Something New

I was pretty exciting this morning, when I made the decision to bake again. It had been a few days, and I was feeling at a loss of what to do with myself.

This morning I wanted to bake something difference, full of sugar, ridiculously bad for me, and imaginably yummy.
No more of this fancy nonsense, I felt like being grandmothery - and whats more grandmothery than cookies!

I'm not normally a fan of cookies or biscuits. They were always too hard and too bland. I never felt any pleasure biting into a thin, burnt, and breeze-block consistency cookie.
But one of my favourites, surprisingly is the silly named cookie: Snickerdoodles!

I like them because firstly, they are soft. Secondly they have cinnamon, and thirdly, they have shortening. When I first noticed the recipe called for shortening I was sceptical. Being a massive 'dough-testing' girl, I found shortening to be disgusting with sugar and flour. Ew. Adding fat to a cookie recipe was beyond comprehension, but dutifully, I followed orders and I've changed my mind - for the shortening, adds a depth in the taste that would be lost if it was missing, an almost savoury flavour, but I think it enhances the cinnamon, without being too sweet. 

The Recipe:

Adapted from amandeleine.com

Ingredients: 

• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 1/2 cup shortening 
• 1 1/2 cups white sugar
• 2 eggs (I used my own duck eggs, which are larger and yellower - if possible, try using fresh eggs, they always make baking taste that much better)
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract (I left this out, and didn't cause too much trouble, although do put it in if possible)
• 2 3/4 cups plain flour
• 2 teaspoons cream of tartar
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 6 tablespoons white sugar (try for a little more granulated if possible)
• 3 teaspoons ground cinnamon (this mixture made a little too much for me, which isn't a problem as I can put it away for next time... but if your are a 'no-waste' kinda person, reduce amount)

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 200 degrees C (400 degrees F).
2. Cream the butter, shortening and 1 1/2 white sugar until fluffy, about 3-4 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each, then blend in the vanilla.
3. Whisk together flour, cream of tartar, baking soda and salt in a separate bowl. Add to wet mixture and blend in.
4. Mix the 5 tablespoons sugar and the cinnamon in a small ziploc bag.
5. Create small balls with your fingers and place it into the cinnamon sugar bag. Shake the bag and roll the dough around until completely coated. Place, within two inches of each other, on the tray lined with baking paper.
6. Bake 8 to 10 minutes, or until set but not too hard. Remove immediately from baking sheets
7. Depending on the size of your cookies, you could make approximately 4 dozen cookies.

WARNING:smaller cookies are quicker to eat!! Be aware that they will disappear quickly! 

So Far So Good

My second baking attempt came suddenly and unexpectedly.
A friend came over today, and we needed something to do - it was threatening to rain so we had to find something fun, yet productive (by the way google, washing the dog does not could as 'fun'). In the end, baking seemed the best option.
We wanted sweet. Delicious. And of course, chocolate. Looking through chocolate recipes it was hard to pick one thing, then I remembered seeing something I pinned to my Baking board on Pinterest.
One thing I have always wanted to try is a tart/pie, the shallow ones with the creamy centre - so I found this recipe and it was for a chocolate tart!

With fresh cream from a local farm and eggs from both my chickens and ducks, this tart was to be the best!

It was better than I could've expected - thick and creamy, smooth and dark this tart was visually appealing, and its striking colour and heady scent attracted plenty of eager tasters.

Enjoy the photos as you drool.

~A

Just the beginning

Well, it is done.

I have finished the 'big one' and to be honest, I'm rather impressed with myself. It did seem a rather ambitious cake to start off this adventure with, but the success has made me confident... and possibly contributed to a fatter head.
The cake is succulently moist yet still perfectly cooked, the cream is freshly whipped, fluffy and light (I added a bit of vanilla), the ganache is darkly luscious and the cherries are delightfully tangy. Arg.

Leave me to indulge.

First Day

I will not be committing myself to baking everyday... just in case you got the wrong idea... but I will replay the ups and downs of my baking attempts.

As it happens, I got the idea to start (another) blog because I happen to be in the process of baking as I write.
I had a restless night filled with visions of cherries, coffee, cream and chocolate and so it was only inevitable that when I woke up that I would be baking something that included these 'c' ingredients.
A chocolate coffee cake, with a cherry and cream filling, topped with a voluptuously dripping chocolate ganache. It is a cake that you see only in your dreams, as soon as you start that never ending diet.
So far, this cake seems to be that woman. The woman in the corner of the room, with red curly hair and a little black dress. Mysteriously distant, yet tantalisingly close. At least, for me, its that man. With bright eyes and midnight black hair... Perhaps you think it is odd that a humans could be used as a metaphor for cake, but I don't think so. Anything that has the potential to be a form of description can be used in a variety of ways; cake being one of them.
So far, my cake is baked, and cooling, the cherry filling is chilling in the fridge and my whipped cream will be started shortly.
Can't wait to sink my teeth into this darkly rich form of deliciousness.

~A