Well, I finally did IT!

Well, it's the end of 2011 winding down, and I finally decided to put up a Facebook page for JujyCakes
If anything it can help me confirm that my talent is worth fighting for and going after my passion.

Together but separate...

These are mine...

and these are Erika's!

Erika and I still do things together although we are 3000 miles apart. This Christmas, we both were making Pretzel chocolate caramel pecan delights within days of each other. See mine are up top, and Erika's are the ones with the dark chocolate enrobed caramels...yummy, all the same.

One day, one Holiday soon, hopefully we will be in the same place, same kitchen making tons of these "candies", cookies and treats for Santa and friends.

Happy Holidays, and here's to a bright New Year 2012!

Food gifts this year for Christmas-

Every time I make these, they remind me of my friend Liz, who made them and brought them to one of our Holiday prep meetings. I was thrilled with something so simple and easy to make...who knew that Rolos
( which I WISH would come in DARK chocolate!!!), pretzels and pecans would be so great!
I just have to have my dark chocolate and drizzle away...before placing them in their little gift bags ready to give away to some happy foodie like me!
Plus they're just so darn cute, don't you think?

Hub's 56th Birthday goodies!

YES, I am still baking! It's a challenge to do it in the kitchen I use, but as long as I get into the "groove"
-it's a joyful and happy thing for me. Hub turns 56 on Christmas Eve, and as long as we have been together, there is a conscious effort to separate birthday from Christmas. He wanted Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cherry cookies, and I said NO...I can make cookies and scones for him any day. He is a chocolate monster...he LOVES chocolate...and I thought I was baaad. Nope, a day without chocolate is a day without sunshine for him. We have bowls of dark MM's, dark Dove, and there is a Lindt dark chocolate reindeer sitting on his nightstand next to a Weck jar filled with dark covered almonds, cherries and blueberries...
do YOU THINK he LOVES chocolate?

Anyhow, since we are traveling tonight to family, it was important that these got made. I just got a new batch of Pernigotti Cocoa, and tweaked my one recipe...subbed sour cream for the buttermilk and added a tsp of espresso powder to make the cocoa sing! I had to taste test a misfit cupcake, and I must say the cake is AWESOME!!!

I filled them with a truffle recipe made with Guittard bittersweet chocolate pastilles, heavy cream and unsalted butter, then they were topped off with caramel meringue buttercream and vanilla meringue buttercream with Valrhona dark chocolate crunch pearls...the house wafts of dark chocolate, sugar and butter. If we weren't ready for a birthday before , we are now!

Happy travels wherever you may be going, be safe and enjoy your families and GOOD food :-)

Truffle filled Dark chocolate cupcakes with meringue buttercream

It's not a mound of mashed potatoes...really...

Well, this was a last minute order. I was out having a catch up / net working lunch with a friend and my brother calls needing a carrot cake for a dinner party in 30 hours. More details, and I find out that the guests, who this cake is for, have had my carrot cake. Last year, I sent my brother with my filled carrot cake cupcakes as a house gift. The husband apparently LOVES carrot cake and thus, a request for the carrot cake again.

No extras like last year. No nuts, no pecan creme filling, no orange zest in the cream cheese frosting...oh, my creative heart. No, no...this simple, beauty has 3 layers of moist carrot cake filled with layers of caramel cream, (luscious, buttery sugary, heavy cream vanilla goodness) topped with vanilla bean cream cheese frosting and a gentle sprinkling of cinnamon. 

I had a taste of the trimmings, just the cake with a lovely mug of hot tea...and it's great when it's naked. I'm confident that it was decadent in all it's glory.

Yup, still baking and having fun when I can get it. More stories to come...

Sunset...

Well, this was last night around the neighborhood. It caught the corner of my eye. It was so beautiful and so powerful. It made me stop and think: I had a gratitude moment. What are you grateful for today?

Baking takes away spinning thoughts...

This afternoon was a get away from all the thoughts that keep spinning in my head. After getting all the ingredients together, (just how many times can one go to the store in one day?), I decided to make some pumpkin muffins with streusel. Finally had all the software mise en place, hardware...well, let's put it this way, I can do with the minimum, AND off we go.

This is a simple one bowl process that does not require a mixer...well, I used the food processor for the streusel. Cinnamon all the way around since I'm not a big fan of pumpkin pie spice...they made the house smell good and made those thoughts disappear for a brief moment or so.

Streusel Pumpkin Muffins


1 ½ cups AP flour
1 ½ cups AP whole wheat flour
¼ cup sugar
¾ cup brown sugar
1 T ground cinnamon
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
½ tsp kosher salt
1 can of canned pumpkin
3 eggs
½ cup plain yogurt
½ cup canola oil

streusel:
¾ cup AP flour
¾ cup brown sugar
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 stick unsalted butter

Pulse flour, sugar, cinnamon and butter for streusel in food processor till it resembles coarse sand. 

