Cranberry Upside Downer (TWD)

Even with summery weather still going strong in my neck of the woods, I was looking forward to doing some holiday baking with this week's Tuesdays With Dorie recipe for Cranberry Upside Downer. Chosen by Sabrina of Superfluous, you can find the complete recipe at Dorie Greenspan's website or Sabrina's blog.

In lieu of fresh cranberries, I opted to use Trader Joe's frozen sweetened cranberries. If you have a Trader Joe's in your neighborhood, you've got to run out an grab a bag of these frozen cranberries - they are fantastic! These cranberries are sweetened just a touch, and the bright, tart flavor of the berries shine. I promise that I have not been paid by TJs to write this glowing review - I'm just a raving fan!

I love the simplicity of this recipe. A healthy amount of butter and sugar is heated, then poured into a cake pan. A generous amont of cranberries and walnuts are spread over this butter mixture. A simple cinnamon-y cake batter is poured over the fruit, then the whole thing is popped in the oven.

Once the cake is baked and out of the oven, it is time for the dramatic finish - turning the cake out from the pan. I was a bit worried that the fruit would stick to the bottom of the pan, but to my pleasant suprise, this cake unmolded from the pan without a fuss.

My friends, this is one tasty cake! The tender cake is subtly spiced, and it perfectly complements the tart/sweet cranberries perfectly. The walnuts provided a nice textural complement to the cranberries.

I'm looking forward to making this cake again...and again.

Lot's of Ways Banana Cake (TWD)

I've made this week's Tuesdays With Dorie recipe for Lot's Of Ways Banana Cake several times before, and I can tell you that this is a keeper!

For some, all they see are sad old bananas. For me, I see a delicious banana cake in the making:

In the book Dorie shares that this cake can be baked in a variety of shapes and sizes. I've previously made this recipe into a layer cake and cupcakes, and they turned out perfectly in each case. I wanted to try a different pan, so I dug into my cabinet of "I'll use them once every 5 years" baking pans:

So, what did I find? Mini loaf pan...perfect! I haven't used this pan since 2002.

Dorie share a number of suggestions to play with the ingredients in the cake (thus the "Lot's of Ways" in the recipe title). As I had all of the ingredients readily on hand, I didn't veer off course from the original recipe. I made half the recipe, which yielded me 8 mini-loaves. I also reduced the oven temperature to 325F degrees and baked the cakes for 18 minutes (I think the dark loaf pan expedited the baking time).

To dress up these little loaves, I topped them with some Mascarpone Frosting leftover from another cake I was working on.

This cake is DEEELISH! The cake is beautifully moist and tender, and it does not have that dense, gummy texture that I get with other banana cake recipes. The banana flavor definitely shines, and the toasted coconut gives the cake a nice chew (for those of you who hate coconut, you can easily omit it). The mascarpone frosting's light creamy texture is the perfect complement as it doesn't overwhelm the cake.

If I haven't already convinced you to try making this banana cake, peruse the TWD blogroll to check out all of the beautiful banana cakes - you'll be convinced to try this recipe. For the complete recipe (including all of the variations), please head to Kimberly's blog, Only Creative Opportunities.

Swedish Visiting Cake (TWD)

I'm a week late in publishing last week's Tuesdays With Dorie selection, Swedish Visiting Cake. No excuses this time around - I just suffered from a case of chronic procrastination.

I definitely didn't want to miss out on the opportunity to rave about this ridiculously simple and totally yummy cake, so am doubling up with this week's TWD post for Sweet Cream Biscuits.

In essense, this is a one bowl cake that can can be prepped in popped in the oven in a matter of minutes. There is no leavener in this recipe, so the cake bakes up thin yet with a light, moist crumb.

I halved the recipe (which is for a 9 inch cast iron pan or cake pan), and it gave me enough batter for a 6 inch mini cast iron pan AND a 6 inch cake pan. In the cast iron pan, I topped the cake batter with sliced almonds and a sprinkling of sugar. The mini-cake only took 18 minutes to bake, and came out of the oven smelling heavenly!

