As baking is nothing more than delicious basic chemistry, naturally it would take a mathematician to perfect recipes that significantly cut back on refined sugar while maintaining the flavour and integrity of the recipe. However, Joanne Chang has written a marvellous new dessert cookbook that squares the baking circle of sweetness.
Looking for something as elegant as the Chocolate Orange Truffles, or the perfect afternoon-tea accompaniment, like her Honey Almond Snack Cake, or a classic Yellow Birthday Cake with Fluffy Chocolate Ganache Frosting? You’ll find numerous low-cal recipes to impress in Chang’s Baking With Less Sugar.
The cookbook is the perfect Mother’s Day gift if mom loves to bake but wants to cut back for dietary reasons. It’s all about using less refined sugar, and turning to everything from fruit juice to dates in order to sweeten the treat.
An ideal read for all baking enthusiasts, Chang offers an insight into the science behind sugar as well as a collection of well-balanced recipes that are very tasty.
Lemon Ricotta Cupcakes with Fluffy Lemon Frosting
Fluffy Lemon Frosting
225g / 8oz cream cheese, at room temperature
85g / 6 tbsp unsalted butter, very soft
1 tbsp finely grated lemon zest
115g / ¹/8 cup honey
2 tsp vanilla extract
¹⁄8 tsp kosher salt
130g / ½ cup whole-milk ricotta cheese
100g / ½ cup vegetable oil, such as canola
225g / ²⁄³ cup honey
1 tbsp vanilla extract
2 tbsp finely grated lemon zest
2 large eggs plus 1 egg yolk
180g / ¾ cup crème fraiche (see note)
280g / 2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
¼ tsp baking soda
½ tsp kosher salt
1 tbsp finely grated lemon zest
Flour isn’t a restaurant, but we are incredibly lucky to have chefs who would fit in seamlessly in a top restaurant kitchen. To celebrate their talents, we decided to host pop-up charity dinners at each of our locations. Each chef has a chance to show off a little, and we get a chance to give back a little to the communities that have embraced us so fully. Each dinner has its own theme, and each chef selects the nonprofit that is to be the recipient of the dinner proceeds. It’s completely win-win!
One aspect of the dinner that remains constant is our dedication to our motto, “Make life sweeter, eat dessert first!” We start off each dinner with a little amuse-bouche (a welcome treat), and it’s always something sweet. For the very first pop-up dinner we hosted, I was in the middle of testing recipes for this book, and I knew I wanted to do a little showing off myself. The inaugural guests of this dinner were thus treated to a mini lemon cupcake with a creamy lemon frosting. Would our guests guess that these cakes had no sugar in them? We didn’t share that with them until the end, and the reaction was staggering. Some people literally wouldn’t take “no sugar” as an answer. It was truly gratifying, and I loved knowing that people were as excited about baking with less sugar as I was. Or at least they were excited about eating the results!
1. At least 4 hours in advance, make the frosting: Using a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or with an electric hand mixer), beat the cream cheese on medium speed for at least 3-to-4 minutes, or until perfectly smooth. (Cream cheese has a tendency to lump up easily, so don’t skip this step.) Using a rubber spatula, scrape the bowl and add the butter and 1 tbsp lemon zest. Add the honey, vanilla, and salt and beat well on medium speed until thoroughly combined. Refrigerate the frosting for at least 4 hours before using to firm it up. The frosting can be stored in a covered container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
2. Place a rack in the centre of the oven and preheat to 350°F [175°C]. Butter and flour a standard 12-cup muffin tin, spray with nonstick cooking spray, or line with paper liners.
3. In a medium bowl, whisk together the ricotta, oil, honey, vanilla, and lemon zest until well mixed. Whisk in the eggs and egg yolk until well combined. Whisk in the crème fraîche. In a separate medium bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Using a rubber spatula, gently fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until the batter is homogenous. Be careful not to over-mix.
4. Divide the batter evenly among the prepared cups of the muffin tin. Bake for 20-to-25 minutes, or until the cupcakes are pale golden brown and spring back when you press them in the centre with your finger. Remove from the oven and let cool completely in the pan on a wire rack.
5. Don’t attempt to frost the cupcakes while the least bit warm, or the frosting will slide off. Remove the frosting from the refrigerator and, using an offset spatula or a piping bag, spread or pipe the cupcakes with frosting, garnish with the remaining lemon zest, and serve. The frosted cupcakes can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Remove at least 1 hour before serving so the cupcakes are not cold. Garnish with the remaining lemon zest.
Carrot-Pineapple Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
Cream Cheese Frosting
One 335g / 12oz can frozen apple juice concentrate, thawed
225g / 8 oz cream cheese, at room temperature
480g / 2 cups heavy cream
½ tsp ground cinnamon
2 tsp vanilla extract
¹⁄8 tsp kosher salt
Carrot Cake
75g / ¾ cup walnuts, coarsely chopped
120g / ¾ cup raisins
120g / ¾ cup sultanas (golden raisins)
One 335g / 12oz can frozen apple juice concentrate, thawed
One 225g / 8oz can pineapple chunks, in their own juices
4 large eggs
120g / ½ cup crème fraiche (see Note)
120g / ½ cup whole milk
250g / 1¼ cups vegetable oil
1 tbsp vanilla extract
315g / 2¼ cups all-purpose flour
2½ tsp baking powder
½ tsp baking soda
½ tsp kosher salt
1 tbsp ground cinnamon
2 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
130g / 1 cup tightly packed peeled and shredded carrots
Fresh fruit or chopped, toasted walnuts for garnish
1. At least 4 hours in advance, make the frosting: In a small saucepan, bring the apple juice concentrate to a boil; decrease the heat to medium-low and simmer for 20-to-25 minutes, or until the juice reduces to ¾ cup [180ml]. It will thicken up, become syrupy, and boil a little slower as it reduces. Watch out that it does not over-boil or burn; you may need to decrease the heat as it thickens. To check to see if it is reduced enough, every now and then pour the juice into a measuring cup to measure it; if it is not ¾ cup [180ml], pour it back into the saucepan to continue to simmer and reduce until it measures out to ¾ cup [180ml]. Remove from the heat, transfer from the pan into a bowl, and cool in the refrigerator until cold to the touch.
