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52 Weeks of Baking: Week 52 — Gooey Banana Cupcakes

YumSugar — Mon, 31 Dec 2007 05:01:38 -0800

This year I decided that I would have a New Year's resolution that I could stick to. I thought about it for a while and eventually landed on baking. So with my trusty mixer and collection of pans, I set off on a 52 week baking adventure. It's been a fun journey and there have been some ups and downs, but we've finally arrived at week 52.

This week I had a bunch of bananas slowly rotting on my counter. Normally, I would turn this sort of thing into a loaf or two of banana bread. However, I wanted to end this series on a more spectacular note, and plain old banana bread just wouldn't cut it. So I brainstormed and came up with Banana Cupcakes with a Dulce de Leche filling and Chocolate Buttercream frosting. They came together quickly, and were a real treat to my sweet tooth. To get the recipe,

My Favorite Weeks of Baking

YumSugar — Thu, 20 Dec 2007 12:15:33 -0800

This year I decided to pick a New Year's resolution that I could stick with, and that's how I ended up on my 52 weeks of baking adventure. We're 51 weeks in, and I've surprised my friends and myself with some interesting baked goods. It's definitely been a challenging experience; I've had some inventions that came out better than anticipated, as well as some downright disasters. Overall it's been a great learning experience — if a messy one, as my kitchen's been filthy for a year! — and I hope I've inspired you to get baking!

There's one more treat on the way, but until then here are my favorite six of the year. Clockwise from the top left, they are:

52 Weeks of Baking: Mocha-Cappuccino Marbled Coffee Cake

YumSugar — Wed, 19 Dec 2007 09:18:31 -0800

This week, with all of the gingerbread and holiday baking, I thought it would be nice to make a simple cake to pair with coffee. Many folks have friends and family staying at their house this season and a coffee cake is something that whips up quickly and is perfect to have on hand. It works as a simple breakfast, and is delightful with an afternoon cup of tea. This particular recipe is a coffee-chocolate swirl, although I thought the coffee flavor could be heightened. The crumb is nice and moist, but be careful, there's a small window between perfect and overdone. To get the recipe,

52 Weeks of Baking: Gingerbread

YumSugar — Wed, 12 Dec 2007 13:31:31 -0800

CasaSugar and I recently got into a debate over who could make the best gingerbread house. I hadn't actually made one from scratch ever, and was about 10 years old when I last put one together. However neither of these things stopped me from talking up how great my house would be. I had the best plans and great ideas; only problem was I didn't have a recipe and didn't know where to begin. So I did some research, rolled up my sleeves, and started mixing. The recipe I found — from Bon Appétit — actually makes way more gingerbread than necessary for one house. With all the leftover dough I decided to make a few gingerbread men. Only problem was, I didn't actually have a gingerbread-man cutter. So I used a knife and freestyled.

The end result was a gingerbread man with one arm larger than the other. I fixed that problem by piping on an icing cast. His neck also received a hairline fracture because I moved it to the cooling rack before it was ready. I covered this up by piping a little tie on him. And since he had a tie, I felt he needed a cellphone, too. No matter what you end up doing, just have a good time. I'm going to share details on my house later this week, and now I'm off to invest in a good gingerbread-man cookie cutter!

To get the gingerbread recipe I used,

52 Weeks of Baking: Torte Reform

YumSugar — Fri, 07 Dec 2007 05:01:39 -0800

This week my family has been throwing around a barrage of bad lawyer jokes. Why? My sister passed the bar and was officially sworn in as a lawyer! When I found out the good news, I thought it would be fun to celebrate by baking up something special. At first I tried to find a cake that screamed "Counselor" or "Esquire" to me, but then the obvious choice came to mind. One of her least favorite things in law school was tort reform, so I knew that a chocolate torte would be perfect. I also knew that I'd have to some how make it "reformed." It seemed to fit the spirit of the bad jokes, so I went about finding a recipe.

The one I decided on was pretty standard — although I wish I'd spent a little bit more time researching, this particular recipe is a bit dry — but instead of serving it as a traditional layer cake, I served it layered in a fancy wine glass. I dolloped it with whipped cream and sprinkled it with a bit of cocoa powder. The end result is a simple but elegant dessert; one fit for a new lawyer.

To check out my version of "Torte Reform,"

52 Weeks of Baking: Informal Croquembouche (Cream Puffs)

YumSugar — Wed, 28 Nov 2007 09:13:33 -0800

There are only a few weeks left in my 52 weeks of baking resolution, so I'm trying to find things on my "I can't believe I haven't made these before" list. Cream puffs were near the top of that list, but after last night, I'm officially able to cross them off.

I found a pastry recipe that looked simple and yielded a large haul of puffs. However, instead of a traditional custard cream — there wasn't enough time to let it set — I went with a whipped cream filling and a chocolate glaze. While mine isn't quite a traditional French Croquembouche — aka stacked cream puffs coated with caramel — it does work as a modern twist. To get the recipe that I put together on a weeknight just

52 Weeks of Baking: Two Turkey Pies

YumSugar — Wed, 21 Nov 2007 10:27:19 -0800

I don't know about you guys, but after a week of cooking and prepping for Thanksgiving, I am looking forward to a few days of rest and relaxation. That said, I've decided to cheat a little bit on this week's baking project. I wanted to figure out a way to use all the turkey leftovers, without causing a lot of work. So, instead of making my own pastry crust, I decided to pick up two premade crusts and turn them into two different turkey pot pies.

