Daring Bakers September Challenge - Lavash

Here we are - another month, another challenge. The special thing about this month's choice is that it is the first time we've made something that is vegan and/or gluten free. The participants this month had the option to make lavash traditionally (with flour) or gluten-free. I opted to make my lavash with flour and was pleased with the results.

Lavash is an Armenian flat cracker bread that pairs well with pretty much any type of dip or spread. To make it, a yeasted dough is rolled paper thin and baked. It can be topped with spices, sesame seeds, salt and even cinnamon. I chose to use whole cumin seeds since I was going to use them with an eggplant dip.

The whole process was very easy and much like making pizza dough. I scored the dough into rectangles but you can leave the dough whole and break it into shards when it is finished.

The final product came out very nice. I had no trouble with rolling out the dough. The crackers were crunchy and tasted exactly how you would imagine a cracker to taste. I enjoyed this challenge and would consider trying to make them again as my family liked them and patiently waited until I took a picture before devouring every last one.

Thanks to Natalie from Gluten A Go Go, and co-host Shel of Musings From the Fishbowl for this easy and fun challenge. Check out their websites for the complete recipe and check out the DB blogroll for hundreds of different interpretations of this recipe.

Blueberry-Brown Sugar Plain Cake

With the summer behind us and fall quickly approaching, I'm posting one of the last summer berry recipes I made this year. Blueberry-Brown Sugar Plain Cake is aptly named and quite tasty for something seemingly so humble.

What it is, is a type of crumb cake without all the fancy toppings - no streusel or crumble to be seen. What you end up with is a fairly thin cake theoretically studded with blueberries. As you can see from the picture, the blueberries settled to the bottom of the cake. I did make it in a slightly larger pan than called for in the recipe so this may account for the sinkage.

Regardless, the cake was moist and tasty with a little hint of caramel-ly flavour from the brown sugar - perfect for snacking or with tea. If desired, you could dust it with some icing sugar for a little pizazz but it really is fine all by itself.

Recipe: Blueberry-Brown Sugar Plain Cake

And the Winner is...

Hi All,

I have some good news and some bad news. The bad news is that I missed yesterday's deadline (sorry!) but the good news is that Carole R. is the winner of the Loblaws basket! Congratulations.

Please e-mail me (click "Email me" on the right side at the bottom) so I can get your details.

Thanks to all of you who entered!

Eat Well Save More

Recently, Loblaws, Fortinos and Zehrs launched the "Eat Well Save More" program. When I was contacted about the program, I was interested in letting you all know about it because I do quite a lot of shopping at the bagless Loblaw Superstore. Now, more than a thousand prices on items customers buy most at Zehrs, Fortinos, Loblaws, Loblaw Great Food and Your Independent Grocer locations in Ontario have been reduced. In addition to the already low prices at Real Canadian Superstore and Loblaw Superstore consumers will continue to see lower prices on even more items.

What it means is that many of the products you already buy are even more affordable.

Loblaw comparison shops weekly tens of thousands of items to ensure they offer the best prices to consumers. Loblaw strives to offer key items on the everyday shopping list at great value and for shoppers, this means not having to compromise on quality.

To find out more about Eat Well Save More and what items are part of the initiative , check out the weekly flyers at Loblaws, Zehrs or Fortinos.

Thanks to the nice people at MS&L Digital, I received a basket of products that are part of the Eat Well Save more program. If you too would like to receive a basket, just leave a comment and I will randomly choose a winner on Wednesday Sept. 10, 2008.

Daring Bakers August Challenge - Éclairs

After a whirlwind summer, I have finally have the time to participate in a DB challenge. Éclairs were chosen for August and I was excited to get my hands dirty, so to speak.

Éclairs consist of a choux dough, pastry cream filling and chocolate glaze. The whole process is not hard but takes time to make sure things aren't rushed.

