Mmm this looks amazing! Toasted coconut and chocolate chunk roasted banana bread.
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@theselfraisingcook
Mmm this looks amazing! Toasted coconut and chocolate chunk roasted banana bread.
The frosting, looking pretty and the cakes, just out of the oven. No pics of the end result, because it was decidedly unattractive. It was a delicious, droopy mess.
Chocolate Cake with Vanilla Buttercream Frosting
So for Christmas my lovely fiance got me one of the best presents I've ever recieved- an electric mixer! Can you believe I've been doing all this baking by hand? I even broke a whisk at one point, I was straining so hard. Needless to say, the mixer was a godsend. To celebrate, I decided to do something big, something I've been scared to attempt- a cake. David also gave me two round 9 inch cake tins for Christmas, so obviously I got the hint. He wanted a cake. And a cake he shall receive.
I decided to make a simple chocolate cake with vanilla buttercream frosting, since it's one of my favorites from my childhood. After going through hundreds of recipes, I decided to combine two different ones, both from a great blog called Add a Pinch:
Ingredients for the Cake:
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups sugar
¾ cup cocoa
2 teaspoons baking powder
1½ teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon espresso powder
1 cup milk
½ cup vegetable oil
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup boiling water
Ingredients for the Frosting:
1 cup butter (2 sticks), softened
3 – 4 cups confectioner’s sugar, sifted
2 teaspoons vanilla
pinch salt
2-3 tablespoons milk, heavy cream, or half-and-half
Instructions for Cake:
Preheat oven to 350º F. Prepare two 9-inch cake pans by spraying with baking spray or buttering and lightly flouring.
Add flour, sugar, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, salt and espresso powder to a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer. Whisk through to combine or, using your paddle attachment, stir through flour mixture until combined well.
Add milk, vegetable oil, eggs, and vanilla to flour mixture and mix together on medium speed until well combined. Reduce speed and carefully add boiling water to the cake batter. Beat on high speed for about 1 minute to add air to the batter.
Distribute cake batter evenly between the two prepared cake pans. Bake for 30-35 minutes, until a toothpick or cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean.
Remove from the oven and allow to cool for about 10 minutes, remove from the pan and cool completely.
Instructions for Frosting:
Place softened butter into the bowl of a stand mixer that has been fitted with the paddle attachment. Turn the mixer on a medium setting and cream the butter until it is smooth and has lightened in color, about 3 minutes.
Add confectioner’s sugar, ½ a cup at a time. After each cup has been incorporated, turn the mixer onto the highest speed setting and for about 10 seconds to lighten the frosting.
Add vanilla and a pinch of salt and combine until well-incorporated.
Add milk, heavy cream or half-and-half until the frosting has reached the preferred consistency.
So once again I had most of the ingredients at home. I just had to buy the cocoa and the espresso powder. I was nervous about the electric mixer, afraid I'd end up covered in flour and sugar. In reality, it worked perfectly, whisking and combining all the ingredients effortlessly.
I had read in the comments that after putting the boiling water in the mixture it becomes quite wet and watery, and that that was normal. This reassured me. Unforuntely, this is also where I made my first colossal mistake.
I don't know if I was just distracted (I was already prepping for the frosting) or what, but instead of buttering AND lightly flouring the baking pans, I just sprinkled flour on them both and called it a day. HUGE MISTAKE.
Of course, I had no idea at the time. The cakes rose beautifully in the oven, and after 35 minutes they came out looking perfect. It was on to the frosting!
This proved quite easy. I had both sticks of butter sitting next to the heating pole in my apartment and they were nice and soft when it was time to cream them. I added 3 tablespoons of milk at the end, and I thought the consistency seemed fine, if a little wet. And most importantly- it tasted amazing.
After letting the cakes cool, I asked David to help me remove them from the pans. This proved problematic. They were stuck. I mean, completely glued to the pan. After using a knife and cutting around the edge the cake popped out. Half of the bottom was still stuck to the pan. I was so pissed!
After going through the same ordeal with the second one, I knew the cakes weren't going to look good. And they didn't. They were lopsided and a mess. I frosted them as best I could, but I didn't have enough to cover the damage.
The cakes (one of top of the other, with frosting in the middle) looked terrible. Lopsided, droopy and a mess. The frosting wasn't firm enough either. AND I hadn't made enough.
