Pastel De Tres Leches - Daring Bakers Challenge

This month's challenge for the Daring Bakers was just perfect to cool off the heat this past week. A chilled super moist cake soaked in a mixture of sweetness layered with fruit and whipped cream...mmm..! Sound familiar?

"Inma of la Galletika was our Sept. 2013 Daring Bakers’ hostess and WOW did she bring us something decadent and delicious! Pastel de Tres Leches or Three Milk Cake, creamy yet airy, super moist but not soggy.. just plain delish!"

I've made Tres Leches before so this wasn't so much of a challenge for me. What was different however, was the fact that this was a free-standing layered Tres Leches as opposed to the Tres Leches I've always made which is a cake soaked in a pan. I never had to worry about how well the cake was soaked or if it would make a huge mess by oozing out the excess milk mixture. So this, I really wanted to try. 

Recipe Source: This recipe is slightly adapted from an interview given by one of Mexico's best Pastry Chefs; Paulina Abascal to the magazine Revista Secretos de la Pastelería Caserais. It produces a super moist, yet light Tres Leches.

 

Mandatory Items: You have to make 1 three milks cake.

I was waiting all month for a reason to make the Tres Leches.I didn't want to land up eating all of it myself :) I'm taking this to dinner to a friend's place tonight. 

Preparation time: 1 hour and a half

Equipment required:
• A scale for measuring all ingredients
• Some bowls
• Stand mixer
• Strainer to sift the flour
• Egg Whisk
• Square Cake pan 9”x9” (23cmx23 cm) or 9” (23 cm) round cake pan
• Saucepan
• Pastry brush
• Pastry Spatula 

Classic Three Milks Cake:

Servings: 12

You will need:

For the Sponge Cake:

 

5 large eggs at room temp (separated)
½ cup (120 ml) (4 oz) (125 gm) sugar
2 teaspoons (10 ml) of vanilla extract
1 cup (240 ml) (5 oz) (140gm) all-purpose (plain) flour (sifted)

For three milks syrup:
1 can (14 oz) (400 gm) sweetened condensed milk
1 can (12 oz) (340 gm) evaporated milk
1 cup (240 ml) heavy cream (about 35% fat) or 1 cup of half & half or 1 cup milk
1 cinnamon stick
2 teaspoons (10 ml) rum (or other flavoring)

Topping and filling:
2 cups (500 ml) of whipping cream (about 30% fat)
½ cup (120 ml) (4 oz) (125 gm) sugar
Canned or fresh fruit (to fill and decorate the cake)

Directions For the Sponge Cake:

• Preheat oven to moderate 180°C/350°F/gas mark 4. Prepare a square 9”x9” (23cmx23 cm) pan or 9” (23 cm) round cake pan by greasing with butter and dusting with flour.
• Separate the egg whites from the yolks.
• Beat the egg whites on medium speed, 3 - 5 minutes.
• When soft peaks form slowly add the sugar in small batches.
• Whip until stiff peaks form about 5 minutes. Set aside.
•  In a medium bowl beat egg yolks at medium-high speed for about 5 to 6 minutes, or until the egg yolks become pale colored, creamy and puffy. Stir in vanilla.
• Pour the egg yolks over the egg whites, gently fold until just combined trying not to lose any volume from the mixture.
• Fold in the flour little by little in the form of rain. Mix until just combined (over-beating will result in a denser, flatter cake).
• Pour the batter into the prepared 9”x9” (23cmx23 cm) square cake pan or 9” (23 cm) round cake pan.
• Bake in the preheated moderate oven for 25 minutes or until the toothpick comes out clean
• Cool for 10 minutes in the pan and then let it cool completely on a wire rack.

Once cool, split the cake in half, flip the top of the cake and place it on a base. Using a fork, poke holes on the cake to help absorb the milk syrup.

In a saucepan add the sweetened condensed milk, evaporated milk, heavy cream and cinnamon stick, bring to a boil, reduce the heat and continue boiling for 5 minutes. Remove it and let it cool.

Once it is cool, add the rum or any other flavoring you choose to use. I used Vanilla extract.

Gradually brush all the milk soaking liquid into all sides of the cake (including the cut surfaces) until all absorbed. I brushed the cake with the milk mixture and waited 5 minutes to let it absorb, then brushed it again. This ensured the cake soaked up the liquid well. 

Whip the cream with the sugar until stiff peaks form. Spread 1/3 of the cream on one half of the soaked cake. Spread evenly using an offset spatula. Top with your favorite fruit. I used canned, drained pineapple chunks and mandarin oranges.

Slowly transfer top half of soaked cake onto the bottom half, soak with remaining liquid if any. Use remaining cream to frost the entire cake with a spatula. Decorate the top with more fruit. 

Let chill overnight which allows the cake to soak up all the liquid well and also a chilled Tres Leches tastes far better than one that isn't! 

Delicious fruit on a super delicious cake.. I had no trouble finishing an extra large slice! Thanks to Inma, for giving me a chance to make this crowd pleasing dessert again. 