This challenge was a huge learning lesson for me. Even with the best of efforts, the finished product ended up being disappointing. My choux ended up a little flat and eggy but the other components were great. They were still able to be sliced and filled. I'm glad I tried them, now I just have to perfect them.

Thanks to Tony Tahhan and MeetaK for choosing something that we love to eat but not necessarily love to make. You can check out the DB blogroll to see what everyone else made and I'm pretty sure someone there has the complete recipe available for your reading pleasure.

Have a great long weekend!

Orange Bundt Cake

Here's another Bundt cake that I made recently. This orange cake may share the same shape as my previous cake but it is quite different in a couple ways.

Firstly, the preparation method is different. For this cake, which is very delicate, you have to incorporate the whites and yolks separately. Yolks are mixed with the butter and sugar and the whites are whipped and folded in afterward. This makes for a lighter, airier cake.

Secondly, the moistness and flavour of the cake are almost completely dependent on an orange glaze that is prepared in a saucepan and poured over the cake twice - once while in the pan, and then over top when it is unmolded. The recipe given for the glaze is generous and I used it all even though I didn't think I needed it. It soaked into the cake nicely and gave the cake a shiny-ish wet look and a sticky feel.

One thing I noticed is that this cake didn't rise really, really high - just high enough. A light dusting of icing sugar made it look pretty. Even though the cake came out just fine, I would bake it a little less to get a lighter brown crust. All in all, the cake was not a bad one - it just had a finickier preparation than most other bundt cakes. Some may not like the sugar syrup in the cake, others may like the sweetness it gives. So as the French say, chacun à son goût!

Recipe: Orange Bundt Cake

Classic Banana Bundt Cake

Baking with bananas is something we all do whether we want to or not. I've done it a few times here on my blog and will probably continue to do so in the future. It can't be helped - I will always have ripe bananas in my freezer waiting to be mashed and turned into something delectable.

Case in point is this wonderful banana bundt cake. By using your basic pantry staples and some super-ripe bananas you too can create a perfect cake. It's moist and banana-y in just the right way. It reminds me of cakes that belong on the diner counter waiting to be sliced and distributed to hungry patrons. I, however, have not had the pleasure of growing up with diners and soda fountains but I imagine this cake would feel right at home under a glass dome.

To make this cake taste its best, you must use bananas so ripe they seem like liquid and can 'pour' out of their skin. I know this sounds unappetizing, but trust me, your tastebuds will be happy. So will anyone who eats this cake. It's the best banana cake I've made in ages.

Recipe: Classic Banana Bundt Cake

Baker's One Bowl Brownies

Brownie recipes come in all shapes and sizes. Some are cakey, some are chewy and some have all different kinds of add-ins that make them extra-special. Usually, if I wanted to make spur-of-the-moment brownies I was always lacking in some essential ingredient but, with these one bowl brownies, as long as you have the basics, you can eat brownies.

The recipe is not a fussy one and one thing that I like is that the recipe makes a 9 x 13-inch pan - more than enough to enjoy and share with friends. They are super dense and moist as long as they're not overbaked. For me, this means about 25 minutes. They're not thick or cakey and go perfectly with a cold glass of milk. If you want something fancier, use them as a base for ice cream sundaes and, as always, make them yours by adding in nuts, chocolate chips or top with a favourite chocolate icing.

If you're like me and brownies are sometimes a hit-or-miss affair, give these a try. They're easy, don't cost a whole lot to prepare and are perfect for the budding baker.

Recipe: Baker's One Bowl Brownies

Blueberry Crumble Bars

Here's another blueberry recipe to try out. Blueberry crumble bars are exactly what the name implies - juicy blueberries nestled underneath a sweet brown sugar crumble. If you're looking for a dessert the is reminiscent of blueberry pie without actually having to make one, this may be for you.

The bar consists of a brown sugar crust which is simply mixed in a bowl. The blueberry filling is easy to pull together since the fruit requires no cutting, peeling or slicing. Wash, toss and you're done. The crumble is my favourite part of the whole bar. I love the sugary crunchiness it imparts which goes well with the juicy berries. In less than an hour, you have a pretty tasty treat.

