What are you baking? January 2025

My little bottle says “mint” – – not “peppermint”, I know I like peppermint with chocolate (it’s Christmas!) but mint seems like a different thing. I think I bought this for a cocktail (?) originally.

I made the brazilian chocolate glazed carrot cake from Milk Strret Bake It today. Will let you know how we like it.

3 Likes

I was given some high-quality orange extract as part of a gift. Not something I’d used before, but wanting to make use of it, I have used it along with orange zest. and vanilla extract to flavor sugar cookies (the soft kind) and other simple baked goods, for a kind of nostalgic “creamsicle” flavor that was well liked. Anything made with stone fruit (but especially cherries) gets a little lift from a little almond extract.

1 Like

For the orange extract: https://muybuenoblog.com/wprm_print/39607

1 Like

Challah


Messed up the Braiding a bit, its been a while!

19 Likes

Yes, this almond biscotti was a Christmas time favorite for many years. Now I tend to make a cardamom biscotti that has shorter baking time That’s 3 teaspoons of flavoring for 3 cups of flour – it’s not overpowering.

1 Like

This blog says mint extract is milder that peppermint and pairs well with chocolate. https://substitutecooking.com/peppermint-vs-mint/

1 Like

Just saw this! Thank you, I even happen to have aniseed. Not waiting for the Day of the Dead to try this one. :spiral_calendar:

1 Like

Thanks for the article, I didn’t know how much I didn’t know. I’ve never met a mint candy I didn’t like, strong or mild, with chocolate or not.

1 Like

I saw that Ruby from the British baking show made one of those and loved it. I do have an enormous bag of carrots so… I might choose a different glaze though.

I’m also really curious about these

Technicolor Kitchen has a Brazilian style carrot cake that I made several times and enjoyed.

3 Likes

ChristinaM suggested Pan de Muerto (Bread of the Dead) - Muy Bueno as a use for my little-used orange extract. It’s meant to be decorated with stylized bones for the Mexican Day of the Dead, but I was too impatient. I am so pleased with how this came out, it is gently orange, gently licorice, gently sweet. The dough was no trouble, the rise no trouble, a keeper for me. (I made a half recipe.)
Thank you, ChristinaM.


13 Likes

My great grandmother made crepes with orange extract so that’s what my mother and I do as well.

5 Likes

Somehow we’re already done with the first month of the year, so here’s your February thread.

7 Likes

I’m so glad they worked out for you! My son makes these every year at his school for experiential learning day. (They use an outdoor cob oven).

2 Likes

Sure! It’s from the same aunt that I got the cranberry cream cheese pound cake recipe:
Lemon Loaf: yield 2 loaves
-grease 2 loaf pans, preheat oven to 350.
Mix 1 C oil and 2 C sugar
Add 4 eggs, beat until smooth
Combine 3 C flour, 1/2 tsp each b. soda and salt.
Alternate adding dry ingredients to sugar/oil mixture with 1 C buttermilk. Add 2 tsp lemon zest. Bake for 1 hour.
Glaze combine 1/2 C lemon juice with 1 C sugar. Simmer until clear then cool.
Cool loaf for 10 minutes, then poke holes and pour over glaze ( nb I poured and then used a brush for the syrup that dripped down)…

5 Likes

Thank you @rstuart !

2 Likes

First of two chocolate sour cream bundts is in the oven.

Actually, I forgot the recipe is for a 12-cup bundt. I only have one 12-cupper and I used that for the Kentucky butter cakes, and I want the other flavor to be in a different pan design. So after I filled up my 10-cup Brilliance and saw how much was left over, I got out my Heritage 6-cup, and they are both filled 2/3+ full. I wish I had thought to use a 10-cup Heritage so that the chocolate pan designs would match, but I didn’t realize this until it was too late. The Brilliance is probably my favorite pan, and I wanted to use it. But I do like the idea of having different-sized cakes (and more of them) for visual interest.

So.

What’s left is a second chocolate bundt, and the chocolate layer “birthday girl” cake. I’ll do those tomorrow.

6 Likes

9 Likes