When Life Gives You Lemons...

 

Bernie from GA

 

"The intense lemon flavor is great!  I zested a couple of lemons and cooked it with the filling.  I used 4 egg yolks instead of just 3 since I did not want to be stuck with the odd yolk after separating the ggs for the meringue.  I piped the meringue on with a star tip.  I made my pie in an 8.5 inch tart pan with a removable bottom, which made it wasy to slide out on the cake stand."

 

 

 

Justin from MD

 

"I'm happy with the way this pie turned out!  I never made meringue pie before!  The pie has a great lemon taste!" 

 

 

 

Missy from MA

 

"My all time favorite dessert is key lime pie, so this perfectly citrus lemon meringue pie was right up my alley!  Just the right balance of sweet and slightly tart.  It could have been a little more tart in my opinion, but I think the addition of the cream in the filling mellowed the flavors out a bit, but it also gave the filling a nice rich smoothness.  A nice shift from the typical warm spiced and chocolate desserts of winter!

 

 

 

Sue from NJ

 

"I still have a lot to learn about pies, but it's always fun to try.  I followed the recipe as closely as possible... looking forward to a taste this evening."

A Now For Something Completely Different

Much of the US is under yet another arctic blast.  It seems like this bitterly cold January will never end.  We need a little 'spring' to get through the next couple of cold months, so Bernie from GA selected Lemon Meringue Pie as our next baking adventure.  Remember the most important tip about pie dough... make it cold, bake it hot!   Here's hoping this recipe will bring a little warmth your way!

Did Someone Say, "Cake?"

 

Bernie from GA

 

"The cake itself turned out wonderfully moist and tasty.  I cooked the filling until "caramel colored."  It looked fine when I frosted the cake but it crystalized as it cooled further.  Instead of a gooey filling, it was more like pralines, so it was still very yummy." 

 

Liz from CA

 

"My best friend gave me the Beekman 1802 Deluxe Cheese party-in-a-box this Christmas.  I decided to share my cheese with a Beekman inspired dinner.  On the menu, Blaak cheese with fruits, rosemary spiced nuts, dandelion salad, Blaak mac-and-cheese, homemade English muffins with rosemary creamed honey (hence the toaster on the table), sautéed chicken with apples, German Chocolate cake, and my favorite, roasted caramel pears!"

 

 

 

Maria from IL

 

"My husband really loves German Chocolate Cake and I found this recipe pretty easy to do.  It gave me an excuse to use up the can of Coco Lopez in the pantry and the rest of the sweetened coconut that I had in there too!  I toasted the pecans ahead of time to kick up the nuttiness and the cakes both turned out great!"

 

 

 

Missy from MA

 

"This recipe looked fairly traditional and rich, for sure.  My husband was slightly concerned that it would not be 'chocolatey' enough considering only 4 ounces of chocolate are in it, but I assured him it would be sweet and rich.  It didn't disappoint!  My cakes didn't come out as pretty as I hoped, but I may have over whipped the whites and/or didn't fold them in well enough.  Either way, it didn't affect the taste or moist texture.  The topping was so flavorful!  My take on recipes that have this much butter in them is that you can't go wrong if you follow the instructions.  This cake was no exception!" 

 

 

 

Sue from NJ

 

"Good thing school was closed (aka work)... it gave me plenty of time to bake this cake twice!  Ok, the first cake was totally my fault.  My intent was to use a pan I usually bake cakes in and cut the cake in to two after.. lesson learned; that didn't work.  After a little research of what I could substitute German chocolate with, I was successful using pans as described in the recipe.  This was a first time for me doing a frosting completely in a saucepan and it was interesting watching it go through changes as it cooked. I'm looking forward to giving it a taste later!"

This Week: German Chocolate Cake!

There's always room for more cake... at least this week!

