MasterBaker: Vanilla

I realize that this post is way overdue and I don't really have an excuse. Well, I do but I'm sure you don't really want to hear them. However, since the roundup still isn't posted I figured I still had time. That and I really loved this recipe. And although it is posted very late, I did make this on time!

The master baker ingredient was vanilla and since I had never used real vanilla beans before I wanted to give it a try. I've heard rave reviews about vanilla beans. Someday I will become adventurous enough to make my own vanilla extract and vanilla sugar. Vanilla is one of my favorite flavors.


I decided to make vanilla bean angel food cake with a fruit salsa. I didn't have a very much success with the angel food cake. I have a mini-bundt cake pan with designs on the top. You can see in the picture above how well that turned out.


Since, I don't have a regular sized bundt pan, I put the remaining batter in my springform pan. It certainly didn't rise very much. It ended up being a dense little cake. I learned that angel food cake can only be made in a regular size bundt cake pan.

Despite the appearance, it tasted fantastic!! And the fruit salsa on top was amazing!!


Vanilla Bean Angel Food Cake
Source: Cooking Light

Ingredients
1 1/2 cups sugar, divided
1 (2-inch) piece vanilla bean, split lengthwise
1 cup sifted cake flour (about 4 ounces)
12 large egg whites
1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon lemon juice


Directions
Preheat oven to 325°.

Place 3/4 cup sugar in a small bowl. Scrape seeds from vanilla bean, and add seeds to sugar; discard bean. Work the vanilla seeds into sugar with fingers until well combined.

Lightly spoon flour into a dry measuring cup; level with a knife. Combine flour and sugar mixture, stirring with a whisk to combine.

Beat egg whites with a mixer at high speed until foamy. Add cream of tartar and salt; beat until soft peaks form. Add remaining 3/4 cup sugar, 2 tablespoons at a time, beating until stiff peaks form. Beat in juice. Sift flour mixture over egg white mixture, 1/4 cup at a time; fold in after each addition.

Spoon the batter into an ungreased 10-inch tube pan, spreading evenly. Break air pockets by cutting through batter with a knife. Bake at 325° for 50 minutes or until cake springs back when lightly touched. Invert pan; cool completely. Loosen cake from sides of pan using a narrow metal spatula. Invert cake onto plate.

Fruit Salsa
Source: Cooks Illustrated via All Things Mimi

Ingredients
2 T. apple jelly
2 T. light brown sugar
1/4 c. orange juice
1 jalapeño chile, seeded and minced
2 granny smith apples, cored, peeled and chopped fine
1 pint strawberries, hulled and chopped fine
3 kiwis peeled and chopped fine

Directions
Whisk jelly, brown sugar, orange juice and chile together in a large bowl. Add apples, strawberries and kiwi and toss to coat.

Master Baker #2: Easter Candy (Entry #2)

When Nikki first posted this month's Master Baker ingredient, I knew I wanted to use Reese's PB cup eggs. They are one of my favorites! I decided that I would bake them into some brownies. They turned out 200% better than I even thought they would!

I also sent these with Jake to one of his rehearsals and a couple of the vocalists told Jake that I should go into business and they wanted to market my brownies! Well, I can't take credit for the recipe but I'm pretty sure they are expecting me to send more (often!)


Chewy Cocoa Brownies
Source: Sweet Savory Southern
Photo: my kitchen

Directions

1 2/3 cup sugar
3/4 cup melted butter or margarine
2 tablespoons water
2 large eggs
2 teaspoon vanilla
1 13 cup flour
3/4 cup baking cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup chopped nuts (I omitted)
1/2 mini chocolate chips (I replaced with Reese's Peanut Butter Cup Eggs)

Ingredients

Preheat oven to 350. Grease 13x9 pan.

Combine sugar, butter and water in large bowl.
Stir in eggs and vanilla.
Combine flour, cocoa, baking powder and salt in medium bowl.
Stir flour mixture into sugar mixture.
Add nuts and chocolate chips.
Spread into prepared pan.

