Tag: dessert-person

Introduction

This is a great chocolate cake with an even better frosting. Similarly, the frosting is much more difficult to make than the cake. Note that there is a video available that explains how to make the frosting (there is not one for the cake). Keep in mind that the video instructions are slightly different at times. We generally followed the video instructions, but see the tips below for more information. This cake can be made in a relatively quickly time frame, but you’ll be busy for most of it. Make sure to let the ingredients come to room temperature ahead of time though (and cool completely). This is very important for this recipe (both cake and frosting).

Recipe Outline

Recipe: Chocolate Buttermilk Cake	Special Equipment: Three 8 Inch Cake Pans, Stand Mixer, Instant-Read Thermometer
Source: Dessert Person	Time: 2.5 Hours
Author: Claire Saffitz	Difficulty: 3/5
Type: Dessert (Baking)	Score: ★★★★☆

Making The Batter

Baking The Cake

Making The Frosting

Tip 1: Start heating the sugar mixture at the same time you start beating the eggs. Turn down the heat to low if your mixture is heating too fast (before the eggs have been beaten for at least 5 minutes). Start keeping a close eye on the temperature by 215° otherwise it’ll be too late to stop it from going well over 230°.

Tip 2: In the video it’s recommended to switch to the paddle attachment after the first 5 tablespoons or so of butter, but it is not mentioned in the book. We followed this recommendation and it turned out well.

Tip 3: Take your time between adding each piece of butter. Watch the video and use it as a reference. It may seem like it won’t come together, but just keep going. It magically transforms as the final few tablespoons of butter are being added.

Tip 4: Melt the chocolate using the double-boiler method. It can be made right before you start and cool while you make the rest of the frosting and it should cool in time. Do keep an eye on it and make sure it doesn’t solidify. If it starts to solidify you can re-melt it using the same method, although preferably just keep it near something warm (like above an oven – though don’t let it get too hot) if you notice it starting to harden and periodically stir it.

Tip 5: Use multiple “blobs” when frosting the cake for a more even distribution. The longer you refrigerate after applying the crumb coat, the easier it will be.

Final Product

Key Takeaways

• Making the cake is easy; making the frosting is hard.
• The frosting can be done with one person, but is much easier with two.
• The frosting and cake can be made in any order, but the quickest way is to do the cake and then make the frosting while the cake cools.
• Make sure to let everything come to room temperature as instructed. This is particularly important for this recipe.
• Final Score: 4/5 – This is a great chocolate cake and fantastic frosting. The instructions (and video) for the frosting are particularly detailed and helpful. The entire cake can be completed within 3 hours, but you’ll be busy the entire time.

Introduction

This is a great chocolate chip cookie recipe and one of the only recipes that took us 2 tries to get right (thought it is a fairly easy recipe). This is not a mind-blowing chocolate chip cookie, but it is a very good one. The mix of chocolates used and brown butter are great touches. Note though, that otherwise the cookies are fairly simple and flat. Lastly, note that the video instructions are very different than the instructions in the book. We found the video instructions to be clearer and work better than the book instructions.

Recipe Outline

Recipe: Chocolate Chip Cookies	Special Equipment: None
Source: Dessert Person	Time: 2 Days
Author: Claire Saffitz	Difficulty: 2/5
Type: Dessert (Baking)	Score: ★★★★☆

Browning The Butter

Tip 1: It might be hard to tell when the butter has browned and brown specks have appeared if you use too small of a pan. Consider using a small-medium pan instead.

Tip 2: The butter will take about 30 minutes to cool if you let it just sit in the bowl. Be careful as the bowl it is cooling in will be very hot at first.

Making The Dough

Final Product

Key Takeaways

• As mentioned earlier, note that the video instructions are very different than the instructions in the book. We found the video instructions to be better.
• Make sure to refrigerate the dough for at least 12 hours! It’s critical to forming the delicious wrinkles in the cookies.
• Final Score: 4/5 – These are great chocolate chip cookies that are fairly straightforward to make. It’s definitely worth giving a try, but no guarantee that it’ll be the best chocolate chip cookie you’ve ever had.

Introduction

This is a fairly unique recipe that is fairly straightforward to make. It’s one of two upside-down cakes in the book (the other being a pineapple one). While both recipes follow the same formula, they stand out in slightly different ways. This one is certainly prettier than the other, however it doesn’t taste quite as good (unless you really like orange)!

