Daring Bakers: Doughnuts

The October 2010 Daring Bakers challenge was hosted by Lori of Butter Me Up. Lori chose to challenge DBers to make doughnuts. She used several sources for her recipes including Alton Brown, Nancy Silverton, Kate Neumann and Epicurious.

When I found out the doughnuts was this months challenge I was quite happy! Doughnuts are a pretty common food in Canada, and right now because it's fall there are pumpkin doughnuts showing up in the coffee shops! I was really eager to try making some myself, and I'm happy to say they were a success! They were moist and actually tasted pumpkiny (which I've found a lot of versions do not). They were pretty easy to make, though I don't know if I'd make them again since it made so many doughnuts that it kind of ended up being wasteful (And I don't think making a handful of homemade donuts is really worth the hassle). Glad I've made them though (so now if I ever move to another country again I'll still be able to get my yummy doughnut fix!).

Pumpkin Doughnuts:
Yield: About 24 doughnuts & 24 doughnut holes
(I found that the recipe made less then that)
Recipe from: Bon Appetit

Ingredients:
All Purpose Flour 3.5 cup / 840 ml / 490 gm / 17 ¼ oz
Baking Powder 4 teaspoon / 20 ml / 24 gm / .85 oz
Table Salt 1 teaspoon / 5 ml / 6 gm / .2 oz
Cinnamon, ground 1 teaspoon / 5 ml / 6 gm / .2 oz
Ginger, ground ½ teaspoon / 2.5 ml / 3 gm / .1 oz
Baking Soda ½ teaspoon / 2.5 ml / 3 gm / .1 oz
Nutmeg, ground ¼ teaspoon / 1.25 ml / 1.5 gm / .05 oz
Cloves, ground 1/8 teaspoon / .6 ml / ¾ gm / .025 oz
White Granulated Sugar 1 cup / 240 ml / 225 gm / 8 oz
Butter, Unsalted 3 Tablespoon / 45 ml / 42 gm / 1.5 oz
Egg, Large 1
Egg Yolk, Large 2
Pure Vanilla Extract 1 teaspoon / 5 ml
Buttermilk ½ cup + 1 Tablespoon / 135 ml /
Pumpkin 1 cup / 240 ml / 285 gm / 10 oz (Canned pure pumpkin or fresh cooked and pureed pumpkin – DON’T use pumpkin pie mix!)
Canola Oil DEPENDS on size of vessel you are frying in – you want THREE (3) inches of oil (can substitute any flavorless oil used for frying)

Powdered Sugar Glaze:
Powdered (Icing) Sugar 2 cup / 480 ml / 250 gm / 9 oz
Whipping Cream (About 32% butter fat) 4 Tablespoon + more if needed / 60 ml

Directions:

1. Whisk together the first 8 ingredients in medium bowl to blend. Using electric mixer, beat sugar and butter in large bowl until blended (the mixture will be grainy and not smooth). Beat in egg, then yolks and vanilla. Gradually beat in buttermilk; beat in pumpkin. Using rubber spatula, fold in dry ingredients in 4 additions, blending gently after each addition. Cover with plastic; chill 3 hours.
2. Sprinkle 2 rimmed baking sheets lightly with flour. Press out 1/3 of dough on floured surface to 1/2- to 2/3-inch (12 mm to 15 mm) thickness. Using 2 1/2-inch (65 mm) -diameter round cutter, cut out dough rounds. Arrange on sheets. Repeat with remaining dough in 2 more batches. Gather dough scraps. Press out dough and cut out more dough rounds until all dough is used.
3. Using 1-inch (25 mm) diameter round cutter, cut out center of each dough round to make doughnuts and doughnut holes.
4. Line 2 baking sheets with several layers of paper towels. Pour oil into large deep skillet to depth of 1 1/2 inches (40 mm). Attach deep-fry thermometer and heat oil to 365°F to 370°F (185°C to 188°C). Fry doughnut holes in 2 batches until golden brown, turning occasionally, about 2 minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer to paper towels to drain. Fry doughnuts, 3 or 4 at a time, until golden brown, adjusting heat to maintain temperature, about 1 minute per side. Using slotted spoon, transfer doughnuts to paper towels to drain. Cool completely.

