SUZIE SWEET TOOTH

Cakes, Treats, and Everything Sweet

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    • Raspberry and Cream Horns

      Cream horn. This little pastry gem falls under the category simple but tasty. So simple to make. Sure you can buy them at the store, but when you make them at home you can also know that they are fresh and have not been sitting there for God knows how long. Growing up my Mom used to buy cream horns at the store all the time. We weren’t really a twinkie kind of household. Explains a lot, no? When I was in pastry school and we learned how to make fresh puff pastry this little pastry treat was one of the recipes we made. You can make a million things with puff pastry and it’s handy to have a box in your freezer when the mood strikes you to make something tasty and easy. Our teacher in pastry school; the amazing pastry chef Nancy Pitta taught us to put a spin on the recipe and add a piped stripe of raspberry jam on the inside belly of the horn before piping in the cream. I will never make a plain cream horn ever again since that day. The raspberry jam totally makes this simple treat even better.

      Raspberry and Cream Horns

      yield: about 12 cream horns

      1 box puff pastry

      metal “horns” for wrapping puff pastry on (note; if you do not have the metal horns you can create your own by using tinfoil to shape a horn shape) cannoli tubes also work if you happen to have them

      coarse sanding sugar

      seedless raspberry jam

      stabilized whipped cream (recipe below)

      Stabilized whipped cream:

      4 tsp. cold water

      2 tsp. gelatin

      1 cup cold heavy whipping cream

      1/4 cup confectioners sugar

      1 tsp. vanilla

      1. Chill mixing bowl and whisk attachment for at least 15 minutes before using. Place cold water in a small microwave-safe bowl. Sprinkle gelatin over water and allow to soften 5 minutes.

      2. Dissolve gelatin by microwaving for about 20-30 seconds. Remove from microwave and place the bowl in the fridge; you want the gelatin to be liquid but not warm when added to cream.

      3. Remove bowl and whisk from refrigerator and pour in cream, sugar, and vanilla extract. Beat together just until beater marks begin to show distinctly; about 1 minute. Remove the gelatin from the fridge, with the mixer still running, pour the gelatin mixture in a fine stream into cream, pouring in a steady stream while beating constantly. Beat until stiff peaks form. Chill until ready to use.

      Pastry horns:

      1. Thaw puff pastry according to package directions. Roll over the pastry a few times with a rolling pin to secure any seams in the pastry. With a pastry wheel or sharp knife cut strips of the puff about 3/4 inch in diameter. Lightly grease the metal horns with nonstick baking spray. Wrap the puff strips around the metal horn starting at the tapered end and overlapping 1/2 half of each strip as you make your way up the horn. Add strips as you need to so you have a continuous wrap up the metal horn. Secure and pinch any loose seams to keep the wrap tight as you go.

      2. Once the horns are completely wrapped brush each horn on one side with water and press into coarse sugar. Place the pastry horns on a Silpat or parchment lined baking sheet with the sugar side facing up and chill for at least 30 minutes.

      3. Bake in a preheated 400 degree oven for 18-20 minutes or until golden brown. Let cool completely on the tray.

      4. Pipe each bottom floor of the pastry horn with raspberry jam. Fill the remaining pastry horn with stabilized whipped cream. These are best served the same day, but leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge.

    • Mango Macarons with White Jasmine Tea Ganache

      Spring is in the air. I can feel it. I can smell it. And yes, I want to taste it. I’m in a sunshine yellow state of mind. The sun is rising earlier and I’m starting to notice as I drive home from work that there is more daylight each and every day. I think our tastes change subtly with the dawning of a new season too. You aren’t always overtly aware of it, but suddenly you start craving different flavors. Brighter, fresher, lighter flavors. I start dreaming of new recipes. Spring has always been my favorite season. Always. Growing up in Michigan I used to get excited when you had those early teaser signs of spring. The first time you saw a robin bird you knew. Spring was coming, then you would wake up the next day to a snow shower. ;-) Spring is fickle that way. Now that I live in San Francisco, I still get excited about spring as it is the time to enjoy the sunshine before the fog rolls in. This is what you start to notice first; suddenly there is hardly any fog. Like I said, I’m in a sunshine yellow state of mind….

