Saturday, October 31, 2015

Monster Cake!



Happy Halloween everyone! We're taking our boys trick or treating with some friends this afternoon, so I made this silly monster cake to share.

This orange creature, which our kids for some reason named "Bobby," is a chocolate cake, filled with raspberry mousse and chocolate buttercream. To get that hairy effect, I piped orange colored buttercream with a Wilton tip #233. You start from the bottom of the cake and move on up to make sure the "hair" overlaps downwards. It's a pretty messy job! The eyes are cake pops made from leftover vanilla cake crumbs mixed with cream cheese, that I covered in fondant. The mouth is also made from fondant.

Now if you'll excuse me, I have to go figure out how to get some giant bunny ears to stay on my son's head!









Saturday, October 24, 2015

Baby Shower Cake



This weekend I made my first baby shower cake for a friend. It was so much fun! The colors they had chosen were navy and mint, and I got free reign when it came to the design of the cake.

I loved the idea of a pair of baby chucks, because seriously, is there anything cuter? And thanks to Pinterest I found a great tutorial on how to make them from fondant




Since the mommy to be is a chocolate lover, I made a four layered chocolate cake with a raspberry mousse and a chocolate buttercream filling. I love that the recipe uses ground espresso, both in the cake batter and the buttercream. It adds another dimension to the chocolate, without being overpowering. Just make sure you use a good brand such as Illy, you'll be able to taste the difference!

Also, can we talk about how easy it is to make a great raspberry mousse? There are only four ingredients and it takes about five minutes to whip together. You can use either fresh or frozen berries (but always remember to boil frozen ones, to make sure they're free from any viruses). I used fresh raspberries and strained the seeds before adding to the whipped cream. Pure deliciousness!




I wanted to keep the design pretty clean, so I kept the base white and added some bunting and made some details by piping with royal icing. This was my first try with royal icing, and it was really fun to work with. I can't wait to try it with cookies!





The Best Chocolate Cake Recipe Ever
from addapinch

2 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups sugar
¾ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 teaspoons baking powder
1½ teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon espresso powder
1 cup milk
½ cup vegetable oil
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup boiling water



Instructions:

  1. Preheat oven to 350º F. Prepare two 9-inch cake pans by spraying with baking spray or buttering and lightly flouring.
  2. Add flour, sugar, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, salt and espresso powder to a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer. Whisk through to combine or, using your paddle attachment, stir through flour mixture until combined well.
  3. Add milk, vegetable oil, eggs, and vanilla to flour mixture and mix together on medium speed until well combined. Reduce speed and carefully add boiling water to the cake batter. Beat on high speed for about 1 minute to add air to the batter.
  4. Distribute cake batter evenly between the two prepared cake pans. Bake for 30-35 minutes, until a toothpick or cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean.
  5. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for about 10 minutes, remove from the pan and cool completely.


Chocolate Buttercream


1½ cups butter (3 sticks), softened
1 cup unsweetened cocoa
5 cups confectioner’s sugar
½ cup milk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
½ teaspoon espresso powder


Instructions:
  1. Add cocoa to a large bowl or bowl of stand mixer. Whisk through to remove any lumps.
  2. Cream together butter and cocoa powder until well-combined.
  3. Add sugar and milk to cocoa mixture by adding 1 cup of sugar followed by about a tablespoon of milk. After each addition has been combined, turn mixer onto a high speed for about a minute. Repeat until all sugar and milk have been added.
  4. Add vanilla extract and espresso powder and combine well.
  5. If frosting appears too dry, add more milk, a tablespoon at a time until it reaches the right consistency. If it appears to wet and does not hold its form, add more confectioner’s sugar, a tablespoon at a time until it reaches the right consistency.


Raspberry Mousse

225g raspberries (fresh or frozen)
45 g sugar
2 tsp gelatin
300 ml heavy whipping cream

Instructions:

  1. Put raspberries and sugar in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Strain the raspberries.
  2. Pour the gelatin into the warm raspberry sauce and let cool in the fridge.
  3. Whip the heavy whipping cream and fold into the cooled raspberry sauce.
  4. Let set in the fridge for two hours, or pour into a cake ring to use as a cake filling.

Friday, October 16, 2015

Swedish Cinnamon Buns



We Swedes take our cinnamon buns seriously. So seriously, as a matter of fact, that we even have our own day on the calendar. Last Monday was National Cinnamon Bun Day, or Kanelbullens Dag, and in true Swedish fashion, it had to be celebrated!