For the cake pan version, I wanted to try a variation of the recipe that Dorie Greenspan shares in Serious Eats, which calls for the addition of sliced apples.

With the fruit addition, I should have known to bake the cake a bit longer. I took this cake out of the oven at the same time as the cast iron version, and as you can see I was a little premature. This cake needed 5-10 more minutes in the oven.

I definitely loved the almond topped version for it's simplicity and flavor. The use of a cast iron pan gave the cake a nice crunchy exterior crust, which was a nice contrast to the soft, moist interior.

I also enjoyed the apple version, but would omit the almond extract next time as the flavor was a bit overwhelming. I didn't get the crunchy crust using the cake pan, and would have loved to have a little texture contrast to the moist cake and cooked apples.

I am so glad that Nancy of The Dog Eats The Crumbs made this exceptional selection. This recipe is a gem, and I would have never considered making this cake on my own. Thanks Nancy --- this cake recipe is a keeper! Please visit Nancy's blog for this wonderful recipe, and check out Serious Eats for the apple version.

Mocha-Walnut Marbled Bundt Cake (TWD)

This week is a Tuesdays With Dorie two-fer! Along with a post for a delicious Coconut Lime Tea Cake, you can read all about a little incident at the Tender Crumb casa which derailed my plans for posting on time last week.

This week's TWD selection is a Mocha-Walnut Marbled Bundt Cake --- sounds pretty delicious doesn't it?
This bundt cake looks unassuming on the outside, but when you cut a slice you will be surprised with this beautiful marbling: the dark cake is flavored with bittersweet chocolate and coffee; light cake is flavored with vanilla.

Finely ground walnuts replace a portion of the flour as a dry ingredient. I added a little of the flour portioned for the recipe (1/4 cup) along with the walnuts to the food processor to grind them, as the flour will prevent the nuts from turning into a nut-butter.

I thought this cake was delicious, but was left wanting a bit more walnut flavor. You can definitely taste the chocolate, coffee and vanilla, which is a fantastic combination. If I didn't know about the walnuts, I would have had no idea that ground nuts were added to this cake.

Flavor aside, the cake is super moist, and it is definitely one that will keep for several days.

Setting aside my minor gripe about the flavor, this cake is definitely worth repeating, and I may experiment with a different nut next time.

For the complete recipe, please visit Erin's blog, When In Doubt...Leave It At 350.

Coconut Lime Tea Cake (TWD)

I totally dropped the ball and didn't get my Tuesdays With Dorie post up on time last week (s0rry Carmen!). I promise that I have a good reason, as you can see here (the poor girl looks completely miserable, doesn't she?):

You would think that just after turning a year old that my dog would become older and slighly wiser...wishful thinking! Siena was tearing through the house like a tazmanian devil and caught her leg on something, which resulted with a massive gash on her leg. Fast forward to a emergency visit to the vet's office, and Siena left with nine stitches and this beautiful lampshade. Today, the stitches have been removed and Siena is back to her mischievous ways.

Back to the baking! Last week's TWD selection for Coconut Tea Cake was one that my coconut lovin' hubs was looking forward to sampling, so I couldn't just skip over the recipe. It's a simple cake recipe with a double dose of coconut with unsweetened coconut milk and shredded coconut.

Dorie provides a number of suggestions to play around with the basic recipe. I was torn - the spice and sesame additions sounded delish, but the yummy sounding coconut-lime variation won me over.

The original recipe calls the cake to be baked in a bundt pan. As I've always associated a tea cake with individual little cakes, I ended up using a square muffin pan. I halved the recipe, which was the perfect amount for a dozen mini cakes.As I had extra lime juice leftover, I combined the juice with some powdered sugar to make a simple glaze.
YUM! These cakes were delicious! The cakes were wonderfully moist and the coconut-lime flavor was well-balanced with a hint of rum.

