Baking Club Adventure: Whole Grain Bread

July 09, 2016 by Libby Harrison

Back in February, the baking club decided to go the more savory route with homemade whole grain bread for a little change of pace. After our first attempt at meeting was thwarted by the snowstorm of the season, we met in early February to try a bunch of different whole grain loaves along with some tasty flavored butters and jams.

Keep reading to see how it all turned out!

LIBBY - Seeded European Peasant Bread

I received a bread baking cookbook from a friend called The New Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day. All the recipes are based on the concept that all you need to do to make bread is make a large batch of a master recipe, store it in your fridge and then when you want bread, pull of a chunk, let it rise and bake! Essentially, it's just five minutes of work to assemble the dough and then it's letting the dough and oven do the rest!

3 cups lukewarm water (100 F or below)
1 tbsp of granulated yeast
1 - 1 1/2 tbsp kosher salt
1/2 cup rye flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
5 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup seed mix (use your favorite seeds, I used sesame, poppy, sunflower, amaranth & millet)
cornmeal and/or parchment paper to line cookie sheet

In a large bowl or lidded plastic container, mix the water, yeast and salt. Add in the remaining ingredients and stir until fully mixed (may need to use wet hands to add in all the flour). Cover the dough (not airtight) and let rest at room temperature until the dough rises and collapses (or flattens on the top), about 2 hours. From here, you can either bake your first batch or put the dough in the refrigerator until you're ready to bake.

When you're ready to bake, dust the surface of the dough in the container with some flour and take out about 1/4th of the dough. Coat it with some more flour and shape into a ball by stretching the surface of the dough around to the bottom on all sides and rotating the ball as you go. Place on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper and sprinkled with some cornmeal and allow to rest and rise for 40 minutes. While the dough is rising, preheat your oven to 450 degrees. Place a baking stone or baking sheet in the middle of the oven and let it heat for 20-30 minutes. Place an empty metal tray on the lowest shelf. When the dough has risen, sprinkle with flour and slash the top, about 1/2 inch deep. Transfer the dough to the baking stone/sheet in the oven and pour one cup of water into the metal tray on the bottom and quickly close the oven door. Bake for about 35 minutes or until golden brown and firm. Allow to cool on a rack before eating!

GINA - Easy Seed and Grain Loaf (via BBC) and Sesame & Flax Seed Oat Bread

Gina made two different seed loaves. One made with a mixed grain flour, poppy & sesame seeds and sweetened with a bit of honey. The other was made with a wider mix of seeds including black and white sesame, chia, pumpkin, flax and sunflower seeds and sweetened with maple syrup. Both were delicious and had great nutty flavor from the seeds.

TONYA - Classic 100% Wheat and Whole Wheat French Baguette

Tonya also made two different loaves - one using 100% white whole wheat flour, sweetened with honey and baked in a traditional loaf pan. The other was a whole wheat take on the French baguette. It was warm, crusty and the perfect vessel for some butter and jam!

KLARE - Classic 100% Wheat (via King Arthur Flour), Wheat Berry Bread & Whole Wheat Oatmeal Bread with Raisins

Klare was the winner in the most-loaves-of-bread-baked department! She made three loaves for us: a classic 100% wheat loaf, a wheat berry bread and a whole wheat oatmeal bread with raisins. All were delicious and I especially loved the red wheat berry bread for which she cooked the wheat berries the night before and then added them to the dough. They added a great chewiness to the bread. And the oatmeal bread had a delicate sweetness thanks to the raisins.

Baking Club Adventure: Cookie Exchange!

May 22, 2016 by Libby Harrison in desserts

I realize it's May and we're talking about Christmas cookies - but the way the weather is behaving, it might as well be December! (Christmas Eve was MUCH warmer than it is today!)

One of the things the members of the baking club told me when I first joined, was that they did an epic Christmas cookie exchange every December. Each member would make four dozen of four different kinds of cookies...that's 16 dozen cookies...per person!! Needless to say, I was excited and intrigued and started making my list of cookies I wanted to make last June (hey, it's never too early to think about Christmas!).

When December finally came, I took off a day of work just so I could focus on baking cookies - and it was a delightful vacation day, well spent. The day started with an 8:30am showing of the new Star Wars movie, a stop by one of my favorite Mediterranean restaurants for lunch to go, and then an afternoon in my kitchen with Christmas music playing in the background. Heaven.

Keep reading for all of our cookies and some recipes!

LIBBY - Spritz Cookies, Pecan Pie Bars, Rosemary-Lemon Shortbread, Italian Seed Cookies & Cheddar Cheese Wafers

In the end, I made 5 different kinds of cookies - a mix of classics that I used to make with my Mom and some new ones. I even included a savory "cookie" for variety. Here are some of the recipes I made:

PECAN PIE BARS

I love pecans but am generally not the biggest fan of pecan pie. The ratio of crust to pecans to sweet, gooey filling is all off for me. There ends up being way too much of the gooey stuff and I can really only take a bite or two before it's too much. But these bars are a game-changer. A thick, slightly sweet crust is the base for the perfect blend of filling and pecans. There's just the right amount of each component - and I dare you to eat just one!

