Strawberry Bread - baking live at BakingwithColette....

Strawberry Bread

Hello Bakers!,

I am so excited to tell you I am taking Baking with Colette live. The finished videos will then live here on the blog with the recipe. I have wanted to do this for a long time but was afraid of messing up - not being perfect. Lately, however I have been thinking differently and realizing I could share so much more with you if I got over that.

I hope you like this new format. Please let me know.

The recipe is below and make sure to add the sour cream.



Finished Strawberry Bread

Finished Strawberry Bread

Equipment: Stand mixer with a paddle attachment, scale, teaspoons, spatula,

9”x 4” loaf pan, parchment paper

Ingredients:

9 ounces (255g) all purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

3/4 teaspoon cinnamon

4 ounces (113g) butter

6 ounces (170g) granulated sugar

zest of 1/2 orange

1 teaspoon vanilla extract (vex)

2 large eggs

3 ounces (85g) sour cream

8 ounces chopped strawberries, quarter and then cut each quarter in half.

2 Tablespoons Gran Marnier, Cointreau or Triple Sec (optional) or orange juice, set aside

Cinnamon sugar for topping (1/2 cup sugar to 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon)

Generously grease or butter the loaf pan and line the long side of the pan with a piece of parchment paper, leaving a one inch overhang.

Toss strawberries in optional Gran Marnier, or other orange liqueurs or orange juice, set aside. Sift together flour, baking powder, salt and cinnamon. Set aside.

Cream butter, sugar, orange zest, vanilla extract on medium speed until light and fluffy - 6-8 minutes.

Add eggs, one at a time - mixing 45 seconds after each addition. Stop the mixer and add 1/2 the dry ingredients mixing on low speed, stopping immediately after the dry ingredients disappear, add the sour cream, mix until it is just incorporated and the add the remaining flour - on low speed.

Remove the bowl from the mixer.

Fold in strawberries by hand with a spatula

Place in loaf pan, evenly smooth out the top. Sprinkle generously with cinnamon sugar.

Bake at 350 degrees. Start checking at 35 minutes. I had to return mine to the oven twice. It took 50 minutes. But remember your oven might be different. The strawberry bread is done when a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean.

Let it cool in the pan, at least 10 minutes, before removing from the pan. To remove from pan - loosen sides on short ends with an offset spatula and then using the sling, left out of the pan. Make sure it is completely cool before slicing.

It will keep well wrapped for up to 2 days at room temperature and up to one month frozen.

Saint Patrick's Day Macarons - Shamrock Reboot 2022!

Bakers!

Shamrock Macarons with Bailey’s Irish Cream Ganache

Shamrock Macarons with Bailey’s Irish Cream Ganache

On last Saturday’s episode of The DoughDr - we had three great questions about macarons - leading me to think that it was time to reboot the Shamrock macaron with a simple ganache filling. If you made the eclairs from a few posts back you might have some ganache leftover.

This reboot includes a stripe of food color to make them pop and a way to get the Shamrock macaron template to you easily. No emailing me and waiting the link will be here - right here. Link to Shamrock template.

Here is a helpful tip - if you are troubleshooting macarons - make a half batch - the technique is exactly the same - just less ingredients to go through if you have a batch that is not as successful.

And if you want a more detailed explanation - please check out my Craftsy class Miniature French Desserts: https://www.craftsy.com/class/miniature-french-desserts-macarons-madeleines-more/

Shamrock Macaron Mise en Place - this is a half recipe

Equipment: Stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, spatula, large bowl, piping tip (Wilton #12), piping bag, sheet pans, parchment paper and silpats

Ingredients: Half recipe is in parenthesis

198g (99g) powdered sugar

113g (57g) almond meal

113g (57g) egg whites

one pinch (1/8 tsp) cream of tartar

99g (50g) granulated sugar

4-6 (2-3) drops vanilla extract (no more than a half teaspoon)

Green food color (Wilton if possible)

1. Line 2 (1/2 sheet pans) (1- if you are doing a half recipe) with parchment paper or Silpat mats.
2. Layer the powdered sugar and almond meal in a food processor or mini processor.
Pulse until the mixture looks like fine meal, about 15 seconds. Transfer to a small bowl. Set aside.
3. Place the egg whites and pinch of cream of tartar in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Make sure that the bowl and the whisk are impeccably clean.
4. Starting on medium speed, whip the whites with the cream of tartar until they look like light foam. The whites should not appear liquid. The foam will be light and should not have any structure.
5. Slowly rain in the granulated sugar, trying to aim the stream between the whisk and the side of the bowl. Turn the speed up to medium-high.
6. Continue to whip the meringue until it is soft and shiny. It should look like marshmallow creme.
7. Add the gel color and the vanilla.
8. Staying at medium-high speed, whip the egg whites until the mixture begins to dull and the lines of the whisk are visible on the surface of the meringue.

9. Check the peak. It should be firm with the angle supporting the peak at 11:30 as shown on video. Transfer the whites to a medium bowl.
10. Fold in the almond meal mixture in three increments.
11. Paint the mixture halfway up the side of the bowl, using the flat side of a spatula. Scrape the mixture down to the center of the bowl.
12. Repeat two or three times, then check to see if the mixture slides slowly down the side of the bowl.

Optional: If you want the tie dye effect - stripe a line of color down the seam of the piping bag, starting in the tip - a skewer works well to draw in the color.

