Baking Adventure #24

As I sit here in my food coma, I figured what better to do than blog about the amazingness that recently hit my taste buds and is now nestling in my belly...

My dad has been requesting Chocolate Cream Pie (the third of his pie requests if you recall) for a while. [In fact, if I had a dollar for each time he mentioned it over the last month or so, I could possibly invest in the KitchenAid Stand Mixer I've been eyeing for quite some time.] Dad has been hounding me so much about this pie request that I'm almost positive he thought it would be his Father's Day "surprise" I've been so secretive about. Well, I must tell you: HE HAS BEEN FOOLED!

This week's baking adventure is an old recipe made by a very special lady and I really believe she had a hand in how wonderful it turned out as she rests in heaven with our eternal Father.

GRANDMA'S TEXAS SHEET CAKE

Like I said, a very special lady came up with the basis for this recipe and I just found out the story behind it tonight. Sure, you may find other recipes for TX Sheet Cake online but my grandma's will trump them all (Is being biased a sin?).

The story behind the cake recipe is that my grandmother used to make Jiffy Cake out of the box for 39 cents all of the time, and my dad loved it so much that she wanted to figure out how to make it on her own. [SIDE NOTE: Dad used to eat the entire box of Jiffy cake in one sitting with a gallon of milk... (that makes my stomach hurt just thinking about it) Told you he gives my sweet tooth a run for its money, didn't I?]

Anyways, back to this week's baking adventure...

My cousin stumbled across grandma's recipe as she was going through some old pictures and things and typed it up and sent it to me a little over a month ago. Immediately, I knew I HAD to make this for Father's Day. My dad is one of those men who is extremely difficult to buy gifts for but this was sure to surprise him!

First was to prep the ingredients. In case you hadn't noticed, I love Publix brand bakery items.

Now, this recipe is different from most cakes I've made. Everything and I mean EVERYTHING went into a saucepan and was heated on the stove at some point during the process. It was so simple and so much fun to make.

First step for the cake itself was to combine 2 sticks of the butter, 4 tablespoons of cocoa, and a cup of water.

Heat until boiling.

Then remove from heat and dump in flour, sugar, and salt (that had previously been sifted together). Stir this until well mixed.

Then dump in eggs, sour cream, and baking soda. Mix this until well blended and smooth. (You might see air bubbles but that's about it)

Pour cake batter into a WELL-greased jelly roll pan (I HIGHLY recommend PAM for Baking) and bake at 350 degrees for approximately 20 minutes.

While the cake is baking, it's time to make the frosting! (Arguably the best part of eating cake... in my humble opinion.)

Take another stick of butter and 4 more tablespoons of cocoa and melt over the stove in the SAME saucepan you made the batter in...

and GET THIS: there is absolutely no need to clean the saucepan OR spoon/spatula you were preparing the batter with (unless of course you lick the spatula) Please see below for evidence supporting the only reason to clean...

Does this face scream guilty or what?

After the butter has completely melted, add in powdered sugar, vanilla (there was no vanilla in the cake batter... shocker, I know!), and baking soda.

Mix until smooth (except for maybe some air bubbles).

Grandma's recipe calls for a cup of chopped nuts to be added; however, my dad and family aren't fans of nuts in baked goods so instead I decided to substitute Heath bar toffee bits to maintain the crunch factor.

After the toffee bits are evenly mixed into the frosting, maintain stirring every now and then until cake is ready to pull out of the oven. Once out of the oven, frost IMMEDIATELY.

Then let cool completely before decorating and cutting into. If you can't wait, I highly recommend licking the bowl and spatula yet again to satisfy the sweet tooth. ;-)

And decorate with the worst hand-writing known to man... ok, maybe yours won't be this bad but it was late at night (I had to wait for dad to go to bed so his surprise would be awaiting him upon stumbling down to the kitchen on Father's Day morning) and I was rushing... or at least that's my excuse for now.

Before I forget, I must show you one of the KEYS TO SUCCESS when baking. Everyone is always asking me different tricks and tips, but this one is a MUST no matter what you are baking...

