Filled Meringue Cake-3 versions *Daring Bakers*

It is the last week of March and time sure flies. And the end of a month is Daring Bakers time. This is my 32nd month with the group and I have learnt and tried several many techniques and recipes , most of them having moulded me a better baker.

Coming back to this month's challenge, the hostesses this month are Ria of Ria’s Collection and Jamie of Life’s a Feast. And the challenge was to to bake a yeasted Meringue Coffee Cake. And yes it does not contain coffee, at leastI didn't use the flavour although it could be a possibility soon.

Coming to the recipe, the dough was easy to work with. It rose well. I would say the best dough I have worked with so far. The recipe called for meringue and that was a hesitant factor considering I wanted to do a savoury version as well.  The meringue melted beautifully into the dough probably resulting in the great texture of the cake/bread.

There was so much one could do with fillings when it comes to this and I decided to work beyond my boundaries in this unknown territory of an yeasted cake. I made a medium sized wreath, a crescent and a large wreath. Two sweet versions and a savoury. The meringue was divided into two. One was beaten with sugar and vanilla and the meringue for the savoury had no sugar in it.

The large wreath has a layer of unsweetened meringue. Chopped onions, tomatoes, green chillies were sauteed in olive oil . With dried herb seasoning, salt and pepper they followed the meringue layer. Pickled jalapenos followed next. The dough was then rolled, snipped and baked for a nice warm meal.

The medium sized wreath contains a sweet meringue layer topped by semi-chocolate chips, cinnamon, and praline. I had a tough time rolling the dough and pinching the seams well to get a beautiful wreath. This however didn;t work but the resultant coffee cake was purely divine.With the chocolaty gooeyness and the hint of cinnamon, this was a very distant relative to the above savoury one.

 What you see above was a crescent filled with meringue, cream cheese and chocolate chips. I'd say this was better in flavour compared to the former owing to the presence of both the sweetness of the chocolate chips and the sweet yet slight tanginess of the cream cheese. This was my favourite among the three.

And yes I am a huge fan of yeasted cakes now. And this recipe cannot fail you like so many have to me.

Recipe:

FILLED MERINGUE COFFEE CAKE
Makes 2 round coffee cakes, each approximately 10 inches in diameter
The recipe can easily be halved to make one round coffee cake
Ingredients
For the yeast coffee cake dough:
4 cups (600 g / 1.5 lbs.) flour
¼ cup (55 g / 2 oz.) sugar
¾ teaspoon (5 g / ¼ oz.) salt
1 package (2 ¼ teaspoons / 7 g / less than an ounce) active dried yeast
¾ cup (180 ml / 6 fl. oz.) whole milk
¼ cup (60 ml / 2 fl. oz. water (doesn’t matter what temperature)
½ cup (135 g / 4.75 oz.) unsalted butter at room temperature
2 large eggs at room temperature
10 strands saffron for Ria’s version (Saffron might be hard to find and it’s expensive, so you can substitute with ½ - 1 teaspoon of ground cardamom or ground nutmeg. Or simply leave it plain like Jamie’s version)
For the meringue:
3 large egg whites at room temperature
¼ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon vanilla
½ cup (110 g / 4 oz.) sugar
For the filling:
Jamie’s version:
1 cup (110 g / 4 oz.) chopped pecans or walnuts
2 Tablespoons (30 g / 1 oz.) granulated sugar
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 cup (170 g / 6 oz.) semisweet chocolate chips or coarsely chopped chocolate
Ria’s version:
1 cup (130 g / 5 oz.) chopped cashew nuts
2 Tablespoons (30 g / 1 oz.) granulated sugar
½ teaspoon garam masala (You can make it at home – recipe below - or buy from any Asian/Indian grocery store)
1 cup (170g / 6 oz.) semisweet chocolate chips ( I used Ghirardelli)
Egg wash: 1 beaten egg
Cocoa powder (optional) and confectioner’s sugar (powdered/icing sugar) for dusting cakes
**Garam (means “hot”) masala (means “mixture”) is a blend of ground spices and is used in most Indian savory dishes. It is used in limited quantities while cooking vegetables, meats & eggs. There is no “one” recipe for it as every household has a recipe of their own. Below, I am going to share the recipe which I follow.
4 or 5 sticks (25 g) Cinnamon Sticks (break a stick and open the scroll)
3 ½ tablespoons (25 g / less than an ounce) Cloves, whole
100 g. (3.5 oz.) Fennel seeds
4 tablespoons (25 g / less than an ounce) Cumin seeds
1 ½ tablespoons (10 g / less than half an ounce) Peppercorns
25 g (less than half an ounce) Green Cardamom pods
In a small pan on medium heat, roast each spice individually (it hardly takes a minute) until you get a nice aroma. Make sure you stir it throughout so that it doesn’t burn. As soon as each spice is roasted, transfer it to a bowl to cool slightly. Once they are all roasted, grind into a fine powder by using a coffee grinder, or pestle & mortar. Store in an airtight container and use as needed.
Directions:
Prepare the dough:
In a large mixing bowl, combine 1 ½ cups (230 g) of the flour, the sugar, salt and yeast.

