the nitty gritty

strawberry shortcakes

I absolutely love this recipe and have used it many times for different occasions.  The first time I made them, I copied the photo in the recipe book and cut out my shortcakes into hearts for a sweet Valentine's treat.  I am absolutely positive you will love this recipe too.

Usually when I make these, I just do a typical whipped cream, ommitting the sour cream and using powdered sugar.  I also just use a pastry cutter to make the shortcakes since I do not have a food processor.  It's very similar to making a pastry crust; make sure the fats stay cold and do not melt or get worked into the gluten.  And finally, I use a silpat mat instead of spraying a cookie sheet.  No browning!

Strawberry Shortcakes d'Amour

from the "Bride and Groom: First and Forever Cookbook"

serves 2 (I find it serves 4)

shortcakes

• 3 cups cake flour, plus more as needed
• 1/4 cup plus 1 Tablespoon, plus 2 teaspoons granulated sugar
• 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 6 Tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces
• 1 1/2 cups heavy cream
• 1 egg lightly beaten with 1 Tablespoon water

strawberries

• 2 cupes hulled and quartered strawberries
• 1 Tablespoon raspberry preserves (preferrably homemade)
• 2 teaspoons granulated sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

whipped cream

• 1/3 cup cold heavy cream
• 1 Tablespoon sour cream
• 1 1/2 teaspoons granulated sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

powdered sugar for dusting

6 mint sprigs

1. Position the rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 400 degrees F.  Spray a baking sheet with vegetable-oil cooking spray.
2. To make the shortcakes: Sift together the flour, the 1/4 cup plus 1 Tablespoon granulated sugar, the baking powder, and kosher salt in a medium bowl.  Transfer to the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade.  Add the butter and pulse 3 or 4 times at 2-second intervals until the dough resembles coarse meal.  Add the cream and process until the dough begins to com etogether, a few seconds more.  It will still be crumbly at this point.  Do not overwork or the shortcakes will be tough.
3. Transfer the dough to a well-floured work surface.  If the dough is sticky, sprinkle it with more flour.  Using a lightly floured rolling pin, roll out the dough into a rectangle about 12 inches long.  Fold the left end to the middle and the right end up over the left end to form 3 layers.  Roll out the dough to 3/4-inch thickness.  Using a 3-inch-wide heart-shaped cutter, cut into 3 individual cakes.  Gather the scraps, roll out the remaining dough, and cut out 3 more hearts.
4. Place the shortcakes at least 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheet.  Brush the tops lightly with the beaten egg mixture and sprinkle with the 2 teaspoons granulated sugar.  Bake until the shortcakes are light golden brown, 15 to 20 minutes.
5. Meanwhile, prepare the strawberries: Stir together the strawberries, raspberry preserves, granulated sugar, and lemon juice in a medium bowl.  Put 1 cup of the mixture in a small bowl and mash with a fork or potato masher.  Add to the strawberry mixture and set aside.
6. To make the whipped cream: combine the heavy cream, sour cream, granulated sugar, and vanilla in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment.  Beat on high speed until soft peaks form, about 1 minute.  The cream should slowly fall over forward when lifted with a whisk.  Alternatively, use an electric hand mixer.
7. To serve, using a serrated knife, cut 2-shortcakes in half horizontally and place the bottom halves on each of 2 plates.  Top with the strawberries, dividing evenly.  Add a dollop of whipped cream and top with the remaining shortcake halves.  Dust with powdered sugar and garnish with the mint sprigs.
8. Do ahead: These shortcakes freeze beautifully.  Freeze the uncooked shortcakes on a baking hseet as directed but do not bake.  Instead, place the baking sheet in the freezer, then transfer the frozen cakes to a sealable plastic bag.  When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 400 degrees F and bake for 25-30 minutes.  To prevent the bottom of the cakes from browning, put hte frozen shortcakes on a bakin sheet stacked atop another sheet, place in the top third of the oven, and bake for 15 to 20 minutes.
9. When we entertain, we whip the cream before our guests arrive, refrigerate it, and whisk to the desired consistency just before serving.  We also like to warm the shortcakes just before serving.

hot cross buns

I love these buns, just love them.  The recipe I used turned out really well, except that it left out the spices of cinnamon, nutmeg, clove, and allspice.  I folded cinnamon into the rolls during the second knead so they had a cinnamon roll quality to them.  It actually wasn't half bad.  If you have a particular family  that shy away from cloves, allspice and nutmeg, you may want to just stick with cinnamon!

