Real Baking with Rose Levy Beranbaum

Hi Rose, I'm writing from Bangladesh. Your site is one of the best & most informative & helpful that I've ever come across. I am an avid foodie, always scouring the internet for recipes, information and insight on food related topics.

Your suggestions for substitutions was excellent & people like us who want to make all these wonderful recipes using various dairy products that are mostly unavailable in most parts of the will now happily be able to indulge in the kitchen. Thanks a million.

Reply to this      Posted by: Zeenath a. Rahim | May 22, 2008 9:22 PM #

I have never found sour cream here in France, what is the best substitute? And for recipes asking for cream cheese, is that Philadelphia?

Reply to this      Posted by: Francisca | May 14, 2008 9:13 AM #

Thanks, Rozanne!

Reply to this      Posted by: Stacie | May 13, 2008 12:51 PM #

Stacie, Dr. Maya Angelou has a recipe for caramel cake in her book "Hallelujah". The recipe is on Martha Stewart's website. Here's a link if you are interested.

http://www.marthastewart.com/portal/site/mslo/menuitem.fc77a0dbc44dd1611e3bf410b5900aa0/?vgnextoid=28ee7af0f9bf5110VgnVCM1000003d370a0aRCRD&autonomy_kw=caramel%20cake&rsc=header_3

Reply to this      Posted by: Rozanne | May 13, 2008 12:07 PM #

Thanks, Rose! I can't wait to get my hands on that book!

Reply to this      Posted by: Stacie | May 13, 2008 10:08 AM #

Hi-
I'm wondering if anyone has developed a caramel cake. I'm after a cake that tastes like caramel, not a plain cake with caramel frosting on it.

If nobody has a recipe, can it be done by caramelizing the sugar for a cake recipe, and mixing using the creaming method? Or should I put some ready made soft caramel in with cake batter?

I'm willing to experiment, but thought I'd at least check with the experts first!

Reply to this      Posted by: Stacie | May 13, 2008 9:38 AM #

I am after a frosting recipe using mascarpone and/or cream cheese which will hold its shape for piping and not keel over. Any suggestions? Thanks

Reply to this      Posted by: Susan R. | April 22, 2008 10:35 AM #

Salma, as you've found, the ultra heat treated cream just doesn't sour properly and it doesn't whip as well, either.

Cool Whip isn't real cream at all, the ingredient list looks more like something out of a chemical factory. I don't recommend it!

If your "cream ii" is mostly something that really came out of a cow, it could be worth a try in making sour cream. I am betting it is a high-butterfat cream.

Your "cream iii" sounds best of all for home-made sour cream. Your description makes me think it may have a bit lower butterfat. That's just fine.

So, let's see. To make home-made sour cream that is pretty close to US commercial sour cream, first, you want a real cream that has roughly 20% butterfat. If you are using heavy whipping cream of around 35 to 40% butterfat, then mixing a half-cup of whole milk with a half-cup of heavy cream will work.

The next step is to make it sour so that the milk proteins "curdle" and thicken the cream. But if the milk or cream are ultra-pasteurized, or come from cows that are fed a lot of antibiotics, you are likely to have a problem with culturing it.

You can sour your mixture by adding an acid, like vinegar or lemon juice, but it probably won't get thick as cultured sour cream, and the flavor is not as good. You get the best results by adding the right sort of bacteria and letting them ferment for a while. They produce lactic acid to sour and curdle the cream, and also give a wonderful flavor.

Buttermilk works best to give the right bacteria, but if you don't have that, you could also try yogurt or kefir or another cultured milk product. The results might be a little different but they probably will still taste great. Be sure that your "starter" material has a "live culture," that is, it has NOT been heated to kill the bacteria once they're done with fermenting.

By the way, here in the US you can also buy dry "starter cultures" for buttermilk, yogurt and other milk products. They are in the form of a dry powder and will keep a long, long time if kept cold and dry. One brand name is Yogourmet. They are sold in health food stores and also by places that sell supplies for making your own cheese at home. I don't know if you can get anything like that where you are, but just thought I'd mention it.

I've found Rose's formula of one tablespoon of buttermilk to one cup of cream works well. The time it takes to thicken and ferment can vary a lot. It usually takes around 12 to 18 hours for me, but your results could be different!

