New Zealand Almond and Fig Bread

Usually, respecting the tastes of my family, I avoid to make bread with supplements, so I really enjoyed the opportunity to make a bread with almonds and figs and apricot glaze.

Because it is my first attempt to Bake with Bread Bible Alpha Bakers I very carefully paged through The Bread Bible trying to understand which steps I‘m going to complete while baking, this bread wasn’t looked too much difficult, but really attractive.  I loved the idea of a bread full of sliced almonds and figs and wanted to make this boule.

The figs a bit worried me, because dried figs I ever see in Israel much lighter in colour and very dry than have to be used in the recipe. So I selected in organic shop one kind of figs not from local supplier and they worked great.

Only one thing confused me in recipe - the description of almonds. I had to turn to the vocabulary to finally understand the difference between silvered and sliced. As the result I had not noticed that it have to be also unbleached almonds and I bought silvered but bleached for top also.

Now I can define:
Unbleached and silvered have to be used in the bread because they are make a crumb texture and really much easier to coarse. 
Sliced  almonds have to be on top and will make a loaf most beautiful from outside. Furthermore they remain crispy for a long time and this is especially important for wet weather. Main almonds remained crispy only 3 hours after baking. 

This bread is made with a winning combination of bread and whole wheat flours - winning combination, providing more flavorful crumb than cannot be obtained if use only all-purpose flour.
The figs perfectly coupled with the almonds. The apricot glaze just add just a lovely shine and touch of sweetness. 

Preparation steps with photos:

Sponge and flour mixture after 13 hours in fridge.

 

Rolling step

Applying apricot glaze

For me the best is to eat it without any further additions as it gone from oven while almonds still crispy. It is excellent combined with soft white and blue cheeses. And classic combination of bread and butter can be completed with drops of remaining apricot glaze

Designer Chocolate Baby Grands

When I looking the images in the book I have no question, that I have to do this shiny and beautiful cakes. I pass the stud banana cake because it was seemed too much to have the chocolate cakes with time interval less then at least 2 weeks.
I like this cakes so much. It is ideal size and very delicate taste - and so moist and light in texture, but the result is far from designer’s work. And the reason why the cakes is not so beautiful like they are can be is the puffed top. I didn't find even one flat top throw the HCB bloggers.
I wouldn't go into the details of preparing and baking procedure, but the greasing of 14 small foil cupcakes forms.
First I used PAM spray for each one, after I finished the last I realized that the spray in the first is already on the bottom. I took my brush and distribute the spray on the sides. When I started to brush the fifth, sides of my first were almost clean and the spray already dropped down. The solution was to use the flour immediately after applying the spray for each case.





After the batter was dividing into the cupcakes. Maybe this was the time to understand that I should use more units to get the flat top effect at the end.
After 15 minutes cakes came from the oven already puffed.

Applying the syrup. I placed my cupcakes into new foil liners.

A couple of pictures from Lacquer glaze stage, because I really enjoy it:

And here the glazed, not really designer’s, chocolate baby cakes.

In conclusion I have to say that I loved this cakes so much. I consider that the Lacquer glaze in this recipe has not only decorating purpose - this is essential taste element and the sweetness of the milk chocolate syrup perfectly complements the bitterness of the glaze. So I definitely going to extend the list of my favorite cakes.

The Rose Genoise - cornerstone of French baking.

Viva Genoise!

Any form of it. I think I tried this cake in so much baking forms but rose. This cake is a really welcome in my kitchen also in a flower state.

Suddenly, I lost a part of images from a preparation stage so all I can post is the only the result of my work.

It is maybe unnecessary to enter in a details of this stage, because there were no surprises. I took my beurre noisette from the fridgidare where I always have a can prepared ahead and beat the eggs according to Rose instructions. Then fold the buere noisette flour mixture into the eggs and gave to my oven one more chance.

I haven’t a Nordic Ware rose pan, so I decided to use my silicone rose form instead. I think I paid for this a little - top of my cake was a little bit damaged when I inverted the cake on the wire rack. Also it looks a bit over baked. With this point I'm not sure maybe I have to take it out a 5 minute early then I did? But here how it looks:

Applying a Cointreau sugar syrup, finishing touches with a ganache, couple rose petal from gum paste and my cake was ready to go to my father birthday celebration

This cake is best if allowed to sit a day. It was a big success for this cake even my mother which is more than indifferent to any kind of sponge cake loves this one flat. Part of the guests invited and accomplish it with ice cream.

Baby Lemon Cheesecake - A Real Taste of Heaven

This cake(beautiful little cakes) I didn't missed. I just have a very limited time slot. So first i baked and then having no more to time to blog. But I had time to eat and it was real yummy.

I enjoyed the baking process at each step.

Starting by baking the biscuit for the crust layer. This was quite simple, but surprisingly tasty. And one evening before I already had this light and tasty sponge layer. By the way leftovers gone immediately.

I don't know what looks better for me this buisquit or fluffy white mix of creamcheese with a sour cream. This is a next beautiful step. I found only six silicon molds for muffins so I used the regular one lined with disposable muffins rosettes.
Here sponge and cream cheese mix come together to the oven.

