Lemon Yogurt Poppy Seed Muffins

Lemon Yogurt Poppy Seed Muffins - made February 15, 2010 from A Passion for Baking by Marcy Goldman

I'm currently reading the Corinna Chapman series by Kerry Greenwood. Corinna is a baker and she has a 15-year-old apprentice, Jason, who's a recovering heroin addict who'd been living on the streets until Corinna took him under her wing and gave him a chance. Jason had a talent for baking and an aptitude for making muffins that were better than Corinna's. They used the same recipe, same methods, same ovens yet Jason's muffins were always better than hers. Based on my own muffin experiences, I'm more like Corinna than I am like Jason.

In case you can't tell from the picture, which looks like a bunch of misshapen flat tops, those are actually lemon poppyseed muffins. Or rather, muffins gone awry. I just can't get the hang of muffins. I know all the tricks "by the book" such as stirring as little as possible, putting into an oven that's a higher temperature so you get that spring of the muffin top, etc. When I used to live and work in San Francisco, there was one place downtown that had the best muffins - the tops were brown and crunchy and the rest of the muffin was moist and flavorful. A Jason type probably made those. Once again, let me repeat: I'm not a Jason, I'm a Corinna. That means these were edible but honestly, just okay. I spread the batter amongst only 12 muffin cups which meant they ended up too full. The muffin tops spread all over the muffin tin but never really sprang up, despite the 2 teaspoons of baking powder in the batter. They didn't dome and they didn't brown. Taste-wise, they were only okay. I don't know if it was me or the recipe but based on my previous muffin track record, it might've been me. The only substitution I made was buttermilk instead of yogurt but even that shouldn't have torpedoed the recipe completely. Oh and I only made half the lemon syrup as I knew that would've been more than enough for 12 muffins and I was right.

ETA: I had to edit this entry as a couple of my coworkers who tried the muffins raved about them today while we were at lunch. I almost couldn't believe it. I thought I had totally blown it with these muffins and was a general muffin-baking failure. Just goes to show everyone has different tastes, lol.

Muffin Batter
¼ cup unsalted butter, softened
¼ cup shortening (or use all butter)
1 ½ cups sugar
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
Juice of 1 lemon
Zest of 1 lemon, finely minced
1 teaspoon pure lemon extract
1 cup plain yogurt
2 ¼ to 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
2 ½ teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt
2 to 4 tablespoons poppy seeds

Lemon syrup
¾ cup water
¼ cup lemon juice
1 teaspoon lemon extract
1 cup sugar

1. Preheat oven to 375˚F. Arrange oven rack to middle position. Line a large 12-cup muffin pan with paper liners and place pan on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet.
2. In a mixer bowl, cream butter with shortening until smooth and creamy. Blend in sugar and the eggs, vanilla, lemon juice, zest, lemon extract, and yogurt. Blend well; then fold in flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and poppy seeds.
3. Using a large ice-cream scoop, scoop a generous amount of batter into prepared muffin cups. Make sure you load muffin cups full, but deposit one muffin first as a test – batter should stay in place. If it topples over, that means you should add a bit more flour to remaining batter.
4. Bake until nicely browned around edges and muffins are set, about 28 to 32 minutes.
5. For lemon syrup, simmer water, lemon juice, extract, and sugar over low heat 5 minutes. Cool well.
6. Brush baked poppy seed muffins 2 to 3 times with Lemon Syrup while they are still warm. Let cool 5 minutes before removing from pan.

Italian Cream Cake

Italian Cream Cake - made February 13, 2010 from Fearless Baking by Elinor Klivans

Someone asked me for a recipe for Italian Cream Cake a few weeks ago and I had to admit I'd never really heard of it before, much less made one. But I went searching through my baking books out of curiosity (there's a cake I'd never heard of??) as to what it was. And discovered most of my baking books, not even the ones specializing in cakes, had it listed either. However I did find a recipe for it in 2 of my baking books and both had the same general ingredients. It appears Italian Cream Cake, at least in both these recipes, is made with a combination of butter and shortening with coconut and frosted with a cream cheese frosting. Okay, I can get behind that.

