November Daring Bakers-- Caramel Cake with Brown Butter Frosting

This months challenge was hosted by Dolores, Alex and Jenny. They chose a fabulous Caramel Cake with Caramelized Butter Frosting recipe by Shuna Fish Lydon .


Be sure to check out all of the other Daring Bakers creations.

The rules were simple for this month- make the cake and the frosting. Plain and simple. Also, there was an added bonus, sort of like an "extra-credit" (that I flunked) of making, what I hear is, delicious Vanilla Caramels.

I did attempt the caramels, however, I'm not sure where, but somewhere I went terribly wrong. I researched and researched and researched where to find Golden Syrup in my part of town and finally found some almost an hour away from home (which of course, sparked an argument with my husband due to how far away I wanted to (and did!) drive for this syrup). After driving out to get it and paying $10 for two little cans of liquid sugar, fighting with my husband and making the caramels, imagine my disappointment when they were well overcooked and tasted like burnt toffee instead of melt-in-your-mouth-creamy caramels. (And the fact that they burned did not help my argument for why it would be worth driving many, many miles to get the magical Golden Syrup.)

Luckily the cake and frosting redeemed this months challenge. It is FABULOUS and I had absolutely no problems with the cake, frosting or the caramel syrup that you need to make prior to the actual cake.

The original instructions were a bit confusing since you really are allowed to cook-to-taste with the frosting, so I'll add my comments to the recipe with a different colored print. Oh, and I drizzled the remaining caramel syrup on some of the cupcakes---oh yeah, baby. Come to Mama...

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CARAMEL CAKE WITH CARAMELIZED BUTTER FROSTING

10 Tablespoons unsalted butter at room temperature
1 1/4 Cups granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/3 Cup Caramel Syrup (see recipe below)
2 each eggs, at room temperature
splash vanilla extract
2 Cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup milk, at room temperature


1. Preheat oven to 350

2. Butter one tall (2 – 2.5 inch deep) 9-inch cake pan. ( I made 20 cupcakes)
3. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream butter until smooth. Add sugar and salt & cream until light and fluffy.

4. Slowly pour room temperature caramel syrup into bowl. Scrape down bowl and increase speed. Add eggs/vanilla extract a little at a time, mixing well after each addition. Scrape down bowl again, beat mixture until light and uniform.

5. Sift flour and baking powder

6. Turn mixer to lowest speed, and add one third of the dry ingredients. When incorporated, add half of the milk, a little at a time. Add another third of the dry ingredients, then the other half of the milk and finish with the dry ingredients. {This is called the dry, wet, dry, wet, dry method in cake making. It is often employed when there is a high proportion of liquid in the batter.)

7. Take off mixer and by hand, use a spatula to do a few last folds, making sure batter is uniform. Turn batter into prepared cake pan.

8. Place cake pan on cookie sheet or 1/2 sheet pan. Set first timer for 30 minutes, rotate pan and set timer for another 15-20 minutes. Your own oven will set the pace. Bake until sides pull away from the pan and skewer inserted in middle comes out clean. Cool cake completely before icing it. (My cupcakes baked for about 20 minutes at 350° and I didn't rotate the pan)
9. Cake will keep for three days outside of the refrigerator.



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CARAMEL SYRUP

2 cups sugar
1/2 cup water
1 cup water (for "stopping" the caramelizing process)

1. In a small stainless steel saucepan, with tall sides, mix water and sugar until mixture feels like wet sand.

2. Brush down any stray sugar crystals with wet pastry brush.

3. Turn on heat to highest flame.

4. Cook until smoking slightly: dark amber.

5. When color is achieved, very carefully pour in one cup of water. Caramel will jump and sputter about! It is very dangerous, so have long sleeves on and be prepared to step back. (I had an oven mitt on my hand and held the lid to a pan as a "shield" as I poured the water in. It worked beautifully.)
6. Whisk over medium heat until it has reduced slightly and feels sticky between two fingers. {Obviously wait for it to cool on a spoon before touching it.}

Note: For safety reasons, have ready a bowl of ice water to plunge your hands into if any caramel should land on your skin.

