Vintage Kitchen Vixen

baking

Classic Genoise Sponge Cake Recipe (only 4 ingredients!)

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A classic genoise sponge cake is made with four simple ingredients: flour, sugar, eggs, and butter. Ready for a French pastry lesson?

classic genoise sponge cake cooling down

WHAT DOES GENOISE MEAN?

If you didn’t know, this classic genoise sponge cake is a favourite when it comes to French pastry.

For example, genoise sponge makes the base for many beloved cakes, like the fraisier (a strawberry layer cake with marzipan, mousseline cream, and hints of kirsch).

Around the holidays, it’s rolled up to make bûches de noël (yule logs), which means it’s great for making jelly rolls, too.

Despite its widespread use in French pastry, its origins are Italian.

Named after Genoa, the sixth-largest city in Italy, we can now see where the name comes from.

Genoise = Genoese/Genovese.

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Understanding Eggs: Behind the Ingredients

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There is a lot of freedom in knowing how key ingredients work the way they do. Leave the guesswork behind in the first of this Behind the Ingredients series where we dive into learning about the humble egg.

Photo by Natalie Rhea Riggs on Unsplash

THE HUMBLE, YET MIGHTY EGG

Almost all of us have eaten eggs at some point in our lives and many of us reach for the egg carton first thing in the morning. Apart from making bacon and eggs, why is it that eggs are called for in so many recipes? What is it about eggs that keep us hungry for more?

Well, for one, eggs are a complete protein checking off all the essential amino acids. Eggs also have a number of B vitamins, vitamin E, iron, minerals, and other nutrients you can easily look up online. They’re nutritious, they keep us full, and they’re relatively inexpensive.

We don’t usually think about these things when we fry, scramble, or poach these edible gems. They’re humble in that they’re depended on, yet overlooked. When’s the last time you’ve been grateful for eggs? During rationing in WWII, eggs were a precious commodity and unless folks kept their own chickens, dried egg powder took the forefront. Gross. Indeed, eggs are humble, but they’re also mighty.

RELATED: Sauerkraut and Bacon Quiche

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10 Baking Tools Every Baker Needs

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Are you an aspiring baker, or know someone who is?  Here’s a quick list of 10 baking tools every baker needs to get the job done as functionally as possible.

10 tools every baker needs intro picture

THE 10 BAKING TOOLS VIDEO

If you prefer watching to reading, here’s the video to go with this post. If you like what you see, I hope you’ll subscribe to my YouTube channel!

This post may contain affiliate links, meaning that if you choose to purchase something after clicking on one of the links in this post, I may earn a small commission at no additional cost to you.

WHY ONLY 10 BAKING TOOLS?

When it comes to baking (or any industry, really), there are all kinds of doodads that crop up on the scene. These items promise to make your life easier, but then you use them once and they hog up space, only to resurface after an afternoon of reading Marie Kondo. We’re going back to basics here. Together, we’ll go over the 10 baking tools that will help you get the job done. There’s no fluff here, only function. And we’re talking baking here, not decorating, not bread making, just baking in general.

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Sesame Naan Bread: A Cast Iron Skillet Recipe

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It’s time to pull out the cast iron skillet and learn how to whip up a batch of this sesame naan bread. It’s the perfect accompaniment for those winter soups and curries! 

holding a plate of sesame naan bread

CAST IRON SKILLET SESAME NAAN BREAD

If you’ve never had naan before, it’s kind of like pita bread that’s found in many Eastern cuisines.

When I think of naan, Indian is the first cuisine that comes to mind, but it’s one of many.

Traditionally, naan is baked in a tandoor oven, but since I don’t have one of those in my kitchen, I always turn to my trusty cast-iron skillet whenever I’m making a batch. This is also the case when I make flour tortillas and breakfast biscuits, so naan bread is a natural fit.

If you’re new to the world of cast iron cooking, you might want to read up on how to use cast-iron cookware, but if you know your way around cast iron, please, continue. Of course.

It’s also possible to use whatever pan you wish, but I hope you give cast iron a shot!

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How to Make Madeleines: a Classic French Recipe

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Madeleines are delightful buttery little cakes with endless flavour possibilities. Learn how to make these classic treats to go with your cup of coffee or to share with a friend.

plate of madeleines

MADELEINES IN THE TRANSPORTER

Madeleines may have never come across my radar until later in life had I not watched The Transporter back in 2010.

This post may contain affiliate links, meaning that if you choose to purchase something after clicking on one of the links in this post, I may earn a small commission at no additional cost to you.

This action-packed Jason Statham film includes a scene involving these buttery little cakes that are baked in special seashell moulds.

Ever since then, I’ve been obsessed, much to my husband’s (Big Papa’s) confusion. He doesn’t understand how I can be over the moon with something so simple.

That’s what I love about them though.

There’s beauty in simplicity, and often, I find, the simplest recipes are the most delicious. By the way, here’s that Transporter scene I’m talking about:

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Easy Fall Puff Pastry Apple Turnovers Two Ways

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When the cricket song gets louder and the first apples are ripe for picking, it’s time to make these early fall apple turnovers. Learn how to make these easy puff pastry turnovers and two different, yet delicious autumn fillings.

rhubarb ginger early fall apple turnovers
Rhubarb Ginger Apple Turnovers

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APPLE TURNOVERS FOR WHEN AUTUMN TUGS AT YOUR HEART

Few things get me as excited as the change in seasons.

Whether it’s the first dusting of snow; the budding trees in spring; or the heady fragrance of lilac; the transition into autumn has its own magic.

It’s when the garden is bursting with good things to eat and preserve.

Dusk comes earlier, the grasshoppers fly, and the crickets give their last encore.

When the calendar flips open to September and school is back in session, the apple orchards start opening for business.

The time has come to get cozy.

The candles come out, the tea kettle sees more action, and you have a yearning to bake.

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