mix, mix…stir, stir

photo by David Peterman

The cake made exactly by the recipe is very moist, chocolaty and dense.  It gets a triple chocolate hit from cocoa powder, melted bittersweet chocolate, and semisweet chocolate bits as a mix-in.  The layers of chocolaty delight are wrapped with a blanket of icing that tastes like marshmallow cream. In Dorie’s version as shown on the cover of Baking: From My Home to Yours, the whole cake is then coated with crumbled cake bits to create a stunning, yet simple, finished look.

I decided to take the torch to my cake and turn the frosting into a toasted marshmallow. For an added bit of visual and flavor interest I pooled cinnamon infused chocolate sauce on top (recipe at the end of post). I left out the semisweet chocolate chip mix-in because I wanted a lighter cake, so the chocolate sauce added back the pure chocolate element, just in sauce form. It was nice to have the added spice flavor focused just in the sauce so it would reveal itself only every few bites, not throughout the cake.

The icing is an Italian meringue, also known as a boiled icing. I was especially thrilled about this icing because it uses four egg whites that I was able to pull from my freezer stash and avoid having four spare egg yolks to use. In the meringue world there are a number of different types that are distinguished by the technique used to make them and they each have an ideal application. Italian meringue is made by boiling sugar syrup and then slowly adding the hot syrup to the whipping egg whites. The hot sugar syrup cooks the whites setting the protein structure so it is a more stable meringue than other styles, making it a perfect choice for applications like this cake where the meringue will not be baked. It is also the method generally used for baked Alaska or to top a pie where the meringue is just lightly toasted for color, but not baked through.

French meringue is often used as the basis for a cake. Sugar is sprinkled into whipping egg whites and because the sugar is not hot syrup the eggs don’t get cooked, so it wouldn’t be safe to eat this meringue raw. Once baked, French meringue becomes crispy, light and delicate.  Japonaise meringue uses the same technique but with the addition of finely ground almonds folded into the whipped whites before baking. Noisette is another variation on this same technique featuring ground hazelnuts.

Swiss meringue is what I use as the basis for my butter cream. In this style of meringue the sugar and egg whites are heated together, which pasteurizes the whites, and then whipped until the mixture has cooled and gained volume.

A few tips for whipping egg whites:

• Make sure the whites don’t have any specks of yolk in them. The fat in the yolk will inhibit the whites from expanding when whipped.
• Make sure the bowl and beater are free from any grease or fat.
• Room temperature whites are usually said to whip up to a greater volume, but according to Harold McGee in On Food and Cooking: The Science and Lore of the Kitchen, cold egg whites will gain just as much volume and almost as quickly because the whipping action warms them up.
• A touch of cream of tartar or lemon juice will stabilize the foam structure to hold the volume built up from whipping, but salt will weaken the structure.
• Having trouble separating your eggs without breaking the yolk? One problem could be old eggs. Fresh eggs separate much easier and are more stable once whipped.
• Frozen whites, once thawed, whip up easily.
• Start beating egg whites on low, once the whites are foamy, increase the mixer to medium and continue to beat on medium speed until desired consistency is reached.

This cover recipe sold me the book when I first saw it and it was the first recipe I baked from the book. It must be so difficult to decide on a cover photo, but I think Dorie made the right choice with this cake. It is very representative of the recipes in the book; elegant, delicious and straight forward to make. Thank you to Stephanie of Confessions of a City Eater for finally selecting the cover recipe! She has the recipe posted on her blog.

Cinnamon Chocolate Sauce

This sauce is soft and spreadable when refrigerated, but pourable and drippy when warmed. It makes a nice topping over an iced cake, for ice cream, or can be used to make hot cocoa or mochas.  It is also great spread on graham crackers. The corn syrup adds a significant amount of sweetness, so I prefer to use a bittersweet chocolate, but if you like sweet chocolate sauces a semisweet chocolate might be a better choice.

Makes about 1 cup of chocolate sauce

2.5 oz.( by weight) cream
3.5 oz.( by weight) corn syrup
1 cinnamon stick
2.5 oz. bittersweet chocolate, chopped
1/8 tsp. ground cinnamon
pinch of salt

Place the chopped chocolate in a medium bowl and set aside.

