Archive for Baking Tip!
My First Fondant Cake!
A midst my packed schedule, I managed to squeeze in my very first class in Fondant last weekend at Gloria’s Cake and Candy Supply in West LA. It was freaking awesome! And, was probably the most relaxing 3 hours ever! Yes, I find cake decorating extremely relaxing- I can get into a zone, forget about everything else on my plate and just enjoy some quiet time. It was exactly what I needed, and I learned so much!
Fondant was easier to work with than I thought and I really loved the medium itself. It’s like working with clay, but without the huge mess and gross dry feeling on your hands. The outcome looks so neat and clean- a look that I generally prefer. I think after one class I learned enough to really start 
experimenting at home- and am actually considering buying a book on it to learn more techniques. But, for those of you that are brave, here are the basics for covering a cake… Give it a try. It’s so worth it!
Step 1: Knead your fondant. This is pretty straight forward- it should be warm and pliable. If it starts sticking to your hand just rub a little Crisco on your hands and keep going.
Step 2: Roll your fondant. Use a french rolling pin, or even a piece of PVC pipe, roll it out till it approx. 1/8 in thick. Use confectioners sugar or corn starch to prevent the fondant from sticking to your mat. 
In addition, you need to do a little math here… if you are covering an round cake, add up the diameter of the cake and 2 times the height. For example, you have an 8 inch round cake that is 4 inches high you’ll want to roll your fondant into a 16 inch circle (8+4+4=16).
Step 3: Cover your cake: Roll your fondant circle onto your rolling pin and the roll it out onto your crumb coated round cake. Use your smoother tool to smooth top and sides. Be careful not to pull the fondant too much, as it is prone to ripping. Trim excess using a pizza cutter around the edge of the cake.
Step 4: Decorate! Use cookie cutters to cut out shapes that can be applied to the cake with just a dab of water. You can color the fondant easily too! Take a ball on fondant and create a small well in the middle it with your finger. Add a couple drops of gel food coloring and twist and knead. Keep going till the color is well distributed. (Tip- unless you want super colorful hands- use latex gloves for this task!) Also, always cover the fondant your not using with plastic wrap to prevent drying.
Step 5: Show off and Eat! You’re friends will be super impressed with your beautifully decorated fondant cake!
No go test this out! I like seriously can’t wait to give this a try again myself! If any of you have given Fondant a try as well, I would love to hear about it!
Happy Baking and Fondant-ing!
-Kristy
An Overwhelming Two Weeks…
The last two weeks have been completely nuts- on top of my 6 day/50 hour work week I’ve had a bunch of cookie and cupcake orders. Now, don’t get me wrong, I am so grateful for all the orders! It was just a touch overwhelming! Alas, I came out of it all alive, with orders successfully completed and my wallet filling a bit fuller- which is always a happy thing!
So I have tons to update you on- as well as lots of sleep to catch up on- so today’s post will be short, but sweet of course! I’ve had this picture of this cupcake order from a while back- Easter actually- and have been excited to show it. The order was from one of the doctors I work with, who pretty much lets me have creative reign over all hers orders- which is really exciting. I was looking forward to topping these cupcakes with a gorgeous spring flower that I was in my new Marta Stewart Cupcake book (more to come on how amazing this book is! It’s a MUST buy!) Of course, in my head- mine would look just as perfect as hers…
OMG was I mistaken! They were way more complicated than I thought, my frosting was way to stiff and the flowers looked terrible! After a full day of work, baking all night- around 1 am I gave up on the flowers, scraped all the cupcakes clean and started over. I dug through my cabinets to find some kind of alternate decoration for these Easter Cupcakes. Sprinkles are always a great last minute resort and I always have them well stocked! I mixed some clear sugar sprinkles with colored on a plate, frosted the cupcakes then rolled them in the sprinkles mixture- super easy and super cute! It was nothing spectacular- bit it did the trick. All the cupcakes looked clean, neat and yummy. And the Doc at work was super happy. Yippee for a late night success!
