Pistachio Cake

[Insert nutty joke here.]
I just don't have an appropriate joke to start off this post with. Then again, there's no reason as to why I have to lighten the mood with laughter. Pistachio cake is very serious business. But if you want to know what is funny, it's that I can't trim cakes. Did I plan on making tiny little cakelettes? No. I wanted to make a loaf-sized cake glazed in chocolate and cut into pieces like a pound cake. It turns out that cutting three identical straight edged layers was beyond my talent. So I kept trimming and trimming until what became tiny towers of cake.

Pistachio Cake
(Makes enough to fill one loaf pan and a 8 x 8 square pan)

3/4 cups of shelled pistachio nuts
1 1/3 cup of granulated sugar
2 cups of all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon of baking powder
1/2 teaspoon of salt
2 sticks of unsalted butter
1/2 cup of milk
2 teaspoons of vanilla extract
5 eggs

1. Preheat the oven to 350F and spread the shelled pistachio nuts on a baking pan. Toast in the oven for 7-9 minutes. When finished, let it cool completely.
2. Line the bottom of your cake pans with parchment paper.
3. Using food processor or blender with a chopping blade, grind the toasted pistachio until it becomes a flour.
4. In a mixing bowl, combine the pistachio flour, all-purpose flour, baking powder, and salt. Give it a good whisk, about 30 seconds.
5. Add in the milk, vanilla extract, and eggs. Mix until combined and the batter is nice and smooth.
6. Divide the batter into your parchment-lined baking pans and bake for about 30-40 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean from the center.
7. Peel off the parchment paper and allow the cakes to cool on wire racks.

When you're ready to assemble the cake (cakes in my case), trim them to size. Spread raspberry jam (or strawberry jam, but the tartness of the raspberry is just fantastic here) on the top of the cake. Sandwich the jam with another cake layer.

Using a double boiler, make chocolate ganache (chocolate chips and heavy cream) to glaze the cakes. A spatula helps spread the chocolate over the edges. This part gets a little messy. Don't worry if they don't look perfect. I'm not sure who would resist a chocolate covered pistachio cake.

Chop up some pistachios and crumble on top as decoration.

Let the glaze cool and set.

Or just eat it. Why wait? It makes a lovely breakfast, healthy in my opinion! The cake itself isn't too sweet (hence the chocolate) and the raspberry jam really brightens up the flavours.

Disclaimer: We received product samples from Diamond of California. The shelled pistachios are new to their line and we also received chopped walnuts and chopped pecans. There was no requirement to produce a positive review of their products. All opinions are our own.

Martha Stewart's Cakes

Remember the books that started it all? Martha Stewart's Cookies, Martha Stewart's Cupcakes, and Martha Stewart's Pies & Tarts. Well guess what? There's now Martha Stewart's Cakes, a collection of loaves, bundts and tube cakes, coffee cakes, single layer cakes, cheesecakes, icebox cakes, and layer cakes.

My colleagues at work wanted to celebrate the release of this new book and asked Barb from Two Enjoy Cake and I to bake a little something for the office. So armed with advance copies of the book (swoon!), we did some baking on the weekend.

I ended up choosing the Vanilla Layer Cake (page 283) because I've already tried the One Bowl Chocolate Cake (twice), a variation of the Chiffon Cake, and a variation of the Pineapple Upside-Down Cake. So let's start with the basics!

Vanilla Layer Cake
Recipe from Martha Stewart's Cakes
(Makes a 3-layer six-inch cake, or a 2-layer eight-inch cake)

1 stick unsalted butter, softened
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
3 large eggs, room temperature
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon fine salt
1 cup whole milk
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1. Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Line your cake plans with parchment paper.
2. Using a stand mixer on medium speed, beat the butter and sugar until combined, about 1 to 2 minutes.
3. Add in the eggs and beat until it's well incorporated, it'll look smooth and fluffy.
4. Add in the flour, baking powder, and salt. Beat until combined.
5. Add milk and vanilla extract and mix until smooth.
6. Divide the batter evenly between the prepared pans. I like to smooth out the top of the batters but create a little well or dip in the middle because the cake will rise higher there.
7. Bake for 35 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean.
8. Cool for 15 minutes and turn cakes out on a wire rack to cool completely.

See the little dome? This is normal! Don't fret, as you can level the tops.

I don't like leveling. But it has to be done! Slice the tops off carefully and trim off any excess to make sure each layer is even. Next, the recipe calls for a creamy vanilla frosting.