Bring the cream, corn syrup and cinnamon stick to a boil in a small sauce pan. Remove from the heat, cover, and let the cinnamon infuse into the liquid for 20 minutes. Remove the cinnamon stick, and re-heat the mixture to just below a boil. Pour the hot liquid over the chopped chocolate and let it stand for 30 seconds before beginning to whisk the mixture together. Once the chocolate and cream are nicely combined add the ground cinnamon and pinch of salt and stir to combine. Taste the sauce and adjust the seasoning adding more cinnamon if desired.

Let the mixture cool at room temperature to the desired consistency if pouring on a cake. Store remaining sauce in the refrigerator and re-warm gently in the microwave to regain the liquid consistency.

I love learning a new technique and this week’s Tuesdays with Dorie recipe taught me that meringue can be poached, and it’s fantastic! Floating Islands are a classic French dessert that Dorie Greenspan describes as a childhood touchstone for people growing up in France. Growing up in the U.S., I identify with Rice Krispie treats and Toll House Cookies, but I am more than happy to embrace this elegantly simple, delicious, ethereal dessert.

photo by David Peterman

I have made many meringues; baked, toasted, blow torched, but never poached. The process is as simple as can be and creates a remarkably stable, moist, pillow of meringue. Once the meringue is whipped, dollops are dropped into simmering milk to poach for a minute or so on each side – amazing! The “island” floats on a pool of crème anglaise, which I chose to infuse with basil. I first came across the idea of using basil in sweet applications when flipping through Kate Zuckerman’s book, The Sweet Life: Desserts from Chanterelle. When I saw the recipe for basil ice cream, I bought the book without further scrutiny, figuring any book with basil ice cream must have all sorts of other interesting recipes, and it does. The combination of basil with cream and sugar is remarkably fresh, mildly herby, and delightful.

I thought a few poached banana rafts might be nice on my islands primarily because I have wanted to play around with poaching bananas for some time.  To add some textural variety I dusted them with sugar that I caramelized with a torch just before plating. Had I thought the complete dessert through before getting started, I probably would have chosen a different flavor infusion for the crème anglaise, but I didn’t hear any complaining once it was served.

After poaching the bananas with cinnamon and clove, I strained the poaching liquid and caramelized it to make spun sugar for a garnish. Though I have tried this numerous times, I have yet to master the technique. I suspect success hinges on getting the caramel to the perfect stringy temperature. I managed to get enough nice strands to garnish the desserts, but from the amount of caramel I had, I should have created mountains of spun sugar. My original vision was to gather the spun sugar into a nest to place on the island, but the strands cooled too quickly and just crumbled when I attempted to gather them up. Sugar sticks it is.

Both the poached meringue and poached bananas offer endless options for other applications and I must thank Shari of Whisk a Food Blog, for expanding my baking skills with her recipe selection for this week. The recipe for Floating Islands from Dorie Greenspan’s book, Baking: From My Home to Yours, is posted on Shari’s blog if you would like to give it a try. Steph of Whisk and a Spoon, made the clever observation that by poaching the meringues first, the poaching milk could be used to make the crème anglaise. I also had a desire to get double duty out of the poaching liquid, but hadn’t read her good advice in time, so I added a bit of vinegar and hoped to make ricotta cheese with the milk. No luck. Either the egg proteins foiled me, or maybe the vinegar I used wasn’t acidic enough. I tried.

Poached Bananas with Spice

1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup water
2-3 medium bananas, peeled and sliced about 1/2″ thick
1 cinnamon stick, about 3″ long
3 whole cloves

Additional sugar for caramelizing if desired

In a small sauce pan, mix the sugar, water and spices together over medium-low heat and stir until the sugar is dissolved. Bring the mixture to a boil and add the bananas, then reduce the heat to a simmer. Cook uncovered for 15-20 minutes until the bananas are soft. If not using the bananas right away they can remain in the poaching liquid.

Simply served in a small dish with a bit of the poaching liquid and a splash of coconut milk makes a nice dessert, or the bananas can be use to garnish other desserts.

