I topped my crackers with cumin seeds and coarse sea salt. I should have rolled the cumin seeds into the dough, because most of them fell off when I broke up the crackers.

I served these with the Barefoot Contessa hummus.  They didn't last long!

Here's a link to the full recipe (both gluten-free and regular versions) on Shellyfish's blog: http://shellyfish.wordpress.com/

So, I joined the Daring Bakers, and August is my first month participating in a challenge. I really wasn't sure what to expect with the challenges or even how "challenging" they would be. I like that being involved with this encourages me to bake things I otherwise would turn my nose to. The challenge this month was "Eclairs." The recipe was provided to me. I just had to follow it. I must admit "Eclairs" didn't make my list of things to make before I die. Still, I was very eager to try it. Simplified, you made the eclairs, filled them with a chocolate cream, & topped them with a chocolate glaze. I was pleased with how they turned out. David ate two of them, on the spot. It did take me several hours to make these, and the recipe only made about 24 small eclairs. If I had it to do over, I would have made cream puffs instead, like some of the other bakers did, or I may have doubled the recipe. I'm not ready to say I will not make these again, but it will probably be a while before I do. :)

I felt time just flies so quick these days, it was again the time for a new challenge as a daring baker. Another sophisticated cake , yearning for great piping skill... which unfortunately I'm far away from having it, yet  I needed the exercise ;)

So thank's again Chris (I still remember that my first food event was her "cinco de mango" ) for hosting this month challenge, it was a great recipe.  The praline butter-cream, chocolate, whipped cream and forest fruits (mix berries) glaze ( instead of apricot) are definitely superb flavors for an ultimate "rich" cake.

I made a half of the recipe,  I regreted the decision later on because it was soo good ;)

From Great Cakes by Carol Walter

1 Filbert Genoise
1 recipe sugar syrup, flavored with dark rum
1 recipe Praline Buttercream
½ cup heavy cream, whipped to soft peaks
1 recipe Apricot Glaze
1 recipe Ganache Glaze, prepared just before using
3 tablespoons filberts, toasted and coarsely chopped

Filbert Genoise

Because of the amount of nuts in the recipe, this preparation is different from a classic genoise.

1 ½ cups hazelnuts, toasted/skinned
2/3 cup cake flour, unsifted
2 Tbsp. cornstarch
7 large egg yolks
1 cup sugar, divided ¼ & ¾ cups
1 tsp. vanilla extract
½ tsp. grated lemon rind
5 lg. egg whites
¼ cup warm, clarified butter (100 – 110 degrees)

Position rack in the lower 3rd of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees.  Grease and flour a 10” X 2” inch round cake pan.

Using a food processor, process nuts, cake flour, and cornstarch for about 30 seconds.  Then, pulse the mixture about 10 times to get a fine, powdery mixture.  You’ll know the nuts are ready when they begin to gather together around the sides of the bowl. While you want to make sure there aren’t any large pieces, don’t over-process.  Set aside.

Put the yolks in the bowl of an electric mixer, with the whisk attachment, and beat until thick and light in color, about 3-4 minutes on med-high speed. Slowly, add ¾ cup of sugar.  It is best to do so by adding a tablespoon at a time, taking about 3 minutes for this step.  When finished, the mixture should be ribbony.  Blend in the vanilla and grated lemon rind.  Remove and set aside.

Place egg whites in a large, clean bowl of the electric mixer with the whisk attachment and beat on medium speed, until soft peaks. Increase to med-high speed and slowly add the remaining ¼ cup of sugar, over 15-20 seconds or so.  Continue to beat for another ½ minute. 
Add the yolk mixture to the whites and whisk for 1 minute.

Pour the warm butter in a liquid measure cup (or a spouted container). * It must be a deep bottom bowl and work must be fast.*  Put the nut meal in a mesh strainer (or use your hand – working quickly) and sprinkle it in about 2 tablespoons at a time – folding it carefully for about 40 folds.   Be sure to exclude any large chunks/pieces of nuts. Again, work quickly and carefully as to not deflate the mixture. When all but about 2 Tbsp. of nut meal remain, quickly and steadily pour the warm butter over the batter.  Then, with the remaining nut meal, fold the batter to incorporate, about 13 or so folds.

With a rubber spatula, transfer the batter into the prepared pan, smoothing the surface with the spatula or back of a spoon.  **If collected butter remains at the bottom of the bowl, do not add it to the batter!  It will impede the cake rising while baking.

Tap the pan on the counter to remove air bubbles and bake in the preheated oven for 30-35 minutes. You’ll know the cake is done when it is springy to the touch and it separates itself from the side of the pan.  Remove from oven and allow to stand for 5 minutes.  Invert onto a cake rack sprayed with nonstick coating, removing the pan.  Cook the cake completely.

