The hazelnut (aka filbert, cobnut, nocciola, avellana, or noisette) is an acorn-shaped nut that grows on a shrubby tree in cool damp climates.  It has a distinctive rich flavor that is wonderful by itself and amazing paired with coffee or chocolate.  Though it has long been commonplace in kitchens in Europe, the Middle East, and Latin America (e.g. hazelnut ice cream is more popular than any other flavor in many countries), it has only recently become popularized here in the US--primarily due to ads for that addictive substance known as Nutella.

There a two methods for skinning hazelnuts: roasting them vs boiling/blanching them in baking soda.  Here at Cakes, we gently dry roast our hazelnuts to loosen the skins and then use "good old elbow grease" to rub the papery skins off.  Though this method is time consuming, we think it results in a better tasting, perfectly textured product that doesn't require the use of additional ingredients.  

To roast: Spread raw unsalted hazelnuts (about a pound at a time) in a single layer on a ungreased baking sheet and bake at 350°F for about 15 minutes (watch carefully and remove the pan when the skins split and the nuts are light golden brown).  Don’t overcook or the nuts will become bitter.  Carefully wrap the hot nuts in a clean terry dishtowel and rub them vigorously to remove the skins.  Stop periodically to pick out the clean nuts and continue rubbing until the entire batch has been skinned.  Be persistent and don't worry if some skins still stick--this method should get at least 90% the skins off. 

Sometimes baking can be really fun, sometimes it can be really funny, and other times, well, it can make you really, REALLY cranky!  Alton Brown is right--baking is a science!  And sometimes, seemingly small or insignificant changes in weather or how you do things can make a big difference in how things turn out.  Here are some tips I hope will help you avoid (or repair) a few problems that have made me feel peevish.
1) Seized Ganache:  Ganache is supposed to be a silky mixture of cream and chocolate.  The main thing to keep in mind is that it absolutely HATES moisture (aka water) of any kind.  I've tried numerous ways to make it, and have found that (as long as you don't burn either the cream or chocolate) most mishaps can be SAVED.  I make my ganache by scalding the cream and then adding it to unheated chopped chocolate, covering the bowl while it melts.  Then, 3-5 minutes later, I can usually just whisk it until it's smooth and shiny (like the picture above).  But sometimes, especially here in the humid South or if I am distracted or rushing, it can suddenly turn into a grainy lump or separate into what looks like oil and clumps of grainy chocolate (both scenarios are known as "seized" ganache)...and it's not a pretty sight.  When that happens, take a deep breath and dump the entire gloppy mixture into a food processor (a blender does not seem to work, sorry) and process for several minutes until the mixture turns back into silky ganache (it will sound different--"flop-flop"--when it pulls itself together).  To ganache purists and gurus out there, it may not look quite as beautiful as the original--but it is completely usable again.  Crisis averted!
2) Broken Buttercream: Buttercream is a mixture of butter, confectioner's or caster sugar, cream, and flavorings.  It is also somewhat temperamental: both temperature and humidity affect it, and it does NOT like to be rushed.  I always use a paddle (not whisk) attachment on my mixer and cream the butter for several minutes before adding the sugar, then continue beating until it is fluffy and nearly done before adding flavorings.  It really needs to be used within about an hour (unrefrigerated) or it may begin to separate and need to be mixed up again.  Occasionally, buttercream can turn on you and look like a curdled mess (in chef'y terms, my friend Robin informed me that it has "broken").  Again, pull out your food processor, and process in portions until it reintergrates (BE PATIENT).  Then put it all back into a (chilled) mixing bowl to finish it into delicious fluffiness!  TA DA! 
3) Chewy Meringues, Macaroons or Macarones:  While we are on the subject of the effect weather has on baking, let me say that I have learned that there are good meringue days (cool/dry) and bad meringue days (hot/humid)--and I don't try to defy Mother Nature with these dainty crispy delights.  I also make sure I am not in a rush when I make them (you'll see why in a minute).  I use a chilled stainless bowl (never plastic) and whisk attachment that have been carefully washed to remove any butter or oil residue, and room temperature eggwhites that have been scrupulously separated (i.e. a bit of white in with yolks is OK, but yolk in with the whites is NOT).  I find it works best to beat the whites at high speed until soft peaks form, then add cream of tartar and sugar, and continue beating until stiff peaks form.  After folding in other ingredients, I spoon or pipe them onto parchment-lined baking sheets and leave them alone (no opening the door to peak) in a low oven (100-125 degrees F), as called for in whatever recipe I use.  If you have a convection oven, the fan can actually help dry out the meringue (in this case, that's a good thing)...though be aware that some "hybrid" ovens won't allow you to use the convection feature below 300 degrees.  My secret (learned from my mom) to crispy meringues is to leave them in the oven (once you've turned it off, of course) for several hours or overnight so they really dry out and get crispy...these are among the few desserts that are meant to be dry (not soft or chewy).

