Microwave Baking, Does It Work?

Microwaves, for home use, became popular from the 1970s to the 1980s.  At that time, they were large, bulky, heavy, and cooking food properly was hit or miss.  Nowadays, they seem to be a standard in every residential home, apartment, business office, and fast-food chains.  They have become more compact, easier to carry, take up less room on the counter, and definitely more efficient.

Back in, oh around 1989, I purchased a microwave cooking set put out by Tupperware. It was stackable bowls in which a complete meal, including dessert, could be cooked around the same time as your favorite sitcom show.  Unfortunately, unless the included cookbook was used, making other types of recipes was again, hit or miss.  After a while, the set was boxed up, placed on a shelf and forgotten about.  Oh, I still have it, as you never know when the gas range will go kaput, and eating out is, also, not an option.

 

 

How do microwaves cook food exactly?  According to a 1999 article, by Scientific American, and I quote, “"A microwave oven cooks food because the water molecules inside it absorb the microwave radiation and thereby heat up and heat the surrounding food. The microwaves cause water molecules to vibrate; the increased friction between the molecules results in heat.”  Basically, after getting those molecules a rocking and rolling, the food, or recipe ingredients, cook from the inside outward.  That is why, sometimes, the center will be fully done, or even well done, while the food closer to the container sides is not completely cooked.

Often, I have seen recipes regarding baking cake in a microwave, mainly inside a ceramic mug.  In fact, you can purchase a kit, of pre-measured ingredients, mix in the mug, microwave, and “wallah!”, dessert.  Maybe I am microwave challenged, but these kits did not work for me; usually ended up with a gooey, inedible mess.

So, when I recently found a recipe, to bake an entire chocolate cake, in a microwave, I was intrigued, but hesitant.  Why?  I have been working so hard to learn “bake from scratch” which, in turn, has been teaching me patience.  What if this recipe fails?  Will it set me back in acquired baking skills, and lead to frustration instead of patience?  These, and other questions, would be answered, same bat time, same bat channel…if you do not get the reference, we certainly cannot be friends.

Ovens cook/bake using Fahrenheit, or Celsius (metric) units which is basically temperature increase or decrease, under standard atmospheric pressure.  Microwaves, however, work using wattage which is electrical energy transferred over time.  While ovens are standardized, microwaves are not; cooking speed increases dependent on the power (wattage) of the microwave.  So, when using a microwave-based recipe, results will not be the same if using a wattage different from what the recipe states, if it states one at all, and most do not.

 

Back to the chocolate cake; the list of ingredients, and directions, were simple, so decided to give it a try.  The author did not list what size microwave used, so my baking time actually doubled from the time indicated.  Other than that, the cake itself came out moist, not too dense, and pretty tasty by itself.  Of course, after adding on the frosting, it was even better.

Happily, my baking skills were not challenged, nor diminished, and my learning of patience continued.

Does microwave baking work?  Trial and error, and patience, will give the answer.

 

 

 

5-Minute Chocolate Cake

(Youtube Channel - Emma’s Goodies)

Ingredients:

1½ cups all-purpose flour

⅔ cup unsweetened cocoa powder

¾ cup granulated sugar

3 tsp. baking powder

½ cup + 1 Tbsp. oil or melted butter

1¾ cup + 2 Tbsp. warm water

Method

Prepare your dish (microwave-safe container, around 9- to 10-inches in size) by lining with parchment paper, then greasing and lightly flouring the inside.

Sift together the flour, cocoa, and baking powder in a bowl.

Stir in the sugar (I used a combination of brown and white sugar for more flavor).

Add the oil followed by the water and combine using a whisk.

Pour into your prepared dish and microwave 5 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.

Chocolate Icing

Ingredients:

1-ounce square unsweetened chocolate

1 Tbsp. shortening

1 cup powdered sugar, sifted

½ tsp. vanilla

Method

In a small saucepan melt chocolate and shortening over low heat, stirring constantly. Remove from heat; stir in powdered sugar and vanilla. Add boiling water to make a spreadable consistency.

Mary Cokenour

 

A Misadventure in Chocolate.