*If not using the cake right away, wrap thoroughly in plastic wrap, then in a plastic bag, then in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. If freezing, wrap in foil, then the bag and use within 2-3 months.

Sugar Syrup
Makes 1 cup, good for one 10-inch cake – split into 3 layers

1 cup water
¼ cup sugar

In a small, yet heavy saucepan, bring the water and sugar to a boil and simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from heat. Cool slightly before using on the cake.  *Can be made in advance.

Praline Buttercream
1 recipe Swiss Buttercream
1/3 cup praline paste

Blend ½ cup buttercream into the paste, then add to the remaining buttercream.  Whip briefly on med-low speed to combine.  Blend in rum.

Swiss Buttercream
4 lg. egg whites
¾ cup sugar
1 ½ cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter, slightly firm
1 tsp. vanilla

Place the egg whites in a lg/ bowl of a elevtric mixer and beat with the whisk attachment until the whites are foamy and they begin to thicken (just before the soft peak stage). Set the bowl over a saucepan filled with about 2 inches of simmering water, making sure the bowl is not touching the water. Then, whisk in the sugar by adding 1-2 tablespoon of sugar at a time over a minutes time. Continue beating 2-3 minutes or until the whites are warm (about 120 degrees) and the sugar is dissolved.  The mixture should look thick and like whipped marshmallows.
Remove from pan and with either the paddle or whisk attachment, beat the egg whites and sugar on med-high until its a thick, cool meringue – about 5-7 minutes. *Do not overbeat*. Set aside.

Place the butter in a separate clean mixing bowl and, using the paddle attachment, cream the butter at medium speed for 40-60 seconds, or until smooth and creamy. *Do not overbeat or the butter will become toooooo soft.*

On med-low speed, blend the meringue into the butter, about 1-2 Tbsp. at a time, over 1 minute.  Add the  vanilla and mix for 30-45 seconds longer, until thick and creamy.

Refrigerate 10-15 minutes before using.

Refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 5 days, or can be frozen for up to 6 months. If freezing, store in 2 16-oz. plastic containers and thaw in the refrigerator overnight or at room temperature for several hours.

Praline Paste
1 cup (4 ½ oz.) Hazelnuts, toasted/skinless
2/3 cup Sugar
Line a jelly roll pan with parchment and lightly butter.

Put the sugar in a heavy 10-inch skillet.  Heat on low flame for about 10-20 min until the sugar melts around the edges. Do not stir the sugar. Swirl the pan if necessary to prevent the melted sugar from burning. Brush the sides of the pan with water to remove sugar crystals.  If the sugar in the center does not melt, stir briefly. When the sugar is completely melted and caramel in color, remove from heat. Stir in the nuts with a wooden spoon and separate the clusters. Return to low heat and stir to coat the nuts on all sides.  Cook until the mixture starts to bubble.  **Remember – extremely hot mixture.** Then onto the parchment lined sheet and spread as evenly as possible. As it cools, it will harden into brittle. Break the candied nuts into pieces and place them in the food processor.  Pulse into a medium-fine crunch or process until the brittle turns into a powder. To make paste, process for several minutes. Store in an airtight container and store in a cook dry place.  Do not refrigerate.

Apricot Glaze
Good for one 10-inch cake

2/3 cup thick apricot preserves
1 Tbsp. water

In a small, yet heavy saucepan, bring the water and preserves to a slow boil and simmer for 2-3 minutes. If the mixture begins to stick to the bottom of the saucepan, add water as needed.

Remove from heat and, using a strainer, press the mixture through the mesh and discard any remnants. With a pastry brush, apply the glaze onto the cake while the cake is still warm.  If the glaze is too thick, thin to a preferred consistency with drops of water.

Ganache Glaze
Makes about 1 cup, enough to cover the top and sides of a 9 or 10 inch layer or tube cake

**Ganache can take on many forms.  While warm – great fudge sauce.  While cool or lukewarm – semisweet glaze. Slightly chilled – can be whipped into a filling/frosting. Cold & solid – the base of candied chocolate truffles.

6 oz. (good) semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, like Lindt
6 oz. (¾ cup heavy cream
1 tbsp. light corn syrup
¾ tsp. vanilla
½ - 1 tsp. hot water, if needed

Blend vanilla and liqueur/rum together and set aside.

Break the chocolate into 1-inch pieces and place in the basket of a food processor and pulse until finely chopped.  Transfer into a medium sized bowl and set aside.

Heat the cream and corn syrup in a saucepan, on low, until it reached a gentle boil.  Once to the gently boil, immediately and carefully pour over the chocolate.  Leave it alone for one minute, then slowly stir and mix the chocolate and cream together until the chocolate is melted and incorporated into the cream. Carefully blend in vanilla mixture. If the surface seems oily, add ½ - 1 tsp hot water. The glaze will thicken, but should still be pourable. If it doesn’t thicken, refrigerate for about 5 minutes, but make sure it doesn’t get too cold!