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CARAMELIZED BUTTER FROSTING


12 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 pound confectioner’s sugar, sifted
4-6 tablespoons heavy cream
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2-4 tablespoons caramel syrup (I didn't need this)
Kosher or sea salt to taste (I used about 3/4 of a teaspoon)


1. Cook butter until brown. Pour through a fine meshed sieve into a heatproof bowl, set aside to cool.

2. Pour cooled brown butter into mixer bowl.

3. In a stand mixer fitted with a paddle or whisk attachment, add confectioner's sugar a little at a time. When mixture looks too chunky to take any more, add a bit of cream and or caramel syrup (I only used cream and also vanilla, which I added here since it doesn't say when to add it!). Repeat until mixture looks smooth and all confectioner's sugar has been incorporated. Add salt to taste.

Note: Caramelized butter frosting will keep in fridge for up to a month.To smooth out from cold, microwave a bit, then mix with paddle attachment until smooth and light.

Easy Thanksgiving Centerpiece

I don't think a centerpiece could be any easier than this-- spray paint some gourds with metallic gold paint and arrange on a cake stand. That's it. Done. Nothing else to it! I had the paint at home, and purchased two bags of gourds for 25¢ each. My entire centerpiece cost 50¢. Not bad!

Pilgrim Napkin Rings

My good friend Candy made these napkin rings for her Thanksgiving table. I couldn't help but copy the idea! Hers turned out so much cuter (I wish she had a blog that I could link to so you could see for yourself) because she had "heads" that were a bit larger than what I have.

What you need:

Black paper or card stock
White paper
Glue
White paper doilies
Tape
Photos

What you do:

1. For each ring, first cut a 2- by 7-inch strip of black paper or card stock. Cut a white paper collar, as shown, and glue it in place. For womenfolk, glue a section of white paper doily over the collar, then glue the collar in place.

2. Create a hat from black and white paper, or a bonnet from a strip of white paper cut and formed as shown.



3. Glue or tape a photo of a guest to the hat or bonnet and then to a strip. Wrap the strip around a napkin and secure it with tape.

Candy said I could put a picture of hers on here... yay! Here is how hers turned out... so much better with bigger heads! (isn't her son cute?)

I saw this idea from BHG.com. The picture is from their website. I plan on doing this for my kiddo's on the Thanksgiving table but wanted to post the picture now so that the idea is out there for anyone else that may want to dress up a glass for their child.

My kids love drinking from stemware-- they feel so grown up! Allow your kids to drink cider from a stemmed glass. Use pretty ribbon or velvet to attach a little reminder to it so that they know what to say when it's their turn to give thanks.

Pilgrims Hats

Just in time for Thanksgiving! A treat your little pilgrims will just love to make and gobble up! You can make them with either Reece's Peanut Butter Cup Mini's or with chocolate dipped marshmallows.

What you need:
Keebler Fudge Striped cookies
Orange Tic Tacs
Frosting (tinted yellow)
Reece's Peanut Butter Cup Mini's
or
Marshmallows
Chocolate candy melts

What you do:

1. Lay your fudge striped cookies so that the bottoms are faced up.

2. Place a dollop of yellow frosting on the top of an unwrapped peanut butter cup and turn the cup to be face down on the cookie, sandwiching the frosting between the cookie and the peanut butter cup. You want to be sure you put enough frosting on so that the frosting smooshes out when pressed to the cookie.

3. Place an orange Tic Tac on the cookie to represent a buckle on the hat.

If you prefer to make them with marshmallows, follow the same instructions but instead of using a peanut butter cup, use a marshmallow that has been dipped in the chocolate candy melts.

