Pineapple Cream Cheese Danish Braid

 

Sometimes a craving strikes me and I have to make it as soon as possible.  That's what happened the other week when all I could think about was a Cream Cheese Pineapple Danish Braid.  I'm a total sucker for anything pineapple because it's my all-time favorite fruit. 

 

For the Danish dough I used a recipe that I've made before on this blog.  It's super simple and requires no electric appliance whatsoever, just your hands.  For the cream cheese and pineapple fillings I used these recipes.

The only caveat I would say when it comes to making any kind of laminated dough is to be prepared for quite a bit of non-activity.  There's a lot of down time involved because the dough needs to chill in between all the turns and also proof just before baking.  In total, the process to make this particular braid spanned three days. 

 

Iced Chocolate Star Cookies

 

I've had this set of Nordic Ware cookie stamps for a while but never really used them.  That is, until I  was inspired by this post on Beyond The Butter's blog and made these Iced Chocolate Star Cookies.  One glimpse of the gorgeously iced chocolate cookies and I was motivated to bring out the stamps from hiding.  The stamp does all the work, and with very little effort you get the most beautiful cookies.  That's a win-win situation in my book!

Beyond The Butter calls these cookies "Oreos" because they are jam-packed with chocolate flavor, similar to the famous filled sandwich cookie.  But I actually think these cookies taste even better because they are nice and soft.  They almost remind me of a brownie, in cookie form.  I'll definitely be adding these beauties to my holiday cookie list.

  

Soft Cinnamon Rolls

I didn't get the chance to make cinnamon rolls for Christmas morning so I decided to make a batch to bid a "not so fond" farewell to 2020.  If any year needed to end on a high note I think it was this year, am I right?  

 

What I knew for sure was that I wanted a recipe that used the tangzhong (flour roux) method to ensure a super soft and fluffy bread.  My love for tangzhong-based bread dough has been well documented on this blog but ironically enough I never posted a cinnamon roll recipe before.  After a quick search I found this recipe for Soft Cinnamon Rolls on the King Arthur Baking website and it did not disappoint.  In fact, I think it's one of the best cinnamon rolls I've ever had, bar none!    

 

 

So that I would have freshly baked rolls in the morning I prepared the dough the night before.  The shaped rolls then had their second proof in the fridge overnight.  First thing the next morning the rolls just needed to come to room temperature before being baked off to a delicious golden brown.  After a slight cool on the counter they were smothered in a delicious icing.  One bite and I was in heaven!   

Danish Pastries

My friend Julia and I attended a class recently at Baking Arts in San Mateo to learn how to make Danish Pastries.  I'm no stranger to laminated dough, having made croissants, puff pastry and kouign amman before, but never have I made Danish which is made from an enriched dough with eggs.   I was happy to learn something new!

Prior to class the instructor had pre-made and shaped a batch of the dough so that we could see what it would look like before going in to the oven.  Then he showed us how to finish off the baked pastries by brushing on sugar syrup and then piping a flourish of icing.  During the class we students made the dough from scratch and laminated it with a block of cold butter.  We then took the thrice-turned dough home to finish off later.

Because I was anxious to see how my Danish would turn out I woke up really early this morning to finish the recipe.  This dough is super easy to roll out which makes it nice to handle when it's time to cut your shapes.  I made a few pinwheels and with the rest of the dough turned them in to snails.

The key with Danish is that the finished pastry is brushed with a sugar syrup that gives them that beautiful shine and gloss.  Now I was definitely skeptical when the instructor repeatedly told us to be really generous when brushing on the syrup.  I assumed it would make the finished pastry too sweet, but I was wrong.  Even with a double coating of the syrup the Danish was just right.  I'll undoubtedly be making this recipe again...next time I think I'll try a savory version. 

Lemon Tea Cookies

My work had a team meeting at the Hyatt Regency in San Francisco recently.  It's an annual conference that's also one of the most anticipated events on my office calendar.  I always look forward to it because it's a chance to connect face to face with global colleagues who are based in North America, Europe and Asia. 

