Thursday, August 27, 2009

Dobos Torta - Daring Bakers

I'm kinda nervous yet very excited to show off my very first Daring Bakers creation.. I made it quite early cos I couldn't wait to get my hands on it and taste it especially.. It looks really beautiful and scrumptious.. hehehe.. well..

The August 2009 Daring Bakers' challenge was hosted by Angela of A Spoonfulof Sugar and Lorraine of Not Quite Nigella. They chose the spectacular DobosTorte based on a recipe from Rick Rodgers' cookbook Kaffeehaus: ExquisiteDesserts from the Classic Caffés of Vienna, Budapest, and Prague

As this was my first challenge and the recipe looks pretty intimidating.. I kept reading the recipe over and over again trying to understand the whole procedure and making sure that I have all the ingredients at hand.. I couldn't wait to start on it truthfully.. haha..

It was quite easy to make.. from the cake to the buttercream.. I guess the most challenging part was the caramel top.. I had to gauge when to take it out of the stove.. I didn't dare to be creative for this challenge as it was my very first and I didn't want to stray away from the original recipe... However, I did find the sponge cake layers kinda sticky after it cools.. But i try not to move it so much.. I did the sponge cake layers and the buttercream one day in advance though.. Oh yeah.. And I halved the recipe because I fear that I might fail and also nobody would eat it..



Dobos Torta recipe from Rick Rodgers' cookbook Kaffeehaus: ExquisiteDesserts from the Classic Caffés of Vienna, Budapest, and Prague (my notes in Red as usual.. and I halved the recipe and used a 6" template)

Equipment
2 baking sheets
9” (23cm) springform tin and 8” cake tin, for templates
(I used 6" tins for the template)
mixing bowls (1 medium, 1 large)
a sieve
a double boiler (a large saucepan plus a large heat-proof mixing bowl which fits snugly over the top of the pan)
a small saucepan
a whisk (you could use a balloon whisk for the entire cake, but an electric hand whisk or stand mixer will make life much easier)
metal offset spatula
sharp knife
a 7 1/2” cardboard cake round, or just build cake on the base of a springfrom tin.
piping bag and tip, optional

Prep times
Sponge layers 20 mins prep, 40 mins cooking total if baking each layer individually.
Buttercream: 20 mins cooking. Cooling time for buttercream: about 1 hour plus 10 minutes after this to beat and divide.
Caramel layer: 10-15 minutes.
Assembly of whole cake: 20 minutes

Sponge cake layers
6 large eggs, separated, at room temperature
1 1/3 cups (162g) confectioner's (icing) sugar, divided
1 teaspoon (5ml) vanilla extract
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons (112g) sifted cake flour (SUBSTITUTE 95g plain flour + 17g cornflour (cornstarch) sifted together)
pinch of salt

Chocolate Buttercream
4 large eggs, at room temperature
1 cup (200g) caster (ultrafine or superfine white) sugar
4oz (110g) bakers chocolate or your favourite dark chocolate, finely chopped
2 sticks plus 2 tablespoons (250g) unsalted butter, at room temperature.

Caramel topping
1 cup (200g) caster (superfine or ultrafine white) sugar
12 tablespoons (180 ml) water
8 teaspoons (40 ml) lemon juice
1 tablespoon neutral oil (e.g. grapeseed, rice bran, sunflower)
(I used canola oil)

Finishing touches
a 7” cardboard round
12 whole hazelnuts, peeled and toasted
½ cup (50g) peeled and finely chopped hazelnuts

Directions for the sponge layers:
NB. The sponge layers can be prepared in advance and stored interleaved with parchment and well-wrapped in the fridge overnight.

