The Cupcake Thread!

[Camille]

Oh no expert, but no fridge my dear.....it may be too humid for them to dry up, if they are still soft by tomorrow, I'd turn on a fan for 3 hours in the kitchen to dehydrate them a bit. One time we used the oven method to dry up 500 minis, it worked but is was tricky, we heated the ovens to 180F then turned OFF, and placed the minis in there with the oven lights on [on baking sheets] problem: touching temptation to check can be disastrous..............Good Luck

 

[Camille]

Hope it works Dandi, it will look like pretty violet right before turning magenta.

 

[steph72276]

Date: 9/3/2009 12:21:26 PM
Author: Camille
Oh no expert, but no fridge my dear.....it may be too humid for them to dry up, if they are still soft by tomorrow, I''d turn on a fan for 3 hours in the kitchen to dehydrate them a bit. One time we used the oven method to dry up 500 minis, it worked but is was tricky, we heated the ovens to 180F then turned OFF, and placed the minis in there with the oven lights on [on baking sheets] problem: touching temptation to check can be disastrous..............Good Luck

Thank you for the advice. It is very humid here, so that might be the reason. Good idea about the fan!

 

[Jas12]

Steph--i let my fondant cutouts sit out on the counter overnight and they are dry in the AM. I then transfer them to the tupperwear.


I ''ve taken a break from the world of cuppies and started to get into making french Macarons. Oh boy, these are finicky little suckers. I tried 2 recipes in 4 different ways over the past 2 nights and got a workable--but not quite perfect-- formula. These are tricky but i was intent on getting them right. My sister just go engaged in Paris and she is Macaron OBSESSED. I am throwing her an engagemtent party this weekend and the theme is Pairisian desserts so of course i had to have macarons to go with the crepes and madelines i am making !!
I''ll post pics, but just wondering, has anyone else attempted them??? I think they are the new ''it'' dessert.

 

[Jaders731]

Jas...

You are right.. Macarons are the new "it" dessert.. and I would not be surprised if we start seeing Macaron shops here in North America.. just like we have seen cupcake shops...

I dont have my recipe in front of me right this second as I am on vacation.. but can you tell me your recipe and method.. and I will let you know some pointers on how to get a consistent product!!!

First... if you haven''t tried using a food processor to grind both the almond meal and the powdered sugar together before you mix it into the egg whites.. do that!!! I find that it makes for a much more consistent and stable product!

Ok, off the top of my head.. I believe that this is the mise en place for my recipe.. I just have to double check!

2 oz egg white
5 1/2 t. granulated sugar
2 oz almond meal
4 oz powdered sugar
2 drops vanilla extract

Sift the almond meal and powdered sugar to remove any lumps. Grind in the food processor to create a fine and even texture.

Whip egg whites to soft peaks, and gradually add granulated sugar. Whip to a medium - stiff peak. Add vanilla and fold in the almond/powdered sugar mixture. You do NOT want this to become smooth. Just folded in completely.

I use an Atecco #806 round tip and piping bag. Pipe quarter size mounds on parchment or a sil pat. Let stand out near your oven to dry out.. about 30 min until a skin forms on the macaron (when you touch the macaron, no batter will come off on your finger)
When dry.. bake at 350F for 10 min. The cookie will be done when the "cap" does not shift and appears to be completely dry and lightly brown!

Let me know if this works!!! I have to run.. but I''ll post more ideas later..

Hope that helps!!! These are my absolute favorite!!!

 

[Camille]

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My fave is vanilla filled with any berry but nutella aren''t bad either. I thing separating whites at least 24 hours prior to make them even let whites sit at room temp [weather permitting] for a couple hours may help to develop acid/lesser moisture and stabilize the meringue better. Yep, Définitivement un bonbon de nouveaux, I''ve seen lots of macaron towers lately, yummmmmers!

