Topic: Baking is a craft! (Read 157864 times)

SilentJ · « **Reply #50 on:** 16 Mar 2007, 19:20 »

I am a total n00b when it comes to baking, so I'm not sure if this question has any merit at all. But here goes anyways.

Eris, would anything that's not dark chocolate work for teh cookiez? 'Cos dark chocolate is so terrible I can't eat it, but those cookies look AMAZING.

camelpimp · « **Reply #51 on:** 16 Mar 2007, 20:33 »

When I saw this thread I first thought of this very not work safe recipe.

Lunchbox · « **Reply #52 on:** 17 Mar 2007, 00:57 »

Silentj, dude, in cookies you can use whatever. If you don't like dark you can use milk or white chocolate, chopped-up caramels, nuts, sultanas, whatever. This is the magic of baking!

kafftanamaroo · « **Reply #53 on:** 17 Mar 2007, 05:08 »

I am incredibly jealous of you people.
Last year, I spent a huge amount of time baking - this year I have no oven!
There are evidently downsides to taking a gap year =(

I have an awesome recipe for chocolate chip cookies - it uses chopped nuts as well as loads of chocolate. I got it off the 'net, and I think this might be the same recipe: http://www.msen.com/~wayne/cookie-01.html
No pictures sorry, but it you halve that recipe you can still feed your entire Maths, Physics and Latin class... (or at least, that's what I did)

Orbert · « **Reply #54 on:** 17 Mar 2007, 09:29 »

I used to bake cakes a lot. Just cakes from regular store-bought mixes, but they turned out pretty good if you followed the directions. I think I was 12 or 13 years old when for some reason I was bored on a Saturday and whipped one up. Everyone said it was great, so next Saturday I made another. Frosting, sprinkles, the whole works. My mom was one of those who kept an entire pantry full of food including half the bottom shelf of all different cake mixes "just in case". I tried cupcakes once, but they're a pain to frost. After a while, Mom asked me to please stop using up all her cake mixes.

I thought that's what they were for. You know, to make cakes, not just fill a shelf.

SilentJ · « **Reply #55 on:** 17 Mar 2007, 16:49 »

Quote from: Lunchbox on 17 Mar 2007, 00:57

Silentj, dude, in cookies you can use whatever. If you don't like dark you can use milk or white chocolate, chopped-up caramels, nuts, sultanas, whatever. This is the magic of baking!

Finally, somebody has said it!

I've been wondering about this for some time now and nobody's actually told me. Much thanks, Lunchy.

ampersandwitch · « **Reply #56 on:** 18 Mar 2007, 09:53 »

It's fun to experiment with baking, because as long as you don't overcook it, you are going to have some combination of delicious pastry and delicious batter.

kafftanamaroo · « **Reply #57 on:** 19 Mar 2007, 09:49 »

Yeah, it's pretty sweet
One of my favourite ways of playing around with baking is to just get frozen puff pasty and experiment...
I think the funniest result was when I wrapped marshmallows in puff pastry and they practically exploded (good thing I used baking paper on the trays!)
=D

Lunchbox · « **Reply #58 on:** 20 Mar 2007, 03:54 »

I made myself birthday cupcakes. More pictures, of course, are on my Flickr

Lines · « **Reply #59 on:** 20 Mar 2007, 07:38 »

PRETTY. I would almost be afraid to eat something like that, but I knew once I did, they would be delicious. How'd you get the strands of icing to stand up like that?

Lunchbox · « **Reply #60 on:** 20 Mar 2007, 13:41 »

It's actually white chocolate that I piped onto greaseproof paper the day before. I tried to make nice neat fancy hearts but the chocolate was too runny, so I just sort squiggled it around.