Recipe Outline

Recipe: Blood Orange and Olive Oil Upside-Down Cake	Special Equipment: 10-Inch Springform Pan, Stand Mixer
Source: Dessert Person	Time: 2 Hours
Author: Claire Saffitz	Difficulty: 3/5
Type: Dessert (Baking)	Score: ★★★☆☆

Preparing The Pan

Tip: Unlike in the picture above, don’t layer the center on top of the outside. This will cause the slices on the edge of the cake to stand out and the slices in the middle to sink in. Use the image in the book as reference. Ensure that your slices are very thin. Consider buying extra oranges for practice, as with each successive slice it gets harder to cut properly.

Making The Batter

Tip: Stream in the oil very slowly and not all in the same spot – otherwise it could ruin the egg-sugar mixture.

Baking The Cake

Tip 1: This recipe can still be done with a 9 inch cake pan. If so, make the recipe as instructed, but only use 81% of the batter and slurry to account for the volume difference.

Tip 2: Use a paring knife to cut out any batter that dripped down under the orange slices to achieve a pretty top.

Tip 3: Definitely serve this with yogurt as recommended. They go great together.

Final Product

Key Takeaways

• The recipe is rather easy, however, slicing the oranges is more difficult than it looks.
• This is best made in winter when blood oranges are in season.
• The cake will taste much better the second day – it takes time for the orange flavors to diffuse throughout the cake completely.
• Final Score: 3/5 – The cake is very good, however, it’s a bit finicky to get the orange layer quite right. Similarly, the cake is a bit plain. Although if you’re a fan of everything orange, then this is definitely the cake for you!

Introduction

This is a great take on the classic carrot cake. The brown butter frosting and added buttermilk makes the cake standout. Likewise the use of pecans instead of walnuts and the lack of raisins is a good modification. This is a great cake to attempt as a beginner.

Recipe Outline

Recipe: Carrot and Pecan Cake	Special Equipment: Three 8 Inch Cake Pans, Stand Mixer
Source: Dessert Person	Time: 2 Hours
Author: Claire Saffitz	Difficulty: 2/5
Type: Dessert (Baking)	Score: ★★★★☆

Making The Brown Butter Cream Cheese Frosting

Tip: It takes a long time for the butter to cool sufficiently (an hour or more). If using an ice bath to speed things up, then make sure to not swirl the butter. This will cause the butter on the sides of the bowl to overly-solidify before the rest, so leave the butter as a deep pool in the bottom of the bowl. To be safe, consider just refrigerating and keeping a close eye on it (or just wait).

Making The Batter

Tip 1: The cake will sink right after; this is expected.

Tip 2: Stream in the oil very slowly and not all in the same spot – otherwise it could ruin the egg-sugar mixture.

Baking The Cake

Tip: The cake may need another few minutes after passing the “toothpick test”. The cake has a tendency to be looser and moist, so if you prefer a “cakier” cake, then go a little longer.

Assembling The Cake

Tip: Use multiple “blobs” when frosting the cake for a more even distribution. The longer you refrigerate after applying the crumb coat, the easier it will be.

Final Product

Key Takeaways

• The cake takes a bit longer to make than listed.
• The frosting is the true star of this cake.
• Final Score: 4/5 – This is a fantastic carrot cake. It’s a bit moist for my liking, but that can always be ameliorated by baking a bit longer. The brown butter cream cheese frosting is incredible and should probably be illegal. This cake is worth making just for the frosting.

Introduction

This is a very interesting cake in that it uses two somewhat unique ingredients (for a cake) – ricotta and kumquat. The end result is a surprisingly delicious cake and a chance how to learn how to use these two ingredients in baking. While you can substitute other fresh berries for the kumquat and it will taste just as good, I do recommend trying it with kumquats just because they’re a super cool ingredient if you haven’t used them before. They’re like an inside-out orange with sweet skin and a tart flesh (the entire kumquat is edible; although it’s best with the seeds removed).

Recipe Outline

Recipe: Recipe Review: Ricotta Cake with Kumquat Marmalade	Special Equipment: 9 Inch Springform Pan, Food Processor, Stand Mixer or Hand Mixer
Source: Dessert Person	Time: 2.5 Hours
Author: Claire Saffitz	Difficulty: 3/5
Type: Dessert (Baking)	Score: ★★★☆☆

Making The Batter

Tip: Be careful not to over-mix the egg whites. Consider using a hand mixer instead of a stand mixer so you can see it more easily go through the stages. See the start of this video for clearer instructions.

