Chocolate Fudge Layer Cake with Vanilla Buttercream and Bittersweet Chocolate Ganache .

Chocolate Fudge Layer Cake with Vanilla Buttercream and Bittersweet Chocolate Ganache .

Cake dessert

September 25, 2017 Add Comment

 

Last week in my Bakery Merchandising class, my fellow students and I spent hours preparing for a sale in the culinary school's retail bakery. One of my duties included piping huge swirls of fluffy vanilla buttercream onto dozens of yellow cupcakes, chilling them until firm, then suspending them upside down, one by one, and dipping them into a deep bowl of warm chocolate ganache.

At first my task progressed smoothly, but then the big white swirls started plopping off as I lifted the cold cupcakes out of the chocolate. Cursing under my breath with each failed attempt, I nervously fished out big globs of buttercream--once, twice, three times. Speed was of the essence that day and, not wanting to gum up the works, I took immediate steps to remedy the problem. Soldiering on, I carefully refrosted some of the cupcakes, chilled them longer, rewarmed the ganache, and crossed my fingers. 

Meanwhile, directly across from me a much younger student, who told me she'd been working in a bakery since high school, was deftly enrobing iced layer cakes in ganache. I kept glancing over as she ladled the fluid chocolate atop each cake, letting it move languidly down the sides before picking up a small offset spatula to cover any bare spots. Her sense of calm bordered on the meditative, and her technique produced beautiful results.

It made me want to do the same thing at home. Damn the cupcakes, I said to myself, full speed ahead with a big round layer cake in my own kitchen.

Thus was the inspiration for today's cake. (A cake that would, I believe, make a sensational Valentine's Day dessert!)
About this recipe . . .

From the book Welcome to Junior's! Remembering Brooklyn with Recipes and Memories from its Favorite Restaurant, this fudge cake is moist and densely textured. The recipe actually produces three hefty layers, but they were each so tall and obviously substantive, I decided to save and freeze the third one. If I'd actually used all three layers the iced and coated cake would probably have been 10" tall. (If you need a truly lofty layer cake, go ahead and use all three.) The vanilla buttercream recipe is also adapted from Junior's. The decision to apply a luxurious dark-chocolate ganache over the whole thing was, as you know, quite my own. 

I bought this book last April in Junior's Restaurant (the one in Times Square) during a trip to NYC, and I have to admit I'm pretty fond of it (the book, yes, and also the restaurant!). My family and I visited Junior's twice while we were there, one night just for dessert (that famous cheesecake, of course), and again on our last morning in town before heading to the airport. We'd finished breakfast and were getting up to leave when it hit me that I could not exit Manhattan without my own copy, bright stacks of which were displayed near the entrance. Along with solid recipes, this volume offers an honest and deeply affectionate homage to Brooklyn--as it was decades ago, and as it is now. It's full of historical tidbits that are pretty engrossing for anyone who's interested in the evolution of a classic, family-owned, American restaurant. I began reading it at the airport, while awaiting our flight, and hardly put it down until our plane landed back in Detroit. I used one of Junior's cute paper coasters as my bookmark

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'CUP-PAKEN' - Miniature PIECAKENs with a delicious Chocolate and Cherry Combination

'CUP-PAKEN' - Miniature PIECAKENs with a delicious Chocolate and Cherry Combination

Cake cookie dessert

September 21, 2017 Add Comment

What's the cutest dessert you could make this year? A CUP-PAKEN - that's what! You may be asking yourself what on earth is a CUP-PAKEN? It is simply a mini version of a PIECAKEN, which is sometimes also called a 'pake' - so a CUP-PAKEN is a mini pie inside of a cupcake. 

So here is a recipe that will impress all of your friends and family. And stay tuned for more CUP-PAKEN recipes posted to this site in the future.

Recipe: Cherry Pie Inside of a Chocolate Cupcake
Topped with Dark Chocolate Ganache

Before You Start:

Make your ganache (see recipe below) one day in advance of making your cupcakes. Otherwise you might need a chocolate buttercream recipe or will have to wait a day to ice the cupcakes, but since cupcakes are only fresh for 2 days or so, it is best to make your ganache in advance.
You will need the following tools for this recipe: a regular 12-section cupcake pan for your cupcakes, and a mini 12-cup cupcake pan (or just use 12 sections of a 24-section mini cupcake pan) for your mini pies.