Eris · « **Reply #61 on:** 26 Mar 2007, 17:42 »

Brownie Recipe
Ingredients
*200g unsalted butter
*125g cooking chocolate
*1 cup plain flour
*1 1/2 cups caster sugar
*2 tablespoons cocoa powder
*1/4 teaspoon baking powder
*4 eggs

Method
Preheat oven to 160C (don't know any other temps, sorry!). Place butter and chocolate in a small saucepan over low heat and stir until melted and smooth. Place the flour, sugar, cocoa, bakign powder, eggs and chocolate mixture in a bowl and stir to combine. Pour the mixture into a lightly greased 20cm cake pan lined with non-stick baking paper. Bake for 50 minutes or until cooked through. Cool in the tin for five minutes then turn out on a wire rack.

*Note* The original recipe says a heart-shaped cake tin (it was for valentines day), but I used a square slice tray we already had. So if it's not exactly the same, it shouldn't matter. Also, make sure the ingredients are mixed together properly, because it was harder than I expected, so there were little white bits in the brownies where I got lazy in the mixing.

Gemmwah · « **Reply #62 on:** 26 Mar 2007, 17:50 »

Thank you Eris

Coreh · « **Reply #63 on:** 05 Apr 2007, 17:26 »

i'm making a cake for my friend's birthday! it is going to be yellow and white.
here's the stuff i'm putting on top

here's the cake as it appears right now.

i'm gonna use this to make the icing ridgey!

Coreh · « **Reply #64 on:** 05 Apr 2007, 23:34 »

cake complete woohoo!

Lunchbox · « **Reply #65 on:** 06 Apr 2007, 03:32 »

Aww. Very cute. I like the basket-weaving kinda icing!
I wish someone would make me a cake like that. Obviously a lot of love went into it.

Edith · « **Reply #66 on:** 06 Apr 2007, 20:22 »

I'm making a lemon layer cake. It's the one pictured on the cover of this book: http://www.amazon.com/gp/reader/1572840811/ref=sib_dp_pt/104-0297635-7972777#reader-link

Cakes are cooling.

Detail:

I flipped them over for some reason:

Here's the lemon curd for between the layers. I'll make the lemon buttercream in the morning and ice them.

thehoopiestfrood · « **Reply #67 on:** 07 Apr 2007, 10:48 »

That looks awesome! I always turn the cakes over too.

And seeing that link to gluten free cakes has inspired me to ask: has anyone got any good advice/tips/recipes for cakes which don't use eggs? They don't neccessarily have to be vegan, my mum is allergic to eggs, but I don't mind if they are.

I saw the perfect coffee cake for her in a cafe but it was their cake of the day and when I took her there they didn't have it.

I have a muffin book which says to add extra raising agent and a bit more liquid to replace the eggs, and also an actual box of "egg replacer" which is actually just a mixture of different flours and raising agents I think which you mix with some liquid and add to the recipe but it never works brilliantly.

I have seen an amazing looking recipe on the BBC here (the picture is obviously not of it) but I haven't tried it yet. I'm also not sure it could be made into a plain cake either, what with the vinegar and whatever.

Miroku · « **Reply #68 on:** 11 Apr 2007, 11:41 »

i was bored at 4am so i put on a 90's mixtape and made this:

BisCoctum · « **Reply #69 on:** 11 Apr 2007, 17:57 »

finally got my computer up and running again so here is a couple pictures of what I have made recently

SilentJ · « **Reply #70 on:** 12 Apr 2007, 21:56 »

oooh! tasty looking!

Lunchbox · « **Reply #71 on:** 13 Apr 2007, 06:11 »

Are... are those mini cupcakes? If so, I may have to worship you, BisCoctum. I've never been able to find any mini cupcake papers or tins, but I SO VERY MUCH want to make some.

Today I made Red Velvet cupcakes! More info is on my blog and more pictures are on my flickr, as always.

Barmymoo · « **Reply #72 on:** 13 Apr 2007, 06:19 »

Lunchbox, I lay down and worship you. I adore baking, but eating the stuff is always a let down. It's looking at the prettiness that I like. And your blog has fulfilled a deep-rooted desire to look at pretty cakes. Thank you. Thank you.

