What are you baking?

[Saffy]

Anyone got a tried and tested cream cheese icing recipe? The sort that goes on top of carrot cake.

I can't get it fucking right and I'm a bit angry.

Are you using full fat everything? I've had it go runny before and I think it was because I used medium fat soft cheese.

 

[Biddlybee]

Full fat cream cheese, real butter, sifted icing sugar.

 

[Biddlybee]

Have you got a recipe? I'm going to try it one more time.

 

[Saffy]

From what I've read full fat cream cheese in the UK has more liquid in it than in USA to make it spreadable.
In fact I can remember my Mum buying it from the deli counter when I was little and it was definitely thicker. I've seen people recommend draining the cream cheese through a muslin to remove as much of the liquid as possible. It might be worth a try.

I put room temperature butter in mine and make it in a food processor with the whisk attachment.

125g room temp butter
125g icing sugar
250g cold drained full fat cream cheese
Quarter teaspoon of vanilla
A splash of milk to get the right consistency, though you might not need it.
Instead of milk I've used lemon juice before as well.

 

[Biddlybee]

I did read about block cheese and how it's a bit more solid than ours. Was wondering if I should've had the cheese at room temp too

Thanks for the recipe. Don't know if I have time for the draining bit

Is it worth trying something with mascarpone?

 

[RubyToogood]

I sometimes think the problem might be over beating. Like you should only mix it as much as you need to to blend all the ingredients. But this might be wrong.

 

[Biddlybee]

I've read that too, so didn't use my electric whisk. Minimal beating. As soon the sugar hit the cheese it turned runny.

Tonight I'll try sugar and butter, them add the cream cheese.

Nigella has a recipe with no butter using whipping cream. I can't just keep buying more ingredients though

 

[nogojones]

First mince pies of the year. If they last til this eveing I'll be shocked

 

[Boudicca]

Is it worth trying something with mascarpone?

I've used marscapone with a bit of icing sugar before now, worked well.

 

[Biddlybee]

Arse, I didn't get any in the end

 

[May Kasahara]

Out of the blue, my son decided to make an apple pie yesterday. Pastry from scratch and everything. I was so impressed, it was delicious.

 

[5t3IIa]

For a 10 year old who gets adverts stuck in his head all the time It’s Sainsbury’s own brand £1 vanilla cake mix with 100s & 1000s added, then smeared with this, which was lovingly hand made, and produces an actual metric fuck tonne

 

[May Kasahara]

Not to be outdone, daughter made a chocolate banana loaf with me today.

 

[Biddlybee]

Yes! I made unrunny icing! \o/



I didn't have any of the cake though

 

[Biddlybee]

View attachment 190896

Out of the blue, my son decided to make an apple pie yesterday. Pastry from scratch and everything. I was so impressed, it was delicious.

That looks lush! I might need pastry instructions from him.

 

[RubyToogood]

Yes! I made unrunny icing! \o/

How?

 

[Biddlybee]

How?

Followed Nigella's recipe to the letter...

300g cream cheese
150g icing sugar
125 ml double cream

• Lightly whip the cream cheese until smooth - I used a balloon whisk for fear of overworking.
• Sieve over the icing sugar and then beat to combine - used a wooden spoon here and it started going a bit runny.
• Add the double cream and beat until you have a spreadable consistency - this magically made it unrunny and the right consistency, used a wooden spoon again.

 

[RubyToogood]

Followed Nigella's recipe to the letter...

300g cream cheese
150g icing sugar
125 ml double cream

• Lightly whip the cream cheese until smooth - I used a balloon whisk for fear of overworking.
• Sieve over the icing sugar and then beat to combine - used a wooden spoon here and it started going a bit runny.
• Add the double cream and beat until you have a spreadable consistency - this magically made it unrunny and the right consistency, used a wooden spoon again.

Did you use Philadelphia/similar own brand cream cheese? I sometimes think this is the problem. It's not like the cream cheese of my youth, which I remember as stiffer.

 

[Biddlybee]

Full fat Philadelphia.

 

[Saffy]

Yeah, this is what I think. I remember supermarkets selling full fat and medium fat cream cheese at the deli counter in white tubs and it was definitely stiffer.
The Philadelphia type cream cheese is all spreadable and has a lot more liquid in it.

I've not used cream in cream cheese frosting before, glad to hear it worked. I'll give it a go next time.

 

[Biddlybee]

It seemed very counter intuitive pouring liquid into something I didn't want to go more runny, but must be the fat content and science eh.

 

[Saffy]

Made my Christmas pud. Boiled it for 7 hours and it smells gorgeous. Just needs to cool so I can wrap it up.

 

[Saffy]

My boy's 17th birthday and I've made him a moist chocolate orange cake with choc ganache and ferrero rocher.

 

[BoatieBird]

Beautiful Saffy, so shiny

 

[MrCurry]

I had some leftover egg whites, so had a go at coconut macaroons. Something of a revelation really, because they were very easy to do and came out better than shop bought ones.



These are my recipe notes:

2 egg whites
Tiny Pinch salt
125g White sugar
150g desiccated coconut
1/3 lvl tsp vanilla extract

Use a bain Marie to heat the egg whites and salt to 50C while whisking in sugar until it melts and looks milky
Add vanilla extract and coconut and fold together into a stiff dough
Add spoonfuls to lined baking tray
Cook fan 200C ten mins
Allow to cool fully before drizzling melted chocolate over & dipping bases into chocolate.

And the YouTube video I followed:
(In the video he says 210C, but I’ve downrated this to 200C for the next time, as 210 was a bit too fierce)

 

[seeformiles]

Soda bread

 

[purenarcotic]

I’m not much of a baker but made a Claudia Roden apple cake as have a mate coming for dinner tomorrow. It’s ever so slightly over round the edges but it’s turned out better than I thought. Had to try a tiny bit, for scientific reasons, naturally. >_>

 

[iona]

Xmas cake, pecan & hazelnut brownies, vegan xmas cake, and ginger cake with lemon icing. Plus a load of fairy cakes.

The non-vegan xmas cake was a bit shit and we didn't need it anyway, so depending on whether it's magically improved by Tues am I'll either take it into work to sell or have to eat it myself.

 

[moose]

My lovely Pakistani neighbours are always bringing us food on their special occasions, so I made them some halal mince pies, incorporating the dates they gave us for the birthday of the Prophet, recently.

 

[Maggot]

I have a question.

I'm making a rosemary foccacia for a meal on saturday. Due to time contraints, I am planning to make the dough on friday evening, and then bake it on Saturday afternoon. Will it be ok if I leave it this long? Should I cover the bowl with cling film?