewart magazine, and the recipe was from one of the editor's mothers. I wish I had her name, but I don't have the actual issue. I've chosen to make mittens and snowballs, but you can use any shape you like (I'm sure you already worked that out!) I use sanding sugar for sugar cookies as I just don't love the taste of royal icing. If I'm using them as decorations, then royal icing is the way to go. I plan to eat these ones ;)

Sugar Cookie Mittens and Snowballs - makes about 3 dozen

3 cups sifted all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 lb. (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1 cup sugar
1 large egg, slightly beaten
1/4 cup sour cream
Sanding sugar and food colouring.

Sift together flour, nutmeg, salt and baking soda. Set aside. Cream butter, then add sugar gradually; beat until fluffy. Stir in egg and sour cream, then stir in dry ingredients. I use my hands for that part!
Separate dough into two balls and flatten then wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for one hour.

Heat oven to 350f/180c. On a lightly floured surface, roll dough out to 1/4 inch. Cut out shapes using any cookie cutter you like, then sprinkle with sanding sugar* (if using). Place on parchment paper lined baking sheet and bake for 8 to 10 minutes, until lightly browned.
* add a tiny drop of colouring to sanding sugar to get the colour you want.

That's it for today! Back again soon.
Janis

Baked On Monday - Lemon Sandwich Baubles

Did you all have a good weekend? It snowed here in Vancouver, which it doesn't do often in November. Looks so pretty. Love it. It did make me realize that I do not have appropriate footwear for this weather. Must do something about that.

Time to get a bit more festive with the baking.  I've made Lemon Sandwich Baubles today, from a recipe I found in Canadian Living - a special Christmas cookie issue. They are addictive....and sparkly.  Bonus.

Lemon Sandwich Baubles - makes about 36 cookies

1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon finely grated lemon rind
2/3 cup unsalted butter, softened
2 tablespoons corn starch
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/3 cups all purpose flour
1/3 cup coarse sugar
Yellow food colouring

Filling:
1 cup icing sugar
1/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
2 teaspoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon finely grated lemon rind
Yellow food colouring

In a large bowl, rub sugar with lemon rind; beat in butter until light and fluffy. Beat in cornstarch and salt. Stir in flour to make dough (I used my hands for this bit).

In a small bowl, tint coarse sugar with food colouring to desired yellow. Scoop dough by 1 teaspoon and roll into balls. Coat in coloured sugar.

Bake, 1 inch apart, on parchment paper lined baking sheets in 325f/160c oven. Bake for about 12 minutes, until firm and golden brown on bottoms. Let cool on pans for 5 minutes, then transfer to wire racks and let cool completely.

Filling: In bowl, beat together icing sugar, butter, lemon juice and lemon rind. Tint to desired yellow. Pipe about 1/2 teaspoon on bottom half of cookies, and sandwich with remaining cookies.

I think these would be great in a small jar with a vintage decoration attached as a gift for party guests. Yes? No?

Now as for the draw for the calender.....
The winner of my 2011 calendar and print give-away is......
Random Counter # 8 - My Flying Ducks
Kylie C said...What a lovely giveaway! I can't decide between 'Walk' and 'Shanghai alley' - if I win, I'll make a choice! :)

Congratulations Kylie! Looks like you have to make a choice now ;)

Thanks for everyone who took part! I loved it. If you need a calendar, and you are not the lucky winner, I do have a few here. ;)

Back soon! Have a great day.

Baked On Monday - Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Squares

Hello everyone! How was your weekend? I've got a very early shoot this morning, so I have to admit....I baked on Sunday.

Today's recipe comes from a fantastic new cook book called "The Divvies Bakery Cookbook", by Lori Sandler, published by St. Martin's Press. I actually won this through a give away at The Zhush, a beautiful blog I love to read. The Divvies Bakery is a nut, eggs, and dairy free bakery located in South Salem, New York. Lori's son Benjamin has many food allergies, so The Divvies Bakery was born out of a labour of love. Read more here.

Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Squares - makes one 9"x9" or 13"x9" pan of outrageous deliciousness

2 cups flour
1 tablespoon ground pumpkin pie spice or apple pie spice
1 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup dairy free margarine
1 1/4 cups sugar
1/4 cup applesauce
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup canned pumpkin puree
1 cup semi sweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350f. Prepare a 9"x9" or 13"x9" pan by lining it with long pieces of aluminum foil. Extra foil should hang over the sides for easy lifting after baking.
Whisk the flour, pumpkin or apple pie spice, baking soda and salt together in a medium bowl. Set aside.

Cream the margarine and sugar together in a medium bowl, using an electric mixer on medium speed, until smooth.
Add the applesauce, vanilla, and pumpkin puree and continue mixing on medium speed. Be sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl to incorporate all the ingredients, and continue mixing.
Combine the dry ingredients with the wet ingredients and mix on medium speed until just combined. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and continue mixing.
Add the chocolate chips and mix on low speed to distribute evenly throughout the batter.
Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for approximately 50 minutes. Insert a toothpick in the middle, and if it comes out clean, the squares are done.
Cool the squares completely in the pan for at least one hour. Lift the the aluminum foil out of the pan and cut into squares. Enjoy! and you will.

