u/fermented_chalumeau

Recipe from "Dobre Dobre" by Laurel Kratochvila.

Recipe from "Dobre Dobre" by Laurel Kratochvila.

This craggy cake is meant to resemble the Carpathian Mountains. ⛰️ The main components are crème mousseline and choux pastry... and the whole thing took 11 eggs and 350 grams of butter!

It was fairly straightforward to make, although there were many steps. I added a little salt to the mousseline and also scraped in the beans from the vanilla pod (the recipe didn't explicitly say to do that, but I figured it wouldn't hurt and I love seeing the beans in the filling).

The choux started to burn on the edges at 40 minutes, so next time I'll start checking earlier. The recipe didn't say to turn off the oven when the choux goes back in to dry out, but I turned it off anyway because I didn't want it to get any darker.

I decided to assemble in an acetate collar (this was not called for in the recipe), and it worked out pretty well.

This recipe was delicious (and thoroughly approved by my partner's Polish family)!

Recipe from "Bravetart" by Stella Parks.

This recipe was easy and quick to put together! The cookies spread a bit more than I thought they would, so they don't particularly look like the Keebler version. They also don't particularly taste like the Keebler version because they are SO MUCH BETTER!! The brown butter adds so much depth and richness.

I suspect I went wrong somewhere along the way (maybe I measured something wrong, or over baked, or under mixed...) because the texture was also completely different from traditional pecan sandies. Rather than being crumbly and short, they were very crisp and caramel-y. Almost like toffee! And I honestly love how they turned out so much better than a plain shortbread, but I'd say the "recreation" aspect of this bake falls short. So fail in recreation, but huge win in making an incredibly delicious cookie.

This was my first time making this recipe, and I was thrilled with how it turned out! I had read some of the common comments and tweaks that people have for it, so I changed a couple things:

1. I doubled the ribbon layer (out of pure greed)

2. I baked for 40 minutes at 340°, which ended up being perfect! I was afraid of it getting dry or overbaked, based on comments. I've previously noticed that I ALWAYS have to start checking for doneness at least 5 minutes before the recipe ranges for any Claire Saffitz recipe. I'm starting to wonder if my oven needs to be calibrated! Has anyone else noticed this pattern? Maybe she just prefers bakes on the well-done side! I don't notice the same danger in recipes from other bakers. In any case, slightly reducing the temperature for this worked a charm; no dryness, and the texture was unbelievably light!

3. I used dark brown sugar instead of light, simply because that's what I had on hand.

Recipe from "Dessert Person" by Claire Saffitz (also on YouTube: https://youtu.be/HE1RqKSa1z8?is=lSO9zhC04z-j2B0f)

This is a coffee-flavored coffee cake with plenty of delicious bean juice to fit with this week's theme.

There are three main components: the cake batter, a cinnamon-coffee ribbon, and a streusel topping. After reading some comments about this recipe online, I doubled the ingredients for the ribbon layer and also baked at a slightly lower temperature (for my oven, 340° for 40 minutes was perfect). I also used dark brown sugar instead of light, simply because that's what I had in the pantry.

I was very pleased with the result! The texture was impossibly light and delicate; and with the slightly lower temp (and watching it like a hawk) it wasn't definitely too dry. The coffee flavor is prominent, but not overpowering or overly bitter.

Overall, the recipe was easy and simple to follow, HOWEVER, be prepared to go through sooooo many bowls and dishes 😂 It's worth it, though.

Recipe by Genevieve Ko for NYT (gift link): https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1025181-chunky-chocolate-cookies?unlocked\_article\_code=1.11A.1Aqw.mOnYzpLn6ZPb

Salty and sweet, melty chocolate and crunchy pretzels, crispy edges and gooey middle; what's not to love about these cookies?? They were also delightfully easy! Highly recommend this recipe for my fellow chocoholics.

This week's theme provided the perfect opportunity to use up a leftover pie crust from a previous recipe. I had half batch of the Stella Parks "No-Stress All-Butter Pie Crust" from Bravetart hanging out in my freezer, all ready to go. (I realize there's a dedicated Pop Tart recipe in Bravetart, but it uses a different pastry so I will save that for another time!)

