A LA CARÊME

How cute are these!?

There is something to be said about the sheer delight that comes from looking at a smiley gingerbread man  - before biting off his head.

My gingerbread men are the perfect holiday companions – they are all sugar and spice, and everything nice. Chewy, with a distinct molasses flavour and a lovely kick that only comes from using grated fresh ginger. If you want to get on Santa’s nice list, you should leave some on a plate, and leave those plates all around your home, or use the individual cookies as paperweights to your wish list for the season…

Gingerbread Men:
Makes about 3 dozen men

3 cups (390 grams) all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 cup (113 grams) unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 cup (100 grams) granulated white sugar
2/3 cup (160 ml) unsulphured molasses(To prevent molasses from sticking to the measuring cup, first spray the cup with a non stick vegetable spray.)

Confectioners Frosting:

2 cups (230 grams) confectioners sugar(icing or powdered sugar), sifted
1/2 cup (113 grams) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 1/2 tablespoons milkor light cream
Gingerbread Men: In a large bowl, sift or whisk together the flour, salt, baking soda, and spices.

In the bowl of your electric mixer, with the paddle attachment, (or with a hand mixer) beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the egg and molasses and beat until well combined. Gradually add the flour mixture beating until incorporated.

Divide the dough in half, and wrap each half in plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm (at least two hours or even overnight).

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (177 degrees C) and place rack in center of oven. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.

On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough to a thickness of about 1/4 inch. Use a gingerbread cutter to cut out the cookies.  With an offset spatula lift the cookies onto the baking sheet, placing about 1 inch (2.5 cm) apart. If you are hanging the cookies or using as gift tags, make a hole at the top of the cookies with a straw or end of a wooden skewer. (If cookies are a little soft, place the baking sheet (with the cookies) in the fridge for about 10 minutes. This will prevent the cookies from losing their shape.)

Bake for about 8 -12 minutes depending on the size of the cookies. They are done when they are firm and the edges are just beginning to brown. It is better to take them out sooner than later – do a test batch to see your ideal baking time for a soft and chewy cookie. Remove the cookies from the oven and cool on the baking sheet for about 1 minute, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. If desired, you can press raisins, currants, or candies into the dough for eyes and buttons while the cookies are still warm. Otherwise, confectioners frosting can be used to decorate the cookies. Store in an airtight container.

Confectioners Frosting: In an electric mixer (or with a hand mixer), beat the butter until smooth and well blended.  Add the vanilla extract. With the mixer on low speed, gradually beat in the sugar. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and beater. Add the milk and beat on high speed until frosting is light and fluffy (about 3-4 minutes). Add a little more milk if needed. Tint frosting with food color, if desired.Place the frosting in a pastry bag fitted with a decorative tip and decorate the gingerbread men as desired.
Source: joyofbaking.com

Looking for a unique holiday gift?  Email patrycja@alacareme.com for pricing for cookie orders this holiday season.

This cupcake uses a chocolate mud cake base that is gooey, chewy and requires a tall glass of milk to go down, unless you dream of death by chocolate. For an extra nutella-kick, add some toasted chopped hazelnuts to the batter. The frosting is a simple whipped-cream and nutella mixture, although if you prefer to have something pretty to pipe, (instead of impatiently smearing the frosting on to the cupcake before devouring it whole), I would recommend mixing in a 8oz package of cream cheese and 3 tbs of icing sugar, ommitting the cream.

Chocolate Mud Cupcakes
Makes approximately 12 cupcakes

200g dark chocolate, broken into small pieces
125g butter
1/2 teaspoon instant coffee granules
1/2 cup water
1 cup plain flour
2 tbsp cocoa powder
1/4 teaspoon bicarbonate soda
1 cups caster sugar
2 large eggs
20 ml canola oil
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup buttermilk

1. Pre-heat oven to 180 deg C. Line baking tray with muffin liners.

2. In a saucepan, melt chocolate, butter, coffee and water together while stirring constantly. Once melted, remove from heat and set aside to cool.

3. In a separate bowl, sift together flour, sugar, bicarbonate soda and cocoa powder. Add salt if using unsalted butter.

4. In another bowl, mix together buttermilk, eggs, vanilla and oil. Add this to the flour mixture.

5. Add the cooled chocolate mix to the flour batter in alternate batches.

6. Pour into prepared baking tray and bake for 20 minutes. Set aside to cool.

Frosting
2 cups whipped cream
2 cups nutella
OR

2 cups nutella
1-2 packages cream cheese
2 tbs icing sugar

1. Whip cream on medium until stiff peaks form. Gently add in nutella. The mixture wil lose it’s shape and get watery, but the taste will save the day. Alternatively,  mix nutella, cream cheese, icing sugar  on medium until blended. Pipe onto cupcake, or eat straight from the mixing bowl.

Unfortunately, my cheesecake cracked while in the oven! This doesn’t diminish from it’s intense flavour, and gives you an excuse to lather on the whipped cream, but for aesthetic appeal a perfectly smooth cheesecake is easy enough to obtain. You can prevent yours from cracking by baking it in a water bath – fill a shallow pan with water, and place your cheesecake in the water, making sure the water reaches only halfway up the sides of the pan. Bake as directed and your cheesecake should come out flawless!

Ingredients

3/4 cup graham cracker crumbs

1/2 cup ground pecans

2 tablespoons white sugar

2 tablespoons brown sugar

1/4 cup butter

3/4 cup white sugar

3/4 cup canned pumpkin

3 egg yolks

1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground mace

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

1/4 teaspoon salt

3 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese

3/8 cup white sugar

1 egg

1 egg yolk

2 tablespoons heavy whipping cream

1 tablespoon cornstarch

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon lemon extract

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

2. Combine the graham cracker crumbs, ground pecans, 2 tablespoons white sugar, 2 tablespoons brown sugar, and the melted butter or margarine and mix well. Firmly press mixture into one 9 inch springform pan.

3. Combine 3/4 cup of the white sugar, the pumpkin, 3 egg yolks, ground cinnamon, ground mace, ground ginger and salt in a medium bowl. Mix well, and set aside.

4. Beat cream cheese with an electric mixer until light and fluffy; gradually add 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons white sugar and mix well. Add the whole egg, remaining egg yolk and the whipping cream, beating well. Add cornstarch and vanilla and lemon flavorings, beat batter until smooth. Add pumpkin mixture and mix well. Pour batter into the prepared pan

5. Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 50 to 55 minutes. Do not overbake. Center may be soft but it will firm up when chilled. Let cheesecake cool on a wire rack, then refrigerate atleast 6 hours. The cheesecake is almost too good when eaten the next day.

This year, I wanted to truly celebrate Thanksgiving by giving back to the community and giving to others.  I volunteered my baking efforts to a fabulous cause: The Tony Robbins Basket Brigade. It’s mission is to provide thanksgiving feasts, ‘pre-assembled’ in baskets, to families in need who otherwise would not be able to celebrate this awesome holiday. We managed to collect enough items to feed 140 families this weekend! I myself was very happy to contibute 20 pumpkin pies, made from scratch, with love.

Mike loading up the car with our boxes and baskets for the TR Basket Brigade!

If you’d like to find out more about the Basket Brigade, or would like to find one in your area: http://www.anthonyrobbinsfoundation.org/arf/inter_bb.php

The following recipe uses a fluffy Pate Brisse (short crust) base for the crust, which produces a fluffy crust every time and works well with sweet and savoury pies alike! Combined with the subtly sweet pumpkin filling, this pie is a keeper for thanksgiving – and the fall season Serve it with maple whipped cream for an extra treat!

Pate Brisee (Short Crust Pastry):

1 1/4 cups (175 grams) all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon (14 grams) granulated white sugar

1/2 cup (113 grams) unsalted butter, chilled, and cut into 1 inch (2.54 cm) pieces

1/8 to 1/4 cup (30 – 60 ml) ice water

Pumpkin Filling:

3 large eggs

2 cups fresh pumpkin puree or 1 – 15 ounce can (425 grams) pure pumpkin

1/2 cup (120 ml) heavy whipping cream

1/2 cup (110 grams) light brown sugar

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

½ teaspoon ground ginger

1/8 teaspoon ground cloves

1/2 teaspoon salt

Short Crust Pastry:

1. Mix together flour, salt and sugar in a bowl. Add chunks of butter and using just your fingertips*, start to rub the flour into the butter chunks, until you have a coarse meal. There will still be chunks of butter visible so long as most of the flour is incorporated. Add your water in a steady stream, mixing with the dough until the dough holds together when pinched. You may not need to use all of the water, and you want to avoid your dough becoming too sticky.  *using your fingertips allows you to work the dough without it becoming too warm from the heat from your hands; the dough is easier to work with and will come out fluffier as well.

