I'm writing this from the library, this balmy almost spring morning (it's over 37 out). It feels like spring is trying to elbow out winter... there's anticipation in the air and it's all the more exciting since I just found out that my 3 best friends from college will all be at my party. The three of us haven't been in the same place at the same time since... I actually don't know when. It's probably been about 8 years.
And I get to hang out with this little doll in less than two weeks! Can you believe that she's over 5 months old!
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| being cute is sooo tedious, Aunt Mart. |
but there was lots and lots of baking this week.
This week was slated for tiramisu, but my favorite grocery store was out of marscapone, so I went ahead with the hummingbird preparations and then last minute, there was marscapone.
That's one of the reasons why this was a cake filled week.
The other reason: I started with hummingbird cake and then couldn't figure out a few things for grad school and decided to work my way through them by baking. I'm sure the faculty enjoyed it, but the theoretical/ paper issues still aren't resolved... so I may need to do more baking or something else to get over the wall.
Let's start with the Hummingbird cake- recipe from joyofbaking.com.
I love Paula Deen and was surprised to see this cake (being a favorite of hers) not include butter. It's a simple recipe, which I dig: wets, nuts and fruits in one bowl, dry in the other, mix and pour into prepared pans. The baking is what takes so long.
The frosting was a little too sweet for my tastes, but the texture was incredible- cream cheese plus pecans, amazing.
The cake needed something. It was like banana bread, but not really good banana bread (not that I'm a banana bread fan to begin with). Mom said that it needed to be toasted and have more frosting.
It's not a repeat.
Tiramisu was the second. I made a batch of this in October when I had some neighbors over, using a food network.com recipe (maybe Batali's, not sure) and it was delicious, except for the chocolate shavings were more like chunks). I still didn't get the chocolate shavings down, but the differences in recipes interest me. 1, some recipes call for making a custard from the yolks (maybe some milk and vanilla added)- the custard can be more zabagalone, a marsala egg and sugar custard, which I can't get for the life of me, or like english custard, which is what I did with this one. The custard is simple and really tasty, but I may have pulled it off of the heat too soon. 2, some recipes call for keeping everything raw- October's recipe did and used the whole eggs... that creeps me out, but I may try it again now that egg whites and I are friends.
I'm enjoying the cooked custards and will tell you more about it in my bavarian cream post. The last pic above shows you what you have to do immediately after making to keep it from getting that pudding skin. I let the cream anglaise (custard) cool overnight. Then, softened the marscapone and mixed in the custard while I made my espresso. Isn't the pot super sweet. It was a gift from one of my fellow teachers and I love it. And I'm sure the kids love me hyped up on espresso in the morning.
I mixed the espresso with special sauce and sugar and dipped cookies in. I know the recipe calls for savoardi cookies or lady fingers, but the stella doro's were all I had and I think they stood up well.
I layered, sprinkled with cocoa and shaved some chocolate and then put it to sleep in the fridge over night.
I felt like it was still too soupy, but no one complained. I'll be trying another recipe in the next week... we'll see how it goes.
And finally-- I made another 2 Pavlovas with all of the whites from the tiramisu.
The most fun thing on earth is to make something people have never seen before and then leave it to see what they do with it. Pavlova doesn't travel well, so some of the top of the meringue was cracked and breaking. Faculty members who didn't "get" it would pick off the top pieces and try them-- had no idea that it was a cake. Finally, I explained it to one of the aides and most of it was gone by lunch.
Pavlova feels like a simple luxury to me. It's so easy, but so beautiful and such a treat.
I made it during yellow cake week, but didn't explain it, so here's the run down:
Beat egg whites to soft peaks, add sugar a T at a time. At stiff peaks, beat in vanilla. Fold in cornstarch and vinegar and splat onto a parchmented baking sheet in a circle-ish shape and voila.
Bake for 70ish mins and let cool in the oven. Serve with fruit (pineapple is our favorite) and homemade whipped cream.
Whoooh. What a week.
Birthday shout out to my sister-in-law, Miss and her mom on Sunday! Have a lovely b-day, ladies, see you soon!
Be well and happy baking!
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