|
Quote:
|
In the velvet darkness
Of the blackest night Burning bright, There's a guiding star... |
Quote:
|
Started with the yellow ones.
Colour is nowhere near as bright as it is on the packet! Way to make children cynical you meanies. But they turned out okay. Good enough for me to decide to make the other colours this afternoon. I might even mix some purple ones. And I'm thinking about colouring the white chocolate for the centre. The well is so small on some of them, that you'll barely get a taste, so I might as well make them look as visually arresting as possible. Pics to follow. Taking a break to give the 'rents access to the kitchen for lunch. |
Quote:
|
Quote:
I like that a lot. I always liked 'brother from another mother'. That's really cool. |
Have you sucessfully coloured chocolate before? I've found it doesn't work too well -oil and water effect- ...just a heads up, hope it works better for you.
|
2 Attachment(s)
I have coloured chocolate before, but I do remember the result being a little... grainy, colourwise. As luck would have it I decided to use the red candy chips instead. I guess that explains why the chips come in so many colours too...
Anyway. I had fun making them, which was the important part. As they are made from dough, the consistency is a little off. Compressed cake or soft biscuit. Still, I'll make proper biscuits if I make them again - making them out of Fun Dough was killing two birds with one stone. The cutter worked well once I had it sussed out. Practice was needed! Oh, and you will see that trying to mix red and blue dough did not make purple. It made sinister. Still, someone will eat them. As they were cooling on a rack on the kitchen table I heard a shout from Mum. Bloody Diz had jumped up, snagged one (taking another with him) and was eating it in the corner of the kitchen. Bad cat. Cats don't eat cakies! Still, from what we could tell he only had one from the far end, so I professed the rest fit to eat. Well, what they don't see won't harm them, right? Ahem. I had a little trouble in filling the wells. In the end I used a syringe (one with measurements up to 25ml for small quantities of cooking ingredients). It's not really supposed to be used for something this thick, but it sufficed. And I'm glad I decided to do them all red too. It was quite a bit of faffing about. They are currently sat on top of the fridge/ freezer where monkey-face can't see them. Once the centres harden I'll put them in a tin. Off to school tomorrow. |
They look great! I'm sure they'll be snapped up like, er, well, hot cakes!!!
|
They look wonderful! I love the bright colors.
|
They were pretty much all left at the end of lunchtime.
I think it's because I didn't label them - people probably thought they were left over from Christmas! |
1 Attachment(s)
I love your creativity, Sundae. I'm more the traditional type - which doesn't mean I don't adapt recipes to what I've got. - I used to bake a lot, a heritage from my grandmother. Here's a shot of what I did for last months Christmas (and what's left of it)
Attachment 36488 top left: cinnamon stars (based on almonds, sugar, eggwhite and, guess what, cinnamon) top right: vanilla boughs (hazelnut, sugar, butter dipped in vanilla sugar) bottom centre: bear's paws (almonds, chocolate, sugar, eggwhite) bottom left & right: butter S (a bit like short cake) |
Quote:
|
Sundae: Awwwwwwwwwww.....what a pity.
Scriveyn: Your cookies look great! |
Scriv those all look delicious.
And yes, very traditional, which means tried and tested of course. The above looks like Christmas card! |
Yes, it does look so perfect! Eat the cookies, then sell the picture to a stock photo company and feed off the royalties all year!
|
ty all - I tried to find some older shots of my attempts - no luck. I'll try to remember taking pics next baking time.
|
2 Attachment(s)
I've mentioned this cake previously in What Did You Make Today.
To recap, I wanted a super smashing great cake for the May Fayre. I intended to practice first on my family, and then the staffroom. Practicing on the staffroom had the added benefit that if it was good, it would be much praised (an end in itself!) but would also be highly prized on the day. Staff get no discount buying cakes - obviously - but can snaffle the good ones as soon as the doors are open. I was concerned that this cake was too dry. It was not still slightly gooey in the middle. It did not sink in the middle. The above were mentioned as attributes of this recipe. I put this down to the fact I'd baked in two tins instead of one, because internet feedback suggested that you could not split the cake into three tiers as per the recipe, but you could split into two. That being the case I couldn't see any good reason not to cook it in two tins, rather than adding the crumby bother of slicing. I adjusted the baking time accordingly, and followed the instructions of a poster who also used two tins and had a fan oven. Mum said the texture was perfect. Moist, and although not gooey, a perfect cake consistency. She loved the ganache topping too, said she would consider that for her chocolate cake. Praise indeed. But the cake was too cocoa-y for her. It's because it's made with dark chocolate. She said it was too slightly too bitter for her taste. She was polite and decent about it, suggesting that for other people it might be just right. So when I make it for the staffroom I will use 50% dark choc and 50% milk - unlike the 75/25 split this time. And I might check the sponge 5 minutes earlier, to see if a toothpick comes out clean. So it seems like a success. It's rich, it's choccy, it's approved of. Ta-daaaaa! Ultimate Chocolate Cake with a ganache icing, white chocolate stars and edible glitter. |
Ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooh!