1.Position the racks in the top and centre thirds of the oven and heat to 400F (200C).
2.Cut six pieces of parchment paper to fit the baking sheets. Using the bottom of a 9" (23cm) springform tin as a template and a dark pencil or a pen, trace a circle on each of the papers, and turn them over (the circle should be visible from the other side, so that the graphite or ink doesn't touch the cake batter.)
3.Beat the egg yolks, 2/3 cup (81g) of the confectioner's (icing) sugar, and the vanilla in a medium bowl with a mixer on high speed until the mixture is thick, pale yellow and forms a thick ribbon when the beaters are lifted a few inches above the batter, about 3 minutes. (You can do this step with a balloon whisk if you don't have a mixer.)
4.In another bowl, using clean beaters, beat the egg whites until soft peaks form. Gradually beat in the remaining 2/3 cup (81g) of confectioner's (icing)sugar until the whites form stiff, shiny peaks. Using a large rubber spatula, stir about 1/4 of the beaten whites into the egg yolk mixture, then fold in the remainder, leaving a few wisps of white visible. Combine the flour and salt. Sift half the flour over the eggs, and fold in; repeat with the remaining flour.
5.Line one of the baking sheets with a circle-marked paper. Using a small offset spatula, spread about 3/4cup of the batter in an even layer, filling in the traced circle on one baking sheet. Bake on the top rack for 5 minutes, until the cake springs back when pressed gently in the centre and the edges are lightly browned. While this cake bakes, repeat the process on the other baking sheet, placing it on the centre rack. When the first cake is done, move the second cake to the top rack. Invert the first cake onto a flat surface and carefully peel off the paper. Slide the cake layer back onto the paper and let stand until cool. Rinse the baking sheet under cold running water to cool, and dry it before lining with another parchment. Continue with the remaining papers and batter to make a total of six layers. Completely cool the layers. Using an 8" springform pan bottom or plate as a template, trim each cake layer into a neat round. (A small serrated knife is best for this task.) (I didn't trim mine cos I think all the layers were quite similar in size)

Directions for the chocolate buttercream:
NB. This can be prepared in advance and kept chilled until required.

1.Prepare a double-boiler: quarter-fill a large saucepan with water and bring it to a boil.
2.Meanwhile, whisk the eggs with the sugar until pale and thickened, about five minutes. You can use a balloon whisk or electric hand mixer for this.
3.Fit bowl over the boiling water in the saucepan (water should not touch bowl) and lower the heat to a brisk simmer. Cook the egg mixture, whisking constantly, for 2-3 minutes until you see it starting to thicken a bit. Whisk in the finely chopped chocolate and cook, stirring, for a further 2-3 minutes.
4.Scrape the chocolate mixture into a medium bowl and leave to cool to room temperature. It should be quite thick and sticky in consistency.
5.When cool, beat in the soft butter, a small piece (about 2 tablespoons/30g) at a time. An electric hand mixer is great here, but it is possible to beat the butter in with a spatula if it is soft enough. You should end up with a thick, velvety chocolate buttercream. Chill while you make the caramel topping.

Lorraine's note: If you're in Winter just now your butter might not soften enough at room temperature, which leads to lumps forming in the buttercream. Make sure the butter is of a very soft texture I.e. running a knife through it will provide little resistance, before you try to beat it into the chocolate mixture. Also, if you beat the butter in while the chocolate mixture is hot you'll end up with more of a ganache than a buttercream!

Directions for the caramel topping:

1.Choose the best-looking cake layer for the caramel top. To make the caramel topping: Line a jellyroll pan with parchment paper and butter the paper. Place the reserved cake layer on the paper. Score the cake into 12 equal wedges. (Just cut it through). Lightly oil a thin, sharp knife and an offset metal spatula.
2.Stir the sugar, water and lemon juice in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil over a medium heat, stirring often to dissolve the sugar. Once dissolved into a smooth syrup, turn the heat up to high and boil without stirring, swirling the pan by the handle occasionally and washing down any sugar crystals on the sides of the pan with a wet brush until the syrup has turned into an amber-coloured caramel. (The colour should be quite dark and it took quite a while.. so be patient and keep both eyes on it).
3.The top layer is perhaps the hardest part of the whole cake so make sure you have a oiled, hot offset spatula ready. I also find it helps if the cake layer hasn't just been taken out of the refrigerator. I made mine ahead of time and the cake layer was cold and the toffee set very, very quickly—too quickly for me to spread it. Immediately pour all of the hot caramel over the cake layer. You will have some leftover most probably but more is better than less and you can always make nice toffee pattern using the extra to decorate. Using the offset spatula, quickly spread the caramel evenly to the edge of the cake layer. Let cool until beginning to set, about 30 seconds. Using the tip of the hot oiled knife (keep re-oiling this with a pastry brush between cutting), cut through the scored marks to divide the caramel layer into 12 equal wedges. Cool another minute or so, then use the edge of the knife to completely cut and separate the wedges using one firm slice movement (rather than rocking back and forth which may produce toffee strands). Cool completely.

