Cake #30 - Dried Cherry and Almond Cake

Sometimes I get the idea that there's an ingredient I want to use (or an ingredient I have on hand) and so I trawl the internet for recipes.  In this case, dried cherries was sounding yummy, and I found a dried cherry coffee cake recipe at Allrecipes.com.  I'm sure I don't need to tell any seasoned baker who pulls recipes from the internet that you should be sure to check the comments.  Based on the comments and reviews I doubled the amount of cherries from 1/2 cup to a full cup; I used almonds atop the cake instead of pecans; and I used plain yogurt and vanilla extract instead of vanilla yogurt.  The recipe below accounts for those adjustments.

I brought the cake to work for a monthly birthday celebration, and compared to the pecan pie and the ginger-stout cake, my humble coffee cake was not the favorite.  However, I was pleased with it.  It was quick to bring together (I love cakes that use oil, rather than butter, for that reason - just stir them up and into the cake pan they go!) and baked quickly too.  It was a delicate cake with a good flavor.

I don't prefer nuts in baked goods (or ice cream, for that matter) - I don't like the way they get chewy, rather than crunchy.  This recipe perfectly accounts for that, with the nuts only on the top, so they stay crispy and make a nice topping for the cake.  The original recipe called for pecans, but after using the almond extract to plump the dried cherries, and knowing how delicious almond-cherry combinations are, I went with almonds.  It might be worth a try with pecans too.

Dried Cherry and Almond Cake

1 cup chopped dried cherries (they’re easier to chop if you butter the knife and the cutting board)

½ cup hot water

½ teaspoon almond extract

1½ cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

¼ teaspoon salt

1 cup white sugar

1 (8 ounce) container vanilla yogurt (or plain yogurt with 1 teaspoon vanilla extract – I used Greek yogurt)

½ cup vegetable oil

1 egg

1 egg white

¼ cup slivered almonds (or chopped pecans)

1 tablespoon white sugar

1.       Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Butter a 9-inch round cake pan.  Line with parchment paper, butter the parchment paper, and then coat with flour, tapping out the extra.

2.       Combine cherries, hot water, and almond extract: let stand 20 minutes. Drain cherries, and pat dry between layers of paper towels.  Set aside.

3.       In a large bowl, combine flour, salt, baking powder, and 1 cup white sugar. Add yogurt, eggs, and oil. Stir until just combined. Fold in cherries. Pour batter into prepared pan.

4.       Stir almonds and 1 tablespoon white sugar together. Sprinkle on top of batter in pan.

5.       Bake for 35 minutes, or until wooden pick comes out clean. Cool in pan on wire rack 10 minutes, before turning out onto a serving platter (you’ll have to invert it to get the almonds topping facing up). Serve warm, or at room temperature.

From allrecipes.com

Cake #29 - Citrus Cake

This is a pretty lame thing to admit, but I brought this cake to work, and then never got around to cutting myself a piece before it was all gone.  I stopped by my boss's admin assistant's desk to ask her how the cake was.  She said it was good, although not as lemony as the cupcakes she makes.  I used Meyer's lemons, which are sweeter and not as tart, which may have impacted the degree of lemon taste. 

I'll make it again and give a better report on how it tastes.  I can say that it's a smallish cake and is quick to whip up and to bake (I did it on a weekday evening.)

Citrus Cake

½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, plus more for pan
1½ cups cake flour (not self-rising), plus more for pan
¾ teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon baking soda
¾ teaspoon salt
1 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
Zest of 2 lemons
½ cup buttermilk (I used 1½ teaspoons lemon juice, plus 2% milk to make ½ cup)
1 cup confectioners’ sugar
2 tablespoons plus 1½ teaspoons fresh lemon juice
1½ cups candied orange peel, cut into ¼-inch strips (optional – I didn’t use these)
 
