New Youtube channel coming!!

As hard as I tried, I just could not finish all the editing on this cake in one night. :) I am going to break it down into manageable videos and get it out as soon as possible! Make sure to Subscribe so that you will be informed when the videos do become available! 

I promise that I will give you all the info on how to make THIS dramatic diva! 

Traditional Irish Soda Bread

Since my roots come from Ireland, let's make this super easy, Traditional Irish Soda Bread

to go with our Irish Stew for dinner!

Irish Soda Bread is a rustic, dense bread with a crusty exterior. It's basically a large biscuit...sans the copious amounts of butter. Butter was more of a luxury back then in famine-stricken Ireland. But not to worry, when you slather it on the bread after it is cut, it is amazing!

Irish Soda Bread was traditionally made with only the most basic of ingredients: flour, baking soda (used as a leavening agent instead of yeast), soured milk (or Buttermilk) to moisten and activate the soda, and salt. This is more of a peasant bread. Let us save a space on our dinner tables tonight for this humble bread and be thankful for all that we have today. 

Traditional Irish Soda Bread

4 C. Flour

1 Tbs. Baking Powder (Not super traditional but it's GREAT for levening!)

1 tsp. Baking Soda

1 1/2 tsp. Kosher Salt

2 C. Buttermilk or Sour Milk* 

1 egg (mixed with a splash of water for egg wash)

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees

Place a sheet of parchment paper on a baking sheet.

Add flour, salt, baking soda, and baking powder to a large bowl and  mix well.

Make a well for the buttermilk. Pour in the buttermild and mix until the flour is moistened and partially comes together. If necessary, add a little more buttermilk if your dough is too dry.

Pour this mixture out onto a lightly floured surface and gently knead until the dough forms a nice ball and holds together. DO NOT knead it too much or your bread will be tough.

Shape the dough into approximately an 8-inch disk and place on your prepared baking sheet.

Using a knife cut an X about 1 inch deep on the top. Not only does this make it look beautiful and rustic, but this helps it cook in the middle.

Brush the top of the loaf with an egg wash and sprinkle some flour on top for a more rustic look.

Bake for about 35 minutes or until the bread is golden brown and sounds hollow when you tap on it.

Transfer to a rack to cool. Serve warm with butter. Leftover bread, if you have any, is wonderful the next day sliced and toasted and topped with butter and jam.

*To make sour milk, combine 1 Tbs. Lemon juice with 1 C. Milk

Ruffles are everything...

Today we are talking RUFFLES!! This cake is so versatile depending on how you dress it up. Here is the tutorial!! 

P.S. Here is the link to the most AMAZING rolling pins that I used on the show! You will never see a higher quality and more beautiful rolling pin! They are the only rolling pin that I will ever use and they are heirloom quality pieces that can be handed down  from generation to generation. I got a custom rolling pin with BEEHIVE handles!! Eeek! I heart the Beehive State. :) hubcitywoodcraft.com

Here's a quick shot of the pins on the set with me: 

K, back to the tutorial:

Here's what you need:

I LOVE this set by Wilton. I used the ball tool for this technique but I'm really excited about the cutting tool that has the  needle tool on the end for Sugar Cookie Decorating!!

 1. Prep your surface with cornstarch.

 2. Roll out your fondant. Seriously, my favorite rolling pin will get it to the thickness that you need! CLICK HERE for some rolling pin eye candy!

3. Make sure it's really thin!

4. Cut out your large circle out: 

5. Now cut your small circle out. Just eye-ball it. ;)

6. Make sure to keep them in a ziplock bag until you are ready to use them. 

Start at the top!

Keep layering until THIS happens. ;)

ALL the Meringues!

Today's post is all about Meringues and all of the wonderful things you can do with them! I did not have time to do a tutorial for you but I will include some great links that will help you get the PERFECT meringues.

But first...There is a new trend in the cake world and I am LOVING it! It is called the "drippy cake". It is a tall, buttercream cake, with a glaze or ganache dripping down the side and then piled high with ALL THE THINGS! I am obsessed with it. The Australian Baker, Katherine Sabbath, does this style very well. HERE is a great article about her and her drippy cakes.

http://www.delish.com/kitchen-tools/a42545/drip-cakes-katherine-sabbath/ 

I. am. inspired. There really are no rules when it comes to piling anything and everything onto these cakes. My own version that I created for Studio 5 is more of a Marie Antoinette style and it has a million meringues on it. Also, the doughnut and the croissant put it over the top! And the gold leaf? Get out! I literally had to restrain myself from putting it all over everything. I would not could not stop. You can find Edible Gold foil on Ebay or Amazon.

To create the verticality on this cake, I used huge meringues as my base then built around them. There are many different types of meringues. I have used the French Meringue recipe foreverbut I have recently switched to the Swiss Meringue recipe and I found that I liked it more than the French Meringue. In a Swiss Meringue, you heat the sugar and eggs together and the heat stabilizes the mixture a bit more and helps it to hold it's shape a lot better.

HERE is the link for the recipe that I got from Cocoa Cake Land. She does such a great job at explaining all the tricks to making the perfect meringue. 

http://cococakeland.com/recipes/lean-smooch-make-meringue-kisses-recipe/

Here is a French Meringue recipe that I modified from Ina Garten's Pavlova recipe. 

French Meringue base for Meringue cookies, Meringue sandwiches, Meringue kisses, or Mini Pavlovas:

4 egg whites, room temp
Pinch of Kosher salt
1 C. Granulated sugar (preferably super-fine sugar)
4 tsp. Cornstarch
1 tsp. White vinegar
1 tsp pure vanilla extract

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees F.

Place a sheet of parchment paper on a sheet pan.

Place the egg whites and salt in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a whisk attachment. Beat the egg whites on high speed until firm, about 3 minutes. With the mixer still on high, slowly add the sugar and beat until it makes stiff, shiny peaks, about 3 minutes.

Remove the bowl from the mixer, sift the cornstarch onto the beaten egg whites, add the vinegar and vanilla, and fold in lightly with a rubber spatula. Use mixture IMMEDIATELY. It will start to break down and separate after just a hour or so. Carefully place mixture into a piping bag with your choice of tip size. Pipe your various shapes onto  your parchment paper. Bake for 45 min. If you are making small meringue kisses and up to an hour if you are making large cookies or pavlovas. Turn off the oven, keep the door closed, and allow the meringue to cool completely in the oven, about 1 hour. It will be crisp on the outside and soft on the inside.

Here are some fun things that I did with my Meringues and you will see on the Studio 5 episode that I also dipped them in chocolate, nuts, and sprinkles. Those were my fav.