I make these ridiculously rich and delicious mocha brownies on tomorrow’s new Food Network episode, and I wanted to share the recipe with you today.
What to bake with as a vegan.
I had almost forgotten about my Julia Child monthly challenge when Sunday rolled around and I was making my grocery list for the week. With all of the kids various illnesses and things we had
Baked Alaska, at last... That's how I look at it because, for some reason, Baked Alaska is one of those things I've always wanted to make! I'm really not sure why - maybe it's just the presence of ice cream that I always want to eat but there's something special about a Baked Alaska, an element of surprise. When I first got my little kitchen blow torch last Christmas, I knew I'd eventually make my way to this dessert. It feels good to finally have a go at it! I made these as our "back to school" cake(s) this year. Celebrating the first day back to school is a great reason to make and eat cake! I am very lucky - and grateful - that my husband was home to help me photograph these torched mounds of ice cream cake! With hands sticky with meringue and thoughts of melting ice cream, it was a luxury to have a helper snap some pics for me. He is such a good sport to go along with this hobby of mine. I pay him back with dessert, and he seems happy with this arrangement. A Baked Alaska is basically an ice cream cake encased in a snowy, billowy mound of torched meringue. It's fascinating to look at, fun to cut into, and delicious to eat! It takes a few steps to make but you can do it ahead and try to keep it as simple as possible. I'm giving my ice cream maker a well-deserved break and used store-bought ice cream. I started by making a chocolate cake base, scaling down this recipe from Martha. I really love the idea of neapolitan flavors in a Baked Alaska but instead of trying to make layers in my small Alaskas, I went with mint chocolate chip ice cream and just one base layer of cake at the bottom (you could alternate layers of cake and ice cream if you want). This chocolate cake recipe is perfect for ice cream cake - so moist and since it's made with oil, it doesn't harden like a rock in the freezer. I used small glass prep bowls to make my mini Baked Alaskas and you could use anything from teacups to bowls or a cake mold. Or make one large Baked Alaska instead. Just spray the bowl with cooking spray and line it with plastic wrap, leaving plenty of overhang. Then pack in a good-quality, creamy, dense ice cream before sealing it with the cake layer that will become the bottom. It's easy to take the chocolate sponge cake you've baked and cut out the size you need by inverting the cup or bowl you're using for the mold and cutting out the rounds you need. This can (and should be) assembled ahead and kept in the freezer until show time - when you make the meringue, apply it liberally onto the frozen, molded cakes, and torch it! I coated the cakes with a thick layer (insulation, really...) of Swiss meringue before giving it a quick, thorough pass with the kitchen blow torch. You can actually bake the cakes in a very hot oven but I think the blow torch is very quick and effective here. In an instant, you achieve beautiful-to-look-at as well as delicious peaks of toasted meringue. I'm happy I finally got to make my Baked Alaska. It's most definitely a very special treat. I was trying to wrap my head around making these Baked Alaskas for a while, trying to figure out how to scale down the recipe and not have too much waste. Since I didn't follow a precise recipe, there had to be some cake leftovers and a little extra meringue. I decided not to sweat it and just go ahead and make these little dessert wonders. To start with, the key thing for me was making the cake base. Martha's recipe turned out great. Folding beaten egg whites into the batter makes for a very light, spongy cake. And using oil (instead of butter) in the cake allows the cake to remain relatively soft even after freezing so the cakes are easy to cut into and eat. I cut the recipe down by half and instead of baking it in a baking sheet, I baked it in a 9x13 rectangular pan. Since I wasn't going to alternate layers of cake and ice cream as per the original recipe, I wanted a thicker layer of cake for my base. (I actually removed a bit of the batter - maybe about 3/4 cup - and baked it in a single cake mold because I thought I had a bit too much and didn't want the cake layer to be too thick. That just complicates things and you don't need to do that...baking the entire batter in the 9x13 pan should be just fine.) As you can see, I used different size bowls to make my Baked Alaskas. You can essentially use whatever bowl/cup you have. After packing in the ice cream and setting the cake base on top, I wrap the cakes up with the plastic overhang, placed them on a small baking sheet, and stowed them away in the freezer. This should be done at least the day before. And if you find yourself with a good