Showing posts with label Cakes. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Cakes. Show all posts
4.09.2017
Easter Coconut Flour Classic Vanilla Cake
Happy Easter!
When I was first experimenting with coconut oil, I came across several recipes using coconut flour as an ingredient. I had seen it in Whole Foods and brought home a package, but still hadn't made anything with it. In the back of my mind, I was thinking I'd make my daughter's favorite coconut bread with it. After much reading, I made two other recipes first to test it out. One was a big success, one was not. Coconut flour is tricky. It absorbs way more liquid than regular flour so you can't substitute it for APF in your recipes without changing the basic recipe. Coconut flour soaks up A LOT of moisture. You will read the ingredient list below and think it's incorrect. It isn't.
For some reason, the original recipe made only a single layer, so I just cut the single layer in half, making half a layer cake. You can certainly double the recipe, using two cake pans to make a full cake. This cake worked out well and I frosted it with my mother's old 7-minute frosting recipe. That frosting recipe can be found in Joy of Cooking and just about everywhere online. The original recipe had a Swiss meringue icing. You can follow the link if you'd prefer to make that.
Easter Coconut Flour Classic Vanilla Cake
From Healy Real Food Vegetarian and the Indulge Cookbook
Ingredients:
4 large eggs, separated
1 teaspoon cream of tartar
1/4 cup extra virgin coconut oil
3 tablespoon raw honey
1/4 cup coconut flour, sifted
2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/8 teaspoon salt
Method:
Preheat oven to 350°F. Line the bottom of an 8×1.5 inch round cake pan with parchment paper. In a large bowl combine the egg whites and cream of tartar. Whip until stiff peaks form.
In a bowl, cream together honey and coconut oil. Mix in the egg yolks. Add to the mixture, coconut flour, vanilla, baking soda and salt. Mix until combined. Fold the batter into the egg whites starting with a little bit at a time. Combine until the batter is completely mixed.
Pour the mixture into the cake pan. Bake for 20 minutes. The cake is done when a toothpick is inserted and comes out clean.
Let the cake cool before icing and serving.
3.15.2017
Rhubarb Cake
Ah yes, time for a rhubarb recipe! And this is one of the few times I have no clue where I found the recipe. (If anyone knows, please mention in comments.)
Do I need to tell you how wonderful this was? We gobbled it down in no time. Although I think I got a tad carried away with the whipped cream in this photo!
Rhubarb Cake
Ingredients:
1 lb fresh rhubarb stalks, cut into 1/2-inch pieces (3 cups), or 3 cups frozen rhubarb, thawed after measuring
1 cup packed light brown sugar
2 cups cake flour (not self-rising), sifted
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 stick (1/2 cup) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1/3 cup whole milk
2 large eggs (1 separated)
sweetened (and flavored, your choice) whipped cream for serving
Method:
Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 400°F. Butter a 10-inch glass or ceramic pie plate or a 2 1/2-quart oval gratin dish and chill.
Toss rhubarb with brown sugar in a bowl until coated.
Whisk together flour, baking powder, and 1/2 cup granulated sugar in a large bowl until combined well. Blend in butter with a pastry blender or your fingertips until mixture resembles coarse meal. Whisk together milk, whole egg, and yolk. Make a well in center of flour mixture and add milk mixture, stirring with a wooden spoon to gradually incorporate flour and form a soft, sticky dough.
Transfer half of dough to chilled pie plate and pat out over bottom and halfway up side with well-floured hands, then spoon rhubarb and any juices onto dough. Using a tablespoon, spoon remaining dough in small mounds evenly over top. Lightly beat egg white with a few drops of water, then lightly brush cake with egg wash. Sprinkle remaining 2 tablespoons granulated sugar over top.
Bake cake until top crust is golden and rhubarb is tender, 30 to 40 minutes. Transfer to a rack to cool, about 30 minutes.
Serve cake warm or at room temperature.
1.01.2017
Lemon Ricotta Cake with Almonds
This is a divinely moist cake, mostly because of the ricotta. Besides, I love anything made with almond flour and when you add lemon zest to the mix, you've got a blue ribbon recipe. For dessert or to serve thinner slices with tea, it's perfection. What better way to start out the new year?
