Mexican Chocolate Bundt Cake #Bundtbakers

When you want a little something that’s sweet and spicy, reach for this Mexican Chocolate Bundt Cake; it’s rich and spiced with cinnamon and cayenne pepper.

When you want a little something that's sweet and spicy, reach for this Mexican Chocolate Bundt Cake; it's rich and spiced with cinnamon and cayenne pepper. | ibakeheshoots.com

I can’t believe it’s that time again!

But it is! It’s time for another round from the lovely members of Bundtbakers. The wondrous Lauren of Sew You Think You Can Cook is our host this month. She has charged us with the task of creating a bundt recipe which contains the extremely versatile cinnamon. I love the warming effects that cinnamon brings to almost every recipe where it’s used. It’s especially fantastic in these fried cinnamon sugar tortillas.

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Baked Maple Bacon Donuts

Baked Maple Bacon Donuts: the complete breakfast by ibakeheshoots.com

Baked Maple Bacon Donuts! These are the donuts people have been talking about for ages. In fact, a buddy of mine asked me to join her at the Glazed Donut Cafe here in L.A.. I said I would once I realized they have a Brown Butter Maple Bacon Donut. I haven’t had a chance to get there yet, but let me tell you something…these bad boys will hold me until I do.

Baked Maple Bacon Donuts: the complete breakfast by ibakeheshoots.com

I have to admit, I was skeptical at first. I mean, I love me some bacon and I’ll never say “no” to a donut, but a baked maple bacon donut? I wasn’t too sure. It’s like putting two things together that have no business merging. Let me put it to you like this: cheeseburgers are fantastic and ice cream is to die for, but do you really want two scoops of meat-filled Rocky Road? I didn’t think so.

Baked Maple Bacon Donuts: the complete breakfast by ibakeheshoots.com

On the other hand, what have I got to lose? Worst comes to worst, I’m left with a pile of crispy bacon and six maple glazed donuts.

I think I’ll be alright.

 

Recipe for Baked Maple Glazed Donuts

Recipe for Cinnamon Donuts slightly adapted from Buns In My Oven

Recipe for Maple Glaze

3/4 c powdered sugar
1 T milk or water
1 T maple syrup

Put powdered sugar in a small bowl. Add maple syrup and milk and whisk to combine. Dip donuts in glaze or spoon over the top. Top donuts with crumbled or chopped bacon. Enjoy!

Baked Maple Bacon Donuts
 
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
 
Makes 6 donuts
Author:
Serves: 6
Ingredients
  • 1 c flour
  • ¼ c plus 2 T white sugar
  • 1 t baking powder
  • ¼ t ground nutmeg
  • ¼ t ground cinnamon
  • ½ t salt
  • ¼ c plus 2 T buttermilk
  • 1 egg, beaten
  • ½ t vanilla
  • 1½ t butter, melted
  • 4-5 strips of bacon, cooked
Instructions
  1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.
  2. Lightly grease donut pan.
  3. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, nutmeg, cinnamon, and salt.
  4. In a small bowl, stir together the buttermilk, egg, vanilla, and butter.
  5. Add the wet ingredients to the dry and stir with a wooden spoon until fully incorporated.
  6. Fill the donut pan and bake for 10 minutes or until lightly browned and cooked through.
  7. Remove from the oven and cool in the pan for a few minutes before transferring to a wire rack.
  8. Glaze and top with crumbled or chopped bacon.

 

 

French Toast Sausages & One New Year’s Resolution

Want to upgrade your boyfriend's breakfast in bed? Bring him French Toast Sausages dusted with powdered sugar | ibakeheshoots.comOh my goodness! The new year is here! Are you ready for it? I’m not sure if I am, but that is of no consequence. It’s here, so I better get it together.

Around this time everybody starts making resolutions for themselves and their families. I get it. You want to better yourself and your situation. Usually, I promise myself the same things: lose weight, better hair care(gotta keep my ‘fro tight), get myself organized, blah, blah, blah.

Things have changed this time around. This past year I’ve embarked upon an adventure called I bake he shoots and I couldn’t be more excited. It’s been a long time since I’ve felt the level of enthusiasm that I feel for the work that Dave and I have begun.

So this year…I’m making one New Year’s Resolution:

To fully commit myself to this project, this joint adventure, this endeavor. This year will be dedicated to great food + great photography.

…and better hair care. Seriously, I never kid about my ‘fro.