Creamy Vanilla Frosting
Recipe from Martha Stewart's Cakes
(Makes about 3 3/4 cups)

1 stick unsalted butter, softened
4 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
5 cups confectioner's sugar
1/4 cup whole milk
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1. Using a stand mixer, beat the butter and cream cheese on medium-high speed for about a minute until it's creamy.
2. Reduce the speed and add in the confectioner's sugar, 1 cup at a time, beating well after each addition.
3. Slowly add in the milk and vanilla extract. Beat until smooth for about two minutes.

I like to pipe my fillings on to create an even layer, but you can always spoon it on and flatten it with a spatula.

Cover the top and sides with a light coat of frosting. Place the cake in the fridge for 15-30 minutes. This helps seal in all the crumbs. Later, warm up the leftover frosting by giving it a good mix and then plop it on top of the cake. Use a spatula to evenly cover the cake.

This step was extra and isn't in the book, but I couldn't help myself. I love vanilla and chocolate combinations. I mixed up a quick chocolate ganache (semi-sweet chocolate + milk) and glazed it over the cake. This is also known as Sylvia-can't-create-smooth-frosting-sides-and-needs-to-hide-it.

One more shot. There's no such thing as too many chocolate-dripping photos.

You know your office loves cake when there are cake stands available (I didn't have to bring one in). I also made a little bunting out of wooden skewers, string, and printed Avery labels for our friends at Crave. Barb, who makes fabulous treats on Two Enjoy Cake, made Martha Stewart's Double-Chocolate Cake (page 296).

After the obligatory photos (see the behind-the-scene photo here), the team dug into Barb's cake.

Camera phones are a staple for blogging. We had to take photos of the interior!

Here's mine! Those chocolate crispy pearls don't stay still. Next time I'll have to gently nudge them into the ganache.

GIVEAWAY
Thank you for reading all the way to the end here! To reward you, we're giving away three copies of Martha Stewart's Cakes here!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

• The giveaway contest is open from Tuesday, September 24, 2013 until Sunday, October 6, 2013. Entries submitted after 12 midnight EST on Sunday, October 6, 2013 will not be considered.
• To enter, leave a comment below telling me which flavour your prefer: vanilla or chocolate?
• Three winners will be randomly chosen and announced here on A Baked Creation. 
• This contest is available to residents of Canada and the U.S.A.

UPDATE: Congratulations to Stephanie, Monica H, and another Steph! You will each be receiving a copy of Martha Stewart's Cakes.

Disclaimer: I was given a copy of Martha Stewart's Cakes by a colleague at work. The three giveaway copies are also sponsored by Random House of Canada Limited.

Harley Birthday Cupcakes

Logos. Probably the enemy of most decorators. Especially if you don't have a handy printer that shoots out edible sheets that you can apply on top of fondant.

I was given the challenge of doing a Harley-Davidson theme for a birthday party yesterday. Nuh-huh. Not doing it. The logo is way too intricate for small cupcake toppers. But I found a way to simplify it and wanted to share this neat trick with you.

For most things that people request to top their cupcakes and cakes with, there aren't cookie-cutters available for sale. Or if you are able to purchase the shapes you need, is it worth investing in that one specific shape? What do you do then? You improvise with the cutters you already have!

For the Harley-Davidson logos, I used a medium heart-shaped cutter, a small T-shaped cutter, a modeling stick, and tiny letters for impressions.

First, roll your fondant out and neatly cut out the heart shape.

Here's the important trick. If you don't have a cutter for what you need, look to the outside edges of the cutters you already have. As you can see, step two is to trim off the top of the heart with the outer edge of the cutter.

Do the same for the other side for the third step. See how it's starting to look like a shield?

Steps four and five, use the round outer edge of the letter T. Cut out two small dips at the top of the logo.

Time to go sideways. We need another little dip underneath.

Normally I might use more cutters to help, but I found that I was able to trim the fondant with just the T.

Last dip in the logo! When you're done, you can always use a straight edge or modeling stick to clean up the sides.

Finally, impress the letters into the surface! Couldn't use all three colours on one topper? Break it out into three!

And now for some heavenly chocolate photos. The birthday girl is very fond of chocolate.

I glazed the chocolate cupcakes with chocolate ganache.

Then topped it off with a chocolate butter cream swirl. Could have taken it even further with chocolate sprinkles or a drizzle of chocolate. But the fondant toppers would be sitting on top.

Unwrapping the cupcake liner . . .