Good luck -- home-made sour cream has a wonderful flavor, much nicer than store-bought! We usually use heavy cream (36% butterfat) and end up with the rich "creme fraiche" version, but I've also tried making the 20% butterfat kind and it's delicious too.

Reply to this      Posted by: Barbara A. | February 25, 2008 10:56 PM #

I LOVE Mascarpone straight out of the container, and the thought of making a cheesecake with it is tempting, but it costs me about $6 for 8 ounces, so I dont' think I'll be trying this any time soon.

Reply to this      Posted by: Patrincia | February 25, 2008 3:23 PM #

I've read about a good mascarpone substitute using cream cheese, whipping cream and butter. I know people mostly use it for Tiramisus, which doesn't require baking, but I was wondering if anyone tried using it in baked cheesecakes?

My personal experience was that "drops" of fat (which I could only imagine came from the butter) surfaced while the cheesecake was baking. I patted the drops lightly with a paper towel when the cheesecake was about done and discovered it left an oily mark on the paper towel. I have no idea how the cheesecake tasted like because I made it for a friend's party which I couldn't attend at the last minute. My friend never said anything the cheesecake's texture but I suspect she could just be polite about (or I'm paranoid :P) Can anybody who have used mascarpone substitute for baked cheesecakes tell me if there was any real difference in texture or density? Tiramisu makers who used the substitute say guests can't even begin to tell the difference!

Reply to this      Posted by: Sam B | February 25, 2008 4:07 AM #

Hi. There are so many amazing recipes that call for sour cream, but we don't get anything like that in Pakistan.

We do get three other types of cream:
i> (ultra?)pasteurized cream in tetrapacks. I think the fat content is 40ish%, but it doesnt whip well. I tried turning it into sour cream by adding homemade buttermilk, but it took longer than 48 hours to thicken, and turned rancid in the fridge before I could use it:(

ii> there's another kind we get in tetrapacks that they advertise for whipping. It holds its shape well, and is meant for frostings etc. Perhaps your Coolwhip is something similar?

iii> a local dairy sells this cream with a thin, runny consistency, which i assume is unpasteurized. When whipped, its great for icing sponges etc; we like its texture and taste better than the commercially manufactured whipping cream (my #ii), although if I pipe stars etc with it, they are far more fragile. Also, if you whip it too long, it starts turning into butter.

To return to my question, can i use any of these as a sour cream substitute, with some alterations if necessary? I want to use sour cream in chocolate cakes/brownies and cheesecakes, and am so into finding some workable substitute that my sister says she thinks I have OCD.

I read that adding vinegar to unpasteurized cream works well. Can this then be stored?

Also, we get natural yoghurt here. You suggested hanging that in cheesecloth to an Indian lady. Would that work in cheesecakes? The cheesecakes I make are creamcheese, sugar, eggs and essence, and while they taste pretty good to me, every recipe on the net incorporates sour cream, so I want to try it out.

I hope you've had the patience to read through my ravings. Please help before the SC question takes over my life!

Reply to this      Posted by: Salma | February 15, 2008 3:52 AM #

my mother made a chocolate sour cream cake with sour cream cooked fudge frosting. It was wonderful. She bought cream from a farmer, let it sour and used that in both the cake and the frosting. I found her recipe but I don't know if I should try it with commercial sour cream or buy whipping cream and let it sour; or would I be wasting time and ingredients because she used unpasteurized cream.

Reply to this      Posted by: margaret | December 21, 2007 7:03 PM #

Hi
This is in response to Tejal's query - she wanted to make cheesecakes & in India ,it is impossible to get cream cheese but the last time i was there there was a kind of cream cheese available caled "Malai Chaska "- may be she could try that - it may work tho the texture is not as good as Philadelphia cream cheese !I hope it is still available ?

Reply to this      Posted by: Sheeba Pillai | December 10, 2007 7:37 PM #

Thanks!

Reply to this      Posted by: Laura | November 21, 2007 9:28 PM #

Laura - I have almost the same recipe, only mine calls for cream cheese (which is way too delicous by the way). I bet the yogurt would work equally well.

Reply to this      Posted by: Patrincia | November 20, 2007 10:51 AM #

I have a recipe for a corn dish that contains whole kernel corn (1 can), creamed corn (1 can), corn muffin mix (an 8-oz box), melted butter (1 cup), 1 egg, and 1 cup of sour cream. Could I replace the sour cream with whole milk yoghurt? If so, would I have to adjust anything?