Alright…enough about ‘fros and revolutions resolutions. Let’s talk food. More importantly, breakfast.

The latest issue of Food Network Magazine has a beautiful cover of Christmas cookies, but inside you’ll find a nice spread dedicated to pigs in a blanket. But not any old pigs in a blanket…french toast sausages. What?

Want to upgrade your boyfriend's breakfast in bed? Bring him French Toast Sausages dusted with powdered sugar| ibakeheshoots.com

Normally, I’m not really into french toast. I’m a waffle girl. On occasion, I’m a buttermilk-pancakes-with-a-side-of-bacon girl, but when I saw those sausages wrapped up in french toast? I was a changed girl.

Now, I’m not gonna lie to you. These babies take a little bit of work. This isn’t a everyday recipe. I’d file this under special occasions, like the Breakfast in Bed category. Or, the Mother’s Day Brunch category. Or, the I’m-sorry-I-didn’t-pick-you-up-from-the-hospital category. Well, you might need to dig a little deeper for that one.

Want to upgrade your boyfriend's breakfast in bed? Bring him French Toast Sausages dusted with powdered sugar | ibakeheshoots.com

French Toast Sausages Recipe

Recipe adapted from Food Network Magazine

French Toast Sausages and One New Year's Resolution
 
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
 
Makes 14 french toast sausages
Author:
Serves: 4
Ingredients
  • 14 breakfast sausages links, about 14 ounces
  • 2 eggs
  • ¼ cup milk(I used vanilla almond milk)
  • 1 heaping T granulated sugar
  • ¼ t cinnamon
  • pinch of nutmeg
  • pinch of kosher salt
  • 7 slices of white sandwich bread
  • 4 T butter, divided
  • Maple syrup, for dipping
  • Powdered sugar, for dusting
Instructions
  1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F and line a baking sheet with foil.
  2. Arrange sausages on sheet and spray with Pam or oil.
  3. Bake for 10 min.
  4. If sausages aren't brown, broil for an additional 4-5 minutes.
  5. Remove from oven and set aside.
  6. Reduce oven temp. to 200 degrees F.
  7. Whisk eggs, milk, sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt in a small bowl.
  8. Pour into shallow pan, like a 9 x 9 baking pan.
  9. With Kitchen scissors, trim the crust from each slice of bread and cut in half, from top to bottom.
  10. Flatten each piece with your hand and starting with the short end roll around sausage.
  11. Press to seal and set in the egg mixture to soak for 5 minutes.
  12. Melt 2 T of butter in a non-stick pan over medium heat. When butter foams add 7 of the wrapped sausages and cook, turning occasionally, for 4-5 minutes.
  13. When golden brown on each side remove to a paper towel lined baking sheet and keep warm in the oven.
  14. Add the rest of the butter and repeat with the remaining wrapped sausages.
  15. Dust with powdered sugar and serve with maple syrup.

Note: I had a lot of egg mixture left over. You could double the amount of sausages and bread slices and dip them in the remaining egg mixture, but you’ll need an additional 4 T butter for frying.

Check out Dave’s photography technique at French Toast Sausages: Behind the Scenes

 

 

Jumbo Pumpkin Donut Muffins & the Summer I Got Canned

Jumbo Pumpkin Donut Muffins: a quick mufin recipe that will impress everyone at your breakfast table.

Once upon a time…

I got canned while on vacation. Yes, me. vacay. fired.

It was slightly embarrassing and perfectly understandable. You see, my boss was a troll.

Wait…that’s not fair. Perhaps, she was just a perfectionist? Nah, she was a troll.

At the time I was working at a bakery. I was super excited because finally, someone was paying me to do what I love. My neighbor, we’ll call her ‘Miss Good Intentions’ got me a job making pastries at a second bakery around the corner. I should’ve known it was a bad idea as she never had anything good to say about her boss; but I took the job anyway. I worked at the second bakery for three days. Here’s how it went.

Jumbo Pumpkin Donut Muffins: a quick mufin recipe that will impress everyone at your breakfast table.

Day 1

I met with the owner, a scary looking woman who looked like she desperately needed a bowl of soup and a nap. I kinda felt sorry for her. Little did I know she would soon can my ass so my sympathy was a bit misplaced. She showed me the recipes and how she wanted everything baked. No problem.

