My search for the perfect British Scone - Strawberry Shortcake

My BFFs brought me to a local Tea House for my birthday, and ever since then I have been searching for the perfect British scone recipe.  British scones are different from their American cousins.  American scones have all the sweetness and fruit baked into the scone, whereas the British scone is pure biscuit and the sweetness and decadence comes from the jam and cream slathered on top.

For me the perfect British scone is light and airy, tall as possible, and just slightly sweet.  The best British scone I ever tasted came from a little tea shop in Christchurch, New Zealand.  Stupid me didn't ask for the recipe, and I've been on a fruitless search for it ever since.  Woe is me.

I've tried several American recipes without being able to duplicate my New Zealand dream, so now I'm going back to the source and trying some English and Scottish recipes.  First up is Suzy Bowler's scone recipe from her book: The Secret Life of SCONES.

The end result was pretty tasty, but too flat to qualify as my "ideal" scone.  But it did make an excellent biscuit for Strawberry Shortcake.

The recipe is pretty standard: self-rising flour, butter, sugar, and milk.  The directions are standard too...

Cold butter rubbed into the flour...

Then add the milk.  But for some reason the volume of milk specified in the recipe didn't seem right to me.  After I added the 100ml of milk, the mix just look way too dry and crumbly.

I ended up adding another 4 tablespoons of milk to get the dough to hold together.

Next up patting the dough into a circle (I don't bother with a rolling pin), and cutting out the circles.  The cutter I use is from Cake Boss and I really like these things.  They are tall enough, strong enough and sharp enough to use on biscuits, sugar cookies or fondant.

All ready for the oven.  I use a baking stone so the bottoms don't burn, and I don't re-roll the excess dough.  I just twirl it into a snake and place it on the stone.

Bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes.  And out they come all golden brown.  But sadly just a little flat.  I'm really not sure why that happened.  I purchased new self-rising flour just for this recipe, and even added a teaspoon extra baking power just to give it a little more oomph.   But no luck.  They look like flat little hockey pucks. 

But like I said they made excellent biscuits for Strawberry Shortcake, and everyone had seconds so all 8 scones were gone in a flash.

So I'm still searching for that perfect high-rise scone, that will bring back happy memories from my wild and miss-spent youth.  Sniff.


Happy Baking,

Carol



Note:  I don't like to include another person's recipe unless the creator of the recipe has already posted it free of charge somewhere on the web.  I couldn't find Suzy Bowler scone recipe anywhere except in her published book so I didn't post it here.   BUT ... if you preview the book on Amazon the recipe is part of the preview.

60th Birthday Cake

I made this cake for my sister's 60th birthday party.  Her Birthday is two days before Christmas, but we always celebrate it on Christmas Eve.  And even though she is a Christmas baby, I always make sure her cake and gift wrapping is non-Christmas themed.

I was a little rushed as usual so the plans I had for an elaborate 2-tiered  monument to her 60th birthday got scaled back to an 8" round cake with some quick ribbon roses and fondant swags.  I slapped this baby together so quickly that I even forgot to take pictures of the intermediate steps.

My New Year's resolution is to manage my time better and to stop procrastinating!  Yea, like that is going to happen.

Happy Birthday, Sis!!

Bitten Gingerbread Men - Christmas Cookies

I was trolling Pinterest for decorated sugar cookie ideas for Christmas, and I found a gingerbread man with a bite taken out of its leg.  I know this sounds morbid, but it was so cute.  I immediately decided that the half-eaten gingerbread man was going to be my Holiday cookie.

Now my cookies don't look anywhere near as good as Sweet Sugarbelle's version, but hey, I'm just an cookie decorating hack and she is the artist.   You can see the master's cookies here.

So how did I make them?  Well I pretty much followed Sugarbelle's instructions with just a few changes.

I used my standard "No Fail Sugar Cookie Recipe", and cut out my gingerbread men.  Next I used an interesting looking pattern to take the "bite" out of the leg, arm or body.  I tried taking a bite out of the head, but that just looked to weird/sick.

Baked them next, and here they are right out of the oven. 

Onto the decorating...  I used my standard icing to dam, flood, and decorate the cookies.  It is a Corn Syrup Royal Icing.  It is nice for flooding and gives the dried icing a pretty shine, but it isn't the best for adding the details to the cookies.  Even at a stiff consistency it tends to be a little soft and runny, and doesn't hold points very well.  But I was in a rush and didn't have time to try out Sugarbelle's recommended icing.  Maybe next time...