To caramelize the bananas for a crunchy candy coating, place them on a wire cooling rack set over a baking sheet to drain. Sprinkle the banana slices with granulated sugar and either place them under a broiler or caramelize the sugar with a torch until it is a deep golden brown.

Surprise! There are kumquats in my cake rather than berries. This week’s Tuesdays with Dorie baking project gives the seasonal advantage to the bakers in the Southern hemisphere, so I decided to work with what is in season in my hemisphere.

photo by David Peterman

I made this cake by the book last summer for my sister’s birthday and it was spectacular. It tasted like a sophisticated, cloud-light, strawberry shortcake.  The berry surprise hides inside a Chambord syrup soaked génoise cake that has been hollowed out and filled with fresh berries nestled in a cream cheese and whipped cream filling. A lid of génoise covers the berry surprise and the whole cake is covered in a blanket of whipped cream. The cake, filling, and whipped cream frosting are sweetened with a light hand to let the sweet ripe flavor of the berries really stand out.

photo by David Peterman

I decided to use buttercream frosting rather than whipped cream this time, thinking the heavier and sweeter nature of buttercream would stand up better to the bold tangy nature of kumquats, plus it pipes better and I really enjoy piping decorations on cakes. To prepare the kumquats I cut them in half and cooked them at a low boil for about 15 minutes in the left-over white wine and long pepper poaching liquid I had saved from poaching pears two weeks ago. Because I wanted to candy the kumquats I added a cup of sugar to the 1 ½ cups of poaching liquid to ensure they would be sweet enough. Short of having left over poaching liquid, you could just use a water sugar syrup and maybe toss in a few spices like cinnamon stick, cloves, mace blades or cardamom pods for good measure. In place of the Chambord syrup used in the berry version, I painted the génoise with the left over syrup the kumquats cooked it.  After filling the cake with kumquats I then blended the remaining fruit with enough of the poaching syrup to make a thin glaze for the top and added honey to sweeten it a bit. I started with a pound of kumquats, but could have easily gotten by with half of that, as I had loads of glaze left over.

photo by David Peterman

 The hollowed out construction of the cake allows for nice big pieces of fruit to be used in the filling. If this were a traditional layer cake the large pieces of fruit would create a structural disaster. Simply slicing off about 1/3 of the top of the cake, then hollowing out the other piece is all it takes. I found a grapefruit knife to be really effective for removing the inner cake. The one potential hiccup is if the center of the cake sinks a bit after baking. My cake sunk a bit this time, but I was able to salvage the situation by still cutting 1/3 of the top off the cake, which gave me a cake ring rather than a solid top. I then cut the middle out of the bottom layer by running a knife around the cake center at a 45 degree angle. This allowed me to remove the middle section as one solid disk that I then matched up with the ring to create a solid top. The remaining cake trimmings can be layered into a ring mold with fillings to create an individual dessert. Lucky for David, I managed to not eat the extra cake trimmings, so he got a special version of this cake made with a chocolate ganache filling.

photo by David Peterman

photo by David Peterman

I did add a little flavor to my cake in the form of ¼ teaspoon lemon zest (that I happily had on hand in the freezer) and ¼ teaspoon of ground juniper. It turns out that ¼ teaspoon wasn’t enough to actually detect the juniper and juniper isn’t what the cake needed. This cake was really delicious, a perfect cake for anyone who loves orange marmalade, but it needed a warm background flavor. I couldn’t quite decide what it needed so I sprinkled different things on bite after bite; finally determining the missing ingredient to be mace. Ironically, when I started making the cake I was going to use mace and even had it measured out, but then got the idea to try juniper. I think there is potential for juniper in a cake, just not in this cake. I would like to thank Mary Ann of  Meet Me in the Kitchen for selecting a cake for us to make this week; I love making cakes! She has posted the recipe on her blog from Dorie Greenspan’s book, Baking: From My Home to Yours.

I will leave you with my standard buttercream recipe which is based on a Swiss meringue. It is light and creamy and not overly sweet.  I save spare egg whites in the freezer and they are perfect for using in buttercream.