2. Turn your dough out onto a floured surface and gather it into a ball, flatten in a disk and wrap in plastic wrap. Refridgerate atleast 30 minutes to calm the gluten and make the dough easier to roll out.

3. Once your dough as chilled, you can begin to roll it out. Roll from the centre of your disk outwards, rotating a quarter-turn with each roll to ensure even thickness. If your dough is sticking to the table, add more flour. Transfer to your pie plate and gently trim the edges; use a fork to create a crimped edge and put it back in the fridge for another 10 minutes.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Make the Pumpkin Filling:

1. In a large bowl lightly whisk the eggs. Add the remaining ingredients and stir to combine.

2.Pour the mixture into the prepared pie shell and place on a large baking pan to catch any spills. Bake the pie for about 45-55 minutes or until the filling is set and the crust has browned (the center will still look wet).  You may need to check half way and cover with tin foil if the edges start to brown too much. A knife inserted about 1 inch (2.5 cm) from side of pan will come out almost clean, and then your pie is ready!

3. Place the baked pie on a wire rack to cool. Serve at room temperature with maple whipped cream. Store any leftovers in the refrigerator.

Makes one 9 inch (23 cm) pie.

source: www.joyofbaking.com

They came wearing smiles and heavily perfumed in maple syrup goodness.

Inevitably, I had to attempt the holy grail of blueberry perfection – the blueberry pie. This behemoth bakes beautifully, with a thick filling of blueberries that end up gooey and delicately sweet in a buttery, soft crust. Just one slice won’t cut it – and for those I love, I always cut them more than one slice right off the bat!

But for the photoshoot, we left the Blueberry confection intact, to admire the intricate lattice top and marvel at the blueberry goodness peeking out from inside.

Check out the fruits (hehe) of my labour with the lattice top, pre-baking! I’m gushing like a proud mama!

And if you’re a weirdo and pie isn’t your thing, how about some wholesome blueberry-studded crumble-topped muffins?

And if this all still fails to impress you, how about knowing that the pièce de résistance, my birthday cake, was a moist and ever-so-spongy blueberry cake, filled with lemon curd and frosted, quite liberally, with meringue frosting.

And the grand finale….

RECIPES:

Blueberry Pie

Pie Crust (Short Crust Pastry):

2 1/2 cups (350 grams) all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoon (30 grams) granulated white sugar

1 cup (226 grams) unsalted butter, chilled, and cut into 1 inch (2.5 cm) pieces

1/4 to 1/2 cup (60 – 120 ml) ice water

BlueberryFilling:

4 cups (570 grams) fresh blueberries

1/2 cup (100 grams) granulated white sugar

2 tablespoons (20 grams) cornstarch(corn flour)

2 tablespoons lemon juice

1 tablespoon lemon zest

Egg Wash:

1 large egg yolk

1 tablespoon cream

Garnish:

Softly whipped cream or vanilla ice cream

To make the pie crust:

1. In a food processor or your mixer, place the flour, salt, and sugar and process until combined.  Add the butter and process until the mixture resembles coarse meal (about 15 seconds).

2. Pour 1/4 cup (60 ml) water in a slow, steady stream until the dough just holds together when pinched. Add more water if necessary. Try to process it minimally, ideally less than 30 seconds.

3. Turn the dough onto your work surface and gather into a ball. Divide the dough in half, flattening each half into a disk, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for about one hour before using. This will chill the butter and relax the gluten in the flour.

4. After the dough has chilled sufficiently, remove one portion of the dough from the fridge and place it on a lightly floured surface. Roll the pastry into a 12 inch (30 cm) circle.(To prevent the pastry from sticking to the counter and to ensure uniform thickness, keep lifting up and turning the pastry a quarter turn as you roll (always roll from the center of the pastry outwards)

5. Fold the dough in half and gently transfer to a 9 inch (23 cm) pie pan. Brush off any excess flour and tuck the overhanging pastry under itself, crimping as desired. Refrigerate the pastry, covered with plastic wrap, for about 30 minutes before filling with the berries.