Set aside in bowl till ready.

Prepare 2-12 muffin tins lined with cupcake liners for 20 muffins.

Preheat oven 350° F. In a large mixing bowl, whisk dry ingredients together-  flours, sugars, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda and salt. In another medium bowl, whisk 3 eggs with pumpkin, oil and yogurt. Add wet ingredients to dry, mix gently till combined. Using a #20 disher (3T), place 1 scoop of batter into each liner. Sprinkle streusel mixture on top of batter. Bake in 350°F oven for 18-25 minutes till toothpick inserted comes out clean. Do not overbake. Cool in tins for 15 minutes before taking muffins out and placing on cooling racks.

Enjoy!

PS> These are a dense, moist muffin due to the whole wheat flour...stay tuned pumpkin cupcakes are coming soon, with butter pecan filling with cream cheese frosting...soon...

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I love CHOCOLATE!

It's November 2nd, there are only 3 pumpkin scones left in the house. It means it's time to bake more goodies so Hub has something to eat for breakfast or snack with his big mug of tea. There are so many biscotti recipes out there, that I made a hybrid of the one from David Leibovitz, former pastry chef from Chez Panisse and another one I found on the net. 


Chocolate Biscotti

1/2 stick unsalted butter
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 tsp Godiva chocolate liqueur
2 cups AP flour
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa * use the best you can find, I happen to LOVE Pernigotti cocoa!*
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1 cup chocolate chips * white, semi, bittersweet,...whatever you love*
1 cup nuts * almonds, walnuts, pecans,...whatever you love*

In a large bowl, sift flour, cocoa, soda, powder and salt, set aside.
Cream butter with sugars, mixed in eggs and add extracts. Add 1/2 flour mixture to wet ingredients, till mixed in. Add remainder with chips and nuts, mix till well blended. Gather into a ball, split into 2. Roll into
2- 9"x2.5" logs. Place on parchment lined sheet pan. Leave 4" between each log. Bake at 350°F oven for 20-25 minutes. Remove from oven. Cool at least 1 hour.

Take cooled cookie log and gently saw ( use a bread knife for this, please) on the diagonal, 1/2" slices of biscotti. Place these on another parchment lined sheet pan, and bake at 325°F for 8-9 minutes. DO NOT OVERBAKE. Let these completely cool before putting in a storage container.
OR...dip them into dark chocolate for even more decadence! ENJOY!

Fall is for pumpkins...

Considering that we had snow this past Saturday, it was only fitting to bake something warm and wonderful that would be great with a BIG mug of tea or coffee. This is one of the easiest scone recipes I have, and so easy to mix it up. These yummy goodies are pumpkin scones with Ghiradelli semi sweet chocolate chips, chopped pecans, and Demerara sugar, ( and there's a stick of butter + some 2% Cabot vanilla yogurt). 

These are one of Eric's favorites with a piping hot mug of Brioche black tea to get him started in the mornings, especially the chilly ones we've been having lately.

Hmm, they're almost gone...I'm thinking about making some chocolate biscotti next time. Stay tuned. 

Pumpkin Scones

2 cups AP flour ( I love King Arthur flour!)

3 Ts sugar ( you can use white or brown, I used brown for these)

1 stick unsalted butter cold

1 T baking powder

1/2 t baking soda

1/2 t kosher salt

1 cup chocolate chips ( you can use what you like, semi sweet, bittersweet...I prefer Ghiradelli or Guittard)

1 cup nuts, rough chopped ( again, use what you prefer, personally I LOVE pecans!)

1/2 cup canned pumpkin ( just the pumpkin sans spices, NOT the pie filling stuff)

1/2 cup 2% Cabot greek vanilla yogurt

Preheat oven to 375°F, and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.

If you have a food processor, add the flour, sugar, powder, soda and salt to your workbowl. Cut up the stick of butter into 1/2 slices and scatter those in the workbowl. Pulse all these ingredients till the mixture resembles coarse sand. ( you can do this in a large mixing bowl with a pastry cutter or 2 knives if you don't have the hardware.) Dump this into a large mixing bowl. Add chips and nuts, mix lightly with a fork. 

Add pumpkin and yogurt. Mix with fork till all the ingredients come together. Gently form into a ball, and pour out onto the counter, lightly floured. Gently knead 1-2 turns...DO NOT OVERKNEAD! (they'll be tough, and they need to be flaky, tender crumbly goodness!) Form into a circle about 8" diameter and 1½" tall. Cut into 8 wedges. (* note: you can brush milk or egg wash on top of these and sprinkle with Demerara sugar for added texture and crunch )

Place onto lined sheet 2" apart, bake at 375°F for 18-20 minutes or till golden brown. 

