Maple and Vanilla Bean Salted Caramels

I am thoroughly convinced that vanilla pods are one of the most amazing ingredients to have when you're in the kitchen. Slicing a delicate pod open and scraping out the fragrant seeds is strangely therapeutic, and the results are phenomenal. Adding the seeds to a cupcake batter or to a batch of salted caramels elevate the elegance and flavor of your homemade goodies. I mean, look at the little flecks of vanilla bean throughout these sticky sweet maple squares of deliciousness! 

I made these caramels a couple weeks ago as a birthday gift, and I regretted it instantly. Not making the caramels, but giving them away. They are that good. You won't be disappointed! I need to stop looking at the pictures now...

Maple and Vanilla Bean Salted Caramels
Makes about 60 caramels

1 cup heavy cream
5 tbsp unsalted butter, cut into cubes
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp maple extract
1 vanilla pod, split lengthwise and seeds scraped
1 tsp salt, I used sea salt
1/2 cup pure maple syrup
1 cup sugar
3 tbsp light corn syrup
1/4 cup water
Sea salt for sprinkling

Butter or line and butter an 8 inch square baking pan. Set aside.

Combine the cream, butter, extracts, vanilla pod and seeds and salt into a small saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat then remove from the heat and set aside.

In a large saucepan, whisk together the maple syrup, sugar, corn syrup and water. Bring the mixture to a boil over a medium heat. Continue to boil, swirling the pot occasionally, until the mixture turns a dark amber color (about 5-10 minutes). 

Next, remove the vanilla pod from the cream mixture. Carefully stir in the still warm cream mixture into the caramel. Stir it constantly as it will bubble up! Reduce the heat to low and continue to simmer until the caramel reaches between 240º-245º on a candy thermometer. It can take around 30 minutes. Immediately remove from the heat and pour into the prepared pan. Let cool for 30 minutes then sprinkle with sea salt. Continue to cool at room temperature for at least 3-4 hours before cutting into 1 inch squares and wrapping in squares of parchment. Yummy yummy!

Gorgeous Garlic Bread

Garlic bread would definitely be part of my last meal. Honestly, I don't think there is any better combination than garlic and carbs. Garlic mashed potatoes, garlic pasta, garlic rice... I could go on and on and on about my love of garlic and carbs. Maybe it's the Italian in me... who am I kidding? Garlic bread is just delicious!

I have a few requirements for the perfect garlic bread:

1. It has to taste of garlic. Not just looking for buttered toast!

2. A crisp crust. Not chewy, not rock hard.

3. A light and fluffy middle. No dense bread for me please!

This is my recipe for an easy, go-to garlic bread that is such a crowd pleaser. All you need to do is make the garlic butter, put it on the bread and whack it in the oven! So simple. The garlic butter can even be made in advance! But don't let it sit around too long, you will end up slathering it on everything and having none left for your delicious garlic bread!

Gorgeous Garlic Bread
Serves 6

1 baguette
1 stick butter, softened
1 head of garlic, roasted and flesh removed
1/3 cup fresh herbs, reserving some for sprinkling (parsley and basil are favorites)
1 tsp dried oregano
Salt and pepper to taste
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper (optional)
1 tbsp grated parmesan, plus more for sprinkling (optional)

Preheat the oven to 400ºF. 

Slice the baguette 'hasselback style'. Slice 1/2 inch thick slices almost all the way through the baguette, but stop before the slices separate. The whole baguette should be held together by the bottom crust. Place baguette on a baking tray.

Put the butter into a small mixing bowl. If it is not soft enough to mix, heat in the microwave for 10 second intervals until soft enough to mix by hand. Add the rest of the ingredients and mix thoroughly so all the seasonings are evenly distributed.

Spread the butter in between each slice of baguette, being careful not to tear them apart. Sprinkle with remaining parmesan and herbs. Pop into the oven for 10-15 minutes until the crust is crispy and the butter is melted into the bread.

Let cool for a few minutes before serving (I have a burnt tongue as the reason!). Enjoy!

