The Daring Baker’s August 2010 Challenge: Ice Cream Petit Fours

It’s that time again: Time to reveal this month’s DB Challenge recipe! Like last month, I logged onto the DB forum on the first day of the month to see how the August challenge was going to help refine my already stellar (ha!) baking skills. Much to my surprise (and delight), this month’s challenge was also an ice cream-based dessert. However, we were presented with the opportunity to choose one of two desserts to tackle — Baked Alaska or Ice Cream Petit Fours. Well, it’s pretty obvious from the title of this post that I chose the petit fours. However, upon first blush, I really wanted to try to master Baked Alaska. I think I automatically wrote off the petit fours because I had to make them once in home ec in junior high (immediately following the Galaxy cookie (Note to self: Must find Galaxy Cookie recipe on the internets) fiasco of 1991 or 1992). I remember not being very fond of said petit fours, so this option did not appeal to me in the least. But, after some reflection, I realized that it was probably a safer bet to go with the petit fours, as they didn’t require the use of a blowtorch and would be more appropriate in with fitting the theme of La Patisserie. And so, the fun began…

No baker is complete without her laptop assistant

The August 2010 Daring Bakers’ challenge was hosted by Elissa of 17 and Baking. For the first time, The Daring Bakers partnered with Sugar High Fridays for a co-event and Elissa was the gracious hostess of both. Using the theme of beurre noisette, or browned butter, Elissa chose to challenge Daring Bakers to make a pound cake to be used in either a Baked Alaska or in Ice Cream Petit Fours. The sources for Elissa’s challenge were Gourmet magazine and David Lebovitz’s “The Perfect Scoop”.

For the complete recipe, including the instructions for Baked Alaska and Ice Cream Petit Fours, please click on the following link: August 2010 Daring Baker’s Challenge.

I must admit that after seeing the completed challenges of some of the other Daring Bakers in the forum last month, I was inspired to use a bit more creativity this time around. Hence, I decided to ax this month’s ice cream recipe and use Sunita’s. Remember Sunita of Sunita’s World — life and food? She was the host of last month’s DB challenge. I figured that I’d give Sunita’s ice cream recipe another whirl (no pun intended — ok, maybe I intended it) and actually follow the directions this time (i.e. use light cream instead of half & half). So, I dug out (another ice cream pun, perhaps?) Sunita’s recipe and decided to make chocolate chip ice cream to stick in between the layers of brown butter pound cake. I had originally wanted to try a mint chocolate chip ice cream, but realized only later that my peppermint extract bottle was completely empty. Ugh. As it turns out, making the chocolate chip ice cream was an extremely wise decision (well, maybe not for my waistline…).

Overall, I was pretty pleased with my final product. I took lots of photos this time around (really got on the same level as the food and tried to use lots of natural lighting). The brown butter pound cake was delicious, my ice cream was freezing properly and everything seemed to be going quite well — too well, in fact. Before I ramble on any more, I should mention that I made this dessert over the course of three days. On day one, I made the ice cream and pound cake. During the second day, I assembled the ice cream and cake and stuck the largest ice cream sandwich I’ve ever made in the freezer to solidify overnight. On day three, my plan was to make cut the large sandwich into petit fours, make the chocolate glaze and glaze the mini cakes. Well, day three was also the day I was planning to serve the dessert to my guests (Brianne, Bernie, Mike and Melanie). After frantically running around the house and yard trying to get everything ready for our afternoon barbecue, I had left myself exactly one hour to finish the dessert. But also during that hour, both Clara and Taylor needed to eat. Ugh. Of course, Murphy’s Law, right? Taylor lovingly volunteered to feed Clara while I went about glazing the fours. Now, the directions say to hold the petit four on a fork while spooning the glaze over said four. The directions also included some beautiful pictures of the glazing process and the end results. Well, let me tell you, after trying and failing to glaze my cakes the proper way, I threw caution to the wind and the fork and spoon in the sink and ended up rolling the petit fours in the glaze using just my hands (they were clean!).

The cakes ended up getting glazed, but like the Swiss Swirl Ice Cream Cake from last month, they will not be winning any beauty contests anytime soon. Tasty little suckers, but not the prettiest cakes ever.

My not-so-pretty petit four

Variations:

1. As mentioned earlier, I used Sunita’s ice cream recipe and made chocolate chip ice cream. It is heavenly and still calling my name, as it sits in my freezer. A couple of days later, I decided to use up the Reese’s peanut butter cups sitting on the bottom shelf of my fridge (really, who has 10 Reese’s peanut butter cups just lying around their fridge?) and make chocolate peanut butter ice cream. Another win for me. I suggested to Taylor that I make ice cream more often. His response, “Wouldn’t that be really bad for you?” He’s right; as tasty as it is, eating ice cream made of light cream and sugar is not the most low-cal option. Sigh.

2. I used an 8 x 8 inch baking plan, as I didn’t have a 9 x 9 inch one on hand.

3. Instead of using dark chocolate for the glaze, I used semi-sweet. I mistakenly picked up semi-sweet instead of dark. Oops.

