do you scream for ice cream?

We now return to your regularly scheduled blog programming. And it’s two for one time. I promise that the photos alone will more than make up for last week’s MIA blog. Let’s rewind shall we?

Ice cream was the new kid on the menu two weeks ago. I was pleasantly surprised at how easy it was to make. This may be because I am now familiar with how to make a good crème anglaise or because the majority of the ice cream making procedure is letting your mixture sit in a bowl in the refrigerator, churning it in an ice cream maker, or hardening it up in the freezer. The actual preparation time is fairly quick and the choices of flavors are endless. We’ve come a long way from my childhood memories of turning a crank on a wooden pail-like contraption. Which we did once or twice before putting it in a box for years. The new and improved model is very impressive.

Our first churn around we made cinnamon ice cream.

Last week we made mango ice cream using pureed mangos. The taste was not quite as good as I had hoped, but it definitely tasted  like mango. A basic chocolate is still on my ice cream dream list.

Two Saturdays ago, we also had another chance to perfect the Black Forest Torte that we tried our hand at last term. This time around I learned even more tips and the end product was quite delicious. We didn’t have the chocolate shavings for the outside of the cake; however, we did have the all-important cherries for the inside layer. 

 And don’t forget the cinnamon ice cream.

A twist on the swiss cake roll was next. Move over Little Debbie, we’re bringing the traditional European cake rolls back. Fun and fairly simple to make, we panned up a thin sponge cake, smeared chocolate pastry cream on top and rolled it up for freezing. This could be covered with chocolate ganache and eaten as is, but we went one step further and made a Charlotte Royale. The roll was sliced up to make what would eventually be the top layer (see below) of a white chocolate Bavarian cream filled cake with another flat sponge layer on the bottom. After it’s frozen, the whole sheet cake gets flipped over and cut into individual pieces.

 It was pretty good, but I must admit that I sort of missed peeling off the outside chocolate layer of the roll to eat first like I used to do with my Little Debbie rolls. What can I say; it was a great treat of my childhood. Perhaps someday I will make a giant version of the American-style Swiss Cake Roll and call it a Big Debbie.

Next up is a specialty cake to die for. The Alhambra is full of detailed steps and various flavors with plenty of room for complicated mishaps. Nonetheless, it’s all worth the effort after one bite. Well, actually several bites because one is not enough. You’ll see why.

This cake starts out with a hazelnut sponge cake that is split in two after it’s cooled (or you can use two full cakes that are trimmed nicely for a larger cake – obviously my choice). A coffee flavored simple syrup is dabbed on the top of the bottom layer and then a hard chocolate ganache is poured on top. The second cake layer is then placed on top and the whole thing goes in the refrigerator to set. Meanwhile, we made a batch of Italian butter cream and I managed to shove aside a bit of my dislike for this icing after we added coffee flavoring to it. Smooth, soft coffee icing? Yes please. More coffee syrup is dabbed on the very top of the cake, a light coat of the butter cream icing goes on the whole thing and then it’s back in the refrigerator to chill. This chill is important because of our next step: pouring warm chocolate ganache over the entire cake. (Happiness? Check.) If the butter cream is not cold when we pour on the warm ganache, the butter cream will melt and run down the sides. Not pretty. Once the ganache is set up a bit (and you’ve poured the excess in your mouth), chopped pistachios are added to the bottom edge of the cake. I saved you an web-sized slice.

A marzipan rose is usually placed on top as well, but I chose to keep it smooth like silk. Here’s my wannabe rose that was quite fun to make.

As if all of that wasn’t enough for the last two weeks, I also made some chocolate chip banana bread that was almost too delicious to be healthy. There was a lot of sugar involved…

But it’s still bread and I did share a loaf with my family.

I also whipped up a very citrusy batch of the citrus shortbread cookies we made earlier this term. When taken out of the oven just before they turn brown, these puppies will melt in your mouth. Speaking of puppies, Greg made a cookie with the leftover dough. Does this remind you of anyone?