This is no ordinary coffee cake. Or rather, tea cake in my case. Soft, sweet dough with plenty of oven [...]]]> The March 2011 Daring Baker’s Challenge was hosted by Ria of Ria’s Collection and Jamie of Life’s a Feast. Ria and Jamie challenged The Daring Bakers to bake a yeasted Meringue Coffee Cake.

This is no ordinary coffee cake. Or rather, tea cake in my case. Soft, sweet dough with plenty of oven spring envelops a dreamy citrus and meringue filling. The meringue is so subtle that you can hardly detect its presence. Perhaps it’s meant to be the baker’s secret for a fluffy and just perfectly moist cake interior.

To be honest, this meringue was not a complete joy to work with. Of course, my choice to add another liquidy substance (blood orange curd) didn’t help the situation any. I’ll warn you that it’s not easy to roll a thick, slippery layer of meringue inside a supple rectangle of dough. I encountered a fair amount of oozing and general slippage of filling which had me worried about placing the cakes into the oven. But after all was said and done, I ended up with two beautifully browned coffee cakes that were gone in an instant on a Monday morning at the office.

The March 2011 Daring Bakers Challenge was hosted by Ria of Ria’s Collection and Jamie of Life’s a Feast. Ria and Jamie challenged the Daring Bakers to bake a yeasted Meringue Coffee Cake.

Meringue-Filled Coffee Cake
Source: Jamie found this recipe on a piece of yellowed paper in her dad’s collection of clipped out and hand-written recipes from the 1970’s, no source, no date. She tried the recipe and it was brilliant!
Yield: Two 10-inch round coffee cakes

For the coffee cake dough:
4 cups bread flour
1/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 teaspoon salt
2 1/4 teaspoons instant yeast
3/4 cup milk (I used goat milk)
1/4 cup water
1/2 cup unsalted butter
2 eggs, room temperature
1 egg, for egg wash

For the meringue filling:
3 egg whites, room temperature
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup sugar
1 cup blood orange curd

In a large bowl, or the bowl of your electric mixer, stir together 1 1/2 cups of the flour, the sugar, salt, and yeast. Set aside.

In a medium saucepan, combine the milk, water, and butter. Heat over medium heat just until the butter melts. While mixing the flour mixture on low speed, gently pour in the liquid and mix until combined. Beat on medium speed for 2 minutes.

Add the eggs and 1 cup of the flour, and beat on medium speed for 2 more minutes. Using a wooden spoon or your mixer on low speed, add just enough of the remaining flour to bring the dough together.

Knead the dough by hand (8-10 minutes) or mixer (6-8 minutes). The dough is done when it is soft, elastic, and smooth. Place the dough in a lightly oiled, large bowl. Turn the dough to coat it with oil. Cover the bowl and allow the dough to rise until doubled, 45-60 minutes.

When the dough has doubled, prepare the meringue filling. Using a clean, grease-free bowl, whisk the egg whites and salt. Start on low speed for 30 seconds, then increase the speed to high and beat until soft peaks form. Add the vanilla extract and continue to beat on high while you add the sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time. Beat until very stiff, glossy peaks form.

Using a rubber spatula, gently fold the blood orange curd into the meringue.

Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Punch down the dough and divide it in half. Keeping one half covered, roll out one half into a rectangle approximately 20 inches by 10 inches.

Spread half of the filling over the dough, leaving at least 1/2 inch border around the edges. Starting at the long side, carefully roll the dough up. This is not an easy task as the meringue will try to ooze out from all sides. Seal the roll as best you can and carefully transfer it to the baking sheet.

Leave the roll as a log, or fold the ends around to create a circle. Pinch the ends together to seal. Using scissors or a sharp knife, make cuts around the edge of the circle or along the top of the log, 1 inch apart.

Repeat the filling/shaping process with the other half of the dough. Cover the dough with plastic wrap and allow it to rise for 45-60 minutes.

During the rise, preheat the oven to 400°. When the dough has risen, beat the egg and brush it over the dough. This gives the coffee cake a beautiful golden brown color as it bakes.