Lemon Ricotta Cake with Almonds
From Honest Cooking, recipe by Hein van Tonder
Ingredients:
4.2 ounces butter, softened
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup lemon zest
4 eggs, separated
1 1/2 scant cups (8.5 ounces) almond meal
1 1/4 cups (10.6 ounces) ricotta
flaked almonds for decoration
icing sugar for serving
Method:
Heat oven to 355 degrees F and line the base and sides of a 20cm (8 inch) round cake tin with baking paper.
Place half of the sugar and the lemon zest in a food processor and blitz until finely ground. Then beat the butter, vanilla and sugar/zest mix together for about 10 minutes until pale and creamy.
Add the egg yolks one at a time, beating the mixture well after each egg yolk is added.
Add the almond meal and beat to combine and then fold the ricotta into the almond mixture.
Beat the egg whites in a clean bowl until soft peaks form. Gradually add the remaining sugar to the egg whites and whisk until stiff peaks have formed. Mix a third of the egg whites into the cake mixture, then gently fold in the rest of the egg white mixture.
Pour the mixture into the prepared cake tin, smooth the top and sprinkle with the almond flakes.
Bake for 40-45 minutes until cooked and firm to the touch.
Allow to cool completely in the cake tin before removing. Dust with icing sugar to serve.
11.30.2016
Donna Hay's Sticky Date Meringue Cake
Donna Hay magazine is such a treat to read and recently I went through some back Christmas issues and marked a couple recipes to make for the holidays. The first is this awesome sticky date cake. The cake part is moist and somewhat sticky (not as much as a sticky date pudding though) and the orange zest shines through...just the right amount. It's a delicious cake all on its own, but Donna Hay has taken it over the top by adding a fluffy meringue. I've made one other cake with a baked meringue and it's always been a favorite of mine, but this one seems perfectly suited for Christmas dessert. Yum.
Notes: Be sure to follow the meringue directions exactly. And remember to dip your knife in hot water before slicing into the cake so you'll have a nice smooth edge on the meringue.
Sticky Date Meringue Cake
Donna Hay Magazine, Issue 78
Ingredients:
1/2 cup pitted fresh dates, roughly chopped
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/3 cup boiling water
50g unsalted butter, softened (slightly less than 1/2 a stick)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 tablespoon finely grated orange rind
2 eggs (room temperature)
2/3 cup self-raising flour, sifted
1/4 cup almond meal
1 1/2 tablespoons golden syrup (I used Karo)
1/4 cup slivered pistachios
4 large egg whites
1 cup superfine sugar
1 teaspoon white vinegar
1 tablespoon cornstarch
confectioners sugar, for dusting
Method:
Preheat oven to 325 F. Lightly grease a 9 inch round springform pan, line the base with non-stick baking paper and set aside. Place the dates, soda and water in a bowl and set aside for 10-15 minutes to soak. Using a hand-held blender, process until smooth and set aside.
Place the butter, vanilla, sugar and orange rind in the bowl of an electric mixer and beat for 10-12 minutes or until pale and creamy. Scrape down the side of the bowl and add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the flour, date mixture, almond meal, golden syrup and pistachios and beat until well combined. Spoon into the prepared tin and spread evenly. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until cooked when tested with a skewer. Set aside.
Increase the oven temperature to 350 F. Place the extra egg whites in the clean bowl of an electric mixer and whisk on high until stiff peaks form. Gradually add the sugar, one tablespoon at a time, whisking for 30 seconds before adding more. Once all the sugar has been added, whisk for a further 6 minutes or until stiff and glossy. Scrape down the side of the bowl, add the vinegar and cornflour and whisk for a further 2 minutes or until glossy and combined.
Spread the meringue evenly over the top of the cake and return to the oven for 15-20 minutes or until the meringue is just golden and dry to the touch. Allow the cake to stand at room temperature for 15 minutes before gently running a knife around the edge of the tin and removing the ring. Allow the cake to cool and refrigerate for 2 hours before serving. Dust with icing sugar to serve.
10.03.2016
Pumpkin Angel Food Cake with Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting
Everyone in my family has always loved angel food and chiffon cakes. My aunt used to make a birthday cake on each of our birthdays....always a lemon-flavored angel food cake with 7-minute frosting. My mother used to make an orange angel food/chiffon cake, the recipe from her friend Alice, with fruit in the whipped frosting...it was divine. I used it often for women's lunches because you could make it way in advance and refrigerate; back in the 60's, you could cheat and buy an orange sponge cake in the A & P. Then they stopped making it and alas, we had to start making it from scratch.