Angela's note: I recommend cutting, rather than scoring, the cake layer into wedges before covering in caramel (reform them into a round). If you have an 8” silicon round form, then I highly recommend placing the wedges in that for easy removal later and it also ensures that the caramel stays on the cake layer. Once set, use a very sharp knife to separate the wedges.

Assembling the Dobos

1.Divide the buttercream into six equal parts.
2.Place a dab of chocolate buttercream on the middle of a 7 1/2” cardboard round and top with one cake layer. Spread the layer with one part of the chocolate icing. Repeat with 4 more cake layers. Spread the remaining icing on the sides of the cake.
3.Optional: press the finely chopped hazelnuts onto the sides of the cake.
4.Propping a hazelnut under each wedge so that it sits at an angle, arrange the wedges on top of the cake in a spoke pattern. If you have any leftover buttercream, you can pipe rosettes under each hazelnut or a large rosette in the centre of the cake. Refrigerate the cake under a cake dome until the icing is set, about 2 hours. Let slices come to room temperature for the best possible flavour.

Storage
I (Angela) am quite happy to store this cake at room temperature under a glass dome, but your mileage may vary. If you do decide to chill it, then I would advise also using a glass dome if you have done. I should also note that the cake will cut more cleanly when chilled.

Variations
Shape: The traditional shape of a Dobos Torta is a circular cake, but you can vary the shape and size if you want. Sherry Yard in Desserts By The Yard makes a skyscraper Dobos by cutting a full-size cake into four wedges and stacking them to create a tall, sail-shaped cake. Mini Dobos would be very cute, and you could perch a little disc of caramel on top.

Flavour: While we both love the dark chocolate buttercream and this is traditional, we think it would be fun to see what fun buttercreams you all come up with! So, go wild! Or, you could brush each layer with a flavoured syrup if you just want a hint of a second flavour. Cointreau syrup would be divine!

Nuts: These are optional for decoration, so no worries if you're allergic to them. If you don't like hazelnuts, then substitute for another variety that you like.

Egg concerns
The cooking process for the buttercream will produce lightly cooked eggs. If you fall into a vulnerable health group then you may wish to use an egg-less buttercream.
You can check out the rest of the daring bakers Dobos Torta here.. I feel so amatuer-ish as compared to the rest of the daring bakers.. Some of the pieces really looks professional and inspirational.. Nevertheless, I will work hard.. Bring on the next challenge!! Hehe.. KUDOS to all the Daring Bakers!!

~It was never my intention to brag..
To steal it all away from you now..~

Monday, August 24, 2009

End of Wilton Course 1

The Wilton Method of Cake Decorating Course 1 has ended.. 4 weeks seems to pass by very fast.. We only had 4 lessons but it was really fun.. Learnt new things and how to decorate the proper way.. haha.. Well, the one part that was not fun is the clean up though.. The buttercream used is so oily.. Hmm.. I think everybody in class had fun and really came up with gorgeous cakes in the final class.. Here they are: I love this cake for it's huge, dramatic roses and it looks really well done.. I'm really wondering how she made the roses so big.. I tried making mine bigger but it wasn't successful.. haha.. It's really really pretty... I was in awe...

I love her courageous use of bold colours... haha.. I wanted to make a bright coloured cake too but I was always thinking.. "would I eat such brightly-coloured cakes?".. Hmm.. But it was really cool.. A very good centrepiece for themed parties.. And I really love her asymmetrical design.. It's really something refreshing apart from the all the decorations in the Course 1 book.. Looks more modern to me..

