13 going on 30!!!

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I didn’t forget my blog! I’m working a lot, studying, having a lot of appointments and packing! Yes, I’m going to France, to study patisserie! My flight is next week, so I have a lot of things to prepare!


Beyond everything, last week was my birthday! As I’m a party girl, I celebrated 3 times! Is not every day that you make 30! I can’t believe it! It’s like in the movie, when you realize, you are in thirties!!! But I’m loving it!

One of my b-day cakes was this one in the picture, a pecan stroganoff cake, very yummy!



Let’s go to the recipe.

For the dough I used this recipe. Make one white dough recipe and divide. Put the halves in two round cake pans (20cm diameter). Bake for 40 minutes or until is golden in top and dry inside. Let it cool and cut in 4 horizontal slices.

Make the syrup. I used this recipe and added 1ts vanilla extract in the end.

For the filling, boil two cans of sweetened condensed milk for 1:30h after boil.

Let it cool and mix 150g of chopped pecan.

To assemble, use the same pan that you used to bake the dough. Put one slice of cake, wet the cake with syrup and spread ¼ of the filling. Continue until the last slice of cake.

To decorate spread dulce de leche or whipping cream around the cake and decorate using fondant.

Guest Post - Dulce de Leche and Buttercream Dessert!

PARA LER EM PORTUGUÊS, POR FAVOR, CLIQUE AQUI

My mom used to make this dessert a lot in my childhood. It's an amazing dessert, the sweetness of dulce the leche and the creamy from buttercream make a perfect combination!


This is one of my sister's favorite recipes! She loves to make and eat it, and she made one last weekend. It was fantastic! Everyone allways loves it!
And for us it tastes like childhood!

Ingredients:
1 can sweetned condensed milk cooked for 1 hour and cooled
200g (2 sticks) butter
200g sugar
4 eggs yolks
200g whipped cream
1 pack milk crackers
1 cup milk


How to make:

Beat the butter and the suggar until creamy. Add egg yolks and cream and beat until incorporated. Do not overbeat.
To assemble, spoon 1/3 of the cream in the bottom of a glass container. Quickly dip the milk crackers in the milk (just long enough to moisten the cookies without making them soggy) and place them on top of the cream. Pipe 1/3 of the cream on top of the cookies. Dip the remaining cookies and place on top of the cream. Lastly pipe the remaining cream and put the dessert in the fridge for at least half an hour. Top with the dulce de leche (cooked condensed milk). Refrigerate for at least two hours before serving.

Daring Baker's Challenge - Doughnuts!

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This month Daring Baker’s challenged us to make doughnuts, that treat eaten by the Police guys on movies.
We could make doughnuts or any other shapes like bomboloni that in Brazil is known like “sonho” (dream).
What I most like in DB is that always challenge me to make a recipe that I’ve never thought I could do.
I confess I was a little afraid of frying, but it was so easy! And didn’t make much mess!
After all, I had a lot of fun, as always at DB Challenge! And everybody at home liked the “sonhos”!



Yeast Doughnuts:

Preparation time:
Hands on prep time - 25 minutes
Rising time - 1.5 hours total
Cooking time - 12 minutes
Yield: 20 to 25 doughnuts & 20 to 25 doughnut holes, depending on size
Ingredients
Milk 1.5 cup / 360 ml
Vegetable Shortening 1/3 cup / 80 ml / 70 gm / 2.5 oz (can substitute butter, margarine or lard)
Active Dry Yeast 4.5 teaspoon (2 pkgs.) / 22.5 ml / 14 gm / ½ oz
Warm Water 1/3 cup / 80 ml (95°F to 105°F / 35°C to 41°C)
Eggs, Large, beaten 2
White Granulated Sugar ¼ cup / 60 ml / 55 gm / 2 oz
Table Salt 1.5 teaspoon / 7.5 ml / 9 gm / 1/3 oz
Nutmeg, grated 1 tsp. / 5 ml / 6 gm / ¼ oz
All Purpose Flour 4 2/3 cup / 1,120 ml / 650 gm / 23 oz + extra for dusting surface
Canola Oil DEPENDS on size of vessel you are frying in – you want THREE (3) inches of oil (can substitute any flavorless oil used for frying)

Directions:



Place the milk in a medium saucepan and heat over medium heat just until warm enough to melt the shortening. (Make sure the shortening is melted so that it incorporates well into the batter.)
Place the shortening in a bowl and pour warmed milk over. Set aside.
In a small bowl, sprinkle the yeast over the warm water and let dissolve for 5 minutes. It should get foamy. After 5 minutes, pour the yeast mixture into the large bowl of a stand mixer and add the milk and shortening mixture, first making sure the milk and shortening mixture has cooled to lukewarm.
Add the eggs, sugar, salt, nutmeg, and half of the flour. Using the paddle attachment of your mixer (if you have one), combine the ingredients on low speed until flour is incorporated and then turn the speed up to medium and beat until well combined.
Add the remaining flour, combining on low speed at first, and then increase the speed to medium and beat well.
Change to the dough hook attachment of the mixer and beat on medium speed until the dough pulls away from the bowl and becomes smooth, approximately 3 to 4 minutes (for me this only took about two minutes). If you do not have a dough hook/stand mixer – knead until the dough is smooth and not sticky.
Transfer to a well-oiled bowl, cover, and let rise for 1 hour or until doubled in size.
On a well-floured surface, roll out dough to 3/8-inch (9 mm)thick. (Make sure the surface really is well-floured otherwise your doughnuts will stick to the counter).
Cut out dough using a 2 1/2-inch (65 mm) doughnut cutter or pastry ring or drinking glass and using a 7/8-inch (22 mm) ring for the center whole. Set on floured baking sheet, cover lightly with a tea towel, and let rise for 30 minutes.
Preheat the oil in a deep fryer or Dutch oven to 365 °F/185°C.
Gently place the doughnuts into the oil, 3 to 4 at a time. Cook for 1 minute per side or until golden brown (my doughnuts only took about 30 seconds on each side at this temperature).
Transfer to a cooling rack placed in baking pan. Allow to cool for 15 to 20 minutes prior to glazing, if desired.

I made bombolonis, or "sonhos" using a round cookie cutter.
I filled them with dulce de leche, using a pastry tip and bag.