Hi Guys!!!
Welcome back!!! It's hard to believe we are entering the fourth week of the fifth month of this year. Time has slipped by, unnoticed. Thankfully, we are enjoying a rather nice weather lately, albeit a bit hot for some of us. It has proven to be a menace in the kitchen, as I have to double my efforts at being quicker with certain things, like frostings and creams. I am grateful I haven't had major mishaps due to it.
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| Dessert Time!!! Sunday's Trifle |
Last week, my orders included the never-failing Carrot Cake, a mixed-reviews "Key Lime" Cheesecake, a Black Magic Cake, a Coconut-Mango Tart, and the ever-loved Lemon Delights cookies. While the reviews in general were fantastic, I had several remarks I need to look at. For one, I've been cracking my head over a slight setback with the Mango Tart. Despite being in the fridge for over 24 hours, and having appeared to be slightly set when spooned into the cooled crust, it was runny by the time it got cut. The flavor made up for the mistake, however, it was the first time it happened, and I wasn't present to see it. My apologies were enough for my aunt, but certainly not for me. Well, we learn from our errors, and that is a modest consolation.
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| Perhaps not the best picture. It looked set enough... |
Sadly, my aunt was also the client for whom the Black Magic Cake was made for, and to my sad discomfort, I also had a problem with it. The cake itself is flawless, however, my weak attempts at pairing it with a French Meringue finally came to a halt. The hot temperatures of this past Friday managed to reconstitute the previously whipped egg white meringue to the liquid it should be. The saddest part was seeing the lovely decorated cake sweating it off. Still, with no time to lose, I scraped it all off, managed to save the cake fully and opted to make a fool-proof swiss meringue instead. Now, because of my impatience and running late, I didn't allow the meringue to cool completely, so when the time to deliver the cake came, the meringue had run down somewhat, making the cake appear droopy. Again, the flavor made up for the mistake, thank the Lord!!!
My very last mistake was a birthday cheesecake for my cousin. He loves lemon pies and lemon cheesecakes and basically, anything along the lemon lines. I cracked my head, trying to find the previous recipe I used for a key lime cheesecake, two years prior, but the effort was in vain. So I researched a new one, which I deemed right and went ahead and made it. The recipe called for key limes, which I don't think I've ever seen here, so I used Persian lemons; if you recall the lemon squares, I am pretty sure they're limes. My mistake came when I decided to add grated lemon zest for a tangier taste: a big mistake. The cake was ready, I topped it with whipped cream and a lemon slice and it was delivered. We sang happy birthday and I cut the cake. My cousin was happy with the result, as he loves the acid taste. My mom's face and mine were equally contorted with the-what-the-hell-did-I-just-eat reaction. It most definitely did not need the zest as it was too acid and the zest itself was bitter. God...I am truly thankful that these things happened for family orders, and they were all content. I wasn't, but now I know.
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| Light and Sweet!!! Light yes...sweet... |
Saturday afternoon, I found myself walking into a How to Make Cupcakes Workshop. Yes, I know. A pastry chef that cannot bake cupcakes. Well, to make a point, I studied French Patisserie and the course does not include American Inventions. And believe me, I've tried...so many times. They just hate me. So when I saw the flyer, I signed up and I am glad I did. I wasn't the only one there and that relieved me a little, and knowing most us had the same troubles, helped me feel at ease. I know have a better understanding of the science these little cakes require. All I need is a specific ice cream scoop. Hahahahaha...yes, that's the secret: the perfect measure. Having this tool will give me the confidence I need to bake cupcakes more often.
Yesterday, I decided to make a Trifle: the first ever. Mind you, this is a variation I created. It isn't the traditional English Trifle, with rum soaked sponge and custard and jam. It is much simpler. Now, the fun part about this lip-smacking dessert is that it allows the person to experiment with flavors and textures. I opted to make one with pound cake bites, macerated strawberries, mango cubes and whipped cream. It's easy, quick, light and very yummy!!! I woke up, baked the pound cakes and after lunch, I got busy assembling it. Using my new trifle bowl, I placed a rather thick layer of pound cake bites. I took the macerated strawberries and spooned half of them in the middle, staying away from the edges. I whipped up the cream and piped neat rosettes alongside the edges and filling in the gap. I cut the mangoes in cubes and arranged them on top of the cream. I repeated the layers once more and arranged mango cubes and strawberry slices as a decoration. It looked beautiful.
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| Gonna be making this again...soon!!! |
I made my way over to grandma's house, where the dessert disappeared. Thankfully, I had sent some to my parents, because by night, the trifle bowl had been wiped clean. I plan on making a variation of this dessert in the near future, as it is much lighter than a heavy English Trifle and blends well with our summertime weather here. Keep reading for the pound cake recipe.
Monday morning is quite quiet. Happily for me, I have cake orders to fill later on this week, and I sit with my coffee, contemplating what to buy with my newly found gift card from Waterstones. Saskia, be aware: there might be a book on your doorstep soon!!! Hehehe. I wish you all a blissful and happy week.
Until next time.
xx
Pound Cake
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| Perfect for a trifle!!! |
Ingredients:
1 1/2 C. all-purpose flour
1/4 t. baking soda
1/4 t. salt
3/4 C. unsalted butter, softened (1 1/2 sticks or 12 T.)
1 C. sugar
1 1/2 t. vanilla
1/4 t. almond extract (optional)
2 eggs
1/2 C. sour cream, room temperature
Preparation:
Preheat an oven to 325°F. Lightly grease an 8 1⁄2-by-4 1⁄2-inch loaf pan, preferably glass, and dust with flour.
In a bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda and salt until blended. In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat together the butter, sugar, vanilla and almond extract on medium to medium-high speed until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition until just blended. Sprinkle half of the flour mixture over the egg mixture and stir until both are just incorporated. Stir in the sour cream, then sprinkle with the remaining flour mixture and stir until evenly distributed.
Pour the batter into the prepared pan and tap gently on the counter to even out and settle the ingredients. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 70 minutes, or longer if using a metal pan. Let cool in pan completely.
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