I only have one pie dish, so I put half of the mixture in it and inverted one of the pie crusts as a top crust. For the other pie, I put in half the mixture and topped with leftover mashed potatoes, creating a shepherd's pie.

Plan now for Friday's leftovers, pick up two extra pie crusts and call it a day. To get the easy recipe,

52 Weeks of Baking: Pecan Pie Cookies

YumSugar — Wed, 14 Nov 2007 09:18:33 -0800

I originally thought I'd make a classic Thanksgiving pie for this week's baking project. However, as you may know, pie crust tends to thwart me. So instead of struggling about, I started thinking about ways to make a pie without making a pie. Eventually, I landed upon the idea of a pecan pie cookie and after a bit of googling, I found a recipe that sounded just right. The result — a thumb-print cookie with a caramelized-pecan filling — was definitely reminiscent of pecan pie, only a lot easier to put together. If you're looking for a treat for an upcoming Thanksgiving potluck, then look no further, get the recipe, just

52 Weeks of Baking: The Best Drop Biscuits

YumSugar — Fri, 09 Nov 2007 11:17:44 -0800

I've been out of town for a while and haven't had much time for baking. That's why this week's baking needed to be something wonderfully simple. However, I also wanted it to be Thanksgiving friendly. Luckily, while flipping through the pages of the most recent issue of Cook's Illustrated, I came across this recipe for the "Best" Drop Biscuits. They looked simple, sounded great, and best of all, they could be done in under thirty minutes. The ingredient list is also wonderfully sparse, consisting of just baking staples.

After a few easy steps and a brief encounter with the smoke alarm — the oven is at a toasty 475°F, anything stuck to the bottom of it is probably going to burn a little — I was chowing down on some perfect biscuits. I'm not sure they're the best drop biscuits, but they are pretty darn close. To get the recipe,

52 Weeks of Baking: Caramel "Apple" Cookies

YumSugar — Wed, 31 Oct 2007 13:01:19 -0700

I was searching for a final cookie recipe to round out National Cookie Month when I stumbled across one that looked like caramel apples. They were so cute and seemed like the perfect Halloween treat, so I headed to the store and grabbed a bag of caramels. The cookies themselves are pretty simple to make; they're basically a dyed sugar cookie dipped in caramel and put on a stick! To get the recipe and start bobbing for your own "apples,"

52 Weeks of Baking: Baby Pumpkins with Garlic Custard

YumSugar — Wed, 24 Oct 2007 08:13:33 -0700

I was flipping through the lastest issue of Sunset magazine when these cute little pumpkins caught my eye. Not only were they adorably festive, but they were full of custard too! I immediately sent YumJimmy to the store to find pumpkins, while I prepped the kitchen for baking. Unfortunately, the store didn't have baby pumpkins, so I had to make do with mid-sized ones. The custard, which is a savory one, came out wonderfully silky — almost like a silken tofu — and the flavor was subtle — almost too subtle, I actually had to load up on salt and pepper afterwards — and it was so fun to look at too!

While this particular recipe is savory —and, if using the right pumpkins, comes together in 30 minutes — the pumpkin vessel can be used for any flavor custard. I definitely plan on trying it again with a pumpkin custard!

If all of this pumpkin talk has you interested, check out the recipe, just

52 Weeks of Baking: Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

YumSugar — Wed, 17 Oct 2007 08:18:11 -0700

I love this time of year mostly because I have a great excuse to put pumpkin into my baking. I love pumpkin cakes, pumpkin pies and most of all, pumpkin cookies. The other day I pulled out my favorite pumpkin chocolate chip cookie recipe and headed to the kitchen. Half way there I had decided to make a few tweaks to it. The end result ended up being more like a muffin than a cookie; however it was perfect right after dinner, as well as first thing in the morning. To get your hands on a muffin-top styled pumpkin chocolate chunk cookie,

52 Weeks of Baking: Lemon Goat Cheese Cheesecake

YumSugar — Wed, 10 Oct 2007 08:13:33 -0700

Last weekend a bunch of gals were coming over to chat and drink some wine. I planned a quick array of things to nosh on — cheese, crackers, grapes, strawberries, etc. — but really wanted to make something. That's when I remembered the Goat Cheese Cheesecake that TeamSugar member Mokona posted a few weeks ago. Goat cheese + cheesecake? How come I hadn't tried it already?

The flavor was sweeter than I anticipated, but the lemon really balanced out the "goatiness." The crust — which is made from Animal Crackers — also added the perfect texture and flavor. If you're looking to stray from the classic recipe — and I highly recommend that you do — then give this one a try! For the recipe,

52 Weeks of Baking: Easy Lemon Cookies

YumSugar — Wed, 03 Oct 2007 12:35:11 -0700

When I asked the Sugar HQ what kind of cookies I should make for this week's 52 Weeks of Baking project, BuzzSugar quickly answered, "LEMON!" I couldn't turn down such an enthusiastic request, and so lemon cookies it was. She specifically asked for crisp lemon cookies, however when searching for a recipe, I kept seeing ones that called for lemon cake mix instead. At first I kept looking for something else, but then I figured why not make it easy on myself? Why not start with a cake mix?