Mawa Cake & Bolinhas de Coco cookies for the Daring Bakers

I'm back after a very long break from blogging. Little did I realize when I wrote my last post I would have to take an extended off from blogging and the demands of a baby( now my adorably cute tot) would keep me busy round the clock. It's been a lot of fun nevertheless and I missed updating here.

Since I was missing in action all these months, the Daring Bakers Challenges took a back seat too. I used to check on the challenges but never got around to attempting them. This month I decided this would be the post that would revive my blogging.

Aparna of My Diverse Kitchen was our August 2013 Daring Bakers’ hostess and she challenged us to make some amazing regional Indian desserts. The Mawa Cake, the Bolinhas de Coco cookies and the Masala cookies – beautifully spiced and delicious!

I chose to make the Mawa cake and the Bolinhas de Coco cookies. Fresh mawa or khova/khoya isn't easily available where I live. It is used in a variety of Indian sweets. Mawa is basically the milk solids that result after boiling down whole milk for a long time. I needed just this excuse to make it at home.

MAWA CAKE: (Cardamom Flavored Milk Cake)

Preparation time:

1 to 2 hours to make the “Mawa”.

15 to 20 minutes to mix the batter.

About an hour to bake the cake.

Cooling time.

Equipment required:

• Heavy thick bottomed deep pot/ pan, preferably non-stick, large enough to comfortably hold a litre (4 cups) of milk.

• Wooden spoons

• Hand-held electric beater

• Large mixing bowl

• Sifter for flour

• Mortar & pestle to crush cardamom

• 8 inch (20 cm) round spring form cake tin with removable base

• Parchment paper to line cake tin

• Foil to tent the cake to prevent browning too much

Mawa Cakes are a specialty cake that is the hallmark of Irani cafés in India. The Iranis are Zoroastrians who left Persia/ Iran in the 19th and early 20th centuries to escape persecution of non-Muslims, and settled down and thrived here mostly in the cities of Mumbai, Hyderabad and Pune. They’re most famous in India for their friendly informal cafés/ restaurants that serve the most awesome food. The brun pav or maska pav(kinds of bread) with Irani chai (thick, strong, sweet and milky cardamom flavoured tea), their Shrewsbury biscuits and Mawa cakes are just a few of them.

Mawa (also known as Khoya/ Khoa) is made by slowly reducing milk (usually full-fat) until all that remain is a mass of slightly caramelized granular dough-like milk solids. Mawa is used in a wide variety of Indian sweets like Gulab Jamun and Peda, to mention just two. Mawa is pronounced as Maa-vaa; Khoya is pronounced as KhOh-yaa.
In this cake, Mawa lends a rich and a caramelized milky taste to this cake which is slightly dense and reminiscent of a pound cake. Cardamom and cashewnuts are typical of a Mawa Cake, though blanched almonds are also used. Mawa Cakes are also bakes as cupcakes.
The cake is very easy to make and the Mawa is not too difficult. It just requires some time, patience and a lot of stirring!

Ingredients

For the Mawa:

1 litre (4 cups) full fat milk

For the cake:

1/2 cup (1 stick) (120 ml) (4 oz) (115 gm) unsalted Butter (soft at room temperature)

3/4 cup (180 ml) packed crumbled mawa

1-1/4 cups (300 ml) (10 oz) (280 gm) castor sugar

3 large eggs

5 to 6 cardamom pods, powdered, (about 1-1/2 tsp powdered cardamom)

2 cups (500ml) (9 oz) (260 gm) cake flour

1 teaspoon (5 ml) (5 gm) baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup (120 ml) milk

1 teaspoon (5ml) vanilla extract (optional)

Cashewnuts (or blanched almonds) to decorate (about 18 to 20)

First make the “Mawa”. Pour the milk into a heavy bottomed saucepan, preferably a non-stick one. Bring the milk to a boil, stirring it on and off, making sure it doesn’t stick to the bottom.

Turn down the heat to medium and keep cooking the milk until reduces to about a quarter of its original volume. This should take about an hour to an hour and a half.  The important thing during this process is to watch the milk and stir it frequently to make sure it doesn’t stick to the sides or bottom of the pan and get burnt. The danger of this happening increases as the milk reduces and gets thicker.

It took me close to two hours for the milk to completely reduce and form the mawa.

Once the milk it has reduced to about one fourth, 1/4 quantity, lower the heat to low and let cook for a little while longer. Keep stirring regularly, until the milk solids (mawa) take on a lumpy appearance. There should be no visible liquid left in the pan, but the mawa should be moist and not stick to the sides of the pan. 

Remove the pan from heat and transfer the mawa to a bowl and let it cool completely. Then cover and refrigerate it for a day or two (not more) till you’re ready to make the cake. It will harden in the fridge so let it come to room temperature before using it.

You should get about 3/4 to 1 cup of mawa from 1 litre (4 cups) of full-fat milk.

Now start preparations for the cake by pre-heating your oven to moderate 180°C/350°F/gas mark 4. Beat the butter, the crumbled mawa and the sugar in a largish bowl, using a hand held electric beater, on high speed until soft and fluffy.