The last family favorite angel food cake recipe I'll share is another idea my mother's best friend Alice (Guess you can tell Alice was inventive in the kitchen!) came up with back in the 40's. I know, everybody makes ice cream cakes now, but back then, it was quite a novelty. And...she used pistachio ice cream, which was a very unusual flavor in those days. Mother copied her idea and would bake an angel food cake, split it in thirds and spread each layer thickly with pistachio ice cream. Then she'd whip some cream, put a teeny dash of green food coloring in and frost the cake. Back in the freezer it went. To this day, when I want an ice cream treat, I buy a small loaf of angel food cake and spread it with pistachio ice cream! Isn't it funny how food combinations you loved as a child stay with you? Like those little pecan tarts from Sanders (anyone remember Sanders?)....I used to sneak them out of the freezer as a child....now I prefer my pecan pie frozen. And stewed prunes with macaroni and cheese. How weird is that? We went home for lunch in the 40's and often Mother made mac and cheese, always serving it with stewed prunes. She loved stewed prunes, made them until her death.
This particular angel food cake is pumpkin and as delicious as anything I've had in ages. The frosting is a killer recipe too. The cake is made from scratch (no problem, just be sure you have a tube pan with a removable bottom) and you can frost the entire cake, or just use a dollop of frosting on each slice like I did.
Love fall...love pumpkin recipes. (But not quite as much as rhubarb recipes!)
Pumpkin Angel Food Cake with Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting
Cake recipe from Chattavore; Frosting recipe from Real Housemoms
Ingredients:
1 1/2 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cups cake flour-I used Swan's Down
1 1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
12 Large egg whites (room temperature)
1 teaspoon cream of tartar
1/4 teaspoon table salt (or 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt)
1 1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
3/4 cups pumpkin puree (fresh or canned)
Method:
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. You need a tube pan that has a removable bottom.
Whisk 3/4 cup of the sugar and the pumpkin pie spice with the cake flour in a medium bowl.
Beat the egg whites and the cream of tartar together in a stand mixer for about a minute, until foamy. Increase the speed to medium-high and whip until puffy, about a minute, then add the salt and the remaining sugar a tablespoon at a time. Whip until soft peaks are reached.
Remove from the stand mixer and gently whisk in the lemon juice by hand. Sift the flour/sugar mixture over the egg whites 1/4 cup and a time, gently but thoroughly folding in with a silicone spatula after each addition. Now, add the pumpkin puree 1/4 cup at a time, taking great care not to deflate the egg whites as you are folding.
Carefully scrape the batter into the tube pan. Tap the bottom of the pan against the counter a few times to settle it. Place in the oven for 50-60 minutes, until golden brown and springy.
Remove the cake from the oven and immediately invert. Most tube pans have "feet" or the center portion is taller than the edges allowing the pan to stand off of the counter, but if your pan doesn't, or if your cake rose a lot, invert over a funnel.
Cool like this for at least three hours before removing from the pan. This step keeps the cake from deflating as it cools.
Run a thin knife around the edge of the pan and around the center tube to loosen the cake. Push the bottom out of the pan. Run a sharp, thin knife under the cake to remove the bottom of the tube pan. You could use a piece of parchment on the bottom before baking, but I find it just as simple to release the cake carefully with a knife. Serve at room temperature.
You can serve the cake as is, or frost with the following recipe. I just sliced and used a dollop of the frosting on each piece.
Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting
Ingredients:
8 tbsp unsalted butter, room temperature
6 oz of cream cheese, softened
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
Method:
Cream together the butter and cream cheese until well combined and fluffy. Add in the vanilla. Slowly beat in the powdered sugared and then the cinnamon. Continue to beat until everything is well incorporated and the frosting is fluffy.
7.23.2016
Strawberry Snack Cake
Snack cakes are the answer in summer...take to a picnic or pot luck, give as a hostess gift, freeze for future company, just about anything you can think of. And so simple to make, too. This strawberry one is delish. If you'd like your cake to appear more pink and summery, use a drop of red food coloring in the batter. The redder the berries, the more pink the batter. But I used ripe red strawberries and while the batter looked pink before I baked it, the baked color was not very pink. Didn't bother me...I'm all about the flavor. Up to you.
Strawberry Snack Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
Adapted From Chocolate Moosey
Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups chopped strawberries
1 tablespoon water
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (4 ounces or 8 tablespoons) unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup + 1 tablespoon sugar
1 egg, room temperature
2 egg whites, room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup whole milk, room temperature
Ingredients for the cream cheese frosting:
1/4 cup (2 ounces or 4 tablespoons) unsalted butter, softened
4 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 cup powdered sugar
Pinch of salt
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Method:
Preheat oven to 350F. Grease and flour an 8x8 pan.
