The essence of baking

It has occurred to me that one way I deal with stress or locked up energy is bake. Not a huge surprise since I blog about baking twice a week. I find a sense of fulfillment when I have my hands in fresh dough or see the shine of glossy sugar cake batter or see the silky smoothness of melted chocolate and cream. I get urges to bake and realize that it's a way for me to really find some time to enjoy myself. Today's baking was no different, I have been craving homemade cinnamon buns for the longest time and seemed to be lacking one or two key ingredients when I would go to make them. Yesterday, with the cinnamon bun goal in mind, I made sure to grab what I needed while grocery shopping. I love cinnamon buns, especially in the fall, they just taste so good all the time. I like the feel of rolling the dough into existence, the way it rolls under my hands and feels so smooth and soft. I like the smell from the cardamom and melted butter that is mixed into the dough. Everything about the cinnamon bun I just seem to like. After it rises I roll it out to a nice flat shape and smear butter, cinnamon and sugar all over the space. Then rolling it from one side to the other making a long tube like form I will cut it into slices big enough to make individual buns. Placing them on the baking sheet to rise for some more time I will wait and anticipate the delicious flavor I know is coming. And after baking them for 15 minutes or so, I will sit down with a warm cup of tea and savor each and every bite of this scrumptious cinnamon bun. Baking for me is not just throwing something together so it tastes good, it is an art, it is the experience of the moment, it is the process not just the end result, it is a place where I can really be myself. Today I truly enjoyed my moment!

Until my next entry...thrive in what your good at!

Barefoot and Baking in the kitchen

Pictures of the buns in process:

Cinnamon Sensation Goes Buckwild

Flour, eggs, sugar, butter and sour cream...these are all the ingredients that are currently decorating my kitchen counters, cupboard doors, floor and island. What started out as a normal afternoon in the kitchen turned into a tornado of events. Due to the fact that I haven't been able to sleep so well these past three weeks, I know I am not the most alert person at times. As I started these cinnamon roll cakes I was really just going through the motions in one way. You know...you beat the butter and the sugar until it's fluffy...what's so hard with that? Well I realized I wasn't paying much attention when, while beating these very ingredients I sprayed them all over the kitchen. I thought...no big deal...I'll clean it later. Then proceeding to the sour cream part, I spilled some of it out of the bowl and managed to get it everywhere. Moving onto the flour, while sifting it into the mixture, managed to dump 1/2 a deciliter onto the counter. It was then I thought...man I am so not in my game today. And as I was walked across the kitchen to throw away the egg shells, I successfully stepped in a blob of batter that smeared all over the bottom of my knitted sock. After scraping it off with a kitchen knife I decided that I would start to pick up my mess. While taking out the beaters from the mixer, one shot out and onto the floor, totally not missing the cupboard door and leaving cake residue dripping in a downward motion. And there ended my fiasco with the cake batter. I did successfully manage to get the batter into the cake pans and one is currently baking in the oven. The kitchen looks like I was having a tantrum and couldn't hold myself together, but in fact is the sign a one tired lady who just couldn't seem to get with it today. These moments make me laugh except for the fact that it's me who will be cleaning it, unlike Martha Stewart who must have a cleaning crew on the show.

Here are some pictures from today's endeavor

Evidence of the mess

Batter and look at that bowl...totally splattered 

Cake batter finally made it into the baking pans

Part of what awaits me to clean

Recipe for Cinnamon Roll Cake

175g butter or margarine
2.5 dl sugar
2 eggs
3 dl sour cream
4.5 dl flour
2 tsp. vanilla
1 tbsp. baking powder

Filling:
1 dl sugar
3 tbsp. cinnamon

Mix butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add egg one at a time, then add the sour cream. Mix together the dry ingredients and add to the wet mixture. Mix in separate bowl the sugar and cinnamon for the filling. In a baking pan (can be a bread form that you would make banana bread in) or a normal round 9in. put in half the batter and then sprinkle half of the filling on top and then smear the rest of the batter on and sprinkle the rest of the filling on top. Bake at 175C or 350F for 45-50 minutes.

Have a good evening and until my next post...why not throw some food around the kitchen...or maybe not.

Barefoot and Baking the kitchen

Cinnamon Sensation

Greetings from my desk! I am currently sitting here trying to motivate myself to work. Some days it's just not that easy and takes more effort than I have. However, I am generally always looking forward to my journeys in the kitchen. Today I will be tackling a cake that tastes like a cinnamon roll. This cake consists of the same ingredients (plus sour cream) as a cinnamon roll, except for yeast to make it bread like. It is a delicious cake, that has a wonderful moist consistency, creating a melting like sensation in your mouth.  It is the perfect cake for an Autumn day with lots of cinnamon and butter to captivate your sense of smell. If you are having guests over for an evening tea or coffee, this is an easy way to please their taste buds and have them asking you for more. This is one of my favorite cakes and I'm looking forward to filling my kitchen with the divine smells of cinnamon rolls.

Until my next entry enjoy the day!