      Mango And Jasmine Macarons 

      Mango Macarons

      200 gms almond flour, sifted

      200 gms confectioners sugar, sifted

      3 Tbsp. finely ground freeze dried mango (freeze-dried mango found at Trader Joes)

      85 gms egg whites

      optional: yellow food coloring

      200 gms granulated sugar

      50 gms water

      75 gms egg whites (room temp)

      pinch of cream of tartar

      White Jasmine Tea Ganache

      9 oz. white chocolate chopped fine

      4.5 oz. heavy cream

      2 white jasmine tea bags

      Make the ganache: heat the heavy cream in the microwave on high for 1 minute. Steep the tea bags in the heavy cream for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes; squeeze the tea bags into the cream until dry and discard. Place the white chocolate in a medium size heat proof bowl. Using the microwave, heat the heavy cream again on high until very hot and pour over the chocolate; let sit one minute then whisk until emulsified. If there are chocolate pieces remaining; reheat the mixture on high at 20 second intervals until all the chocolate is melted and the mixture is smooth. Set the ganache in the refrigerator until firm while you make the macarons. You can prepare the ganache the day before.

      Make the macarons:

      1. Grind the dried mango either in a spice grinder or with a mortar and pestle. Combine the almond meal, confectioners sugar and ground mango in a large bowl. Whisk to combine. Stir in the 85 gms of egg whites and yellow food coloring (optional) and set aside.

      2. In a bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment combine 75 gms of egg whites and the cream of tartar and begin whipping them on medium-high speed.

      3. At the same time combine the 200 gms of granulated sugar and 50 gms of water in a small saucepan on high heat; bring to 240° without stirring while whipping the egg whites on your mixer simultaneously. You want the cooking sugar syrup to reach 240 degrees at the same time your whites reach stiff peaks. To time this; keep the stand mixer next to the stove so you can peek at the whites while still watching your cooking syrup. If you notice the whites starting to get too stiff before the sugar is done; slow down the mixer to low-speed.

      4. Once the syrup is at 240 degrees, stop/take off the heat and start pouring the syrup down the side of the mixer bowl slowly with the mixer running on slow-medium at the same time; careful not to let the syrup hit the whisk to prevent hard syrup forming. Once all the syrup is in, crank up the mixer to high and whip the whites until very glossy and stiff.

      5. Take the whipped meringue and place on top of the almond mixture and start to  fold gently until all of the meringue is incorporated; careful not to deflate the mixture. You are looking for a thick consistency like lava. When you lift the spatula the batter should fall in sheets. Fill a piping bag fitted with a 1/2 inch round tip and pipe the cookies on parchment lined sheet trays; leaving at least an inch space between cookies. Take the trays and rap them hard on the counter to release any air bubbles. Let the trays sit out anywhere from 30-60 minutes; as long as it takes until when you touch the top of the cookies they are dry and no longer tacky to the touch.

      6. Bake the cookies double panned (placing one empty tray underneath the piped cookies) one tray at a time in a 325° oven for about 18-20 minutes until the cookies are no longer wet on the bottom and appear dry. Sacrifice one if you have to test. Let the cookies cool.

      7. Pipe the cookies with ganache.

    • Red Velvet Cake/Cupcakes With Cream Cheese Frosting

      I can’t tell you how many times people have asked me the secret to a good red velvet cake recipe. People swear to me [and I’m not braggin’] that my red velvet cake is the best. You wanna know the secret? No, you don’t have to move to the South. No, you don’t need to add vinegar. No, you don’t have to use buttermilk. You wanna know? Do ya? Do ya? Okay. Here’s the answer….Drum roll….wait for it, wait for it…

      You go to www.mcCormick.com and look for the recipe. Or better yet; it’s right below for your convenience. That’s right. The same recipe I have been using for years comes straight from the people who supply that red food color/one ounce of/love it red boldness/gotta make red velvet cake color red food color. That’s right. You heard me right. I’m not even kidding. I’ve tried all kinds of recipes and theirs is the best. I swear-you just have to trust me on this. I just have one piece of advice. When you go to the store to buy the McCormick red food color buy more than one bottle. Buy three. Next time when you want to make red velvet cake and you can’t find red food color because let’s say it’s the eve of Valentines Day and every other baker Betty has cleared the shelf; you’ll thank me. Keep it on hand. Okay, down to business. One other piece of advice. Make sure the dairy and the eggs are room temp when you go to mix the batter. That’s it. Carry on.

