Johnnycakes

Okay, so I decided to try another recipe from the Babycakes cookbook. This time I tried the Johnnycakes. I had no idea what they were and had never heard of them before this book. However, they are like a mix between a soft cookie and a scone.

I, of course, made some modifications. This time: sugar! haha So, after switching nothing but the flour (instead of spelt I used all-purpose gluten free flour) I realized that using that flour made the batter a bit too dry. So, I added about 1/4 c. baker's sugar first (it is finer and dissolves easier) and then started modifying using the current ingredients to get a better taste and a better consistency. I added some more coconut oil here, some more agave there, and a lot more hot water. Finally I found a good consistency and I scooped the batter.

I wasn't too sure how these were going to turn out as batter with gluten free all-purpose flour never tastes very good. Plus, this one also had uncooked cornmeal. Ick. haha But once I sprinkled some more sugar on top and baked them up, they came out pretty and very tasty. Better than the scones in my opinion. The sugar helped off-set the gluten free flour a bit and the agave drizzled on top adds a little more sweetness.

They taste like a cross between a dry scone and shortbread but with the consistency of a soft cookie. I enjoyed them. I have yet to share them with the non-gluten free community so we will see. I hope to get a verdict tomorrow. Although, the scones got an a-okay and I didn't like them. haha!

Here's a pretty picture:

Just a disclaimer regarding the Babycakes recipes: I am sure the recipes the way they are written are amazing. However, not all of their recipes are gluten free so with the modifications I have to make to make them gluten free, it takes away from the taste (therefore the adding sugar, etc). I hope to try one of their as written gluten free recipes soon.

Vegan Raspberry Scones

Okay, so today I decided to try a new recipe from my Babycakes NYC cookbook. With my Mom's birthday being Monday, I let her pick which ones I would make. So, raspberry it was. I wasn't too stoked on their use of spelt flour so I decided to use almond flour instead. Main reason is because I wanted to test out the flavor AND I am allergic to wheat. Although spelt is supposed to be easier to digest for those with wheat allergies I just didn't want to chance it.

For the most part, they turned out pretty good. I substituted the almond flour and away I went. It was a pretty simple recipe and went quickly. The end result was not too bad. However, even though I love Agave Nectar and use it for many things, I really wanted to taste a real sugar flavor in the scones. Especially since there was such a strong almond flavor. The almond flour did lend to a pretty moist scone though! So, although they taste pretty good and I would consider it a mild sucess, I think in the future I might use a little less almond flour, add in a bit of cornstarch for binding purposes, lessen the agave, and add some real sugar. I might even substitute out the coconut oil and use something like grapeseed. I will try that last. So, I might be making another batch tomorrow. :-)

All in all a pretty decent run for a first time vegan baking adventure. I am hoping to perfect the recipe to my liking though because I really love scones!

School is underway!

Well, the school semester has begun. And it looks like it will be a fun and fantastic semester.

First day of school I did start the day by leaving a few minutes late. Although this didn't impact me like I thought it would, I got to school and as I was driving around looking for a parking spot (on a new side of campus for me) I realized I had forgotten my parking pass. Crapola! So, instead of putting a bunch of quarters in the meters, I thought it would be more cost effective to drive 3 parking lots over to get a day pass for $1. Although more economical, it was more time consuming leaving me with no choice but to park even FARTHER from my class. I managed to make it to class on time but was dying of an asthma attack by the time I got there and walked up the 3 flights of stairs. LOL

One of my friends from my classes last semester is also in all of my classes this semester! So, it was nice to get to my art class (2D color and design) and see a familiar face among all the art majors. That class seems like it is going to be a lot of fun and I am totally looking forward to it. It is going to be a lot of "doodling" so to speak. A lot more is involved and I am looking forward to sharing my projects!

Speaking of, even though this isn't baking related, it is art related. I am very proud of a present that I drew for a friend for her birthday. She is a HUGE Twilight series fan. So, wanting to try something challenging, I drew the cover of the book of Twilight for her. Here it is:

I was pretty proud of it and she seemed to really like it.

So, today I had my first baking lab of the new semester. This semester is going to be so much fun! Our class seems like a good group. We had 5 of us in there from the same lab last semester and another guy who was in a different lab, but was also in my math class. So, it was nice to go in and know people. And this semester is going to be a lot of cakes! We are going to learn fillings and icings, etc. There are a couple of more challenging things but I am looking forward to them. In May the school has a night for all the Honors students. Well, our class prepares the desserts. So, in lieu of a lab final for the class, we put in work for the Honors Night celebration.

Today we practiced piping skills. She had us use whipped up butter instead of buttercream icing so it would be something that we could use again. Good idea. I am so going to practice on butter at home! Way cheaper than making buttercream. Anyway, we had to get used to those big pastry bags you see them using on TV on all the bakery shows and cake competitions. WAY different than what I am used to using from my Wilton classes! Same concept, bigger bags. We also have a Chef's assistant this semester so we get more one on one time with someone that can help us with technique. She was very helpful in showing me some things as I have not piped a shell border for over a year! After the piping lessons, we moved on to chocolate.