In a medium saucepan, add 1 cup strawberries, water, and 1 tablespoon sugar. Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally. Boil for 5 minutes or until the strawberries cook down. Remove from the heat and cool at least 15 minutes.
In a bowl, sift together the flour and cornstarch. Stir in the baking powder and salt.
In your mixer, beat together the butter and remaining 3/4 cup sugar until creamy, 2-3 minutes. Beat in the egg and egg whites, one at a time, until mixed in then add the vanilla. Add the flour mixture alternating with the milk, adding the flour in 3 additions and the milk in 2 additions.
Stir in the cooked strawberry mixture by hand and the remaining 1/2 cup chopped strawberries.
Spread the batter into the pan and bake 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool completely.
For the frosting: In a large mixing bowl, beat together the butter and cream cheese for 30 seconds or until combined then add the powdered sugar and salt. Beat until light and fluffy, 3-5 minutes. Beat in the vanilla. Spread on top of cooled cake. Store covered n the refrigerator for up to 1 week. Let sit at room temperature 15 minutes before serving.
5.30.2016
Rhubarb Poundcake
This time of year I always look forward to the arrivals of all the late spring fruits: rhubarb, peaches and apricots are by far my favorites. They've all arrived in my market now as is obvious by my posts. For those of you who follow me, I guess I don't need to remind you how many rhubarb recipes you see from me each spring! I even have a Pinterest board entitled "Just Rhubarb"! I'm a purist and don't like to mix it with other fruits, so you'll not find any strawberry/rhubarb combos here. I honestly think my all time favorite is the rhubarb ice cream I posted three years ago, but I keep finding gems to post....and here's one for you pound cake lovers. I love the tartness of rhubarb and it shines right through in this pound cake. Can you see how tender a crumb this cake has? I always think sour cream or yogurt has a great deal to do with that.
This freezes a dream too!
Rhubarb Poundcake
From Pastry Affair
Ingredients:
2 cups rhubarb, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar, divided
1/2 cup butter, room temperature
3 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste (or 2 teaspoons vanilla extract)
1/3 cup sour cream
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
Method:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Butter a loaf pan, then sprinkle with unflavored bread crumbs. Tap out excess.
In a medium frying pan, mix the cut rhubarb with 1/4 cup sugar. Over medium-high heat, cook the rhubarb until it is fork tender but not mushy, about 5 minutes. The rhubarb needs to be able to hold its shape or it will get lost in the cake batter. Cool.
In your mixer, beat together the butter and remaining sugar until light and fluffy. Add in the eggs one at a time, mixing well between additions. Mix in the vanilla bean paste, sour cream, and salt until uniform. Stir in the flour until just incorporated. Gently fold in the rhubarb pieces and any juice remaining in the pan.
Transfer the batter to the prepared pan and sprinkle the top with a tablespoon of sugar. Bake for 45-55 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
4.09.2016
Gayle's Walnut Tweed Cake
Gayle named her cake " Tweed Cake" because she thought it resembled a tweed skirt. It's a simple, rustic kind of cake, light as air and the combination of nuts, spices, coffee and chocolate is divine. I chose to make this in my 9 inch springform pan, but if you make it in an 8 inch cake pan as Gayle did, you'll end up with a higher cake. I kind of like this size...not too big a slice. There's a nice texture as well, as not only do you have the pulverized walnuts, but also some less finely chopped walnuts. Toasting the walnuts first is a must here. Makes all the difference in flavor.
It's a super carry-along cake for a picnic, too.
Walnut Tweed Cake
From :pastry studio
Ingredients:
1 cup (4 oz) toasted walnuts, divided
3/4 cup (3 3/4 oz) flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
1/4 cup (2 oz) milk @ room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon instant espresso powder
2 oz (1/3 cup) bittersweet or semisweet chocolate
4 oz (8 tablespoons) butter, room temperature
1/2 cup (3 1/2 oz) granulated sugar
1/4 cup (1 3/4 oz) dark brown sugar, packed
2 eggs, room temperature
1 egg yolk, room temperature
powdered sugar, for dusting
Method:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease and flour an 8” x 2” round cake pan and line the bottom with a round of parchment paper.
