Decorating Tip: A Touch Of Blue Makes White

I'm making lots and lots of French macarons filled with dark chocolate, toasted coconut and coconut buttercream for a wedding this weekend.

I wanted the macaron shells to be white so I used a decorating tip that I learned nearly 20 years ago when I was writing an article on homemade wedding cakes for The Yakima Herald Republic and interviewing wedding cake decorators.

The tip I learned is that just the smallest touch of blue coloring whitens a buttercream. The reason behind this is that blue is the complementary color of yellow, the color of the butter, so adding the blue negates the yellow and turns the buttercream white.

For the article I made my very first wedding cake. When it was done, I was so anxious for someone besides myself to see it that I called my dad who was at work.  It was in the middle of the afternoon but my dad, understanding my need to show off the cake, drove over to my house just to see it. He even brought his co-worker with him which I thought was so sweet.

The macaron batter is yellowish from the almond meal so the touch of blue trick worked like a charm. You have to be careful though to not add too much. All you need is to put the tiniest amount of blue coloring on the end of a toothpick and just touch the batter lightly with it. Then, mix the batter and watch the magic happen.

After baking the macaron shells I filled them with dark chocolate, toasted coconut and coconut buttercream. I love how these turned out.

The piped macarons.

After baking.

The shells, sorted into pairs.

Filling the macarons.

All done!

How To Prepare A Cake Pan

A cake that won't release from its pan is so frustrating and a surefire way to quickly suck all the fun out of baking.

A just-baked cake cleanly released from its pan.

The secret to making a cake that easily plops out is to prepare the pan properly by greasing, lining and flouring it. And, it's important not to skip a step. 

Many recipes just call for greasing and flouring, but also lining the pan with a fitted piece of parchment is insurance that everything will work out, no pun intended.

So here's how to prepare a cake pan and keep smiles in the kitchen where they belong:

With a pencil, trace the bottom of your cake pan onto a piece of parchment and cut it out.

Thoroughly grease the cake pan with butter or vegetable shortening. I prefer shortening.

Line the bottom of the greased pan with the cut piece of parchment.

Now thoroughly grease the pan again with butter or shortening.

Add about 1/4 cup of flour to the pan.

Shake the flour evenly over the bottom of the pan.

Now lift the pan up and tap the flour evenly around the sides of the pan. I'm holding the pan over a second pan that needs to be floured so that the excess flour won't be wasted.

Once the sides are coated with flour, the pan is ready for batter and baking.

The Fastest Way To Chop Walnuts

The fastest way to chop walnuts for a recipe is to put them into a plastic bag and whack and roll them with a rolling pin.

Besides yielding perfect chopped walnuts, this method has been known to relieve stress and cause fun.

Bar Cookie Tip

I admit it. I used to be terrible at cutting bar cookies into uniform squares until I discovered this tip that changed everything.

What made cutting bar cookies so difficult for me was having the sides of the pan in the way of my knife. It's so hard to get clean cuts when your knife is at an awkward angle. And, lifting the cookies out of the pan was an equally messy task.

So here's my tip:

Line your pan with a strip of parchment paper that covers the bottom and extends over the sides so that you can easily lift the baked cookies out of your pan. You won't believe the difference when you are able to cut on a flat and stable surface. It changes everything.

Line your greased pan with a strip of parchment paper.

Fill your pan with your batter.

After letting the baked cookies cool in the pan for 5 to 10 minutes, simply lift the whole thing out for easy cutting.

Tip: When To Add The Flavorings

Two years ago I took a Christmas cookie baking class from baker and author Julie Richardson at SweetWares in Hillsdale (6306 SW Capitol Hwy, Portland, OR) and she passed on a helpful tip.

She told us to add our extracts and spices to the butter we are beating at the start of a recipe so that they get evenly dispersed throughout the final product. It makes sense since the fat in a recipe is basically the vehicle on which flavor travels. So whether it's an extract or a spice, beat it into the butter first.

I've taken this tip further and use it whenever I cook. When I saute, I season the oil before adding my meat or veggies. And, when I make a vinaigrette for a salad, I whisk my seasoning into the olive oil and then add the vinegar.  It makes a difference.