I tried this recipe from Fearless Baking by Elinor Klivans just because I had a higher success rate with her book than with the other one that contained a recipe for Italian Cream Cake as well. The only thing that surprised me in Elinor Klivan's recipe is she calls for margarine. Let me declare my prejudice now: I don't do margarine. While admittedly I have many baking prejudices - against poor nuts in brownies, fruitcake, no-name brand baking ingredients and cheap chocolate - margarine tops the list. I don't buy it, I don't bake or cook with it and I don't eat it. I'm all about butter. Using margarine...I can't even bring myself to think about it much less do it.

So it should come as no surprise that I substituted butter everywhere she calls for margarine. The cake turned out pretty well if I do say so myself. It's actually similar to Mrs. Fields' coconut cake recipe (blogged about earlier) except this one had more of a pound cake texture. Regardless, it was quite good. I tried a piece when it was still lukewarm and I hadn't frosted it yet - so good. It also holds up with the cream cheese frosting although the frosting recipe makes more than enough to thoroughly cover a Bundt cake. So I now know what Italian Cream Cake is but I will confess I don't know the difference between that and a regular coconut cake with cream cheese frosting.

Cake
5 large eggs, separated
2 cups granulated sugar
¼ pound (1 stick) soft margarine (not reduced-fat)
8 tablespoons (½ cup) soft vegetable shortening such as Crisco
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup buttermilk (nonfat is fine)
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 cup coarsely chopped pecans
2 cups shredded sweetened coconut

Cream Cheese Frosting
6 ounces cream cheese, softened
6 tablespoons (¾ stick) softened margarine (not reduced-fat)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 cups powdered sugar

1 ½ cups shredded sweetened coconut for sprinkling over the frosting

1. Mix the cake: Position an oven rack in the middle of the oven. Preheat the oven to 350˚F. Butter the bottom, sides and center tube of a 9 ½- or 10-inch fixed-bottom tube pan with at least 3 ¾”-high sides. Line the bottom with parchment or wax paper and butter the paper.
2. Have the egg whites ready in a clean, large bowl.
3. Put the granulated sugar, margarine, and vegetable shortening in a large bowl and beat with an electric mixer on medium speed until lightened in color and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Stop the mixer and scrape the mixture from the sides of the bowl and any that becomes caught in the beaters as needed throughout the mixing process. Add the egg yolks one at a time, beating for 1 minute after each addition. Stir in the vanilla to incorporate it. Put the buttermilk in a small bowl, add the baking soda and stir them together gently just to dissolve the baking soda. Decrease the speed to low, and in 5 additions (3 flour, 2 buttermilk), add the flour and buttermilk, alternately, beginning and ending with the flour. Let each addition of buttermilk and flour incorporate before adding another. The batter may look curdled after the buttermilk additions. Scrape the sides of the bowl again after the last addition of flour. The batter will look smooth. Use a large spoon to stir in the pecans and coconut. Set the batter aside and immediately whip the egg whites.
4. Use an electric mixer with clean, dry beaters to beat the egg whites on medium-high speed until they look white, shiny and smooth. As the egg whites become firm, the movements of the beaters begin to form lines in them. If you stop the mixer and lift up the beaters, the whites should cling to the beaters rather than drip off them. Pour about half the whipped egg whites over the reserved batter and use a rubber spatula to fold the egg whites into the batter by digging down to the bottom of the bowl with the rubber spatula and bringing the 2 mixtures up and over each other to combine them. This lightens the batter slightly, but it is not necessary to fold every bit of egg white in at this point. Pour over the remaining egg whites and fold them into the batter until thoroughly incorporated and no white streaks remain. Use the rubber spatula to scrape all of the batter into the prepared pan. Smooth the top.
5. Bake the cake: Bake for about 1 hour, just until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out dry or with a few moist crumbs clinging to it. The top of the cake will be firm and golden brown. Cool the cake in the pan for 20 minutes. Use a small sharp knife to loosen the cake from the sides and the center tube of the pan. Hold a serving plate on top of the cake in the pan and invert the cake onto the plate. Carefully remove and discard the paper lining the cake bottom. Place a wire rack on the bottom of the cake and invert the cake onto it. The cake is now right side up. Cool the cake thoroughly on the wire rack before frosting it, about 2 hours.
6. Make the frosting: Put the cream cheese, margarine, and vanilla in a large bowl and beat with an electric mixer on medium speed for about 1 minute until the mixture is smooth and the margarine and cream cheese are combined thoroughly. Decrease the speed to low and add the powdered sugar in 2 additions. Continue beating until the powdered sugar is incorporated and the frosting is smooth.