This late night pattern has been a bit of a pattern for me lately! It’s about 8:30 and I am ready for a hot cup of tea and my pj’s! No baking all-nighter for this lady tonight! Stay tuned for more to come!
Happy Baking and Cupcake Decorating!
-Kristy
Scones and Jam!
This past Thursday night I had another cooking date with my good friend Minh. This time around, I got to do a little baking and teaching. Minh had approached me for some help with creating a gift basket for a friend who was recently engaged. She was including lots of teas, curd and other exciting treats in the basket and wanted to include some jam and scones- a couple things I am well versed in!
We decided to use this recipe for Raspberry Lemon Scones. So there’s a good chance it might have been the 2 bottles of wine we working on, but we made 3 batches- 1 was fab, 2 were alright. The flavor was great in all three batches, but we struggled a bit with the shape and consistency. After thinking about it further yesterday with a non-wine influenced brain, here are a few changes I would make to the recipe: 1. Increase the flour from 2 cups to 2 and a half cups to improve the consistency of the dough– I found it to be a bit too flimsy at times. 2. Add the juice from 1/2 a lemon to increase the lemony flavor. 3. Use fresh, clean and dry raspberries- we used frozen which created far more liquid than we anticipated.
Despite needing a few tweeks, this is a pretty kick-ass scone recipe. My BF and I gobbled up the rest of the busted looking leftovers in just a couple days- which was both a good thing and bad thing! They were, as I said before, super delish and tasty- the combo of the lemon and raspberry was lovely. But having two for breakfast yesterday and today may have been a bit too much! Good thing I did an hour long cardio work out today… and have another scheduled in tomorrow!
Onto the jam- I love jam- my new Cali plates on my car actually say “Jam.” and, I kid you not, I did not request it- it was just a stroke of luck. Anyways, once I started making Jam I realized it was alot easier than I anticipated. I use a recipe that was provided to me by Lisa Baker Morgan, the Chef and owner of Ciao Yummy. Combine 1lb. fruit, 10 oz sugar (I like to use a little less) and 2 tbs lemon juice in a bowl and set in the fridge over night. The next day, add your pectin, and boil down until the jam hold it shape and does not spread on a frozen plate. And Done! So Easy!
We made 3 batches of jam along with the 3 batches of scones- Bruise-Berry Jam (Blackberry and blueberry), Strawberry, and Raspberry-Strawberry. They were beautful! The color of homemade jam is so vibrant and stunning. On top of that, they were obvi super tasty and sooo much better than store bought.
Minh called me this AM to tell me what a huge hit her gift bakset was, which I was super happy to hear. Homemade gift such as these, I think are the most thoughtful and, pardon my nerdiness here, so extra special. I would love to hear about some of the homemade gift some of you readers have given to friends and family- or if you have a fantasticly creative idea, post that as well!
Happing Baking and Jamming!
-Kristy
Pot… opps… type-o… Port Brownies!
Although I should be in the kitchen 
making another 100 cookies- I am having a lazy evening and thought a little blogging would be a good idea.
Back in Feb. my boyfriend and I took a trip to South Lake Tahoe, CA for a relaxing weekend away. My BF hit the slopes while I found the spa and a a few wineries. While doing a tasting a the Picchetti Winery Tasting Room, I fell in love with their dessert Port Wine. The fantastic gentleman behind the counter doing the pouring described how his wife adds the port wine to brownies to make a fab. dessert— OMG she is a genius!
So here’s the scoop, take your fav. brownie recipe (or box brownie) and substitute in the port wine for whatever liquid is required the recipe- bake as directed and you’re done! The flavor definitely changes to a more sophisticated, rich chocolate. Its such a simple, and great way to change up a typical dessert to something a bit more exciting. Give them a try! Let me know how you like them!
Happy Baking!
