CUISINE
Sugar, Spice and Everything Nice
Pastry Chef Liz Kane of Cakes by Liz
By Lisa C. Belcastro
The holiday season is upon us. The joyous time of year that celebrates faith, family and food. I don’t know about you, but I love when family and faith are celebrated and enjoyed with great food. From Thanksgiving to Christmas to New Year’s, those of us who love to cook and enjoy eating the fruits of our efforts are in gastronomic heaven.
If you’re a holiday connoisseur, the weeks ahead are enhanced with the beauty of gift giving. Whatever your fancy, nothing says “I’m thinking of you” as sweetly as a gift made and baked by hand: chocolates and fudge, cookies and cupcakes, home-dried herbs and handcrafted oils, pies and breads, and the elaborate, edible centerpiece – the bûche de noël.
With all those baking opportunities, wouldn’t it be great to have an expert pastry chef on hand to provide you with endless ideas and tips? Liz Kane of Cakes by Liz is at our service. Liz grew up with a love for cooking, pastries in particular. She took cooking classes at her local girls’ club in the afternoon from elementary through high school. Her passion took her to culinary school at SUNY Cobleskill. Upon graduation she worked as a chef for six years for the Hyatt Corporation in Texas, where she won third place in the Dallas Food Show and then took home the Bronze at the American Culinary Federation Show.
From Texas, Liz moved to the five-diamond Phoenician Resort in Scottsdale, AZ. A few years later, Liz brought her pastry skills to the Harbor View Hotel in Edgartown. “I was there for three-and-a-half years. They had a great staff. It was very refreshing,” said Liz, who won Best in Show at the Boston Food Show while at the Harbor View.
When an opportunity arose, Liz decided to develop her own pastry business: Simply Decadent Cakes by Liz. For the last seven-teen years she has created one-of-a-kind masterpiece wedding cakes and delicious breads and desserts for Island residents and visitors. This month, she has agreed to share a few of her special recipes to help Vineyard Style’s gourmet gift givers create delicious presents for family and friends, as well as treasures for your own table.
How about a box of ginger snaps for your neighbors, Jackson Pollock cupcakes for your kid’s teachers, an apple pie or pumpkin caramel cheesecake for your BFFs and a bûche de noël for the hostess of Christmas dinner? If you’ve sampled one of Liz’s incredible cakes or her amazing pumpkin whoopee pies, then you’re as eager as I am to try her recipes.
Few spices scent the holiday kitchen as seasonally as ginger does. Gingerbread houses, ginger spice cake, gingerbread men and ginger snaps are as much a part of Christmas baking as candy canes are to the confectionary. Liz is revealing her mother-in-law’s famous recipe: Ev’s Ginger Snaps. The recipe allows you to make and bake, or freeze the dough to use at a later date as needed.
“They are very simple – powdered ginger and easy to make,” said Liz. “A great cookie, crunchy on the outside and chewy in the middle.”
(Confession time here, Liz emailed the ginger snap recipe while I was typing this article and I couldn’t resist whipping up a batch. OMGosh – they were gone within hours. We ate them for lunch – seriously! My suggestion: double the recipe so you have some to give away and some to snack on. Yes, they are that good!)
Admittedly, the pumpkin caramel cheesecake is the piece de resistance for me. Few desserts tempt me like cheesecake. Liz shared the secrets to the perfect cheesecake, “Always, always bake your cheesecake in a water bath. There is less chance of the top cracking in a water bath.”
A water bath is simple: wrap your spring-form pan in #tinfoil, then pour enough water into a roasting pan to bring the water level half-way up the side of your cheesecake pan – about an inch and a half. Use caution when removing the pan from the oven, as the water will be more than boiling hot!
Once you’ve made a water bath, Liz suggests patience is the next key to baking your cheesecake. “Cook it long enough – have patience. When it’s done, shut off the oven and leave the cheesecake in for ten to fifteen minutes. You don’t want to take it out too fast. Then remove if from the oven and let the cheesecake cool on top of the stove in the water bath.”
