Cinnamon choc chip swirl bread

After cookies and cakes, Susan and I decided it was time to play around with yeast – we both wanted to bake from John Barricelli’s beautiful book and the cinnamon swirl bread caught our eyes (and our stomachs). :)

The bread is tender and delicious; the dough is easy to work with – not sticky! – but my idea of using chocolate chips instead of raisins turned out to be less than genius: I used dark chocolate (70% cocoa solids) and in the end it was a bit too bitter for the bread. :(

So ignore my version and make the bread with raisins, or raisin-free as Susan did – her loaf looks fabulous!

Cinnamon choc chip swirl bread
slightly adapted from The SoNo Baking Company Cookbook

Dough:
¾ cup (180ml) warm whole milk
1 ¾ teaspoons active dried yeast
3 ¼ cups (455g) all purpose flour
½ cup + 1 ½ tablespoons (85g) whole wheat flour
3 tablespoons caster (superfine) sugar
¼ teaspoon salt
6 ½ tablespoons (91g) unsalted butter, cold, chopped
½ cup + 2 tablespoons water
2/3 cup dark chocolate chips (or use raisins as the original recipe called for)

Filling:
2/3 cup (133g) caster (superfine) sugar
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1 large egg, beaten, for egg wash
1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted

Start by making the dough: in a small bowl, mix the warm milk and the yeast with a fork and set aside until foamy, about 5 minutes.
In the bowl of an electric mixer, using the paddle attachment, beat the all purpose flour, whole wheat flour, sugar, salt and butter on low speed until butter dissolves into the dry ingredients. Add the yeast mixture and the water and beat on low speed until well combine – the dough should be tacky but not sticky when touched; if the dough is too dry, add water by the tablespoon.
Turn the dough onto an unfloured surface and knead until dough pulls together in a ball and becomes less tacky. Knead for 7-9 minutes or until dough is smooth and springy. Pat the dough into a 23cm (9in) round, sprinkle with the chocolate chips (or raisins), and knead briefly to incorporate. Form a ball with the dough, place into a lightly oiled large bowl, turn so both sides are coated, cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place (at least 21°C/70°F) until increased in bulk by 1 ½ times and very soft, 1 to 1 ½ hours.
Deflate the dough: using a plastic pastry scraper, turn the top of the dough down and the bottom up. Turn the dough so that the smooth side faces in. cover with plastic wrap again and let rise in a warm place until increased in bulk by 1 ½ times, about 1 hour.
Make the filling: in a small bowl, mix the sugar and cinnamon together. Measure out 1/3 cup of the mixture and reserve it separately.
Turn the dough onto an unfloured surface, gently stretch it to make a 15x35cm (6x14in) rectangle, then brush with the egg wash. Sprinkle with the cinnamon sugar mixture, allowing 2.5cm (1in) borders at top and bottom. Rolling from the top, roll the loaf as tightly as you can into a log. Gently press the seams together. Place the loaf seam side down in a buttered 21x11cm (8 ½ x4 ½ in) loaf pan.
Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rise until increased in bulk by 1 ½ times, 30-45 minutes.
Set the oven rack in the middle position. Preheat the oven to 260°C/500°F.
Place the loaf on a baking sheet, put it in the oven and immediately reduce the temperature to 190°C/375°F. bake, rotating about two-thirds of the way through the baking time, until the crust is evenly brown and the loaf sounds hollow when tapped on the bottom (using oven mitts, carefully lift the bread from the pan and gently tap on the bottom with your knuckles), 40-45 minutes. Remove from the oven, unmold onto a wire rack and let cool completely.
Brush the cooled loaf with the melted butter and sprinkle with the reserved cinnamon sugar mixture. Place the loaf back on the wire rack and let stand until sugar coating dries, about 30 minutes.

Makes one loaf – I made the exact recipe above and yet got 2 loaves, using 20x9cm and 19x8cm pans

Pastel vasco with blackberry compote

I have been using my cookbooks a lot more lately and there’s one person to be “blamed” for that: my baking buddy, the lovely Susan. :)
Putting my cookbooks to good use was one of my New Year’s resolutions and I’m glad it’s one I’ve been able to keep.

This cake has become one of my favorites: it’s already filled when you remove it from the oven and the rum smell is just wonderful; the batter is not very sweet cake – and I think that’s why it goes really well with the compote. I did not toast the cake slices as the recipes calls for, but only because it was gone before I had the chance to. :)

Now I want to know if Susan liked the cake as much as I did - I've had a quick look of her stunning cake and that is making me drool already. :)

Pastel vasco with blackberry compote
from Sunday Suppers at Lucques

Blackberry compote:
½ cup (100g) granulated sugar
1 vanilla bean
1/3 cup (80ml) water
1 tablespoon corn starch
2 heaping cups (300g) blackberries – I used frozen, slightly thawed
2 tablespoons brandy

Pastel vasco (cake):
2 ¼ cups + 1 tablespoon (325g) all purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
4 large eggs
1 cup + 1 tablespoon (212g) granulated sugar + a little extra for sprinkling over the cake
14 tablespoons (196g) unsalted butter, melted + 3 tablespoons (42g) unmelted
2 tablespoons dark rum
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
¼ cup (60ml) fresh orange juice
1 cup heavy cream, to serve

