The Baking Club - 2013/2014

One year ago we started our Baking Club. The idea was to try teaching our children different recipes from around the World and why not doing that in Spanish? ;-)

The first thing we've baked were Cake pops! More exactly Ghost cake pops.

Cupcakes might be delicious;but cake pops are delicious and a lot more fun! :-)  Cake pops are a sweet treat consisting of cake turned into a lollipop.

To make cake pops you just need to have a piece of cake of any flavour. Break down the cake into fine crumbs in a bowl. You can either mix it with an electric mixer, or use your hands. Make sure that all there is left is crumbs! Then mix some frosting into it until your crumb mixture becomes the consistency of clay. Make little balls with it. 

Dip the end of a lollipop stick into melted chocolate and then into the "cake ball", gently pushing until the stick is about half way through the "cake ball". Set your cake pops in the fridge to chill for dipping. (You can also turn your cake pop upright and set it in your styrofoam block or cake pop stand.)

Dip each chilled cake pop straight down into the melted chovolate until the cake ball is completely covered and sealed. Remove the cake pop from the melted coating by pulling it straight up. Then, turn the cake pop at an angle and gently tap off any excess coating. Don’t get fancy, keep it simple. :-)

Set your cake pops in your styrofoam block or cake pop stand until the coating has hardened. Or while the coating is still wet use sprinkles, candies, or sugars to decorate your cake pops.

After this great experience more and more recipes were brought to our club! Some of them you will find below:

Chocolate chip cookie

Ingredienser

125 g mjukt smör

• 1 dl farinsocker (går även bra med strösocker eller annat "gott" socker)

• 1 ägg

• 1,5 dl mjöl

• 0,5 dl havregryn

• 0,5 tsk bakpulver

• 0,25 tsk salt

• 100 g choklad typ block eller annat man ev har hemma i skafferiet

• 0,5 dl kokos

• 
  

• Gör så här

1. Vispa smör och socker krämigt. Rör ner ägget.

   Blanda de torra ingridienserna och vänd ner i smeten.

   Hacka chokladen grovt och blanda ner i degen.

   Forma degen till en rulle (ca 5cm i diameter) och rulla in i bakplåtspapper. Frys den i minst 30minuter.

   Skär i 1cm tjocka skivor och grädda i ugn på 180grader i ca 10minuter.

Once we tried making MODELING CHOCOLATE and it was definitely a fun time.

Directions:

Melt chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl in 30-second intervals on High (100%), stirring between heating. Do not overheat. The bowl should be almost cool to the touch. Overheating will quickly cause the chocolate to burn. 

Heat corn syrup in a separate microwave-safe bowl on High (100%) for 45 seconds. 

Pour syrup into melted chocolate and stir with a rubber spatula until completely blended, about 30 generous folds of the spatula. Make sure the spatula and bowl are scraped clean of white chocolate. If any white chocolate has not made contact with corn syrup, you will have lumps in your finished modeling chocolate. Watch for white chocolate streaks while you stir. Mix until the streaks are gone. 

Do not over-mix. If you over-mix, you will notice your chocolate becoming crumbly and falling apart. The over-mixing is pulling out too much cocoa butter (fat) from the chocolate. The crumbly chocolate will settle at the bottom of the bowl and the clear liquid fat will rise to the top. You will not be able to blend the fat back into the chocolate once this happens. 

Line a quarter-sheet (9 x 13 in or 23 x 33 cm) cake pan with a large sheet of plastic wrap, making sure there is plenty of overhang. Pour chocolate mixture into pan and wrap the over-hanging plastic wrap around the chocolate. Pull the plastic wrap straight and tight over chocolate. If the plastic gathers and pokes into the chocolate, you will have trouble pulling it out of the modeling chocolate after it hardens. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and set aside at room temperature overnight. 

The next day, cut the block of modeling chocolate into knead-able sections. The block will be greasy. It needs to be kneaded. Dust a little cornstarch on the table to knead if chocolate is sticky. If the block is too hard for you to knead, heat in microwave 5 seconds at a time until you can begin to easily press your fingers into the block with less force. You will notice the block changing into a silky and pliable clay-like ball. It will be a light ivory color after it is kneaded. This is now Modeling Chocolate. Cover with plastic wrap (Press-n-Seal is best) and drop in a resealable plastic bag for storage. 

Store at room temperature for 3-4 months before the oils begin to dry out, or in the freezer for up to 2 years. 

To color: Knead in gel paste or liquid paste color of any kind. The water-based icing colors will be perfect for the job. Start with a small amount, and add a little bit at a time until you get the color you want. 

                                           White Modeling Chocolate Recipe

Milk Modeling Chocolate Recipe Semisweet Modeling Chocolate Recipe Bittersweet Modeling Chocolate Recipe

*The volume of chocolate differs depending on the shape of the chunks/morsels used. Weighing the chocolate for this formula is highly recommended for the most accurate and consistent results.

