The Boys of Baking Volume III: Pan de Muerto

Please welcome Cupcake Avenger guest blogging all star Matt Sullivan, who graciously agreed to take the plunge for another episode of The Boys of Baking! I'm thrilled to bring you his super impressive attempt at a spooky Pan de Muerto just in time for my favorite holiday--Halloween! 

The dough version of this looked amazing! It was a skull and cross bones with large eyes. Very manly thing to bake if you ask me. The baked product ripped on me and made the skull askew and the eyes got way too big! It still tasted amazing though.

Pan de Muerto is fittingly... mueurto :(

Hello all once again. I am currently on travel to Arizona (read Northern Mexico) and with Halloween rapidly approaching I decided to take my baking south of the border.  I was born and raised in Phoenix, so I have had a lot of exposure to the Mexican culture. So when Hilary asked me to do this again, Pan de Muerto was the obvious choice. Pan de Muerto simply means the bread of the dead. It is traditionally eaten on November 2nd (Dia del los Muertos) at the grave sites of deceased family members. Creepy? Sure. But delicious none the less. Pan de Muerto can best be described as anise bread with an orange glaze. Trust me, it works. 

If you already skipped ahead and looked at the photo, you will see my masterpiece didn't turn out so well aesthetically, so I will make like Tarantino in this blog post tell you up front: I failed, but I had fun doing it. I also learned a lesson baking bread for the first time: just because you make bread dough into a shape doesn't mean it will look like that after it cooks.  

Word of warning for those attempting this: be prepared to have a whole day set aside to tackle this project. This was my first time really baking break, so it was an eye opener for me. I will try this recipe again one day, as I won't let one failed attempt stop me.

If you want to make your own, here is the recipe:

Pan de Muerto

    makes 2 loaves

7 cups all-purpose flour, sifted, plus extra flour for your work surface

1 3/4 cup granulated sugar

1 1/4 cups unsalted butter, at room temperature

2 pkgs active dry yeast, dissolved in 5 Tbs warm milk

12 eggs

1 tsp salt

2 tsp cinnamon

2 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 cup confectioner's sugar

1/3 cup orange juice

2 tsp anise seed

2 Tbs grated orange zest

1.  Put sifted flour and granulated sugar in a large bowl; mix lightly to incorporate.

2.  Cut in the butter using your hands until it is well-incorporated (you may have little pebble-sized nuggets form; this is ok)

3.  Form a little well in the center of the mixture and pour in the yeast and milk mixture, cinnamon, anise seed, salt, and vanilla.  Add the eggs 2 or 3 at a time, mixing by hand or with an electric mixer after each addition.  Once all of the ingredients have been added, work the dough with your hands until it pulls away from the sides of the bowl.  If it is too sticky, add a little bit more of the flour until the dough is easily handled.  Shape the dough into a ball, and lightly grease the surface; place it back in the bowl and cover with plastic wrap.  Allow it to sit at room temperature for about 2 hours, or until it has doubled in size.  Once it has doubled in size, put the dough in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours (or even overnight).

4.  Form the dough into the shape you want your Pan de Muerto to be.  I chose a skull and cross bones, you can try anything you want.

5.  Place your masterpieces on greased or parchment-lined baking sheets and let them sit for about an hour--they will probably rise a little bit more.  Bake at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes, or until golden on top.

6.  While your loaves are cooling, make the glaze by bringing orange juice, orange or lemon zest and sugar to a boil for about 2 to 3 minutes or until it has started to thicken and reduce a bit.  Apply directly to the still-warm bread with a pastry brush.

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Homemade Argentinian Alfajores

Please welcome back my friend, guest blogger, world traveler, macaron-making partner in crime and soon-to-be American expat in Buenos Aires, Tanya Brothen, as she brings us one of the delicacies of her adopted new country! 

Red wine and red meat. These are two of the things that come to mind when I think about Argentina, and according to my highly scientific Wikipedia research, they are exactly what I can expect to find when I move there at the end of the year.

But in addition to the clichés steak and vino, I’ve been delighted to discover lots of other (non-red) edible and drinkable Argentine specialties. There’s the communal experience of mate tea, the creamy gelato brought to the Argentina by way of Italian immigration, and dulche de leche-filled cookies known as alfajores. Unable to resist the lure of dulche de leche, and wanting to see if alfajores will be to me in Buenos Aires what pain au chocolat is to me in Paris (less of an indulgence and more of a main food group), I decided to try my hand at baking alfajores.

