American Baker in Germany

 I wanted to make a steampunk cake using only buttercream and no fondant. I started out making black, purple and gold buttercream.  I put the buttercream in piping bags. The purple buttercream with a Russian piping tip that will make a rose. The black buttercream with a petal tip and the gold buttercream with a small round tip. I frosted a 6-inch cake dummy with black buttercream. I piped a ruffle on the bottom of the cake with the black and a swag ruffle as well. Then I piped a couple of lines around the edge of the cake. I piped a bunch of purple roses on top of the cake and a few on the side. Then I piped some "cogs" on top of the cake which totally ended up looking like some sort of deformed 2D flowers with the gold buttercream and decorative squigles on the side of the cake. I piped some bows with the gold on the side of the cake. Finally, I piped a line of gold along the bottom of the cake.   I love how this cake turned out. It's gorgeous and spooky and definitely b...

 These muffins were made for my daughter's back to school day. What is more back to school than apples? These are also great for kids, because we use maple syrup instead of sugar, so it has a lot less sugar than most muffin recipes. Apple Muffins: 2 cups (250g) flour 1 tsp baking powder 1 tsp baking soda 2 tsp cinnamon 1/2 tsp cloves 1/2 tsp salt 2 eggs 3/4 cup (180g) applesauce 2/3 cup (160mL) maple syrup 1/3 cup (70mL) oil 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract or 1 1/2 tbsp vanilla sugar 2 cup (210g) shredded apples 3/4 cup (90g) chopped pecans or walnuts (optional) 1 tbsp coarse sugar to sprinkle on top Stir together applesauce, maple syrup and oil.  In a large bowl, whisk together dry ingredients.  Stir in eggs, applesauce mixture, and vanilla.  Fold in apples and nuts.  Spoon batter into lined cupcake tin.  Sprinkle with coarse sugar.  Bake at 375°F or 190°C for about 20 minutes or until toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Watch me make these ...

 This is a classic milk gelatin dessert, which literally translates to "white food". Blancmange: 3 heaping tbsp gelatin 3-4 tbsp water 2 tbsp (20g) corn starch 2 1/3 cups (600mL) milk 2 lemon peels, cut in large pieces 3/4 cup (150g) sugar Oil a gelatin mold or small bowls and set aside.  Mix the gelatine with the water and set aside at least 5 minutes to allow the gelatin to bloom.  Mix cornstarch and 3-4 tbsp of cold milk and pour into a saucepan.  Add the remaining milk, lemon peel and sugar and bring to a boil.  Lower heat and simmer for 8-10 minutes. Stir gelatin into the warm milk mixture to dissolve. Set aside to cool for 5 minutes. Fish out lemon peel and discard, you can pour the mixture through a strainer if you are worried about lemon seeds or other debris.  Pour the mixture into prepared gelatine mold and put in fridge to set overnight.  Turn onto a plate. If the blancmange won't come out of the form, tease the edges with a rubber spatula o...