February Roundup

Beautiful! I think this is one of the prettiest collection of photos we've had! Thanks to everyone who participated in our latest challenge. All the cookies are represented! I hope you enjoyed making them as much as we enjoyed drooling over them. Looking forward to next month!

Tropicana Lace Cookies

Posted by - www.LinsFood.com

Intricate!

This is my first month with this wonderful group and am looking forward to more, more, more! This month, we had a choice of 3 wonderful cookies: Black and White, Linzer and Lace Cookies. I opted for lace cookies as I am a huge fan of them and have been making Brandy snaps for as long as I can remember. I love developing and creating new recipes and was really looking forward to what I could produce with this. Ok, I thought I had a month but the extra day not withstanding, I was running out of time! So, I had to get going!

I had some friends over last weekend and took that opportunity to bake this challenge. I tweaked my old recipe here and there, added some condensed milk and desiccated coconut and voila - I present TROPICANA LACE COOKIES!

As a little kid, I used to make coconut fudge with my older siblings, my earliest memory of this is when I was 6, which means my sister was 9 and my brother was 8, with no parental supervision.  The ingredients were essentially freshly grated coconut and condensed milk. To this day, I fall to pieces at the merest hint of this combination! That's the memory I went for in creating Tropicana Lace.

Dry roasted coconut

Ingredients (makes about a dozen)

4 tbsp freshly grated coconut or desiccated coconut

1 tbsp golden syrup

20 g butter

1 tbsp condensed milk

2 tbsp caster sugar

3 tbsp flour

1 tsp rose essence

Spaced out blobs!

 

Method

1. Preheat oven to 180C/160 Fan. Line a baking sheet with baking paper if you have to.

2. Heat a small frying pan on low heat and dry roast the coconut until golden brown and the aroma hits you. Set aside.

3. Add the syrup, butter, milk and sugar in a small saucepan and heat, stirring to mix.

4. At the first sign of bubbles, add the flour, mix and take off the heat.

5. Add the coconut and rose essence and mix well.

6. Drop half a dozen spoonfuls of the mixture on the baking sheet, spacing them well apart as they will spread A LOT. If the mixture thickens, just heat it up again gently for the next round.

7. Bake for 6-8 minutes until completely flat and a uniform dark brown in colour.

8. Leave to cool completely, they will harden as they cool.

9. You can shape these cookies if you fancy, wrap them around a rolling pin about 30 seconds after they come out of the oven, before they get a chance to harden.

These are perfect as they are or served with ice cream. Even great crumbled over cakes and sundaes.

Pretty as a picture

Black and White Cookies

Posted by - vivian

Black and white cookies have always interested me.  Never having tasted one, I was just intrigued by the name, so when this month's Have the Cake challenge was to make either Black & White Cookies or Linzer cookies... well, of course I had to make the Black & White!  From what I understand, these cookies are quite popular in the North Eastern states, particularly New York. They are more cake like in texture rather than the crispy or chewy texture one would expect from a cookie.  I did a combination of two recipes, the dough from Smitten Kitten and the glaze  from Joy of Baking

Black and White Cookies
 Smitten Kitten's recipe which she adapted from a bunch of places, but mostly Zabar’s

1 3/4 cups granulated sugar
1 cup unsalted butter (2 sticks), at room temperature
4 large eggs
1 1/2 cups milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon lemon extract
2 1/2 cups cake flour
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt

Glaze:

from Joy the Baker

4 cups confectioners sugar
1/3 - 1/2 cup hot water
2 tablespoons light corn syrup
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 ounce (30 grams) bittersweet or semi-sweet chocolate, finely chopped 

Directions: 

 Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spray 2 baking sheets with nonstick spray, or use a Silpat (silicone baking sheet).  I don't like to use parchment paper on sticky cookies but that is an option, too.

In large mixing bowl, combine sugar and butter; mix until fluffy.  Generally this takes 3-5 minutes, it will depend on room temperature, temperature of the butter. You can tell when they are “light and fluffy” by the appearance; it should be very light in color. Next, add the eggs, milk and vanilla and lemon extracts; mix until smooth.