This recipe is definitely a keeper, and I'm looking forward to experimenting with the other suggested variations.

Thanks to Carmen of Carmen Cooks for a great pick! Make sure to visit Carmen's blog for the complete recipe and make this - I promise you won't regret it.

Coconut Cupcakes

My friend T asked me to make cupcakes for a friend's birthday. Her friend's favorite cake flavors are coconut and chocolate, and I was more than happy to oblige:
Along with a couple dozen cupcakes for the birthday party, I wanted to give the birthday girl her own personal box of goodies - you've gotta indulge youself on your birthday, right? Not to detract from the yummy chocolate cupcakes (made with my favorite chocolate cake recipe), but I wanted to spend a little time fawning over the coconut cupcakes. I am not a huge coconut fan, but there is something about these cupcakes that I cannot resist. I've made these cupcakes countless times over the years, and without fail I am rewarded with pefectly moist and flavorful cupcakes each time.

Coconut Cupcakes
adapted from The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook
makes 12-15 cupcakes

Cupcakes

6 oz (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter
1 cup sugar
3 large eggs at room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 tsp almond extract
1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp kosher salt
1/2 cup buttermilk
3 oz shredded sweetened coconut
toasted shredded coconut to top the cupcakes

Frosting

8 oz cream cheese at room temperature
6 oz unsalted butter at room temperature
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp almond extract
1/2 lb powdered sugar, sifted


Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar on high speed until light and fluffy. With the mixer on low speed, add the eggs, 1 at a time, scraping down the bowl after each addition. Add the vanilla and almond extracts and mix well.

In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In 3 parts, alternately add the dry ingredients and the buttermilk to the batter, beginning and ending with the dry. Mix until just combined. Fold in coconut.

Line a muffin pan with paper liners. Fill each liner to the top with batter. Bake for 25 to 35 minutes, until the tops are brown and a toothpick comes out clean. Allow to cool in the pan for 15 minutes. Remove to a baking rack and cool completely.

Meanwhile, make the frosting. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together the cream cheese, butter, and vanilla and almond extracts. Add the confectioners' sugar and mix until smooth.

Frost the cupcakes and sprinkle with the toasted coconut.

Mississippi Mud Cake (TCS)

After baking along with The Cake Slice group for the past 15 months, I've decided that this will be my last recipe with the group (at least for now). Along with appreciating the beauty of triple layer cakes and the traditions of favorite southern cakes, I've enjoyed baking along with a supportive and enthusiastic group of bakers.

The Cake Slice group voted, and Mississippi Mud Cake came out on top as February's recipe. For me, this resembled less a cake and more a brownie, with its thin, rich and pecan-studded chocolate cake layer. If the cake alone isn't rich enough, it is topped with marshallows and a thick chocolate frosting as the cake comes out of the oven. The warmth of the cake allows the marshallow and frosting to melt into this ooey, gooey goodness.

I haven't sampled this recipe, so couldn't tell you how it tastes. My hubs took the cake to work, and he said that it was devoured in minutes. In fact, people came back looking for more...I would say a crowd pleaser, wouldn't you agree?

Click here for the complete recipe.

All In One Holiday Bundt (TWD)

So, we had to cope with our derailed Thanksgiving travel plans. The hubs and I went through a momentary (okay, it was a bit more like a few hours) whiny, pity party phase, and now we've moved on. We decided to make the proverbial lemons into lemonade, and are making good use of our new found time.

The hubs has been a whirling dervish as he's already cleaned the garage, dug out the Christmas boxes, and hung the holiday lights. WooHoo hubs!!! I've been organizing paperwork for next year's tax returns, decking the house with holiday stuff, scouring cookbooks for this year's holiday treat boxes, and taking inventory of the gifts that we've been stockpiling throughout the year. I hope I'm not jinxing ourselves by saying this, but I think we're actually ready for the holidays!