Baking The Cake

Tip: The cake will sink right after; this is expected.

Making The Marmalade

Tip: Make sure to go until the liquid is a relatively thin syrup and the kumquats are very soft and translucent. It’s very hard to overshoot the doneness of the kumquats.

Assembling The Cake

Tip: Consider serving the marmalade on the side if not eating it all right away as it can make the cake soggy in spots.

Final Product

Key Takeaways

• Make sure to use high-quality ricotta (try out Bellwether Farms for some particularly great ricotta).
• You need a fairly large food processor to do the first part of the recipe.
• Final Score: 3/5 – A great and interesting recipe. Definitely worth a try if you haven’t baked with ricotta or used kumquats before.

Introduction

This is a surprisingly amazing pie. I didn’t think I would particularly like this pie given the description, however, it’s arguably the best one in all of Dessert Person. The mousse is incredible and the speculoos pie crust is brilliant. I can guarantee you that this pie will exceed your expectations. Be warned though, it is far more difficult and time-consuming than the recipe suggests.

Recipe Outline

Recipe: Recipe Review: Cranberry-Pomegranate Mousse Pie	Special Equipment: 9 Inch Pie Plate, Stand Mixer
Source: Dessert Person	Time: 7 Hours
Author: Claire Saffitz	Difficulty: 3/5
Type: Dessert (Baking)	Score: ★★★★★

Making The Pie Crust

Tip: We made the crust twice, followed the recipe exactly, and in each case the crust didn’t quite cover the whole pie plate (we double checked the measurement). This seems to be a recurring theme for most pie crusts in Dessert Person. Consider scaling up the recipe. It’s not a big deal if your crust doesn’t come up quite all of the way though – just apply less of the mousse.

Making The Cranberry Compote

Tip 1: Consider using a medium pan instead of a small pan, as recommended. This will reduce the amount of time you need to spend cooking and make it less likely to boil over.

Tip 2: The cranberries will start to burst as shown in the second picture. As cooking continues they will eventually cook away to almost nothing – just keep going. Likewise, the mixture will eventually get thick and jammy (don’t worry, just keep going!).We found it took about 20-25 minutes once we reached a boil.

Making The Mousse

Tip: Use a separate, smaller pan for the gelatin. Start on the whipped cream and gelatin about 10-15 minutes after the compote has been in the fridge.

Candying The Cranberries

Tip: Make the candied cranberries about an hour before you plan to serve.

Assembling The Pie

Final Product

Key Takeaways

• The best time to make this is when you have fresh cranberries (fall or winter).
• The recipe is a bit more difficult and much more time consuming than listed in the book. Plan out each step in advance before doing it.
• Final Score: 5/5 – Despite all of the work, this was an absolutely incredible pie and perhaps the best pie in dessert person. Give this one a try, but make sure to use all of the proper ingredients and take your time doing it!

Introduction

There are only 2 muffin recipes in all of Dessert Person (the other being corn muffins) and only a couple of vegan recipes. This recipe happens to be both. All in all the muffins come out delicious (you’d barely know they were vegan) and there are some cool vegan cooking techniques you can learn. Make sure to check out the video as it is much more detailed than the written recipe and talks about vegan cooking techniques in more depth.

Recipe Outline

Recipe: Seedy Maple Breakfast Mufins	Special Equipment: None
Source: Dessert Person	Time: 1 Hours
Author: Claire Saffitz	Difficulty: 1/5
Type: Dessert (Baking)	Score: ★★★★☆

Making The Batter

Tip: Be careful while making the wet portion of the recipe. As can be above if you mix in the wrong order and don’t work quickly enough the pieces of coconut oil will solidly into white chunks and render the batter slightly chunky. To avoid this do two things. First, liquefy/warm the oil completely and work quickly once it’s added. Second, make the wet portion in the following order while stirring continuously the entire time: “flax egg”, apple sauce, coconut oil, maple syrup, vanilla, brown sugar.

Baking The Muffins

Tip: We followed the recipe exactly and only had enough to make 11.

