Hoppy Birthday Little Bro! - Tres Leches Cake with Sugared Hops

It's that time of year again.....   My little brother just aged another year.  And just like last year, he decided on a Tres Leches cake.  Last year, when I made it for him, I kept the decor on the utilitarian side however, in lieu of the fact that he has become quite the biermeister over the last year, I decided that a little celebration of his beer making prowess was in order.

In the quest to improve his beer, he decided to grow his own hops this year.  Cascade, Willamette, Saaz, Hood, and Kent Golding to be exact.  SO, when he wasn't looking, I denuded his Hop plants of a few leaves and the one lonely hop flower that was overlooked during harvest. (It's OK, he's already harvested this year's crop and the plants will begin dying back in another couple weeks).

A little reconstituted Meringue Powder from Wilton, a Paint Brush and some Granulated sugar...

...and you have the perfect cake decorations for one who, for all intensive purposes, is a hop-head. (Yes, he is an IPA, NWPA fanatic)

HOPPY BIRTHDAY LITTLE BRO!!

~~

Pretty Pansies for Auntie Patsy - Tres Leches, Take II

Before I get into the Black Forest Cake, I just had to share the other cake I made...
My aunt and nephew have their birthdays very close together, so not only have I constructed a Black Forest cake, but another Tres Leches cake as well. (Cause everyone needs a birthday cake)  ;)

Since my Aunt is so fond of Pansies, I decided to decorate her cake with some sugared flowers. (I simply followed the same procedure that I used for the Sugared Rose petals)

I ended up using violas though, cause I could not find pansies this time of year that had not been sprayed to death with chemicals.  I was being picky, because I wanted her to be able to eat them if she so desired.  All three are edible (Pansies, Violas & Violets) as long as they are not sprayed with poisons.  I really wished that I had a few more flowers, but I made it work.....

All in all, I was pretty happy with the way it turned out.

So was my Aunt, and that's what really matters.   :)

Mangia!!
~~

Moses Supposes His Toeses Are Roses

But Moses supposes erroneously,
For Moses, he knowses his toeses aren't roses,
As Moses noses smells Cookies and Tea.

OK, I know that was completely, utterly and irrevocably LAME....  But I had to get it out cause it was plaguing my mind the whole time I was baking these enticing cookies.  LOL

Sugar cookies come in many forms.  Some crisp, some chewy and some are soft and slightly cake like.  And while the ingredient list is usually fairly simple, being Butter, Sugar, Eggs, and Flour, there always seems to be room for a few "extras" like Sour Cream or Heavy Cream....  

In this case I have forgone my "family" sugar cookie recipe, a mace flavored crispy cookie that works well when one is decorating shapes with frosting, and decided to go with a softer version from by grandmother that contains Sour Cream.  My only addition to these delicious cookies is to give them some other "flavor" besides the standard Vanilla.  Thusly, I have chosen Rose Water, to give them a little exotic flair.

What exactly IS Rose Water?  Technically speaking, it is the water that is left over from the distillation of Damascus Rose petals to obtain the essential oils (known as Rose Otto, or Attar of Rose) for use by the perfume industry.  In essence (ha ha) it's by-product that has found it's way into kitchens across the globe as a flavoring agent.  From Turkish Delights (loukoum) to Custard and Rice Pudding, right on down to Curry pastes and Lamb Tangine.  Think of it as a way to lower the "Carbon footprint" of the perfume industry.   LOL

I normally reserve it for Cocktails (which is fairly common place in the U.S) and on those special occasions when I make Baklava.  But today I have decided to branch out and I am very pleased that I did.  I am already planning to make some Orange Blossom Water cookies as well.  (A by-product from the distillation of Orange Flowers, usually called Neroli, as opposed to Pettitgrain which is a distillation of the leaves and bark of the same Orange tree)

There are those that might complain that it smells like Soap or "Grandma's Perfume".  It's actually the other way around, Soap and Grandma's Perfume smell like rosewater.  LOL

