Whoopie Pies

Whoopie Pies

Many of you may know that I was once a pie maker for a restaurant. And in my lifetime of baking I have made, probably, a few thousand pies. In fact I would venture to say about three thousand in my eight months of pie making. But these cookies... err... these pies are the first of their kind.

There is nothing about them that actually constitutes a pie. They are more of a cookie made of cake batter. So my theory on how they got their name deviates from its confusing beginnings. Its made from cake mix and baked like a cookie. So naturally, we'll call it a pie.

They really are pretty tasty. I wanted to use up some extra buttercream, but I am bit tired of cake. And next week will be cake filled (people are putting in orders!) due to Small Group and a party for my Mom's work. So I decided to make Whoopie Pies. They are just like Oreo Cakesters, remember those?

The cookie is soft, and has a gritty taste. Probably due to the brown sugar that is added. It turned to be a pretty yummy recipe that will get us through until tomorrow, hopefully. This is the earliest I have finished one of my baked goods this week! How exciting!

I'm off to plan some cake designs for next week. Apparently you can't just go into cake baking and decorating blindly. You've got to put some thought into it.

Until next time,

Ryan

Homemade Bread

Homemade Bread

This week has definitely been a week of firsts for me. My first time making buttercream, my first time making royal icing, my first buttercream rose, and now, my first loaves of homemade bread.

I was reading, like all normal young people do, about how to make bread. And one website called a "humbling recipe". That it is. I have made some difficult confections in my life, but nothing can compare with fresh bread. And truly, I don't think I got this one perfect. I think I was close, but perfect and close aren't the same thing.

It was supposed to be a simple white bread. It is more like a sourdough bread. The crust is a bit more firm and the bread a lot more dense. But it doesn't taste like sourdough. It tastes like dense white bread.

So, I think that I did a pretty good job on my first bread. It wasn't until I had already decided to make this from scratch that my Mom said "Ryan, we have a bread making machine," and I retorted "I don't need a machine, I am a machine." I opened the cabinet and looked at the bread machine during the process. I felt it laughing at me. Taunting me with its experience of bread making. Well bread machine, look at me now. You have been replaced.

Until next time,

Ryan

Purple & White Buttercream Cake

Purple & White Buttercream Cake

This is my first of what I suspect will be MANY cakes. It was a two day process, the first day was me practicing roses and practicing making buttercream frosting. I've nailed the buttercream. Got that down pat. The roses, on the other hand, are proving to be a bit more difficult. They look more like blooming cabbage to me, but I've always been a little critical of my own work. I'm taking a decorating class in July to expand my talents in the cake industry. The first class covers roses, but I wanted to get the leg up. So I went to the one place that could teach you how to do anything... youtube. And with little to no guidance I managed to make six globs of buttercream that resemble some sort of flower.

One problem that I'm running into is finding occasions for which to bake. You can only convince people that "I made a cake because it is Tuesday" so many times without looking like you've lost it. But, luckily for me Wednesday is my no-other-reason-to-bake-than-because-its-Wednesday day. My parents host a small group Bible study at our house three Wednesdays out of the month. And every Wednesday I take that opportunity to bake something for the fellowship time that follows. 

They think I do it to be nice, and I do. But I have my own motives. I, not so secretly, use them as a testing group for icing, cake flavors, and other odd recipes. Turns out the group is filled with a medley of talented bakers who are looking to help me out. All-in-all they are a pretty great bunch of people... who we force feed my attempts at confectionary greatness. But, they don't seem to mind, they all come back week after week. 

 And, for the record, I am the Mayor of Small Group... even though I don't attend, thank you FourSquare. 

Until next time, 

Ryan

Sugar Cookie Daisies

Sugar Cookie Daisies

Cookies have always been a pick me up for me. They remind me of Christmas, and that is a thought most everyone can enjoy. But more than Christmas they remind me of family and friends.

These cookies were inspired. I made them with a friend in mind. She's quite fond of daisies. So when I discovered she had a rough day I did my best to make them as perfect as possible.

Well perfect isn't really my style... I wish it was. So I ended up with two different color flowers, which I consider a happy accident. I went to lunch half way through the icing process and had to loosen my icing when I got home. So the icing is a tad bit lighter.

All-in-all I am happy with how these sugar cookies came out. I'm pretty sure I got a vigorous workout from mixing the icing. Who says baking can't be healthy?

Until next time,

Ryan

Oreo Buttercream Cupcakes

Oreo Buttercream Cupcakes

 I decided that for my first post on this blog I would try something I've never been brave enough to do: make my own buttercream... from scratch. 

I wasn't brave enough to go into this blindly. A few people I work with have made buttercream and gave me some advice, and with a few extra splashes of milk and a little extra powdered sugar I did it.  

I wanted to give my buttercream a little something extra. I decided that I would crush Oreo cookies and blend them into the buttercream. At first the crushed cookie pieces disappeared, they were there... just to small to notice. So I took to adding more, this time not quite as crushed. That helped. It reminded me of a cookies-n-cream ice cream. I took the cupcakes to work for a Father's Day Party and they received rave reviews, so in general I'm happy. 

The only thing I wish I could do over would be to use a piping bag and large tip to frost them. I started using one but the added cookie pieces made it nearly impossible for the buttercream to go through the tip, so I resorted to a good ole' fashioned inverted spatula. 

An easy recipe to start me off. I am no where near an "experienced baker." But for now I'm content to say that I am merely an "adventurous baker."

Until next time, 

Ryan