Crust:

3 cups flour
1/2 cup sugar
1 cup butter or margarine
1/2 tsp. salt

Filling:

4 eggs, slightly beaten
1 1/2 cups Karo light corn syrup
1 1/2 cups sugar
3 Tbsp butter or margarine
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
2 1/2 cups pecans, toasted and chopped

Grease bottom and sides of a 10x15x1 inch baking pan (a half sheet or jelly roll pan will also work fine).

Prepare crust: In large bowl with mixer at medium speed, beat flour, sugar, butter and salt until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Press firmly and evenly into the pan. Bake in 350 oven for 20 minutes.

While crust is baking, prepare filling: In large bowl, stir eggs, corn syrup, sugar, butter and vanilla until blended. Stir in pecans. Spread evenly over hot crust. Return to 350 oven and bake for 25 minutes or until set.

Cool completely before cutting.

ROSEMARY-LEMON SHORTBREAD

These cookies are a variation on a shortbread recipe my mom received from a friend back when we were living in Germany in the 1980s. It called for rice flour before that ever became a common ingredient you easily find in the regular grocery store. We often would replace the rice flour for another cup of regular flour - which never affected how quickly they were eaten! Since the shortbread is cut into 1" squares - it makes for a lot of cookies (up to 16 dozen) - and perfect for a cookie exchange or to give as gifts!

1 pound (4 sticks) butter, softened
1 cup sugar
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup rice flour
3 Tbsp fresh rosemary, chopped
1 Tbsp fresh lemon rind
Sanding sugars (optional)

In the bowl of a mixer, cream butter and add sugar. Slowly add in flours and then the rosemary and lemon rind. Pat in a half sheet or jelly roll pan. Pre-cut the shortbread into 1" squares and prick each square with the tines of a fork. Bake at 325 for 40-50 minutes until light golden brown. Sprinkle with sugars (I either use clear sparkling sugars or seasonal red & green sanding sugars.) While still warm, re-cut and prick the squares.

Variations: Instead of rosemary & lemon add: 2 tsp cinnamon or 1 cup mini chocolate chips or 1 cup roasted pistachios, finely chopped.

CHEDDAR CHEESE WAFERS

Cheese wafers are a classic Southern staple, especially at the holidays. Whenever I'd travel to Louisiana to visit family, I could always anticipate finding a plate of these at any one of my relative's homes. It wasn't until my Mom moved to Tennessee that she discovered this variation on the cheese wafer, with the unexpected-but-delightful ingredient of...Rice Krispies!

2 sticks butter or margarine
2 cups sharp cheddar cheese, shredded (best if you hand-shred from a block)
2 cups flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
2 cups Rice Krispies

In the bowl of a mixer, cream the butter and cheddar cheese. Add flour, salt and cayenne and mix well. Add in Rice Krispies and gently stir in until fully incorporated. Shape the dough into small balls (about 1 tsp) and place on an ungreased cookie sheet. Flatten each ball with a fork and bake at 350 for about 15 minutes. These don't get brown - so be careful not to overbake.

GINA - Caramel Oat Lace Cookies, Hazelnut Kisses, Dulce de Lece Macaroons, Crunchy Almond Cookies & Triple Chocolate Drops (clockwise from top)

Caramel Oat Lace Cookies - via The Washington Post

These are a lovely cross between candy and a cookie, with hints of citrus and cardamom. They look so fancy and elegant and would make for a perfect after-dinner treat, served with coffee or tea.

Hazelnut Kisses (Baci di Dama) - via The Washington Post

OMG - these were pretty much my favorite cookies of the whole bunch. What's not to love with hazelnut shortbread cookies filled with homemade nutella? While I gave away most of my cookie haul as gifts, I kept all of these for myself (sorry, not sorry!).

Dulce de Leche Macaroons - via The Washington Post

If you love the flavors of coconut and caramel - these cookies are for you! They are an easy 5-ingredient cookie that come together in one bowl - and can be made in advance.

Crunchy Almond Cookies - via The Washington Post

These French cookies are dairy free and just four simple ingredients. As a lover of anything almond flavored - these cookies weren't almond-y enough for me. I would add a bit of almond extract to amp up the almond-ness of these cookies.

Triple Chocolate Drops - via The New York Times

These cookies have it all: looks, taste and chocolate! And not just one kind of chocolate...three! (technically four, if you count the semi-sweet chocolate shavings on top). The white chocolate glaze is really the shining star in this cookie - the smooth, creaminess of the glaze is the perfect pairing for a rich chocolate cookie base.

