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.

Fresh cranberries are showing up at the market, so it is the perfect time to share my cranberry sauce recipe with you. Freshly made cranberry sauce is such a world away from the canned version. Granted it won’t have the lovely can shape and can ridge texture on the sides, but the taste of freshly made cranberry sauce easily outweighs the nostalgia of cranberry sauce shaped like a can. If you have never made cranberry sauce, you need to know it is a snap to make. I have been making versions of this recipe for my entire adult life. Over the years it has evolved into what is now my favorite version.

photo by David Peterman

Warm exotic spice flavors play between the sweet and tart flavors of this sauce. It is perfect for the Thanksgiving table, but I enjoy this cranberry sauce on turkey sandwiches all year long.

Spiced Cranberry Sauce

Makes about 3 cups

16 oz. fresh or frozen whole cranberries
¾ cup water
½ cup red wine vinegar or raspberry vinegar
1 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar
2 cups sugar
zest of one medium orange
2 star anise, whole
1 ½ tsp. cinnamon, ground
½ tsp. clove, ground
½ tsp. allspice, ground
½ tsp. cardamom, ground
1” piece of fresh ginger, juiced in garlic press

Clean and de-stem cranberries. In a medium saucepan combine cranberries, vinegars, water, sugar, orange zest, and star anise pods. Cook over medium heat until cranberries begin to pop. Stir and mash the berries with the back of a spoon.

Add the spices and the ginger juice. Cook at a medium-low boil for 8 minutes, stirring occasionally.
If you prefer less pulp, press a quarter to half of the sauce through a sieve to strain. Taste the sauce and adjust spices as desired*. Once the sauce cools it will thicken.

It keeps well for a few months in the refrigerator. If you like to can, preserve this sauce following proper canning proceedures. Leave ¼ inch headspace and process in a water bath for 10 minutes, if using half-pint jars or smaller. If you pack in larger jars, or live at an altitude above 1000 feet, refer to a trusted canning resource to adjust the processing time.

* Spice Note: I use whole spices and grind them as I need them. Once I made the switch to buying whole spices I dialed back the amount of spice in the recipe because freshly ground spices are so much more powerful. If you are using pre-ground spices and feel like the flavors aren’t as prominent as you would like, add a bit more of each to suit your taste.

This week’s Tuesday’s With Dorie activity of baking Pumpkin Muffins led to a pancake and cranberry maple syrup creation all because the grocery store only had large cans of pumpkin. Leftovers generate such creativity!

photo by David Peterman

Muffins first. Dorie’s recipe for pumpkin muffins in Baking: From My Home to Yours, is very good. As usual, my taste preferences drove me to fiddle with it a bit. I substituted half the all-purpose flour with whole wheat pastry flour, which is a very finely ground flour made from soft wheat that has a low protein level and thus has less gluten forming ability, which results in tender baked goods. Whole wheat pastry flour is a great way to add a touch of whole wheat goodness while avoiding the heavy dense texture that can result with some whole wheat baked goods.

Protein content in flour
Low protein flour is sold as pastry flour or cake flour and is a good choice when baking goods where tenderness is the goal, for example, biscuits, muffins, cakes, and pie crusts. Often a combination of all-purpose flour and pastry flour works nicely. On the other end of the spectrum is bread flour which is high in protein and great for forming the strong gluten bonds necessary for bread to rise and hold its shape. The tricky element is the protein content of flour ranges depending on where the wheat is grown. In the southern region of the U.S, all-purpose flour has much lower protein content than flour in other parts of the country. National brands of all-purpose flour have a protein content of 11-12, but all-purpose flour in the South, such as White Lily brand, has a protein content of only 8-9. Pastry flour generally has a protein level of 8-9 with cake flour at 7-8.  Whole wheat pastry flour has a protein content of 9 vs. anywhere from 11-15 for whole wheat flour. Just for reference, bread flour is in the 12-13 range. So if a recipe works great at home, but bombs when making the same recipe while visiting a different part of the country, it could be the flour, not you!

