More cakes...

Hallo!
(That is Hello in Dutch!).

This week the flood gates opened and as you can see I definitely had more cake than I could handle!  I had to play a little Tetris in my refrigerator & my cake domes in order to find a home for each one, but I managed to find space for the Entremet, Chocolate Mousse, Carrot Cake & the Flourless Chocolate Cake.  This week's focus has been on all about assembling and decorating cakes. 


Previously, I had worked with Swiss Buttercream & French Buttercream.  This week I added a new variation of buttercream to my arsenal of frostings...Italian Buttercream (Check out the recipe below!).  I utilized this frosting for my Entremet (ahn-tra-mant) cake.  I liked the frosting because compared to the Swiss Buttercream it was a lot lighter in flavor.  This frosting is much more stable than the French Buttercream, so it was perfect for filling and icing the cake. 




Most of the cakes that we have made in this class required us to handle the egg yolks and egg whites in different stages.  Although not a complicated task, having to do a separated egg method can be tedious.  I found it refreshing when we made the carrot cake.  No more fancy steps...The carrot cake was extremely easy:  I simply combined the dry ingredients with the wet ingredients...stirred & then added to a pan. Wha-lah!  I was initially worried when the Chef said that we would be making carrots shaped from marzipan for the cake's decoration.  However, after seeing her demo, it turned out to be straight forward and fun.  It was almost like working with play-doh except when you eat it, it's sweet...not salty!   


To my surprise they turned out to be the cutest little things!  I was real happy with them and don't think I will make another carrot cake without having these cutie patooties on top.  Although the cake was good, I thought the recipe was a little too oily.  

In the past, I was never big on combining fruit and chocolate.  Prior to eating Chocolate Bouchons with an apricot puree at Thomas Keller's Bouchon Restaurant in Napa, I would have never thought to put the two together.  However, I found it interesting to see that one of the most famous Austrian desserts contained a combination of the two.

According the the Chef, the Sacher (pronounced soccer) cake was created in Vienna, Austria at the Sacher Hotel.  Apparently the secret has remained under lock and key to this very day so the variations of this cake are merely replicas.  The Chef was not a fan of the cake, but shared an interesting story about her experience with said cake.  During the time Arnold Schwarzenegger was Governor of California, she used to work at one of the hotels that was frequented by him and his dignitaries.  Being an Austrian, it seemed appropriate that he would always request this cake to serve at his gatherings.  I know he's probably not on many of y'alls good list considering the bad press he's had, but hey...if you were googling his name and stumbled on this blog....welcome! ) 

Each time I've explored a new bakery I get pretty excited when I recognize the items on the menu and actually know how to make them.   In fact, after learning about the Sacher cake discovered that I only lived 15 minutes away from an authentic Austrian Bakery which serves the cake!    There was not any Sacher Cake available the day I visited, but I really liked the place and plan to go back again.  I'm eager to see how my cake compares to one made by a true Austrian Pastry Chef.

Overall, I would say that this was another successful week down.  I only have 4 more days in this class before I start my mini-summer break.   In the meantime, while I'm getting ready for another 2 day practical this week I'm going to have a guest blogger.  

Until then, happy baking & if you're looking for a new frosting to try out here's a variation of the Italian Buttercream recipe that I learned to make in class.   

Tot ziens 

(good bye in Dutch)

Italian Buttercream

8 oz sugar

2 oz water

4 oz egg whites

1/2 tsp lemon juice

12 oz butter, softened

2 oz shortening

3/4 tsp vanilla

1.  Combine water & sugar in a sauce pan and boil until it reaches the soft ball stage (240 degrees F.).

2.  Place egg whites & lemon juice in a mixer and whip egg whites to a medium peak using a whisk attachment.  

3.  When the syrup reaches the proper temperature, pour the syrup in the mixing bowl.  Be certain to avoid hitting the whisk and allowing the syrup to pour along the sides of the bowl.

4.  Once all the syrup is added, increase the mixing speed to high.  Continue to whip at high speed until the bowl is cool to touch.  