You can also opt for icing for the crosses instead of the flour paste.  I prefer the flavorless flourpaste since these are sweet as it is.  Traditional hot cross bun recipes call for currants or sultanas which are both raisins actually.  Sultanas are known as golden raisins here in the United States and currants are a raisin made from a smaller, tart grape specific to currants.  Who knew?  Well, you probably did, but I only just found out.  Anyway, both of those would be wonderful in this recipe.  Regular raisins will get mushy and no child or adult likes that!  Apparently traditional buns should also be sweet and sticky on the outside; the melted fruit-jam glaze seems more palatable than just a sugar glaze.

Hot Cross Buns

from MarthaStewart.com

makes 24 buns

• 12 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled, plus more for bowl, pan, and knife
• 1 cup whole milk
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 4 1/2 teaspoons (2 packages) active dry yeast
• 1 tablespoon coarse salt
• Zest of 1 lemon
• Zest of 1 orange
• 4 large eggs, lightly beaten
• 5 3/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
• 1 1/3 cups currants
• 1 tsp. cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp. nutmeg
• 1/8 tsp. ground cloves
• 1/8 tsp. ground all-spice
• Bun Crossing Paste (or see recipe below)
• 1/2 cup apricot jam (I used apple butter with honey from Trader Joe's since I had it on hand and it was soooooo delicious!)

1. Generously butter a large bowl; set aside. Place 1 cup milk in a small saucepan, over medium heat. Heat until milk reaches 110 degrees on a candy thermometer. Pour milk into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the dough hook attachment. With machine on low speed, add granulated sugar, yeast, salt, butter, lemon zest, orange zest, and eggs. Add flour (and spices), and mix on low speed until a soft, slightly sticky dough forms around dough hook. Continue kneading, scraping down hook and sides of bowl as necessary, until smooth, about 4 minutes more.

2. Add currants; knead, with dough hook, to incorporate. Turn dough out onto a floured surface. Knead briefly to evenly distribute currants in dough. Shape into a ball. Place dough in prepared bowl. Turn to coat with butter. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about 1 hour and 20 minutes.

3. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper; set aside. Turn dough out onto work surface. Knead briefly and roll dough into a log. Cut log in half and cut each half into 12 equal pieces. Shape each piece into a tightly formed ball. Place on prepared baking sheets 2 inches apart. Cover baking sheets with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until buns are touching and doubled in size, 1 1/2 to 2 hours.

4. Preheat oven to 375 degrees with racks positioned in the upper and lower thirds of the oven. Place bun crossing paste in a pastry bag fitted with a small plain tip or a paper cornet with a 1/8-inch opening. Pipe crosses over the surface of each bun. Transfer buns to oven and bake until golden brown, 18 to 25 minutes, rotating baking sheets after 10 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and cool to room temperature.

5. Meanwhile, place apricot jam in a small saucepan over medium heat. Cook until heated through; strain through a mesh sieve set over a bowl. Brush heated jam over buns.

Bun Crossing Paste

makes enough for 2 dozen buns (although I ran short on mine)

• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 cup flour (scant)
• Pinch of salt

1. In a medium bowl, whisk together oil and 1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon water. Add flour and salt, and whisk until well combined. (I would recommend avoiding over-whisking since mine became very glutenous and elastic-y.  Hard to pipe!)  Let stand 1 hour before using.

rich rolled sugar cookies

These cookies are perfect for icing and frosting.  The perfect vehicle for sugary decorations, really.  You will love them, but know that they are a teency bit finicky.  Rolling out the dough between wax paper and chilling it, exactly as the recipe calls for, will make your life so much easier.  And you will not regret it!  (I like to roll mine thicker, maybe 3/8"?)  Also, make sure to bake them on a silpat mat because it would be a crying shame to burn them after all that work!

The simplest icing for these cookies is a cinch but requires practiced moderation.  Put 1/2 to 1 cup powdered sugar in a small bowl.  Add just enough lime juice, mixing with a fork, to make a smooth, fluid paste, but not runny.  If it's too wet, add more powdered sugar.  It's extremely easy to color and spread it onto the cooled cookie with a pastry brush or clean craft watercolor brush.  Apply any glitter sugar or metallic sugar dust while still wet.  Allow the cookies to stand and dry until the icing hardens.  You can easily decorate it with royal icing once it is hardened to the touch.  Apply any decorative sugar pearls or decorations onto the royal icing if desired.  They are so incredibly delicious, you really need to try it to believe it.