      Red Velvet Cake

      (recipe from McCormick spice co.) 

      (yield: 24 cupcakes, one 2 layer 9 inch cake or one 9 x 13 inch pan)

      CAKE/CUPCAKES:

      1/2 cup natural unsweetened cocoa powder (such as Hershey’s)

      2 1/2 cups flour

      1 teaspoon baking soda

      1/2 teaspoon salt

      1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened

      2 cups granulated sugar

      4  eggs (room temp)

      1 cup sour cream (room temp)

      1/2 cup milk (room temp)

      1 bottle (1 ounce) McCormick® Red Food Color

      2 teaspoons  vanilla

      1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour 2 (9-inch) round cake pans; or (for cupcakes  prepare a standard size muffin/cupcake tin with 24 paper liners) or (for 9×13 inch pan grease and flour the pan, tap out excess flour). Sift flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside.

      2. Beat butter and granulated sugar in large bowl with electric mixer on medium speed 5 minutes or until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs, 1 at a time. Mix in sour cream, milk, food color and vanilla. Gradually beat in flour mixture on low speed until just blended. Do not overbeat. Pour batter into prepared pans/cupcake pan. [For cupcakes use a 1/4 cup equivalent ice cream scoop to fill them 2/3 full].

      3. For 9 inch Cake pans: Bake 35 to 40 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. For Cupcakes: Bake for 20-22 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. For 9 x 13 inch pan; Bake for about 40 minutes. Cool in pan 10 minutes. Remove from pans if using 9 inch pans; cool completely on wire rack.

      CREAM CHEESE FROSTING: (Suzie tip: I make double the amount of the recipe originally called for in the recipe). I can’t stand a cake that wimps out on the amount of frosting. I’m just sayin’

      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: If I’m making the 9 inch cake where I’m using the frosting as filling and frosting I like to add the white chocolate. It gives the frosting a little more body and adds a really rich flavor.

    • Espresso Chocolate Chip Shortbread

      ♥ Valentines day ♥ is right around the corner. And you know what that means. Yep, you guessed it. The hubby/boyfriend/significant other/male species has no clue what so ever. Okay, the 11 yr. old male still knows…there’s still hope for the male race.

      Sure, the commercials are plastered all over the TV.

      Sure, you have dropped hints.

      Sure, his female coworkers have probably reminded him for the last several days.

      You know though that until THE day he will be like, “What, today is valentine’s day” ? “Oh $hit”, he’ll say, “I had no idea”…. and off he’ll go running to some market/Safeway/or equally cheap equivalent to buy some bargain bouquet of flowers for you. Little do they know, it doesn’t really matter. We know they ♥ love us. What really means ♥ love is when he brings you something home on ANY given day of the week surprising you for NO reason, with NO significance to the date, a SMALL TOKEN or gift or present and says, “No reason”, “Just because I ♥ love you”. THAT’S what gets us, right ladies? Guys like to be reminded too that we ♥ love them, dirty socks on the floor and all; every day of the week. Hang this little cookie on his mug before he dashes out the door just to remind him, how much you ♥ love him, and perhaps to remind him it’s valentines day…

      (a little guilt never hurts). You know you still want that boquet, ’cause the girls are gonna ask.

      Espresso Chocolate Chip Shortbread

      Recipe from Smitten Kitchen

      Yield: 3 dozen


      1 Tbsp. instant espresso powder

      1 Tbsp. boiling water

      8 oz. (2 sticks) unsalted butter; room temp

      2/3 Cup confectioners sugar

      1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

      2 Cups all-purpose flour

      3/4 Cup mini chocolate semi sweet chips

      1. Dissolve espresso powder in boiling water. Set aside to cool until slightly warm.

      2. In a stand mixer, cream butter and confectioners’ sugar together on medium speed for about 3 minutes, until the mixture is very smooth. Beat in vanilla and espresso, then reduce mixer speed to low and add flour, mixing only until it disappears into the dough. Don’t work the dough too much once the flour is incorporated as to avoid a tough cookie.