KLARE - Bullseye Chocolate Mint Cookies, Chocolate Raspberry Pinwheels, Ribbon Cookie & Orange Coconut Cookie (clockwise from top)

Klare got very creative in the kitchen with her cookies - making little tweaks here and there to make these cookies her own. She also figure out how to be the most efficient with shaping and baking her cookies...all of these are slice and bake cookies. It's amazing how different they all look - round logs, square logs, spirals and layers. They're quite pretty and the flavors of each one are unique and so delicious. The bullseye peppermint cookies taste like there's a peppermint patty hidden in the middle!

TONYA - Salted Dulce de Leche Thumbprints, Sicilian Almond Cookies, Chocolate Caramel Chews & Fruitcake Cookies (clockwise from top)

Salted Dulce de Leche Thumbprint Cookies - via Baked by an Introvert

These are just delicious...and dangerous! It's much too easy to knock out four or five of these little one-bite cookies in the blink of an eye! The soft and tender shortbread cookie and the pool of ducle de leche with the sharpness of sea salt all make for a winning combination.

Sicilian Almond Cookies - via The Washington Post

Another call for almond lovers - these almond and cinnamon cookies get an extra dose of cinnamon when they're rolled in a cinnamon & sugar mixture right before baking.

Chocolate Caramel Chews - via Rose Levy Beranbaum

These cookie bars have some of my favorite things layered one on top of another: crust, caramel, chocolate and nuts. And they play together nicely in this cookie playground. In a sea of round cookies, these triangle treats will surely stand out on any cookie platter!

Fruitcake Cookies - via Ina Garten

I think in the world of fruitcake, you're either a lover or a hater. I happen to fall in the latter camp - but my Mom LOVES her some fruitcake - so she was very excited to try these. These cookies do require some advance planning - first you have to make your candied fruit mixture and let it sit overnight before you prepare the cookie.

So when the day was done, we sampled 18 different kinds of cookies. I loved the diversity of flavors, ingredients and techniques but most of all enjoyed sharing this time with my fellow bakers. So which ones are you going to put on your Christmas baking list for this year? It's never too early to start planning...after all, Christmas is just 216 days away!!

Baking Club Adventure: Gingerbread

March 19, 2016 by Libby Harrison in desserts

So, I realized it's March - and gingerbread is not exactly something you think about when it's springtime, but hey, I like to be unconventional every once in a while! As I think back on our November baking club meeting - I think this was one of my favorite ones so far. I had a lot of fun making my recipe (a gingerbread roll) and had even more fun tasting everyone else's creations! They were so varied and the sweet and spicy flavor of ginger came through in different and unique ways. See below for all the pictures!

LIBBY - Gingerbread Roll Cake (via Roxana's Home Baking)

KLARE - Gingerbread Cinnamon Roll with Eggnog Glaze

At first Klare had me at cinnamon roll - then she dropped the eggnog bomb - and I was drooling. I think these were some of the best cinnamon rolls I have ever had - and the gingerbread flavor really brought them to another level. I ate an entire cinnamon roll during baking club - and felt lucky enough to take another one home with me for breakfast the next day. Talk about O-YUM-G!

Gingerbread Cinnamon Rolls with Eggnog Glaze

TONYA - Chocolate Gingerbread Loaf and Gingerbread Cake with Lemon Frosting

Tonya hosted us in her newly updated kitchen and was so excited to have a working kitchen again - she made two recipes! The first was a wonderfully moist and dense chocolate gingerbread loaf. The flavors were pretty much equally chocolate and gingerbread and all around delicious! Her other dish was a tender gingerbread cake with lemon frosting. The ginger and lemon flavors really go well together. I can see this cake as a great contribution to a potluck luncheon.

GINA - Gingerbread Pear Upside Down Cake & Gingerbread Muffins with Lemon Glaze

Gina brought a show-stopping gingerbread pear upside down cake - it was so beautiful and delicious, too! There were a lot of flavor combinations I wouldn't have thought of but the spiciness of gingerbread was a perfect complement to the delicate and sweet flavor of the pears (and brown sugar and butter mixture didn't hurt either!). Gina's other dish were some gingerbread muffins with a lemon glaze. They were tasty and perfect for packing in your lunch on a cold winter's day (or really, any day).

Baking Club Adventure: Bread Pudding!

January 08, 2016 by Libby Harrison in desserts

At our September meeting, the subject of bread pudding came up since the pudding cake I chose to make for the September theme, was more like a bread pudding than a lava/pudding cake. Tonya mentioned that she had never had bread pudding before - and so the rest of us decided that our next theme had to be bread pudding - so that she could finally have a taste of one of my most favorite desserts! I can pretty much always be convinced to get dessert when eating out at restaurant, if bread pudding is on the menu. It's such a delicious comfort food and a great way to use up any kind of bread you have left over.