Going through some older Gourmet magazines, I found a recipe from Ghirardelli for their Individual Chocolate Lava Cakes and wanted to try it out. I had all the ingredients; but only needed to purchase another set of custard cups (safe for oven use) as I only had a set of 4 and the recipe made 6 cakes.
Now mind you, I'm not a big fan of baking from scratch; all that measuring and calculating, but I was up for giving it a go. It was chocolate, so how wrong could that be, right? I followed the directions, made the chocolate that would go in the center of the cake and waited the two hours recommended. Then it was time to make the batter and assemble in the cups; easy peasy. Only problem is that, even tempering in the oven before hand, my metal tray decided to warp, so the cups couldn't sit on it. I ended up balancing the cups on the oven's metal rack; the oval cups I had had no problem; the round ones kept me on my toes to make sure they stayed up straight.

After 15 minutes I moved the cups to a rack on the counter for 5 minutes of cooling. I could see the cakes begin pulling from the sides of the cups as they cooled, so was happy no knife was required to help remove them.

I inverted one cup over a dessert plate, the cake easily came out.  The chocolate smell was incredible!!!

I sliced the single cake open expecting to see molten chocolate ooze out; and what did I see? Cake; super moist, decadently rich cake, but no melted chocolate center. The melted chocolate had been absorbed into the cake batter as it baked and gave me...cake!

Maybe it was just this one, so I tried another only to find the same result. To the computer I ran to read up on molten lava cakes; some recipes had higher temperatures and less bake time; some had higher temperatures with more baking time. Many recipes incorporated the melted chocolate into the batter and baked them at the same temperature and timing as I had done. Cooking forums were a little more helpful than straight recipes; the conclusion was to use the same temperature, but lower the baking time to 10 minutes instead of 15. Ovens are all different and I guess mine baked quicker which resulted in the chocolate ball melting and then being absorbed into the batter.

So alas, my family and I had to bite the cake bullet with a whipped cream topping and sliced strawberry. Oh the agony of defeat never tasted so deliciously sweet.

...and here is the recipe and directions from Ghirardelli:

Individual Chocolate Lava Cakes

Ingredients:

1 1/2 60% Cacao Bittersweet Chocolate Baking Bars
2 eggs
1/4 cup heavy cream
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter
2 egg yolks
1/3 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup cake flour

Directions:

To make centers, melt 2 ounces of chocolate (1/2 a baking bar) and cream in double boiler. Whisk gently to blend. Refrigerate about 2 hours or until firm. Form into 6 balls; refrigerate until needed.

To make cake, heat oven to 400°F. Spray six 4-ounce ramekins or custard cups with cooking spray. Melt 4 ounces of chocolate (1 baking bar) and butter in double boiler; whisk gently to blend. With an electric mixer, whisk eggs, yolks, sugar, and vanilla on high speed about 5 minutes or until thick and light. Fold melted chocolate mixture and flour into egg mixture just until combined. Spoon cake batter into ramekins. Place a chocolate ball in the middle of each ramekin.

Bake about 15 minutes or until cake is firm to the touch. Let it sit out of the oven for about 5 minutes. Run a small, sharp knife around inside of each ramekin, place a plate on top, invert and remove ramekin. Garnish with raspberries and a dollop of whipped cream.

Makes 6.

Mary Cokenour

Moab Grill New to Moab.

Moab Grill

540 South Main (next to Big Horn Lodge)
Moab, Utah, 84535

(435) 259-4848

Website: N/A


The former location of Smithy's Golden Steakhouse is now occupied by the Moab Grill. Open daily from 6am to 10pm, this new restaurant offers an extensive breakfast, lunch and dinner menu; comfort food diner meets grill with fine flavor. Acting as consultants for the Grill are Scott and Alexa Laws, the former owners of the Lamplight Restaurant of Monticello, Utah.


Three of us went there for dinner (specials featured every night), were greeted immediately by the hostess, seated and introduced to our waiter, John. We started off the meal with Roasted Potato Skins appetizer; sadly, it was a disappointing start to our meal. While there was a definite taste of potato and green onion, the flavors of bacon and cheese were completely lost. Not even the addition of salt and sour cream gave any improvement to this appetizer.


Meals come with a choice of cup of soup, side salad or fries. On Fridays, New England Clam Chowder is the soup of the day. While nicely seasoned, loaded with clams and potatoes, the soup itself was very thin. Alexa, however, noticed this quickly and remarked that it was thicker and that the cook must have thinned it out. She was going to make sure it was done properly from now on. My husband's side salad was larger than the usual side salads in most restaurants; leafy greens with slices of red onion and tomato; very fresh tasting.



The Buffalo Ribeye was perfectly cooked and well seasoned; the yam came with a delicious cinnamon butter which was absolutely delicious also with the side of Texas Toast. The macaroni and cheese was gooey with several cheeses, however needed a little more salt and some black pepper for flavoring.