The experiment began with making dulche de leche. And really, I could have just stopped there. Homemade dulche de leche pairs well with any number of other items you have in your kitchen. Vanilla ice cream, crêpes, brownies ,or simply a spoon. Better yet, it’s incredibly easy to make; all you need is a can of condensed milk. Pour the milk into a small pan, cover it tightly with tinfoil, place the small pan inside a larger pan, fill the larger pan halfway with boiling water, and stick the whole thing in the oven at 425 Fahrenheit for roughly an hour, maybe a little bit more depending on your oven, remove, beat until smooth, chill in the fridge. It should come out thick, caramel-colored, and delicious.

For the cookies I used a recipe from RecipeGirl.com, but I found many options online, each with slight variations, such as this one and this one. I had to start the recipe over after mixing the sugar with the flour when I should have mixed it with the butter, but other than that there weren’t any major hiccups in the process.

Unfortunately, when it came time to fill the cookies with the dulche de leche and roll them in coconut…well…let’s just say it took many tries and highly rushed camera work to get photos of the alfajores looking normal. For some reason the cookies would not stay filled. They looked good at first, and then slowly all of the dulche de leche would seep out. Hmm. Did I not let the filling thicken enough in the oven? Possibly, but at least they were delicious, albeit un-servable to anyone other than myself. And I was sort of ok with that.

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Lemon Lime Bars

Hi everyone, please welcome my friend, philologist, bassoon player, fellow baker and latest Cupcake Avenger guest blogger Molly Miller and her lemon lime bars!

I felt the urge to bake something summery for a get-together I was having later that night, to help me on my quest to convince my brain that my summer isn't quite over yet.  I originally intended to make some coconut lime sugar cookies, but I realized at the last minute that I didn't want to spend my entire day in the kitchen.  It was 100 degrees outside on the day I was baking, and my kitchen is far far away from my questionable AC unit, so I began to consider other options.  I wanted to toss some stuff in a pan and bake it instead of having to shape dough into balls, make multiple batches, and hang out by the oven all afternoon.  It may have been September, but the temperature told me I should be doing the minimum amount of work possible to make something delicious, and then relax and have a cold drink.

So, I decided to make these.  I had more limes than I knew what to do with, and I was excited to try a new type of recipe, having never attempted lemon squares before.  I did not follow instructions, so I will go ahead and rewrite them to show my process.  Feel free to follow the original recipe without my commentary to distract you.

Get a 13x9 inch pan and line it with something.  I was told to use foil, but I somehow ended up with 3 boxes of parchment paper in my drawer, so I decided to use some of it up and they came out of the pan just fine.  Sometimes, it seems like people are using foil and parchment paper because they just want to reduce the amount of cleanup or be extra careful, but I think you do need to line the pan here if you want to remove the bars without cracking the crust.  Do it.

Crust ingredients:
2/3 cup unsalted butter at room temperature
1/2 cup packed golden brown sugar
2 cups all purpose flour (I used white whole wheat flour, and it was delicious.)
Zest of 1 large lemon (or three small limes, if that's what you have.)

Cream together the butter and the sugar and the zest, and then add the flour.  It will end up crumbly, so you can smash it into your pan for your crust.  I've never tried to do that before, so my crust wasn't as pretty as it could have been, but it held together nicely. 

"Bake 20 minutes at 350, or until center is set."  (I overbaked mine.  20 minutes seems insane.  Remember that the crust will get baked AGAIN, and you don't want your edges to get too dark like mine did.)

At first I was a little annoyed that I would have to make a crust AND a filling, but then I realized that there was absolutely no reason to wash my mixing bowl and beaters between the crust and the filling.  Yay less work! 

My recipe told me to hang out and wait while the crust is baking, but really, you should get started on zesting and juicing those lemons and limes.  I did not have any lemons, so these are going to mainly be lime bars.  Instead of a quarter cup of lemon juice and a quarter cup of lime juice, I juiced between 1/3 and 1/2 cup of lime juice and filled the rest of the 1/2 cup with bottled lemon juice from my fridge and a splash of lemon extract for good measure.  I zested a bunch of limes until it looked like I had at least a teaspoon (there's a picture of how much I used) and ignored the bit about the lemon zest.  My bars taste like lime and are delicious, but if you like lemon too, go ahead and adjust lemon/lime proportions as you like.

