I Heart Butter (specifically cultured butter)

I love butter, there is no hiding that fact. However, I'm pretty picky with the butter that I do consume, especially when I'm at home. For the past several months I have been making cultured butter at home. It takes a couple of days (mostly wait time) but the end results are pretty amazing.

Cultured butter is butter that has some cultures that are added to it to add flavor. I use a mesophilic lactic culture (lactic ferment) which thrives at room temp and imparts this amazingly buttery flavor to well, butter (people also add it to cheeses such as brie and camembert for the same buttery flavor). It's well worth the time and energy it takes.

As I really don't wish to lose this recipe I will document it here.

Cultured Butter (makes a ton of butter and buttermilk)

3 Lt Heavy Cream (I use organic)

Meso II or Aroma B starter culture

Method

1. Cool cream to 14-16C in a cool water bath.

2. Add 1/8tsp culture and gently stir in.

3. Allow to ripen at 14-16C for 20 hours.

4. Place cream in fridge for 4-6 hours.

5. Pour into churn and allow temp to rise to 12C.

Churn at 12C it will take 15-30min. Don't let the temp increase too much (if it hits 13C cool down in cool water bath).

6. Strain butter through cheese cloth and squeeze out excess buttermilk (save the buttermilk!)

7. Knead the butter gently and remove excess buttermilk, add salt then pack the butter and put it away in the fridge.

It has a shelf life of around 4 weeks in the fridge or several months in the freezer.

Use the buttermilk for anything you would normally use it for (cakes, pancakes, scones, biscuits etc).

Butter Almond Cake

I love baking and trying new cook books - especially those with wonderful illustrations to all of the recipes. However I really don't enjoy baking when times are off, especially baking times. This one was off by 30min at guess. I do love the idea of a soft spongy base, with a hard crisp layer of buttery almonds, and eventually this cake did deliver some of those expectations, however it wasn't as good as I'd hoped. I'll write out the recipe with a few changes to the one from the book, including times, and one taste difference (they used 1 tsp.vanilla extract which when the cake was made was utterly overwhelming, I would reduce the vanilla extract to 1/2 tsp and allow the butter flavor of the almonds to come through. Or alternatively I would add 2 Tbs. of rum to the batter instead, or even 1 Tbs of vanilla sugar).

Ingredients
1/2 cup unsalted butter

1/3 cup milk

2 Tbs. cream

2 eggs

1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

2 cups sugar

1 cup plain flour

2 tsp. baking powder

3/4 cup almonds (slivered or thinly sliced)

Method: Cake

1. Preheat the oven to 350F.

2. Grease a 9 inch springform tin and lightly dust with flour

3. In a small saucepan heat 1/2 the butter and all but 2 Tbs. of the milk. Heat until the butter has melted.

4. Using a stand mixer with a paddle attachment add the eggs, 3/4 cup of the sugar and the vanilla extract and mix on medium until the mixture has become light and fluffy (around 3 - 5 min).

5. Add the milk and butter mixture and combine for 1 min on medium speed. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl.

6. Sift in all but 1Tbs. of the plain flour into the mixture, and add in the baking powder.

7. Mix on medium until all the dry ingredients have been well incorporated.

8. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl and mix once again (around 30 seconds).

9. Scrape batter into prepared tin.

10. Bake for 20-25 min, or until the center of the cake is a little undercooked, but the sides are baked.

Method: Topping (to be make when the cake is in the oven)

1. Melt the rest of the butter in a medium fry pan.

2. Add the almonds, the remainder of the sugar (1.25 cups), the 1 Tbs. of flour, 2 Tbs. of milk and the 2 Tbs. of cream and mix until warm and malleable.

Method: Assembly

1. Remove the cake from the oven and quickly apply the topping to the cake.

2. Place back in the oven and bake until the almond topping is a light golden brown (around 15 min).

3. Remove and place on a wire rack.

4. After cooling for 5 min, remove the sides of the pan, and then the base, and place on a wire rack to cool completely.

Adapted from "Sweet Food" ed. Kay Scarlett pp. 220-1.

Red Velvet Cake (Happy Birthday Martin Luther King Jr)

I have always wanted to try this cake, and I couldn't find it anywhere. The colour has always fascinated and titillated me - is there a flavor associated with it (raspberry, strawberry?), how do they get that amazing red colour? So, I decided to make the cake. This recipe is a fairly easy one, although if you want to make a three layered cake as I did it is best to have three 9 inch round pans handy. The cake itself is a dense, rich cake. The icing is insanely buttery (read the ingredients list..), but it is a fascinating cake, and fun to make!

Ingredients: Cake

1/4 cup red food colouring

2 Tbs. unsweetened cocoa powder

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter (softened in the microwave for around 15 sec.)

1.5 cups sugar

2 large eggs at room temperature

1.25 cups cake flour

1 cup buttermilk

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. apple cider vinegar

1 tsp. baking soda

Ingredients: Icing

2 cups milk

3/8 cup all-purpose flour

2 cups (4 sticks (!!!!)) unsalted butter, cold

2 tsp. vanilla extract

Method: Cake

1. Preheat the oven to 350F.

2. Grease and flour 3 9 inch round bake tins, and line with parchment paper

3. In a small bowl whisk together the red food colouring, cocoa powder and the vanilla extract. Make sure there are no lumps of cocoa left.

4. Using a stand mixer with a paddle attachment cream the sugar and butter (add together and mix) until it is a light cream colour and fluffy (5-7 min).

5. Add the eggs , one at a time. Mix between the additions.

6. Add the flour in three parts, alternating with the buttermilk. Making sure that you mix well, and scrape the sides before each addition.

7. Add the salt. Then incorporate the cocoa/red food colouring into the batter. Mix thoroughly.

8. In a small bowl mix together the baking soda and vinegar - add to the batter and mix well.

9. Divide the batter between the three pans, and place in the oven.

10. Bake for 20-25 (check at 15) until a toothpick placed in the center comes out clean.

11. Let cakes cool in the pans for 5-10min. Then remove from the pans and let cool on a wire rack until room temp.

Method: Icing

1. In a medium saucepan mix together the milk and flour.

2. Whisk over medium heat until it is smooth and thick.

3. Let this cool for around 40 min.

4. When it is cool, remove the skin from the top.

5. In the 40 min the flour/milk mixture is cooling place the butter and sugar in a bowl and using an electric mixer beat until fluffy (4-5min).

6. Add the vanilla extract to the butter and sugar and mix once more.

7. In thirds, mix in the cool milk/flour mixture (with the skin removed) into the butter mixture and beat between additions.

Method: Assembly

1. Choose the thickest cake for the base of the cake, and ice the top of this with the icing.

2. Place another layer of cake on top, and ice this.

3. Finally add the third cake on top of this and then add 1/3 - 1/2 the remainder of the icing in the middle of this cake.

4. With an icing implement (be it a spatula or a butter knife) spread a thin layer of icing around the entire cake.

5. Refrigerate for 30-45 min, so that the icing sets.

6. Add the remainder of the icing, and decorate as desired.

Recipe from "The Buttercup Bake Shop Cookbook" by Jennifer Appel pp. 91, 118