The Chocolate Floro Elegance with Caramel Buttercream

This week the Alpha Baker are baking Chocolate Floro Elegance with Caramel Buttercream, I decide to make in two 8" by 2"high round pans and decided to cut each layer in half,  added coffee liquor and made quickly  (stabilized whipped cream) from the cake bible,  pg. 255. I wanted to add coffee flavored and chocolate beans candy on top of each , I didn't have any...

This cake is very pretty for the holidays or for when a Birthdays comes around, when special friends come over and my friend Patricia would love the amazing cake. /Would I made this cake again " YES "

                       Absolutely Delicious!

Cut a slice of cake "Yummy caramel buttercream on my fingers "

I forgot to take a picture of the cake with Pure the glaze on the cake , I found one that look very close to the one I did!!

  Whisked together the water , sugar, corn syrup, cocoa powder, and added the made gelatin..

 Have all the ingredients weight and ready to make the (Chocolate Lacquer)...

 Toke it out again and did the final spread caramel buttercream and back in the fridge...

 Did the first spread and chilled for 30 minutes in the fridge. ..

Added coffee liquor syrup on the cake layers , Filled the 4 layers with caramel buttercream..

 Adding the white chocolate custard base/ and the soft caramel/ soft butter. ...

 Completed white white chocolate/beating the butter, until fluffy. ..

 Added the white chocolate and cooling it with cold running water faster....

 Whisking the eggs..

 Melted the white chocolate and the butter together..

 Got the rest of ingredients together. ..

 Making the soft caramel. ....

 Weighed the batter in two parts and into the oven. ...

 Added the eggs, sour cream, and the cocoa coffee mixture and after added flour mixture...

 Mixed the butter.....

 Mixed up all ofthe dry ingredients together..

 Mixed the sour cream and vanilla together...

 Dissolved the melted chocolate with the coffee. ..

 Have all the ingredients weighted and ready to make the cake..

 Got the two 8"by2"high round pans ready..

I happen to invite my next door neighbor Michelle across from me for a piece of cake, I  just remembered that it was Graham's Birthday past January 4 this year , so it was a good idea to invite  Michelle over for a nice piece of cake...

Absolutely Yummy! 

                        From The Baking Bible!

Chocolate Babka with Pecans

This week the ALPHA BAKERS are baking the Babka.
Babka is similar in texture to challah, but slightly more cake-like. It’s an Eastern European sweet cake-bread made with yeast-risen dough which is filled, rolled and typically baked in a loaf pan. The name comes from the Slavic babcia, meaning grandmother, which is closely related to the Yiddish bubbe. The word babka translates to “grandmother’s cake,” inspired by the shape of an old woman’s skirt (they were originally baked in fluted Polish baking pans) and the fact that they were typically baked by grandmothers. Jewish babka first appeared during the early 1800s when Polish housewives would prepare extra egg challah dough to be filled with cinnamon or jam, then rolled up and baked alongside the Shabbat challah. It was served to hungry children during busy Shabbat preparations or reserved as a special treat. The now common streusel topping came along during the mid 1900s.

I decide to make two different kinds of Babka, one with chocolate mixture with butter, little bit of cinnamon and the other with chocolate and butter, cinnamon and pecans. I also made a few changes to the dough. , added eggs to the sponge , honey,  and also to the final dough  added honey, oil, whole eggs, cider vinegar, butter, and doubled the dough....... Sorry Rose ....

               Absolutely Beautiful and delicious..

              out of the oven and cooling off......

Here is a picture of both Babka....