Reply to this      Posted by: Laura | November 19, 2007 8:51 PM #

Since we're on the subject of substitutions, I was thinking about substituting mascarpone for cream cheese in Rose's cream cheese icing recipe. Would this work?

Reply to this      Posted by: Merideth | October 26, 2007 8:48 PM #

no wonder you mastered all the science and art of chocolate cakes/frostings... you deserve that!

Reply to this      Posted by: nushera | October 17, 2007 8:49 PM #

Nushera - thanks for the details... I'll have to give your technique a try sometime!

Re squished cake - I don't seem to have this trouble with 8" or 9" layers, but 12" or 14" layer is quite a bit heavier.

Seems reasonable that you could substitute the bittersweet chocolate with milk chocolate in the Oblivion Truffle Torte (I love that recipe!), but the color and overall flavor would obviously be affected.

Btw, I know kids usually love milk chocolate, but I was one of those weird kids who always wanted the Hershey's "Special Dark" mini chocolate bars that nobody else ever wanted to eat. :)

Reply to this      Posted by: Patrincia | October 17, 2007 7:59 AM #

hi Patrincia- thanks for the details. i used a regular 9"x3" aluminium pan, lined the bottom with baking paper and lightly grease the sides. the choc oblvn trfl torte glued itself onto the cheesecake and under the torte-layer the cheesecake's texture was not at all affected by the high teperature needed for the torte. inverting the whole thing was sooo easy- just ran a sharp knife blade around the sides and put the pan on low-heat-burner for 10 seconds. it came out like creme caramel(btw- planning the same thing with a caramel-base like that)! i was a bit worried if the torte layer would be kind of pressed by the cheesecake when inverted; but to my surprise it was as soft as it should have been without the weight of the cheesecake on. perhaps the only thing i want to alter next time is increase the amount of sugar in the torte or use a sweeter chocolate(i used one with 50% cocoa mass)... my daughter loves milk chocolate... could you please suggest me if i can use milk chocolate in lieu of bittersweet in the choc oblivion truffle torte?

Reply to this      Posted by: nushera | October 16, 2007 11:27 PM #

More about biscuits: I've seen this tip in several cookbooks (one of them might even have been Rose's). "For light, fluffy biscuits, use a moist dough and a hot oven." Bill's recipe above sounds like it does both! It has worked for me, too. It's good advice for scones as well.
Using a "soft" (lower-protein) flour and a very light hand with the mixing are also really good tips, in my experience.

Reply to this      Posted by: Barbara | October 16, 2007 9:48 PM #

Laura:
Here's the biscuit recipe...I've had the best success with this one!
5 ounces unbleached all-purpose flour
4 ounces plain cake flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
8 tablespoons unsalted butter, chilled, cut into 1/4" cubes
3/4 cups cold buttermilk

Place rack in the middle position of the oven and preheat to 450 degrees
Place the flours, baking powder, baking soda, sugar and salt in a large bowl. Use two kinves or a plastry blender to cut the butter into the dry ingredients until the mixture resembles coarse meal with a few slightly larger butter lumps.Stir in the buttermilk with a rubber spatula until you get a soft, slightly sticky ball of dough. Transfer to a lightly floured surface and form into a ball, being careful not to overmix. Using a sharp knife, divide the dough into quarters, and then each quarter into thirds...giving twelve portions of dough. Quickly and gently shape each piece into a rough ball and place on an ungreased cookie sheet. (The dough is really too soft to cut with a biscuit cutter) (You can cover with plastic wrap at this point and keep in the fridge up to 2 hours).
Bake until the biscuit tops are light brown (10 to 12 minutes).

I always weigh my dry ingredients. There are charts in the Rose's books if you don't have a scale to weigh the flours.

Good luck...hope this helps.

Reply to this      Posted by: Bill | October 16, 2007 2:17 PM #

Oops, I forgot to mention I used a thin layer of ganache to "glue" the cake and cheesecake layers together. I used ganache to frost the finished cake too.

