Better baking
12 brilliant recipes to change your kitchen game
A great baking recipe can seem like wizardry. A handful of unassuming pantry staples are mixed together and heated (or sometimes chilled), and what results can anchor a celebration or simply make a bad day better. In the most brilliant of cases, it can surprise and delight with its inventiveness.
Behind every clever, inventive technique is a clever, inventive cook who looks at a recipe and wonders, How could this be done better? The savviest home cooks and recipe creators always think about how to streamline and innovate in ways big and small, and the 12 recipes below illustrate just that. (Look for 12 more coming in a future issue.)
Not all involve baking in the traditional sense: Several are prepared on a stovetop, in a food processor or set in the refrigerator. What unites them are smart techniques, the eye-opening approaches that educate as much as they impress. We hope that these recipes — a cake that get its rise from 7Up or the rich, silky mousse that forms out of just chocolate (that one’s coming in Part 2) — will show you the possibilities of certain ingredients, and expand your understanding in the kitchen.
Make one, two or all, and let them dazzle you — if not by what they teach you, then by their taste. All recipes adjusted for high altitude.
Dulce de Leche Chocoflan
Also known as el pastel imposible (the impossible cake), chocoflan is a baking wonder, its layers of chocolate cake batter and dulce de leche flan swapping places in the oven and coming out as a tiered twodesserts- in- one showstopper. This Mexican staple is often served at birthday parties and other celebrations, but comes together easily enough to enjoy as a sweet treat at home. — Genevieve Ko; recipe from Esteban Castillo
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Yield: 12 servings (one 10- inch cake). Total time: 2K hours, plus cooling
Ingredients
FOR THE FLAN:
1 (13- ounce) can dulce de leche (1K
cups)
1 (12- ounce) can evaporated milk 4 ounce cream cheese, at room
temperature
1K teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
5 large eggs
FOR THE CHOCOLATE CAKE:
1M cups all- purpose flour
1 cup sugar
K cup unsweetened cocoa powder
O teaspoon baking soda
K teaspoon baking powder
K teaspoon ground cinnamon
K teaspoon kosher salt
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, cubed,
at room temperature
K cup brewed coffee
K cup buttermilk
1 large egg
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract Nonstick cooking spray
Directions
Heat oven to 350 degrees.
Make the flan: In a blender, combine the dulce de leche, evaporated milk, cream cheese, vanilla extract and salt, and blend until smooth, 20 to 30 seconds. Pour in the eggs and blend for another 10 seconds until smooth.
Make the chocolate cake: Sift the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon and salt directly into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Mix on the lowest setting until just combined, then add the butter and continue mixing on low speed until the mixture resembles wet sand. Stop the mixer and scrape down the sides of the bowl if needed.
In a liquid measuring cup, combine the coffee, buttermilk, egg and vanilla extract, then slowly pour it into the flour- butter mixture with the mixer running on low. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and beat the mixture on high for 1 full minute.
Liberally coat a 10- cup Bundt pan with nonstick baking spray. Add the cake batter, smoothing the top with an offset spatula or spoon. Carefully ladle in the flan mixture so you disturb the cake batter as little as possible. Transfer the Bundt pan to a roasting pan or baking dish large enough to fit the Bundt pan. Grease a piece of foil and place it onto the Bundt pan, greased side down, folding it over the edges to loosely seal it. Transfer to the oven. Pour enough water into the roasting pan or baking dish to come up 2 to 3 inches (tap water is fine).
Bake until a skewer inserted in the cake part comes out with few to no crumbs, 1K to 2 hours.
Carefully remove the Bundt pan from the roasting pan and uncover. Transfer to a rack and let cool to room temperature. Once fully cooled, cover the top with plastic wrap and refrigerate until chilled and set, at least 2 hours.
Once you’re ready to serve, carefully run a knife around any edges that are still sticking, then invert onto a serving platter, gently shaking it up and down if it’s being difficult. (If it was greased properly, you shouldn’t have any major issues.) The chocoflan can be covered and refrigerated for up to 3 days.