Things I would do differently next time:

1. I would use the 9 x 9 inch pan. Because my pan was a bit smaller, the pound cake was taller, which made for larger than bite-sized petit fours.

2. I’m not sure what I would do about the glazing disaster. Maybe I just need more practice?

In the end, I received many compliments on the dessert. All of my guests seemed to enjoy it and I got even more positive feedback when I dished up a few fours to my parents a couple of days later. The cakes also seem to hold up well in the freezer. It’s been almost two weeks since I made them, and despite the slightest hint of freezer burn on the tops, they tasted just as good when I sampled them this afternoon. Dessert longevity — another plus!

I’m doubly excited for the September reveal, as I am ready to be challenged again. Additionally, I get to find out my next culinary project on Wednesday — my 32nd (ouch!) birthday!

Bon apettit!

Blueberry Coffee Cake

Well, I decided that it’s just too hard to wait until the 27th of every month to blog about my Daring Baker’s Challenges, so I am going to try to post some old stand-by recipes, in addition to anything new that I try out, on a semi-regular basis. I think that becoming a Daring Baker has really stirred up my ”inner baker” because I’ve become very active in the dessert department. Either that, or I’m just trying to fill-in any free time that’s left before I begin teaching again on September 8th…Know matter what the reason, we all love to eat and what better way to organize my recipes (which are currently housed in one of two places: The desktop computer in the living room and in a folder labeled Recipes in my Yahoo! mail account)? So, I’m starting off with a recipe that I just tried out on my family (family members make great and willing guinea pigs!) last night: Blueberry coffee cake.

Blueberries have become my go-to fruit, replacing peaches (don’t worry, bananas, I still love you…). I started on my blueberry kick over the winter (I know, not prime blueberry season). After going on Weight Watchers to lose the rest of the baby weight, I began to use fresh fruit as a yogurt stir-in (very little points, very filling and a super-food). One of my favorite lunches is to fill a bowl full with: A cup of vanilla yogurt, a small mountain of blueberries and a generous dash of cinnamon. Mix. Voila — a healthy, hearty lunch! Now that it is summer, I can get fresh blueberries from local farm stands and markets. So, my lunchtime fair has not really changed too much. However, I had an extra pint of blueberries in the fridge that was almost beyond its shelf life, so I decided to use it in a dessert for an upcoming family gathering. Because it’s been so rainy, dismal and unseasonably cool in Rhode Island these few couple of days, I was in the mood for coffee cake. So, I scoured the internets (my go-to recipe guru) for a blueberry coffee cake recipe and came across one that looked edible.

Since Clara decided to get me up rather early yesterday, I had plenty of time to whip up and bake the cake before my family members arrived later that afternoon. I can’t begin tell you how good my house smelled while the cake was baking. My kitchen smelled of butter, sugar and cinnamon as the cake baked itself in a toasty 350 degree oven. The combination of aromas mixed with dreary, cool weather made me long for fall, despite eyeing the open in-ground pool slowly filling with rain water in the backyard from my kitchen window.

I served the cake up after a take-out meal from a local pizza restaurant and was met with rave reviews. Both my aunt and mother asked for the recipe, so I decided if I was going to share it with them, I might as well post it for the rest of the world to see (or, at least those few who frequent La Patisserie). Below you will find the recipe. I encourage you to try it out (even in the fall, when fresh blueberries become more scarce and less tart). The buttery cake mixed with the tart blueberries and crisp cinnamonny-crumble make for a crowd-pleasing dessert or breakfast treat.

Blueberry Coffee Cake

Ingredients:

Streusel Topping:

1/3 cup (45 grams) all purpose flour
1/3 cup (65 grams) granulated white sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 cup (56 grams) cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces

Cake Batter:

1 cup (130 grams) all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup (56 grams) (4 tablespoons) unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 cup (100 grams) granulated white sugar
1 large egg
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/3 cup (80 ml) milk
2 cups fresh blueberries

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (177 degrees C).  Butter, or spray with a nonstick vegetable spray, an 8 x 8 inch (20 x 20 cm) square pan or an 8 inch (20 cm) round cake pan. 

For streusel topping:  In a large bowl, mix together the flour, sugar, and ground cinnamon.  Cut in the butter with a pastry blender or fork until it resembles coarse crumbs.  Set aside while you make the cake batter.

In a separate bowl whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt.  Set aside.

In the bowl of your electric mixer, or with a hand mixer, beat the butter until smooth.  Add the sugar and beat until light and fluffy.  Add the egg and vanilla and beat until incorporated.  Add the flour mixture, alternately with the milk, and beat only until combined.  Spread the batter onto the bottom of the prepared pan, smoothing the top with an offset spatula. 

Evenly arrange the blueberries on top of the cake batter and then sprinkle with the streusel topping.

Bake for about 40 – 50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean.  Remove from oven and place on a wire rack to cool slightly. 