Place the baking sheets into the oven, and turn down the heat to 375°. Bake the cakes for 25-30 minutes, rotating the pans halfway through baking. The cakes will be golden brown and should sound hollow when tapped.

Carefully slide the cakes off the baking sheets and parchment. Cool directly on a cooling rack.

I’m submitting this cake to YeastSpotting. Be sure to check out the weekly showcase of yeasted goodies on Friday!

For us bakers, it’s never difficult to figure out how to celebrate Pi Day! The most important component of any halfway decent Pi Day celebration is pie. Pie is the obvious choice, not only because it shares a name with the popular number, but because of its traditional circular shape. There are infinite [...]]]>

For us bakers, it’s never difficult to figure out how to celebrate Pi Day! The most important component of any halfway decent Pi Day celebration is pie. Pie is the obvious choice, not only because it shares a name with the popular number, but because of its traditional circular shape. There are infinite (like pi!) ways to create a pi-themed pie. I’ve decided to forgo any circular pie references in favor of creating a custom shaped pi filled with tangy sweet blood orange curd.

Do you know how to calculate the area of this blood orange? Hint: you’ll have to use pi. But luckily, no complicated math is necessary to create your own custom pi pie bowls. You’ll just need a bit of patience, some aluminum foil, and a lot of pie dough.

First, shape two small cylinders out of aluminum foil. Then create a third cylinder with a wavy shape to complete the top. To join these three parts, cover them with a large sheet of foil and press it tightly around the form.

It wasn’t until I finished baking the crust that I realized my pi was backwards! You may want to make your mold in a mirror image so that when you flip the finished crust off the mold it will look just as you planned.

For more pi day deliciousness, make sure to check out the 2011 Pi Day baking contest. There are all kinds of pies that will inspire you to revisit your old math textbooks and brush up on your mathematical formulas! OK, so maybe you won’t go that far. But I’m sure you’ll be craving your very own pi(e)!

Blood Orange Curd Pi
Created by Simple Math Bakery
Yield: 2 pi-shaped pies (4-6 servings)

Blood Orange Curd
Adapted from Country Living
Yield: 4 cups (Lots more than you will need for the pie!)

5 eggs
1 3/4 cups granulated sugar
1 cup blood orange juice (from about 4 blood oranges)
zest of 1 blood orange
1/4 cup lemon juice (I used the juice of 1 lemon)
1 cup (16 tablespoons) cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces

In a heatproof bowl, whisk together the eggs, sugar, blood orange juice, zest, and lemon juice. Place the bowl over a saucepan with 1 inch of simmering water. This will allow the egg mixture to heat without cooking the eggs.

Heat the mixture, whisking every 3 or 4 minutes, until the temperature reaches 180 degrees (approximately 30 minutes). The curd will be thickened. Remove the bowl from the heat and add the butter pieces. Stir until the butter has melted and the curd is smooth.

Allow the curd to cool, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate until chilled.

To assemble the pie:
1 recipe pie dough
Custom pie crust molds (see instructions above)

Place the aluminum foil pie molds on a parchment lined baking sheet.

Roll out your pie dough until it is 1/8″ to 1/4″ thick. The thinner you roll it, the more difficult it will be to drape it over the mold without breaking. Cut the dough into 2 or 3 pieces, depending on the size of your molds. Carefully drape the pie dough over the molds and gently press the dough against the mold to ensure that it fits snugly into all the crevices. Trim the edges of the dough around the molds. Cover the dough with plastic wrap and place the entire baking sheet in the fridge for at least 1 hour.

Preheat the oven to 400°. Bake the crust for 13-15 minutes, or until the crust is just starting to brown. Flip the crust over and gently remove the foil from the inside of the mold. Bake for an additional 3-5 minutes, or until the crust is sturdy enough to hold its shape.

I tried two different variations of pi mold. The one with connected legs held up better than the one with disconnected legs. Keep stability in mind as you design your pie mold!

For the filling:
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
1 cup blood orange curd

Whip the cream until it holds stiff peaks, about 5 minutes.

