Sarah Kieffer – FoodWatcher

Easy One-Layer Chocolate Afternoon Cake

chocolate cake cut into slices, in round pan

Why I Love Single Layer Cakes Over the past year or so I have found myself gravitating towards single layer cakes (vs the traditional double). Don’t get me wrong, I do like a towering layer cake in all its glory (for instance, my favorite birthday cake or this chocolate cake with espresso buttercream), but the single layer cake feels very different: it doesn’t need fancy piping or flowers to grace a table, it’s much easier to eat, and there is a better frosting to cake ratio. You can also put it out in the afternoon and it is perfectly acceptable. Instead of hearing, “why did you make a giant birthday cake on a Tuesday afternoon for no reason?” friends and family will say, “Oh! A little piece of this afternoon snacking cake is just what I needed after this very long day.” (If you need a similar snacking cake for a crowd, I have my Minnesota Chocolate Sheet Cake, too.) What Makes This Cake so Fudgy & Moist This particular cake is inspired by several other chocolate cake recipes I make. All the usual cake ingredient suspects are there: sugar, flour, eggs, cocoa powder, vanilla, and oil, but what makes […]

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Double Apple Scones

apple scones with glaze on parchment pape

I make scones for every possible occasion and in every possible flavor (like pumpkin, panettone, ginger chocolate, and sprinkle) and I especially love them around the holidays, as the can be shaped ahead of time and frozen, then pulled out and baked as needed. These apple scones are no exception, and they bake up flaky and tender. How I Make My Scones I have made many scones over the years, and have finally settled on this buttery scone base, with crème fraîche and an extra egg yolk for rich flavor and a tenderness, and gently folded layers to keep the scones flaky. This scone recipe includes folding the dough over several times to create multiple flaky layers. I take advantage of the folds: I spread a thin layer of apple butter across the surface and sprinkled the top with apples gently steamed in apple cider. The apple butter boosted flavor and helped the apples adhere, and the scones baked up tall and lofty. A drizzle of icing to the scones while still warm helps keep the scones stay tender for hours after baking. Baking with Apples Apples take a long time to break down during baking, so often I like to […]

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Flaky Puff Pastry Apple Turnovers

puff pastry apple turnovers on parchment

I am a big fan of anything apple in the Fall months, and while I love something elaborate like my Apple Morning Buns and Apple Pull-Apart Bread, a flaky apple turnover might be number one on my list of favorites. This recipe does involve a few steps, but it comes together easily. The turnovers can also be assembled ahead of time and frozen for up to two weeks, which comes in handy for crisp Autumn Sunday mornings. Storebought vs. Homemade Puff Pastry: I prefer to use my homemade Rough Puff Pastry for these turnovers; the dough is rich and flaky, and I always have some ready to go in my freezer. However, you can make these with store-bought puff pastry and they will still turn out well. If you are going to use store-bought puff pastry, use a brand that uses butter instead of oil if possible. The Apple Turnover Filling The filling here is based it on the Apple Flip recipe from my cookbook, 100 Morning Treats. I spend a few minutes cooking the apples until they are just tender, creating a quick “pie filling” which insures that the turnovers will have perfectly cooked apples in their centers. I […]

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Straight-Up Yellow Snacking Cake

yellow snacking cake on marble backround

My children are the reason for this cake: Both prefer a plain, unfrosted, single-layer yellow cake over any other kind – their ideal after-school snack. And after tasting this cake, warm to the touch with just a simple dusting of confectioners’ sugar, I have to say that they make a compelling argument (although I’m not ready to totally give up buttercream just yet). This recipe comes from my new book 100 Afternoon Sweets which is on sale today! The afternoon holds a sweet spot for me in many ways: working long afternoon and evening hours at coffeehouses as both a barista and a baker, and setting up camp in those same spaces studying, getting lost in good conversation, discovering new music, and enjoying iced lattes and something sweet. The afternoon can also hold a short space of solitude and stillness, and while I can’t find it every day, the days I can, I cherish. This book is a celebration of of those stolen moments, alone, or shared; the brief minute (or two) of taking a breath, drinking that last cup of coffee, and enjoying a sweet treat. As with many printed books, it is impossible to find them free of […]

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Scotcharoo Blondie Bars

I am sharing today another new recipe from 100 Afternoon Sweets! This might just be my favorite recipe from the new book. I do know that my family is addicted to them, and I fear you will be, too. They combine the perfect crunch and peanut butter flavor of a Scotcharoo bar with the gooey, brown-sugary goodness of a blondie bar. (Also: Minneapolis friends! Join me at the LynHall to celebrate the launch of 100 Afternoon Sweets on October 3rd!) What are Scotcharoos? Scotcharoos are essentially an over-the-top Rice Krispy bar: instead of marshmallows, the crispy base is filled with butter, peanut butter, and butterscotch, and then topped with a thick layer of chocolate. Rumor has it that the recipe first appeared on a Rice Krispies box in the 1960’s, and they are still a midwest classic. They showed up at many a pot luck in my youth, and most the coffee houses I worked at sold them in thick squares. Inspiration for Scotcharoo Blondies While I do have a recipe for straight-up Scotcharoos in 100 Cookies, I wanted to take them a step further. I was inspired by Dominque Ansel’s caramelized puffed rice; in his book Everyone Can Bake […]

