Classic French Madeleines

Madeleine is a traditional small cake from Commercy and Liverdun, two communes of the Lorraine region in northeastern France.
Madeleines are very small sponge cakes with a distinctive shell-like shape acquired from being baked in pans with shell-shaped depressions.

Photograph by Mark Jefferson

These small scalloped-shaped sponge cakes were immortalized by the french writer Marcel Proust  in his novel In Search of Lost Time

No sooner had the warm liquid mixed with the crumbs touched my palate than a shudder ran through me and I stopped, intent upon the extraordinary thing that was happening to me. An exquisite pleasure had invaded my senses, something isolated, detached, with no suggestion of its origin. And at once the vicissitudes of life had become indifferent to me, its disasters innocuous, its brevity illusory – this new sensation having had on me the effect which love has of filling me with a precious essence; or rather this essence was not in me it was me. ... Whence did it come? What did it mean? How could I seize and apprehend it? ... And suddenly the memory revealed itself. The taste was that of the little piece of Madeleine which on Sunday mornings at Combray (because on those mornings I did not go out before mass), when I went to say good morning to her in her bedroom, my aunt Léonie used to give me, dipping it first in her own cup of tea or tisane. The sight of the little Madeleine had recalled nothing to my mind before I tasted it. And all from my cup of tea.

— Marcel Proust, In Search of Lost Time

Photograph by Mark Jefferson

You will love these small heavy cakes with a hump in the middle that were made famous by the bakers of Commercy .

Photograph by Mark Jefferson

Ingredients
9 oz granulated sugar
4 oz bread flour
4 oz cake flour
4 oz ground blanched almonds
6 eggs
1 teaspoon salt
Grated zest of 2 lemons
9 oz clarified butter plus extra for buttering the pans
2 tsp vanilla extract
Powdered sugar

Photograph by Mark Jefferson

Photograph by Mark Jefferson

Directions
- Butter and flour the molds. For a crispier crust, brush the pans with butter and then coat it with granulated sugar.
- Sift sugar, bread flour and cake flour together. Mix in ground almonds.
- Whip eggs and salt until foamy. Add the flour mixture in parts alternating with the butter. mix in lemon zest  and vanilla.
- Cover the batter and let it rest in the refrigerator for 1 hour.
- Now you can use a pastry bag to pipe the batter into the molds or you can use a spoon to drop about one tablespoon of batter into each mold. You don't need to spread the batter to fill the mold, the batter will spread on its own to fill the molds.
- Bake at 450°F for about 8 minutes. Unmold and sift powdered sugar over the tops.

Photograph by Mark Jefferson

Photograph by Mark Jefferson

Photograph by Mark Jefferson

Banana Coconut Pecan Bread

Banana Bread is a type of bread that is made with mashed fully ripe bananas. It is often a moist, sweet, cake-like quick bread.

Ingredients:

- 1 1/4 cups sugar
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 2 eggs
- 1 1/2 cups mashed ripe bananas (3 to 4)
- 1/2 cup buttermilk
- 1 teaspoon coconut extract
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour 
- 1 teaspoon baking soda 
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup chopped pecans
- 3/4 cup shredded unsweetened coconut

Directions:

- Heat oven to 350°F and line a 9x5x3 inch loaf pan with parchment paper.
- Mix sugar and butter in large bowl. 
- Stir in eggs until well blended. 
- Add mashed bananas, buttermilk and coconut extract .Beat until smooth.
- Stir in flour, baking soda and salt.
-Finally stir in pecans and shredded coconut.
- Pour into prepared pan. 
- Bake about 1 1/4 hours, or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.
- Let bread cool in pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack. Let it cool completely for about 1 1/2 hours.

Peppermint Bark

Peppermint bark is a chocolate confection. Generally it consists of peppermint candy pieces, such as candy canes, in white chocolate on top of dark chocolate, but peppermint bark can refer to any chocolate with peppermint candy pieces in it.

