Shortbread

Shortbread

1 pound unsalted butter, softened

¼ cup granulated sugar

1 cup powdered sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

Pinch of salt

4 cups all purpose flour

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter and granulated sugar until light and fluffy. Add the confectioners’ sugar and beat until incorporated. Add the vanilla extract and mix again. Add two cups of flour and the pinch of salt and mix on low speed until a dough forms. Add the last two cups of flour and mix again on low until a very stiff dough forms.

Gather dough together with your hands and place on a lightly floured surface. Divide into two pieces. Using a floured rolling pin, roll each piece of dough until flattened to about 1” thickness. Wrap in plastic film and place pieces on a cookie sheet or jelly roll pan. Refrigerate for 30 minutes. This dough will firm up in quickly because of the high butter content. If your dough is difficult to roll, let it stand at room temperature for a few minutes until it is pliable.

While still cold, roll out dough to ¼” thickness. For perfectly even shortbread, use two ¼” flat dowels on either side of the dough as a guide. Rolling pin guide bands are also available in varying sizes at kitchen specialty stores.

Cut dough into desired shapes. Bake on parchment lined cookie sheets until lightly golden around the edges:

7-10 minutes for small cookies

12-15 minutes for medium cookies

17-20 minutes for large cookies

Pink Velvet Roulade

Pink Velvet Roulade
Heavily adapted from Domino Sugar's Red Velvet Cake Roll
serves 8-10 [click to print]

Cake:
4 eggs
3/4 cup extra fine granulated sugar
1 tbsp oil
2 tbsp buttermilk
1 tsp cider vinegar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 drop or small dab of Wilton rose gel food coloring (Americolor pink would also work)
1 cup all purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9x13 jelly-roll pan with white vegetable shortening and line with parchment; grease parchment paper.

In a large bowl, beat eggs with a hand mixer for 5 full minutes - set a timer if you need to! Properly whipped eggs will lighten in color considerably and have the appearance of yellow cake batter.

With the mixer still running, slowly add sugar and oil to the whipped eggs. Next, add buttermilk, vinegar, vanilla extract and food coloring (add food coloring a little at a time until desired color is achieved).

Sift together flour, baking powder and salt. Slowly add to the liquid ingredients. Mix until well combined.

Pour batter into prepared pan and tilt pan to distribute batter evenly.

Sprinkle a cotton tea towel with powdered sugar and rub sugar into the towel with your hands. Terry-cloth towels and towels with texture (such as waffle pattern) are NOT ideal for making cake rolls.

Bake for 12-15 minutes. Check at 12 minutes. Cake is done when it springs back when pressed with fingers.


When cake is baked turn it out onto the tea towel - do this without delay! Peel off parchment and immediately roll cake into the tea towel, beginning at the narrow end. Roll tightly and as evenly as possible. Place rolled cake on a wire rack seam-side down and let cool completely.


Swiss buttercream filling:
1/4 cup sugar
1 large egg white (use two whites if your eggs are small)
12 tbsp unsalted butter (1 1/2 US sticks)
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Whisk egg white(s) and sugar together in a large heat-proof bowl over a pot of simmering water. Whisk constantly until the sugar melts into the egg white. Check consistency by rubbing a bit between two fingers. If sugar granules remain, keep heating/whisking.

When sugar and egg white are blended, transfer to a stand mixer. Whip until the mixtures doubles in size. Add vanilla extract, and then whip in softened butter a little at a time until mixture has thickened to buttercream icing consistency.


Assembly:
Carefully unwrap/unroll velvet cake, allowing the most tightly rolled end to curl slightly (see video). Frost inside with Swiss buttercream and roll cake tightly. Cut into pieces with a serrated knife and serve.

Pretty when garnished with sweetened whipped cream and glace' or maraschino cherries.

Effort

Nobody's Perfect

When I'm nervous I have this thing I talk too much

Sometimes I just can't shut the hell up

It's like I need to tell someone anyone who'll listen

And that's where I seem to fuck up

I forget about the consequences, for a minute there I lose my senses

And in the heat of the moment my mouth's starts going the words start flowing

But I never meant to hurt you, I know it's time that i learnt to

Treat the people I love like I wanna be loved

This is a lesson learnt , I hate that I let you down and I feel so bad about it

I guess karma comes back around cause now I'm the one that's hurting

And I hate that I made you think that the trust we had is broken

So don't tell me you can't forgive me

Cause nobody's perfect

If i could turn back the hands of time

I swear I never would have crossed that line

I should of kept it between us but I went and told the whole world how I'm feeling and

So I sit and I realise with these tears falling from my eyes

I gotta change if I wanna keep you forever

Promise that I'm gonna try

Im Not a saint no not at all, but what I did it wasn't cool

But I swear that I'll never do that again to you

I hate that I let you down, and I feel so bad about it

I guess karma comes back around cause now I'm the one that's hurting yeah

And I hate that I made you think that that the trust we had is broken

So don't tell me you can't forgive me

Cause nobody's perfect