Anyway to pipe the dam I used a Wilton Round #1 tip, and icing at a stiff consistency.  I get my tips from either Hobby Lobby or Michael's, and they cost about $1 each.  The icing is tinted with Wilton's Brown food color gel.  I usually dam 4-5 cookies in at a time, and after I finish the 4th I loop back around and start flooding the first.  I want to give the dam enough time to set, but not enough time for it to dry.  When I flood I push the flood icing on top of the dam so they both merge into one seamless surface.

For flooding I used a Wilton Round #3 tip.  I pipe the flooding icing about 1/4 inch away from the previously piped dam, and then I use an offset spatula to push the flood icing on top of the dam.  The flood icing will float over the dam, but "hopefully" won't spill over it. 

As a final step I smooth out any air bubble that float to the surface.  I let the base icing dry for 24 hours before I start the detail decorating process.

After the base is dry, I piped on some cheeks with pink tinted icing, and some faces with black.

Next I piped on a little bow tie.  Sugarbelle used a Wilton Leaf tip #67, but even at the stiff consistency my icing wouldn't hold the leaf shape so I just made a flat bow tie shape.  For the center of the tie I just used some preformed circular sugar sprinkles from Wilton.

Final touches included the orange nose and buttons, and the white lines around the head and arms (all tip #1).  In hindsight I should have used a #2 tip for the white lines; they needed to be a little thicker.

So a cute little cookies that weren't too stressful or time consuming to make.  And while they don't looks as good as Sugarbelle's they are pretty good for me.



Happy Decorating,

Carol

Custard (Creme Anglaise) Cake - Not too pretty, but tastes great

My family's favorite cake is the tasty -- but not very attractive looking -- Custard Cake.

We call the cooked egg & milk mixture "Custard", but it is also known by its fancy-pants name - Creme Anglaise (sorry I couldn't figure out how to put the accent on the Creme).  Now the strange thing is that half the family just LOVE and adore this cake.  Their eyes roll back in their head and their face takes on a dreamy look at the mere mention of the cake.  But the other half of the family (include me) can't stand the nasty looking stuff.  Fluffy cake saturated with sweetened cream and eggs just don't appeal to me --- call me crazy.

So at least twice a year I bite my tongue and make a cake that I won't even taste.  Now if that is not love I don't know what is!!

And to make matters worse, this unappealing cake is very difficult to make!  One false step and the custard will curdle, and curdled custard is not a pretty thing.  Curdled custard still tastes good, but it looks like crap. Sometimes you can save curdled custard, but sometimes you just need to admit defeat and start all over.

The first step in the Custard Cake is baking the cake.  I just use a boxed mix -- French Vanilla -- either Duncan Hines or Betty Crocker, and add an extra teaspoon of almond extract.  I used a silicone fluted pan, but any tube pan will work.

When the cake is cool, cut it in half and brush one side with  1/4 cup of melted jelly.  I like to use seedless raspberry or strawberry, but you can use any flavor. 

Put the bottom half of the jam brushed cake in a large bowl so that it is ready and waiting when the custard is finished cooking.  Ideally you want to pour the hot custard on the cut cake so all the creamy custard gets absorbed into the cake.

After the cake it prepped and waiting, start on the custard.  In my recipe I use 10 egg yolks, but I have found over the years that the proportions are pretty flexible.  You can use more or less eggs, more of less sugar and milk.  More eggs (less milk) and the custard will be thicker; less eggs (more milk) and the mixture will be more fluid.  You can really customize the recipe to suit your taste and needs.  But for this cake I use 10 egg yolks.  And make sure you remove the chalaza.  You don't want white bands of egg tissue floating in your smooth custard - yuck.

Next beat the eggs with about 1/2 cup of granulated white sugar (you can also use Splenda if you want to make it low carb).  IMPORTANT - it is critical that you beat the egg yolks with the sugar until they are creamy.  If the yolks are not beaten enough they will form clumps of scrambled eggs in the milk.

Now the next part I do a little differently than real cooks.  I put the beaten sugar and yolks directly into the pot with the COLD milk, cream, sugar, and extracts.  I don't temper the yolks with small amounts of the heated milk.  I just dump all the cold ingredients into one big pot and slowly start heating.  That is the way my grandmother taught me to make it, and that is how I do it every time.  Maybe one day I'll try the tempering method and see if it makes a difference.

Anyway all the ingredients go into a cold pot.  I stir it very well before I apply any heat.  I stir and stir, and I make sure I get rid of the egg yolk dripping on the side of the pot.  For my pot I either use a heavy Magnetite pot or a stainless steel pot.  Taste-wise I've never noticed a difference.  There are reports that it is healthier to cook in stainless steel, but I've had trouble with food sticking to the stainless steel.  So when cooking the custard I just use whichever pot is closest. 