Gently fold in the blood orange curd with a large spoon or spatula.

Isn’t it a pretty color? Spoon the filling into the pie crust and garnish with fresh fruit. Enjoy while working on your memorization of pi digits!

3.141592653589793238462643383279502884197169399375105820974944592307816406…

Orange what? That was my first thought as well. Every Daring Bakers challenge introduces me to a [...]]]> The 2010 March Daring Baker’s challenge was hosted by Jennifer of Chocolate Shavings. She chose Orange Tian as the challenge for this month, a dessert based on a recipe from Alain Ducasse’s Cooking School in Paris.

Orange what? That was my first thought as well. Every Daring Bakers challenge introduces me to a new treat. Whether it’s a treat that I know well but have never made from scratch, or a treat like this month’s orange tian that I’ve never even heard of before.

Here in southern California, it’s not difficult to find fresh oranges. I can smell the fragrant orange blossoms when I walk by the small grove of orange trees downtown. The small citrus tree in my backyard is blooming and it smells heavenly. I suspect that it’s a lemon tree, but since this is my first year in my new house I have yet to find out. The farmer’s markets are stocked with crates and crates of fresh citrus. I was thrilled to be able to use some of the local bounty for this month’s challenge!

But back to my first question. As you can see above, a tian is a dish prepared with layered ingredients. It can be made hot or cold, small or large, sweet or savory. It’s all about a beautiful and fun way to showcase the ingredients.

The orange tian consists of four layers: pate sablee (another “what the heck is that?” moment for me), orange marmalade, stabilized whipped cream, and segmented oranges. I was worried after reading the challenge because the only item on the list that sounded familiar to me was whipped cream. But, hey, it’s something. I knew about segmenting an orange, but due to fears of slicing my fingers off I had never attempted it.

The best way to conquer these challenges is always to jump right in (after a week or two of nervous anticipation). I started out with the orange marmalade. The recipe called for pectin, but some of the other daring bakers mentioned that it’s not actually necessary to include pectin in the marmalade. I figured that I’d test this theory. I learned that the seeds of the oranges are rich in natural pectin, so I decided to put some orange seeds into a tea ball and boil it with the marmalade. I also substituted blood oranges for half of the oranges, since I just love the color.

After 30 minutes of boiling, the jam seemed like it was thick enough to set. Having never made jam before, this was just a guess. But it sure did set up beautifully in the fridge overnight!

The rest of the prep work went pretty smoothly, until I attempted the stabilized whipped cream. The whipped cream needs to be stabilized so that it won’t separate and become runny in the final dessert. In most cases, gelatin is used to stabilize the cream. I prefer not to use gelatin, so I decided to use agar powder.

I failed at my first attempt. I had tried to heat and dissolve the agar according to package directions, but it became lumpy when it cooled, and made the whipped cream lumpy. I did a bit more research and decided to just add the agar powder straight to the whipped cream along with the powdered sugar. This method worked better. The whipped cream came out perfectly smooth, and it seemed to hold up very well.

The epic recipe is below, including my substitutions. Give it a try if you’re looking for a challenge!

The 2010 March Daring Bakers challenge was hosted by Jennifer of Chocolate Shavings. She chose Orange Tian as the challenge for this month, a dessert based on a recipe from Alain Ducasse’s Cooking School in Paris.

Orange Marmalade:

1/2 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
1 large orange, for orange slices
cold water to blanch orange slices
granulated sugar: use the same volume as the orange slices after they have been blanched

Slice the orange as thin as possible. Place the slices in a medium pot filled with cold water. Simmer the orange slices for 10 minutes. Discard the water, refill the pot, and simmer the orange slices for another 10 minutes. Repeat once more, for a total of three times.

Drain the slices and let them cool. Mince the slices by hand, or use a food processor. Measure the volume of orange slices, and use the same amount of granulated sugar. I had approximately 1 cup of minced orange.

Add the minced orange, granulated sugar, and orange juice to a medium pot. If you’d like to use pectin, add it as well. I used some of the seeds from the oranges, placed inside a tea ball, in hopes of emulating pectin.