With an electric mixer on low speed, gradually add the warm liquid to the flour/yeast mixture, beating until well blended. Increase mixer speed to medium and beat 2 minutes. Add the eggs and 1 cup (150 g) flour and beat for 2 more minutes.Using a wooden spoon, stir in enough of the remaining flour to make a dough that holds together. Turn out onto a floured surface (use any of the 1 ½ cups of flour remaining) and knead the dough for 8 to 10 minutes until the dough is soft, smooth, sexy and elastic, keeping the work surface floured and adding extra flour as needed.
Place the dough in a lightly greased (I use vegetable oil) bowl, turning to coat all sides. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and a kitchen towel and let rise until double in bulk, 45 – 60 minutes. The rising time will depend on the type of yeast you use.
Prepare your filling:In a small bowl, combine the cinnamon and sugar for the filling if using. You can add the chopped nuts to this if you like, but I find it easier to sprinkle on both the nuts and the chocolate separately.
Once the dough has doubled, make the meringue:
In a clean mixing bowl – ideally a plastic or metal bowl so the egg whites adhere to the side (they slip on glass) and you don’t end up with liquid remaining in the bottom – beat the egg whites with the salt, first on low speed for 30 seconds, then increase to high and continue beating until foamy and opaque. Add the vanilla then start adding the ½ cup sugar, a tablespoon at a time as you beat, until very stiff, glossy peaks form.
Assemble the Coffee Cakes:
Line 2 baking/cookie sheets with parchment paper.
Punch down the dough and divide in half. On a lightly floured surface, working one piece of the dough at a time (keep the other half of the dough wrapped in plastic), roll out the dough into a 20 x 10-inch (about 51 x 25 ½ cm) rectangle. Spread half of the meringue evenly over the rectangle up to about 1/2-inch (3/4 cm) from the edges. Sprinkle half of your filling of choice evenly over the meringue (ex: half of the cinnamon-sugar followed by half the chopped nuts and half of the chocolate chips/chopped chocolate).
Now, roll up the dough jellyroll style, from the long side. Pinch the seam closed to seal. Very carefully transfer the filled log to one of the lined cookie sheets, seam side down. Bring the ends of the log around and seal the ends together, forming a ring, tucking one end into the other and pinching to seal.
Using kitchen scissors or a sharp knife (although scissors are easier), make cuts along the outside edge at 1-inch (2 ½ cm) intervals. Make them as shallow or as deep as desired but don’t be afraid to cut deep into the ring.
Repeat with the remaining dough, meringue and fillings.
Cover the 2 coffee cakes with plastic wrap and allow them to rise again for 45 to 60 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C).
Brush the tops of the coffee cakes with the egg wash. Bake in the preheated oven for 25 to 30 minutes until risen and golden brown. The dough should sound hollow when tapped.Remove from the oven and slide the parchment paper off the cookie sheets onto the table. Very gently loosen the coffee cakes from the paper with a large spatula and carefully slide the cakes off onto cooling racks. Allow to cool.
Just before serving, dust the tops of the coffee cakes with confectioner’s sugar as well as cocoa powder if using chocolate in the filling. These are best eaten fresh, the same day or the next day.
 The March 2011 Daring Baker’s Challenge was hosted by Ria of Ria’s Collection and Jamie of Life’s a Feast. Ria and Jamie challenged The Daring Bakers to bake a yeasted Meringue Coffee Cake.

Chocolate Cream Pound Cake

The choice of the Cake Slice Bakers from the book, Cake Keeper Cakes by Lauren Chattman is a Chocolate Cream Pound  Cake. I do not really like pound cakes unless it contains either chocolate or citrus. Plain and rich buttery cakes do not work with me. However the recipe does not call for a pound of ingredients as a normal pound cake recipe would ask for.

