SUZIE SWEET TOOTH

Cakes, Treats, and Everything Sweet

recent posts

    • World Series Cookies, Go Giants!!

      The fever here is palpable. It’s electric, and it’s everywhere.

      Literally, orange electric.

      It’s “Orange October” here in our beloved proud San Francisco. Our boys are killin it on the field. Rain? P’shaw! No problem. We are in the World Series. Again. That’s right. Lest not you forget; just in case you need reminding…. The smallest, AND the biggest bulbs have been replaced with orange glow. If it lights up; it’s most likely to be orange. City Hall, Coit tower, even the airport. We ARE an in your face kind of “City” and there is not subtle message being played. The panda has been unleashed. Everyone has their BIG or little superstitious rituals. Let your beard grow, eat your chicken enchiladas, don’t change your orange nail polish.

      For Giants sake! do NOT change the nail polish  Jennifer!!! (I know she won’t)

      Rules are being broken….work uniforms are being replaced with a not so subtle Giant’s jersey and no one is wagging a finger or even dare complaining. It’s Orange October lest not you forget. Like I said, the fever is palpable and you better jump on board. We are a very proud city indeed. Even the shy quiet bank teller proclaimed “Go Giants!” the other day while I left her window instead of the usual “Have a nice day”. It was the morning of game one of the series and I had stopped by the credit union on my way to work. You could feel the buzz in the city. Vibrating, pulsing, getting ready for the first game.

      This is my little tribute to our Giants. Because, you know; it’s what I do. I bake……. Because, quite frankly, I look horrible in orange.

      For our boys…Go get the tiger!

      And eat a cookie. [Right after you wolf down that enchilada]…..

      GO GIANTS!!!!!!!

      Sugar Cookie Recipe:

      3 Cups all purpose flour

      1 tsp. baking powder

      1/2 tsp. kosher salt

      1 Cup + 2 Tbsp. sugar

      2 sticks cold butter

      1 large egg

      1  1/2 tsp. vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste

      1/2 tsp. almond extract

      Whisk the flour, baking powder and salt; set aside. Cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.  Add the extracts; mix. Add in the egg and mix. Add the flour mixture a little at a time and mix until just combined; scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl to make sure everything is combined well. Try not to overmix the dough. There will be crumbs; take out the dough and knead softly with your hands. Roll out on a floured surface to 1/4 inch thick. Cut into desired shapes. Place on a Silpat sheet or parchment paper lined cookie sheet and Bake at 350 °  for about 12-15 minutes until the edges just barely start to turn light brown. Let cookies cool on sheets placed on a wire rack for 10 mins. Move the cookies to wire rack to cool completely before icing.

      Frost cookies with thin consistency Royal Icing. See recipe below.

      Royal Icing:

      4 Tbsp. meringue powder

      1/2 C cold water

      1 lb. powdered sugar

      1/2 tsp. clear vanilla

      Combine the meringue powder and H2O until foamy. Add the sugar a cup at a time [if the sugar is lumpy; make sure to sift it first] and beat on low until combined. Once all the sugar is combined, turn up the mixer to high and beat for about 5 mins. until the meringue forms stiff peaks. Add cold water one tsp. at a time until the mixture is thinned to consistency of heavy cream. Ice the cookies and let the icing dry until the icing is totally dry. This may take overnight. Decorate as desired.

    • Halloween Chocolate Sandwich Cream Cookies

      Is it possible to pass the age of 5 without eating an Oreo? I think not. Kids of dentists- I’m sorry….you will have to bum one off a classmate for a trade. Good luck with those carrot sticks…. Do we still want to eat Oreo’s at 55? Yes, definitely, and at every age in between. Do we like cutesy Halloween cut out Oreo inspired cookies? You betcha. Pick your filling; chocolate ganache, vanilla buttercream, even peanut butter filling. Only if you are thinking of packing the peanut butter version in your kid’s lunch you might have to retain an attorney first, so best not go there. Peanut butter lunch treats are now pretty much extinct in 49 states I think. I’ll give you all three fillings and you can decide. Make the peanut butter version for home. I used a Wilton Linzer Halloween cutter set. It came with various cut outs: cat, bat, ghost, pumpkin, owl. The cat was my favorite. You can find it on Amazon.com Click here if interested.

      Halloween Chocolate Sandwich Cream Cookies

      adapted from epicurious: yield ~ 3 dozen cookies

      Cookies

      • 2 cups all-purpose flour
      • 1/2 cup unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder (I like Valrhona)
      • 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
      • 1/2 teaspoon salt
      • 2 sticks (1/2 pound) unsalted butter, softened
      • 3/4 cup sugar
      • 1 large egg yolk
      • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

      Filling choices:(see recipes below):  Milk Chocolate Ganache, Vanilla Buttercream, or Peanut butter brown sugar cream

      Make the dough:

      1. Whisk  together flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt.

      2.  Beat butter and sugar  with an electric mixer until pale and fluffy, then beat in yolk and vanilla. At  low speed, mix in flour mixture in 3 batches just until a dough forms. Divide  dough in half and form each piece into a 6-inch square, then chill, wrapped in  plastic wrap, until firm, 2 to 3 hours.