Cook the mixture until it thickens. The recipe isn’t very specific, so I cooked mine for about 30 minutes. Let the mixture cool a bit, transfer it to a covered jar, and place in the fridge.

Pate Sablee:

2 egg yolks, room temperature
6 tablespoons + 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
7 tablespoons unsalted butter, cold
1/3 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups + 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder

In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, and salt. Cut the cold butter into cubes, and blend into the flour mixture with a pastry blender.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the egg yolks, vanilla extract, and granulated sugar. Beat until the mixture turns pale.

Pour the liquid ingredients into the flour mixture, blending just until the dough comes together. If the dough is too crumbly to form a ball, mix in a few drops of water.

Shape the dough into a disc, wrap in plastic wrap, and place it in the fridge for 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350°. After the dough has chilled, roll it out on a lightly floured surface until it is 1/4″ thick. Cut the dough into the shape of the pan you will be using to assemble the dessert. Place dough pieces on a parchment-lined baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes, or until the dough begins to turn golden.

Orange Segments:

Cut 8 oranges into segments over a bowl, making sure to save the juice. Soak the oranges in their juice together with the caramel (recipe below) overnight.

Here’s an excellent video showing how to segment an orange:

Caramel:

1 cup granulated sugar
1 1/2 cups + 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed orange juice

Warning: boiling sugar is extremely hot! Make sure you have a bowl of ice water ready in case you get a burn.

Place the sugar and 1/4 cup of the orange juice in a pan and heat over medium heat. Once the mixture starts to bubble and foam, slowly add the remainder of the orange juice. Continue heating until the mixture just starts to boil.

Remove from heat and pour half of the mixture over the orange segments. Place the other half in a small bowl and refrigerate until the tian has been prepared.

Heat the sauce over low heat until it thickens and just coats the back of a spoon. Drizzle it over the tian just before serving.

Stabilized Whipped Cream:

1 cup organic heavy whipping cream
1 tablespoon agar powder
2 tablespoons powdered sugar
1 tablespoon orange marmalade

Place your mixing bowl and beater in the fridge for about 20 minutes before whipping the cream.

Whip the cream with an electric mixer until the cream starts to thicken. Add the agar and powdered sugar and continue to beat until the cream is light and fluffy, forming soft peaks. Fold in the orange marmalade.

Assembling the tian:

You’ll need enough space in your freezer to fit the pan that you’ll be using for the tian.

Line your pan with waxed paper, making the paper as smooth as possible. Leave some extra paper hanging over the edges to facilitate easier removal from the pan later.

Place the orange segments on a kitchen towel to drain. Get out the marmalade, whipped cream, and pate sablee. Trim the pate sablee to match the size of the pan, in case it grew during baking.

Arrange the orange segments at the bottom of the pan. Place them close together, overlapping slightly, and make sure there are no gaps. This will be the top of your dessert, so arrange them as you would like the top to look.

Spoon the whipped cream over the orange slices, and gently spread it to form an even layer.

Spread a thin layer of marmalade over the pate sablee, and carefully invert it over the whipped cream so that the marmalade-covered side touches the whipped cream. Gently press to make sure the dessert is compact.

Place the dessert in the freezer to set for at least 10 minutes. I let mine set for a few hours before serving, and it firmed up nicely.

When ready to serve, invert the pan over a serving plate. Hold down the waxed paper and gently remove the pan. Peel off the waxed paper and drizzle the caramel sauce over the tian.

Tiramisù translates from Italian to mean [...]]]> The February 2010 Daring Bakers’ challenge was hosted by Aparna of My Diverse Kitchen and Deeba of Passionate About Baking. They chose Tiramisu as the challenge for the month. Their challenge recipe is based on recipes from The Washington Post, Cordon Bleu at Home and Baking Obsession.

Tiramisù translates from Italian to mean “pull me up” or “pick me up”. And it is certainly true to its name! Layers of spongy savoiardi (ladyfingers) dipped in sweetened espresso, separated by layers of rich custard. Definitely a heavenly dessert!