The Roast Turkey platter was thinly sliced REAL roasted turkey, not that cold cut mess many restaurants serve. The gravy was rich with turkey flavor, mashed potatoes creamy and smooth and the Mexicali corn was a vibrant touch.



The Patty Melt is a classic with a medium cooked burger, grilled onions, Swiss cheese on Texas Toast. The side chosen was thick, skin on, fries, just crisped on the outside and deliciously fluffy on the inside.



Although we were comfortable after our meal, we could not resist taking home a slice of Alexa's Chocolate Cake. $8.95 might sound pricey, but the slice of cake is huge, equaling two slices anywhere else. Alexa's cake is the same that she was famous for at the Lamplight; and if you're looking for a cake for a special occasion, or just to splurge on, consider getting one of these.

We would definitely give Moab Grill another go; especially breakfast where we have heard they make a killer French Toast coated with crushed frosted flakes. With the Laws as consultants, and if the owners seriously listen to them, this could become one of the bright spots in Moab.

Mary Cokenour

Bacon - it's "what's for dessert?"

Bacon, whether it is flavored with maple or honey, seasoned with hickory or apple wood, bacon is yummy goodness and ups the anty on taste for anything it is included in, even dessert. That's right, I said bacon for dessert; even I had my doubts about trying out dessert recipes with bacon in it, but I had to try nonetheless. I'd seen bacon cupcakes on a few shows featured on Food Network, and one of the ladies at a local bank told me about a site that had a recipe for candied bacon. Well I couldn't remember the name she had given me, so decided to search the net for recipes, and I cannot believe how many hundreds of bacon dessert recipes I found. Which one to choose was a total mystery, so I printed out a few, compared notes, and came up with my own concoctions.

Now Roy was not happy about the whole experiment thing at all...bacon is bacon and shouldn't be made into candy or cake. He still doesn't like the idea of it all, but he did have to agree that my recipes came out pretty well, and he was impressed at my accomplishment. I likened the taste to French toast in syrup, but without the bread; and it was the perfect garnish for the cupcakes.

Candied Bacon

Ingredients:

1 lb regular bacon
½ cup sugar
1 Tbsp vanilla extract
1 Tbsp ground cinnamon

Preparation:

In a large nonstick skillet, on high heat, cook the bacon until it is browned, but still flexible; drain on paper towels.

Drain grease from skillet, set heat on low; place bacon, in one layer, into skillet. First sprinkle sugar over the bacon, then the vanilla and finally the cinnamon. Let the bacon cook for 10 minutes before turning over and let cook an additional 5 minutes.

Remove the bacon to a wire rack (paper towels under the rack to catch drippings) and let it air cool for 30 minutes before snacking on, or using for garnish on baked goods.

Alternative: instead of ground cinnamon, use ½ Tbsp of ground chipotle powder

Then came the cupcakes, the fat from the bacon gives the cake a moister and richer consistency. The meat of the bacon does cook during the baking process, and it is like a little chewy surprise within the cake...think bacon gummy bear. There is not an overpowering taste of bacon, you know it's there, but it all comes together well.

Chocolate Bacon Cupcakes

Ingredients:

1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
¼ tsp baking soda
2 tsp baking powder
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/8 tsp salt
3 Tbsp unsalted butter, softened
1 ½ cups sugar
6 egg yolks
1 cup milk
½ lb regular uncooked bacon, chopped

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 350F; line muffin tins with paper liners.

In a large bowl, sift together flour, baking soda and powder, cocoa powder and salt; set aside.

In another bowl, cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy; beat in the egg yolks one at a time. Mix in half the dry ingredients with half the milk; when well incorporated, repeat with remaining dry ingredients and milk.

Add in the bacon and mix well with spoon, not mixer. Fill each paper liner 2/3 with the batter; bake for 20-25 minutes; check for doneness by inserting toothpick in center; cupcakes are done if it comes out clean. Let cupcakes cool before removing from tins and frosting.

Makes 16 cupcakes.

Alternative: divide batter in half between 2-8 inch cake pans which were sprayed with nonstick baking spray. Bake time will be the same as for the cupcakes.

Topping: Vanilla frosting works best with a garnish of candied bacon.

Vanilla Frosting

Ingredients:

1/3 cup unsalted butter, softened
3 ½ cups confectioners’ sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 Tbsp cold milk

Preparation:

In a large bowl, beat the butter and sugar together until fluffy; add in extract and milk, continue to beat until smooth and spreadable.