Where you don’t want to take the cheesecake out of the oven too quickly, Liz offers completely opposite advice for moist and yummy cupcakes. “My biggest trick,” she said, “is to take them out when they’re just a touch underdone. I insert a toothpick and look for crumbs, not wet, just a few crumbs. They’ll be moister, especially with chocolate cupcakes. Chocolate keeps baking.”
Decorating your Jackson Pollock cupcakes can be an experiment in fun and creativity. Don’t be timid, maybe invite your kids to join in the fun. Shave, shake and spray – they’ll look artsy no matter what you do.
The epitome of Christmas desserts is the bûche de noël. The cake is a labor of love, created in Europe decades ago to resemble the Yule log. Liz prefers the traditional version with French buttercream made with egg yolks. “Oh, Baby!” She exclaimed.
Oh, baby, indeed. The French buttercream takes a good hour to make, probably worth it but not practical for many people. To save VS readers an hour of time, Liz has created a simpler chocolate fudge icing. She will not, however, skimp on the yummy ganache, which is easy and the essential first layer to create chocolate heaven.
The bûche de noël is a chocolate lovers paradise. The first trick, though, is baking a light and springy sponge cake. First tip: “Do NOT over mix the batter,” said Liz.
Liz’s number one advice: “You have to have everything ready to go – the oven on and preheated, all your utensils ready, so as soon as you pour the sponge cake mixture into the baking pan, you can smooth it out and get it in the oven immediately.”
The remainder of the recipe is straightforward and fun – rolling and decorating as basic or as elaborately as you’d like.
Few desserts as are memorable or as delicious as the bûche de noel. We will be making one in my home on the 21st to bring to my mom’s. Whether you’re baking the bûche for your own Christmas centerpiece or as a gift for others, friends and family will marvel at your talents as their taste buds sing in delight.
If your holiday baking needs exceed your spare time or if you want great gift ideas for your business, visit Liz’s website: www.cakesbyliz.com. You can select from a tempting assortment of pies, breads, cakes, pastries, brownies and cookies. Cronig’s will also be selling her ginger spice cake as well as her Christmas cookies (good to know if you need something last minute).
APPLE PIE
Apple Filling
Ingredients
5 Granny Smith Apples, peeled and cored
¼ Cup Sugar
2 teaspoons Cinnamon
2 Tablespoons Flour
1 Tablespoon Cold Butter
Pie Crust
Ingredients
¼ Cup ice water, plus extra as needed
4 Tablespoons Sour Cream
2 ½ Cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
16 Tablespoons (2 sticks) unsalted Butter, cut into ¼ inch pieces and frozen for 10-15 minutes
Egg Wash
Ingredients
1 Egg, beaten
1 Tablespoon Milk
Method
1. Peel and core apples.
2. Cut apples in half, then slice each half into eight (8) slices.
3. Put apples in a medium bowl and toss with ¼ cup sugar, 2 teaspoons cinnamon and 2 tablespoons flour.
4. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
5. Mix ¼ cup ice water and sour cream together.
6. In a food processor, mix flour and salt together.
7. Scatter butter pieces over the top of flour mixture and pulse until butter pieces are about the size of peas (about 10 pulses).
8. Add half the sour cream mixture and pulse until mixed, about three pulses.
9. Repeat with second half of sour cream mixture. Pinch the dough with your fingers; if the dough feels dry and doesn’t hold together sprinkle 1 to 2 tablespoons more ice water over mixture and pulse just until the dough forms large clumps and no dry flour remains (3-5 pulses).
10. Divide dough into two even pieces. Turn each piece of dough onto a sheet of plastic wrap and flatten each into a disk. Wrap each piece tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for one hour. Remove dough from refrigerator. Roll the dough so you will have a half-inch (1/2”) overhang over your pie dish.
11. Spray your pie dish with non-stick spray and place crust into dish.
12. Make your egg wash – beating one egg and one tablespoon of milk. Brush some of the egg wash over the crust in your pie dish.
13. Fill the crust with your apple mixture.
14. Dot apple mixture with small pieces of your one tablespoon of butter.
15. Roll out second half of pie crust to a half inch large than pie dish.
16. Spread top crust over apple mixture.
17. Seal and crimp pie crust with your fingertips. Slit the top crust, about three one-inch center slits, to vent the pie while cooking.
