Mayan Truffle Cake
On December 21, 2012 by sixtyacrebakerIn celebration that today is rather than isn’t, I am sharing a special treat to honor the Mayans. They loved chocolate as much as I.
Mayan Truffle Cake for two
3/4 cup whipping cream
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp cinnamon (plus more for dusting)
1/8 tsp smoked paprika
4 oz bittersweet (70%) chocolate–melted
cocoa powder for dusting
Spray 2-8oz ramekins with pan spray,then line with plastic wrap. Set aside. Pour cream in a bowl large enough for whipping. add in the salt, nutmeg, 1/4 tsp cinnamon and smoked paprika. Whip to soft peaks. Allow to warm a little (you do not want the whipped cream to be super cold for the next step). Add about 1/4 of the whipped cream to the chocolate mixture and stir until it has been fully incorporated. This will lighten the mixture a bit, which will make it easier to fold in the cream in the next step. Gently fold the remaining cream into the chocolate mixture. If your cream is too cold at this point, your chocolate will clump up and not incorporate well into the mixture, so be careful. Pour into prepared ramekins, smooth down the top and place in refrigerator for about 2 hours or longer, if you have the time.
When ready to serve, invert onto serving place and dust with cocoa powder and cinnamon. Serve with rich dark coffee
Snow Globe Cupcakes
On November 19, 2012 by sixtyacrebakerI love snow globes. When i see grand collections, a tinge of envy bubbles up; like plastic snowflakes in a whirl. It then turns to a settling calm, because, the last thing i need is another collection. Unless of course we are talking
edible. Like these little darlings. This is an incredibly simple project perfect for your holiday table.
Snow Globe Cupcakes
1 recipe of your favorite cupcake baked and cooled
my favorite
1 recipe of your favorite frosting
1 dozen plastic clear christmas balls
like these
cupcake toppers deer, trees, house in the woods; whatever your fancy
edible glitter in white
ribbon
imagination
using a sharp scissor or craft knife, cut the top off the ornament like so
Wash and dry the “globe” then sprinkle some of the edible glitter in the bottom. swirl it around. Most of the glitter will stick, what doesn’t will fall to the cupcake when you invert. If you want lots of “snow” in the globe, brush a bit of vodka on the inside of the globe, swirl the glitter. It will stick well, and the vodka will evaporate, eliminating any unwanted moisture. Frost the cupcake as you normally would, place your decorations on top, and carefully invert the globe over the top. Finish with a little bow
Simple Nut Tart
On November 10, 2012 by sixtyacrebakerDinner parties stump me sometimes. Being that I am trained in pastry, there is a certain expectation that dessert will be served. Andit will be from scratch. Normally not a problem, but i don’t always want to finish
with a substantial & heavy dessert. Sometimes a simple nut tart served with strong coffee and paired with a bowl of clementines, is just the trick.
Simple Nut Tart
1 pastry crust, pressed into an 8″ square tart tin–baked blind
1 cups walnut–toasted
1 1/2 cups pecans–toasted
1 cup almonds–toasted
1/2 cup pine nuts–toasted
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
1/4 cup granulated sugar
2 Tbs honey
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/4 cup water
1 oz whiskey
preheat oven to 350. place all nuts in a large bowl and mix until well combined. put brown sugar, granulated sugar, honey salt and water in a heavy saucepan. stir well, place on medium heat and bring to a simmer. allow to boil for about 3 minutes. carefully add the whiskey and bring back to a boil. boil for 2 more minutes. the sugar should get a bit syrupy, but should not smoke or turn excessively dark. keep a constant eye on the sugar. remove the sugar from heat and tip in the nuts. stir well, giving each nut a coat of syrup. immediately tip into the baked crust, gently and spreading to cover the entire crust. pop into the oven for 5-7 minutes. remove from oven and allow to cool before serving.
variations
-add orange juice in place of some water in caramel; a pinch of orange zest & a sprinkle of cinnamon to the nuts
-the addition of fresh rosemary when stirring the nuts into the caramel (light hand) make for a beautiful winter tart
–drizzle with bittersweet chocolate or drench in dark ganache
-substitute vanilla for whiskey
Simple Summer Tartlets
On August 13, 2012 by sixtyacrebakerThis is not a recipe. It’s more an idea of what can be done with fresh, peak of the season, fruit.