Assembling Cake

Cut a cardboard disk slightly smaller than the cake.  Dividethe cake into 3 layers and place the first layer top-side down on the disk. Using a pastry brush, moisten the layer with 3-4 Tbsp. of warm sugar syrup. Measure out 1 cup of praline buttercream and set aside.

Spread the bottom layer with a ¼-inch thickness of the remaining buttercream.  Cover with ½ of the whipped cream, leaving ¼-inch border around the edge of the cake.  Place the middle layer over the first, brush with sugar syrup, spreading with buttercream. Cover with the remaining whipped cream.

Moisten the cut side of the third layer with additional sugar syrup and place cut side down on the cake.  Gently, press the sides of the cake to align the layers. Refrigerate to chill for at least 30 minutes.

Lift the cake by sliding your palm under the cardboard. Holding a serrated or very sharp night with an 8-ich blade held parallel to the sides of the cake, trim the sides so that they are perfectly straight. Cut a slight bevel at the top to help the glaze drip over the edge. Brush the top and sides of the cake with warm apricot glaze, sealing the cut areas completely.  Chill while you prepare the ganache.

Place a rack over a large shallow pan to catch the ganache drippings.  Remove the gateau from the refrigerator and put it the rack. With a metal spatula in hand, and holding the saucepan about 10 inches above the cake, pour the ganache onto the cake’s center.  Move the spatula over the top of the ganache about 4 times to get a smooth and mirror-like appearance.  The ganache should cover the top and run down the sides of the cake. When the ganachehas been poured and is coating the cake, lift one side of the rack and bang it once on the counter to help spread the ganache evenly and break any air bubbles. (Work fast before setting starts.) Patch any bare spots on the sides with a smaller spatula, but do not touch the top after the “bang”.  Let the cake stand at least 15 minutes to set after glazing.

Leftover cake can be covered with foil and kept in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

When I red my second challenge  for DB's, I was a bit disappointed as I was hopping to make something "pretty", but the feeling was about to be changed ;) . This challenge was another technique to learn, and talking about the flavors... citrus and cardamom  are great combination, with a hint of cinnamon and grape, plus apple bites.. I was drooling even before I made the bread ;)

Kelly & Ben, our hosts included the challenge with a video  for guidance,  I watched it and it seemed too easy to follow, as I started to work on my dough then  I  realized that it was NOT EASY AT ALL! It's summer here in the desert, no air-co, everything became quickly warm, anyhow, the show still went on.

To make a long story short, my conclusion is: to be able to eat half of the bread by my self was worth the hard work to make it. :)

I made two kind of breads, one with apple and "selfmade" green grape jam, and the other one is fresh strawberry with chocolate.

Ingredients

For the dough (Detrempe) 

• 1 ounce fresh yeast or 1 tablespoon active dry yeast
• 1/2 cup whole milk
• 1/3 cup sugar
• Zest of 1 orange, finely grated
• 3/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
• 1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1/2 vanilla bean, split and scraped
• 2 large eggs, chilled
• 1/4 cup fresh orange juice
• 3-1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon salt

For the butter block (Beurrage)

• 1/2 pound (2 sticks) cold unsalted butter
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour

DOUGH

Combine yeast and milk in the bowl of a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and mix on low speed.  Slowly add sugar, orange zest, cardamom, vanilla extract, vanilla seeds, eggs, and orange juice.  Mix well.  Change to the dough hook and add the salt with the flour, 1 cup at a time, increasing speed to medium as the flour is incorporated.  Knead the dough for about 5 minutes, or until smooth.  You may need to add a little more flour if it is sticky.  Transfer dough to a lightly floured baking sheet and cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Without a standing mixer:  Combine yeast and milk in a bowl with a hand mixer on low speed or a whisk.  Add sugar, orange zest, cardamom, vanilla extract, vanilla seeds, eggs, and orange juice and mix well.  Sift flour and salt on your working surface and make a fountain.  Make sure that the “walls” of your fountain are thick and even.  Pour the liquid in the middle of the fountain.  With your fingertips, mix the liquid and the flour starting from the middle of the fountain, slowly working towards the edges.  When the ingredients have been incorporated start kneading the dough with the heel of your hands until it becomes smooth and easy to work with, around 5 to 7 minutes.  You might need to add more flour if the dough is sticky.