Hers was really sweet-looking.. Would be a very beautiful piece for those sunday afternoon tea.. haha.. I like her leaves.. It looks like roses were really resting nicely on it.. I'm not good at describing but it looks more realistic.. And her roses looks really stunning..

And here's mine.. *grins*.. Truth be told.. I think it looks boring and very safe.. I really wanted to do a more 'arty' and daring cake.. but I was pressed for time and I didn't have any inspiration.. And I wanted to do something that I can eat.. Moreover, like I always said, I'm a simple person.. and taste is always the priority.. I didn't use the class buttercream to frost the cake cause the class buttercream is extremely sweet that I somehow get a nauseating feeling after eating it.. Haha.. Im serious.. I can't handle the sweetness..

I've been wanting to try one of the recipes that has been laying in my recipe file... I chose Triple Layer Lemon Chiffon Cake... I had a few lemons in the fridge unused and concentrated lemon juice at Cold Storage was on sale.. hahaha.. On top of that, I've been wanting to try and taste lemon curd which was used as filling in the cake.. So I ended up with this pretty yellow cake.. The frosting was a sort of lemon cream.. It wasn't so stiff.. I had to refrigerate it a few times before frosting.. I was so worried that it would get all runny on the way to class the next day... But it was ok.. Anyway, there was a fridge in the class... :)
My decorations were simple.. But I love the roses.. Although not perfect, I think it was a job well done.. It wasn't easy.. I was doing it like after midnight after completing my cake orders.. Sat in the kitchen struggling to keep my eyes open.. Determined to finished 12 roses that night.. In the end, I only used 6 most suitable and nicest ones.. It was all worth the hard work.. Oh yeah, the cake was really nice... Light and refreshing and the flowers and decorations add a nice touch of sweetness to it.. *Smiles* Good Job Everyone!! Hopefully I can afford and go the Course 2 soon.. If they open the class on Saturdays.. Hmm..

~I know you like to thank your shit
Don't stank.. But lean a lil' bit closer
See that roses really smell like
Booo ooo ooo~

Sunday, August 23, 2009

One Busy Week

Wow... I've gotten through one busy week.. It was undescribable.. I had so much baking to do.. Firstly, I had orders from my sis.. 2 cakes.. I think cakes are simpler than cupcakes.. Pour here, take it out.. frost and decorate.. and voila.. you have a cake.. It's less tiring than anything else.. But somehow, I'm always intimidated by the decorating part.. Cos I'm actually a simple person.. I like things simple.. decorations to be simple.. The main priority is TASTE.. haha.. But somehow.. Looks and presentation always plays a very important first impression rite? No? Not for me.. Cos TASTE IS PARAMOUNT.. hahaks..
I am looking at this Hershey's cookies and cream chocolate and it reminded me of something.. I used to buy this chocolate bar almost everyday after school when I was in secondary school.. It was like one of my favourite chocolate besides so many others.. I grew fat on it!! haha.. Anyway, when I ate it again now, I can't eat more than 3 small rectangles.. It's like damn sweet and I can't handle it.. I guess I don't really enjoy white chocolate as much as I did.. Don't get me wrong.. I still love chocolates though..
This is the Infamous Abbey Cheesecake with Strawberry Swirls.. I used apple flavoured biscuits for the crust.. It should taste slightly different from normal.. Personally, I like it cos I think the taste is uniqe. I just hope the person who ordered this enjoy it..
Secondly, I had orders from my good friend, Sikin.. Nutella Cupcakes and Cheesecake... She ordered Plain cheesecake cut into 4cm by 4cm squares.. Her initial order was a rectangle cheesecake bar but I couldn't do it would be very costly for me and for her too.. haha.. Too hard to explain.. So, I end up with this.. Thirdly.. I had to prepare for my Wilton Course 1 Finale Cake.. Gosh.. I was tired by the end of Saturday.. Haha.. Nevertheless, I really enjoyed it cos I Love what I'm doing.. Hahaha.. I will reveal the Finale cake in the next post..

