Buttermilk scones

There's nothing better than sitting inside in front of a warm oven baking away on these days when the sun finally decides to pop out and the weather is finally warm enough to go out without a coat. Well, you know what I mean. Outside, no matter how warm it is, is still a whole lot better when you have something deliciously home-made waiting for you to get hungry.

Scones are one of those things that are ALWAYS waiting for you to get even the slightest bit of a craving. They will stare at you until you eat them. Behold: a recipe for evil buttermilk scones!

Buttermilk scones
12 large/24 small scones

280 grams flour (2 1/4 cup)
2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
125 grams butter, cold
175 ml buttermilk
150 grams raisins (optional)
Jam, cream & tea (optional)

1. Sift all the dry ingredients together.
2. Cube the butter and use a fork to 'press' it into the dry ingredients until you get a thick crumble.
3. Add the buttermilk and mix it in until you have a sticky dough. Stir in the raisins at this point to add a bit of sweetness to the scones.
4. Line an oven tray with a baking sheet and drop the batter into scones of the desired size, making sure to leave enough space for the scones to rise.
5. Bake the scones in a preheated over of 200 degrees Celsius or 390 degrees Fahrenheit for about 12-15 minutes.
6.  Enjoy the scones with jam and cream and a lovely cup of tea!

You know, sometimes I'm surprised by how fast things disappear after I've baked them. There are times when I swear I've made enough to last at least three days and it's all gone the very same day I make it. And then there are times in which I make something and no one actually touches it after the first slice. These scones fell in the first category. I always think of scones as a tad bit dry, but everyone just seemed to dump them in butter and jam and munch them away. Next time I need to make a secret stack for myself.

Look at what I found on my baking sheet! Isn't it lovely?
If you're not a fan of scones or buttermilk, I have an amazing solution for you: the dutch version of scones. They're called 'kwarkbollen' and they are absolutely amazing. If you totally love scones then that's all the more reason to try out this recipe as well. It's like a slightly sweeter and more moist version of scones.

Herb salt

I'll be honest with you: I barely ever cook. I enjoy baking sweet things a lot more. Yet I ALWAYS use salt when I cook. Now I know the importance of salt, I won't stop using it either. Still I can get bored of salt. Whether it's table salt or coarse sea salt: at some point it's all just salt, so I like to add flavored salts to my food occasionally. I bought my mom a big jar of Parmesan Cheese & Basil salt a while ago. I remember we had rosemary salt at some point and salt with peppers along with some other flavored salts I can't remember. In stores I'll get stuck at the shelf with flavored salts and consider buying them all, but doesn't everyone?

There's one thing better than buying all different kinds of flavor salts in cute jars and that is making it yourself! And the one thing that can top that is making your own herb salt, putting it into cute jars and giving it away to friends, so you can show off  be nice!

Herb salt
Makes 1/2 cup - adapted from Allrecipes

1/4 cup coarse salt
handful fresh parsley (10 grams)
1/4 cup fine salt
 
1. Take a food processor (or mini chopper) and dump the parsley with the coarse salt in there. Make sure the parsley is not wet, so if you want to wash the herbs make sure to dab them dry with tissues. Pulse the food processor several times until you have a finer green salt, which looks like the end result but a tiny bit darker.
2. Add the fine salt to the food processor and pulse another time or two until it's mixed with the rest.
3. Leave to dry on a plate for an hour or so. 
4. Put it in a cute small jar and use it over salads, sandwiches, pastas, chicken and anywhere else you'd use salt.

Of course don't forget to try out all the other herbs. Rosemary and salt is a wonderful combination. Basil would be perfect as well. You can add 2-4 spoons of grated Parmesan cheese for the Parmesan Cheese & Basil salt combination. Or add a spoonful of pepper for a bit of extra spice. Really all you have to do once you have the salt is go into a grocery store and let your imagination run wild while you stare at herbs.

 
Another thing I have to add: keep the expiry date in mind. Although salt is a well-known preservative and it will keep your fresh herbs fine for quite a while, you're still working with fresh herbs. My jars of herb salt haven't lived long enough to see their expiry date, but I can confidently tell you you can keep your herb salt for several weeks. Perhaps the herb will dry out in the jar and you'll be able to keep it for a year or more.

Enjoy your new salty addition to the kitchen! In case you're intrigued by the third bowl on the picture: right next to the sea salt and the herb salt there's a delicious spice rub I will be posting soon.

Why do sweets need salt?

'Salt shouldn't be there.' Ever since the first time I started baking I've been convinced salt didn't belong in the ingredient lists of cakes, cupcakes, pies and all the other sweet things. It just sounded so wrong I would omit it altogether. But with that I've committed a crime over and over again. Surely there were times I'd reluctantly throw in the required salt and surely it's never tasted bad. But why on earth do sweets need salt?

To answer that question I searched my cookbooks and the Internet. Although I just can't find the exact how's and why, I've discovered salt enhances the texture and flavor of baked goods.

Salt is texture
Salt is essential in bread making. It controls the rising process in breads by slowing down the yeast's action. This slows down the rising process of the bread so it won't rise too much and collapse again. Instead, the bread will rise in a controlled and even way. Basically, we owe the fluffy feel of breads to salt. Also, by controlling the yeast and interacting with the flour, salt strengthens the gluten. Salt lines up gluten fibers and helps them hold more water so the dough becomes more elastic and the baked bread won't fall apart.
In sweet bakes there is a similar effect: by interacting with the flour and leavening agents, salt controls the rising process of cakes and helps creates a stronger and tighter crumb.

Salt is taste
Salt is essential in baked goods for the effect it has on flavor. Salt accentuates and enhances flavors. In sweet baked goods especially, salt provides balance. It contrasts with the sugar, giving your sweets an edge, which makes them taste so good.
Another reason to use salt in baking is it's absorbing properties. Salt absorbs water, oils and fats. Thus ridding our cakes, breads and other bakes from the oily taste and feel. This absorbent property of salt also enhances the texture of baked goods by binding the ingredients together.

Can you go wrong without salt?
Well, yes. I just explained that salt enhances both the texture and the taste of your baked good. Salt is considered essential to the recipes and chemistry of baking. Yet, still it is possible to make bread without salt altogether. My mom swears she's never used any salt in her breads and there's even a famous Tuscan saltless bread. The same goes for any other baked goods really. You might find a cake that doesn't require salt, or salted butter, and I've tried it enough times to be sure it can work. So if there is any reason you want to omit the salt, for instance for a diet, go right ahead. Just remember the taste and texture will be different from the original recipe. You will also be getting rid of the natural preservative, so your breads or cakes will go stale more quickly.

Can you go wrong with salt?
The same way salt enhances the texture and taste of your cakes it can destroy them completely. Adding too much will result inhibit the rising process and result in a very tough and dry texture. The crust of the bread of cake will harden quickly and become a very dark colour. So yes, at a certain point you can go wrong by adding salt. Just follow the recipe's instructions and you shouldn't have any problems.

Which salt to use?
There are at least as many types of salt as there are oceans. There are table salts, sea salts, salts with additives and all come in various sizes. For baking you want a finer salt. A finer salt can incorporate better into the batter, rather than stick around in big chunks. This way it can do it's chemical effect on taste and texture effectively and will also prevent any 'salty bites'. Only when using salt as a topping a coarse grain will do better. The coarser grains will give a more sophisticated and prettier feeling than a fine salt as a topping. Salt as a topping gives breads a glossy and crunchy top.

My References:
Bread by Christine Ingram and Jennie Shapter
Joy the Baker - What's the best salt for baking?
Culinate - Kitchen Chemistry
Piece of Cake - Why salt is important in baking
Food Reference - Functions of salt in food

Schwarzwälder Kirschtorte

This classic chocolate and cherry cake originates from the Black Forest of Germany (or somewhere in Switzerland). The idea to make it came from my grandma on the other side of The Netherlands. The recipe was composed of bits of America, the Internet and the wide open spaces of my Imagination. Which brings us all the way to my humble kitchen in the middle of Holland, where this cake was made...

... and then back to the internet, all the way to your home and -hopefully- into your kitchen. It's amazing how cool you can make things sound if you play with the words. But maybe it's all in my head.
Now back to the cake: it's chocolate, it's cherries and a whole lot of whipped cream. Also, it should include some alcohol named Kirschwasser, but assuming you don't have this either, we'll skip the essential part.

Chocolate cake
Ingredients:
115 grams butter
115 grams flour
50 grams cacao powder
1 teaspoon baking powder
6 eggs
200 grams sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1. Melt the butter over low heat. You can leave it to melt while you continue the next steps, just remember to turn the heat off as soon as the butter has melted.
2. Sift the flour, cacao and baking powder together three times. Set aside.
3. Whisk the eggs with the sugar until thick. *
4. Add the vanilla and whisk until incorporated.
5. Add the dry ingredients in a few batches and fold carefully into the egg-fluff.
6. Lastly, fold in the butter.
7. Bake for around 25-30 minutes in a preheated oven of 180 degrees Celsius or 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

* I have to add a note on this step. The original recipe specifies the eggs and sugar to be beaten over a pan with hot water. I tried this and my eggs failed to become fluffy even after 10 minutes, so I took them off the hot water, whisked them until thick and put them back on again for a few minutes. If you're unfamiliar with the process of whisking eggs above hot water, I suggest scratching the heat as well. From what I've seen this technique is only used to melt the sugar anyway and doesn't affect the fluffiness or recipe significantly.

 

Whipped cream
Ingredients: 
1 package (7 grams) vanilla sugar
500 ml whipping cream
2-6 spoons sugar
1-2 spoons agar-agar or gelatin powder

1. If you're planning on keeping the cake for at least 2 days and outside the fridge, or outside the fridge on a very hot summer, then use the gelatin or agar-agar. You can skip this step otherwise. Add 1 spoon hot water to the agar-agar or gelatin powder and set aside.
2. Whip the cream with a mixer until almost stiff, preferably on low speed.
3. Add the sugars and agar-agar/gelatin and whip until the cream is just stiff and peaks will stay in place. Don't over-beat or the whipping cream will form lumps! If this does happen, you can add more cream and whisk again.

Schwarzwälder Kirschtorte (Black Forest cake)
Ingredients: 
1 chocolate cake
Whipping cream
2 cans Cherry pie filling (430 grams each)
Chocolate shavings (think 1 chocolate bar)
Additional cherries for decoration

1. Cut the cake in 3 layers. If you choose more or less layers, you will have to adjust the other ingredients accordingly!
Optional: sprinkle the layers with Kirschwasser or cherryjuice for the original Schwarzwalder Kirsch feel!
2. Place the bottom cake layer on a cake board or plate. Fill a pastry bag with the whipped cream and create a circle of whipped cream around the edge of the cake. This will form a barrier to prevent the cherry filling from spilling out.
3. Now add the cherry filling!
4. Put the second layer of chocolate cake on top and repeat steps 2 and 3.
5. Place the last layer of chocolate cake on top and cover the whole cake in whipped cream.
6. Pipe whipped cream roses onto the cake, before you start adding the chocolate savings to the middle and the sides of the cake. (I went wrong here and my cream roses actually fell off the cake when I tilted the slices.)

And there you have it! So much post for just one recipe. Do keep it mind that this is my version of a Schwarzwälder Kirschtorte. Considering I didn't use Kirschwasser, used an American (non-sponge) version of a chocolate cake and filled and decorated in a way I thought looked like a Black Forest cake, yes, it might not be anything like the original. But it's like the German classic is a bit closer to home now.
A lot of thanks to my grandma who gave me the opportunity to make this cake for her birthday! I would never have thought of it otherwise.