BUTTER BLOCK
1.    Combine butter and flour in the bowl of a mixer fitted with a paddle attachment and beat on medium speed for 1 minute.  Scrape down the sides of the bowl and the paddle and then beat for 1 minute more, or until smooth and lump free.  Set aside at room temperature.
2.    After the detrempe has chilled 30 minutes, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface.  Roll the dough into a rectangle approximately 18 x 13 inches and ¼ inch thick.  The dough may be sticky, so keep dusting it lightly with flour.  Spread the butter evenly over the center and right thirds of the dough.  Fold the left edge of the detrempe to the right, covering half of the butter.  Fold the right third of the rectangle over the center third.  The first turn has now been completed.  Mark the dough by poking it with your finger to keep track of your turns, or use a sticky and keep a tally.  Place the dough on a baking sheet, wrap it in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
3.    Place the dough lengthwise on a floured work surface.  The open ends should be to your right and left.  Roll the dough into another approximately 13 x 18 inch, ¼-inch-thick rectangle.  Again, fold the left third of the rectangle over the center third and the right third over the center third.  No additional butter will be added as it is already in the dough. The second turn has now been completed.  Refrigerate the dough for 30 minutes.
4.    Roll out, turn, and refrigerate the dough two more times, for a total of four single turns.  Make sure you are keeping track of your turns.  Refrigerate the dough after the final turn for at least 5 hours or overnight.  The Danish dough is now ready to be used.  If you will not be using the dough within 24 hours, freeze it.  To do this, roll the dough out to about 1 inch in thickness, wrap tightly in plastic wrap, and freeze.  Defrost the dough slowly in the refrigerator for easiest handling.  Danish dough will keep in the freezer for up to 1 month.

APPLE FILLING
Makes enough for two braids

Ingredients

• 4 Fuji or other apples, peeled, cored, and cut into ¼-inch pieces
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1/2 vanilla bean, split and scraped
• 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter

Toss all ingredients except butter in a large bowl.  Melt the butter in a sauté pan over medium heat until slightly nutty in color, about 6 - 8 minutes.  Then add the apple mixture and sauté until apples are softened and caramelized, 10 to 15 minutes.  If you’ve chosen Fujis, the apples will be caramelized, but have still retained their shape. Pour the cooked apples onto a baking sheet to cool completely before forming the braid.  (If making ahead, cool to room temperature, seal, and refrigerate.) They will cool faster when spread in a thin layer over the surface of the sheet.  After they have cooled, the filling can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.  Left over filling can be used as an ice cream topping, for muffins, cheesecake, or other pastries.

BRAIDING
Makes enough for 2 large braids

Ingredients 
1 recipe  Dough (see below)
2 cups apple filling, jam, or preserves (see below)

For the egg wash:  1 large egg, plus 1 large egg yolk

1.    Line a baking sheet with a silicone mat or parchment paper.  On a lightly floured  surface, roll the Danish Dough into a 15 x 20-inch rectangle, ¼ inch thick.  If the dough seems elastic and shrinks back when rolled, let it rest for a few minutes, then roll again.  Place the dough on the baking sheet.
2.    Along one long side of the pastry make parallel, 5-inch-long cuts with a knife or rolling pastry wheel, each about 1 inch apart.  Repeat on the opposite side, making sure to line up the cuts with those you’ve already made.
3.    Spoon the filling you’ve chosen to fill your braid down the center of the rectangle.  Starting with the top and bottom “flaps”, fold the top flap down over the filling to cover.  Next, fold the bottom “flap” up to cover filling.  This helps keep the braid neat and helps to hold in the filling. Now begin folding the cut side strips of dough over the filling, alternating first left, then right, left, right, until finished.  Trim any excess dough and tuck in the ends.

Egg Wash
Whisk together the whole egg and yolk in a bowl and with a pastry brush, lightly coat the braid.

Proofing and Baking
1.    Spray cooking oil (Pam…) onto a piece of plastic wrap, and place over the braid.  Proof at room temperature or, if possible, in a controlled 90 degree F environment for about 2 hours, or until doubled in volume and light to the touch.
2.    Near the end of proofing, preheat oven to 400 degrees F.  Position a rack in the center of the oven.
3.    Bake for 10 minutes, then rotate the pan so that the side of the braid previously in the back of the oven is now in the front. Lower the oven temperature to 350 degrees F, and bake about 15-20 minutes more, or until golden brown.  Cool and serve the braid either still warm from the oven or at room temperature.  The cooled braid can be wrapped airtight and stored in the refrigerator for up to 2 days, or freeze for 1 month.

I ate opera cake maybe already a million times, but never before I would have thought that one day I would make it by my own hands, thanks to the Daring Bakers, my first challenge (hosted by: apples-peaches-pumpkin-pie  and whiskful ) was a real excitement.

I made the syrup,buttercream and almond meal (yeah, I make the meal by my self too) a day before, so I could have more time working on the joconde the next day, but as the day arrived, my 6 months old daughter wouldn't stop crying, I really had to find my way through, between nursing and baking. I took me the whole day almost 8hrs to have the cake done.

