Vanilla Bean Pound Cake ~ #TheCakeSliceBakers

This classic Vanilla Bean Pound Cake is is rich and decadent and oh so buttery, 

and perfection when topped with sliced strawberries and whipped cream.

Gluten-Free Petite Vanilla Bean Scones ~ #BreadBakers

Just sitting here on the corner of awesome and bombdiggity - that is how I would describe these gluten free scones.

Classic Vanilla Flan Bundt ~ #BundtBakers

So, we all know that bundt pans are great for making cakes, but have you ever wondered

 what else you could make in a bundt pan?

Creamsicle Meringue Melting Moments ~#CreativeCookieExchange

Orange Creamsicle's are a classic frozen summer treat.  Look what happens when you turn them into a cookie made from meringue for this month's #CreativeCookieExchange.

Vanilla Bean Malt Bundt Cake - #BundtBakers

"Healthy Cheat, Sneak or Substitute" is the theme for this months #BundtBakers.  This is going to be fun! What did I decided to cheat, sneak, or substitute?

Italian Ricotta Cookies ~ #CreativeCookieExchange

This month it is all about cheese for the members of the #CreativeCookieExchange.  When I first saw this my first thought was, wow, this is going to be fun.  I love the variety of themes that we are presented with as it usually means you will be stepping out of your comfort zone and trying something new.

The Cake Slice Bakers July 2013 - Boston Cream Pie-lets

It is so hard to believe that we only have a short time left baking from Vintage Cakes by Julie Richardson. Each month has produced some beautiful creations and it is really hard to pick a favorite from the cakes that The Cake Slice Baker's have baked. I am sure that it is a cookbook that I will return to again and again.

This month's choice is the Boston Cream Pie-lets - such a cute name.  I would call this recipe a deconstructed Boston Cream Pie because it is actually made in individual pudding cups, which is a wonderful idea because you can add more of the good stuff- that delicious vanilla pudding.

Of course the name Boston Cream Pie is a misnomer because it isn't a pie at all, it is a cake.  So how did it get the name?  The Boston Cream Pie was the the invention of the chef at the Parker House Hotel in Boston in 1856, and back then it was known as the Parker House Chocolate Pie. Even when it was created it was still really a cake, but was probably baked in a pie tin, which were more common than cake tins, and was therefore known as a pie. I guess the name just stuck. Did you know that it is also the official dessert of Massachusetts?

I was really looking forward to trying this recipe because I have never made a cake that starts with whipped cream and I was really curious as to how it would turn out. I prepped everything I needed and got ready to bake the cake. After I added the cream to the mixer I turned it on to high speed and started whipping it. I swear I only turned my back for a minute to grab the measured sugar so I could pour it in and I turned back to a bowl cream that was beyond "soft, droopy peaks". My heart sank as that was the last of my cream, and I didn't really want to face Costco on the weekend. I tried to convince myself that it may still be ok, so I added the sugar and kept my fingers crossed.  In hindsight I should have crossed my toes too because what I ended up with was a bowl of separated cream and sugar. Oh, and I had just used the last of my sugar too. Here I come Costco! Moral of the story - do not turn your back on your cream. It is better to err on the more droopy side than the stiff peaks side.

Once I returned from Costco with my cream and sugar (and a few other items - darn you Costco, why can't I just buy what I went in for?) I was ready to start again. This time I watched the mixer like a hawk and stopped at "soft, droopy peaks" and I am happy to report that the rest of the mixing was uneventful and the cake came out perfectly.  I loved both the taste and texture of this cake and it is going to be my go-to recipe whenever I need to make a layered dessert.  The recipe suggests keeping the leftover cake to snack on later but I am suggesting that you just snack on it straight from the pan while it is warm, but I do caution you that once you start snacking you will not be able to stop.

After looking through my cupboards for suitable pudding cups I decided to try a variety of containers to see what worked best.  I tried a ramekin, a lowball glass, a teacup, a wine glass, a tumbler, and finally some Chinet plastic cups. The ramekin and the plastic cups were the easiest to work with because they had even sides.  Although it is nice to see the layers of the pie-lets, I thought it was kind of fun to have them hidden under layer of chocolate so everyone got a surprise when they dug their spoons in, so I would probably just go with all ramekins next time.

The Boston Cream Pie-lets were another winner. I sent the six I had made in plastic cups to some of my daughters college friends and they declared them delicious and they were gone in no time. They reminded me a little bit of a tiramisu without the coffee flavor, and they were definitely sweet so a little went a long way.  I think they would make a great dessert if you had to bring something to an office potluck, or a picnic, or even a bake sale because you could make them in small plastic cups which would be so easy to eat.