amount of extra cake left, you could always cut it up (wrap it and freeze it for another date) and use it to make a trifle. When it's time to make the dessert, unmold the ice cream cakes. I found it very helpful to set the bowls in warm water for a few seconds. Then, they pop right out. Set the unwrapped cakes on a baking sheet and return them to the freezer to firm up while making the meringue. You want the ice cream cakes as solid and cold as possible. The swiss meringue worked beautifully and held up very well! I had thick, glossy, sticky, marshmallow-like meringue to apply on to the ice cream cakes. I put on a thick layer and used a spoon and offset spatula to make swirls and swoops. Torching them was a lot of fun. It happens so fast and the meringue just smells so toasty and delicious. I finished these on the afternoon of the first day of school. I, very carefully, let my son help me torch one of these. And there we have it...a few mini Baked Alaskas! The sweet, toasty meringue with ice cream and chocolate cake is quite an irresistible combination! I'm amazed by this dessert and the wizard who first dreamed it up. Recipe: Mini Baked Alaskas Adapted (and scaled down) from Martha Stewart - For three mini Baked Alaskas, using 4-5 inch round glass prep bowls (you can use other size cups or bowls as the mold to make more or less) - For chocolate cake: 1 cup sugar, divided 2/3 cup all-purpose flour 1/2 cup unsweetened Dutch-processed cocoa powder 1 teaspoon baking powder 1 teaspoon baking soda 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/2 cup vegetable or canola oil 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1/3 cup warm (at about 100 degrees) water 3 large eggs, separated, and at room temperature Ice cream: Approximately 1 quart of mint chocolate chip ice cream (or flavor of your preference; just use a good-quality, dense ice cream that doesn't melt easily) For meringue: 4 large egg whites, at room temperature 1 scant cup sugar Pinch of cream of tartar Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9x13 inch cake pan with cooking spray and line it with parchment paper. Sift 2/3 cup of the sugar, as well as the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt into a bowl. In a measuring cup, combine the oil, water, and vanilla. Place egg yolks in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Whip on medium-high speed until pale and thick, about 4-5 minutes. With machine running, slowly add the oil mixture, then add the dry ingredients, mixing until combined. In a clean mixing bowl (and clean whisk attachment), whisk egg whites on medium-high speed, gradually adding the remaining 1/3 cup of sugar, until medium-peaks form. Mix one third of the whites into the cake batter, then gently fold in the rest. Scrape batter into the prepared cake pan, smoothing out the top with an offset spatula. Bake until cake is set and springs back lightly to the touch, about 15 minutes. Let cool on a cooling rack before inverting onto a cutting board and removing the parchment paper. To assemble the Baked Alaskas, cut out 3 cake rounds using the bottom of the bowl you are using as the mold (you need it to fit the bowl you're using snugly to become the base of the ice cream cakes). Coat the 3 glass prep bowls with cooking spray. Line each with plastic wrap, leaving plenty of overhang. Fill each bowl with ice cream, leaving enough space to fit the cake rounds. Top each with a cut out cake round and press down lightly. Cover the assembled cakes with the plastic overhang. Freeze at least 4 hours or overnight (you can do this days ahead). Unmold the cakes by opening up plastic wrap, flipping the cakes out onto a baking sheet and removing the plastic wrap (if necessary, place the bowls in warm water for a few seconds and the cakes should release easily). Place cakes back in the freezer while making the meringue to allow it to firm up and be as cold and solid as possible. To make the swiss meringue, heat egg whites, sugar, and cream of tartar in a heatproof bowl over a pot of simmering water. Whisk often until sugar dissolves and the mixture is warm to the touch and turns white in color, about 2-3 minutes. Transfer bowl to the mixer and whisk until stiff, glossy peaks form. Remove cakes from the freezer. Apply a generous coating of meringue to each, using a spoon or small offset spatula to create swoops and swirls. At this point, you can set the cakes in the freezer for a few hours, if necessary. When ready to serve, use a small kitchen blow-torch and very carefully brown the meringue. (Alternatively, you could set it in a 500 degree oven for 2-3 minutes until meringue is browned.)
Unicorn Poop®: Brought to you by Sweet Insanity Bake Shop : Magically Delicious! Unicorns may manage their elusiveness but they left behind some fanciful evidence of their existence and I was able to recreate their leavings. This unicorn poop, in reality, has a fu…
Fair warning: You're going to want to put this on everything.
