Cookies and Treats

The look cakey? Cakey brownies are best.
 
The look cakey? Cakey brownies are best.
My preference is warm and gooey. For cakey, see below.

Karen's Kitchen is a great baking (and general kitchen) resource. Here are some of the pointers on brownies.

Preparing the baking pan
Use the pan size called for in the recipe. If the pan is too large, the batter may spread and overbake resulting in dry brownies. If the pan is too small, the batter may be too dense and the brownies may underbake.

Grease the baking pan with Pan Release for easy cleanup. Nothing will stick to a pan coated with Pan Release. Typically, only the bottom of the pan is greased, allowing the brownies to adhere to the sides as they rise to prevent the center from collapsing.

Line the pan with aluminum foil when making several batches of brownies. Extend the edges of the foil a couple of inches over the edge to form a handle for easy removal of the cooled brownies. Grease the foil only in the bottom of the pan.

Choosing a recipe
For cake-like brownies, use recipes with more eggs. For chewy brownies, use recipes with fewer eggs and multiple types of chocolate. For fudgy brownies, use recipes with more butter and chocolate and less flour.

Melting and substituting chocolate
Most brownie recipes begin with melting butter and chocolate together. The safest way to do this is to use a double boiler or any small pan or large bowl placed over a saucepan of simmering water. Butter and chocolate can be placed directly in a saucepan over a low heat. Stir the mixture constantly. Butter and chocolate may also be melted together in a microwave oven on MEDIUM (50%) power, stirring the mixture every 30 seconds until melted.

To substitute unsweetened cocoa for unsweetened baking chocolate, use 3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa plus 1 tablespoon butter for each ounce of unsweetened baking chocolate.

To substitute unsweetened cocoa for semi-sweet baking chocolate, use 1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa plus 4 teaspoons sugar plus 2 teaspoons butter for each ounce of semi-sweet baking chocolate.

Mixing the ingredients
For best results, brownies should be mixed by hand.

Overmixing the ingredients can cause brownies to turn out tough or a thin crust may form on top. Mix wet and dry ingredients just long enough to blend them. Do not over-mix after the eggs have been added.

Baking
Spread the batter evenly for uniform baking, thickness and texture.

Reduce the baking temperature by 25°F if using dark or nonstick baking pan​

http://www.fromkarenskitchen.com/tips/brownie_tips.php

J
 
I made my boyfriend a chocolate cake for his birthday yesterday (today's his actual birthday, but he has to work so we did things yesterday). This one's really super chocolaty and rich, and I recommend using good ingredients (I use Ghirardelli's Dutch Process Cocoa) I also like to use my electric mixer, I normally mix and stir by hand, but for cakes you can get better results from going electric. My cake holder is only big enough for two layers, if you want a third layer just increased ingredients by half.

First, mix your dry ingredients: 2 cups of all purpose flour, 2 cups of granulated sugar, 1 cup of cocoa, 2 teaspoons baking soda, 1 teaspoon baking powder, and 1 teaspoon salt, beat on low until they're all mixed together.



Now add your wet ingredients: 3 eggs, 1 cup of buttermilk (I much recommend over regular milk), 1 cup of warm water, 1/3rd of a cup of olive oil (you can use vegetable if you like, but I prefer olive oil), and 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract. Beat on medium speed until completely smooth.



Grease and dust your pans with flour ... I like to use coconut oil, but you can use butter and that's okay. Get your clumps out as best you can.



Pour your batter evenly into your pans .. I like using a large spoon to scoop it out, that way I know I'm keeping them even. I like to bang my pans on my counter a couple times, you'll see a lot of air bubbles rising out, it helps your cakes rise a bit better.



Bake at 350 degrees for 35 minutes, then your cakes will need to cool for about 15 minutes still in their pans, then transfer from your pans to a wire rack and let cool for several hours. You can later wrap them in plastic and put them in the fridge, but I don't, I've never found that necessary.



Get started on your frosting, mix three sticks of soft butter (unsalted) with 8 ounces of cream cheese, blend until you've got a nice and fluffy cream.



Next add 1 and 1/2 cups of your cocoa and 1 tablespoon of vanilla extract. Keep beating until it's all combined together, it might get sort of difficult as your mixture gets super creamy, you'll get a sort of paste-like texture.



You'll next need to add 8 cups of powdered sugar (a whole bag), but just one cup at a time. Beat at slow to medium speed, and keep adding cups of sugar as it's blending in. Then mix in 1/4 cup of milk.



Your frosting will be really creamy now, and very thick .. I like to leave it out just a little bit so it'll be soft and easy to spread.



After your layers have cooled, you'll need to slice off the domes so they're flat. Use a sharp knife to gently cut in a circle around the dome, then use a large serrated knife to slice the tops off, cutting around in that circle you made. Your tops should peel right off, and those make a lovely treat for anyone who may be helping you.



Spread a thick layer of frosting on your bottom layer to hold them together, and then place your top layer on upside down, kind of like if you're making a giant Oreo cookie.



Spread frosting over the top and sides of your cake, and if you don't have a scraper then use a bread knife to smooth the edges.



Enjoy!

 
Looks awesome in making @MaryKB ! As a finished cake it does look awesome too but not as awesome as in the making .... :D I would probably have eat it before it is finished .... That is my problem with cooking - I can't wait for things to be finished :blush: especially tasty, delicious things ....
 
Looks awesome in making @MaryKB ! As a finished cake it does look awesome too but not as awesome as in the making .... :D I would probably have eat it before it is finished .... That is my problem with cooking - I can't wait for things to be finished :blush: especially tasty, delicious things ....
If you'll promise to do my dishes after, you can have those top layers I slice off, and you can have all the excess frosting.
 
If you'll promise to do my dishes after, you can have those top layers I slice off, and you can have all the excess frosting.

Thank You ! :hug: I'll do whatever dishes You have (I would have probably licked cake dishes clean before washing :lol: - I did that as a kid quite often when mom was baking) Excess frosting and sliced off layers are the best part of the cake imho ! :D
 
Sorry I didn't photograph steps, but this cake was very easy to make. I just wish I'd made another pass with my scraper, lol. Took me three days, and a lot of work ... today was the final day, decorations time (day one is making the layers, day two is frosting, day three is decorating).

Well anyway, it's a three layer vanilla cake with buttercream frosting, I made it for Easter. I wish I'd done a better job with my flowers, I didn't really plan it out well enough and I was trying to just do one color at a time. Maybe I'll make one for Mother's Day coming up and do a better job. I'm really happy with the flavor though, this is very rich, I hope everyone likes it on Sunday.

 
mmmmmmm..... Gooble Gobble !! :clap:
 
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