Add the eggs, one at a time, and beat on medium speed till well incorporated. Add the vanilla and milk and beat till mixed well.

Sift the cake flour, baking powder, cardamom, and salt onto the batter and beat at medium speed and well blended. If you cannot find cake flour, place 2 tablespoon of cornstarch in the bottom of your 1-cup measure and then fill it with all-purpose (plain) flour to make up to 1 cup.

Grease and line only the bottom of an 8 inch (20 cm) spring form pan. Pour the batter into this and lightly smooth the top. Place the cashew nuts (or blanched almonds) on top of the batter randomly. Do not press the nuts down into the batter. A Mawa Cake always has a rustic finished look rather than a decorated look.  

Bake in a preheated moderate oven for about 1 hour until the cake is a golden brown and a skewer pushed into the centre comes out clean. Do not over bake the cake or it will dry out. If the cake seems to be browning too quickly, cover it will aluminium foil hallway through the baking time.  Remove from oven and allow it to cool for 10 min in the pan. Release the cake, peel off the parchment from the base and let it cool completely on a wire rack.

BOLINHAS DE COCO (Cardamom Flavored Coconut Biscuits/ Cookies)

Bolinhas are cardamom flavoured coconut and semolina cakelets or biscuits (In India we call them biscuits and not cookies) from the Indian state of Goa. They are a little crisp/ crunchy on the outside and soft and have a melt-in-the-mouth texture on the inside.

As the name suggests this recipe, like a lot of Goan Catholic cooking, is very much influenced by the Portuguese occupation of Goa.

Bolinhas de Coco are a Christmas-time treat and a Goan Christmas sweet platter would be incomplete without them, though they’re eaten throughout the year.

What is unusual about these biscuits/ cookies is they are made entirely with semolina and fresh grated coconut (no flour), and making the batter involves an overnight rest of at least 8 hours so that the semolina can soak up liquids and become really soft.

2 cups (500 ml) (5-1/3 oz) (150 gm) fresh grated coconut, packed
1-1/2 cups (360 ml) (9 oz) (250 gm) semolina
1-1/4 cups (300 ml) (8-3/4 oz) (250 gm) granulated sugar
3/4 cup water (180ml) (6 oz) (175 gm) water
A pinch of salt
2 tablespoons (30 ml) (1 oz) (30 gm) ghee (clarified butter) or melted unsalted butter
2 large eggs
8 to 10 pods cardamom, powdered (about 1-1/2 teaspoon)

Run the grated coconut in your processor or the small jar of your blender a couple of times so that the flakes are smaller and uniform in texture. Do not grind into a paste. Keep aside.

Put the semolina in a pan and toast/ roast it, over low to medium heat, until it starts giving off an aroma, and looks like it’s about to start changing colour. This should take a couple of minutes. Do not brown. Transfer the semolina into a bowl and keep aside.

In the same pan, pour the water and add the sugar to it. Place it on medium heat and keep stirring until the sugar dissolves completely. Once the sugar has dissolved, keep stirring the solution and let it cook for about 2 minutes. Turn off the heat. The sugar solution should just begin to start forming a syrup but is still watery. Do not cook until it forms a thick syrup.

Add the toasted/ roasted semolina and mix well. Then add the coconut, salt and ghee (or melted butter) and mix well. Put the pan back on the stove, and over medium heat stir the coconut mixture until it is really hot and easily forms a thick clump. This should take about 2 to 3 minutes.

Take the pan off the heat and let the semolina coconut mixture cool to room temperature. Transfer this into a bowl or container, cover and refrigerate for at least 8 hours, ideally overnight. For really fluffy biscuits/ cookies, the overnight rest is recommended. 

Whisk the egg whites by hand until frothy and add to the dough. Mix well till incorporated. You will now have a slightly moist and sticky dough. Refrigerate this dough for about half an hour so it firms up a bit. Pre-heat your oven to moderate 180°C/350°F/gas mark 4. Line your baking trays with parchment or grease them well with some ghee or melted butter. 

Take the dough out and pinch off walnut sized bits of dough. The dough should be firm enough to handle without difficulty. If the dough is sticking to your palms, lightly dust your palms with flour before shaping the dough. Roll the bits of dough into balls and then flatten them very slightly.  

Decorate the top by marking criss-crosses (3 equidistant lines one way and another 3 crossing them at right angles), with a table knife. Press down a bit but not too deep or right through the biscuit/ cookie. Use up all the dough this way. Place the shaped dough on the baking trays leaving a little space between them. Bake in a preheated moderate oven for about 20 to 25 minutes until they’re a golden brown and done. Let them cool on the sheets for about 5 minutes and then transfer to racks to cool completely.Store the biscuits/ cookies in airtight containers. This recipe makes about 4 dozen Bolinhas de Coco.

The Mawa cake had the texture of a dense pound cake. The longer it was stored, the taste became denser. Bolinhas de Coco cookies were a pleasant surprise. Who would have thought flourless coconut cookies would taste this good :)

Thanks to Aparna for a fabulous cake & cookie challenge!