In the end I was really glad I did. These cookies came out fluffy and light, with a slightly crisp outside. They also come together in no time at all. To get the recipe and see my step by step photos,

52 Weeks of Baking: Bubbly Pear Cupcakes

YumSugar — Fri, 28 Sep 2007 07:03:18 -0700

I decided that this week would be a great week for cupcakes. I entered my kitchen with visions of fall colors and flavors, but was sidetracked when I saw a bottle of champagne and several pears. Pears and champagne are nice together, so wouldn't they be nicer in a cute sweet cupcake? I started with a variety of vanilla cupcake recipes and experimented from there. I shredded up the pears, and popped open the champagne. About an hour later, I was left with one of the moistest cakes I'd ever eaten. I've baked a lot of things this year, but this is definitely one of my favorites. I topped them with a good dose of cream cheese frosting, but they were great plain too. To check out the recipe for Bubbly Pear Cupcakes,

52 Weeks of Baking: Soft Baked Pretzels

YumSugar — Wed, 19 Sep 2007 07:03:17 -0700

When it came time to work on this week's baking project, I promptly thought of pretzels. Molly's been bugging me all year long for soft baked pretzels, and every week I keep saying I'll do them next time. However it's her birthday this week, so I thought I would finally get around to it. I was out all weekend, so I knew I'd have to find an easy, weekday recipe. There's an hour of proofing involved, but the one I found goes together easily and tastes great too. You can get it started, and then set it aside to rise while you eat dinner. To check out the recipe for soft baked pretzels and see my step by step photos,

52 Weeks of Baking: Baked Doughnuts

YumSugar — Wed, 12 Sep 2007 07:57:31 -0700

Last week I saw that Tartelette went out and baked some delicious looking doughnuts. When I read her post I knew immediately — if not sooner — that I had found my next baking project. The recipe comes from another respected food blogger, so I knew I couldn't go wrong.

A packet of yeast and a few hours later, YumJimmy and I were noshing down on delicious baked doughnuts. The recipe has definitely got to be healthier than fried dough, but don't trick yourself too much, they're still dipped in butter and rolled in sugar. Or if you feel like it, go ahead and trick yourself, they're definitely worth it!

To get the recipe and see my step-by-step pics,

52 Weeks of Baking: Pear and Apple Pie Crumble

YumSugar — Thu, 06 Sep 2007 08:01:31 -0700

This week I decided to brave it out, and put my excuses — small kitchen, no room in the freezer, no pastry blender, etc. — aside and bake a pie. My friend Becky had some ripe pears off of her tree, and I still had a few of the apples from geeksugar. So with fresh produce in hand, and a few recipes at my fingertips I decided to roll out some dough and make a pie.

Things were not so great. I'll admit it now, I'm not great with pastry crust. Pie eludes me and while I successfully managed to create a bottom crust, the upper crust was difficult and not easy to work with — I should have put it back in the freezer first. After ruining what was left of the dough, I went into panic mode until I remembered I didn't need a top crust and could make a crumble instead. So I whipped up a few ingredients and sprinkled the crumble on top.

Overall it ended up being a delightful pie — the pears and apples really play nicely together — and when paired with a scoop of ice cream, it was absolutely heavenly. Oh and I know it doesn't quite look like a slice of pie, but like I said, pie eludes me...

To check out the recipe I used,

52 Weeks of Baking: Rich, Fudgy Brownies

YumSugar — Wed, 29 Aug 2007 11:56:31 -0700

This week YumJimmy asked if I could bake something that he would like. In other words, he wanted to know if I could bake something containing a lot of chocolate and not much else. Initially I thought I'd make cupcakes, but have already baked great chocolate ones this year. So after about two seconds more of thought, I decided to treat him to a batch of super-rich brownies. To check out the simple, stove-top recipe — and you really should, it makes the best brownies —

52 Weeks of Baking: Caramel Apple Bars

YumSugar — Wed, 22 Aug 2007 08:01:31 -0700

As you may have heard, geeksugar recently brought in a large bag of apples. She didn't know what to do with them, so Party and I have decided to make treats for the office. I originally intended on bringing a pie, but the pie pan has gone MIA and I wasn't quite feeling like a tart. What I was feeling like was a big gooey caramel mess. So I took out my trusty peeler and went to work. The result was like caramel apple pie filling on a thin oaty crust. In other words, it was a teeth-rotting delicious caramel treat. For the simple — honestly, the apple peeling is the hardest part — recipe,

