Baking 114 Day 12

Because today is the day before Thanksgiving, we made yummy Thanksgiving treats. I usually don't associate gingerbread cookies with Thanksgiving (I tend to think of it as a Christmas cookie..) but, thats what Chef said we were going to make, and I was not going to argue. Partly because I absolutely love love love gingerbread cookies (without icing). They go amazing with a big mug of cappuccino....=)

before baking

the ones in the middle are turkeys...not chickens. 

I also made a sweet potato pie for my brother. (his favorite) 

I can't wait to have a slice. Sweet potato is my absolute favorite vegetable. 

Sweet Potato Pie, before being decorated

Tuesday we made a strawberry sorbet bombe. This is SO good. It is filled with a raspberry mousse, and placed on top of a coconut sponge cake.

 

Strawberry Sorbet Bombe

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Baking 114 Day 11

We finished our L'exotique today. We got to spray paint with chocolate! This is what we have to do next Monday for our practical. It is a almond sponge cake surrounding layers of coconut sponge cake, passion fruit mousse, and caramelized bananas. It also has a mango jellied center.

L'exotique

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Baking 114 Day 8

Today we made some delicious red velvet cake and carrot cake, both with a cream cheese filling and iced with swiss meringue buttercream. I wasn't too thrilled about the cream cheese filling. I like cream cheese, it was just really strong and heavy. The cake was delicious though!

Red Velvet Cake

Carrot Cake

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Baking 114 Day 7

Today we made Brasilias. Almond sponge cake layered with caramel buttercream. Before spreading on caramel buttercream, each sponge layer is soaked with coffee rum syrup. Nougatine is placed on top, then it is decorated with white chocolate. I did one letter for each member of my family.

D-Duane. M-Michele. S-Steven. S-Sarah. J-John. S-Suelita.

K for Kyle. My boyfriend =)

These were really good!

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Baking 114 Day 6

We made Alhambra tortes and Sacher tortes today. It was pretty easy and fun! The Alhambra has a layer of ganache inbetween the two layers of chocolate cake. The Sacher torte has a layer of apricot jam inbetween the two layers of chocolate cake. Both cakes were iced with chocolate ganache before a chocolate glacage was poured over them. LOTS of chocolate!

Sacher torte with marzipan rose

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Baking 114 Day 3

On Monday we made devil's food cake, and today we used it to make black forest cake.

This cake is filled with cherries and swiss meringue butter cream. It is topped with chocolate ganache, cherries and butter cream. It is absolutely DELICIOUS!

Devil's food cake:

1) Sift together

• cake flour 6 oz
• Cocoa 1 oz
• Salt .125 oz
• baking powder .165 oz

2)Add 3.5 oz of nutex (hi ratio shortening) to dry ingredients and mix (with paddle attachment) on speed 1 for 2 minutes.

3)Add

• sugar 8 oz
• milk 4 oz
• vanilla 1/2 tsp

4)Mix on speed 1 for 4 minutes. Add

• milk 3 oz
• eggs 4 oz (beat with milk before adding to bowl)

5 ) continue to beat batter for 5 minutes on speed 1.

Fill an 8" cake pan 1/3 of the way full. (do not spray pan)

Bake in 350 degree oven until the cake springs back when touched.

After the cake has cooled, cut it in half. Pipe a border of buttercream around the edge. Fill the center with one layer of canned cherries. Put the second layer of cake on top. Apply a thin layer of buttercream (a crumb coat) and put cake in cooler until the buttercream firms up.

6) boil 6 oz of heavy whipping cream pour over 8 oz of chocolate. Let the cream sit on top for a minute or so to melt the chocolate. Stir together. Pour ganache over cake. Decorate as desired.

Enjoy!

For the buttercream:

warm 5 oz of egg whites and 10 oz of sugar over a double boiler until the sugar is dissolved. Whip on speed 3 until the meringue comes to room temp (or body temp). On speed two add chunks of butter (12 oz). Whip until it comes to the right consistency.

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Baking 114 Day 2

Today was birthday cake day! We learned to make roses out of decorators paste. The cake was made from the same formula we used for the strawberry shortcake. To ice it, we used swiss meringue buttercream. Today was very enjoyable. We have to make this again for our practical on friday. Wish me luck!

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Baking 114 Day 1

Today we started a new class. This rotation is all about cakes! We started out the class with a very very yummy strawberry shortcake.

Strawberry Shortcake iced with creme chantilly and decorated with toasted almonds

Yellow High Ratio Cake

Eggs 8 oz

Sugar 6.6 oz

Milk 2.6 oz

Baking Powder .41 oz

Nutex (hi ratio shortening) 3.3 oz

Cake Flour 5 oz

Mix all ingredients together with whip attachment on speed 3 for 4 minutes then speed 2 for 3 min. This batch makes about 2 6" cakes. (9 oz for each 6" cake pan). Lightly spray cake pans and cake in 350 degree oven until cake springs back when touched.

After cake has cooled, trim off eggy part on top. Cut cake in half. Whip together 12 oz of heavy whipping cream, 2 0z powdered sugar, and a little bit of vanilla extract(to taste). Soak bottom layer of cake with a little bit of simple syrup (equals parts sugar and water-heated until sugar is dissolved). Spread on a layer of whipped cream. Top with sliced strawberries and cover with a dollop of whipped cream. Lay top layer of shortcake on top and ice with the rest of the whipped cream.

Decorate as desired and enjoy!

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Baking 113 Day 14

Along with the Baked Alaska yesterday, we made frozen mousse souffles (not pictured) and walnut maple parfaits. Today, we didn't have anything to do (it was supposed to be a cleaning day) so we worked on plating desserts.

Walnut Maple Parfait

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Baking 113 Day 13

Tuesday we made chocolate, strawberry, and vanilla ice cream. Today, we used those ice creams to make Baked Alaska. Very fun ( i got to used the blow torch =]) and very delish!

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Baking 113 Day 11

Yesterday we started making a triple chocolate Bavarian. We finished it today. The bottom layer is melted semi-sweet chocolate Bavarian cream. The middle is milk chocolate and the top is white chocolate. After freezing, it is stopped with a chocolate glaze. "Bavarois" is written on top in white chocolate.

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