WOOHOO! That was a total blast. I thought mine looked awful but Chef and the assistant both said it looked great. Then Chef asked me if I had taken art classes. (teehee) I just answered "Well, umm....yeah." She laughed and said that it was obvious. I didn't think so from the piping I was doing but I was going to take the compliment. HAHA! While everyone was practicing, Chef and her assistant were standing right next to me chatting about chocolate and cookies, etc with me. I mentioned my cookies I made over Christmas and pulled out my cell to show them a picture. Before I got to the cookie picture, I came across the Twilight drawing above. Chef said "You DREW that?!" I said yes. She turned to the assistant and said "Can you imagine how awesome she will be in the pastry class?" Oh MY Gosh! I of course was super excited inside. Well, for 2 reasons. 1. That is a huge compliment in my book and 2. Maybe that will get me IN to that class in the fall seeing as I have a problem with the internship class and getting into it! LOL

All in all it has been a great 2 days. Tomorrow I go back to 2D design and then we have lecture for baking. I am really looking forward to this semester as we are finally going to be doing cakes and stuff that I have been wanting to learn.

SUPER EXCITED!!

Happy February (And Groundhogs Day!)!!

Beginning of the year baking

So I started off the year with a bag full of lemons from my Dad's lemon tree. I tried to figure out something to do with them. I found a gluten free version of lemon bars that sounded so good. I had a girls party to go to so I thought I would try to make them for that.

Well, luckily my friend Christy LOVES lemons and wanted some so I decided to do a practice batch. I have never made anything like lemon bars so it was definitely a new experience for me! Well, to make them gluten free was not so different from making them regular. It was a mixture of white rice flour and cornstarch with powdered sugar to make the shortbread for the crust. It actually tasted pretty good but I had some problems with it puffing up so much that it had too much of a cookie taste then lemon bar. The lemon bar mixture used cornstarch as a thickener but had so much sugar in it that the top crystalized like a creme brulee. However, this did create a new texture that was actually kind of cool.

Well, the second batch didn't set up as well and at the girls party we ended up just scooping it out of the pan! haha But, both batches still tasted pretty good. I didn't take pictures of either though, because they didn't look pretty at all! So, even though they tasted pretty good I think I might tweak the recipe next time and experiment or just find a new recipe all together to make use of the lemons!

So, the other day I was online looking for gluten free items and BAM! Betty Crocker is now making gluten free mixes!!! WHAT?!?!?!? Yes, it is true. Betty Crocker is my new best friend. :-) And guess what else? They sell it at Ralph's!! Mainstream grocery stores are selling gluten free cake and brownie mixes! Finally! So, when in the grocery store the other day, I grabbed a box of the Betty Crocker Gluten Free Brownie Mix.

Today I decided to try out the brownies and I have to say....YUM! Best gluten free mix I have tasted so far! I still have to test it out on the non-gluten free folk but it seems pretty promising. I can't wait to try out the cake mix! If the cake mix is anything like the brownie mix then we have a winner. Finally something I can use for my gluten free friends when they want birthday cakes from me. (For those that don't know, I decorate cakes as well).

<-- YUM

The result. YUM YUM YUM!

UPDATE: The vote is in from the non-gluten free eaters. The verdict is still YUM!

Holiday cookies

Well, since school has been out it seems like everything has been a blur. I made cookies for three days, wrapped presents, the holidays were here, then I got sick. Blah. haha But I am feeling better and thought I would post my cookies.

I spent one whole day just making sugar dough, cutting cookies, and baking them. I made 6 dozen! The biggest tip I can give for sugar dough is to roll it out between waxed paper so the roller never touches the dough and to refridgerate it after you have rolled it out. It helps so much! Thanks to these tips from my hand dandy Cookie Craft books! I made snowflakes, peppermint candies, and candy canes. I spent ALL day doing cookies. By the evening I was so exhausted I crashed out on the couch!

The next day I started with the snowflake decorating. It took me over an hour just to make the frosting (royal icing) and organize it all. I realize now I should have taken pictures of the whole process but I am new at this blogging thing!  I followed my friendly blog Bakerella as well as the Cookie Craft books and organized my station and used their tips for using the icing. I used plastic squeeze bottles bought at Michael's and made by Wilton for the flood icing. These worked out great because you can put the lid back on and it is air tight so you don't have to store it in a different container over night. It stays fresh and works very well.

For the piped icing, I put it into different sealable containers to color them. After finding the desired color, I put them in the pastry bags using twist ties to close right above the icing and at the end of the pastry bag to avoid messes (which worked very well). Another tip I learned was to have cups or glasses the size of the pastry bags with wet paper towels in the bottom so when you are done with the color you can place the bag in the glass with the tip down touching the wet paper towel and it keeps the icing from running out and from drying up. This is where pictures would come in really handy! haha The flood color was the easiest because it was in the squeeze bottles.