Just like the tiramisù itself, this challenge was multi-layered. Everything was made from scratch over a span of 2 days. Savoiardi, mascarpone, zabaglione, pastry cream, whipped cream, and finally tiramisù! It’s really not as much work as it sounds, and it all culminates in a wonderful and well-deserved treat!

The February 2010 Daring Bakers’ challenge was hosted by Aparna of My Diverse Kitchen and Deeba of Passionate About Baking. They chose Tiramisù as the challenge for the month. Their challenge recipe is based on recipes from The Washington Post, Le Cordon Bleu at Home and Baking Obsession.

I do love the classic coffee-chocolate tiramisù and I always like to try out the original recipe first, just to make sure I can replicate it. Then I let my imagination run wild! Since blood oranges are currently in season, I decided to make a blood orange variation.

The blood orange tiramisù shown above was chilled in the fridge overnight. It’s more custard-like in texture than the traditional flavored tiramisù below, which I chilled in the freezer overnight.

The first part of the challenge was to make our own mascarpone cheese, one of the ingredients in the final tiramisù. It took a long time for the cream to reach the desired temperature on the stove, so I was nervous about the results. When I placed the cream in the fridge to drain overnight, it became rock hard and only a few drops of liquid had drained. But after sitting at room temperature for a little while, it was soft enough to stir.

Mascarpone Cheese
Yield: about 1 1/2 cups

1 pint organic whipping cream
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

Bring 1 inch of water to boil in a small pot. Reduce the heat to medium so that the water is simmering. Place the cream in a metal bowl and place the bowl over the pot of simmering water. Heat the cream, gently stirring, until it reaches at least 180°. If you don’t have a thermometer, look for small bubbles pushing their way to the surface.

Add the lemon juice and continue to stir gently until the mixture curdles. The cream will become thick and you will see streaks of clear whey where the spoon moves through the cream. Remove the bowl from the water and let it cool for 20 minutes.

Line a sieve with four layers of dampened cheesecloth. Transfer the mixture into the sieve. Do not press or squeeze the mixture through the cheesecloth, just let it set there until completely cool. Then cover the entire thing with plastic wrap and place in the fridge overnight. The next day it will be wonderfully creamy!

The next part of the challenge was to make the savoiardi/ladyfinger biscuits. These biscuits get soaked in sweetened coffee or fruit juice to create a cake-like layer in the tiramisù.

Savoiardi/Ladyfinger biscuits
Yield: about 25 biscuits (depending on size)

3 eggs, separated
6 tablespoons granulated sugar
3/4 cup cake flour, sifted (or 3/4 cup all purpose flour + 2 tbsp corn starch)
6 tablespoons confectioner’s sugar

Preheat oven to 350°. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or spray with cooking spray.

Using an electric mixer, beat the egg whites until they form stiff peaks. Add the granulated sugar, gradually, continuing to beat until the egg whites become stiff, glossy, and smooth.

In a small bowl, beat the egg yolks lightly with a fork. Then gently fold them into the whipped egg whites, using a wooden spoon. Sprinkle the flour (and corn starch, if using) over this mixture, and fold it in gently, just until combined. If the batter is folded too much, it will deflate. Try to avoid this!

Using a plain circular pastry tip, or a ziploc bag with the corner snipped off, pipe the batter into strips 5″ long and 3/4″ wide. Leave about 1″ in between the strips on the baking sheet.

Sprinkle 3 tablespoons of the confectioner’s sugar over the piped batter and let sit for 5 minutes. Sprinkle the remaining sugar, then carefully tap the excess sugar off of the baking sheet. No need to get it all off, in my experience it doesn’t burn in the oven.

Bake for 10 minutes, then rotate the sheets and bake for an additional 5 minutes, or until the biscuits are golden brown and still soft. Place the baking sheets on a cooling rack for about 5 minutes, then remove the ladyfingers from the baking sheet and cool directly on the rack.

If making the biscuits ahead, store them in an airtight container until ready to use.

And now, the main event!

