Baked Desire

Summer Harvest Pie

nkellerator — Tue, 12 May 2009 18:35:43 +0000

I know it is too early for summer, but this is truly one of my favorite recipes. This past weekend, I went home to celebrate Mother’s Day and I figured it would be a perfect opportunity to make this delicious pie! I used the same recipe for the crust as I did for the apple pie that I made for pi day. For the filling I used 2 baskets of strawberries, washed and cut in halves, 1/2 c blackberries, and three white peaches. I added 1 c granulated sugar, 1 egg, 2 tbs of flour, the juice of 1 lemon as well as its zest, and mixed until it formed a nice creamy mixture. After rolling out my pie dough, I filled it with the fruit mixture and with the remaining dough created a lattice top and finished it off with a egg wash. I baked the pie at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for about 15 minutes, then reduced the temperature to 300 and baked for another 50 minutes. The result: Delicious, tangy and sweet and a great crust to balance out the flavors and textures; a true winner!!

Springtime Meyer Lemon Bars

nkellerator — Thu, 07 May 2009 04:08:17 +0000

Today on my “day off” (babysitting for four hours instead of working at the cafe for seven, its a day off), I baked some lemon bars with the girl that I have the greatest pleasure mentoring and spending time with for almost a year. She has a delicious Meyer lemon tree in her front-yard and when we got to her house we decided to make some lemon bars. These are super tasty and full of lemon flavor. The crust is fabulous and buttery and the lemon mixture is creamy and mouth-watering. So tasty!!

Preheat oven to 350 Fahrenheit

shortbread crust:

1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, cut into 1/2 inch pieces

1/2 brown sugar

2 tsp salt

2 c flour

In a medium bowl mix butter, sugar, flour, and salt well using your hands. When it starts to get crumbly and moist pour into greased 9 x 13 inch pan, distribute evenly and push down to form crust. Bake for 20 minutes, or until golden.

Lemon filling:

4 large eggs

1 1/2 c sugar

3/4 c Meyer lemon juice (about 3-4 lemons)

1/3 c flour

whisk eggs and sugar, stir in lemon juice and flour

Pour onto crust, bake at 300 degrees Fahrenheit for about minutes.

Using a sieve or sifter, sprinkle powdered sugar evenly over the bars. Let cool (or don’t) and enjoy!!!

Decadent Red Velvet Cake with Vanilla Cream Cheese Frosting

nkellerator — Mon, 04 May 2009 04:29:40 +0000

Today at the cafe, my boss asked me to make some red velvet cake for the week. Always willing to try new baking adventures, without being “forced” to eat a slice or two of cake a day if I had made it at home, I gladly accepted. Red velvet cake is one of my favorites, but I have never actually made it from scratch. One of the interesting things about red velvet is that traditionally it is made with vinegar which reacts with the chocolate to give it that reddish tint which people have learned to love; now people just use tons of red food coloring because for some reason we love neon-red cake! This was super fun to make since my boss got me a new decorating tool that worked really well and kept me busy during the slow hours. One thing I would change would be to refrigerate the cake batter for about 30 minutes, this gives the cake a nicer texture. Also I would refrigerate the cake after being frosted for a couple of hours to firm everything up…One last note (pictures were taken with a cell phone!)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees farenheit

1/2 c cocoa powder

2 1/2 c flour

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1 c butter softened

2 c sugar

4 eggs

1 c sour cream

1/2 c milk

80z red food dye

2 tsp vanilla extract

sift dry ingredients, set aside. Cream the butter and sugar until fluffy. Add eggs one at a time. Mix in sour cream, milk, food dye, and vanilla. Gradually add flour mix on low speed blend, being careful not to overmix. Pour batter into two buttered pans. Bake 30-35 minutes, or until center comes out clean with toothpick. Cool in pans for about 10 minutes, remove from pans and let cool completely on a rack.

Vanilla Cream Cheese Frosting

8 oz cream cheese softened

1/2 stick butter

2 tbs sour cream

2 tsp vanilla extract

16 oz confectioners sugar.

Beat cream cheese, butter, sour cream and vanilla in a large bowl until light and fluffy. Gradually beat in confectioners sugar until smooth, Fill and frost cooled cake. Enjoy!!