French Strawberry Fraisier for the Daring Bakers

This month’s DB challenge had us baking a moist delicious cake layered with pastry cream and fresh strawberries - a French Fraisier. Layered cakes aren’t new to me nor are pastry type cakes but with this cake, the challenge was to have it free standing on a platter. Layered cakes are usually held together with the outer icing that binds the entire cake and keeps the layers in place. The absence of the outer icing and the fact that the fruit had to be exposed in the layer made this a real challenge. All in all was a good learning experience, and with true Daring Baker spirit,I took this challenge head on and made it look as good looking as I possibly could. Needless to say, it tasted just as good as it looks. 

“Jana of Cherry Tea Cakes was our July Daring Bakers’ host and she challenges us to make Fresh Frasiers inspired by recipes written by Elisabeth M. Prueitt and Chad Robertson in the beautiful cookbook Tartine.”

Recipe Source: These recipes have been adapted from the cook book Tartine by Elisabeth M Prueitt and Chad Robertson, the chefs and owners of Tartine, a beloved San Francisco bakery.

Mandatory Items: You must make a cake with exposed fruits, edible flowers, etc. around the sides of the center layer. You must make all components (cake, pastry cream mousse, simple syrup) from scratch. You may not make a trifle. It must be a free-standing cake on a platter.

Preparation time: The traditional recipe I am providing can be made in stages. As a whole the recipe requires at least 4 hours of time, and 4 hours of refrigeration, BUT the cake, pastry cream and syrup can be made days ahead of assembly to help ease the time burden. Once these three are made, the cake will take about half an hour to assemble followed by 4 hours of refrigeration.

Equipment required:

● measuring cups and spoons for liquid and dry ingredients

● cutting board & knife to prepare the fruit

● electric mixer or stand mixer

● wooden spoon

● rolling pin

● plastic wrap

● parchment paper

● cooling rack

● serving platter of your choice

● 8 inch (20 cm) spring form pan

● 2 large mixing bowls

● small mixing bowl

● whisk

● rubber spatula

● toothpick

● butter knife

● heavy sauce pan

● fine mesh sieve

● small dish

● 2 small sauce pans

● small stainless steel bowl or double boiler

● pastry bag

Basic Chiffon Cake:

Ingredients:

1 cup + 2 tablespoons (270 ml) (5½ oz/155 gm) all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon (5 ml) (4 gm) baking powder

3/4 cups (180 ml) (6 oz /170 gm) sugar

1/2 teaspoon (2½ ml) (1½ gm) salt, preferably kosher

1/4 cup (2 fl oz/60 ml) vegetable oil

3 large egg yolks

⅓ cup + 1 tablespoon (3.17 fl oz/95 ml) water

1 teaspoon (5 ml) pure vanilla extract

3/4 teaspoon (3¾ ml) (3 gm) lemon zest, grated

5 large egg whites

¼ teaspoon (1¼ ml) (1 gm) cream of tartar

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to moderate 325°F (160°C/gas mark 3).

2. Line the bottom of an 8-inch (20 cm) spring form pan with parchment paper. Do not grease the sides of the pan.

3. In a large mixing bowl, stir together the flour and baking powder. Add in all but 3 tablespoons (45 ml.) of sugar, and all of the salt. Stir to combine.

4. In a small bowl combine the oil, egg yolks, water, vanilla and lemon zest. Whisk thoroughly.

5. Combine with the dry ingredients and mix thoroughly for about one minute, or until very smooth.

6. Put the egg whites into a stand mixer, and beat on medium speed using a whisk attachment on a medium speed, until frothy. Add cream of tartar and beat on a medium speed until the whites hold soft peaks. Slowly add the remaining sugar and beat on a medium-high speed until the whites hold firm and form shiny peaks.

7. Using a grease free rubber spatula, scoop about ⅓ of the whites into the yolk mixture and fold in gently. Gently fold in the remaining whites just until combined.

8. Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake for 45 to 55 minutes or until toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

9. Removed the cake from the oven and allow to cool in the pan on a wire rack.

10. To unmold, run a knife around the sides to loosen the cake from the pan and remove the spring form sides. Invert the cake and peel off the parchment paper. Refrigerate for up to four days.

Pastry Cream Filling:

Ingredients:

1 cup (8 fl oz/250 ml) whole milk

1/2 teaspoon (2½ ml) pure vanilla extract

1/8 teaspoon (1/2 ml) (¼ gm) salt, preferably kosher

2 tablespoons (30 ml) (10 gm)cornstarch

1/4 cup (60 ml) (2 oz/55 gm) sugar

1 large egg

2 tablespoons (30 ml) (1 oz/30 gm) unsalted butter

3/4 teaspoon (3¾ ml) (4 gm) gelatin

1/2 tablespoon (7½ ml) water

1 cup (8 fl oz/250 ml) heavy cream

Directions:

1. Pour the milk, vanilla, and salt into a heavy sauce pan. Place over medium-high heat and scald, bringing it to a near boiling point. Stir occasionally.

2. Meanwhile, in a stand mixer add the cornstarch and sugar. Whisk to combine

3. Add the eggs to the sugar and cornstarch and whisk until smooth.

4. When the milk is ready, gently and slowly while the stand mixer is whisking, pour the heated milk down the side of the bowl into the egg mixture.

5. Pour the mixture back into the warm pot and continue to cook over a medium heat until the custard is thick, just about to boil and coats the back of a spoon.

6. Remove from heat and pass through a fine mesh sieve into a large mixing bowl. Allow to cool for ten minutes stirring occasionally.

7. Cut the butter into four pieces and whisk into the pastry cream a piece at a time until smooth.

8. Cover the cream with plastic wrap, pressing the plastic wrap onto the top of the cream to prevent a skin from forming. Chill in the refrigerator for up to five days.

9. In a small dish, sprinkle the gelatin over the water and let stand for a few minutes to soften.

10. Put two inches (55 mm) of water into a small sauce pan and bring to a simmer over a medium heat.

11. Measure 1/4 cup (2 oz/60 ml) of the chilled pastry cream into a small stainless steel bowl that will sit across the sauce pan with the simmering water, without touching the water.

12. Heat the cream until it is 120 F (48.8 C). Add the gelatin and whisk until smooth. Remove from the water bath, and whisk the remaining cold pastry cream in to incorporate in two batches.

13. In a stand mixer, fitted with the whisk attachment, whip the cream until it holds medium-stiff peaks. Immediately fold the whipped cream into the pastry cream with a rubber spatula.

Simple Syrup:

You may choose to flavor the syrup. One way is to use flavored sugar (for example: apple cider sugar, orange sugar, or vanilla sugar) or to stir in 1-2 teaspoons of flavored extract. You may also infuse with herbs or spices, if desired or add four tablespoons (60 ml) of fruit juice or liqueur while the syrup is cooling.

Ingredients:

1/3 cup (2⅔ fl oz/80 ml) (2⅔ oz/75 gm) of sugar, flavored or white

1/3 cup (2⅔ fl oz/80 ml) of water

Directions:

1. Combine the water and sugar in a medium saucepan.

2. Bring the mixture to a boil and let the sugar dissolve. Stirring is not necessary, but will not harm the syrup.

3. Remove the syrup from the heat and cool slightly.

Transfer syrup to a lidded container or jar that can be stored in the refrigerator. Simple syrup can be stored for up to one month.

Fraisier Assembly:

Components:

1 baked 8 inch (20 cm) chiffon cake

1 recipe pastry cream filling

⅓ cup (80 ml) simple syrup or flavored syrup

2 lbs (900 g) strawberries

confectioners’ sugar for dusting

½ cup (120 ml) (5 oz/140 gm) almond paste*

Note: Instead of the almond paste I used the remaining pastry cream on top with fresh whole strawberries and piped whipped cream.

Directions:

1. Line the sides of a 10-inch (25 cm) spring form pan with plastic wrap. Do not line the bottom of the pan.

2. Cut the cake in half horizontally to form two layers.

3. Fit the bottom layer into the prepared spring form pan. Moisten the layer evenly with the simple syrup. When the cake has absorbed enough syrup to resemble a squishy sponge, you have enough.

4. Hull and slice in half enough strawberries to arrange around the sides of the cake pan. Place the cut side of the strawberry against the sides of the pan, point side up forming a ring.

5. Pipe cream in-between strawberries and a thin layer across the top of the cake.

6. Hull and quarter your remaining strawberries and place them in the middle of the cake. Cover the strawberries and entirely with the all but 1 tbsp. (15 ml) of the pastry cream.

7. Place the second cake layer on top and moisten with the simple syrup.

8. Lightly dust a work surface with confectioners' sugar and roll out the almond paste to a 10-inch (25 cm) round 1/16 inch (1.5 mm) thick. Spread the remaining 1 tablespoon (15 ml) of pastry cream on the top of the cake and cover with the round of almond paste.

9. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 4 hours.

10. To serve release the sides of the spring form pan and peel away the plastic wrap.

11. Serve immediately or store in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

Baklava for the Daring Bakers

This month we made Baklava, a sweet rich pastry made with layers of phyllo dough and nuts sweetened with simple syrup. Baklava is widely known as a Greek dessert, but it’s origin has really never been pinpointed as many Middle Eastern countries also name it as their own.

“Erica of Erica’s Edibles was our host for the Daring Baker’s June challenge. Erica challenged us to be truly DARING by making homemade phyllo dough and then to use that homemade dough to make Baklava.”

The actual challenge this month was making the phyllo dough at home and rolling it into sheets to be used in the Baklava. I’ve had Baklava on my mind for over a month ever since I had my first taste of it at a Persian restaurant in downtown St.Louis, MO. My friends love Baklava too and we’ve been talking about making some, and this challenge came at just about the right time. Of course I wasn’t expecting to make the sheets too, but that’s the perks of being a Daring Baker, pushing your limits and getting out of your comfort zone.  :)

Phyllo, which means, "leaf" in Greek, is tissue paper-thin like sheets of dough. Homemade phyllo is a lot of work to roll out but is worth it, it’s delicious! Baklava is quite simple to make but is a little time consuming.