Rich Rolled Sugar Cookies

2 1/2 to 3 1/2 dozen 2 1/2- to 3 1/2- inch cookies

from "Joy of Cooking"

 

Beat on medium speed until very fluffy and well blended:

1/2 pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened

2/3 cup sugar

Add and beat until well combined:

1 large egg

1/4 teaspoon baking powder

1/8 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla

Stir in until wel blended and smooth:

2 1/3 cups all-purpose flour

Divide the dough in half.  Place each half between 2 large sheets of wax or parchment paper.  Roll out to a scant 1/4 inch thick, checking the underside of the dough and smoothing any creases.  Keeping the paper in place, layer the rolled dough on a baking sheet and refrigerate until cold and slightly firm but not hard, 20 to 30 minutes.

Position a rack in the upper third of the oven.   Preheat the oven to 350F.  Grease cookie sheets.

Working with 1 portion of dough at a time (leave the other refrigerated), gently peel away and replace 1 sheet of the paper.  (This will make it easier to lift the cookies from the paper later.)  Peel away and discard the second sheet.  Cut out the cookies using 2- or 3- inch cutters.  With a spatula, transfer them to the cookie sheets, spacing about 1 inch apart.  Roll the dough scraps and continue cutting out cookies until all the dough is used; briefly refrigerate the dough if it becomes too soft to handle.

If desired, very lightly sprinkle the cookies with: colored sprinkles or colored sugar.  Bake, 1 sheet at a time, just until the cookies are lightly colored on top and slightly darker at the edges, 6 to 9 minutes; rotate the sheet halfway through baking for even browning.  Remove the sheet to a rack and let stand until the cookies firmslightly.  Transfer the cookies to racks to cool.

If desired, deorate with Royal Icing. 

chocolate satin frosting

This frosting gave us problems.  Muchas problemas, muchachas.  Y muchachos.  Maybe.

The recipe from "Joy of Cooking", aka the-cooking-Bible, calls for using a blender or food processor.  I no longer have a food processor and my blender can't handle this kind of mixing so we just used my standing mixer with a whisk.  And clearly that didn't work.  We had to pour it over the cake and it didn't really give it that fluffy-frosted-cake look at all.  Maybe if we had poured a second layer...well, too late since it's already been eaten.  After all, you can't have your cake and eat it too!

If you still want to try it, just know that it tastes so, so, soooo delicious.  Muy delicioso! (to quote "Backpack" from "Dora")  (Oh, and p.s., I used evaporated milk instead of cream.)  Just make sure to use your processor or blender!  Tell me if it works that way!

Chocolate Satin Frosting

makes about 3 cups

From "Joy of Cooking"

 

Break or cut into 2 pieces:

6 ounces unsweetened chocolate

Bring to a boil in a small saucepan:

1 cup evaporated milk or heavy cream

Remove from the heat and add the chocolate pieces, without stirring.  Cover and set aside for exactly 10 minutes.  Scrape into a food processor or blender and add:

1 1/2 cups sugar

6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

1 teaspoon vanilla

Process until the mixture is perfectly smooth, 1 minute or more.  Transfer to a bowl.  If necessary, set aside for a few minutes (longer if you have used cream), until thickened to the desired spreading consistency.  This keeps, refrigerated, for up to 1 week if made with cream, or about 3 weeks if made with evaporated milk.  Or freeze for up to 6 months.  Soften before using.

canned apple pie filling cake and caramel sauce

This recipe comes to me via a friend who was passed this recipe from her grandmother, Norene Timmerman.  I'm not sure if Norene Timmerman's recipe includes the canned apple pie filling cake or just the caramel sauce, but it is a treasured recipe for my friend.  She passed me the recipe along with a jar of her mother's homemade apple pie filling.  My friend's mother, Evelyn, was a food science and nutrition professor so I learned a thing or two from her about canning (like which steps in canning jelly are actually unnecessary).

canned applie pie filling cake

from Chloe and Evelyn

Beat together:

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

2/3 cup oil

1 cup sugar

Add:

2 cups flour

1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

Beat together.  Fold in:

1 jar apple pie filling including liquid

1/2 cup nuts

Pour into a 9x13-inch greased and floured pan.  Bake at 350F for 40 minutes.

Serve with caramel sauce.

 

caramel sauce

from Norene Timmerman

Combine and mix in small bowl:

1 tablespoon cornstarch

1/2 cup cold water

Measure into small saucepan:

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 tablespoon butter

Add cornstarch mixture to saucepan.  Stir over medium high heat until bubbly and thickened. Remove from heat.