Thought I would cut it in half to see the three chocolate layers. Yummy!

Happy birthday Donna! Ride on!

Macarons

What are we supposed to do with all these egg whites?! Since we only needed egg yolks for the chocolate crème, we had some leftover ingredients. The next logical step was to buy almond flour and attempt making macarons!

This was our first macaron-making experience. It was one of our most asked question throughout the years: Have you made macarons? The answer was always no, we were a little bit nervous and scared to! We had heard about horror stories and read about the high failure rates. Macarons are fickle. You have to be precise. Any one thing could go wrong and upset a macaron. If you're confused about the name, please note that macaroons are sweet, chewy coconut mounds.

We did do some research first. Let's start off with some background information from Dorie Greenspan's Paris Sweets: Great Desserts from the City's Best Pastry Shops:

"The French macaron is a light, elegant confection, a sandwich cookie.... The cookie part of a French macaron is slightly domed, with a whisper-thin top crust that is as fragile as an eggshell and an interior that is a cross between meringue and the world's lightest cake. The base of the cookie is a bumpy little circlet referred to as 'the foot,' and it, along with the thin, smooth top crust, is a signature of a well-made macaron. Classic macarons are made with a base of ground almonds and whipped egg whites and, depending on the flavor, sandwiched with buttercream, ganache, curd, or thick preserves."

We found it amusing to note that she writes how "real French macarons are hard to find in America and difficult to make at home." Oh, how times have changed! (The book was published in 2002!)

Then, we spent the night re-reading Macarons: Authentic French Cookie Recipes from the Macaron Cafe. (Thank you to my Secret Santa last year for surprising me with this book and click here to see our trip to the shop in NYC.) It seemed pretty straight forward. It looked doable. By golly we were going to do this!

The ingredient list didn't look too daunting, all we needed were:

French Meringue Macarons
Recipe from Macarons
(Makes about 50-60 shells for 25-30 filled macarons)

2 3/4 cups of almond flour
2 3/4 cups of powdered sugar
1 cup of egg whites (from 7-8 eggs)
A pinch of salt
3/4 cups of granulated sugar.
Gel paste food colouring is optional - we didn't use any!

So, the book tells us that the first step in making successful macarons is to age your egg whites. Yes, we know, this sounds odd, but we followed these strict instructions! So separate your egg whites 2-3 days before baking. Store them in the refrigerator - covered. Two hours before you start making your macarons, take the egg whites out of the refrigerator, uncover them, and let them come to room temperature. That's not too difficult! Just keep this in mind during your planning stage. One cannot make macarons on a whim - the very thought of this makes us kind of sad.

The next key step. Sift! If you want to, blend the almond flour and powered sugar in a food processor to make an even finer powder. The finer, the smoother your macaron shells well be. We sifted half of our almond flours, this took forever. Just look at the size of the almond flour before (third photo in this post) and after it is sifted (second photo in this post). At one point, we did grind it down, but then gave up and tossed it with the powdered sugar. Yup, this is where it could have gone down hill. But it didn't and we learned a valuable lesson. Lumpy shells means no sifting occurred! So take the time and sift if if you want smooth macarons. Set this aside.

Using the whisk attachment on your stand mixer, beat the egg whites with the salt. Start slow and then increase the speed as the whites start to foam. Add the granulated sugar and food colouring (if using).

Beat until the egg whites form stiff peaks. You can use this waiting time to line your baking sheets with parchment paper or a silicone mat. Test the egg whites by taking the whisk attachment off and scoop out some of the meringue. See that curved tip there? If you rotate it, the tip is still firm and shiny, it doesn't droop to the other side! That's when you know you're ready.

Fold the egg whites into your almond flour mixture. Use a rubber spatula (do NOT use your mixer) and be careful not to deflate the egg whites all at once. Fold and mix until you don't see any dry spots or crumbs. This part is called macaronner - the action of mixing all the macaron ingredients! The mixture should be shiny and have a consistency of Greek yogurt. Try to keep the number of folds under 45-50. Someone had told us that we should only do 4 folds - impossible! (And see? Scary stories about macaron making, no wonder we never attempted it.)

Fill your pastry bag with a large-round tip and fill it with the macaron batter. Squeeze small amounts onto your parchment paper to form 2 1/2 inch circles. You can also make them slightly smaller or larger, it's up to you! Just be consistent so you have pairs with the same size. And leave at least 1 inch of space between the piped macarons.