5.  Next, reduce the mixer speed to medium and slowly incorporate softened butter.  When all the butter is incorporated add in the vanilla.  

A love for music and cake

I have spend the past several weeks trying to digitize my music collection so that I can finally get rid of the over 400 cds that I have been toting around for the past 16 years.  Some cds make me wonder what in world was I thinking when I purchased them (um, Paris Hilton...really? BUT... In my defense, the cd does have a couple of catchy songs)  ...and others bring a feeling of nostalgia (Was it really 1994 when I purchased Greenday's Dookie album?)  Just like my music collection has some hits and some misses so did the cakes that we prepared in school.  Since I have been surrounding myself with music, it seemed perfectly fitting that the two cakes I made this week were inspired by music...

The first cake we prepared was the Opera Cake.  Let me tell you...if Opera music sounded like this cake tasted, I would be an instant fan!  While there is some conflicting information online about the history of this cake, I learned that it was made in honor of the Paris Grand Opera House.  

This was the first time that I have had to write on my cake, so I did take a little time to practice spelling out "opera" and not "Oprah."  According to Chef, someone has done it before and I sure did not want to be that person...

Underneath the top layer, commonly referred to as Opera Glaze, are 3 layers of coffee soaked joconde sponge cake, 2 layers of coffee french buttercream, a layer of ganache, and 1 layer of thin chocolate.  An interesting fact about the Opera Glaze is that it is made up of dark chocolate chips and a small amount of vegetable oil.  Combining the two creates a glaze that allows for a clean and easy cut through the cake layers.   I adore chocolate and love coffee, but when these two are combined it sends my heart racing...and not because of the caffeine! 

As for the Dobos Torte, the cake gets its name from it's inventor Pastry Chef Jozsef C. Dobos.  Apparently this cake was modern for its time.  This five layered cake with chocolate buttercream between each layer was unlike any other cake in Europe.  During the late 1800s most cakes were filled with whipped creams or pastry cream (i.e. Bavarian Creme Cake).

The story behind the  caramelized coated slices is that it was used to help preserve the cake and seal in some of the moisture.  Oddly enough, the original cake did not have the sides of the cake covered.  I think seeing the separate layers is interesting, but I felt that the cake looked unfinished.  

So...after taking these pictures I decided to use the remaining chocolate buttercream to cover the rest of the cake and coat it with slivered almonds.  

Many people say that the Dobos Torte resembles a drum.  I can't see the association, but some of you may.  Ultimately it didn't matter if I liked Opera or drums, these cakes just were cute and fun to make.  The best part is that I was able to make them both faster than I can modernize my music collection...

Composition Cakes

For the past several months I had bragged to Kurtis that once he returned from his deployment he would be showered with tons of sweet treats.  During the last class, I kept that promise and filled our kitchen with plenty of croissants, pastries, and danishes.  However, in this class the nightly treats have come to a screeching halt.  Instead of bringing something home every night its more like every few days...rough, I know.

The European desserts that I have been making have one thing in common:   sponge cake.  This type of cake is important to use in these desserts because not only is it moldable, but a sponge cake also allows one to soak the layers with various dessert syrups or fillings.    Lately, I have been practicing the separated-egg sponge method.  This is where the egg yolks and egg whites are whipped separately and then the dry ingredients are folded in.  Here are a few of the cakes/desserts that I have been making that have utilized the separated egg sponge method: 

During week 2, I worked on a Bavarian Creme Cake.  This ONE cake comprised of 7 components:

1. Chocolate Sponge Roulade

2. Tuile Batter

3. Vanilla Bavarian Creme

4. Chocolate Dacquoise (meringue with folded almond flour & cocoa)

5. Raspberry Gelee

6. Chantilly Creme piped rosettes

7. Tempered Chocolate Triangles

I managed to prepare most of the components without anything catastrophic occurring.  That is until I was ready to assemble the cake... IF done properly, would have had five beautiful layers wrapped with a strip of chocolate sponge roulade cake.  