1.       Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Butter a 9-inch round cake pan; line with a parchment round, and butter parchment.  Dust with flour, tapping out excess. 
2.       Into a medium bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
3.       With an electric mixer on medium-high speed, beat butter until creamy, about 3 minutes.  Gradually add granulated sugar, and beat until pale and fluffy, 1 to 2 minutes.  Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating until incorporated after each.  Add lemon zest.  Add flour mixture in 3 batches, alternating with 2 batches of buttermilk; beat until combined.
4.       Transfer batter to prepared pan.  Bake until golden brown and a cake tester comes out clean, about 30 minutes.  Transfer pan to a wire rack to cool completely.  Turn out cake onto a serving platter.
5.       Whisk together confectioners’ sugar and lemon juice until smooth and opaque.  Spread glaze over top of cake with an offset spatula, allowing glaze to drip over side of cake.  Garnish with candied orange peel, if using, and serve.

Candied orange peel

Cover ¼–inch strips of citrus peel (pith removed) with cold water in a saucepan, bring to a boil, and then drain.  Repeat twice.  Bring equal amounts water and sugar (enough to cover the strips) to a boil; cook until sugar dissolves.  Add strips; simmer gently on medium-low until peel is translucent, 1 hour.  Let cool (off heat) in syrup.  Wipe excess syrup from each strip, roll in sugar, and let dry on a wire rack.

From Martha Stewart’s Cakes

Cake #28 - Sticky Toffee Pudding

We had friends visit recently and out at dinner we ordered Sticky Toffee Pudding for dessert.  I thought this was a bold move, given that one of our guests is from England.  It seemed unlikely that a Phoenix restaurant - even a good one - would make sufficiently authentic sticky toffee pudding.  To tell the truth, I'm not sure I've ever had it before, but it was pretty yummy, and our British friend approved.  Her husband has made sticky toffee pudding before - from a New York Times recipe - and was successful, so I was inspired.

None of my cookbooks had a sticky toffee pudding recipe, so I took to the Internet and was intrigued by a Nigella Lawson recipe for Easy Sticky Toffee Pudding.  It uses melted butter, and is basically just combining the dry ingredients, combining the wet ingredients, mixing together with a wooden spoon, folding in the dates, and then - hang on, 'cause this is where it gets wild - you dot the batter in the pan with butter, cover with a cup of brown sugar, and the pour 2 cups of boiling water over the top before putting it all it the oven.  Forty-five minutes later you have cake with sticky toffee sauce bubbling around the edges.

I served it with whipped cream, but I think vanilla ice cream would be better - the temperature contrast would be nice.  The dates give the cake an earthy, hearty flavor - but you don't really notice them as chunks the way you might with raisins.

I can imagine that for someone who loves the toffee sauce part of the dish, this may not have quite enough toffee sauce.  But not only is this recipe easy (as promised) it's quick and basically one step.  I assembled it while I was making dinner and we had it ready for dessert.  There's not that much butter in it - so it's not crazy indulgent in terms of fat.  There's lots of sugar, however, so it's not exactly health food.

Nigella Lawson's recipe calls for self-rising flour - I didn't have any on hand, so I substituted regular all-purpose flour plus baking powder and salt, which is what's listed below.

I'm eager to make this again for my friends next time they're in town!

Easy Sticky Toffee Pudding

for the cake

½ cup dark brown sugar

1¼ cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

½ teaspoon salt

½ cup whole milk

1 large egg

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

3 tablespoons unsalted butter (melted)

1½ cups chopped dates

for the sauce

1 cup dark brown sugar

approx. 2 tablespoons unsalted butter (in little blobs)

2 cups boiling water

1.       Preheat the oven to 375ºF and butter a 6-cup baking dish.

2.       Combine the ½ cup of dark brown sugar with the flour, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl. In a separate bowl, combine the milk, egg, vanilla and melted butter.  Then pour this mixture over the dry ingredients, stirring - just with a wooden spoon - to combine. Fold in the dates then scrape into the prepared baking dish. Don't worry if it doesn't look very full: it will by the time it cooks.

