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Posts Tagged ‘how to’

How To Blanch Almonds

It seems simple enough, but when you find yourself faced with having to remove the skin from a big pile of almonds and the skin is not coming off, well let’s just say it’s going to be a very long morning. It really IS simple enough, you just have to remember the most important part…shock your almonds!

Bring a small pot of water to a boil. Dump the almonds into the boiling water and let them simmer for 1 to 1 1/2 minutes. Pour water and almonds into a strainer, place hot almonds into a bowl and cover with cold water to shock the almonds. The shocking part is what loosens the skin from the almonds. Now the skin will slip right off the almond.

To dry the almonds just spread them out on a baking sheet in a single layer and let them sit. If you’re in a hurry you can heat your oven on its lowest temperature setting for 1 minute, then turn oven off, and let your almonds rest in the warm oven until dry. They dry pretty quickly, maybe 30 plus minutes.

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Easy cake for making layered cakes

Layered cake is so delicious but can be a time consuming project. However, if you bake the cake layers ahead and store them in the freezer, it will save you time and the task becomes less overwhelming. Simply just pull the cakes out when needed and assemble the cake. This recipe for cake layers is quick and easy and the cakes freeze really well.

Cake layer

I did learn a lesson when baking this particular cake. To prevent the cake from taking on too much color too fast, I placed a piece of foil over the pan, however, the foil touched to top of the cake and pulled off the very top layer. Not that it really matters because the cake will be covered with cream anyway but I am a type-A kind of person so little things like that annoys me 🙂 Lesson learned, if using foil tap a dome into it so it doesn’t touch the cake…I knew that….I just forgot.

Lock parchment paper in springform pan

Lagkagebunde (makes 1 cake, cut into 2 cake layers)

Ingredients:

3 large eggs

125 g sugar (4.4 oz or 3/4 cup)

60 g flour (2.1 oz or 1/2 cup)

60 g cornstarch (2.1 oz or 1/2 cup)

1 tsp. baking powder

Directions:

Preheat oven to 390 degrees F (200 degrees C).

Use a 9 inch (23 cm) springform pan, place a piece of parchment paper in bottom of springform and lock in place. Spray a light layer of baking spray in pan, add a tablespoon of flour to pan, rotate pan to coat sides and bottom with flour, bang out excess flour into a trash can and set pan aside.

Place eggs and sugar in the bowel of an electrical mixer and mix on high-speed for 10 minutes until eggs are pale and thick. Mix dry ingredients in a small bowel and sift over egg mixture. Gently fold in the dry ingredients, careful not to deflate the dough by over-mixing. Pour batter into prepared springform pan. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until light golden, careful not to over-bake. The cake is done when the cake feels firm to the touch or test by inserting a toothpick into the middle of the cake, the toothpick should come out clean. Allow to cool completely in pan. Once cooled, run a small knife around the edges to loosen it, then open springform. Using a serrated knife cut cake horizontally into 2 cake layers. If you are not using the cake layers right away they can be frozen. Separate the two cakes with parchment paper and store in freezer-safe bags.

Source: My Danish Kitchen

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Lagkagebunde

When it’s a special occasion like a Birthday or an Anniversary or perhaps company is just coming over for a visit, what do you make for dessert? Well in Denmark Lagkage would be a very typical choice. And in Denmark it doesn’t take too much planning either because if you don’t have the cakes for the Lagkage you could just run to the grocery store and pick up a couple. However, living across the ocean, Lagkagebunde (individual cakes for making layered cakes) is not readily available in the stores where I live. I could buy some online and throw them in the freezer for a rainy day or I could bake them myself. When I came across Himmelske Kager’s write-up on making your own Lagkagebunde I figured it was worth a try. She has a really nice tutorial and a lot of helpful tips, not to mention that her cake is delicious.

Draw an outline of pan and place cut-out inside.

It is important that you use the correct size pan and that you follow the instruction not to grease the sides of the pan. This way you’ll get a really nice outcome. The cake itself is really easy to make, but do make sure that your eggs are at room temperature.

Lagkagebunde (makes 1 cake, cut into 3 thin cake layers)

Ingredients:

5 eggs, at room temperature, separated into yolks and whites

120 gram sugar

100 gram all-purpose flour

15 gram cornstarch

1 teaspoon baking powder

Directions:

Using an 8 inch cake pan, butter the bottom of the pan only. Do not butter the sides of the pan as this will ensure the cake rising straight up. Trace a circle of the bottom of the pan onto parchment paper and cut the circle out. Place the parchment paper circle onto the greased bottom of pan and set the pan aside.

Preheat oven to 340 degrees F (175 degrees C)

Making sure eggs are at room temperature, separate into yolks and whites. Place the egg yolks into a bowl, add sugar and beat until it becomes a pale yellow, thick mixture.

In another clean bowl or stand-up mixer, beat the egg whites until stiff.

Sift the flour, cornstarch and baking powder into the egg yolk mixture, beat until it’s homogeneous. Add the stiff egg whites and gently fold into the egg yolk mixture. You do this by cutting down the middle of mixture with your spatula and folding it over the other half, rotating the bowl 1/4 turn each time, repeat until fully incorporated.

Pour batter into prepared cake pan and bake for 30-40 minutes. Do not open oven door the first 30 minutes. Careful not to over-bake the cake. It’s done when the cake feels firm to the touch or test by inserting a toothpick into the middle of the cake, the toothpick should come out clean.

Let the cake cool in the cake pan on a baking rack. Once cooled, run a small knife around the edges to loosen it from the pan and turn it out upside-down onto the baking rack. Make sure cake is completely cooled before cutting it into 3 cake layers. If you are not using the cake layers right away they can be frozen. Separate the three cakes with parchment paper and store in freezer safe bags.

Variations in taste:

Add 2-3 tablespoons of finely ground almonds to batter.

Replace 2 tablespoons flour with 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa. Add cocoa with dry ingredients.

Add 2 tablespoons coconut to batter.

Add orange zest to batter.

Cake will fall a little while cooling, turn out up-side-down onto cake rack.

Source: Himmelske Kager

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