In medium bowl, combine cake flour, all-purpose flour, baking powder and salt; gently whisk together.  Add dry mixture to the wet in batches, stirring well after each addition. 

Place heaping spoonfuls of the dough 2 inches apart on the baking sheets;bake until edges begin to brown, 18 to 20 minutes. Let cookies cool completely.

Glaze:
Place the confectioners sugar in a large bowl. Gradually Stir in the hot water (it is best to pour in a bit at a time so that you can keep track of its consistency easier), add corn syrup and vanilla extract, stirring constantly, until the mixture is thick, smooth, and of spreading consistency. Add more sugar or water if necessary to get the right consistency.

Remove about 1/2 cup (120 ml) of the frosting and place it in another bowl. In a small microwavable bowl, add the finely chopped chocolate. Melt on high for about thirty seconds; stir. Add the melted chocolate to the 1/2 cup frosting.

Turn the cookies so the flat bottoms are facing up. Spread white glaze over half the cookie. Repeat with the remaining cookies. If the frosting/glaze thickens too much, add a few drops of water.

Once all the cookies are covered with the white frosting, then cover the other half of each cookie with the chocolate frosting. If the chocolate frosting becomes too thick, add a little hot water to thin the frosting.

Linzer cookies

Posted by - Hannah

Hi, I'm Hannah and this is my first post on HTC! I'm a student so I'm going to be cooking the monthly challenges on budget! This month I didn't have jam in the cupboard (and I also didnt have a heart shaped cookie cutter) so I went with iceing and fruit I had in the freezer. Got to say, I'm quite pleased with the result and the house mates seemed to enjoy them! The recipe I used for the cookies is from http://www.joyofbaking.com/LinzerCookies.html. Look forward to next month! x

Modern Infusion of Linzer and Black & White Cookies

Posted by - April (Miss Conversationalist)

Miss C "hi, I'm April or at my blog I'm known as Miss Conversationalist. This is the my first post on "Have the Cake" and I hope you enjoy it! "

Linzer "linzer cookies came from the classic Austrian linzer torte"

B&W "black and white cookies are synonymous with New York bakeries, a place I would love to visit".

Miss C "so, I wanted to infused the classic linzer with the hustle and bustle of New York culture to bring you a... 

"Modern Infusion of Linzer and Black and White Cookies"

• Instead of having the traditional fruit preserve filling I'm filling it with marshmallows (a nod to the new craze that swept New York, whoopie pies)

• I'll be glazing the top cookie with chocolate icing"      

Recipe

Linzer cookie adapted from http://www.bhg.com/recipe/cookies/linzer-pinwheels/

Glaze adapted from Chocolate glaze by Country Living

Makes 6 big cookies

INGREDIENTS

Linzer cookie
100g         Unsalted butter
3/4 cup     Castor sugar
1/4tsp       Baking soda
pinch        Salt
1x             Medium egg
1x             Lemon zest
1.5 cup     Plain flour
20x           White marshmallows

Chocolate glaze 

120g          Dark chocolate
1/4 cup      Thickened cream 

METHOD 

1. In a mixer, beat butter, sugar, baking powder and salt until combined. Add in the egg and lemon zest and combine. While the motor is running continuous add the flour until mixture starts to resemble a dough.
2. Wrap dough in cling wrap and place in the fridge for 1.5~2 hours, or until dough is not sticky and malleable.
3. Melt dark chocolate and thickened cream together over a pot of simmering water. Combine and place into fridge to thicken.
4. Once the dough is ready, preheat oven to 170C, flour the kitchen top and roll out the dough to a thickness of 0.5cm. Cut with any shape you want. Just remember that you have to make the same number of bottoms and tops. The top cookies should have another hole, for example my star on the top cookie.
5. Place the cookies inside and bake for 7~10 minutes or until it starts to brown slightly, allow them to cool. Now, place the marshmallows into an oven friendly bowl and place into oven. Remove from the oven once the top marshmallows start to brown. 
6. Spread the top cookies with the chocolate glaze and the marshmallow mixture onto the bottom cookie, sandwich together.  

