Rhondalyn's Italian Cream Cake

Rhondalyn's Italian Cream Cake - made March 2, 2010 from Rhondalyn (pugw)

One of my fitness friends, Rhondalyn, shared this recipe with me for Italian Cream Cake. The traditional Italian Cream Cake is apparently generally a three-layer cake with cream cheese frosting, unlike the version I posted earlier baked in a Bundt pan. I still don’t know what the difference is between an Italian Cream Cake and a coconut layer cake with cream cheese frosting. Perhaps it’s a regional nomenclature thing?

In any case, I tried out Rhondalyn’s recipe and it came out pretty well. The cake itself has a nice texture – more dense than a sponge cake but not as dense as a pound cake. I adore coconut so I loved the taste.

I made this on a day I was heavily distracted by my uncle’s situation (this was after we’d been told by the doctors that he was likely so brain damaged that he wouldn’t wake up or respond to anything and would need life support and before he woke up when they took him off life support later that same day). So I can be excused for mixing up this batter and was about to pour it into the pans when I realized I’d forgotten to add the coconut. Sigh. I did leave out the nuts but that was deliberate. I also did a bit of a whack job on the frosting as you can tell from the picture so I didn’t make this on a good baking day. Despite my neglect though, this came out well.

Note that Rhondalyn’s ingredient list calls for oil but the directions mention shortening, not oil. I asked her which one it was supposed to be and she said it could be either but that she prefers the shortening version. I made this one with shortening but am interested in trying it with oil to see if/how that would affect the taste and texture. This is actually similar to my Coconut Cake recipe from the Mrs. Fields' baking book.

Cake
½ cup butter, softened
½ cup oil
2 cups sugar
5 large eggs, separated
1 Tbsp vanilla
2 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 cup buttermilk
1 cup flaked coconut
1 cup nuts

Frosting
8 oz cream cheese
½ cup butter, softened
1 Tbsp vanilla
16 oz powdered sugar

Cake
1. Beat butter and shortening on medium until fluffy. Gradually add sugar, beating well. Add egg yolks one at a time, beating until blended after each addition. Add vanilla, beating until blended.
2. Combine flour and soda. Add to mixture alternating with buttermilk, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Beat on low until blended and stir in coconut and nuts.
3. Beat egg whites until stiff peak forms and fold in batter.
4. Pour batter into 3 greased and floured 9 inch round cake pans. Bake at 350˚F for 25 minutes.
Cream Cheese Frosting
1. Beat cream cheese, butter and vanilla a medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy.
2. Add powdered sugar, beating at low speed until blended. Beat frosting at high speed until smooth.

Butterscotch Lemon Cookies

Butterscotch Lemon Cookies - made February 28, 2010 from The Nestle Tollhouse Recipe Collection

We'd had some bad news about my uncle this past weekend and were visiting him and his family in the hospital so I baked a batch of these cookies to take to them. Fortunately I had made the dough for this a week ago and had it in the freezer so all I had to do was bake them off. Otherwise I was pretty much a wreck, baking-wise, as I proved with other attempts. I always maintain that baking helps me cope with things and de-stress from work and life. I found that's only true if I'm not on complete emotional overload. When I am, I'm too distracted to bake properly because I'm literally not paying attention to what I'm doing. I tried to use baking as a coping mechanism this time and it just wasn't working. I forgot to put chocolate chips in red velvet cookies that I made, I added too much cinnamon to an apple cobbler recipe that didn't even call for cinnamon at all and when I made a coconut cake, I didn't remember that I hadn't added coconut until I was about to pour the batter into the cake pans. Ugh.

These cookies survived my distraction because the dough was already made and I was careful to pay attention to the baking time since I didn't want the cookies messed up since I was taking them to my aunt and my cousin while we visited my uncle in the hospital. Not that they were really eating but I couldn't offer them raw or burnt cookies. This recipe is pretty easy to make and turned out pretty well. They didn't spread too much and the butterscotch and lemon flavors make a nice combination. The only change I would make next time is to cut back on the butterscotch morsels or use mini butterscotch morsels so they don't compete so much with the lemon flavor.