3.       Sprinkle the 1 cup of dark brown sugar over the batter in the baking dish and dot with the butter. Pour the boiling water over the ingredients in the baking dish (yes really!) and transfer to the oven. Set the timer for 45 minutes, though you might find the pudding needs 5 or 10 minutes more. The top of the pudding should be springy and spongy when it's cooked; underneath, the butter, brown sugar and boiling water will have turned into a rich, sticky sauce. Serve with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream.

From www.nigella.com

Cake #27 - Mandarin Orange and Vanilla Upside-Down Cake

This was one of two fruity upside-down cakes I made for dinner guests (along with cake #26 - Cranberry Upside-Down Cake).  Of the two I think it was easier, tastier, and a more dramatically gorgeous presentation.  Of course, I say easier, but I do also have a mandolin, which helped immensely.  You have to create mandarin orange slices, and the mandolin - set on 3/16" - made beautiful slices.  (I'd recommend getting one - there seem to be fairly inexpensive models that are easy to use, fairly easy to clean, and will make summer sangria a snap!)

You have to boil the slices for three minutes to take out the bitter taste of the pith, and you need extra slices, as some will fall apart during the boiling process.  I thought the pile of orange slices was so beautiful, though, and the kitchen smelled amazing.

I liked the combination of orange and vanilla - as it was a bit unexpected - and the vanilla bean seeds make lovely little specs over the orange slices.

Unlike the cranberry cake, this one is meant to come out of the pan while it is still hot, and it came clean from the pan quite easily.  

You'll want a serrated knife to cut slices of cake, as the caramelized oranges do require some effort to cut through.  We served the cake with vanilla ice cream, but it wasn't necessary.  I think this would be a beautiful brunch offering just by itself.

Mandarin Orange and Vanilla Upside-Down Cake

4-5 medium mandarins, preferably Satsuma (1½ pounds), thinly sliced, seeds removed

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature

1 vanilla bean, halved lengthwise and scraped, pod reserved for another use

1½ cups sugar

1 tablespoon fine grated mandarin zest plus 3 tablespoons fresh mandarin juice (from 1 mandarin)

1 1/3 cups plus 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour

1½ teaspoons baking powder

½ teaspoon coarse salt

2 large eggs

½ cup whole milk

1.       Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Bring a large pot of water to a boil.  Add mandarin slices; boil 3 minutes.  Drain.  Arrange slices in a single layer on paper towels.

2.       Place ½ cup butter in a 9-by-2-inch round cake pan.  Mix half the vanilla seeds and ½ cup sugar; sprinkle over butter.  Place pan in oven until butter melts, about 7 minutes.  Remove from oven; carefully whisk in 2 tablespoons mandarin juice.

3.       In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt.  With an electric mixer on medium-high speed, beat zest and remaining ½ cup butter, 1 cup sugar, and vanilla seeds until pale and fluffy, 3 to 5 minutes.  With mixer running, add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition.  Reduce mixer speed to low.  Add flour mixture in 2 batches, alternating with the milk and remaining 1 tablespoon juice.

4.       Arrange mandarin slices over sugar mixture in pan, starting in the center and spiraling outward, overlapping slices slightly.  (Use slices that are completely intact.)  Gently spoon batter on top of mandarins; spread evenly with an offset spatula.  Bake until cake is golden brown and a cake tester comes out clean, 45 to 50 minutes.  Transfer pan to wire rack to cool 10 minutes.  Run a knife around edge of cake to loosen, then invert onto a serving plate; let cool before serving.  (Cake can be stored at room temperature, covered, for 1 day.)

From Martha Stewart’s Cakes

Cake #26 - Cranberry Upside-Down Cake

I served this cake and the Mandarin Orange and Vanilla Upside-Down Cake (Cake #27, to follow) together, for a dinner party, and of the two I think the orange-vanilla was the winner.  So it's hard for me to say how I'd judge this cake if it weren't in direct comparison with another really spectacular looking and particularly yummy cake. 

