Birthday Cake

Dear Kayla,

Thanks for finally updating. Took you long enough. It's not like you have school or anything like that taking up your time... (just kidding obviously, so glad you were able to post :) )

Dear Housemate Sydney,

Thanks for having a birthday so I could bake a cake.

So I'm living on capitol hill in a house with 11 other people (15 others if you include the basement apartment). With that many people, someone is bound to have a birthday during the semester we're all together. And since birthdays necessitate a cake, and having a baking blog necessitates ..baking... I baked Sydney's 22nd birthday cake for her birthday on Sunday.
I opted for smitten kitchen's "best birthday cake". With a name like that, how could I not!? And the chocolate sour cream frosting was very enticing. While I loathe sour cream (among other white creamy things..cottage cheese..whipped cream..), I love baking with it.

 It started with a simple yellow cake. 

 The layers actually turned out pretty fluffy and moist
(i have no problem with that word, hope you don't either)

considering I let them bake for 3 or 4 minutes too long
and used all-purpose flour instead of cake flour.

Had I checked the oven at the right time and used cake flour

i'm fairly certain these cakes would have been perfect..

All things said and done, it was a successful and yummy cake.

And all of the intoxicated party-goers thought so too

(not a hard crowd to please..)

I fully intend on baking this cake again.

I want to make it perfect.

The Best Birthday Cake from Smitten Kitchen

Yellow Cake (yields two 9-inch round cakes):

• 4 cups plus 2 tablespoons cake flour (again, I used AP flour)
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter, softened
• 2 cups sugar
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 4 large eggs, at room temperature
• 2 cups buttermilk, well-shaken

Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter two 9-inch round cake pans and line with circles of parchment paper, then butter parchment. (I used cooking spray and flour and it worked perfectly)

Sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl. In a large mixing bowl, beat butter and sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer at medium speed until pale and fluffy, then beat in vanilla. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating well and scraping down the bowl after each addition. At low speed, beat in buttermilk until just combined (mixture will look curdled). Add flour mixture in three batches, mixing until each addition is just incorporated.
Spread batter evenly in cake pan, then rap pan on counter several times to eliminate air bubbles. Bake until golden and a wooden pick inserted in center of cake comes out clean, 35 to 40 minutes. Cool in pan on a rack 10 minutes, then run a knife around edge of pan. Invert onto rack and discard parchment, then cool completely, about 1 hour.

Chocolate Sour Cream Frosting

• 15 ounces semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, chopped
• 1 1/4 teaspoons instant espresso (i used instant coffee. is there a difference? i don't care)
• 2 1/4 cups sour cream, at room temperature***
• 1/4 to 1/2 cup light corn syrup (1/4 C was plenty sweet..)
• 3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

Combine the chocolate and espresso powder, if using, in the top of a double-boiler or in a heatproof bowl over simmering water. Stir until the chocolate is melted. Remove from heat and let chocolate cool until tepid.

Whisk together the sour cream, 1/4 cup of the corn syrup and vanilla extract until combined. Add the tepid chocolate slowly and stir quickly until the mixture is uniform. Taste for sweetness, and if needed, add additional corn syrup in one tablespoon increments until desired level of sweetness is achieved.
Let cool in the refrigerator until the frosting is a spreadable consistency. This should not take more than 30 minutes. Should the frosting become too thick or stiff, just leave it out until it softens again.


***i did not read smitten kitchen's cooking note about having ROOM TEMPERATURE sour cream and encountered the same issue of the chocolate seizing a little bit. whoops! tasted a-ok though :)

Cheesecake + Chocolate + Kahlua = No words.

Sorry I've been distant. I promise I've been baking away (when time allows) but graduate school kind of messes with one's baking schedule. It's been a good semester, and baking has occurred a few times, I have just neglected to post about it. So to honor the 50% of you (okay so it was only 2 people) that voted for what dessert you want to see next, you shall get what you deserve: C-H-E-E-S-E-C-A-K-E!

Well, sorta. There are two things that I love more than cheesecake and they are A) chocolate and 2) Kahlua. Sorry I'm not sorry.  I cannot deny my obsession, nay, addiction, to all things chocolate. (I do add the "chocolate" to the "ginger and chocolate" after all). So why not make an indulgent cheesecake/chocolate/Kahlua brownie? That's what I thought.

I decided to make these for a mini-Denison reunion with fellow liqueur/dessert lovers: Michelle, Sarah, and Emily. These brownies are soooooo good. I made them once for a family brunch and they were gone in a flash...my cousin later admitted that she stole a few and hid them from the fam in the deep depths of the fridge. 