1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
¾ cup sugar
½ cup butter, softened
1 egg
2 tablespoons milk
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon grated lemon rind
¾ of 12-ounce package (1 ½ cups) butterscotch-flavored morsels

1. Preheat oven to 375˚F. In small bowl, combine flour, baking powder, and salt; set aside. In large bowl, combine sugar and butter; beat well.
2. Add egg, milk, lemon juice and lemon rind; beat well. Gradually beat in flour mixture. Stir in butterscotch-flavored morsels.
3. Drop by rounded tablespoonfuls onto greased cookie sheets. Bake at 375˚F for 8-10 minutes. Allow to stand 2 minutes before removing from cookie sheets. Cool completely on wire racks.

Gooey Caramel Butter Bars

Gooey Caramel Butter Bars - made February 26, 2010 from Sticky, Messy, Chewy, Gooey

I haven't blogged for a bit because I've been dealing with some traumatic events. I'm hoping things are better now and continue to be. Before the trauma happened, I had made this recipe which is essentially a butter shortbread sandwiched with pecans and caramel. And yes, it's as sweet and gooey as it sounds. It's always promising to have the words "gooey", "caramel" and "butter" in the same title. I toasted the pecans for this and brought out their flavor. Next time I think I'll try with macadamia nuts though. Nothing goes better with a buttery shortbread than toasted macadamia nuts.

I baked the bottom crust a little longer than called for as it still seemed too pale and underdone at 20 minutes. I think I left it in for about 30 minutes although that might've been too long since you continue to still bake the bottom layer once you add the nuts, caramel and top layer. Overall this is pretty good but like most of the recipes I post, not for the calorie conscious.

For the crust
1 pound (4 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
1 ½ cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
1 teaspoon salt
4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

For the filling
1 bag (14 ounces) caramel candies (about 50 individual caramels) unwrapped
1/3 cup heavy cream
½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 to 2 tablespoons dark rum (optional)
Pinch of salt
1 cup pecans, walnuts or cashews (optional)
Confectioners; sugar for dusting (optional)

1. To make the crust: in a large bowl, combine the butter and sugars. Using an electric mixer set at medium speed, beat together until creamy. Add the vanilla and salt and beat until combined. Sift the flour into the butter mixture and beat on low speed until a smooth, soft dough forms.
2. Spray a 9 x 13-inch baking pan lightly with nonstick cooking spray. Press one third of the dough evenly into the pan to form a bottom crust. Pat the remaining dough into a flat disk and wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm, at least 30 minutes.
3. Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 325˚F. Bake until firm and the edges are a pale golden brown, 20 to 25 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool.
4. While the bottom crust is baking and the remaining dough is chilling, make the caramel filling. Place the unwrapped caramels in a microwave-safe bowl. Add the cream, vanilla, rum (if using), and salt. Microwave on high for 1 minute. Remove from the microwave and stir until smooth. If caramels are not completely melted, microwave on high for 30-second intervals, stirring after each interval until smooth.
5. Sprinkle the nuts (if using) over the bottom crust. Pour the caramel filling over the nuts, using a small metal spatula to nudge the filling evenly over the crust. Remove the remaining chilled dough from the refrigerator and crumble it evenly over the caramel. Return the pan to the oven and bake until the filling is bubbly and the crumbled shortbread topping is firm and lightly golden, about 30 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool completely.
6. Use a sharp knife to cut the bars evenly into 15 large squares. Remove the bars from the pan with a metal spatula and, if desired, cut in half on the diagonal to form 30 triangular bars. Dust with confectioners’ sugar, if desired.
7. The bars will keep, covered tightly at room temperature, for about 1 week, or in the freezer for up to 1 month.

Beef Teriyaki

Beef Teriyaki - made February 22, 2010 from Quick Recipe magazine

Despite my plethora of baking posts lately, I'm actually still doing "real cooking". Matter of fact, I haven't had to fall back on a Lean Cuisine frozen dinner even once so far this year. That must be a record for me. Even if I am doing cooking a bit half-assed lately. For instance, I meant to stop off at the grocery store on my way home and get fresh ginger, garlic and scallions since I had everything but those for this recipe. Except I'd already put in a 12-hour day, I was tired, it was late and I couldn't face doing even one errand on the way home.