Start by making the compote: pour the sugar into a medium saucepan. Cut the vanilla bean in half lengthwise and use the back of the knife to scrape the seeds into the sugar. Add the water and bring to a boil over medium heat, without stirring. Cook about 10 minutes, swirling the pan occasionally, until the mixture in an amber caramel color.
While the sugar is caramelizing, stir 2 tablespoons of water into the corn starch in a small bowl. Set aside.
When the sugar has reached the desired color, add half the blackberries and the brandy to the pot – be carefully for the mixture will spit. The sugar will harden. Continue cooking for 3-5 minutes, without stirring, over medium-low heat, until the berries release their juices and the sugar dissolves. Strain the berries over a bowl and pour the liquid back to the saucepan. Transfer the cooked berries to the bowl and stir in the remaining uncooked berries. Bring the blackberry caramel back to a boil over medium heat and slowly whisk in the corn starch mixture, a little at a time. Cook for a few more minutes, stirring often, until the sauce thickens. Pour the thickened juices over the berries and stir to combine. Set aside to cool completely.

Now, the cake: sift the flour and baking powder together. Set aside.
Whisk 3 eggs in a large bowl. Whisk in the sugar, melted butter, rum, vanilla extract and orange juice. Fold in the dry ingredients, cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate the batter for 30 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 200°C/400°F, generously butter a loaf pan*.
Pour ¾ of the batter into the prepared pan, and spoon ¾ cup blackberry compote over it. Top with the remaining batter, letting some of the berries show through.
Beat the remaining egg and brush some of it over the batter. Sprinkle with a handful of granulated sugar over the top. Bake for about 1 hour, or until risen and golden and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean (I used a long, thin knife so it would reach the bottom of the pan).
Let the cake cool completely in the pan over a wire rack. Unmold, and then cut into little less than 2cm (¾ in) slices, and butter lightly on both sides.
Warm the remaining compote in a small saucepan over low heat.
Heat a griddle or large cast iron pan over medium-high heat. Toast each slice of cake lightly for a minute or two each side, until it’s golden brown and crispy. Arrange the slices on a plate, spoon the warm compote over and serve with a small pitcher of cream.

* since the size of the pan is not mentioned on the book, I made ¾ of the recipe and used a 20x8cm loaf pan

Serves 6-8

Devilish angel food cake with passion fruit curd

I’m baking with Susan again – and I almost had to call for help to stop eating this cake. :)

I kept lying to myself saying that “this is practically only egg whites” after eating each slice of cake, then Susan wrote me the same thing in an email. You see, it’s not only my fault. ;)

I made some passion fruit curd to serve the cake with, but now I have an eye on Suz’s version with raspberry sauce... Yum!

Devilish angel food cake with passion fruit curd
cake from Desserts by the Yard, curd from Modern Classics Book 2

Cake:
1 cup + 2 tablespoons (140g) cake flour*
1 cup + 2 tablespoons (224g) caster (superfine) sugar
scant ½ teaspoon baking powder
9 large egg whites (252g)
¼ teaspoon cream of tartar
1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise, seeds scraped out with the back of the knife and reserved
½ cup (1 stick/113g) unsalted butter, melted and still hot

Passion fruit curd:
½ cup passion fruit pulp + some extra seeds to decorate
100g unsalted butter, room temperature
½ cup (100g) caster (superfine) sugar
1 egg
3 egg yolks

Prepare the cake: preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F. Line the bottom of a 6-cup capacity tube pan with a ring of parchment paper – do not grease the pan.
Sift together the flour, ½ cup + 1 tablespoon (112g) of the caster sugar, and the baking powder 2 times and set aside.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, or in a large bowl with a hand mixer, beat the egg whites on low speed until they begin to foam. Add the cream of tartar and 1 tablespoon of the sugar, then continue to beat while gradually adding the remaining ½ cup (100g) sugar, a tablespoon at a time. Beat until the whites form medium-firm peaks. Stop the mixer. Add the vanilla seeds and continue beating while you quickly stream in the hot butter. Remove from the mixer and gently fold in the dry ingredients.
Spoon the batter into the prepared, spreading it evenly. Bake for 30 minutes, rotate the pan from front to back, and bake for 10-15 additional minutes, until the cake is firm to touch and a tester inserted comes out clean. Remove from the oven and flip the cake pan upside down on a rack. Let sit for 1 hour, then run a knife around the edge of the pan and invert the cake onto a serving platter. Remove the parchment from the cake.

Make the curd: place the passion fruit pulp and butter in a saucepan and cook over low heat, stirring, until the butter is melted. Whisk in the sugar, the egg and egg yolks and stir constantly over medium-low heat for 5-7 minutes or until the mixture thickens slightly. Pass it through a fine sieve, add the reserved passion fruit seeds and immediately cover with plastic wrap directly in contact with the curd. Let cool then refrigerate**.
Makes 1 ½ cups

Cut the cake into thick slices and serve with the curd.

* homemade cake flour: 1 cup (140g) all purpose flour minus 2 tablespoons + 2 tablespoons corn starch

** I thought the curd smelled a little eggy, so I added 1 teaspoon lemon juice to it after it was cool and it worked out fine

Serves 10