There is the 11:30 peak

There is the 11:30 peak

13. Put the mixture in a piping bag fitted with one of the tips listed above. Pipe on the prepared baking sheets.

14. Slam each sheet hard four to six times on the counter. Then fist bump each end of the sheet’s underside twice.
15. Let the unbaked macarons dry until they look dull. Drying time depends on humidity. In a dry climate, the macarons can dry in 30 to 35 minutes. But never let them dry for more than an hour.
16. While the macarons are drying, preheat the oven to 325
17. Bake one sheet at a time on the middle rack.
18. Check in 11 minutes. If the tops slide, then bake for 2 to 3 more minutes. The macarons should release without sticking. Check one or two. If they stick, put them back in the oven for 1 to 2 more minutes.

Ganache Filling - with optional Bailey’s Liqueur -
6 ounces (170g) semisweet chocolate - chopped if not using chips - Ghiradelli 60% cacao chips work well
6 ounces (170g) heavy cream
to taste - Bailey’s Irish Cream Liqueur

Place chocolate in a heatproof bowl
Bring cream to a low boil and pour over chocolate
Let sit for 1 minute and then stir with a spatula - add Bailey’s to taste if desired
Let sir for 1-2 hours until it sets up to a pipable consistency

Finishing Shamrock macarons

  1. Arrange macaron pairs by size, flip one macaron over so that flat side is facing up, pipe ganache on flat side and top with second half. Refrigerate for a few hours or overnight in an airtight container before serving. A little time in the refrigerator helps them achieve their distinctive - chewy in the middle and crisp in the middle texture. Enjoy!






Tomato Soup Cupcakes - Ingredient Function Friday - Tomato Soup?

Ingredient Function Friday Returns!!!!


Finished Cupcakes. Yum!

Finished Cupcakes. Yum!

Hello Bakers,

Today we are exploring tomato soup as an ingredient in baked goods. A little weird but fun.

There have been revivals of tomato soup cake in blogs in the past few years. The first recipes were introduced in the 1930s during the depression. At that time marketing campaigns were directed at women who needed to be very frugal when it came to providing for their families - Campbell’s ran on of these, relying on home cooks for recipes. It was also known as “mystery” cake.

They did not have a test kitchen until 1941. The first company (Campbell’s UK) generated recipe was for a steamed pudding. Campbell’s UK opened their test kitchen in 1940

Fascinating right? Do these cupcakes taste like tomato soup.? No it tastes like sweet spicy cake with optional additions of sweet golden raisins and toasted walnuts for more flavor and interest.

So what is the tomato soup doing in this recipe? It is a substitute for milk, oil, and butter. The earlier recipes did not use 4 ounces of butter - 1 ounce of butter would have been about it. But since it is 2019 and we are not in a crisis (yet) I loaded up the batter with butter. Tomato gives off a background of spicy when combined with the rest of the ingredients.

Tomato Soup Cupcakes - Yield 12

Equipment: Stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or hand held mixer fitted with standard beaters, spatula, scale, teaspoons, 12 cup muffin tin lined with paper liners (can be made into a 9” cake, square or round pan, greased and lined with parchment paper.

Tomato Soup Cupcake Mise en Place

Tomato Soup Cupcake Mise en Place

Ingredients:

9 ounces (255g) all purpose flour

¼ teaspoon fine sea salt

½ teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon cinnamon

⅛ teaspoon (good pinch) nutmeg

¼ teaspoon ground ginger

1 Tablespoon (15g) cocoa powder, preferably Dutch Process

4 ounces (113g) butter, cut into pieces

7 ounces (198g) granulated sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 large eggs

1 can tomato soup (10 ¾ ounces), undiluted

4 ounces (113g) golden raisins (optional)

4 ounces (113g) toasted, chopped walnuts (optional)

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

  2. Sift together the flour, salt, baking soda, baking powder, spices, and cocoa.

  3. Cream together the butter, sugar, and vanilla on medium speed until light and fluffy about 6-8 minutes, stop mixer and scrape down from time to time.

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4. Add the egg one at a time, mixing well after each addition.

Both eggs are in - it it looks just the little bit broken it’s ok -

Both eggs are in - it it looks just the little bit broken it’s ok -

5. Add the dry mixture on low speed until just combined.

6. Add all of the tomato soup and mix until just combined on low to medium low speed.

7. Add remaining ½ of dry ingredients and mix until combined.

8. Take the bowl off mixer and add the optional raisins and nuts stir until combined - do not over mix

9. Scoop into prepared muffin cups.

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One medium scoop and one small scoop on top works great for a 12 cup pan

One medium scoop and one small scoop on top works great for a 12 cup pan

10. Bake for 20-25 minutes until a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean.

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Semi Sweet Chocolate Icing (it’s ganache)

Equipment: Small saucepan, spatula, bowl of ice water, extra dry bowl, whisk

6 ounces heavy cream

8 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped

  1. Heat cream to boiling, remove from heat add chocolate and stir until all chocolate is melted. Scrape into dry bowl and whisk gently over ice water until it thickens

  2. Ice cupcakes right away. You can omit the ice bath if you have time for the icing to thicken up on it’s own as it cools.

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Whisk over ice water until it looks like this - pipe on cupcakes right away. If it does seize up a little then warm briefly (3-4 seconds at a time) over a double boiler of simmering water

Whisk over ice water until it looks like this - pipe on cupcakes right away. If it does seize up a little then warm briefly (3-4 seconds at a time) over a double boiler of simmering water

To finish the cupcakes I put the icing/ganache in a piping bag fitted with a medium star time and piped away.