Please join me in visiting my fellow Cake Slice Bakers to see their wonderful creations.

Boston Cream Pie-lets
(Printer Friendly Recipe)

Ingredients ~ Cake

• 2 cups cake flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1½ cups heavy cream, cold
• 1¼ cups sugar
• 3 eggs
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

Ingredients ~Pudding

• 1 vanilla bean
• 4 cups milk
• 1 cup sugar
• 8 egg yolks
• ½ teaspoon fine salt
• ¼ corn starch
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, cubed

Ingredients ~ Ganache

• 1 cup heavy cream
• 8 ounces semi-sweet chocolate or bittersweet, chopped or chips

Preparation ~ Cake

1. Center an oven rack and preheat oven to 350℉.
2. Grease a 13x9-inch cake pan and set aside eight 6-ounce pudding cups.
3. Sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt in a bowl and whisk to make sure they are well combined.
4. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whip the cream on high speed until soft, droopy peaks form. 
5. On medium-low speed, add the sugar in a steady stream  and then return the mixer to high and continue to whip the cream until stiff peaks begin to form. 
6. Return the mixer to low and add the eggs one at a time, followed by the vanilla.
7. With the speed still on low stir in the flour mixture in three parts, making sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl after each addition to ensure all the ingredients have been incorporated fully. 
8. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake on the center rack until the cake springs back in the middle when lightly touched, about 30 minutes.
9. Cool the cake in the pan on a wire rack until it is room temperature. While the cake is cooling make the vanilla pudding.
10. To assemble the cake, use a 2¾-inch round biscuit or cookie cutter to cut 8 circles in the cake directly from the pan. Carefully remove them from the pan and, using a serrated knife, cut each one in half horizontally to create two layers per cake (keep the leftover cake to snack on). Spoon 3 tablespoons of the warm pudding into the bottom of each pudding dish. Set the bottom half of the cake on top of the pudding, then spoon another 3 tablespoons of hot pudding and cover it with the top half of the cake. Cover the pie-lets  with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 4 hours to set up.  Once they are firm, spoon 2 tablespoons of warm chocolate ganache over each one and allow the dessert to sit at room temperature for 30 minutes before serving.  Well wrapped and refrigerated they will keep for up to 5 days.

Preparation ~ Pudding

1. Split the vanilla bean in half lengthwise using a paring knife, scrape out the seeds from the pod and put them, along with the pod, into a large saucepan. Then add the milk and ⅓ cup of sugar. 
2. Place the pan over medium heat and heat until the milk is hot but not boiling. 
3. While the milk is heating, thoroughly whisk together the yolks, the remaining ⅔ cup of sugar,  and salt, and then blend in the cornstarch. 
4. Slowly whisk in a third of the hot milk into the yolk mixture to temper it and prevent scrambling.
5. Pour the mixture back into the pan with the remaining milk and gently cook over medium-low heat, whisking continuously, until the pudding just begins to thicken and has been bubbling for about 1 minute. 
6. Strain mixture through a fine mesh sieve into a clean bowl and whisk in the butter until melted. 

Preparation ~ Ganache

1. Once the pie-lets have chilled for approximately 3.5 hours, prepare the ganache.
2. Place the chocolate into a medium heat-proof bowl. 
3. Heat cream in a medium saucepan set over medium low heat. Stir occasionally until the cream starts to simmer. 
4. Remove the cream from heat and pour over chocolate. Swirl the bowl to ensure all the chocolate is coated. 
5. Cover the bowl with a lid and let the cream and chocolate sit together for 5 minutes. 
6. Remove the lid and stir the cream and chocolate together. First start with small circles in the center and gradually increase until all the chocolate has melted and the mixture is smooth. 
7. Set aside for 30 minutes so that it becomes creamy (makes about 1½ cups).

Recipe from Vintage Cakes by Julie Richardson

The Cake Slice Bakers June 2013 - Black and White Cake

I am extremely late with last month's cake.  I just seemed to lose my baking mojo, and each time I thought about getting ready to bake this cake something else seemed to need my time and energy.

The cake that was chosen by the Cake Slice Baker's for June was the Black and White Cake which is described in Vintage Cakes as "the reverse of the classic white cake with chocolate frosting: two thick layers of the darkest chocolate cake, slathered with bittersweet ganache and then covered with vanilla bean buttercream". Sounds pretty decadent doesn't it?