      Make ganache while dough chills: Bring 3 oz. cream to a scald (not quite a boil) in a microwave in a glass measuring cup, then pour over  6 oz. of  finely chopped milk chocolate. Stir  until  smooth. Cover surface with parchment paper and chill, stirring occasionally,  until very thick, about 30 minutes. Notice the ratio here; half cream to the amount of chocolate. You can make a bigger batch; just make sure to follow that rule and measure out your cream by a glass measuring cup and to measure out the chocolate by weight scale. Makes about 1 1/2 cups.

      Vanilla buttercream: In a bowl or hand mixer combine 1 stick (1/2 Cup) softened unsalted butter until creamed and soft. Add  6 cups sifted confectioners sugar (2 cups at a time) , 1/2 Cup whole milk, 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla and mix until smooth and creamy. Makes about 4 cups. You can divide it up and color some of the buttercream orange for pumpkins, green for hats, left white for ghosts,etc.

      Peanut butter brown sugar cream: In a small bowl place 1/2  Cup to 1 Cup dark brown sugar and break up any lumps with a fork. In a medium bowl: Mix in 1 Cup creamy smooth [no sugar added] peanut butter with 1/2 Cup of dk. brown sugar  with a heavy wooden spoon until filling is smooth. Experiment and see what you like; try with 1/2 Cup first to see if you like it less sweet or more sweet and tweak as necessary. Makes about 1  1/4 cups.

      Cut and bake cookies:

      Preheat oven to 350°F with rack in middle. Line 2  baking sheets with either a Silpat liner or Parchment paper.

      Roll out 1 piece of dough  between sheets of plastic wrap  into a 14- by 10-inch rectangle (1/8 inch  thick). Slide dough in plastic still onto a tray and freeze until dough is firm,  about 10 minutes. Repeat with remaining dough.

      Cut out as many solid rounds as possible from first chilled square with cutter, reserving and chilling scraps,  then quickly transfer cookies to a parchment lined or Silpat baking sheet, arranging them 1/2  inch apart. (If dough becomes too soft, return to freezer until firm.)

      Bake at 350 degrees until baked through and  slightly puffed, 10 to 12 minutes. Cool on sheet on rack 5 minutes, then  transfer to rack to cool completely (cookies will crisp as they cool).

      Use the remaining dough to make the cut out with decorative window Halloween cut for the top of the cookies; such as bats, ghosts, cats, or witches hats.  Make more cookies with  remaining dough and scraps (reroll only once).

      Assemble sandwich cookies:  Stir aggressively the ganache to ensure smoothness. Transfer to a sealable plastic bag (snip off 1/8 to 1/4 inch from 1  corner with scissors) or pipe into a piping bag with a round plain tip. Pipe 1 tsp. ganache or 1 tsp. of chosen buttercream onto flat sides of plain cookies, then top  with a chosen cutout cookie for the top to make sandwiches. Chill, layered between sheets of  parchment, in an airtight container until filling is set, at least 1 hour.

      Cook’s notes: Dough can be chilled  up to 2 days. Ganache can be made 1 day ahead and chilled, its surface covered  with parchment. Bring to room temperature, then beat with mixer before using. ·  Sandwiched cookies keep, chilled, 4 days.

    • Quick And Easy Cherry Petite Fours

      I get a lot of requests for quick and easy recipes. I know not everyone is an ambitious baker and sometimes you just want to make something that is quick and easy, but still unique. This idea would be cute for a baby shower, party or informal get together. I think they are  elegant and pretty and great for a party since they are dainty in size. Since I am focusing on pink this month, I thought these little petite fours would be perfect for Breast Cancer Awareness. The tea cakes are a good recipe for someone who is not inclined to spend too much time in the kitchen. The recipe is super easy as well since it uses store-bought angel food cake. No actual baking involved! Enjoy, xoxo Suzie.

      Cherry Petite Fours

       

      One store-bought angel food cake; rectangle loaf size preferred

      Purchased cherry preserves

      6 Tablespoons Tart Cherry Juice

      3 Cups Confectioners sugar

      1 drop Red food coloring

      Slice off the brown edges of the angel food cake so you have only pure white cake. Cut the loaf into slabs that are one inch thick, then cut each slab in half lengthwise so you have slabs of 1/2 inch thick cake. Process the cherry preserves in a food processor or Vitamix until it is smooth and you no longer have any chunks of cherries. Spread a thin layer of preserves on a layer of cake ”slab”  and place another layer of cake on top to make a sandwich. Cut into little squares.