                            

                                 Bavarian Creme Cake layers:

{        Raspberry Gelee        }

{  Vanilla Bavarian Creme  }

{   Chocolate   Dacquoise   }

{  Vanilla Bavarian Creme  }

{Chocolate Sponge Roulade}

In my haste, I ended up trimming too much of my chocolate dacquoise.  So instead of it being a snug layer separating the bavarian creme, my dacquioise floated to the top of the bavarian creme.  While saddened by this mistake, I learned my lesson very quickly which has since come in handy.  


The chocolate we used to make the  chocolate triangles on top is known as couverture chocolate.  This is different from the coating chocolate chips found at craft stores.  I never really understood why good chocolate costs so much...that is until we learned to create decorative chocolate pieces.  


In order for it to have it's shiny appearance and crisp snap when eaten, the chocolate must undergo tempering.  Tempering is defined as....

"A process of delicately heating, cooling and reheating melted chocolate so that it will solidify in a stable crystal form. Proper tempering, when followed by proper cooling, provides shine and good eating properties. The temperatures involved are between 85° Fand 105°F, and need to be precise as different cocoa butters behave differently when they melt. A well - tempered chocolate will break cleanly, and be free of graininess" (Tempering Definition, TCHO 2011)

Failing to reach these proper temperatures causes the cocoa butter in the chocolate to surface leaving a whitish appearance.  This is known as bloom.  In just one afternoon of working with chocolate I have a greater respect for chocolatiers.  


Having this new found knowledge, I felt like a brainiac after a recent visit to my newest FAVORITE chocolate maker...TCHO   "The new American Chocolate" (located at Pier 17 in San Francisco).  This chocolate is simply amazing. *sigh* ...and I love their 30-day supply!    I believe Starbucks sells them, so even if you don't live near San Fran you can try them out.  I promise...it's unlike any chocolate you've tasted before. Once you try it, you'll look at chocolate with a new set of eyes and taste buds. 


Week 3 turned out to be the jackpot and just in time for a good friend's visit.  Each of these desserts had fewer components, but the techniques were similar when making Tiramisu, Charlotte Royal, and a Ho Hos Cake.  I did spend several days putting together the components of these two cakes.  But they proved to be worth the effort!  


Unlike the traditional layered tiramisu that I am used to eating, the version we made was comprised of a ladyfinger base, marscarpone mousse, wrapped with a piped ladyfinger trim, and dusted with cocoa powder.  I am in love with the piped ladyfingers. I think that they they give this tiramisu a more sophisticated look.  I was very pleased to see that I have been improving on my piping skills and received positive feedback from the Chef that my ladyfingers had great definition.  

I knew from the moment I saw the components for the Charlotte Royal I would love it.  The outer layer is made up of a joconde sponge cake (which typically includes ground almonds) and is filled with raspberry jam. The cake is rolled and cut into slices and then lined on the  inside of a bowl.  A raspberry bavarian creme is prepared and poured into the bowl and allowed to set over night.  The next day we trimmed the edges, unmolded the cake, and coated it with an apricot glaze.  It was unlike any cake I had ever tried before and very European.  

Lastly we made a "Ho Hos" cake.  Keeping in line with using a sponge cake, we prepared a jelly roll cake and filled it with chocolate French Buttercream and coated it with dark chocolate ganache.  This was by far my FAVORITE.  The French Buttercream was a little bit of a challenge.   I did not have the proper thermometer to check the temperature and had to verify if it had reached the "soft ball stage" by dropping some of the syrup into ice water.  I didn't like that method so the next time I had to make it I made sure that I brought a digital candy thermometer to class.  It made a world of a difference and the buttercream came out perfect the first time.  

I love this frosting so much I've decided to share the recipe.  If you have a digital candy thermometer on hand you won't have much trouble.  Of all the various types of buttercream, this one is the most unstable and should not be used to frost cakes.  Rather, it's used more as a filling.  


Even though I haven't been bringing as much home, I am learning a lot of different techniques and getting plenty of practice.  Most importantly, I can see how much I'm improving with each new day and am constantly reminded of how much I love what I'm doing.   