BTW, Siena is doing much better. The first 24 hours was tough on the little girl, but she pulled through just fine (and the vet confirmed that she didn't ingest anything poisonous). She's back to her old exuberant self!
With this gift of time, I took the opportunity to catch up on some baking that I've been postponing. This is a late TWD post for All-In-One Holiday Bundt. I almost skipped this recipe due to lack of time, and I am so glad that I didn't pass this recipe.

The list of ingredients is definitely representative of the holidays: pumpkin, apple, cranberry, cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg.

I halved the recipe, which yielded the perfect amount for a six cup bundt pan. The original recipe calls for a cup of chopped pecans, which I decided to omit. Instead, I substituted the nuts with an additional 1/4 cup each of cranberries and apple (I used granny smith). I was too lazy to dice, so I shredded the apple instead (just watch your fingers!).

The baking time for this smaller bundt was approximately 40-45 minutes. The smell of this cake baking in the oven was heavenly!

Once out of the oven and cooled, I opted to drizzle maple icing to finish the cake.

When I first read through the recipe, I thought this could be a case of "too much of a good thing" with all of these ingredients competing with each other. Instead, I was really pleased by the flavors: the tartness of the cranberry and apple was nicely balanced by the sweetness of the pumpkin and maple icing. The spices are definitely present, but doesn't overwhelm the fruit flavors in the cake.

Aside from the delicious flavor, this cake is super moist and will keep for a few days (if it isn't gobbled up before then).
Thank you Britin of The Nitty Britty for this delicious Tuesdays With Dorie selection. For the complete recipe, you can find it either at Dorie Greenspan's column at Serious Eats or at Britin's blog.

Pumpkin Black Bottom Cupcakes

Instead of venturing out tonight, the hubs and I are spending a comfortable and stress-free evening at home. Maybe I'm a fuddy-duddy, but there is nothing more delightful than kicking back in sweats, reading a good book and enjoying a bottle of good wine on a Saturday night. Besides, I didn't want to miss the entertaining parade of trick-or-treaters canvasing our neighborhood.

In keeping with the comfortable laid-back mood this evening, I wanted to bake something that wouldn't take much effort. David Lebovitz's Black Bottom Cupcakes was the perfect remedy for lazy baking. Seriously, this recipe is unbelievably easy to make! Using only a couple of bowls and mixing spoons, you will be rewarded with these impressive looking cream cheese chocolate cakes. I love how each cupcake has its own unique personality:

In keeping with the holiday theme, I tweaked the recipe slightly to create a pumpkin cream cheese filling. You can find the original recipe here, and I made the following adjustments to the cream cheese filling:

- reduced the cream cheese to 6 oz

- added 3 oz canned pumpkin

- added 1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice

- added 3 drops of orange food coloring

I encourage you to try baking these super easy treats yourself. I promise that these cakes are better than anything that you'll find in a trick-or-treaters bag.

Happy Halloween!

Classic Banana Bundt Cake (TWD)

I think this week's TWD recipe, Classic Banana Bundt Cake, is one the best banana bread/cake recipes that I've ever made. I know, it's a pretty bold statement, isn't it? I have made this recipe numerous times since I've gotten my hands on Dorie Greenspan's Baking: From My Home To Yours, and this banana cake has never failed me. To me, what makes this recipe fantastic is the simplicity of the ingredients and instructions. In no time, you are rewarded with a comforting treat that you can have with your morning coffee or as an afternoon snack.

I had originally intended on sharing with you a photo of the full bundt cake, but the top photo was the best I could do. Why, you ask? This was the reason...I had absolutely no patience, and I ended up cutting a generous hunk and devoured it before I had a chance to take pictures. :(

If you've had this cake before, you will understand why I couldn't wait to eat it. The cake is tender and moist, and it is chock full of banana flavor.

This time around, I tried topping the bundt with a glaze mentioned in the book. It didn't do much for taste or presentation, so I ended up frosting the cake with a bittersweet chocolate ganache and then topping it with bittersweet mini-chips. (That's why you see the white glaze drizzled down the sides of the cake along with the chocolate ganache.)