Buttercream Frosting

1 cup egg whites (about 6 large)
16 oz. granulated sugar
1lb 4 oz unsalted butter, room temperature
1 ½ teaspoon vanilla
½ teaspoon sea salt

Combine egg whites and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer and place the bowl over a pan of simmering water. Whisk continuously and heat the mixture to 160 degrees F. Remove the bowl from the heat and set it in a larger bowl of cold tap water to cool it for 1-2 minutes, whisking continuously. The temperature should drop to 100-110 degrees F.

Transfer the bowl to the mixer and whip until the meringue forms stiff peaks and is cool to touch, about 75-80 degrees F.  Cut the butter into tablespoon-size pieces and begin adding them one at a time to the meringue. Let each piece whip in before adding the next. Once all the butter is in, add the vanilla and salt. Continue to whip until the buttercream is thick and fluffy. Often as the meringue transforms into the buttercream it can take on a curdled texture. Keep whipping and it will smooth out. If it remains curdled and broken heat the bowl gently over a pan of simmering water while stirring constantly. Remove it from the heat as it becomes smooth and before the butter melts. Adding cold ingredients to the meringue is the most likely reason for a buttercream to break, so be sure the butter is soft.

Buttercream can be stored at room temperature for a day, or in the refrigerator for a week. It also freezes well and should be defrosted in the refrigerator and then brought to room temperature before using. If a frosted cake has been refrigerated, let it come to room temperature before serving.

Other flavors I enjoy:  ½ teaspoon of vanilla with ½ teaspoon almond extract, or ¾ teaspoon almond extract and ½ teaspoon orange flower water, ½ teaspoon vanilla with ½ teaspoon rose water

This was the biggest surprise I ‘ve had in my Tuesdays with Dorie baking adventures. This cheesecake blew me away it was so good! Good cheesecake comes down to texture as far as I am concerned. I like creamy-smooth to the point that it almost feels light, which seem like an oxymoron given the cream cheese, sourcream and eggs involved in making cheesecake, but if the texture is right, it is like eating a delicious creamy cloud.

photo by David Peterman

I followed Dories advice to “mix like mad” for a “flawlessly smooth texture” and she did not lead me astray. I let my Kitchen Aid rip until the batter was thick and satiny-smooth. Baking in a water bath is also critical for nice texture, but carries the risk of a soggy crust from water leaking into the springform pan. I have a “no-leak” pan, but it leaks. After years of batteling soggy crusts, I bought a roll of extra-wide foil that I keep stashed away for this specific use. It is wide enough to wrap the outside of a springform pan without any seams. No seams, no leaking, so simple!

It may have been just the extra attention I gave to beating the batter so super-smooth that resulted in the exquisite texture, but the very gentle cooling cycle that Dorie suggests could also be a key factor. After baking, leave the cheesecake in the water bath with the oven turned off and the door propped open for an hour. Then remove it from the water bath and let it cool to room-temperature before refrigerating. This is not a baking project to start late in the evening, which I realized as I was reading the cooling instructions after putting my cheesecake in the oven at 9:00 p.m. I know the first thing to do is read the entire recipe before starting, but this is apparently one of those lessons I need to learn again and again.

A Cheesecake Factory’s menu is proof that you can take the flavor of cheesecake in any direction, but there is something to be said for plain. Well, plain with a warm Spiced Caramel Sauce. Though, I will admit to adding a little ginger powder to the graham cracker crust. It is Anne of AnneStrawberry who gets credit for the recipe selection this week. She has the recipe posted on her blog, but really you should own Baking: From My Home to Yours for the other 500 pages of recipes and baking advise from Dorie Greenspan.

Spiced Caramel Sauce

For the times when you have just shy of a cup of cream on hand

3/4 cup + 1/3 cup+ 1 tablespoon of granulated sugar
1/3 cup + 1 tablespoon water
3/4 cup heavy cream
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon allspice
2 cloves, ground (about 1/16 teaspoon)
pinch of salt

In a small dish combine the spices and salt and set aside.

In a medium pot over medium-low heat, melt the sugar in the water. Stirring initially, but stop stirring once the sugar is dissolved.  Increase the heat a bit and bring the syrup to a boil. Run a clean pastry brush that has been dipped in water around the side-walls of the pan just above the level of the syrup to wash down any sugar crystals. Repeat until the pan walls are clean. Boil the syrup until it begins to turn a dark golden-brown color. Don’t be afraid to let the caramel develop a nice dark color; a darker caramel has more flavor.