 

[Jas12]

Jaders--THANKS!! I am happy to say that i did basically what your recipe called for. I read a tonne of food blogs and heard various things about letting a crust form or not, and letting the egg whites sit for 24 hrs etc. I don''t have the luxury of time but i did let them sit (room temp) after being piped for about an hour and i found i had to bake mine at 350 for about 12 min ( i think elevation will effect bake times right--esp when dealing with meringue??)
Next time i will try your suggestion of food processing the almond and icing sugar together. Right now i am just sifting each and mixing together. I''ve noticed my macarons are not totally smooth--they have little flecks and bump of meal in them. Overall. i am pleased with the first attempts. they have the feet, they have the crispy shell and chewy centre and i did 3 flavors (raspberry, chocolate and maple toffee) for the party and i think they are all edible

But definitely something i''ll continue to play with. In toronto they are becoming oh-so fashionable. Everyone wants a macaron cake for their wedding and many beautiful shops are found throughout the city.

Camille--mmm, vanilla and berry is one of my faves too--simple and delicious. And yep, those towers are popping up in magazines and cafe windows all over the place. they certainly are a pretty dessert!!

Sorry for the macaron threadjack...


back to cuppies...just ordered some adorable polkadot liners for a batch of RVs i have to make . I will post a pic when i get a min.

 

[Camille]

What a wonderful threadjack Jas

Just remembered why I bought the fine sieve from foodutensils.com......to avoid the flecks in the hazel meal, omg another one: mixing hazelnut and almond meal is a bomb

if not avail, sifting twice should do, some may think it's crazy but, using double baking sheets and carefully removing the bottom one after the foot had formed, then lowering the temp a bit for a no fail, yummers again

Going back to cuppies, made 4 dozen of each for my kid's school:
Chocolate/Ganache

 

[Camille]

Vanilla/Strawberry Cream Cheese, strained fruit, still had seeds

 

[Camille]

Second batch, w/o straining:

 

[Dandi]

Oh Camille, they are all gorgeous!! And I purposely leave seeds in my strawberry CC, I love the speckles through the soft pink!! Just beautiful.

 

[steph72276]

Hey, girls. Thanks for the fondant advice. I did some for a shower today, and I think they turned out so cute. I did the monogram for the new baby. Thanks again!

 

[Camille]

Very sweet

 

[Kaleigh]

Date: 9/5/2009 8:34:05 PM
Author: steph72276
Hey, girls. Thanks for the fondant advice. I did some for a shower today, and I think they turned out so cute. I did the monogram for the new baby. Thanks again!

Steph those are gorgeous, great job!!! They are almost too pretty to eat!! I''m sure they were a big hit.

 

[steph72276]

Camille and Kaleigh, thank you! And Camille, yours look awesome, especially the strawberry cream cheese...yum

 

[lili]

Camille and Steph--
Those cuppies are gorgeous!

 

[Dandi]

Just beautiful, Steph!! The perfect shade of pink!!!

 

[Jas12]

Camille--YUM. that chocolate looks sooooo gooooood, and i love the dusting-sugar edge on the strawberry cuppie!

Steph--love, love the monogram idea. I bet the mom was thrilled. Terrific job!!


Here is a quick pic of the chocolate macarons i made for my sister''s party (with ganache filling). My sister loved them and claimed they were just as tasty as the ones she had in Paris (she was being kind, but i was thrilled that she ate a whole bunch
Like usual, i forgot to take a pic of the various flavors on display so when my sis posts them on FB, i''ll go steal one....macs don''t have the decorating possibilities of cuppies, but the flavor options are endless and you can put them in pretty papers ....

 

[MishB]

Date: 9/6/2009 8:58:33 PM
Author: Jas12
Camille--YUM. that chocolate looks sooooo gooooood, and i love the dusting-sugar edge on the strawberry cuppie!


Steph--love, love the monogram idea. I bet the mom was thrilled. Terrific job!!



Here is a quick pic of the chocolate macarons i made for my sister''s party (with ganache filling). My sister loved them and claimed they were just as tasty as the ones she had in Paris (she was being kind, but i was thrilled that she ate a whole bunch

Like usual, i forgot to take a pic of the various flavors on display so when my sis posts them on FB, i''ll go steal one....macs don''t have the decorating possibilities of cuppies, but the flavor options are endless and you can put them in pretty papers ....