Add:

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Spoon over cut pieces of cake.

caramel apples

You may remember this recipe because I've posted it twice here and here!  I guess I really love this recipe.  I've had trouble getting the caramel to the perfect consistency in the past but I used a candy thermometer this time to cook it up to 245F, stirred vigorously once I removed from the heat, and the result was magnificent.  Just perfect for coating those apples and just the right consistency for biting into.

Carnival Caramel Apples from Land'o'Lakes Treasury of Country Recipes

• 1/2 c butter
• 2 c firmly packed brown sugar
• 1 c light corn syrup
• dash salt
• 14-oz. can sweetened condensed milk
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 10-14 tart apples, washed, dried, room temperature
• 1 c chopped salted peanuts

1. In 2 qt saucepan melt butter.  Add brown sugar, corn syrup and salt.  Cook over med. heat, stirring occasionally until mixture comes to a full boil (10-12 min).  
2. Stir in sweetened condensed milk.  Continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until candy thermometer reaches 245F or small amount of mixture dropped into ice water forms a firm ball (20-25 min).  
3. Remove from heat; stir in vanilla.  (Stir briskly for 3 minutes.)
4. Dip apples in caramel mixture.  Dip end of apples in chopped peanuts; place on greased waxed paper. Refrigerate until firm (10 min).

To finish the apples, we melted plain old semi-sweet chocolate chips in a double boiler, then spooned the mixture into a ziploc bag with the corner cut off just barely.  We squeezed the melted chocolate all over the apples and after sticking them back in the fridge, enjoyed the fruits of our labor!

sour cream fudge cake

The Joy of Cooking is an amazing resource, I'll say it time and time again.  The depth that it discusses some topics never ceases to amaze me and cakes are one of those topics.  Apparently cakes are divided into a few basic categories: quick cakes, butter cakes, sponge cakes, angel cakes and chiffon cakes.  Surprisingly, chiffon cakes were invented in 1927 by a Hollywood insurance salesman who found the secret to a light and fluffy cake that keeps soft when refrigerated and tender even when frozen.  And apparently, the ground-breaking ingredient to the recipe was oil instead of shortening.  Sound familiar?  Twenty years later, he sold his recipe to General Mills.  His recipe changed the world so much that many people today predominantly make his cake in the form of a box mix.  Oh, the things I learn when I crack open this book!

This sour cream cake falls into the "quick cakes" category which is perfect when doing a cooking club with six year olds and you need to finish in an hour.  And it was delicious enough that not one box-mix-cake-aficionado complained.

One recipe was almost enough for 2 dozen cupcakes, I think I ended up with 23.  We made white icing for the cupcakes for easy decorating purposes.  It's a super quick icing too.  The girls made the cake and icing themselves with me at the helm of the KitchenAid mixer.

sour cream fudge cake

from The Joy of Cooking

8 servings

Preheat the oven to 350F.  Grease and flour two 8x8'inch pans of two 9x2-inch round pans or one 13x9-inch pan or line the bottom(s) with wax or parchment paper.

Melt in the top of a double boiler or in a microwave on medium just until melted and smooth:

3 ounces unsweetened chocolate, coarsely chopped (I used semi-sweet chocolate chips)

Sift together into a large bowl:

1 3/4 cups cake flour

1 1/2 cups sugar

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

Add and beat on high speed for exactly 2 minutes:

1 cup sour cream

6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, softened

Add the melted chocolate along with:

2 large eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/4 cup hot water or coffee

Beat for exactly 2 minutes.  Scrape the batter into the pan(s) and spread evenly.  Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 20-25 minutes in square or round pans, 25 to 30 minutes in a 13x9-inch pan. (I think it was 20 minutes for the cupcakes.)  Slide a thin knife around the cake to detach it from the pan(s).  Invert the cake and peel off the paper liner(s), if using.  Let cool right side up on the rack.  If desired, frost with:

Chocolate Satin Frosting, 1004

or serve plain, sprinkled with:

Powdered sugar

or accompany with:

Whipped cream

This is my baby below in the yellow apron.  I was so proud of her!  She did such a wonderful job decorating her cupcakes!