How decorating cookies works is you pipe a thicker royal icing around the edge and then the flood color is placed inside (a thinner form of the icing and color) to make a smooth surface. The piping can also be used for decoration as well as any kind of sprinkles or candies. I kept mine pretty simple and used only icing and colored sugar.

I unfortunately cannot eat them but I have been told they were yummy! I had fun making them even if it took 3 days to make them all!

And the semester is over....with straight A's!!!

Okay, so it has been a couple of weeks since I have updated my blog. Things have been a bit hectic with school since Thanksgiving passed. I will give a quick update on what has happened between then and finals.

After Thanksgiving we had a lab where we learned cream/custard sauces. We did creme anglaise which is also referred to as vanilla sauce. This wasn't too difficult but there is a short window of time between it being ready and burning it! Basically it is milk and cream with eggs, sugar and vanilla. It is a thin sauce and most likely you have seen it drizzled on desserts when you order at a restaurant. You cook it on the stove and strain it to get the lumps out. My favorite was pastry cream. This is actually more like a custard or pudding that is used to fill cakes, pastries and sometimes donuts. It is also good on top of things like pound cake. It is made similar to creme anglaise but it cooks to a thicker consistancy before cooling it down. It is also done on the stove and requires a talented eye to know as soon as it is done without burning it. I did a pretty good job with it and wow was it yummy! Thing vanilla pudding. Yum! That same lab we also did stovetop brulee. I let my team partner take them home as most of my family is either allergic to milk, lactose intolerant, or both. haha But we learned how to torch the top which was pretty cool.

Since then I skipped a lab to study. I had a certification test for my food cost analysis class which I am still waiting for the grade on. I am pretty sure I got the certification, but just have to wait. As for my regular finals I did pretty decent. I got an 86% on my written baking final and an 84% on my food cost analysis final. Not as good as I would have liked on either but I was happy with them. Then, last night, was my baking practical (hands on) final. We were going to either end up making apple pie and creme anglaise or pound cake and pastry cream. I have been wishing for pound cake and pastry cream for weeks now. HAHA! I am happy to say that I DID end up with pound cake and pastry cream! And, I rocked the final. No crazy stories to tell, nothing went badly, I just rocked. And I got a 199/200. I was so excited! So, in the end I have ended up with A's in both classes!

Now I have a break until February when Spring semester starts. I will be taking Baking 2 and Art. The art class is a 2D design class. It should be fun. I was hoping to take another drawing class but it just didn't fit into my schedule.

As for updates on here, there won't be much to update unless I am baking at home, which I intend to do. With Christmas right around the corner, I am going to make sugar cookies and make use of my Cookie Craft books. (I just bought Cookie Craft Christmas today!!!!).

So, Happy Holidays to you all and I hope to have fun updates during my winter break.

What did we do??

So my brain has been so occupied by my 3 finals and 1 certification test that I barely remember what we did in class last week! Last week was Thanksgiving right? haha!

What did we make? Oh yeah, we made different cakes! Well, my team partner and I made blondies (which are like brownies but taste like butterscotch). I had another great partner last week. I made the blondie mix and she made the cream cheese topping. We added a cream cheese swirl with raspberries and sliced almonds. It took a while to cook since we added so much but they turned out great and were by far the yummiest things made in class! Most people had to make things like red velvet cake and devils food cake but we were happy to get the blondies which were our first choice. And if my family was actually telling the truth on Thanksgiving, they liked them too! I brought as much home as possible so we could put them out on a platter for snacks. They went quickly. (I forgot to take pictures).

What else did we do? Okay, that's right....we made pound cake! Not as easy to make as you think but I did a pretty good job. The hardest part is making sure you mix the butter and sugar until it is smooth and fluffy. In a Kitchen Aid mixer that is about 25 minutes on speed 2!! But, after checking and checking, my first step was finally done and I was ready to add in the eggs and flour. After that you have to mix it for a bit as well. We each made our own pound cake as it is one of the things we might have to make for our final. I really hope I get pound cake for my final not only because it is helluva lot easier than apple pie, but since I want to do mostly cakes for a living, it would be awesome to be able to do it again and get graded on it to see where I stand. Most carved cakes (cakes that are shaped) are made out of pound cake because it is fluffy and moist but it is strong and sturdy. It holds weight better than regular cake when stacking and putting a lot of fondant, etc on it. So, fingers crossed I get pound cake!!

As for everything else, I am really happy my math/accounting class is almost over! Although, it was really cute in class today as our teacher (who is not only Amanda Beard's Dad but is also a new Grandpa) had the new issue of People magazine with his daughter and grandson in it and was showing off the picture. Such a proud Grandpa! haha And the kid is a cutie too. As much as I like him as a teacher I will be happy when the test is over. Next week we review for the final and take our certification test for ManageFirst for the National Restaurant Association. Oy! Then I also have my written Baking 1 final next Friday. Oy! But at least the last day of finals we will have our baking final scores back. I won't have to wait to get my grade!

Well, off to get sleep. Wish me luck on all of my tests. This week's lab is creams and sauces and next week's lab is cheesecake (I think), but with all the tests I am not sure I will be able to update until after that is all over.

Happy December!