Now looking back, I'm very glad that I have survived "the day"and once again I never thought that I'd be dare :)

Please checkout the other daring bakers for more flavors and better cakes ;),

This recipe is based on Opéra Cake recipes in Dorie Greenspan’s Paris Sweets and Tish Boyle and Timothy Moriarty’s Chocolate Passion.

For the joconde

(Note: The joconde can be made up to 1 day in advance and kept wrapped at room temperate)

What you’ll need:

• 2 12½ x 15½-inch (31 x 39-cm) jelly-roll pans
• a few tablespoons of melted butter (in addition to what’s called for in the ingredients’ list) and a brush (to grease the pans)
• parchment paper
• a whisk and a paddle attachment for a stand mixer or for a handheld mixer
• two mixing bowls (you can make do with one but it’s preferable to have two)

Ingredients:

• 6 large egg whites, at room temperature
• 2 tbsp. (30 grams) granulated sugar
• 2 cups (225 grams) ground blanched almonds
• 2 cups icing sugar, sifted
• 6 large eggs
• ½ cup (70 grams) all-purpose flour
• 3 tbsp. (1½ ounces; 45 grams) unsalted butter, melted and cooled

Divide the oven into thirds by positioning a rack in the upper third of the oven and the lower third of the oven.

Preheat the oven to 425^{◦F. (220◦C).}

Line two 12½ x 15½- inch (31 x 39-cm) jelly-roll pans with parchment paper and brush with melted butter.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment (or using a handheld mixer), beat the egg whites until they form soft peaks. Add the granulated sugar and beat until the peaks are stiff and glossy. If you do not have another mixer bowl, gently scrape the meringue into another bowl and set aside.

If you only have one bowl, wash it after removing the egg whites or if you have a second bowl, use that one. Attach the paddle attachment to the stand mixer (or using a handheld mixer again) and beat the almonds, icing sugar and eggs on medium speed until light and voluminous, about 3 minutes.

Add the flour and beat on low speed until the flour is just combined (be very careful not to overmix here!!!).

Using a rubber spatula, gently fold the meringue into the almond mixture and then fold in the melted butter. Divide the batter between the pans and spread it evenly to cover the entire surface of each pan.

Bake the cake layers until they are lightly browned and just springy to the touch. This could take anywhere from 5 to 9 minutes depending on your oven. Place one jelly-roll pan in the middle of the oven and the second jelly-roll pan in the bottom third of the oven.

Put the pans on a heatproof counter and run a sharp knife along the edges of the cake to loosen it from the pan. Cover each with a sheet of parchment or wax paper, turn the pans over, and unmold.

Carefully peel away the parchment, then turn the parchment over and use it to cover the cakes. Let the cakes cool to room temperature.

(Note: The syrup can be made up to 1 week in advance and kept covered in the refrigerator.)

What you’ll need:

• a small saucepan

Ingredients

•   ½ cup (125 grams) water
• ⅓ cup (65 grams) granulated sugar
• 1 to 2 tbsp. of mint flavouring 

 Stir all the syrup ingredients together in the saucepan and bring to a boil.

 Remove from the heat and let cool to room temperature.

For the buttercream

(Note: The buttercream can be made up to 1 month in advance and packed in an airtight container. If made way in advance, you can freeze the buttercream. Alternatively you can refrigerate it for up to 4 days after making it. To use the buttercream simply bring it to room temperature and then beat it briefly to restore its consistency.)

•  a small saucepan
• a candy or instant-read thermometer
• a stand mixer or handheld mixer
• a bowl and a whisk attachment
• rubber spatula

Ingredients:

• 1 cup (100 grams) granulated sugar
• ¼ cup (60 grams) water
• seeds of one vanilla bean (split a vanilla bean down the middle and scrape out the seeds) or 1 tbsp. pure vanilla extract
• 1 large egg
• 1 large egg yolk
• 1¾ sticks (7 ounces; 200 grams) unsalted butter, at room temperature (Used to say 1¾ cups of butter but it should be 1¾ sticks).
• lemon flavouring

Combine the sugar, water and vanilla bean seeds or extract in a small saucepan and warm over medium heat just until the sugar dissolves.

Continue to cook, without stirring, until the syrup reaches 225◦F (107◦C) on a candy or instant-read thermometer. Once it reaches that temperature, remove the syrup from the heat.

While the syrup is heating, begin whisking the egg and egg yolk at high speed in the bowl of your mixer using the whisk attachment. Whisk them until they are pale and foamy.

When the sugar syrup reaches the correct temperature and you remove it from the heat, reduce the mixer speed to low speed and begin slowly (very slowly) pouring the syrup down the side of the bowl being very careful not to splatter the syrup into the path of the whisk attachment. Some of the syrup will spin onto the sides of the bowl but don’t worry about this and don’t try to stir it into the mixture as it will harden! Raise the speed to medium-high and continue beating until the eggs are thick and satiny and the mixture is cool to the touch (about 5 minutes or so).