Place 3/4 cup of the toasted walnuts, flour, baking powder, salt and cardamom in the bowl of a food processor. Process until the walnuts are finely ground. Set aside.
Whisk together the milk, vanilla and instant espresso powder, set aside.
Coarsely chop the remaining 1/4 cup (1 oz) walnuts and chocolate into small pieces and set aside.
Cream the butter and both sugars until pale and fluffy, then add the eggs one at a time, fully incorporating each into the mixture before adding the next. Scrape the bowl often.
Slowly add the flour in three additions, alternating with the half the milk mixture and beginning and ending with the flour. By hand, fold in the remaining 1/4 cup chopped nuts and chocolate. Pour the cake batter into the prepared pan and spread it evenly.
Bake until a tester comes out clean, about 32 - 33 minutes. Let the cake rest for 10 minutes. Gently run a thin bladed knife around the edge of the pan and invert the cake. Remove the parchment and invert the cake again. Cool completely. Dust with powdered sugar.
12.21.2015
Nigella's Chocolate Fruit Cake
Well, this Christmas cake was a surprise! I really don't care for prunes and am not a great chocolate fan. With that in mind, no doubt you wonder why I even made it....but I read so many rave reviews and it looks so luscious in her Christmas Cookbook that I decided this year I'd try it.
Let me begin by saying you don't taste the prunes at all and the cocoa is only a smokey thought in the background. It's a moist, dark and utterly divine cake for the holidays. And easy? Absolutely. The batter is actually made all in one pan and takes no time at all to throw together. It bakes for about an hour and 45 minutes, but while it's baking, all you need to do is breathe in the lovely fragrance of the cake. Trust me on this one, it will be a hit. Try to find some pretty gold stars to scatter around on the top. I just had gold glitter and balls. Silver might be pretty too.
Nigella's Chocolate Fruit Cake
From her book Nigella's Christmas
Ingredients:
2 cups roughly chopped prunes
1 1/2 cups raisins
1 1/3 cups currants
1 1/2 sticks softened butter
1 cup dark muscovado sugar (or use brown sugar)
3/4 cup honey
1/2 cup coffee liqueur
juice and zest of two oranges
1 teaspoon allspice (or pumpkin spice)
2 tablespoons cocoa powder
3 eggs, beaten
1 cup flour
3/4 cup almond flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
For garnishing: chocolate covered espresso beans, edible gold balls, stars and glitter
Method:
Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Spray an 8 inch springform pan and then line the bottom with parchment. Cut a parchment collar a couple inches higher than the pan and wrap that around the inside, rather like a souffle collar.
In a large pan, combine the first 10 ingredients and place on the stove. Stir while the butter is melting and then allow to simmer for 10 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to cool for 30 minutes.
Add the eggs, flours, baking powder and soda. Pour into the springform pan and bake for one hour and 45 minutes. It should be a little shiny on top, barely done in the center. Cool on a rack...it will take a while. You can wrap it in parchment and store it in an air tight container at this point or decorate and serve it.
12.15.2015
Italian Almond Sbrisolona
At Christmastime in most Italian homes you will find Sbrisolona on the table, which traditionally brings good luck to the family.
"Sbrisolona comes from the Mantova dialect and means ‘sbriciolare’ ‘to crumble’, because of the very crumbly consistency of the cake. This recipe originated around 1600 in the grand Gonzaga court of the Duchy of Mantova, and soon became popular throughout the more modest houses of the Po Valley. It is said that walnuts, which are more typical of our area, were originally used instead of almonds. But walnuts were meant to be the ‘fruits of the witches’, while almonds have luckier significance, meaning ‘light’ and ‘rebirth’. Hence the change of ingredient!"
It really looks like a giant cookie and is quite crisp...you certainly can't slice or cut it. Best to place it in the center of your table and give it a tap with a light hammer or heavy knife handle. (Someone suggested using your fist! Effective, but messy.)Not too sweet, a little salty, brittle and very nutty. Served with coffee or a dessert wine, it's lovely. Get your kids or grandkids involved in the creation of this charming Italian tradition...it's so easy to make. And don't forget to give everyone a spoon so they can scoop up all the crumbs....the best part.
I used Gayle's recipe which she adapted from Sunday Suppers at Lucques by Suzanne Goin.
