Makala's Bakes

This week I'd love to share another recipe from Pie in the Sky , a cookbook with variations on recipes for all altitudes. She has traveled across the country, borrowing kitchens from "friends in high places" as she puts it.  While reading through her chapter about testing recipes at different elevations, it became very clear that this was a very taxing job. She describes making dozens of batches of bran muffins just to see them cave in every time. It took many tries to get the perfect dome. And that's how all of the recipes went.  If you can't get your hands on this cookbook or one like it, there are plenty of online resources to find pre-tested high altitude recipes. I'd recommend starting with blogs like Dough-Eyed  and My Kitchen in the Rockies . There are so many great tips for baking at high altitude, so don't let yourself get discouraged!  This week's cake is a spicy and sweet dense cake that will get you in the holiday spirit. Don't let the ...

If your grocery store is like mine, you may still be struggling to find all of the ingredients needed to do your at home baking. I specifically have not been able to find yeast.  Yeast is the magic ingredient that makes bread light and fluffy. It works by consuming the sugars and producing carbon-dioxide and alcohol.  I have been wanting to try my hand at bread making, but since there is no yeast to be found, I’ve been looking into no yeast breads. In our Covid-19 world we should not be left without bread! It seems like the solution is to make a denser bread that only needs baking soda to rise. The results are chewy and thick bread that leaves you satisfied.  Since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, people have been rushing to the grocery stores and buying up all of the yeast, flour, and eggs so that their baking pantries will be stocked. If you weren’t one of those panicked people you may be lacking some of those ingredients now. Luckily this is a nation-wide issue so m...

My blogging experience has been a positive one. My personal life has been chaotic during this class, but having an online platform that I can keep concise and full of content I enjoy was a great outlet.  I enjoyed coming up with blog posts for the week, mostly because mine usually included some sort of yummy bake. Since I have had a blog in the past, I understand that you should be making frequent posts, but I was never able to accomplish that before Makala’s Bakes.  I think that I will continue posting on this blog when the class is finished. Posts won’t be coming out as often, but when I bake something I will be sure to share. I’ve enjoyed sharing my baking with others. I’ve never taken the time to document each step as I bake, but I have come to really enjoy the process. It was a learning curve using Blogger, but now I think that I’d recommend it to anyone looking to start their own blog. To give some perspective though, the most challenging part of the class was learning t...

This week we encountered another obscure holiday this week, Flag Day. Seems like it's the prequel to the Fourth of July, but not as hyped. So I looked into it and made some patriotic cupcakes!   Flag day was established in 1916 to commemorate the adoption of the American flag that was passed in 1777. This Flag Resolution stated that  "the flag of the thirteen United States be thirteen stripes, alternate red and white; that the union be thirteen stars, white in a blue field, representing a new constellation." Every second Sunday in June we also celebrate the creation of the U.S. Army which happened in 1775.  Another event remembered on Flag Day is the Bear Flag Revolt on the Pacific Coast. American settlers and mountain  men arrested a Mexican General and declared themselves an independent republic. The bear can still be found on the Californian flag today.  Now that we've got a little understanding of Flag Day, let's dig into some yummy cupcakes!  This...

1. Batter Up Cakes     This little shop is located in downtown Greeley and offers cupcakes and custom cakes. It has great               ambiance and the employees are very friendly.  2. Just a Pinch Bakery     Located in Loveland, this bakery offers a wide variety of baked goods. However, they are most well       known for their kolache.  3. Marketplace Bakery     This bread shop is located in Longmont and the delicious smell of fresh bread should lead you right in! 4. The Cupcake Gypsies     This cupcake shop specializes in creative designs and unique flavors.  5. The Little Bird Bakeshop      Over in Fort Collins, this adorable bakery will satisfy any sweet tooth.  6. Daddy Cakes Bakery     This Fort Collins based bakery focuses on custom order cakes. Their designs are amazing and one of a       ki...

