Recipe - Chocolate or Cinnamon Babka

It's Sunday morning and we like to be lazy in my house, enjoying the sunshine, the birdsong, and of course, a big slice of either chocolate or cinnamon babka.

Do you remember the "Seinfeld" episode in which Elaine wants to buy a chocolate babka, but someone beats her to the last one? Only cinnamon are left, and Elaine considers the cinnamon babka the "inferior" babka. Jerry convinces her otherwise, but she's still not completely happy with it.

As a lover of both chocolate and cinnamon babka, I think it's just personal preference. As long as you do a good job making your babka, it will never be inferior. This is a luscious cake and one that should be savored. I hope you'll try it, and I hope you'll enjoy it as much as I do.

Chocolate or Cinnamon Babka

Ingredients:

Dough:

1-1 1/2 C. water
2 T. yeast
Pinch of sugar
2 eggs
2 egg yolks
1 tsp. vanilla
2 drops almond extract
1 tsp. lemon juice
3/4 C. sugar
1 tsp. salt
1/3 C. sugar
1 tsp. salt
1/3 C. milk powder
1 C. unsalted butter or margarine - softened and cut into small pieces
6 C. unbleached all-purpose flour or half bread flour/half all-purpose

Chocolate Filling:

1-1 1/2 C. semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 C. cocoa
1/2 C. sugar
3 T. unsalted butter or margarine

Cinnamon Filling:

1/4 C. unsalted butter or margarine
1 C. dark brown sugar
2 T. corn syrup or maple syrup
2-4 tsp. cinnamon
3/4 C. chopped walnuts (optional)

Egg Wash:

1 egg, beaten
Sugar for sprinkling

Directions:

1. In a large bowl, mix together water, yeast, and pinch of sugar. Allow to rest for five minutes to allow the yeast to swell.

2. Add eggs, egg yolks, vanilla, almond extract, lemon juice, sugar, salt, and milk powder.

3. Add the softened butter and flour to the mixture by folding it into the batter. Knead with a dough hook or by hand for about 8-10 minutes, until smooth and elastic.

4. Place dough in a well greased bowl and cover with plastic wrap or cover the entire bowl with a plastic bag to ensure that it's thoroughly sealed. Allow to rise for about 45-90 minutes. (You can refrigerate this dough overnight, but you must allow it to return to room temperature before continuing.)

5. Divide dough into two equal parts. Cover with a towel and allow it to rest for 10 minutes.

6. Butter two 9-inch springform cake pans or two loaf pans, or, if making only one large babka, butter a 10-inch bundt pan.

7. Roll dough into a 16x16 inch square on a lightly floured board.

8. Spread the filling of your choice over the entire surface.

9. Roll lengthwise into a large roll, then cut in half.

10. Place both halves in the prepared pan, beside each other (it doesn't matter if they are pressing against each other).

11. Brush with egg wash and sprinkle with sugar.

12. Place the pan(s) in a plastic bag and let rise until babke is flush or has risen over the top of the pan(s).

13. Repeat with other half of the dough.

14. Preheat over to 350 F.

15. Bake babka for 35-40 minutes (50-70 minutes for the one large babka) until medium brown.

16. Cool for 15 minutes in the pan before putting on a cooling rack.

To make the Chocolate Filling:

Place chocolate chips, cinnamon, cocoa, sugar, and butter in a food processor and grind into a loose paste.

To make the Cinnamon Filling:

Place the butter, sugar, corn syrup, cinnamon, and walnuts in a food processor and grind into a loose paste.

Enjoy, enjoy, enjoy. Even the aroma of this cake is heavenly. :)

Recipe - Fondant a la Orange (Parisian Orange Cake)

A very special birthday is coming up in my family and my husband and I, as culinary school graduates, have been elected to make the birthday cake. We wanted something different from the usual white or chocolate cakes and the "birthday boy," in this case, is inordinately fond of oranges so we decided to make this luscious Parisian orange cake. Yes, it is a very popular cake in Paris. My husband and I first tasted it there and we've never forgotten how wonderful it was. It's a very easy cake to make and it's more festive than one would think, just glancing at the recipe. We're not sure yet how we're going to decorate it, but we'll use some fresh or edible flowers as well as orange slices.

Fondant à l'Orange (Parisian Orange Cake)

Ingredients:

3 eggs
3/4 cup (6 oz.) of sugar
2/3 cup (6 oz.) of unsalted butter
1/2 cup (3 oz.) of flour
3 oz of corn starch flour (or fine flour)
2 juiced and zested oranges
1 teaspoon of baking powder
2 tablespoons of orange liqueur (such as Grand Marnier)
1 orange for decorating

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees F.

2. In bowl beat eggs.

3. Stir in sugar, flours, melted butter and orange zest.

4. Pour into 9" greased cake pan and bake for 40 minutes at 350 degrees F, or when a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean.

5. Unmold when still warm and sprinkle with orange juice mixed with Orange Liqueur.

6. Slice an orange thinly for decoration.

Serves 8

Enjoy!

Whipping Egg Whites - Yes, There Are Secrets

If you like to make sponge cake, mousse, meringues, etc., you already know the importance of properly whipped egg whites. Properly whipped egg whites, however, are an essential part of all pastry making and every serious cook should know all the "little secrets." Many, however, do not. I've had numerous questions from readers and friends who tell me they simply can't whip egg whites to perfection each and every time they set out to do so. Well, I think they could, if only they'd consider the importance of a few crucial elements.

Separate the eggs very, very carefully. When we're cooking and baking, we usually don't need to be too precise about separating eggs. As long as most of the yolk is separated from the white, things will be okay. However, if whipping egg whites is our objective, even one dot of yolk will ruin the whole affair. If there's one speck of yolk in the whites, the whites will certainly fail to peak properly.

Use the proper bowl. When egg whites are whipped, chemical reactions occur inside the bowl. It is absolutely essential that either a stainless steel or copper bowl be used. Copper bowls have long been considered to give the very best results and even chefs who generally keep a "stainless steel kitchen" will have at least one copper bowl - for use in whipping egg whites. Never use plastic, aluminum, or glass. These types of bowls will greatly reduce the volume and alter the color of the eggs in an undesirable manner.

Always use a whisk. Many people like the convenience of an electric mixer and an electric mixer can be used to whip egg whites successfully. However, the use of an electric mixer can lead to overmixing and overmixing will ruin the peaks. It's always best to use a whisk. Using a whisk will give your whipped egg whites the very best results and the very best results should be what you're striving for.

Add cream of tartar. You only need a pinch, but that pinch can make all the difference. It can help your whipped egg whites to stiffen and hold their peak. Sugar - plain granulated sugar - can also be used, but sugar will reduce the overall volume.

Whip the whites at room temperature. We're food safety advocates. That's why we usually don't advocate leaving eggs out of the refrigerator. When it comes to whipping egg whites, however, we do do make an exception. Egg whites whipped at room temperature means they'll peak much more successfully.

Now that you know the "secrets" of perfectly whipped egg whites, get in the kitchen and show your friends and family that mile high meringue on your world famous lemon pie!