Ref: McGee, Harold. On Food and Cooking. New York, Scribner, 2004.
Corriher, Shirley. CookWise. New York, HarperCollins, 1997.
Wing, Daniel and Alan Scott. The Bread Builders Hearth Loaves and Masonry Ovens. White River Jct., VT, Chelsea Green, 1999.

I added half a cup of fresh cranberries because I had them on hand, and cranberries with pumpkin, well, you just can’t go wrong. Dorie suggests topping the muffins with sunflower seeds, but I stayed true to the pumpkin theme and when with pumpkin seeds (pepitas) then gilded the lily with a sprinkling of ginger sugar to add a nice crunch to the top. I increased the amount of salt to 1/2 tsp. from 1/4, which just didn’t seem like enough for the volume of batter and all the other spices. There were many comments in the group that the 400 degree F oven temperature was too hot; I choose to bake at 350 degrees F with a convection fan, and my muffins baked beautifully in about 22 minutes.

Overall, I love the results. They are flavorful, tender, and most importantly, not greasy. The cranberries add a nice tart zing and great color. A big thank you to Kelly of Sounding My Barbaric Gulp for selecting a recipe to get us all in the mood for fall and one that inspired some great pancake improvisation – read on…

photo by David Peterman

Pumpkin Pancakes with Cranberry Maple Syrup

These deliciously dressed up pancakes are the result of leftover pumpkin after making pumpkin muffins. The Cranberry Maple Syrup walks the line between a beautiful jam and syrup, with the whole cranberries offering textural interest and the perfect tartness to play against the sweet maple syrup. The pecans in the pancakes blend seamlessly with the syrup, like a perfect match. This would be a very festive start to Thanksgiving or Christmas day. Leftover pancakes freeze well and reheat nicely in the toaster for a quick mid-week breakfast. 

Makes about 10 six-inch pancakes.

Cranberry Maple Syrup
1 cup whole cranberries, fresh or frozen
1 cup maple syrup
1 Tbsp. dark rum or bourbon
zest of one orange
2 star anise pods, or a cinnamon stick

Combine all the ingredients in a small saucepan over medium heat. Once the cranberries begin to pop, cook at a low boil for 5 minutes stirring and mashing the berries occasionally. Remove from heat and set aside. When ready to serve, remove the star anise pods or cinnamon stick and re-warm if necessary.

Pumpkin Pancakes
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. sea salt
3 Tbsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. ginger powder
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1/4 tsp. clove
1/2 cup pecans, toasted and chopped

2 cups buttermilk
3 eggs
3/4 cup pumpkin puree
2 Tbsp. unsalted butter, melted

Preheat griddle to 375 degrees F.

In a medium bowl combine the flours, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, spices, and nuts. Mix well to incorporate the dry ingredients together. In a separate bowl, combine the buttermilk, eggs, pumpkin, and melted butter. Pour the liquid ingredients into the flour mixture and stir just enough to combine. A few lumps and dusty spots are better than over mixed batter.

Ladle batter onto hot oiled griddle or frying pan and cook until golden brown on both sides. Serve with Cranberry Maple Syrup.

More delicious cookies are piling up in the kitchens of the Tuesdays with Dorie online baking clan. This week we indulged in Chocolate Malted Whopper Drops. Oh yes, it was off to the candy isle to stock up on a big carton of whoppers!

photo by David Peterman

I love malt and whoppers so I knew these would be a big hit with me, though I also know from experience that desserts with candy mix-ins run the risk of being cloyingly sweet. I am not a fan of the sickly sweet stuff, so I hedged my bets with extra bitter 70% dark chocolate chunks in place of the bittersweet chocolate or chocolate chips that Dorie calls for. I am happy I did. The cookies are rich and chocolaty, and the sweet hits of melted malt balls are nicely tempered by the bitter chocolate chunks. Additionally, I topped them with a light sprinkling of Murray River Flake Salt as a final counterpoint to the sweet candy and a flavor enhancer to the chocolate.