And while the baked cheesecake is relaxed in the freezer I'm making lemon curd.

Nice and yummy and really stiff with no gelatin addition. No words to describe how i tasty this homemade cheesecakes and how I was proud to serve it to my guests. Also the baking process is really not to complicated because there are a sponge layer that could be prepared ahead. I definitely will bake it again.

Gateau Breton - Buttery and Amazing French cake.

I searched a little in the net for "Gateau Breton" and like for the main part of French food I found a lot information in French . It was really interesting since I know in french something about 20 words including "gâteau" and "breton".
One or two alternative recipe are mentioned that the traditional "gâteau" should be made from buckwheat flour.

One could be found here :http://www.europeancuisines.com/Brittany-Gateau-Breton-Buckwheat-Butter-Cake-Pastry-Ble-Noir. But I already learned two very thingth. One trust to Rose and another if I want to make a changes I should do it in the next time. I keep in my mind to by buckwheat flour and then make it again.)

Starting point.Beat in the egg yolks one by one Just before oven. Half our after starting point - cake already in the oven.

I placed my tart plate on a baking sheet to insulate it a bit. I think my cake turned out a little bit overbaked although I started to check it with oven thermometer each 5 minutes after 35 minutes. The outer edges were not over done, but as the Rose described cake has to be moist in center, but my cake has almost the same texture in any measure. Maybe there should be considered the fact that I used that I used 284 gr. of butter.

Tasting panel: delicious, buttery... and sweet.

I brought it to a friend’s dinner. By the way the smell fill up the car...

I'm going to add this cake into a list of favorites.

Coffee Chiffonlets with Dulce de Leche Whipped Cream

I just back home after 2 week of vacation and feel that I have to bake the next cake. I found have at home everything I need for this delicious cake even I have already prepared ahead Dulce de Leche and basic sugar syrup.

So I quickly fill up the fridge with fresh eggs and started.

I didn't have mini angel-food cake pans, so I used my regular bottom detached pan for Angel food, which I really love.

I just have a little doubts about to skip a greasing step. Rose writes do not grease non-stick angel food pan, but my pan is a regular one. From other hand I remember that in angel food baking it is necessary not grease the pan, because it is one of the leavening factors. Here we use a baking powder in recipe. I decided to follow resipe and at the end I have a little problem to invert my cake immediately on the rack. It was sticked to a bottom. So I run small spatula around edges of pan to loosen cake and after that invert cake on the rack. When the cake was cool completely I applyied syrup and keep it for the next day. It was seem like there to much syrup for the cake and I afraid that I will found the cake shapeless for the next day, but ...

This is how it looks on the day after with syrup

Last stage - to whip the cream was completed 20 minutes before my guests come into the house.
I enlarged recipe of whipped cream by 150% especially for whipped cream lovers, but I have not enough time to finish the cake with splashes of bittersweet chocolate.

Tasting panel:
It is so light, just delicious.
I'll definitely bake this cake again. The cream just melt in your mouth and syrup gives the cake a real coffee flavor.

Two birthday cakes.

I have been absent last 2 weeks. And don't participate in the Passover first cake baking. Really I filling I missed something very interesting and tasty, because I'm a meringue lover. There are 2 cakes took up all my time. Two birthday cake one is for my uncle 75 anniversary

To decorate this cake I used idea from Rose's Heavenly Cakes. This is the first time I decorated cake away from my kitchen so please excuse my glaze on the sides is not really shiny and smooth. Here my mother did the half work and this one was quite simple. This amazing cake 3 layers of short cut pastry, 2 meringue layers and filled with sour cream frosting layered with cranberry pure. This cake is very light in texture and taste is amazing.

And one another I made it for my daughter 8 year’s birthday. Before 2 month we agreed to make a cake with two magic Winx girls. So in my imagination I was ready to make two sugar paste girls with big wings - one in blue and one in pink color with a lot of pearl dust and flowers. But in the last minutes she changed her mind. Few time I spent in prostration. I have had no idea how to make a "Harry Potter" birthday cake with Golden Snitch for a little girl. And here is the result of my efforts.


And more

There was no time to make step by step picture for this cake (it took a lot), but my proud is the biggest Genoise I ever baked. This how it looks in the oven.



On one hand my daughter never agrees for a chocolate kind of cake for her birthday, but on the other hand I know that the rest children like chocolate. To make all them happy this Genouise was then split in half by length and filled with a lot of whipped chocolate ganache cream.(from the "Cake Bible").


Tasting Panel for the first cake:

I could write here a lot of compliments to taste of the first cake and send it to my mother. There is a fantastic combination of crispy meringue, sour cream filling and cranberries. And a finishing touch of bittersweet chocolate ganache.

Tasting Panel for the second cake:
Classic Genouise - is a winner in our family tasting panel. I use to bake it for my daughter birthday since she was 4 years old.
I found that Genouise is an excellent as a base for cake covered with sugar paste and it is tender enough to support all this figurines I placed on the top.