I am gonna warn you now, this is a REALLY sticky dough to work with.  You only get one rolling and cutting out of it before you have to re-refrigerate it.  It's the sour cream that makes it so sticky.  Over the years I have tried to add more flour to compensate, but it doesn't really work... The cookies just taste floury and odd.  SO I have come up with a solution, since this makes 6 dozen or so.  Simply divide the dough into three pieces before chilling. Then, after you have used the first piece, you can re-wrap it, throw it back in the refrigerator and grab one of the other two, well chilled, pieces to work with.  It helps a little; at least you can get three batches of cookies done before you are brought to a stand-still waiting for dough chillage.  Then I combine all the remaining dough together for 1 final rolling. (kind of the way I do with Linzer Augen) Sticky dough hardships aside, they are WELL worth the trouble....

I am just sayin. ;)

Rose Water Sugar Cookies

Printable Recipe
4 1/2 cups (625 g)(22 oz) AP Flour
1 tsp Baking Powder
1 tsp Baking Soda
1 tsp Kosher Salt
1 cup (227 g)(8 oz) Cultured Butter (or Unsalted)
1 1/2 cup (325 g)(11.5 oz) Granulated Sugar
2 Large Eggs
1 cup (240 g)(8.5 oz) Sour Cream (not light or fat free)
1 TB Rose Water
Demerara Sugar or Rose Petals or Sugared Rose Petals (procedure follows)

Whisk Flour, Baking Powder, Baking Soda and Salt together in a medium bowl, then set aside.

Cream the Butter and Sugar together until light and fluffy.

Beat in the eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition so as to not break the emulsion.

Mix Sour Cream and Rose Water together in a small bowl.

With the mixer on low speed, begin adding the Flour mixture and the Sour Cream mixture, alternating, beginning and ending with the flour.

(1/3 of the Flour, 1/2 of the Sour Cream, 1/2 the remaining Flour, the remaining Sour Cream, the rest of the Flour)

Divide the resulting dough into 3 chunks, wrap tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 4 hours, but preferably overnight.

The next day, preheat the oven to 375 degrees and line your baking pans with parchment paper.
Remove 1 of the wrapped dough balls and turn out onto a heavily floured surface (cause this dough will get sticky REALLY quick)

Roll to 1/4 inch thick with a well floured rolling pin and cut 3 -inch cookies.

Move the cookies, with a well floured spatula, to the lined baking sheets.

Scoop up the dough scraps, press them together and re-wrap with plastic before placing back in the refrigerator. (If you are making more cookies, grab one of the other dough balls)

If you have chosen to decorate them with Demarera Sugar, sprinkle it on the tops of the cookies now, if you are using rose petals, wait until after baking.

Bake the cookies for 10-12 minutes.

Move the cookies to racks and allow to cool completely before serving.

If you forwent the Demerara Sugar and have opted for Rose Petals as decor, you have 2 choices.

But FIRST you need to pick some roses that are free of any sprays.  I like the old fashioned "single" roses for this, cause the petals are not quite as big as the Tea or Floribunda types.

Remove the petals from your chosen roses, then rinse and dry them gently.

OK, now the choices... Fresh or Sugared?

For Fresh..... 

Simply place a small dab of crusting buttercream on top of each cookie to be adorn with a petal.

Place the rose petal on top, pressing gently into the frosting.....

Tah Dah! (the cookies will have to be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator to prevent the petals from wilting)

If you have left over petals, you can cover them with Plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator as well.

For Sugared Rose Petals.....

1 tsp Meringue Powder
1 tsp Cold Water
Super Fine Sugar
Soft Paint Brush
Paper Towel

Mix the Meringue Powder and Water together with a small whisk.

 

Dip your paint brush in the reconstituted egg white and "paint" reach petal on both sides. (Hold the petal by the point  where it was attached to the flower base - you will be cutting that part off later anyway, cause it's bitter)

Sprinkle with Super Fine Sugar on both sides.

Then set on a paper towel and allow to dry for 24 hours (yeah I know, you kind of have to plan ahead for this)

Before applying the petals to the cookies, clip off the little point that you were holding during the sugaring process.  It is SUPER bitter, and not very tasty, so it has to go.