Are you ready???...

Here it is...

Never before revealed...

You must, and I repeat, must, make a MESS of not only the kitchen but whatever article of clothing you're wearing as well.

Whew! Now that the secret is finally off my chest, this is what awaited dad the next morning:

Grandma's TX Sheet Cake, Graffiti Zoo chocolates (one of his all-time favs), and a card

Happy Father's Day to my wonderful father who has sacrificed so much so that his daughters could have the life experiences he was never able to have. I am forever grateful dad. I love you!

Baking Adventure #20

This post is going to be a little different than the norm, as baking adventure #20 was pretty much a failure both times I tried it.

Cinnamon Raisin Bread (minus the raisins)

My mom put in a special request for this a couple of weeks ago and I thought, "Sure! That should be easy. Afterall, I've made bread and cinnamon rolls before. What could be difficult about a little cinnamon bread minus the raisins?" WELL I am here to tell you that after two attempts at this pesky recipe, I have concluded two things: 1)Either my baking skills aren't what I thought they were or 2) This recipe is just plain incorrectly written (This is highly likely esp due to the fact that the recipe called for WAY too much salt to begin with. Who likes salty Cinnamon Raisin Bread? Not I!)...

[Reasons this failed: Bread never "rose" (Yes, my yeast was "alive") and it was too salty.]

Both options are entirely possible and while I have exhausted my attempts at this particular recipe I will NOT rest until I find another great cinnamon raisin bread recipe to try!

My sincerest apologies to those of you who have been checking in weekly if not more for the next baking adventure. You see, frustration gets the best of me sometimes and I wanted to remedy the errors of baking the bread before posting the recipe, so as to provide you with some great tips... Since that didn't happen, allow me to post a few pictures of something that DID turn out well:

DOUBLE-DECKER COOKIE CAKE!

For my friend Jason's birthday, he requested a cookie cake and stated that the frosting is the best part... so I took the idea and ran with it. Needless to say, there wasn't a crumb left upon leaving his celebration.

Note: If you would like me to make one of these for your birthday or any celebration, I would gladly oblige as new customers are always welcome!!! :-)

Oh where oh where can the Pint-Size Baker be?

Oh where or where can she be???

Sorry folks! I know I haven't blogged in a couple of weeks... I've still been baking and trying to conquer one particular recipe but it has given me so much trouble that I wanted to master it before blogging about it. Unfortunately, the mastering did not occur. *hmpf* [crosses arms and pokes bottom lip out]

Alas, there will be blogging to come in the next 24-48 hours though as I am in the process of finishing a double-decker chocolate chip cookie cake for a friends birthday!

STAY TUNED!

Baking Adventure #14

What a co-inky-dink!... this is baking adventure #14 and today is the 14th day of February! I promise that was not planned at all!

This week's baking adventure held true to the definition of "adventure". I had to cross the Atlantic Ocean for this one... A friend of mine was raised in Germany and has been craving a particular cake for quite some time now. He requested it back in the fall but it never actually happened for one reason or another. However, this week the craving finally became unbearable and he not only put in a "real" request but he also dropped by the CA$H for me to make it... making him my 3rd paying customer!!! YAHOO!!! Movin' on up!

Anyways, let's get down to it! This week's baking adventure is...

BIENENSTICH CAKE (Bee Sting Cake) <---- Please don't ask me how to pronounce it.

Luckily, since my friend requested this cake in the fall, I had already done a good bit of legwork trying to find the right recipe that held true to the German tradition while also being translated into English baking terms properly... this was a feat in itself! [Gotta love the metric system we Americans use. Nothing like being difficult.]

I searched long and hard across the internet and even consulted a former Project Manager from a previous job of mine, who was also from Germany. His recipe was half German and half English. I about went cross-eyed trying to figure it out... Finally, a few days ago I settled on this recipe for BIENENSTICH (Bee Sting Cake). It made the most sense and even the few steps left out I could figure out on my own.

Once I went to one of my favorite stores on earth, the grocery, it was time to PREP and then being baking.