The cake was rich in terms of flavour and colour owing to the use of Dutch processed cocoa. I love the intense brown colour further enhancing the presence of chocolate in a cake.The crumb was neither too dry nor was it too soft but sufficiently moist. Overall there is nothing great or nothing bad about this cake.

Chocolate Cream Pound cake

(Recipe from Cake Keeper Cakes by Lauren Chattman) 

 

6 tbsp unsweetened Dutch process cocoa powder
¼ cup heavy cream
1 cup plus 2 tbsp all purpose flour
¼ tsp baking soda
¼ tsp salt
½ cup (1stick) unsalted butter, softened
1½ cups sugar
3 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract

Heat the oven to 325F. Grease a 9x5 inch loaf pan and dust with flour.
Sift the cocoa powder into a heatproof bowl. Place the cream in a microwavable bowl and heat for 30-60 seconds until just boiling. Pour the hot cream over the cocoa and stir and mash with a spoon to make a thick paste. Set aside to cool.
Combine the flour, baking soda and salt in a medium mixing bowl.
Combine the butter and sugar in a large bowl and cream with an electric mixer on medium-high speed until fluffy, about 3 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bow once or twice as necessary. Beat in the cocoa powder paste until smooth.
With the mixer on medium-low speed add the eggs, one at a time, scraping down the bowl after each addition. Stir in the vanilla.
Turn the mixer to low speed and add the flour mixture, ½ cup at a time, scraping down the sides after each addition. Add the last addition, mix for 30 seconds on medium speed.
Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top with a rubber spatula. Bake the cake until it is firm to the touch and a toothpick inserted in the centre comes out clean, about 1 hour and 10 minutes. Let the cake cool in the pan for 5 minutes. Invert it onto a wire rack and then turn it right side up on the rack to cool completely. Slice and serve.
Store uneaten cake in a cake keeper or wrap and store at room temperature for up to 3 days.

Meanwhile, do take a look at the other Cake Slice Bakers' take on this cake.

Buttered and Baked Potatoes and a Book Review

Vegetable markets to me are a delight. There is so much that you can find in a market rather than what is displayed on the shelves of any supermarket. At most times, when I buy the packaged vegetables off the shelves, I am in a surprise when I cut the package open. Under all that good looking vegetables that are made to line the exterior of the package, they have decaying ones on the inside. This is so with all vegetables and fruits , especially with boxed strawberries. Plump red ones stand on the top and when you look on the underside, they box is covered with leaves. I always fall for the berries only to come home and find minuscule and decaying berries underneath. And the price I end up paying for them, let's not even go that way. 

Anyways, I had planned to grill chicken for last night's dinner and there was a request for potatoes as a side dish for it. Of late ever since I received a review copy from Sellers Publishers, the Big Book has been helping me with such requests. Talking about the book, it contains about 125 recipes all categorized under salads, pasta, vegetables, fruits etc. The author, Rick Browne, the host of Barbecue America presents recipes that he had tasted on his pilgrimage across the American heartlands and also some of his mom's cooking notes. He also encourages us to try his recipes but adapt it to our taste. And that is what I did with these baked potatoes. The only downside about this book would be the absence of photographs which would have been a treat if present of those lovely recipes.

What you see is a bowl of buttered and baked potatoes. A very simple recipe but a flavour that would liven up any meal. Fresh rosemary sprigs is what the recipe asks for, but since I wanted to adapt it to our palate, I added crushed garlic and lots of black pepper. When these are baked, they can be sinfully delicious.And now I can figure why this starchy spud still continues to be our favourite.

 

Buttered and Baked Potato (From the big book of barbecue side dishes)

Serves 4


1/2 a kg of small potatoes ( I halved each for the flavours to seep in better)
3 T butter (Do not substitute)
Salt
Pepper
Garlic- 5 cloves, crushed

Preheat the oven to 375 degree F
Scrub the potatoes under water. Use them whole or halve them or cut them too.
Place thes in a casserole in one layer.
Toss in the crushed garlic.
In another bowl, mix butter, rosemary sprigs as the author used and salt. Pour this over the potatoes. Bake until tender.
Remove, season with pepper, remove the rosemary sprigs if using and serve. Note that the potatoes nned to be browned. The skin would crinkle. Butter and the slow cooking lend these spuds a flavour good enough to experience.


And yes, get this book if you can because it has a lot to offer.