Just as before, apply a small dab of crusting butter cream and simply press the sugared Rose petal into the frosting.  These should not be refrigerated, cause the sugar will melt off the petals due to the humidity.

Looks like everything's coming up roses... Har dee har har

Mangia!!
~~

The Children Were Nestled, All Snug in Their Beds...

While visions of sugared Rosemary danced in their heads.

OK, maybe not quite, but this post isn't about Sugar Plums....

Sugaring Rosemary is EXTREMELY simple, if a little Thyme consuming. (har dee har har)

Sugared Rosemary

1 Egg White
1 TB Water
Super Fine Sugar (or Baker's Sugar)
Rosemary springs (of course) ;)

Separate the white and save the yolk for something else; then add the water to thin it out.

Whisk lightly with a fork to combine.

NOW comes the time consuming part...

"Paint" the rosemary sprigs with the thinned egg white. (Don't glump it, you just need a thin coating on all the little needles - I warned you it was going to be time consuming - but it's well worth it - You'll see)

Roll and sprinkle with Super Fine sugar.

Set aside, on a paper towel, to dry for at least 12 hours.

Ta Da!! "Frosty Fir Boughs" for your holiday garnishes and decorating needs.

Mangia!! (Although not literally this time; I don't think the rosemary will actually taste particularly delicious)
~~

When Rabbits and Bees Attack - Italian Cream Cheese Frosting

Honey Nut Carrot Cake - The Decorating; Part 2

The cake Section is here: When Rabbits and Bees Attack - Honey Nut Carrot Cake

I must apologize for not mentioning the Rosemary sprigs in part 1.

It's very simple really. Take 1 egg white and a few drops of water, mix with a fork to break up the white a little.

Strip away some of the needles and "Paint" with egg whites.

Sprinkle sugar over them

and let set out on wax paper, over night to dry. (You cannot refrigerate these with the cake or they will draw moisture and get all kinds of gooey - I know, I did this on accident once)

So it's time to make the frosting. Normally, Carrot Cake SCREAMS for Cream Cheese, but I decided I would flex my butter and mix it up a little this time. This is a recipe for "Italian Cream Cheese Frosting" that I picked up eons ago from somewhere, it originally contained sugar, but since the Carrot cake is based on Honey, I thought it would be nice to stay in the same flavor range.

I assume that this is referred to as Italian Cream Cheese because the added butter tones down the tang of the American Cream Cheese, thus giving a more "Mascarpone" flavor to the frosting. Call it a hunch. Like I said, I picked this up when I was still living in Portland 12 years ago, I had never heard of Mascarpone back then. It was not until 8 years ago when I made my first Tiramisu that I even knew such a thing existed.

I have this down to a simple formula with the honey (taking my lead from previous experiences with honey and frosting) I usually make a triple batch of what is below, to frost a 2 layer 9 inch Carrot cake. After all, the only reason Carrot cake exists is to transport Cream Cheese Frosting into your mouth without getting your fingers dirty.

Honey Italian Cream Cheese Frosting

8 oz pkg of Cream Cheese
4 TB Unsalted Butter
1/2 tsp Vanilla
Pinch of Salt
1/4 cup Orange Blossom Honey (You can use 1/3 of a cup if you want it sweeter, but remember, Honey is twice as sweet as Granulated Sugar)

Make sure your butter and cream cheese are at about 65 degrees (it whips better that way)
Place Cream Cheese, Butter, Vanilla and Salt in a bowl and beat with an electric mixer until blended.

Add honey; beating till light and fluffy.

Apply a crumb coat and chill for 30 minutes

Reserve 1/2 cup for decor purposes and dye it orange

After chilling, apply the remaining frosting liberally, and I DO mean liberally.

Press walnuts or Pecans into the sides of the cake. Then chill for 30 more minutes.

Pipe small mound on the top of the cake and chill until ready to serve.

To Serve - Remove cake from refrigerator 1 hour before serving. Poke the sugared rosemary sprigs in the top of the orange mounds. Viola... Carrots... !!!

Slice and enjoy (Please, don't eat the rosemary)
.