by Michelle on February 19, 2012
I’ve written about my quest to make bakery quality scones in my own kitchen—and the many times I’ve failed at this. But the other day I had some buttermilk in my fridge that I wanted to use up, so I googled buttermilk scones. A recipe from the blog, Average Betty, came up for buttermilk blueberry scones, and it looked interesting. And more importantly, I had all of the ingredients, including salted butter, something I almost never buy. It was the universe’s way of telling me to make these scones. And I am glad I listened, because these scones were just as good as any I’ve bought! Wow. The perfect texture, with just the right amount of sweetness. I substituted a cup of white whole wheat flour and the scones were still light and not one bit dry. I just made another batch this morning and am already thinking about having seconds…
Buttermilk Blueberry Scones (adapted from Average Betty)
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup white whole wheat flour
6 tablespoons salted butter
1/3 cup sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 egg
2/3 cup buttermilk, plus 2 tablespoons
1 cup blueberries (frozen or fresh)
1 tablespoon turbinado sugar
Preheat oven to 400(F). In a bowl, combine flour, 1/3 cup sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Stir together. Cut butter into pieces. Add butter pieces to dry mixture. Using a pastry cutter or your fingers, incorporate butter pieces until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. In a separate bowl combine egg, 2/3 cup buttermilk and vanilla. Add blueberries to dry mixture. Carefully coat blueberries with dry mixture. This will also prevent blue “bleed.” Create a well in the center of mixture. Add buttermilk mixture all at once to the well. Carefully combine, just until moistened.
Pour mixture onto board. TIP: Spray hands with cooking oil. This will keep the dough from sticking to your hands when patting out the dough. Flour edge of a biscuit cutter, pastry cutter or drinking glass. Cut into shapes and place on a baking sheet. Brush tops with buttermilk and sprinkle with sugar. Bake for 12-14 minutes until golden brown.
by Michelle on February 13, 2012
Last summer, I was at a food event and one of the participating vendors was Stevia in the Raw. I had heard of Stevia, a natural sugar substitute, but I always equated it with sweetening drinks. However, when I walked up to their table, the women representing the brand offered me a tray full of the most delightful looking treats—all made with Stevia in the Raw and Sugar in the Raw. I was skeptical, as most sugar substitutes don’t hold up well in baked goods, but one bite and I could hardly believe that these goodies didn’t contain any sugar. They were delicious! So when these same folks sent me a recipe for red velvet cupcakes with cream cheese frosting—which clock in at around 190 calories per serving—I knew I’d be making them for a lighter Valentine’s Day treat. I actually just got out my ingredients to start baking and realized I didn’t have enough red food coloring, so I’ll be making a batch later today, after I hit the grocery store. In the meantime, here is a photo of the cupcakes, courtesy of Stevia in the Raw.
Doesn’t this just make you want to bake? To learn more about Stevia in the Raw and for store information, click here.
Red Velvet Cupcakes With Cream Cheese Frosting
Yields 24 cupcakes
For the cupcakes:
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa
3 tablespoons red food coloring
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup Sugar In The Raw
4 egg yolks
3 egg whites
1 cup low fat buttermilk
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup Stevia In The Raw Baker’s Bag
2 1/4 cups sifted cake flour*
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional)
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons white vinegar
2 1/4 cups Cream Cheese Frosting
*Note: If you don’t have cake flour, you can use all-purpose. Just subtract two tablespoons from each cup of flour that the recipe calls for. So for this recipe, you’d subtract 4 1/2 tablespoons of flour.
For the frosting:
2 (8 ounce) packages reduced fat cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon Stevia In The Raw Baker’s Bag
1/4 cup 1% low fat milk
Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour two 12-cup muffin tins or line with paper liners. In small bowl combine cocoa, red food color and vanilla, set aside. In large bowl beat together butter and Sugar In The Raw. Add yolks one at a time and beat well after each addition. Add cocoa mixture and blend well.
In another bowl, beat egg whites until stiff peaks form, set aside. Combine buttermilk with salt. Combine Stevia In The Raw, cayenne pepper and baking powder with cake flour. Add buttermilk mixture and flour mixture to cocoa mixture, alternating a third at a time beating after each addition. Combine baking soda and vinegar then add to batter and blend well. Fold in egg whites.
Fill each cup 2/3 full with batter. Bake 13-15 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
Remove from oven and let cool 5-10 minutes before removing from baking cups. Cool cupcakes on rack before frosting.
To make the frosting, in a medium bowl combine all ingredients and blend well. Makes enough frosting for 36 cupcakes.
by Michelle on February 12, 2012
When I was a child, Entenmann’s crumb cake was a constant in our house. (Both the square variety with powdered sugar and the round one which tasted like buttery goodness in every bite). I ate my fair share of it and was prone to picking the crumb topping off each piece right from the box. A few summers ago, we went down the shore to Lavallette, NJ and I discovered an amazing bakery that makes some of the best crumb cake I’ve ever had. I can’t remember the name of the bakery, but if you ever happen to be in Lavallette, it’s right next door to The Tradewinds Motel. Try the blueberry variety which is to die for.
Yes, it is safe to say that I do love crumb cake. Which is why when one of the best bakers I know, Irene Marrero-Galizia, offered to share her recipe with me, I gladly accepted! Irene is a part of Tiffany and Chris’s family and any time I see her at their house, she always comes bearing baked goods. But not just any baked good. Like bakery quality, I can’t believe you didn’t pick these up on your way over, goodies. Rainbow cookies, cream puffs, chocolate babka, you name it, she can make it. (She also does a pretty delicious frittata, which she happily prepared for us on the morning of Tiffany’s wedding.) Anyway, when I heard that Irene had finally started selling her wares, under the moniker Irene’s Petite Sweets, I knew that I’d be blogging about this. Click here to Like her page on Facebook and order up a batch of her rainbow cookies for your next party. Then, make this crumb cake, which tastes just as good as any you’d buy. It’s dangerously close to me as I write this and I can’t stop myself from picking at the crumb topping. Some things never change.
Irene’s Crumb Cake
For the crumb topping:
1/3 cup of white sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 to 2 teaspoons of cinnamon, depending on your taste
1 stick unsalted butter, melted
1 cup plus 1/3 cup of all purpose flour (use unbleached if possible)
For the cake:
1 stick unsalted butter
3/4 cup sugar
2 extra large eggs or 3 large eggs at room temperature
2/3 cup of sour cream
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
1 1/4 cup all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking power
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
Combine crumb topping ingredients in a bowl and mix with a fork or by hand until crumbles form. Set aside. Preheat oven to 350 degrees, and grease and flour a 9 or 10 inch cake pan. With a stand or electric mixer, beat the butter and sugar until creamy, about 5 minutes on medium speed, and one minute on high. Meanwhile, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a small bowl. Reduce speed to medium and add eggs one at a time to butter and sugar mixture until blended. Add in sour cream, vanilla and lemon zest. Reduce speed to low and add in flour mixture until just combined. Pour batter into pan and tap lightly to release any air bubbles. Pour the crumb topping over the batter and bake in the center of your oven 40-50 minutes, or until a tester inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Top with powdered sugar if desired.