Hope these tips help boost your confidence as a baker and kitchen scientist!  

OK, here is a really good example of 1) "a picture is worth 1000 words," 2) how "low prices" can fool you, 3) size matters when you are baking, and 4) know your recipe!  I was filling a Key Lime Tart order for a favorite customer, and realized that I needed more limes.  In a rush, I went to the closest grocery store and selected some large nice looking limes from the pile (specimen on the left); they were even $.02 cheaper/each than the ones I'd bought earlier from a different chain grocer (specimen on the right).  Imagine my surprise when I got home and compared my purchases side by side!  Beyond the obvious visual difference, the one on the left produced less than 1/4 C of juice (below average), the one on the right, over 3/4 C (clearly, an over-achiever).  My recipe calls for "juice of 3-4 limes."  For those of you doing the math in your head, that meant either a scant 3/4 C of juice from 4 limes from the left, versus over 3 1/2 C from 4 limes from the right!  Luckily, I know how much lime juice I really need and no lime juice was wasted in this ad hoc experiment, but, any question about which was the better value??  

I guess you wouldn't be surprised to hear that I have quite a few cake pans: they are different styles, sizes, makers, eras, and made from various materials.  The first cake pan I got was my grandmother's Guglehopf pan (you can see a picture of it in the 5/13/2013 post "What Inspires You?"): it's made of heavy tin (repaired at least twice by my grandfather) and came from the Schwarzwald (Black Forest) area of Southern Germany sometime before 1930.  It is quite well used, as you can see!  With it, my grandmother produced the most delicious pound cakes on a regular basis!   I especially love this style pan (dubbed "Bundt" pans and popularized by NordicWare in 1950) and the moist lovely cakes that they produce.  They are simple, beautiful and they make stunning cakes--well, MOST of the time. 

Let me tell you what I've learned about these classic pans (whether they came from Germany in the 1920s or from Ace Hardware in 2013)! 
1) Silicone Bundt Pans: You've seen them: they are beautiful and brightly colored and  call your name from the shelf, begging you to spend money on one (or more--don't you want one in each color?).  Bottom line: If you have one, throw it out, or use it to make aspic or an ice ring for your next batch of party punch (i.e., don't try to bake with it).  If you don't have one, don't waste your money.  I'll probably hear from the Silicone Pan Protection Society, but the fact is, while silicon is lovely for making candy or jello, or other things that don't have to be baked, they are a nightmare to bake cakes in.  Why, you ask? Well, let me tell you!  First, from a purely practical point of view, consider the fact that silicone is WOBBLY.  Nice if you want to fold it up and shove it in a crowded drawer.  But imagine filling said wobbly silicone bundt pan with 10-12 cups of thick and heavy cake batter...and picking it up without smushing or spilling...no, it's not pretty!  Yes, you can set it on a baking sheet before you pour and then keep it there to transfer in/out of the oven, but then the presence of the sheet changes the flow of air around the pan. Which brings me to the ultimate fatal flaw of these deadly beauties: they don't heat properly for baking!  I am not a science major, but I believe silicone is known for not conducting heat!  So, that means when you put a silicone pan filled with cake batter in the oven, what's at the top of the pan (exposed to air) and what's several inches down at the bottom of the pan (surrounded by silicone) does not heat in the same way.  The result is cake that looks like it's done on top, but is gush at the bottom (even if you leave it in the oven for a VERY long time).  And then, when you remove it from the oven, you have a similar problem trying to cool the cake.  I let one sit for 5 hours--and the (largely uncooked) stuff at the bottom was still very hot!  You can also imagine what happened when (not realizing that what was in the very bottom was not just hot, but still uncooked and gloppy) I tried to turn it out of the pan onto a cake rack (GRRRR).  Word to the wise: Let this cooking fad go the way of fashion fads like big shoulder pads and "poodle" perms!

2) Size Matters.  Before you use your pan for the first time, use a measuring cup filled with water, and fill your pan to see how many cups it holds (fill it to the rim), no matter what the manufacturer says about the capacity.  All 9" pans do NOT hold the same amount!  My grandmother's pan is 9" in diameter and easily holds 15 cups.  Nordic Ware's Swirl pan (shown above) and Bavaria are also 9" in diameter, but the Swirl holds 10 C, nearly 1 cup more than their Bavaria, though both claim to hold 10 C.  I have another "Classic" pan of unknown provenance, also 9", which might hold 10 C, but the center tube is slightly lower than the outer edge of the pan, so the water spills out before it "fills" the pan.  Hmmm!  In my experience, most scratch bundt or pound cake recipes make about 8-9 C of batter; some will tell you to use a 12 C pan and likely make about 10 C batter.  In order to get all the design elements of the pan when the cake rises, the pan should be filled about 2/3 full.  So plan accordingly.  I always have spare 1C "mini" bundt pans handy so I don't waste any excess batter (or am tempted to overfill the main pan).  It's also a nice way to have a cute little "test cake" or two, if you are trying out a new recipe.  Keep in mind that the "minis" will take only about 20 min to bake (so, if you only have a single oven, bake them first so you won't disturb the large cake by opening the oven mid-way through baking)!

3) Recipes Matter.  When I first started baking in earnest, I thought any bundt or pound cake recipe would work in any bundt pan...Just grease and flour the pan well and you're good to go, right?  WRONG!  I soon found that certain recipes are suited to some pans, and not others.  Take that beautiful swirl pan above.  My Orange Sunrise Pound turns out with clean sharp edges every time in that pan.  But when I tried Gram'mom's pound cake recipe in the swirl, it came out with "lacy" edges no matter how I prepped the pan.  Chastened after the 4th try, I poured the batter into her pan, and voila!  Perfect!  If you have a classic (rounded) bundt pan or a classic Guglehopf pan like my grandmother's, then you can probably successfully make most bundt cake recipes in your pans.  But "fancy" pans with lots of detailing (like the Bavaria, Fleur de Lis, Cathedral, Rose "petal" or pans with delicate edges) are not as forgiving; the recipe can make a difference between success or, well, "mistake cake".   So when you buy a new pan (or try a new recipe), practice once or twice before you make that special-event cake--and trust me, your loved ones and close friends will love you for these experiments.  In my experience, thinner batters tend to work better in pans with a lot of intricate detail (e.g. Bavaria); cakes with a bit more shortening work better in pans with long sharp edges (like the Swirl); heavy batters (like a pound cake) work best in "classic" shape pans; and batters with filling (for those of you who really want to make that iconic tunnel-of-fudge cake), pans with smooth rounded shapes and shorter sides will work best, since these cakes tend not to rise as much. 

4) Science Matters.  What, you ask?  Yes, baking is science (just ask Alton Brown)!  Ratios of fats, proteins and sugars; chemical reactions when you combine ingredients; and baking temperatures all make a difference in how your cake turns out.  But, more on that in an upcoming post!  Stay tuned!