This recipe involves three parts. The first of which is making the actual cake. This, my friends, was the easy part! You know, your usual separation of the dry and wet ingredients and then combine to make the batter.

The batter was a LOT thicker than I'm used to for typical cakes and only filled up about 2/3 of one round cake pan, so it made me quite nervous to bake. The recipe called for 3 tbsp of baking powder which meant that it was going to rise significantly... and rise it did! (Reference photo a little further down for this action!)

Before baking, the recipe called for making part two of the Bienenstich. Part two involved almonds (I used sliced instead of slivered. Makes for a prettier presentation.), sugar, cream, and butter. Once all of those ingredients were melted together, you're "supposed" to spread it on the top. However, I don't have a spring-form pan and had to improvise by placing the almond sugary goodness on the bottom of the pan and then the batter on top.

[If you look closely, you can kind of see the almond sugary goodness along the sides.]

[The cake literally looks like it was stung by a bee and then swelled up.]

While the cake baked and then cooled, it was time to venture into part three of the Bienenstich. This was by far the most cumbersome and difficult thing I've made so far in all of my baking adventures.

First, I had to separate the egg whites and egg yolks (not so difficult). I like to use the shell to help divide them. In order to do this, you crack the egg in half and open it over a bowl while holding the yolk in its shell. Then, you pour the yolk into the other shell you're holding back and forth until all of the egg white is in one bowl. Once done, put the left egg yolk in another bowl. [See below]

The next part of the recipe called for scalding milk (I used a microwave to do this! It took about 3 stints of 45 seconds each in the microwave to get it "scalding" hot. Not sure what scalding means? If you touch it with your finger and feel like your skin is going to burn off if you hold it in any longer than a split second, then that's scalding hot. REAL technical, I know. hehe)

After pouring the scalding hot milk into the egg yolk, sugar, and corn starch mixture while stirring constantly (READ: and getting milk everywhere b/c the mug holding the milk decided to have it pour down the side. NOT COOL), it was time for the double-boiler! What's a double-boiler you ask? Funny thing is I've never seen nor used a real one BUT! I do know how to make a makeshift one using a glass bowl and a pot of boiling water. [See below]

This next part was a PITA. (Want to know what that means? Feel free to comment and ask. It's an Ashley-ism is all I'm saying.) You have to stir constantly the egg yolk mixture while it sits over the double-boiler being careful not to let it boil until it thickens and becomes almost like a thick pudding. This definitely took about 15-20 minutes of stirring and then letting it sit on its own for a minute and then stirring profusely again.

EVENTUALLY, (if your hand doesn't fall off) you will get a texture and pudding like consistency as seen below.

After the thick almond cream is done. Remove from double-boiler (the recipe does not say to do this). Then, whisk the egg whites (sitting off to the side from the step above) until stiff peaks form. This will take about 5 minutes or so of beating on HIGH and a pinch of salt.

Next it was time to FOLD in the egg whites with the almond cream... I don't have a spatula so I used a plastic spoon. Make sure you don't over mix or else your stiff peaks will fall, and the final whipped almond cream won't be as stiff as it needs to (I did this and had cream EVERYWHERE when layering the cake).

After the cake cools and the almond whipped cream has time to set in the fridge, it's GO time! Cut the cake in half and then layer the cream in between and place the almond encrusted top back on... and you have a nice yummy BIENENSTICH Cake (Bee Sting Cake).

Delivery of this cake was a bit nerve-racking (insert: A LOT nerve-racking) as not only was it to be eaten by one TRUE German, but it turned out there were two additional ones awaiting the Bienenstich's arrival. They had me sit while they tasted it and the only negative feedback was that it needed "more cream"... aka "Ashley let the whipped cream set longer in the fridge or it all will come oozing out when layering on the cake".

That's it for this adventure! My hands are officially red and sore from all the egg whisking and stirring but it was more than worth it. That daggon' Bee had nothing on the Pint-Size Baker!