After thawing the dough in the fridge overnight, I rolled it out, cut into rectangles, sandwiched with raspberry preserves, crimped, and egg washed. I baked at 375°F for around 35-40ish minutes and topped with a glaze of powdered sugar, milk, and freeze-dried tart cherries (I just eyeballed the amounts to get the consistency I wanted).

They turned out really well! Buttery, tart, and sweet with flaky pastry and crunch from the freeze-dried cherries. 10/10 would make again with extra pie dough!

Recipe: https://frances.menu/almond-dacquoise-cake-with-peaches/

This cake tastes great, but the texture is too soggy for a traditional dacquoise, unfortunately. I'm sure that was due to baking with the peaches in the middle; I'd recommend backing each dacquoise layer individually and then assembling with the fruit to get a better texture. I also baked this in one 9-inch cake pan, rather than two 6-inch pans, so perhaps that made a difference. The only other change I made was using orange marmalade for the glaze in place of apricot, since that's what I had on hand.

Overall: amazing taste, slightly damp texture, but a delightful summer dessert nonetheless. 🍑

Recipe from "Dobre Dobre" by Laurel Kratochvila.

Chałka is a Polish dough enriched with eggs, butter, and milk. It's described as a cross between Challah and Brioche. I've made this dough twice before (for Paszteciki and Makowiec), but this is the first time I've tried it as a loaf. It is formed in a four-strand plait and topped with a simple streusel (Kruszonka).

First of all, this bread tastes DIVINE, and is well worth the long proofing times. This was a learning experience for me, as I'm still fairly inexperienced with bread. So here are a couple notes (mostly for me when I revisit this dough in the future, but also for anyone else who wants to try this recipe):

-Go with the overnight option for the bulk proof step, if you can. I didn't this time, and I think it would have been much easier to shape and a chilled temperature.

-A full batch of Kruszonka was too much; only make a half batch, or plan to use the remainder for something else.

-The recipe says to put them both on the same sheet pan, but just go ahead and use one pan per loaf. I had to separate them partway through the final proof because they were growing too close together.

-I could not follow the plaiting instructions in the book, and ended up improvising. Look up another tutorial next time. Alternatively, just do a three-strand plait because it gets covered up with the streusel, anyway!

-This time around I'm pretty sure I jumped the gun on the final proof and also overbaked by a couple of minutes. Next time, check on the loaves five minutes early.

Happy halfway point!!!

Cake recipe from "Dessert Person" by Claire Saffitz.

This recipe is written for a large bundt pan, but I baked it in my adorable flower-cup cakelet pan. It creates the perfect shape for adding toppings! There was plenty of extra batter, so I also did a batch in my snowflake cakelet pan (it is, after all, winter in the southern hemisphere!), and two mini-loaves. I knew the baking time would be less than a full bundt, so I started checking at 30 minutes, and then every 5-10 minutes after that. I'd estimate these took around 50 minutes.

The cakes turned out pretty well in terms of texture and taste; the only thing I'd do differently next time is to put the flower-cup pan on the top oven rack to try to get more browning in the very center. But the cake was delicious with a surprisingly light texture and a nice crunch from the poppy seeds.

I topped this one with whipped cream, berries, pistachios, dark chocolate, and a drizzle of honey. It was a delightful summer treat, and I'm looking forward to trying different combinations of toppings with the remaining cakes!

Summer. The time of year when imagination is fueled by vacations, desire is sparked by the condensation on an ice-cold beverage, and the heart's innermost fancy turns to zucchini.

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This egg bake features zucchini, fresh basil, sweet onion, and feta. I don't think I've ever met an egg bake I didn't like, and this is no exception.

I did the showstopper prompt from GBBO Season 5, Episode 4. Fortunately, I had enough freezing time to avoid my own personal Bingate (I cannot even imagine completing this in 4.5 hours!).

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This dessert combines so many of my favorite things. The main flavors are banana, dark chocolate, and coffee. Help me come up with a cute portmanteau! Choconafee? Bachocoffee? Chocoffanana?