Black and White Cookies

Posted by -Angela/Soap Mom's Kitchen

 The challenge this month was Black and White, Linzer and Lace Cookies.  I love all those cookies, but  I decided to go Black and White for the challenge.  They are very popular in New York City.  I have a very fond appreciation for these deli favorites.  I think every sandwich shop, coffee shop and diner in New York sells these delightful treats.  I found this recipe on Joy the Baker.  They are very easy to make and I made them with my twelve year old daughter.  We had a lot of fun together doing the black and white icings.  Enjoy!

Black and White Cookies

Makes about 16 large cookies
Recipe from Joy the Baker who adapted from Gourmet Cookbook 

For the Cookies
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup well-shaken buttermilk
1 teaspoon vanilla
2/3 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
2 large egg

For Vanilla Glaze

2 cups powdered sugar

1 Teaspoon light corn syrup

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

For Chocolate Glaze

4 ounces semi-sweet chocolate

3 Tablespoons butter

1 Tablespoon light corn syrup

To make the cookies-

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt in a bowl. Stir together buttermilk and vanilla in a cup.
Beat together butter and sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes, then add eggs, beating until combined well. Mix in flour mixture and buttermilk mixture alternately in batches at low speed (scraping down side of bowl occasionally), beginning and ending with flour mixture. Mix until smooth.
Spoon 1/4 cups of batter about 2 inches apart onto a buttered large baking sheet. Bake in middle of oven until tops are puffed and pale golden, and cookies spring back when touched, 15 to 17 minutes. Transfer with a metal spatula to a rack and chill (to cool quickly), about 5 minutes.

To make the glazes-

In a bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar, 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract, 1 tablespoon of corn syrup and 2 tablespoons hot water, until smooth. That’s your vanilla glaze.

In a separate bowl, melt the butter and the chocolate in a microwave for about 1 minute. Add the corn syrup and stir until smooth. That’s your chocolate glaze!

Once the cookies are cooled, face them all bottom side up of a clean surface. Spread half of the cookie with vanilla glaze and the other half with chocolate glaze. Refrigerate for 20 minutes to set. And…Yum!

Linzer biscuits with honey

Posted by Alida - My Little Italian Kitchen


Hello I am Alida and this is my first post! I am really excited!

I love Linzer biscuits but this is the first time I make them. I must say they are very nice and quite easy to make.
I have changed the recipe slightly and did not put any nuts in them and I tried using honey instead of sugar. The result was a nice crumbly biscuit with a delicate flavour.

Ingredients:

• 250 g self raising flour
• the zest of one lemon
• a pinch of salt
• 100 g sugar (or 3 tbsp of honey)
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp vanilla essence
• 125 g butter
• 3 tbsp of red jam
• icing sugar

Put the flour on your work top and make a small hole in the middle. Add the egg, salt, sugar,the softened butter cut into piecesWork quickly and shape it into a ball. Put it in the fridge for 20 minutes.

With a rolling pin roll the pastry flat about 1/2 cm thick and with a round pastry cutter cut some circles about 8 cm diameter.

On half of them, with a smaller pastry cutter, make a hole in the middle.

Cook at 200 C for about 10-15 minute until lightly browned. Remove from the oven and place the biscuits on a rack to cool.

Spread some jam on the biscuits without a hole and dust some icing sugar on the others. Then lay the two sides together like a sandwich.

Almond Linzer Cookies with Guava Filling

Posted by - lu canela

Hello, This is my first post in "Have the Cake" and I am so excited.  I have to say that I loved baking the Linzer Cookies.  This recipe was adapted from Martha Stewarts Website and I just made one little change that instead of pecans I used Almonds.  I really hope you guys enjoy!!

Almond Linzer Cookies (Martha Stewart)

Recipe:

2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 cup almonds
2 tablespoons confectioners' sugar, plus more for sprinkling
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 cup (1 stick) cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 large egg
1/2 cup of your favorite flavor jam (I used Guava)

Directions:

1.  Sift flour and baking powder into a bowl; set aside. Pulse almonds, confectioners' sugar, salt, and cinnamon in a food processor until finely ground (but not wet); transfer to the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment.