Easy Cookie Cups

Want a treat to bring with you someplace but you don't have time to bake something from scratch? These cookie cups would be perfect! Their fancy look makes it appear as if you've been slaving in the kitchen for hours!

Ingredients:



1 pkg. (18 oz.) NESTLÉ® TOLL HOUSE® (or Pillsbury) Refrigerated Chocolate Chip Cookie Bar Dough
1 cup (6 oz.) NESTLÉ® TOLL HOUSE® SWIRLED™ Milk Chocolate & Caramel Morsels, any flavor

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease 20 mini-muffin cups.

Place squares of dough into prepared muffin cups; press down to make a deep well.



Bake for 10 to 11 minutes or until edges are set. Remove from oven to wire rack(s).



While still warm, fill cookie cups with morsels. Morsels will soften and retain their shape. Cool completely. With tip of knife, remove cookie cups from muffin pan(s).



*Note:
1 cup (6 oz.) NESTLÉ TOLL HOUSE SWIRLED Milk Chocolate & Caramel, SWIRLED Real Semi-Sweet & White Chocolate, Semi-Sweet Chocolate and/or Milk Chocolate Morsels can be substituted for the SWIRLED Milk Chocolate & Peanut Butter Morsels.

Homemade Gift Bags

With Christmas just around the corner (50 days and counting!), it's a perfect time to start making some of your own gift bags. These can be made for any celebration, not just Christmas. The possibilities are endless and your creations will be unique and one-of-a kind.

What you need:



A solid colored gift bag (I just used white but colored would work, too)
Any fabric of your choice
Puffy paints or glitter glue
Spray adhesive or a glue like Mod Podge or Tacky Glue
Scissors
Foam paint brush (if using glue other than spray adhesive)


What you do:

1. Using the scissors, cut out a piece of fabric. The shape and size of the fabric is up to you. I chose to cut a basic rectangle that is just a little bit smaller than the shape of the gift bag.



2. Apply the glue to the backside of the fabric shape.



3. Adhere onto your gift bag. It's okay if there are little frayed strings hanging off the edges. Just snip them away once the glue dries.



4. Repeat this process on the backside of the bag.

5. Once the glue has dried and your fabric is adhered securely onto the bag, decorate with the puffy paints/glitter glue.

I just highlight aspects of the fabric:


6. To complete the look, use the glitter glue/puffy paint to outline the shape of the fabric on the bag. This will hide any flawed edges and will really make it look finished off.



7. Decorate the opposite side of the bag once the first side has dried.

Perfectly Easy Dinner Rolls

This icebox dough requires no kneading and can be made up to 4 days ahead. Just take it out of the refrigerator, let rise and bake.

Ingredients:



1 cup warm water (105°F to 115°F)
2 packages active dry yeast
1/2 cup butter, melted
1/2 cup sugar
3 eggs
1 tsp salt
4-4 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
Additional melted butter (optional)

Directions:

Combine the warm water and yeast in a large bowl. Let the mixture stand until yeast is foamy, about 5 minutes.

Stir in butter, sugar, eggs and salt. Beat in flour, 1 cup at a time, until dough is too stiff to mix (some flour may not be needed). Cover and refrigerate 2 hours or up to 4 days.



Grease a 9x13 baking pan. Turn the chilled dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Divide dough into 24 equal-sized pieces.



Roll each piece into a smooth round ball; place balls in even rows in the prepared pan.



Cover and let dough balls rise until doubled in volume, about one hour.

Preheat oven to 375°F. Bake until rolls are golden brown, 15-20 minutes. Brush warm rolls with melted butter, if desired. Break rolls apart to serve.

Brains For Dinner!

For Halloween dinner, I usually try to come up with something quick and fast, but still gruesome and fun.

Try serving spaghetti from a skull Halloween bucket, along with some chicken fingers with the tips dipped in paprika (to make fingernails) to gross out the family but still get something hearty in their bellies before heading out trick-or-treating!