Healthy, tasty, and filling fruit smoothie

nkellerator — Fri, 01 May 2009 05:42:43 +0000

During the long hours at the cafe, I usually have about a 10-15 minute break. I usually eat lunch before my shifts and have dinner after, so there is always an awkward period of hunger in between these hours. Since I don’t want to fill up on fries or cookies, I usually make myself a blueberry-banana smoothie, or a strawberry-mango smoothie, made with non-fat frozen yogurt, soy milk, and fresh fruit. It is a great snack, and keeps me going until dinner time. It is super easy to make and can easily be complimented with a slice of whole wheat bread spread with peanut butter, or 1/2 a cup of high-fiber cereal to make a light meal.

1/2 cup fat free frozen yogurt (you can also use regular yogurt)

1 c ice

1/2- 1 c frozen or fresh fruit (mangoes, strawberries, blueberries, bananas, etc.)

1/2 soy milk

blend well in blender and enjoy!!!

Blueberry-Peach Muffins

nkellerator — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 17:19:25 +0000

I made these muffins this past weekend when it was super crazy at the cafe and there was an apparent demand for muffins! These muffins turned out super moist and were very tasty!!! Perfectly sweet and tons of fruit!! I would also attempt to make these with whole wheat flour another day to have a more nutritious version.

3/4 cup butter
1 cup sugar
3/4 cup milk
1 egg
1 3/4 cup sifted flour
2 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup blueberries
1 cup peaches chopped
1 Tbsp flour
Cream butter and sugar, Add milk and egg, beat until smooth.Sift together flour, baking powder and salt; add to to creamed mixture. Mix until moistened Toss blueberries and peaches with flour and fold into batter. Fill well greased muffin tins 2/3 full with the batter. Bake at 400 for 20 minutes

Strawberry-Lime Zest Pie: Perfect for Spring!

nkellerator — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 21:44:28 +0000

On my wonderful first day off in about 2 weeks, I decided to bake something delicious yet light, since it is currently 100 degrees! I know that it is strawberry season right now so I felt what a better thing to bake than a strawberry pie!! I wanted to be creative, so I kind of just added what I thought would be tasty and the result was a wonderfully tart and scrumptious strawberry-lime zest pie. Originally I wanted to make mine own crust, but I felt unbelievably lazy and just used pre-made crusts; if you have the energy by all means make your own crust!!

2 pie crusts

4 cups strawberries, rinsed and cut in half

1 c brown sugar

1 tbs flour

zest of one lime

juice of one lime

2 eggs

preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Combine strawberries, sugar, flour, lemon zest and juice, and egg. Mix well. Pour into pie crust and carefully layer the top with the second crust. With the other egg make an egg wash and cover over the top of the second crust. Bake for about 40-45 minutes or until crust is golden brown and strawberry mixture is bubbling. Enjoy with a nice tall glass of fresh lemonade or a scoop of lemon sorbet!

Homemade Bread

nkellerator — Sun, 19 Apr 2009 19:09:01 +0000

One of my favorite things to do, when I have the time, is make home made bread. It is such a rewarding accomplishment and now that I have gotten pretty good at it, I rarely buy bread at the store anymore. I got this easy and simple recipe that is quite easy to modify from my mom, who is my true inspiration for bread making. The best part about this bread is that it can either be sweet or savory: my favorites are raisin-walnut and jalapeno-corn sprinkled with cheese!!

1 1/2 c whole wheat bread flour

1 1/2 c white bread flour

1/4 c gluten (you can buy this at most supermarkets and helps your bread rise and develop a wonderful texture during the fermentation process)

1 tsp salt

2 tsp dry active yeast

1/4 c powdered milk (again gives the bread a great moist texture)

2 tbs brown sugar

1 c +2 tbs water

2 tbs butter

In a stand mixer, pour water first (this helps create a base for the dough) add flours, yeast, gluten, milk, salt, sugar and butter and mix with the paddle attachment for about 2-3 minutes. Let the dough rest for about 5 minutes to help absorb all of the moisture.

At this point you can decide if you want your bread to be sweet or savory, the base is pretty neutral so it is up to you! Some ideas: raisins and nuts, roasted jalapeños and corn, cranberries and orange zest, the possibilities are endless! Something to keep in mind, if you want a sweeter bread, try adding more sugar. Cinnamon, however, does not react well with the yeast, so use sparingly.