You may have heard of this zero-calorie sugar substitute called stevia, but what is it? Well I had the same question so I got to reading and this is what I learned.  Stevia is a plant that grows in South America and is related to the daisy and the ragweed and grows a bush-like plant. The leaves are dried and the result is a powder that is around 200 times the strength of sugar.  Diabetics everywhere should all get on board with stevia since it doesn't contribute any calories or carbohydrates to your diet and does not affect blood sugar or glucose levels. Even after a meal, blood sugar levels are still low. A natural sweetener like that is hard to come by!  Stevia is easy to come by and it is starting to show up in more of our favorite drinks, snacks and deserts. It is reasonably priced and a little goes a long way. So if you're looking for a way to cut some sugar out of your diet, here is an easy place to start. I plan on picking some up at the store and using it in my ne...

The other night I had a craving for a fruity desert to eat with vanilla ice cream so I made some apple crisp! I recommend eating this while it's still warm and you definitely need ice cream. There are two parts to this recipe, the apple filling and the crumb topping.  Start with the filling: 3-4 Apples, peeled and thinly sliced 3 Tbsp. of Butter, melted 2 Tbsp. of Flour 1 Tbsp. of Lemon Juice 3 Tbsp. of Milk 1/2 Tsp. of Vanilla 1/4 cup of Brown Sugar 1/2 tsp. of Cinnamon  Dash of Salt Combine the melted butter and flour until well combined and then add lemon juice, milk and vanilla.  Next, stir in brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt. Peel and thinly slice the apples. Pour mixture over the apples and toss to coat.  On to the crumb topping! 1/2 Cup of Flour 1/2 Cup of Old-fashioned Rolled Oats 1/2 Cups of Brown Sugar 1/2 Tsp. of Cinnamon Dash of Salt 1/3 Cup of Butter, cut into small cubes Combine all ingredients and mix until crummy. I recommend using the knife technique ...

I didn't think about how by running a baking blog would mean that I have sweets around the house all of the time. So this week I decided to make us a tomato pie!  This pie is a savory mix of cheese and tomatoes. The biggest challenge for me with this recipe was the crust. I'm all about making everything homemade yourself, so of course I had to go with my own crust.  Now for the recipe: 2-3 Tomatoes 1 Egg 1 cup of Ricotta Cheese 1 cup of Chive Cream Cheese 1/2 cup of Shredded Parmesan Cheese Salt & Pepper Chives In a bowl whisk the egg and then add the ricotta cheese, cream cheese, half of the parmesan cheese, and salt and pepper. Set that aside and get ready to make the crust. 1 1/4 cup of Flour 1 Tbsp. of Suger 1/4 Tsp. of Salt 1 Stick of Butter cut into 1/4 inch cubes 3 Tbsp. of Cold Water Stir together the flour, sugar, and salt and then cut in the cold butter. Lots of blogs I read recommended using a food processor, but I don't have one of those. To compensate, I ...

I've been baking with my Mom since forever and she is my favorite person to bake with. She's my sous chef and my teacher. She has so many cookbooks and recipes written on scraps of paper, but she won't follow any of them. I'm all about measuring everything so it is perfect, my mom on the other hand enjoys "eye-balling" it. And somehow it always turns out delicious.  The recipe for this Zucchini bread came from a very old cookbook and we've been making it for as long as I can remember. It tastes like home and is one of my all time comfort foods.  It's different because the recipe calls for crushed pineapple. When I moved to college and finally had a place with my own kitchen, I was ready to make some zucchini bread, but I didn't have the recipe. So I looked up zucchini bread recipes on Pinterest and gave it a shot. To be fair, the bread was good, but not as good as my mom's. I really think the pineapple does something special to it.  With that ...

I decided I wanted to start off this blog with a classic chocolate cake. I've surprisingly not made many cakes in my lifetime, but I had a really good time putting this one together.  I decided to go with a two layer cake because I was feeling ambitious and I've been watching too many baking shows on Netflix. It was a fun challenge and I think that anyone can handle a cake like this. My biggest concern was my cakes sticking to the pan. I made the decision to only grease them with butter, but next time I would recommend using a baking spray  to ensure that they won't stick. I've seen other people recommend parchment paper. I've never tried it, but maybe I will for my next cake and report back.  I only had one area crumble, so I'm pretty proud of my work! And I fixed it up with some buttercream so no one would ever have noticed!  My 8 inch cake pans are from T.J. Maxx, but you can get them anywhere and all of the ingredients should be available...