6. Meanwhile, remove the second round of pastry and roll it into a 12 inch (30 cm) circle. Using a pie cutter (it looks like a mini pizza wheel) cut thin strips of dough out in varying lengths. Once your pie has sufficiently chilled, begin to weave the strips through to create the look of a lattice top. Watch this short video to help you create the look I have in my photo: How to Make a Lattice Top

Make the Blueberry Filling:

1. In a small bowl mix together the sugar, cornstarch, lemon juice and zest. Place the blueberries in a large bowl. Add the sugar mixture to the blueberries and gently toss to combine.

2. Pour the mixture into the prepared pie shell. Then, in a small bowl, whisk together the egg yolk and cream. Lightly brush the rim of the pastry shell with the egg wash. Once the top of the pie is completely covered with the your lattice, brush the entire surface with the egg wash, making sure that it does not pool. Place the assembled pie back in the refrigerator to chill for about 30 minutes.

3. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (205 degrees C)and place the oven rack in the lower third of the oven. Remove the chilled pie from the fridge and place on a larger baking pan, lined with parchment paper, to catch any spills. Bake the pie for about 20 minutes and then reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees F (177 degrees C). Continue to bake the pie for about 35-45 minutesor until the crust is a deep golden brown color and the juices are bubbling and thick. If the edges of the pie are browning too much during baking, cover with a foil ring.

4. Place the baked pie on a wire rack to cool for several hours.  Serve at room temperature with softly whipped cream or vanilla ice cream. Store any leftovers for 2 – 3 days at room temperature.

(source: joyofbaking.com)

Blueberry Crumb Muffins

1 cup (240 ml) milk

2 large eggs, lightly beaten

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

3 cups (390 grams) all-purpose flour 1 cup (200 grams) sugar

1 tablespoon (12 grams) baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup (113 grams) unsalted butter, chilled and cut into small pieces

2 cups (260 grams) fresh or frozen blueberries

1/2 tablespoon grated lemon zest

2 tablespoons (28 grams) unsalted butter, melted

1. Preheat over to 350 degrees F (177 degrees C). Place rack in middle of oven an line 16-18 muffins cups with paper liners, or spray your pan with nonstick vegetable spray.

2. In a measuring cup mix together the milk, eggs, and vanilla.

3. In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt.Cut the butter into small pieces and blend into the flour mixture with a pastry blender or two knives. (The mixture should look like coarse crumbs.) Remove one cup of the mixture and set aside in a separate bowl to make the streusel topping.

4. To the remaining muffin batter, gently fold in the blueberries and lemon zest. Add the milk and egg mixture to the flour mixture. Stir until just combined. (Do not over mix this mixture or the muffins will be tough when baked.)

5. Fill each muffin cup with the batter, using two spoons or an ice cream scoop. Fill any unused muffins cups with water to prevent the pan from warping.

For streusel topping: Melt the remaining 2 tablespoons (28 grams) butter and drizzle over the reserved 1 one cup of streusel topping. Mix together with a fork until it is crumbly and looks like coarse meal. Sprinkle a couple of  teaspoons of the streusel over the top of each muffin. Place in the oven and bake until very lightly browned and firm to the touch and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 18 -22 minutes. Cool on a wire rack.

Makes 16 – 18 regular-sized muffins.

What is it about cupcakes that makes people ‘ooh’ and ‘ahh’? They’re one of the simpler desserts you can make – and their versatility in taste, texture and occasion make them one of my favourite options for special events and personalized gifts alike. I can modestly say my cupcakes have always elicited praise for their charming appearance and lip-licking edibility. When in dessert doubt, make cupcakes. You can do as little or as much to the decor as you have time for, but pipe an intricate rosette or smear on some frosting and sprinkles and you’ve got winning cupcakes every time – you really don’t need much to get people to love them.

For mother’s day I decided to take the cupcake approach, albeit elevated for the special occasion. What better way to celebrate mother’s day than with a bouquet of flowers? And if those flowers are cupcakes? Mom will love you the more for it!