YUM.
"Do you want a Fielding fondle?"
I don't deny that having to stand stoveside frying 30 teaspoons of ricotta at the end of dinner is a slight drawback, but these are so good, I really do think it's worth it. Besides, there's no getting around it. Somehow, that makes things easier for me. I just accept what has to be done, and get on with it. I wouldn't want to have to get up in the middle of some formal dinner and start deep-frying (or maybe I would: escape can be appealing for both host and guest at those sorts of gathering), but when it's just a case of your friends sitting around a table, it's not such a big deal. Go easy on the drink over dinner, though. For US cup measures, use the toggle at the top of the ingredients list.
Einkorn crepes are the perfect, easy indulgence for dessert or breakfast, especially when topped with a few fresh berries and a drizzle of honey.
Artists Frank Gibson and Becky Dreistadt of Tiny Kitten Teeth tell the dinner-party tale of a stressed-out chipmunk.
are you craving the indulgence of cinnamon rolls but want to skip the baking? look no further than these AMAZING better than erewhon no bake vegan cinnamon rolls. they’re inspired by the famous California healthy grocery chain, Erewhon’s no bake version! crafted with wholesome ingredients, they offer an unbaked treat for any occasion. taste and […]
If you want to make the sort of hotcakes you’d find at an all-night diner in the middle of a long road trip, these instructions will guide you.
Blow up a balloon without your mouth! This easy balloon science experiment will have kids wanting to do it again. Perfect for an easy science fair project.
Chai simply translates to "tea"—you can make it what you want, with whatever you've got. We've got a handy formula to replicate at home.
The first step to making sourdough bread from scratch is to culture a sourdough starter. This is simple to do and requires no special equipment or exotic ingredients, but it does take some time – anywhere from 4 to 7 days. A sourdough starter is a simple batter of flour and water that contains wild...Read More »
I don't deny that having to stand stoveside frying 30 teaspoons of ricotta at the end of dinner is a slight drawback, but these are so good, I really do think it's worth it. Besides, there's no getting around it. Somehow, that makes things easier for me. I just accept what has to be done, and get on with it. I wouldn't want to have to get up in the middle of some formal dinner and start deep-frying (or maybe I would: escape can be appealing for both host and guest at those sorts of gathering), but when it's just a case of your friends sitting around a table, it's not such a big deal. Go easy on the drink over dinner, though. For US cup measures, use the toggle at the top of the ingredients list.
A 3-layer no-bake bar made with a chocolate, coconut, graham cracker, and almond base, topped with a dense layer of buttercream, and finished with a slick of rich dark chocolate. Some call these bars Canada's national dessert. I call them buttery rich decadence. Making them should take no more than 30 minutes but organization and having everything organized and in place before beginning is key. The hard part is waiting for at least 4 hours for them to chill and set-up before digging in.
18 Hilariously Perfect Moments From The Great British Bake Off - Funny memes that "GET IT" and want you to too. Get the latest funniest memes and keep up what is going on in the meme-o-sphere.
Be-Ro Home Recipes: Scones, Cakes, Pastry, Puddings - A 1923 Cookbook Primer
Be-Ro Home Recipes: Scones, Cakes, Pastry, Puddings - A 1923 Cookbook Primer
These individual galettes are spiced with the warm winter flavours of cinnamon and allspice. For a spectacular restaurant-style finish, serve each one surrounded by a drizzle of sauce on the plate and finish with a dollop of whipped cream.
Learn how to make baked samosas the traditional way, or by taking a little shortcut with pre-made mini phyllo cups
The prompt for this pink page was Personal Triumphs. I decided to do some specific to Bullet Journalling triumphs. I also intentionally ch...
This special ensaymada recipe (also known as Filipino sweet buns) is a sweet and cheesy bread that is usually paired with coffee. It can be bought from any bakery and is usually enjoyed as a mid-afternoon snack.
Whether you're looking for an Oktoberfest recipe or just want to make a traditional German dinner, you'll love our collection of authentic German recipes!
