Appel Jennifer - The Magnolia Bakery Cookbook: Old-Fashioned Recipes From New Yorks Sweetest Bakery

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eBookNews.SimonandSchuster.com W E WOULD LIKE to thank Carla Glasser, for creating this opportunity; our wonderful editor, Sydny Miner, for her support and insightful comments (and her love of coconut cake!); and the terrific staff at Simon & Schuster who helped put this project together. W E WOULD ALSO like to thank our families and friends, for their endless support; our bakers, past and present, for their creative input; as well as our enthusiastic testers. Allysa would particularly like to thank the Aranow family, for her childhood baking inspiration. In an age of microwave, quick-and-easy, freeze and defrost, the Magnolia Bakery takes us back to a time when we simply did everything the old-fashioned way: using the best and freshest ingredients, mixing them with lots of love, and taking the time to produce delicious homemade treats. In an age of microwave, quick-and-easy, freeze and defrost, the Magnolia Bakery takes us back to a time when we simply did everything the old-fashioned way: using the best and freshest ingredients, mixing them with lots of love, and taking the time to produce delicious homemade treats.

Customers often request to lick the bowl as we prepare our desserts in our open-kitchen format. Some call and ask which muffins have just come out of the oven and are still warm. As two women passionate for the culinary and homemaking arts, we opened the Magnolia Bakery in 1996. Allysa and I wanted to express our desires and creativity through a business that emphasizes a slow-paced, wholesome way of life reminiscent of 1950s America. The Magnolia Bakery came into being over a brunch conversation during which we expressed for the umpteenth time our mutual frustration with our jobs and lifestyles. We finally decided that something would be done about it and opened up a wholesale baking business in early 1996.

We soon received very positive feedback from our customers. When a retail space became available in our favorite neighborhood, the western part of New York Citys Greenwich Village, we grabbed the opportunity. The West Village seemed ideal. It is low-key and family oriented, a place where we can do what we love where we love it. Over the course of two months and with the help of an adept construction crew, we transformed an empty shell into a warm, cozy kitchen that feels just like Moms. We scoured the flea markets and vintage stores to buy just the right furniture, decorations, and lighting fixtures to create an inviting atmosphere.

Most people who walk in say they feel as if they have gone back in time to Moms or Grandmas kitchen, with butter, fresh eggs, and other natural ingredients in abundance, just lying about and waiting to go into the mixers. In the three years we have been in business, our popularity has grown tremendously. With only word of mouth for advertising, people from all over Manhattan, the outer boroughs, the suburbs, and even as far away as Iowa order our desserts. There is usually a long line out the door at night and on the weekends, as people buzz around our store like bees in a hive, scooping up the last of our sweet creations. Many people in the arts are drawn to the Village and the Magnolia Bakery. Actors, supermodels, musicians, and other celebrities often hang out at the bakery, making it one of the hottest spots on Bleecker Street.

But famous or not, all our customers feel a welcome sense of being home at Magnolia. While the business itself is fast paced and hectic at times, our original aim and values remain the samenatural, fresh ingredients, carefully crafted with goodness and love. In a world filled with stress, deadlines, and overwhelming demands, it is comforting to hear customers come in and sigh, Gosh, you make me so happy!

This section provides some suggestions to help you attain success as a home baker. While we have to produce large quantities of desserts at Magnolia, we still stick to the philosophy of home baking and follow certain rules to make sure our product is tasty and of high quality every time. A T THE BAKERY , customers constantly ask us how we produce such tender, delicious layer cakes. Besides using the best and freshest ingredients, we adhere to a set procedure every time.

By following our directions, you should be able to produce an equally luscious cake every time you bake. We find it essential to be orderly. Follow proper procedure, measure accurately, mix carefully, use pans of the correct size, bake your cake at the proper temperature, and cool it properly. While this may seem self-evident, dont take these instructions for granted. Before starting, always read through the recipe from beginning to end to ensure that you understand it thoroughly. Additionally, assemble all of the ingredients and the necessary equipment you will need before you begin baking, to make the process flow more smoothly.

Remove the butter and the eggs from the refrigerator at least an hour before starting the cake. The butter will be easier to cream, and the eggs will beat up better. Select the pans in which your cake is to be baked. Metal pans should be smooth, because uneven or blackened pans tend to absorb heat unevenly. Grease the pans by using a pastry brush or by rubbing the butter or shortening with pieces of paper towel. After greasing, sprinkle a few spoonfuls of flour into the pan and shake it around until the entire inside of the pan is coated with flour.

Empty out the excess flour by tapping the pan gently, then line the bottom of the pan with waxed paper or parchment. This is a foolproof way to prevent the cake from sticking to the pan. It is best to bake the layers in the center rack of a preheated oven. Arrange the racks in the oven before preheating. Sifting dry ingredients helps produce a fine-textured cake. If your recipe calls for sifted flour, it is best to sift the flour and then measure it.

It is not essential for our recipes to do so, but its a good practice to follow. After sifting the flour, add the other dry ingredients and sift all of them together. When you are creaming the butter, it is paramount to beat until the butter is light and fluffy. Add the sugar gradually, beating all the while, and continue to beat for 2 or 3 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time, beating vigorously until the mixture is thick, fluffy, and pale in color. Up to this point it is almost impossible to beat the batter too much.

To make it easier to alternately add the ingredients, we suggest you thoroughly combine the dry ingredients in a bowl or large measuring cup and mix the milk, buttermilk, or other liquid together with the extract in a separate measuring cup. When adding the wet and dry ingredients, do so alternately, a small amount at a time, beating after each addition until the ingredients are blended thoroughly and the batter is smooth. However, do not overbeat or the cake will be tough. Use a rubber spatula to scrape down the batter into the bowl, making sure the ingredients are well blended. If the eggs were separated, beat the egg whites until relatively stiff but not dry. Over-beating the egg whites can produce a dry cake.

Pile the egg whites into the center of the batter and fold them gently into the batter, using a light up-and-over motion. Do not stir or beat, or you will lose the air in the whites, causing the cake to be heavy or flat. Pour the batter into prepared pans, spreading evenly with a spatula so that the batter is level. You can use a measuring cup if necessary to ensure that you have an equal amount of batter in each of your pans.

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