Chocolate French Buttercream

Adapted from Professional Baking, 2009. 

Yields: 1 lb 6 oz 

8 oz sugar

2 oz water

3 oz egg yolks

10 oz butter, softened

3/4 tsp vanilla

1.5 oz chocolate, melted

1.  Combine sugar and water in a saucepan. Bring to a boil until it reaches 240 degrees F or it  reaches a soft ball state.

2.  While syrup is boiling, beat egg yolks in a mixer on medium speed until it becomes thick and light.

3.  As soon as the syrup reaches 240 F., turn mixer on low and slowly stream syrup mixture in the bowl.  

4.  Continue to whip until the mixture is cool.  Once cooled, slowly add in butter a little at a time.  When butter is fully incorporated add in the vanilla and slowly add melted chocolate.  

Externship Goal: Achieved!

I can remember being 10 years old and receiving my first diary.  It was pink and had a tiny lock and key.  I would pour my little heart out onto those pages.  Initially I would write about my crushes, log the events of my days, or complain about my little sister trying to tag along with me.  As I got older and matured, so did my entries.  

One of the habits that I have had for many years is journaling out a list of goals.  I would often revisit them to check on my progress.  My favorite reason for establishing goals is that sense of accomplishment I get when I achieve them.  In times where I didn't accomplish my goals it's always interesting to see how much I have grown and changed my perspective on life. 

To this date, I had never shared my goals online, but in February I made a bold move to blog about my desire to complete my externship in France.  In that moment, I had hoped that by writing and sharing it with the blogging community it would keep me accountable.  To be honest, I was feeling demotivated because reaching this goal was more challenging that I expected.  Shortly after blogging, I shared my disappointment with a friend of mine and she responded, "Why would you want to go to France?  Holland is much better!" She told me her family had been visiting Tummers Patisserie for several years.  That night I looked it up online and fell in love...their desserts were simply beautiful, the patisserie was elegant, and they even had a tearoom!  I thought to myself, "The Netherlands is not France and I'm definitely no Julia Child, but if I had a little luck on my side I may get my chance to work overseas."  That's when I realized I needed to modify my goal.  I started the process optimistically, but knew that if it did not work out at least I tried. The worst that could happen is that they would say no.

With my friend's help, I was able to get in contact with the owners.  After several emails and a phone interview I received word via Skype that I would become part of the Tummers Patisserie & Passionelle team members.  During my externship I will not only have the opportunity to learn how to make European pastries, desserts and chocolate,  but I will also learn to  make Dutch speciality items such as the Oliebol, Kerststol, and Sinterklaas Dutch Chocolate Letters.

Cake & showpiece that won
Chef Jongsma the '09 Dutch Pastry Award

When I left the military to pursue this new career I was ready to dream big.  I had hoped for a chance to travel to Europe, but my little mind could have never imagined that I would be working in a patisserie that has been around since 1921.  Not only that, I will be working with Chef Daniel Jongsma, a Dutch world-champion patissier.   The picture below is the cake & showpiece he built during the 2009 Dutch Pastry Competition. 

Achieving this goal has reminded me to continue to dream & set big goals, work hard, and most importantly take action in order to make them come true. 

Now that I have achieved the first part of my goal, I think learning to speak a little Dutch before I start my externship will be a great addition to my goals. 

International Patisserie, Cake Formula & Assembly--Week 1

Last week I began my third class which according to the syllabus, we

"will focus on the fundamental production of classical European desserts such as crepes, souffles, sabayon, & frozen desserts...Bavarian creams, variety of mousses, stirred & baked custards...develop skills for the creamed, two-stage, & foam cake mixing methods."

I was elated to finally graduate from the cramped  kitchen located in the center of the school building and move into the more spacious corner kitchen that contained separate work stations, gas stoves & our very own convection oven.  The best part of this kitchen is that we finally have large windows!   I was in heaven!

As with every new class, we were introduced to a new Chef.  I was a little apprehensive about this instructor, but all those fears were washed away on the first day.  Not only is she extremely methodical, a little OCD (like me), but she's funny and undeniably passionate about her job.  