Overall, I give these bars a thumbs up. The only issue I have is with the crust which I found to be very thin. When patting it into the pan, I had barely enough to cover the whole bottom. Call me old fashioned but I like a substantial crust that holds the filling without falling apart. If I had doubled the recipe maybe I would have got what I wanted but no matter. I also found the texture of the crust to be crunchy in a maple candy sort of way. A little bit grainy. It was by no means inedible and would have probably tasted fabulous crumbled on top of creamy vanilla ice cream.

Recipe: Blueberry Crumble Bars

Crunchy-Top Blueberry Muffins

Summer berries are finally here and in Ontario and that means berry desserts are on the menu. They may not all be local but there presence is welcome nonetheless.

I made these muffins a while back for a senior kindergarten graduation. The recipe calls for full-sized muffins but I made mini ones to fit in little hands. I also left off the crunchy topping since all it is only sugar and orange rind.

The feedback I got was that the muffins were yummy and my own family, who ate the not-so-perfect ones, really liked them and asked for more. Unfortunately, that's about all I can say about them because I didn't write anything down about the final product and summer holidays have seemed to give everyone in my house temporary memory loss.

All I can say was that they were a breeze to make and bake and if you try them maybe you'll have more to say about them than me!

Recipe: Crunchy-Top Blueberry Muffins

Simply Sensational Chocolate Chip Cookies

In our house, June not only marks the beginning of summer but the end of the school year. Things are slowly coming to a close in class and with only eight days left, there is much anticipation for the upcoming holidays.

Throughout the year, my youngest has kept a reading log that I scrupulously kept updated my the minute (literally) with the goal being 2500 minutes for the year. Well, he made it and as a fun celebratory activity, his teacher had a baking party for the class and made these Simply Sensational Chocolate Chip Cookies.

I made and baked these cookies the day he brought the recipe home. The only thing I would have liked to have had was more regular-sized chocolate chips. I had to use mini ones which was okay in a pinch. What I liked about these cookies was that the oatmeal was blended giving the cookies a smoother appearance, but still textured, and the addition of grated chocolate gave the cookies more flair.

I would definitely make these cookies again with more chocolate. They were not flat nor too rounded and baked well even though I had to refrigerate some of the dough. Bake them longer for a crispier cookie but I like my cookies crisp on the edges and chewy on the inside. To make them even more fun for kids, use M & M's which is what I think I'll do next time.

Recipe: Simply Sensational Chocolate Chip Cookies

Buttery Jam Cookies

If you're looking for a simple and tasty cookie to have with tea, these jam cookies are for you.

I intended to make these cookies with apricot jam, as the recipe suggests, but by the time I got around to making them, the apricot jam was gone and boysenberry had taken its place. This dark jam turned my cookie dough purple and I realized that, esthetically, a light-hued jam would have looked much better.

Nevertheless, I made my purple cookies while the small people around me gave me their observations on what the dough looked like, which unfortunately I cannot reproduce here. Despite their wacky colour, the cookies came out just fine. They did not spread a lot and the dough was stiff enough that I was able to roll them into even-sized balls. They were soft with a cakey texture and not overly buttery, as their name suggests.

They don't look glamorous but they're good for snacking. Give them a try with any jam of your choice.

Recipe: Buttery Jam Cookies

Daring Bakers May Challenge - Opera Cake

The lovely founders of the Daring Baker Empire, Ivonne and Lis, chose the challenge for the month of May along with two new members Fran and Shea. In true DB style, they decided on the Opera cake - a three layer almond jaconde, layered with buttercream, mousse and chocolate glaze. In true Canadian Baker style, I left this cake to the last two days before the clock struck midnight. Good thing I gave myself the extra day because I needed it.