October Daring Bakers Challenge-- Pizza

Happy Half Birthday to my being a Daring Baker! What better way to celebrate being a Daring Baker than with a pizza party!

This month's challenge was hosted by Rosa. She was supposed to be cohosting with Sher, but unfortunately Sher passed away unexpectedly in July. Just 9 days before she died, she and Rosa had talked about what they would choose for the October challenge. Rosa decided to pay tribute to Sher by submitting Sher's recipe for this months challenge.

The rules for this challenge were simple. We were to make the dough with the provided recipe and we were to use both a sauce and toppings on the pizza. Our options for toppings were endless. We could have savory... we could have sweet. We could do both (which is what happened since the recipe is large enough to make six entire pizzas).

But the catch was this: We had to hand toss our pizza for at least 2 of the 6 crusts (and prove it with a photo!). I cracked up when I read that and then got sort of a queasy stomach thinking about it. How on earth do you toss a pizza crust like the professionals?

I actually don't usually eat pizza that is hand tossed. It grosses me out to think of the arm hair on the (usually) guy that is tossing it. You can't tell me that not a single hair will not make it into my pizza crust. And I've never seen a pizza guy wear gloves up to his elbows. So I usually opt out of pizzas made by other people (especially those with exceptionally hairy arms).

But for some reason, ingesting my own arm hair doesn't seem to bother me. So it was game-on.

So with all due respect, here is Sher's chosen recipe for our pizza dough.

Equipment: Stand mixer with paddle and dough hook attachments (optional, see recipe), cooking thermometer, baking sheet, parchment paper, cooking oil, plastic wrap, pizza peel/scraper, pizza stone or pan.

BASIC PIZZA DOUGH ~Original recipe taken from “The Bread Baker’s Apprentice” by Peter Reinhart

Makes 6 pizza crusts (about 9-12 inches in diameter).

Ingredients:



4 1/2 Cups Unbleached high-gluten (%14) bread flour or all purpose flour, chilled
1 3/4 Tsp Salt
1 Tsp Instant yeast
1/4 Cup Olive oil or vegetable oil (both optional, but it’s better with)
1 3/4 Cups Water, ice cold
1 Tb sugar -
Semolina/durum flour or cornmeal for dusting

DAY ONE
Method: 1. Mix together the flour, salt and instant yeast in a big bowl (or in the bowl of your stand mixer).

2. Add the oil, sugar and cold water and mix well (with the help of a large wooden spoon or with the paddle attachment, on low speed) in order to form a sticky ball of dough.

On a clean surface, knead for about 5-7 minutes, until the dough is smooth and the ingredients are homogeneously distributed. If it is too wet, add a little flour (not too much, though) and if it is too dry add 1 or 2 teaspoons extra water.

NOTE: If you are using an electric mixer, switch to the dough hook and mix on medium speed for the same amount of time. The dough should clear the sides of the bowl but stick to the bottom of the bowl. If the dough is too wet, sprinkle in a little more flour, so that it clears the sides. If, on the contrary, it clears the bottom of the bowl, dribble in a teaspoon or two of cold water. The finished dough should be springy, elastic, and sticky, not just tacky, and register 50°-55° F.

3. Flour a work surface or counter. Line a jelly pan with baking paper/parchment. Lightly oil the paper.

4. With the help of a metal or plastic dough scraper, cut the dough into 6 equal pieces (or larger if you want to make larger pizzas).

NOTE: To avoid the dough from sticking to the scraper, dip the scraper into water between cuts

5. Sprinkle some flour over the dough. Make sure your hands are dry and then flour them. Gently round each piece into a ball.
NOTE: If the dough sticks to your hands, then dip your hands into the flour again.