Hope ya'll have a very happy Valentine's Day whether you're spending it with a significant other or close friends and family! XOXO

Oh!!! Before I forget...

P.S. I made some of my "Sweet Ashley's (more addicting than crack) Choco Chip Cookies" for a Valentine's Day gift to my family. Too bad we can't eat with our eyes huh???

Livestream with Pint-Size Baker (Baking Adventure #14)

Hey all!

Thanks so much to those of you who tuned into the impromptu Livestream of this week's baking adventure: Carrot Cake. For those of you who missed it, I have included the live stream below. Just a warning though, it's the ENTIRE Livestream because I can't figure out how to edit and cut parts yet, so have fun!

[BTW, the first video is of actually making the cake and frosting and the second is of frosting/decorating the cake. See below the videos for the final product!]

Watch live streaming video from pintsizebaker at livestream.com

Watch live streaming video from pintsizebaker at livestream.com

Congratulations Carrot Cake:

Need Your Help!

So I am having trouble deciding what to bake for our Pot Luck dinner for next Monday's class. The trouble being that baking a pie is a little intimidating as I've never made one from scratch before.

This is where you come in! Please vote below, and whichever option wins by Saturday evening, I'll bake! Thanks in advance for your help! If you have any other suggestions besides the two listed, feel free to post them in the comments section.

Quizzes by Quibblo.com

Baking Adventure #1

On a daily basis I receive Recipe of the Day emails from Food Network, and this one immediately caught my eye. It just looked absolutely delectable. Sure, the level of difficulty read "Intermediate" and never had I made a bundt cake before (I have only made one cake in my life prior), BUT I love a good challenge and if the result tastes as good as it looks, than why not?

Caramel Apple Cake

I began by gathering ingredients at my local grocery, which is conveniently next door. ;-) Mom let me borrow her pumpkin pie spice, but just about every other ingredient came from the store... this produced my first obstacle:

BUNDT Cake pan: The recipe calls for a 10-cup bundt cake pan. Ok, sure... no problem... NOT! If you're like me and have no previous knowledge of baking other than trial and error, then you would not be finding those words on anything in the baking aisle. However, there was a pan that resembled what I was looking for titled "Fluted Cake Pan". I called my mom to see if these were the same; she was no help as she's not a baker. Then, I pulled out my trusty pocket computer (aka iPhone) and googled it... low and behold, they're the SAME thing! The "fluted" part is just the shape of mold of the bundt cake pan. Evidently there are bundt cake pan molds shaped like flowers too... whodathunkit?!

Ok, back to the baking. Once all of ingredients were purchased, it was time to bake! First things first... PREP. You must prep all necessary ingredients before beginning the mixing and baking process.

For the cake the only labor-intensive prep necessary was the apples. The recipe calls for "peeling, coring, and roughly chopping" them. What's "roughly chopping" mean? Yea, I didn't know either so below is my stab at it.

Not too bad... basically I cut the apples into about 1/2 inch chunks.

After prepping the apples, I tossed them in the sugar and spice mix and then set to the side. Next I whisked together the wet ingredients in one bowl and the dry ingredients in another. The wet ingredients call for the zest of an orange. (Cool, since I had never zested anything before and didn't own a zester until an hour prior to this adventure.) It's pretty simple actually and kind of fun; it helps let out some aggression if you have any pent up. hehe.

TIP: Make sure, when zesting, that you only grate off the outside orange layer. Once you reach the more yellow part, move on. Use this tip when zesting any type of citrus.

Once everything was blended in its corresponding bowl, it was time to marry them together and layer into the bundt cake pan. The recipe called for place 1/2 cup of apples along the bottom of the pan first, but really you need about 1-1.5 cups. Then layer 1/3 of the batter, another 2 cups of apples, 1/3 batter, and 2 cups of apples, then the last 1/3 of the batter. Make sure you end with the batter. Also, it's a little sticky so you may need to use a spoon or spatula to spread it out evenly. That's it for the cake... after all ingredients are in the pan, it's BAKE TIME!

