Baking Update

I have been baking for the past few days, and I don't want to tell all my secrets for my graduation party attendees, but things are going very well.

I am making the surprise cupcakes again - the buttercream icing and the ganache for the filling is made, and, if I can say so, they are even better than last time!  There is big difference making a recipe for the third and fourth time, it gets so much easier to know when things are ready - when the egg whites have formed soft peaks, when the boiling sugar water has reached the "soft-ball" stage without burning my fingers multiple times (note: use a candy thermometer), when the milk is scalded, when the lemon curd is cooked enough to set up.  These are all fun experiments, and I haven't had to eat any mistakes yet.

We are having a family brunch on Sunday, so I am making some croissants to add to the mix.  I made the dough today (pictured), and will form them Friday morning while the cupcakes are baking.  I hope they turn out as well as the ones I made in class.  It is hard to get the dough and the butter layers to come together, so that when they bake, it makes the correct flakiness.  I will know more on Sunday, when they come out of the oven.  

The time flies when I am baking, which I think is a good sign that I have made the right choice.