|
Wow! That's beautiful.
|
NUM NUM NUM NUM !!!!!!
|
It's beautiful! That looks more like a frosting than a ganache to me.
And I, for one, would love the dark chocolate version. I like the bitterness. |
Quote:
You can tell the difference by taste though - zing! |
oooh, yum!
|
Quote:
|
that is one delicious looking cake!!
|
1 Attachment(s)
OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG NOM NOM NOM NOM NOM :drool:
This is indeed one delicious cake!!!!!!!!!!!! Attachment 37413 Perfect slightly squidgy texture, fabulous hint of bitterness in the chocolate, delicious smooth ganache. DON'T CHANGE A THING. MAKE IT AGAIN LIKE THIS. AND SEND IT ALL TO ME! |
Some was for Mr Limey you know... :)
So glad you like it. And amazed at the delivery time! |
Wait, you actually mailed cake? How did you manage that??
|
Quote:
First class post in the UK is usually next day, so most food will not spoil. Monster has mailed odd food items in the past, you're in trouble now clod:evil3: |
she tried to mail me a fried egg. I think the postman eated it. :mad:
|
I bought an eight-pack of food containers from the Pound Shop.
Yes, everything in there costs a pound. The remaining six have numerous uses. (I bought eight - someone still has to report back) Wrapped two slices of cake in foil to stay moist. Padded box with bubble wrap (pink, saved from a previous delivery to me) and taped it all up with panda tape. A single sticker with the address on. Minimum possible postage costs. I had no idea it would arrive so soon, but internet comments on the cake suggested it improved with time, so despite cooking it on Sunday I was confident it would still be edible on arrival. Less than 24 hours later it wasn't just edible - it was eaten! |
Infi, any eggs I send you would be well squashed.
Still, if that's okay I'll go for it. |
No, that's OK. ;)
But you know what? I cannot successfully make hard-boiled eggs. Seriously. |
You asked for eggs, you get eggs.
Shush. And WHA?! Hard boiled eggs are easy peasy Japanesey lemon squeezy! Cold pan. Egg. Turn up heat. Leave. (Gordon Ramsey stylee) Soft boiled eggs I'd have some sympa with. Hard boiled is what you get when you screw up soft boiled. I can see I have to come over to the States and take you in hand. If you had a penis that would be a come-on. As it is, I'm just being patronising. |
HAHAHAHAHAAAA!
I don't know, I made hard-boiled eggs and yes, they were hard boiled but the yolk was all dry and crumbly. Of course, they might have been in the cold spot under the fake freezer in my dorm room fridge. All I know is I couldn't eat them. Sometimes my mom will make a couple extra eggs for me when she makes devilled eggs, because I love eggs but I hate devilz. Mayo is the devil. I think it's mayo. Whatever, I don't like many condiments. And I'm very hungry now and am thinking of calling an order in to our new pizza place (that is an extension of a dayton pizza place so I know the pizza is good) because it's pretty much right on my way home. |
Mr Limey got his share - it was deeeelishus!
|
Put eggs in pan, fill with water to 1 inch over the eggs. Boil. Cover pan, remove from heat. Wait 12 mintues (for large eggs, 9 minutes for medium, 15 minutes for extra large, I have no idea about jumbo, i never buy jumbo). Run cold water over them to stop the cooking process. Done. Hard boiled eggs.
|
Quote:
|
Next time I will not put the return address on it....
|
Didn't take photos, but might have a second chance tomorrow.