I used three cupcake (and four flower) varieties for my bouquets. All recipes are adapted from the Martha Stewart Cupcakes book. There is the Two-Bowl Chocolate Cupcakes, which are easy to make and easily devoured. There are Honey Cupcakes, which were delicious and delicately sweet. And finally, the Strawberry Buttermilk cupcakes, which were just plain awesome.

I opted for one swiss meringue buttercream recipe for the whole bath of cupcakes, and tinted portions of the batch to suit my floral inspirations. Personally, I’m not a fan of buttercreams. There are many different recipe interpretations of the frosting, and most of them either taste like spreadable sugar (and not in the good way) or like plain old butter. This recipe is from Martha’s book as well and it was delish – creamy, soft, sweet with just a hint of butter. Just make sure your kitchen is cool when you make it and pipe the cream with a loose hand, because it does tend to run.

Here are the recipes for my cupcake bouquets! Remember, planning ahead and pacing your steps will make everything smoother. See my How to Bake guide for tips!

You’ll need:

Stainless steel bowls
electric mixer
spatula
measuring cups and spoons
sifter

To decorate your flowers

In my bouquets, I made 2 large cupcake batches and 1 mini-cupcake batch.

The two large batches I used to make piped peonies and dahlias, and the mini-cupcakes were tiny rosebuds. You can find many different variations on youtube or google, or in any cake decorating book. Use your cupcake top as you would a rose nail, and pipe according to size and scale. You can use any colour you like for your flowers. I chose orange, purple and pink.

Tip: for multi-dimentional flowers, fill a ¼ of the piping bag with coloured icing and another ¼ with white icing and squeeze into a bowl until the colours come out  together, creating a faded colour on each flower petal.

For the peonies, using tip #104 (leaf tip), narrow side down at a 45 degree angle facing out from the cupcake, pipe small half circles, each on over lapping the last, along the outer edge of the cupcake. The second layer of piped petals starts just overtop the last, slightly closer to the centre at a 90 degree angle so that the petals open up as you pipe. Finish by piping short petal loops in the centre of the cupcake.

For Dahlias, using tip #103 (smaller leaf tip), narrow side down at a 45 degree angle facing out, pipe each petal (aprox 5 on the outer edge of the cupcake) by quicky waving your piping bag as you gently squeeze out the buttercream, creating a ruffle-textured petal. Over lap the next row of petals the same as with the peonies, and finish with some ruffles in the centre.

For the roses, I used tip #103 again, and starting in the centre of the cupcake, created a accord shaped mound by gently wrapping the icing to create a dome. Beginning at any side of the dome, use short, quick strokes of icing to over lap and create the rose bud. As your rose grows, make your petals longer and add texture by ruffling the petal edges.

To assemble a cupcake bouquet:

You’ll need:

A short vase, clay potting plant, basket or container of your choice*
Styrofoam balls or sheets to fill container to the rim
Toothpicks
Ribbon (if desired)
Filler of choice (flowers, paper “grass”, leaves, be creative!)
Your decorated flower cupcakes

*if you’re making a big batch, a balcony planter would be a really cute option for a cupcake garden

My inner craft geek lives for decorating, and I wish I had more time to play around with my decorations a bit. I love personalized details; whimsical touches and creative expression. Sometimes I think that (if it didn’t entail cleaning) I would love to just be a domestic goddess.

Take your container of choice and fill it with your Styrofoam, securing with toothpicks and making sure it does not move around too much. If your container is glass, as mine was, decoratively wrap it in ribbon to conceal the Styrofoam, otherwise, you can wrap a bow, or leave it as is.

Once your container has been decorated to suit your taste, take your toothpicks and poke holes into the Styrofoam, 2 for each cupcake, in a circular pattern, careful to leave enough space to not smush them together. Remove those toothpicks and gently insert them, with similar spacing, into the bottom of your cupcakes and one by one, slide your cupcakes-toothpicks into the pre-poked holes. Play around to arrange your composition of choice, and very gently fill any empty spaces with your filler of choice.

Wish your mother a Happy Mother’s Day – or Birthday – and offer to help her eat them!

Snap some photos, upload them online and post the links in the comments section!

Note: cupcakes perched on toothpicks do follow rules of gravity. Be very careful when carrying or transporting your bouquet – they are not as cute or tasty on the floor, as my own mom discovered!

RECIPES COMING SOON!