► NOTE: Every brand of chocolate is different in quality (% of fat content, % of cocoa content), which effects the amount of sugar syrup required to achieve a good, workable batch of modeling chocolate. The amount of sugar syrup in the formula often requires adjustment.

As a general rule:- If modeling chocolate is too hard, dry, or crumbly, use more sugar syrup next time.- If modeling chocolate is too soft, use less sugar syrup next time.

This one was very nice modeling chocolate idea we had!

During last year's Höstlovet we baked these "cute" little things!!

To make them you just need to find the cake mix box like the one below. We found it in the English shop in Medborgarplatsen. Easy and fun!

Before Julov we baked GINGERBREAD of course!! :-)

Cookie monster cupcakes:

It was definitely a very fun day when we baked those cute little things!

Vanilj Cupcakes

Ingredienser & Gör så här

• 4 dl vetemjöl

• 3 dl socker

• 2 1/2 tsk bakpulver

• 1/2 tsk salt

• 100 g smör, rumstempererat

• 2 dl mjölk

• 2 st ägg

• 2 tsk vaniljsocker
• 
  

Till frosting

• 60 g smör, rumstempererat

• 1 paket florsocker

• 100 g philadelphiaost, naturell
• Några droppar blå farg
• 
  

Gör så här

1. Sätt ugnen på 175 grader.
2. Sikta ihop mjöl, socker, bakpulver och salt i en bunke tillsammans med smöret.
3. Slå på en dl mjölk och rör smeten slät.
4. Vispa återståande mjölk, ägg och vaniljsocker i en annan bunke.
5. Blanda ner äggblandningen i smeten.
6. Fördela smeten i muffinsformar.
7. Grädda i ugnen ca 15-20 minuter.
8. Ta ut och låt svalna.

Spritsa på frosting som du gör så här:

1. Vispa smör,florsockert.
2.  Vispa i philadelphiaost.
3. Lägg i några droppar blå farg

Decoration:

Use the same blue food colouring used in the frosting, to dye shredded coconut as well. To decorate your cupcake as a Cookie Monster you need to dip the muffins headlong into the blue frosting mix, then dip into the coconut mix and allow to dry. To make the eyes cut two thin rounded slices of one marshmallow and put one raisin in each "eye". Cut chocolate chip cookies in half, cut the cookie monster a mouth and carefully slide the cookie into it. Voilá!! :-)

  

Cupcakes VS. Muffins: The Difference

Cupcakes VS. Muffins

There were questions about differences between cupcakes and muffins. Yes, smaller cupcakes, bigger muffins. But it’s more than size.

So here goes the answer.

Cupcakes are basically miniature cakes. So cake flour is used, which results in lighter and softer texture. And mostly butter is used and cupcakes are 100% sweet.

But muffins can be either sweet or savoury. All-purpose flour is used, so the texture is slightly denser. And vegetable oil is generally used.

The difference in procedure results in the different texture of batter between two. As for cupcakes, emulsion (incorporating oil and water) is very important and flour is mixed in the batter until smooth. But when making muffin, all the ingredients are roughly mixed.

And finally, the finishing touch. Cupcakes are normally served with frosting. But for muffins, no frosting. :-)

Valentine's Day and the Red Velvet muffin

Ingredients:

2 1/2 cups flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup butter, softened
2 cups sugar
4 eggs
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup milk
1 little bottle red food colouring
2 teaspoons Pure Vanilla Extract
 

Vanilla Cream Cheese Frosting:

1 package cream cheese,softened
1/4 cup butter, softened
2 tablespoons sour cream
2 teaspoons Pure Vanilla Extract
1 box confectioners' sugar

Directions:

1.Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Mix flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt in medium bowl. Set aside.

2.Beat butter and sugar in large bowl with electric mixer on medium speed 5 minutes or until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs, one at a time. Mix in sour cream, milk, food colour and vanilla. Gradually beat in flour mixture on low speed until just blended. Do not overbeat. Spoon batter into muffin cups, filling each cup 2/3 full.

3.Bake 20 minutes or until toothpick inserted into cupcake comes out clean. Cool in pans on wire rack 5 minutes. Remove from pans; cool completely. Frost with Vanilla Cream Cheese Frosting.

4.Vanilla Cream Cheese Frosting: Beat cream cheese, softened, butter, sour cream and Pure Vanilla Extract in large bowl until light and fluffy. Gradually beat in confectioners' sugar until smooth. 

Sportlov Cheese Cake and Semla

Last year's Sportlov was time for baking a nice and beautiful Cheese cake with Rapsberry jam and my favourite of the Swedish delicious desserts - Semla!!