2. Using a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment (or an electric hand mixer), whip the cream cheese and ½ cup [120ml] of the reduced apple juice concentrate on medium speed for 2-to-3 minutes, or until it is light and fluffy, scraping the bowl occasionally with a rubber spatula to get all of the cream cheese whipped up. (Reserve the rest of the apple juice for another use such as adding it to oatmeal or drizzling on ice cream, or discard.) Slowly drizzle in the cream and beat on medium speed for 1-to-2 minutes, or until the cream thickens and combines with the cream cheese mixture. Add the cinnamon, vanilla, and salt and mix until well combined. Scrape the frosting into an airtight container and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or up to 3 days. The frosting needs to firm up before you can use it. You will have about 4 cups [960ml] of frosting.
3. To make the cake: Place a rack in the centre of the oven and preheat to 350°F [175°C]. Butter and flour two 8-in [20-cm] round cake pans, or butter the pans and line the bottoms with parchment paper.
4. Put the walnuts on a baking sheet and toast for 8-to-10 minutes, or until lightly toasted. Set aside to cool.
5. Put the raisins and sultanas in a small bowl and pour hot water over to cover. Let sit for 30 minutes, then drain.
6. In a medium saucepan, combine the apple juice concentrate and the juice from the pineapple chunks. Chop the pineapple into small pieces and set aside in a bowl. Bring the juices to a boil over medium-high heat, decrease the heat to medium-low, and simmer for 20-to-25 minutes, or until the liquid reduces to ¾ cup [180ml]. It will thicken up, become syrupy, and boil a little slower as it reduces. Watch out that it does not over-boil or burn; you may need to decrease the heat as it thickens. To check to see if it is reduced enough, every now and then pour the juice into a measuring cup to measure it; if it is not ¾ cup [180ml], pour it back into the saucepan to continue to simmer and reduce until it measures out to ¾ cup [180ml]. Remove from the heat, transfer to a bowl, and cool in the refrigerator until cold to the touch.
7. In a large bowl, whisk together the apple juice concentrate, eggs, crème fraîche, milk, vegetable oil, vanilla, and reserved chopped pineapple until well combined. In a medium bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, carrots, raisins, sultanas, and walnuts. Add to the egg mixture and fold together with a rubber spatula until well combined.
8. Scrape the batter into the prepared pans, dividing equally. Bake for 35-to-45 minutes, or until the cakes are light brown (they won’t colour as much as a full-sugar cake) and spring back when you touch them in the centre with your finger. They will not dome very much, if at all. Remove the cakes from the oven and let cool on a wire rack until you can pop them out of the pans. When the cakes are completely, totally cool (if they are at all warm, the frosting will melt off and it will be a mess), remove them from the pans. Using a long serrated knife, trim the tops of the cakes so they are level (they don’t usually round too much but it’s nice to level them off if they do). Place one cake on a plate or cake pedestal (use a cake turner if you have one), and spoon about 1 cup [240ml] chilled frosting on top; using an offset spatula, spread the frosting evenly all the way to the edges of the cake.
9. Carefully place the second cake on top of the first cake (place it upside down so the even, sharp edges will be on the top of your finished cake), and spoon about 1 cup [240ml] frosting on top. Spread the frosting thinly to the edges and down the sides of the cake, smoothing it as well as you can and covering the entire cake with a thin layer of frosting. This layer of frosting is called a crumb coat; it keeps loose crumbs from migrating to the surface of the finished cake. (At this point, it helps to refrigerate the cake for about 15 minutes to help set the crumb coat; it’s not crucial but if you have time, it makes frosting a little easier.)
10. When you are done with the crumb coat, spoon a heaping 1 cup [240ml] frosting on the cake and spread it evenly across the top and sides again. This is the final finishing layer of frosting. Fill a piping bag fitted with a small round tip with the remaining frosting, and pipe a border around the bottom of the cake, if you wish, or pile it on top of the cake.
11. The cake can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. Any longer than that and the frosting will get softer and may slide off of the cake. Remove the cake from the refrigerator 2-to-3 hours before serving, garnish with fresh fruit or chopped nuts, and serve the cake at cool room temperature
Note:
1. How to make crème fraîche. You can buy crème fraîche in many supermarkets, but there’s really no need. It’s really easy to make and is one of my favourite baking ingredients. Simply place 960g / 4 cups of heavy cream into a container, add about 60g / ¼ cup of buttermilk, and stir to blend. Cover and leave the cream mixture at room temperature in a warm area of your kitchen for at least 12 hours. Then, stir the cream with a wooden spoon for 15 to 20 seconds. If it has not thickened, cover again and return to a warm place for another 3-to-4 hours. Check again and keep stirring until it thickens. Once it has thickened, you have successfully made crème fraîche! Store it in the refrigerator until ready to use; it will keep for up to 3 weeks. To make more, you can use the crème fraîche that you have in place of the buttermilk in the basic recipe: take 960g / 4 cups of heavy cream, add about 60g / ¼ cup of crème fraîche, and follow the directions. Once you have crème fraîche in your refrigerator, keep making it so you will always have it. Use it instead of heavy cream in cooking and instead of sour cream in baking and eating.
