Sticky Buns

 I came  across sticky buns earlier this week while browsing a blog. They looked really good. I didn't have all the ingredients for that particular recipe, so I used my cinammon roll recipe for the dough, and I used a topping recipe I found on Oprah.com. They turned out pretty darn good for being my first attempt.

Sticky Buns
Sweet Dough Recipe click here

Topping
3/4 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
4 Tblsp. unsalted butter
3 Tblsp. honey
1 Tblsp. light corn syrup
1 1/2 coarse chopped pecans (I used walnuts)

Make your dough according to directions, and set aside to rise.

 Combine all your topping ingredients except the nuts, in a sauce pot and heat just until melted, take off heat. Pour your sauce into a 9x13 baking pan and coat the bottom evenly. Sprinkle your nuts over the sauce. Set aside. 

 Take your dough after it has risen properly, and using your hands shape it into a rectangle on top of your floured counter.

 Roll out into a 15x9 rectangle.

 Spread the butter covering the dough, sprinkle the sugar, then the cinammon.

 Roll into a log.

 Cut into 12 slices.

 Place your rolls into your baking pan. Cover and let rise until doubled in size about 1 hour.

 Take your rolls and bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.

 Remove your rolls from the oven using oven mitts.

Immediately invert your rolls onto a platter or tray, being carefull not to touch the syrup, its burning hot!

Note: Do not let your rolls cool before you invert them onto a tray, they will stick and not be able to come loose as easily.

Homemade Kahlua





Homemade Kahlua  was given to me by a co-worker as a Christmas gift many, many years ago. As soon as I went home I tried it, and was pretty impressed! It tasted just like the fancy one you buy in the dark bottle. Then I stored it away, and forgot about.

Then years later I came accross a recipe for Chocolate Kahlua Cake. I searched my pantry for all the ingredients and found my little bottle of Kahlua still there and smelling even more fabulous even after 5 years! I was a little nervous about using it in my recipe, I wasn't sure if I had stored it right, or had no clue if this could even go bad after a certain amount of time. It smelled and looked fine so I decided to go ahead and use it. My cake turned out soooo good! My bottle went back to my pantry and sat there another five years before I had use for it again. And again it came out of my pantry and into my Chocolate Kahlua cake! This stuff never goes bad! 

Then last year I came across a Kahlua recipe. I went out and purchased all the ingredients except for the Vodka. I had this jug of Vodka that had been sitting in my pantry for at least 15 yrs. I have no clue where my husband got it from, it just ended up in my pantry. I couldn't find dark bottling bottles at the dollar store, so I ended up purchasing two pre-filled bottles of dark wine instead and poured the wine down the sink. Don't worry this stuff was pretty cheap, also from the dollar store. I set the corks aside and rinsed the empty bottles with a bit of Vodka just to get all the flavor and color of the wine out of the bottles.

I made my recipe cooled it and bottled it. Then made myself a drink using the Kahlua, heavy cream, milk and ice! Result? Delicious! Just like the store bought! But more affordable!

I plan on making these for gifts next Christmas if I can find the right bottling bottles. I still have my bottle my friend gave me as a gift 11 years ago, and I think of her each time I see it, and I remember all the laughs and good times we had when we worked together. I miss her and the old work crew. We had some pretty good times.

Homemade Kahlua
4 cups water
4 cups sugar
1/2 cup instant coffee crystals
1/4 c. vanilla extract ( I use the Costco brand, which I love, and is very affordable.)
26 ounces Vodka

3 26 oz. bottling bottles

Step 1. Bring water and sugar to a boil.
Step 2. Add to coffee crystals just enough water to dissolve them.
Step 3. Add coffee to water and sugar and boil for 5 minutes, being careful not to let it boil over.
Step 4. Cool completely, then add vanilla and Vodka.
Step 5. Mix well.
Step 6. Pour into your sterilized bottles and seal well with corks.

Note: Sterilize your bottles before use.

Tiramisu Cake

 This months Cake Slice Bakers selection is Tiramisu Cake from The Cake Book by Tish Boyle. This cake almost didn't happen this month. I made Tiramisu for the first time last week from the book "Cake Boss". My intention was to make only that recipe and make it my Cake Slice cake for the month. But then I fell in love with Tiramisu, and couldn't help myself from trying this recipe. I did follow the cake recipe, but decided to make the mascarpone filling the "Cake Boss" way. After researching this recipe in the past I don't ever recall anybody cooking the egg yolk mixture or adding gelatin. To me it just didn't seem right. So I skipped all this and did the tradional mascarpone filling. I also added coffee liqueur to the syrup and increased the amount of sugar, and swaped out the rum in the mascarpone filling for sweet marsala. I loved the turnout of the cake! It was tender and buttery, and soaked up all the syrup just lovely! This cake definatly moved up to the number one spot on my cake list!

Tiramisu Cake

CLASSIC GENOISE 

1 c. sifted cake flour

1/2 tsp. salt

6 large eggs

3/4 c. granulated sugar

1/2 tsp. finely grated lemon zest (I left this out)

1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

6 tblsp. unsalted butter, melted and cooled



 Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease the bottom and sides of  two 9" round cake pans. Dust the pans with flour.

 Sift together the flour and salt into a medium bowl. Whisk to combine, and set aside.

 In a heat proof bowl place your eggs and sugar.

 Whisk until sugar dissolved.

 Set the bowl over a sauce pan of simmering water, making sure that the bottom of the bowl does not touch the water, and heat the mixture, whisking constantly, until the eggs are warm.

 Transfer the mixture into your mixing bowl and using the whisk attachment, beat on high speed until the mixture has tripled in volume, about 8 minutes.

 Reduce to low speed and beat in the vanilla extract.

 Sift 1/3 of the flour mixture over the batter and gently fold it in with a rubber spatula. Sift in the reamining flour mixture in two more additions, again folding in gently. Transfer the melted butter to a small bowl if neccesary, and scoop about 3/4 cup of the batter into the bowl. Stir until blended. Fold this mixture into the remaining batter. Scrape the batter into the prepared pans.

 Bake the cakes for 12 to 15 minutes, until the tops spring back when lightly touched and a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean.

 Cool the cakes in the pan on a wire rack for 15 minutes. Invert the cakes onto the wire rack and cool completely.

ESPRESSO SYRUP 
1 c. brewed espresso
1/2 c. granulated sugar
1/4 c. coffee liqueur

Directions: Bring all ingredients to a simmer until sugar dissolved about 3 to 4 minutes. Remove from heat and let the syrup cool.

MASCARPONE FILLING
4 extra-large egg yolks
1 pound mascarpone cheese
2 tblsp. sweet marsala
1 tblsp. coffe liqueur
1/2 c. granulated sugar
1 c. heavy cream

In a mixing bowl using a whip attachment whip the egg yolks, sugar, mascarpone cheese, sweet marsala, and coffee liqueur until light and airy about 7 minutes.

In  a seperate bowl whip the heavy cream until soft peaks form and fold into mascarpone mixture until combined.

Place one of the cake layers onto a plate and brush with the espresso syrup, about 1/3 cup.

Place 1/3 of the mixture on top of the cake layer and spread evenly.

                                                     Place the second layer on top.

Repeat the steps with the espresso syrup and mascarpone cheese.

Frost the cake with the remaining mascarpone cheese.

Dust the top of the cake with cocoa powder

Refrigerate for at least 4 hours. Slice and serve.