Sacher Torte and all things chocolate..

Well more time has passed and I have been doing the usual and living life and trying to keep the home fires burning for me rather than burning my food. I've been baking my usual and did a cake for work for one of the Libraries who turned 50 this year. It came out quite good...should have included a photo but they are at work and I'm not! =)

Instead I'll include a picture of a pizza I made a bit ago (although it's usually a staple in this house) using my starter as the leavening for the pizza. It is just crazy now how it bubbles away and overflows its container! I said only today that it really loves being treated badly. I keep it in the fridge for the week, take it out on the day I'm making something, use what I need, replenish the starter, let it begin to progress and then shove back in the fridge. I'm not sure that is what you are suppose to do but it seems to work. If I use it for two days in a row I'll leave it out and it just goes overboard. I usually have to leave it on the draining board because it will just overflow and make a giant mess. This stuff is also good for sticking just about anything anywhere too!
Bit blurry but you get the jist - it was and always is very yummy! I'm now trying to use the starter for pita bread instead of having to begin a starter the night before - so far so good...just trying to get the portion size down so that what I make for one meal is all I have without leftovers. Somehow the dough never keeps well and begins to go off.

So now to the Sacher Torte! This is what J wanted for his birthday and well to accommodate his wishes it's what he got. I have never made one of these (truth be told - never even heard of the dessert!) but saw it made on a show called Glamour Puds. It wasn't a difficult recipe really - somethings were however omitted from the recipe, like how much of the apricot jam is to be used - one jar can be little or a lot depending on how much you want! The other thing I found a bit weird was when making the glaze as it was called - it's really just a souped up version of a ganache if you ask me - was when it said that it would coat the back of a spoon it did this long before adding the egg so I was a bit stumped but added the mixture to the egg and then cooked it out a bit so that anyone who wants a piece of the cake won't need to worry about uncooked egg product (read more for my sanity here!). Anyway, here's the nearly finished product as I pouring the glaze over it.

I must admit - it poured lovely - much better than ganache so I might remember this for when I want something similar. Here's a piece of it cut...

Oh, need I mention that the whole cake uses 11 eggs? Yes, you read that correctly - don't attempt this one on a heart healthy diet but seeing as I won't be eating it (I don't like chocolate and fruit together so everyone I know will probably get a slice at some point!) so J is on his OWN! =P

Well that's about all on this front...hope all is well with your and yours!

Getting busier....

Well life just keeps coming in at a fast pace and life is to be lived! I have a few pictures to post of what I've been keeping busy with...see for yourself.

That was my birthday cake last October (see how often I download pictures!). Then there's this next picture....

No I didn't make the snow but that was what I saw on my way into work (I walk of course) and we had a load of snow - the first big proper snow since I've lived here. Just had to share that one with you. The other weekend I then made this...

This is my poppy seed bread - used a different recipe for the dough (basically the sweet dough from Dough by Richard Bertinet) but also used some of my new starter. I began a starter in March while I was off for a few days from work. I faithfully fed it and kept it warm and it rewarded me by leavening the bread. It was really quite tasty - the flavour imparted from the starter is like nothing else I swear!

Then there were these two pictures...

These two fine loaves are ones I made one - I just made in a regular loaf pan as I would usually do and the other I made in my artisan bread basket I got that's made out of wooden cane. I usually don't go for the foo-foo stuff but oh how the bread now looks like it came from a proper bakery! I have another basket that's oblong too, which I have used but didn't get a photo of unfortunately. I'm rather proud of the loaves!

The starter is still hanging and gets better each week when it comes out at the weekend. I feed it once or twice (depending on if I'm baking a lot or not) and back in the fridge it goes for the week without feeding. So far it's kept for about 8 weeks now. It seems to just get better and adds a depth of flavour to the dough. Tomorrow I'm making pizza....this has been the best thing for us. It's exactly now like any kind of dough you'd get in a restaurant and so pliable that it will be very difficult to live without a starter ever again. Wished I had begun it sooner...but hey better late than never.

Next post is about some vintage cookbooks....oh the things I find. I tell you...

Keeping your buns warm!

Well I finally made the famous cinnamon buns and they were quite a hit! I found a few recipes from my books but also a few from the web. I sort of then just combined what I knew from past experiences. I found that adding a bit of cinnamon and nutmeg to the yeasted dough allows for more depth of flavour. I also made a cream cheese frosting which had vanilla bean seeds in to give a more pronounced vanilla flavour

I had a dilemma in how I was going to keep them warm (cold buns are just not the same!). I then had a brain fart - I used my pizza stone. It seems so obvious now but what took me so long?! I must be getting old.

While the buns were baking the pizza stone was in the oven too getting super hot. When ready to transport the buns I wrapped the stone in two large kitchen towels and put a few rubber bands around to hold them in place. It must be noted that next time I'll use string to secure the towels. A few rubber bands perished when I was trying to figured out how to wrap the stone initially. Probably not a good idea!

I then wrapped nice piece of damask cloth around it (to make it look nice) and set that in the bottom of my basket. I then put the buns on top of the stone, which I had baked in glass pie plates (glass holds heat longer) and set off for work.

As it happened we got a large amount of snow dumped on us. It wasn't the nice fluffy kind of snow but the sleek, wet kind that makes it slippery just to walk. Thankfully, I had a nice friend who offered to pick me up and take me to work which came in handy - especially that day!

So now for the recipe - I have altered it a bit but nothing dramatic that shouldn't work for you too.

Cinnamon buns

Dough

1 Tbsp yeast (I used quick active kind that you don't have to re-hydrate)
1/4 cup water
1/2 cup melted butter
1/3 cup sugar
1 tsp salt
1 cup whole milk
1 large egg
4-5 cups bread flour
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp grated nutmeg

Mix all wet ingredients in a measuring cup. Add to a mixer 4 cups of flour and yeast and salt. Mix thoroughly. Add all the wet ingredients and mix dough. You might have to add the last cup of flour to the dough until it becomes soft and manageable (it will be soft but firm enough to handle). Knead a minute more once you have mixed it in the mixer for about 4-6 minutes. I didn't heat my liquids as I have found heating doesn't make the dough rise any faster - the yeast if in date will work warm or cold. Now I never heat things unless I am using the kind of yeast that has to be proofed.

Place in greased bowl, cover with cling film and allow to rise until at least double in volume. I just left it out overnight on the counter or you can leave in the fridge.

Filling

Melted butter (at least 1/4 to 1/2 cup)
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup vanilla sugar (white or raw)
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon

Mix both sugars and the cinnamon until well blended. Roll out dough into a rectangle if you like lots of dough between your swirls then leave it rather thick - and if you like less then roll it thinner. Brush dough with melted butter until coated. Spread cinnamon sugar over and roll up dough. Slice with a serrated knife and place in a well buttered dish (use some of that melted butter to coat it). Bake in a pre-heated oven at 180 degrees C or 350F for 15-25 minutes depending on the thickness of your dough and slices.

Cream Cheese Icing

2 1/2 ounces cream cheese, softened
5 1/2 ounces icing sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
Seeds scrapped from a vanilla pod (optional)

Cream the cream cheese until well mixed and add icing sugar. Add vanilla extract and seeds and mix again. Depending on humidity, etc. you might have to add a bit more sugar but this is normal. It should be spreading consistency but not too liquid like.

Spread on rolls when they come out of the oven. Sit back with a cup of tea and enjoy!