18. Brush top of pie with egg wash. Sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar.
19. Bake pie for 15 minutes at 375 degrees. Lower oven temp to 350 degrees, then bake pie for another 45-60 minutes until crust is golden brown and apples are slightly soft.
If you’re a holiday connoisseur, the weeks ahead are enhanced with the beauty of gift giving. Whatever your fancy, nothing says “I’m thinking of you” as sweetly as a gift made and baked by hand: chocolates and fudge, cookies and cupcakes, home-dried herbs and handcrafted oils, pies and breads, and the elaborate, edible centerpiece – the bûche de noël.
With all those baking opportunities, wouldn’t it be great to have an expert pastry chef on hand to provide you with endless ideas and tips? Liz Kane of Cakes by Liz is at our service. Liz grew up with a love for cooking, pastries in particular. She took cooking classes at her local girls’ club in the afternoon from elementary through high school. Her passion took her to culinary school at SUNY Cobleskill. Upon graduation she worked as a chef for six years for the Hyatt Corporation in Texas, where she won third place in the Dallas Food Show and then took home the Bronze at the American Culinary Federation Show.
From Texas, Liz moved to the five-diamond Phoenician Resort in Scottsdale, AZ. A few years later, Liz brought her pastry skills to the Harbor View Hotel in Edgartown. “I was there for three-and-a-half years. They had a great staff. It was very refreshing,” said Liz, who won Best in Show at the Boston Food Show while at the Harbor View.
When an opportunity arose, Liz decided to develop her own pastry business: Simply Decadent Cakes by Liz. For the last seven-teen years she has created one-of-a-kind masterpiece wedding cakes and delicious breads and desserts for Island residents and visitors. This month, she has agreed to share a few of her special recipes to help Vineyard Style’s gourmet gift givers create delicious presents for family and friends, as well as treasures for your own table.
How about a box of ginger snaps for your neighbors, Jackson Pollock cupcakes for your kid’s teachers, an apple pie or pumpkin caramel cheesecake for your BFFs and a bûche de noël for the hostess of Christmas dinner? If you’ve sampled one of Liz’s incredible cakes or her amazing pumpkin whoopee pies, then you’re as eager as I am to try her recipes.
Few spices scent the holiday kitchen as seasonally as ginger does. Gingerbread houses, ginger spice cake, gingerbread men and ginger snaps are as much a part of Christmas baking as candy canes are to the confectionary. Liz is revealing her mother-in-law’s famous recipe: Ev’s Ginger Snaps. The recipe allows you to make and bake, or freeze the dough to use at a later date as needed.
“They are very simple – powdered ginger and easy to make,” said Liz. “A great cookie, crunchy on the outside and chewy in the middle.”
(Confession time here, Liz emailed the ginger snap recipe while I was typing this article and I couldn’t resist whipping up a batch. OMGosh – they were gone within hours. We ate them for lunch – seriously! My suggestion: double the recipe so you have some to give away and some to snack on. Yes, they are that good!)
Admittedly, the pumpkin caramel cheesecake is the piece de resistance for me. Few desserts tempt me like cheesecake. Liz shared the secrets to the perfect cheesecake, “Always, always bake your cheesecake in a water bath. There is less chance of the top cracking in a water bath.”
A water bath is simple: wrap your spring-form pan in #tinfoil, then pour enough water into a roasting pan to bring the water level half-way up the side of your cheesecake pan – about an inch and a half. Use caution when removing the pan from the oven, as the water will be more than boiling hot!
Once you’ve made a water bath, Liz suggests patience is the next key to baking your cheesecake. “Cook it long enough – have patience. When it’s done, shut off the oven and leave the cheesecake in for ten to fifteen minutes. You don’t want to take it out too fast. Then remove if from the oven and let the cheesecake cool on top of the stove in the water bath.”
Where you don’t want to take the cheesecake out of the oven too quickly, Liz offers completely opposite advice for moist and yummy cupcakes. “My biggest trick,” she said, “is to take them out when they’re just a touch underdone. I insert a toothpick and look for crumbs, not wet, just a few crumbs. They’ll be moister, especially with chocolate cupcakes. Chocolate keeps baking.”
