Whoopie for Whoopie Pies!

United Cakes of America review part 2

Next up were the Whoopie Pies, which I made for my birthday cake. Okay, it’s not a cake per se but it is delicious and filled with gooey goodness so what is not to love?! I have long searched for the perfect Whoopie Pie recipe and personally I think I found it. The consistency and flavor are spot on and they are really very easy to make.

 I served them with fresh strawberries and a few blackberries after a gorgeous dinner of chicken mushroom Marsala with red potatoes and green beans.

For Whoopie Pies:

Dry Ing

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
3 tablespoons cocoa powder
3 tablespoons Bob's Red Mill, Potato Starch

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt

Wet Ing

3/4 cup milk
2 tablespoons molasses
1 teaspoon vanilla

1 stick butter
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 light brown sugar, packed
1 egg

preheat oven to 350 F. line 2 baking pans with parchment and spray with non-stick spray.

In separate bowls, combine wet ingredients and dry ingredients, set aside.

cream butter and sugars for 3 minutes, then add egg. alternate dry and wet mixture. do this quickly and make sure you scrape down your bowl. This batter is sensitive, so don't overwork it!

Using a 1/2 cup or a 2 oz cookie scoop, drop dough onto sheet pans and make sure they are spaced out. bake 12-15 minutes. i wouldn't use my regular cookie racks to cool these as they would leave a pattern on the soft cakes.

Seven Minute Frosting

1 1/4 cups sugar
3 egg whites
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon each: vanilla, amaretto, rum (or your preference...I like scotch or bourbon!)

Bring a pan of water to simmer so you can create a double boiler. Combine sugar, egg whites, salt and cream of tartar over the simmering water. beat with a handheld mixer for 7 minutes.

The seven minute frosting is marshmallowy and though it takes a long time, is quite delicious. That being said, I think that next time I will take a half cup of sugar out of the filling as I found it a bit too sweet.

I stored these covered on a plate and you want to make sure you use parchment paper or the like to separate or they stick together.

The major bonus is that after sitting overnight they bear a strong resemblance to that childhood favorite you no longer eat because it is filled with junk. Yeah!!

also next time i want to try some different flavors, maybe adding a bit of fruit puree to the filling just for fun.

Cherry Bundt Cake

I am breaking this cookbook review into three parts or else it will be ridiculously long:

A few months ago I had the pleasure of interviewing Warren Brown and chatting about his new cookbook. He is such an encouraging person with the sort of enthusiasm I don’t often find in many people. I was very excited when we talked about his newest book, the United Cakes of America: Recipes Celebrating Every State, which showcases each states specialty cake.

When it landed on my doorstep, I was thrilled beyond belief: after a few weeks of not really baking, I was ready to get into the kitchen and show my stuff. First off, I went through the book and looked at each recipe. Then I bookmarked the ones that I most wanted to try immediately, followed by making a list of ingredients I would need for the task.

As a pastry chef and avid baker, I do generally have most of the ingredients one would need lying around, but it’s good to make sure you have fresh milk, eggs and well, when you bake a lot you go through sugar pretty fast!

It was hard to choose where to start first, but I went for Bundt cake. I made minis using my angel food cake pans, and I added fresh cherries. Other than that, I followed the recipe exactly. Not only is this cake delicious, it is good when used to bribe your friendly neighborhood bartender when he spots you a drink cause you're broke!

Cake:

Dry Ing
3 cups all purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt

Wet Ing
1 cup milk
2 teaspoons vanilla

2 sticks butter
2 1/2 cups + 2 tablespoons sugar
6 eggs

Preheat oven to 335 F after making sure rack is in the center. Spray or brush either a 12 cup bundt pan or mini pans as you wish. I used 4 mini angel food cake pans and 3 loaf pans.

whisk dry ingredients together in one bowl, the wet ingredients in another bowl and set aside. cream butter and sugar for about 5 minutes then add eggs one at a time, scraping the sides down.

alternate the dry and wet ingredients, scrape down the sides and use your spatula to make sure the sides are combined in. Scoop into prepped pan(s) and bake approx. 50 minutes for large cake, 30 miniutes for minis. Cool 5 minutes, invert and cool.

Glaze or leave plain. Or drizzle with chocolate!

I added a 1/4 cup of cherries but next time I will add a 1/2 cup of cherries and some lime zest, just because that sounds good to me. I also think you could add lemon and anise for another delicious set of flavors!

Stayed tuned, because next up is....Whoopie Pies!

Barefoot Contessa Family Style review

I won’t lie. I am more than a little in love with Ina Garten. After reading her story in the “Parties” book, I am became even more enamored. She made the most of an incredible opportunity and has become a great influence on women in the food industry such as myself.

“Family Style” is in my humble opinion, fantastic. Gorgeous pictures and simple recipes abound, beginning with the basics such as setting the table, cooking together and traditions. One of my favorite aspects of her books is that she talks about making a time table, and what to do in case disaster strikes.

Ina Garten shares recipes for many occasions & people: East Hampton Clam Chowder, Buffalo Chicken Wings, Tuna Tartare, Curried Chicken Salad, Fish & Chips, stuffed tomatoes and Frozen Key Lime Pie.

I love the coconut macaroons, and the sour cream pancakes (I used yogurt). I have made the chive biscuits many times, and they are always flaky, plus you can change out the chives for almost any herb.

There is a wonderful section on entertaining kids that even the most discerning kid would enjoy, while any initiate in the kitchen could make the recipes happen. There is also a recipe for marshmallows, which making with your kids would not only be fun, but would impress them to no end!

This is a cookbook I will still be using many years from now.