While the egg mixture is beating, place the softened butter in a bowl and mash it with a spatula until you have a soft creamy mass.

With the mixer on medium speed, begin adding in two-tablespoon chunks. When all the butter has been incorporated, raise the mixer speed to high and beat until the buttercream is thick and shiny.

At this point add in your flavouring and beat for an additional minute or so.

Refrigerate the buttercream, stirring it often, until it’s set enough (firm enough) to spread when topped with a layer of cake (about 20 minutes).

Assembling the Opéra Cake

(Note: The finished cake should be served slightly chilled. It can be kept in the refrigerator for up to 1 day).

Line a baking sheet with parchment or wax paper.

Place one square of cake on the baking sheet and moisten it gently with the flavoured syrup.

Spread about one-third of the buttercream over this layer.

Top with the two rectangular pieces of cake, placing them side by side to form a square. Moisten these pieces with the flavoured syrup.

Spread another third of the buttercream on the cake and then top with the third square of joconde. Use the remaining syrup to wet the joconde. Spread the remaining buttercream on top of the final layer of joconde and then refrigerate until very firm (at least half an hour).

Make the glaze and after it has cooled, pour/spread it over the top of the chilled cake. Refrigerate the cake again to set the glaze.

Serve the cake slightly chilled.

Anyway, the challenge was to make chocolate-dipped cheesecake pops. It was a challenge because you had to first make a cheesecake using a water bath, and then scoop out the bite-sized pops, freeze them, coat them in chocolate (and optional decorations), then freeze them again.

5 sticks of cream cheese later, here's the cheesecake:

It was delicious and creamy, as I discovered when I was scooping out the pops:

I used king-sized party toothpicks as the sticks, since they didn't have real lollipop sticks at Andronico's. Here they are after the chocolate dipping (using Guittard semisweet couverture chocolate, and colored sprinkles on some):

The recipe made about 40 pops, which is a lot when they're so rich that most people can only eat one. However, after taking them to a party, bringing some to lab, and eating two a day (between the two of us) at home, we finally finished them about a week ago!

I can't wait for the May challenge!

Full recipe:

Cheesecake Pops
(makes 30 – 40 pops)
(from Sticky, Chewy, Messy, Gooey by Jill O'Connor)

5 8-ounce packages cream cheese, at room temp
2 cups granulated sugar
¼ cup all-purpose flour
¼ teaspoon salt
5 large eggs
2 egg yolks
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
¼ cup heavy cream

Boiling water as needed
Thirty to forty 8-inch lollipop sticks

1 pound chocolate, finely chopped
2 tablespoons vegetable shortening

Assorted decorations such as chopped nuts, colored jimmies, crushed peppermints, mini chocolate chips, sanding sugars - Optional

Instructions:
Position oven rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 325 degrees F. Set some water to boil.

In a large bowl, beat together the cream cheese, sugar, flour, and salt until smooth. If using a mixer, mix on low speed. Add the whole eggs and the egg yolks, one at a time, beating well (but still at low speed) after each addition. Beat in the vanilla and cream.

Grease a 10-inch cake pan (not a springform pan), and pour the batter into the cake pan. Place the pan in a larger roasting pan. Fill the roasting pan with the boiling water until it reaches halfway up the sides of the cake pan. Bake until the cheesecake is firm and slightly golden on top, 35 to 45 minutes.

Remove the cheesecake from the water bath and cool to room temperature. Cover the cheesecake with plastic wrap and refrigerate until very cold, at least 3 hours or up to overnight.

When the cheesecake is cold and very firm, scoop the cheesecake into 2-ounce balls and place on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Carefully insert a lollipop stick into each cheesecake ball. Freeze the cheesecake pops, uncovered, until very hard, at least 1 – 2 hours.

When the cheesecake pops are frozen and ready for dipping, prepare the chocolate. In the top of a double boiler, set over simmering water, or in a heatproof bowl set over a pot of simmering water, heat half the chocolate and half the shortening, stirring often, until chocolate is melted and chocolate and shortening are combined. Stir until completely smooth. Do not heat the chocolate too much or your chocolate will lose its shine after it has dried. Save the rest of the chocolate and shortening for later dipping, or use another type of chocolate for variety.

Alternately, you can microwave the same amount of chocolate coating pieces on high at 30 second intervals, stirring until smooth.

Quickly dip a frozen cheesecake pop in the melted chocolate, swirling quickly to coat it completely. Shake off any excess into the melted chocolate. If you like, you can now roll the pops quickly in optional decorations. You can also drizzle them with a contrasting color of melted chocolate (dark chocolate drizzled over milk chocolate or white chocolate over dark chocolate, etc.) Place the pop on a clean parchment paper-lined baking sheet to set. Repeat with remaining pops, melting more chocolate and shortening as needed.

