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“Sugar is the most important thing in my life…”
Lemon Olive Oil cake with Lemon Syrup

what kind of freak crumbs the bottom of the cake?

I was listening to a radio guy make an analogy about cake and icing and athletes. During his rant he mentioned Lemon Olive Oil cake. I had never heard of this before and after he went on and on about, I decided it had to be made on a dreary Saturday morning.

No this does not taste like Olive Oil. Unfortunately it doesn't taste like lemon either. Acid / citrus is my favorite flavor profile and I was left disappointed here. I tried to make up for it with the Syrup and it bit me on the .


Taste aside, this is a great little cake that you could use to feature a seasonal topping you enjoy. I wouldn't even bother removing the lemon (it may have more to do with the chemistry than the flavor) because it is nowhere near dominant. The texture is top notch. A poor analogy is that it's a poundcake / angel food hybrid.

I altered the lemon syrup (mint? really? ) by leaving that out and using all lemon juice instead of the water. Yeah. It came out a little strong even for this fan. Put the extra lemon you squeeze in your tea and stick to the recipe. This recipe also calls for a spring form pan, but it fell out fine without undoing the clasp. Any pan should work here.

This is a nice and light cake that won't leave you in a coma if you over do it. I think it's worth a try, but in the repertoire of recipes I have it hovers around box cake.



Very thin top crust. Don't get your hopes up, it's not poundcake crust.




Won't be missed


What recipe do you have to share?




“Sugar is the most important thing in my life…”
Sea Salt Caramel Chip Chocolate Cookies


Anybody know anyone that likes cookies? Me neither .

In my often absent-minded adventures, I had bought these chips believing they were caramel and fit to stuff a Bugle with before coating it in chocolate. Today I got around to getting them out the door and decided to omit the chocolate. I have never been a fan of chocolate cookies, unless you count fudge rounds. Which probably originate from a clandestine laboratory in the Upside-Down due to the mystery that surrounds them and the fact they are as much a cookie as an Eggo .




Today's sesh was conducted with the help of gremlins. My main oven reached 350 long enough for me to load it, only to have it take its coffee break immediately after. I fired up the second oven and it took its sweet time, but eventually reached 350. I don't think the resulting cookies will win any ribbons at the fair based on their appearance.

The taste is another thing. These are blue ribbon all the way. A standard Nestle Tollhouse cookie has always been too much. Too much butter, too much chocolate, too much regret after eating more than 4. This cookie is right in line with a maybe a bit too much salt, but that is something I enjoy. The caramel chips are not so much caramel as they are a 2nd cousin twice removed to butterscotch.

All-in-all a solid recipe that I prefer to the Nestle Tollhouse chocolate chip recipe and is a definite keeper. I don't know where this lands with the cocoa powder, but I won't be trying it. I refrigerated my doughs, but these still spread significantly. I found my baking time (with an oven temped at 350 ) to be closer to 15 mins, instead of the 7-9 mins. the recipe suggests.






Keeper




“Sugar is the most important thing in my life…”
Coming this weekend - My innovative method on making clarified butter and the best Chocolate Cake everyone can make...and probably does.




no really. A chef from the ACF once told us that is why your grannie's food was always so good.
Mix in that love.




“Sugar is the most important thing in my life…”

This is one of, if not the best chocolate recipe you will ever need in your life. This in no way is meant as hyperbole. There are recipes that use higher quality ingredients, more involved processes and may turn out a better product. But it would only be an increase from 95% to 98%. This recipe is so simple, easy to execute and you probably won't have to go buy any of the ingredients.

Chocolate cake to me is about rich, sweet, decadence that satisfies the most dire of cocoa craving. No one said it better, even in light of current events.




The recipe is as simple as can be. Baked goods tend to do better the sooner they make it to the oven. With this is mind, the only issue you could have is not having your boiling water ready.


I have no explanation on why I am so fascinated by a dusted cake pan.
A true thing of beauty filed under "the simple things in life".


The boiling water is the secret. Enjoy putting your two pools of cocoa in the oven.

I'm not a fan of the clean toothpick. The cake will finish a little in the pan after removed from the oven.

You don't need a cake comb.


In the spirit of full disclosure, presentation could be better.
No beautiful cross-section due to the nature of the ravenous jackals that devoured the cake.



This will satisfy all of your Chocolate desires without consuming all of your time.



How to be a Hero






That's cool doubledenim!
I must try that chocolate cake recipe. Probably not this weekend, cause I'm making a pear cake, but maybe next weekend.
Never heard of the boiling water tip before.
__________________
Et Eärello Endorenna utúlien.
Sinome maruvan ar Hildinyar tenn' Ambar-metta
!



“Sugar is the most important thing in my life…”
Glad to hear it Elle. Let me know how it turns out!







I have made a caramel pear cake, as I said, it turned out to be easy and very good. So I thought, why not review it here? Here is the recipe. It's in french but I imagine you can google translate the whole page.

Review:
the caramel is essential, it makes for the taste. Don't skip it. Fresh pear is better than boxed pear, like anything fresh is better. However, you do want to buy the sweetest pear possible, and wait for 2 or 3 days for the pear to ripe in your kitchen. It doesn't matter if it becomes too ripe: not good for eating directly, but great for baking.