Bake for 18-25 minutes or until wooden tooth pick inserted comes our slightly sticky.

I cooked them about half way then pressed 2 peanut butter eggs into the top and finished cooking the remaining time. I thought I had melted them too much but once they cooled the peanut butter eggs cooled perfectly!

Makes 12 servings

Master Baker #2: Easter Candy

My review of this recipe: Super easy to make, super colorful, super yummy in taste-not so great in texture.
I am a total texture eater so this wasn't really my cup of tea. The concept of a jelly bean really comes through in this recipe-a really sticky spot of gel in the middle of a cookie. In the future I will stick to eating cookies and jelly beans, separately!
I sent them off with Jake to his rehearsal and they were a hit! The leftovers went home with a single man around 50 who doesn't get baked goods very often. I'm glad I could make him something special.

Easter Biscotti
Source: Culinary in the Country
Photo: my kitchen

Ingredients

3 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
1 cup sugar
4 large eggs, divided - at room temperature
2 teaspoons vanilla
12 ounces Jelly Beans

Directions

Preheat the oven to 375°

In a medium bowl, sift together flour, baking powder and salt.

In a large mixing bowl, cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add 3 eggs, one at a time, beating until incorporated. Mix in the vanilla.

Add in the flour mixture and mix just until combined. Using a wooden spoon, stir in the Jelly Beans. The dough may be a bit sticky.

Scoop dough onto a lightly floured surface. Divide the dough into 2 pieces. Take one half and roll lightly back and forth making a log about the length of your baking sheet. Carefully place it on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Repeat with the second piece.

Using wet fingers if the dough is sticky, flatten each log a bit.

In a small bowl, whisk the remaining egg and brush evenly over each log.

Bake for about 23-28 minutes or until they are slightly golden brown.

Remove from the oven and let cool for at least 10-15 minutes. (I cooled them for quite a while and they still seemed to crumble a bit when I cut them.) Using a serrated knife, carefully slice them on the diagonal into about 1/2" slices. Stand each slice back on the baking sheet - it is ok if they touch.

Bake for another 10-12 minutes until the edges turn a slight golden brown. Transfer to wire rack to cool completely.

Banana Crumb Muffins

I realize this post is late but I'm posting it anyway. I had some leftover bananas and a new king size muffin pan and needed to find a recipe for the Master Baker challenge, hosted by my friend Nikki. I found a recipe for Banana Crumb muffins at Katie's Kitchen that sounded perfect.

I was so excited to use my new pan that I miss read the ingredients and directions. They turned out fabulous (or fierce, as some might say!). I did not end up with a crumb topping, much to my dismay. I have a few more frozen bananas so I plan to try making them again the right way. The original recipe can be found here.

Basically, when I read " add sugar" in the instructions, I took that to mean both kind of "sugars" listed. So, I add the brown sugar to the batter instead of waiting to use it in the crumb topping. Of course, I realized my mistake a moment too late (ie. after it was mixed in!). For fear that they would to sweet enough with the extra sugar, I didn't bother to add the crumb topping.

In the end the muffins were amazing and not too sweet at all. I sent 2 muffins to the host of Master Baker (I was already sending her a package but yes, I was also trying to score bonus points!). My husband and split one when they came out of the oven and then he proceeded to eat the other 3! I guess I really do have to make more.



Banana Crumb Muffins
(adapted from: allrecipes.com)
Photos: my kitchen!

Ingredients

1 1/2 cup flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 bananas, mashed
3/4 cup white sugar
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/2 cup butter, melted

Directions

Preheat, oven to 375. Lightly grease12 muffin cups (or 6 king sized muffin cups), or line with muffin papers.

In large bowl, mix together first 4 ingredients.

In another bowl, beat together remaining ingredients.

Stir the banana mixture into the flour mixture until just moistened. Over mixing will produce tougher muffins.

Spoon batter into muffin cups. Bake in preheated oven for 18-20 or until toothpick comes out clean. My king size muffins took about 32 minutes.

Serve warm with butter!