~Money can be earned
But passion can't be bought~

Monday, August 17, 2009

Part II

I had another order of 200 cupcakes from my mom for my cousin's wedding.. I made 3 types of cupcakes.. The all time favourite.. Nutella Frosted Cupcakes.. The pretty Neapolitan Cupcakes with a pink coloured frosting now.. and lastly.. I successfully made my aromatic Panut Butter Cupcakes with Chocolate Frosting.. I'll let the pictures speak for itself.. Im sorry if my pictures sucks though.. Maybe I should start investing in a SLR camera.. Would that work seriously??

I'll post the recipe once I'm free.. I promise.. :)


~It's like a bad movie..
She is looking through me

If you were me then you'd be
Screaming someone shoot me..
As I failed miserably..trying to get the girl
all the bad guys want~

Monday, August 10, 2009

Order and National Day

My sis's fren ordered this Black Magic cake for last Sunday.. I don't really know what's the occasion the friend orders for but I'm happy to receive orders anyway.. A 6" Black Magic cake.. It looks really nice and I really feel like gobbling it all by myself.. hahaha..Very vey tempting... Maybe I should make one for myself.. Very very soon..
I don't really have any ideas how to decorate the cake.. But this was one of the ideas.. White chocolate chips borders with 2 cherries on top.. I was looking for the triangle comb to decorate the sides nicely but it was out of stock at B-I-Y (bake it yourself).
That's me decorating.. hahaha.. It wasn't as easy as I thought.. Don't mind the ugly background though..
Im currently attending the Wilton's Method of Cake Decorating Course 1.. Cost quite a lot actually but I decided to go for it.. To gain more experience and upgrade my skills.. Hmm.. Sound very Singaporean.. Hmm.. Neway, here's what I learn after the 2nd lesson...

I should have wrote the words in Red but I was too tired and lazy to colour another batch of icing and use up another diposable pipping bags.. haha.. So this is what I got.. My lettering sucks but Im practising hard on it.. The rainbow looks very pretty though..
I made the sponge cake.. The came is similar to the American Whisked Sponge Cake that I did previously.. tasted and smell like Kuih Bahulu/baulu/bolu.. hahah.. I knew the buttercream would be very very sweet given the amount of sugar required in the recipe.. So i decided to put Strawberry Jam to kill a bit of the EXTREME sweetness..

One of my nephew really love it cos he goes crazy for sweet stuffs.. The rest said it was too sweet as expected.. But I can't change the buttercream recipe.. Boo Hoo.. But I won't cover the cake with this buttercream recipe the next time.. That's for sure cos even I, can't take the sweetness..

Oh yeah... I didn't plan to write those National Day thingy.. It was the 9th Aug when I decorated this.. I didn't know what else I could write and my family suggested that.. Neway, Happy National Day to everyone.. Belated actually..

~What Do You See?~

Friday, August 7, 2009

Cupcakes for Wedding Giveway??

My mom requested me to help her make cupcakes for her friend's daughter small wedding ceremony (nikah) at the mosque on Thursday (6/8/2009). It is to give away to those who were present there... My mission was to make simple cupcakes that I could store in a small container that my mom bought.. No frosting watsoever.. Hmm.. I had to make 2 types of cupcakes (50-50).

Okay.. The all the time fave of my family is Nutella Frosted Cupcakes.. of cos that was on top of the list.. I wanted to the make Old Fashion Chocolate Cupcake cause I've always liked that one but the recipe was so unstable... I did 2 batches and poooff.. FAILURE!! Haiz~ It sank.. I don't understand why but I am determined to find out.. very determined.. Hmm..

Nutella Frosted Cupcakes will always makes you happy.. Cause it is a confirmed success recipe.. Heh.. Hmm.. It's actually very tiring to do.. cos of the swirling and all.. But nevertheless, will never let you down..