So I substituted instead - garlic powder and ground ginger instead of fresh ginger and garlic. Did without the scallions entirely and skipped the sesame seeds too. Sliced up the beef I'd had thawing in the fridge for the past couple of days, whacked the pieces with the meat mallet, fried them and threw the sauce in the pan. After a long Monday, it was good enough. This is a pretty simple recipe which means it suited my cooking skills, such as they are.

2 pounds top blade steaks, 1 inch thick, sliced against the grain into ¼”-thick strips, gristle discarded
1 (1-inch) piece fresh ginger, peeled and grated fine
2 medium cloves garlic, minced or pressed through a press
¼ cup plus 1 tablespoon soy sauce
½ cup mirin (Japanese rice wine)
2 tablespoons sugar
½ teaspoon cornstarch
½ cup water
2 teaspoons peanut or vegetable oil
Sticky White Rice
2 teaspoons sesame seeds
2 medium scallions, sliced thin on the bias

1. Toss the meat slices with the ginger, garlic and 1 tablespoon soy sauce in a medium bowl and marinate for at least 10 minutes. Whisk together the remaining ¼ cup soy sauce, mirin, sugar, cornstarch and ½ cup water in a small bowl.
2. Heat the oil in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until smoking. Using tongs, place the meat in a single layer in the pan (using the sloping sides, if necessary); cook without moving until browned, 2 to 2 ½ minutes. Starting with the first strips placed in the pan, flip the meat and cook until the second side is browned, about 2 minutes. Use tongs to transfer the meat to a clean bowl.
3. Add the sauce mixture to the skillet, scraping with a wooden spoon to release any browned bits. Cook until the sauce reduced by half, about 2 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium and return the meat to the pan. Cook, stirring continuously, until the sauce reduces to a syrupy glaze and the meal is well coated, about 2 minutes.
4. Divide the rice among individual plates. Place the meat and sauce over the rice and garnish with sesame seeds and scallions. Serve immediately.

Glazed Lemon Cake

Glazed Lemon Cake - made February 21, 2010 from The Silver Palate Cookbook


Whenever I have lemons and buttermilk to use up, I always fall back onto a lemon pound cake recipe. They hardly ever go wrong and they're so easy to make. This recipe is no exception. The cake is easy to make and has a nice, typical pound cake texture. I wouldn't say it's the best lemon pound cake I've ever made but it's still pretty decent. I made the lemon glaze to go over it and at first it seemed like a lot of glaze for the one cake. The recipe calls for pouring the glaze over the cake while it's still hot. Obviously when you do that, the glaze will melt right over the cake since the glaze has butter. That's actually the point because it moistens the cake and forms a nice crust. However, I only poured half the glaze over the hot cake, let it melt over it, and when the cake was still lukewarm, I poured the rest of the glaze over it. That way, the whole thing didn't melt in a puddle over the cake. I covered it with enough glaze to form the first coating and when that had hardened a bit, I covered it with the rest of the glaze, most of which didn't melt but hardened to make a thicker glaze once cool. Pretty tasty and lemony too.




½ pound (2 sticks) sweet butter, softened
2 cups granulated sugar
3 eggs
3 cups unbleached, all-purpose flour, sifted
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup buttermilk
2 tightly packed tablespoons grated lemon zest
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1. Preheat oven to 325˚F. Grease a 10-inch tube pan.
2. Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs, one at a time, blending well after each addition.
3. Sift together flour, baking soda and salt. Stir dry ingredients into egg mixture alternately with buttermilk, beginning and ending with dry ingredients. Add lemon zest and juice.
4. Pour batter into prepared tube pan. Set on middle rack of the oven and bake for 1 hour and 5 minutes, or until cake pulls away from sides of pan and a tester inserted in the center comes out clean.
5. Cool cake in the pan, set on a rack, for 10 minutes. Remove cake from pan and spread on icing at once, while cake is still hot.