Recipe Source:

• Phyllo Dough Recipe - Kaffeehaus – Exquisite Desserts from the Classic Cafés of Vienna, Budapest and Prague” by Rick Rodgers

• Baklava - Adapted from Alton Brown, Food Network

Preparation time: The recipe may seem simple but it is a little time consuming

Phyllo Dough Mixing/Kneading: 15-25 minutes

Resting time: 30-90 minutes (longer is better)

Rolling Phyllo: varies, approx. 2 minutes per sheet

Syrup: 15 minutes plus cooling

Baklava: 30 minutes

Resting: Overnight

Equipment required:

Measuring spoons

Wooden dowel or rolling pin

Sharp knife

Measuring cups

Towels

Spatula

Stand mixer (can knead by hand)

Baking dishes – 9” x 9” is recommended

Strainer

Plastic wrap

Medium pot

Pastry brush

Food processor /blender

Bowls

Phyllo Dough:

- Single recipe of dough will fill a 8” x 5” baking dish.

-I doubled the recipe to yield 15-18 sheets depending on the way you roll, to fill a 9” x 2” round baking dish.

-Dough can be made ahead of time and frozen. Remove from freezer and allow to thaw and continue making your baklava.

Ingredients:

1 1/3 cups (320 ml) (185 gm/6½ oz) unbleached all purpose (plain) flour

1/8 teaspoon (2/3 ml) (¾ gm) salt

1/2 cup less 1 tablespoon (105 ml) water, plus more if needed

2 tablespoons (30 ml) vegetable oil, plus additional for coating the dough

1/2 teaspoon (2½ ml) cider vinegar, (could substitute white wine vinegar or red wine vinegar, but could affect the taste)

Directions:

In the bowl of your stand mixer combine flour and salt. Mix with paddle attachment. Combine water, oil and vinegar in a small bowl. Add water & oil mixture with mixer on low speed, mix until you get a soft dough, if it appears dry add a little more water – I had to add a tablespoon more. The dough should be very soft and slightly sticky. Change to the dough hook and let knead approximately 10 minutes. You will end up with beautiful smooth dough. If you are kneading by hand, knead approx. 20 minutes. 

Remove the dough from mixer and continue to knead for 2 more minutes. Pick up the dough and through it down hard on the counter a few times during the kneading process. Shape the dough into a ball and lightly cover with oil. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and let rest 30-90 minutes, longer is best. I let mine rest for 2 hours and it was just right. 

Rolling your Phyllo

** Remove all rings and jewelry so it does not snag the dough**

Use whatever means you have to get the dough as thin as you can. This is a helpful video to get the dough thin.

 You may also use a pasta machine if you have one, or a normal rolling pin whatever works for you. I used a regular rolling pin and it worked fine. 

1. Unwrap your dough and cut off a chunk slightly larger then a golf ball. While you are rolling be sure to keep the other dough covered so it doesn’t dry out.

2. Be sure to flour your hands, rolling pin and counter. As you roll you will need to keep adding, don’t worry, you can’t over-flour.

3. Roll out the dough a bit to flatten it out.

4. Wrap the dough around your rolling pin/dowel

5. Roll back and forth quickly with the dough remaining on the dowel (see attached video for a visual, its much easier then it sounds)

6. Remove; notice how much bigger it is!

7. Rotate and repeat until it is as thin as you can it. Don’t worry if you get rips in the dough, as long as you have one perfect one for the top you will never notice.

8. When you get it as thin as you can with the rolling pin, carefully pick it up with well floured hands and stretch it on the backs of your hands as you would a pizza dough, just helps make it that much thinner. Roll out your dough until it is transparent. NOTE: you will not get it as thin as the frozen phyllo dough you purchase at the store, it is made by machine

9. Set aside on a well-floured surface. Repeat the process until your dough is used up. Between each sheet again flour well. You will not need to cover your dough with a wet cloth, as you do with boxed dough, it is moist enough that it will not dry out. 

Baklava Recipe

Adapted from Alton Brown, The Food Network

Note: If you decide to use a 9”x2” baking pan, the entire quantity of syrup is not required. 

Ingredients

For the syrup:

• 1 1/4 cups (300 ml) honey

• 1 1/4 cups (300ml) water

• 1 1/4 cups (300 ml) (280 gm/10 oz) sugar

• 1 cinnamon stick

• 1 (2-inch/50 mm) piece fresh citrus peel (lemon or orange work best)

• a few cloves or a pinch or ground clove

When the baklava is in the oven, make the syrup. When you combine the two, one of them needs to be hot, I find it better when the baklava is hot and the syrup has cooled slightly. 

Combine all ingredients in a medium pot over medium high heat. Stir occasionally until sugar has dissolved. Boil for 10 minutes, stir occasionally. Remove from heat and strain cinnamon stick and lemon, allow to cool as baklava bakes. 