Made Wolf's Banana Bread yesterday. Twice. She was right - it is super quick and easy, with a long cooking time which gave me ample time to wash up and clean the work surfaces. Flour and me - we don't cohabit well. I went upstairs with a cup of tea, sat on my bed reading with the Dizcat trying to climb onto my shoulders. Then all of a sudden it occurred to me - did I even put the raising agents in?! No idea where the thought came from, I was reading Paul Monette's touching AIDS memoir. So I belt downstairs and the only things left on the counter top were the raising agents. Sure proof that they had simply not been touched during the cooking, cleaning and putting away process. Out of the oven comes the tin. 27 minutes according to the timer and it does resemble suet pudding. Put it out to cool and then bin. Washed the tin. Started again. Thank goodness it was such an easy one-bowl cake, or I would have given up. So. Second time around. I had decided to make it in my tube pan (after looking up what that meant). I thought it would be nicer for the staffroom, because people could have little chunks rather than slices. Finger food if you will. I had to buy Ground Cloves. I can only imagine I will use them again in this recipe. Never had a need for them before. When the lovely risen cake came out of the oven (50 minutes) I left it for 15 minutes before decanting. It came out beautifully. Of course turning a bread upside down misses the point of the lovely crust. I'll make a formal loaf next time. I sliced off some of the bottom to even it out, and served said castoffs to Mum, Dad and Maureen. I knew Mum wouldn't like it. Too heavily spiced for her. She'd already signalled her disapproval by asking "What is that you're supposed to be making?" when it was cooling. She had a scrap and said it was okay when eating it but she didn't like the aftertaste. Dad had one piece then said he was saving himself for his dinner (it's true, he has such a small appetite). Maureen liked it. I should say so - someone ate about 90% of the pieces. I doubt it was her personally. I think Mum might have got over the "aftertaste" as soon as I left the room :) I also tried a bit of the cutoff. The spices overwhelmed the banana, which was good for me. I will halve them when I next make it though. I think we have a different perception of what Banana Bread is over here. Took into work and as with last week, there were four shop-bought cakes on the table already - Mrs G's birthday was on Sunday. I wish I'd known. It would have been nice to buy her a card for a start! So there was 3/4 of the BB left at 15.15. Never mind, gives me a chance to take a photo for you tomorrow. Although the teachers sometimes descend on the staffroom late afternoon... Those who had some said it wasn't what they were expecting, but they liked the flavour. And that it was very moist. Two questioned me about that and I had to admit I didn't know - I simply described the stages. In general we use self-raising flour here, and solid fat not oil. I have promised them a carrot cake next week. Damn I wish I had a food processor. I've put this classic off because the idea of grating so much grims me out. Does it have to be grated? Can't I just liquidise it? |
1 Attachment(s)
The photo below shows how much was left this morning.
And one of the rival cakes in the background - unopened! I was heartened that a little more was eaten last night. Which could only be by people who had eaten it earlier. It looks a bit dry in the photo. Second day after baking it still wasn't. |
Looks lovely.
When I do the round versions, I serve it rumply side up. You can get away with that in breads. I have a tendency to miss ingredients as I go along, so I've developed the habit of lining them up like little soldiers on the counter and putting them away after I've used them, so I don't put the salt in twice. I sent classic the recipe last night, and also the recipe for chocolate banana bread, which doesn't use a lot of liquid ingredients, but is teh yummeh. And yes, I'll get it right off to you ... |
Chocolate Banana Bread
1 1/2 cups unsifted all purpose flour 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa 2/3 cup sugar 1 teaspoon baking powder 1/2 teaspoon baking soda 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/2 cup shortening 1 cup mashed ripe banana (about 3 small) 2 eggs, beaten Confectioners' sugar (optional) Combine flour, coca, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in large mixing bowl. Cut in shortening until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add mashed bananas and eggs. Stir until just blended. Pour into greased and floured 9 1/4" X 5 1/4" X 2 3/4" loaf pan. Bake at 350 F for 50 to 55 minutes or until cake tester comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes, remove from pan. Cool completely on wire rack. Sprinkle with confectioners' sugar, if desired. Variation: Fruited chocolate banana bread; add 1 cup raisins or finely chopped dried apricots to batter. The only thing I do differently from the official recipe, is add a full bag of chocolate chunks rather than using the suggestion of 1 cup from the fruited variation above. |
I would blame my mistake on the fact that the kitchen was like Piccadilly Circus, despite the fact I'd officially "booked" it that afternoon. But that's the sort of game Mum plays. I screwed up, pure and simple.