Filling ingredients:
6 large eggs
2 1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup all purpose flour (I used white whole wheat.)
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 cup lemon juice and 1/4 cup lime juice (or some combination thereof)
zest of 1 large lemon (unless you don't have any)
1 teaspoon lime zest
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

My recipe encouraged me to add a drop or two of food coloring to make them pretty, but I just plain forgot.  I'm content with the color I ended up with, but go ahead and throw some extra coloring in if you want them to look a little more cheerful.

(Side note: Cooking with The Spatula of Love will make your food delicious and give you the right to brag that you put so much love into your baking that you had to use a special spatula to control it.)

After 20 minutes, the filling had a crust over the top, but the contents were still sloshing around beneath it.  I realized my oven thermometer was reading 300 instead of 350, so I adjusted things and popped them back in.  After 5 minutes, I didn't exactly know how to tell whether they were done or not.  Is the center set?  Well, my toothpick came out clean and nothing was sloshy, so it might be done, right?  But, I hate cutting into something after it has cooled only to realize that I have undercooked it, so I turned off the oven and stuck it in for a few more minutes.  After letting them cool a bit on the counter, you should cover them and let them chill in the fridge for 2 hours.  Then, sprinkle with powdered sugar (and more zest, if you're not sick of zesting yet.  I was.)

At some point, I scooped a bit of something weird looking (undermixed egg?) off the top of the bars and left a small hole behind, as you can see in the pictures.  The powdered sugar covered it, so no worries.  I've included a picture of the uglier edge pieces as a warning against making the crust climb too high and then baking it for longer than you might need to.

I stored my leftovers in the fridge and they were still delicious a week later, though you might have to refresh the powdered sugar if you want them to look pretty after sitting in the fridge for a few days.

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Billy's Bakery NYC

On my last trip to the Big Apple, I was somewhat overwhelmed as I only had a few hours to check out what the city had to offer in terms of cupcakes.  No simple task in the town that can largely be credited with starting the cupcake craze for the entire East Coast.  After much deliberation I settled on kingpin Magnolia Bakery as well as the quirky Kyotofu and had really hoped to squeeze in one more shop but didn't have time on my short daytrip. 

As soon as I got back to DC, everyone wanted to know if I'd made it to a bakery called Billy's.  Even the next time I went back to Ohio I ran into a former Billy's employee at Columbus' Bakery Gingham.  Clearly this was a sign.

This time around I made a beeline for Billy's Bakery and instantly saw what all the fuss was about.  In addition to some awesome baked goods, this place has atmosphere for days.  An old-timey respite in the middle of the big city, it was nice to walk in and feel like you'd taken a step back in time, where life was a little bit slower, and you could just have a slice of pie and watch the world go by.  I sampled the banana and carrot cupcakes, as well as the key lime cheesecake and they were all delicious.

I think my parents had this same table when I was little

Key Lime Cheesecake

Billy's is definitely a must try next time you're in the city and they also offer ridiculously gorgeous layer cakes as well as bars, cookies and pies. 

If you go

My attempt at an old-timey looking Billy's pic

Billy's Bakery Tibeca
75 Franklin St
Between Broadway and Church

Billy's Nolita
268 Elizabeth St
Between Prince and Houston Streets

Billy's Chelsea
184 9th Avenue
Between 21st and 22nd Streets

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Put the Mango in the Coconut Bread

This time of year I always find myself thinking about zucchini bread (and, subsequently, looking up how to spell "zucchini," seriously, I can't be the only one...right?) but once I'm elbow-deep in shredded squash I always think there must be something more exciting to be making.  Banana bread?  Meh.  This time around I actually did my homework to see what fruits are in season, as I'm usually pretty bad about just following my baking whims and making whatever I'm in the mood for, regardless of availability.  That's when I hit upon mangoes!  I may have missed sour cherry season, but I'm not too late for mangoes.  And coconut, let's throw some coconut in there for good measure.

I've actually just started liking mango recently, I think because whenever I get it in restaurants it's usually under-ripe and, as a result, kind of tastes like eating a pine cone or something.  But slightly soft, deliciously ripe mango is awesome and my new favorite snack when I need a little taste of the tropics here on the East Coast.