Then switch the hook attachment and mix for about 10 minutes until the dough is silky and not sticky. Also it should pass what is called the “window pane” test which is when you stretch out a little bit of dough to see if it is almost see through. In a large bowl or tub let the dough rise for about 1-2 hours until it looks like it has taken a deep breath, it should be in a warmish area because the yeast prefers the warmth and will rise faster. After 1-2 hours shape the dough; I like to make mine into a nice round ball because it is easier to slice, but you can shape however you prefer (one year for thanksgiving, I shaped mine into a turkey!) Let the dough rise again until it looks like it has taken a deep breath.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit, place dough on parchment paper and put it on a cookie sheet or a pizza stone and let it bake for about 20-25 minutes, depending on your oven.The bread should reach a temperature of about 190 degrees. Enjoy!!!

Delicious Chocolate Chip Cookies

nkellerator — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 01:48:40 +0000

I found these in one of my favorite books The Art and Soul of Bakery which I mentioned earlier. This is a true classic chocolate chip cookie recipe that can be altered to ones cravings: chocolate chip, peanut butter chips, white chocolate chips, etc. My favorite combination these days is half peanut butter chips half semi-sweet chocolate chips, it is so good!! These cookies had a great texture and were unbelievably delicious. I used Ghiradelli chocolate and Reese’s peanut butter chips, but feel free to make your own delicious version!! Here is the recipe:

1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, softened

3/4 c granulated sugar

3/4 cup brown sugar

2 large eggs, at room temperature which I realized makes a huge difference in texture

2 tsp vanilla extract

2 1/4 unbleached all purpose flour

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

6 oz good quality chocolate chips or whatever you feel like. I added more like 10 oz of chocolate chips…..

Mix dry ingredients in small bowl. In a stand mixer (or by hand)Cream together butter and sugars until smooth and well blended. Add the eggs one at a time making sure to incorporate them in the butter mix. Add vanilla and blend well. Add flour mix to butter and blend until there are no more batches of flour. Add chocolate chips and blend on low until combined. Chill for about an hour. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. On a couple of greased baking sheets spoon about about a tablespoon per cookie, spreading two inches apart. Bake about 10-14 minutes, or until golden brown. Enjoy!!!

Special Easter Cupcakes

nkellerator — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 14:42:59 +0000

This past weekend was crazy at the cafe; since it is mostly a family establishment we get tons of families and kids from the beach seeking for hamburgers and ice cream! Anyways, it was my duty to come up with a fun Easter dessert so I decided to make the popular lemon cupcakes with lemon icing topped with peeps marshmallows and jelly bean Easter eggs. They looked so cute and were very tasty!!

Here is the recipe:

Preheat oven to 350

1/2 stick butter

1 c sugar

2 large eggs

1 1/2 c flour

1/2 c milk

2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

2 tsp vanilla extract

6 tsp lemon juice

1 can duncan hines lemon frosting

1 packet peeps

1 bag jelly bean easter eggs

cream together sugar and butter until smooth. Add each egg separately and mix well. Add flour, baking powder, salt, vanilla extract, lemon juice and milk to sugar mix. Mix thoroughly and taste to make sure it is lemony enough for you. The first time I made them I only added 3 tsp and felt that they were not lemony enough, you can also add some lemon zest to add more flavor. Bake for about 20 minutes, cool and add lemon frosting ( I used duncan hines because we don’t have the equipment to make our own). Pierce each peep with a toothpick and place in the center of the frosted cupcake, then place the jelly bean eggs on the side. Pretty simple yet very delicious and very cute!!

Life as a short order cook

nkellerator — Tue, 07 Apr 2009 00:51:04 +0000

About two weeks ago I started a new job at a local cafe working as a short order cook. As my first experience on the line, I can honestly say it has been the best job I have ever had. Although it is also the most physically demanding thing I have ever done, on my feet 7-8 hours a day, working about 40 hours a week. However, it has been such an amazing learning experience and I already have my own recipe on the menu!! I introduced cupcakes the the cafe, and the owners fell in love with them so now they are officially called “Natalie’s Cupcakes” (lemon cupcakes with lemon frosting). the best part of the job is that I get to bake almost everday which lets me be pretty creative and pursue my favorite hobby (and get paid to do it!!) This past weekend we made a homemade ice cream cake (vanilla cake with locally made vanilla ice cream and chocolate frosting) it turned out really well and we hope to make it a regular thing. I hope to be able to take some pictures of my baking and cooking adventures and keep posting whenever i get the free time!!