Mini Cherry Pies (Makes 12):
You need:
50 frozen or fresh (pitted) cherries
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 tbsp. corn starch
2 tsp cold water

Mini Cherry Pie Instructions:

Make the Perfect Pie Crust (find the recipe here).
Cut 12 round pieces of pie crust using a small bowl or round 1 cup measuring cup. Cut another 12 smaller round pieces for your top crust (using a 1/4 or 1/3 cup round measuring cup - or any round glass about 2-inches wide). Set aside the smaller pieces.
Grease and then sprinkle flour in each section of a mini cupcake pan. Also grease the top of the pan, since each mini-pie crust may hang over a bit.
Press the larger circles of pie crust into each mini cupcake container.
Bake at 350 degrees F for 10 minutes. They do not need to turn brown, they just need to be cooked a little bit just to firm the crusts.
In a medium mixing bowl, mix together the cherries, sugar, cinnamon and the cornstarch-water mixture.

With a small spoon, scoop 3 or 4 cherries from the mixture into each mini pie shell. Place your small rounds of pie crust on top of each cherry pie. Use a fork to poke holes in the top of the crust.
You can seal the top and bottom crusts together by brushing on an egg wash (1 egg yolk whisked with 2 tbsps. water, milk or cream) and brush the egg wash over the top of the crust also to crisp and brown the pies. Although this is not necessary if you are putting the pies into the cupcakes.
Bake in the oven for 25 to 30 minutes at 350 F (until they are sizzling and browning slightly on top).
Once cooked, place on a cooling rack and let cool for 1/2 hour and then pop out each mini pie onto the cooling rack.

While your mini pies are cooling, make your cupcake batter:

Chocolate Cupcakes:

You need:
1 cup of unbleached flour
1/3 cup of sifted cocoa powder
1 tsp baking soda
2 eggs
1/2 cup of granulated sugar
1/4 cup of canola oil
1/2 cup of sour cream

Cupcake Batter Instructions:
Place the dry ingredients in a mixing bowl and mix until all ingredients are dispersed.
Add the canola oil and mix again until the mixture is dampened.
Add the eggs and beat until the mixture is mixed and lump free.
Stir or briefly beat in the sour cream until combined.
Line your cupcake pan with 12 cupcake papers.
Assemble the CUP-PAKENs:

Place your batter in a pastry bag and cut a small hole in the end (or place it in a large freezer zipper bag and cut a small hole in one corner).
Place a small amount of batter into the bottom of each cupcake paper, just to cover the bottom with a layer of about 1/4" to 1/2" thick.
Pick up your mini pies and press each one into the cupcake batter.
Pour a little more cupcake batter onto the top of each mini pie and fill in around the edges, and then smooth out the top (see the photo on the right for a visual guide).
Bake at 350 degrees F for 15 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Do not over-bake.
Let cool completely on a cooling rack. This will take longer than regular cupcakes take to cool, since there is a small pie inside. Ice these once they are cooled and consume within 2 days or freeze in an airtight container until ready to eat.

Dark Chocolate Ganache Recipe:

You need:
1 cup of whipping cream
8 ounces of semi-sweet dark chocolate (chocolate with anywhere between 50% and 65% cocoa solids will do), chopped into 1/2 to 1 inch cubes.

Instructions:
Place your chocolate in a stainless steel or glass bowl.
Place your whipping cream in a small saucepan on the stovetop.
Bring the cream to a near-boil (not boiling) on medium-high heat.
Immediately pour the cream over the chocolate and stir with a wooden spoon until smooth.
Cover with an airtight lid or seal with plastic wrap and let rest on the counter overnight or for 8 hours.
Place in a piping bag to decorate your cupcakes. If it is too stiff, you can massage the bag with your hands until the ganache is soft enough to use. Alternately, you can whip this ganache with a hand mixer or stand mixer until fluff

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Mango Mousse Cake This is a killer dessert

Mango Mousse Cake This is a killer dessert

Cake dessert

June 11, 2017

This is a killer dessert. It's a little time consuming to prepare, but so worth it! I'm giving you the ingredients and a link to all of the recipe instructions: tatyanaseverydayfood.com/recipe-items/mango-mousse-cake. 