Lemon Ripple Crunch Cake - Take 2

Remember the Quasimodo lemon cake? I had to make it again with the modifications I wrote originally to see if I can make one that didn't look like Mt. Vesuvius erupting lemon lava. I used only 2/3 of the filling, swirled it more, baked it a little longer and let the cake cool almost entirely in the pan. It still sank in the middle near the center tube and you can see the filling sank to the bottom but at least this one was fairly presentable. Tasted good too and I really like the crunch topping. I may have to adapt that to future cakes.

Sour Cream Chocolate Chip Cookies

Sour Cream Chocolate Chip Cookies - made February 5, 2010 from The Good Cookie by Tish Boyle

I can never resist trying out a new recipe for chocolate chip cookies. I have 2 that I like to use but I regularly try out new ones "just in case" I stumble upon a really fantastic one. This one is different than most CCC recipes I've tried in that it uses sour cream. I was a little skeptical but the Red Velvet Cookies use sour cream so I figured that was a good sign. Wrong. I made the cookie dough, portioned it into dough balls and put them in the freezer. That's when I got the first inkling that these might not turn out the way I wanted. The cookie dough was soft and never actually froze. I kept them in the freezer for several days but when I baked them, they still weren't frozen. They were just really cold little dough balls. Sure enough, they spread upon being baked, about as much as if I hadn't frozen them at all and some ran into each other. These came out cakey and if you haven't been following my blog, let me say again that I don't like cakey chocolate chip cookies or cakey brownies. If I wanted cakey, I'd make a cake. Taste-wise, they were your standard chocolate chip cookie-tasting cookies but the texture is what makes them only "okay" in my book. I like my cookies to have crisp edges and chewy middles and be thick, not spread-in-the-oven-too-much thin.

I brought these to work and left them in the anonymity first in the kitchen of my work floor and the next day (baking off the rest of the dough) on a different floor since I wasn't all that thrilled to be associated with them. However, my coworkers regularly remind me I'm "too picky" and my taste buds are apparently more finicky than theirs. I was stopped in the hallway by 2 different people who really liked the cookies (go figure) and chastised by others for leaving them on a different floor as they didn't find out about them in time to go get some. I still maintain I was doing them a favor but they saw it differently. To a couple of others who did taste them and thought they were delicious, I had to promise them to bring in my "good" chocolate chip cookies so they'd know what I meant by a good one.



Sour Cream Chocolate Chip Cookies

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
¾ cup (1 ½ sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
½ cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
2 large eggs
½ cup sour cream
1 cup raisins
1 cup coarsely chopped toasted walnuts
12 ounces bittersweet bar chocolate, chopped into ¼-inch or smaller pieces

1. Position two racks near the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 375˚F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or foil.
2. Sift together the flour, baking soda, and salt into a medium bowl. Set aside.
3. In the bowl of an electric mixer, using the paddle attachment, beat the butter, sugars and vanilla extract at medium speed until creamy, about 2 minutes. Beat in the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition and scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary. Add the sour cream, mixing until blended. At low speed, add the dry ingredients, mixing just until combined. Using a wooden spoon, stir in the raisins, nuts and chopped chocolate.
4. Drop the dough by rounded tablespoonfuls onto the prepared baking sheets, spacing the cookies 2 inches apart. Bake, two sheets at a time, 12 to 15 minutes, until golden brown; switch the position of the sheets halfway through baking so that the cookies brown evenly. Transfer the cookies to wire racks and cool completely.

Store in an airtight container at room temperature up to a week. Makes about 58 cookies.

Essence of Chocolate Squares

Essence of Chocolate Squares - made February 7, 2010 from Baking by Flavor by Lisa Yockelson

I posted on my friend Kendra's blog (www.kitchenreport.wordpress.com) that Baking by Flavor was one of my favorite baking books. This recipe is only one of the reasons why. Stare at that picture for a second. See how moist the brownie part looks? Then topped with luscious fudge frosting. Not only that but the frosting is almost of equal height as the brownie! How could that not completely seduce you into a chocolate coma? This is a two-brownie recipe - meaning with most brownies I make, no matter how well they turn out, I'm fine having one piece and giving the rest away. With this one, I'm likely to eat 2 pieces before letting the rest go.