I'll never make that exact mistake again at least! It's been praised, Wolf. Especially the texture. I'll just half the spices to Anglicise it. And it's a shoo-on for the Fayre. I think I will bake it in a round, just because that makes it strange and beautiful. I appreciate what you mean about rumply side up though. I might even fill the round with mini eggs or somesuch. |
Oh, a note ... in the US "shortening" may be butter, margarine, or Crisco Vegetable Shortening. I prefer to use butter.
They each add their own flavor and character to a recipe. My position is that butter comes out of a cow and the other two come from factories. Although, if you want chewy chocolate chip cookies, Crisco is the way to go. |
I was wondering.
I think Crisco is similar to lard. I've only come across it in reference to fisting... :eek: |
Lard is made out of rendered pigparts.
Crisco is made out of vegetables. Lard is clearly superior, but needs a better press agent. As far as I'm aware it's not often used in baking, unless the result is a savory. If you're using your Crisco for fisting, I strongly suggest reserving a separate container for that purpose and never accidentally leaving it in the kitchen. Never. |
Not being into fisting myself, I have no worries about storage.
I didn't realise Crisco was veg friendly. I guess marge would be better suited as a replacement here. Lard is still occasionally used for certain pastry items. Mostly traditional dishes. I admit it's not been seen in this house for about 20 years. |
Gotta say that slice of cake you posted to me was delish.
|
Would ghee be a good alternative to Crisco?
Or, I believe you can buy vegetable shortening over here. |
Over here, vegetable shortening is marketed under the brand name 'Fairy'. Marg or butter should be fine though.
|
As well as making carrot cake (I've found nothing online to suggest I can liquidise rather than grate :() I've also committed to trying to bake challah this weekend.
This is practice for an RE lesson in the next two weeks, where we will have a shabbat experience. If my attempt fails horribly it's okay - the children will already be plaiting salt dough to represent it. It would just be nice if they actually get to taste challah. We're using red grape juice for wine. And making prayer shawls and kippurs. And mezuzahs. As Mrs I says, we're doing the Jews for another few weeks. |
Waiting for the challah to rise.
Big FAIL on the six thread plait, even with instructions. So I used a three thread plait on the second one (in the freezer - apparently they freeze besy before the third rise. That's the one for the childer. Haven't started on the carrot cake yet. It's too early in the day to have orange stained fingers and grater-injuries... I am not looking forward to the prep for this cake. Unless it it praised to the skies I doubt this will be a repeated exercise. |
I thought plaiting was only possible with an odd number. Anyone?
|
Dear Brits, Crisco is White Flora.
Google shows lots of people asking if they've stopped making it, so don't know if you can still get it.... but that's the translation, anyway. |
Quote:
|
Quote:
|
Quote:
Thanks Clodfobble. I just finished a six strand round braid around a core with a leather project I'm working on. I followed a different pattern and it's great to see a new pattern. |
Our class Shabbat is on Monday, so my three-plaited loaf will be left for five hours to defrost and rise and then cooked tomorrow.
This time I WILL take a photo (can't believe I was so lax last week). The carrot cake was gone by the end of lunch. Fastest moving cake I have ever made. Yes, making it was a faff, but I was complimented so much it was worth it. Although the icing was what people seemed to enjoy the most. Easiest part of the cake. It was moist though, and had a good flavour. Turns out I did not overcook the challah. It was eaten, which I did not expect (I scoffed most of my beer bread for example). On Tuesday morning I was running late and went into work without breakfast. I figured I'd have challah - perhaps even toasted. It was gone! Also, although I thought I'd overcooked it, all photos in our reference material showed it at the same colour I had achieved, and it was lovely inside. My recipe suggested it should be golden brown. No. It should be nut-brown. The colour of conkers. Done. Coffee and walnut cake this week. Another fave of the staffroom apparently Weird - I thought they were all chocolate mad. They descend on it quickly enough. But they almost swooned over the carrot cake and are anticipating the coffee one with unseemly glee. Makes me happy though. |
| All times are GMT -5. The time now is 09:55 AM. |
Powered by: vBulletin Version 3.8.1
Copyright ©2000 - 2025, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.