Barefoot and Baking in the kitchen

Gooey Goodness

Good evening! I have successfully been baking for the past 4 hours and am still waiting for crumb bar number four to get done. These desserts were pretty simple in their content and didn't require too much time, it's just that I am doing four of them instead of one. My husband came home from work and thought of course that the house smelled so divine. I decided I would give him a little bite, since I will be cutting these up into squares anyway. The taste was amazing and he immediately made some coffee to enjoy the rest of his bit.

If you are craving something with chocolate, I recommend this crumb bar and like I mentioned in the earlier post, you won't need much to fill your desire. It's rich and gooey and is enhanced by a good cup of Swedish coffee...or whatever kind of coffee you prefer.

Here are some pictures of the crumb bar in process. Excuse the blurry pictures...crap camera.

Beginning with the crust

Chopped chocolate bits

Crust before being baked

Condensed milk...in Swedish

Chocolate and condensed milk together makes
for yummy goodness, that will stick to your fingers
if your not careful

Pouring the gooey liquid onto the baked crust

Ready to go in the oven

Fresh out of the oven and smelling oh so good

Coffee making for a great mouth watering experience

Cup of hot coffee with a little milk drizzling
down the side and a small piece of the
chocolate crumb bar

Chocolate Crumb Bar recipe:

1 C butter or margarine (softened)
1 3/4 C flour
1/2 C sugar
1/4 tsp. salt
2 C semi sweet chocolate chips
1 can (14oz) sweetened condensed milk
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 cup chopped walnuts (optional) I substituted with oats and coconut shavings

Preheat oven 175C or 350F. 13x9 in pan
Beat butter until creamy. Beat in flour, sugar and salt until crumbly. With floured fingers, press 2 cups of crumb mixture onto the bottom of baking pan; reserve remaining mixture. Bake for 10-12 minutes.
Combine 1 cup of morsels and condensed milk in a small pan, warm over low heat, stirring until melted and smooth. Stir in vanilla, then spread over hot crust. Stir in nuts/oats and coconut pieces and the remaining morsels into the reserve crumble and sprinkle over the chocolate filling. Bake for 25-30 minutes until center is set. Cool in pan on wire rack.

Enjoy this delicious, mouthwatering dessert!

Until next time bake your things with love...I heard it ministers to people's hearts.

Barefoot and Baking in the kitchen

Crumbs that make you drool

Greetings from a very cold and frosty Monday morning. I am sitting at my work desk trying to warm myself up. Mondays are not the easiest of weekdays, given that you have had a busy weekend with friends and stayed up late. And this morning when the alarm went off at 6am to jolt me out of sleep so that I could go to Zumba lessons, it was a slow going. This morning's workout was a far cry from my usual effort, but at least I gave it a shot.

For today's baking I will embark on a chocolate crumb bar journey. I got this recipe from a lady I know and have really enjoyed its taste each time I have had it. This crumb bar is one of those things that melts in your mouth as soon as you eat it, giving your taste buds and mouth such a glorious sensation and experience. Due to its richness and gooeyness, usually one piece will suffice your appetite. But rest assured you will make sure you get all the fallen crumbs of this delicious dessert.

I will keep you updated as the journey begins this afternoon in my kitchen.

Until then enjoy a hot cup of something good!
Barefoot and Baking in the kitchen

Delicatable Divinity

Happy Thursday everyone! I must confess that today's baking is saving me from having to do tedious cleaning that I totally do not want to do. I am excited that I get to be in the kitchen enjoying the fun of creating with my baking. Today's baking endeavor is a new recipe, something I have never tried. I have found it in a Swedish recipe booklet that my husband brought home from the grocery store. It's called Chocolate Tart with Caramel Filling and Dark Chocolate Truffle Topping. It looks absolutely divine and ready to be enjoyed by those who will eat it. The recipe however, seems to take a while for each of the steps, but if you have the time, I totally recommend that you try this delectable dessert. I currently have the tart crust chilling in the fridge, which it will need to do for 1 hour. It has a wonderful taste and yes...I do taste the things I bake, but have started Zumba lessons to keep off any fat that wants to hang on.  I will soon start on the caramel filling and then depending on what time I finish this evening, will do the topping.

Here is the recipe if you want to give this one a shot. I have the measurements from my Swedish recipe, but it's easy to convert if you need to.

Tart Crust:
125 g butter
90 g powdered sugar
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla
3 dl flour
1 tbsp. cocoa

Mix together the butter and sugar until fluffy. Then add the egg. Mix the dry ingredients together and then add to the wet mixture. Mix together until it becomes a dough form. Put in the fridge for 30 minutes to chill. Take out (it will be sticky) and and put in plastic wrap, using a rolling pin make flat, then put in a 25cm pie form using a fork to spread out, make sure you put the crust in to cover the whole pan. Put in fridge for another 30 minutes to chill. Take out and bake for 10 minutes on 225C

Caramel filling:
1/2 dl light syrup
1.25 dl water
5 dl sugar
125g butter
1.25 dl whipping cream
2 tbsp. sour cream

Simmer the water, sugar and syrup in a pan for 15 minutes. Should become a syrup like consistency. Mix in the butter, cream and sour cream. Fill the tart form with the caramel sauce and bake 40 minutes at 165C . Let it cool.