So everything is in the pot, and I constantly stir as I slowly increase the temperature.  I have an electric glass top stove and the highest I go is 4.5 (just a notch below medium which is 5).

Keep stirring as the liquid warms.  As the eggs start to cook and solidify you will start to feel resistance from the liquid as you stir.  Lift the spoon often and look at how the liquid coats the back of the spoon.  The custard is cooked perfectly when the custard starts to cling to the back of the spoon.

Looks ready to me...

But when cooking custard ALWAYS have an ice bath ready and waiting.  In the photo above I judged the custard ready and snapped a picture, but before I could put the camera down and remove the pot -- the custard STARTED TO BOIL.  NOOOOO...  Boiling custard is not good.  I immediately submerged the hot pot in the ice water bath and stirred vigorously to quickly cool the custard, but the damage was done and the custard started to curdle.  Sniff...

But if your custard curdles a just little all is not lost.  You can use an immersion blender to break down the lumps, or you can just strain out the lumps.  Pour about half the custard on top of the cut cake and let the liquid sink into the holes and crevices of the cake.

Let the bottom sit in the custard for about 5 minutes, and then position the top half of the cake on the saturated bottom half.  Pour the rest of the custard over the top.  If you want the top half to absorb the custard you can just a long wooden skewer to poke holes in the cake, and then carefully spoon the over the top and into the holes.

At this point the cake will float and bob in its bath of custard.  To force the cake deep into the custard, and allow the cake to absorb more of the custard, I cover the cake with plastic wrap and weigh down the cake with something heavy.  I use the inverted cover of  a large pot.  The round handle fits nicely into the hole of the cake and I can put additional weigh onto the cover if the cake is still floating.

Put the cake in the refrigerator for a few hours.  Remove the lid and the plastic wrap and carefully spoon the custard on top of the cake.  At this point the custard is getting firmer, but it is still fluid enough to spoon over the cake.

Cover with plastic wrap again it store in the refrigerator overnight.

The longer you leave the cake the better it gets.  Or so my relatives say -- honestly I have never tasted the stuff.  (Give me a big slice of chocolate cake any day.)  To serve slice the cake, spoon some extra custard on top, and garnish with a dollop of whipped cream.

Now doesn't that look yummy (or maybe not)....

Happy Baking,

Carol

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Custard Cake

Ingredients

• French Vanilla box cake mix - prepared according to instructions and baked in a tube or Bundt pan
• 1 teaspoon pure Almond Extract added to cake mix
• 1/4 to 1/2 cup melted fruit jelly 

• 10 egg yolks
• 1-1/4 to 1-1/2 cups granulated white sugar, divided
• 4 cups whole milk
• 3 cups heavy whipping cream
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 4-5 teaspoons pure Almond Extract 

• Ice bath 

• Garnish with whipped cream

Instructions

1. Prepare the cake according to instructions on the box, adding 1 teaspoon of almond extract if desired.
2. When cake is baked and cooled cut in half.
3. Melt fruit jelly in microwave and brush the liquid onto the cut surface of the cake.   Use more or less jelly as desired.
4. Place bottom half of cake in large bowl and set it near the ice bath.
5. Prepare an ice bath.  Stopper the sink and fill will 2 inches of cold water.  Have a container of ice ready and dump the ice into the water just before you place the hot pot into the water.
6. Next start on the custard.  Whisk egg yolks and 1/2 cup sugar until smooth and creamy.  
7. In a large pot combine milk, cream, salt, remaining sugar, and almond extract.  You can add more or less sugar and almond extract to suit your taste.
8. Add the whisked, egg yolk mixture to the milk mixture, and stir vigorously until combined.
9. Place the pot on the stove and turn the heat to simmer.  Stir constantly as you slowly increase the temperature under the pot to medium. 
10. Stir the mixture constantly until the mixture begins to thicken and coats the back of a wooden spoon. About 6-8 minutes. DO NOT ALLOW THE MIXTURE TO BOIL.
11. When the custard if finished cooking place the hot pot into the prepared ice bath.  The cold water will rapidly cool the pot and stop the custard from cooking further. 
12. Ladle about about half the custard over the bottom half of the cake.  If you want, you can pass the custard through a strainer to remove any lumps.
13. Let the bottom half of the cake sit in the warm custard for five minutes.  This will allow the cake to absorb the custard.
14. Place the top of the cake on the bottom and ladle the rest of the custard over the cake.
15. If desired poke holes into the cake with a wooden skewer and then spoon more custard into the holes.
16. Cover the cake with plastic wrap and weigh down the cake with a heavy plate or the lid of a pot.  Forcing the cake to stay submerged in the custard will help the cake absorb the liquid.  Refrigerate for 1-2 hours.
17. After 1-2 hours remove the lid/plate and plastic wrap.  Spoon more custard over the top of the cake.
18. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight. Note try not to touch the top of the cake with the plastic wrap.
19. When serving spoon the custard over a cut slice of cake and garnish with whipped cream.