What I love even more about this recipe is it starts with a simple boxed brownie mix. Now, I'm all about 'from scratch' recipes, but I'm telling you, in my many years of baking, (okay, less than a decade) in the words of U2: I still haven't found what I'm looking for. I've tried dozens of from scratch brownie recipes and maintain that the best comes from a box. Now, a terrific way to hide this and save my street cred in baking blog world is to, as my mother says, "jazz is up!" Whether you decide to add chocolate fudge frosting (my Great Aunt Mary's is SUPERB..will post about later) or start with a basic boxed brownie and add Kahlua and cream cheese and chocolate chips (this post); you can do wonders AND save a lot of time.

Duncan Hines chewy fudge, gets 'em every time!

I also wanted to take this time to dedicate my post to Applesauce. Yes, applesauce. You can imagine my horror when I opened my parents cupboard and found that the vegetable oil had gone missing! (or somebody forgot to buy new vegetable oil but let's not point any fingers). Mid-stir, I went over to my friends at Google and found out applesauce is the perfect (AND healthier, hello saving a few diets!) alternative to vegetable oil. Use the same amount of applesauce that the recipe calls for to replace the oil. These brownies turned out exactly the same so I think I will be using applesauce from now on as my healthy excuse to indulge in brownies. Just sayin'

The mix right before the oven

Marbled Cream Cheese and Kahlua Brownies


Cheesecake Filling

·  1 package (8 oz) cream cheese, at room temperature

·  5 tablespoons butter, at room temperature

·  1/4 cup granulated sugar

·  1 large egg

·  1 tablespoon Kahlua (certainly you can substitute for another coffee liqueur but why would you?!)

Ingredients for the Brownies

·  1 package (19.8 ounces) brownie mix (I used classic Duncan Hines)

·  1/3 cup vegetable oil (OR healthy alternative: 1/3 cup applesauce)

·  1/4 cup Kahlua 

·  2 large eggs

·  1/2 cup miniature semisweet chocolate chips

Directions

1. Prepare the filling. Place the cream cheese, butter, sugar, egg and Kahlua in a large, mixing bowl and blend with an electric mixer on low speed until the mixture is smooth. Set the bowl aside.

2. Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 350F. Lightly mist the bottom of a 13- by 9-inch pan with vegetable oil spray. Set the pan aside.

3. Place the brownie mix, oil (or applesauce), Kahlua, and eggs in a large mixing bowl. Stir with a wooden spoon until all the ingredients are incorporated and the batter lightens in texture( approx 50 strokes).

Pour the batter into the prepared pan and spread it out evenly with a rubber spatula. Spread the cream cheese filling over the top of the batter, and using a dinner knife, swirl it into the batter to create a marbled effect. Scatter the chocolate chips evenly over the top. Place the pan in the oven.

4. Bake the brownies until they are lightly browned and the outer 2 inches form a crust, 27-30 minutes. (I baked for 28)

Adapted from the Cake Mix Doctor

While waiting for the brownies to bake I sipped on my favorite mixed drink:

1 part kahlua to 1 part club soda, mix and serve over ice. (delicious)

 

 

Final product! Warm cheesecake is never very good until cold

but I went ahead and ate a large square immediately, couldn't resist!

Had to add this one, too funny. Mix is almost identical to my parent's counter-top. 

I'm guessing one of the right tastes a lot better though..

Love and Chocolate, Kayla :)

More High Altitude Baking

Well I've had a few more (successful) baking adventures.  I took a few pictures, wrote down a few recipes, played some practical jokes with the results, and I thought I'd blog about them all in one post.  The first was a blueberry pie for the fourth of July..which was actually made and eaten on the third.. but that's beside the point. I got the crust recipe from use real butter, which is a blog that has been my go-to for baking recipes since the blogger lives in the rockies! 

As soon as I made the crust and put it in the fridge to chill, my replacement coffee maker arrived with this "Gizmo" ..

What happened was I bought a coffee maker off of craigs list when I first arrived in Boulder. However, when I was looking for an instruction manual online, I found that the model I bought was recalled..something about a fire hazard...BUT I could go through a process and end up with a new, non-threatening coffee maker PLUS   this Black and Decker 3 in 1 Gizmo beater wisker..thing. The new coffee maker is great. This new gizmo is alright, but since I don't have my kitchen aid mixer, I am THRILLED. Anyways, here's the rest of the blueberry pie pictures.  The filling had no real recipe, just frozen blueberries, sugar, cornstarch, and cinnamon.

Since it was the fourth..er..third of July, I couldn't just do a lattice or something plain and while it didn't turn out perfectly, I think I got the point across. I brought it over to Britt's place for a grill out where we had her delicious spinach and artichoke dip and red, white and blue layered drinks that (for the most part) ended up purple. yum. It was a great Third of July, especially considering the torrential downpour and thunderstorms on the Fourth.