Lunchbox · « **Reply #73 on:** 13 Apr 2007, 06:31 »

Oh man, if you like looking at the pretty cakes here are some sites to try:

Chockylit's Cupcake Bakeshop

My favourite blog, Cupcakes Take the Cake

Cupcake Momma's flickr

BisCoctum · « **Reply #74 on:** 13 Apr 2007, 07:03 »

Yep they be mini cupcakes. Strange enough they had the tins and papers for them at the local grocery store so I got all excited and picked some up. I love just about anything that is mini, means I can eat more them and not feel bad about it.

Barmymoo · « **Reply #75 on:** 13 Apr 2007, 09:32 »

You've inspired me to make buns!

See some photos here

They are nice too! I'll take some tomorrow to sustain me whilst I watch a rugby match, for some reason.

Purppppppppple flavour.

Lunchbox · « **Reply #76 on:** 13 Apr 2007, 17:32 »

Woo! Purple!

Nice buncakes, Barmy.

jmrz · « **Reply #77 on:** 13 Apr 2007, 17:45 »

Lunchy, I have a mini cupcake tray that you could borrow if you would like. We don't bake often, so I am sure mum won't mind.

McTaggart · « **Reply #78 on:** 13 Apr 2007, 23:09 »

Quote from: Barmymoo on 13 Apr 2007, 06:19

And your blog has fulfilled a deep-rooted desire to look at pretty cakes.

Do you also page through cookbooks just looking at the pictures? I've been led to believe that this is just me.

Edith · « **Reply #79 on:** 14 Apr 2007, 09:35 »

Not just you. Trust me. Not just you.

Eris · « **Reply #80 on:** 14 Apr 2007, 23:43 »

I thought that was the point of cookbooks. I know I have too many here for just the recipes.

celticgeek · « **Reply #81 on:** 15 Apr 2007, 08:19 »

In bookstores, I have to keep saying to my wife: "Put down the cookbook and step away from the counter and nobody will get hurt."

Barmymoo · « **Reply #82 on:** 20 Apr 2007, 10:46 »

I had an urge to say "it's like porn for fat people" but realised that would be inappropriate. Plus I'm reluctant to call myself fat.

I can't think of any other purpose for cookbooks... no one uses them anyway! Good cooks throw a load of stuff into a bowl and make great food; bad cooks buy ready meals.

Ballard · « **Reply #83 on:** 21 Apr 2007, 13:01 »

Barmymoo, try watching Ace of Cakes on the Food Network. You'll love it.

It's on at 10:30 EST on whatever channel the Food Network is for you. It's 50 here in New York.

BisCoctum · « **Reply #84 on:** 22 Apr 2007, 00:37 »

I love ace of cakes. They make some pretty crazy stuff on that show.

Ballard · « **Reply #85 on:** 22 Apr 2007, 00:46 »

I'm not a huge fan of the Food Network. They glamorize the culinary industry, causing a lot of young people to jump eagerly into a highly competitive field that they weren't ready for and willl get crushed in.

At least House fans know being a doctor isn't a glamorous job. Fans of Emeril Lagasse fans don't know for the most part that industrial kitchens are cramped, hot, smelly, depressing spaces where you get yelled at a lot, not beautiful New York television studios.

</rant>

I love Ace of Cakes simply for the Charm City Cakes crew. They're all hilarious characters. The show is equally misleading about running your own business, though.

BisCoctum · « **Reply #86 on:** 22 Apr 2007, 01:28 »

I work in a kitchen and I am doing my apprenticeship. I was talking to one of the guys I work with and he made a comment about how he was thinking about start his apprenticeship as well and I told him flat out that working in a kitchen is really really going to suck. Unless you love it, its really not something that you want to do for the rest of your life. Alot of small business, especially small restaurants, go under in the first year. Something like 75% for kitchens.

Ballard · « **Reply #87 on:** 22 Apr 2007, 02:03 »

Even those who love it have to have an incredible amount of drive and determination to keep doing it.

