I'm trying to ease myself back into blogging, but still no outfit photos...I did take a set a few weeks ago that I'll post eventually. Just waiting on Christian editing them.
Since quarantine began I’ve found comfort in baking. I used to love baking desserts and somewhere along the line I “got too busy" and stopped. But, being stuck inside for weeks on end, having a new - or favorite - recipe to bake on the weekend gave me something to look forward to.
Here are some of the things I've been baking lately. There will be a part 2 because I have too many for one post!
Chocolate Almond Dasquoise with Creme Patissiere
I’ve wanted to make a Dacquoise cake for a few years after seeing a ton of bakers make them on various Food Network championships. I saw a Nigella Lawson recipe for a “Gooey Chocolate Stack” that I liked the look of - she made it with a creme patisserie as the filling/topping. Before I made it I realized it didn’t use almond flour/almonds which is what makes a dacquoise a dacquoise - it needs to use a nut. I did a quick google and found a “Chocolate Almond Dacquoise” recipe on kosher.com. I adjusted the dacquoise recipe to use 6 egg whites so I could make the full recipe of creme patisserie and make 3 layers.
When we baked the dacquoise they came out SUPER crunchy which made me think we did it wrong (it’s basically macaron batter so i assumed it would be soft and chewy,) but once they had been stacked with the creme patisserie it softened them a bit which made it easier to cut and eat. The bottom layer had the most crunch because it only had creme on one side.
Homemade Bread
At the beginning of isolation Christian and I didn't want to go to the store or order grocery delivery (which we have only done twice this whole time) so we decided to make our own bread. Luckily I had some yeast packets to use. We loved how it came out and Christian decided he wanted to always make our own bread. so we bought a big package of yeast and make it every other week. We've been using this Taste of Home bread recipe but I have tried this no-knead bread recipe too. I want to try other eventually ones but we'll see!
Chrisitan did start going to the grocery store in the middle of last month to get deli meat because he had to go back to work in the office so we do go every other week now (3 times so far and I only went in once) but we're still making our own bread!
Chocolate Depression Cake
This is one of our favorite quarantine baking discoveries. We have been using a recipe from Budget Bytes that includes frosting but this is a very common recipe from the depression so they are all basically the same. We've made this 3 times already and are destined to keep making it for years. One note I'll make is try to use quality cocoa powder. We've used both Hershey's and a fancier brand, the fancier one is definitely better. But Hershey's will still be tasty! We used Rodelle Dutch Processed Cocoa.
Bagels with Pâte Fermentée
I was very excited about this one, I've always wanted to make my own bagels but was too scared. These were fairly easy but we need to get better at rolling them into the bagel shape so they close better. We used a recipe from King Arthur Flour but changed up how we baked them based on this Isolation Baking Show with Gesine and Jeffrey episode where they used the same recipe. Definitely watch for some helpful tips! We started them toppings down on a silpat and an upside down baking tray at 500F and then flipped them for the remainder of the baking at 425F. Next time we'll bake them longer so they get a bit more browned.
UPDATE: I made them again this weekend and they came out better but I forgot to let the dough rest before making the bagel shape so they are a little flat! Next time I'll get it right, haha
Instant Oatmeal Cookies
These cookies were made with instant oatmeal packets. Yep, you read that right! We bought them pre-isolation hoping to eat them while we were low on breakfast foods but I don’t like the texture of oatmeal and Christian wasn’t a huge fan of the flavor. SO I googled recipes and chose one from Sweet and Savory by Shinee! I added chocolate chips and sprinkles - she used m&ms and nuts - and they are so good!! Can’t wait to make them again!!
Nigella's Chocolate Olive Oil Cake with Almond Flour
I was looking for recipes to use up some almond flour that was going to expire and stumbled upon this recipe from Nigella Lawson. Nigella is amazing so I knew it would be delicious (one of my favorite desserts is her chocohotopots) The texture may throw you off a bit at first because of the almond flour but it’s nice and soft! If you have any chocolate-loving fruit hanging around eat it with that. I had each bite with a slice of strawberry and it’s so gooood!
French Macarons
Another almond flour recipe. I've been making them at least once a year for 10 years and decided to try a slightly different recipe this time and experimented with baking mats. They all were relatively the same, but the macarons were hardest to remove from macaron mat. (Go figure 🤣) Here is the original french macaron recipe I used to use.
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I've been enjoying your pics on Instagram - especially the chocolate based recipes, haha! :) I've taken more time for baking too, although I think the kids are a bit over making cookies! Not quite the same excitement when I ask them if they want to help!
ReplyDeleteThey are just the easiest and simplest things to make as I'm not very skilled - and you can have fun trying different ingredients! :) Made a few flourless ones during the shortages too that turned out nicer than expected!
Hope that your week is going well :)
Away From Blue
Everything looks amazing! I am definitely feeling inspired to try some new recipes - for the last couple months we've been sticking with the same banana bread and cake recipes, but the chocolate depression cake sounds like it is right up my alley!
ReplyDelete-Anna
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Your bagels look amazing, they are not something I'd ever thought to attempt at home! Also the desserts - yum!! Now that the summer heat has rolled in I haven't been doing much baking, though a chocolate zucchini cake will be in order soon!
ReplyDeleteChic on the Cheap