Ingredients:

- 8oz Semi-Sweet Chocolate
- 8oz White Chocolate
- 2 tsp Vegetable Oil, divided
- 1/2 tsp Peppermint Extract, divided
- Candy Canes or Peppermint Candies, crushed

Directions

- Line a 8" by 8" baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Smash candies with a meat tenderizer. Then pass them through a mesh strainer to get rid of the dust. We only need the chunks.
- In a heat safe bowl, add brown chocolate and 1 tsp of vegetable oil. Melt chocolate at 50% power in 30 second intervals (about three times). Stir well after each heating.
- When fully melted, stir in 1/4 tsp of peppermint extract.
- Pour melted brown chocolate onto prepared pan and spread out evenly.
- Sprinkle with a small amount of candy chunks.
- Transfer to the fridge for 15 minutes or until fully set and hardened.
- Repeat melting process with white chocolate and 1 tsp of oil at 50% power in 30 second intervals. Stirring well after each heating.
- When fully melted, stir in 1/4 tsp of peppermint extract.
- Pour over brown chocolate. Spread out.
- Sprinkle with remaining candy pieces.
- Transfer to the fridge for an additional 15 minutes or until fully hardened.
- Remove from baking sheet and break into pieces (like peanut brittle).

Eggnog Bread

Eggnog is a sweetened dairy-based beverage traditionally made with milk and/or cream, sugar, and whipped eggs (which gives it a frothy texture). Brandy, rum, whisky, bourbon, vodka, or a combination of liquors are often added. The finished serving is often garnished with a sprinkling of ground cinnamon or nutmeg.

Eggnog is a popular drink throughout the United States and Canada, and is usually associated with Christmas. Eggnog may be added as a flavoring to food or drinks such as coffee and tea. Eggnog as a custard can also be used as an ice cream base.

Ingredients

- 1 1/2 cups of Eggnog
- 2 tsp Rum Flavored Extract

- 1 tsp Vanilla Extract

- 1 cup White Sugar

- 2/3 cup of Butter

- 2 1/4 cups all-purpose Flour

- 2 tsp of Baking Powder 
- 1/4 tsp Salt
- 1/2 tsp ground Nutmeg

- Powdered Sugar for decoration

Directions

- Preheat oven to 350 oF

- Line a 9x5 " loaf pan with parchment paper.

- In a large bowl, beat sugar and butter until well blended.

- In another bowl, mix the flour, baking powder, nutmeg and salt; add to butter mixture alternately with eggnog, beating just until blended.

- Add the vanilla and rum flavored extract. Stir well.

- Bake for about 50 minutes, until golden and center springs back to the touch.

- Allow baked bread to cool.

- Sprinkle the powdered sugar on the loaf.

Chocolate Cake with Chocolate Frosting and Nutella Filling

The history of chocolate cake goes back to 1764, when Dr. James Baker discovered how to make chocolate by grinding cocoa beans between two massive circular millstones.
In 1828, Conrad Van Houten of the Netherlands developed a mechanical extraction method for extracting the fat from cacao liquor resulting in cacao butter and the partly defatted cacao, a compacted mass of solids that could be sold as it was "rock cacao" or ground into powder. The processes transformed chocolate from an exclusive luxury to an inexpensive daily snack. A process for making silkier and smoother chocolate called conching was developed in 1879 by Swiss Rodolphe and made it easier to bake with chocolate as it amalgamates smoothly and completely with cake batters. Until 1890 to 1900, chocolate recipes were mostly for drinks.
The Duff Company of Pittsburgh, a molasses manufacturer, introduced Devil's food chocolate cake mixes in the mid 1930s, but introduction was put on hold during World War II. Duncan Hines introduced a "Three Star Special" (so called because a white, yellow or chocolate cake could be made from the same mix) was introduced three years after cake mixes from General Mills and Duncan Hines, and took over 48 percent of the market.
In the U.S., "chocolate decadence" cakes were popular in the 1980s; in the 1990s, single-serving molten chocolate cakes with liquid chocolate centers and infused chocolates with exotic flavors such as tea, curry, red pepper, passion fruit, and champagne were popular. Chocolate lounges and artisinal chocolate makers were popular in the 2000s. Rich, flourless, all-but-flourless chocolate cakes are "now standard in the modern pâtisserie," according to The New Taste of Chocolate.