If you've ever worked with mangoes before, you've probably looked up one of those helpful online guides that show you how to score the flesh into a grid pattern so the fruit just POPS right off, magically, from the skin.  Well, as you can see, mine wasn't quite so magical, but I did manage to figure it out after some trial and error.

I also added mango nectar and coconut water to this recipe to try to bring out the flavors a little bit more (and also because I've just been really curious to check out the coconut water fad to see what all the fuss is about--it's delicious!) so you could definitely omit those if they're not carried at your local supermarket.  If you do decide to use them, I recommend hanging onto the leftovers for the most delicious cocktail or smoothie you'll ever make.  Seriously. 

Mango Coconut Bread
  makes 2 loaves
2 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1 tsp ground ginger

2 teaspoons baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 1/4 cups white sugar

3/4 cup flaked coconut (sweetened or unsweetened)

2 eggs

3/4 cup vegetable oil

1/4 cup mango nectar

1/4 cup coconut water

2 1/2 cups mangoes, peeled, seeded and chopped

1 teaspoon lemon juice

1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (325 if using ceramic, glass, or dark metal pans). Grease two 8x4 inch loaf pans.

2.  Combine all of the dry ingredients (flour, cinnamon, ginger, baking soda, salt, coconut, sugar) in a medium bowl. 

3.  In a small bowl, beat eggs lightly with oil, mango nectar and coconut water. Add to flour mixture and stir just until combined. 

4.  Add mangoes and lemon juice.  Stir just until incorporated.

5.  Pour into pans, bake for 60 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.                                   

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Martha Monday: Blueberry Shortcakes

Summer is here and, with it, the arrival of shortcakes.  Recently I had the urge to bake but didn't really know what to make (pretty standard for me) but luckily Martha was there with her latest issue of Living, profiling summer desserts.  On their own, there's nothing really exciting about shortcakes.  I mean, let's be honest, they're like the biscuit's lazy cousin.  But where shortcakes really shine is with the addition of fruit.  Or specifically for this recipe, fruit compote. 

The word "compote" is somewhat of an inside joke in my family, ever since my father once tried to order pancakes at a Bob Evans restaurant and made the mistake of asking the waitress if they could put any "fruit compote" on top.  I've honestly never seen a more confused look come across a person's face while she stared at my father blankly until he finally said something like, "You know? Fruit sauce??" I guess you had to be there :)

Anyways.

I know these might seem somewhat sacrilegious too if you've only ever had the standard strawberry shortcake.  A cook out standby from my childhood, I have to admit that I was skeptical that blueberry could beat out strawberry in this fruit fight, but honestly I will never go back.  "Compote" may sound complicated, but I promise it's super simple and you'll probably be making this sauce for all kinds of toppings.  Martha's recipe also calls for a side of Sweet Corn Ice Cream...yeah, I know...but I have yet to try out my ice cream maker (a topic for another post) so I'd love to hear how it tastes if anyone else gives it a try. 

So what do you think? Are you on team strawberry or blueberry?

I call it: Shortcakes in the City :)

Sweet Corn Ice Cream Shortcakes with Blueberry Compote
     Ice Cream
4 ears corn, shucked
2 cups whole milk
2 cups heavy cream
¼ cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon Black Spiced Rum
2 teaspoons black sugar (see instructions)
1 teaspoon pink Himalayan salt
¼ teaspoon pink peppercorns
9 large egg yolks

     Shortcakes
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups cake flour (not self-rising)
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
2 sticks cold, unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
1 cups low-fat butter milk
½ cup whole milk
Heavy cream for brushing
Course sugar, for sprinkling

     Blueberry Compote
1 pint fresh blueberries
1/3 cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons water
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1.  Make the ice cream: Carefully cut kernels from cobs, transfer to a saucepan. Break cobs in half; add to saucepan. Stir in milk, cream, ½ cup granulated sugar, rum, black sugar, pink salt and peppercorns. Bring to a boil. Let cool; discard cobs.

2.  Place corn mixture in a blender or food processor and purée until smooth. Return mixture to saucepan, and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Remove from heat.