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Minnesota Sheet Cake

Minnesota has found itself in the news this past week and a half, as our very own governor is now on the campaign trail. I thought it might be fitting to post a recipe from my next book, 100 Afternoon Sweets (signed copies are now available), in honor of all the local and national press: Minnesota Sheet Cake. Sheet Cake Inspiration This cake is inspired by the famous Texas sheet cake – a large, thin chocolate cake covered in icing and often toasted pecans. I found that most recipes for the Texas version had only a small amount of cocoa in the cake, which wasn’t enough chocolate for me, and the icing that graced the the thin cake was often too sweet. My Midwestern sensibilities needed a more substantial dose of chocolate, so I set to work on a cake that would satisfy both my taste buds and any pot luck table I were to set it on. Extra cocoa powder and a hot cup of coffee in the cake base did the trick, but then, even more chocolate (in the form of ganache) poured over the warm cake truly made this a winner. Pecans, or black walnuts, if you […]

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Flaky Raspberry Scones

Over the years I have made hundreds upon hundreds of scones, and have slowly evolved my working recipe. I have settled on a buttery scone, with crème fraiche and an extra egg yolk for rich flavor and a tender base, and gently folded layers to keep the scones flaky. However, as much as I love adding fresh fruit to my dough, especially in these summer months, the extra juice can sometimes cause problems when baking.

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White Sprinkle Cake

This is a joyful little cake, bursting with color. It is an obvious choice for a birthday, of course, but also is a perfect cake for other occasions as well: back-to-school afternoons, Easter gatherings, or, just because on a summer day. What Makes A Delicious White Cake This cake uses the reverse creaming method, where butter is introduced to the dry ingredients instead of initially creamed with the sugars. I prefer the texture of this type of cake over butter and sugar creamed cakes; it isn’t quite as fluffy, and has a very fine crumb that is even throughout. The top also doesn’t dome as much as a regular creamed cake, which I prefer for frosting purposes. I use this method for both yellow and white cakes. This cake freezes well (unfrosted) and the layers can be wrapped separately in plastic wrap and frozen for up to 2 weeks. Notable Ingredients for White Sprinkle Cake: More Cake Recipes:

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Un-Chocolate Chip Cookies

chewy chocolate chipless cookies on parchment paper

Recipes for cookies without chocolate chips are nothing new, of course, but when I posted a picture of my “un”-chocolate chip cookie on Instagram two weeks ago I had quite a few people asking for the recipe, so I thought a blog post was in order. While I personally love a warm pan-banging chocolate chip cookie, I have found that cookies without chocolate are also just as tasty. And, with a good friend who hates chocolate (what?) and another friend allergic to chocolate, I wanted something I could quickly make that would keep everyone happy and safe. What Makes this Chocolate Chipless Cookie Recipe Different This cookie is my Chocolate Chip Cookie 2.0 recipe with a few small changes. Since the chocolate is omitted, I do chill the dough in the freezer for 20 minutes; I’ve found that this helps the cookie not to spread and keeps its cute round shape. Increasing the oven temperature to 400F [200C] helped the cookies turn golden brown on top and bottom, and also helped them crisp beautifully. And sprinkling the flaky salt on the tops of the cookies before baking vs after brought out more flavor without tasting overwhelmingly salty. I also really like dark brown […]

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Flaky Homemade Croissant Twists

I love my Foolproof Cheater Croissant Dough and use it for many applications (including these Apple Morning Buns), but I have to say that these fried Croissant Twists are insanely good, and may be my new favorite thing to make with it. Frying anything is not my favorite past time, but the process was worth it. These twists are simple to form (especially if you have some croissant dough already made and stashed in your freezer), and the fry up rich, flaky and light. I loved them with a simple glaze, which added some sweetness and kept the middles tender. Each bite reminded me of a cross between a croissant and an old-fashioned doughnut, which is a perfect mash-up in my mind. I am imaging a rhubarb-glazed version as soon as my stalks are ready to pick. Important Tips for Making This Recipe Make sure your kitchen isn’t too hot! This will affect how your dough rolls out. The yeast will began to release gas as the dough warms up, so a cool environment is important. If at any point your butter begins to melt or your dough begins to warm and stick to your work space, you can move the […]

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