Final Product

Key Takeaways

• Make sure to watch the video!
• Final Score: 4/5 – These are excellent, vegan muffins that are surprisingly easy to make. Definitely worth giving a quick try.

Introduction

I’ve never particularly enjoyed oatmeal cookies. They often taste like a half-baked compromise between a cookie and oatmeal where the whole is less than the sum of its parts. This cookie, however, produces an oatmeal cookie that is indeed far greater than the sum of its parts. The use of browned butter and the pecan brittle really sets it apart (and is a great way to learn how to do both if you haven’t before).

Recipe Outline

Recipe: Oat and Pecan Brittle Cookies	Special Equipment: Stand Mixer, Food Processor
Source: Dessert Person	Time: 16 Hours
Author: Claire Saffitz	Difficulty: 3/5
Type: Dessert (Baking)	Score: ★★★★☆

Making The Pecan Brittle

Tip: The foamy mixture will eventually darken and brown, just keep waiting.

Making The Batter (Including Browning The Butter)

Baking The Cookies

Tip: Be careful not to overbake them. They will harden significantly (and quickly) while they cool. Multiple baking sheets will be used, so feel free to try a variety of times amongst baking sheets to get some particularly chewy cookies as well as some more brittle ones.

Final Product

Key Takeaways

• Be careful spacing the cookies apart for baking. They get to be quite larger.
• It’s best to make this a 2 day recipe to allow for chilling overnight.
• Final Score: 4/5 – This is a truly elevated oatmeal cookie that will even win over those that have never liked oatmeal cookies. It’s also a great way to learn about browning butter and making brittle.

Introduction

I’m not a fan of lime nor mint in desserts, so I knew this wouldn’t be a favorite of mine from the start. Nonetheless, it was a fairly educational recipe. It covered making a shortbread that can topped and a citrus curd. The curd topping is much more tart and sour than sweet and the mint in the shortbread is only slightly noticeable.

Recipe Outline

Recipe: Minty Lime Bars	Special Equipment: 8×8 Inch Pan
Source: Dessert Person	Time: 3.5 Hours
Author: Claire Saffitz	Difficulty: 3/5
Type: Dessert (Baking)	Score: ★☆☆☆☆

Making The Shortbread

Tip: The mint taste is very subdued. Consider adding an extra tablespoon or two.

Making The Curd

Tip: We used 10 less grams of lemon juice as some other have complained the lemon overpowers the lime in this recipe. We believe this was a good choice as the balance of lime and lemon came out very well.

Baking The Bars

Tip: Be careful not to overbake them. The indicator given is that it will be set but still a bit wobbly in the center. We found ours to be quite wobbly by time it needed to be removed from the oven. Watch that it doesn’t overbake around the edges. Don’t worry if it does though as it will still taste good and the center pieces will likely be fine. You can use the edges de-puffing and getting too brown as an additional indicator of when it’s overbaked.

Final Product

Key Takeaways

• Consider using more mint and less lemon.
• Be careful not to overbake them.
• It is very tart and rather sour.
• Final Score: 1/5 – This was a fun recipe, but not my favorite. Making the curd and then baking it can be a bit temperamental. That being said, the taste profile might have just not been for me.

Introduction

This is a rather simple, great fall dessert for when fresh apples are in season. The recipe has a lot of steps, but none are particularly technical nor time-consuming. The cake itself tasted great, but didn’t stand out in any particular way. I’d rate this slightly behind the other fall cake in the book, the Pear Chestnut Cake.

Recipe Outline

Recipe: Double-Apple Crumble Cake	Special Equipment: 9 Inch Springform Pan
Source: Dessert Person	Time: 3.5 Hours
Author: Claire Saffitz	Difficulty: 2/5
Type: Dessert (Baking)	Score: ★★★☆☆

Making The Crumble

Making The Batter

Tip: It’s not clear exactly how many apple slices should be used based on how the recipe is written as it seems to specify the weight on the apples before they have been peeled, prepped, etc. In terms of prepped apple slices we used about 450 grams and felt that resulted in plenty of apple in the cake.

Baking The Cake

Final Product

Key Takeaways

• This tastes best with fresh apples. The recipes recommends tart ones, but sweet ones work fine as well.
• Final Score: 3/5 – This is a fairly quick and easy recipe for a great fall cake. Definitely worth a try.