Although there are a lot of components to the cake, breaking it up over a couple of days makes the task seem less daunting.  I ended up baking the cake and making the ganache and buttercream, and assembling part of the cake one day and then completing the frosting and adding a ganache topping the following day.  Really, it is not a difficult cake to make at all, you just need to work out the timing.

As usual I had a few ideas to change the cake just a little - however, I did stay true to the basic recipe, which is the point in baking from this book and along with the group.  I decided that I wanted to lightly brush the layers with a mixture of coffee and Kahlua to add a little moistness and a flavor kick to the cake, and I ended up making a little extra ganache to pour over the top of the cake. Also, contrary to what the actual directions state I trimmed the tops of my cakes just a little and placed the top side down on the serving plate because I find that the bottom of the cake absorbs moisture better when brushing the cakes, and I did this with the second layer too. Oh, and I added a few drops of black food coloring to my ganache.  Call me crazy but I just do not like my ganache looking so red in my photos, and I am still learning about photography and editing photos, so I don't know how to fix this later.

This cake got rave reviews from all who tried it.  It had something for everyone - a deep, dark chocolate flavor for the chocoholics, and a lovely sweet vanilla flavor for the vanilla lovers. Also, it really does develop a great flavor if left for a couple of days in the refrigerator, but make sure you allow it to come to room temperature before serving.

































Please visit The Cake Slice Bakers blogroll page for links to all of my fellow baker's cakes.  I am about to head over there myself since I make it a rule not to peek at the other cakes before I get mine up on my blog.  I can't wait to see all of their delicious creations. Oh, and don't forget that we have a Facebook page too and would love for you to visit - there you will see not only our monthly group baking project, but also all of the other goodies we bake and some great tips.


Black and White Cake
(Printer Friendly Recipe)

Ingredients ~ Cake

• ¾ cup Hershey's Special Dark Cocoa
• ⅔ cup hot coffee 
• ½ cup sour cream
• 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
• 1½ cups all-purpose flour
• ¾ teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 10 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1¼ cups dark brown sugar
• 1/3 cup granulated sugar
• 2 eggs, room temperature
• 2 egg yolks, room temperature
• 2 tablespoons hot coffee (optional)
• 2 tablespoons Kahlua (optional)

Ingredients ~ Ganache

• 1 cup heavy cream
• 8 oz. semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, chopped or chips

Ingredients ~ Buttercream

• 6 egg whites
• 1¼ cups sugar
• ¼ teaspoon cream of tartar
• 2 cups unsalted butter (1 pound), room temperature and cut into cubes
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• Pinch of salt

Preparation ~ Cake

1. Center an oven rack and preheat the oven to 350℉. 
2. Line two 8-inch round baking pans with parchment paper. Grease each pan with cooking spray. 
3. In a small bowl, combine the cocoa powder and hot coffee, add the sour cream and vanilla and stir until well mixed. 
4. In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, and salt and whisk to combine. 
5. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter  and sugar on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Scrape the sides of the bowl as needed. Add the eggs and egg yolks one at a time, adding the next one just as the previous one has been incorporated.
6. Turn the mixer speed down to low and add the flour mixture in three parts, alternating with the chocolate mixture in two parts, beginning and ending with the flour, making sure to scrape the sides of the bowl as you go to fully incorporate the ingredients.
7. Divide the batter evenly between the two prepared pans. Smooth the tops and tap each pan on the counter a few times to allow air bubbles to escape. 
8. Bake in the middle of the oven for 35-40 minutes - cakes are ready when the center spring back lightly when touched.
9. Cool the cakes in the pan for 30 minutes before inverting them and placing them top side up on a cooling rack to cool completely before assembling. 
10. Combine the hot coffee and Kahlua.
11. To assemble the cake, lay one of the cakes, top side up, on a serving plate (see my note above for my variation).  Using a pastry brush, gently brush the cake with the combined coffee-Kahlua mixture. Using a metal spatula frost the top with about ½ cup of ganache, spreading it just a little inside the edge of the cake. Refrigerate for about 5 minutes to allow the ganache to firm up. Remove the cake from the refrigerator and spread about 1 cup of the buttercream, covering the ganache, and taking it all the way to the edge of the cake. Align the second cake on top of the buttercream, top side up (see note above), gently brush the cake with the combined coffee-Kahlua mixture, and frost it with another ½ cup cup of ganache and chill it in the fridge for another 5 minutes. Once chilled, spread a thin layer of buttercream all around the cake, creating a crumb coat. Place in the fridge for about 10 minutes to firm up the thin layer of frosting. Frost the cake with the remaining buttercream. Decorate the top of cake with the remaining ganache in desired. 