The only drawback is these don't make good care package brownies because the frosting gets all mashed up. But no matter - you should make it yourself :). Once you take the brownies out of the oven, make the frosting and spread it over the warm brownie. You don't want to frost it like you do a regular cake because the frosting will start to melt (that's the point). Instead, drop it in large dollops over the brownie and cover the top quickly. There's plenty of frosting for cover. Then let it sit. Some of the butter might separate out because the frosting will get too warm over the cake. That's okay. Blot it with a paper towel and let it cool completely. Then workout like a fiend before you consume a piece. This brownie isn't for the faint of heart or the calorie conscious.

1 ¼ cups unsifted bleached all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons unsweetened, alkalized cocoa
¼ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
½ pound (16 tablespoons or 2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted and cooled to tepid
4 ounces unsweetened chocolate, melted and cooled to tepid
4 large eggs
2 cups vanilla-scented granulated sugar (or use regular granulated sugar - vanilla scented is if you have a piece of vanilla bean and let it steep in the sugar canister for a few days)
1 ½ teaspoons intensified vanilla extract

Dense chocolate frosting for topping the fudge chocolate layer
3 ¾ cups plus 2 tablespoons unsifted confectioners’ sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
¼ pound (8 tablespoons or 1 stick) unsalted butter, melted and cooled to tepid
2 ounces (2 squares) unsweetened chocolate, melted and cooled to tepid.
¼ cup milk
2 tablespoon (light) table cream
1 teaspoon intensified vanilla extract

9 x 9 x 2” baking pan

1. Preheat the oven to 325˚F. Film the inside of the baking pan with nonstick cooking spray; set aside.
2. Sift the all-purpose flour, cocoa, baking powder, and salt onto a sheet of waxed paper.
3. Whisk the melted butter and melted unsweetened chocolate in a medium-size mixing bowl until thoroughly combined.
4. Whisk the eggs in a large mixing bowl to blend well, about 1 minute, then add the vanilla-scented granulated sugar and whisk slowly for 1 minute, or until just combined. Whisk in the tepid melted chocolate-butter mixture. Blend in the vanilla extract. Sift over the dry ingredients and mix until all particles of flour are absorbed into the batter, using a whisk, wooden spoon or flat wooden paddle.
5. Scrape the batter into the prepared baking pan. Smooth over the top with a rubber spatula.
6. Bake the cake layer for 35 to 37 minutes or until just set. Cool the cake layer in the pan on a rack for 5 minutes while you make the frosting.
7. Place the confectioners’ sugar and salt in a large mixing bowl. Whisk the melted butter and melted unsweetened chocolate in a small mixing bowl until thoroughly combined. Add the milk, light cream, and vanilla extract. Using an electric hand mixer, beat the frosting on moderately low speed until creamy and completely combined. Scrape down the sides of the mixing bowl two to three times to keep the frosting even-textured. Do not beat the frosting on high speed or it will become airy and fluffy instead of creamy and dense.
8. Immediately and carefully, place large dollops of the frosting evenly over the surface of the hot bar cookie base and spread it, using a flexible offset spatula. Spread it smoothly and lightly, to keep the bar cookie layer intact.
9. Let the sweet cool in the pan on a rack for 3 to 4 hours, or until cooled and completely set. The cooling time is especially important in hot, humid or damp weather. Cut the cake into four quarters, then cut each quarter into four squares, using a small, sharp knife. Remove the chocolate squares from the baking pan, using a small, metal offset spatula.

Freshly baked, the squares keep for 4 to 5 days.

Lemon Ripple Crunch Cake

Lemon Ripple Crunch Cake - made February 6, 2010 from Fearless Baking by Elinor Klivans

I was tempted not to post this entry because, as you can tell from the picture, this cake does not look like one of my successes. No, it's not supposed to be lemon lava cake with the insides pouring out ("um, I meant for that to happen"?). On the other hand, this blog is about my baking odyssey, be it success or failure. And I learn as much from failures as I do from successes. So no sense hanging my head in shame. Although if I were back in culinary school, my chef instructor would probably give me the beady eye if I turned out a cake like this one.