INGREDIENTS
Sponge Cake 
3 large eggs
1/3 cup sugar
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 cup flour
1/2 tsp. baking powder

Mango Mousse
2 cups heavy cream
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
12 ozs whipped cream cheese
2 large mangos peeled and chopped
1/2 cup sweetened condensed milk
Peach food coloring (optional)
1/4 cup water
2 packets unflavored gelatin
For Garnish
1/3 cup mango nectar or juice
3 oz package peach flavored Jello
Fresh fruit and berries

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A post shared by Dessert Videos with Recipes (@sweettoothvideos) on Jun 20, 2016 at 4:03pm PDT

Kwandong dessert

Kwandong dessert

dessert

June 03, 2017

Kwandong dessert - the fruit of the same-named Australian tree-like plant. It is a small (up to 2 cm in diameter) berry-drupe. Its external appearance is characterized by a pear-shaped form and a bright color of thin skin in a red, rarely yellow color. Culinary uses a juicy pulp with a pleasant aroma and intense sweet taste, simultaneously reminiscent of peaches, apricots and rhubarb.

Caloric value
In 100 gr. Kondong dessert contains about 80 kcal.

How to eat and cook
The dessert qqdong is suitable for fresh consumption. Moreover, in Australian aborigines, these fruits are considered a full-value replacement of meat. In cooking, dessert qddong is used, as a rule, for making jams, jams, sauces, chutney, as well as bakery products and bakery, where the fruit pulp is used as a filling. From the bones of these berries are extracted oil. In addition, they can be fried and salted.

How to choose
When choosing a dessert kvadonga, you should take into account the ripening period of these fruits, which falls at the end of spring - early summer. Since only ripe berries are used for food, it is necessary to pay attention to the color of the skin, when ripe it is colored in a bright red color.

Storage
In its fresh form, the dessert kandong very quickly deteriorates. Therefore, for long periods of storage, berries are usually dried or frozen. In this condition, they can be stored for up to 8 years, while the taste and flavor of the fruit remain almost at its original level.

Beneficial features
The high content of vitamin C in the pulp (more than citrus fruits) makes dessert qddong an excellent therapeutic and prophylactic drug against a number of diseases. In turn, the bone of these berries, rich in antioxidants, contributes to slowing the aging process, improves the condition of the skin, hair, and nails.

Restrictions on the use
Dessert quantum is not recommended for use with a tendency to allergic reactions, as well as when individual components are intolerant of the chemical composition of these berries.

5 of the strangest desserts in the world - it's interesting

5 of the strangest desserts in the world - it's interesting

dessert

June 02, 2017

1. Chendol in Malaysia

At first glance, a serving of Malaysian chendol is like a bowl of worm soup. Noodles, which look like worms, are colored with green food coloring, and the broth is a sweet and pleasant coconut milk. Probably you should not say what red beans look like in different variations of chendol, but believe me: they taste divine.

2. Jaleby in South Asia

If you do not have anything against desserts that look like worms - go to the countries of South Asia, for example to India or Pakistan, and try Jalebi, a dessert in the form of worms. Fortunately, jalebi is still made from a sweet, batterless, deep-fried dough, resulting in a dessert that has this form.

3. Avocado cream in Brazil

At the mention of avocado, namely - avocado in the form of mashed potatoes, you may think of guacamole - a wonderful Mexican snack, completely, however, not associated with desserts. Go south to Brazil. Here you can taste creme de abacate - an avocado cream of the type of guacamole, but able to please sweet tooth. Seasoned with condensed milk and lime juice and covered with nuts and coconut flakes, an avocado cream is the sweet cousin of guacamole, which he had never suspected.

4. Thai crickets in chocolate

If you have been to Thailand, you will not be surprised at the fact that one of the strange desserts we picked up comes from there. Of course, crickets in chocolate - not the most bizarre product in the Thai market, and certainly not the sweetest. And yet, with all the assortment of insect-based dishes in Southeast Asia (without taking into account the chandall, which looks only like worms), chocolate-covered crickets are perhaps the most acceptable option if the concept of acceptability is generally suitable for describing something So strange.

5. Italian spaghetti with chocolate and hazelnut

It's no secret that Italy is the birthplace of some of the most delicious desserts of the whole world, and in general this country is famous for its amazing food. Interestingly, the inclusion of Italy in our list is associated with a strange union of the two most famous export products: Nutella and Italian pasta (spaghetti). In general, al Janduyotti paste does not contain Nutella, but it contains chocolate and hazelnuts, the main ingredients of Nutella, which form a sweet sauce to the initially spicy, fine pasta. Next time, savoring Nutella, imagine a bowl of spaghetti.