Preparation ~ Ganache

1. Place the chocolate into a medium heat-proof bowl. 
2. Heat cream in a medium saucepan set over medium low heat. Stir occasionally until the cream starts to simmer. 
3. Remove the cream from heat and pour over chocolate. Swirl the bowl to ensure all the chocolate is coated. 
4. Cover the bowl with a lid and let the cream and chocolate sit together for 5 minutes. 
5. Remove the lid and stir the cream and chocolate together. First start with small circles in the center and gradually increase until all the chocolate has melted and the mixture is smooth. Allow to sit up to a couple hours to become creamy. 

Makes about 1 ½ cups

Preparation ~ Vanilla Buttercream

1. Using a hand whisk, whisk together the egg whites, sugar, and cream of tartar in the bowl of a stand mixer. 
2. Place the bowl over (not touching the water) a saucepan of simmering water. The mixture will be thick at first but will become more fluid-like as it heats. 
3. Continue to gently whisk the mixture until very hot to the touch (130℉ on a candy thermometer).
4. Move the bowl to the stand mixer and, using the whisk attachment, whip the whites and sugar mixture together on medium-high speed until it has tripped in volume and it is is thick and glossy, and holds stiff peaks, about 4 minutes. 
5. Turn the mixer down to medium-low speed until the bowl is cool to touch. 
6. Turn the speed back up and add the butter, one cube at a time, adding the next just as the previous one has been incorporated. During the mixing the frosting will, at one stage, look as though it has curdled, but it will come back together.
7. Once all the butter has been added, and the frosting is fluffy and creamy, add the vanilla and salt until combined.

Makes about 5 cups. This buttercream, covered with plastic wrap will last for 2 days at room temperature or 7 days in the refrigerator.  If refrigerated it needs to come to room temperature before use.  Also the buttercream will need to be re-whipped before use.

Slightly adapted from Vintage Cakes by Julie Richardson.

To Try Tuesday - Vanilla Bean Banana-Passionfruit Bread

I do love a good quick bread.  The recipe for Vanilla Bean Bread first appeared on Baking Bites back in December and quickly went on my To Try list.  I love that it is a different take on banana bread.  And let's face it - variety is the spice of life!

It seems to be either feast or famine in my house when it comes to bananas.  The apple bananas do seem to be eaten way before the run-of-the-mill Cavendish bananas, but that is fine with me because I think that they make much better banana bread.

The only change I made to this recipe was to add some passionfruit pulp.  I have about 6 passionfruit that I need to use up, so the pulp of one went into the bread.  I am a big fan of the seeds, but feel free to push the pulp through a fine sieve to dispose of them if you prefer.

We all loved this bread and the tropical taste to it.  It freezes well too, so you can always have a loaf of banana bread on hand.

To Try Tuesday - Vanilla Bean Banana-Passionfruit Bread

(Printer Friendly Recipe)

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1 cup vanilla sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 cup mashed banana (2-3 medium)
• pulp of 1 passionfruit
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1/4 cup butter, melted and cooled
• 2 1/2 tsp vanilla extract (or 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla bean paste)

Preparation

1. Preheat oven 350F and lightly grease a 9×5-inch loaf pan.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, salt and nutmeg.
3. In a large bowl, whisk together vanilla sugar and eggs until well combined, then whisk in the mashed banana, passionfruit, milk, butter and vanilla extract.
4. Pour dry ingredients into wet ingredients and stir until just combined, making sure no streaks of flour remain. 
5. Pour batter out into prepared baking pan. 
6. Bake for 55-60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, with only a few moist crumbs attached.
7. Turn loaf out onto a wire rack to cool completely before slicing.

Makes 1 loaf.

Recipe by Nicole Weston from Baking Bites. 

To Try Tuesday - Vanilla Bean Flan

I always go crazy during the holiday season when all of the baking magazines hit the shelves.  I just cannot seem to resist, even though I tell  myself I really should show some restraint.  There is just something about seeing all of those dazzling cookies, cakes, and other treats that gets my attention every time.

Of the stash I purchased one of them was Popular Plates Holiday Baking - Easy Recipes from America's Great Chefs.  Now whilst I might argue that a few chefs in this magazine might not quite qualify for one of "America's Great Chefs" there were a couple of recipes that I immediately flagged to try.

