Kugelhof

The Great British Bake Off is a bad thing.  My Beloved keeps saying "if you want to make that . . ."  When the yeasted cake week came about, the kugelhof looked very interesting.  I know from past experience that I would have to say yeasted cakes are a favorite.  Since I have started making this kugelhof, there has been one in the house.

Kugelhof is nice by itself.  It is nice warmed with a bit of butter.  It is nice toasted or warmed with Boursin.  Boursin with garlic and herbs.  I have not tried the others.  It is just lightly sweet.  I do not have the traditional pan and my bundt pan is quite interesting so the first loaf I tried in that was yummy but very ugly.  I have been making small loafs since.  I actually made loafs for the Christmas boxes I send out.

I started with David Lebovitz recipe tweaked it.  Levain (sourdough) like normal.  I changed the fruit and changed the porportions of flavorings.  Then I tweaked the sugar glaze that you brush over it.  It is a lovely recipe without any tweaks but I like how I have changed it.

Kugelhof

Note:  adapted from David Lebovitz.  I make a small loaf or cob.

sourdough

1/2 cup flour

1/3 cup water

1/4 cup milk

1/3 cup flour

1/4 cup chopped sour cherries (1/2 cup unchopped)

3 tablespoons butter, room temperature

1 1/2 tablespoon sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

zest of one lemon

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 large egg yolk

about 2 cups flour

1/3 cup water

1/3 cup sugar

2 teaspoons orange extract

In a large bowl, mix the sourdough, 1/3 cup water, and 1/2 cup flour.  Cover and let sit over night until it is bubbly.  Save a bit for the next bake.

Mix in the milk and 1/3 cup flour.  Mix well.  Let sit a bit to let the yeastie beasties start bubbling.

Mix in the cherries.  Mix in the butter.  Stir until most of the lumps are gone, or appear gone with the cherries in the dough.  Mix in the sugar and salt.  Mix in the lemon zest and vanilla.  Mix until the lemon looks like it is all through the dough.  Mix in the egg yolks.  Mix well enough until the egg yolks are completely incorporated.  Mix in 1 1/2 cups flour.  It should be a soft dough.  If not add another 1/2 cup flour and mix well.

Turn out the dough onto a clean surface dusted with flour.  Knead until the dough turns smooth.  Yes, there is lumps of cherries.  When the dough is kneaded smooth, put in a clean bowl and cover.  Let rise until double.  It can be a slow rise.

Line a small loaf pan with parchment paper.  When the dough has risen, shape into a small loaf and place into the pan.  Let proof about an hour or until puffy.

Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 45 minutes.  The bread will be golden and thump hollow.

In a saucepan, bring the 1/3 cup water, 1/3 cup sugar, and orange extract to a boil for one minute.  After the loaf has rested for 10 minutes, brush with the glaze.  This is enough glaze for many loaves.  I brush the loaf multiple times.  It helps with the keeping time.

It is just so yummy!

I have baked enough to share and take to the mountain next week.  I am hoping I can eat more of this then food out.

Christmas tree is hung

The Christmas tree is finally up!  And lighted!  I have to admit I really like it.  I was actually making some silver metallic crocheted ornaments to go on it and felt they were not needed.  Just lights.  But then I am the person who gets a live tree and just puts lights on that!  I am notorious for this behavior.  Which is really strange because I grew up with trees that were full of ornaments.  When I go home to my parents, the tree is still full of ornaments.

It even looks nice unlit.

I am thinking about taking the back lit picture of my Oregon evergreen tree I like and printing it on a piece of canvas to make another quilt.  There will be no definition of limbs and needles though because it is back lit.

Or . . . I could go looking for more trees to take pictures of to make quilts.  Yes, a bit crazy.

an apron of red hue

An apron was requested.  A red apron was requested.  This was as close to plain red as I had in the house that would be good for aprons.  It was supposed to be the back of Christmas tree but I changed my mind.  Why was a red apron requested?

Because Koda Bear helps me make potato lefse.  And as Poppa Jim does, flour gets everywhere.  He actually does all the rolling except the last bit now.  He has come a long way from me making lefse with him in a backpack on my back.