Simple Summer Tartlettes
nectarines
apricots
marzipan
puff pastry
sugar
cinnamon
Line tartlette pan with puff pastry, rolled to 1/8th inch thickness. Place in the refrigerator to get nice and cold. Meanwhile, thinly slice fruit, keeping skin on. Roll out marzipan to an 1/8th inch sheet and gently lay a round into the bottom of the pastry lined tin. Arrange fruit in a thin layer on top. Sprinkle a bit of sugar and cinnamon on top (like you would salt and pepper…do not be heavy handed). Bake at 400 until the pastry is browned and crisp (about 15-20 min). Serve with vanilla ice cream or a dollop of creme fraiche.
Lemon Lavender Cake
On July 20, 2012 by sixtyacrebakerI love lavender-trimming day. Delicate buds not yet spent, but given their pollen to the bees, at the ready for culinary cajoling. I bundle the limping stalks, tacking my baker’s rack with lines of purple. A scent of Provence fills the air. I toss the dried buds in everything from simple syrup to custards, aioli to bitters, shortbread to biscotti. I especially love it in this cake.
Lemon-Lavender Cake
(this is a riff on a classic 1-2-3-4 cake)
cake
1 cup unsalted butter–room temperature
2 cups sugar
3 cups flour
4 large eggs
1 cup buttermilk
½ tsp salt
½ tsp baking soda
1 Tbs lemon zest
juice of 1 large lemon
1 generous tsp dried lavender buds
Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time fully incorporating after each addition. Stop and scrape down the sides with a spatula and resume beating until the mixture looks like buttercream frosting. Meanwhile…in a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, salt and baking soda. Combine the lemon zest, lemon juice and buttermilk together. With the mixer on low, alternately mix in the flour and buttermilk, beginning and ending with the flour, in 3 additions. Do not over-mix, just allow the ingredients to come together. Stir in the lavender. Pour into 2 loaf pans that have been coated in pan spray. Bake at 325 F for approximately 50 mins. Check for doneness after 40 minutes. Cake is fully baked when a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.When cool, pour glaze over.
glaze
1 cup powdered sugar
1 Tbs cream
Juice of lemon (more or less to your taste)
Stir together and pour over cooled cake.
Boozy Kumquat Marmalade
On June 29, 2012 by sixtyacrebakerIt is a thousand degrees in my kitchen. So warm I keep the lights off; somehow believing darkness=cool. Not. Really. Working. Yesterday Mike and I did a drive by pick off. You see, the day before, we were at my brother’s new home
and I noticed a line of kumquat trees. My brother didn’t know what they were, so i figured he wouldn’t mind if I took a handful or 10. Yesterday, while he was at work, we helped ourselves. Today, I didn’t feel much like hovering over the hob stirring & canning. So, I prepared a small batch. 3 jars: one for us, one for him, and one for pouring over vanilla ice cream. no canning required. With a sweet as honey peel and puckering sour flesh, kumquats make a perfect marmalade. Add a splash of booze and it becomes an adult only morning treat.
Boozy Kumquat Marmalade
3 cups finely slice kumquats (pits removed)
1 cup granulated sugar
1 generous shot tequila
pinch of kosher salt
Place all ingredients in a glass or ceramic bowl and let steep for about an hour. Dump into a heavy-bottom pot and cook over medium heat. Let simmer until it becomes jammy..about 20 minutes. Stir occasionally and watch it closely. you do not want it to become like sticky candy. Pour into sterilized jam jars and allow to come to room temperature. Store in the refrigerator.
Cherry Frangipane Tart
On June 14, 2012 by sixtyacrebakerWe went cherry pickin’ this week. All i could think about was my corporate days when i said things like; “don’t cherry pick the good deals” & “let’s start with the low hanging fruit”. I thought everyone would understand the analogy, not fully realizing until in the orchard, how much more relevant the statement is when you are actually cherry picking, the low hanging fruit. Especially when you are only 5 feet tall. I love frangipani which is an almond paste custard, of sorts. Cherries & almond are a delicious combination.