After having completed the cake, I can say that if you tackle all the components one by one, you'll be fine. I had never baked a cake in a jelly roll pan before and was eager to see how it would turn out. I pulled it off without a hitch which was quite gratifying.

Assembling the cake is not difficult either. Each layer of cake is brushed with soaking liquid and covered with buttercream. Unfortunately I didn't buy enough white chocolate to complete the ganache/mousse layer so I topped my cake with strawberry buttercream and a white chocolate glaze. My glaze dripped down the sides of the cake whereas I have seen some cakes by uber-talented DBers with nary a drip in sight. I guess I need to practice!

Overall, I'm happy that I made this cake. It challenged me and when making a new type of dessert with different techniques I'm never sure if I'm doing it right until I'm finished. Well, its not the most polished cake but I'm pleased with how it turned out. Definitely edible and sweet, sweet sweet!

To see the complete recipe, visit Cream Puffs in Venice and to see all the amazing, different and imaginative cakes by the DB army, check out the blogroll.

Fruity Soda Bread

Soda bread is a type of quick bread that can easily be made in a matter of minutes. It is usually made as a large circle and scored on the top with a knife. What makes it quick is the use of baking soda as a leavening agent rather than yeast.

Soda bread can be made savoury or sweet as in the picture. It makes a great meal accompaniment and its texture is reminiscent of a scone. It is best eaten within a few days and can be toasted and slathered in butter or jam.

This recipe produced a bread that was soft on the inside and crusty on the outside. Once cooled it sliced really well, though the dough was too soft to be scored before baking. Soda bread could also be made in smaller portions but you have to remember to shorten the baking time accordingly. Making soda bread is also a great way to use up the mish-mash of supplies in your cupboard. Only have a few raisins, currants and candied fruit? No problem, make a soda bread and your odds and ends will make something spectacular.

Recipe: Fruity Soda Bread

Almond Biscotti

Biscotti is a large coffeehouse chain staple. Everywhere you go, there are those huge glass jars layered with these perfectly identical Italian cookies ready to be dunked into hot beverages across Canada. I never really enjoy these commercial biscotti because I find them more rock-hard than crisp and dry as they should be. Perhaps because of this aversion, I don't make them very often at home but when asked by Mr. CB, I relent.

Biscotti is a double baked cookie. After making the dough (which is sticky) it has to be shaped into logs and then baked. Afterwards, they're taken out of the oven, cooled and sliced. From there, you pop them back in the oven to golden them up and get them crisp. I have tried different recipes, some of which brown more quickly than others, but I found with this Canadian Living recipe the biscotti turned out perfectly. They were nicely golden on the outside and, when cooled, were crunchy, dunkable and thoroughly enjoyable.

Recipe: Almond Biscotti

Daring Bakers April Challenge - Cheesecake Pops

This month Deb from Taste and Tell and Elle from Feeding My Enthusiasms chose a fun challenge for all of us to try - Cheesecake Pops.

What are these little confections, you ask? They're frozen cheesecake balls that are dipped in your choice of chocolate and dressed up any which way you like. I dipped my pops in three types of chocolate and used a variety of sprinkles.

The cheesecake baked up great. I had no problems with it. The cheesecake tasted very yummy and was not heavy at all. Even though scooping and rolling was a little messy, the balls froze well. Dipping was a breeze too. I found it was easier to spoon the chocolate over the balls than dip them directly into the melted chocolate.

If you ever want to make something novel for a party or occasion, these would not be a bad choice. They're fun and imaginative and you can customize them any way you like. I know some Daring Bakers even flavoured their chocolate. I enjoyed this challenge immensely and the cheesecake is definitely a keeper, even if you only make one-third of the recipe.

To see the recipe, please visit Elle or Deb and to see all the other Daring Baker creations, please go to the blogroll.

Brrrrr-ownies

I first saw the brownie-mint patty combination in a Maida Heatter cookbook. She put a layer of mint patties between the brownie mixture and, since I enjoy the mint-chocolate combination, it sounded quite delicious.