You MADE that?? V impressed...

 

[Jas12]

Thanks MishB...yep, made those ....after more than a couple failed attempts

 

[Dandi]

Jas, they look AMAZING. So professional!!

Here are the cuppies I did for a recent 21st. The birthday girl loves funky colours and music. The colours in the icing matched her party balloons. Half were chocolate mud and half vanilla, all with vanilla CC icing in 5 trippy colours.

The musical notes and stars are made from black fondant.

 

[Jas12]

Dandi--you tease, you forgot to attach the picture. Can''t wait to see them

 

[Jas12]

Here''s a pic of the macarons i made for my sister''s engagement party. As you might be able to notice, some of them have little bumps on the tops from where they were piped...so they all didn''t turn out as nice as the choco one i posted yesterday, but okay for my first attempt.
Everyone liked the maple toffee flavor the best. I think it was b/c i made it with local syrup. YUM

 

[Jaders731]

Jas..

Your macarons look fantastic... and so yummy... my stomach just growled for those.

You had mentioned that you had little bumps on top: visually, it appears that you need to give the batter about two or three more turns with the spatula, when you fold in the powdered sugar/almond flour. There is a very fine line with macarons between under-mixing and over-mixing... you are just walking the line on the under-mixing. Hope that helps...

I want to make macarons now... how is that possible? since I just spent 9 hours in the kitchen.... LOL.

 

[Jaders731]

Ooooh,

and one last tip: After you pipe your dots... if you wet your finger just slightly.. you can smooth down the little "nubbin" on the top of the macaron! Works like a charm too!

And macarons are fabulous when they are filled with buttercream too!

 

[Jas12]

Jaders--thanks SO much--that''s a big help. I was always unsure about when to stop folding. I''ll mix it a bit more next time. And same goes for the whipping. I think i whipped the whites with sugar for about 6 min (approx) and i was getting glossy, fairly stiff peaks. Not sure if that is correct--every recipe seemed to be a bit different so i just went by look/feel.

I did use the water on the finger trick for my last batch of chocolate --and that is why they are prettie. Wish i had know that for the others! They tasted the same, but i wasn''t happy with the look

The maple and the raspberry macarons are filled with buttercream (not italian --just regular b/c i was lazy). I''ll have to try the italian buttercream.
How is life as a pastry chef jaders? Are you enjoying it? Must be a tremendous amount of work !

 

[Jaders731]

Jas:

That little water trick is what got me through my macaron exams in school LOL.

Glad you filled some with buttercream! yum!!! Jam is a good filling too.. but get VERY sweet, you can only have one or two... You should definitely try out the italian or even the swiss. I have a brown sugar buttercream that is to die for!! totally drool worthy. Let me know if you would like it!

Life as a pastry chef is going well. I am currently making wedding cakes for a VERY large attraction in central FL..(I''m not actually allowed to say the name of the company, as I cannot represent myself as a seperate entity from the company, but I''m sure you can guess which company). It is a huge challenge and I love it to death. Everyday is a new adventure, that is for sure. I typically average one or two cakes per day, fun fun fun. I should upload some pictures... it has been an interesting year that is for sure.
My poor husband though, he doesnt get many treats at home anymore, as I sometimes just cant bring myself to get in my home kitchen and whip something up!

 

[Mara]

yum those macaroons look so beautiful! love the cuppies from the other page too. fab job everyone!

 

[lili]

Jas12--
Really, did you buy those at some fancy bakery?

Wow, you should really consider opening up a side pastry business w/ skills like that.
Then you can be home w/ Co full time.

 

[Camille]

Thank you ladies for your kind comments

Dandi, would love to see your strippy cuppies

Jaders and Jas: So inspiring, the raspberry are just TDF! I've given up on a good pistachio macaron.Thanks for sharing extra tips/pictures