I've made bread pudding with French bread, challah, Irish soda bread...even Krispy Kremes! So if you ever have any leftover bread - don't throw it away - just put it into your freezer and pull it out for the next time you want to serve a crowd - for either dessert or brunch! Bread pudding makes for an excellent breakfast! (Think of it as a fancy baked french toast.) So when you've got enough bread on hand, all you need is some milk or cream, eggs and vanilla to whip up a delicious batch of bread pudding! There's even a simple ratio to keep in mind when putting together the egg custard in which the bread cubes are soaked: two parts milk to one part egg, plus sugar, vanilla and salt. So for a regular 1-lb loaf of bread, you'll need 2 cups of milk, 4 eggs, 1/2 cup of sugar, 1 tsp vanilla and 1/4 tsp of salt. From there, the variations are endless - you can add additional ingredients like nuts, chocolate or fresh or dried fruit!

Note: Regarding the ratio above, remember that you have to use the same units of measure for your ingredients. Two cups of milk to one egg is not the proper ratio (an egg isn't an equal unit of measure for milk). Instead, you'd have to measure your eggs by weight or volume to get the proper ratio. For standard large eggs, 1 egg = 2 ounces. So for this ratio, 2 cups of milk (16oz) and 4 eggs (8oz) fits the 2:1 ratio.

The Baking Club had a wide range of breads and flavors added to our bread puddings - some came with sauces, some were served plain. All were delicious!

LIBBY: Apple and Maple Bread Pudding (via Bon Appetit)

I had just returned from vacation in Montreal & Quebec - so had maple on the mind when I picked this recipe. Maple can be an overwhelming flavor - but I liked how it wasn't overpowering in this dish. I decided to pair this bread pudding with a classic creme anglaise - a cooked custard sauce that is so delicious, I could (and would) just eat it with a spoon! I chose to use Julia Child's recipe - and it produced a deliciously smooth and creamy sauce that is perfectly mopped up with a bite of this bread pudding.

GINA: Classic Bread Pudding (via Cooks Illustrated) and Milk Chocolate Croissant Bread Pudding (via Food & Wine)

Gina made two different variations on the bread pudding theme. The first was a classic bread pudding with good quality challah and a simple, but rich, egg custard. With no additional flavors or ingredients - this recipe lets the simple flavors of the pudding shine. What was unique about this recipe, is that you reserve some of your toasted bread cubes and sprinkle them on top of the soaked pieces, and brush them with melted butter. This helps crisp up those pieces, so you get a nice contrast in texture. So so good. This was one of my favorites and a recipe I'll definitely make on my own!

Her other recipe used croissants (yum!) and chocolate (more yum!). The egg custard is mixed with melted chocolate to make a chocolate custard and then additional chocolate pieces are mixed in along with the croissant cubes. We all liked it, but felt that the custard itself didn't taste chocolatey enough. I think you could try melting the full amount of chocolate in the recipe and add to the custard and then still add the called-for-amount of chocolate. Or, you could also omit the melted chocolate from the custard and just let the chocolate pieces be the sole source of your chocolate flavors.

KLARE: Pecan and Butterscotch Bread Pudding (via Bon Appetit)

Last, but definitely not least, Klare made a pecan and butterscotch bread pudding. The original recipe calls for bourbon in the butterscotch sauce, but she omitted it, as none of us in the club are big fans of liquor in our desserts (call us crazy). For the bread, Klare used Parkerhouse rolls from a local bakery, since that's what she had on hand - and they worked perfectly in this recipe. As far as bread puddings go, this is a pretty standard recipe - but what makes this stand out are the addition of pecans (my favorite nut) and a delicious butterscotch caramel sauce. Perfection!

Baking Club Adventure: Lava & Pudding Cakes

December 30, 2015 by Libby Harrison in desserts

In September, the Baking Club tackled Lava & Pudding cakes, after being inspired by the mug cakes that have become so popular on Pinterest. I got hooked on the simplest chocolate mug cake recipe (just powdered sugar, cocoa powder and an egg!) - and may have made it almost every night for a few weeks, even serving it for dessert for guests who stopped by! All of us in the baking club had different interpretations and results from the recipes we chose - but we all agreed - they're best served immediately from the oven, while the lava or pudding filling is still gooey and oozy.

KLARE: Chocolate Lava Cake (via Huffington Post) & Lemon Pudding Cake (via Back in the Day Bakery Cookbook)

Klare brought two dishes to our meeting: a chocolate lava cake and a lemon pudding cake. The chocolate lava cakes are made in small ramekins and slightly underbaked, so that when you serve them right out of the oven, they'll spill out some ooey gooey chocolatey-ness! The lemon pudding cake was made in a larger baking dish (though, you could make it in individual ramekins) and is sort of a magic cake - you pour in the batter and during the baking process, a gooey pudding layer is created on the bottom of the cake. When you scoop into the dish, you reveal the pudding layer underneath!