For the Filling:

1 (5-inch/125 mm piece) cinnamon stick, broken into 2 to 3 pieces or 2 teaspoons (10 ml) (8 gm) ground cinnamon

15 to 20 whole allspice berries ( I just used a few pinches)

3/4 cup (180 ml) (170 gm/6 oz) blanched almonds

3/4 cup (180 ml) (155 gm/5½ oz) raw or roasted walnuts

3/4 cup (180 ml) (140 gm/5 oz) raw or roasted pistachios

2/3 cup (160 ml) (150 gm/ 5 1/3 oz) sugar

Phyllo dough (see recipe above)

1 cup (2 sticks) (240 ml) (225g/8 oz) melted butter - I used clarified butter or ghee as its known in India, and I used only about less than ½ cup. 

Preheat oven to moderate 350°F/180°C/gas mark 4. Combine nuts, sugar and spices in a food processor and pulse on high until finely chopped. If you do not have a food processor chop with a sharp knife as fine as you can. Set aside. Trim your phyllo sheets to fit in your pan. Brush bottom of pan with butter and place first phyllo sheet. Brush the first phyllo sheet with butter and repeat approximately 5 times ending with butter. (Most recipes say more, but homemade phyllo is thicker so it's not needed)

Spread a 1/3 of the nut mixture on top. Continue layering phyllo and buttering repeating 4 times. Sprinkle 1/3 of the nut mixture. Continue layering phyllo and buttering repeating 4 times. Sprinkle 1/3 of the nut mixture on top. Continue layering and buttering phyllo 5 more times. On the top layer, make sure you have a piece of phyllo with no holes if possible, just looks better. Once you have applied the top layer tuck in all the edges to give a nice appearance. 

With a Sharp knife cut your baklava in desired shapes and number of pieces. If you can't cut all the ways through don’t worry you will cut again later. A 9x9 pan cuts nicely into 30 pieces. Then brush with a generous layer of butter making sure to cover every area and edge. Bake for approximately 30 minutes; remove from oven and cut again this time all the way through. Continue baking for another 30 minutes. (Oven temperatures will vary, you are looking for the top to be a golden brown, take close watch yours may need more or less time in the oven)

When the baklava is baked, remove from oven and pour the cooled (will still be warmish) syrup evenly over the top, taking care to cover all surfaces when pouring. It looks like it is a lot but over night the syrup will soak into the baklava creating a beautifully sweet and wonderfully textured baklava!

  

Freezing/Storage Instructions/Tips: There are a few ways to store your Baklava. It is recommended that you store your baklava at room temperature in an airtight container. Stored at room temperature your baklava will last for up to 2 weeks. You will notice as the days pass it will get a little juicier and chewier. You may choose to store it in the fridge; this will make it a little harder and chewy, but does increase the shelf life. You can also freeze your baklava and then just set it out at room temperature to thaw.

Thanks Erica for a great challenge, it was a wonderful experience making the phyllo sheets at home and layering them in the Baklava. A sense of achievement in every bite :)

Yeasted Meringue Coffee Cake for the Daring Bakers

“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.”

I made a savory and sweet version of this yeasted coffee cake, and boy, did the cakes taste good! The dough is silky and smooth, and very pleasant to work with. I thoroughly enjoyed this challenge.

Recipe 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, and she tried the recipe and it was brilliant!

Preparation time:

For the dough:

10 - 15 minutes preparation of the dough

8 – 10 minutes kneading

45 – 60 minutes first rise

10 – 15 minutes to prepare meringue, roll out, fill and shape dough

an additional 45 – 60 minutes for second rising.

Baking time: approximately 30 minutes

Equipment required:

Measuring cups for dry ingredients

Measuring cup for liquid

Measuring spoons

Cutting board and sharp knife for chopping nuts & chocolate if using

2 large mixing bowls

1 small mixing bowl

1 medium mixing bowl for beating egg whites, preferably plastic or metal

1 medium saucepan

Electric mixer or stand mixer

Wooden spoon

Rolling pin

Spatula

Clean kitchen scissors or sharp knife

Plastic wrap & clean kitchen towel

Parchment paper

2 medium-sized baking trays (or 1 large if your oven is large enough)

Cooling racks

Serving platter

Vegetable oil to grease bowl

DB

FILLED MERINGUE COFFEE CAKE

Makes 2 round coffee cakes, each approximately 10 inches in diameter. The recipe can easily be halved to make one round coffee cake. I made two cakes, one sweet with the original challenge recipe and one savory, with my own recipe. 

