Six Rules to Bake By
Preheat. Why? Because it says so! If a recipe asks you to preheat the oven to a certain temperature. Well… you should. What the recipe is trying to tell you is that your cupcakes, or loaf of zucchini bread, or blackberry muffins need to combine with a certain temperature to do their thing. And we all know, we want out baked goods to do their thing. Even if they don’t, we’ll probably still nibble on them on their way from the oven to the trash bin. But everything seems to work out like sunshine and roses if our baked goods do their thing. Right?
You Don’t Need Gadgets. You might want them… but you don’t need them. Is it just me or has baking become kind of trendy lately? I’ve noticed all sorts of intricate, multi layered whisks, and scrapers, and bumper stickers for your Kitchen Aid mixer. It turns out that you don’t really need any of that stuff to produce some killer cupcakes. You’ll need some stainless steel bowls and a fantastic candy thermometer but really, stick with the basics.
Yeast- You Can do It! I know, yeast is a little intimidating. But really- you can do it! There are a few things yeast needs to get going- warm water and sugar. Simple as that. You have live yeast. These cinnamon rolls were some of the first yeasted breads I mastered. They were more approachable to me because the dough has creamed butter, sugar and eggs. It starts off like and cake and finishes as a bread. If you’re scared of yeast, please give this recipe a go!
Thoughts, Tips and Tricks | Comments (24)The Best Chocolate Buttercream Frosting
Please allow me this last party post. You won’t have to hear a word about it after this. Promise. But what’s a party without cupcakes? And what’s a chocolate cupcake without The Best Chocolate Buttercream Frosting? Tragedy, I suppose.
It should go without saying that these super soft chocolate cupcakes were a hit at the party. But there is one mystery. Around about 2 in the morning, as I was somehow making my way around the room collecting dirty plates, I ran across a plate with a discarded cupcake on it. The cupcake had one bite taken out of it, and then the remainder of the cupcake was smashed upside down onto the dirty paper plate. WHAT!? Who would do that!? Seriously… not cool.
Cupcakes, Recipes, Tips and Tricks | Comments (15)Summer Party Prep
I haven’t been baking much this week because I’m getting ready for a party I’m throwing this weekend. Yes! Joy the Baker is throwing a summer party! I’m beside myself with excitement! And it’s not just any party- I feel like I’m in full Martha Stewart mode. To kick off summer, I’m throwing a margarita and cupcake party. It’s the only civilized thing to do.
To tell you the truth, I’ve been a nearly consumed with the decorations for this weekend’s gathering. Crazy.. I know. But I’ve spent several hours for the past few nights with glue stick in hand making handmade drink umbrellas and colorful paper flowers. I made drink umbrellas! What kind of madness is that!?
When this craft kick slows to a halt, I’ll get cooking. Get ready for beef empanadas, chunky guacamole and red velvet buttermilk cupcakes with chocolate frosting. Like the ones up top but with rich, dark chocolate frosting. They’re on the to-do list, right after I finish these paper flowers. I’ll be back in the kitchen cooking for you soon. But don’t let me keep you from playing in the kitchen- how about you randomly make some delicious oatmeal sandwich cookies! They’re winners.
I remember first making these flowers for Cinco de Mayo in grade school. There was something about how fun and colorful they were, I just never forgot how to make them. I’m revisiting the old tissue paper into flower trick as an economical but ultra hip way to decorate my margarita party. And keep in mind- in my world, where there are margaritas, there is at least one stuffed pinata. I’ll leave you with that pretty thought.
Thoughts, Tips and Tricks | Comments (11)What’s the best salt for baking?
It’s possible that you’ve never even considered the question of salt, but salt in an essential component in baking. Sure, you may only add 1/2 a teaspoon at a time to your baked goods, but don’t take salt for granted! Salt accentuates the flavor of bakes goods. It particularly enhances the flavors of butter, and flour, and salt works wonders in a recipe with chocolate!
In bread baking, salt helps the gluten hold more water and carbon dioxide. Did you know that it also creates a stronger and tighter crumb.
There are three major types of salt in stores. How do you choose?
Jump on over, let’s talk salt!
Tips and Tricks | Comments (26)Cream Cheese Frosting 101
These are simple Lemon Scented Buttermilk Cupcakes with Brown Sugar Cream Cheese Frosting, decorated with fondant flowers and edible pearls.
Cream cheese frosting is one of my favorite toppings for cakes and cupcakes! From citrus scented cakes, to rich chocolate cupcakes, cream cheese frosting is a decadent and versatile cake topping.
Cream cheese frosting is also fairly easy to make. But what happens when cream cheese frosting goes wrong?
Have you ever found yourself with a mixing bowl full of curdled cream cheese frosting? Ugh! How frustrating! It’s more than frustrating… it’s an outrage, and I’m here to get to the bottom of it.
Recipes, Tips and Tricks | Comments (20)How to Frost a Cake- in 10 pictures.
Frosting a two layer cake doesn’t have to be daunting. You don’t have to be a math genius, or an abundantly creative person. It’s just cake! You’ll just need a plane cake, some frosting, a smile on your face, and a few basic kitchen supplies.