Day 2

After my 4 hr training session(Day 1), I was left to my own devices. I baked all the scones, muffins, cookies, etc. and plated them. It was ten minutes until opening and everything was ready, but wasn’t yet placed in the display case. Troll noticed and hit the roof. Queue the tongue-lashing I received with an audience. The cashier felt so bad for me she offered to make me a latte.

Day 3

With 20 ounces of Low Carb Monster in me I returned to the bakery energized and determined to please Troll. I kept to myself, focused on the tasks at hand and got everything baked and displayed under the wire. There was no praise from Troll she just hobbled over and gave me a new list of ‘things to prep’.

At the end of my shift she asked me to return the next weekend. I couldn’t as I planned to spend a week with my great friend Marsha, who was pregnant with her first child. I offered to come back the weekend after my return and Troll accepted.

Jumbo Pumpkin Donut Muffins: a quick mufin recipe that will impress everyone at your breakfast table.

The following week, whilst vacationing in Alabama, I got a call from the manager. She asked where I wanted my wages sent as my services were no longer needed.  There was no ‘wtf’ reaction from me; I wouldn’t give them the satisfaction. Politely, I answered her question and ended the conversation.

What upset me most is the fact that I never got to try their donut muffins. You see, the bakery was famous for them. Did I mention that Troll never let me try any of the baked goods? Good lord, Troll…have a heart!

Jumbo Pumpkin Donut Muffins and the Summer I Got Canned
 
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
 
Makes 6 Jumbo Muffins
Author:
Serves: 6
Ingredients
  • 1¾ c flour
  • ¾ c granulated sugar(originally ½ cup)
  • 2 t baking powder
  • ½ t baking soda (do not add if using milk)
  • ½ t salt
  • 1 t nutmeg
  • 1 t cinnamon
  • ⅓ c oil
  • 1 egg, large
  • ¾ c pumpkin puree
  • ½ c milk(I used buttermilk, hence the baking soda)
  • 1 t vanilla
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
  2. Spray jumbo muffin pan with baking spray or line with jumbo paper cups.
  3. Mix dry ingredients in a large bowl.
  4. Mix wet in a measuring cup or small bowl.
  5. Add the wet ingredients to the dry.
  6. Divide evenly among the six cups. I filled each cup with double scoops, size 16.
  7. Bake for 25 minutes.

 

Glaze

To make the glaze, melt 2 tablespoons of butter with 1 heaping tablespoon of heavy cream over low heat. Slowly whisk in 1/4 cup of brown sugar and remove from heat once fully melted. Vigorously whisk in 1/2 cup of confectioner’s sugar. Use immediately.

Jumbo Pumpkin Donut Muffins Photo Notes

by David

This was a good one.  After a lousy shoot last week that produced unusable pictures, I was relieved this session went well.

Frankly, when things go bad, it’s typically due to a lack of planning and bad technique.  It’s nearly impossible to “wing it” with studio food photography, yet I’m still dumb enough to do it on occasion.

This week, I planned, metered, and carefully coordinated the colors and composition before I picked up the camera.  When I finally took the first shot, I knew I had nailed it.

Lighting

The lighting was composed of three lights. The main light was a monolight bounced off a white wall at f11.5. The second light was bounced into a large piece of foamcore at f8.5 to give a little more wrap and the third was a soft silver umbrella set at f4.5 to provide fill from the opposite side.

I liked the natural look of this setup, but there were problems with specularity off the top of the muffins.  A little specularity is normal and necessary, but the top of the muffins were completely blown out.  I adjusted the camera and lighting angles but I finally used my hand as a Gobo over the top of the muffins.  It was a stupid simple solution, but sometimes it’s just easier sticking your hand on to the set and blocking the light.

Wrap Up

This was a fun shoot and I saved a $1000 on lighting modifiers by bouncing a light off the wall and a piece of cardboard.  It’s easy to get caught up with all the latest gear, but when it comes down to it, once light bounces off something or travels through a piece of nylon, it’s all going to look the same.  The only thing that truly matters is the size of the light relative to the subject.  Of course, if Chimera calls tomorrow with a sponsorship, I’ll sell out faster than M.C. Hammer jumping off a Taco Bell.

Setup

pumpkin-muffin-4

 

Technical

Camera: Nikon D90
Lens: Tamron 17-50mm 2.8
Strobes: White Lightning x1600
Tripod: Manfrotto
ISO: 200
Focal Length: 50mm
Shutter: 125
Aperture: f/11