Christmas Poundcakes

Marble Cake with White-Chocolate Glaze

I asked my wonderful friend and fellow baker CG to pick which of the cakes she wanted as her Christmas gift. She chose this one. I had to cut a piece from the middle before giving it to her so I knew what it tasted like (And for the picture).  I shared the piece with my mom and we were so entranced by it that we did not even notice my 2 year old falling from the chair saying "Save me!". She was OK and the Cake was Amazing. I wish the recipe made 2! 

I was a bit concerned over how to achieve the "marble  effect".  I did not divide the batter evenly in thirds (Math is not my strong point) and I also overlooked the extra Tbsp of cocoa needed which made the chocolate batter runnier than expected. My "checkerboard" looked more like it flooded. I ran the knife through twice to create the now "muddy" swirls. 

It baked for 52 minutes

127 to Go!

(The last of the Simple Baked Goods)

Brown Sugar Pound Cakes

This was My Favorite!

Very light and fluffy. It had a Maple flavor to it that is perfect for the season. 

It baked for 52 minutes.

128 to Go!

Lemon Pound Cake with Apricot-Pineapple Glaze

I made all four types of Pound Cakes in one day (It was a Pound Cake Marathon). They are Christmas gifts for Friends and Family. I made the 8" by 4" for the kids and the mini loaves for the gift packages. This was the kids winner by far. I did not add poppy seeds (Not due to possible drug testing but don't really know if they are good for kids).  I did not add the pure lemon extract because Safeway was out and instead added 2 extra TBSP of lemon juice. The full loaf baked for 40 min and the minis for 32 min.  I did not let them cool in pans but turned them out to wire rack. 

  I used Apricot-Pineapple Jam for the glaze with water instead of Cognac (Don't really drink or buy liquor). I brushed the bottoms and sides first to let the cakes absorb more and after about 15 minutes turned them over to brush the tops.

Very moist!

129 to Go!

Classic Pound Cake

In the New Project (and under the economic circumstances) it's OK to use Costco eggs. I did not realize they were extra large until it was too late. I don't know how much of a difference it made.  They baked for about 40 minutes ( I made 6: 5'' by 3'' loaves). I love the simplicity of steps and ingredients in Pound Cakes. 

Overall, OK. Will try again someday with the right eggs.

130 to Go!

Kids Christmas Cookies

In the New Project, if the kids ask for Christmas cookies you don't say,  "Sorry, I already did them in the Handbook, You'll have to wait until next year". 

Pear-Spice Bundt Cake with Cream Cheese Glaze

I made this for the Girls Christmas Party. It was a lot of work with many steps. 

By now you know how much I dislike working with caramel. I know I need to breathe in peace with caramel, breathe out peace with caramel. It still hardened and I freaked out. luckily it melts with the covered pears.  I did not use Cardamon because Safeway was out  and in my NEW Project I don't stress out about it (Or drive all over the island looking for it).  I also did not go through the painstakingly long (2 hour) Optional process of making Pear chips. This is another pillar of the New Project, OPTIONAL means NO THANKS!

It baked for 50 minutes. 

The Girls LOVED It. They all took some home for their honeys to try. 

131 to Go!

Classic Crumb Cake

I made this for my dad's birthday. He loved it!

 It was so moist, buttery and crumbly. Great with coffee.

 It baked for 50 minutes. 

132 to go!

Cherry-Streusel Coffee Cake with Milk Glaze

Forgive me Bakers for I have "sinned". It has been almost 2 months since my last Blog.  My faith in this project had been wavering. Yes, I had doubts, serious doubts.  I realized that what had started as a fun way to learn to Bake had become more like Homework and it was causing me much unnecessary stress.  I was ready to thrown in my oven mittens when my wonderful BF suggested instead of quitting all together, to extend the project to "YEARS with Martha". The second he said it I knew it was the way to go. It was humbling for a perfectionist to admit I could not do it (Actually, I COULD do it but my my health, work and family would be in shambles at the end). I felt proud of my ability to deny my EGO and be realistic on my limitations of time and energy.  A quote from Author Nora Roberts really spoke to me " When  juggling as much as you are, remember that some balls are glass and some are rubber. You can't drop the glass balls". 