World’s Best Chocolate Cake
The recipe for this cake, adapted from “Sweet” by Yotam Ottolenghi and Helen Goh, first appeared in an article written about Goh when she ran her cafe, the Mortar & Pestle, in Melbourne, Australia. Rather intimidatingly for her, the headline for the article was “World’s Best Chocolate Cake.” It could actually be called lots of things: “world’s easiest cake,” possibly, requiring nothing more than one large bowl to make it all in. Or “most versatile cake,” given that it can be served without icing and just a light dusting of cocoa powder, or dressed up to the nines, as it is here, with a thin layer of chocolate ganache and served with espresso cinnamon mascarpone cream. In the Ottolenghi shops in London, it is smaller and goes by the name Take-home Chocolate Cake, designed to be shared by four people after a meal. This larger version is no less delicious, and keeps well for four to five days. As with any baking project, you should weigh your ingredients in grams for the best results. — Yotam Ottolenghi
Yield: 12 servings. Total time: 1K hours, plus cooling
Ingredients
FOR THE CAKE:
1 cup plus 1K tablespoons unsalted butter (2 sticks plus 1K tablespoons), at room temperature and cut into O- inch cubes, plus extra for greasing the pan
7 ounces dark chocolate (70% cocoa
solids), chopped into O- inch pieces 1K teaspoons instant coffee granules,
dissolved in 1K cups boiling water 1N cups granulated sugar
2 large eggs, lightly beaten 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2N cups self- rising flour (see tip
below)
L cup Dutch- processed cocoa powder,
plus 1K teaspoons, for dusting
N teaspoon salt
FOR THE CHOCOLATE GANACHE (OPTIONAL):
7 ounces dark chocolate (70% cocoa solids), broken or chopped roughly into O- inch pieces
O cup heavy cream
1 tablespoon light corn syrup 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, at room temperature
FOR THE ESPRESSO CINNAMON MASCARPONE CREAM (OPTIONAL):
1K cups plus 1 tablespoon heavy
cream
O cup mascarpone
Scraped seeds of K vanilla pod 2K teaspoons finely ground espresso
O teaspoon ground cinnamon 2K tablespoons powdered sugar
Directions
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9- inch/23- centimeter round springform pan with butter and line with parchment paper, then set aside.
Make the cake: Place butter, chocolate and hot coffee in a large heatproof bowl and mix well until everything is melted, combined and smooth. Whisk in sugar by hand until dissolved. Add eggs and vanilla extract and whisk again until thoroughly combined and smooth. Sift flour, cocoa powder and salt together into a bowl and then whisk this into the melted chocolate mixture. The batter here is liquid, but don’t think you have missed something; this is how it should be.
Pour batter into the prepared pan and bake for 1 hour, or until the cake is cooked and a skewer inserted into the center comes out clean or with just a few dry crumbs attached. The top will form a crust and crack a little, but don’t worry, this is expected. Leave the cake to cool for 20 minutes before removing from the pan, then set aside until completely cool.
Make the chocolate ganache, if desired: Place chocolate pieces in a food processor, process until fine and set aside. Combine cream and corn syrup in a small pan and place over medium- high heat. As soon as bubbles begin to appear (just before it comes to a boil), remove from the heat. Get the food processor running again, with the chocolate still inside, and pour in the hot cream in a steady stream. Process for 10 seconds, then add butter. Continue to process until mixture is shiny and smooth. (You can also make the ganache by hand; just make sure the chocolate is chopped fairly finely before adding the cream mixture. Stir with a wooden spoon until almost melted, then add the butter. Stir again until the ganache is smooth.)
Use a rubber spatula to scrape the ganache into a bowl and cover with plastic wrap, with the plastic actually touching the top of the ganache. Set aside until it has set to the consistency you want. If you want a thin layer to spread over the cake, it can be poured over while liquid so that you get an even, light and shiny coating. For a thicker ganache with a spreading consistency, leave it for about 2 hours at room temperature. (The ganache can be stored at room temperature, providing it’s not too warm, for 3 days or kept in the fridge for up to 2 weeks. It can also be frozen, although it will lose a bit of its shine when defrosted.)
Make the espresso cinnamon mascarpone cream, if desired: Place all the ingredients in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Beat for 1 to 2 minutes, until soft peaks form.
Peel the parchment from the cake and discard. Transfer to a serving platter and spread the ganache, if using, on top of the cake. Slice into wedges, divide the cake among plates and, if using, spoon the mascarpone cream alongside. With or without icing, the cake will keep well for 4 to 5 days in an airtight container.
Tips: If you can’t find self- rising flour, whisk together 2N cups allpurpose flour and 2 teaspoons baking powder and use this mixture instead.
