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Soft, sweet, warm, delicious and you don’t have to use cinnamon!!
Taste: 5 (out of 5)
Difficulty: 3 (out of 5)
Source: Gingerbread Bagels blog
Ingredients
For the dough
- 3/4 tbsp / 1 package active dry yeast
- 1/4 cup lukewarm water (110 – 115F)
- 1/4 cup sugar (195 cal)
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 large eggs, at room temperature (140 cal)
- 6 tbsp unsalted butter, melted (610 cal)
- 1/2 cup sour cream (250 cal)
- 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (1595 cal)
For the filling
- 3 tbsp unsalted butter, softened (305 cal)
- 2 tbsp orange zest, finely grated
- 1/2 cup sugar (390 cal)
For the orange glaze
- 6 tbsp sugar (280 cal)
- 2 tbsp unsalted butter, softened (200 cal)
- 1/4 cup sour cream (125 cal)
- 3 tbsp orange juice, from about 1/2 orange (20 cal)
Total: 9 rolls, 4110 cal, 410 cal/ roll (because you discard an equivalent of one roll)
Instructions
For the dough
1. In a large mixing bowl or container combine the yeast and warm water and let it sit for 5 minutes until the yeast dissolves and becomes bubbly.
2. Add in the sugar, salt, eggs, melted unsalted butter sour cream and 2 cups of flour. Mix the ingredients together with a wooden spoon (if you like me don’t have a stand mixer). Gradually add in the remainder of the flour. At this stage you might need to start working with your hands.
3. Knead the dough for 6-7 minutes. Put the dough in an oiled bowl (or use the same container in which you mixed the ingredients) and cover with plastic wrap or lid. Place the bowl in a warm place to rest and rise for about 1.5 hours. After the dough has risen you can also refrigerate it, covered (not airtight) for several hours or overnight (that’s what I did); or you can proceed to the next stage without the refrigeration.
4. Sprinkle flour on the counter and your rolling pin. You don’t need much flour; the dough is not very sticky and really easy to work with (even for someone like me, who dreads rolling the dough). Roll the dough out into a 14×18 inch rectangle. Spread the softened unsalted butter over the dough. Leave a 1 inch border. Mix the grated orange zest with the sugar. Sprinkle the orange zest/sugar mixture over the butter and press it down a bit. Make sure you still leave a 1 inch border.
5. The 18 inch (the longer) side should be closest to you. Starting with the shorter sides, roll the dough over once on each side. Then from the bottom (the end closest towards you), tightly roll the dough away from you (see very instructive photos on Gingerbread Bagels).
6. Cut the ends of the dough off with a serrated knife or with a string and discard. Then cut the dough into 1 1/2 inch rolls. Place the rolls into a lightly greased 9 inch cake pan. Cover the rolls with plastic wrap and let them rise for 45 minutes. Bake the orange rolls at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes.
For the glaze
7. When the rolls are almost done baking (the last 5 minutes), begin on the orange glaze. In a small pot, whisk together the sugar, softened unsalted butter, sour cream and orange juice. Bring the mixture to a boil and continue to boil the glaze for 3 minutes.
8. Once the rolls are done baking, pour the glaze over the rolls. Serve warm.
Afterthoughts
- I’ve always loved the idea of cinnamon rolls, but… I can’t stand cinnamon … So I was super excited to see this recipe on Gingerbread Bagels blog (a wonderful website, by the way). And I had all the ingredients, so I knew it was my fate to make these rolls this weekend :-). And they turned out absolutely amazing! Yum yum yum!
- I made only very minimal changes to the original recipe – primarily I refrigerated the dough after the initial rise overnight, because it was getting very late, and then I rolled the dough out first thing in the morning. I don’t think this hurt the taste.
- The only thing I would have changes – I placed the rolls a bit too far from each other on a 9-inch square pan, and they were not pressed together when they baked, so they “unrolled” a bit :-). They don’t look as nice as the ones on the Gingerbread Bagels, but I could eat them with my eyes closed ;-).
Scone, cheesecake and dark chocolate in one wonderful cute ball for only 100 calories!