After completing the Nutella ones, I moved on to the next 50... After the failed 2 batches of Old Fashion, I decided to make the Neapolitan recipe except now the neapolitan is not complete without the strawberry frosting.. Hehe.. I can't frost these cupcakes as I had to put them in the container.. So it's not neapolitan anymore.. Double Trouble?? What should I name it? Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde.. Yin & Yang.. Sorry.. late night lame-ness.. *rolls eyes to myself*

I wanted to do something different... I didn't want to stick to my own safe recipe that I always make.. Hence, I figured out Neapolitan cupcakes would do the trick.. This would be the 2nd time Im doing the recipe but this time around, no buttercream on it.. I remember it to be a very nice firm cupcake.. Martha Stewart recipe never goes wrong.. :) I put one dot of buttercream to act a glue to for the flower decoration... It turn out to be very pretty and delicious too.. I totally digg it.. If only I had coloured the buttercream green.. Then it could be like leaves.. Cool rite.. haha..

After the tiring feat, I packed it away into those individual cups.. Simple and sweeeet.. I hope the people who received it love it as much as I love doing it.. Hmm.. I'll post the neapolitan recipe someday.. Just let me rest for now.. :P Oh yeah.. Thanks Wafi for helping me again..

This is for you guys/girls reading this... I mean the picture above of my pretty pretty cupcake.. haha.. *Self-proclaimed*

~I was dying inside to hold you
Couldn't believe what I felt for you~

Sunday, August 2, 2009

Brownie

After baking this brownie.. I realize that my ideal brownie is more cakey with a bit of fudgey-ness in it.. For now.. I used to like chewy brownies.. I don't know why I stopped liking them too.. Haha.. Neway, I found this recipe from a book by Daniel Tay.. He's the owner Bakerzin if I'm not wrong.. I was searching for recipes for brownies and his recipe seems to appeal to me most of all the brownie recipes that I had collected... Why?? Cos his recipe was the first recipe I saw that had cream cheese in it.. Hmmm

Well, it turned out wonderful.. Cakey and kinda fudgey when it's hot.. I like my brownie plain.. Maybe with fudge on it.. But I don't like nuts in it, especially walnuts.. eugh.. Not that I don't eat it but I just don't like it.. But I think the next time I do this, I can add some white chocolate chips or even milk chocolate buttons inside.. I think it would be really nice and make the brownie fudgier.. Just the way I like it..

Reviews from my sis is that it's too cakey.. But I guess different people have different takes on it.. It's cakey but when I heat it up in the microwave before I eat it, it's a bit fudgey.. You just have to try it yourself.. The recipe makes good clean and neat brownie.. Haha.. Whatever that means.. Lol.. Nice eaten with Island Creamery ice-cream too.. Yummy!!
Chocolate Brownie (taken from just desserts and other baked treats by Daniel Tay)
(makes one 28-cm / 11" square cake) (my notes in red)
(I make one-third the recipe as I just wanted to make a small tray for myself.. hehe)

325g (11 1/2 oz) plain (all purpose) flour
5g (1/2 oz) baking powder
150g (5 1/3 oz) cocoa powder
225g (8 oz) cream cheese
860g (1 4/5 lb) sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla essence
10g (1/3 oz) salt
450g (16 oz) unsalted butter
400g (14 1/3 oz) eggs
300g (10 1/2 oz) walnuts
butter for greasing

1. Preheat oven to 180C (350 F)

2. Sift flour, baking powder and cocoa powder into a bowl and set aside.

3. Place cream cheese, sugar, vanilla essence, salt and butter in another mixing bowl and whisk until blended.

4. Fold eggs into cream cheese mixture, then gradually fold in flour mixture. Add walnuts and mix well. (I didn't fold.. Just added everything in my KitchenAid and Beat it~ haha.. ok.. lame)

5. Lightly grease a 28 cm / 11" square baking tin with butter. Level Batter into tin and bake for 20 minutes. (I baked in my 6" x 9" rectangle tray)

6. Unmould brownie and leave aside to cool. Slice before serving.

You might think that the ingredients list is a bit weird as all the quantity are in grams and ounces.. But from the baking books that I read, giving the quantities this way is the most accurate. This is because measurements in spoons and cups can vary in different countries.. Even the size of eggs can be different everywhere.. That should explain it.. But I must say it's more troublesome having the recipe in grams as I have to weigh everything.. And I guess it's time I invest in a good weighing machine..

~There are many things that I
Would like to say to you but I don't know how~