Easy No-yeast Cinnamon Rolls
Cinnamon rolls are always a good idea, but traditional yeast- risen versions aren’t exactly a treat you can make on a whim. This recipe, however, comes together in under an
hour. Adapted from “At Home With Magnolia: Classic American Recipes From the Owner of Magnolia Bakery” by Allysa Torey, this formula uses baking powder and baking soda to make the dough rise quickly. Toasted pecans add crunch to the cinnamonsugar filling, and a tangy cream cheese glaze blankets the top of the rolls. The end result is tender, chewy and cakey rolls that taste best when unspooled bit by bit and eaten with your fingers. — Margaux Laskey Yield: 8 servings. Total time: 45
minutes.
Ingredients
FOR THE FILLING:
K cup unsalted butter, very soft, plus
more for greasing the pan
K packed cup light brown sugar 1K teaspoons cinnamon
O cup chopped pecans, toasted (see tip)
FOR THE ROLLS:
2N cups all- purpose flour, plus more
for work surface
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon fine salt
N teaspoon baking soda
N cup canola oil
O cup buttermilk
FOR THE GLAZE:
4 ounces cream cheese, very soft
1 cup powdered sugar, sifted if lumpy 1 teaspoon whole milk or heavy cream
K teaspoon vanilla extract
Directions
Heat oven to 400 degrees. Lightly grease a 9- inch round cake pan.
Make the filling: In a medium bowl, using a flexible spatula or wooden spoon, mix butter, brown sugar and cinnamon until smooth, 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in the pecans. Set aside.
Make the rolls: In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt and baking soda. Add the oil and, using a flexible spatula or wooden spoon, mix until incorporated. (It might be a little lumpy. That’s OK!) Stir in the buttermilk until just blended. Gather the dough into a ball and knead on a lightly floured surface until smooth, about 1 minute. Roll out the dough into a 15- by- 8- inch rectangle.
Gently spread the filling evenly over the dough, leaving a N- inch border all around. Starting from one of the long sides, roll up the dough into a tight cylinder. Rotate the roll so that the seam is against the work surface. Using a serrated knife, cut the roll crosswise into eight equal slices. Transfer the rolls to the prepared pan, spacing them evenly. (At this point, you can wrap with plastic wrap and refrigerate for a day or 2, or freeze for up to 3 months. Allow to come to room temperature before proceeding.)
Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until golden.
While the rolls bake, make the glaze: In a medium bowl, using a rubber spatula or wooden spoon, beat the cream cheese until smooth, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the powdered sugar and beat well. Add the milk and vanilla, and beat until smooth and creamy. Set aside.
Remove the rolls from the oven and allow to cool for 3 to 4 minutes before coating with the glaze. Serve warm.
Tip: To toast the pecans, place on a baking sheet in a 350- degree oven for 6 to 8 minutes, or until lightly browned and fragrant.
Mango Pie
When Hrishikesh Hirway was a kid, his parents, who immigrated to the
United States from Maharashtra, in western India, began hosting Thanksgiving. The meal soon evolved into a hybrid of a traditional Thanksgiving and an Indian potluck. “Out of that cultural mashup, my mom started making this mango pie,” he said. She’d gotten the idea from other Indian aunties in the States, but their versions weren’t as good. “They weren’t making it with the best kind of mango,” Hirway explained. “The Alphonsos have a stronger, more intense flavor.” That Alphonso flavor shines as brilliantly as the pie’s bright filling, made tangy and rich with the addition of cream cheese and whipped cream. And the salty, crumbly graham cracker crust is the perfect foundation for the golden cloud of custard that sits atop it. It’s so satisfying that you’ll catch yourself cutting sliver after mouthwatering sliver of pie. —
Recipe from Kanta and Hrishikesh Hirway, adapted by Samin Nosrat.
Yield: Two 9- inch pies. Total time: 50 minutes, plus 5 hours’ chilling
Ingredients
FOR THE GRAHAM-CRACKER CRUST: 2K cups finely ground graham- cracker
crumbs
L cup plus 1 tablespoon sugar
N teaspoon ground cardamom
1 large pinch sea salt
9 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
FOR THE MANGO CUSTARD:
O cup cold water
K cup sugar
2 tablespoons plus N teaspoon powdered gelatin (2K packages at 2K teaspoons per pack)
K cup heavy whipping cream, chilled 4 ounces cream cheese, at room
temperature
1 30- ounce can Alphonso mango purée
(3N cups)
1 large pinch sea salt
Directions
Stir crumbs, sugar, cardamom and salt together in a medium bowl. Add butter, and stir with a fork until evenly combined.