I followed the directions to the letter. This is from Fearless Baking by Elinor Klivans, another baking book that's becoming a favorite of mine because she has so many good recipes in it. The directions said to pour 2/3 of the batter in the tube pan, add in the lemon filling, swirl it around and pour the rest of the batter in. I baked it for the time specified and it seemed done when I took it out. I let it cool the requisite 15 minutes before I took it out of the pan. That's when everything went south - literally. The cake, unable to withstand the onslaught of the filling, literally broke apart and the filling gushed out. I dumped it in a 10-inch square pan before it completely flowed off my counter (fortunately I had foil underneath so not much was lost). I couldn't tell if the lava coming out was really the filling or raw batter since there wasn't the color distinction the recipe said it would have. I put it back into the oven to bake a little longer in the hopes that the raw batter would distinguish itself by baking completely this time. I let it bake another 10-15 minutes before taking it cautiously out. And yes, I baked it as you see in the picture, in the 10-inch square baking pan. You do what you can to salvage the cake.

Despite its appearance, this is good cake. I tried a bit when it was still warm and it tasted nice and buttery but not that lemony. But once it had cooled completely, the lemon flavor really came out. The crunch on top was a nice contrast with the smooth filling and cake. I actually love this cake despite its Quasimodo appearance. Let me put it in perspective for you - yesterday I made 3 batches of brownies which cut into ~12 dozen brownies. I ate one, yes one, small brownie and that was from the batch that I forgot to add vanilla to just to make sure it came out okay (it did). The other brownies I've left untouched - they got packaged up and went straight to the freezer to give out later and I wasn't tempted at all to indulge in more. But this cake? I've probably eaten a good 1/4 of the darn thing since yesterday. I gave 1/3 to my parents today and they liked it too (although my mom made a comment about its appearance too - sigh. Poor thing. It might be ugly but it's delicious!). And don't think I don't have evil designs on the rest of the cake.

So my next project is to make this cake again and try to make its appearance match its taste. There are a few things I would do differently. First, I may try it with a little less filling. The cake batter was rather thin and the filling was heavier than the batter so once you put it in the tube pan, it sinks to the bottom. Second, I would swirl the filling more with the batter. I think it had as much power as it did over the cake because not only was there so much of it but it wasn't really intermingled or marbled with the cake. Instead the filling took over the insides, taking up residence as one lava flow inside the cake. Lastly, I would bake it a little longer and let it cool more in the pan so the cake part isn't so fragile when I take it out. I used a tube pan with a removable bottom (contrary to the instructions) so there's no need to take it out when it's warm. I look forward to making this again and getting it right next time. And if that doesn't turn out, I'll just - cough - keep trying.

Crumb Topping
¼ cup unbleached all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons packed light brown sugar
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
3 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into ½” pieces

Cake batter
2 large egg yolks
One 14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk
1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
2 teaspoons grated lemon zest
2 ¾ cups cake flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
3 large eggs
2 cups granulated sugar
1 cup canola or corn oil
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
½ teaspoon pure almond extract
1 cup sour cream
Powdered sugar for dusting the top of the cake

1. Mix the topping: Put the flour, brown sugar, granulated sugar and cinnamon in a medium bowl. Mix just to blend the ingredients together. Add the butter pieces and use a fork, pastry blender or your fingertips to break up the butter pieces, then mix them until crumbs form. Set aside.
2. Mix the cake: Position an oven rack in the middle of the oven. Preheat the oven to 325˚F. Oil the bottom, sides and center tube of a 9 ½- or 10-inch-diameter fixed bottom tube pan with at least 3 ¾” high sides. Line the bottom with parchment or wax paper and oil the paper.
3. Put the egg yolks, sweetened condensed milk, lemon juice and 1 teaspoon of the lemon zest for the lemon filling in a small bowl, stirring them until smoothly blended. Set aside.
4. Sift the cake flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt together onto a piece of wax paper or into a medium bowl. Set aside.
5. Put the eggs and granulated sugar in a large bowl and beat with an electric mixer on medium speed for about 2 minutes until the mixture looks fluffy, thickens and lightens to a cream color. This is the stage of the mixing that lightens the cake. Move the beaters around in the bowl if using a handheld electric mixer. Reduce the speed to low and slowly add the oil, vanilla, almond extract, and the remaining teaspoon of lemon zest, mixing until blended together. Mix in the flour mixture just until it is incorporated. Add the sour cream, mixing until it is blended and no white streaks remain. Use a rubber spatula to scrape about two-thirds of the batter into the prepared pan. Leaving about a ½-inch plain edge, spoon the reserved sweetened condensed milk and lemon mixture over the batter. Dipping a spoon about 1 inch into the batter, run it once around the lemon mixture in the pan to swirl it lightly through the batter. There should be dark yellow and marbleized streaks of lemon. Use a rubber spatula to scrape the remaining batter into the pan, spreading it evenly.
6. Bake and serve the cake: Bake 35 minutes. Gently sprinkle the reserved crumb topping over the top of the cake. Bake about 40 minutes more until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. If the toothpick penetrates a large area of lemon filling, test another spot. Cool the cake in the pan for 15 minutes. Run a thin knife around the sides and center tube of the pan to loosen the cake. Turn the cake out onto a plate or wire rack. Carefully remove and discard the paper lining the bottom. Place a wire rack over the bottom of the cake and invert the cake onto it so the cake is crumb topping side up. Cool thoroughly. Dust the top with powdered sugar. Use a large spatula to slide the cake onto a serving plate.

