Category Archives: Autumn

Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls

2 October 2016

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Summer is officially over and that means ripe pumpkins are on the vine, ready for picking. Now, more than ever, pumpkin season means pumpkin spice treats of all kinds. From the obvious, like cakes, cookies and frothy coffee drinks, to the strange, think pumpkin spiced kale chips, French pumpkin pie spiced vodka, or pumpkin tortilla chips, pumpkin is everywhere and in everything. Pumpkin lovers everywhere can rejoice now that the season is in full swing.

We’re celebrating the start of pumpkin season by sharing these homey, America’s Test Kitchen-inspired, brown butter pumpkin cinnamon rolls. It gets its hearty, nutty texture from a mix of toasted wheat germ, whole wheat flour and all-purpose flour. The dough, which is essentially a biscuit, produces a soft yet dense roll that’s full of great flavor and substantial texture.

This pumpkin roll recipe was adapted late last fall and we decided to wait for the next season to post it with the idea of getting an earlier start. We’re hitting the goal in a mad dash to get posts written before we leave for Paris. On top of a multitude of summer road trips, the last few weeks have been a blur with a baking gig that called for 500 mini bourbon pecan pies, followed by another gig two weeks later that called for 500 bourbon blondies and rye brownies. All of that was punctuated with the catering of Steve’s parents’ 50th wedding anniversary in between the baking gigs. The party included a 1,600 mile roundtrip roadtrip (and lots of help from dear friends and family). We’re ready for a break and by the time you read this, we’ll be roaming the streets of Paris in search of our next treat!

The recipe below includes one of our all-time seasonal favorites, pumpkin butter. With the ease of opening a can of pumpkin puree, this is one to make at home. But if you’re in a pinch, Trader Joe’s pumpkin butter is fantastic and well priced. It’s worth stocking up if you can find it. Toasted nuts add an earthy finishing touch of crunch. And while the rolls look a little craggy coming out of the oven, that dimpled surface makes for a perfect canvas for the sweet drizzle of icing that completes the dish.

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Brown Butter Pumpkin Rolls

  • 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted, for pan
  • 1/2 cup pumpkin butter (homemade* or store bought [Trader Joe’s makes a great pumpkin butter])
  • 1/4 cup brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup pecans

Biscuit Dough

  • 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and browned
  • 2 tablespoons toasted wheat germ
  • 1 1⁄2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour, plus additional flour for work surface (12 1/2 ounces)
  • 1 cup whole wheat flour
  • 2 tablespoons brown sugar
  • 1 1⁄4 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1⁄2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1⁄2 teaspoon table salt
  • 1 1⁄4 cups kefir, yogurt, or buttermilk

Icing

  • 2 tablespoons cream cheese, softened
  • 2 tablespoons buttermilk
  • 1 cup confectioners’ sugar (4 ounces)

DIRECTIONS

Adjust oven rack to upper-middle position and heat to 425 degrees.

Pour 1 tablespoon melted butter in 9-inch nonstick cake pan; brush to coat pan.

Spray wire rack with nonstick cooking spray; set aside.

To make biscuit dough:

Whisk toasted wheat germ, flours, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in large bowl.

Whisk kefir and 4 tablespoons melted butter in measuring cup or small bowl.

Add liquid to dry ingredients and stir with wooden spoon until liquid is absorbed (dough will look very shaggy), about 30 seconds. Transfer dough to lightly floured work surface and knead until just smooth and no longer shaggy.

Pat dough with hands into 12 by 9-inch rectangle. Spread the pumpkin butter evenly over the dough; sprinkle with brown sugar and pecans. Sprinkle evenly with filling, leaving 1/2-inch border of plain dough around edges. Press filling firmly into dough. Starting at long side, roll dough, pressing lightly, to form a tight log. Pinch seam to seal. Roll log seam-side down and cut evenly into eight pieces. With hand, slightly flatten each piece of dough to seal open edges and keep filling in place.

Arrange buns in buttered cake pan. Brush with 2 tablespoons remaining melted butter. Bake until edges are golden brown, 23 to 25 minutes.

Use metal spatula to loosen buns from pan; without separating, slide buns out of pan onto greased cooling rack.

Cool about 5 minutes before icing.

To make icing and finish buns:

While buns are cooling, line rimmed baking sheet with wax paper(for easy cleanup); set rack with buns over baking sheet.

Whisk kefir and confectioners’ sugar until there are no more lumps

Spoon glaze evenly over buns and serve immediately. 

*Pumpkin Butter

  • 1 can (15 ounces) Pumpkin Puree
  • 2/3 cup packed brown sugar
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves

COMBINE pumpkin, sugar, honey, lemon juice, cinnamon and cloves in medium, heavy-duty saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat; reduce heat to low. Cook, stirring frequently, for 20 to 25 minutes or until thickened.

S’mores Cake & Cupcakes

28 August 2016

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This has been our summer of s’mores. It began in early June with a campfire and a family week in the mountains. On that trip, we even found ourselves manning a s’mores table at a race expo in West Yellowstone. We were up to our elbows in sticky melted marshmallows, Hershey’s chocolate and graham cracker crumbs. Still, we could have eaten more of them.

Before summer gets away from us, we’re spending some weekend time baking up this s’mores-inspired cake. The result is a tender graham cracker cake, a thick layer of rich chocolate ganache, and toasty “marshmallow fluff” frosting. Summer on a cake stand.