In the first week, I prepared & brought home....

Crepes Suzette:  Known as  a classical French dessert.  The sauce is comprised of orange & lemon juice, liqueur, sugar & butter.  This dish is typically served table side and the waiter flambes (i.e. ignites the liqueur) the crepes.  I learned I'm petrified of lighting things on fire.  It might have something to do with me almost burning down the house during my first year of marriage...which is why I HIGHLY recommend having a fire extinguisher readily available in the kitchen.

Souffles:  Simply divine...and fairly easy to make, but because they are leavened with egg whites they are not stable after they are removed from the oven.  They are the kind of dessert that must be enjoyed immediately (which I don't see being a problem!). 

Gateau St. Honore:  This dessert is made up of 4 elements:  The base is made of pate brisee base (short dough similiar to a pie dough), 12-14 pate a choux  lined along the rim of the pate brisee base, vanilla & chocolate diplomat creme, and caramel.  It took me nearly 3 class periods to put this dish together and in the end, I hated it.  I know it's probably a mortal sin in the world of pastry to hate the one dessert that is in honor of the French's patron saint, but here's my reasons why:

1.  The chef made us create our whipped cream by hand.  Yes, this included my scrawny arm, a whisk and 16 ounces of heavy whipping cream.  Ouch...  

  

2.  I thought making the caramel into decorative sugar work was interesting, but it was not easy to handle.  It can burn easily, scald you, or just seize up and become one literal hot mess.  Which is what I ended up with on day 2 causing me to redo the caramel the next day.  

3.  Assembly...first three letters of this word should have been a clue.  What a pain in the .... each pate a choux must be filled with chocolate diplomat creme, then the tops dipped in the caramel, allowed to sit & cool....and {deep breath} the pate a choux bottoms must be dipped in caramel so that it will stick to the pate brisee base.  

4.  Taste...after waiting 3 days to eat it, I was just heartbroken and underwhelmed.  The cream puffs were bland and the crunchy caramel just didn't seem like it fit in.  Maybe if I would have made it in one day and ate it immediately it would have been great.  However, this was one of those desserts that was more visually appealing.  

Bread Pudding with a Rum Creme Anglaise sauce:  This dish was definitely the epitome of comfort food.  I realized that on any given day you probably have all the ingredients in the kitchen to make it.  

I learned that when making this recipe I hate the feeling of soggy bread on my fingers.  Which I know that many people correlate  this with bread pudding.   However because this dish is considered a baked custard, the texture actually become like a really soft and moist sweet bread.  The best part of this dish is the creme anglaise sauce that was drizzled on top.   I liked this recipe  so much I have to share it...see below for the recipe.   

Making all of these desserts definitely forced me to work on my patience, time management, and organization skills.  I know that the next 5 weeks are going to be filled with even more amazing desserts!  I can't wait to share.  Until next week, I hope you find time to make some bread pudding!  If you do make the recipe, let me know how it turned out.  I'd love to hear from you.  

Bread Pudding 

adapted from LCBK 120

4 slices Texas Toast (or 6 slices of white bread)

3 Eggs

4 oz Sugar

1/4 tsp Salt

1/2 oz Vanilla extract

8 oz Milk

4 oz Cream

2 oz Raisins

1/2 tsp Cinnamon

1.  Cut bread into cubes

2.  Combine salt, cinnamon, sugar, milk, and cream into a medium saucepan.  Bring mixture to a boil.

3.  Whisk eggs and vanilla in a medium bowl.

4. Once the milk reaches a boil, slowly whisk half of the milk into the egg mixture.  Once milk and eggs are combined add the remaining milk.  

5.  Add the raisins and set aside.

6.  Place cubed bread into a greased pie pan.  Drizzle milk mixture over bread.  Using your hands, ensure that the each piece is coated. 

7.  Bread pudding must be baked using a water bath (click link for instructions).  Bake at 350 degrees F. for 25-30 minutes.  Dish is done when the custard springs back and is golden color.  