This was the first cake I made after my decision. My grandmother was visiting and I wanted to make her something special for breakfast. It was delicious.  It baked for 45 minutes.

133 to Go!

Baking with LOVE

When I was growing up I would hear family members ask my grandmother what her secret was for her delicious meals and she would always say " Lo Hice con mucho amor" (I made it with much LOVE).  When we would tell our mom how much we liked a dish she would also say "it's because I did it with LOVE".  I was recently watching "Good Eats" on the Food Network and the host was discussing how making a meal with "Love" could actually improve how it tastes.  He went on to talk about how small restaurants get to know their customers like family making the meals taste better. He mentioned how we loose the "Love" ingredient with fast food and restaurants.  I believe it could be the "process" of making a meal for a loved one where you take great care in every step.  As my BF said, you can take PRIDE in your work as a cook, chef, baker which will produce a high quality product. But you need to know and care about the people you are cooking for to add the magic ingredient of LOVE.  I believe in energy and know that your thoughts and intentions actually affect atoms in yourself, others and thus food.  Baking for me is the way I express to those I care about how much I love them. Baking is my LANGUAGE of love.  The energy and time it takes to bake is  giving of myself to tell you how much you mean to me.  I use only the best ingredients because I know it is for a loved one. Ideally we (I) should feel this way for all of humanity. I'm not there yet. This is why I have such a hard time when people ask me to bake for $.  How much do you charge for the Love and Care you put into each baked item.  The other day my mom said the Fig-walnut bread was so great she thought I should sell it at a farmer's market. She asked me how much I would charge per loaf. It was hard to imagine going through all that "work" for strangers. I said $100 for 2 loaves.  My dream has always been to open up my own Patisserie. I wonder how this year will impact that dream. Maybe My dream is to just bake for those I love. Maybe my Dream is to Love all whom I Bake for. 

Irish Soda Bread

Pretty easy to make and tastes great. It's like a massive raisin scone. The dough is very sticky and messy when forming into a "round, dome".  Cutting the middle was also sticky but a lot easier than cutting individual scones. It cooked for 1 hour 3min (Rotating at 35 min). My mom said it reminded her of "paneton". I'm not sure what that is (I'll google it later) but apparently she loved it as a child. It only lasts 2 days covered well in plastic (I had a piece on the third and the raisins were rancid). 

134 to Go!

Cornbread

Not so good. It tasted more like corn bread pudding. Too grainy. I learned my lesson to only use the exact stated ingredients. I used Pan white cornmeal instead of stone-ground yellow cornmeal.  I'll try it again someday the way it should be. 

135 to Go!

Fig (Black Mission)-Walnut Bread

I give it a 10! Amazing! 

Our house is leaking and we had to have a plumber come and find out what was going on. I was in the middle of making this bread when I had to move all of my belongings out of my room before they got ruined (I later had to blow dry my precious copy of "Le Cordon Bleu Dessert Techniques" while holding back the tears).  As I resumed the recipe I realized I had simmered ALL the figs (instead of 1 1/2 cup of the 3 cups) and kept it on the burner (supposed to remove it after water simmers and then add figs).  Now I had to puree the whole thing without any figs left to fold in at the end.  I divided the batter in two with 34 oz each and placed pans on baking sheet.  They baked for 60 minutes (Rotating at 30 min). 

Perfect! If you love figs you'll love this (My BFF called and said she gave it an 8. The following day she called and wanted to change her score to a 9). It has many steps but they are so worth it.

It definitely made my "rainy" day a little brighter.

136 to Go!

Pumpkin Bread

My BFF who LOVES Pumpkin gave this a 10.  I thought I had undercooked it but she thought it was "moist". The top began to darken so I panicked and took it out at 47 min (Cool in pan for 10) instead of the 55-60 stated. Each pan filled with 34oz of batter and then placed on baking sheet. I'm not a big fan of pumpkin (bread, pie etc).  I thought it was bland, nothing to get excited about. 

137 to Go!

Banana-Nut Bread

BEST BANANA-NUT Bread EVER! 