52 Weeks of Baking: Chocolate Citrus Biscotti

YumSugar — Wed, 15 Aug 2007 07:57:31 -0700

A few years ago, I became obsessed with biscotti. I found myself making batch after batch of the traditional Italian cookie - which roughly translates to "twice baked" - trying to find a recipe that was tasty on its own, as well as dunked into a frothy latte. Eventually I landed on a recipe by Giada De Laurentiis that combines fragrant citrus flavors with a lovely layer of chocolate. That alone should have made it the winner, however it was actually the addition of corn meal that pushed it over the edge. The texture is unlike most biscotti and you'll find that you'll be perfectly happy snacking on them with or without coffee. And believe it or not, biscotti is actually quite easy to make - so check out the recipe

52 Weeks of Baking: Ginger Peach Upside-Down Cake

YumSugar — Wed, 08 Aug 2007 07:57:31 -0700

Last Friday our very own peach-pie eating contest winner 7bits brought in a flat of super ripe peaches. At the end of the day there were eight peaches left and no one here to eat them. Instead of letting them go to waste, I decided to take them home and turn them into something tasty. I thought about making jam or ice cream, but really wanted something I could bring in to share with everyone. So after a quick search online I found a recipe that inspired me. Doesn't the name Ginger Peach Upside Down Cake inspire you too? To check out the recipe I used,

52 Weeks of Baking: Delia's Deep Lemon Tart

YumSugar — Wed, 01 Aug 2007 13:01:39 -0700

Although lemons are more of a winter fruit, I was really craving a tangy lemon tart. I found a recipe by Delia Smith and was intrigued by the fact that - unlike most lemon tarts - it was a deep dish tart. It's thicker than usual and is more filling than pastry (translation: more lemon goodness!). The crust was a little cumbersome, if you've got a great crust recipe I'd stick with it (this one did NOT want to cooperate - I ended up rolling it between two pieces of parchment paper), but definitely try this filling. For a unique twist on the standard lemon tart,

52 Weeks of Baking: Cherry Clafouti

YumSugar — Fri, 27 Jul 2007 12:01:39 -0700

This week I decided to bake something French for travel week. I originally thought I'd make a classic creme brulee, but after flipping through Julia Child's wonderful Mastering the Art of French Cooking, I landed on a clafouti instead. The anniversary of Julia Child's birth is approaching and in order to celebrate, I thought it was time to try mastering something new.
So what is a clafouti (pronounced kla-foo-tee)? It's a custard-style baked French dessert, traditionally made with cherries (but you can substitute most any fruit). The batter is similar to pancake batter, but the result is more like a flan. It's wonderfully delicious served warm with powdered sugar on top, and is ridiculously easy to put together. To make this tonight,

52 Weeks of Baking: Goldifish and The Three Bears

YumSugar — Fri, 20 Jul 2007 10:03:18 -0700

The other day I walked past PartySugar's desk and caught her looking at some puffy goldfish crackers. I asked her what she was looking at and she said that she would send it my way. It turned out that she had found a recipe for homemade goldfish crackers. I knew immediately that I wanted to give it a try, however, there was one problem, I didn't have a fish cookie cutter. I thought I would cut them out with a knife (which is what I did for the few you see), but in the end I decided to use a bear cookie cutter instead. The final result was pretty tasty, and was very similar to store bought goldfish crackers. To make your own golden, cheesy crackers,

52 Weeks of Baking: Orange Blossom Pound Cake

YumSugar — Thu, 12 Jul 2007 13:29:39 -0700

As I was leaving work yesterday, it dawned on me that I had not baked anything this week. Panicking, I said to PartySugar, "Gah, I don't have a lot of time, what should I make?" Surprisingly, she handed me a printout for a Sour Cream Pound Cake and said, "Bake this, I printed out two copies on accident." I checked out the recipe, decided that it sounded simple and tasty and thought, sure why not?! The only ingredient that wasn't in my pantry was sour cream, so I popped by the cornerstore and a little while later I was noshing on pound cake cupcakes (the easy to whip up - no mixer necessary - recipe has enough batter for a full loaf and a few cupcakes extra). To make this lovely cake tonight (honest, it's simple, just give yourself a little time - it needs to stay in the oven for over an hour),

52 Weeks of Baking: Fresh Lime Chiffon Cake with Strawberries & Blackberries

YumSugar — Tue, 03 Jul 2007 10:01:18 -0700

I first saw this recipe for a fresh lime chiffon cake last June, but was reminded of it a few months ago when kmcconne79 posted it to the Kitchen Goddess group. Knowing that my sister is a big fan of light, tart cakes, I decided to file it away for her birthday. Fast forward to last weekend and we've got the next installment of 52 Weeks of Baking. The cake is a little complicated and time consuming, however if you're intimidated or pressed for time, you could take the flavor concept, fillings and frosting and substitute the homemade cake with box cake. Also, I added in strawberries, but feel free to use your favorite flavor pairings. To check out the recipe,

52 Weeks of Baking: Peach Puzzle

YumSugar — Wed, 27 Jun 2007 10:01:31 -0700

The magazine Cook's Country recently hosted a recipe contest where their readers sent in their old-school family recipes. The winner, a crafty "Peach Puzzle" looked delicious, but didn't really catch my fancy until I read the recipe. The whole thing is prepared like an upside-down cake - with an empty ramekin placed in the middle - and when flipped over the ramekin is surprisingly full of a sweet liquid treat! It's wonderfully old-fashioned, absolutely tasty, and I actually couldn't wait to tell everyone how it was made. If you're curious yourself, then check out the recipe now,

