My Debut Cookbook, Bake Your Heart Out!
And an easy ice cream recipe to beat the heat
If you follow me on social media you may know that my very first cookbook, BAKE YOUR HEART OUT: Foolproof Recipes to Level Up Your Home Baking will be hitting bookstore shelves soon. To say that this is a dream come true (or more accurately, a dream unfolding in real-time,) is an understatement. Ever since I started Baked By Dan in 2012 and began refining my recipes I've dreamed of writing a cookbook. Fast forward to October 2021 and I had myself a cookbook deal (and a deadline!) Months of planning and prep went into brainstorming recipes, development and testing with weekly calls between myself and my godsend of an editor/recipe tester Pam (who became a sounding board, friend and sometimes life coach!) This past winter, right before the holidays, we baked and photographed every recipe in the book right in my home kitchen- and I had the time of my life.
All this is to say that Bake Your Heart Out feels like the story of my life lived in baking, at least up until this point, all in one book. Is it possible that one’s first book can be their life's work? For years I kept a giant binder that held all of my notes and recipes—but nowadays I reach for my own real life cookbook when I bake—and I think that is pretty darn cool. Bake Your Heart Out is available on Oct 3, and is available now for pre-order!! And when you pre-order you’ll get an e-book of 3 incredible recipes (pictured below) that didn't make their way into the book itself. You’ll also be invited to a pre-orders-only virtual baking class with me this fall. If you’ve already pre-ordered, THANK YOU! Follow this link to receive your bonus recipes!
I can’t wait for you to try the recipes, stain the pages with vanilla, and bookmark your favorites. If you’ve loved my baking tips and recipes on Instagram, you’ll find even more gems in my book that will really push your bakes to the next level. With game-changing versions of your favorite classics and some new flavor combinations you’ll want to bake on repeat, these recipes will inspire you to bake your heart out every time you turn on the oven. So do me a huge favor and show the publisher and booksellers how excited you are to get your hands on my book and preorder your copy today. It really makes a difference!
Do you find yourself craving different desserts depending on the season? With Summer in full swing I’ve been craving chilly desserts to satisfy my sweet tooth. Tiramisu, cheesecake and ice cream all come to mind, but come to think of it, I’d devour these any time of year. I’ve got an equal opportunity sweet tooth—give me a slice of shortcake in October or pumpkin pie in July. But when it’s hot, I’m not dying to turn my oven on, and the benefit of making many chilled desserts is that I don’t have to. I’ve been making my no-churn chocolate ice cream all summer and my family and friends have really enjoyed it. As a kid I made ice cream in an old fashioned machine where I’d layer ice and rock salt in a bucket that chilled the ice cream canister. I’ve used many ice cream machines over the years and really find the texture of these no churn treats to be nearly as perfect as the more labor-intensive recipes.
If you’ve made a no-churn ice cream before then you’ve probably used sweetened condensed milk. It’s one of my favorite ingredients (you’ll find many uses for condensed milk in Bake Your Heart Out) but it definitely has a noticeable flavor in ice cream and that wasn’t the vibe here. Instead I make a super easy brown sugar simple syrup and then add some dry milk powder, which keeps the ice cream cream scoopable as it freezes. Whisking the cocoa into the hot simple syrup enhances its flavor by warming the cocoa butter in the cocoa. After that, all there is to do is fold in some whipped cream and freeze—and voilà, perfect chocolate ice cream.
Easy Old Fashioned Chocolate Ice Cream
Makes 1 quart
1 cup (220 g) light brown sugar
⅔ cup (165 g) water
½ cup (45 g) dutch cocoa powder
½ cup (40 g) instant nonfat dry milk
½ teaspoon fine salt
2 cups (480 g) cold heavy cream
2 teaspoons vanilla
Add the light brown sugar and the water to a medium microwave safe bowl. Heat for 5-6 minutes, stopping to stir occasionally, until the mixture has come to a rapid boil and the sugar is dissolved. Sift in the cocoa powder and whisk until combined. Sift in the instant dry milk and the fine salt and whisk to combine. Strain the chocolate mixture into another medium bowl and set aside until barely warm.
Add the cold heavy cream and the vanilla to your mixer bowl and whip until medium peaks form (think shaving cream consistency.) Fold the whipped cream into the chocolate mixture in three parts, folding just until combined. Transfer the mixture to a 9x5 loaf pan, or similar sized container, and cover. Freeze overnight or until firm. Place the ice cream container in the refrigerator for 5 minutes before serving for easier scooping.
TIP: Who doesn’t love an ice cream mix in?! Fold in up to 1 cup of your favorite mix-in after folding in the last portion of whipped cream. Think crushed cookies, toasted nuts or chocolate chips (I prefer the minis because they are more pleasant to eat when frozen.) The possibilities are endless!
Thank you for reading my newsletter. I hope that you enjoyed hearing about my upcoming cookbook and that you get a chance to make some ice cream! If you haven’t already, follow me on Instagram where I share more tips and recipes and answer your questions in a weekly Q&A.
Until next time!
-Dan
So excited for the book! Your recipes are so reliable and straightforward.
Looking forward to getting your cookbook and trying your recipes and learning new baking tips.