2.  Add butter and granulated sugar; mix on medium speed until fluffy. Mix in vanilla and egg. Reduce speed to low. Add flour mixture; mix until combined. Halve dough; shape into disks. Wrap in plastic; refrigerate until firm, at least 2 hours.

3.  Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Working with 1 disk at a time, roll out dough on a lightly floured surface to 1/8 inch thick. Refrigerate 20 minutes. Cut out squares with a 2-inch fluted cutter. Cut out centers of half the squares with a 1/2-inch heart cutter; re roll scraps. Space 2 inches apart on parchment-lined baking sheets. Bake squares and hearts until pale golden, 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer to racks to cool.

4.  Meanwhile, heat jam in a small saucepan over medium heat until reduced and thickened, about 7 minutes; let cool.

5.  Sprinkle cutout cookies with confectioners' sugar. Spread jam onto uncut squares; top with cutout ones. Store in an airtight container up to 2 days

February Challenge: Black & White, Linzer & Lace

photo from serious eats

posted by - Rena

It's cookie time! February is upon us and it's time to make something special. I've been dying to bake linzer tarts. They are perfect for Valentine's Day as they can be shaped into hearts. Aww. Of course, everyone has different tastes so this month, you get a choice between Linzer Tarts, Lace Cookies or Black & White Cookies. These are staples at any bakery. I happen to live very close to what has been titled "The Best Black & White Cookie in NYC" and I think it is.


You can make just one or feel free to make all three! You can, of course, put your own spin on things. Happy Valentine's month (day, shmay...) and happy baking!

Here are a few recipes I found:
Linzer Hearts - by Serious Eats
Lace Cookies - by Real Simple
Black & White Cookies - by Smitten Kitchen

photo from flickr

photo from flickr

February Roundup

Thanks to everyone that participated in this challenge and thank to Mia for picking this interesting cake. Beautiful results. Looking forward to March... and spring!

Romeo & Juliet Cake

Posted by -Lena

O Romeo, Romeo! wherefore art thou Romeo? Probably this is one of the most famous lines in  Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet story. But have you heard of a Romeo and Juliet cake? If you google Romeo and Juliet cake, you probably wont find many listed under the search. I have used the recipe here from Talitha of Chocorango. There is a unique combination here in the cake that calls for grated parmesan cheese to be used in the cake and guava paste as topping or filling if you like. In South America, the combination of cheese and guava paste is also known as Romeo and Juliet, i do not know why..maybe because we never have thought of cheese pairing with guava and yet they make a perfect couple. There isnt any guava paste available in my place here so i make the my own guava paste instead. The recipe for the guava paste can be found here. I only made half of the recipe for the paste..just enough for this cake.I do not know whether if i have made the guava paste correctly, the color of the guava paste is quite different from those store bought ones available in overseas. The guava paste has a strong flavour of guava but i find it a little bit too sweet for me.  As for the cake, i could have overbaked it causing it to be a little dense, a little aroma of the cheese but if you eat that with guava paste, then you wont get to taste the cheese flavour. Thanks also to HTC( Have the Cake) for organising this Romeo and Juliet cake for this month so that i have the opportunity to know the cake and the new discovered combination.

Recipe from Chocorango
3 large eggs
200gm sugar
200gm flour
2 tbsp cornstarch
1tbsp baking powder ( i used 1/2 tbsp)
20gm grated parmesan cheese ( i replaced with parmesan powder)
200ml milk
40ml oil

Topping
300gm goibada cubed ( guava paste)
water

I used my home made guava paste and did not any in any water cos that's already spreadable.