GINA: Raspberry Chocolate Lava Cake & White Chocolate Lemon Lava Cake

Gina also brought two dishes to the meeting: a raspberry lava cake - where the raspberry jam was mixed into the batter - so every bite had a fruity, chocolatey taste; and a white chocolate lemon lava cake - the white chocolate was subtle, but the lemon shined through nicely.

LIBBY: Apple Pudding Cake with Cinnamon Butter Sauce (via Betty Crocker)

In my search for a recipe, I came across this apple pudding cake - and with it being the fall, a spiced apple cake sounded delicious. Wasn't sure how pudding-y it was going to be, though, but decided to go with it any way. Well, the cake didn't exactly have a lava or pudding element to it (it had more of a bread pudding consistency) - but what it did have was a delicious caramel sauce that was poured over the top. And Oh. Yum. G. This sauce is crazy good. If I never make this cake again (and I would), at least I got the caramel sauce recipe out of the deal!

BONUS: Chocolate Lava Mug Cake

And as a bonus - here is the chocolate lava mug cake that I've made so many times (and will definitely make much more in the future!) Chances are you already have all the ingredients in your pantry!

In a mug, mix 1/4 cup powdered sugar, 2 Tbsp cocoa powder, 1 pinch of salt, splash of vanilla and one egg. Mix thoroughly until fully combined. Optional: add a tablespoon of cold hot fudge (from a jar) or a tablespoon of peanut butter - let sink to the bottom - but don't stir - this is how you'll get the "lava" on the bottom! Cook in the microwave for 1 minute. The cake will rise above the rim of the mug - but don't worry, it won't over flow. When done, invert the cake into a small bowl or plate, letting the gooey lava of the fudge or peanut butter flow over the cake. Serve with whipped cream and/or ice cream, if desired.

Baking Club Adventure: Yeasted Cakes

October 18, 2015 by Libby Harrison in desserts

For our August Baking Club meeting - it was my turn to host and to select our theme. I chose yeasted cakes after first hearing about them on The Great British Baking Show last season on PBS. If you haven't checked out this show, I highly recommend it. It's currently in its newest season on Sunday nights - and is so much fun to watch and learn! With a more European bent to the types of desserts featured, I've been learning about new kinds of sweets and treats that have me wanting to run to the kitchen to start baking!

So, on one episode last season, one of the baking challenges was for yeasted cakes. I was really intrigued by the concept and the history. Before sponge cakes (which uses eggs) and chemical leaveners (like baking powder), the oldest method for making a cake rise was to use yeast. When I learned that, I thought "of course!", that makes perfect sense! So I was eager to go old-school.

I think we all had fun trying this theme - though most of us had issues with our yeast rising in the expected time frames. Not sure if was the humid, summer air, but it took a lot longer for our cakes to rise - and then once they did, we had a hard time getting them to stop!

LIBBY: Orange Savarin with Cinnamon Cream (via BBC)

For my recipe, I chose one that was featured on The Great British Baking Show. It's an orange flavored savarin - a type of yeasted cake that is baked in a ring shape and soaked in a liqueur flavored syrup. What appealed to me about this recipe, was the prominent orange citrus flavor and the accompanying cinnamon whipped cream. For the most part, following the recipe worked well, though I had some trouble with getting my batter to rise and then once it did, from rising too fast! But it baked up well and after cooling, the cake absorbed a stunning 2 cups of syrup! While the cake was delicious and didn't taste too "yeasty" - I probably won't make another yeasted cake again. When I want cake, I'll make a cake; when I want bread, I'll make some bread - this savarin fell a little too in the middle for me.

GINA: St. Louis Gooey Butter Cake (via Smitten Kitchn)

Gina brought a scrumptious gooey butter cake, built on the base of a yeasted cake. I had seen this recipe before and was so glad that Gina made it for baking club! This cake is comprised of two layers: a yeasted cake topped with a sweet, buttery mixture that bakes up into a toasty, chewy, gooey topping. I could have just filled up on that topping alone - so good!

TONYA: Yeasted Sugar Cake (via Epicurious)

Tonya brought a simple but flavorful yeasted sugar cake - it reminded us of the flavor of a donut. I think you could probably spread a powdered sugar glaze all over and it would taste like a giant Krispy Kreme! This cake is light and is a nice companion to coffee or tea.

KLARE: Yeasted Plum Tart (via David Lebovitz) and Yeasted Chocolate Coffee Cake (via Pastry Affair)

Klare brought with her two takes on the yeasted cake. The first was a yeasted plum tart. Klare, too, had issues with the yeast and ended up using the base of Tonya's yeasted sugar cake after the base in the original recipe didn't quite turn out the results she wanted. She then followed the recipe, adding the fresh plums and streusel topping. I'm always a fan of anything with streusel, and this was so delicious! If you didn't want to make a yeasted cake base - you could use this plum & streusel combo with your favorite cobbler recipe.