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From bottom to top, here are the components:

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Cake: Malted Banana Upside-Down Cake from Claire Saffitz's "What's for Dessert." This cake held up well to freezing! It didn't get too hard or icy, and the caramelized bananas on top were like an extra built-in layer of contrast. This was my first time making this recipe and I already want to try it again, because if it was this much of a banger in its frozen form, I bet it's even more amazing fresh from the oven.

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Coffee Ice Cream: Double-Vanilla Ice Cream from "Bravetart" Stella Parks. I added four teaspoons of instant espresso powder to make it coffee-flavored, which ended up being the perfect amount for my palate. I used the Ninja Creami mix-in feature with some homemade chocolate shell (melted dark chocolate with a bit of coconut oil) to create a ripple effect.

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Dark Chocolate Banana Ganache: All ice cream cakes need a fudgy crunch layer, and I will die on this hill. This one is made from equal parts dark chocolate and heavy cream, with crushed dried banana chips mixed in.

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Chocolate Banana Ice Cream: Devil's Food Chocolate Ice Cream, again from "Bravetart." I added freeze-dried bananas, which are my absolute favorite Creami mix-in of all time! They completely disintegrate into whatever base you're using and add an incredible, thick, silky texture in addition to the banana flavor.

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Italian Meringue: Recipe from Serious Eats (https://www.seriouseats.com/basic-italian-meringue-recipe). I got a kitchen blow torch for my birthday, and this was my first time trying it out! It was also my first time making Italian Meringue. Amazingly, it whipped up perfectly! I was nervous that I'd have to make multiple attempts, but everything worked out (with much patience and temperature monitoring!). The blow torch was really fun to use (new obsession unlocked) and the result was gorgeous 😍. I left a couple inches of un-torched meringue at the bottom, because I didn't want to risk melting my cake platter (I'll figure out a different surface next time I torch something).

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I made this over several days to give everything enough time to set at each stage. I made the ice creams in my beloved Ninja Creami Deluxe, and it worked beautifully with the Bravetart ice cream bases.

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You guys, I am not exaggerating when I say this is the cake of my dreams. I often bake things specifically for other people with their tastes in mind, but this was an indulgently selfish endeavor, and I couldn't be more pleased. I think the only thing I'd add in the future is peanuts or peanut butter in some capacity. But I am so, so thrilled with this showstopper, to the point of giddiness (or maybe that's all the sugar talking). I hope all of my fellow bakers have as much fun with this week's theme as I did!

Recipe from "Dessert Person" by Claire Saffitz.

Overall, this was tasty, but I'm a tiny bit bummed about the bake on this one. The recipe said to bake 60-70 minutes. At 60 minutes, the middle of the bread was still visibly wet. I put it back in for five minutes and the edges burned during that time 😭 A toothpick came out clean, but there was STILL a wet, sunken spot in the middle (I figured out later that a glob of the almond butter topping had fallen into the middle of the loaf, causing it to appear underbaked). I also didn't realize at the time that the topping stays pretty wet. Lesson learned for next time!

Anyway, I drastically overbaked this, so I'll have to try it again sometime to see what it's actually supposed to be like.

Normally I'm a staunch "chocolate chips in banana bread" person, but I left them this time around because I wanted to try the recipe as-is without anything overpowering the almond butter. I will definitely add them next time!

Recipe from "Dobre Dobre" by Laurel Kratochvila.

I picked this recipe because I had a hunch my Polish partner would love it. He immediately ate four in one go and then had two more by the end of the day, so I'd say my hunch was spot on. 😁

I honestly wish this bake didn't take two days because I would make it all the time. It is so savory with a sour kick and the bread is perfectly soft with the crunch of the flaky finishing salt... seriously one of the best recipes I've had the pleasure of making.

Here's the timing breakdown:

Day 1: I made the dough and set it to proof overnight in the fridge. I also made the filling and set in the fridge to chill. It is a LOT of mushrooms to chop, so I'm really glad I got it out of the way on the first day

Day 2: I did the shaping, final proofing, and baking!