-Kristy
Lets Make Whoopie!
One of the desserts I made for my Thanksgiving Dinner was Pumpkin Whoopie Pies! Whoopie pies are kind of a big deal in the North East. They consist of a chocolate cake like cookie arranged in sandwiches with a creaming whipped vanilla filling. OMG Delish! Since it was Thanksgiving, it seemed only appropriate to make Pumpkin flavored Whoopie Pies!
I’ve never made Whoopie Pies before, so I decided to stick with a recipe, which you can check out by clicking here. (FYI- I don’t like baking with apple sauce, so I substituted in sour cream!) The recipe was super easy and uber tasty. To make the dessert a bit more festive, I baked the pies in my pumpkin cake pan from Wilton (got it at Joanne Fabric after Halloween 50% off! awesome!) The pies were filled with a cream cheese filling which I piped in with a fancy piping tip. Once they were assembled, I finished them with green white chocolate leaves on top (a simple chocolate leaf mold will do!) which I attached with a little frosting. Didn’t these little handheld treats come out adorable?!?! They were a big hit at Thanksgiving, not only because of how cute they are, but because of how tasty they were! I will so make these again! I kind of can’t wait!
Happy Baking!
-Kristy
Some good info on Flour!
So I had to travel the end of this, hence my delay in posting, but one great things about traveling is that I get caught up on all my well over due magazine reading. For my flights, I took the latest Glamour, In Style, Cooking Light and Martha Stewart. I’ve already made it through almost all of them and I am only on day 2 out of 6 in my trip!
Anyways, onto the important stuff. In the ‘Ask Martha’ section of the November Martha Stewart Living, Martha explains the difference between all-purpose flour, cake flour and bread flour. This is really vital information for all semi-professional bakers! Here are some of the basics…
- All Purpose Flour- It’s ‘All Purpose’ because it works great for cookies, cakes, bread, crusts, etc. It has enough protein to keep a layer cake strong yet fluffy, but not enough to make it too heavy (FYI- the amount of protein in the flour is what causes a baked delight to be sturdy or soft… the more protein the tougher, less protein softer.)
- Bread Flour: To make this as simple as possible… it has more protein… so its harder and stronger.
- Cake Flour: Again, to make this super simple… has less protein making it light and soft lending for a perfect cake consistency.
Hope you find this bit of info helpful! If any of you want the inside scoop on how to make your own cake flour at home, check out Joy the Baker’s Blog in my Blog Roll for some simple how-to info, or click here!
Will do my best to post again over the weekend! If not I will have lots to catch everybody up on when I get back on Wednesday!
Happy Baking and Traveling!
-Kristy
Cross Country Cookies!
Today has been one of those days where it is now about 10:30pm and this was the first chance I had to chill on the couch for a bit. Monday’s are part of my “weekend” but I spent most of the day running errands all over this vast city, and baking about 5 dozen chocolate chip cookies. Oh how wonderful it feels to be in PJ’s, lounging on the couch, watching my BF play WII!
I baked all those cookies tonight to mail out to friends and family. After growing up in Boston, going to school in Florida and moving out to Los Angeles, I legit have friends and family all over this country… MA, FL, IL, KY, OK, DC, PR, NC… oh the list could go on! Since I send tons and tons of cookies cross country, especially in the up coming holiday season, I thought it might be a good idea to share where I get some of my packaging supplies and shipping tips. Okay, not the most thrilling topics for a baking blog, but important none the less!
For one, I am OBSESSED with Nashville Wraps! I get just about everything from them… boxes, bags, tissue paper, ribbon, and packing supplies. (Actually, the colors and design of my website was developed after I picked out the packaging I liked best for my cookies on this website!) They carry just about everything you need in a million different categories. I obviously tend to frequently check out their food packaging options, as well as enjoy their echo-friendly packaging options. On top of having just about everything imaginable that you would need for packaging your favorite pastry, their pricing is oh so wallet friendly… Something that I am sure is on the minds of many!
