Chocolate Chip Sour Cream Coffee Cake

Chocolate Chip Sour Cream Coffee Cake

Cake
1/2 cup unsalted butter (1 stick, 4 ounces or 113 grams) at room temperature
1 1/2 cups (300 grams) granulated sugar
3 large eggs, separated
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups (16 ounces) sour cream
3 cups (375 grams) all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
3/4 teaspoon table salt

Filling and Topping
2 cups or 12 ounces semi- or bittersweet chocolate chips or coarsely chopped chocolate bars
1/2 cup (100 grams) granulated sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter a 9-x-13-inch baking pan. If not nonstick coated, cover the bottom with a rectangle of parchment paper. Set pan aside.

In a large bowl, cream butter and 1 1/2 cups sugar. Beat in egg yolks and vanilla. Sift flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt together into a separate bowl. Alternately mix in sour cream and then dry ingredients into butter mixture until both are used up and the batter is smooth and very thick. In a medium bowl, beat eggs whites until stiff, then fold into batter.

In a small dish, whisk together sugar and cinnamon for filling and topping.

Spread half the cake batter in the bottom of prepared pan. Sprinkle with half of cinnamon-sugar mixture and 1 cup of chocolate chips. Dollop remaining cake batter over filling in spoonfuls. Use a rubber or offset spatula to gently spread it over the filling and smooth the top. Sprinkle batter with remaining cinnamon-sugar and remaining chocolate chips. With the palm of your hand, ever-so-gently press the chocolate chips a bit into the batter. No need to submerge them, you just want to make sure they adhere bit.

Bake for 40 to 50 minutes, rotating halfway through, until a tester inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.

As found on Smitten Kitchen.

Ukrainian Honey Cake

No photo because I ate this delicious cakebread too quickly.

Ukrainian Honey Cake
Makes 1 loaf-shaped cake

2 large eggs, separated, at room temperature
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup honey
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
Pinch of salt
1/2 cup strong brewed coffee, cooled to lukewarm

1. Set a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 9-by-5-inch bred pan, then dust it with flour.

2. Beat the egg yolks and sugar until pale and smooth. Add the honey and melted butter and mix until blended and smooth.

3. Sift the dry ingredients into a bowl. Add half the dry ingredients to the egg mixture and stir in. Stir in the coffee, then stir in the remaining dry ingredients.

4. Beat the egg whites until soft peaks form. Fold them into the batter, then gently stir several times. The batter will be quite wet.

5. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 50 minutes to an hour, or until a skewer inserted into the center comes out clean. Let cool for 10 minutes, then remove from pan and place on a rack to cool completely before slicing. Eat plain or buttered.

As discovered on The Wednesday Chef.

Mascarpone-Filled Cake with Sherried Berries

This cake is so easy to make, and so delicious. That's all I have to say about it.


Ingredients:

For cake:

2 cups sifted cake flour (not self-rising; sift before measuring)
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 stick unsalted butter, softened
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 large eggs
1 cup well-shaken buttermilk

For berries:

1/2 cup Fino (dry) Sherry
1/2 cup sugar
4 cups mixed berries, cut if large

For cream:

8 ounces mascarpone (1 cup)
1 cup chilled heavy cream
1/4 cup sugar

Garnish:

confectioners sugar


Directions:

Make cake:
Preheat oven to 350°F with rack in middle. Butter a 9-inch round cake pan (2 inches deep). Line bottom with a round of parchment paper, then butter parchment.

Sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

Beat together butter and sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer until pale and fluffy. Beat in vanilla. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. With mixer at low speed, beat in buttermilk until just combined. Add flour mixture in 3 batches, mixing after each addition until just combined.

Spread batter in cake pan, smoothing top. Rap pan on counter several times to eliminate air bubbles.

Bake until golden and a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean, 35 to 40 minutes. Cool in pan on a rack 10 minutes. Run a knife around edge of cake to loosen, then invert onto a plate. Discard paper and reinvert cake onto rack to cool completely.

Macerate berries:
Bring Sherry and sugar to a boil in a small heavy saucepan, stirring until sugar has dissolved. Put berries in a bowl and pour hot syrup over them, gently tossing to coat. Let stand 15 minutes.

Make cream and assemble cake:
Beat mascarpone and cream with sugar in a large bowl using cleaned beaters until mixture just holds stiff peaks.

Halve cake horizontally with a long serrated knife. Carefully remove top half and reserve. Put bottom half on a plate, then spread evenly with all of cream and replace top half. Serve with berries.