The recipe recommends baking the cake the night before that way all of the flavors and texture have a chance to fully develop. After an hour and 10 minutes, it's time to check the cake to see if it's done. I always use a wooden skewer or toothpick when testing my baking items. This is because if the batter is even remotely undercooked, then it will stick to the wood and you know to bake another minute or two or ten. [See below wooden skewer is clean of any batter aka time to pull from the oven!]

Once I pulled the cake from the oven, it was time to cool. I don't currently own a cooling rack so instead, I placed a piece of wax paper on a baking sheet and flipped (or "inverted" as the recipe says) the cake onto the baking sheet.

The cake then cooled over night at room temperature... aka I went and snuggled in bed after about 2 hours of labor. hehe. I'm like a little kid when it comes to baking for people. I can't wait to have them try it and see/hear their reactions! (Especially since I had been talking this cake up on facebook for the past 2 days) Given this personality trait, I awoke at 7am ready to finish, but it wasn't time yet. Cake delivery to my friends in family wasn't set to occur until 10am, so I went back to bed until 8:30am (this was a Saturday) then worked out and got to work on the final touch of the cake: the CARAMEL PECAN DRIZZLE topping.

First things first: PREP! The only prep for this was to toast the pecans. Being the avid Food Network television show watcher that I am have heard Giada de Laurentis say each time she toasted nuts that you can smell it when they're done. I used to think to myself "Ok, so if you can smell it, tell me what it's supposed to smell like." Well, ladies and gents... she's right! You really can smell it. The pecan scent began to permiate the kitchen when they were done toasting. The one thing they didn't do that I was expecting was to change color. The appearance stayed the same but they did get a little more crunchy and smelled delicious!

After the nuts are toasted, it's time to make the caramel, which I'd never done either. I don't even recall seeing it done on Food Network, so this was going to be an adventure! I mixed together and then swirled the sugar, corn syrup, and water while boiling like it said.

You're supposed to do this until it turns an amber brown color and it does! It's kind of cool the process of creating the caramel. I tried to get a picture but the camera and lighting didn't produce good enough results to show the pretty color. Once the sugar mixture turns amber, then I removed it from the heat and added the heavy cream. LESSON LEARNED: stir sugar mixture while adding heavy cream. I didn't stir it at first and paused b/c I didn't have the vanilla ready to go in and then it started clumping up. NOT A GOOD IDEA. However, with a lot of stirring, I was able to get it back to the consistency needed and add the pecans, then let the caramel sit and cool and thicken.

After the caramel cools some and thickens to a syrup consistency, it's time to pour on top of the cake. In order to ensure, even distribution of the amazing caramel pecan drizzle, I used a wooden spoon to scoop out the topping onto the cake. See FINAL result below! (There are two: one before taking to family and friends and one after they devoured half.)

See all of the apples loaded into the cake?

Alright, that's it for this cake. Time to take the second half to a football tailgate... Fall really is the best time of year!

Next baking adventure: Blueberry tart possibly? TBD!

Pint-Size Baker at your service!

First off, thank you for reading this blog. To be honest, I don't know how many people will actually read this thing, but hopefully it'll help someone else in this universe who loves to bake as much as I do or even someone who is baking for the first time and curious about what to expect. I intend to share each baking experience good and bad with you. We can laugh and cry together! Isn't that fun? haha!

I've found that baking is an excellent source of therapy. You get to "roughly chop", whisk, fold, and blend ingredients together and create something relatively in a matter of minutes. However, you're not just creating anything; you're creating a delicious piece of art that brings smiles to people's faces and produces a euphoric happiness when consumed... yes, this may be a little extreme, but think about that first bite of your favorite chocolate cake or oatmeal cookie... AHHHmazing!

As a little backgroud, the name "pint-size" came from a friend's husband who has called me "half pint" since the minute he met me. (Thanks Dan!) Little did he know back then how much the name pertained to my secret love of baking (and cooking but mostly baking). So here we go ladies and gents... the "Pint-Size Baker" is off and running!

First baking adventure: Caramel Apple Cake courtesy of Food Network