One of the things I miss most about NYC is the halal cart chicken and rice so let’s make it at home and even better! You’ll want to smother the white sauce over everything! To make this recipe, I took a look at how Halal Guys makes their secret white sauce. The ingredients on their […]
I got a new cookbook the other day called,"America's Most Wanted Recipes." It's written by Ron Douglas. I found a ton of recipes I want to try...and have already made several. This pancake recipe is one of them. They were sweet, light and fluffy...just like a good pancake should be! IHOP pancakes 1 1/4 c. flour 1 tsp. baking powder 1 tsp. Baking soda pinch of salt 1 egg, beaten 1 1/4 c. buttermilk 2 Tbsp. melted butter 1/4 c. sugar Stir together the flour, baking soda, baking powder,and salt. Mix the egg with the buttermilk and add to the flour mixture, stirring only until smooth. Add the melted butter and sugar. Fry on a greased griddle. Serves 4.
Empire Biscuits are a Scottish classic! They may not have been invented here but they are a favourite and have stood the test of time, appearing in bakeries and supermarkets across the country. Now you can use this easy Empire Biscuit recipe to make your own!
I’ve been meaning to share this recipe here on the blog for a long time. Oddly, I’d planned on making it this weekend – had all the ingredients in the fridge, waiting. But with the sad news this week, I wanted to make it so I could share it with you guys today. This is one of the first desserts I made when learning to cook, The Sopranos Family Cookbook being one of the first cookbooks I owned. Needless to say, the show…and it’s anti-hero Tony Soprano, played by beloved James Gandolfini, hold a special place in my heart. Over the years there were so many great moments, and characters. Paulie Walnuts, Janice, Junior, Livia… I still find myself wondering what the characters would be up to today. If anything, I know this ricotta pineapple pie would be in their lives. Carmella always made it when she wanted to “butter” someone up for a favor. The first time I made it I remember thinking that it was unlike anything I’d ever made before. The ricotta gives it such a unique texture and lightness, and not too sweet. And the pineapple topping is just the right amount of sweetness, with a hint of tart from the addition of fresh lemon juice. I’ve modified a few things over the years. I like to use fresh pineapple instead of canned. I’ve found it has better flavor, and texture. Also, I use a blind-baked pie crust, as opposed to the graham cracker crust. It holds up better, making pretty slices possible. Print Ricotta-Pineapple Pie 1 (9-inch) pie shell, homemade or frozen 1/2 cup sugar 2 Tbsp cornstarch 1 (15 oz) container ricotta 2 large eggs 1/2 cup heavy cream 1 tsp lemon zest 1 tsp vanilla extract For the topping: 4 cups fresh pineapple, cubed (or a 20-oz can crushed pineapple) 1/4 cup sugar 1 Tbsp cornstarch 2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice Pre-heat oven to 350. If using fresh pineapple, place pineapple chunks in a food processor fitted with a metal blade. Pulse for about 10 – 1 second pulses. Set aside. To make the filling, combine the sugar and cornstarch in stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Turn mixer on low to combine. Add the ricotta, eggs, heavy cream, lemon zest, and vanilla. Beat until smooth. Pour the mixture into the pie crust. Carefully place into oven and bake for 50 minutes, until the pie is set around the edges but the center is still slightly jiggly. Remove from oven and cool to room temperature on a cooling rack. To make the topping, drain the pineapple well, reserving 1/2 cup of the liquid. In a medium saucepan, combine the sugar and cornstarch. Stir in the reserved pineapple juice and the lemon juice. Cook over medium heat, stirring slightly, until thickened – about 1 minute. Add the pineapple. Remove from the heat and let cool slightly. Spread the pineapple mixture over the pie. Cover and chill for at least 1 hour before serving. Source: adapted from The Sopranos Family Cookbook
Our experts named this doctor-created program one of 2022’s healthiest diets.
This smoked tofu "crabby" salad is the perfect topping for a vegan sushi bake! It's so quick and easy to pull together for lunch
Perfect to pack in lunches or to just carry with you in your purse or backpack, trail mixes can give you natural energy in a healthy way. Find out more here.
Call these cookies whatever you want but there are very small differences... This recipe was given to me by my Slovakian MIL... I must admit that I bought some of the fillings premade one year but I usually make my own. ... but they are delicious anyway... Check the Jewish or International section of your grocery store for premade.. The brand name is SOLO.... This will take several hours to prepare and cook... You can cut the dough recipe in half or quarter if you wish to make less.