Klare's second recipe, a yeasted chocolate coffee cake, was an example of the more bread end of the yeasted cake spectrum. Yeasted cakes have a very close resemblance to soft, yeast breads like babka or stollen - and this coffee cake definitely fit the bill. Klare used a nice dark chocolate in this coffee cake, which stood out nicely against the soft, slightly sweet bread.

Baking Club Adventure: Cherries!

August 23, 2015 by Libby Harrison

For our July baking club meeting, our theme was cherries! We planned it to coincide with the peak of cherry picking so we could all use freshly picked cherries in our recipes. Cherry picking is a lot of fun. When the fruit is perfectly ripe, they just come off the tree so easily and before you know it, you have a giant bucket of cherries! And that's when these recipes come in handy!

But before you can use all those cherries, you've got to pit them, and that can be, well, the pits. But don't worry...you don't need a fancy cherry pitter. Among the many household items you can use: a chopstick, a bobby pin, a pastry tip, even a paper clip. My preference is to use a plastic drinking straw and an empty wine bottle. With a cherry placed on the mouth of the wine bottle, simply push the straw through the top of the cherry and let the pit fall into the bottle. Once you get into a rhythm, you'll have those cherries pitted in no time!

So at our meeting, Karen had some leftover cherries and the makings for a cherry almond dutch baby. So before getting into our tastings, she suggested we make this recipe together. It was so much fun having a group project and this recipe was a quick and easy one to do. A dutch baby is a large pancake-like treat made in a cast iron dutch oven. So once we had all our equipment and ingredients ready, we started with cooking the cherries in melted butter.

Then we poured the batter on top of the cherries and transferred the whole pan to the oven to bake.

After about 25 minutes, the dutch baby was looking golden and rumpled (a good sign!) so we took it out of the oven and squeezed some lemon juice and sprinkled toasted almonds and powdered sugar on top before serving. It's an easy and impressive looking treat - perfect for a weekend brunch.

One the dutch baby was done, we were ready to begin our tastings! Read on for everything that was on our menu!

LIBBY: Cherry Upside Down Cake with Almond Whipped Cream (via Love Bakes Good Cakes)

I went back and forth on what to make for this month's theme. I pinned a lot of different ideas to my OYUMG board but kept coming back to this recipe because I just can't say no to an upside down cake! I've long made upside down cakes using an old Better Homes & Garden recipe. ButI liked the twist of this recipe with using cherries and the addition of the almond whipped cream. This cake base may very well become my new go-to for future upside down cakes. It had great flavor and baked up really nicely. The original recipe called for a 10-inch round cake pan but since I didn't have one of those, I used a 10-inch tart pan instead. It added a lovely decorative fluted edge to the cake - but if you use a tart pan, I recommend placing on top of a foil-lined baking sheet to catch any overflow (tart pans aren't particularly air tight on the bottom). Not pictured, but no less impressive, the almond whipped cream is so freakin' good and I certainly piled a huge dollop on top of my piece of cake! There's something just so intoxicating about almond extract and I will pretty much eat anything that calls for it as an ingredient.

KAREN: Sour Cherry Slab Pie (via SmittenKitchen) and Cherry Brown Butter Bars (via SmittenKitchen)

In addition to the ingredients for the dutch baby, Karen brought two cherry treats: a slab pie made with sour cherries and brown butter bars made with sweet cherries. The slab pie was so delicious and a great way to serve pie for a crowd. The crust was flaky and tender and just the right amount in proportion to the filling. It also cut up beautifully into squares - very easy to serve! The sweet cherry bars were also delicious with the hint of brown butter flavor coming through. These bars are also an easy way to use up some leftover sweet cherries and bring to a picnic or potluck. Adding some chocolate chunks could also be a fun way to jazz it up. This is also a versatile recipe and any seasonal fruit can be substituted for the cherries.

TONYA: Cherry-Vanilla Bean Ice Cream with Cherry Sauce (via Epicurious)

Next up was a cool refreshing treat. Tonya brought us each our own individual container of ice cream and little containers of cherry sauce on the side. It was so much fun to have a taste of the ice cream at baking club and still have extras to take home and enjoy later! The ice cream was so smooth and creamy and the tart cherries were the perfect contrast. The cherry sauce was a great concentration of cherry flavor and made you forget any other ice cream topping ever existed. This is definitely going into my ice cream recipe folder!

KLARE: Cherry Coconut Bars

Klare came to baking club with a dessert of her own creation! Her bars were scrumptious and made with a crumbly crust of which half is pressed in a pan and pre-baked. Then a simple cherry filling was mixed and poured over the baked crust and the rest of the crust crumbled over the top. The nuttiness of the slightly sweet crust was a perfect complement to the tart cherries.