I like the addition of cinnamon (surprising with cranberry) and the absence of citrus (so typically found with cranberries), but I think my grudge with this cake is that I'm not positive that it's worth the extra step of whipping the egg whites separately and then folding them in at the end.  I have a stand mixer (which I love, and would highly recommend to anyone who loves to bake) but whipping whites after creaming the butter and sugar means stopping mid-cake to wash the bowl and beater.  It's not a huge big deal, but it seems inconvenient. 

The cake did also stick to the pan, although I waited the 2 hours that the recipe recommended.  I ultimately had to jiggle it with a knife all the way around and then lever it out of the pan.  Some of the cranberries stuck to the pan, so I scooped them back onto the top of the cake.  It made for something less perfect and gorgeous than the picture in the cookbook, but I surprised myself by being pretty mellow about it. 

As I made two cakes this afternoon, I reflected on the idea that not only am I practicing making cakes, I'm practicing trying something new.  I used to be a basket case if I was serving something I'd never made before to guests.  Tonight, I explained the cake project (which does act as something of a disclaimer) but then I felt assured that we'd try the cakes, we might like them, we might not.  But the uncertainty of it doesn't upset me the way it once did. 

It's a powerful thing, getting used to not being sure.

Cranberry Upside-Down Cake

¾ cup (1½ sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature, plus more for pan
¾ cup all-purpose flour, plus more for pan
2¾ cups fresh or thawed frozen cranberries
½ cup plus 1 tablespoon pure maple syrup
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons coarse yellow cornmeal
¼ cup almond paste
¾ cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
3 large eggs, separated, room temperature
¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
¼ teaspoon almond extract
½ cup milk

 

1.       Butter a 9-inch round cake pan; dust with flour, tapping out excess.  In a large skillet, heat 6 tablespoons butter over medium until sizzling.  Add cranberries; cook until shiny, about 2 minutes.  Add maple syrup and cinnamon.  Cook, stirring frequently, until cranberries soften but still hold their shape, 3 to 5 minutes.  Remove from heat. 

2.       With a slotted spoon, transfer cranberries to a baking sheet to cool slightly before arranging in prepared cake pan.  Return skillet to medium heat and cook until syrup boils and thickens, 3 to 4 minutes; do not overcook.  Immediately pour syrup over cranberries; let cook, about 10 minutes.

3.       Preheat oven to 350 degrees, with rack in center.  In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt.  Whisk in cornmeal with a fork.

4.       With an electric mixer on medium speed, beat remaining 6 tablespoons butter and the almond paste until well combined; about 30 seconds.  Gradually add ¾ cup sugar; beat until creamy, about 2 minutes.  Add egg yolks; beat until well combined.  Beat in vanilla and almond extracts.  Add flour mixture in 2 batches, alternating with the milk and beginning and ending with the flour; beat until just combined. 

5.       In a clean bowl, with an electric mixer on medium-low, whisk egg whites until foamy.  Slowly add remaining 2 tablespoons sugar.  Raise speed to high and beat until soft peaks form, about 5 minutes.  Whisk one third of the whites into batter; fold in remaining whites.    

6.       Carefully spread batter over cranberries.  Bake until a cake tester comes out clean, about 45 minutes.  Transfer to a wire rack to cool 2 hours before inverting onto a serving plate. 

 

From Martha Stewart’s Cakes

Cake #25 - Tangerine Cake

It's winter in Arizona and that means beautiful citrus fruit, and so this is one of many orange cakes in a row.  [This calls itself a tangerine cake, but I had oranges, so that's what I used.]  I made this to take to brunch and it was just a lovely, straight-forward, and delicious bundt cake.  It is a big cake - 6 eggs! - and so it's a nice one if you're going to a big potluck and need something that will serve a large group. 

Since I'd be serving it to kids, I omitted the liqueur and used extra juice.  And by the time I got to the glaze, I didn't have any more fresh juice, so I used a milk glaze (also from Martha Stewart Cakes) and it was so pretty - a beautiful, opaque glaze.  [I've learned that you want the glaze thicker than you think it should be, otherwise it all runs off the cake.  Also, it's worth sifting the powdered sugar before you start whisking - it makes a much smoother glaze.]  As the cake sat for a few hours between glazing and serving, the glaze got a little wrinkled, but it still tasted fine.