Glaze Directions:

1. Whisk powdered sugar and 4 tablespoons whipping cream to blend. Whisk in additional cream, 1 teaspoon at a time, to form medium thick glaze.
2. Can be made up to 3 hours ahead.
3. Add doughnut holes to bowl of spiced sugar and toss to coat.
4. Spread doughnuts on 1 side with powdered sugar glaze.
5. Arrange doughnuts, glazed side up, on racks. Let stand until glaze sets, at least 30 minutes.

Daring Bakers: Sugar Cookies with Royal Icing

The September 2010 Daring Bakers’ challenge was hosted by Mandy of “What the Fruitcake?!” Mandy challenged everyone to make Decorated Sugar Cookies based on recipes from Peggy Porschen and The Joy of Baking.

When I first found out what this months challenge was I was really excited. I had always wanted to try decorating sugar cookies with royal icing...but I was always too intimidated by it. But this month I was so busy that I didn't get to bake these until yesterday! Needless to say, I felt rushed.

I also wanted to mention that I did not make it to round two in Project Food Blog. I am really disappointed that I didn't even get past the first round, but at the same time I'm a bit happy about it. I'm just way too busy to be able to crank out a new challenge ever week!

Anyway, in the end I learned 3 things by doing this challenge:

1. I am never going to decorate cookies like this again unless it's for a super special occasion! This is far too much work just to 'celebrate September'.

2. I have a pretty quick learning curve for making royal icing.
Here's my first attempt:

 Here's the finished product:

 3. Liquid colouring sucks! I really wish I could have found gel colouring. So instead of apples to celebrate fall, I now have apples from Barbies fairy land :( Oh well.

While this challenge was not as much work as the last two challenges, for some reason this one I had the least amount of patience for. I'm sure I could have done a better job at decorating, but I just wanted to get it over with in the end. I'm still happy I took part in this challenge, but I will have to try it again some time when I have a bit more patience ;)

I used both techniques for icing and I have to say I prefer the same consistency method. It just seems like the cookies looked better using this method.

I know this challenge was all about decorating, but I have to say that I loved the cookies! They tasted fantastic; Nice and vanilla buttery. I actually preferred the cookies undecorated ^^;

Basic Sugar Cookies:
Makes Approximately 36 Cookies
(Printable Recipe)

Ingredients:
1/2 cup + 6 Tbsp Unsalted Butter, at room temperature
3 cups + 3 Tbsp All Purpose Flour, sifted
1 cup Caster Sugar / Superfine Sugar
1 Large Egg, lightly beaten
1 tsp Vanilla Extract

Directions:
1. Cream together the butter, sugar and any flavourings you’re using. Beat until just becoming
creamy in texture.
2. Beat in the egg until well combined, make sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl.
3. Add the sifted flour and mix on low until a non sticky dough forms.
4. Knead into a ball and divide into 2 or 3 pieces.
5. Roll out each portion between parchment paper to a thickness of about 5mm/1/5 inch (0.2 inch). Refrigerate for a minimum of 30mins.
6. Once chilled, peel off parchment and place dough on a lightly floured surface. Cut out shapes with cookie cutters or a sharp knife.
7. Arrange shapes on parchment lined baking sheets and refrigerate for another 30mins to an hour.
8. Re-roll scraps and follow the above process until all scraps are used up.
9. Preheat oven to 180°C (160°C Fan Assisted) / 350°F / Gas Mark 4. Bake until golden around the edges, about 8-15mins depending on the size of the cookies.
10. Leave to cool on cooling racks. Once completely cooled, decorate as desired.


Royal Icing:

Ingredients:
2½ - 3 cups Icing Sugar, sifted
2 Large Egg Whites
2 tsp Lemon Juice
1 tsp Almond Extract


Directions:
1. Beat egg whites with lemon juice and almond extract until combined.
2. Add icing sugar to the egg whites.
• Tip: I’ve listed 2 amounts of icing sugar, the lesser amount is good for a flooding consistency, and the larger amount is for outlining, but you can add even more for a much thicker consistency good for writing. If you add too much icing sugar or would like to make a thinner consistency, add very small amounts of water, a few drops at a time, until you reach the consistency you need.
3. Beat on low until combined and smooth.
4. Use immediately or keep in an airtight container.