 I've packaged some up to take on my shoot today. Must share, or I'll eat them all.

 

Have a great day! Back on Wednesday with a give away.

Baked on Monday - Oat Spice Cake

I hope you all had a nice weekend. If you turned your clock back an hour, did it throw you off? I have to say I'm a fan of "falling back". Zzzz.

After a weekend of work, it's nice to start off the week with a little baking. I've made a delicious cake from the Rebar Modern Food cook book. Rebar is a great little restaurant in Victoria, BC. I've had this book for about a decade, and it's probably our most used cook book (hence the greasy marks all over it).

Oat Spice Cake - makes one 9" cake
(fyi, this isn't a typical cake, in texture. It's more oatmeal like. Make sense?)

2 cups rolled oats
2/3 cup softened unsalted butter
1 cup brown sugar
1 1/2 cups boiling water
1/2 cup unbleached, all purpose, flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon allspice
1/4 teaspoon salt

Topping:
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup unsalted butter
1/2 whipping cream (you don't need to actually "whip" it ;) )
2 cups toasted coconut
1 1/2 cups roasted cashews

Preheat oven to 350F/180c. Lightly grease a 9" spring form pan. Combine the oats, butter, sugar, and boiling water and blend thoroughly and set aside.

In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking soda and spices. Add dry mix to the wet mix and fold together gently. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for about 25-30 minutes or until a skewer, inserted in centre of cake, comes out clean.

To make the topping, toast the coconut in a pan until lightly golden and fragrant (so it smells like you're on a tropical beach). Keep your eyes on it, as it can burn, instead of "toast", rather quickly! Combine all of the topping ingredients in a saucepan and heat the mixture until the butter melts and all is well blended. Pour the mixture over top of the baked cake while it's still in the pan. Carefully place the cake under the broiler for about 2 minutes, until the topping turns golden brown. Keep a close watch on it, as it will (and does!) caramelize very quickly. Cool, serve and enjoy!

I'll be back soon. I've got a little give away coming up too. Keep you posted!

Have a good Monday (or Tuesday)!

Baked On Monday - Short Black Cupcakes

Hope you all had a good weekend. Did you partake in Halloween festivities? Candy corn?

I've made Short Black Cupcakes today. A nice mix of chocolate with coffee icing. Even if you don't love coffee, I think you'll love this mocha combo. Mmmmm.

Short Black Cupcakes - makes about 48 mini cupcakes

4 1/2 oz/ 125g softened unsalted butter
3/4 cup berry (caster) sugar
2 eggs
1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 tablespoons cocoa powder
1/2 cup milk
3 1/2 oz/100g dark chocolate, melted

Coffee icing

1 cup berry (caster) sugar
1/4 cup water
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
2 tablespoons instant coffee
3 egg whites

Preheat oven to 320f/160c. Place the butter and sugar in a bowl and mix with an electric mixer until creamy.  Gradually add the eggs and beat well. Sift over the flour, baking powder, and cocoa and beat until combined. Fold through the milk and melted chocolate. Spoon the batter into two 24 hole cupcake tins either greased or lined with mini cupcake papers (I didn't have those on hand today!).  Bake for 10-12 minutes or until skewer, placed in centre of cupcake, comes out clean. Allow to cool completely on a wire rack.
For the icing, place the sugar, water, cream of tartar and coffee in a saucepan over high heat, and stir until the sugar is dissolved. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and let simmer for 3 minutes. Place the egg whites in a bowl and beat with an electric mixer until soft peaks form. While still beating, add the sugar mixture and beat until thick and glossy. Spread the icing over the cupcakes with a palette knife.
Serve with coffee and eat up!

That's it for today. Enjoy the day! Back soon.
Janis

Baked on Monday - Cheese & Chili Cornbread

I don't know why this is called cornbread when it really is more like corncake. Either way, it's delicious and moist. I find some cornbreads are kind of on the dry side, but this one is not at all dry. I love the kick of the chili too.

Cheese & Chili Cornbread - makes on 9" round cake

1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup cornmeal
2 tablespoons sugar
2 jalapeno chilies, chopped
1 1/4 cups grated sharp cheddar cheese
1 1/4 cups buttermilk
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1 egg, beaten

Preheat oven to 375f.
Sift the flour and baking soda into a bowl, then stir in salt, cornmeal, sugar, chilies, and cheese.

In another bowl, beat together buttermilk, melted butter and egg. Pour into the dry ingredients fold in until no flour pockets remain. Spoon batter into greased 9" round pan (or 8" square pan). Bake for 22-25 minutes or until a skewer, inserted in centre, comes out clean.

Let cool in pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto wire rack until completely cool. I can't wait that long, and I start to eat pretty much immediately.

Perfect with coffee and post production.  I can't stop eating it. So much for sharing.

Have a lovely day! Back soon.