52 Weeks of Baking: Ice Cream Cones

YumSugar — Wed, 20 Jun 2007 13:01:18 -0700

With the weather heating up, my thoughts keep turning to ice cream and other frozen treats. So when it came time to bake something, I didn't know where to begin. Luckily in his new book, The Perfect Scoop, the amazing David Lebovitz included a recipe for homemade ice cream cones. He recommends purchasing specialty cone molds, but said it was completely do-able without them. If I can make something without having to buy special equipment, then I'm all for it. They turned out a little rough around the edges, however they were relatively simple and had a nice delicate vanilla flavor - and bonus you can tell your friends you made them yourself! If you fancy giving your own ice cream cones a try (and I suggest you do), then get the recipe now,

52 Weeks of Baking: Peanut Butter Cookies

YumSugar — Tue, 12 Jun 2007 15:38:11 -0700

Since today is National Peanut Butter Cookie Day, I figured I'd go ahead and whip up a batch for myself. I thought about making a traditional peanut butter cookie, but I don't really know how to leave a good thing alone and decided that it needed some tweaking. After all, everything tastes better when Reese's Peanut Butter Cups are involved, right? Right! So I headed to the kitchen and made a cookie concoction. To see the ups and downs in creating my own peanut butter cookie recipe,

52 Weeks of Baking: Cheese Chips

YumSugar — Fri, 08 Jun 2007 10:57:31 -0700

A few years ago, while cleaning out my cheese drawer, I decided to shred up all the leftovers and bake up a batch of cheese chips. Cheese chips are essentially mounds of cheese heated at a temperature low enough to melt them, but high enough to change the cheese from chewy to crispy. The end result is a delicious snack that pairs well with a crisp salad. Oh and did I mention that it's ridiculously simple and only takes about 5 minutes to whip up? To figure out how to make your own cheese chips,

52 Weeks of Baking: Brazilian Cheese Bread

YumSugar — Tue, 29 May 2007 14:55:31 -0700

When I ~~dined~~ stuffed my face at the Brazilian steakhouse, it was really difficult to not devour the complementary mini loafs of cheesebread. Known as Pão de Queijo, these little puffs are made from tapioca flour and are so light and fluffy and surprisingly dense at the same time. When we decided to highlight Brazilian food today, I knew I'd have to use the opportunity to dig up a recipe. It's pretty easy to follow, just make sure you don't underbake them (which would result in an uncooked/doughy middle). To knead up your own batch, check out the recipe, just

52 Weeks of Baking: Ghetto Bread Pudding

YumSugar — Fri, 25 May 2007 11:01:18 -0700

I almost broke my 52 weeks of baking resolution this week, but a random office concoction saved me. I was internally debating on what I should do when I remembered that there was a toaster oven in the office kitchen, as well as a bunch of random ingredients. So in a last ditch effort to save my resolution, I threw everything together and created what I've dubbed "ghetto bread pudding." I call it this for three reasons: (1) it looks pretty ghetto, (2) there's no pudding in this bread pudding and (3) it seems like something you'd eat in college and everyone knows, you eat some pretty ghetto stuff in college.

However, no matter how bad it looks, this mixture of chocolate, peanut butter, bread and bananas tasted pretty great. If your office has those four ingredients and a toaster oven, then do yourself a favor and whip up an incredibly simple indulgent snack. To see what I came up with,

52 Weeks of Baking: Madeleines

YumSugar — Thu, 17 May 2007 07:59:09 -0700

One of geeksugar's favorite treats is a fresh baked madeleine - for those of you that don't know, a madeleine is a French, cakelike cookie shaped like a shell. In fact, she likes them so much, her mom actually ended up buying her the special pan in order to make her own. Only there was one problem: geeksugar swears she can't cook. I think this is a total lie and so I suggested that she make a batch and then I would make a batch. I'd never made madeleines before, in fact I couldn't even remember what they were supposed to taste like, but I thought it would be a fun challenge. Besides, I wanted to see what her "non-cooking" skills could muster up. To see both of our results and check out the recipe we used,

52 Weeks of Baking: Berry Curd Swirl Cake aka Berry Bread Pudding Cake

YumSugar — Thu, 10 May 2007 09:48:31 -0700

For this week's baking experiment, I wanted to make something out of Heidi Swanson's new book, Super Natural Cooking. There were a few really great sounding recipes, but I wanted to use one that I had most of the ingredients for so I ended up settling on the Raspberry Curd Swirl Cake - only I had strawberries, not raspberries, so I gave that a try instead.

