Daring Bakers- Bakewell Tart

Man, I did this challenge so long ago (nearly a month!), but I was too lazy to even think about writing it then. So here I am, at 1 in the morning, typing it up. As a result, my lazy butt's gonna post the exact recipe from the challenge, instead of typing it up on my own, like I'd usually do. That's probably for the best anyway, as it'll turn out better :P

Mandatory blog-checking line goes here:
"The June Daring Bakers' challenge was hosted by Jasmine of Confessions of a Cardamom Addict and Annemarie of Ambrosia and Nectar. They chose a Traditional (UK) Bakewell Tart... er... pudding that was inspired by a rich baking history dating back to the 1800's in England."

Now that all of that's out of the way, it's time for my thoughts, pictures, and the recipe, of course.

Firstly, don't cut the tart until it's cooled. If you don't wait, you make a mess, and then the slice is all ugly. (You'll see in the pictures)
Also, if you're not a huge fan of almond, I definitely suggest using a strong flavored filling, like raspberry.

Ummm, also, I'm really tired, so forgive me for this awful post. :)


Messy, cut right out of the oven :D

Raspberry jam layer

Frangipane

Right out of the oven, all bubbly and stuff

Messy space from immediate cut, clean space from cooled cut :P

Nice slice


"Makes one 23cm (9” tart)
Prep time: less than 10 minutes (plus time for the individual elements)
Resting time: 15 minutes
Baking time: 30 minutes
Equipment needed: 23cm (9”) tart pan or pie tin (preferably with ridged edges), rolling pin

One quantity sweet shortcrust pastry (recipe follows)
Bench flour
250ml (1cup (8 US fl. oz)) jam or curd, warmed for spreadability
One quantity frangipane (recipe follows)
One handful blanched, flaked almonds

Assembling the tart
Place the chilled dough disc on a lightly floured surface. If it's overly cold, you will need to let it become acclimatised for about 15 minutes before you roll it out. Flour the rolling pin and roll the pastry to 5mm (1/4”) thickness, by rolling in one direction only (start from the centre and roll away from you), and turning the disc a quarter turn after each roll. When the pastry is to the desired size and thickness, transfer it to the tart pan, press in and trim the excess dough. Patch any holes, fissures or tears with trimmed bits. Chill in the freezer for 15 minutes.

Preheat oven to 200C/400F.

Remove shell from freezer, spread as even a layer as you can of jam onto the pastry base. Top with frangipane, spreading to cover the entire surface of the tart. Smooth the top and pop into the oven for 30 minutes. Five minutes before the tart is done, the top will be poofy and brownish. Remove from oven and strew flaked almonds on top and return to the heat for the last five minutes of baking.

The finished tart will have a golden crust and the frangipane will be tanned, poofy and a bit spongy-looking. Remove from the oven and cool on the counter. Serve warm, with crème fraîche, whipped cream or custard sauce if you wish.

When you slice into the tart, the almond paste will be firm, but slightly squidgy and the crust should be crisp but not tough.

Sweet shortcrust pastry

Prep time: 15-20 minutes
Resting time: 30 minutes (minimum)
Equipment needed: bowls, box grater, cling film

225g (8oz) all purpose flour
30g (1oz) sugar
2.5ml (½ tsp) salt
110g (4oz) unsalted butter, cold (frozen is better)
2 (2) egg yolks
2.5ml (½ tsp) almond extract (optional)
15-30ml (1-2 Tbsp) cold water

Sift together flour, sugar and salt. Grate butter into the flour mixture, using the large hole-side of a box grater. Using your finger tips only, and working very quickly, rub the fat into the flour until the mixture resembles bread crumbs. Set aside.

Lightly beat the egg yolks with the almond extract (if using) and quickly mix into the flour mixture. Keep mixing while dribbling in the water, only adding enough to form a cohesive and slightly sticky dough.

Form the dough into a disc, wrap in cling and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes


Prep time: 10-15 minutes
Equipment needed: bowls, hand mixer, rubber spatula

125g (4.5oz) unsalted butter, softened
125g (4.5oz) icing sugar
3 (3) eggs
2.5ml (½ tsp) almond extract
125g (4.5oz) ground almonds
30g (1oz) all purpose flour

Cream butter and sugar together for about a minute or until the mixture is primrose in colour and very fluffy. Scrape down the side of the bowl and add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. The batter may appear to curdle. In the words of Douglas Adams: Don’t panic. Really. It’ll be fine. After all three are in, pour in the almond extract and mix for about another 30 seconds and scrape down the sides again. With the beaters on, spoon in the ground nuts and the flour. Mix well. The mixture will be soft, keep its slightly curdled look (mostly from the almonds) and retain its pallid yellow colour. "