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Engagement Cookie Overload

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While everyone else in the good old US of A was preparing for their Thanksgiving feast, I was hunkered down assembling and decorating a hundred engagement cookies!!  Why oh why did the bride-to-be schedule her party on the Saturday after Thanksgiving?

I had planned ahead and baked, partially decorated, and froze the cookies a few weeks prior, but on the day before Thanksgiving I was madly making fondant flowers and embellishing my mini masterpieces.

I experimented and made a few cookies using 4 different plaque/frame cutters.  One frame cutter by Ann Clark had a long, narrow shape that was perfect for writing out a message.

The other plaque cutters came in a set of three that were also very cute.  BTW, the bride's color is blush.

I had some cookies in the "Stick Couple" design...

And some in the "Save the Date Design"...  Oops sorry I didn't take a picture of that one.

I had some Snuggling Doves...

And some Mini Wedding Cakes.  Actually a lot of mini cakes.  When I was planning the cookies I thought these were the cutest design, but my finished minis didn't turn out as precious-looking as I had hoped. 

I guess in the end my favorite turned out to be a simple round cookie decorated with a bouquet of flowers.  

Simple and elegant.  Not too busy and not over the top.  If I every have to make another batch of engagement cookies, I just going to make these.

Happy Decorating,

Carol

Easy Fondant Ribbon Roses

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A simple way to make elegant, decorated sugar cookies is with the Fondant Ribbon Rose.  These ribbon roses are so much quicker and easier than buttercream version, and best of all there is no mess!

To begin simply roll out the fondant as thin as you can.  I'm using Via Roma Bakery Fondant on this cookie, but any kind will work.  The only advantage of the Via Roma is that you can roll it extremely thin, and it stays soft for a long time.

After you roll out the fondant, cut off the ragged edges using an x-acto knife, and then slice into strips.  The size and length of the strips will vary depending on how large you want the finished rose to be.  I cut my strips short and narrow because these roses were going on small, round cookies.  And don't worry about getting the strips even and uniform.  Remember - there are no straight lines in nature.

To start the rose, just start rolling up the strip of fondant...

Keep rolling, but as you move away from the tight center of the rose start adding little crimps or folds at the bottom of the strip/base of the rose.  Also gently squeeze the base as you roll.  All the crimping and squeezing will give the rose petals some life and keep the finished rose from looking too compact.  The crimping will also help to open up the top edge of the rose and give it a more flared and natural look.

When the strip of fondant runs out, just fold the trailing edge down toward the base of the rose.  

All that rolling and crimping will give the rose a large, bulky base, so just cut it off with a scissors. But be careful that you don't distort the shape of the rose as you cut.  If my fondant rose is too soft to handle I will set it aside for a few minutes and allow it to firm up before I attempt to cut it.

After the cut...

And that is all there is to making a fondant ribbon rose.  In a few minutes you will have enough to decorate dozens of cookies.

Happy Decorating,

Carol

Snuggling Lovebirds - Engagement Party Cookies

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I needed to make some cookies for a friend's engagement party, and I saw these precious little snuggling Lovebird cookies.  They didn't look too complicated, so I decided to give them a try.

Now I'm not an experienced cookie decorator, so it was a painstaking and time-consuming task for me...

I used Toba Garrett's Glace Icing (Royal Icing with equal parts milk and corn syrup) as described in her book Creative Cookies, and I used Wilton Icing Gel for the teal color, and AmeriColor gel for the bright white and black.

 In this closeup you can see that the teal blue flooding glaze is a little splotchy.  I actually made these ahead of time and froze them.  The freezing worked great except for the splotchy-ness of the blue.  I don't know if the problem was the type of glaze used (corn syrup), the thin, flooding consistency of the glaze, or the type of color (Wilton).  I will have to do some experimenting to find out what is causing the problem.

But the splotchy blue was not that noticeable so I kept decorating.  Pink cheeks, brown branch, orange nose and tiny orange toes.  All of these were colored using Wilton gels. 

And after a few grueling hours ;-) I managed to churn out eight cookies.  But they still looked a little plain. 

So I took some little fondant flower I had made for some other cookies and gave the bride dove a little bouquet.  Now that looks better.

I just hope the bride-to-be likes them.  But hey, what's not to like about snuggling lovebirds?

Happy Decorating,

Carol