Crust

1 1/4 cup butter, softened
1 cup brown sugar
3/4 tsp almond extract
1 1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup almond flour
1 1/2 cup oats
1/2 cup toasted almonds, slivered or sliced
1 cup toasted coconut

Filling

4-5 cups sour cherries, with some juice
1/4 cup flour
1/2 tsp almond extract
1 cup sugar

Mix the butter until soft, add brown sugar and mix well. Add almond extract. Add flours and mix lightly. Stir in oats, almonds and coconuts. Reserve about 1 1/2 cups of crust and press the remaining into a 9x13 pan.

Bake in a 350 oven about 20-25 minutes until firm and browned but not completely baked.

Mix 4-5 cups of sour cherries with some of the juice, the flour, almond extract and sugar. Pour on top of the pre-baked crust. Crumble and scatter the rest of the crust on top of the cherries. Bake about 25-35 minutes until it is bubbly and brown.

GINA: Mini Cherry Pie Trio (via Cooks Illustrated and Martha Stewart)

Last, but certainly not least, we had the most adorable trio of mini cherry pies. Gina had these cute little square ramekins and used the same crust and pie filling in all of them but topped each one a little differently. One was completely covered in crust, another had a lattice top and the third had a tasty crumb topping. All tasted like a classic cherry pie - tart filling, flaky crust and just all around deliciousness!

Baking Club Adventure: Berries!

July 04, 2015 by Libby Harrison in desserts

For our June baking club meeting, our theme was berries! We could make anything we wanted that involved berries. We originally got on the topic of berries because 1) we knew that we'd be in prime berry season, particularly strawberries and 2) we had been talking about the beautiful fruit tarts you'd see in bakery shop windows. A few days after our last meeting, I came across a blog post at King Arthur on how to make an easy glaze for a fruit tart - it was a sign! I decided that this is what I would make for baking club.

We met at Karen's house on one of the hottest, stickiest days yet, this summer, but iced lemon water and a variety of fresh berry desserts kept us cool. Our interpretations on the theme were quite varied: we had tarts, tortes, pavlovas and gelees!

Read on for recipes and photos from each member!

LIBBY: Cheesecake Fruit Tart with Macadamia Nut Crust

I had just returned from vacation in Hawaii the day before our baking club meeting - and was feeling inspired by all the delicious macadamia nuts I ate while on my trip. I brought back a bag of honey roasted macadamia nuts - and knew that I needed to make a crust with them! I combined the mac nut crust with an easy cheesecake filling and even easier fruit glaze tip from King Arthur Flour. The result was a crunchy nutty crust, creamy filling and refreshing fruit topping. Very easy to put together and provides show-stopping results!

Crust:

3/4 cup macadamia nuts, toasted
1 1/2 cup flour
1/4 cup sugar
1 stick butter, chilled
2 egg yolks

In a food processor, pulse macadamia nuts, flour, sugar and butter until resembles coarse crumbs. Add egg yolks just until mixture comes together, but is still crumbly. Press into bottom and up sides of 11 inch tart pan. Bake in a 375 oven for 20 minutes. Set aside to cool.

Follow easy cheesecake filling and easy fruit glaze steps at the links to finish up this tasty treat!

KAREN: Berry Blitz Torte (via King Arthur Flour)

This was a delightful treat filled with two of my favorite things: strawberries and almonds. The cakes use egg yolks and a thin layer is poured into the bottom of two cake pans. The whites from the eggs are then whipped into a meringue and spread over the batter. Sprinkle almonds, cinnamon and sugar over the meringue and bake the whole thing in the oven. Then it's a matter of adding pastry cream (to which Karen added almond extract and vanilla bean) and strawberries between the two cake layers. You can make each element of the dessert ahead of time - but you'll want to serve immediately after assembly. I love how the almond topped meringue makes for its own beautiful decoration - don't you?

TONYA: Pavlova with Balsamic Strawberries (via Smitten Kitchen & Nigella Lawson)

I've never had or made pavlova before - and I think this was a great recipe to have been my first! The pavlova was light and fluffy and cut beautifully. Served with fresh whipped cream and balsamic strawberries - it is the perfect, light summer treat. Tonya found her pavlova recipe from Smitten Kitchen and the balsamic strawberries from Nigella Lawson. Another great thing about pavlovas - they sound and look fancy to make - but according to Tonya, are very easy to put together - and gluten free!

GINA: Classic Fresh Fruit Tart with Pastry Cream (via Cook's Illustrated)

Gina's recipe is a classic strawberry tart filled with a delicious pastry cream from the experts at Cook's Illustrated. The base is a not-too-sweet cookie crust, a creamy pastry cream filling and heaping pile of fresh strawberries with a glossy glaze on top. Can't go wrong with a classic!