There is something so great about carrot cake. It may be the sweet and distinct flavour that sets carrot cake apart from all others…or perhaps the perfect comination with fluffy cream cheese frosting that takes your taste buds for a ride…but I think it really comes down to the guilt-free pleasure of indulging in a decadent piece of cake and getting your daily serving of veggies too!

Carrot Cake can come in many forms – you can bake it loaf- style and eat it plain - or have your 5-tier wedding cake in carrot to match your marital bling. Have it with traditional cream cheese frosting or bake it with nuts and raisins if you prefer. Any way you want it, carrot cake is just darn good!

For this carrot cake, I made a Carrot Sponge Cake – a slightly lighter version of the cake, still packed with all the yummy flavour of traditional carrot cake, and perfect for using in a layered cake. The frosting is of course, cream cheese and this pretty little cake is topped with handmade marzipan carrots.

This cake is perfect for an Easter Dessert !

Carrot Sponge Cake

This carrot cake is a sponge, so it is light, with a delicious carroty texture, and a perfect complement to the rich icing.

Adapted from the George Brown ‘Art of Cakes’ syllabus.

Makes 2 7” cakes

6 Eggs
180 g Sugar
Pinch of Salt

25 g Lemon Juice
25 g Rum
3 g Vanilla

375 g Grated Carrots
50 g Bread Flour
7 g Baking Power
5 g Cinnamon
100 gr Graham Crumbs OR Bread Crumbs OR Cookie Crumbs *graham add the best flavour
150 g Ground Almonds

Preheat oven to 350°F and grease and flour cake pans.

In a mixing bowl set over simmering water, whisk together the eggs, sugar and salt until reaches body temperature, becomes light in colour and visibly thickens.

Place mixing bowl in mixer and beat on high speed until soft peaks form. Lower speed on mixer to medium speed and continue mixing until stiff peaks form and the mixture ribbons. Add the lemon juice, rum and vanilla and mix until just blended.

Gently fold the carrots into the egg mixture, a small handful at a time, careful not to deflate the mixture.

In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder and cinnamon together; add the crumbs and almonds and blend.

Gently fold the ingredients into the carrot-egg mixture, again a little at a time, careful not to deflate, and until just blended. Divide the batter evenly between the pans.

Bake for 30-35 minutes, until toothpick inserted in centre comes out clear and the top of the cake  springs back when touched. Let cakes cool before inverting them onto a cooling rack, and make sure they are cooled completely before icing, preferably refrigerated.

Cream Cheese Icing

250 g Cream Cheese
100 g Icing Sugar, sifted
25 g Lemon Juice
250 g Whipped Cream (whipped topping may also be used)

Using the paddle attachment on your mixer, cream the cream cheese on medium speed until it is smooth and free of lumps. Scrape the bowl and add the sifted icing sugar, mixing until blended. Scrape bowl and add the lemon juice, mixing until incorporated. Scrape the bowl and add 1/3 of the whipped topping, mixing until blended. Scrape the bowl and add the remaining thirds of the whipped topping. Do not over mix or the mixture will become runny.

To Assemble the Cake

Simple Sugar Syrup
Mix equal parts water and sugar and bring to a boil.

Cut even cake layers. Use the bottom of one cake as the base, a trimmed cake layer for the middle and an flat layer for the top.

Place one layer of cake on a cake board and moisten the layer with syrup before smoothing ¼ of the cream cheese icing with an offset spatula. Cover with a second layer, moisten, and spread another ¼ of the cream cheese icing on the cake. Do not worry if the icing overlaps. Place the last layer of the cake, moisten and cover the entire cake and sides with ¼ of the cake icing, making sure to discard any crumb-y icing in a separate bowl.

Let cake set in the fridge before applying the final icing. Use a cake comb to smooth the sides of the cake and pipe rosettes evenly on the top of the cake, placing marzipan carrots (or piped carrots) in an even pattern.

Refridgerate until needed, cut and serve. Enjoy!

The Chocolate Panna Cotta Cake is one of my favourite elegant desserts – it is a rich chocolate cake with class, elevated with creamy chocolate panna cotta layers and wrapped in a fancy chocolate band.  Panna Cotta is a traditional Italian cooked cream mixed with gelatine and left to set in the fridge, resulting in a tasty hybrid of a pudding and mousse. Traditionally served with fruits, nuts and vanilla flavouring, my cake calls for a chocolate panna cotta, which, in my –unbiased– opinion, makes it that much better.

