Video of the Day: Cream Cheese Coconut Pecan Pound Cake

Interesting...the baker in this video didn't totally rave about her own creation. It seems to me that she was testing a recipe never before made. She mentioned that there was an odd taste, and at first I thought she was going to try to reduce the amount of coconut in the recipe. Nope...she'd probably eliminate the whiskey. Wow...ok...so how about some coconut rum instead? I'll let you know how mine turns out!

Video of the Day: How Does Bread Rise

Bread rising is just as much a mystery to me as cake rising...Baking is so much like a science experiment. If anything is off, then you're in big baking trouble! :-)

Bread Pudding: Eggnog Bread Pudding

Ingredients

1 cup dark rum
1/2 cup cranberries
Day old loaf of french bread
1 stick unsalted butter

Eggnog
6 egg yolks
8 oz heavy whipping cream
1 can condensed milk
1 can evaporated milk
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup dark rum
2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ginger
1/4 teaspoon cloves
pinch salt

Icing:
1 cup powdered sugar
1/4 cup heavy cream
4 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup dark rum
3 tablespoon water, plus extra, as needed

Directions

In a small bowl, soak the cranberries in the dark rum.

Coat baking pan using the stick of butter.

Melt the remaining stick of butter in a sauce pan.

While the butter is melting cut loaf of bread into 1 inch chunks. Transfer bread into a bowl, and pour melted butter over the bread.  Set aside.

In a mixing bowl, lightly beat the eggs until just broken.

Mix together 1/2 of the cranberries, all of the rum, and all of the remaining ingredients through the pinch of salt.

Pour the custard mixture over the bread. Make sure that every piece of bread is crushed, coated, and submerged in the custard.

Pour this mixture into the buttered baking pan.  Top with the remaining cranberries. Cover with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator for at least 8 to 12 hours to allow the bread to fully absorb the custard.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Bake at 350 degrees for 60 minutes, or until top is golden brown and edges pull away from the pan.  Allow to cool about 10 minutes. Custard will completely set during cooling.

While the bread pudding is baking prepare the icing.

In a food processor, combine All of the ingredients except the water.  Process until smooth, adding more water, 1 teaspoon at a time, until the icing is pourable. Pour the icing over the bread pudding and allow to set for 20 minutes or more before slicing.

Video of the Day: How Does A Cake Rise

How do cakes rise? I'm have had a few deflating cakes in my day...

Let Them Eat...PINEAPPLE UPSIDE-DOWN CAKE!

Ingredients

Topping and Filling:
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and divided
1/2 cup packed brown sugar, divided
1 (8 ounce) can sliced pineapple, drained with juice reserved
1 (10 ounce) jar maraschino cherries, drained, with juice reserved
1/2 cup flaked coconut
1 (8 ounce) can crushed pineapple, drained with juice reserved

Cake:
1 stick unsalted butter
3/4 cup white sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1/3 cup mixture of pineapple juice and maraschino cherry juice
3 cups all-purpose flour
3 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon


Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Coat the bottoms and sides of 2-9 inch round cake pan with 2 tablespoons of melted butter. Sprinkle the bottom of each pan with 1/4 cup of brown sugar.

In one of the pans, Lay pineapple rings in a single layer on top of coconut. Place a cherry in the center of each ring. In the other pan, sprinkle coconut over the brown sugar and spread the drained crushed pineapple over the coconut.

Cream butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time until completely combined. Add vanilla, and beat for 1 minute.

Sift together flour, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon.

Add flour mixture alternately with juice combo, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients.

Divide batter between the 2 pans. Remember which pan has the pineapple rings in it.

Bake for 40 to 50 minutes in the preheated oven, or until a toothpick inserted into cake comes out clean. Cool in pans for 20 minutes.

While the bottoms of the cake pans are still warm to the touch, invert the layer with the crushed pineapple out onto a serving dish, then gently invert the layer with the pineapple rings on top of it for a dazzling two layer pineapple upside down cake.

To prevent cracking, after layering the cakes, place the pan, upside-down, back onto the top layer. Remove it after about half an hour.

Video of the Day: How to Use Instant Yeast in Bread Making

IMHO, if a recipe says just dump the packet of yeast in with the dough, you should either 1) ignore that instruction and do this first, or 2) find another bread recipe.

Let Them Eat...BLACK CAKE!

Ingredients


2 cups prunes, pitted and chopped
2 cups raisins
2 cups currants
1/2 cup almonds
1 bottle cherry brandy, divided
1 bottle rum, divided
2 tablespoons Angostura bitters

4 cups of brown sugar, divided
1/4 cups unsalted butter
1/2 cup hot water

4 cups unbleached flour
4 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

2 cups brown sugar
2 cups unsalted butter
10 large eggs
2 teaspoon grated lime peel
2 teaspoon vanilla extract


Directions

1-7 Days Before Bake Day:
Combine the prunes, raisins, currants, almonds, bitters, and enough cherry brandy and rum to completely soak the fruit-almond mix. Seal in an airtight container and refrigerate.

On Bake Day:
Pour the fruit-almond and liquor combo in a puree into a chunky paste.

Melt 1/2 cup of butter in a heated stock pot. Add the brown sugar and saute until the sugar turns a very deep burned tone of brown or basically black.  Gradually add hot water, and continually stir the mixture.  When all of the water has been added and the sugar is completely dissolved, remove the mixture from the heat and allow to cool.  

Preheat oven to 250 degrees F.  Line 3-8" cake pans with two layers of parchment paper.

In a large bowl sift together the flour, baking powder, and sweet spices.

In a separate bowl, cream together 2 cups of butter and 2 cups of sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, after each one if fully incorporated.  Then add lime zest and vanilla.

Gradually add the dry ingredients 1/2 up at a time to the wet ingredients.

Mix in the pureed fruit-almond mix. Then add the cooled burned brown sugar.

Fill the lined baking pan 3/4 full with batter.  Bake in preheated oven at 250 degrees F for 1 hour. Reduce the heat to 200 degrees F for remaining 1-1/2 hour of cooking.

Prick each of the three hot cakes and soak with a mixture of the remaining rum and cherry. Allow to soak for 12 hours or more.

This will not be your typical spongy cake.  This cake is closer to a texture of bread pudding!