Final thoughts on my Genius hour project

Well friends this is the end of this genius hour project and I must say that it was a nice experience. I usualy don't bake that often and most of the time I do not have a reason too. This project allowed me to spend more time on my hobbie and most importantly to take the time to relax. I find myslef constantly stressed over school and work, and I never have time for myself anymore. When I do, I free my mind by watching idiotic TV shows that does not require me to use my brain. I love baking and trying out new things so moving forward, I will continue to make for more than just special occasions and I will also try to cook more often. I will also work more on my other hobbbies like playing the flute and drawing. I will still be watching idiotic movies and shows but I will also try to do one hour of each of my hobbies.

This genius hour project really got me to reflect and think about myslef. I learned that I am very curious and always analyse everything. I will be eager to try new things and I always reflect on what I can do better. I am also very enthusiastic and optimist which comes in handy when I don't know how a project or anything will turn out. I hope to be able to take all of this with me into my teaching career and never stop trying new ideas. I will not let myself fall into a cycle that I reuse every year without modifying it. However, I also tend to beat myself over when things don't work out the way I want them to and I need to learn how to let go and stress less. If i do another genius hour project I would most likely try to learn how to properly medidate. Hope you all enjoyed my attempts and that you had fun on your genius hour project too!

See you next time!

New recipe!

Buon Giorno everyone!

For today's genius hour, I decided I was not going to make a Tiramisu like I intended to, instead, I tried to follow a banana muffin recipe. I loved making Tiramisu and I will keep my last attempt with strawberries for the last post of this Genius hour project. Having to make a Tiramisu for five weeks made me love baking even more, it influenced me in baking and cooking even more. I have been exploring a lot more with spices, sauces and recipes and I'm really enjoy it! This past weekend I bought some bananas that were going bad and I didn't want to just make a banana bread like I usually do. I researched a few recipes and tried this healthy banana muffin recipe where only bananas, brown sugar, flour, and eggs were required.

The recipe was pretty foward and I had little trouble making it. One problem that I found was that my brown sugar bag was open and the humidity went in solidifying the sugar. It was difficult to mix it in and even then it left some chunks. I also didn't have lemon juice like the recipe required but it didn't affect the muffin too much.

I really liked them and they taste very good! Next time, I will definitly try to mix the recipe with something to add a little bit more flavor and suprise to the muffin! I'm excited and looking forward to baking and cooking more.

Enjoy those photos!

2nd attempt

Hello everyone!

This week for my Genius Hour project, I decided to make a second attempt at the Tiramisu cake but this time, I tried to make individual servings and I tried to add a special ingredient.

I really liked the Tiramisu last time but I felt like it was missing something. Being French, we use a lot of alcohol in our baking and cooking and so I have had a little experience with which alcohol would add which specific tatse. For this attempt, I decided to use some Cointreau to add a little citrucy and orangy taste to the cake.

I thought that by putting the alcohol in with the cream of the Tiramisu cake, we would really taste it. Well, I was right, we definitly could taste the Cointreau, it add this subtle orange taste which fit very nicely with the Tiramisu. What I didn't know, though, is that the cream would not take and it would stay very liquid in the bowl. I probably should have added the alcohol to the coffee when dipping the biscuits thand in the batter.

I love baking, it makes me really happy! However, if I eat this cake every single week, I will not be able to keep up with the gym 😅
For my next attempt, I found a new recipe made with strawberries instead of chocolate and coffee. I'm sure, it will not make me skinnier but I'm sure it's somewhat a little healthier.

I will be sure to let you guys know how it taste and as Marie-Antoinette said: "Let them eat cake!!"

Research

Hey guys! :)
So today for my Genius Hour Project I originally wanted to start remaking the recipe while adding new ingredients to it but I couldn't think of anything that I knew would make the Tiramisu taste better and unfortunetly it seems like money does not grow on trees!

So I decided to do some research and look for new recipes that all had a special touch to it like using speculoos instead of lady fingers of using grand Marnier to give it an extra touch!
I found a few recipes one which is made with strawberries and I love strawberries.

Throughout the week, I will go an buy the ingredients to try one or two of those recipes and see which Tiramisu do I like the best and which one would be the healthiest (considering it is a cake made with sweet cheese)

Good thing I have a lot of helping hands to help me with this Tiramisu cake! 😉

 out!

1st attempt

First attempt to make a Tiramisu done! And must I say I am really impressed with myself.
Of course baking can have its challenges but for the most part I was able to follow the recipe and most importantly enjoy myself. I love baking and I find it very relaxing especially when I am overwhelmed with assignments. I find myself baking more often when I'm free and finally have some time to relax because I don't have to rush to do it, baking does take a lot of time to prepare and to cook.

Before starting my project, I researched a few recipes that I thought might be close enough to Catharina's recipe and read them carefully. I have multiple experiences in baking so for me it wasn't a real challenge to understand the recipe. I purchased the ingredients and started following the recipe.

Right from the start I encountered some chalenges with the Tiramisu because the recipe stated that I specifically need to use espresso which I didn't have so I used coffee instead. I beat the white seperatly from the yolk but I don't think I beat the yolk with the sugar properly since the recipe said it should have a light white colour and mine looked like a creamy yellow mixture. I went on with the cake anyways and started layering all the ingredients. Then it said to put it in the fridge for an hour. I don't think an hour was enough because when I took out the Tiramisu, it looked amazing but was still a little creamy and not solidified enough.

I wonder if the cake was not solidifed because I did not leave it long enough or if it is because the creamy yellow mixture was not beaten enough.

For next time, I will try to use a mixer for the yolk like I used for the whites and I will try to leave the Tiramisu in the fridge for a good 3 hours or so.

See you next time!

PS. Here are some pictures of the whole process

Nonna's recipe

Hi everyone and welcome to my blog! :) 
In here I will be sharing my reflections as well as my attempts in trying new recipes for my Genius Hour Project. I love baking and trying out new things that will challenge me. Most of the time, my creations do not look as good as they shoul but they taste delicious! I personnaly didn't like Tiramisu cake too much untilI tried an authentic Italian recipe of the Tiramisu cake made by my boyfriend's Nonna and it was hands down best Tiramisu cake I have ever tasted! My Genius Hour question is therefore: How do I make a Tiramisu cake? and how do I make it as moist and as fresh as his Nonnas makes it? 

My goal for this project is to be able to make a Tiramisu cake that is just as good as hers and see if I can add in my own special touch.

I will measure my sucess by keeping notes of what I could improve from my Tiramisu cake based on my testers (My dad and my boyrfriend) comments. I will also reflect and experiment with different flavors to see which could subtily change the cake to make it even better and different then the normal Tiramisu cake.

I have never made a Tiramisu before and I didn't like them until now so I think it will be a real challenge to try and make that cake without bitting myself down for not succeeding right away as I am a perfectionnist and most importantly to stay with my time frame. My next step for now will be to research and find recipe that would potentially be the same as his grandma's recipe and make one!

I will keep you updated with pictures of this first attempt!
Have a good one! :)