Double Chocolate Brownies

Double Chocolate Brownies - made Febuary 6, 2010 from The Good Cookie by Tish Boyle

Another good, basic, straightforward brownie from The Good Cookie. As you can see, I dressed it up a bit with some Valentine-themed M&Ms. This time I did remember the vanilla extract but left out the 6 ounces of chocolate chunks in the batter in favor of the M&Ms on top. I'd made this recipe a couple of times over the years but kept forgetting to take a picture of it to include with the recipe so I "had" to make it again and capture it for posterity. The recipe says to cut into 16 squares but I find that makes big brownies so I cut them into 24 or 25 squares. Nothing wrong with large pieces but I favor small ones in case I want to try other kinds. If you're keeping track by the dates, I've made 3 batches of brownies in one day - not unusual for me. I did say it had been a tough week, right?

If you want to make this with M&Ms and don't want them to sink to the bottom before baking or during baking, spread the batter in the pan and let it sit for about 5-10 minutes. The batter will firm up and you can place the M&Ms with abandon and not worry about them sinking once they're in the oven.

11 ounces bittersweet chocolate, 5 ounces coarsely chopped, 6 ounces cut into ¼” to ½” chunks
¾ cup (1 ½ sticks) unsalted butter, cut into tablespoons
1 cup cake flour (not self rising)
¼ teaspoon salt
3 large eggs, at room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1. Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 325°F. Line a 9-inch square pan with aluminum foil so that the foil extends 2 inches beyond 2 opposites sides of the pan. Grease the bottom and sides of the pan.
2. In the top of a double boiler over barely simmering water, heat the coarsely chopped chocolate and the butter, stirring occasionally, until melted and smooth. Remove the top of the double boiler from the bottom and set the chocolate mixture aside to cool.
3. Sift together the flour and salt into a medium bowl. Gently whisk to blend. Set aside.
4. In the bowl of an electric mixer, using the whisk attachment, beat the eggs, granulated sugar, brown sugar and vanilla extract at high speed until very light and thick, about 5 minutes (the mixture should leave a ribbon trail when the whisk is lifted). Switch to the paddle attachment. At low speed, add the chocolate mixture (it’s okay if it’s still warm), mixing until blended. Add the flour mixture, mixing just until blended. Using a wooden spoon, stir in the chocolate chunks.
5. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top. Bake the brownies for 45 to 50 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with a few moist crumbs clinging to it. Place the pan on a wire rack and cool completely.
6. Using the foil as handles, lift the brownies out of the pan. Cut into 16 squares.

Deluxe Bittersweet Chocolate Pecan Brownies

Deluxe Bittersweet Chocolate Pecan Brownies - made February 6, 2010 from The Good Cookie by Tish Boyle

No, your eyes aren't deceiving you - yes, those are nuts on top of the brownies I baked. I've ranted enough against nuts in brownies to make you doubt but in this particular case, nuts on top of brownies are okay. They can remain crisp when they're baked on top of the brownie unlike nuts folded into the actual batter which get soggy. This is another good, basic, fudgy brownie. The pecan crunch on top is actually a nice contrast with the brownie as there's both some crunch and a bit of sweetness against the chocolate brownie. Toast the pecans first and let them cool before making the crunch. Even though they'll toast some more while the brownies are baking, I still like to toast them beforehand to bring out their flavor. Don't overbake - these are perfect when they're fudgy. This picture is from when I first made this recipe back in 2003. For the batch I made today, I actually chopped up the pecans a bit more - that makes for easier cutting of the brownies when they're cool since you don't have to slice through whole nuts.

