Strawberry Marshmallows

 

"Just imagine a big cool bowl of strawberry ice cream." - Strawberry Shortcake

Yep, these marshmallows taste like the strawberry ice cream in Neapolitan. I have said before, I am not a huge fruit in my dessert fan, but these are pretty darn good, http://candy.about.com/od/marshmallowrecipes/r/sberry_mallows.htm

I am always making marshmallows for our camping trips, and with our big yearly trip coming soon I thought I should start experimenting now. In the past I have used extract and made mint(toothpaste tasting), coconut(my favorite), and peanut butter(bad consistency). This new recipe opens a lot of  possibilities. Taking into account that when you make s'mores the marshmallow will be warm and combined with chocolate and graham crackers, some fruit flavors might not work well. So here are some of my thoughts on flavors.

Blackberry Pie S'more- blackberry marshmallow with white chocolate

Peach Pie S'more - white peach marshmallow with white chocolate

Pineapple Lump S'more - pineapple marshmallow with milk chocolate (Pineapple Lumps are candies from New Zealand.)

Turtle S'more - caramel marshmallow with milk chocolate with almonds

Mint Chocolate S'more - Mint marshmallow with milk chocolate 

I have less than a month, so hopefully I can get them all made before we go. I better get busy.

Strawberry Marshmallows

4 envelopes  Gelatin

1/2 cup         Strawberry puree

1 1/4 cups    Water

3 cups          Sugar

1 1/4 cups    Light corn syrup

1/4 tsp         Salt

                    Powder sugar

• Lightly oil 13x9 pan
• In the bowl of a stand mixer combine gelatin, strawberry puree, and 1/2 cup of water. Let stand.

 

• In a heavy sauce pan combine 3/4 cup water, sugar, corn syrup and salt. Bring to a boil and continue cooking until it reaches 240 degrees.
• With the mixer on medium pour in hot syrup slowly. When all syrup is added turn mixer on high and whip about 10 minutes.

• Pour into prepared pan and let sit overnight before cutting.
• In a large Ziploc bag add about 1/4 cup of powder sugar. Cut marshmallows and place in bag, shaking to coat each marshmallow.

Saltwater Taffy

 

I am not sure what I was thinking but somehow I got it set in my mind that I was going to make saltwater taffy. It takes awhile; makes a huge mess; and with the recipe I use I wasn't crazy about the actual flavor of the taffy, but I will definitely try it again. Besides it's a great thing to take to parties to show off. (:

Saltwater Taffy

1 1/2 Cups Sugar

1 1/2 Cups Light Corn Syrup

   1/4 Cup Water

   1/4 Cup Sweetened Condensed Milk

   1/4 Tsp Salt

   1/4 Cup Marshmallow Creme

   1/2 Tsp Flavoring

• Lightly oil a 9x13 baking pan.
• Combine the sugar, corn syrup, water, and condensed milk in a 4 quart saucepan. Bring to a boil and stir constantly.
• Continue stirring until temperature reaches 245 degrees.

•  Pour into prepared pan. Place marshmallow creme on top of the syrup and allow to cool to nearly room temperature, about 45 minutes.

•  Pick up the taffy from the pan begin stretching and folding it back onto itself mixing in the marshmallow creme. Add flavoring and color. ( I made root beer.)

• Continue pulling the taffy until it gets light in color, about 20 minutes. (I used the dough hook on my Kitchen Aid to stretch it.)

•  Stretch taffy into ropes about 3/4 inch in diameter. Cut into pieces 1 1/2 inches long and wrap each piece in waxed paper.

Happy 4th Of July

 

I made Oreo Cookie Cupcakes for the Fourth Of July party we went to and they were a big hit. I jazzed them up for the 4th by adding gold star sprinkles. Everyone loved them except the surprise inside was a bummer. At the bottom of each cupcake hid an Oreo Cookie. It was a cute idea I saw on several blogs but for some reason it didn't work for me, the cookies ended up sticking to the cupcake wrapper. 

It is actually the frosting that really makes these cupcakes, because it taste just like Oreo Cookies. I used my regular cupcake recipe and I slightly modify my butter cream recipe.

Oreo Frosting

1 cup butter

1 cup shortening

1 2lb bag powder sugar

1/2 tsp salt

2 tsp vanilla

3/4 milk

1/4 cup cocoa powder

black food coloring

10 Oreo cookies crushed

• Beat butter and shortening until creamy.
• Slowly add the powder sugar
• Add salt and vanilla
• With mixer on low add milk and beat until fluffy.
• Stir in by hand cocoa powder, a few drops of food coloring and the crushed Oreo's. Do not over mix, leave streaky.

