Ah, sorry — I’ve been out of town and I spaced out on the fact that it was a Baked Sunday Mornings weekend! If you’ve got pie, leave your links here!
In the Oven: Classic Diner-Style Chocolate Pie
We’re leaving our ovens off again to make a classic chocolate pie – but it wouldn’t be a Baked pie without whiskey or malt powder (or both!). Posting date is November 17.
- For the chocolate cookie crust
- 30 chocolate wafer cookies (about 6 ounces)
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- For the chocolate filling
- ½ cup sugar
- 3 tablespoons chocolate malt Ovaltine
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ¼ cup cornstarch
- 5 large egg yolks
- 2 cups whole milk
- ½ cup heavy cream
- 5 ounces dark chocolate (60 to 72% cacao), coarsely chopped
- 2 ounces milk chocolate, coarsely chopped
- 2 teaspoons whiskey
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- To serve
- Whipped cream or vanilla bean whipped cream
- In a food processor, grind the cookies to a very fine powder. You should have about 1½ cups. Put the crumbs in a bowl and stir in the sugar.
- Pour the butter over the crumb mixture and mix until well combined. The mixture will feel wet. Turn the crumb mixture out into a 9-inch pie plate and press it into the bottom and up the sides. You can use the back of a large spoon to even out the crust.
- Freeze the crust while you make the filling.
- In a medium saucepan, whisk together the sugar, Ovaltine, salt, and cornstarch. Add the egg yolks and whisk until combined. The mixture will look like a thick paste. Slowly pour in the milk and cream, whisking constantly.
- Bring to a boil over medium heat, whisking constantly to prevent the mixture from burning on the bottom of the pan. Boil for 30 seconds, then remove from the heat.
- Add the chocolates, whiskey, and vanilla and whisk until combined. Continue to whisk for a few minutes to cool the mixture slightly. Let the mixture stand for 15 minutes at room temperature. A thin skin may form during this cooling period. Simply whisk the mixture again until the skin is gone. Pour the filling into the frozen pie shell.
- Refrigerate the pie for 4 hours before serving, topped with whipped cream, if desired.
Roundup: Peanut Butter Crispy Bars
It’s no wonder these have been a long-time favorite at the bakery. Thumbs up all around!
In the Oven: Peanut Butter Crispy Bars
Your ovens get another week off — we’re making peanut butter-chocolate rice cereal treats! Posting date is November 3.
- For the crispy crust
- 1¾ cups crisped rice cereal
- ¼ cup sugar
- 3 tablespoons light corn syrup
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- For the milk chocolate peanut butter layer
- 5 ounces good-quality milk chocolate, coarsely chopped
- 1 cup creamy peanut butter
- For the chocolate icing
- 3 ounces dark chocolate (60 to 72% cacao), coarsely chopped
- ½ teaspoon light corn syrup
- 4 tablespoons (½ stick) unsalted butter
- Lightly spray a paper towel with nonstick cooking spray and use it to rub the bottom and sides of an 8-inch square baking pan.
- Put the cereal in a large bowl and set aside.
- Pour ¼ cup water into a small saucepan. Gently add the sugar and corn syrup (do not let any sugar or syrup get on the sides of the pan) and use a small wooden spoon to stir the mixture until just combined. Put a candy thermometer in the saucepan. Cook over medium-high heat and bring to a boil; cook until the mixture reaches the soft ball stage, 235 degrees F.
- Remove from the heat, stir in the butter, and pour the mixture over the cereal. Working quickly, stir until the cereal is thoroughly coated, then pour it into the prepared pan. Using your hands, press the mixture into the bottom of the pan (do not press up the sides). Let the crust cool to room temperature while you make the next layer.
- In a large nonreactive metal bowl, stir together the chocolate and the peanut butter.
- Set the bowl over a saucepan of simmering water and cook, stirring with a rubber spatula, until the mixture is smooth. Remove the bowl from the pan and stir for about 30 seconds to cool slightly. Pour the mixture over the cooled crust. Put the pan in the refrigerator for 1 hour, or until the top layer hardens.
- In a large nonreactive metal bowl, combine the chocolate, corn syrup, and butter.
- Set the bowl over a saucepan of simmering water and cook, stirring with a rubber spatula, until the mixture is completely smooth. Remove the bowl from the pan and stir for 30 seconds to cool slightly. Pour the mixture over the chilled milk chocolate peanut butter layer and spread into an even layer. Put the pan in the refrigerator for 1 hour or until the topping hardens.
- Cut into 9 squares and serve. The bars can be stored in the refrigerator, covered tightly, for up to 4 days.
