TWD/DAC: Baked-in-a-Skillet Gingerbread

 

I'm always on the lookout for a good gingerbread.  I made this cake several weeks ago, and I was pleased with the result, so the recipe is the first to be tagged.  I had apple butter to use up and used coconut oil as my neutral oil (no effect on flavor).  Swedish pearl sugar is one of my favorite toppings, and spicy is one of my favorite flavors, so I loved everything about this cake.

 

I did bake it in a 9" springform pan, and add an extra 15 minutes to the baking time to be sure it wasn't raw in the middle.

This is another winning recipe from Dorie's Anytime Cakes by Dorie Greenspan. 

 

Visit the Tuesdays with Dorie website to see what the other bakers thought.    

Soboro Ppang (Korean Peanut Streusel Bread)

 

 

The Babes are baking Korean bread this month. Our Kitchen of the Month is Aparna, of My Diverse Kitchen, and she challenged us to make Soboro Ppang.  The buns can be filled or not, and the defining characteristic is a peanut butter streusel on the tops.

I decided not to fill them (this time), and I substituted almond butter for the peanut butter in the streusel.  While I have jars of both butters in my pantry, I didn't want to open either one for just a few tablespoons of nut butter.  I knew I could find small packets of both at the grocery, so I was able to buy the last two packets of almond butter, which was the right amount and worked out perfectly.

The streusel is really good.  I had a fair amount left over, which may become a snack at some point.  While it tastes good uncooked, it's even more tasty when cooked.

The buns themselves have a neutral taste, so I think a filling would add some oomph. But, the real star is that streusel!  They are easy to make and definitely worth the effort.

Stop by the Babes websites to see what they thought, and check out Aparna's website for the recipe.

 

• Blog from OUR Kitchen – Elizabeth
• Karen’s Kitchen Stories – Karen
• A Messy Kitchen – Kelly
• My Diverse Kitchen – Aparna  (Kitchen of the Month)
• Bread Experience  - Cathy  
• Thyme for Cooking - Katie
• My Kitchen in Half Cups – Tanna  

 

   

TWD/BWD: Pistachio-Matcha Financiers

 

This week's treat from Baking with Dorie is essentially a mini-cake:  Pistachio-Matcha Financiers.  I've been wanting to make these for quite awhile, and they didn't disappoint. 

I had enough pistachio nuts in the freezer, and some matcha powder and freeze-dried fruit in the pantry, so the only missing ingredient was the white chocolate.  I decided to make just half a recipe, so I divided the batter between two mini-muffin pans.

I dipped the tops of the financiers in a mixture of melted white chocolate with a bit of coconut oil, then sprinkled the top with some freeze-dried strawberries (the already open package).  Next time, I would choose colorful sprinkles instead of the fruit.

One nice thing about this recipe is that you can prepare the batter ahead of time, refrigerate it, and bake when ready.   

Stop by the Tuesdays with Dorie website to see which treat the bakers made this week. 

TWD/BWD: My Favorite Pumpkin Pie

  

Pumpkin pie has always been one of my favorites. I actually prefer pies over cakes.  When I was a child, my father was the one who made the Thanksgiving pies.  He made dark, tongue-tingling, spicy pumpkin pies.  As an adult, I stumbled upon a recipe that seemed to replicate his flavors, and I've been making it ever since.  No anemic, squashy pies for me!

 

That said, I'm always willing to try a new recipe, just in case. With Dorie's pie (My Favorite Pumpkin Pie), I was curious how the star anise powder would affect the flavor, and I just happened to have some in my pantry.  And, I was also looking forward to seeing how the sour cream and rum would affect the filling.

 

The pie had a nice, smooth texture, but it just wasn't spicy enough for my palate.  It's possible I would make it again and maybe add my favorite spice mix to see what would happen, flavor-wise.

Stop by the Tuesdays with Dorie website to see which baked good the others made.  

TWD/BWD: The Daily Bread: White Bread Edition

 

I've been baking bread for as long as I can remember, decades, in fact.  I don't think there's a kind of bread that I haven't made.

Dorie's daily white bread is a lovely, easy bread to make, and it comes out perfectly every time.  Even though it requires three risings, it isn't really time consuming since you can work around it with other tasks.

 

This bread is delicious as is, or toasted, or grilled, or turned into another delicious treat should there be any left over.  It can also be frozen for future uses.

Check out the Tuesdays with Dorie group to see what they thought about this bread.   

TWD/DAC: Cocoa-Swirled Pumpkin Bundt

 

 

This sad little cake is actually quite delicious.  It's Dorie's Cocoa-Swirled Pumpkin Bundt cake, made to celebrate the release date of Dorie Greenspan's Dorie's Anytime Cakes.  

 I'm still waiting for my copy to arrive.  Maybe tonight?

The Tuesdays with Dorie group got an advance copy of this cake recipe for today's release.  I like cake in general, but it's not my favorite dessert to bake.

To wit:  I don't need a huge bundt cake for one, so I scaled it down.  I used a 6" cake pan, which worked out well.  I baked it until the tester came out clean. I certainly didn't want a dried-out over-baked cake.

But, the joke was on me.  While cooling, the cake decided to sink in the middle, creating a bundt-like appearance.  Too late to return to the oven.  

That said, the cake was very good, even the raw center.  My favorite part was the cocoa swirl.  After a day, it hardened, adding a crunchy dimension to the soft cake.   

 I'll most likely make the cake again, this time baking it longer and taking my chances.

The Tuesdays with Dorie group will add Dorie's Anytime Cakes to their baking repertoire, and everyone is welcome to join in. 

World Bread Day 2025

 

I look forward to celebrating World Bread Day every year on October 16th.  

This year I decided to make my favorite basic dough and turn it into two different special rolls.

 

The basic recipe is Mother of All Milk Bread from Mooncakes & Milk Bread by Kristina Cho.   I love milk bread in any form, so I'm always on the lookout for different ways to use it.

The first version was Sambal and Parmesan Buns.  The filling was a mixture of sambal oelek and grated Parmesan.  The shaping was the fun part.

 

The second version was Everything Bagel Bao.  These buns were stuffed with a mixture of cream cheese and green onions, then topped with a blend of various seeds.  They resemble a bagel, but softer.

 

Milk bread dough is so versatile that one can create all kinds of breads with just the basic recipe. (Any milk bread recipe will do.)

This is my submission for World Bread Day, hosted by Zorra of kochtopf.me. Be sure to check out Zorra's blog at the end of the month for a roundup of all the delicious breads that will be celebrated today.