 I have been making Nigella Lawson's Walnut-Chocolate Banana Bread as Christmas presents for the past couple of years.  Not any more, (Family and Friends will welcome the change, nothing against Nigella, LOVE HER!). It is also fairly simple

to make. It uses a lot of oil (remember that when trying tell yourself it's OK to have another piece because it's "Healthy"). It also takes a lot of vanilla extract (2tbsp) so make sure you have enough before getting started (Use only the best-Madagascar).  Each loaf filled wit 32 OZ of batter (weighed it).   I placed the loaves on a baking sheet and baked them for 60 minutes (Rotating at 30 min). I made it before work so I only had 5 min to let them cool off in the pan before turning them out (Came out easily). By the time I got to work my mom called to say her and my 2 year old had eaten half a  loaf. 

138 to Go!

"Fennel" and Golden-Raisin Scones

I do not like fennel (Neither does anyone else in my family) so I omitted it from the recipe.  It would not have made a difference because I still did not care much for these.  The combination of butter and olive oil was very confusing in addition to the golden raisins (I did not chop the raisins which made them burst in your mouth with each bite and not in a good way).  The "Unique"  flavors did not work. I'll have to stop by Amy's Bread in NYC to taste the yeast bread that inspired these (or not). I froze the dough for two hours (I think scones taste better if frozen for 1-2 hours instead of overnight.  Back to waking up at 5am!).  

They baked for 35 minutes (10 more than recipe states) and I thought they tasted undercooked and BF thought they were dry.  

Done with Scones and ready for breads. 

139 to Go!

Chocolate Scones

Moist and chocolaty but not too sweet.

They are pretty easy to make except for trying to incorporate the dry crumbs until the dough comes "together" . I used Ghirardelli cocoa powder and Nestle semi sweet chocolate chips (on sale. Now that I know how great these are I'll splurge on better chips next time). I used a round 2 2/3'' cutter which made 10 instead of 6 scones (Yeah!!!). Then I wrapped them in plastic wrap (Have I mentioned how much I dislike plastic wrap? I'm ready to start using duck tape to secure it on the sides) and froze for one hour.

They baked for 29 minutes. 

Great with a cup of milk (Unless lactose intolerant then  with a cup of soy milk!) I had parents and friends fighting over these so make sure to make two batches to avoid problems.

140 to Go!

Oat and Dried Apricot Scones

Healthy and Yummy!

These are easy and fast to make.  The kids loved them for breakfast with Organic Wild Blueberry Conserves. Just be careful because they crumble easily. I baked them for 25 minutes (scones are hard to tell when ready) and were a bit dry. Next time I'll bake them for 23 minutes so they are moister.

141 to Go!

Lemon-Ginger Scones

Not lemony enough for me but an ingenious combination with the ginger.  It took about four lemons to make 1/2 cup of juice.  This time I prepared them at night and baked them in the morning. I am not sure (directions to not say) if I am supposed to let them come to room temperature before baking. I didn't.  They baked for 35 minutes.

A great snack for both kids and BF after a day playing at the pool. 

142 to Go!

Currant Scones

My Favorite of the following three Scones. Simple, Buttery and Flaky. I am not a huge fan of currants (or raisins) but these were surprisingly delicious.  

Cutting the dough  became an engineering project. The pieces came out odd shaped. I wanted to use round biscuit cutters but stayed true to the directions ( After this year I will!).  I don't like having to wait 2 hours for the dough to freeze so from now I'll make them at night and bake them in the morning (Sweet Dreams).  I could only wait an hour an a half. They baked for 29 minutes.

I used organic heavy cream which I think makes a big difference. Sanding sugar is slowly becoming a thorn in my side. I cannot find white sanding sugar anywhere. I am sometimes tempted to use the Halloween colors available now but know enough about psychology to know appearances affect taste.  

Yummy with Strawberry Jam.

143 to Go!

Popovers

My favorite restaurant is Mariposa at Neiman Marcus. They serve the most amazing Popovers with lilikoi butter. These were just as good! I am so excited to be able to make them whenever I want (Neiman still has my favorite tarts). I bought a popover pan at W & S but they only make it for 6 cups. I'll need to buy another so I can bake all 12 at once.  The recipe says to fill each cup with 5 Tbsp which takes forever. I measured it and you can use 1/4 cup plus 1 Tbsp (much faster). They do deflate fast so make sure to serve and eat them right away. 