KLARE: Lemon Balm and Blueberry Gelee (via Epicurious) and Berry Gelees (via Canadian Living)

Klare broke the strawberry trend and came with a refreshing boozy blueberry gelee with fresh lemon balm from her garden! The original recipe called for lemon verbena - but she swapped it out with the lemon balm she had growing in her backyard. And did I mention that it was boozy? Yup - there are 2 cups of wine in this recipe (though the alcohol gets cooked off). But the wine flavor beautifully complements the fresh blueberry and lemony flavors. Consider this a grown-up Jell-O jiggler!

Klare also brought a second recipe of a mixed berry gelee from Canadian Living. This was a little sweeter and more candy-like. A tasty cross between Jell-O and gum drop. I forgot to take a picture of this one - but you can see a good picture via the link.

My First Baking Club Adventure: Crumb Cake!

May 31, 2015 by Libby Harrison

A few months ago, I attended a friend's neighborhood book club and met a woman, Klare, who was looking for someone new to join the baking club she was a member of. A Baking Club. I mean, is there ever a more perfect group for me to join? I immediately gave her my contact information and not long after, received an "initiation" email inviting me "to prepare [my] top five recipes for [them] to determine if [I] meet [their] standards" and that I should "select recipes with the idea to 'wow' and 'impress' [them] but also to demonstrate [my] breadth of talent, skill and artisanship." Of course, this was all in jest- but I was definitely ready and willing to meet their demands!

So last month, I attended my first Baking Club meeting. The theme was crumb cake and we all found different recipes that represented the theme. It was so much fun talking about and (more importantly) eating crumb cake and to see the nuances of the different recipes. Some were butter based, others shortening based. Some called for cake flour; others all-purpose. Some had sour cream added for flavor and some had fruit added. What they all had in common was that they were OYUMG delicious!!

Read on for recipes and photos from each member!

LIBBY: Sour Cream Coffee Cake

This recipe was originally given to me by an old boss of mine. It is a really easy and super yummy coffee cake - the cake batter alone is a treat in and of itself. (Seriously, I could just keep licking the spatula until there was no batter left!). It also features a delicate brown sugar and toasted pecan topping that adds just the right amount of crunch and nuttiness. I deviated slightly from the theme of crumb cake for this coffee cake, as I had just made the crumb cake Tonya made for our meeting the week prior. But it was fun to compare and contrast our baking experiences and the results from us making the same recipe.

2 sticks butter, melted
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 eggs, beaten
1 cup sour cream
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 cup flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
1 cup pecans, toasted & chopped
2 Tbsp dark brown sugar
2 tsp ground cinnamon

Combine melted butter, sugar, eggs, sour cream and vanilla in a large bowl; mix well.
Stir dry ingredients into butter/sugar mixture until just combined.
In a separate bowl, combine pecans, sugar and cinnamon and toss to mix well.
Pour half of batter into a lightly greased 9x13 pan. Sprinkle half of nut mixture. Cover with remaining batter and sprinkle with remaining nut mixture. (Optional: Add 1-1 1/2 cups tart berries/fruit before adding the remaining batter and nut mixture.)
Bake until golden on top and firm, about 30 minutes. Do not overbake. Cool on a rack for 10 minutes. Serve warm.

KAREN: Big Crumb Coffee Cake (via Smitten Kitchen)

This cake is butter based with sour cream and uses cake flour. The crumb called for cinnamon as well as ginger. The original recipe also called for a rhubarb filling - but Karen opted for some fresh blueberries instead. I think it was a winning substitution! The cake was moist and tender and was balanced by a hefty amount of crumb on top.

KLARE: New Jersey Crumb Coffee Cake (via Erren's Kitchen)

This is another butter based cake but also includes buttermilk. Klare made a slight modification and added cinnamon to the batter as well as to the crumb. The results were a dark, caramelized-like crumb topping - with a deep, browned-buttery flavor.

TONYA: Buddy Valastro's Crumb Cake (via Rachael Ray)

This is the recipe that both Tonya and I had made - so it was fun to talk about the process and results for the same recipe. This recipe makes for a really thick cake and crumb. It also differs from the other recipes in that the sponge cake is oil based and the crumb is shortening based. Not a stick of butter to be found in this recipe. And for my taste, it was noticeable. I would have preferred, particularly in the cake, to have a butter base, as it would have added a much deeper level of flavor. But overall, I did like the balance of cake to crumb and how tall the cake itself is (almost 3 inches high!).

GINA: New York-Style Crumb Cake (via Food.com)

Gina's recipe, similar to Klare's, calls for butter and buttermilk in the batter. The cake in this recipe was very tender and the perfect compliment to the crunchy, buttery crumb topping. Definitely a classic crumb cake - and one that I look forward to making in the future.