Taste: 5 (out of 5)
Difficulty: 4 (out of 5)
Source: the cake ball idea inspired by The Food Junkie, scone cake adapted from About.com, cream cheese icing improvised
Ingredients
For scone cake (2565 cal)
- 2 eggs (140 cal)
- 1 cup sugar (775 cal)
- 1 cup heavy cream (820 cal)
- 1/4 cup light sour cream (60 cal)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract (10 cal)
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 1 2/3 cups all-purpose flour (760 cal)
- 2 tsp baking powder
For cream cheese icing (1305 cal)
- 250 g / 1 package light cream cheese (665 cal)
- 1 cup light sour cream (240 cal)
- 1/2 cup sugar (390 cal)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract or orange extract (10 cal)
- 1 tsp finely grated orange zest (optional)
For chocolate coating
- 250 g / 1 bar dark chocolate (1200 cal)
Total: 5070 cal, 50 balls, 100 cal / ball
Instructions
For the scone cake
1. Beat eggs until thick and lemon colored; gradually beat in sugar; then add all the liquid ingredients. Stir in sifted dry ingredients. Beat well. You will have a gooey, thick batter.
2. Grease and flour a 7’’x11’’ baking pan and spread the batter evenly. Bake at 350F for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
3. Let the cake cool in the baking pan for 5 minutes, then remove it from the pan and let rest on a cooling rack until completely cool.
4. In a large ball, crumble the cake with your fingers.
For the cream cheese icing
5. In a blender mix all the ingredients until incorporated and uniform.
For assembly
6. Add the icing to cake crumbs and mix well.
7. Roll mixture into small balls (about 1 inch in diameter). You can use a small cookie scoop to measure if you like. This recipe gives about 50 balls.
8. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper and place the cake balls on it. Chill the balls in the freezer for about 30 minutes.
9. Break the chocolate bar into small pieces (or use chocolate melts). Microwave the chocolate in 30 second segments, stirring after every segment, until all the chocolate is melted.
10. Using a fork, dip the chilled balls in melted chocolate, roll them around until coated, lift with the fork, let excess chocolate drip and place on a parchment-lined cookie sheet. When the chocolate on the ball is still warm, you can create some “artistic” effects with a fork, a toothpick or a brush.
11. Your chocolate will gradually harden from contact with the cold cake balls. You can either use small batches of chocolate, or simply re-melt the chocolate in microwave every time it stiffens.
12. When all the balls are coated and arranged on the cookie sheet, place the cookie sheet in the refrigerator to chill for about 20 minutes until the chocolate sets.
Afterthoughts
- YUM…. So moist and delicious, it tastes both like scones and like cheese cake, absolutely amazing with the dark chocolate.
- Crumbling the cake, rolling the balls and dipping in the chocolate can be a bit time consuming, but it can be a very fun “group” activity :-)
- The scone cake is a very tasty way to use up whipping cream that is about to expire.
.. with coffee and orange - yummy even for those who are not crazy about coffee cakes.
Source: Adapted from Food.com
Taste: 5 (out of 5)
Difficulty: 1 (out of 5)
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup of honey (515 cal)
- 1/2 cup of brown sugar, not packed (275 cal)
- 2 eggs (140 cal)
- 1/2 cup black coffee (room temperature)
- 1/3 cup canola oil (635 cal)
- 1/2 fresh orange, juice, pulp and skin, grated fine (40 cal)
- 2 cups all-purpose flour (910 cal)
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1 pinch of salt (⅛ teaspoon)
- 1/2 cup of dried cranberries or raisins (205 cal)
Total 2720 cal, 10 servings, 270 cal / serving
Instructions
1. Mix the baking soda with the orange juice until bubbles form, and then mix all the ingredients except flour until uniform. At the end mix in the flour. The batter should be moderately loose, but not too loose.
2. Pour the batter into a greased loaf pan, and bake in an oven preheated to 350F for about an hour. Let the cake cool in the pan for 5-10 minutes and remove to the wire rack until completely cool.
Afterthoughts
- I am not crazy about honey cakes, but this one is really good. I suppose I would not have guessed that it has honey, had I not known.
- This recipe is very easy to make, and I love the fact that there is not much oil in it.
Pure delightful moist tangy sweet amazingness
Source: Cake adapted from “Celebration Cakes” by The Australian Women’s Weekly, Hazelnut Berry Delight; Raspberry mousse adapted from Bakers Royale blog; Chocolate Chantilly from “Chocolate - more than 50 decadent recipes” by Dominique and Cindy Duby.