Chocolate and Malt Goodness

 

Liz from CA

 

"I am always jealous of everyone's fabulous professional looking food photos.  I love to bake, but lack photography skills, fancy lighting, and camera.  I was excited to take a pic with a good location.  Malted Milk Chocolate Cake by the Golden Gate Bridge with beautiful weather.  Eat your heart out! "

 

 

 

Bernie from GA

 

"I baked mine in a 10x10 square metal pan.  Chopping maltballs was a little tricky, I ended up cutting each in half one at a time.  The second picture is the cake right before baking.  Picture 3, cake was almost baked but the maltballs already disappeared into the batter.  I sprinkled a few extra maltballs on top during the last few minutes of baking.  I unmolded the cake and took it to a potluck on a cakestand.  It was a big hit!"

 

 

 

Maria from IL

 

"I had high hopes for this cake as I LOVE chocolate!  After I had baked it, I was about to put some frosting on it, but my 8-year old daughter pleaded me not to.  So, I didn't and I gave her a piece to try.  She LOVED it!  She recently has been into Whoppers candy and this was a step up!  I will definitely bake this again.  It was really moist and extra yummy!  Next time I will put some chocolate peanut butter frosting on top." 

 

 

 

John from MI

 

"I made the Malted Milk Chocolate cake into cupcakes!  I LOVE cupcakes and topped them with a malted milk chocolate icing I got from Martha's website.  I was hoping the icing would have been stiff enough to be piped into a swirl on top of each cupcake, but unfortunately, it wouldn't hold its shape.  It spread nicely, and kind of hardens like Hostess Cupcake icing, which isn't a bad thing either!"

 

 

 

Sue from NJ

 

"That's darn good!" was the quote from my husband when he got to sample the batter.  What a fun cake, easy to bake, and tastes great too!  Thanks for letting me choose this weeks selection;  I can't wait to see what is up next!" 

 

 

 

Justin from MD

 

"I love this cake!  It was easy and fun to make!  I was finally able to use my new Kitchen Aid mixer I received for Christmas.  I love the way the cake looks and tastes."

This Week: Chocolate!

This week, Sue from NJ selected the Malted Milk Chocolate Cake as our baking project.  When making the selection, Sue said, "It was so hard to choose, with so many wonderful options to choose from!  When reading off my choices to my husband and son, they both agreed on the chocolate cake with smiles on their faces!" 

Smiles, indeed!  Who doesn't love a delicious, moist chocolate cake?  Are you ready?  Make your shopping lists, throw on a fancy apron, and lets bake! 

Pot of Goodness!

 

John from MI

 

John didn't share any insight into his creation, but what I love the most is the simple, elegant, presentation.  Well done, John!

 

 

 

Maria from IL

 

"I love chocolate, but I do not love orange... that did not deter me from trying this dessert!  I had a bit of nervousness with this recipe mostly because I am hesitant of baking/preparing desserts using hot water baths.  I was worried my pot de crème would not turn out, but thankfully it did!  It was delightfully creamy and rich with chocolate flavor with a 'hint' of orange.  A lovely dessert!"

 

 

 

Sue from NJ

 

"I can't wait to make this again!  I was very concerned my cups were not filled enough, but all worked out okay sine a few bites are all you need!  I can't wait to try this again and use other serving cups.  I did substitute the orange liqueur with the raspberry liqueur I had on hand and we all thought it worked with the orange zest mixture.  I will definitely purchase orange liqueur for the next time to have a true experience." 

We're Back! Welcome 2014!

Welcome to the new year and welcome back to Bake Like a Beekman!  We're starting off 2014 with something a little different from the cakes, cookies, and brownies that consumed us over the holidays. 

For the next several weeks, I've asked some of more active members to make recipe selections.  This week, John from Michigan suggested the following: 

As an added bonus, if you're in the path of the snowstorm that is hitting our area today, make some snow cream! 

For those that may be new to Bake Like a Beekman, please read through the guidelines  for participation.  Also, please join us on Facebook!  Click the link located on the right side of this page.

Enjoy!