The catering at the hotel over the course of the three days was your typical fare, good but not spectacular.  However, the one thing I and many others absolutely loved were the lemon tea cookies the Hyatt served during a coffee break.  As soon as I took a bite of the soft, tender cookie topped with a thin layer of lemon glaze I knew I had to replicate it at home.  

 

Success all came down to getting the actual cookie, without the glaze, right.  The cookie itself reminded me a lot of a black and white in that it's texture was more cake-like.   I tried googling "Hyatt lemon tea cookie" in the hopes that someone may have posted the hotel's recipe online, but alas, no such luck and I was left to my own devices.

I ended up tweaking Cook's Country's Black and White Cookie and the results were fantastic.  By adding more flour to the recipe I got the thicker cookies I was looking for.  I also substituted lemon juice for the vanilla extract, but next time I think I'll use some lemon extract along with grated lemon peel to give it a real citrus punch.  The glaze couldn't be simpler, powdered sugar mixed with freshly squeezed lemon juice.   I don't think I'm bragging when I say I have a legitimate replica...eat your heart out Hyatt!

Russian Decorating Tips

Calling all bakers who are intimidated by cake decorating:  this ones for you!

I only recently heard about Russian decorating tips and I have to say I'm a complete convert.   You can easily get professional looking results with very little effort.  Sign me up!  Many, many years ago I took a cake decorating class at my local baking supply store.  While the class was great and I learned a lot about making buttercream flowers, I have to say these Russian decorating tips are a total game changer.   

Instead of making individual petals to form the flowers, these decorating tips make the entire flower in one go.  Genius!  Based on a recommendation, I bought this set from Amazon and they are fantastic.  Admittedly I had to practice quite a bit to get satisfactory results (granted I am a perfectionist), but they really are easy to use. 

   

Take your cakes to the next level and invest in these Russian decorating tips.  For a nominal price the ROI is phenomenal (that's my Finance background talking!).

Raspberry Swirl Pound Cake

You know those pound cake slices they sell at Starbucks?  You've seen them, right along side the croissants and scones?  Well, this is my attempt at replicating one of them.  Specifically the raspberry swirl pound cake with cream cheese icing.

I love any kind of marbled cake so when I initially saw a pound cake recipe posted on Gretchen's Bakery I knew I had to make it.  But in homage to Starbucks I swapped out the chocolate for raspberry.  To do this was super simple; just mix in raspberry jam to half of the cake batter.   To gild the lily even further I frosted the baked and cooled pound cake with cream cheese icing.  

While the cake is tender and moist, I found the raspberry flavor was a bit too subtle.  Next time I'm going to ribbon some raspberry jam in the cake batter so you get a burst of fruity flavor.  A slice (or two) of this cake with some coffee or tea and you're all set!

Raspberry Swirl Pound Cake (adapted from Gretchen's Bakery)

10 tablespoons (140 grams) unsalted butter, room temperature

3/4 cup (150 grams) granulated sugar

4 large eggs, room temperature

1 teaspoon (5 ml) vanilla extract
1 1/3 cup (170 grams) cake flour

5 teaspoons (20 grams) cornstarch

1 teaspoon (5 grams) baking powder

1/2 teaspoon (3 grams) salt

1/4 cup raspberry jam

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease and flour a standard loaf pan.

Cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy approximately 5 minutes. 

Combine the eggs and vanilla extract together and sift together the flour, salt, baking powder & cornstarch~ reserve.

Add ⅓ of the egg mixture to the creaming mixture and blend well.

Add ⅓ of the sifted dry ingredients to the creamed mixture and blend well.

Repeat this process with the remaining egg and flour in 3 total additions until all is blended in well.

Scoop about half of the cake batter in a separate bowl.  Add in raspberry jam and whisk to combine thoroughly.

Spoon the cake batter in to the pan, alternating the vanilla batter and raspberry batter.  Use a wooden skewer or butter knife to swirl the batter.

Bake for about 45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.  Let cool in the pan on a rack for 10 minutes.   Turn cake out of pan and let cool completely.