Taste: 6 (out of 5)
Difficulty: 5 (out of 5)
Ingredients
For the cake (2575 cal)
- 125 g butter, chopped (895 cal)
- 1 cup icing sugar (775 cal)
- 3 eggs (210 cal)
- 1/4 cup self – rising flour (110 cal)
- 1/2 cup hazelnut meal (345 cal)
- 75 g sour cream (160 cal)
- 150 g fresh or frozen raspberries (80 cal)
For the mousse (830 cal)
- 3/4 cup whipping cream (615 cal)
- 1 1/2 cups / 150g frozen raspberries (80 cal)
- 1/4 cup brown sugar, not packed (135 cal)
- 1 packet / 7g gelatin
- 3-4 tbsp cold water
For chocolate Chantilly (550 cal)
- 0.9 oz/ 25 g 70% dark chocolate, finely chopped (140 cal)
- 1/2 cup / 250 ml whipping cream (410 cal)
Total: 6 inch round cake, 3955 cal, 8 servings, 495 cal / serving
Instructions
For the cake
1. Grease a deep 6 inch / 17 cm cake pan, line the base and sides with parchment paper.
2. Beat butter and sugar with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating until just combined between additions (mixture may curdle at this stage). Sift in sifted flour, hazelnut meal, sour cream, raspberries and blackberries.
3. Bake the cake at 350F for about an hour until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out dry. Let the cake rest in the pan for 5 minutes before removing onto the wire rack to cool.
For the raspberry mouse
4. Sprinkle gelatin over cold water and let it bloom for 20-30 minutes until you prepare the raspberries.
5. Heat raspberries with the sugar in a small saucepan; let simmer for 10-15 minutes. Puree warm simmered raspberries in a food processor. Push puree through a fine mesh strainer to remove seeds. Set aside.
6. Whip heavy cream until soft peaks form.
7. Warm up the blooming gelatin in a microwave for 10 seconds until the gelatin melts. Mix well and pour into the raspberry puree mixture. Whisk until mixture thickens to syrup consistency. Fold raspberry gelatin mixture into soft peaked cream.
For the assembly
8. Cut the cake horizontally into 3 parts (this is called "torting" the cake). Here are my tips on how to cut perfectly horizontal layers without any special equipment.
9. Line the sides of a 6 inch spring-form pan with parchment paper. Place the lower layer of the cake into a spring-form pan, pour a third of the raspberry mousse on top and spread evenly. Repeat with the remaining 2 layers. Leave the cake in the refrigerator until the mousse sets completely. It might take an hour or two.
For the chocolate Chantilly
10. Bring whipping cream to a boil in a saucepan. Pour the boiling cream on top of the chocolate and mix well until combined and uniform. Let cool in the fridge; overnight is best, but several hour would also work.
11. Once cool, whip with an electric mixer until medium peaks.
12. Remove the set cake from the spring-form pan, carefully peel off the parchment paper off the sides of the cake. Spread cream Chantilly in a thin layer over the sides and the top of the cake. Refrigerate for one more hour.
Afterthoughts
1. This cake tastes absolutely amazing. It is so soft, moist, has a slight hazelnut flavor, hint of sour from the raspberries, a tiny bit of bitterness from the chocolate Chantilly, and all these combine in a perfect melting in your mouth bliss. I will certainly be making it again.
2. The cake turned out very tall, much higher than I expected, about 3 inches – I was lucky to have a tall spring-form pan, otherwise it might have turned out into a huge muffin :-). I prefer lower cakes, so next time I will use half of the amount in this recipe and shorten the bake time. This will give 2 layers, and would use 2/3 of the raspberry mousse. I will keep the same amount of the chocolate Chantilly though, because it was barely enough this time. I had to literally scrape the bottom of the bowl ;-).
Yummy, comforting, yeasty goodness for the March 2011 Daring Bakers’ Challenge
Source: Adapted from The Daring Bakers’ Challenge March 2011 hosted by Ria and Jamie
Taste: 5 (out of 5)
Difficulty: 4 (out of 5)
Ingredients
For the yeast coffee cake dough
- 2 cups all-purpose flour (910 cal)
- 1/4 cup sugar (195 cal)
- 1 tsp active dry yeast
- 1/4 cup 2% fat milk (30 cal)
- 2 tbsp water
- 1/4 cup Becel margarine at room temperature (430 cal)
- 1 large egg at room temperature (70 cal)
For the meringue
- 2 large egg whites at room temperature (30 cal)
- pinch of salt
- 1/4 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup sugar (195 cal)
For the filling
- 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (100 cal)
- 1/2 cup brown sugar, not packed (275 cal)
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted (860 cal)
For egg-wash
- 1 beaten egg-white with a tsp of sugar (30 cal)
Total: 1 round (10’’ coffee cake), 12 servings, 3125 cal, 260 cal / serving
Instructions
For the dough
1. In a large mixing bowl, combine the sugar, salt and yeast with 1/2 of the flour.
2. In a saucepan, combine the milk, water and margarine and heat over medium heat until warm and the margarine is just melted.