Refrigerate the pops for up to 24 hours, until ready to serve.

This was my second Daring Bakers Challenge! I feel like I've been lucky as far as challenges go. To be completely honest, I was pretty relieved that I joined the DBs after the Julia Child french bread challenge as I'm really not sure that's something I'm ready to tackle. I've actually got a loaf of bread in the oven right now, but it is of the "almost no knead" variety, and it is about as much of a yeast endeavor as I am prepared to take on.

Anyway... I really liked making these pops. The cheesecake part was really simple. I didn't realize until the last minute that there was no butter in the recipe, and I think that yielded a very creamy and un-greasy cheesecake. The chocolate part was no problem either. I have to admit, I kind of wish I had tried white chocolate, because as much as I love dark chocolate and cheesecake, I somehow don't love them together. I think, for me, the dark chocolate is just a bit too strong against the soft flavor of cheesecake. Next time I might add a vanilla bean to the batter to get more flavor out of the cheesecake part. I might also try milk chocolate as a coating, which I think would be less intense. Regardless, these are fun to make, and if nothing else, are hopelessly cute. I would definitely suggest giving them a try!

Check out the thousands of other delicious-lookin cheesecake pops made this month by Daring Bakers HERE.

Cheesecake Pops, adapted from Sticky, Chewy, Messy, Gooey by Jill O’Connor

Makes 30 – 40 Pops

5 8-oz. packages cream cheese at room temperature
2 cups sugar
¼ cup all-purpose flour
¼ teaspoon salt
5 large eggs (I used 3 eggs when I baked half the recipe without a problem)
2 egg yolks
1 vanilla bean, seeded
¼ cup heavy cream

Thirty to forty 8-inch lollipop sticks (I just used bamboo skewers, although this really wasn't the best idea)
1 pound chocolate, chopped or in chips
2 tablespoons vegetable shortening (I ended up using a bit of butter...)
(Note: White chocolate is harder to use this way, but not impossible)

Position oven rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 325 degrees F. Set some water to boil.
In a large bowl, beat together the cream cheese, sugar, flour, and salt until smooth. If using a mixer, mix on low speed. Add the whole eggs and the egg yolks, one at a time, beating well (but still at low speed) after each addition. Beat in the vanilla and cream.
Grease a 10-inch cake pan (not a springform pan), and pour the batter into the cake pan. Place the pan in a larger roasting pan. Fill the roasting pan with the boiling water until it reaches halfway up the sides of the cake pan. Bake until the cheesecake is firm and slightly golden on top, 35 to 45 minutes.
Remove the cheesecake from the water bath and cool to room temperature. Cover the cheesecake with plastic wrap and refrigerate until very cold, at least 3 hours or up to overnight.
When the cheesecake is cold and very firm, scoop the cheesecake and place on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Carefully insert a lollipop stick into each cheesecake ball. Freeze the cheesecake pops, uncovered, until very hard, at least 1 to 2 hours

When the cheesecake pops are frozen and ready for dipping, prepare the chocolate. In the top of a double boiler, set over simmering water, or in a heatproof bowl set over a pot of simmering water, heat half the chocolate and half the shortening, stirring often, until chocolate is melted and chocolate and shortening are combined. Stir until completely smooth. Do not heat the chocolate too much or your chocolate will lose it’s shine after it has dried. Save the rest of the chocolate and shortening for later dipping, or use another type of chocolate for variety.
Alternately, you can microwave the same amount of chocolate coating pieces on high at 30 second intervals, stirring until smooth.

Quickly dip a frozen cheesecake pop in the melted chocolate, swirling quickly to coat it completely. Shake off any excess into the melted chocolate. If you like, you can now roll the pops quickly in optional decorations. You can also drizzle them with a contrasting color of melted chocolate (dark chocolate drizzled over milk chocolate or white chocolate over dark chocolate, etc.) Place the pop on a clean parchment paperlined baking sheet to set. Repeat with remaining pops, melting more chocolate and shortening (or confectionary chocolate pieces) as needed.
Refrigerate the pops for up to 24 hours, until ready to serve.

[I actually just happened to have that Eiffel tower from a trip to France in college]

The recipe starts with a pâte à choux, which is a cooked dough used for eclairs, beignets, and profiteroles, and which I've never made before. It involves mixing milk and butter on the stove, then adding flour and mixing a lot more as the dough comes together. Then, you take it off the heat and mix in the eggs. The dough is still warm when you pipe it out onto a cookie sheet.

The steam in the dough helps it to rise, so the shells get puffed up and hollow on the inside.  Half of mine puffed up nicely (the front tray in the picture below), but the other half fell when I was rotating the cookie sheets halfway through. I think it was because they started off on top and didn't cook enough before I moved them.