Sbrisolona
From :pastry studio
Ingredients:
3/4 cup natural almonds (4 ounces) (I used a scant cup)
1 large egg yolk
1 T finely grated orange zest (I used 1 large orange)
1 large egg yolk
1 T finely grated orange zest (I used 1 large orange)
1/4 t pure almond extract
1/4 t pure vanilla extract
1 C + 2 T flour
6 T cornmeal
1/2 t salt
3 1/2 oz (7 T) cold butter cut into 1/2” pieces
1/3 C granulated sugar
3 T brown sugar
Method:
Preheat the oven to 350°. Butter an 8” springform pan.
Toast the almonds for about 10 minutes until golden. Coarsely chop into bite-sized pieces.
Combine the egg yolk, orange zest and the extracts.
Separately, whisk together the flour, cornmeal and salt. Cut in the butter with a pastry blender or rub it in with your fingers (which is what I did) until the mixture resembles coarse meal.
Stir in both sugars and the chopped toasted almonds.
Pour the egg yolk mixture on top and work it in gently with your hands. The dough should be very crumbly and look like streusel.
Pour the crumbs into the prepared pan and loosely press the crumbs mostly around the edges and just very lightly across the top; the surface should be uneven and dimpled.
Bake for about 40 minutes or until it is a deep golden brown. Transfer to a rack and cool completely before unmolding. Place on a platter, break however you choose and enjoy!
9.08.2015
Apple Buckwheat Cake
Truly an unusual apple cake made with three kinds of flour and cornmeal. But my favorite ingredient is the use of buckwheat flour...as this is September and it reminds me of my grandfather's buckwheat pancakes, made every morning in the fall at his cabin in Michigan. He had been making them for years using his old starter dough...they were divine. When he got on in years, my mother came to the rescue with a recipe not using yeast but as close to the original as I've ever tasted. My sister still makes them. Recipe is HERE.
Back to the apple cake: need I say it was a delicious cake? I'd definitely make it again. What else would you expect from Zoe Nathan?
Note: It turned out I didn't use nearly enough thinly sliced apples, so when and if you make this cake, overlap them so there's not a speck of batter in sight.
Apple and Buckwheat Cake
From Huckleberry by Zoe Nathan
Ingredients for the cake:
1 cup unsalted butter, room temp
1 2/3 cup sugar plus 2 tablespoons
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 tablespoon vanilla
6 eggs
4 apples, peeled and cored, one of them grated, the others sliced in 1/8 thick slices
(save cores)
1 1/2 cups almond flour
3/4 cup buckwheat flour
2/3 cup all purpose flour
1/3 cup cornmeal
2 teaspoons baking powder
Ingredients for the glaze:
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup water
pinch of salt
1 vanilla bean, scraped
apple cores reserved from cake
Method:
Preheat oven to 350. Line the bottom of a 9 inch springform pan and spray with Pam. Or grease and line a 10 inch cake pan.
Grate one of the apples, set aside. Peel the other 3 apples, set aside to cut later.
In a stand mixer, beat the butter and sugar until light. add vanilla and the eggs, one at a time, scraping and beating in between. Add the grated apple.
At this point, I did the rest by hand. Add the flours and cornmeal along with the baking powder and mix until incorporated. Do not overmix.
Pour into the pan and smooth the top. Slice the apples and fan them out over the top. I didn't use nearly enough, so overlap them more than I did.
Bake for one hour and 15 minutes or until a tester comes out clean. Cool for 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, make the glaze. Mix the sugar, water, salt, vanilla seeds and apple cores in a saucepan. Boil until the sugar is dissolved. Cook for 2 or 3 minutes, strain and then set aside.
After the cake has cooled 15 minutes, remove cake from pan and spoon the glaze on top and sides.
Cake best served same day, but will keep, tightly wrapped, for two days.
8.10.2015
Plum Torte
I'm probably the last food blogger to post about this torte, but here it is anyway. I didn't use the suggested buttery oval purple Italian plums (available in early fall)because I didn't want to wait. My market only had a choice between some huge purple plums and the somewhat smaller pluots....which look and taste like a plum, but with apricot overtones. So I brought those home.
Originally I had read something about this torte on Smitten Kitchen, the recipe being the most often published and the most requested in the Times archives. Marian Burros (who was given the recipe by Lois Levine, with whom Burros wrote Elegant but Easy ) ran the recipe in the paper twelve times. When Amanda Hesser asked for recipe suggestions for The Essential New York Times Cookbook , almost 250 requests were made to include this torte.