The biggest factor for these cookies slipping from “ooh-ahh” reviews to “eh” is baking time. They are a bit of a cakey cookie and the difference between soft and gooey or dry and cakey could be as little as an extra thirty seconds to a minute in the oven. Error on the side of underdone and they will be “ooh-ahh”‘ good.

photo by David Peterman

So now that I have a big jar of leftover malt powder in my cupboard what do I do? Oh, sure I could make more cookies, but it’s not like the extra whoppers are going to even last until tomorrow, so I thought I had better come up with another plan. My need for a future-use plan is due to the last time I had a jar of malt; it languished in the back of my cupboard for about five years and the remaining contents was so rock hard I finally tossed it out a few months ago. Feeling a bit guilty, I decided to put it behind me and move on. Then this recipe comes along forcing me to face my demons! I vow to use the entire jar of malt and not let a single bit go to waste. Or should I say every bit will go to waist!

The first thing that came to mind is a spicy malted hot cocoa. Like it or not the air is starting to have that crispy nip of fall, at least here in the Northwest where we never really even had summer this year, and hot cocoa is one of my favorite cold weather treats.

Wed. 8/17 – I have updated the recipe now that I have been drinking it for a few more days. I decided it needed more malt and more cocoa.

Spicy Malted Hot Cocoa Mix
1 cup malted milk powder
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 cup sugar
3 teaspoons cinnamon
2 teaspoons ancho chile powder
1 1/2 teaspoons allspice
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Combine all the ingredients together and mix well. Store in an airtight container.
To make a spicy hot beverage, heat one cup of milk and whisk in 3 Tablespoons of Spicy Malted Hot Cocoa Mix. Relax and enjoy.

This has a pretty good kick, so if you don’t like spicy cut back on both the ancho chile and cayenne pepper. Hot cocoa is the perfect place to use a high quality dutch processed cocoa powder if you can. After tasting this, I am not the least bit worried about that extra malt powder languishing in the cupboard this time. I may even need to buy another jar before the winter is over.

Thank you to Rachel of Confessions of a Tangerine Tart for this week’s recipe selection. You can find the recipe for Chocolate Malted Whopper Drops in Dorie Greenspan’s book Baking: From My Home to Yours.

Big, thick, chewy, peanutbuttery, chocolaty chunky cookies is what I’m talking about. How could that be anything but good?

photo by David Peterman

The Tuesdays with Dorie group had me making cookies this week. This recipe, which you can find in Dorie Greenspan’s book Baking: From My Home to Yours, brings the three classics of chocolate, oatmeal, and peanut butter, together in a delicious and harmonious way without letting one single ingredient steal the spotlight. I really expected these to be peanut butter cookies with stuff in them, but far from it. It could be that the addition of cinnamon and nutmeg ends up keeping all the star ingredients in check.

Two process discoveries I made: I preferred them cooked a bit crispier than I normally bake cookies, and the dough was better after aging in the fridge for two days. Dorie recommends baking at 350 degrees F and because I usually bake with the convection fan on, which makes the oven a bit hotter, I dropped the temp to 325 degrees F. The second batch I baked at 350 with convection and let them go until I saw the tops just starting to brown, and though they were a bit crispy they weren’t dry. The crunchier bite worked becasue of the peanut butter component in the dough.

photo by David Peterman

The idea of cookie dough benefiting from a 24 to 72 hour rest in the fridge was first brought to my attention by a New York Times article on the perfect chocolate chip cookie. I can’t honestly say that I noticed as dramatic a difference as the article set me up to expect when I tried their recipe and baked batches off at different time intervals, but with this dough I did prefer the extended resting period becasue the oats softened and became more integrated into the baked cookie. The hearty thick cut oats I used were a bit toothsome the first day I baked them. I didn’t intend to test the resting period with this dough, it just worked out that I didn’t have the time to bake the whole batch at once and ended up with a happy discovery.