Daring Bakers: Ice Cream Petit Fours

"The August 2010 Daring Bakers’ challenge was hosted by Elissa of 17 and Baking. For the first time, The Daring Bakers partnered with Sugar High Fridays for a co-event and Elissa was the gracious hostess of both. Using the theme of beurre noisette, or browned butter, Elissa chose to challenge Daring Bakers to make a pound cake to be used in either a Baked Alaska or in Ice Cream Petit Fours. The sources for Elissa’s challenge were Gourmet magazine and David Lebovitz’s “The Perfect Scoop”."

I was really excited to try making ice cream again, since my last attempt was a little bit of a failure. I was also really excited to try making pound cake, since I'd never made it before!
I'm happy to report that the ice cream was a huge success! It was super creamy and had a great vanilla flavour! And it stayed frozen like ice cream is supposed to! :)

Unfortunately the pound cake was a COMPLETE FAILURE! :( When I took it out of the oven and stuck a toothpick in it it seemed to be done (and I had left it in for the recommended amount of time). But as the cake cooled I quickly realized that the middle was still uncooked! I really didn't have the time to start from scratch again so I quickly put it back in the oven and hoped for the best. But of course the cake came out WAY TOO DRY! :( I was really disappointed. But I continued on like a trooper and finished the Petit Fours anyway!
I tried one of the finished Petit Fours and the cake was terrible! So I decided to salvage the ice cream and throw away the cake.

The cake looked very sad sitting there in an abandoned pile. But I have to admit...the little ice cream blocks are pretty darn cute! :) So it was all worth it in the end.

I tried the one that I cut open for the photo here and the cake was actually not bad! I guess some parts of the cake were not too dry...
My ice cream layer was thicker than it should have been, so it kind of bulged out of the sides and made the Petit Fours look like leaning towers...but it still tasted good! I loved the chocolate on the outside, though next time I would like the chocolate to be a little thinner.

Note:
The pound cake calls for cake flour. You can make 1 cup of cake flour by placing 2 tablespoons of corn starch in a 1 cup measure, and filling to the top with all purpose flour.

 Ice Cream Petit Fours:
(Printable Recipe)


Vanilla Ice Cream

Ingredients:
1 cup (250ml) whole milk
A pinch of salt
3/4 cup (165g) sugar
1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise OR 2 teaspoons (10ml) pure vanilla extract
2 cups (500ml) heavy (approx 35% butterfat) cream
5 large egg yolks
1 teaspoon (5ml) pure vanilla extract

Directions:
1. Heat the milk, salt, and sugar in a medium saucepan until the liquid steams. Scrape out the seeds of the vanilla bean with a paring knife and add to the milk, along with the bean pod. Cover, remove from heat, and let infuse for an hour. (If you do not have a vanilla bean, simply heat the milk, salt, and sugar in a medium saucepan until the liquid steams, then let cool to room temperature.)
2. Set up an ice bath by placing a 2-quart (2 litre) bowl inside a large bowl partially filled with water and ice. Put a strainer on top of the smaller bowl and pour in the cream.
3. In another bowl, lightly beat the egg yolks together. Reheat the milk in the medium saucepan until warmed, and then gradually pour ¼ cup warmed milk into the yolks, constantly whisking to keep the eggs from scrambling. Once the yolks are warmed, scrape the yolk and milk mixture back into the saucepan of warmed milk and cook over low heat. Stir constantly and scrape the bottom with a spatula until the mixture thickens into a custard which thinly coats the back of the spatula.
4. Strain the custard into the heavy cream and stir the mixture until cooled. Add the vanilla extract (1 teaspoon [5ml] if you are using a vanilla bean; 3 teaspoons [15ml] if you are not using a vanilla bean) and refrigerate until thoroughly chilled, preferably overnight.
5. Remove the vanilla bean and freeze in an ice cream maker. If you don’t have an ice cream maker, you can make it without a machine. See instructions from David Lebovitz: http://www.davidlebovitz.com/archives/2007/07/making_ice_crea_1.html