Serve warm or at room temperature.

Makes about 9 servings.

The Daring Bakers July 2010 Challenge: Swiss Swirl Ice Cream Cake

Yeah! It is finally time for the big reveal. I have to admit that I logged onto thedaringkitchen.com promptly on July 1st to see my first baking challenge. I was thrilled to learn that the July challenge involved combining two of my all-time favorite sweets — cake and ice cream. Yum-my! This challenge also excited me because I felt that it would be a perfect summertime dessert and one that could be savored, as it doesn’t have to all be eaten in one sitting. 

The July 2010 Daring Bakers’ challenge was hosted by Sunita of Sunita’s World — life and food. Sunita challenge everyone to make an ice cream filled swiss roll that’s then used to make a bombe with hot fudge. Her recipe is based on an ice cream cake recipe from Taste of Home. Sunita’s recipe calls for made-from-scratch vanilla and chocolate ice creams, swiss roll cake and hot fudge. The finished product is a dramatic and decadent dessert bombe worthy of gracing any dining room table. 

I decided to unveil my challenge dessert during a get-together with some of my high school girlfriends. What better way to celebrate longtime friendships than reminiscing over ice cream cake by the pool on a hot summer night? 

After reading this month’s challenge recipe, I decided to get to work on the dessert a few days before our scheduled Friday get-together. So, I whipped up and froze the vanilla and chocolate ice creams on Wednesday, baked the cakes and made the hot fudge sauce on Thursday night, and completed the cake’s assembly during the afternoon of the get-together. Thankfully, despite having to get the pool and house ready while Clara napped, I was able to pop the assembled cake into the freezer around 2 p.m., giving the dessert its recommended 4-5 hour setting time. 

You can view the recipe instructions by clicking on the following pdf: Swiss Swirl Ice Cream Cake. And, below you can see how my cake actually came together:  

Swiss rolls line the bowl...

 

The vanilla ice cream is added.

 

Time for the pool of fudge sauce...

 

Voila! The final product is ready to be served.

 

Things I would do differently next time… 

Without a doubt, I would definitely make this cake again. It was very well-received by my friends and my husband, someone who normally doesn’t eat many sweets or desserts (so far he has helped himself to two servings!). The cake ended up being quite large and filling, so I had plenty left over to dish up to my parents and neighbor the next day. Again, the dessert got two thumbs up. I still have some left in the freezer and am thinking about giving it another go tonight. Hopefully, freezer burn hasn’t set in too badly! 

Although the cake was well-received, there are a couple of things that I would do differently next time: 

1. I would use whipping cream for the ice creams. The recipe calls for using whipping cream for the ice cream bases, but because I had a whole unused half-gallon of half-and-half left over from Clara’s baptism party, I decided to try it as a substitute. Using half-and-half did work, but the ice cream was more like ice milk and was missing the creamy texture that the whipping cream would have provided. 

2. I would have taken more time to stir the ice creams in between freezing sessions. The recipe asks that the ice creams by stirred up at least three to four times before setting completely. But, being a mommy to a then seven-month old didn’t allot me the opportunity to be as thorough with my mixing. Thus, I feel that my ice creams would have been creamier (despite the half-and-half substitute) and less “icy” if I had remembered to mix more often. 

3. Next time, I will be sure that the kitchen towels are not so textured. When the swiss rolls come out of the oven, the recipe calls for them to be placed on a sugared kitchen towel. I followed the directions to a “t” on this one, but for some reason, my cooled cakes split as I was unrolling them prior to spreading on the cream filling. I’m wondering if this is because the kitchen towels that I used had too deep of a texture to them, preventing the cakes from detaching properly? Because of the trouble I had getting the cooled cakes off of the towels, one of my swiss rolls was falling apart and ended up causing a less-than-pretty final presentation. 

4. Mental note: I need to brush up on my food photography skills (or, at least get some!).  I found that because I was so busy trying to get the dessert layers into the freezer before they melted into a puddle on my kitchen floor (hot days do not bode well for constructing ice cream cakes), I was pretty lackdaisical with my photos. I am hoping that future challenges are going to motivate me to simultaneously refine my food photography and baking skills . 

Overall, I was very happy with my finished product. Part of the reason I decided to become a Daring Baker was because I was getting tired of bringing the same old box mix brownies and angel food cakes to parties and barbecues. I felt that this challenge really did test my skills as a baker, as I normally wouldn’t have put in the time and effort required for this dessert if I wasn’t “obligated.” Don’t get me wrong, I don’t feel as if being a Daring Baker is an obligation. However, I needed some motivation to get my internal oven fired up. I’m happy to say that this month’s challenge was just the accelerant that I needed to take my baking to the next level and I’m really looking forward to participating in future challenges. Can’t wait for Sunday’s August reveal! 

Bon apettit!

Grand Opening

Welcome to La Patisserie Peanut! We are officially open for business.  Stay tuned to read more about my endeavors leading up to my first Daring Baker challenge recipe reveal on July 27th!