They baked for 26 minutes (I loved watching them magically puff and "pop" over the tins!)

144 to Go!

Date-Bran Muffins

Healthy Yumminess but hideously hard to make. 

Have you ever chopped dates? It is not fun. Also made me realize I need to invest in  better knives.  I used Deglet Noor dates ($7 for 10 oz). The eggs do not blend in with the butter mixture. I actually realized I had creamed 2 sticks of butter instead of 1 and 1/2 and had the personal dilemma of going ahead or starting over. I was not going to waste those hard to chop expensive dates and my special trip to the health food store for wheat bran so I started over. I am ashamed to say that as an amateur, untrained baker, I did not know what to do with the brown sugar/butter mixture and threw it away. I am lost with out the Handbook! Reminds me of my boyfriend and his GPS. 

These will keep you more regular than Metamucil and go down easier.

145 to Go!

Cranberry-Zucchini Bread

Delicious! 

After tasting the amazing muffins,  I was energized to go and get the Vegetable oil for the bread. Very moist, "tart and sweet".

Baked for 50 minutes.

146 to Go!

Cranberry-Zucchini Muffins

Surprisingly Delicious! 

A great way to get the veggies into the kids. My 2 year old loved them but my 7 year old was harder to convince (She kept asking what the green stuff was).  I used Canola Oil (Too tired to go to Safeway and get Vegetable oil) and dried Ocean Spray cranberries (Could not find fresh or frozen ones) and thought they worked great.   It was actually really fun grating the zucchini (almost made me want to cook).  It is an easy recipe. I always find baking muffins very comforting and rewarding. 

I  plan on making these a new tradition for Thanksgiving and Christmas Holidays. 

They baked for 23 minutes.

147 to Go!

Spicy Cheese Biscuits

We don't eat spicy foods so I omitted the Smoked Paprika. My middle class Safeway does not carry Manchego cheese. They said they only carry it at the Diamond Head Safeway (AKA "Rich Safeway"). I used freshly grated Stella Parmesan instead.  After the last biscuits these were a breeze ( I dread rolling dough which is not good for a baker. These were dropped with an ice cream scooper. I also love working with cold ingredients right out of the fridge and not having to wait for them to come to room temperature. Maybe I should switch to the Ice Cream Handbook?)

Biscuits Realizations:  Biscuits are made to be eaten right out of the oven. Also,  after a while, all  biscuits start looking the same which made picture time a bit more challenging.  There is so much you can do with condiments and flowers. 

Cheesy, flaky, yummy!

148 to Go!

Cream Cheese and Chive Biscuits

You know how they say if your 1st child is "easy" be ready for your second to be "difficult".  Well, after the last easy biscuit came my "problem child".  The dough is very sticky and hard to cut. There was so much folding and refolding of the dough that I was beginning to feel like an employee at Gap. You have to refrigerate the delicate bundle between foldings so make sure you have plenty of time for these.  It was my first time ever buying chives. I actually really liked them. 

149 to Go!

Cornmeal Drop Biscuits

If you like corn bread you'll love these. They are delicious with butter and honey. The grainy corn made my 7 year old cough but otherwise they were a hit. They are very easy to make. I used a large ice cream scooper to shape  the dough  on baking sheet. 

They baked for 18 minutes and made 9 biscuits.

150 to Go!

Cheddar Biscuits

I've got biscuits coming out of my ears. Thank goodness my family loves them and will eat them all. I never realized how much flour a dozen biscuits take (4 cups!). I am ashamed to admit that my only experience with biscuits has been with those refrigerated Pillsbury ones that scare the ____ out of you when they POP open. These did remind me of the biscuits you get before dinner at Red Lobster (No my choice of "restaurant" but mom and dad love it.(( I must be adopted)).  They are cheesy, buttery and flaky. 

They baked for 23 minutes and made 17 biscuits.

151 to Go!