Method:
1.Preheat oven to 350F.Grease a 22cm round tin. Sift the flour, cornstarch and baking powder and set aside.
2. Beat the eggs with sugarfor 10minutes on high speed. Beat for 2 minutes more on low speed. Fold in the sifted ingredients.
3.Mix in 1/4of the batter with oil and milk.
3. Fold in the remaining batter and add in parmesan cheese.
4.Spoon into the pan and bake for 25minutes. Let cool on rack. Cover with guava paste/goiabada.
 ( i baked mine at 160C for almost 50mins)

I am submitting this post to Aspiring Bakers #4- Love is in the Air ( feb2011) hosted by Cuisine Paradise and also linking to HTC ( Have The Cake).

VANILLA LAVENDER ROMEO AND JULIET CAKE-FEBRUARY CHALLENGE-HAVE THE CAKE

Posted by - Mia.

A pairing of cheese and Guava paste make a Romeo and Juliet cake , here a totally vanilla cake , that has cheese in it , and covered with a 7hour home simmered perada, also with vanilla , and a little sprinkling of Lavender here and there...

I dressed up the cake as my imagination of Juliet , full of love ,as the shape of the cakes, with flowers and crystals pins in her golden hue'd hair , in long layered gowns of wispy lace , in pink....

Here shot , as rustically (ok sort of...) as might have been in the pathways and cobblestone ways of Europe...

Romance and love....so in the air...by 365....

 

 

Some things dat will breathe love into the air after its baked.....in a rustic way....as if ur down the local coffee shop ,by cobblestones in Europe, having the most romantic holiday fo ur life and enjoying every min of dng so.... its the month of love after all and what could be better than the ROmeo and Juliet Cake , jus like the perfect pairing in love , {ok minus the tragic end}, here 's a perfect pairing of cheese and Guava paste....

 

And with a hint of vanilla ,it makes it so muc better!

I'll wanted to post mine earlier but here i am,and yeah having them into heart shapes , adds to the fun even more , so get those heart shaped baking molds out!

I can think of so many ways to flavor this moist cake too , ofcourse along with Vanilla , say ur fav cinnamon or a clove or 2 or even lemon or orange zest!

I think Cardamon as well as saffron or lavendor would pair wonderfully too!

I think this cake would hold in a few of ur fav nuts as well but i think i would want it plain , as muc as i think coconut would make it even more moister , ofcourse i so want to stick to the original!

But the cheese has to be in , coz its the cheese and goiabada pairing that makes it a romeo and juliet cake , a perfect pairing.

Romeo and Juliet is the name of recipes that combines cheese and goiabada (guava paste).

A soft, light and moist cake with cheese flavor. A creamy and brightly colored topping of goiabada. The perfect pair!

U can read more about this tradition here and honestly i first found out about this on Talitha's wonderful blog and actually is the only real R&J recipe i could find online to the extent that the Romeo and Juliet site on Fb has posted her recipe, so its quite officially the Romeo and Juliet cake recipe.

Ofcourse u can use a recipe of a cake that has parmesan r cheese in it , but this one is the most authentic recipe.

My Suggestion is as far as possible to bake this HEART SHAPED , yeah lets all have heart shapes this month, but if u dont have the mold cool , bake as u wish , though BAke it Pretty , does have some cool heart liners, ie baker molds.

I wanted to link back for step by step pics instead of a lonnngg post here, but thought since i chose the recipe ,i better go the long way...
So lets begin ,shall we , and before we do i have to show u these eggs , these are free range organic eggs = eggs from home chickens...get 3 to 4 fresh daily , almost..

 And lets break 3 eggs, 3 nice and yellow eggs...

And some sugar, i used vanilla sugar ,and since mine had some lavender in there , there was Vanilla and Lavender happening eeverwhere...

+i added a vanilla bean there , honestly i really go overboard with this Spice....

And beat away for a good ten mins ,till really light and fluffy , i think i did this for almost 15mins and while the mixer was at work got the rest of the ingredients ready.

Now time to fold in the flour , and then add the whisked milk and oil , in 2 parts and lastly fold in the Parmesan cheese.

I loved what Corrine did ,so i had a little layer of guava cheese in the middle too...

After the first bite ,i realized i sure needed to add salt to the batter , ,so well its already baked so what i did was shave some himalayan pink salt on all the cakes...