3.  Meanwhile, prepare an ice-water bath. Whisk together egg yolks and remaining ¼ cup sugar in a small bowl. Whisk 1 cup corn mixture into yolks, then return entire mixture to saucepan, whisking constantly, until custard thickens and can easily coat the back of a spoon, about 10 minutes.
Strain custard through a fine sieve into a bowl, pressing down solids; discard solids. Transfer bowl to ice-water bath, and refrigerate for an hour.

4.  Freeze in an ice cream maker according to manufacturer’s instructions. Transfer to an airtight container, and freeze until firm, at least 3 hours.

5.  Meanwhile, make the shortcakes: Preheat oven to 400°. Sift flours, baking powder, baking soda, granulated sugar, and 1 ¼ teaspoons salt twice into a bowl. Cut in butter using a pastry cutter or rub in with your fingers until small clumps form. Make a well in the center, and pour in buttermilk. Mix until a shaggy mixture forms.

6.  Grease a 12 cup muffin pan, spoon in batter until about ¾ way full. Place in the oven and cook for about 16 minutes. Brush tops of the shortcakes with heavy creak and sprinkle with course sugar. Finish baking for two to four minutes, until cakes are golden brown.

7.  Make the blueberry compote: Bring 1 cup of blueberries, the granulated sugar, water, and lemon juice to a simmer in a small saucepan over medium heat. Cook until berries burst and liquid thickens slightly, about 5 minutes. Stir in remaining blueberries. Let cool.

8.  Split shortcakes in half, top each with a scoop of ice cream and a spoonful of blueberry compote, then sandwich with shortcake tops.

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Fluffernutter Cupcakes

So, I've never actually had the joy of eating a fluffernutter sandwich.  A what? Exactly. Fluffernutter.  Apparently a childhood staple particularly in the Northeastern U.S., a "fluffernutter" is a gooey mashup of peanut butter and marshmallow creme sandwiched between two slices of bread has been around for decades.  The sandwich is even a registered trademark of the Marshmallow Fluff company, complete with a website and theme song sung by The Flufferettes. Obviously.

While I have to admit that this combo doesn't sound particularly appealing to me as a sandwich, I knew it would be a home run cupcake and couldn't wait to try out this recipe from The Novice Chef.  Pairing peanut butter cupcakes with marshmallow frosting and a surprise Nutella center even seemed like a modern twist on the s'mores concept and, let's be honest, I never pass up an opportunity to eat Nutella.

If you tend not to like cupcakes because you find them too sweet (then we can't be friends.  Just kidding. But seriously) then these are definitely not the cakes for you.  I think the marshmallow frosting alone is definitely enough to make your dentist cringe, and the addition of peanut butter will certainly leave you looking for a glass of milk to wash it all down.  So, all in all, I loved them :) Honestly, as over the top as it sounds, I probably would have added more Nutella as well.  This time I decided to try out my bismarck filling tip to try to save time instead of cutting wells in each of the cupcakes like usual, but it just didn't provide enough filling in each cake.  Or maybe I just need to work on my technique.

Either way this is not a cupcake for the faint of heart, but I definitely recommend it for all you fluffernuts out there

I call it: Cupcakes in the City :)

Fluffernutter Cupcakes
     makes 24
1 1/2 cups brown sugar
1/2 cup canola oil
1 1/2 cup peanut butter
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups milk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons cream of tartar
1 pinch salt

Marshmallow Frosting
4 large egg whites
1 cups sugar
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
1 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

1.  Line a cupcake pan with paper liners. In a large bowl, mix together the brown sugar, oil and peanut butter until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then stir in the vanilla.

2.  Combine the flour, cream of tartar, baking soda and salt. Stir dry mixture into the batter alternately with the milk. Spoon into the prepared muffin cups.

3.  Bake for 15 to 20 minutes in the preheated oven, until the top of the cupcakes spring back when lightly pressed. Cool in the pan for at least 10 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.

Nutella Filling
Using a piping bag and a Wilton 230 tip, slowly insert tip into top of cooled cupcake. Squeeze in Nutella and carefully withdraw.

Frosting
1.  Place egg whites, sugar, and cream of tartar in the heatproof bowl of an electric mixer. Set over a saucepan with simmering water. Whisk constantly until sugar is dissolved and whites are warm to the touch, 3 to 4 minutes.

2.  Transfer bowl to electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, and beat, starting on low speed, gradually increasing to high, until stiff, glossy peaks form, 5 to 7 minutes. Add vanilla, and mix until combined. Frost as desired

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