Butter Cream Transfers

I found out about butter cream transfers in 2007 when I was making a Marlyn Monroe cake for my daughter. I would like to think am artistic, but can't draw to save my life so I love the idea of tracing an image and placing it on a cake. I have only used this technique 3 times so I still need some practice, but it is pretty simple. 

Butter Cream Transfers

You can use store bought frosting or use your own butter cream recipe

• Print the image. When printing the image you are going to use, you will need to flip the image to make it a mirror image. Then size the it to fit on the cake.

• Place the image on a cookie sheet and cover with wax paper, taping the wax paper to the cookie sheet.

• Using a piping bag with a small tip trace the outline of the image. Then place in the freezer until solid. Continue to copy all of the details, taking breaks in between to freeze your work.

• When all detail work is finished, and frozen, fill in the background with a larger tip and cover the entire image fairly thick. It is important that your previous work is frozen so the image doesn't smear. Before putting it in the freezer for the final time hit the cookie sheet on the counter a few time to remove any air pockets that occurred when filling in the image.

• Put in the freezer for the final time. I freeze mine overnight.
• When you are ready to place image on the cake place the image upside down with wax paper on top and peel off the wax paper.

 The WELCOME is made out of candy melt disc's.

That's it. As you can see I didn't get all the air pockets out of the background, I am still learning. I think it's a good excuses to make more cakes. :)
I did see a similar technique using chocolate on Eye Candy. It seams like it would be harder to control the chocolate but I am definitely going to give it a try.

Las Vegas Birthday Cake

It was one of those cakes that nothing went right on.

My original idea was two tiers. The bottom tier would be the Las Vegas Strip, the next would be the Las Vegas sign going around the side, and on top a Rice Krispie Treat cubes covered in fondant to make dice. I am glad I scaled it down now because that would have turned into a much bigger disaster than what I had. The idea I went with was dark blue/black butter cream frosting for the night sky with gold star sprinkles giving it some Vegas pizazz. Around the bottom would be butter cream transfers of the Vegas Strip in lights, using glitter frosting and brushing each building with gold powder. On top the Las Vegas Sign with Mikal's name and age, also brushed with the gold powder to give it a glowing look. Well, it all sounded great but when the time came to put it all together it was a mess. It was 104 degrees that day and the frosting melted into a puddle as soon as it came out of the freezer. Not to mention I could never get the frosting colors to come out right. I know I should have used fondant, I even went a bought Duff's brand at Michaels, but I hate the taste of fondant. I made more frosting with more powdered sugar and even added corn starch to make the frosting thicker but it was to no avail, once in the piping bag it would just run out of control. So I gave in to the heat and just threw the transfers, with no sparkles or glitter that I had planned, up as fast as I could and rushed it to the table. As we sang happy birthday the Paris balloon actually peeled off the cake, Luxor melted onto itself, and the Eiffel tower and Bellagio bubbled up. You live and you learn, when it's over 100 degrees use fondant no matter how gross it tastes. :) 

 

At least this cake tasted good so here is the recipe:

 

White Layer Cake

From Martha Stewart

Makes two 9-inch cakes

• 3 cups cake flour (not self-rising)
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 2 1/4 cups sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 cup milk
• 8 large egg whites

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter two 9-by-2-inch round cake pans; line bottoms with parchment paper rounds. Butter parchment, and dust with flour, tapping out excess; set aside.
2. Into a medium bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, and salt; set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter and 2 cups sugar until light and fluffy, 3 to 4 minutes, scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Beat in vanilla. With mixer on low speed, add flour mixture in three parts, alternating with milk and beginning and ending with flour; beat until just combined. Transfer mixture to a large bowl; set aside.
3. In the clean bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat egg whites on low speed until foamy. With mixer running, gradually add remaining 1/4 cup sugar; beat on high speed until stiff, glossy peaks form, about 4 minutes. Do not over beat. Gently fold a third of the egg-white mixture into the butter-flour mixture until combined. Gently fold in remaining whites.
4. Divide batter evenly between prepared pans, smoothing with an offset spatula. Bake, rotating pans halfway through, until cakes are golden brown and a cake tester inserted in centers comes out clean, 30 to 35 minutes. Transfer pans to a wire rack to cool 20 minutes. Invert cakes onto rack; peel off parchment. Re invert cakes, and let them cool completely, top sides up.

The frosting was the same recipe I always use except I added 2Tb of corn starch.

Since this post is so long I am going to make a separate post on how to make the butter cream transfers.

Ahh, I am glad this cake is over. :)

Busy Baking Birthday Cake

I am working on my daughters 14th birthday cake. The older they get the harder it is to make their interests into a cake. When I saw the Pinkalicious Party on the How Does She? blog today I remembered how cute little girls parties can be. It's back to the kitchen for me, I have more frosting to make.