Buttermilk Biscuits

I definitely like Buttermilk biscuits better than the baking powder ones. They seem to be a lot moister. I am getting used to the loose bits and sticky dough of biscuit making. My kitchen Aide has gotten a well deserved break. The preparation is messy but fast. It's so much fun brushing the tops with cream (I'm No Michelangelo  and this is no Sistine chapel but at least I get to eat the final product).

I love Jam, Jellies and Preserves. I'll look for anything as a conduit. These were perfect with Apricot Preserves wand coffee on a rainy day (Yes, it rains in paradise).

153 to Go!

Strawberry Shortcake

Now we're talking. Even though I don't have a strawberry patch, I did not mind buying the high priced pint of Safeway strawberries. These were so delicious! The Biscuits are sweet and flaky. I was so proud of myself for making homemade fresh whipped cream for the first time in my life. The lemon and sugar mix on the strawberries made them sweet and tart at the same time. I loved laying them on the fluffy cloud of whipped cream.  A perfect Saturday morning breakfast (The girls loved them. Be aware of the high messiness factor but so worth it).

They baked for 18 minutes and made 15 biscuits. 

153 to Go!

Herb Baking Powder Biscuits

I only used Parsley since I don't have an herb garden and  would have spent over $15 to add Rosemary, Oregano and Thyme (Parsley is $.99 a bunch). Especially since I'm doing these savory treats because I have to, not because I want to. I had the attitude of let's get these over with and move on to the strawberry shortcake. 

They baked for 20 minutes and made 17 biscuits.

154 to Go!

Reflections on Cookies

This marks the end of  a chapter (literally ch 2 on cookies). It has been two and a half months since I started this project.  It has been a lot more challenging than  I expected and also a lot more rewarding. I am having to balance Mommy time, teacher time, boyfriend time, baking time and resting time (I have not seen my friends in ages but they are being very understanding and supportive of the blog, Thanks!).  The main difference I feel at this point is my confidence and willingness to try any recipe under almost any circumstances. The perfectionist in me has had to take a back seat to the Project Manager. It has taught me that practice makes perfect and not having to be perfectly prepared. I am a lot easier on myself and if the recipe doesn't come out I chuck it as a learning lesson (As long as I get the picture which I've discovered to be another passion of mine). I love making recipes I would have never thought of trying and discovering how much I enjoy them. I am getting to know my loved one's favorites (Great birthday and Christmas gifts).  I was trying to make a top ten list when it began feeling like a Miss Cookie Contest. I don't believe in competition and will therefore just move on to the next (1st) chapter:

Simple Baked Goods

Macaroons filled with Chocolate Ganache

DELICIOUS!

(Wanted to end on a good note)

Seville Olive-Oil Wafers

I was dreading making these. Olive oil is not my favorite ingredient when making cookies. They are a lot of work because you can only bake 4 at a time (2 on each baking sheet). The dough makes 18 so do the math.  I tried putting more at a time and it was a disaster. They actually taste light and sweet. They are not the prettiest cookie I've made but not the worst tasting either.  I don't really care because I am still floating on a cloud from making those beautiful macaroons. 

155 to Go!

I DID IT!

I am in Macaroon Heaven.  I have not had the courage to try these after the crater disasters overs 2 months ago. I have been meticulously studying and preparing for this moment. This is my favorite cookie and wanted to be able to make them for my Birthday Tea Party in 2 weeks. I had decided to devote the rest of the month to the art of macaroons. Today was the first day. I ground the blanched almonds as fine as I could, weighed all the ingredients in my pink scale, left the egg whites out overnight, and folded the mixture for exactly 50 strokes. I let the "babies" rest for the specified hour (Got some laundry done) and anxiously baked them for 10 minutes. I did not have high expectations and was determined to do them as many times as it took. I was overwhelmed with joy as I peeked into the oven and saw their perfectly smooth tops. I did it! I can make macaroons.

 

I would like to thank Helen from Dessert magazine and www.tartelette.blogspot.com for all of her help. I could not have done this without her. I would also like to thank my mom and dad for all of their love and support. I would like to thank my boyfriend for always believing in me. I would like to thank my daughters for their unconditional love. Lastly, I would like to thank the universe for aligning the starts for me today.

Happy Birthday to me!!!!