My final cake was actually delicious, unfortunately it didn't really turn out like it was supposed to - quite a few things went wrong, but ultimately they were happy accidents. The butter was supposed to be at room temperature, but it was really hot out that day and mine was at butter-soup temp and wouldn't cream correctly (I shouldn't have even bothered), I took it out of the oven too soon (it was getting late and I was impatient), and I didn't grease the pan properly (should've used a parchment paper sling, like my gut told me to). While it was baking, it looked wonderful, but while it was cooling it completely collapsed. I was pretty devastated, and contemplated rushing out and buying all the ingredients to start over again, but then I tasted it, and it was delicious. It was insanely moist (like bread pudding), the whole-wheat resulted in a delicious loaf, and the smell was amazing. I want to try it again, but I'm almost afraid that it will turn out correctly this time. If you want to check out the recipe and hope for your own happy accidents,

52 Weeks of Baking: Rosemary Crackers

YumSugar — Thu, 03 May 2007 07:58:39 -0700

Yesterday Molly asked me what I was planning on baking this week. I told her that I wasn't sure yet, but that I would bake it on Wednesday night. That's when she pointed out, duh it is Wednesday.

Great. Here it was, already Wednesday and I totally didn't know what I was baking. I wanted something fun, but nothing that would take too much time or use any special ingredients. I toyed around with pretzels, and then thought about crackers. The thought of an afternoon cheese and crackers break sounded like a good idea, so I said I would bake crackers if someone else brought the cheese. Molly agreed to bring cheese and she even picked out the recipe. To see how they turned out (they're rosemary flavored, but you could easily add more of a different herb instead),

52 Weeks of Baking: Top of the Muffins To Ya

YumSugar — Thu, 26 Apr 2007 09:03:19 -0700

I wasn't really sure what I wanted to bake this week, I thought about baking something from the amazing book Super Natural Cooking by Heidi Swanson, but wanted to take some time and really do the recipes justice (I'll talk about the book more in the near future, but really it's amazing). However, I did get inspired by a cookie recipe in which she uses leftover quinoa (hopefully I'll try this one soon) and decided to just throw stuff together and see if rolled oats, couscous, and crushed/toasted almonds would work out. Turns out they're not bad all mixed up, especially if you add a bit of chocolate. Although my end result wasn't so much a cookie as it was a bread/muffin creation. In fact, they ended up looking so much like muffin tops, that I have inventively decided to call them: Top of The Muffins To Ya - a name which I have stolen from Seinfeld.

The couscous was leftover from dinner (only 1 cup, but I wished I had used 2), and the almonds could have been more consistently crushed, but the end result was pretty decent. They didn't turn out at all like I expected, but the folks around here seemed to like them. They're comparatively high in fiber, so you could convince yourself they're good for you, but they're still made with two sticks of butter and 1 1/2 cups of sugar, so they're not... To check out what I did with couscous (yes couscous and I'm going to try it again someday) and rolled oats,

52 Weeks of Baking: Jimmy Only Likes Chocolate Cupcakes

YumSugar — Wed, 18 Apr 2007 16:09:21 -0700

Jimmy's birthday was last Friday, and to help him celebrate I offered to make a batch of cupcakes for him to take to work. These, my friends, were what I consider to be a true labor of love. I've dubbed them "Jimmy Only Wants Chocolate" Cupcakes (since he kindly asked for me not to use any sort of funny/intense flavors) however I should have called them "Oh Yeah, You Had Better Love Me" Cupcakes - because they took about 3 hours on a work night. Granted, the three hours is because I bake slow, I like to clean up as I go if possible and I enjoy measuring things etc., but still...

Anyways, BuzzSugar let me borrow a book called Cupcakes! by Elinor Klivans - who also wrote one of my favorite cookie books - and I debated over which ones to make. In the end, these ones stood out to me (the picture was beautiful, mine look nice, but not nearly as pretty as the stylized photo), and although it took hours (I essentially made 30 miniature layer cakes), it was actually one of the simplest recipes. So if you're in the mood for chocolate on chocolate topped with chocolate cupcakes, and are looking for something that will make people ooh & ahh, but really doesn't take more than just time, then check this recipe out. There are lots of pictures and details, so

52 Weeks of Baking: Experiments in Phyllo

YumSugar — Thu, 12 Apr 2007 16:02:31 -0700

I thought about skipping out on this week's 52 weeks of baking (I'm actually making cupcakes for Jimmy's birthday tomorrow, and I thought I'd double-up and have two for next week). However, 51 weeks of baking just doesn't have quite the same ring to it, so I ponied up and took the time between Top Model (secret vice) and Lost (not-so secret vice) to head to my kitchen and see what I could whip up.I contemplated making crackers, cookies, or muffins, but Molly's on vacation (and I know she'd be sad to miss out on the in-office treats), so I decided to try some phyllo dough experiments instead. Earlier in the week I had been inspired by these beautiful herbed phyllo breadsticks (I'm not the only one, this post is from over a year ago, and yet it's appearing on a bunch of blogs now) and wanted to see if I could make something similar. I ended up with a few different phyllo "breadsticks" and one "tomato pie."