8 to 10 portions

Lemon Icing
1 pound confectioners’ sugar
8 tablespoons (1 stick) sweet butter, softened
3 tightly packed tablespoons grated lemon zest
½ cup fresh lemon juice

Cream sugar and butter thoroughly. Mix in lemon zest and juice; spread on warm cake.

White Chocolate Chunk Espresso Cookies

White Chocolate Chunk Espresso Cookies - made February 22, 2010 from Baking Addicts Anonymous group on Facebook

These are good, basic, fudgy cookies with a twist of espresso flavor. I found this from my Baking Addicts Anonymous group on Facebook. Someone had adapted a couple of different recipes to make this one. I didn't follow it exactly as I didn't have espresso powder so I used ground coffee crystals instead and pulverized them to coffee dust with my marble rolling pin. I also cheated and used white chocolate chips instead of cutting white chocolate into chunks. I had a slab of white chocolate I could've used but I was both rushed and lazy when I made the dough yesterday so I used the chips instead.

This was pretty easy to make but, as I do with all cookie doughs, I portioned them into generous-sized dough balls and put them in the freezer first to firm up. Then I placed them in a ziploc freezer bag and let them freeze overnight before baking them off tonight. I find it's easier that way. If you bake cookies straight from the mixing bowl into the oven without freezing them first, they tend to spread more. I rarely bake off cookie dough as soon as I make it. I prefer to freeze them first and bake them later at my convenience. The recipe said to bake them for 8 minutes but that wasn't long enough with my oven as the center was still raw cookie dough then. I baked them for about 10-11 minutes but that's also because I had made them into sizable cookie dough balls. They came out with crisp edges and chewy middles - just the way I like them.

2 c all-purpose flour
½ c cocoa powder (not Dutch-process)
½ tsp baking powder
½ tsp baking soda½ tsp salt
3 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 tablespoons instant espresso powder
1 large egg + 2 egg yolks, room temperature
¾ c granulated sugar
¾ c packed light brown sugar
2 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature
8 oz white chocolate, chopped into ¼ - ½ inch chunks
1 c coarsely chopped lightly toasted pecans (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 375°F.* Line baking sheets with parchment.
2. In a separate bowl, sift together first five ingredients and whisk to combine. Set aside. In another bowl, stir together instant espresso, egg and yolks. Set aside.
3. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream butter and sugars on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add egg mixture in two portions; mix first portion until incorporated, before adding next portion. Add vanilla. Scrape down sides of mixer bowl, as necessary. At low speed, add flour mixture in small batches, mixing until almost (but not) combined. Do not overmix. Add chopped white chocolate and chopped pecans. Pulse mixer on high three to four times to mix.Using a 2-ounce ice cream scoop, scoop balls of dough and place 3 inches apart on baking sheets lined with parchment paper. Bake until edges are set but centers undone, about 8 minutes (turn sheets halfway into baking time).* Do not overbake, as the cookies will harden too much. Cool on baking sheets for about 3 minutes, before carefully transferring to a wire rack. Domed, moist centers flatten slightly and become fudgy when completely cool, about an hour.* Notes: Temperature and baking time are for convection ovens. For conventional ovens, increase heat to 400°F and bake for the same length of time.

Pineapple Upside Down Cake

Pineapple Upside Down Cake - made February 21, 2010 from All-Butter, Fresh-Cream, Sugar-Packed Baking Book by Rosie’s Bakery

I don't make pineapple upside-down cake that often or hardly at all. In theory it sounds good but I still have that no-fruit-desserts barrier that can usually only be overcome by apples, bananas or oranges but not really pineapple. I love fresh pineapple by itself and eat it often. But I'm opposed to pineapple in carrot cakes and other desserts. I make an exception for pineapple upside down cake because it's an outside layer of the cake, not within the cake itself. In case you haven't noticed, I have all sorts of preferences, rules and exceptions to those preferences and rules. What can I say, I'm quirky and capricious as well.