This cake calls for yogurt, and I think the addition of yogurt in cakes is what's responsible for a certain spongy quality.  I like it - the yogurt cakes are moist - but I can imagine it not being the dry crumb someone might be looking for.

I'm not done with oranges yet!! 

Tangerine Cake

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature, plus more for pan

3 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for pan
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups granulated sugar
6 large eggs
2 tablespoons finely grated tangerine zest plus ½ cup fresh tangerine juice (from 6 tangerines)* can substitute orange zest and juice
2 tablespoons orange-flavored liqueur, such as Grand Marnier
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
¾ cup plain 2% Greek yogurt

 

Glaze:
1½ cups confectioners’ sugar
3 tablespoons fresh tangerine juice (from 2 tangerines)
 

1.       Make the cake.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Butter a 12-cup Bundt pan; dust with flour, tapping out excess.  In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt. 

2.       With an electric mixer on medium-high speed, beat butter and granulated sugar until pale and fluffy, 3 to 5 minutes.  Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition.  Beat in tangerine zest and juice, liqueur, and vanilla.  Reduce speed to low.  Add flour mixture in 3 batches, alternating with 2 batches of yogurt and beating to combine. 

3.       Transfer batter to prepared pan; smooth top with an offset spatula, and firmly tap pan on counter.  Bake until a cake tester comes out clean, 50 to 55 minutes.  Transfer pan to a wire rack to cool 30 minutes.  Turn out cake onto rack to cool completely.  (Cake can be stored at room temperature, wrapped in plastic, up to 2 days.)

4.       Make the glaze: Whisk together confectioners’ sugar and tangerine juice until smooth.  Set cake on rack over a rimmed baking sheet.  Spoon glaze evenly over cake; let set before serving.  [Basic milk glaze is 1 cup confectioners’ sugar blended with 2 tablespoons milk.]

 

From Martha Stewart’s Cakes

Cake #24 - Orange Yogurt Cake

I caved in and bought the Martha Stewart's Cakes book on Monday.  And I love it.  It's got tons of recipes I'm gonna try and every cake has a picture.  It has a wide range of cake recipes (including cheesecakes, coffee cakes, single-layer cakes, cakes with fruit, bundt cakes, frozen cakes and layer cakes).  I'm in heaven. 

I was traveling over the weekend, so I didn't get a cake baked until tonight.  It's a small cake (8-inch pan, only 1 cup of flour and 1 egg) and with oil it combines without a mixer.  It uses orange zest and a little bit of fresh juice, so the kitchen smelled delicious during prep and baking. 

This cake was simple to make but Martha Stewart's recipe included serving the cake with sectioned oranges and dusting the top with powdered sugar.  I hate baked goods with powdered sugar and oranges in sugar alongside the cake seemed unnecessary.  So, the recipe as produced below is the way I made it - not the more gussied up version Martha has in the cookbook.

It was delicious all by itself - remarkably moist and studded with flecks of orange zest.  I might serve it with vanilla ice cream and Prosecco if I was trying to make it fancy.

Orange Yogurt Cake

1 cup all-purpose flour

½ cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
½ teaspoon baking powder
1/8 teaspoon baking soda
Pinch of salt
1 tablespoon grated orange zest (from 2 medium oranges)
1 tablespoon fresh orange juice
½ cup plain 2% Greek yogurt
¼ cup canola oil
1 large egg
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
 

1.       Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Butter and line with parchment an 8-inch round cake pan.

2.       Into a large bowl, sift together flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.  In a separate bowl (or in a two-cup measuring cup), whisk together yogurt, oil, grated orange zest and juice, egg and vanilla.  Stir yogurt mixture into flour mixture until just combined. 

3.       Transfer batter to prepared pan.  Bake until a cake tester comes out clean, about 25 minutes.  Transfer pan to a wire rack to cool completely.

 

Modified from Martha Stewart’s Cakes