Holla for some Challah

I love Challah bread. I mean I seriously love Challah bread.

 My first memory of Challah is when my older sister made it one day. I also had it when I went to my neighbors for dinner. The family is Jewish and the father was the Rabbi for our local synagogue. My older sisters often babysat for their family.

This Challah bread recipe is from The Bread Baker’s Apprentice. Now it is an excellent loaf of bread but I think I prefer a different recipe that uses honey instead of sugar.

Challah is a pretty simple bread that can be started in the morning and ready for dinner time.It can be mixed completely by hand, in fact I think it is easier to make this mixing by hand as opposed to using a mixer.Now dump it out and knead it to bring the dough together. I love kneading. While I knead I use it as my time to contemplate life and its mysteries. Sometimes 😉Aww it looks so rough the dough, nothing like what it becomes below. A yummy dough ball of goodness.Now it is ready for its first rise.After the first rise.After the second rise.Divide the dough into three balls or boules. Let them rest before shaping them into the long ropes for braiding the Challah.See the lovely air bubbles from the rising process in the balls.Start braiding.Brush on the egg white wash. Let it rise for the last time.After final rise brush once more with egg whites and pop it in the oven.Halfway through rotate the pan.When it is done the bottom should sound hollow when thumped and of course you can always check with an instant read thermometer.Let it cool completely before slicing.This is a super versatile bread. You can use it to go with dinner, slice for sandwiches, and slice to snack on. Use it to make an amped up french toast. I think you are going to love Challah as much as I do.

Chocolate Mayonnaise, yes Mayonnaise Cake with Divinity Icing

Okay I know what you are thinking, chocolate and mayonnaise? Yes it sounds slightly crazy but it works.

 Because when you sit down and think about it mayonnaise is what? Oil and egg. In this recipe there is only the mayonnaise.

The ultimate result is a tender, moist chocolate cake. It is really an amazing chocolate cake. Also any lingering mayonnaise taste you might be worried about, forget it. There is no lingering taste in the cake of mayonnaise.

Another bonus, no eggs, milk, and oil/butter necessary to be able to make the cake. Now the icing is a diffferent story, it is an old fashion egg white and sugar icing.  It is cooked on the stove over a double boiler.

All in all it is a simple cake recipe, not as completely simple icing recipe. Ultimately delicious.

Preheat oven to 350F. Grease two 9 inch cake pans, line with parchment paper, grease and flour.Measure cocoa into a medium bowl and add boiling water. Whisk mixture together well and set aside to cool.Combine flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt in medium bowl. Whisk together to combine.When cocoa mixture has cooled, add mayonnaise and vanilla, stir to combine.

Mix cocoa mixture into flour mixture until combined. Quickly divide into pans, spreading batter in pans. Bake at 350F for 25 to 30 minutes, until the cakes spring back when touched gently in center and are beginning to pull away from the sides of the pan. Cool completely in the pans on a rack or folded kitchen towel.

For the frosting bring 3 inches of water to a simmer in the bottom of a double boiler or medium saucepan. Meanwhile in the top of a double boiler or heat proof bowl ( I used a stainless steel bowl) combine the sugar, corn syrup, water, egg whites, salt and cream of tartar. Beat until pale yellow and frothy. Place over simmering water and beat with mixture at high speed until the mixture becomes thick and white. (could take up to 7 mins depending on mixer) Continue beating till tripled in volume, mixture forms stiff peaks and shine is gone from mixture. Remove from heat, add vanilla, and beat to combine.

To assemble cake, very carefully invert cooled cake layer onto a wire rack or plate, and removed parchment or waxed paper. Place one layer on cake stand, round or serving plate, top side down, and frost it generously with about 1/3rd the icing.Cover with the second layer, and generously frost the sides and then the top of the cake. Now I recommend doing a thin layer in case of crumbs because thin you can go back over with a thick layer on the sides covering the crumbs.Enjoy a slice!

Chocolate Mayonnaise Cake with Divinity Icing from Southern Cakes by Nancy McDermott

Cake

1/2 cup cocoa

1 cup boiling water

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 cup sugar

2 teaspoons baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup mayonnaise

1 teaspoon vanilla

Old-fashioned Divinity Icing

1 cup sugar

1/4 cup light corn syrup

1/4 cup water

2 egg whites

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Caramel Cake

Caramel Cake, the name is slightly deceptive. It is a yellow cake with Caramel frosting. However, this is still an amazing tasting cake.

The yellow cake recipe is super simple and a great basic recipe to have on hand. It could be used with a variety of icings, fillings, and recipes. You could make a trifle with the cake.  It is a firm but moist cake.

Preheat oven to 325F, grease and flour two 9-inch round cake pans.Combine butter and milk in a small saucepan, and cook over low heat until the butter melts. Stir well, remove from heat and let cool to room temperature.Combine the sifted flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl and stir with a fork(or whisk) to mix well.In a large bowl, combine eggs and sugar, and beat well at high-speed scraping down the bowl often, until light yellow, smooth, and thick.Stir flour mixture into the egg mixture, mixing only until the flour disappears.Add the cooled milk mixture and the vanilla, stir well.Divide batter between the prepared pans.Bake at 325F for 25 to 30 minutes until the cake tops are golden brown and spring back when lightly touched in the center. Here is a lesson learned, pull the rack out of the oven place your pans on the rack and slide back in. If you slide the pans in the oven it might make one cake come out a little lopsided. This is what happened to me but I just leveled it off with a serrated knife when I iced it.

Cool in pans on wire racks for 10 mins. Then turn out onto wire racks and allow to cool completely topside up.

Now to make the caramel icing.  Have your layers ready for icing. In a heavy medium saucepan combine brown sugar, butter, evaporated milk and vanilla. Stir well and then adjust the heat so that the frosting boils and bubbles gently. Cook for 7 mins. Remove from heat and let cool 5 mins.Beat the warm icing with a wooden spoon until it thickens, 2 to 3 mins. Now I disagree with the timing. It took at least 10 mins cooling time if not 15 mins and then I beat it for 5 to 10 mins. If I had waited just a couple of mins more before icing the first layer I would have gotten a thicker layer of icing for the middle layer.

Place a cake layer top side down. Quickly spread some icing over the top and cover it with the second cake layer, top side up.Ice the top quickly and the spread remaining icing over the sides. Let the cake stand for 30 mins to let icing set. Cut and enjoy!

Gigi’s Fabulous Caramel Cake from Southern Cakes 

Yellow Cake

3/4 cup butter

1 cup milk

2 cups sifted all-purpose flour

2 3/4 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

4 eggs

2 cups sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Gigi’s Caramel Icing

2 2/3 cups light brown sugar( I used dark brown sugar)

1/2 cup butter

7 tablespoons evaporated milk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract