It’s November 29th, the Sunday after Thanksgiving. My tree is up and decorated. The outdoor lights are on. My house smells like cinnamon and pine. For the first time in my life I bought my Christmas tree before Thanksgiving and decorated it on Thanksgiving Day. I went for a walk this evening. The glow of lights on many of the houses and glimpses of lit trees inside tell me I am not alone in my early preparations. Thanksgiving was a pale shadow of its usual self, and who knows what Christmas will bring, so I am going to decorate and bake and enjoy the lead up like never before. I need ...
Cakes
THE FINISHING TOUCH: SUGARED FRUITS
You’ve heard it said before: you eat with your eyes first. It’s why I walk through a restaurant and look at the plates on the tables around me, and ask myself “What looks good?” It’s why we linger in front of bakery shop windows with their displays of carefully constructed tarts, cakes and pastries. And it’s why we are so disappointed with something doesn’t taste as good as it looks. The winter holidays are upon us. It’s a time when bakers like to shine, dusting out their recipes for pies, cakes and cookies. Every holiday table finishes with a flourish of dessert. We’ve beaten, ...
HIGH TEA: VICTORIA SANDWICH CAKE
It’s time for the finale of my Great British Baking Show Competition and I am knee deep in flour, butter, sugar and eggs. I have one day to prepare three different elements of a classic British High Tea: Victorian Sandwich Cake, French Tarte Au Citron and Scones. Up to now I have not worried about the time requirement of each challenge but since I know how to make each of these items already I thought it would be interesting to try making them in the same time allotted to the contestants: five hours. Pastry dough for the tarts is made and resting in the fridge and I turn next to ...
SORRY KUGELHOPF, I’M MAKING GREEN CHICKEN CHILI
This is the sad tale of three Kugelhopfs and knowing when to stop and make Green Chicken Chili instead. The story starts 39 years ago when I traveled to the French city of Strasbourg in the Alsace-Lorraine region near the German border. Students of history will know that this area of France has been hotly fought over and traded back and forth between Germany and France giving it a unique culture and cuisine. We visited the cathedral, walked along the river and explored the narrow cobblestone streets and, of course we stopped in a bakery. I had heard of the traditional cake of the ...
Mango Passion Fruit “Cheer-amisu” Tiramisu
Tiramisu, or “Tuscan Trifle” is a rich layered dish of sponge cake, Marsala wine, coffee. chocolate and Mascarpone cream. The name Tiramisu translates as “Cheer me up” or “Pick me up”. So, when the challenge from the Great British Baking Show technical was for a tiramisu I decided to go my own route and make a “Cheer-amisu”: layers of sponge cake, mango and passion fruit syrup, Mascarpone cream, fresh fruit and bourbon (optional). This is a fun cake to make. The components are all relatively simple and the assembly leaves room for creativity. You make the design you like on ...
THE GREAT BRITISH BAKING SHOW SIGNATURE CHALLENGE: HEATH BAR SWISS ROLL
Well, it’s been a long week. I don’t know about you, but I know I am bored when cleaning my house seems like a fun activity. Fortunately, I have The Great British Baking Show Challenge to keep me going. Season One, Episode One on Netflix (Which if you are a true fan of the show you know is not the very first season) was all about cakes. It was a nice way to get started on this game because I know something about British cakes having lived there for seven years. I choose the Signature Challenge, a Swiss Roll, for my bake. And then I made it American with a chocolate butter cream ...
New Year’s Quandary: Pavlova with Bailey’s Irish Cream Custard
A crisp meringue shell with a pillowy interior forms the cake layer for this version of Pavlova, topped with custard laced with Bailey's Irish Cream, Blackberries and Raspberries I have a quandary. I want to give you a great recipe for a show stopper dessert for New Year's Eve (or any time for that matter) but I am still working on it. It's at the point where it tastes amazing but it looks meh. What to do? I am making it again today and I think I've got the appearance issue solved but it won't be ready until tomorrow night (New Year's Eve) and where will that leave ...
HOLIDAY BAKING: BOURBON AND BROWN SUGAR MINI CAKES WITH MAPLE PECAN GLAZE
Holiday baking, it’s what I do. It’s who I am. As soon as Halloween is out of the way I get started making cookies, cakes, pies and all the other special sweets of Thanksgiving and Christmas. There is no magazine that I won’t buy, no TV cooking show I won’t watch and no blog or e-newsletter I won’t read. And the recipes start today. This particular recipe for a bourbon and brown sugar cake topped with a maple pecan glaze had two different sources of inspiration: last year’s Food Network Halloween Baking Championship and a gift of special baking pan from my daughters. On the ...
APPLE AND FIG BUTTER CAKE: TAKE THAT GREAT BRITISH BAKING SHOW!
A basic yellow butter cake recipe is topped with seasonal apples and figs in this homage to The Great British Baking Show I love the Great British Baking Show. The cakes and desserts they bake remind me of my years in Hong Kong and England. My British and Australian friends would always have a cake or some other home-baked good on hand whenever we got together. “Tea” was a real thing. Many afternoons were spent at the kitchen table with a cup of tea and a slice of something delicious. When it was my turn to host, I would scour my English cookbooks or turn to The Australian Women’s Weekly ...
HUMMINGBIRD CAKE
We’re planning a wedding at my house and our conversations are full of flowers and ceremonies, dresses and food. Which lead my thoughts to making a Hummingbird Cake. Hummingbird Cake is a Southern tradition. Filled with ripe bananas, sweet pineapple, vanilla, pecans and cream cheese, its sweetness and light texture goes well with the hearts and flowers of a wedding. I started with the original 1978 recipe from Southern Living (contributed to the magazine by Mrs. L.H. Wiggins of Greensboro, North Carolina). This cake calls for ripe bananas and canned pineapple. Being the ...