For Labels and such, I love Zazzle.com. You can customize just about anything and can create your own account and save all your customized items for future purchase. I find them to be a touch on the expensive side and tend to wait till I have a coupon to make a purchase. FYI- Martha Stewart Living has a coupon for Zazzle in just about every issue! Good thing I have a subscription to MSL!
Lastly, when it comes to shipping, I stick with the good old, USPS. I am a huge fan the flat rate boxes that ship anywhere in the country, on 2-3 day service for a “low flat rate!” Especially when shipping anything perishable, I want it to arrive at its destination still tasting freshly baked, and using this service has never failed me! The boxes are free, so you can stock up, package at home, and know exactly what you will play when you get to the post office. It really couldn’t be any easier!
Those are all the tips I have for now! I hope you bakers will find them helpful when sending cookies and treats cross country! If you have any additional tips, leave a comment and share your thoughts!
Happy Baking!
-Kristy
Freshly Made French Baguettes!
I have recently become obsessed with the idea of making my own bread. I think this is one of my I-need-to-eat-healthier-yet-is-a-great-way-to-bake-without-the-guilt techniques. What I have enjoyed best about my recent bread baking ventures is that I know exactly what is going into each loaf I bake… yeast, water, flour, salt and egg. Wow, you can’t get much more natural than that! I also have found the kneading of the dough to be super therapeutic. I swear its an awesome way to release tension and stress! I have felt such a sense of relief afterward the kneading! Not only do I get delicious bread… but I also gained a coping technique! (Okay— we all know that is the nerdy therapist coming out in my, but I just couldn’t resist!)
What a Beautiful Baguette! So the recipe I have been using can be found in the book French Women Don’t Get Fat by Mireille Guiliano (I’m almost done reading the book! I can’t wait to share my thoughts about it with you!) All of the recipes included in the book are easy, tasty and healthy. I have made Guiliano’s baguette recipe twice so far and have been really impressed with the outcome, especially for my first attempt at a traditional rising bread. My first baguettes were a bit dense. I was so excited to get them in the oven so I could try a bite that I didn’t let them rise long enough. The second time around my apt was super warm from the hot SoCal sun, so the rising was no issue at all and the bread was much fluffier. (Baking Tip: To speed up and enhance the rising process of your bread doughs, set your bread dough in a higher place in your kitchen… on a high shelf or on top of your fridge… heat rises so any way you can elevate your dough will help your dough rise as well!)
Let me tell you… freshly made bread straight from your oven makes your kitchen smell delightful and makes your belly super happy! Each time I made the baguettes I could barely wait till it was cool enough to take a bite… and each time it was awesome, despite the slight burning sensation! I have had these baguettes with every meal… at breakfast with freshly made jam, at lunch with my salad and as a great addition to fav. meal Chicken Picatta. Mmm… if only I hadn’t eaten it all up already I would be munching on some right now… guess I will have to make another batch later today!
So I could keep on babbling about how awesome this bread is, but I will refrain and just provide the fabulous recipe below! Hope you enjoy it as much as I have!
Happy Baking!
-Kristy
French Baguettes
Recipe By: Mireille Guiliano
Source: French Women Don’t Get Fat, 2005, Borzoi Book Published by Alfred A. Knopf, p. 198-199
Ingredients
- 1 teaspoon active dry yeast
- 2 cups warm water
- 4-5 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 egg
Directions
- Dissolve yeast in 1/2 cup warm water. Stir well with fork and set aside for 10 minutes.
- Combine flour and salt. Add yeast mixture, remaining 1 1/2 cups water and mix until dough it sticky enough to kneed. Kneed on lightly floured board until dough is sticky and smooth (I found this to take about 10 minutes). Put dough in bowl, cover with a damp cloth and let rise at room temp. until dough doubles in volume, about 1 hours.