Let them raise for about 2 hours in the loaf pans , use a pastry brush and brush the tops and sides of the loaves with very soft butter and bake them until they are done.

cut each side of dough and twisted them..

now I have sealed it up....

rolled out one part of the dough, added the warm chocolate mixture and spreaded it on , place some chopped pecans on top and rolled it up....

got the dough ready , cut into two pieces...

stir until melted the chocolate , butter and then add the cocoa powder , sugar and  a litte bit a cinnamon,  stir a few minutes and set aside..

chopped the chocolate and place the butter into a double boiler with simmering water....

has double in size at room temp in the microwave with a hot cup of water and the door closed, microwave off,  you can let it raise for 1 hour and place in the refrigerate it overnight...

got my speared mixture ready to make...

deflated the dough and press it gently into a square and fold it like a letter and back to the oiled container to let double in size..

doubled in size after 2 hours and ready to deflate the dough..?

placed the dough in a large container coated with oil ,placed the doug in it with a lid and in the microwave with a big cup of very hot water, door closed ,microwave off, let raise for 2 hours.

toke it out and kneaded the dough for a few minutes..

added the rest of ingredients and mix it until it was smooth..

In the morning made the sponge....added the final try ingredients and sprinkled it on top of the sponge  and let it raise oven night in the fridge or you can let it raise at room temp for 2 hours, until double.....

 Absolutely delicious.....

The Baking Bible..

Marshmallow Easter Eggs 😉

Easter is around the corner and what a great idea to make these lovely marshmallow for Easter and also great to make for your grandchildren. They are easy to make and you can also have your grand children to help and have fun!!
               

                Absolutely Yummy!

My granddaughter Tia and my daughter - law  Kadya and my son Santo  came over to visit for  Easter Sunday, when I toke out the marshmallows out of the fridge,  my 11 year old granddaughter asked me  " are this all for me" and I said yes but for dad and Kadya too.

Adapted from Bouchon Bakery                                     ( makes: about 48 Easter eggs)

2 packet (2 Tablespoons.) gelatin powder

1/2 cup cold water

1/2 cup + 4 Tbsp. egg whites (about 4 large eggs)                                                        

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract or vanilla paste

2 cups + 4 tablespoons white sugar

1 cup water

4 tablespoons light corn syrup

1lemon zest                                                                                                          
1 to 2 drops of yellow food gel/ options 
1/2 inch round tip with a large plastic bag 

Coarse white decorating sugar

24 plastic hollow eggs

Directions:

Prepare the plastic eggs by spraying the insides with cooking spray.

Pour gelatin into a small metal bowl over 1/2 cup cold water. Allow to bloom for 5 minutes.

Place the metal bowl over a small saucepan of simmering water. Once the gelatin has melted, reduce the heat to keep it warm.

Place the egg whites in your stand mixer bowl. Add the vanilla paste to the egg whites.

In a large saucepan, combine the sugar, water and corn syrup over medium high heat. Stir to dissolve the sugar. Bring the mixture to a simmer.

Meanwhile with your whisk attachment, whip the eggs at high speed until medium peaks form.

When the sugar mixture has reached 250 Fahrenheit, remove the saucepan from the stove. Slowly pour it into the mixer bowl. Pour in the melted gelatin.

Whisk the mixture until it is thick, glossy and lukewarm to the touch, on the bottom of the bowl, now add the lemon zest and whisk for a couple of minutes ,  have ready a 1/2 inch round tip to your pastry bag with the mixture.

Pipe the marshmallow into each half of the eggs, filling only to the top. Combine the halves and gently close and place into the  egg cartons to set overnight.

Once the eggs have set, roll them in colored decorating sugar.

                                  Absolutely Beautiful!

got my colours coarse sugar ready and coating them........

next day gently opened them and they are ready to be colored with the coarse sugar...

closed them gently and set overnight on the counter.....

piped them with a 1/2 inch round tip with a plastic large bag half each of the empty egg plastic shells

whipped the marshmallow mix to medium -high to high speed or until thick and glossy peak, lukewarm to the touch....

In a saucepan, combine the sugar, water and corn syrup over medium high heat. Stir to dissolve the sugar. Bring the mixture to a simmer, until it reads 250 f.

now have the gelatin over simmering water to melt and keep warm...

gelatin powder and the water has bloomed.....

have the egg whites ready in the of a stand mixer and , let set for 30 minutes room temp. before whipping..

I also had leftover so I made the rest in these molds....

they came out beautiful!!