Why did i dress this cake with flowers and glitter?

Coz i somehow think Juliet would be dressed in pink layered gowns , with flowers and crystals in her hair...

 RECIPE FROM TALITHA"S BLOG
(conversions using my scale , so hope they are right , else stick to the grams)

3 large eggs

210g/1 cup/7.4ounces vanilla sugar or add half a bean scrapped in

200g/1.1/4th cup+1tbh/7.1oz flour

2 tbsp cornstarch

1 tbsp baking powder + 1/2 tsp salt

20g/3 almost heaping tbh/0.7ounces grated parmesan cheese

200ml milk(slightly warmed)

40ml oil

Topping

300g goiabada cubed (guava paste)

water

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350˚F. Grease a 22cm round pan or mini heart pans

Sift the flour, cornstarch and baking powder. Set aside.

Beat the eggs with sugar for 10 minutes in high speed.

Beat for more 2 minutes in slow speed ,till really light and fluffy.

Fold in the sifted ingredients, till blended.

Mix the oil and milk together and whisk lightly .

Mix in 1/4 of the oil and milk mixture in the batter.Fold in.

Mix in the remaining , into the batter and add the grated parmesan, fold in everything now.

Spoon into the pan and bake for 25 minutes.

Let cool on a rack.

Cover with goiabada.

if u making a layer inbetween , use a cookie scoop so u get a layer in the middle , like use a 2tbh scoop , place some guava paste , then cover with another 2tbh scoop full of batter.

Topping

Melt the goiabada with water. Let boil, stirring until reduce. Let cool slightly and cover the cake.

If ur using any Jam /jelly ,do the same , warm it with a splash of water , jus to liquefy and spread over the cake.

Romeo & Juliet Cupcakes

Posted by - Corrine

I kind of did my own thing with the Romeo & Juliet theme, I hope that's ok :)

Since Romeo and Juliet refers to the pairing of Guava paste and cheese, I thought what about a guava cake with cream cheese frosting.  I did cupcakes because, well, I love cupcakes and they're easier to share with neighbors.

Most recipes I could find for guava cakes used guava nectar, but I did find one that uses guava paste as a layer in the middle of the cupcakes.  I used my go-to cream cheese frosting from Baked Explorations, I decorated some with a swirl of guava paste and some just piped with frosting.  The cupcakes turned out pretty good, the cake is quite dense, like a pound cake which isn't my favourite (I'm more of a sponge cake type of girl), but my husband loved it.  I don't think I cut the guava paste thin enough so it didn't quite melt into the ribbons I had envisioned, but it tasted great nonetheless.  Next time I'll use a more standard yellow cake recipe and slice the guava paste as thin as I possibly can.

Guava Cupcakes 

from Food.com

3/4 cup butter, softened

1 cup sugar

2 eggs

1 cup unsweetened applesauce
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
10 ounces guava paste, sliced

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Line standard muffin tins with paper liners.  Sift flour and baking powder together in a separate bowl, set aside.
In a large mixing bowl of a stand mixer, cream butter and sugar together.

Add eggs, one by one, beating thoroughly.
Add applesauce and vanilla, and mix well.
Gradually add flour mixture to butter mixture until fully blended.
Place a scoop of the batter (I used a small ice cream scoop) in each lined cup and smooth it to fill the bottom.
Top each with a few slices of guava paste
Top with another scoop of cake batter and smooth out over the guava paste, so the cups are about 3/4 full
Bake for 23 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean (except for the guava paste).

For the Cream Cheese Frosting:
From Baked Explorations

3 cups confectioners' sugar
½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
pinch of salt

Sift the confectioners' sugar into a medium bowl and set aside.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter until is completely smooth.  Add the cream cheese and beat until combined.

Add the confectioners' sugar, vanilla, and salt and beat until smooth.  Be careful not to overbeat the filling, or it will lose structure.  (The filling can be made 1 day ahead. Cover the bowl tightly and put it in the refrigerator.  Let the filling soften at room temperature before using.)