Pour half the crumb mixture into a 9- inch round metal pie pan, and spread evenly. Press down with fingers, a metal measuring cup or a second pie pan to compact the crumbs as much as possible across the bottom and up the sides of the pan into an even crust. (The more compressed the crust, the less it will crumble.) Repeat to form the remaining crumb mixture into a crust in a second pan.
Heat oven to 325. Transfer both crusts to freezer, and chill for 15 minutes. Bake until golden brown, about 12 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Place O cup cold water in a large bowl. In a small bowl, stir together N cup sugar with the gelatin; sprinkle mixture evenly over the surface of the cold water. Let sit a few minutes to bloom.
In the meantime, whip the cream and remaining N cup sugar together until medium- stiff peaks form. Set aside.
In a small saucepan over mediumlow heat, warm 1 cup of the mango purée to body temperature (stir to make sure you are just warming it and not bringing it to a boil). Pour warmed mango purée over gelatin mixture, and whisk until well combined.
Gelatin should dissolve into mango completely. Gradually whisk in remaining mango purée.
Use a rubber spatula to beat the cream cheese in a medium bowl until it is soft and smooth, then add to mango mixture along with a large pinch of sea salt. Use an immersion blender to blend until completely smooth, tipping the bowl to make sure you’ve incorporated everything well. Gently tap the bowl on the counter once or twice to pop any air bubbles. Use the spatula to gently fold about N of the mango mixture into the whipped cream, then fold cream into the larger amount of mixture until no streaks remain.
Divide custard between cooled crusts. Use a rubber spatula to smooth out the filling. Refrigerate 5 hours or overnight until firm and chilled. Serve chilled.
Tips: Alphonso mango purée — which is a variety, not a brand — at most Indian grocery stores. If you don’t have an immersion blender, use a food processor or a countertop blender to blend the custard mixture.
Pretzel Shortbread
Flecked with sea salt on the outside, buttery and supremely crunchy within, this pretzel shortbread leans to the savory side, both salty and sweet. This version, created by Lost Bread Company in Philadelphia, mixes crumbs from the bakery’s own sourdough pretzels into the dough. But any pretzels will give the shortbread the necessary tang. The bakery also dips the shortbread into a lye solution before baking to give them that characteristic glossy surface. This simplified version calls for either using baking soda or an egg white. The slightly bitter baking soda mixture adds some of the complex flavor of the lye, but using an egg white is simpler, and the cookies are nearly as delicious. — Recipe adapted by Melissa Clark
Yield: About 15 cookies. Total time: 2K hours
Ingredients
K cup pretzel crumbs (see tip) 3O cups all- purpose flour
1 cup Demerara sugar
N teaspoon fine sea salt
1N cup plus 2 tablespoons unsalted cold butter (2O sticks), cut into Kinch cubes
N cup baking soda, or 1 large egg
white
Pretzel salt or flaky sea salt
Directions
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Spread pretzel crumbs on a rimmed baking sheet and bake them, stirring once, until they smell toasty (they may not darken, and that’s OK), about 5 to 10 minutes.
Pour crumbs into the bowl of an electric stand mixer to cool. Whisk in flour, sugar and salt. Place the butter cubes on top of the flour mixture and chill until everything is very cold, at least 30 minutes.
Using the paddle attachment, beat flour and butter mixture on low speed until it comes together into a dry, crumbly dough that just holds together when you squeeze it, 10 to 15 minutes. If the dough isn’t coming together in the mixer, use your hands to knead it. It will be difficult to work with.
Line a rimmed baking sheet with a silicone baking mat. On a floured surface, use a rolling pin to roll out and press dough into an 8- by-10- inch rectangle about 3/8- inch thick. (Alternatively, you can press the dough into a quarter sheet pan with your fingers instead of rolling). Cut into rectangles approximately 3 inches by 2 inches. Transfer rectangles to the lined baking sheet. Using the tip of a slim chopstick or a fork, poke holes all over the dough, going halfway but not all the way through. Place baking sheet in freezer until dough is frozen, at least 1 hour.
Heat oven to 500 degrees. If using
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