You can tell I didn't write that because everything is in weights and color is spelled colour. XP (Silly Americans, changing everything :wink wink: )

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Dorie's Perfect Party Cake...sorta

I just got my copy of "Baking: from my home to yours", by Dorie Greenspan and really wanted to try something out. My first choice was a chocolate cake, but, of course, I was all out of cocoa powder. So I turned the page and happened upon the Perfect Party Cake. I'd seen this cake on other blogs, and thought it looked nice, so that was my choice.
Now, in my house, there are only 3 people...Because of that, whole layer cakes don't get full eaten, and we toss a lot of cake away D: D: D:

Then, a stroke of inspiration...


Mini-cakes!

I baked the cakes in normal 9 inch rounds, split the layers, and used a round cutter to cut out circles. With the way I did this recipe, the top was...almost crunchy, but the rest of the cake was perfect, if not a little crumby. So next time I'll shave off the top before cutting the layers in half.


Anyhoo, on to the recipe (and pictures. Not as many this time, because I was a little sleepy and didn't feel like photographing each step)






E: More pictures!




Cake:
2 1/4 cups of cake flour (I substituted an equal amount of all-purpose flour, because I was too lazy to figure out the proper conversion. For every 1 cup of cake flour, substitute 3/4 cup of ap flour + 2 tbsp of cornstarch)
1 tbsp of baking powder
1/2 tsp of salt
1 1/4 cups of whole milk or buttermilk (I had neither, so I used half 2% milk and half sour cream 'cause that was what I had. Yay improvisation! :P )
4 egg whites
1 1/2 cups of sugar
1 stick (1/4 pound / 8 tbsp) unsalted butter, softened
1/2 tsp of lemon extract

2/3 cup of raspberry/cherry/strawberry/whatever jam/jelly/preserves/whatever. :P

Buttercream:
Recipe here
(just add vanilla)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease 2 9-inch or 8-inch round pans. (or square. whatever, it really doesn't matter. It all depends on how you want to present it :) )

Sift together the flour, baking powder, and the salt.
Whisk the milk (or milk-mixture, hehe) and egg whites together.
Cream the sugar, butter, and lemon extract together, until very light. Add the flour and milk mixture, alternatively, until incorporated. Beat for a minute or two to ensure that it's totally incorporated. Bake for 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. Cool in the pan for a few minutes, then cool on the rack while you make the buttercream.

Here's the buttercream recipe link again. :)

Once everything's all ready, cut the layers horizontally and spread a layer of jam, then buttercream between each layer. I hate trying to spread buttercream over jam, so I tried to do buttercream first, then jam on my second cake. DON'T DO IT. The layers slide around and just make a big old mess. So jam first, them buttercream. Just put a lot of the cream on and it'll be easier to spread than just a little. Anyhoo, do that for your layers, then do a crumb coat (thin layer of buttercream, then pop it in the fridge until it's set). Do you final layer of buttercream and decorate as desired.


Yay, cake!

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Sunburned Zebra Cake

Today, I was bored.
Story of my life :P

Since I was bored, I decided to make a cake. But! What kind of cake?
Oh, what a dilemma.
I eventually decided on a zebra cake, but pfft, that's boring. I wanted to give it a kick with another layer.
Scouring the kitchen for something to flavor the third layer with, I found a jar of raspberry jam.
Thus, the sunburned zebra cake (obviously named) was born.

:D







Sunburned Zebra Cake:
2 cups of flour
1 cup of sugar
1 tbsp of baking powder
1/2 tsp of salt
1 cup of milk
1 cup of veggie/canola oil
4 eggs

Flavorings:
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 tbsp cocoa powder
2 tbsp raspberry jam (or any red berry jam/jelly)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

You can use any number of pans for this. I used a 9 inch round, but a 6 inch would work just fine too, as would a 10 inch. Anyhoo, grease the pan.

Mix together the flour, salt, and baking soda in a bowl.
Beat the eggs and sugar in another bowl until light yellow. Add the milk and oil and mix until incorporated.
Add the flour mixture and mix until everything's just come together.

Divide the batter equally into three containers (cups are best). Flavor each container of batter accordingly. (one chocolate, one vanilla, one berry)

Start by pouring about 1/4 of the first batter into the pan, quickly pour the same amount of the next into the middle of the first batter. Do the same with the last batter. Repeat the process until all the batter is used up.

Bake the cake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 55 minutes. (Might be less, just make sure to check the cake)

My mom made me make a glaze for it, which was just milk, powdered sugar, nutmeg, cinnamon, and vanilla, mixed together.




That poor burnt zebra D:

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