Pecan Crunch
1 cup coarsely chopped pecans
1 tablespoon light brown sugar
¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted and cooled

Chocolate Pecan Brownies
1 cup all-purpose flour
¼ cup cake flour (not self rising)
3 tablespoons Dutch processed cocoa powder
¼ teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
1 cup (6 ounces) miniature semisweet chocolate morsels
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into tablespoons
4 ounces unsweetened chocolate, coarsely chopped
4 large eggs
2 cups granulated sugar
1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
½ cup chopped pecans
Confectioners’ sugar for dusting (optional)

1. Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 325°F. Butter the bottom and sides of a 9-inch square baking pan.
Make the pecan crunch
2. In a small bowl, thoroughly toss together the pecans and brown sugar. Stir the vanilla extract into the melted butter, and toss the pecans with the butter mixture until well coated. Set aside.
Make the brownies
3. Sift together the flours, cocoa, baking powder and salt into a medium bowl. In a small bowl, toss the chocolate morsels with 1 ¼ teaspoons of the sifted mixture to coat. Set both mixtures aside.
4. In the top of a double boiler, over barely simmering water, heat the butter, unsweetened chocolate, and bittersweet chocolate, stirring occasionally until melted. Remove the pan from the heat and let the mixture cool until tepid.
5. In a large bowl, whisk the eggs until blended. Add the sugar and whisk until well blended, 1 to 2 minutes. Whisk in the chocolate mixture and vanilla extract. Sift the flour mixture over the top and slowly whisk it in, mixing just until blended. Stir in the chocolate morsels and chopped pecans (not the pecan crunch mixture).
6. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan, spreading it evenly, and smooth the top, using a rubber spatula. Sprinkle the pecan crunch evenly over the top of the batter. Bake the brownies for 40 to 45 minutes, or until puffed and set. A toothpick inserted into the center of the brownies should come out with a few moist crumbs clinging to it.
7. Cool the brownies completely in the pan on a rack, then refrigerate for 2 hours or until firm enough to cut.
8. Cut the brownies into 16 squares. Just before serving, sprinkle a list dusting of sifted confectioners’ sugar over the top of the brownies, if you like.

Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.

Dark Victory Brownies

Dark Victory Brownies - made February 6, 2010 from The Good Cookie by Tish Boyle

It's been a tough week. If ever I needed baking therapy, now is the time. I had all sorts of baking plans lined up this weekend just to get myself back on an even keel. But even I didn't expect to wake up at 2:30 am this morning and not be able to fall back asleep. I listened to the rain pounding on my roof for awhile (try 2 hours) then when it tapered off, I thought the silence would induce me back to slumber. By 5 am, I had stopped kidding myself and was in the kitchen pulling out butter and chocolate to begin my day.

This is from another awesome baking book called The Good Cookie. Tish Boyle was the editor for Chocolatier magazine (the only one I read cover to cover) and has a ton of great recipes in her books. I'd made this one before and chose to make it again because I had some sour cream I wanted to use up before next weekend. It's a pretty straightforward, "plain" brownie but I melted some caramels with whipping cream and layered that in the middle of the brownie. You can choose to do that or leave it plain - either way works. This picture is from a previous time I had made the brownie so don't look for the caramel in this one. This brownie takes add-ins pretty well and in the past I've added in chopped up candy bars, M&Ms, caramel, etc. It's easy to make, rich and fudgy - everything you could want in a brownie.

One time I gave this recipe to someone who wanted an easy brownie recipe but she said it didn't turn out very well. On quizzing her, I found out she used the pre-melted Baker's chocolate from the grocery store and I think Hershey's cocoa. Plus she might've baked it too long. Remember, you don't want the toothpick to come out clean - by then, it's too late and the brownie is overbaked. I use Valrhona, Lindt or Trader Joe's bittersweet chocolate (the solid kind that you melt yourself) and Pernigotti cocoa. Quality of ingredients really does make a difference.

Oh and true confession time. I accidentally forgot to put in the vanilla extract in this batch. I had the teaspoon out and the vanilla out so I don't know what I was thinking (or not thinking). I blame it on lack of sleep. But I just ate a taste test piece and the brownie was still okay without it. Regardless, don't do what I did though and please don't forget the vanilla.