Remove from cookie sheet and place on cooling rack...eat them warm in about 15 mins...

when the chocolate is warm and gooey.

Save in an airtight container for about 3-4 days, IF they last that long. 

Extra tasty when rewarmed in a microwave for about 10 seconds to go along with that mug of tea or coffee. ENJOY!

Goodbye old friend, ...

Well, the day has finally come to say goodbye to my Cuisinart DLC-7E. We’ve been friends ever since we met on Christmas Day, 1981. Santa left you under my tree along with Erika’s first Christmas presents that year. It’s hard to believe all the wonderful things we’ve done over these past 30 years!

You helped me struggle with making pie crusts. You held up beautifully with all the watermelon granita I kept making, and all those frozen pieces of melon banging against your lexan workbowl #1. After a while after all the “ice”, I had to buy a new workbowl#2 for the powerful motor, that would allow me to cut up tons of veggies, chop chocolate, pecans, and my favorite making scones, scones, and more scones. Nothing blends cold butter into flour like you, my friend. 

Alas, your workbowl has broken in places that will not allow it stay attached to the base, and the electrical connection isn’t as tight as it used to be when you were younger. I tried to find a replacement workbowl #3, feed tube, sleeve and new metal blade, but alas, for $154, it’s time for us to part ways. 

You have served me well, and I have a feeling the new friend is not going to last me another 30 years like you did. We made one last batch of scones together. Your parts although broken and worn are washed and ready to go; it’s time to take a rest. You will be missed. 

Erika's 30th Birthday Cake!

It's amazing that I was able to complete this cake! I miscalculated the amount of buttercream I needed and had to make 2 batches. I wasn't working with a turntable so the cake had a bit of a tumble and needed to be righted. All in all, it finally was completed in the wee hours of the morning and settled into the fridge.

It was a 6 layer dark chocolate cake...with Grand Marnier syrup to keep the layers moist, with Maman framboise preserves and TONs of fresh raspberries with vanilla orange meringue buttercream...just as the birthday girl requested.

Hope to be baking soon...stay tuned for more goodies, soon!

I sound like skipping CD...yes, I am still baking!

Yes, I am still here and still baking. I don't get to bake very often any more, since circumstances have changed AND it's a HUGE challenge to bake where I am for now...This wonderful FALL weather has me cooking comfort foods, like the PERFECT roast chicken...a 7-pounder that is easily enough for 2 meals.

So what to do? Make pot pies! Make a velouté, which is just chicken stock thickened with a roux (butter and flour) with some seasonings- a little salt, a little pepper, some thyme and parsley. Toss with braised leeks and sauteéd mushroom, and the diced chicken. Top off with REAL puff pastry, you know the kind, it's only made with butter, flour, salt and a bit of water.
Bake at 400° F for 30-35 minutes or till golden brown. YUM...
You can add any type of veggies you like...but since Hub is allergic to Vit C, we avoid potatoes since they are like 45% C, thanks to Mother Nature.

Fall baking also includes pecans...apples...cranberries. Well, at least this day it was pecans. The pecan tart is like having a small piece of pecan pie, just a bit less complicated. Oooey, gooey, butter pecan caramel goodness poured into a buttery crispy crunchy shortbread crust. Trust me, a little goes a LONG way!

Baking this week made me happy and creative. I have missed that, and will need to figure out what to bake this coming week. Hmm, what should I make next?

Dream a little dream of me...

 

It's been a while since I've been baking again. ( seems like an un-ending saga, huh?)

I miss it. I miss the creativity and the getting lost in a recipe, similar to readers that get absorbed into a good book that takes them on an adventure and somewhere else from where they are. I miss that feeling since I have not been able to really "bake" in my current situation. The kitchen where I am now, is full of hot morning sun, and I am lucky if there is 12 square feet of working surface space. Actually I should say, there is a 3' x 2' space and another one. Two small spaces make it very challenging to bake anything.

A request came my way last night giving me a day to get it all together. Find all my tools, clear off some space and find the coolest part of the day to bake the cupcakes. Check. Assemble, box and wrap to go.
Everything is stabilized this go round, since there is no extra fridge space to keep these cold...
Yet, cool is fine, so the buttercream will stay soft and fluffy...
and when this thank you gift is received, the recipients can dig in whole heartedly to dark chocolate cake laced with espresso and mocha liqueur, filled with a whole raspberry filled with raspberry mousse with the super soft vanilla meringue buttercream pillow topped with another raspberry and sparkling sugar.

Thank you for letting me have a creative day today- for you to share tomorrow.