Relay for Life

A few weeks ago I participated in Relay for Life. My sister started a team 5 years ago when our grandmother was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, and our family and friends have been participating ever since. It always amazes me how many people are willing to donate their time and money to the event - it shows how many people have been impacted in some way by cancer and want to do what they can to find a cure.

Since this year's theme was birthdays, I decided to make cut out cookies shaped like birthday cakes and birthday presents. I didn't want sugar cookies so I tried making chocolate chip ones using the recipe from the Toll House chocolate chips bag. Unfortunately, they turned into big blobs so I tried using decorating icing to show the shapes. I've made cut outs with chocolate chip cookies before and they worked, so I'm guessing you need a recipe that's more of a sugar cookie base with the chocolate chips added.

I also made some ribbon cut out cookies, using a sugar cookie recipe and royal icing to decorate. For the royal icing, I bought Wilton's meringue powder and used the recipe included, but added a little bit of vanilla extract for flavor.

Vanilla Almond Sugar Cookies

(from Bake at 350)

3c unbleached all-purpose flour

2tsp baking powder

1c sugar

1c butter

1 egg

1/2tsp vanilla extract

1/2tsp almond extract

Preheat oven to 350. Combine flour and baking powder then set aside. Cream the sugar and butter, then ass the egg and extracts. Gradually add the flour mixture and beat until just combined. Roll on a (heavily) floured surface and cut into shapes. Bake for 10-12 minutes.

With the royal icing, pipe the outline of the cookies. For the icing filling, thin the icing with water, 1T at a time, until it reaches the consistency of syrup. See tips here.

I chose to color mine purple since it's the color of the ribbon for pancreatic cancer and also the color of Relay for Life. I used a purple gel food coloring. Since the icing is initially white, you can divide it and color it however you like. Once the filling is added, let sit overnight or until completely dry.

And now the finished product - royal icing is hard to work with!

Strawberry Cake

Anyone know where to buy vanilla bean paste? This recipe called for it and I looked everywhere but nobody knew what I was talking about. It turned out to be an okay cake even without it, but was a little bit too dense and the frosting was too sweet for my taste.

Super Strawberry Cake

Cake

3 cups cake flour

1.5tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

2c sugar

1c butter, softened

3 large eggs

1 tbsp vanilla bean paste (I used vanilla extract)

1/4 tsp almond extract

1c buttermilk

1/2c sliced strawberries

Preheat oven to 350. Sift together cake flour, baking powder, and salt. In another bowl, beat together sugar and butter until creamy and fluffy. Beat in eggs, one at a time, then beat in vanilla and almond extracts. Add flour mixture, alternating with buttermilk. Fold sliced strawberries into batter. Divide batter between 2 8-inch round cake pans. Bake for about 35 minutes.

Frosting

1/2c butter, softened

1tbsp vanilla extract

1/8 tsp salt

4c powdered sugar

3-5 tbsp milk

1/2c sliced strawberries

Beat butter, vanilla extract, and salt until creamy. Add powdered sugar in 3 parts, alternating with 3 tbsp milk, one tbsp at a time. Fold in strawberries. If frosting is too stiff, beat in remaining milk.

a little behind...

Well clearly I have a bit of updating to do. Not to worry - the baking has continued even though the posts have not.

Starting with something sweet...Molten Chocolate cakes.

I can't for the life of me remember where I found this recipe but hopefully I'll figure it out soon. The tops didn't look like they were getting cooked at all so I ended up leaving them in the oven a little too long and the "molten" part was non-existent when I finally took them out.

Lesson Learned:

A little ice cream and drizzled melted chocolate can fix any mistake.

And since I didn't have a recipe for that...

Light Whole Wheat Bread

Adapted From Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes a Day

1.5c lukewarm water

1 packet granulated yeast

3/4T Kosher salt

1.25c whole wheat flour

2c unbleached all-purpose flour

Mix yeast and salt with water in bowl (at least 2.5 quart). Mix remaining ingredients without kneading, using a wooden spoon. If necessary, use wet hands to mix in last bits of flour. Cover (not airtight) and let sit at room temperature for about 2 hours. Dust surface of dough with flour and cut off half. Shape into a ball by stretching surface around to bottom on all four sides, rotating a quarter turn each time. Allow to rest and rise on a cornmeal covered pizza peel for 40 mins. Preheat oven to 450 degrees with a baking stone on the center rack. Place an empty broiler tray on any other rack. Sprinkle loaf with flour and slash a cross pattern into the top. Slide loaf directly onto hot baking stone in oven. Pour 1c hot water into broiler tray and quickly close over door to capture the steam. Bake about 35 mins, or until browned and firm.

The recipe above makes 2 loaves of bread - it's the recipe I cut in half from the original recipe in the book. I also added a little more whole wheat flour and less all-purpose flour to the recipe.

This book is awesome because all of the bread recipes in it make dough that can last up to 14 days in the fridge. I find they are easier to work with within about 1-3 days but they still taste great after 2 weeks! The dough makes great pizzas too!