Red Velvet Cupcakes with Cream

Red Velvet Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting
Batter adapted from Magnolia Bakery
Frosting adapted from Bon Appetit, June 2006

Ingredients:

3 1/2 cups cake flour (not self-rising)
1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
2 cups sugar
3 large eggs, at room temperature
1 bottle red food coloring
3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 1/2 cups buttermilk
1 1/2 teaspoons cider vinegar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

2 8-ounce packages cream cheese, room temperature
1/2 stick of butter (4 tbsp)
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar

Cake:

Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease and lightly flour three 9- by 2-inch round cake pans, then line the bottoms with waxed paper.

To make the cake: In a small bowl, sift the cake flour and set aside. In a large bowl, on the medium speed of an electric mixer, cream the butter and sugar until very light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. In a small bowl, whisk together the red food coloring, cocoa, and vanilla. Add to the batter and beat well.

In a measuring cup, stir the salt into the buttermilk. Add to the batter in three parts alternating with the flour. With each addition, beat until the ingredients are incorporated, but do not overbeat. In a small bowl, stir together the cider vinegar and baking soda. Add to the batter and mix well. Using a rubber spatula, scrape down the batter in the bowl, making sure the ingredients are well blended and the batter is smooth.

Divide the batter among the prepared pans. Bake for 30-40 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. Let the layers cool in the pans for 1 hour. Remove from the pans and cool completely on a wire rack.

While the batter bakes, prepare the frosting.

Frosting:

Beat cream cheese, 1/4 cup butter, and remaining 1 teaspoon vanilla in medium bowl until smooth. Beat in powdered sugar. Spread frosting on cupcakes, leaving 1/2-inch plain border.

When the cake has cooled, spread the frosting between the layers, then ice the top and sides of the cake with the cream cheese frosting.

Epicurious Test-Kitchen Tip: This recipe also makes 2 dozen cupcakes. Use 2 muffin pans, each with 12 (1/2-cup) muffin cups, and line each cup with a paper liner. Arrange the oven racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven and bake the cupcakes, switching positions of the pans halfway through baking, until a tester comes out clean, about 18-20 minutes. Cool the cupcakes in the pan 10 minutes, then remove from the pan and cool completely on a rack before icing. To ice, mound about 1/4 cup of frosting on top of each cupcake and use an icing spatula to make a swirl on top.

*Actual recipe found on Sassy Radish

Blackberry Coffeecake

(Recipe found over at Smitten Kitchen)

Notes:

Not having any rhubarb on hand, nor the faintest idea how to go about finding it, I substituted 6 oz of blackberries, with 2 tablespoons of sugar and the 2 teaspoons of cornstarch, which turned out delicioso. i'd personally use a little bit more flour next time. The cake turned out fantastic, but there was barely enough batter for an 8 x 8, and it was very dense. and (cringe) moist. but following this recipe to a T, it should turn out great great great.

‘Big Crumb’ Coffeecake with Rhubarb
Adapted from The New York Times 6/6/07

Ingredients:

Butter for greasing pan

For the rhubarb filling:
1/2 pound rhubarb, trimmed
1/4 cup sugar
2 teaspoons cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

For the crumbs:
1/3 cup dark brown sugar
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, melted
1 3/4 cups cake flour (all-purpose is fine)

For the cake:
1/3 cup sour cream
1 large egg
1 large egg yolk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup cake flour (all-purpose is fine)
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons softened butter, cut into 8 pieces.

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Grease an 8-inch-square baking pan. For filling, slice rhubarb 1/2 inch thick and toss with sugar, cornstarch and ginger. OR, gently crush 6-8 oz blackberries and toss with sugar and cornstarch. (I skipped the ginger throughout, which worked fine for me. i didn't want my coffeecake too spicy.) Set aside.

For the crumbs: in a large bowl, whisk sugars, spices and salt into melted butter until smooth. Then, add flour with a spatula or wooden spoon. It will look and feel like a solid dough. Leave it pressed together in the bottom of the bowl and set aside.

For the cake: in a small bowl, stir together the sour cream, egg, egg yolk, and vanilla. Mix together flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Add butter and a spoonful of sour cream mixture and mix on medium speed until flour is moistened. Increase speed and beat for 30 seconds. Add remaining sour cream mixture in two batches, beating for 20 seconds after each addition, and scraping down the sides of bowl with a spatula. Scoop out 1/2 cup batter and set aside.

Scrape remaining batter into prepared pan. Spoon rhubarb (blackberry filling) over batter. Dollop set-aside batter over rhubarb; it does not have to be even.

Using your fingers, break topping mixture into big crumbs, about 1/2 inch to 3/4 inch in size. Sprinkle over cake. Bake cake until a toothpick inserted into center comes out clean of batter, about 45 to 55 minutes. Cool completely before serving.

Yield: 6 to 8 servings.

pretend this photo shows the cake with powdered sugar. much better.

Cinnamon Rolls

(i just found this lost post, which is dated from April of last year.
These buns are still adorable.)