      3. By hand using a large spatula, fold in the mini chips. Using the spatula, transfer dough to a gallon-size zip-loc bag. Put the bag on a flat surface, leaving the top open, and roll the dough into a 9 x 10 1/2 inch rectangle about  1/4 inch thick. As you roll, turn the bag occasionally and lift the plastic from the dough so it doesn’t cause creases. When you get the right size and thickness, seal the bag, pressing out as much air as possible, and refrigerate the dough for at least 2 hours, or for up to 2 days.

      4. Preheat the oven to 325°F. Put the plastic bag on a cutting board and slit it open. Turn the firm dough out onto the board (discard the bag) and, using a ruler as a guide and a sharp knife, cut the dough into 1 1/2-inch squares. (in this case I used my split shaped heart cutter instead).

      5. Transfer the cookies to baking sheets. Bake one sheet at a time for about 18-20 minutes. You want the shortbreads to remain mostly pale in color. Do not overbake. Transfer the cookies to a rack.

    • Limoncello

      The gospel has been spread. Everyone knows now. I love a good lemon. Keep the lemons coming! Why is it that people with lemon trees really don’t make much with them? Perhaps they are just over it. Perhaps they are sick of lemonade and don’t know what else to make with their precious little golden beauties. I grew up in Michigan. Having a lemon tree in your backyard was a total foreign concept to me. Ice skating rink yes, lemon tree, no. When I moved to California and started meeting all kinds of people with lemon trees I got a little giddy. Thirteen years later, I am still giddy when I get fresh lemons from my “lemony friends”. Now I’m a little giddy for two reasons. Second reason is limoncello. ACTUALLY giddy. The stuff is potent and for sure you will feel quite giddy after you’ve had a good sip or five… If you have the patience you too can make your own limoncello. It’s quite fun. All you need is a few ingredients and nice glass jar and some time. Make sure to make extra and place it in nice pretty bottles so you can share with your friends.

      Is this not the most beautiful yellow thing you’ve seen? ……

      Limoncello

      (recipe adapted from allrecipes.com)

      Ingredients/Components

      •   10 lemons (organic, wax free)
      •   1 liter vodka
      •   2 cups white sugar
      •   2  1/2 cups water
      •   cheesecloth
      •   glass jar

       

       

      Directions
      1. Wash the lemons welll, rinse and dry. Zest the lemons using a Y peeler by taking off about 3/4-1 inch strips, and place zest strips into a large glass bottle or jar. Try very careful to make sure you are only getting the zest and not any of the white pith as this will make the liqueur bitter. If you find you have white pith on the back of the peel; take a sharp paring knife and try to remove the pith. Pour in vodka. Cover loosely and let infuse for three weeks at room temperature. Every few days or so, take off the cover, stir the peels and muddle them by pressing down on them with the tip of a wooden spoon. As time goes on, you will notice the liqueur to become more yellow. It’s a beautiful thing!

      2. After three weeks, combine sugar and water in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil. Do not stir. Boil for 15 minutes. Allow syrup to cool to room temperature. Pour the entire vodka/lemon peel mixture into a large clean pot and remove/discard the lemon peels; reserve the booze of course. Wash out the glass container as you are going to use it again to pour the mixture back into to let it “cure” for 2 more weeks. Pour the mixture back into the clean glass container. Stir syrup into vodka mixture using the same glass container.

      3. Let the mixture sit on your counter top in a cool place; out of direct sunlight (covered). You will notice that every few days you will notice some sediment or cloudiness that forms on top; strain the mixture through a double thickness cheese cloth placed over a wire mesh strainer over a large clean pot. Pour the mixture back into the glass container each time you do this. Let mixture age for 2 weeks at room temperature; every few days continue to look for any sediment/cloudiness and strain as above each time and pour back into the glass container until mixture shows no more sediment/cloudiness.

      4. EVERY FEW DAYS, WALK PAST THE CONTAINER AND GRIN. THAT’S RIGHT; SHOW IT THE LOVE IT DESERVES. GRIN HAPPILY. YES, IT’S A BEAUTIFUL THING. THIS IS KEY OKAY?! YOU MUST STOP, GAZE AT IT AND GRIN. Like talking to a plant, show it the love. The limoncello love. Okay, I admit. I stopped, gazed and dipped into it, [sipped] a little along the way. After those two exhausting weeks are over…Thank God!!!! Take a funnel, pour the mixture into decorative glass bottles or glass canning jars and store as below.