Ok, the smile is optional, but it generally helps.
Make the jump and let’s frost a cake!
Cakes, Tips and Tricks | Comments (18)Honey Pistachio Biscotti
With these Honey Pistachio Biscotti, I would like a do-over. Please and thank you. You know what a do-over is: another chance, a big pink eraser for life, apple Z on a Mac. See, this biscotti recipe called for dried cranberries to accompany the pistachios. Cranberries would have been lovely, right? Well I was completely out, and couldn’t muster up the gumption to get to the store to buy any. Well that was a mistake, and as mention before, I would like a do-over.
Here are a few other things I would like a do-over on… since I’m here-
-Dressing up as an Old Granny for Halloween when I was 17. That was the year when all the female costumes got a little more risque. I didn’t get the memo that French maid and slutty witch were in fashion, and it was just awkward. Who wants an Old Granny at a Halloween party? I think it was my Mom’s idea. Do-over please.
- Cheating on a spelling test when I was in 5th grade. I was a horrible cheater and would have done better on the test if I had just tried myself.
-Not telling Hayden, my first crush that I was was dreamy eyed over him. Those were back in the days when my bangs were doing strange things with hairspray… yea. Do-over on both the secret crush and the bangs please.
Tips and Tricks | Comments (11)Ode to my Bench Knife
I’m not a kitchen equipment junkie. I more of a kitchen minimalist. I really couldn’t do without just a few things: stainless steel mixing bowls, my darling Kitchen Aid, a cast iron skillet, and good metal measuring cups, high temperature spatulas and my brilliant bench knife.
Don’t have a bench knife? Well you should! A bench knife is a 3-inch by 6- inch smooth piece of metal topped with a molded plastic or wood gripping handle. Don’t be fooled by the name, the edge of this piece of metal isn’t sharp like a cutting knife, but it can still work its way around the kitchen. It’s great for dividing dough, slicing refrigerator cookies and leveling off measured ingredients like flour and baking soda. Some bench knives have measurements in inches along the cutting edge. How handy is that!? It’s also great for cleaning off counters and tables that might have bits of dough or flour on them. It’s a simple and efficient tool that can be used as many ways as you can think up! It’s a real gem!
Tips and Tricks | Comments (10)Oatmeal Sandwich Cookies
By Sunday, my fridge is usually full of baking leftovers from the week- a bit of cookie dough, scraps of cake, a tiny bit of frosting. What to do with all these treats sometimes perplexes me. This week, I married the leftover cookie dough I had in the freezer from my cookie extravaganza, and the Swiss Meringue Buttercream from my Blackberry Jam Cake. Oatmeal sandwich cookies! They’re great wrapped in wax paper and stacked in the fridge for a sweet snack. They won’t last very long, I guarantee.
Cookies, Tips and Tricks | Comments (14)Joy the Baker. The Podcast, 1.
I love to cook. I like to share. I have watched countless hours of cooking shows, and I have a camera. All of those things can only add up to one thing: I made a podcast!
My first leap into podcast land is with Brown Sugar Apple Cheesecake. You’ll see the cake made from start to finish. You’ll see my beloved Kitchen Aid mixer. You’ll see my dorky face saying dorky things.
(If you don’t see a video player above, you may need to upgrade your Flash Player.) I know… don’t shake your fist at me! Just in case, here is a YouTube version (lower quality) of the same podcast after the jump.
Podcast, Tips and Tricks | Comments (49)
Baby Shower Cakes
I made these Baby Block Cakes for a baby shower. The expecting mom and dad didn’t know the sex of their little one, so they requested pale green and yellow, with their two initials ‘A’ and ‘V’ to top the blocks. Inside the pale green and yellow fondant is moist yellow cake with strawberry buttercream.
Want to know more about fondant!? Of course you do!
Cakes, Tips and Tricks | Comments (12)Lemon Pound Cake with Warm Blueberry Sauce
I come from a family of proud home bakers. I developed my love for baking helping my father put together delicious desserts in our tiny, pea green family kitchen. This recipe for pound cake came from my father’s sister. My Aunt DeeDee loved two things in this life: Jesus and baking. Even after being blinded by a brain tumor in her mid thirties, she would still insist on baking every family members’ birthday cakes. Even without her sight, she still had the touch for the perfect cake. This pound cake recipe came from her very old Kraft cookbook. I’ve doctored it up with a bit of lemon and blueberry, but at its heart, it’s still my favorite of Aunt DeeDee’s masterpieces.
Cakes, Recipes, Tips and Tricks | Comments (5)Mis-en-place
French culinary terms always seem snooty and unapproachable to me. Mis-en-place is no different, but it’s the concept behind the term that’s important. Translating into “everything in it’s place” the term has everyday baking signifigance. Simply stated, in American English, “get all your stuff together before the flour starts flying.” Soften the butter, get the eggs to room temperature, preheat the oven, measure the flour, leavening, salt, sugar and wet ingredients. Also have a spatula, towel and greased and floured pan. When all of that is ready, you know you’ve got all your ingredients in order. You’re not going to find yourself an egg short in the middle of making cake batter. It’s a helpful trick. Thank you fancy French culinary people!