Brown Butter Pound Cake

Ingredients:
19 tablespoons (9.5 oz) (275g) unsalted (sweet) butter
2 cups (200g) sifted cake flour (not self-rising; sift before measuring) (See “Note” section for cake flour substitution)
1 teaspoon (5g) baking powder
1/2 teaspoon (3g) salt
1/2 cup (110g) packed light brown sugar
1/3 (75g) cup granulated sugar
4 large eggs
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Directions: 
1. Preheat the oven to 325°F/160°C and put a rack in the center. Butter and flour a 9”x9” (23cmx23cm) square pan.
2. Place the butter in a 10” (25cm) skillet over medium heat. Brown the butter until the milk solids are a dark chocolate brown and the butter smells nutty. (Don’t take your eyes off the butter in case it burns.) Pour into a shallow bowl and chill in the freezer until just congealed, 15-30 minutes.
3. Whisk together cake flour, baking powder, and salt.
4. Beat the brown butter, light brown sugar, and granulated sugar in an electric mixer until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Beat in the eggs one at a time, mixing well, and then the vanilla extract.
5. Stir in the flour mixture at low speed until just combined.
6. Scrape the batter into the greased and floured 9”x9” (23cmx23cm) square pan. Smooth the top with a rubber spatula and rap the pan on the counter. Bake until golden brown on top and when a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 25 minutes.
7. Cool in the pan 10 minutes. Run a knife along the edge and invert right-side-up onto a cooling rack to cool completely.

Chocolate Glaze

Ingredients:
9 ounces (250g) dark chocolate, finely chopped
1 cup (250 ml) heavy (approx 35% butterfat) cream
1 1/2 tablespoons (32g) light corn syrup, Golden syrup, or agave nectar
2 teaspoons (10ml) vanilla extract

Directions:  
Stir the heavy cream and light corn syrup in a small saucepan over medium heat until it comes to a boil. Remove from heat and add the dark chocolate. Let sit 30 seconds, then stir to completely melt the chocolate. Stir in the vanilla and let cool until tepid before glazing the petit fours.

Assembly Instructions 

1. Line a 9”x9” (23cmx23cm) pan with plastic wrap, so that no sides of the pan are exposed and so there is some extra plastic wrap hanging off the sides. Spread 1 ¾ to 2 cups (450ml to 500ml) ice cream into the pan. Cover with more plastic wrap and freeze several hours.
2. Once the brown butter pound cake has completely cooled, level the top with a cake leveler or a serrated knife. Then split the cake in half horizontally to form two thin layers.
3. Unwrap the frozen ice cream. Flip out onto one of the layers of cake and top with the second layer of cake. Wrap well in plastic wrap and return to the freezer overnight.
4. Make the chocolate glaze (see above.)
5. While the glaze cools, trim ¾” (2cm) off each side of the ice cream cake to leave a perfectly square 7.5” (19cm) ice cream cake. Cut the cake into twenty five petit fours, each 1.5”x1.5” (4cmx4cm).
6. Glaze the petit fours one at a time: place a petit four on a fork and spoon chocolate glaze over it.
7. Place the petit fours on a parchment-lined baking sheet and return to the freezer for one hour.

Swiss Swirl Ice Cream Cake

"The July 2010 Daring Bakers’ challenge was hosted by Sunita of Sunita’s world – life and food. Sunita challenged everyone to make an ice-cream filled Swiss roll that’s then used to make a bombe with hot fudge. Her recipe is based on an ice cream cake recipe from Taste of Home."

 The Daring Bakers challenge was indeed a challenge. I had never made ice cream before and there were a lot of steps to complete the cake. I ended up going full steam ahead and finished the entire cake in 1 day (though I would never recommend anyone trying to finish this in 1 day!). I followed Sunita's recipes exactly since I had never made ice cream or swiss rolls before and didn't want to screw it up by adapting the recipes. It would be very easy to split up the baking/ice cream making through several days to make this a less daunting cake to make (and I would do that if I ever made this again). The only problem I had was that the chocolate ice cream seemed to melt a lot quicker than the rest of the cake (and a few others had the same problem so I might try another chocolate ice cream recipe next time).

Seriously, what a mess! But it tasted great! Next time I would try to cool the plates down to help keep the cake un-melted. The vanilla ice cream had a creamy vanilla taste and the swiss rolls were like sponges and just sucked up the flavours of everything else! The fudge was a little disappointing as it seemed to have crystalized in the freezer :( The chocolate ice cream tasted great, but as you saw above it melted way too quickly. Overall I was happy how my first attempt at ice cream turned out.
I had a great time with the Daring Bakers Challenge and am looking forward to the next challenge!

Bring it on! >:)

Here is the recipes I used: - Sunita's Recipes
 - Here is a printable version (that does not have pictures).