A huge shout out to my homegirl Mary of The Food Librarian for a fantastic pick this week. Mary is a fantastic baker and blogger, fellow Angelino, UCLA Bruin, ...in another word, she ROCKS!

You have to make this cake! For the recipe, you can find it at Mary's blog, or you can find a half-batch version for cupcakes at Dorie Greenspan's blog. I've made this recipe into cupcakes here, which was met with great success.

I know that my fellow TWD bakers were all over this recipe, so make sure to visit the TWD blogroll to see more of this absolutely delicious cake.

Now, you'll have to excuse me as I indulge with another piece of cake...

Perfect Party Cake (TWD)

It's been a busy month with work and to top it off, I've been super busy planning for my hub's birthday celebration. This was no ordinary b-day, as my eternally youthful hubs was celebrating his 50th! Just yesterday, we returned from that birthday celebration weekend up in Paso Robles, CA. With a weekend of fantastic wine, delious meals, and in the company of some wonderful friends, I think the birthday boy was quite content. The folks at Justin and Tablas Creek really made our wine tasting afternoon fun and interesting (and we tasted some really amazing wines), and our dinner at Artisan was exceptional.

After being such a flake this past month, I'm determined to regain my baking and blogging mojo and kick things into gear.

This week's TWD selection for Dorie Greenspan's Perfect Party Cake is the perfect remedy to get me out of my funk, so THANK U Carol of mix, mix...stir, stir for making this excellent selection! Besides, I couldn't miss out on an opportunity to bake along with Carol, who is a totally talented baker & cook who has a great knack for spices. I was a little ambitious with this cake, and had to seriously hustle to get the cake baked, frosted and photographed yesterday afternoon. The effort was definitely worth it, as I thought this cake was truly exceptional.

The beautiful white cake layers were moist and tender, yet was able to hold it's own stacked in a layer cake. The lemon scented buttercream was delicious (you just need to block out in your mind the 3 sticks of butter that go into the frosting). I went along with the recipe using raspberry jam between the layers.

Next time, I would omit the raspberry jam in the layers, as it got a bit messy to frost and slice. I hope that I wasn't the only one having layers slipping and sliding all over the place.

Without the jam, I would definitely recommend doubling the buttercream recipe (I personally like a thick slathering of frosting on my cakes).
If you'd like to make this cake (which I highly recommend), you can find the complete recipe at Carol's blog. To see the beautiful cake creations of my fellow bakers, please make sure to check out the TWD blogroll.

Mile High Devil's Food Cake (TCS)

I'm a little late to The Cake Slice party! Better late then never, as I didn't want to miss out on opportunity to make another scrumptious cake recipe from Sky High: Irresistable Triple-Layer Cakes. This month's recipe is a Mile-High Devil's Food Cake, with a choice of Brown Sugar Buttercream or Brown Sugar Seven-Minute Frosting (for a lighter frosting alternative).

I made the full recipe, with the majority being made into 2 1/2 dozen cupcakes for a work colleague's baby shower. I did reserve enough cake batter and frosting to make a 4 inch mini-cake (what a surprise), which is shown here.

The cake is really easy to make and calls for cocoa powder to deliver its wonderful chocolate flavor. The cake has a beautiful, tight crumb and is wonderfully moist.I opted for the buttercream recipe --- sure, it calls for a pound of butter, but it is totally worth the caloric investment. In this recipe, white sugar is swapped for brown sugar, which provides a subtle caramel flavor and gives the buttercream a beautiful ivory color. It was an delicious complement to the chocolate cake, and I thought the color contrast was really beautiful.

I was being a bit lazy, and didn't do a crumb coat, thus ending up with specks of cake thoughout the frosting (argh). Oh well---this little treat was for my hubs and me, and we enjoyed every bit of this cake, specks and all!