This cake was extremely easy to make - you just have to plan ahead a little since it calls for draining the canned pineapple for several hours. I put the pineapple to drain when I got home yesterday afternoon and made a different cake and a cookie dough before I started on this cake. By then, several hours had passed so it worked out well. Overall, this cake is pretty good, especially the cake part. I found the topping a bit too sweet for me, from both the natural sweetness of the pineapple itself to the brown sugar topping. On a next attempt, I might use pineapple slices instead of chunks as they're thinner and may not have such a lot of sweetness in every bite.

Topping
¾ cup (lightly packed) light brown sugar
½ teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1 ½ cans (20 ounces each) pineapple chunks, drained, patted dry with paper towels, then wrapped in more paper towels, and set in a bowl for several hours

Cake
1 cup all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons (¾ stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar, divided
1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
2 large eggs, separated, at room temperature
½ cup buttermilk, at room temperature

1. Preheat the oven to 350˚F.
2. For the topping, mix the brown sugar, salt and butter in a medium-size bowl with a spoon. Add the pineapple and toss the chunks in the mixture.
3. Spread the topping evenly in an 8-inch square pan and set aside.
4. For the cake, sift the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt together into a small bowl.
5. Cream the butter, ¾ cup of the granulated sugar, and the vanilla in a medium-size mixing bowl with an electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Stop the mixer once or twice to scrape the bowl with a rubber spatula.
6. Add the egg yolks and beat the mixture on low speed until they are incorporated, about 30 seconds. Scrape the bowl.
7. With the mixer on low speed, add half the dry ingredients to the butter mixture and blend just until incorporated, about 10 seconds. Scrape the bowl. Add the buttermilk and mix on low speed for about 8 seconds. Scrape the bowl. Fold in the rest of the dry ingredients by hand, then turn the mixer to low for several spins. Scrape the bowl.
8. In another medium-size mixing bowl, whisk the egg whites on medium-high speed until frothy, about 15 seconds. Gradually add the remaining ¼ cup sugar and continue beating the whites to soft peaks, about 15 seconds more.
9. Stir one-third of the whites into the batter with a wooden spoon, to loosen the mixture. Fold in the remaining whites with a rubber spatula.
10. Spread the batter evenly over the pineapple and place the pan on a rack in the oven just below the center. The higher heat allows the topping to caramelize better. Bake the cake until the top is golden and springs back to the touch, and a tester inserted in the center comes out dry, about 50 minutes.
11. Remove the cake from the oven and allow it to cool for about 2 hours. Run a frosting spatula around the sides and turn the pan upside down onto a plate.

Soft Baked Chocolate Chunk Cookies

Soft-Baked Chocolate Chunk Cookies - made February 17, 2010 from The Good Cookie by Tish Boyle

Another good chocolate chip cookie recipe from Tish Boyle. This one is exceedingly easy to make, especially since it calls for melting the butter and you mix it by hand in no time. In fact, last night when I made it, it took me longer to drive less than a mile through road construction traffic on my way home than it did for me to mix up this batch of cookie dough when I did finally get home.

I made the dough, portioned it out in generous cookie dough balls and put them to freeze. Once they were frozen (and unlike the sour cream chocolate chip cookie dough, these froze obligingly), I put them in a ziploc freezer bag and baked them off tonight. Like with most chocolate chip cookie recipes, I made them with milk chocolate chips, my chips of choice, and this time I added M&M plain candies. I still had more than a bag leftover from Valentine's Day :).

These came out the way I like chocolate chip cookies - with crisp edges and chewy middles, especially since I underbaked them slightly. This is very similar in taste and texture to the Big Fat Chewy Cookie recipe I blogged about earlier. You can't go wrong with either recipe. Oh and don't be wimpy on the cookie size. As the recipe says, this will make 18 cookies only if you make them big enough.

2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon baking soda
¾ cup (1 ½ sticks) unsalted butter, melted
1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
½ cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
10 ounces bittersweet chocolate, cut into ¼-inch pieces
2/3 cup walnuts, chopped

1. Preheat the oven to 350˚F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, salt and baking soda. Set aside.
3. In a large bowl, whisk together the melted butter and sugars. Whisk in the eggs one at a time, whisking until well blended. Whisk in the vanilla. Using a wooden spoon, stir in the dry ingredients until combined. Stir in the chocolate and walnuts. (The dough can be refrigerated, well wrapped, for up to 4 days or frozen for up to a month.)
4. Using a ¼-cup measure or ice cream scoop, drop the dough onto the prepared baking sheets, spacing them 2 inches apart. Bake, two sheets at a time, for 15 to 18 minutes, until the cookies are just brown around the edges; switch the position of the sheets halfway through baking. The centers of the cookies should be soft and slightly puffy. Let the cookies cool completely on the baking sheets or wire racks.