To check out what I did,

52 Weeks of Baking: Springtime Lemonade Cupcakes

YumSugar — Wed, 04 Apr 2007 07:51:39 -0700

The other day I read about Julia's Easter Cake Bake challenge and decided that it would be a great theme for this week's baking project. I'd also been thinking about making a lemon cake using lemonade concentrate (like these cookies that PartySugar made a few weeks ago) and thought that lemonade and Easter seemed like a good match. So I headed to my kitchen and started brainstorming - I took a bunch of different cake recipes (along with some tips I've picked up along the way) and came up with a pretty decent lemonade cupcake (Julia's challenge originally said cake, but something about the bite size cupcakes seemed more fun). The cake itself was a bit too sweet and over crumbly, and I forgot to sift my powdered sugar so the frosting was a bit lumpy. However, the coconut "grass" hid the frosting, and the textures all seemed to work well together.

I'm excited to have created another original recipe that mostly worked, but I'm waaay excited about how the decorations turned out. Somehow I got it stuck in my mind that coconut dyed green would look really cute as grass, and (here I go: toot toot!) I think it is! To check out my recipe, and see more up close photos (I like the one of them all lined up in a row),

52 Weeks of Baking: Goatbread Cookies

YumSugar — Thu, 29 Mar 2007 08:58:11 -0700

Toot! Toot!
That, my friends, is the sound of me tooting my own horn. A few weeks ago I bought some of the amazing goat butter from the folks at Meyenberg and loved it so much that I wanted to use it for everything. I had eaten it on toast, over pasta and on crackers, but at some point I decided, actually make that knew that I had to make shortbread cookies with it. Nevermind the fact that I had never actually made shortbread cookies, nor actually even liked them that much, neither of those things were going to stop me - I was going to make goatbread cookies (aka shortbread cookies made with goat butter)! To see how they turned out (toot! toot! I freaking loved them) and see the recipe that I more-or-less concocted on my own,

52 Weeks of Baking: Puffed Pancake

YumSugar — Thu, 22 Mar 2007 06:58:13 -0700

Last time I was at the library I picked up Dorie Greenspan's first book, Sweet Times - Simple Desserts for Every Occasion. It's from 1991 and so it doesn't have the glossy, fancy feel that any book from the last five years has. However I really enjoyed it and felt it was definitely a good solid book. It's broken into eight types of recipes (from Tea Time Treats to Holiday Wrap-ups) and includes a great "Quick Fix Matrix" that allows you to look up recipes by craving (crunchy, spicy, chocolaty, etc.). It also included a fantastic glossary that doubles as dessertmaking 101 and each recipe comes with an alternate "playing around" version.

Looking through it, I definitely wanted to try my hand at quite a few of the delectable recipes, but it was Sunday morning and I was really feeling like breakfast. So I opened it up to the breakfast section and discovered the recipe for a puffed pancake. I've been wanting to create a puffed pancake for a few years now, so I figured this would be the perfect opportunity. I actually ended up making two batches, as the first one came out a bit greasy. However they were both tasty with the end result being a rather eggy (in a good way) puffed pancake with a crispy, almost donut-like edges. And believe me, donut-like pancakes = super fantastic for Sunday morning. To check out the pictures and see step-by-step photos,

52 Weeks of Baking: Irish Soda Bread

YumSugar — Thu, 15 Mar 2007 13:03:40 -0700

This weekend we made a Guinness Beef Stew (although why we were making stew on such a gorgeous day is beyond me...) and I figured that a good hearty Irish Soda Bread would be a nice accompaniment. So I dug out the trusty Baking Illustrated and gathered up all my ingredients.

Since the stew took over 8 hours to make, and since I am the world's greatest procrastinator, I kept saying, "Oh I'll make the bread in a little bit." The boyfriend kept asking when I was starting and I kept saying, "soon, soon..." Then suddenly, the stew was almost done, the bread was just a pile of ingredients, the butter was beyond room temp (it was really hot out and I didn't pay attention, I highly recommend room temp butter and nothing more) and I needed to get cracking!

So I pulled out the ol' mixing bowl and got to work. It was barely done in time (it could have used a little bit longer to set) and an old friend I hadn't seen in over a year arrived while I was halfway done (translation: this bread did not get my full-undivided attention). I guess the bf was right, I should have started earlier in the day...

At any rate, the bread held up really nicely and paired fantastically with the stew. If this is what I get with haste and negligence, I can only imagine what a real loaf would be like (translation: this recipe is easy and hard to screw up). For step by step pictures and the full recipe,

52 Weeks of Baking: Four Cheese Pizza with Cornmeal Crust

YumSugar — Thu, 08 Mar 2007 11:58:49 -0800

Last week I ended up grabbing a quick slice of pizza at a small hole-in-the-wall joint. Although the pizza wasn't fantastic, it stood out because the crust was coated in cornmeal. Ever since then, I have been craving a cornmeal crust pizza and decided to go ahead and make my own. Since the last few weeks have been pretty sweets heavy, I figured this savory treat would make for a nice change of pace. To see step-by-step pictures and a recipe for a super tasty cornmeal dough pizza,