I was incredibly frustrated with myself. David reassured me it was fine, it was my first attempt, we all make mistakes, etc etc. He even cut himself a droopy piece and had a bite. His eyes lit up.
'You have to taste it, honey. The sponge is amazing!' I didn't believe him. It looked too shitty to taste good. Eventually, he made me have a bite.
And it actually WAS good! Really good, in fact. The sponge part of the cake tasted delicious, the cocoa and espresso powder creating a delectable mix. And the frosting was finger-licking good too! Hooray!
All in all, my first attempt at cake was definitely a learning experience. Biggest lesson: PREP THE PANS CORRECTLY. Butter them, put parchment paper down, flour them lightly. Do it right. It makes a HUGE difference. Also, maybe less milk in the frosting next time.
But at least it tastes amazing. And in the end, that's all that matters....right?!
Next up...a pie, perhaps?
The before and after shots of my roast chicken.
Lemon and Garlic Roast Chicken
So this year, for the first time ever, I made Christmas dinner! Since there were only three of us (David, my mom and myself) I decided I'd go ahead and make my first roast chicken for the occasion.
I chose the Barefoot Contessa's "Perfect Roast Chicken" recipe:
Ingredients:
1 (5 to 6 pound) roasting chicken Kosher salt Freshly ground black pepper 1 large bunch fresh thyme, plus 20 sprigs 1 lemon, halved 1 head garlic, cut in half crosswise 2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) butter, melted 1 large yellow onion, thickly sliced 4 carrots cut into 2-inch chunks 1 bulb of fennel, tops removed, and cut into wedges Olive oil Directions
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Remove the chicken giblets. Rinse the chicken inside and out. Remove any excess fat and leftover pin feathers and pat the outside dry. Liberally salt and pepper the inside of the chicken. Stuff the cavity with the bunch of thyme, both halves of lemon, and all the garlic. Brush the outside of the chicken with the butter and sprinkle again with salt and pepper. Tie the legs together with kitchen string and tuck the wing tips under the body of the chicken. Place the onions, carrots, and fennel in a roasting pan. Toss with salt, pepper, 20 sprigs of thyme, and olive oil. Spread around the bottom of the roasting pan and place the chicken on top. Roast the chicken for 1 1/2 hours, or until the juices run clear when you cut between a leg and thigh. Remove the chicken and vegetables to a platter and cover with aluminum foil for about 20 minutes. Slice the chicken onto a platter and serve it with the vegetables.
So I couldn't find a big enough bird at the grocery store and had to settle for a 4 1/2 pound specimen. I also swapped fennel for potatoes, because, well, potatoes are just better. After slicing and dicing all the veggies, it was time to face the chicken. I had to ask David what a giblet was, I also wasn't quite sure about these so-called pin feathers. Luckily, I didn't have to deal with either, since they'd both been removed.
After washing, patting dry and brushing the chicken with butter (along with plenty of salt and pepper), it was time to stuff the sucker. That's where things got complicated. I could hardly get half a lemon up there, let alone an entire head of garlic! With David's help I managed to cram it all in (lemon, garlic and thyme). We also didn't have any kitchen twine available, so that was out. Lucky for us, the chicken was small enough that it didn't seem to make a big difference either way.
With the addition of potatoes (on top of the carrots and onions) the platter was almost overflowing with vegetables when I stuck it in the oven.
After half an hour I gave it a turn, after another half an hour I checked if there was any juice to braise it with, alas, there was not. After another half an hour the bird looked golden, gorgeous, and ready to eat!
I was afraid the chicken would be too dry, but it turned out delicious! You could really taste the thyme and lemon. The potatoes, carrots and onions were all super yummy as well (if a bit stuck to the foil). We had cranberry sauce and a sliced baguette on the side.
All in all, my first attempt at roast chicken was a huge success. And I felt so proud afterwards. This was the first time Ive ever served my own mom a 'big' meal, and she was completely impressed!
Plus, we've got heaps of leftovers. Chicken sandwich, anyone?
Next up....it's cake time!
Peanut Butter Blossom Cookies
Peanut Butter Blossom Cookies
So this year, I decided to try my hand at peanut butter blossom cookies instead of making traditional Christmas ones. I love Hershey's kisses and my fiance loves peanut butter, so it seemed like a no brainer.
I found the recipe on bakerella.com, an awesome new site I recently discovered:
Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour 3/4 teaspoon baking soda 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/2 cup butter, slightly softened 1 cup peanut butter 1 cup sugar 1 egg 2 teaspoons vanilla Hershey’s Kisses
Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Sift flour, soda and salt with a wire whisk and set aside.