3 ounces bittersweet chocolate
14 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into tablespoons
1/2 cup Dutch-processed cocoa powder, sifted
1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
3 large eggs
1/3 cup sour cream
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 cup pecans, coarsely chopped (optional)

1. Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Line a 9-inch square baking pan with aluminum foil so that the foil extends 2 inches beyond 2 opposite sides of the pan. Grease the foil.
2. In the top of a double boiler over barely simmering water, heat the bittersweet chocolate and butter, stirring occasionally until melted and smooth. Transfer to a medium bowl.
3. Using a wooden spoon, beat in the cocoa powder and sugar until well blended. Beat in the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Beat in the sour cream and vanilla extract. Add the flour and salt and mix just until blended. Stir in the pecans.
4. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 40 to 45 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center of the brownies comes out with a few moist crumbs clinging to it. Place the pan on a wire rack and cool completely.
5. Using the foil as handles, lift the brownies out of the pan. Cut the brownies into 16 squares.

Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days or refrigerate for up to 2 weeks or freeze up to a month.

Apple Cake with Maple Frosting

Apple Cake with Maple Frosting - made February 1, 2010 from Chocolatier Magazine, October 2006 issue

This is the 3rd apple cake recipe I've tried in a little over a week. What can I say, I can get a little obsessive when I'm trying out different recipes. The advantage of making the same type of thing in a short timeframe is you can really compare the different recipes and see what you like and what suits you. Although I have to admit, I took some liberties with this one since I don't believe in adding all those spices to the same cake. So I left out the cloves (and the walnuts) in the cake and omitted the maple flavoring, ginger and nutmeg from the frosting. Just went with good ol' cinnamon for the cream cheese frosting.

I liked this cake - the flavor was good although it had a softer texture than the other two cakes and was more fragile (i.e. not a good care package cake to send through the mail). I baked it for about 30 minutes but it could probably have been baked a little longer. At 30 minutes in my oven, the edges were done but the middle was still a bit soft. Once the cake was cool, the edges were fine but the middle was a little mushy. Because the cake texture was so soft, the apples were more of a contrast, which isn't necessarily a bad thing. I always use Granny Smith apples for baking since they're more firm and don't turn into mush when being baked. I'm glad I didn't overspice it as I thought the cake tasted just fine with my modifications. For the frosting, make sure your cream cheese and butter are well blended before adding the powdered sugar. This is one time where you should try to have your ingredients at room temperature. Otherwise, your frosting will be more prone to lumps if you just beat them cold and don't mix them well enough. I also added about 1/2 cup more powdered sugar than the recipe called for because with only 1 cup, the frosting still seemed a bit too soft and runny.

Apple Cake
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 large eggs
2/3 cup buttermilk
2 cups peeled and chopped (1/3" pieces) Granny Smith apples (about 2 apples)
1/2 cup coarsely chopped walnuts

Cream Cheese Maple Frosting
6 ounces cream cheese, softened
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon maple flavoring
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground ginger
pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
pinch of salt
1 cup confectioners' sugar, sifted

1. Make cake: Position rack in center of oven and preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease bottom and sides of a 9" square baking pan. Dust pan with flour.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, spices, baking soda and salt; set aside.
3. In bowl of electric mixer, using paddle attachment, beat butter at medium speed until creamy, about 1 minutes. Gradually add sugar and beat at medium-high speed until well blended and light, about 2 minutes. Add vanilla extract, then add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition and scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Reduce speed to low and add flour mixture in three additions, alternating with buttermilk in 2 additions and mixing just until blended. Remove bowl from mixer stand and stir in chopped apples and walnuts.
4. Scrape batter into prepared pan and smooth top. Bake cake for 25 to 30 minutes, until golden and a cake tester inserted into center comes out clean. Cool completely in pan on wire rack.
5. Make frosting: In bowl of electric mixer, using paddle attachment, beat together cream cheese and butter at medium speed until smooth. Add vanilla extract, maple flavoring, spices and salt. Reduce speed to low, add confectioners' sugar and beat until well blended. Raise speed to high and beat until light and creamy, about 2 minutes.
6. Assemble cake: Frost top of cooled cake with frosting. Cut into squares and serve directly from pan.