52 Weeks of Baking: Flourless Peanut Butter Bars

YumSugar — Thu, 01 Mar 2007 12:41:17 -0800

This weekend my friend April came over to watch the Oscars with me. Since the event goes on forever and ever, I thought it would be nice to have some baked treats to snack on. However there was one small catch, April is allergic to gluten and can't have anything made with regular wheat flour. So I went in search of something gluten-free and found a bunch of great looking recipes. However only one really stood out in my mind. It was ridiculously simple looking, required no unusual ingredients or different types of flour and contained peanut butter and chocolate chips. Talk about a no-brainer. If you want to give these a try (hey, why not celebrate National Peanut Butter Lover's Day?), then check out the recipe for flourless peanut butter bars. To see full step by step pictures,

52 Weeks of Baking: Favorite Chocolate Chip Cookies

YumSugar — Thu, 22 Feb 2007 16:08:31 -0800

This past weekend I hit the slopes with some friends. We ended up renting a place for three days and took turns splitting up the meals. On Saturday, after a full day of snow-shoeing, I decided to delight my pals to a baked treat (and, I knew I wanted to do something for my self-imposed 52 weeks of baking mandate). However, the place we were staying wasn't fully stocked (no mixer, a few bowls and utensils), so I went into robot mode and whipped up a batch of my chocolate chip cookies. This is the one thing I confidently know by heart, everyone loves them and I can make them anytime, anyplace and with any amount of wine in my system. Also, it's great because you don't need a fancy mixer or any special ingredients. To check out my cookies,

52 Weeks of Baking: Chinese New Year Inspired Cake

YumSugar — Thu, 15 Feb 2007 11:42:12 -0800

My mom is a fantastic cook, one who takes a ridiculous amount of pride in the fact that it's been nearly three decades since she's last used a recipe. When I was at home for Christmas she was experimenting and perfecting her own version of Chinese New Year Cake (Nian Gao), only instead of steaming it (as it's traditionally done), she was baking it. During the course of a week, she concocted at least five creations, one of which came surprisingly close to the steamed version, but with a crust on the outside. I wrote down her "recipe" and was determined to recreate it at home.

Now, fast forward a few months, Chinese New Year is this weekend and I still had a baking project to tend to. So I rolled up my sleeves, put on my apron and realized I didn't have all of the ingredients. I could have gone to the store, but I decided to do what my mom would do and made it up as I went along.

The end result was pretty great directly out of the oven, the edges were nice and crispy, and the middle oddly chewy (just like real Nian Gao). I didn't have sweet red beans, so I used shredded Medjool dates instead (which, by the way, is my current favorite food item), and the flavor really complemented the cake.

To check out my version of New Year Cake, which is very unlike real New Year Cake,

52 Weeks of Baking: Espresso Cake

YumSugar — Thu, 08 Feb 2007 16:11:42 -0800

Ask and you shall receive.
This week's baking experiment is a delectable four-layer espresso cake that you guys voted for. Unlike some of my other baking adventures, this one was definitely a time consuming treat. The recipe comes from a book called Death by Chocolate Cakes by Marcel Desaulniers, and although the cake came out great, there were still a few things I would change about it. For instance, it calls for dividing the batter into four pans instead of two (and then splitting the layers). I found that this led to drier layers and if faced with this recipe again, I would definitely make two cake layers and split them each in half instead. Also, the cake itself wasn't amazing, I prefer fluffy cakes with a nicer crumb texture. However, the folks I made it for didn't seem to notice, the cake was devoured before the day was finished.

Also, I actually don't drink much caffeine these days and after three bites of this cake, I was crazy wired. So don't eat this one as a midnight snack, okay?

To check out the recipe, complete with step-by-step picture instructions,

52 Weeks of Baking: Cheese Popovers

YumSugar — Fri, 02 Feb 2007 16:48:17 -0800

Yes, I know, that is not a picture of a gigantic espresso cake, but here's what happened. I went to the store, bought all of my ingredients, got home and realized that it wasn't just a 4 layer cake with two normal layers each cut in half, but it was actually a 4 layer cake - as in 4 cake pans! Since my kitchen is rather urban (aka small), I don't have the luxury of having the space for 4 cake pans. I'm borrowing two more so that I can make the cake on Saturday (which actually works out better, because this creation is going to take more than an hour or so after work), but this meant there would be no baking for this week! When I realized that, I looked through the pantry and discovered that I had all the ingredients for the Cheese Popovers (the second place choice) and went with them instead. To see how my popover adventure went (and I'll fess up now and say it was a bit flat),

What Should I Bake Next?

YumSugar — Mon, 29 Jan 2007 14:53:19 -0800

If you've been following along, you know that one of my (not-so-healthy) new year's resolution is to bake something new every week. I call it 52 weeks of baking and have been relatively successful so far. Each week I've had an occasion or a need to bake, this week it's just because I want to. Only, I'm not sure what to make - should I go with a brioche or cake? Since I'm terrible at making decisions, I've decided to let you guys decide!The poll will close on Wednesday morning, so get your votes in by then!Update: Looks like all of you chocoholics have won! One chocolate cake coming up!

What Should I Bake Next?

Golden Brioche from The Bon Appétit Cookbook

21% (42)

Peanut Butter Cookies from The Best Light Recipe

23% (46)

Cheese Popovers from Recipes by Susan Spungen

26% (51)

Excessively Expressive Espresso Ecstasy Cake from Death by Chocolate Cakes

30% (60)

Total votes: 199

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