Mmm, chocolate.

This cake requires a little planning and time, but it is totally worth the effort. The original recipe is from the December 2007 issue of Bon Appétit, but when I first made this cake for my boyfriend’s mother’s birthday, the cake recipe gave me really awful cake layers that completely fell apart on me and I vowed to never make it again, even if the end result was magnifique.

After rave reviews however, I knew that the Panna Cotta recipe was a keeper, and decided to substitute the cake recipe for one from Smitten Kitchen, which never disappoints. I made this cake last year for my Dad’s birthday – although he could just lick the screen from Poland. We assured him it was the best birthday cake and gobbled it up for him.

Chocolate Cake
adapted from Smitten Kitchen’s Double Chocolate Layer Cake

This recipe makes 2 10” cakes for 2 layers. If you want to split the layers I would seriously recommend making another third or half of the panna cotta layers to have enough to cover and fill the cake.
3 ounces fine-quality semisweet chocolate
1 1/2 cups hot brewed coffee
3 cups sugar
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups unsweetened cocoa powder (not Dutch process)
2 teaspoons baking soda
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
3 large eggs
3/4 cup vegetable oil
1 1/2 cups well-shaken buttermilk
3/4 teaspoon vanilla

To make the CAKE:

Preheat oven to 300°F and grease and flour pans.

Finely chop your semi-sweet chocolate and place in bowl, pouring hot coffee over and mixing to combine. Stir the mixture occasionally, until all of the chocolate has melted and the mixture is smooth. Add your oil, buttermilk and vanilla to the chocolate mixture and set aside.

In a separate large bowl, sift together your sugar, flour, cocoa power, baking soda, baking powder and salt.

In the bowl of your electric mixer, beat eggs on medium-high until thickened and light in colour. (3-5 minutes depending on mixer). Slowly, in a steady stream, add your chocolate mixture to your eggs, beating until well combined, stopping to scrape your bowl half way through. Once combined, scrape your bowl again and add the sugar mixture, beating on medium speed until just combined, again scraping half way through. Do not over mix as this can result in a tougher, heavier cake.

Divide the batter between your greased pans and bake in the middle of your over until a toothpick comes out clean and the top springs back lightly, about 60-70 minutes.

Cool cake layers on racks for about 20 minutes and run a thin knife around the edges of the pans before inverting them onto your racks. Cool layers completely before using. If you are in a hurry, popping the almost cooled layers in the freezer can speed up the process.

Chocolate Panna Cotta
adapted from Bon Appétit

1/2 cup water
5 teaspoons unflavored gelatine
7 1/2 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
5 ounces high-quality milk chocolate, such as Lindt or Perugina, chopped
2 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream
2 1/2 cups whole milk
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
1 1/4 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 1/4 vanilla beans, split lengthwise

Sprinkle gelatine into your ½ cup water and let soften for 10 minutes.

Place all of your chopped chocolates in a large metal bowl.

In a large saucepan, combine milk, cream, sugar, vanilla extract, scraped vanilla been seeds and the entire beans. Bring mixture to a boil, stirring until sugar dissolves and remove from heat. Whisk in the gelatine mixture, and pour the cream mixture over your chocolates in the metal bowl, whisking until chocolate is melted and combined.

Place the bowl in a larger bowl filled with ice water and ice and whisk often until mixture thickens like a pudding, adding more ice and draining water as needed. It should take 30-45 minutes to thicken; remove from over water.

TO ASSEMBLE CAKE:

Once your cake layers have cooled completely, you can use either a cake ring or your cake pan to assemble the cake.

Place the first cake layer at the bottom of your cake pan and pour half of the panna cotta mixture over the cake. It will drip down the side of the cake. Freeze the cake for 45 minutes, keeping the remaining panna cotta at room temperature. Once the cake has set, carefully lift the 2^nd cake layer and set atop the panna cotta covered cake layer. Pour remaining panna cotta overtop, filling the pan completely. Chill overnight to set.