Beat butter and peanut butter
Add sugar and beat until fluffy.
Add egg and vanilla.
Add flour mixture and combine.
Roll dough into 1 to 1-1/2 inch balls and then roll the balls in sugar to coat.
Place rolled balls on parchment paper covered baking sheet and bake for 8-10 minutes.
Remove from the oven and press an unwrapped Hershey’s Kisses candy into the center of each cookie.
Transfer to a wire rack to cool.
I had all the ingredients already at home (ahh, the perks of being a part time baker!) All I needed were the Hershey's kisses. Of course I get to the store and they only have the extra large bag available, so now we have like, a hundred Kisses left over. *Que violins*
Anyway, everything went smoothly, and it smelled all peanut buttery and delicious in our apartment. I rolled the balls of dough, dipped them in sugar, and stuck them in the oven. I wasn't quite sure if they were 1- 1/2 inches, but they seemed big enough. Once I took them out of the oven and pressed the first Kisses into them, they seemed to crumble a bit, which made me nervous.
I kept the second batch in a bit longer, and I made the dough balls bigger. That did the trick. Although the dough was still a bit soft, and crumbled a bit, they fit the Kisses perfectly.
David, my fiance, absolutely loved them, and although I'm not as big of a fan of peanut butter as he is, I had to admit they were pretty damn tasty.
Peanut Butter Blossom Cookies: mission accomplished!
Perhaps some Christmas food next??
One week till Thanksgiving!! Can't wait to eat this :)
Pumpkin and Fried Sage Flatbread
Perfect Fall recipe!
My pumpkin bread, fresh out of the oven. Yummmy!
Pumpkin Bread
Yesterday my boyfriend David and I carved pumpkins together. He's British, so dressing up for Halloween and carving creepy Jack-O-Lanterns are a foreign concept to him, one which I've grown up with. I love creating new traditions as a couple, and yesterday we did just that. After we'd finished our creations, I decided to put all the seeds and stringy stuff to good use and make pumpkin bread.
I used this recipe from simplyrecipes.com:
Ingredients
1 1/2 cups (200g) flour
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1 cup (200g) sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
`1 cup (240ml) pumpkin puree
1/1 cup (120ml) olive oil
2 eggs, beaten
1/4 cup water
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon allspice
Method:
1 Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C). Sift together the flour, salt, sugar, and baking soda.
2 Mix the pumpkin, oil, eggs, 1/4 cup of water, and spices together, then combine with the dry ingredients, but do not mix too thoroughly. Stir in the nuts.
3 Pour into a well-buttered 9x5x3 inch loaf pan. Bake 50-60 minutes until a thin skewer poked in the very center of the loaf comes out clean. Turn out of the pan and let cool on a rack.
While we carved the pumpkins, we put all the gooey insides in a bowl. After sifting through and removing all the seeds, I put the pumpkin contents in the preheated oven for 30 minutes (using a lined baking sheet).
Meanwhile, I combined all the dry ingredients (flour, sugar, salt, baking soda) in a large bowl. After I took the pumpkin contents out of the oven, I mashed it up with a fork and let it cool for 10 minutes.
I then combined the pumpkin puree with the olive oil, eggs, water and various spices (David requested ginger spice, so I added that too). I made sure not to overly mix it. After sprinkling some sugar on top, I stuck the loaf in the oven and let it cook for about an hour.
The bread was delicious, but strangely, the predominant flavor wasn't pumpkin, but ginger! The recipe did say that store bought puree has a stronger pumpkin flavor, and that Halloween pumpkins are known for their durability, not taste. But I'm glad I didn't half ass it, and took the actual contents of the pumpkins to create the bread.
I'd say this was another success. Especially if you like gingery, cinnamony, sweet bread. I know I do :)
PS- Not to be outdone, David then roasted the pumpkin seeds, sprinkling them with salt, ginger and some olive oil. They are divine!
My blueberry muffins (and yes, that's sugar sprinkled on top). Yummy!
Blueberry Muffins
So after my scrumptious banana bread, I decided to give muffins a go. I've always loved blueberries (they're so good for you!) plus I don't eat enough breakfast to begin with, so I figured muffins would be a good item to have around the house.