Once the syrup is at the desired color, remove the pan from the heat and carefully pour in the cream. The caramel will bubble up wildly and let off a fair amount of steam, so stand clear. Return the pan to a low heat and stir, with a clean spoon or spatula, until smooth. Then stir in the spices and salt. Serve warm.

I have always had chocolate chip cookie baking inferiority complex because they never seem to turn out to be what I desired a chocolate chip cookie to be. I decided to conquer the chocolate chip cookie and search out the recipe of my dreams. After making dozens of different recipes and not finding what I was looking for I began to take various elements from one recipe or another to create my ideal cookie. It is soft and chewy with a nice crisp outside edge. It is not overly thick, not overly sweet, and not overly large.

photo by David Peterman

One of my favorite elements is a light sprinkling of flake salt on the top, an idea I learned from Jacque Torres’ comments in the New York Times article on the quest for the perfect chocolate chip cookie recipe. Another key change for me was to use my favorite chocolate rather than chocolate chips. I like a 62% chocolate made by Guittard, but as long as you use a chocolate you love to eat, even chocolate chips, I bet you will be happy with the results.

A couple of factors that can affect the end result is temperature, creaming time, and measuring accuracy. Make sure the eggs aren’t cold and that the butter is right around 66 degrees F. Too cold and it won’t get light and fluffy, too warm and it won’t hold volume. Taking the time to add the sugar gradually builds volume in the batter as does allowing the mixer to run for a full minute between adding the eggs. Just for kicks, time yourself after adding the first egg yolk. You will be amazed at how long a minute is when you are standing over the mixer ready to add the next ingredient. Be patient, wash a dish, clean up the kitchen, let the mixer run. Accuracy in measuring the flour and portioning the dough is important as well. I work off a cup of flour weighing 5 ounces. If you have a scale, use that instead of a measuring cup.

It really doesn’t matter what size you make your cookies as long as they are all the same size so they bake evenly. The baking time will change with the size as well as if you have refrigerated the dough or not, so it is really best to set the timer on the shy side and then watch them to determine when they are done to your liking.

Chewy and Slightly Gooey Chocolate Chunk Cookies

Makes about 35 cookies

2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour (11.25 ounces)
½ tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda
8 ounces unsalted butter (2 sticks), at room temperature about 66˚F
1 cup brown sugar, packed
½ cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
1 egg yolk from a large egg
2 tsp. vanilla extract
½ tsp. water
10 ounces of semisweet chocolate, cut into chunks, or 1 ½ cups semisweet chocolate chips
Flake salt or sea salt for sprinkling

Adjust oven rack to the middle position and pre-heat oven to 375˚F. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper and set aside.

If the eggs are cold right from the refrigerator, place them in a bowl of warm tap water to take the chill off.

Measure the flour, salt, and baking soda into a medium bowl and whisk to combine then sift the ingredients together and set aside.

Using an electric mixer, cream the butter for a minute and then with the mixer continuing to run, begin adding the sugars a tablespoon or two at a time. Stop and scrape down the bowl at least once while adding the sugar and then again once it is all added. Let the sugar and butter cream for two minutes and then add the egg yolk and continue to cream for another minute. Add the egg and mix for another full minute to thoroughly combine. Measure the ½ teaspoon of water and two teaspoons of vanilla into a small dish and then drizzle it into the butter mixture with the mixer running. Continue to beat the ingredients for an additional minute.

With the mixer on low speed, add the dry ingredients and stop mixing just before all the flour is mixed in. Remove the bowl from the mixer and stir in the chocolate by hand which should finish incorporating the dry ingredients as well.

Drop large walnut-sized balls of dough (about 1.15 ounces each) onto the parchment lined sheet pan. Sprinkle each cookie lightly with flake or sea salt. Bake for 9-11 minutes watching for a nice golden brown color to develop around the edges of the cookies. The centers will look undercooked. Remove cookies from the oven and let them sit on the hot sheet pan for 2-3 minutes before removing them to a cooling rack. They are especially good the next day, it’s just hard to make them last that long.