Cream Cheese Icing (from Giada de Laurentiis)

1 cup powdered sugar

1/4 cup heavy cream

4 ounces cream cheese, room temperature

3 tablespoons water, plus extra as needed 

In a food processor, combine the powdered sugar, heavy cream, cream cheese, 3 tablespoons water, and vanilla. Process until smooth, adding more water, 1 teaspoon at a time, until the icing is pourable.

Spoon the icing over the cake and allow to set for 20 minutes before slicing.

 

Texas Sheet Cake

 While I am a Californian (NorCal thank you very much), through and through, I have to say this Texas Sheet Cake has won me over (just a little bit) for the Lone Star state.   Although it's technically a "cake" I actually liken it more to a cakey brownie topped with fudge icing and toasted pecans.  One taste and I was hooked.

I happened upon this Cook's Country recipe when I was looking for a treat to bring in to the office.  It had to be something delicious (obviously), easy to make (no mixer required!) and could feed a crowd.  Check, check, check!   Plus, I knew my chocoholic colleagues would  go crazy for the deep, rich flavors.

If you have a party or potluck this would be the perfect dessert to make.  Tết, or Vietnamese New Year, is coming up soon and I think I'll be bringing this to our family celebration.  I have a feeling some of my diabetic-fearing relatives will think it's too sweet, but I say life's too short NOT to eat cake.   Just have a small piece!

Pumpkin Spice Rolls

It's beginning to look a lot like autumn.  I, for one, love this time of year.  The air is crisp and cool and I can finally break out the thick sweaters from storage.  My baking shifts to warmer undertones as well - spices like  cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves prevail.

Pumpkin is hands down my favorite fall ingredient.  Pumpkin bread and pumpkin pie...LOVE THEM!!  So when I saw Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls posted on Martha Stewart's Instagram I knew I was going to make them this weekend.

I started with Martha's recipe but modified it with a few tweaks of my own - replacing the cinnamon with pumpkin pie spice and filling the rolls with granulated sugar rather than brown sugar.   Icing is the best part of a great cinnamon roll and I used my go-to recipe which is made with heavy cream, melted butter and powdered sugar.

Hot Cross Buns

This year my friend Gracie decided she was going to give up bread for Lent.  It sounded interesting enough so I thought I would join her.  Truth be told I knew it was going to be a sacrifice but I guess that's the whole point, right?

For the most part it wasn't as hard as I would have thought EXCEPT in the morning.  I had no problems eating a hamburger wrapped in lettuce instead of a bun - I just pretended I was on the Atkins diet.  But in the morning there's nothing more I love than a dark, toasted English muffin dripping with butter.   Oh it was painful I tell you.  

With Easter only one day away I'll soon be able to indulge once again in my beloved gluten.   In preparation I made these glorious hot cross buns using a recipe from Bouchon Bakery.   Their version uses a rich, butter and egg laden brioche dough for the buns, the ultimate indulgence.   I pray that I can hold off until tomorrow to taste these gems.   A few Our Fathers and Hail Marys may be in my future...lol!

Happy Easter to all!

Meyer Lemon Ricotta Cookies

After a recent visit to my brother's house I brought home a bagful of delicious meyer lemons, one of my favorite citrus fruits.  The dilemma now was what to make with them.  I've done lemon bars and mini tarts numerous times so I was looking for something new.

I remembered seeing these lemon ricotta cookies on an episode of Giade De Laurentiis' Everyday Italian.  The addition of ricotta cheese to a cookie intrigued me enough to give the recipe a try. 

The cookies baked up flatter than I was hoping for but were still quite good.  Actually, the taste and shape of the baked rounds reminded me a little of whoopie pies.  The lemon glaze topping gave the cookies a hit of tart sweetness, perfect with a cup of tea.

Petal Icing Technique

Ever since I saw an ombre petal cake on The Hungry Housewife I've been dying to have a go at this decorating technique.   

Decorating the cake does take some time but I think the end result makes it all worth it.   The perfectionist in me wishes the petals on my cake were more defined but the chocolate frosting I was working with was too soft.  Next time I'll let it stiffen up more or maybe use swiss meringue buttercream instead.

This yellow cake with chocolate frosting is dedicated to one of my dearest besties, Sirine, who is celebrating  her birthday today.  

HAPPY BIRTHDAY SCHOUNA!