Our macarons still had peaks on top from piping. If this happens, that means the batter could have been mixed a little bit more. But no fear, dab your fingers with water and gently press the peaks down. The water prevents the macaron from sticking to your finger and causing more peaks! One more step, tap the baking sheet on the tabletop to eliminate any air bubbles.

Now, preheat the oven to 300°F (325°F for non-convection oven, the cookbook recommends using a convection oven because of the even distribution of heat. Score!!) and let the macarons rest. Yup. Go wash the dishes or read a book. The batter needs to sit for 15 to 30 minutes. Apparently this ensures that your macarons will have feet!

After 15 to 30 minutes, bake the macarons for 14 minutes. After the first 5 minutes, open the oven door for 10 seconds to let out excess steam.

LOOK!! Our macarons have "feet" or "pied." Just like Dorie Greenspan's description of a macaron above!

We made a chocolate and peanut butter ganache for our filling. Melted a total of 7 ounces of semisweet chocolate chips and REESE'S Minis over a double boiler. Then mixed in 1 1/3 cup of heavy cream. Once this was all combined, we removed it from the heat and stirred in 2 tablespoons of unsalted butter.

Smooth, glossy chocolate. Let this cool completely before using it to fill. Refrigerate if you need to. If you find the consistency too runny, add 1/4 to 1 cup of icing sugar. The ganache should be thick enough to spread or pipe.

When everything has cooled, pipe or dollop the filling onto a macaron shell.

Then, with another shell, gently squeeze to sandwich the filling between the macaron! Try not to have the filling spill out. Keep it nice and tidy.

Oh the joys! The macarons turned out so well! Not perfect - we'll need to be more patient with the sifting next time - but texture and flavour wise, they were amazing! We hit almost everything in Dorie Greenspan's description. Slightly domed with thin top crust that is fragile? Check. An interior that was like the world's lightest cake? Check. Bumpy little feet around the base? YES!

Both our parents liked the macarons and requested more. Howard's parents received them enthusiastically and asked for another batch to take to a dinner party. My parents were content with stealing the shells to snack on, but also asked for a batch to bring to the community centre where they exercise with their friends. Oh and our colleagues, we brought the extras to work and they were highly praised (unless people were being polite).

We were left with a lot of chocolate ganache, the recipe makes too much, so try and half it if you want to use it. Next time, we're going to play with flavours! Maybe green tea? Lemon? Or a simple jam filling for my parents. We're just ecstatic that these turned out - why were we so worried in the first place? Needless to say, we highly recommend reading Macarons for all the tips and recipes!

Short & Sweet Cupcakes

Short & Sweet Cupcakes

1945 Avenue Road

Toronto, ON M5M 4A2

Tel: (416) 519-6633

After hearing about Short & Sweet Cupcakes, I told Howard that I wanted to check it out. The shop is right on Avenue Road, visible by the hot pink signs and chairs.

Inside, the shop is nice and bright, we can see the full cupcake trays and friendly staff working on grabbing cupcakes for the steady stream of families that came in.

The window display - looks like it's a back-to-school theme!

All the cupcakes are behind a glass pane, seated on trays or cake stands, and they're clearly labeled!

There's the gigantic menu hanging on the wall. Luckily for us, all the flavours are available on Saturday.

We picked the Lemon Drop Cupcake, a lemon cupcake with raspberry buttercream. The cupcake is dense, but the texture was fine - it just depends if you prefer light airy cakes over the pound cake versions. The frosting is piled on a garnished with a lemon candy. The cupcake didn't reach a strong citrus or tart flavours that I love in lemon and raspberry, but was still enjoyable.

Our second choice was their seasonal cupcake for August - the Banana Split. This was a banana cupcake with a chocolate ganache filling, topped with vanilla buttercream, chocolate drizzle and sprinkles. The chocolate ganache was delicious, but that frosting to cake ratio was too high for us. You can see the two levels of buttercream swirls piled on top of the cupcake. It just made the cupcake really, really sweet for us, and over powered the banana flavour.

It's not in our neighbourhood, but while we were there for the short period of time, lots of families came in to buy cupcakes. There was one funny conversation that we overheard between a mother and daughter:

"Mom, can we buy the bottle of sprinkles so that I can eat them all?"

"Err... maybe next time."

"Oh I can't wait! I'm going to eat all the sprinkles."

You might have noticed that there were two mini cupcakes in our first photo. The owners were kind enough to offer samples to the children and seeing us with our cupcakes, gave each of us one too. That mini chocolate cupcake was yummy, we simply can't resist fudge-like buttercream!