The NYT article did have a permanent impact on my cookie baking, but because of salt not resting time. A light sprinkle of salt on the cookies before baking delivers a perfect delicately salty counterpoint to the sweetness of the dough and chocolate. Though my choice is flake salt, specifically Murray River Flake Salt over sea salt.

It was fun to bake cookies this week. Thanks to Stefany of Proceed with Caution for the great selection.

Chocolate pudding is the happiest dessert there is. With the first spoonful conversation inevitably ceases as my full attention is drawn to concentrating on every rich creamy bite. I blissfully drift off to a happy place thoroughly savoring the smooth luxuriousness until the clinking of the spoon on the dish fores me to accept the fact that nothing more can be scraped from the bowl.

The happiness being whipped up in the kitchens of the Tuesdays with Dorie bakers this week is thanks to the excellent selection from Melissa of It’s Melissa’s Kitchen. You can find Dorie’s delicious Chocolate Pudding recipe in her wonderful book Baking: From My Home to Yours.

What is unique about this chocolate pudding is the process rather than the ingredients. Milk, cocoa powder, sugar, cornstarch, eggs, chocolate, butter and vanilla; no surprises here. The method of mixing with a food processor both before and after the thickening process is what is interesting. Dorie’s rational is that working in some air during the processing phase creates a lighter and highly velvety texture. I concur. This is a luxurious pudding. It has good chocolate flavor and an outstanding texture. It will make you happy on the inside!

Before diving into making this recipe I was thinking about how to serve it up and I really wanted some whipped cream as a garnish, but had none. Not wanting to make a special trip to the store I spotted some sour cream in the back of the fridge and I had an instant flashback to the Strawberries Romanoff dessert that was served in a restaurant I worked in as a teenager. I recall the Romanoff sauce was just sour cream blended with some brown sugar and it was stunningly delicious.

I figured brown sugar sweetened sour cream and chocolate pudding would get along just fine together. Add a touch of cinnamon and it would be a sure thing. A quick glance at the sour cream, whew, it’s not expired. On with the sauce-de-improvisation.

Many versions of Romanoff sauce are a combination of sour cream and whipping cream, but if you have been paying attention you know that I don’t have any whipping cream. I have seen versions that add a splash of booze, orange flavoring, and different spices. Here is my version that is deliciously successful on chocolate pudding and summer-fresh strawberries.

Romanoff Sauce
1/2 cup sour cream
2 Tablespoons brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
Vigorously whisk the ingredients together until the brown sugar dissolves. Add additional cinnamon to suit your taste. Chill to set, then serve a generous dollop on chocolate pudding or fresh strawberries.

More than any other dessert item people seem to be passionately loyal to their favorite brownie recipe. Maybe it’s because brownies are more diverse than most desserts. Do you like cakey, chewy, or fudgy? A crispy top, soft top, or frosted top? Are nuts a requirement or a crime? How about other mix-ins like dried fruit, chocolate bits, or spices? 

Maybe that is why Dorie Greenspan offers us twelve different chocolate brownie recipes and two blondie options in her book Baking: From My Home to Yours. This week Di, at Di’s Kitchen Notebook, had all of us in the Tuesdays with Dorie baking club whip up the French Chocolate Brownies. Interestingly Dorie developed this recipe with the intention of it being a French chocolate fondant cake, but when she served it to dinner guests and they excitedly exclaimed “brownies!” She wisely rolled with it and the recipe is now known as French Chocolate Brownies.