In between the pie and these next brownies I made my own birthday cake (chocolate and banana bread cake with chocolate chips). I took it to work where it was eaten before I could take pictures. But more importantly, I recently finally succeeded in making brownies! And here's the one picture I took of these delicious, fudgy, rich brownies:

The Recipe (altered for high-altitude from My Baking Addiction's post of Pamela Anderson's recipe from "The Perfect Recipe")

2/3 cup whole-wheat flour

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp baking powder

2 oz. unsweetened chocolate

4 oz. semisweet chocolate

9 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 1/8 cup sugar

2 tsp vanilla

3 eggs

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees

2. Whisk flour, salt, and baking powder in a small bowl and set aside. Cover an 8-inch baking pan with aluminum foil and grease ( I used a random baking pan that was definitely not an 8-inch square but worked all the same). 

3. Melt chocolates and butter in a double boiler (or a pan over a pot of simmering water). Remove from heat; whisk in sugar and vanilla. Whisk in eggs, one at a time, fully incorporating each one before adding the next. Continue to whisk until mixture is completely smooth and glossy. Add dry ingredients, whisk until just incorporated.

4. Pour batter into prepared pan; bake until a toothpick comes out with wet crumbs (38-40 minutes).

5. Cool brownies in pan on a wire rack for five minutes. Pull brownies from the pan using the foil and let them completely cool on the wire rack (at least 3 hours, HAH!). 

The website says this makes 16 brownies. I'll trust that but since I made it in a different sized pan and never cut them in squares, I wouldn't know. 

Optional 6th step: after consuming half of the pan yourself before they ever come close to cooling, shape into "turds" and place on a friend's driveway. 

High Altitude Cappuccino Muffins

Greetings from Boulder, Colorado! At an elevation above 5000 ft, I considered baking a daunting task. My first baking attempt was boxed brownies and, though I followed the directions for high-altitude, there was something not quite right about them. So a combination of that failure and my lack of kitchen-aid mixer has kept me from baking/updating this blog. But after what seemed like a never-ending week at work and not being able to fall asleep last night, I decided to give baking another try (since it's a stress reliever, not because it puts me to sleep..).

I opted for muffins so I could bring them to co-workers in the morning to get us through another field trip friday. Also, after reading some information about high-altitude baking, muffins seemed to require the fewest amount of adjustments since they are more stable. Muffins ALSO don't require me to cream butter or whip egg whites. I don't have a kitchen-aid mixer or hand mixer and after Kundalini yoga, I also didn't have the arm strength..
So I made cappuccino muffins.. they gave my instant coffee a purpose other than providing me coffee while I wait for my coffee maker to be mailed to me. The cinnamon sugar topping was a plus too.
These pictures were taken by my iphone since I don't have a camera. I took a picture of the oven as soon as I started smelling the deliciousness of the muffins baking because I figured there must be an app for being able to smell pictures. Turns out there's not an app for that.
But the final product was tasty and successful even though it was baked at high altitude and in the wee hours of the morning. The recipe claims to make 15.. I think I ended up making 12 larger muffins. quality not quantity, right? size matters. I also left out the chocolate chips so that might have allowed for 15 substantial muffins.

Cappuccino Muffins

• INGREDIENTS:
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup sugar minus ~ 1 tbsp
• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar minus ~ 1 tbsp (removing some sugar was my only adjustment in the ingredients list)
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 2 teaspoons instant coffee granules
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 egg
• 1 cup milk
• 1/2 cup butter, melted
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 
  
• TOPPING:
• 6 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 cup cold butter

Directions

1. In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, sugars, baking powder, coffee granules, cinnamon and salt. Whisk the egg, milk, butter and vanilla; stir into dry ingredients just until moistened. At this point, fold in a cup of chocolate chips or whatever extras you may be adding. Fill greased muffin cups three-fourths full.
2. For topping, combine the flour, brown sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl. Cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Sprinkle over batter. Bake at 375 degrees F for 22-24 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean

* after removing them from the oven, I let them cool for about 2 minutes, moved them into a baking dish, and covered them with aluminum foil in an attempt to keep them from drying out while they sat for a few hours.. i think it worked.

Adapted from AllRecipes

Friendship in the form of Mandel Bread

Special guest for this post: our friend Lauren!

Brief history: Lauren and I became facebook official friends before our freshmen year then became real friends the first day of college. Since then, our friendship has grown stronger every year (aww). While visiting her in Chicago last week, Lauren suggested baking a family recipe.

So, what baked good does friendship call for you ask? M-A-N-D-E-L B-R-E-A-D. You can toss in just about anything you like. Ours reflects true friendship because Lauren threw in her beloved raisins (me = not a big fan) and I threw in my beloved chocolate chips (Lauren = not a big fan) but together they tasted TERRIFIC!!! (plus the happily agreed upon sliced almonds). Add anything you like, cherries, walnuts, reeses pieces...