Fast-forward a few years and and I have finally gotten around to making a similar version using plain old Coolmints. I would have bought the suggested York Peppermint Pattie Bites had I read the recipe through completely. No worries though - I just chopped them up, followed the directions and was rewarded with a chewy, minty brownie.

I liked how some of the pieces held their shape and provided a nice contrast to the brownie dough. I did end up with a thin layer of mint filling covering the bottom of the brownies which was not a problem at all when it came to getting eaten. These brownies formed a nice thin crackly top and were best eaten once they were completely cool. (They are fragile otherwise.)

Enjoy with some cold milk, or turn them into brownie sundaes as Dorie suggests. Either way, this is one super-cool treat!

Recipe: Brrrrr-ownies

Honey-Wheat Cookies

I was pretty excited to see a recipe for a wheat germ cookie in my new cookbook. Up until now, wheat germ had been chilling in my fridge (it has a high oil content and can go rancid if stored incorrectly) only used once in something way back when. Finally, something that showcased this healthy product on its own rather than being cursorily sprinkled on yogurt or muffins. (Plus, it let me get rid of my stash.)

Give yourself some time to make these as you need to let the dough chill for at least 2 hours. The recipe is straightforward with no baking gymnastics required. Once chilled, the cookies are rolled in more wheat germ and baked.

What you end up with are perfectly uniform cookies a little bigger than the size of a Toonie. They are nutty, chewy and tangy (from lemon zest) all at the same time. I used PC Organics Pure Honey and I think the flavour would change depending on what type of honey you use. These cookies went over well in my house (with adults anyways) and are a perfect match for tea. Definitely a healthy treat keeper.

Recipe: Honey-Wheat Cookies

Chocolate Malted Whopper Drops

Do you like Maltesers - those crunchy chocolate-covered balls of yumminess? If you do, then these cookies are made for you.

These Whopper (or Malteser) Drops are hearty, chocolatey cookies filled with bittersweet chocolate, malt balls, malt powder and cocoa. They are intense and slightly cakey but wholly satisfying.

If you're wondering about malt powder, you can substitute Ovaltine, a powdered drink mix. When I was younger I tried hot Ovaltine and thought it was pretty much the anti-hot chocolate but, as I've grown, I have come to see the benefit of this malty beverage. I still don't drink it but, its esteem has risen in my eyes since I can bake with it.

Also, try to find bittersweet chocolate. It gives the cookies a certain 'poshness' that semi sweet chocolate would not be able to. The bitterness goes well with the malt and sweetness of the balls. When I make these again I would leave the Maltesers whole since they sort of disappeared in the cookie dough. Try them out - they're not pretty but they're good!

Recipe: Chocolate Malted Whopper Drops

Daring Bakers March Challenge - Perfect Party Cake

This month's DB challenge was hosted by the marvelous Morven at Food Art and Random Thoughts. She had us all make a the Perfect Party Cake from Dorie Greenspan's Baking from my Home to Yours. (This is why I bought the book in the first place but I couldn't spill the beans on why I bought it.)

The party cake is different from others as there are no egg yolks in the mix and the ingredients are not added in like most other layer cakes. I will spare you from the methodology as you can read it in the recipe, but what you end up with is a lovely, moist snow white cake.

I would have liked my cakes to rise a bit more so I could do the proper 4 layers but I measured them and they were between 1-2 cm thick. I didn't want to destroy them so I left it as a two layer cake.

There was quite a lot of room for experimentation with this challenge and I decided to frost my cake with sweetened whipped cream and fill the cake with more whipped cream and blueberry jam. Since the cake is lemony, the blueberry flavour worked really well. Overall I liked this cake very much and so did those who ate it. To see all the interesting variations please visit the Daring Baker Blogroll. To see the recipe go to Morven's blog and check out her cake creation. Thanks Morven for a great choice!