6. Transfer the dough balls to the lined jelly pan and mist them generously with spray oil. Slip the pan into plastic bag or enclose in plastic food wrap.
(I only have three because I cut the recipe in half)

7. Put the pan into the refrigerator and let the dough rest overnight or for up to three days.

NOTE: You can store the dough balls in a zippered freezer bag if you want to save some of the dough for any future baking. In that case, pour some oil(a few tablespoons only) in a medium bowl and dip each dough ball into the oil, so that it is completely covered in oil. Then put each ball into a separate bag. Store the bags in the freezer for no longer than 3 months. The day before you plan to make pizza, remember to transfer the dough balls from the freezer to the refrigerator.

DAY TWO
8. On the day you plan to eat pizza, exactly 2 hours before you make it, remove the desired number of dough balls from the refrigerator. Dust the counter with flour and spray lightly with oil. Place the dough balls on a floured surface and sprinkle them with flour. Dust your hands with flour and delicately press the dough into disks about 1/2 inch thick and 5 inches in diameter. Sprinkle with flour and mist with oil. Loosely cover the dough rounds with plastic wrap and then allow to rest for 2 hours.


9. At least 45 minutes before making the pizza, place a baking stone on the lower third of the oven. Preheat the oven as hot as possible (500° F)

NOTE: If you do not have a baking stone, then use the back of a jelly pan. Do not preheat the pan.

10. Generously sprinkle the back of a jelly pan with semolina/durum flour or cornmeal. Flour your hands (palms, backs and knuckles). Take 1 piece of dough by lifting it with a pastry scraper. Lay the dough across your fists in a very delicate way and carefully stretch it by bouncing it in a circular motion on your hands, and by giving it a little stretch with each bounce. Once the dough has expanded outward, move to a full toss.
NOTE: Make only one pizza at a time.

During the tossing process, if the dough tends to stick to your hands, lay it down on the floured counter and reflour your hands, then continue the tossing and shaping. In case you would be having trouble tossing the dough or if the dough never wants to expand and always springs back, let it rest for approximately 5-20 minutes in order for the gluten to relax fully, then try again.





You can also resort to using a rolling pin, although it isn’t as effective as the toss method.

11. When the dough has the shape you want (about 9-12 inches in diameter - for a 6 ounces piece of dough), place it on the back of the jelly pan, making sure there is enough semolina/durum flour or cornmeal to allow it to slide and not stick to the pan.




12. Lightly top it with sweet or savory toppings of your choice.
We made a basic half-cheese, half-pepperoni for one pizza:



One berry pizza (the crust was heavenly! Brushed first with 2 tbsp of melted butter and sprinkled with 2 tbsp of cinnamon sugar before being baked and then topping the cooled crust with Marscapone Cheese, mixed with some lemon juice/zest and heavy whipping cream, and then topping THAT with berries and then sprinkled with another 2 tbsp of cinnamon sugar. Whew. How's that for a run on sentence?):

here is the crust:

And Apple Pie Calzones:


13. Slide the garnished pizza onto the stone in the oven or bake directly on the jelly pan. Close the door and bake for about 5-8 minutes.

NOTE: After 2 minutes baking, take a peek. For an even baking, rotate 180°.

If the top gets done before the bottom, you will need to move the stone or jelly pane to a lower shelf before the next round. On the contrary, if the bottom crisps before the cheese caramelizes, then you will need to raise the stone or jelly.

14. Take the pizza out of the oven and transfer it to a cutting board or your plate. In order to allow the cheese to set a little, wait 3-5 minutes before slicing or serving.

NOTE ON SAUCE: Your sauce should not be too thick as it will thicken in the hot oven. Less is more but make the less truly more by using quality ingredients.

Be sure to check out all of the other Daring Bakers Creations!

Crispy Ghosts

How cute are these ghosts? We had a blast making them! Okay, who am I kidding? Maybe not a blast... quite honestly, it was a pain in the butt trying to get the ghosts formed, but at least we enjoyed putting the faces on them!