      In a bowl combine the confectioners sugar and cherry juice. Whisk until smooth. Add a drop of red food coloring to make the glaze pink  and whisk.

      Place the little cakes on a wire rack over a rimmed baking sheet and pour over the icing making sure to cover all sides of each cake. I did 3-4 layers of icing. You can re-use the icing that falls onto the baking sheet and pour it through a fine mesh strainer over bowl to remove any loose crumbs of cake, then pour another layer of icing over the cakes and repeat as desired. Let the cakes rest so the icing becomes no longer tacky to the touch. Serve a room temperature.

    • Pink Champagne Cupcakes With Champagne Buttercream for Breast Cancer Awareness

      Last year I did a few recipes with pink in mind in the spirit of Breast Cancer Awareness Month. This year I would like to continue the tradition and post more recipes with pink as a message in tribute for continued awareness. The month of October is for Breast Cancer Awareness. Wear  your pink proudly. Men, this means you too; you know that pink shirt you have hiding in the back of the closet? Pull it out baby. Women everywhere will stop and thank you.  Everyone who knows me knows I love anything retro. This recipe is one of those 1950 retro style cakes. The recipe hails from Oceana restaurant in New York. Instead of a big cake I decided to make cupcakes. The recipe will make about 24 cupcakes or a good 2 layer standard size 8 or 9 inch cake. One last thing- make sure to sip a good glass of bubbly when you are whipping up this wonderful cake….There’s just the right amount leftover for sharing a glass with a loved one.

      To your health, and a toast to all the ladies out there who are breast cancer survivors.

      Cheers,

      xoxo Suzie

       

      Pink Champagne Cake (cupcakes)

      Recipe adapted from Oceana Restaurant in New York

      Yield: 24 cupcakes or a 2 layer 8 or 9 inch cake

      3 Cups Cake flour

      1  1/2 tsp. baking powder

      3/4 tsp. baking soda

      3/4 tsp. salt

      3/4 Cup unsalted butter (1  1/2 sticks) room temp

      2 Cups sugar

      6 egg whites (6 oz.) (I like to use ” liquid egg whites” in the carton  and fill to the 6 oz. mark on a liquid measuring cup)

      1 tsp. vanilla extract

      2 Cups pink Champagne, room temp

      red food coloring

      Champagne Buttercream

      3 sticks unsalted butter, softened

      1 lb. confectioners sugar

      3 Tbsp.  pink champagne

      1 tsp. vanilla

      To make the cake: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Sift all the dry ingredients together through a mesh sieve and set aside. In a mixer bowl cream the butter and sugar until fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add the egg whites slowly until combined. Add vanilla and mix. Add the dry ingredients in 3 additions; alternating with the champagne in 2 additions, and ending with the flour mixture until combined. Tint the batter if desired to a shade of pink with pink or red food coloring. Fill the cupcake liners 2/3 full and bake for about 18-20 minutes until a few moist crumbs show when pierced with a wooden skewer or until cakes bounce back when pressed lightly. Let cool and frost with champagne buttercream.

      To make the buttercream: Cream the butter along with sifted confectioners sugar until creamy and combined well. Add the champagne and vanilla and beat until combined. Careful not to overbeat or the liquid can cause the buttercream to separate.

    • “King for a day breakfast”: Sweet Peppered “Millionaire Bacon” and Puffed Apple Pancake

      This is no average ho hum pancakes and bacon. This is King for a day breakfast, only I’m sorry- your fantasy maid/cook? yeah, she’s off for the day and you still  have to cook it yourself. Hey, you can’t have everything.

      This is bacon kicked up a notch.

      Spicy, sweet candied bacon. Meaty, bordering on cannibalistic inner cave man- chewy bacon. The best part, there is no slaving over a skillet. Fire up your oven-that’s 375° Boss, and toss a wire rack over a rimmed baking sheet and let the oven do all the work.

      Do yourself a favor though, make sure to buy the  EXTRA THICK CUT BACON

      This is NOT the time to go cheap

      Yes, I know it’s expensive

      Yes, you know you deserve it, you’ve been WANTING it

      Yes, I’m talkin’ to you Mr. generic brand bacon man.

      Yes, I know you look over 4.6 packages of bargain brand bacon before obsessing (deciding) on which one to buy.

      Yes, I know you look at it from all 5 angles.

      Cut it out, okay?! Today, just one day, you are King! For corn’s sake, it’s called Millionaire bacon, not cheap ass bacon. Did you read the title?