Chocolate Truffle topping:
125g whipping cream
125g dark chocolate, chopped (might need a bit more)

Cook the cream and then put in the chocolate, mix well, so that they are no lumps. If it's too loose, use more chocolate. Then pour the topping over the cold caramel tart.
Serve with whipped cream or just plain with a cup of coffee.

Until my next entry let your taste buds enjoy their life.

Barefoot and Baking in the kitchen

It's heavenly part 2

Greetings from my toasty, warm kitchen. The weather has not turned better and has actually turned worse, with heavy downpour of rain and winds. However, it's a successful day here in the kitchen. I have one of the 3 cakes finished and just out of the oven, the next one is in the oven currently baking and the last is sitting in pieces of mixture in 3 different bowls. The smell of this finished cake, seriously makes me want to dive right into it and enjoy it with a cup of coffee. That almond extract is a dream to bake with. Alas, I will hold back my selfish appetite and let those who have paid for this enjoy it. I have picked a significantly easier frosting this time with only whipped cream and some powdered sugar, so I will wait until tomorrow morning, when the cakes are completely cooled.


Pictures of today's cake and the recipe

Recipe:

Ingredients

• 2 3/4 cups sifted cake flour
• 4 teaspoons baking powder
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 4 egg whites
• 1 1/2 cups white sugar
• 3/4 cup butter
• 1 cup milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon almond extract
• 1/2 C Strawberries

Directions

1. Measure sifted flour, baking powder, and salt; sift together three times.
2. In a mixing bowl, beat egg whites until foamy. Add 1/2 cup sugar gradually, and continue beating only until meringue will hold up in soft peaks.
3. Cream butter or margarine. Gradually add remaining 1 cup sugar, and cream together until light and fluffy. Add sifted ingredients alternately with milk a small amount at a time, beating after each addition until smooth. Mix in flavorings. Add meringue, and beat thoroughly into batter. Spread 1/2 batter in a 15 x 10 x 1 inch pan then spread cut strawberries on top and then pour rest of batter.
4. Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 30 to 35 minutes. Cool cake in pan 10 minutes, then remove from pan and transfer to a wire rack to finish cooling. This cake may also be baked in two 9 inch round pans for 30 to 35 minutes, or in three 8 inch round pans for 25 to 30 minutes.

Enjoy the taste of this delicious cake!


Barefoot and Baking in the kitchen

It's heavenly

Good morning! Well the weather has turned from a red glow in the sky from the sunrise, to gray and drizzly with a breeze. It is though, in my opinion, a perfect day for baking. There is a coziness that happens when it's cold outside, but nice and toasty inside and the house is full of delicious smells. For my baking endeavor today, I am making a cake called Heavenly White Cake, the recipe I got from allrecipes.com. It's a cake I have made before and today I will broaden my ingredients and add strawberries and chocolate to this divine, white, cake. The basic taste is enhanced by almond extract and the cake itself is wonderfully moistened by sour cream. I will put whipped cream on top and then spread chocolate shavings to give it that extra flare.

It's a really easy baking challenge, but tastes super yummy!

Until my next entry enjoy the sweetness of life.

Baking and Barefoot in the kitchen

Pie in the Making

I am sitting here covered with flour and have dough jammed into my finger nails (which will take a good scrubbing to get clean) waiting for the pies to be done. I have one in the oven and it's got maybe another 10 mins. So it will most likely be done before I finish this entry. The second is sitting on the counter ready to be baked. I actually really enjoyed this afternoon of baking. As I mentioned in the earlier entry I was not full of heaps of energy when I started, but this was quite relaxing. Baking at it's best, peaceful and successful. I have a bit of left overs from the apple filling, so I will save and use it for another time. Otherwise these pies were easy as pi.

I have been asked to have more pictures, which I totally agree there should be, but you have to forgive my phone quality, which is not super great.

The process of making an apple pie in visual form.

 This is when the filling is getting thick

This is how it should turn out after about 10 minutes

Thick but a little transparent

The dough in it's very beginning stage,
I had to add more flour because it was too sticky

The apples peeled and sliced

Pouring the syrup liquid onto the apples before
putting them over boiling water for 20 minutes













Cooking them over the pot of boiling water

Dough ready to be rolled out

Ready...set...go...

In the first, larger, pie form

Both ready to have apple filling

With pie filling

Smaller pie with top crust and leaves that I cut out
Make sure you make a slit in the pie to let it breathe.

Larger pie with strips on top
Cut outs of leaves and acorns and rolled
pumpkins with a little stem

Pie fresh out of the oven

Before I put this pie in the oven I sprinkled sugar
on top so that it would sweet, but it also gives it
a little glitter effect

Enjoy your weekend and until my next entry let your taste buds leap for joy!

Barefoot and Baking in the kitchen