Roundup: Red Hot Velvet Cake with Cinnamon Buttercream
Our bakers are fans of red velvet cake, but like to pair it with cream cheese frosting. And we have some rogue lemon-almond meringue tarts this week!
Leave Your Links: Red Hot Velvet Cake with Cinnamon Buttercream
What do you think of this cake, bakers — hot or not? Leave your links here!
In the Oven: Red Hot Velvet Cake with Cinnamon Buttercream
Next up on the schedule: the gentlemen bakers’ twist on a red velvet cake… with cinnamon frosting! Posting date is October 20.
- For the red hot velvet cake layers
- ¼ cup dark unsweetened cocoa powder
- 2 tablespoons red gel food coloring
- ¼ cup boiling water
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened, cut into small pieces
- 2 tablespoons vegetable shortening, at room temperature
- 1 2/3 cups sugar
- 3 large eggs
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 2 ½ cups cake flour
- 1 teaspoon fine salt
- 1 tablespoon cider vinegar
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- For the cinnamon frosting
- 1½ cups sugar
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- 1½ cups milk
- ¼ cup heavy cream
- 1½ cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter, soft but cool, cut into small pieces
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- To assemble the cake
- Red Hots (cinnamon imperials) candies for decoration
- Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Butter three 8-inch round cake pans, line the bottoms with parchment paper, and butter the parchment. Dust with flour, and knock out the excess flour.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the cocoa powder, food coloring, and boiling water. Set aside to cool.
- In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and shortening until smooth. Scrape down the bowl and add the sugar. Beat until the mixture is light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
- Stir the buttermilk and vanilla into the cooled cocoa mixture.
- Sift the flour and salt together into another medium bowl. With the mixer on low, add the flour mixture, alternating with the cocoa mixture, to the egg mixture in three separate additions, beginning and ending with the flour mixture. Beat until incorporated.
- In a small bowl, combine the vinegar and baking soda and stir until the baking soda dissolves; the mixture will fizz. Add to the batter and stir until just combined.
- Divide the batter among the prepared pans and smooth the tops. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center of each cake comes out clean, about 30 minutes, rotating the pans halfway through the baking time. Transfer the cakes to a wire rack and let cool for 20 minutes. Invert the cakes onto the rack, remove the pans, and let cool completely. Remove the parchment.
- In a medium heavy-bottomed saucepan, whisk the sugar and flour together. Add the milk and cream and cook over medium heat, whisking occasionally, until the mixture comes to a boil and has thickened, about 20 minutes.
- Transfer the mixture to the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Beat on high speed until cool. Reduce the speed to low and add the butter; beat until thoroughly incorporated. Increase the speed to medium-high and beat until the frosting is light and fluffy.
- Add the vanilla and cinnamon and continue mixing until combined. If the frosting is too soft, transfer the bowl to the refrigerator to chill slightly, then beat again until it is the proper consistency. If the frosting is too firm, place the bowl over a pot of simmering water and beat with a wooden spoon until it is the proper consistency.
- Place one cooled cake layer on a serving platter. Trim the top to create a flat surface and evenly spread about 1¼ cups of the frosting on top. Top with the next layer, trim and frost the top, then add the third layer. Crumb coat the cake (see page 22) and put the cake in the refrigerator for 15 minutes to firm up the frosting. Frost the sides and top with the remaining frosting. Garnish the cake with the Red Hots and refrigerate again for 15 minutes.
Roundup: Banana Piloncillo Ice Cream
We’ve got positive reviews on the ice cream and a rogue marble bundt cake!
Leave Your Links: Banana Piloncillo Ice Cream
Who screams for ice cream? Leave those links here!
In the Oven: Banana Piloncillo Ice Cream
Time to track down some piloncillo and break out your ice cream makers for our next recipe! Posting date is October 6.
- 1 cinnamon stick
- ¾ cup firmly packed, grated piloncillo
- 8 very ripe bananas, peeled, wrapped in aluminum foil, and frozen
- ½ cup heavy cream
- ½ cup finely chopped toasted pecans
- In a small saucepan over low heat, combine 2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon water and the cinnamon stick and simmer until fragrant, about 3 minutes. Add the piloncillo and stir until it is dissolved. Remove from the heat and let cool to room temperature.
- Unwrap the frozen bananas, chop them coarsely, and set them aside.
- Remove the cinnamon stick from the syrup and pour the syrup into a blender. Add the cream and bananas and blend until smooth and mushy.
- Pour into an ice cream machine and freeze, following the manufacturer’s directions. Add the pecans to the ice cream a few minutes before the cycle is finished, or consult the manufacturer’s directions about additions. Since the mixture is partially frozen, it will not take long to freeze—about 10 minutes.