      Okay…now that you are with the program: Start the bacon first and then you can knock out that pancake while those strips o’ love are resting. One more thing, fluffy nappy slippers and a good ol’ gnarly robe are required. Who ever said the King had to dress for breakfast? Breakfast tastes much better while still in jammies. It’s a fact, Jack.

      Millionaire Bacon

      1 lb. Cracked Pepper flavor extra-thick cut bacon

      1/2 Cup light brown sugar

      Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Toss the bacon in a bowl with the brown sugar, making sure each piece is coated on both sides. Place the bacon on a wire rack set over a rimmed sheet pan and place in the oven for 20 minutes. Turn the bacon over after the first 10 minutes.  The bacon will still be somewhat soft after 20 minutes, but will crisp up once it cools. If you can’t find peppered bacon you can alternative crack fresh black pepper over the bacon once coated with the sugar.

      Bacon ready for the oven….

      “Dutch Baby” Puffed Apple Pancake

      (serves 4-6)

      2 Tbsp. unsalted butter, melted

      2 Tbsp. room temperature butter

      1 Golden delicious apple, peeled and sliced into 1/4 inch slices

      4 Lg. eggs

      1 Cup milk

      3 Tbsp. sugar

      1  tsp. vanilla

      1/2 tsp. cinnamon

      2/3 Cup flour

      pinch of salt

      confectioners sugar (for dusting on top)

      Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a blender place the eggs, milk, vanilla, sugar, cinnamon, flour, salt and 2 Tbsp. melted butter. Mix until blended.  In a 9-10 inch non stick skillet melt the 2 Tbsp. of room temperature butter. Add the apples and stir with a spatula  for 5 minutes until apples have softened slightly. Pour the egg mixture into the skillet and immediately place the skillet in the oven. Bake for about 20 minutes or until the pancakes is puffed and golden. Sprinkle with powdered sugar and serve warm.

      Mr. Oscar, standing guard in front of the oven while Millionaire bacon cooks…. 

    • Caramel Apple Spice Cake With Cream Cheese Frosting

      Apple, spice and everything nice. That is what fall baking is all about. I made this cake for a very dear friend of mine; Annie who loves spice cakes, and she has a lot of spice herself.  A three layer moist cake with grated apples in the batter, notes of caramel and  lots of spice. Fill and slather this wonderful cake with a dose of rich indulgent cream cheese frosting, top with a generous caramel drizzle and you will make friends fast. The apples are made by tinting marzipan into various apple colors, shaping into small rounds and gently pierced with a chocolate jimmy. Happy Birthday Annie!

      Notice the dark green apple top left with the worm sticking out of it? that was Seth’s idea. He is so creative. Hmmm, I wonder where he gets that from…..

      Apple Spice Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

      1  1/2 Cups unsalted butter, room temp

      1 Cup brown sugar, packed

      2 Cups granulated sugar

      1 Tbsp. molasses

      1 Tbsp. golden syrup (such as Lyles Golden Syrup)

      6 Lg. eggs, room temp

      1 Tbsp. vanilla

      3 Cups cake flour

      1  1/4tsp. baking soda

      1/4 tsp. kosher salt

      2 Tbsp. cinnamon

      1 tsp. nutmeg

      1 tsp. ground ginger

      1/4 tsp. ground cloves

      1 Cup sour cream

      3 Granny Smith apples, peeled and shredded

      Cream Cheese Frosting (recipe below)

      Purchased Caramel topping (for drizzle)

      1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Prepare 3 nine inch pans by spraying with nonstick baking spray and lining the bottom with parchment paper.

      2. Cream the butter and sugars on medium high-speed until light and fluffy. Add in the molasses and syrup. Add in the eggs one at a time and beat until combined. Add in the vanilla. In a medium bowl, combine all the dry ingredients and whisk to combine. Add one-third of the dry ingredients and alternate with the sour cream in 2 increments. Scrape down the sides of the bowl after each addition and end with flour addition. Stir in the apples until fully combined.

      3. Divide the batter between 3 prepared pans and bake at 350 degrees for about 30-35 minutes. Let cool on a wire rack about 15 minutes and then remove from the pans and allow to cool completely. Fill and frost with cream cheese frosting. Drizzle with purchased caramel topping.

      CREAM CHEESE FROSTING:

      2 (8 oz. packages) (1 lb. total) cream cheese, softened

      1/2 Cup (1 stick) butter, softened

      1/4 Cup sour cream

      2 teaspoons  vanilla

      2 lbs. confectioners’ sugar

      (optional)* 8 oz. white chocolate melted and cooled

      Beat cream cheese, butter, sour cream and vanilla in large bowl until light and fluffy. Gradually beat in confectioners’ sugar until smooth. Fill and frost cooled cake or frost cupcakes with frosting.

      * Suzie variation: Sometimes I like to add the white chocolate. It gives the frosting a little more body and adds a really rich flavor.