Store in an airtight container at room temperature up to 2 days. Makes about 18 cookies.

Turtle Squares

Turtle Squares - made February 15, 2010 from Baking by Flavor by Lisa Yockelson

Whoever invented the concept of a "turtle", meaning the confection of chocolate, caramel and nuts (not the animal), needs to be saluted, thanked and just generally adored for sheer genius. This is another of those I-love-Lisa-Yockelson's-brownie-recipes sort of recipe. This was not only really easy to make but the brownies were moist and fudgy and the caramel topping was a nice touch to cut the richness of the chocolate with the sweetness of caramel. The only drawback to these brownies are the caramel prevents them from being stacked on top of each other and when you wrap them in plastic, the caramel sticks to the plastic so these don't make good care package brownies. But if you can eat them in person, they're worth the calories and those are the only types of brownies I like to eat.

1 cup unsifted bleached all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons unsweetened, alkalized cocoa
¼ teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
¾ cup miniature semisweet chocolate chips
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
1 ¾ cups plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

Caramel Nut Topping using chopped walnuts, pecans or macadamia nuts for sprinkling, for applying to the baked cake of brownies

1. Preheat the oven to 325°F. Film the inside of a 9 x 9 x 2-inch baking pan with nonstick cooking spray; set aside.
2. Sift the flour, cocoa, baking powder, and salt onto a sheet of waxed paper. In a small mixing bowl, toss the chocolate chips with 1 teaspoon of the sifted mixture.
3. Whisk the melted butter and melted unsweetened chocolate in a medium-size mixing bowl until thoroughly blended. Whisk the eggs in a large mixing bowl until frothy, about 1 minute. Add the granulated sugar and whisk until just combined, about 1 minute. Blend in the vanilla extract. Blend in the melted butter and chocolate mixture. Sift over the sifted ingredients and mix with a wooden spoon or rubber spatula (or whisk) until the particles of flour are completely absorbed, making sure to scrape along the bottom and sides of the mixing bowl. The batter will be moderately thick. Stir in the chocolate chips.
4. Scrape the batter into the prepared baking pan. Smooth over the top with a rubber spatula.
5. Bake the sweet for 33 to 38 minutes, or until set. Let the sweet stand in the pan on a cooling rack for 1 ½ hours.
6. Puddle the warm caramel topping on the top of the bar cookie layer, using a small teaspoon, or lightly spread it in patches, using a flexible palette knife. Immediately sprinkle the nuts on the caramel.
7. Let the caramel set for 45 minutes to 1 hour. Cut the entire cake into four quarters, then cut each quarter into four squares, using a small, sharp knife. Remove the turtle squares from the baking pan, using a small, offset metal spatula.

Caramel Nut Topping

25 vanilla-flavored caramels (about 8.2 ounces)
2 tablespoons milk
1 tablespoon light (table) cream
Pinch of salt
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
¾ cup whole roasted peanuts

1. Place the caramels, milk, cream and salt in a small, heavy saucepan (preferably enameled cast iron). Set over moderately low heat to moderate heat and cook for 10 to 13 minutes, until the caramels melt down, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon. At first, it appears as if the candy won’t ever dissolve into a creamy, smooth and flowing mixture but it will.
2. When the caramels begin to melt, stir the mixture continuously until completely smooth. Simmer the mixture for 30 seconds to 1 minute, or until lightly bubbly, then stir in the vanilla extract. Immediately and quickly spread, spoon or thickly drizzle the topping over the thoroughly baked and cooled sweet.
3. Sprinkle the chopped, roasted nuts to the caramel-covered surface as soon as the topping is applied and still warm.


Freshly baked, the squares keep for 2 days

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.