My daughters Strawberry Shortcake Birthday

Vegas Vacation

I went with my daughter to Las Vegas for her 8th grade graduation. At the beginning of the year I made a deal with her that if she got straight A's we would got on a mini vacation and she chose Vegas. It was definitely not my first choice but at least it had a lot of dessert options.

Our first stop on our "All Sugar All The Time Tour" was Serendipity 3. It's located outside Caesar's Palace next to Las Vegas Blvd. The atmosphere is great, the food not so much. They are known for their Frozen Hot Chocolate although we didn't try it because it just sounds gross. The Watermelon Supreme, a tart slushy in giant glass, was refreshing in the Las Vegas heat but a little goes a long way. By the time we walked to the Mirage for The Beatles LOVE show we threw the rest of the Supreme away. We did stop back by later for one of their donuts. The chocolate donut was the size of a head, but nothing more than a everyday chocolate donut. My favorite thing about the place was all the pink, and the Marie Antoinette mascot of coarse.

Our next stop was the Sugar Factory. Basically a overpriced candy store with celebrity endorsements. They have shops at Planet Hollywood, The Mirage and a new store opening in Paris. Like Serendipity I loved the atmosphere with the sugar themed music blasting, but the candy was just ordinary except for the ridiculous $20 suckers. We rested our feet at The Sugar Factory at Planet Hollywood which serves gelato, crepes, cupcakes and a few other baked goods. I bought a coconut gelato which was good, but not as good as the coconut ice cream from Tropical Dreams Ice Cream in Hawaii. I also bought a I Heart Sugar T-shirt which was cheaper than their stupid lollipops.

We searched for more desserts Monday night/morning but everything closed at 11pm, I guess that's why it's New York that's called "The City That Never Sleeps" and not Las Vegas. So at 8:30 the next morning we walked down to the Pallazio and found my favorite Napa bakery, Bouchon. Another disappointment. Being Las Vegas they have the opportunity to make an over the top bakery, but this looked like something you would find in the airport. Paris would have been a much better location and they could have the same rustic look that the Napa bakery has.  The menu wasn't much different than Napa except they had ginormous cupcakes. I got the chocolate cupcake. (Yes! It was breakfast.) The frosting caught me off guard, it was a marshmallow frosting that I wasn't fond of.(Maybe toasted on a S'mores cupcake.) The chocolate cake was a little dry and it was filled with a chocolate ganache/frosting similar to the center of their chocolate donuts. Between my daughter and myself we couldn't even finish it, that should tell you a lot. It was a sad sight, two Bouchon fans siting dessert-less in a beautiful faux Venetian street.

After going back to Mandalay Bay and splashing on their beach for awhile, we went back out in search of more crazy people and more sugar. In front of the new Aria there was a cute patisserie called Amore. After passing by it the night before and drooling over their macarons we stopped in. They had tons of yummy looking pastries and baked goods. Being summer in Las Vegas we couldn't order more than we could eat because it would just melt so we just sampled 3 of their macarons. Chocolate, Lemon and Peanut. They were all good, (Not as good as Paulette's in San Francisco.)  but the Peanut was my favorite. It wasn't peanut butter necessarily it had a richer truer peanut flavor, you definitely need to like peanuts to enjoy it. Next time I would love to try more of their desserts they looked very promising. Off we went to find people digging in fountains and jet skiing through Bellagio's lake.

On our last night we eventually made it to our favorite place in Vegas, Jean Philippe. With a giant chocolate fountain in the front and chocolate sculptures through out the shop the only thing that could make this place better would be if it had a fainting couch for me to lay in. Last time I was here I ordered one of everything just about, this time I only ordered the Triple Chocolate. It was divine, a mix of white, milk and dark chocolate mousse on top of a flourless cake, wrapped in chocolate and topped with a stick of chocolate fudge, gold leaf and a macaron. Thank goodness this place is in Vegas because I could really make myself sick if it was any closer. My daughter ordered a strawberry gelato and thought it was wonderful. I am not really into fruit desserts, they are a little too healthy for me, but this was very yummy and I would order it again for myself. Finally our love for sweets was fulfilled.

The next morning we were packing up to leave and decided to get some breakfast from Red White and Blue located in our hotel. When I saw their King Kong sized Rice Krispie Treat I couldn't help myself. (This little piggy built her house out of Rice Krispie Treats.) I had to take a picture of it with my phone next to it so you can see how monstrous it was. With a Krispie Treat this big I wasn't expecting it to taste that great it was more of a novelty. I was wrong, it was surprisingly good. Its wasn't gourmet or anything but it tasted as a Krispie Treat should, and they used a nice high quality chocolate to dip it in. I ended up bring it home with us and eating it over the next three days. (Quite the souvenir.)

With only 3 hours of sleep a night and nothing but desserts for meals the trip was a success.