(Can be covered and frozen for 2 weeks; thraw overnight in the refrigerator before wrapping the cake with the chocolate band)

Chocolate Band:
2 16×3-inch strips waxed paper
5 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped

The chocolate band is something that looks incredibly accomplished, but is actually deceivingly simple. You may need someone to help you wrap the band around the cake, and do not make the band too tall or it will fall over and look sloppy. I have yet to master the perfect ruffle, but the chocolate band itself is always impressive.

Cut strips of waxed parchment paper and set atop large sheet of parchment paper. Have an aluminum foil-lined cookie sheet ready.

Melt the chocolate in a bowl over simmering water and spread a thin layer of chocolate evenly over your parchment strips, using an offset spatula. Gently lift the strips and transfer them to your aluminum lined sheet and transfer to the fridge to chill until firm but pliable, about 3 minutes.

Remove chilled cake from pan. Carefully lift your strips, and wrap your cake slowly and evenly, parchment paper side out. The band will sit higher than the cake. Carefully, repeat with second band, trimming any excess or overlapping chocolate and paper. Using your fingertips, gently press the top edge of the band in toward the cake, to form a slight ruffle. Chill until set, about 5 minutes. Gently, peel off waxed paper. Chill Cake.

(The cake can be made one day ahead.)

Since the world supply is sustainable, for now, I encourage you all to try out this seriously simple recipe and indulge in something that is both ridiculously delicious and (mildly) healthy… Pecan pies can be done multiple ways – with chocolate crust, sweet dough, add some melted chocolate to your filling… – have fun with it, and this is one of the recipes that no matter how you tinker, it is just always SO good!

chocolate pecan tarts avec apple gallettes

Sweet Pastry Crust:

1 1/2 cups (195 grams) all purpose flour

1/8 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup (113 grams) unsalted butter

1/4 cup (50 grams) granulated white sugar

1 large egg, lightly beaten

Pecan Pie Filling

280 g brown sugar

10 g cornstarch

375 ml cornsyrup

43 g melted butter

4 eggs

5 ml vanilla extract

37 g graham crumbs

150 g pecans, toasted

*to toast nuts, place on a parchment lined baking sheet and bake in the oven for about 10 minutes, unti fragrant. This enhances the flavour in the pie, although it is not a necessary step.

To make your Pie dough:

1. In a separate bowl, sift or whisk together the flour and salt. Place the butter in your mixer and beat until softened. Add sugar and beat until light and fluffy. Gradually add the beaten egg, beating just until incorporated. Add the flour mixture all at once and mix just until it forms a ball. (Do not over mix or the pastry will be hard when baked.) Flatten the pastry into a disk, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 20 minutes or until firm.

2. Have ready an 8 – 9 inch (20 – 23 cm) tart pan with removable bottom. On a lightly floured surface, roll out the pastry into an 11 – 12 inch (28 – 30 cm) circle that is about 1/8 inch (3 mm) thick. To prevent the pastry from sticking to the counter and to ensure uniform thickness, keep lifting up and turning the pastry a quarter turn as you roll (always roll from the center of the pastry outwards to get uniform thickness). To make sure it is the right size, take your tart pan, flip it over, and place it on the rolled out pastry. The pastry should be about an inch larger than pan. When the pastry is rolled to the desired size, lightly roll pastry around your rolling pin, dusting off any excess flour as you roll. Unroll onto top of tart pan. Never pull pastry or you will get shrinkage (shrinkage is caused by too much pulling of the pastry when placing it in the pan). Gently lay in pan and with a small floured piece of pastry, lightly press pastry into bottom and up sides of pan. Roll your rolling pin over top of pan to get rid of excess pastry. Prick bottom of dough (this will prevent the dough from puffing up as it bakes). Cover and refrigerate for 20 minutes to chill the butter and to rest the gluten

To make Pecan Pie Filling

3. In your stand mixer with the paddle attachement, cream together the brown sugar, constarch and corn syrup and blend well on medium speed. Scrape down bowl.

4. Add melted butter and blend well. Add eggs and vanilla and blend until mixture is smooth.

5. Sprinkle your graham crumbs in the base of your prepared pie plate. This helps keep the base of the pie from getting soggy from all that pecan goodness. Fill with your nuts and cover with your corn syrup mixture until almost filled.

Bake at 350 degrees F for 45-60 minutes. Cool on a wire rack and wait, just a minute maybe to snap a picture of your masterpiece, and dig in!