The next step was to make the pastry cream, which I've also never done before. We had the option of making chocolate pastry cream and glaze, or just picking one or the other chocolate element. I decided to do the traditional eclair with vanilla bean cream and chocolate glaze. The pastry cream was also cooked on the stove -- basically, you mix some egg yolks, sugar, and cornstarch, then drizzle hot cream into the eggs and keep mixing. It was fun because it comes together really quickly, suddenly changing from a thin and loose to thick and creamy.

Finally came the chocolate glaze. The recipe was pretty complicated, since first you had to make a "chocolate syrup", and then use some of that for the glaze. I went ahead and used it, but was unhappy with the final product -- it was too thin to give a good coat on the eclairs, though it did taste good.

Assembly:

Ready to take to lab (they were gone in a few hours):

I don't think they suffered from being in the fridge overnight, though the chocolate got some condensation on it.

Check out the full recipe on the blog of this month's challenge host, MeetaK.

I'm excited for next month -- I'm kind of hoping for a savory challenge, but Greg's hoping for doughnuts :)

I decided to replace the hazelnuts with almonds, to which I'm not allergic -- they're actually related to peaches. I also did the different parts over the course of several days so as to make the assembly (and the cleanup) easier. Here's the full original recipe if you want to follow along (it's too long to post in my main entry).

Phases 1 and 2: Cake and simple syrup

The cake is a "genoise" (which I've never made before), meaning it has no chemical leavening, just whipped egg whites to give it a lift. I used almond flour instead of the ground nuts called for by the recipe. I think I did a pretty good job with the folding of the egg whites--the cake didn't really rise, but it didn't fall either. It ended up being about 1.5 inches high and quite sturdy, so it came out of the springform pan without incident. After it cooled, I wrapped it in plastic wrap and put it in the refrigerator to await phase 2. I also made the sugar syrup ahead of time (I added kirsch and a little rum to it) and stored it in the fridge.

Phase 3: "Praline" buttercream

I had also never made buttercream frosting before -- only read horror stories about it. But thankfully, Deb did get it to work eventually, and I partially followed her updated recipe when I was making this frosting. Maybe it was beginner's luck, but my frosting came together almost immediately. I then took another little shortcut (the almond flour being the first) and used store-bought almond paste rather than making my own praline. It just made the whole process a little less overwhelming. This wasn't the best decision, however, because while it did give the buttercream a nice flavor, the small chunks made for a piping nightmare (but more on that later). I made the buttercream the day before the party, so I put it in the fridge overnight because I wanted to assemble the cake the next day. It got kinda hard in the fridge, meaning I had to re-whip it a bit before I could spread it on the cake.

Phases 4 and 5: Cake layering and apricot glaze

The remainder of the process took place on the day of the party. I was a bit concerned about cutting the cake into three layers, but since the cake seemed pretty sturdy, I decided to go for it. I used toothpicks to mark off each layers as I was cutting. I first tried using floss, which I had read works well for cutting evenly, but either my floss was too flimsy or the cake was too hard -- either way, it didn't work. So I just used a knife, and it actually was fine. I made three layers and even managed to keep them all in once piece as I spread on the sugar syrup and the buttercream between layers. This is also the last place where I took a shortcut -- I didn't buy enough heavy cream to make the whipped cream that's supposed to go between the layers (plus it just seemed a bit excessive), so I left it out. I definitely think that was a good decision.
The apricot glaze was pretty straightforward. I think its main purpose is to provide a smooth base for the ganache

Phase 6: Ganache

This was the messiest part of the whole process. The recipe makes way more ganache than is needed, which means I wasted some really good Scharffen Berger semisweet chocolate that ran off as I was pouring. Oh well.

(This is after I cleaned up the mess. Thanks to Andronico's for the free cardboard cake round and cardboard box!)

Phase 7: Decoration

This was pretty much my first piping experience. It went okay, in that at least you could read the words. However, because of the combination of almond paste chunks and the melting frosting (it was kind of hot that day), there are a few mistakes. Or, as I like to think of it, artistic dots :) And hey, all the frosting that I managed to get all over my arms -- great moisturizer!

(btw, the reason I didn't write "Emily" is because I ran out of frosting)

Phase 8: Yum!

I was really happy with the taste of the cake (as was everyone else at the party, or so they said). Despite its sturdiness, the cake itself ended up moist from the simple syrup. And the buttercream and ganache were delicious. It was quite almondy, but not overpoweringly so. I definitely didn't miss the whipped cream, either.

While I wouldn't necessarily make such a complicated cake anytime soon, I'm really happy I had a chance to try all these new techniques. I just wish I had made two cakes so I could have had more than one piece :)