I have no photo this time, because I baked it at 6am, and the cake was devoured by my friends in 3 mins. So we'll have to go with Annie's photo.

Rating: 4/5



Looks like a ton of new recipes to try.... is this just for baking or is anyone interested in some southern style dishes like homemade chicken and dumplins, sausage gravy and biscuits, etc?



You can't win an argument just by being right!
Moving my post to the mouthgasm thread so you can keep this one for baked goods or ratings etc.



I have tried baking this one, and the cake is indeed soft, moist and easy to make. The boiling water did its trick. However, I'm not 100% satisfied with the taste. It lacks a little something, I don't know, maybe it doesn't have enough eggs or butter (I follow the recipe to the letter, except the cocoa powder is not Hershey's but Nestle's, but the lacking doesn't lay in the cocoa taste). I usually use lots more eggs, and always butter (much butter) for my baking.

Or maybe I'm just spoiled because of all the great local bakeries around me.



“Sugar is the most important thing in my life…”
You can always try experimenting with the frosting. I find the cake is essentially a medium for the frosting and is overpowered by it.



“Sugar is the most important thing in my life…”
Moravian Sugar Cake

Winston-Salem has a couple of different things that it can call its own. Texas Pete hot sauce, the soon to be defunct Krispy Kreme doughnut and Dewey’s.

Dewey’s is no different than any other premium bakery. They have cakes and pastry and a local delicacy they were founded on, the Moravian Sugar Cake. Moravians walked down here from Pennsylvania (seriously) and formed the settlement of Bethabara in what is now W-S.

They brought with them a coffee cake featuring glorious pools of butterbrownsugarcinamminy goodness. While Dewey’s won’t give you their recipe, here is one from the Winkler Bakery. The actual bakery in Old Salem, the historic site on what remains of Bethabara.



my attention to detail used 3/4 C the first time thanks to lack of a space.

Recipe

What you need:

preheat to 375 degrees

˝ cup warm water (110 degrees F)
2 packages active dry yeast

ľ cup brown sugar
1 t cinnamon

ľ C warm water (110 degrees)
˝ cup sugar
2 T dry milk powder
Ľ C dry instant mashed potato flakes
˝ t salt
˝ C melted and cooled butter
2 eggs
1 C flour
1 stick butter

Mix 2 minutes on medium speed or mix with wooden. Then add an additional 1 ľ C flour and mix until well blended.
Place dough in greased bowl, grease top of dough, cover and let rise until double. Approximately una hora. (I use the oven as a proofer by setting on 200 degrees with a pan of water. Turn off heat a few minutes before and place dough inside oven. Make sure the oven is off. I grease a piece of waxed paper to cover the bowl and lay a towel over the wax paper.

Punch dough and place in a greased, shallow pan 17” x 12” x 1” deep. Let rise 30 minutes. Spread dough evenly pan, butter top of dough with melted butter and sprinkle evenly with the brown sugar and cinnamon mixture.

Make shallow indentations with finger and dribble melted butter over top. Let rise 30 mins and bake 12 -15 minutes at 375 degrees.

Review

Growing up with a master baker in the house, store bought was never as good. I'm no master baker and store bought is better...for now. It was great and my people really raved about it, but it's not Dewey's.

Theirs



mine


stock footage of Winston-Salem roadways


make fo yo face!


2nd try pre-oven

2nd try post oven
I made mine in a parchment covered air pan. The oven was too cool and I ended up extending the time to get it brown. There is obviously a technique to the butter/sugar/cratering/ridge-making technique. Mind didn't look as great and the texture was close, but it didn't cost $7 either. With some work I know I can get the gleam and texture down, but this already came out around 90%.



Eat one piece and brush those teef!




I didn't realize this thread existed. Does anyone have a Thermomix? This (expensive) kitchen gadget is the best invention for the kitchen since the microwave for me. It cooks, bakes, weighs, chops, grinds, mills, blends, stirs, whisks, emulsifies, liquidises and steams. It can make cake batter, bread, soups, stews, steamed fish, mayonnaise, sauces....in fact, it does everything but iron shirts!

Since I bought one, I practically only cook with this as it has the added attraction that you can leave a soup to make or a sauce to blend and go off and have a shower and when you come back it will have shut itself off at the exact time. No more burning or overcooking food.

Check it out:

https://thermomix.com/one-kitchen-ap...-12-functions/

PS-I'm not a Thermomix agent - I seriously think this gadget is revolutionary and saves tons of time in the kitchen. I've heard that Jamie Oliver has one.



“Sugar is the most important thing in my life…”
Wow. I'm pm'ing you my address so you can send me yours to try out.

I love kitchen stuff. And stainless. Bright, glistening, streak, smudge-free stainless. And, oh shut-up you.






Over $1,000?? How much are limbs going for in the black market these days? I don't really need my left arm.


Better yet, I call dibs after DD.



You can't win an argument just by being right!
Over $1,000?? How much are limbs going for in the black market these days? I don't really need my left arm.


Better yet, I call dibs after DD.
There was a big recall here a while ago because they were exploding or something.



There was a big recall here a while ago because they were exploding or something.
Yikes.



“Sugar is the most important thing in my life…”
2 packages active dry yeast
I won't make anything with yeast. It terrifies me.
I have an heirloom sourdough starter I'll mail you that you can substitute.

...

After you send the machine.