Ingredients
1 to 1 1/2 cups slivered almonds
2 large eggs
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup raisins
1 tablespoon cinnamon

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a medium mixing bowl, beat eggs and 1/2 cup sugar in a mixer on high for 4 minutes, until the eggs are thickened and light in color. Beat in oil and vanilla.

Sift together flour and baking powder. Stir in the dry ingredients into the egg mix 1/2 cup at a time. Stir in almonds. Stir in raisins. Stir in chocolate chips.

In a separate bowl, add remaining 1/2 cup sugar and cinnamon.

The dough should be stiff enough to roll into a log between wet hands. If it is too sticky, refrigerate dough for up to a 1/2 hour.

Divide the dough in half. Wet your hands and form each half into a roll about 2 inches in diameter by 11 inches long. Place on an ungreased baking sheet. Sprinkle tops with cinnamon sugar mixture. Bake for 30 minutes until light brown. (logs will flatten somewhat during baking)

Remove baking sheet from oven. Raise temperature to 375 degrees.

While logs are still hot, carefully loosen with a metal spatula. Let cool on baking sheet for about 5 minutes. Then, using a sharp knife, cut each log into 1/2 inch slices and lay each slice flat on the baking sheet. Sprinkle cinnamon sugar mixture over slices.

Return the slices to the oven for 5 minutes. Turn over each slice, sprinkle cinnamon sugar mixture, then bake for another 5 minutes. The mandel bread should be lightly toasted on both sides.

When cool store at room temperature in a tightly closed container.

adapted from Aunt Jorie


*Note, after returning home I received the very sad news that Lauren's grandfather passed away. I had the pleasure of getting to know Papa my sophomore year when Lauren, our friend Laura, and myself stayed with Nana and Papa during spring break in Florida. We had a wonderful time with them and they kindly treated us like their own granddaughters. Papa loved mandel bread so I dedicate this post to him. Love you Papa!

-Kayla

Thanks to Chef Michelle I made Chocolate Toffee Bars! Yummers

Gooey toffee, melted chocolate, crunchy nuts, and sweetened condensed milk to hold it all together. The best word to describe these bars is: AMAZING! All made possible by first experiencing these delights in Michelle's kitchen. My friend Michelle is a superb cook/baker and everything in between. I first got to experience Michelle's baking when we met abroad in New Zealand (sigh).

My last two birthdays I was treated (pun intended) by Michelle's chocolate cake which is so @$#%&*$ good I couldn't even try to bake it and do it justice. Perhaps I'll talk her into being a special guest on our blog sometime soon... So here they are. Chocolate Chip Toffee Bars. I made these for my cousins' jewelry party. I didn't end up buying jewelry (sorry!) but I think this delicious dessert made up for it (sorry i'm not sorry!)


Ingredients:

• 2-1/3 cups all-purpose flour
• 2/3 cup packed light brown sugar
• 3/4 cup (1-1/2 sticks) butter or margarine
  
• 1 egg, slightly beaten
• 2 cups (12-oz. pkg.) semi-sweet chocolate chips, divided
• 1 cup coarsely chopped nuts (I used walnuts)
  
• 1 can (14 oz.) sweetened condensed milk (not evaporated milk)
• 1-1/3 cups (8 oz. pkg.) heath toffee bits, divided

My ingredients waiting for my mother to get home with more brown sugar!

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 350°F. Grease 13x9x2-inch baking pan.

2. Combine flour and brown sugar in large bowl. Cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add egg; mix well. Stir in 1-1/2 cups chocolate chips and all of nuts. Then set aside 1-1/2 cups mixture.

3. Press remaining crumb mixture onto bottom of prepared pan. Bake 10 minutes. Pour sweetened condensed milk evenly over hot crust; set aside 1/4 cup toffee bits. Sprinkle remaining toffee bits over sweetened condensed milk. Sprinkle reserved crumb mixture and remaining 1/2 cup chocolate chips over top.

4. Bake 25 to 30 minutes or until golden brown. (Mine were re.ady at 25 minutes) Top with reserved toffee bits. Cool completely in pan on wire rack. Cut into bars.

The Ulu knife. Terrific tool for choppin. Requires family trip to Alaska.

Sooo much toffee mmmmm

Bar mixture before baked


-Kayla

To Chocolate From Ginger With Love

Jessie's right. Her oatmeal raisin cookies get a HUGE approval from me. This is because I actually got to taste them. I walked to the family mailbox earlier today and found this beautiful package waiting for me:


Using a food blog to keep in touch is better than you think. Unlike other blogs, when food is involved, you just might get surprised with a delectable treat!!!


These oatmeal raisin cookies tasted better than ever because they traveled far and were made with a special ingredient: friendship. Isn't baking wonderful? Thanks Ginger, love you and your wonderful new mixer lots.