Cherry Frangipani Tart
1 pie crust for 10″ tart pan
8 oz almond paste
1.5 oz sugar
3.5 oz butter (softened, but still slightly firm)
3/4 oz all purpose flour
1/4 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp vanilla
4 extra-large eggs ( room temperature)
3 cups pitted sweet cherries (fresh or frozen)
Line a 10″ tart pan with crust. Refrigerate while you make the filling. Preheat oven to 350F. Using a mixer with paddle attachment, beat the almond paste and sugar. Gradually add in the butter in large pieces until fully incorporated. Add the eggs one at a time beating after each addition. Stop the mixer and scrape down the sides as you go. After all eggs are incorported, beat for 30 seconds on high speed. Add vanilla. stir in the flour and salt until just incorporated. Pour into the tart shell. Working from the outside in, place cherries in the almond custard in concentric circles, close together, but not touching. Place tart on baking tin and bake for approximately 50-60 minutes. The frangipani will rise and brown, but should not souffle. It is done when just firm to the touch and the crust is slightly golden.
Wedding + Cake
On May 31, 2012 by sixtyacrebakerAlthough I know how, I rarely make wedding cakes. Here’s the deal. Elaborate and fancy wedding cakes take time to build. This typically means that by the time you cut into that cake,it is old. Yes, there are tricks: soak it in syrup and it will seem moist (when really, it is just wet), freeze it and suspend the stale, or up the filling to cake ratio. These are all good ways to get the job done, but not my thing. I’m a bit of a jerk about it.
Wedding cakes are expensive and should be delicious. I think the only way to achieve this is to bake and assemble as the bride is donning her veil. That being said, there are times, when you can’t keep me from making a cake.
Last weekend was one of them.
My younger brother got married. Last of the lot. The bride requested lemon.
I made this.
Carrot Cake
On April 24, 2012 by sixtyacrebakerI really like carrots. I like them raw dipped in a bit of sea salt, honey roasted with onion dip, and deep fat fried loaded into a feedbag. All good. But, best of all? Baked in cake
Carrot Cake
this recipe comes from my culinary school notebook, it is not my own–except the decor..that is all me
4 large eggs–room temperature
6 oz vegetable oil
14 oz granulated sugar
1/2 tsp salt
9 oz flour
1 Tbs cinnamon
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp baking powder
1 lb carrots–peeled and grated
2 1/2 oz walnuts-toasted and roughly chopped
Whisk together sugar, salt, flour, cinnamon, baking soda and baking powder in a bowl. In a mixer fitted with the whisk attachment whisk together the eggs and oil until the eggs are thick and pale yellow (about 10 minutes). Mix in the dry ingredients, just to fully incorporate. Fold in carrots and walnuts. Split evenly into 2 prepared* 9″ cake pans. Bake at 325 for approximately 35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Preparing cake pans includes spraying with pan spray and lining the bottom with parchment paper
allow to cool and split each cake round into 2 layers. Frost with your favorite cream cheese frosting** Decorate with marzipan carrots.
Cream Cheese Frosting
i’m not opposed to sharing my cream cheese frosting recipe, but truth be told…i don’t measure
1 part unsalted butter to 2 parts cream cheese, a pinch of salt a bit of vanilla and enough powdered sugar to reach your desired sweetness. Use the paddle attachment of a mixer and beat until creamy.
Chocolate Easter Eggs with a Surprise
On March 30, 2012 by sixtyacrebakerI have always loved those giant chocolate eggs from Italy. This time of year they line the shelves of my local Italian market. Large and hollow, a handful of small candies tossed in the cavernous hole, and wrapped in bright mylar paper. Easter basket ready. The real joy is breaking through the chocolate shell to see what goodies lay within. This year, i am giving the Easter Bunny a helping hand. Extra special chocolate filled with toys and jewels; hand chosen for each recipient.
Imagine the joy and surprise when these beautiful eggs are cracked open.
trinkets
toys
and
jewels
tumbling out
A happy easter indeed.
If you want more details on how to make these leave a comment or drop me a line at sixtyacrebaker(at)gmail(dot)com