Reply to this      Posted by: Patrincia | October 16, 2007 9:07 AM #

Hi Nushera - I used chocolate butter cake. I baked the cheesecake without a crust (lined pan with parchment), chilled it well, removed the sides of the springform pan, placed a baked cake layer on top, flipped the whole thing over to remove the bottom of the pan (warm it with mini torch or hot towel), replaced pan bottom with a cake board, then flipped the whole thing back over again so that the cheesecake layer is on the bottom (because it's so heavy).

The cheesecake layer can go between two layers of cake if it's not so thick and heavy that it would smash the bottom layer. I supposed you could make the cheesecake with a coordinating layer if you wanted to. The cheesecake layer can also be baked in a standard cake pan of any size, but you have to watch the baking, and it's a little harder to removed from the pan.

Reply to this      Posted by: Patrincia | October 16, 2007 9:06 AM #

hi Patrincia- what type of cake did you choose? biscuit? did you remove the crust? how was the cutting?

Reply to this      Posted by: nushera | October 15, 2007 10:03 PM #

Hi Nushera - I have made something similar by simply stacking a layer of baked and chilled cheesecake (no crust) with a layer of baked cake (or between two layers of cake).

Reply to this      Posted by: Patrincia | October 15, 2007 11:47 AM #

Dear Rose and fellow bloggers- i just made the Cordon Rose Cheesecake in an experimental way: first put the cheesecake batter(halved the recipe) into the oven as required and in the meantime prepared half the batter for Choc Oblivion Truffle Torte. after 40 mins quickly poured the torte batter straight onto the wobbly cheesecake and set the oven temp at 500'f(so that it reaches 450'f sooner). then followed the instructions regarding temp and baking time. the inverted output looked tremendous!!! just imagine the heavenly cheesecake with a choc layer of eual height underneath... tried simple garnishing with pistachio-flakes(if soaked overnight the thinnest and freshest flakes can be made). i was sure it would be an exceptional hit in our Eid celebration, and it IS. Thank you Rose, for making our celebrations even sweeter! Eid Mubarak!!!

Reply to this      Posted by: nushera | October 15, 2007 2:04 AM #

Laura:
Hi. I don't have a computer at home (I have a tendency to fall into the black hole of the internet) and I forgot to bring the biscuit recipt to work today (Yes I work on sunday...AHHHHHHHHHH!) Sorry about that. I'll post the biscuit recipe later in the week.

Reply to this      Posted by: Bill | October 14, 2007 7:31 AM #

Laura:
I have had many problems with tough bicuits over the years. I have recently found a wonderful recipe and they are light and flaky. I will post the recipe as well as the source (don't remember which book I found it in) later in the weekend...hope it will be helpful. These are the best biscuits I've ever made (and I've tried many, many recipies)

Reply to this      Posted by: Bill | October 12, 2007 5:29 PM #

Laura - I don't know what kind of flour you are using, but you can really get tough biscuits from overworking the dough. I like a to use a recipe that contains heavy cream, and instead of rolling/cutting the biscuits out, I just dollop blobs of biscuit dough in a semi free-form fashion.

Reply to this      Posted by: Patrincia | October 11, 2007 10:01 AM #

Laura,
I suspect that your flour is probably what you should considered changing. Try using a mix of cake flour and all-purpose, or, if you can find it, a southern-style flour like White Lily--something with a lower protein content. You may also be over-mixing the dough. Those are two things which can cause biscuits to be hard and dense.

Reply to this      Posted by: Matthew | October 11, 2007 9:48 AM #

My biscuit dough for cobbler produces a a very flavorful but very hard and dense biscuit. My dough uses shortening, egg and milk in addition to the dry ingredients. What do you suggest I use to produce a softer baked biscuit? I'd read somewhere that milk can act as a softening agent - is that true? If so, should I increase the amount of milk in my dough?

Reply to this      Posted by: Laura | October 11, 2007 12:58 AM #

Well, I suppose it would work, but it has more of a cream cheese/heavy cream kind of texture and flavor. You could always make homemade Ricotta cheese from whole milk pretty easily, and I think you can make cottage cheese yourself too. You can find directions if you Google them.

Reply to this      Posted by: Patrincia | October 10, 2007 10:44 PM #

Im making lasagne and accidentally bought mascarpone instead of the ricotta cheese specified in the recipe. Is it ok to use it as a substitute?

Reply to this      Posted by: Caroline | October 10, 2007 10:12 PM #

Anisa - are you preparing a sweet