Decorating your Jackson Pollock cupcakes can be an experiment in fun and creativity. Don’t be timid, maybe invite your kids to join in the fun. Shave, shake and spray – they’ll look artsy no matter what you do.
The epitome of Christmas desserts is the bûche de noël. The cake is a labor of love, created in Europe decades ago to resemble the Yule log. Liz prefers the traditional version with French buttercream made with egg yolks. “Oh, Baby!” She exclaimed.
Oh, baby, indeed. The French buttercream takes a good hour to make, probably worth it but not practical for many people. To save VS readers an hour of time, Liz has created a simpler chocolate fudge icing. She will not, however, skimp on the yummy ganache, which is easy and the essential first layer to create chocolate heaven.
The bûche de noël is a chocolate lovers paradise. The first trick, though, is baking a light and springy sponge cake. First tip: “Do NOT over mix the batter,” said Liz.
Liz’s number one advice: “You have to have everything ready to go – the oven on and preheated, all your utensils ready, so as soon as you pour the sponge cake mixture into the baking pan, you can smooth it out and get it in the oven immediately.”
The remainder of the recipe is straightforward and fun – rolling and decorating as basic or as elaborately as you’d like.
Few desserts as are memorable or as delicious as the bûche de noel. We will be making one in my home on the 21st to bring to my mom’s. Whether you’re baking the bûche for your own Christmas centerpiece or as a gift for others, friends and family will marvel at your talents as their taste buds sing in delight.
If your holiday baking needs exceed your spare time or if you want great gift ideas for your business, visit Liz’s website: www.cakesbyliz.com. You can select from a tempting assortment of pies, breads, cakes, pastries, brownies and cookies. Cronig’s will also be selling her ginger spice cake as well as her Christmas cookies (good to know if you need something last minute).
APPLE PIE
Apple Filling
Ingredients
5 Granny Smith Apples, peeled and cored
¼ Cup Sugar
2 teaspoons Cinnamon
2 Tablespoons Flour
1 Tablespoon Cold Butter
Pie Crust
Ingredients
¼ Cup ice water, plus extra as needed
4 Tablespoons Sour Cream
2 ½ Cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
16 Tablespoons (2 sticks) unsalted Butter, cut into ¼ inch pieces and frozen for 10-15 minutes
Egg Wash
Ingredients
1 Egg, beaten
1 Tablespoon Milk
Method
1. Peel and core apples.
2. Cut apples in half, then slice each half into eight (8) slices.
3. Put apples in a medium bowl and toss with ¼ cup sugar, 2 teaspoons cinnamon and 2 tablespoons flour.
4. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
5. Mix ¼ cup ice water and sour cream together.
6. In a food processor, mix flour and salt together.
7. Scatter butter pieces over the top of flour mixture and pulse until butter pieces are about the size of peas (about 10 pulses).
8. Add half the sour cream mixture and pulse until mixed, about three pulses.
9. Repeat with second half of sour cream mixture. Pinch the dough with your fingers; if the dough feels dry and doesn’t hold together sprinkle 1 to 2 tablespoons more ice water over mixture and pulse just until the dough forms large clumps and no dry flour remains (3-5 pulses).
10. Divide dough into two even pieces. Turn each piece of dough onto a sheet of plastic wrap and flatten each into a disk. Wrap each piece tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for one hour. Remove dough from refrigerator. Roll the dough so you will have a half-inch (1/2”) overhang over your pie dish.
11. Spray your pie dish with non-stick spray and place crust into dish.
12. Make your egg wash – beating one egg and one tablespoon of milk. Brush some of the egg wash over the crust in your pie dish.
13. Fill the crust with your apple mixture.
14. Dot apple mixture with small pieces of your one tablespoon of butter.
15. Roll out second half of pie crust to a half inch large than pie dish.
16. Spread top crust over apple mixture.
17. Seal and crimp pie crust with your fingertips. Slit the top crust, about three one-inch center slits, to vent the pie while cooking.
18. Brush top of pie with egg wash. Sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar.
19. Bake pie for 15 minutes at 375 degrees. Lower oven temp to 350 degrees, then bake pie for another 45-60 minutes until crust is golden brown and apples are slightly soft.