Reporting back on the prune cake: it is much better the second day. The outer “crust” has softened, and overall the cake is dense, moist and substantial. Not sure I’d make it again, unless I was specifically asked to bake an old-fashioned prune cake. It will get eaten, in any case.
2 Likes
Dan Lepard has quite a few prune recipes. I of course always add salt to his recipes 
.
This cake is good. Like his tamarind date cake I like to use a bigger pan.
Here is an account from someone who made it:
I’ve made his prune babas and liked them:
A cardamom and prune bread from Richard Bertinet:
1 Like
I had a laugh as someone came by wondering if I could bake him a chocolate and strawberry cake and if it could be ready today. Now, even in the best of circumstances I don’t plan on making layer cakes in a single day, but today we are in the middle of a scheduled blackout. I think people never take into account how much cooling and waiting time there is when baking, not so much the actual baking time.
I don’t think he knows himself if he wants a chocolate cake with strawberries or a vanilla cake with strawberries and chocolate frosting of some sort, so I’m currently trying to decide.
I’m considering RLB’s chocolate-covered strawberry cake from Rose’s Heavenly Cakes.
2 Likes
I thought you can’t get decent strawberries!
I can’t, but this wouldn’t involve fresh strawberries at all. I can make lots of different types of strawberry cakes, but I can’t make ones that require fresh intact berries.
For example, Rose’s cake is a white cake with white chocolate in the batter, a strawberry buttercream (I don’t use fresh berries for that), and a chocolate frosting.
Or the celebration cake I make sometimes: yellow cake, flourless chocolate cake, jam, strawberry buttercream, and chocolate ganache.
2 Likes
Thank you!
That first one looks interesting, with both chocolate and brandy. 
I like what the reviewer had to say about the prune flavor really coming through. I felt it didn’t much using the Martha Stewart recipe.
1 Like
One last batch:
The gateau Breton looks particularly delicious!
And I absolutely loved Deborah Madison’s prune tart in almond custard from Vegetarian Cooking For Everyone. I found 10 oz of prunes to be enough and you really need to add a couple of pinches of salt to the custard. The texture of the prunes was absolutely addictive in this!
2 Likes
If it’s the home tests, you may still test positive for weeks even after the symptoms are gone. This does not mean you’re infectious.
1 Like
My third attempt at these chocolate “in betweens” and I think I got it!! This time I used butter flavored Crisco, 1.5 times on all of the ingredients (except the sweetened condensed milk) and I adjusted the baking times and temperatures (a little longer and a little hotter). I also added parchment paper, so I could get them out of the baking dish.
My girlfriend really liked her “test piece” this afternoon. Some chocolate did bubble up above the top crust, but that is just “bonus chocolate” for my girlfriend to enjoy!!
4 Likes
Inaccurate.
1 Like
This is not inaccurate. The US-CDC has been saying for months that people are generally not infectious after about 3-5 days from symptom onset, yet may show positive tests for weeks after no longer being symptomatic.
Please don’t spread misinformation.
That information was based on the previous variant, Delta. PCR tests can stay positive for months. Rapid tests are different and are an excellent indication of infectiousness. CDC notes that if you have a positive rapid antigen test, you may still be infectious -
Note: If your antigen test results1 are positive, you may still be infectious. You should continue wearing a mask and wait at least 48 hours before taking another test. Continue taking antigen tests at least 48 hours apart until you have two sequential negative results. This may mean you need to continue wearing a mask and testing beyond day 10.
2 Likes
Hokkaido chiffon cupcakes that I sold to the supermarket. Here’s hoping they sell! Since there’s no cream to make diplomat cream, I stirred some mascarpone into the pastry cream because I don’t like them as much with plain pastry cream. The cream is really good with the mascarpone!
I made neutral glaze/map page to try to improve the strawberries and give them some shine, too. They taste much better!
10 Likes
My girlfriend got the last of her dental work completed, so now she can have some homemade peanut brittle. I made some up this morning, once it cools I’ll break it apart.
9 Likes
My latest thing is baked apple _______. Got lucky when I moved into my home 23 years ago, has the BEST apple tree. I hate pie crust, though, so I’ve been making a crustless pie with them. OMG, heaven.
Hate Crust! Blasphemy!
1 Like
I’ve never been a fan either, but then, there’s this as a possibility. I’m open to the argument…
Beautiful bread. I’ve always had a problem with loaf height on no knead breads. The only decent height has been when I’ve tried mini boules. Normal size boules end up shaped more like a flying saucer. Ideas?
1 Like
How hot of an oven can you use for a glass dish? After I had a pyrex explode on me once, I read they’re only good to 400 degrees. Whereas all my bread recipes (for no knead) are in a hotter oven than that.