Ingredients

For the yeast coffee cake dough:

4 cups (600 g / 1.5 lbs.) flour

¼ cup (55 g / 2 oz.) sugar

¾ teaspoon (5 g / ¼ oz.) salt

1 package (2 ¼ teaspoons / 7 g / less than an ounce) active dried yeast

¾ cup (180 ml / 6 fl. oz.) whole milk

¼ cup (60 ml / 2 fl. oz. water (doesn’t matter what temperature)

½ cup (135 g / 4.75 oz.) unsalted butter at room temperature

2 large eggs at room temperature

For the meringue:

3 large egg whites at room temperature

¼ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon vanilla

½ cup (110 g / 4 oz.) sugar

For the filling:

Sweet Coffee Cake:

1 cup (110 g / 4 oz.) chopped walnuts

2 Tablespoons (30 g / 1 oz.) granulated sugar

¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 cup (170 g / 6 oz.) semisweet chocolate chips or coarsely chopped chocolate

Savory Coffee Cake:

¼ cup Tomato & Basil Garlic sauce, from a jar

¼ cup Parmesan, grated

¼ cup Mozzarella, grated

¼ cup Green bell peppers, sliced

¼ cup Onions, sliced

¼ cup Cauliflower, thinly sliced florets

2 tbsp Oil

1 tsp Chilli flakes

Salt to taste

Egg wash: 1 beaten egg

Cocoa powder (optional) and confectioner’s sugar (powdered/icing sugar) for dusting cakes

1 tsp each Parmesan & Oregano, for the savory cake

Directions:

Prepare the dough:

In a large mixing bowl, combine 1 ½ cups (230 g) of the flour, the sugar, salt and yeast.

In a saucepan, combine the milk, water and butter and heat over medium heat until warm and the butter is just melted. Ria’s version: add the 10 saffron threads to the warmed liquid and allow to steep off of the heat for 10 minutes. This will give the mixture a distinct aroma and flavor and a yellowish-orange hue.

With an electric mixer on low speed, gradually add the warm liquid to the flour/yeast mixture, beating until well blended. Increase mixer speed to medium and beat 2 minutes. Add the eggs and 1 cup (150 g) flour and beat for 2 more minutes.

Using a wooden spoon, stir in enough of the remaining flour to make a dough that holds together. Turn out onto a floured surface (use any of the 1 ½ cups of flour remaining) and knead the dough for 8 to 10 minutes until the dough is soft, smooth, sexy and elastic, keeping the work surface floured and adding extra flour as needed.

Place the dough in a lightly greased (I use vegetable oil) bowl, turning to coat all sides. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and a kitchen towel and let rise until double in bulk, 45 – 60 minutes. The rising time will depend on the type of yeast you use.

Prepare your filling: In a small bowl, combine the cinnamon and sugar for the filling if using. You can add the chopped nuts to this if you like, but I find it easier to sprinkle on both the nuts and the chocolate separately.

Saute onions, peppers and cauliflower in oil until almost done. Add the chilli flakes and season with salt. Cool completely before using as filling. 

Once the dough has doubled, make the meringue:

In a clean mixing bowl – ideally a plastic or metal bowl so the egg whites adhere to the side (they slip on glass) and you don’t end up with liquid remaining in the bottom – beat the egg whites with the salt, first on low speed for 30 seconds, then increase to high and continue beating until foamy and opaque. Add the vanilla then start adding the ½ cup sugar, a tablespoon at a time as you beat, until very stiff, glossy peaks form.

Assemble the Coffee Cakes:

Line two baking/cookie sheets with parchment paper.

Punch down the dough and divide in half. On a lightly floured surface, working one piece of the dough at a time (keep the other half of the dough wrapped in plastic), roll out the dough into a 20 x 10-inch (about 51 x 25 ½ cm) rectangle. Spread half of the meringue evenly over the rectangle up to about 1/2-inch (3/4 cm) from the edges. Sprinkle half of your filling of choice evenly over the meringue

For the Sweet Cake: Half of the cinnamon-sugar followed, by half the chopped nuts and half of the chocolate chips/chopped chocolate. If you are making two sweet cakes, then use remaining half for the other cake.

Now, roll up the dough jellyroll style, from the long side. Pinch the seam closed to seal. Very carefully transfer the filled log to one of the lined cookie sheets, seam side down. Bring the ends of the log around and seal the ends together, forming a ring, tucking one end into the other and pinching to seal. Using kitchen scissors or a sharp knife (although scissors are easier), make cuts along the outside edge. I shaped into a crescent, and slashed the dough on top with a sharp knife. 

For the Savory Cake: Spread the meringue, and then the sauce. Top with roasted veggies, parmesan and mozzarella. Roll into a log and transfer to prepared cookie sheet. Make slits on top with a sharp knife.

Cover the 2 coffee cakes with plastic wrap and allow them to rise again for 45 to 60 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C).

Brush the tops of the coffee cakes with the egg wash. Bake in the preheated oven for 25 to 30 minutes until risen and golden brown. The dough should sound hollow when tapped.

Remove from the oven and slide the parchment paper off the cookie sheets onto the table. Very gently loosen the coffee cakes from the paper with a large spatula and carefully slide the cakes off onto cooling racks. Allow to cool.

Just before serving, dust the top of the sweet coffee cakes with confectioner’s sugar as well as cocoa powder if using chocolate in the filling. These are best eaten fresh, the same day or the next day. Serve the savory cake as is. 


Thanks to Ria and Jamie for a delicious challenge, the yeasted meringue coffee cake recipe is a keeper!