      4. Place the bottled liqueur into the freezer. When icy cold, serve in chilled vodka glasses or shot glasses. The stuff is potent, so you can also serve over ice or even with a little lemon/lime soda would be good too. Shhh, don’t tell the Italians I said that, they would probably cringe. To your health.

      Cheers!

      Suzie

      {Printable Recipe}:

      https://docs.google.com/document/d/1LoFAuQRxwa7ajuH_tAdcjEQ750fxbCoDHEps1uUoTTU/edit

    • Banana Walnut Streusel Muffins

      I’m still not good at weekly banana management. Probably never will be. Don’t you find it fascinating that a green banana can ripen so fast? It’s like all of a sudden you’ve stepped into this fruit time warp. One day you’re cruisin past the kitchen table, you glance at the fruit bowl. Nah, don’t feel like a banana today, maybe tomorrow….you’re feeling like yogurt. So off you go, off to work and the next day, you glance at the bowl again. You pick one up put it in your bag for lunch at work. Work gets crazy; you don’t eat it and then it sits on your desk. Tomorrow you promise yourself, “I’ll really eat it tomorrow”, “Really I will”.  It’s utterly astounding how this happens; this fruit time warp. Somehow a stargate has opened, you’ve entered a parallel universe and you’ve lost all track of time during the week. You swear you just passed by that bowl and they were green! All of a sudden you are staring down a bowl of dark bananas and you know. That inner voice speaks to you. It says, “YOU BETTER MAKE BANANA BREAD” or throw those suckers out. I can’t throw em out. I know, you too? Guilt gets me every time. Banana guilt. I decided banana muffins instead of the bread. The beauty of this recipe is that you can use buttermilk, yogurt or sour cream. Enjoy, guilt free.

      (recipe adapted from: The Sono Baking Company Cookbook)

      yield: 16-18 muffins

      Banana Walnut Streusel Muffins

       

      Streusel Topping

      1/4 Cup flour

      1/2 Cup light brown sugar

      1/4 tsp. kosher salt

      1/8 tsp. cinnamon

      1/2 stick cold butter, cut into small cubes

      1/2 Cup chopped walnuts

      Muffins

      2 Cups all-purpose flour

      1 tsp. baking powder

      1 tsp. baking soda

      1/2 Cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temp

      1 Cup sugar

      1  1/2 tsp. kosher salt

      2 Lg. eggs, room temp

      2 tsp. vanilla

      3 very ripe bananas

      1/2 Cup buttermilk, sour cream, or whole milk yogurt

      1 Cup walnuts, chopped

      1. To make the streusel: In a medium bowl, use a fork to stir together the flour, brown sugar, salt and cinnamon. Add the cubes of butter and using your fingertips work the mixture into pea-size crumbs; set aside in the fridge until ready to use.

      2. Set the oven rack in the middle position. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Line muffin tins with paper liners; set aside.

      3. In a medium bowl whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside.

      4. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, 2-3 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl halfway through. Add the eggs one at a time, beating after each addition. Add in the vanilla and bananas.

      5. With the mixer on low speed, add the dry ingredients, beating until the flour is absorbed. Beat in the buttermilk. Fold in the walnuts.

      6. Using an ice cream scoop or 1/4 cup measuring cup fill the muffin cups. Sprinkle the streusel topping over the muffins, pressing it into the batter slightly.

      7. Bake one tray at a time. Bake the muffins for 5 minutes at 450 degrees, then immediately turn down the oven to 350 degrees and continue to bake for another 14-16 minutes or until a wooden skewer inserted comes out clean. Transfer the muffins to a wire rack to cool for 10 minutes. Using a table knife gently lift and turn the muffins on their sides in the muffin cups. Let cool completely in the pan.

      {Printable Recipe}:

      https://docs.google.com/document/d/18-vCyj-SDL8zUk3I85lbdr2iu1BniNLS9Y6JdaxVzzg/edit