One of the mothers sent these adorable little boxes from Sur La Table for the cupcakes.

shortbread

This recipe is from the King Arthur Flour and I do not have any alterations for this recipe.  It is delicious as is, the almong and vanilla extracts combining to perfection. Using salted butter in this recipe eliminates the difficulty of distributing salt evenly in the butter.  And make sure to cut the wedges while warm.  They will crumble and break if you try it when they cool.

shortbread

from King Arthur Flour

hands-on time: 15 minutes

baking time: 35 minutes

total time: 50 minutes

yields: 2 dozen wedges

ingredients

• 1 cup (2 sticks) salted butter, at cool room temperature
• 1 cup confectioners' sugar
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon almond extract, optional, or the flavor of your choice; eggnog flavor makes a delicious holiday shortbread
• 2 cups King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour

directions

1. Preheat the oven to 300°F. Lightly grease two round 9" cake pans. If you worry about the shortbread possibly sticking in your particular pans, line them with parchment, and grease the parchment.
2. In a medium-sized bowl, beat together the butter, sugar, vanilla, and almond extract, then beat in the flour. The mixture may seem a little dry at first; keep beating till it comes together. If it absolutely won't come together, dribble in up to 1 tablespoon of water, until it does. This is a stiff dough.
3. Divide the dough in half, and press each half into one of the prepared pans, smoothing the surface with your fingers, or with a mini rolling pin.
4. Use a fork to prick the dough all over; this allows any steam to escape, and prevents the shortbread from bubbling as it bakes. Prick the dough in a random pattern, but it looks nicer pricked with some kind of symmetry.
5. Bake the shortbread until it's a light golden brown across the top surface, and a deeper golden brown around the edges, about 35 minutes.
6. Remove it from the oven, and immediately turn each shortbread round out onto a clean work surface.
7. Using a pizza wheel or sharp knife, cut each round into 12 wedges. (Do this while the shortbread is still warm; if you wait until it's cool, it won't cut easily.) Transfer the shortbread wedges to a rack to cool.
8. Serve as is, or decorate. Here are a few suggestions: drizzle with melted caramel; spread with melted chocolate, and sprinkle with nuts;  set aside two shortbread cookies, and spread the remainder of the cookies with a thick layer of jam or preserves. Crumble the reserved cookies, and sprinkle the crumbs lightly over the jam. 

strawberry buttercream frosting

I adapted this from the Wilton standard buttercream recipe and substituted the 2 Tbs of milk for 3 Tbs of concentrated strawberry puree.  I sacrificed some of the stiffness but it turns out perfect for spreading over a cake.  And while I do not strain out the strawberry seeds because I like the wholesomeness it imparts, straining them out would give the frosting a more polished look and feel.  This frosting is a huge improvement over the standard recipe in flavor, but it still it a little too sweet to fully complement the cake.

Strawberry Buttercream Icing

based on the Wilton recipe

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup solid vegetable shortening
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter or margarine softened
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 4 cups sifted confectioners' sugar (approximately 1 lb.)
• 3 tablespoons concentrated strawberry puree (from 1 cup whole strawberries)

Makes

About 3 cups of icing.

Instructions:

1. Place strawberries in food processor.  Blend until pureed.  Put puree in small pot and boil until mixture is thick and concentrated.
2. In large bowl, cream shortening and butter with electric mixer. Add vanilla. Gradually add sugar, one cup at a time, beating well on medium speed. Scrape sides and bottom of bowl often. When all sugar has been mixed in, icing will appear dry. Add 3 Tbs. puree and beat at medium speed until light and fluffy. Keep bowl covered with a damp cloth until ready to use.
3. For best results, keep icing bowl in refrigerator when not in use. Refrigerated in an airtight container, this icing can be stored 2 weeks. Rewhip before using.

buttercream frosting

This recipe is from Wilton and really turned out a nice frosting/icing for decorating.  It's not stiff like royal icing but it keeps a form well enough.  it's sweet and not pleasant to eat, but it's much easier than doing the 7-minute icings or the French buttercream/marshmallow icings.

Buttercream Icing

a Wilton recipe

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup solid vegetable shortening
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter or margarine softened
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, preferrably clear
• 4 cups sifted confectioners' sugar (approximately 1 lb.)
• 2 tablespoons milk

Makes

About 3 cups of icing.

Instructions:

1. In large bowl, cream shortening and butter with electric mixer. Add vanilla. Gradually add sugar, one cup at a time, beating well on medium speed. Scrape sides and bottom of bowl often. When all sugar has been mixed in, icing will appear dry. Add milk and beat at medium speed until light and fluffy. Keep bowl covered with a damp cloth until ready to use.
2. For best results, keep icing bowl in refrigerator when not in use. Refrigerated in an airtight container, this icing can be stored 2 weeks. Rewhip before using.
3. For thin (spreading) consistency icing, add 2 tablespoons light corn syrup, water or milk.
4. For Pure White Icing (stiff consistency), omit butter; substitute an additional 1/2 cup shortening for butter and add 1/2 teaspoon No-Color Butter Flavor. Add up to 4 tablespoons light corn syrup, water or milk to thin for icing cakes.