Mile-High Devil’s Food Cake
From: Sky High: Irresistible Triple-Layer Cakes by Alisa Huntsman and Peter Wynne
Makes an 8-inch triple layer cake

Devil's Food Cake

1 cup of unsweetened cocoa NOT DUTCHED PROCESSED
1 and ¼ cups of hot water
3 cups of light brown sugar; packed
2 and 2/3 cups cake flour*
1 and ½ teaspoons baking soda
¾ teaspoon of salt
9 ounces of unsalted butter at room temperature [2 sticks plus 2 tablespoons]
3 large eggs
1 ½ teaspoons of vanilla extract
¾ cup of cold water
{*1 cup of cake flour is equal to ¾ cup of flour plus 2 tablespoons of cornstarch}

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.

Butter the bottoms and sides of three 8-inch round cake pans. Line the bottoms of the pans with parchment paper and grease the paper as well.

Place the cocoa in a medium bowl and add the hot water. Whisk until smooth and let it cool to room temperature.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine the sugar, flour, baking soda, and salt. With the mixer on low blend to combine. Add the butter and the dissolved cocoa. Then raise the mixer to medium speed and beat for 2 minutes until light and fluffy.

In a medium bowl whisk together the eggs, vanilla, and cold water until combined. Add this liquid to the batter in three additions scraping down the sides of the bowl between additions. Divide the batter among the three pans.

Bake for 35-45 minutes or until a cakes tester inserted into the almost comes out clean. There should be a few crumbs attached still. Cool the cakes in the pans for 15 minutes. Then invert and remove parchment paper and cool completely on a wire rack.

{Bakers’ choice of: Brown Sugar 7-Minute Frosting or Brown Sugar Buttercream}

Brown Sugar 7-Minute Frosting

6 egg whites
1 and ½ cups of brown sugar
¼ cup light corn syrup*
2 tablespoons of water
½ teaspoon of cream of tartar
{*corn syrup can be substituted with equal parts of treacle OR liquid glucose OR light colored honey}

Do not try to make this frosting on a rainy day or if you live in an extremely humid area. The humidity will make it impossible to work with the egg whites.

Place all the egg whites in a bowl and set them aside while you make the syrup.

In a small heavy saucepan, combine the brown sugar, corn syrup, and water. Bring to a boil over medium-low heat, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Continue to boil washing down the sides of the pan with a wet pastry brush. Boil until the syrup reaches 238 degrees F (softball stage) on a candy thermometer. Immediately remove from heat.

Add the cream of tartar to the egg whites in the bowl and beat just to combine. With the mixer on medium speed gradually add the syrup in a thin stream taking care not to hit the beaters. Beat until fairly stiff peaks form but the frosting is still spreadable. If the frosting is too stiff it will be hard to work with. Use immediately.

Brown Sugar Buttercream

5 egg whites
1 and ¼ cups of packed brown sugar
¼ cup of water
1 pound of unsalted butter (16 ounces) at room temperature

Place all the egg whites in the bowl of an electric mixer; set aside.

In a heavy medium saucepan combine the sugar and water. Cook over medium heat stirring to dissolve the sugar. Then bring to a boil without stirring and cook until the syrup reaches 238 degrees F on a candy thermometer.

Begin beating the egg whites on medium low speed. Slowly pour in the syrup making sure not to hit the beater. Increase the mixer speed to medium high and beat until the meringue has cooled to body temperature.

With the mixer on med-low add 1-2 tablespoons of butter at a time. When all the butter has been added increase the mixer’s speed to medium and beat until the mixture looks curdled or separated. Continue to beat until the icing comes together again looking like soft smooth whipped butter.

Assembling the cake:
Place one layer flat side down and cover it with 2/3 cup of the frosting. Top with second layer and repeat process. Top with third layer and frost the sides of the cake.

Bakers Notes:
A cake topped with the meringue frosting is the best the day it’s made. It does not do well in the fridge.

If you choose the buttercream frosting you can keep it in the fridge for 3 days. Make sure to allow the cake to come to room temperature for 1 to 1 ½ hours. Otherwise the frosting will be hard and heavy.