This apron was a definite hit.  Such a hit, another is needed, if not two.  Stocking stuffers?

chocolate coconut meringue cake

This is the cake that was the hit at the potluck.  It is a chocolate coconut meringue cake.  The coconut is so light it is not very noticeable so people who like me do not really like coconut like this cake.  The other big selling point is that this cake is gluten free, nut free, seed free, soy free, and dairy free.  Yes, that is how food sensitive the people I work with have gotten.  

This cake takes time.  An electric mixer is nice but it can be done by hand and I have done it by hand before I blew my shoulders out the last time.  This time, I switched early on to the electric whisk because my shoulders were getting very tired.

I also froze the cake for transport and keeping in the office.  I brought it out at the beginning of the meal and most people really seemed to like the cold.  Up to you on this one.

It is lovely.

chocolate coconut meringue cake

6 egg whites

1 cup granulated sugar.  I used a Mexican sugar this time that is less processed and a bit of a brown sugar taste

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/4 teaspoon salt

One recipe whipped coconut cream

One recipe black onyx fudge sauce

Preheat oven to 250 degrees F (120 C) and line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.  Draw four six inch circles on the two sheets of parchment paper.

Beat egg whites, vanilla, and salt together until foamy. Add sugar, slowly, and continue beating until it reaches glossy, stiff peaks.  Using the back of a large spoon, spread an even layer of meringue in a six inch circle on the baking sheets, four times.  The circle will actually spread as they bake so the finished cake will be closer to seven inches across.

Bake for approximately 2 1/2 hours or until dry and crisp, rotating pans every 20 minutes, and moving them up and down in the oven.  After the 2 1/2 hours of baking, leave the meringues in the turned-off oven for another 60 minutes.

Remove from oven and leave on tray in cool, dry area, to cool and you are ready to use.

Make the whipped coconut cream and fudge sauce.

On a large plate, place the first meringue.  Spread a quarter of the whipped coconut cream on top.  Drizzle an even layer of fudge sauce on top of it.  Put in the freezer for a bit to firm if your kitchen is warm.

Repeat with every meringue circle.  I finished the cake with whipped coconut cream and fudge sauce on top.  The fudge sauce dripped out but no one seemed to mind but a large plate is a must.

Put in the freezer.  Once the fudge sauce is set, cover with plastic wrap and store in the freezer until about twenty minutes before serving.

There are no elegant pictures of this from the potluck.  Our utensils were blunt and plastic.  It was destroyed but thoroughly enjoyed.  I brought my dish home and it was licked clean here before washing.

It is truly lovely.

whipped coconut cream

I am wiped out.  Not sure I was going to get here today but I did.  I dealt with a toxic situation.  I went with my gut and everything will be okay but I think I surprised the other person in the situation.  I did not take the option with the most pennies attached or potential for pennies.  I chose the option that is the healthiest for me in the long run.  Does not mean I am not wiped out because I am.

But this post is about whipped coconut cream.  I was told about this development after Thanksgiving and since I was making a cake for a couple people with many food sensitivities, whipped coconut cream was the best choice.  I was told I could buy it.  But, because it was so close to Thanksgiving, it was not in stock.  Time for research.

I was surprised with how well this turned out.  I am not a coconut fan but I found the flavor of this so mild that I could eat the whipped coconut cream.  It did not whipped as hard as cow cream but I did not have to worry about making butter either.  That is a plus since I have made butter in the past.  I will make whipped coconut cream again. 

whipped coconut cream

Note:  I am thinking about trying a can of unsweetened coconut cream used for pina coladas but below works.

2 cans of coconut milk, refrigerated

2 tablespoons sugar

2 teaspoons vanilla

Open the cans of coconut milk.  Spoon the cream off the top and put in a large bowl.  Scoop out any solids you can find but leave all the coconut water behind.  There was much less cream then I expected.

Add sugar and vanilla.  Whip.  The cream will thicken and increase in volume but it will not create the stiffness as cow cream.  

Yummy for replacing dairy whipped cream.