Also, there's a fine line between home cooking and professional cooking. Mainly, you get none of the appreciation and praise that your family members and friends give you at home in an industrial kitchen. The most you can hope for is a nod of approval, and that's on a Very Good Day.

Barmymoo · « **Reply #88 on:** 22 Apr 2007, 04:11 »

Quote from: Ballard on 21 Apr 2007, 13:01

Barmymoo, try watching Ace of Cakes on the Food Network. You'll love it.

It's on at 10:30 EST on whatever channel the Food Network is for you. It's 50 here in New York.

We don't have a TV, so I can't

Thanks for mentioning it though!

Ballard · « **Reply #89 on:** 22 Apr 2007, 22:36 »

No problem. There should be some streaming videos available here if you're still curious.

Lunchbox · « **Reply #90 on:** 22 Apr 2007, 23:53 »

I made something!
They didn't turn out like I'd hoped, so I just bunged some plain icing on and dropped bits of strawberry all over the place. They look nice but they aren't the best tasting cupcakes ever. Damn you Nigella!

Ballard · « **Reply #91 on:** 23 Apr 2007, 00:03 »

Presentation's not nearly as important as taste.

And those look like some yummy cupcakes.

calenlass · « **Reply #92 on:** 23 Apr 2007, 03:43 »

Well, I would eat one and be damn happy about it, too.

Lunchbox · « **Reply #93 on:** 25 Apr 2007, 02:04 »

These ones turned out better. This is my normal recipe, baked in mini muffin tins.

jmrz · « **Reply #94 on:** 25 Apr 2007, 04:04 »

Those are really cute!

Here is my baking adventure for the day:

mberan42 · « **Reply #95 on:** 25 Apr 2007, 07:59 »

Quote from: Ballard on 22 Apr 2007, 00:46

I'm not a huge fan of the Food Network. They glamorize the culinary industry, causing a lot of young people to jump eagerly into a highly competitive field that they weren't ready for and willl get crushed in.

You should read Kitchen Confidential by Anthony Bourdain. It's a great book about working in a restaurant kitchen.

ZiggyShalala · « **Reply #96 on:** 25 Apr 2007, 20:17 »

gad everything looks so good.

The extra letter · « **Reply #97 on:** 26 Apr 2007, 18:16 »

This thread makes me hungry and/or want to bake something tasty.

thehoopiestfrood · « **Reply #98 on:** 26 Apr 2007, 19:26 »

Oh, I was in the library at college the other day when I saw those mini muffins and I wanted them desperately. I don't know of a good bakery in Glasgow though. They all sell awful oversugary crap, they're just usually old fashioned in a bad way. It makes me sad. Like Aulds. It's just wrong. You shouldn't go into a bakery and then be fed cakes that have been frozen. Unless it's some kind ice cream cake or something. (Ok, I admit, I've never been in one, but the food just look so awful! And I'm not a snob, one of my favourite places to eat is lovingly nicknamed "Dirty Chippy" and it is just the ultimate greasy spoon. They gave my friend and I hateful looks for going in there and being under 60 the first time we went in there. The food is so good though!)

Ballard · « **Reply #99 on:** 27 Apr 2007, 10:01 »

Quote from: mberan42 on 25 Apr 2007, 07:59

You should read Kitchen Confidential by Anthony Bourdain. It's a great book about working in a restaurant kitchen.

Haha, I got into a similar discussion with someone on the bus the other day and they recommended the same book. I'm definitely going to pick it up one of these days.

It also reminds me of Art School Confidential. Which also amuses me 'cause for a long time I wanted to go to culinary school (as a result of the Food Network, I'm afraid to say) but as of late have been aiming at art school.

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Author Topic: Baking is a craft! (Read 157864 times)

camelpimp

kafftanamaroo

kafftanamaroo

thehoopiestfrood

BisCoctum

BisCoctum

BisCoctum

BisCoctum

ZiggyShalala

thehoopiestfrood