I found this recipe from an awesome site I recently discovered, inspiredtaste.net:
Ingredients
1 1/2 cups (195 grams) all-purpose flour
3/4 cup (150 grams) sugar, plus 1 tablespoon for muffin tops
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/3 cup (79 ml) vegetable oil
1 large egg
1/3 – 1/2 cup (79 ml – 118 ml) reduced fat (2 %) milk
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup (170 grams or 6 ounces) fresh blueberries
Method
Heat oven to 400 degrees F. Then, line 8 standard-size muffin cups with paper liners. Add 1 to 2 tablespoons of water to the 4 empty muffin cups.
Combine flour, 3/4 cup of the sugar, baking powder and the salt in a large bowl with a whisk. Whisk at least 10 times to make sure the baking powder and salt have evenly dispersed.
Next, add vegetable oil to a measuring jug that holds at least 1 cup. Add the egg then fill the jug to the 1-cup line with milk (this should be 1/3 to a 1/2 cup of milk). Add vanilla extract and whisk until combined.
Add milk mixture to the bowl with flour and sugar then use a fork to combine. Do not over mix. Add blueberries and use a spatula or spoon to gently fold the blueberries into the muffin batter.
Bake blueberry muffins 15 to 20 minutes or until tops are no longer wet and a toothpick inserted into the middle of a muffin comes out with crumbs, not wet batter. Transfer muffins to a cooling rack and cool completely.
So when I read that I needed 6 ounces of blueberries, I really wasn't sure how many that was. I ended up buying four small containers (they were on sale!) but only ended up using one. The whole recipe was pretty simple, and I had most of the ingredients at home (all I needed was some white sugar and blueberries). I was careful not to over mix the batter and used a fork at the end as instructed. Once in the oven, the muffins began to rise fairly quickly. After 17 minutes I stuck a toothpick in one to check, but it came out as wet batter. Four minutes later I took them out and they were ready to serve.
The muffins were delicious! Each muffin had a large amount of blueberries inside and the sugar on top gave them a nice crunchy consistency. They were soft and gooey on the inside and I spread plenty of butter on them before tasting them. Mmmm... perfection!
Blueberry muffins: a resounding success! I know what I'll be eating for breakfast over the next few days...
My delicious banana bread cooling.
Banana Bread
So I know it's been quite some time since my last recipe post. It's not that I haven't been cooking, it's that I haven't been making anything new. I've made some chicken and past dishes (this one in particular has become a personal favorite of mine) some pasta and meat dishes, and most recently, my boyfriend and I made a delicious yellow thai curry. With no recipe necessary! Amazing.
Anyway, last weekend I decided to get back into my baking mode and when I found this banana bread recipe on allrecipes.com, I knew I had to make it:
INGREDIENTS:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter
3/4 cup brown sugar
2 eggs, beaten
2 1/3 cups mashed overripe bananas
DIRECTIONS:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease a 9x5 inch loaf pan.
2. In a large bowl, combine flour, baking soda and salt. In a separate bowl, cream together butter and brown sugar. Stir in eggs and mashed bananas until well blended. Stir banana mixture into flour mixture; stir just to moisten. Pour batter into prepared loaf pan.
3. Bake in preheated oven for 60 to 65 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into center of the loaf comes out clean. Let bread cool in pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack.
The best part about this recipe is that I basically had all the ingredients at home. All I needed to buy were the eggs and butter. This was probably the cheapest thing I've ever made. And SO easy too. I was careful not to mix the banana and flour mixture too aggressively, as the commenters said it can make it dry and dense. Once everything was ready, I popped that baby in the oven and waited. Immediately, my apartment began to smell amazing. After an hour I checked the bread (which had risen nicely!) with a toothpick as stated, and it was clean. I let it cool in the pan for a bit, and I have to say- it looked beautiful! I was seriously proud.
Finally, after letting the bread cool for a good 10-15 minutes, my boyfriend and I smeared some butter over a slice each, and had a bite. It was so moist and delicious! The only problem- I couldn't taste the banana as strongly as I would have liked. Another commenter on allrecipes.com noted that 5 large bananas yielded less than 2 cups and that ideally you should have 6 or 7 bananas available. I had five, and although they were large, it clearly wasn't enough.
Nevertheless, the banana bread was still deliciously moist and not too sweet and just all around lovely. I was incredibly pleased! And we had four days worth of leftovers. It was an all around great experience. Next up- muffins!
Mac & Cheese with Roast Chicken and Goat Cheese
Mmm looks like Fall :)