The Baking Diaries since March 30th, 2011

the cake itself

Red Velvet Cake with Cream cheese frosting:

Recipe: makes 3 thin layers of 6in cake or 18 cupcakes

1 3/4c +2tbsp flour

1.5tbsp cocoa powder

pinch salt

1c sugar

263ml oil

1.5 eggs room temperature

Red food colouring

3/4tsp vanilla

3/4c buttermilk (or 3/4c milk+ 3/4tbsp vinegar-mix, let it rest at room temperature)

1 1/8tsp baking soda 

1/4tsp baking powder

(1.5tbsp vinegar+ 1/4tsp baing soda + 1/8tsp baking powder)

180C

Grease pan. Sift flour, cocoa, salt, baking powder, baking soda (the ones not in brackets)

Beat sugar, oil, eggs, vanilla until combined. Add food colouring until red (will add more later(

Beat in flour, but alternating with the buttermilk, so flour, buttermilk, flour, buttermilk, flour. Add more food colouring until it is really red. Stir together the vinegar+baking soda+baking powder in brackets. Fold into batter quickly. Pour into pan (or if cupcakes-3/4 full) bake 20 minutes. After cooled, cut into three layers, or two if you wish.

Cream Cheese:

136g cream cheese softened

80g butter softened

1 1/4c icing sugar- really depends on how sweet you want. 

1/2tspvanilla

(if you want a whiter frosting, use less butter and more cream cheese)

Beat together cream cheese and butter until smooth„ sift in icing sugar, beat. Add vanilla, mix. Frost

Red Velvet Cake with Cream cheese frosting:

cupcake version 

Recipe: makes 3 thin layers of 6in cake or 18 cupcakes

1 3/4c +2tbsp flour

1.5tbsp cocoa powder

pinch salt

1c sugar

263ml oil

1.5 eggs room temperature

Red food colouring

3/4tsp vanilla

3/4c buttermilk (or 3/4c milk+ 3/4tbsp vinegar-mix, let it rest at room temperature)

1 1/8tsp baking soda 

1/4tsp baking powder

(1.5tbsp vinegar+ 1/4tsp baing soda + 1/8tsp baking powder)

180C

Grease pan. Sift flour, cocoa, salt, baking powder, baking soda (the ones not in brackets)

Beat sugar, oil, eggs, vanilla until combined. Add food colouring until red (will add more later(

Beat in flour, but alternating with the buttermilk, so flour, buttermilk, flour, buttermilk, flour. Add more food colouring until it is really red. Stir together the vinegar+baking soda+baking powder in brackets. Fold into batter quickly. Pour into pan (or if cupcakes-3/4 full) bake 20 minutes. After cooled, cut into three layers, or two if you wish.

Cream Cheese:

136g cream cheese softened

80g butter softened

1 1/4c icing sugar- really depends on how sweet you want. 

1/2tspvanilla

(if you want a whiter frosting, use less butter and more cream cheese)

Beat together cream cheese and butter until smooth„ sift in icing sugar, beat. Add vanilla, mix. Frost

Red Velvet Cake with Cream cheese frosting:

Recipe: makes 3 thin layers of 6in cake or 18 cupcakes

1 3/4c +2tbsp flour

1.5tbsp cocoa powder

pinch salt

1c sugar

263ml oil

1.5 eggs room temperature

Red food colouring

3/4tsp vanilla

3/4c buttermilk (or 3/4c milk+ 3/4tbsp vinegar-mix, let it rest at room temperature)

1 1/8tsp baking soda 

1/4tsp baking powder

(1.5tbsp vinegar+ 1/4tsp baing soda + 1/8tsp baking powder)

180C

Grease pan. Sift flour, cocoa, salt, baking powder, baking soda (the ones not in brackets)

Beat sugar, oil, eggs, vanilla until combined. Add food colouring until red (will add more later(

Beat in flour, but alternating with the buttermilk, so flour, buttermilk, flour, buttermilk, flour. Add more food colouring until it is really red. Stir together the vinegar+baking soda+baking powder in brackets. Fold into batter quickly. Pour into pan (or if cupcakes-3/4 full) bake 20 minutes. After cooled, cut into three layers, or two if you wish.

Cream Cheese:

136g cream cheese softened

80g butter softened

1 1/4c icing sugar- really depends on how sweet you want. 

1/2tspvanilla

(if you want a whiter frosting, use less butter and more cream cheese)

Beat together cream cheese and butter until smooth„ sift in icing sugar, beat. Add vanilla, mix. Frost

OREO birthday cake for my best friend KYLIE (follow ehr if you’re a 1D fan)

Recipe: makes 1 6in cake +12 cupcakes

1 3/4c flour

2c sugar

3/4c cocoa

2tsp baking soda

1tsp baking powder and salt

1c buttermilk, shaken

1/2c oil,

2 eggs

1c hot coffee(add 4tsp milk)

1tsp vanilla

180C. Butter, dust pan with flour. Sift flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, powder, salt. Mix.