Recipe from "What's for Dessert" by Claire Saffitz.

This is my second time making this cake, but the first time using regular lemons instead of the Meyer variety, which I couldn't find anywhere. I do think I like the Meyer Lemon version a tiny bit better, but both are delicious!

I think I'm FINALLY figuring out how to not overdo the butter/flour lining in my Bundt pan! 🙌 This is the first time it didn't have floury globs on the surface that needed to be hidden with powdered sugar. The trade-off was that I did have to try significantly harder to get it to release, and one little peak tore off in the tin (I stuck it back on! Shhh, don't tell anyone 🤫).

This was my second time baking this recipe, and I can't recommend it enough. I had to use regular lemons this time because none of the stores in my area had Meyer lemons, but it was still delicious.

I brought this tart to a cook out, and it was perfect for an early Summer vibe. Sweet, juicy, slightly tart; it really does highlight the blackberries!

This was my second time making Claire's Sweet Tart Dough (previous attempt was couple weeks ago for the Salty Nut Tart with Rosemary). It went much better this time! I didn't over blitz the butter and kept everything very cold and was able to achieve a ball of dough, which didn't happen last time. I did bake it just sliiiiiiightly over where I'd like it. It wasn't burned, but it was very dark and the texture was brittle on the sides. Next time I'll watch it like a hawk, or cover the sides in foil.

Caramel is always tricky. I don't know where I went wrong in the process with this one, but by the time I needed to put it in the tart case, it was well beyond pouring consistency and into glooping consistency. It was clear that it was never going to settle neatly between the berries, so I scraped it and the berries out of the tart case and just mixed them all together before spreading in the tart. So it was not as aesthetically impressive as the picture in the book where the berries are half submerged, but GOOD LORD this tart is delicious. Highly recommend if you come across a good batch of blackberries.

Recipe from "Dessert Person" by Claire Saffitz.

I brought this tart to a cook out, and it was perfect for an early Summer vibe. Sweet, juicy, slightly tart; it really does highlight the blackberries!

This was my second time making Claire's Sweet Tart Dough (previous attempt was couple weeks ago for the Salty Nut Tart with Rosemary). It went much better this time! I didn't over blitz the butter and kept everything very cold and was able to achieve a ball of dough, which didn't happen last time. I did bake it just sliiiiiiightly over where I'd like it. It wasn't burned, but it was very dark and the texture was brittle on the sides. Next time I'll watch it like a hawk, or cover the sides in foil.

Caramel is always tricky. I don't know where I went wrong in the process with this one, but by the time I needed to put it in the tart case, it was well beyond pouring consistency and into glooping consistency. It was clear that it was never going to settle neatly between the berries, so I scraped it and the berries out of the tart case and just mixed them all together before spreading in the tart. So it was not as aesthetically impressive as the picture in the book where the berries are half submerged, but GOOD LORD this tart is delicious. Highly recommend if you come across a good batch of blackberries.

Recipe from 'Dobre Dobre" by Laurel Kratochvila.

I am obsessed with these textures! I thought the sponge might be dense, but it is the opposite; so light that it almost dissolves in your mouth. The cream is also so light and whippy! The coffee taste balances perfectly with the chocolate and the whole effect is not too sweet at all.

The pan I used for the sponge was slightly too small, so the cake was a bit too thick to roll into a really tight spiral, but we have a chonky hint of a swirl for geometric week! 🌀

I make granola fairly frequently, and this happens to be the best batch I have made so far!

This batch has:

-peanut butter

-oats

-nuts (pecans, walnuts, almonds, cashews, and peanuts)

-coconut flakes

-olive oil

-spices (salt, cinnamon, clove, nutmeg)

I usually add maple syrup or honey, but I omitted it this time around in keeping with the theme. I used more peanut butter than I usually would so that it would still clump together, and boy, was that a game changer! I'm definitely going to keep making it this way in the future; heavy on nut butter, light on sweetener.

(Hi, future me coming back to replicate this! 300° convection, 12ish minutes, stir, another 15ish minutes 😊)