One of the flagged recipes was for a flan. The recipe is by Ingrid Hoffman from the Food Network. I don't know about you but I love a good flan, and I find it hard to believe that I have never tried making one.  I love the contrasting taste of the deep intense caramel against the creamy silkiness of the custard.  This one was a little different because it had cream cheese in the custard base.  Since I had some left over cream cheese that needed to be used up I decided that this would be my To Try recipe.

Now a heads up for all of you.  Rule #1 - Do not, under any circumstances, get the boiling caramel on you hands or this will happen.

My owie

I am usually so careful about these things, but after wiping up some spilled caramel from the side of a ramekin with a paper towel, the towel accidentally fell and landed on my hand.  I quickly got the caramel off and put my hand under running water but the damage was already done.  Caramel 1, Felice 0.  It was only a small burn so I put aside the dull ache and soldiered on.

Hot bubbling sugar

You will need to move quickly with this caramel because there is a fine line between "golden reddish-brown" and burnt.  I would advise that you take the caramel off just as it is hitting the later stages of golden brown as the pan is still hot and the caramel will continue to cook as you are ladling it into the ramekins.

As per the recipe I let the cream cheese, eggs, and milk all come to room temperature before proceeding.  I found it very hard to get the cream cheese and eggs mixed into a smooth batter.  There seemed to be little lumps of cream cheese in the mix that would just not blend in.  I decided to keep adding all of the ingredients and then check my consistency at the end.  After adding the evaporated milk, condensed milk, and whole milk they were still there so I strained the mixture to remove them before spooning it into the ramekins. Oh, and another word of warning - I was using my KitchenAid, and even with it on the lowest speed, the mixture sloshed everywhere.  I quickly grabbed my shield guard and they helped a little.  Part of me thinks that it might be easier to make these flans with a hand mixer. My ramekins were a little smaller than the suggested 3 1/2-inch ramekins so I ended up with 12 flans.  The more the merrier!

I found that some of my caramel stuck to the bottom of the ramekins as it had hardened like toffee.  To overcome this problem when plating the flans, I boiled some water and poured it in a shallow bowl.  I then ran a knife around the top of the ramekin to loosen the custard, making sure the knife reaches from the top of the flan all the way to the base.  Then dip the bottom of each ramekin in the hot water for about a minute.  Place a serving plate over the top and, whilst holding on to the plate and the ramekin, turn it upside down.  Shake it hard once and the flan should pop out and the caramel will pour over the sides.  I then used the leftover hot water to soak my ramekins because they are a pain to clean with that hardened toffee in the bottom.  Thank goodness this flan tastes so good so I am willing to do the cleanup it takes afterward.

Vanilla Bean Flan

(Printer Friendly Recipe)

Ingredients

• 2 cups sugar
• 1/4 cup water
• 12 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
• 3 large eggs, at room temperature
• 1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
• 1 (12-ounce) can evaporated milk
• 1 1/2 cups milk, at room temperature
• 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste (or 2 teaspoons vanilla extract)

Directions

1. Place the sugar and 1/4 cup of water in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Using a pastry brush, stir the sugar occasionally, being careful not to get any grains stuck against the sides of the saucepan, until it has all dissolved. Swirl the saucepan every minute until the sugar becomes a golden reddish-brown, about 10 to 15 minutes. Equally divide the caramel into 10 to 12 (3 1/2-inch) ramekins and set aside.
   Preheat your oven to 325 degrees F. 
2. Using an electric mixer, beat the softened cream cheese with the eggs on low speed to combine. Increase the speed to medium-high and beat until completely incorporated. Add the condensed milk, evaporated milk, whole milk and vanilla paste/extract and continue to beat together until everything is well incorporated, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary, about 2 to 3 minutes. 
3. Ladle the custard over the caramel into the ramekins filling them up to 1/2-inch from the rim. Place a kitchen towel in a deep baking dish or roasting pan and place the ramekins in 2 rows on top of the towel. Place the baking dish in the oven and using a pitcher, pour enough hot water into the baking dish to reach halfway up the sides of the ramekins, taking care not to get water in the ramekins. Cover the baking dish tightly with aluminum foil and bake until the flan is just set, about 30 minutes. When you tap the edge of the ramekin the flan should still wobble in the center. 
4. Carefully remove the baking dish from the oven, remove the foil and let the ramekins cool slightly. Using tongs remove the ramekins from the water and set on a towel to cool for at least 2 hours before serving. 
5. Once cooled completely, the flan can be refrigerated for up to 3 days before un-molding and serving. To serve, run a thin knife around the inside edge of the ramekin to loosen the flan, and then invert onto a plate. 

Adapted from this recipe by Ingrid Hoffman.