Creme Anglaise

4 oz Heavy Cream

1/8 tsp Vanilla Extract

2 Egg yolks

.5 oz Rum (or other flavoring Extract)

1.  Whisk together sugar and yolks until smooth

2.  Heat cream to a boil

3.  Temper cream into egg mixture while whisking

4.  Return mixture to the pot and cook on low heat until thick

5.  Add extract and mix to incorporate

6.  Drizzle over bread pudding...and then "genieten" which is the Dutch word for "Enjoy!"

Classic Puff Pastry Dough: A love & hate relationship

What can I say about deliciously sinful puff pastries that most people don't already know?  Well, I can confirm a few things:

Yes, it's loaded with butter.  (But that's a lot better than being filled with shortening like the store bought kind)

Yes, its luscious  flaky layers and sweet fillings are hard to resist 

Yes, they seem complicated to make. 

However, I proved that it's not impossible to make at home.   I decided that I needed some additional practice before taking my last practical for school.  So as soon as I unpacked all the kitchen boxes, I decided to put my small kitchen space to the test.  I'm glad that I practiced because making the dough and baking them in less than 3 hours was extremely stressful.  

If you find yourself with some free time you can save yourself lots of money,  a trip to your local bakery and also impress your friends and family!  The best part is that you can prepare the dough, bake half of it, and then freeze the rest for future use.  Grab your apron and try out the following recipe!  I've included photos to help you through the steps.

Classic Puff Pastry Dough

adapted from Professional Baking 5th ed.

6 oz     Bread Flour

2 oz     Cake Flour

1 oz      Butter, softened

.14 oz   Salt

4.5 oz   Water, cold

2 sticks Butter, sliced

1.  Combine both flours and 1 oz butter into a mixing bowl.  Mix until the butter is incorporated and no large chucks are visible.

2. Dissolve salt into water.  Pour into flour/butter mixture.  Mix until the dough comes together.  This is called the pick-up stage.  

3.  Remove dough from mixing bowl and knead until the dough become smooth.

  Your dough should look like this:

  

5.  Shape dough into a rectangle and refrigerate for at least 20 minutes.  The dough is now called the Detrempe.   While the dough is resting, you will now begin working on the butter block, also known as the Beurrage.  Slice butter and lay them out onto a piece of parchment paper.

6.  An important tip when locking in the butter is to ensure that the consistency of the dough and butter are the same.  If the butter is too soft the dough will absorb it and create the wrong texture.  If the butter is to hard, the layers will be uneven and you'll have some ugly puff pastry.  Keep this in mind as you begin the next steps.  If necessary, stop and refrigerate the butter if it becomes too soft.

3-Fold Butter Lock:

Now that the detrempe and beurrage are ready, you will need to lock in the butter.   Follow these steps:

1.  Roll out dough to 1/2" thick.   Ensure that the dough is shaped into a rectangle.  Place the beurrage over the top of the dough so that it covers 2/3 of the dough:

2.  Fold the non-buttered side of the dough 1/3 of the way in.  Then fold the buttered side over so that the  edges meet.   The three fold is like folding a letter. 

Turning the dough

Next roll the dough back out to 1/2" thickness ensuring that it remains in a rectangle.  The dough is ready to begin the folding process.  The method that will be used is called a 4-fold.  

Wrap the dough in parchment paper to prevent it from drying out and let it rest in the refrigerator for 15-20 minutes.  After it has rested, you will repeat the 4-fold step (i.e. turn the dough) 3 more times being sure to refrigerate the dough 15-20 minutes after each turn.   This process takes approximately 1 hour and creates the flaky layers.  

Remember, being OCD is okay when making puff pastry dough.  Make sure the dough is 1/2" thick and shaped into a rectangle during each turn.  Once all the turns are complete the dough is ready to be prepped into a variety of puff pastries, refrigerated overnight, or frozen for future use.    

I'm sure by now, you're exhausted and need a break.  So for my next blog post I will demonstrate a the different make-ups for puff pastries.  If you have questions about this recipe, don't hesitate to send me an email at flourbloom@gmail.com.  I'd love to hear from you!  Happy Baking!