Combine buttermilk, oil, eggs, vanilla. Add to dry ingredients, beat until combined

Add coffee

Bake 35-40 min.

Frosting= 

amounts- however many cream u want. For my cake i used around 350ml, also cupcakes. Oreos= crush 1-1 1/2 roll of oreos FINELY or else it won’t go through the piping pattern (if u do use a pattern)

beat cream until stiff peaks. Mix in crushed oreos.

Frost

lemon glazed pistachio cupcakes

recipe= makes 14 cupcakes

118g butter

75g cream cheese

2.5 eggs

1/2+1/8tsp vanilla

1tsp salt

1 1/4c sugar

1 1/4c flour

1/2+ 1/8 tsp baking powder

75ml shelled pistachios

1/4c slivered pistachios (or chopped)

180C. Grind shelled pistachios in food processor until paste (it’s more like powder that can be patted into a solid, not literally a thick paste- do not add anything to this)

Beat butter, cream cheese, paste together for three minutes. Add sugar, beat, add eggs, beat, vanilla. Beat in flour, salt, baking powder.

Fold in slivered pistachios. Spoon into cases.

Bake 30 min.

Glaze:

1/3c icing sugar sifted, 75ml cream, 2 tsp freshly squeezed lemon juice.

Mix all together until smooth. Use immediately

lemon glazed pistachio cupcakes

recipe= makes 14 cupcakes

118g butter

75g cream cheese

2.5 eggs

1/2+1/8tsp vanilla

1tsp salt

1 1/4c sugar

1 1/4c flour

1/2+ 1/8 tsp baking powder

75ml shelled pistachios

1/4c slivered pistachios (or chopped)

180C. Grind shelled pistachios in food processor until paste (it’s more like powder that can be patted into a solid, not literally a thick paste- do not add anything to this)

Beat butter, cream cheese, paste together for three minutes. Add sugar, beat, add eggs, beat, vanilla. Beat in flour, salt, baking powder.

Fold in slivered pistachios. Spoon into cases.

Bake 30 min.

Glaze:

1/3c icing sugar sifted, 75ml cream, 2 tsp freshly squeezed lemon juice.

Mix all together until smooth. Use immediately

waterfall braid on me! :) done by an amazing friend

i realise this is completely irrelevant to food.

banana chocolate chip cookies

Recipe: makes 38 mini cookies

• 2 sticks softened butter
• 3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 tsp pure vanilla
• 2tsp banana extract
• 3 1/2 cups flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 10 oz bag chocolate chips
• 1 pkg. Oreo cookies

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cream butter and sugars together with a mixer until well combined. Beat in eggs and vanilla. 

In a separate bowl mix the flour, salt and baking soda. Slowly add to wet ingredients along with chocolate chips until just combined. Using a cookie scoop take one scoop of cookie dough and place on top of an Oreo Cookie. Take another scoop of dough and place on bottom of Oreo cookie. Seal edges together by pressing and cupping in hand until Oreo cookie is enclosed with dough. Place onto a parchment or silpat lined baking sheet and bake cookies 9-13 minutes or until golden brown. Let cool for 5 minutes before transferring to cooling rack. 

raisin scones with apricot jam

recipe: makes 6 scones

2c SR flour

1 egg

1/2tsp salt

60g butter

1/2c milk

1/4c brown sugar

raisins

cream, jam

preheat to 190C

Sift flour & salt in bowl. Rub in butter until mixture resembles fine bread crumbs

Stir in sugar ( and any other choice of fillings like choc chip, raisins)

Lightly beat egg in separate bowl.

Add egg and milk to dry ingredients, mix to make a soft dough

Place on lightly floured surface and knead slightly

Roll out to 1in thick and cut into circles

Put on lightly greased oven tray, glaze tops with milk

bake 12-15minutes

When cooled, cut each scone in half, put dollop of whipped cream and jam, sandwich. eat.

Banana Nut Cookies

226g butter softened

1c brown sugar 

1/3c sugar

1tsp baking soda

1 1/3c flour

1 egg

pinch salt

3/4tsp banana extract

walnuts, pistachios, raisins, chocolate chips-(classic is walnuts, but raisins and choc chips make nice additions, pistachios can be replacement for walnuts)

170C

Mix baking soda, flour, salt

Beat butter until creamy, add sugar, beat. Add egg, banana extract.

Beat in flour mixture slowly. It will be gooey, but when you touch it it should not stick. Fold in nuts/choc chips/raisins.

Spoon onto pan (it will expand) so around diameter of (connect your thumb and first finger tgt, like your nails touch each other, around that diameter)

around 1inch diameter basically

Bake 22min. Do not take out when its half baked, it will only be cakeish. Take out when its actually slightly hard. Then flip cookies over, and put them back in oven (which is offed and cooling down) so that the base is on top, because base should still be slightly soft. For 10 min.