Tiramisù
Yield: 8 servings

Zabaglione:
2 egg yolks
3 tablespoons sugar
1/4 cup Marsala wine
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest

Vanilla pastry cream:
1/4 cup sugar
1 tablespoon all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 egg yolk
3/4 cup whole milk

Whipped cream:
1 cup chilled organic whipping cream
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

To assemble the tiramisù:
2 cups brewed espresso, warmed (I used double strength instant coffee)
1/2 cup sugar
1/3 cup mascarpone cheese
36 savoiardi/ladyfinger biscuits (depending on size and shape of your dish)
2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder

To make the zabaglione:
Heat water in a double boiler, or place a few inches of water in a pot to boil. Make sure you will be able to place a metal mixing bowl over the water without it touching the surface.

In a large metal bowl, whisk together the egg yolks, sugar, marsala, vanilla extract and lemon zest. Beat until the yolks are fully blended and the mixture looks smooth.

Place the bowl over the pot of simmering water, or pour the mixture into a double boiler. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly, for about 8 minutes or until it resembles thick custard. It may bubble a bit while it cooks.

Cool the mixture to room temperature and transfer it to a small bowl. Cover and place in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours, preferably overnight.

To make the pastry cream:
Combine the sugar, flour, lemon zest and vanilla extract in a medium heavy-bottomed saucepan. Add the egg yolk and half the milk, whisk until smooth.

Place the pan on the stove and cook on low heat, stirring constantly to prevent the mixture from curdling. Pour in the rest of the milk, a little bit at a time, still stirring constantly. Continue to cook the mixture until it becomes thick and begins to bubble, about 12 minutes. Ideally, it will have no lumps, but if it does you can just put it through a strainer.

Transfer the pastry cream to a bowl and let it cool to room temperature. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until thoroughly chilled, preferably overnight.

To make the whipped cream:
Place your empty mixer bowl and beater into the fridge for about 30 minutes before whipping the cream. Add the cream, sugar, and vanilla extract. Beat with a mixer until it holds stiff peaks. Set aside.

Now you’ve got all the pieces, and you’re ready to put it together!

To assemble the tiramisù:
In a small bowl, whisk together the warm coffee and sugar. Set aside to cool.

In a large bowl, beat the mascarpone cheese with a spoon until smooth. This will make it easier to fold. Add the chilled zabaglione and pastry cream, stirring just until combined. Gently fold in the whipped cream and set this mixture aside.

Get your serving dish ready. An 8″ square dish will work, but feel free to use any other size or shape you’d like.

Dip the ladyfingers into the coffee mixture for about 1 second per side. They will be moist but not soggy. Immediately place the lady finger into the serving dish. Repeat this process, placing the ladyfingers as close to each other as possible, until the bottom of the dish is covered by a single layer of ladyfingers. If necessary, break the ladyfingers to ensure that the dish is completely covered.

Spoon half of the cream mixture (or 1/3 of the mixture if you want three layers) on top of the ladyfingers. Carefully spread the cream over the ladyfingers and all the way to the edges of the dish. Dip another layer of ladyfingers, line them up, then cover with a layer of cream. Repeat this process for as many layers as you desire (or until you run out of ingredients!).

Cover the tiramisù with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight. The tiramisu will be more flavorful if it sits in the fridge for two or three days. It can also be frozen, which will facilitate neater slices.

Just before serving, garnish your tiramisu with cocoa powder sifted through a fine mesh strainer, or any other garnish of your choice.

For the blood orange variation:

Whisk together 1 cup warmed blood orange juice and 1/4 cup granulated sugar. Set this mixture aside to cool while you prepare the cream layer. Use this mixture to dip the ladyfingers, instead of the coffee mixture.

Make the zabaglione and pastry cream as above. Make the whipped cream, and then fold in 1/4 cup blood orange syrup (see recipe below) before mixing it with the zabaglione and pastry cream.

Blood Orange Syrup
Juice of 5 blood oranges
1/4 cup granulated sugar

Combine orange juice and sugar in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for about 5 minutes, or until syrup has reached desired consistency.

Assemble tiramisù according to the instructions above, garnishing with extra syrup and orange slices.