3. With an electric mixer on low speed, gradually add the warm liquid to the flour/yeast mixture, beating until well blended. Increase mixer speed to medium and beat 2 minutes. Add the egg and 1/2 of the remaining flour and beat for 2 more minutes.
4. Using a wooden spoon, stir in enough of the remaining flour to make dough that holds together. Turn out onto a floured surface (use any of the remaining flour) and knead the dough for 8 to 10 minutes until it is soft, smooth, sexy and elastic, keeping the work surface floured and adding extra flour as needed.
5. Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl, turning to coat all sides. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and a kitchen towel and let rise until double in bulk, 45 – 60 minutes. The rising time will depend on the type of yeast you use.
For the filling
6. Melt the butter and stir in the cocoa powder and the sugar until uniform with no lumps. Set aside.
For the meringue
7. Once the dough has doubled, in a clean mixing bowl – ideally a plastic or metal bowl so the egg whites adhere to the side (they slip on glass) and you don’t end up with liquid remaining in the bottom – beat the egg whites with the salt, first on low speed for 30 seconds, then increase to high and continue beating until foamy and opaque. Add the vanilla then start adding the sugar, a tablespoon at a time as you beat, until very stiff, glossy peaks form.
For the assembly
8. Line a baking/cookie sheet with parchment paper.
9. Punch down the dough. On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough into a 20 x 10-inch (about 51 x 25 ½ cm) rectangle. Spread the filling and then the meringue over the rectangle up to about 1/2-inch (3/4 cm) from the edges.
10. Now, roll up the dough jellyroll style, from the long side. Pinch the seam closed to seal. Very carefully transfer the filled log to the lined cookie sheet, seam side down. Bring the ends of the log around and seal the ends together, forming a ring, tucking one end into the other and pinching to seal.
11. Using kitchen scissors or a sharp knife (although scissors are easier), make cuts along the outside edge at 1-inch (2 ½ cm) intervals. Make them as shallow or as deep as desired but don’t be afraid to cut deep into the ring.
12. Cover the coffee cake with plastic wrap and allow to rise again for 45 to 60 minutes.
13. Preheat the oven to 350F / 180C.
14. Brush the top of the coffee cakes with the egg wash. Bake in the preheated oven for 25 to 30 minutes until risen and golden brown. The dough should sound hollow when tapped.
15. Remove from the oven and slide the parchment paper off the cookie sheet onto the table. Very gently loosen the coffee cakes from the paper with a large spatula and carefully slide the cake off onto cooling racks. Allow to cool.
16. Just before serving, dust the top of the coffee cakes with confectioner’s sugar and cocoa powder. These are best eaten fresh, the same day or the next day.
Afterthoughts
- First of all, thanks so much to Jamie and Ria for the yummy challenge :-)
- The cake turned out very tasty, a little too big for me, since I cook for only two. So next time I will follow the example of kristy_baker and make two 6-inch cakes with different fillings.
- My dough only rose in the oven, this did not impact the taste, but I had been somewhat concerned until I tasted the cake. So next time I will “activate” the yeast, just like when making bread: I will put the yeast in lukewarm milk with a little bit of sugar and let it rest for 5 minutes, until it becomes bubbly. Then I’ll add the milk with the activated yeast to the flour together with the other liquid ingredients.
- My filling was more liquid than the ones on the Daring Baker’s site, and some of it poured out of the cuts. Based on other posts, it happened to several other bakers. Fortunately there was the parchment paper. Maybe I should use drier filling or make smaller cuts and only on the very top of the cake.
Blog-checking lines: The March 2011 Daring Baker’s Challenge was hosted by Ria of Ria’s Collection and Jamie of Life’s a Feast. Ria and Jamie challenged The Daring Bakers to bake a yeasted Meringue Coffee Cake.