- 1/2 cup Vegetable Oil

- 2 tsp Vanilla Extract

- 1 cup Boiling Water

- 2 Eggs

- 1 cup Milk

- 1-1/2 tsp Baking Soda

- 1 tsp Salt

- 1-3/4 cups all-purpose Flour

- 3/4 cup Unsweetened Cocoa

- 1-1/2 tsp Baking Powder

- 2 cups Sugar

(all ingredients should be at room temperature)

- Heat oven to 350°F.  Butter and flour a 9-inch round baking pan. Not recommended to use   a springform pan since batter will be very thin and it might leak out of pan.

- Stir together sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a mixer bowl.

- While mixing add eggs one by one, mix well. Then add milk, oil and vanilla; beat on medium speed of mixer 2 minutes.

- Stir in boiling water (batter will be thin). Pour batter into prepared pan.

- Bake for 45 minutes or until toothpick inserted in the center comes out clear of batter.

- Let the cake cool and  remove from pan to wire racks. Cool completely.

 Chocolate Frosting

- 1 (14 oz.) can Sweetened Condensed Milk
- 2 (1 oz.) sqs. semi-sweet Chocolate
- Dash of Salt
- 3 tbsp Water
- 1 tsp Vanilla Extract

- In a saucepan, combine sweetened condensed milk, chocolate and salt. Over medium heat cook and stir rapidly until chocolate melts and mixture thickens.

- Remove from heat. Stir in water and vanilla. Cook and stir rapidly until thickened again about 4 minutes.

- Cool 10 minutes before using it.

Nutella Filling

- A whole Nutella container.

- Cut cake in as many layers as wished.

- Chill Nutella for 30 min, spread on cake.

 

Marble cake

A marble cake is a cake with a streaked or mottled appearance (like marble) achieved by very lightly blending light and dark batter. It can be a mixture of vanilla and chocolate cake, in which case it is mainly vanilla, with streaks of chocolate. Other possibilities are strawberry or other fruit flavors, or (particularly in marbled coffee cakes) cinnamon and/or other spices.

The first print references to marble cake begin appearing in the last quarter of the 19th century. One popular variation of this recipe during Victorian times was “Harlequin cake", which was baked with checkerboard patterns. Early recipes used molasses and spices to achieve the dark-colored batter.

Ingredients

- 2 cups Flour
- 1 1/2 tsp Baking Powder
- 1/3 cup Unsalted Butter
- 1 cup Granulated Sugar
- 1 Egg
- 1/2 tsp Salt
- 1 tsp Vanilla
- 1 cup Milk
- 2 tbsp unsweetened cocoa dissolved in 2 tbsp of boiling water.

Directions

- Beat the butter and sugar until fluffy. Add the egg.
- Sift the flour, baking powder and salt together.
- Add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture, alternating with the milk and vanilla.
- Divide the dough in two parts. Add the dissolved cocoa to one of the parts, mix well.
- Butter and flour a 8 inches pan.
- Spread batter in prepared pan.
- Bake 50 to 55 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean.
- Cool cake in pan on wire racks 15 minutes. Remove from pans; cool completely.

Spritz Cookies

Pritzgebäck is a type of German Christmas biscuit. The German verb spritzen means to squirt in English. As the name implies, these cookies are made by "squirting" the dough with a cookie press or a pastry bag. In the United States, the name is often shortened to spritz.

Guinness Cupcakes with ganache filling and Baileys buttercream icing

Makes 20 to 24 cupcakes.
For the Guinness Chocolate Cupcakes
1 cup Guinness stout beer
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups dark brown sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
2/3 cup sour cream
1 teaspoon extract vanilla
Ganache filling
8 ounces bittersweet chocolate
2/3 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoon butter, room temperature
Baileys Frosting
5 1/2 to 6 cups confectioners sugar
2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter, room temperature
6 to 8 tablespoons Baileys
-Special equipment: Bismarck Round Decorating Tip 230 and a pipping bag for filling the cupcake.