Makes enough for 12 - 16 cupcakes depending upon how much is spread on each cupcake. To make enough to cover the top, sides and in-between 2-8 inch cakes, double the recipe.

Mary Cokenour

Leave the Lamplight on in the Four Corners Area.

Lamplight Restaurant and Catering

597 E. Center Street

Monticello, UT, 84535

(435) 587-2170

Website:  http://www.lamplightdining.com/ and  http://www.facebook.com/lamplightrestaurant1

Located just on the outskirts of the City of Monticello, Utah on Route 191, this restaurant might be medium sized, but is large on atmosphere, service and good food.  Scott and Alexa Laws have a classy place, but make sure to give everyone that hometown good feeling.  Scott is owner and chef, Alexa is head wait staff and their children all help out with the restaurant maintenance duties from service to bussing tables.  These are all around good people, and they make your dining experience pleasant.

Sadly, the restaurant has been put up for sale, due to personal reasons, and while we hope the sale never goes through; we certainly understand the reasoning.  Until a buyer takes interest though, the Lamplight will remain open for business. 

Upon entering the restaurant, one of the Laws children will greet and seat you; Alexa comes to the table, all smiles and menu in hand.  The menu is new for the season and while there are still some old favorites, they’ve added many new items.  We decided though to have a couple of old favorites: Alfredo with Chicken and the BBQ Ribs and Chicken Combo.  While I had the salad bar as my side; hubby chose salad bar, cole slaw and mashed potatoes with pepper gravy.

The salad bar is not huge, but still has a nice selection of two types of lettuce (iceberg and mixed greens), fruit, vegetables, cheeses and mixed salads such as crab, macaroni and potato.

The Alfredo with Chicken had angel hair pasta (light and delicate) with a creamy, cheesy, garlicky sauce; the chicken was grilled perfectly – deep grilled flavoring and moist chicken. While the pasta was angelic, the sauce was certainly sinful – a perfect combination of texture and flavor.

The Rib and Chicken Combo was covered in a rich, spicy and tangy barbecue sauce; and if you weren’t covered to your elbows in it, you weren’t eating the meal right. The ribs are very tender and melt in the mouth; the chicken was juicy and also tender; mashed potatoes are homemade and covered in rich brown pepper gravy.

Though we were too full to eat dessert there, we did take home a portion of their fabulous Chocolate Cake – three layers of deep, dark, moist cake with delicious filling and frosting; certainly a treat to die for.

Rolls with butter are also served with the meals; the meal portions are large, so expect to be carted out in a wheel barrel if you manage to eat it all; or take some home. We needed to take half our meals home, but enjoyed them for lunch the following day…still just as yummy. Considering the size and quality of the portions; their pricing is reasonable.

Staying in or traveling through Monticello, Utah, make the Lamplight Restaurant a meal stop whether it’s for breakfast, lunch or dinner.

Mary Cokenour

UPDATE:November 2011 - The Lamplight Restaurant has officially closed; the restaurant is for sale and has an attached home. The owners, Scott and Alexa Laws, will be sorely missed in Monticello, as will their excellent restaurant.

Don't drink it....eat it!

It's not unusual to find out that some type of alcoholic beverage might be used in a recipe.   Whether it is baked, cooked, roasted or fried; the alcohol burns off, but the flavor remains which is what you were trying to achieve.

On Feb 17, 2011, I posted my recipe for Coffee Kisses, and while strong coffee can give you the flavor you need; I have found that using Kahlua makes these cookies taste twice as good.  Now using rum in coffee cake or fruitcake is not unusual, but what about an entire cocktail?   Back in the 1970's, my mom's friend Frances would make this awesomely moist and delicious cake called "Harvey Wallbanger Cake", and it was named after a popular cocktail.  When the cocktail itself was invented is a slight mystery as claims go from the 1940's to the 1970's, and the story is that a man had some guests over, but an under stocked bar.  So, he just threw what he had together and came up with a sweet alcoholic drink that everyone couldn't get enough of.  One guy in particular, named Harvey, got so drunk on this cocktail that he started to bang his head on the wall; hence the name "Harvey Wallbanger".  Guess this could be considered an urban legend of sorts.

The Harvey Wallbanger Cocktail

Ingredients:

1 oz. vodka
4 oz orange juice
1/2 oz Galliano

Preparation:

Pour vodka and orange juice into a collins glass filled with ice cubes and stir. Float galliano on top by pouring slowly over a teaspoon turned bottom-side up.