The unique characteristics of this recipe are rum-soaked raisins, cinnamon, and 3 eggs. More eggs than typical brownies, but this was originally intended to be a cake. Anyone who likes their brownies on the cakey side will like these, but don’t think these are dry fluffy cake-like brownies. No sir, they are still very moist and dense with the requisite crackly top. You may bristle at the rum-soaked raisins, but I tell you they are delightful little taste treasures that surprise the palate with each bite. The raisins dress these brownies up; like fancy French brownies!

I am no different than any of you and I have my favorite brownie recipe that this will not replace. A key criterion for brownies in my book is to only dirty one bowl during the process of making them. I have also come to realize that cocoa powder is what delivers that true brownie flavor I seek. The Chocolate French Brownies don’t meet either of my personal brownie criteria, so judging them not as brownies, but as a delicious chocolate dessert, I really like them.

I followed the recipe as written with a slight baking variation. I did not place my pan on a baking sheet in the oven and I baked them using the convection fan which cooked them a little quicker. I would have like them a little less sweet and next time would use a 70% chocolate or cut back the sugar a touch. To tone down the sweetness, I dusted them with a Mayan spiced Valhrona cocoa powder that complemented the hint of cinnamon in the recipe and added a little chile kick as well.

It seems that if it weren’t for my weekly baking assignment with Tuesdays with Dorie, I would have a rather empty blog. I have been working on other topics to post and they will be showing up soon, but now it’s time to talk about sticky buns, which was Madam Chow’s baking selection this week.

As if sticky buns aren’t indulgent enough, these are made with brioche dough! I will admit that my high marks for this recipe could be rooted in the fact that this was the first time I have made brioche that was really good, but the finished buns were truly a sticky gooey delight – the second time around.

The reason for the second batch comes later in the story, the first step is making the brioche which worked beautifully once I got over the fact that I was putting three sticks of butter in the mixer. A near disaster was averted when I turned around just in the nick of time to prevent my Kitchen Aid mixer from walking off the counter during the final kneading, whew. The brioche recipe set me up for an easy recovery when I realized I needed to re-make the buns because it makes double what is needed for the sticky buns. With back-up dough just standing by in the refrigerator, I simply announced we would be having sticky buns for lunch rather than breakfast and got back to work.

My downfall was placing my baking dish on a baking sheet lined with a silpat as the recipe suggests. It sounds harmless, but this is a suggestion I usually ignore in recipes and for some reason I used the extra pan this time. The problem is the pan created too much insulation and the bottom of the buns were very undercooked while the tops nearly burned. Additionally, I think it was the top and bottom temperature differential that caused the buns to spiral up like growing volcanoes. Of course I didn’t realize the bottom was still so doughy before I turned them out of the pan and by that time it was too late. Happily, I was able to reuse the pecans and in picking at the cooked parts came up with a few additional adjustments for the next batch.

Take-two started with taking advantage of the opportunity to add some flavor to the sticky part. Anytime I can play in the spice drawer I will so I tossed a beautiful cinnamon stick in to cook with the sugar, butter, and honey and I added about 1/4 teaspoon of salt. The glaze is essentially a caramel and nothing goes better with caramel than a touch of salt. I might even bump this up a bit next time. If I had an orange on hand I would have also tossed in a nice slice of the peel to infuse along with the cinnamon stick. Subtle changes that were very pleasing. If I weren’t reusing the pecans, I would have toasted them first as well. I also added an extra 1/2 tablespoon of cinnamon to the filling which I don’t think is necessary, but I liked the stronger flavor. This time I baked them without the extra pan liner and they were beautiful. It pays to know your own oven and follow your instincts.

Honey is cooked with a cup of brown sugar and a stick of butter to make the glaze and I think honey is the key to achieving such a nice caramel sticky coating on the buns. These really do live up to their name and with the built in back-up dough for a second take, how can you not give it a shot? It’s also important to remember that sticky buns are just as good at lunch as they are at breakfast! You can find all the Tuesday with Dorie recipes in Dorie Greenspan’s wonderful book, Baking: From My Home to Yours. It is worthy of space on your bookshelf.