Saturday, March 30, 2013

Why am I doing this?

First I want to introduce myself:
My name is Suzie, I´m a lactoseintolerant full-time educationist working with kids age 1-6 at a day care. In my sparetime I mainly sit at my sewing machine (my big love) and sew historical costumes, movie costumes or everyday clothes. Other than that I´m baking.

I love to bake. I love sweet stuff. And I that "I made that myself!" feeling.

Yesterday evening I had this familiar craving to bake again. So I made myself comfortable on the chouch and looked for inspiration in my baking books. Then I had this idea to start a blog about the things I´m making. I have no idea if anyone is interested to read this, but it gave me a big motivating push.

In my first post I want to introduce you to my rapidly growing book collection.

On the top left is "Boutique baking" by Peggy Porschen:
I looooove it! The pictures will make your mouth water! When I first flipped through it I couldn´t decide what to make first - I wanted to try everything at once. So far I made the buttermilk doghnuts (delicious!), the white chocolate cake (even more delicious), the macaroons (mhmmmmmmm...) and the Baiser (I only have the book in german, so I don´t know what they´re called in englisch...nevertheless they´re good, but I´m not a big fan on plain eggwhite-sugar confect). The book is more an advanced baking book, you´ll have to be prepared to make quite a fuss for bisquit dough, but it´s worth every step you wouldn´t usually do!

Then the´re is Lindy Smiths "Cakes to inspire and desire":
I onl made one cake out of this book so far: my wedding cake. I was shocked when I saw the prices for a plain wedding cake here in Vienna, so I tackled it myself and it came out great!
I made the topsy turvy one from the cover, only in black and bright red. This book has many beautiful cake designs, but they´re for special occasions and not for everday baking.

Then Peggy Porschen again "Cake chic":
I just got it and haven´t tried anything yet. It´s more about decorating then the actual baking process - more for special occasions, too.

Then there is "Schokolade" where I have no idea who wrote it:
A whole book about chocolate - do I need to say more?

Second row, left there is "The big book of cupcakes" by Betty Crocker:
A new book, too. Amazing cupcakes and I want to try so many of them!

"Doughnuts" by Lana Ferroni:
I´m not sure about this book yet. First I have to say, I don´t fry anything, not even doghnuts. The book has a few recipes for baked doghnuts and they´re quite good. The glazing although - I tried 6 different ones - are not really that good. Only with the honey glaze I thought "Okay, this one I could do again". The cocholate glazing is not made with cocholalte and therefor tastes only of cocoa.

"Miette" by Meg Ray:
Amazing pictures and a wide variety on baked goods but I read a lot of reviews that the recipes are not accurate and sometimes don´t work. Well, that´s not motivating.

Last, but definitly not least the "Baked" series from Matt Lewis and Renato Poliafito:
I´m in heaven! These books are full of feelgood bakery, mouthwatering pictures and baking tips and tricks. This is literally the first baking book ever, where I read the introductions and not only the recipes! They have a good chance of being my favorite baking books!



I want to make my way through the recipes, but not all of them. Sadly, here in Vienna, Austria we don´t get all the ingredience asked for in american and british baking books. For example we don´t have corn syrup (I´ll try to use honey), malted milk powder and whoopies...
However, today I was shopping and spotted in the last corner of my go to supermarked: Marshmallow fluff! How awesome is that?? Of course I bought one glass - let´s see what all the fuss is about!

I will make pictures of all my creations and review the recipes


So, let´s begin the baking madness!




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