Cupcakes directions
Preheat oven to 350F.
Line 24 cupcake cups with liners. Bring 1 cup stout and 1 cup butter to simmer in a saucepan. Add cocoa powder and whisk until mixture is smooth. Cool slightly.
Whisk flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt in a bowl. Beat eggs and sour cream in bowl to blend. Add stout-chocolate mixture to egg mixture and combine. Add flour mixture and beat to combine.  Fill cupcake liners with dough, 2/3 to 3/4 of the way. Bake about 18 minutes. Cool cupcakes completely.
Filling directions
Put chocolate in a heatproof bowl. Heat the cream until simmering and pour it over the chocolate and stir until smooth. Add the butter and stir until combined. Let it cool.
Prepare a decorating bag with your ganache and Round Decorating Tip 230; insert tip in top center of cupcake go most of the way down the cupcake but not cut through the bottom (aim for 2/3 of the way) and squeeze out a small amount of filling.
Frosting directions
Whip the butter until light and fluffy. Slowly add the powdered sugar while beating. When the frosting looks thick enough to spread, drizzle in the Baileys cream and beat until combined.
 Ice and decorate the cupcakes.

Pecan cookies

Ingredients
4 1/2 sticks unsalted butter
1 cup confectioners' sugar, plus more for coating
4 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups of chopped pecans
1 pinch of salt

Directions
 With an electric mixer, cream butter. Add 1/3 cup sugar and cream until light. Beat in vanilla, salt, and flour, scraping down sides of bowl, just until dough comes together. Fold in pecans.
Squeeze dough to shape into small balls. Place, 3 inches apart, on a baking sheet. Gently flatten with the tip of your finger.
Bake until golden brown, rotating sheet halfway through, about 25 minutes. Let them cool until just warm and sprinkle them with sugar. Cool cookies on a wire rack.

Red Velvet Cupcakes

Cupcakes

This is a cake you don't see in  South America, at least I have'nt seen it. So of course i was intrigued by it. A bright red cake with a white frosting looked very appealing and I heard from everyone that it was just great.
So, I went to the computer and started reading recipes. I found some variations between recipes so I decided to keep investigating until find out which was the real deal.
Then I found out in an article on Yahoo that this is a Southern cake. And that there are 8 essentials for an authentic Red Velvet cake:
1. The cake must have some cocoa, but not much because this is not a chocolate cake.
2. The cake must have red food coloring.
3. The cake must have cream cheese frosting.
4. There should be pecans.
5. You must use high-quality ingredients.
6. Precise measurements and meticulous attention to detail are key for this cake.
7. Not over-mix the batter.
8. Red velvet cake batter needs vegetable oil, not butter or shortening.

About 24 cupcakes.

• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon cocoa powder
• 1 1/2 cups vegetable oil
• 1 cup buttermilk, room temperature
• 2 large eggs, room temperature
• 2 tablespoons red food coloring
• 1 teaspoon white distilled vinegar
• 2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.  In a medium mixing bowl, sift together the flour, sugar, baking soda, salt, and cocoa powder. In a large bowl gently beat together the oil, buttermilk, eggs, food coloring, vinegar, and vanilla with a electric mixer. Add the sifted dry ingredients to the wet and mix until smooth and thoroughly combined.
Divide the batter evenly among the cupcake tins about 2/3 filled. Bake in oven for about 20 to 22 minutes.
Test the cupcakes with a toothpick for doneness. Remove from oven and cool completely before frosting.

Cream Cheese Frosting

• 1 pound cream cheese, softened
• 2 sticks butter, softened (1 cup)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 4 cups sifted confectioners' sugar
• Chopped pecans for garnish

In a large mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese, butter and vanilla together until smooth. Add the sugar and on low speed, beat until incorporated. Increase the speed to high and mix until very light and fluffy.
Garnish with chopped pecans.