For your eating pleasure however, I give to you the recipe for Harvey Wallbanger Cake.

Harvey Wallbanger Cake

Based upon a popular cocktail of the 1970’s; the origin of this recipe is unknown, and has been passed on from friend to friend for years.

Ingredients:

1 box yellow cake mix  

1 box (3 oz) instant vanilla pudding

 ¼ cup Galliano

¼ cup vodka

4 eggs

1 cup canola oil

¾ cup orange juice

Glaze:

1 cup confectioner’s sugar

1 Tbsp Galliano

1 Tbsp orange juice

1 tsp vodka

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 350 F.   Spray a Bundt pan with nonstick baking spray (contains flour).

In a large mixing bowl, mix together for 3 minutes, on medium speed, the cake mix, pudding, liquors, eggs, oil and orange juice.   Pour batter evenly into the pan.  Bake for 45-50 minutes; a toothpick will come out of the center cleanly.  Let cake cool for 10 minutes before removing from pan.

To prepare the glaze, mix together the sugar, liquors and orange juice until smooth and creamy.  Drizzle over the still slightly warm cake; let it reach room temperature before serving.

Makes 10-12 servings.

Mary Cokenour

Happy Birthday Kaiya!!!

Yesterday we celebrated the 14th birthday of Kaiya, my friend Heidi's daughter, down at Fattboyz Grillin. It was a small gathering of family, parental friends and Kaiya's friends; and everyone had a good time talking, eating and just enjoying the afternoon together. Kaiya is a lovely young lady, and the happiness and pride she gives her mom was quite evident upon Heidi's face. Kudos go to Heidi's hubby Sean too for being a good stepdad, keeping all the little kids corralled, and the lighting of the birthday candles without setting the place on fire.

Our meal at Fattboyz consisted of a barbeque sandwich with two sides, and soft drink; all awesome as per usual.  Heidi and I both made cakes for the occasion, and everyone seemed quite pleased with them.  I have to admit that the cake I made was from scratch, and it actually gave me nightmares for several nights in a row.  I plotzed over screwing it all up, but everyone seemed to enjoy it, so I must have done well. 

The cake was huge, and it was compared to one of the Red Rock formations in our area.  It consisted of three tiers, two single layers and one double layer; chocolate pudding sat in the middle of the bottom double layer and single middle layer; a layer of mini-marshmallows sat between the middle and top layers.  There were two types of frosting, first a vanilla buttercream, and after refrigerating the cake, I covered it with a vanilla whipped cream frosting.  Sprinkled cocoa powder went over the tops and sides; a sprinkle of chopped Andes candies and a few Oreo cream cookies finished off the topping.  Roy made a banner which I attached with wooden skewers.

So, Happy Birthday Kaiya, may you have many, many, many more, and always be happy and healthy.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Here's the cake and frosting recipe, but for the vanilla frosting, I used vanilla powder instead of the cocoa powder.

Chocolate Cake with Buttercream Frosting

Ingredients:

Cake Batter:

1 ½ cups flour

3 Tbsp baking cocoa powder

2 tsp baking powder

1 cup sugar

2 tsp chocolate syrup

¾ cup milk

¾ cup melted butter

2 eggs

Frosting:

12 Tbsp butter, softened

3 cups confectioner’s sugar

½ cup baking cocoa powder

2 tsp vanilla extract

4 Tbsp room temperature milk

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 350F.  Cut out two circles of parchment paper that fit within two 8” cake pans; spray cake pans with nonstick baking spray; line bottom with paper circles.

In a large bowl, sift flour and mix in cocoa, baking powder and sugar.  In second bowl, beat together syrup, milk, butter and eggs; do not get mixture frothy by over beating.  Pour wet ingredients into bowl of dry ingredients; mix on medium speed till smooth.  Pour half of batter into each cake pan.

Bake for 35-40 minutes; until toothpick inserted in center of cake comes out cleanly.  Let cakes cool before flipping out of pans; remove parchment paper before frosting cakes.

While cakes are baking, make the frosting; cream together the butter and sugar; add cocoa, vanilla extract and milk; mix until smooth, but do not over mix.  Cover bowl with plastic wrap and allow to firm up; frost cakes after they have cooled.  There will be enough frosting to frost the tops and sides of both cakes; stack cakes on top of one another; total height should be about 3 inches with frosting.

Makes 12 servings.

Mary Cokenour