I made a fresh batch when I woke up in the morning, which was a perfect way to lighten up a rainy weekend on hurricane watch, and cheering up a hubby who was getting over a cold. And it's a wonderful bonus to have your kitchen smelling like cinnamon buns all day.




I love my mom's cinnamon buns. She never follows a recipe completely, but they always turn out great. I think that's one of the great secrets when it comes to successful baking, getting so familiar with your own baking, that you can tell when the dough 'feels' ready, and knowing when you need to add more of one thing or another. 

This wasn't the first time I've ever made cinnamon buns, but I decided to read up on what tips other bakers have when it comes to making the ultimate version. By following these few adjustments, the outcome was the most fluffy, light and moist cinnamon buns I have ever made. 

Here're a few tips:




Use half milk, half heavy cream. Normally Swedish cinnamon bun recipes call for milk, but by switching out half of the amount for cream, you'll get really moist buns.

Don't use all the flour at once. Sometimes it's better to use a little less flour, and then add more after the dough has been allowed to rise for 40 minutes. This way you make sure the bread doesn't become too compact. 




Work the dough for a long time. I used a dough hook on my Kitchen Aid, but you can do it the old fashioned way by hand. By working the dough in a baking machine on low speed for about 10 minutes, long "gluten threads" form that help keep the dough elastic, which makes the buns light and fluffy. 

Go nuts with filling! We both know these babies are not meant for dieting. Don't be shy with the butter, cinnamon and sugar. In this case, more is still more.




The boys loved the buns, and might have had two each. But then again, it's not every day we get to celebrate Cinnamon Bun Day!






It was so cute to see how they snuggled feet while eating their cinnamon buns. I think that, and the chuckle they made after having the first bite, was the biggest compliment I could ever have gotten.

Cinnamon buns for everyone!



Cinnamon Buns
from Malincalla

Dough:
1 package dry yeast
150 g butter
250 ml milk and 250 ml heavy cream combined
½ tsp salt
90 g sugar
1 tsp cardamom 
1 egg
780 g flour 

Filling:
Butter (as wanted)
A few teaspoons ground cinnamon
Sugar
Vanilla sugar

1 whisked egg for brushing
Pearl sugar


Directions:

  1. Put the yeast in a bowl. Melt the butter. Add the liquid to the butter and heat until between 105-110°F.
  2. Pour the liquid over the yeast and stir until dissolved. Add salt, sugar, cardamom, the egg and most of the flour. Work the dough for about ten minutes, until it comes together nicely and releases from the sides of the bowl.
  3. Let the dough rise covered for about 30-40 minutes. Pour the dough onto a floured surface, and work in the remaining flour.
  4. Divide the dough in half and roll it into a rectangular shape. Spread it with butter and sprinkle the sugar and cinnamon. Roll into a roll from the long side.
  5. Cut them into 0.8 inch slices and put them in baking forms. Let the buns rise covered until doubled in size, for about 20-30 minutes. Preheat the oven to 480°F. 
  6. Brush the buns with the whisked egg and sprinkle with pearl sugar. Bake on the middle rack in the oven for about 8-10 minutes. Let cool under baking towel.




Kanelbullar

Deg:
50 g jäst
150 g smör
5 dl gräddmjölk
½ tsk salt
1 dl socker
Ev 1 tsk kardemumma
1 ägg
1.3 liter vetemjöl

Fyllning:
Valfri mängd smör
Ett par teskedar malen kanel
Socker

1 lätt uppvispat ägg till pensling
Pärlsocker


Gör så här:
Smula ner jästen i en degbunke. Smält smöret i en kastrull. Tillsätt vätskan och värm till fingervarmt, ca 37°C.

Häll degspadet över jästen och rör tills den är upplöst. Tillsätt salt, socker, kardemumma, ägget och det mesta av mjölet. Arbeta degen smidig, när den släpper bunkens kanter är den färdig. Omkring 5 minuter med maskin och 10 minuter för hand.

Låt degen jäsa övertäckt ca 30-40 minuter. Stjälp upp degen på mjölat bakbord. Arbeta in resten av mjölet och knåda degen smidig.

Dela degen mitt itu och kavla ut varje del till en rektangulär platta. Bred på smör och strö över sockret och kanelen och rulla sedan samman degplattorna från långsidan.

Skär dem i ca 2 cm breda bitar och lägg dem med snittytan uppåt i pappersformar. Låt bullarna jäsa under bakduk till dubbel storlek ca 20-30 minuter.
Värm under tiden ugnen till 250°C.

Pensla bullarna med det uppvispade ägget och strö sedan över pärlsocker. Grädda mitt i ugnen ca 8-10 minuter. Låt kallna under bakduk.