- Punch down dough and dive into 4 pieces. Roll each piece into a baguette shape and place on lightly greased cookie sheet. Let rise again until doubled (again, I found this to be about an hour).
- Preheat oven to 450. Put 2 cups warm water in seperate pan and place in oven to provide moisture while bread is baking. Brush dough with 1 beaten egg combined with 1 tablespoon cold water. Score loaves diagonally and bake for 15 minutes. Lower temp to 400 and bake additional 5-10 minutes or until golden.
- Let cool, slice and enjoy! (Baking Tip: Store your bread in the fridge to help it last! Since it has no preservatives, it will mold quicker if left out and uncovered!)
Opps!
I just wanted to take a minute and share what happens when you leave a Mexican Sugar Skull on a Coffee Table with a very mischievous pup!
You get a half dissolved sugar skull and a pup in a sugar coma! Poor little muffin! Too much sugar for her!
Tip: Keep your Sugar Skulls away from your pets!
Happy Baking!
-Kristy
Mexican Sugar Skulls!
Last night I spent well over 4 hours in the kitchen… it was delightful yet completely exhausting! I made fresh butternut squash soup, roasted a chicken and potatoes for dinner and made some Mexican Sugar Skulls… well actually, Mexican White Chocolate Skulls!
I was so excited to finally try out the mold that I got while exploring Olvira Street with my parents. There were many different kinds of sugar skull molds for me to choose from… big ones, little one, skulls on a sticks and even skull accessory molds like sombreros! But I opted for the Frida Kahlo Skull Molds. Frida Kahlo was a famous Mexican painter who was well known for her amazing self-portraits. I studied her work in grad. school while getting my degree in art therapy, mainly because her work was seen as highly symbolic; she used her art work to express her person pain or struggles. Anyways, that’s a discussion for anther day and another time, but these Frida Skull Mold’s were freakin’ adorable, so I absolutely could not pass them up!
The packaging for the molds provided a
recipe for creating the sugar skulls, but last night I was looking for simplicity, so I opted to use white chocolate that I had on hand instead. This made the process super simple… I melted the chocolate gradually in the microwave (50% power, 30 second interval and stirring in between each). I gently spooned the melted chocolate into the molds, tapped them on my countero t remove any air bubbles and then into the freezer they went for 30 minutes and… done! The white chocolate Frida Skulls popped right out and looked great!
I kept them in the fridge until my frosting was ready. I used Royal Icing to frost on some details to high light the skulls detail. Royal Icing in known for setting up super hard and should stick well to the skull… well in theory anyways… (Random Baking Tip: NEVER put Royal Icing down your kitchen sink… always throw any extra you don’t need in the trash first, then clean up your icing bowl… Royal Icing can do a number on your pipes!)
So I had some icing issues last night. After I had colored the icing the consistency changed a bit, then my kitchen was so hot from all the cooking I was doing that the frosting was becoming super soft and warm, then the chocolate skulls were sweating from the heat, preventing icing to stick to the skull. Also trying to see all the lines and details was almost impossible… I swear I almost went cross-eyes! After quite a bit of frustration and lots of trial and error I had one skull that turned out something like what I had wanted it to and here it is! Super cute huh?!?! These eyes on this skull kinda look like how mine felt after I finished with them! I think the next time I try these I am going to pick up some dusting sugar. The sugar may stick better to the skull and may provide color in many of the little detailed lines that I had so much trouble seeing! No more going cross eyed for this semi-pro. baker!
My skulls were super simple, yet felt so impossible at times to complete! After seeing all the crazy-intricate art work that has been created on these sugar skulls on the Mexican Sugar Skull Website, I have a new found respect for anyone who makes these for a living! Its amazing! The coloring are stunningly bright and the detail on some of them is freaking awesome! Check them out for yourself by clicking here!
Happy Baking, Chocolate Molding and Piping Frosting!
-Kristy