Ingredients




1 10-ounce bag of marshmallows
1/4 cup (4 tablespoons/1/2 stick) margarine or butter
6 cups crisp rice cereal
12 ounces vanilla-flavored candy coating, melted

Black licorice candy Chocolate sprinkles Miniature semisweet chocolate pieces


Instructions:

1. In a large pot, combine marshmallows and margarine. Cook and stir over medium-low heat until mixture is melted. Gradually stir in cereal until well combined.

2. Use 1/2 to 1 cup of the cereal mixture per ghost to form into ghost shapes. Set aside to cool completely.



3. Dip each ghost shape into melted candy coating. Use pieces of licorice, chocolate sprinkles, and/or chocolate pieces for the eyes, nose, eyebrows, and mouth.

Look at that determination...

...and the pride (but not the dried treats/candy on his face!)




Makes 9 to 12 ghosts.

Chocolate Cake Roll

We had company for dinner last night and this was the dessert I made. I have had this recipe for years-- it's one that came in the mail on one of those "sample recipe" cards, trying to hook you into purchasing the entire set. I saved the recipe knowing I'd love to make it someday and that someday finally came! I refrigerated the cake when it was finished, but I think it would taste fantastic frozen.





Ingredients:



For the cake:
1/2 cup cake flour
1/3 cup unsweetened baking cocoa powder
2 tbsp cornstarch
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/3 teaspoon salt
4 large eggs, separated
1 cup granulated sugar, divided

For the filling:

1 8oz container frozen whipped topping, thawed

Directions:

MAKING THE CAKE

1. Preheat oven to 350°. Line a 15x10-inch jelly roll pan with waxed paper. Grease and flour the lined pan; tap out excess.

2. In a medium bowl, combine flour, cocoa powder, cornstarch, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Mix well. In a separate bowl, using an electric mixer set on medium speed, beat egg yolks and 1/4 cup sugar until fluffy.

3. In a small bowl, using clean beaters, beat egg whites on high until foamy. Gradually add 1/2 cup sugar, beating until stiff, but not dry, peaks form.

4. Fold 1/3 beaten egg whites into egg yolk mixture. Alternately fold in remaining whites and flour mixture. Pour batter in pan; smooth top. Bake until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, about 15 minutes.

ROLLING AND FILLING THE CAKE

1. Dust a clean cloth with remaining sugar. Turn cake out onto prepared cloth; remove waxed paper. Trim the cakes edges.



2. Starting with a long side, tightly roll up cake with cloth. Transfer cake, seam-side down, to a wire rack to cool.





3. Unroll cake; remove cloth. Spread whipped topping over cake to within 1/2 inch of edges.



4. Re-roll cake; place seam-side down on a plate.



5. Dust with confectioners' sugar before serving.

3D Pumpkin Card

These instructions are from Skip To My Lou-- such a creative idea! And really easy and quick to make.

What you need:



Orange tissue paper
Decorative cardstock
scissors
glue stick
pencil

What you do:

1. Draw a pumpkin shape on the tissue paper. You will need 9 layers.



2. Cut them out.



3. Glue one layer in the center of your cardstock.



4. Now, if the pumpkin were to be a clock, you need to put dabs of glue at 12:00 o'clock, 3:00 o'clock, 6:00 o'clock and 9:00 o'clock.



5. Place another tissue layer on top. Now you are going to glue in between:
12:00 o'clock and 3:00 o'clock
3:00 o'clock and 6:00 o'clock
6:00 o'clock and 9:00 o'clock
9:00 o'clock and 12:00 o'clock



6. Place another tissue on top and now glue as you did in step 4, at 12:00, 3:00, 6:00 and 9:00. Continue alternating this pattern as you add all 8 of the 9 layers.

7. When you get to the last tissue pumpkin, put the glue on the 8th layer. Then cut the ninth pumpkin in half, down the center.



8. Place the pumpkin half on the right side of the 8th layer. Fold the card in half. When you open it, you will have a honeycomb pumpkin!

9. You can add a little pumpkin stem to the top by using construction paper and glue.