Flourless Chocolate Cake

I wanted to make a nice meal for my fiance over the weekend. Some may say I make him lots of nice things already with all the recipe testing I do, but as I had been a bit of a nightmare the last few weeks I thought he deserved a bit of a treat. I could think of nothing better to end our date night meal than a luscious, rich, delicate and airy flourless chocolate cake.

I'm not normally a chocolate cake person. I'm a more creamy cheesecake or fruity pie person. But that doesn't mean a girl can't try, right? I've never attempted naked baking before (Ms Whisk speak for 'without flour') and I was really curious to see if it could really satisfy that cake craving. Let me tell you, no complaints here!

I love the way this cake rises like a souffle when baking and collapses onto itself when cooling. There is something so beautiful and elegant about a chocolate cake with a crisp crust that is scattered with a simple dusting of powdered sugar. This cake is moist and fudgy, yet light and airy at the same time. It tastes decadent but doesn't leave you wanting to unzip your jeans. The best of both worlds, and a perfect end to a date night.

Flourless Chocolate Cake

Serves 6-8

8 oz dark chocolate- 70% or more, chopped (or bittersweet chips)

6 tbsp unsalted butter

1 1/2 tsp espresso powder (optional, but highly recommended)

6 large eggs, separated into yolks and whites

1/2 cup sugar

Powdered sugar, for dusting

Whipped Cream for serving

Preheat the oven to 275ºF. Butter a 9" springform tin and set aside for the moment. 

Put the chocolate and butter into a microwave-safe bowl and microwave in increments of 20 seconds, stirring after each time, until melted and smooth. Let cool slightly.

Next, whisk in the egg yolks to the chocolate-butter mixture, making sure they are fully incorporated. Then, in a large mixing bowl beat the egg whites until soft peaks form. Begin to add the sugar a bit at a time, and continue beating until stiff, glossy peaks form.

Gently fold the egg whites into the chocolate mixture 1/4 at a time, until there are no pockets of egg white remaining. Be sure not to over mix or you will lose all the air you worked into those egg whites!

Pour the lovely, light batter into the prepared pan and smooth over the top with a rubber spatula. Place in the oven on a center rack, and bake for about 45-50 minutes until the cake is set in the center.

Let cool on a wire rack. Serve at room temperature or slightly chilled (my favorite way!). Serve with whipped cream and berries if you're feeling fancy! Enjoy!

Coconut Vanilla Bean Pound Cake

I love baking loaves of almost anything. Whether it be a savory onion bread or my famously spicy Pumpkin Gingerbread (recipe will come soon, if I can bear letting you in on my secret ingredient!) I love how easy it is to just pop the batter into a loaf tin, bake for 45 minutes or so, and smother with salty butter while still warm from the oven. So easy and so gratifying. 

I made this a few weeks ago when I was feeling a bit overwhelmed. I'm in the middle of planning a wedding 5,437 miles away from home (I live in London but am getting married in my hometown of Los Angeles, California). As the August date inches closer, I've noticed my patience waning and my overall demeanor becoming, well, meaner. I needed to relax. I needed to bake. I needed something delicious and comforting, yet still light and delicate enough as to not make me feel any worse! I needed vanilla. And coconut.

Coconut Vanilla Bean Pound Cake
Makes 1 loaf

4 1/2 oz butter, at room temperature
1 cup sugar
1/2 tsp salt
Seeds of 1 vanilla bean, scraped from the bean and reserved
2 whole eggs
2 egg yolks
1 1/2 cups flour
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/3 cup Greek yogurt (not non-fat)
1/2 cup shredded coconut

Preheat the oven to 325ºF. Butter a 9 x 5 loaf tin.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the butter with the sugar and salt. Add the vanilla seeds to the butter mixture, and beat until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, then the egg yolks, one at a time and scraping the bowl with a spatula after each addition.

Sift the flour and baking powder over the butter mixture. Fold a few times until barely combined. Add the coconut and the yogurt and fold in very gently until just combined.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake for 45 minutes to an hour, until a toothpick comes out clean from the center. Let stand in the pan on a wire rack for 5 minutes. Then, flip the loaf out of the tin and allow to cool completely on the wire rack.

Don't you just love the little flecks of dark vanilla bean and flakes of coconut? Delicious!