We’ve taken some liberties with this one. The chocolate is dark and the fluffy white frosting isn’t what it looks like. Instead of whipping up a traditional marshmallow cream, we’ve whipped up a bit of aquafaba (seriously cool stuff), sweetened it with sugar and lathered it on the cake. A kitchen blowtorch makes toasting a snap.

If you’re not familiar with aquafaba, welcome to one of 2016’s biggest food trends. Aquafaba is essentially the brainchild of some very clever French and American food geeks who figured out that the liquid in a can of garbanzo beans contained enough of certain bean proteins that it could be whipped like egg whites to create foam. As it turns out, aquafaba is more than just a passable substitute for egg whites. Aquafaba foam is more stable for longer periods of time and at a wider range of temperatures. It’s also much harder to over whip and break because it doesn’t dry out quickly. It can be flavored and colored to suit the use (think meringue, French macaroons), pavlovas, etc.). And, it’s also vegan. Although, that doesn’t seem to matter to us too much since we’re using butter, eggs, and cream in the cake and ganache recipes. However, we’re always game to try the latest food trends and incorporate them into our recipe repertoire.

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S’mores Cake
one 6-inch cake with a 6-pack of cupcakes

Graham Cracker Cake

1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup graham cracker crumbs, finely ground
3/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp salt
2/3 cup butter, room temperature
2/3 cup light brown sugar
1/3 cup granulated sugar
3 large eggs
2/3 cup kefir
2 tsp vanilla

Dark Chocolate Ganache

Aquafaba Marshmallow Fluff

Preheat oven to 350F and grease and flour a 6″ cake round and line with parchment. Grease and flour, or use cupcake papers, for 6-7 muffin spaces. Set aside.

In a medium bowl, whisk flour, graham cracker crumbs, baking powder, baking soda, and salt until well combined. Sift through a fine sieve and slowly push through most of the graham and flour until only small graham cracker crumbs are left. Add the crumbs to the flour mixture and set aside.

Using a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter until smooth.
Add sugars and beat on med-high until pale and fluffy (2-3mins).
Reduce speed and add eggs one at a time, fully incorporating after each addition. Add vanilla.

Alternate adding flour mixture and kefir, beginning and ending with flour (3 additions of flour and 2 of kefir). Fully incorporating after each addition. Do not over-mix.

Spread batter evenly into prepared pans. Smooth the top with a spatula and gently whack the pans against the counter to evenly distribute and release any air bubbles.
Bake the cupcakes for 12 minutes then rotate the pan and bake another 12 minutes or until the cupcakes bounce back from a light touch. For the 6-inch cake. Bake for approx. 40 mins or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out mostly clean.

Place cakes on wire rack to cool for 10 mins. Run a knife around the edge of the pan and cake to loosen. Gently remove the cakes from the pans, set on racks and allow to fully cool before continuing.

 

Dark Chocolate Ganache

5.25 ounces dark chocolate (1 1/2 bars TJ’s 3.5 ounce dark chocolate bars)
4 ounces heavy cream
2 tablespoon soften butter
pinch of salt

Chop the dark chocolate and place it in a heat proof bowl. In a small sauce pan over medium-low heat bring the heavy cream to just about a boil. Remove from heat and pour over the chocolate, add a pinch of salt, and let sit for a minute or two, then whisk the chocolate and cream together. Once all the chocolate is incorporated, add the butter.

Allow the ganache to cool at room temperature for a couple of hours or in the fridge for about 30 minutes before continuing.

Aquafaba Marshmallow Fluff
(adapted from Chocolate Covered Katie)

1 15-ounce can garbanzo beans
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
1/2 cup ultra fine (baker’s) sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla

Drain the garbanzo beans into a bowl with a lid. Use the garbanzo beans for another use. Refrigerate the bean water over night. We think chilling it makes for a shorter whipping time.

In a stand mixer with the whisk attachment or using a handheld mixer, add the refrigerated bean water and cream of tartar to the mixing bowl and mix on medium-high speed. Once double in volume, add the ultra fine sugar and vanilla. Whisk until peaks reach desired stiffness. The bean water seems to hold up well to over-mixing.

Assembling the cakes:

Split the 6 inch layer cake in half and add 2/3 of the chocolate ganache to the split layer. Spread until to the border of the cake and top with the other split layered cake. Spread a thin crumb coat over the sides of the cake. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate at least 30 minutes, or up to a day or two. Freeze the cake at that point for up to a month before frosting.

Top the cake with a very big dollop of the fluff. Using an off set spatula, smooth over the top and sides using swishing with flourishes to the cake. This is an excellent beginner decorator frosting.

Cupcakes:

With the rest of the ganache, divide between 6 or 7 balls (depending on how many cupcakes are left). Gently and quickly roll the balls between hands. Freeze until ready to use.

With a melon baller, scope a small amount of cake out of the top center of the cupcake. Place the frozen ganache in the hole. Frost the cupcake in a variety of ways, with a pastry bag, using a big ice cream scoop, or just a spooned dollop on top. Toast the marshmallow using a home creme brûlée kit or a more toolbox-type blowtorch. A quick sit under the broiler may work also to get some color on the fluff, but it could also melt the chocolate. Who knows?