After reading all the kudos, it's no wonder I didn't want to wait around until fall, although now that I have tasted this divine torte, I'm definitely going to make it again with the oval purple plums this fall. Not that this wasn't perfection, it was. Will it be even more ambrosial with the fall plums?
Deb mentioned it tastes even better the next day as those plums and the cake sort of meld together. It does. And what a surprise to read it freezes beautifully. Hesser said the batter resembled pancake batter, but I thought it was a bit thicker than that. You spread it in the pan rather than pour it.
Take a look at those directions! Hardly any. Easy, peasy. And you'll have all the ingredients except the plums in your pantry right now. Such a simple recipe resulting in so much deliciousness!
Purple Plum Torte
From Amanda Hesser | The Essential New York Times Cookbook | W. W. Norton & Co., 2010
Ingredients:
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
Large pinch of salt
1 cup sugar, plus 1 tablespoon, (the latter used in topping) or more or less, depending on the tartness of your plums
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
2 large eggs
12 purple plums, halved and pitted
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice, or more or less, depending on the tartness of your plums
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Method:
Heat the oven to 350°F.
Sift the flour with the baking powder and salt, set aside.
In your mixer, cream 1 cup sugar and the butter until light in color. Add the dry ingredients and then the eggs.
Spoon the batter into an ungreased 9-inch springform pan. Cover the top of the batter with the plum halves, skin side up. Mix the remaining sugar with the cinnamon; Sprinkle the plums with the lemon juice, using enough to adjust to the tartness of the fruit and then sprinkle the cinnamon sugar mixture over everything.
Bake the plum torte until the cake is golden and the plums are bubbly, 45 to 50 minutes. Cool on a rack, then unmold.
7.31.2015
Fresh Apricot Upside Down Cake
Fresh apricots are iffy; I'm always afraid to bite into one. So often they're mealy and I'm terribly disappointed! But I hate not taking advantage of them when I see them in the market, so now I invariably bake them in bars, tarts or cakes.
I've been saving this Gourmet recipe for a while and I loved the way it turned out. Not a single thing was needed on top...no ice cream, no whipped cream. Do you love that combination of sticky, gooey caramel on top of upside down cakes as much as I do?
One caveat: use a skillet or baking dish with at least 2 inch sides (higher, if you have one) AND place on a baking sheet covered with foil. Mine overflowed and made a mess in the oven and the smell of burning food permeated the house. What was I thinking? Once again, lesson learned: read directions thoroughly and then heed them!
Still, when I cut a slice....well worth the mess I had to clean up!
Fresh Apricot Upside-Down Cake
Gourmet | July 2003
Ingredients:
For the topping:
1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter
3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
10 or 11 small (2- to 2 1/4-inch) fresh apricots (1 1/4 lb), halved lengthwise and pitted
For the cake:
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon almond extract
2 large eggs at room temperature for 30 minutes
3/4 cup well-shaken buttermilk
Special equipment: a 10-inch well-seasoned cast-iron or heavy nonstick skillet (at least 2 inches deep)
Method:
Preheat oven to 375°F.
Make topping:
Heat butter in skillet over moderate heat until foam subsides. Reduce heat to low and sprinkle brown sugar evenly over butter, then cook, undisturbed, 3 minutes (not all of sugar will be melted).
A personal note here: you can leave the sugar mixture in the skillet and add the apricot halves as indicated or take a spatula and scrape the mixture into a lightly buttered baking dish with higher sides and add the apricots then.
Remove skillet from heat and arrange apricot halves, cut sides down, close together on top of brown sugar.
Make cake batter:
Sift together flour, baking powder and soda, and salt into a small bowl. Beat the butter, sugar, and extracts in a large bowl with an electric mixer at medium speed until pale and fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes in a standing mixer or 3 to 4 minutes with a handheld. Beat in eggs 1 at a time, then beat until mixture is creamy and doubled in volume, 2 to 3 minutes.
Reduce speed to low and add flour mixture in 3 batches alternately with buttermilk, beginning and ending with flour mixture, and beat just until combined. Gently spoon batter over apricots and spread evenly.
Bake cake in middle of oven until golden brown and a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean, 40 to 45 minutes.
Wearing oven mitts, immediately invert a large plate over skillet and, keeping plate and skillet firmly pressed together, invert cake onto plate. Carefully lift skillet off cake and, if necessary, replace any fruit that is stuck to bottom of skillet. Cool to warm or room temperature.
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