..................................


This is pretty much just going to be a picture post. It's fun, there's no yeast required (yeast - I can barely bring myself to say it, let alone cook with it), and they turned out pretty good. (Mine were miniature, since I gleefully make everything I can in cupcake tins whenever possible.) It's worth trying once or twice.


That said, this is one of the few foods I can't imagine being better simply by virtue of being homemade rather than store-bought. You really cannot beat Cinnabon - you just can't. They're so perfect in their soft, melty sweetness. I don't care if they're $5 a roll and 5000 calories.

So, here's the showcase:






And the recipe:

... is, unfortunately, proving to be impossible to move over, but it can be found here, at Leite's Culinaria. Titled "Fastest Cinnamon Buns".

Våffeldagen: Day o' Waffles

International Waffle Day (March 25) originated in Sweden where it is called Våffeldagen. It occurs nine months to the day before Christmas - the day the Archangel Gabriel told the Virgin Mary that she was pregnant. As the holiday progressed, it also began to commemorate the first day of spring. Waffles come into play because on March 25th the women of Sweden would set aside their winter tasks like chopping wood and knitting, and began their spring tasks... the most notable of which was preparing waffles.

Silly? Perhaps. But 1.) It's a WAFFLE HOLIDAY and 2.) it's really very fun to say.
How can one resist?


...Also, my mom bought a waffle-maker on black friday and demanded that I make her waffles for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. That was a while ago.



Buttermilk Waffles with Maple-Glazed Bananas

Ingredients:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 3/4 cups buttermilk
2 eggs, separated
1/2 stick of butter, melted and cooled
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Canola oil for the waffle pan

2 tbsp butter
2 large bananas, cut into thick slices
1/4 cup maple syrup
2 tbsp rum

[Note: If you don't have buttermilk on hand, you can substitute by mixing 1.25 cups of milk at room temperature with 2 tablespoons white vinegar. Let sit for 10 minutes. Also, remember these banana slices need to be quite thick, since they sort of... melt when you cook them.]

Preheat the oven to 250 degrees.

In a large bowl, fully combine the dry ingredients. In a separate bowl, mix together the buttermilk and the egg yolks. Stir in butter and vanilla.

Brush the waffle iron lightly with oil and preheat it. Stir the wet into the dry ingredients. Beat the egg whites until they hold soft peaks. Stir them gently into the batter.

Spread a ladle or so of batter onto the waffle iron and bake until the waffle is done (approximately 3 to 5 minutes). Serve immediately or keep warm in the oven.

While the waffles are baking (?), heat up the 2 tablespoons of butter in a large pan. Add in the rum and let cook for a minute. Lay the banana slices flat across the bottom of the pan, and cook on each side for a minute. Remove bananas from pan. Add the maple syrup to the pan and continue heating the sauce until it thickens a little (couple of minutes). Pour on top of waffles and bananas. (I also added in some fresh banana slices).

Top with some freshly whipped cream and serve.

Makes 4-6 servings.

Frosty Papaya Milk

Every time I mention that I'm hungry, one of my parents offers me a banana. And I always say no. I'm not sure exactly what the rationale is behind offering the banana, but the refusal is always simply because I don't like them. They're thick and dry, and leave your mouth feeling like it's covered in a coat of wax. It's like eating paste. Except... I love everything else banana. Banana cream pie, banana popsicles, banana ice cream, banana fosters, fried bananas, banana cupcakes, banana nut bread... banana looks like a made-up word. Banananana.

Anyway, the point of that was, I feel the same way about papayas.

Papayayaya.



Frosty Papaya Milk

Ingredients:
1 perfectly ripe papaya, scooped and sliced
3 cups of milk
2 cups of ice
1 tbsp of honey

Blend and enjoy on a spring day.

Chocolate Sugar Cookies

Chocolate Sugar Cookies
found on Smitten Kitchen
From Retro Desserts

Ingredients:
1.25 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup unsweetened Dutch process cocoa
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1.5 cups sugar (the cookies end up pretty sweet, so maybe a little bit less)
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons (1.25 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 large egg

Preheat to 375 degrees and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

Using either a food processor or an electric mixer, thoroughly mix the flour, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and sugar. Keeping the mixer on at low speed, cream in the butter, and then the egg. Continue processing or mixing until dough comes together.

Take two rounded teaspoons of batter at a time and place on baking sheet approximately 2 inches apart. With moistened hands, slightly flatten the dough. Bake for 9 minutes, rotating once for even baking. Set baking sheets on a rack to cool.

I burnt my second batch a little (look, it's hard to tell, the cookies are brown already), but I actually preferred them a little overdone. They're less sweet and more Oreo-like.

Chocolate & Toffee Chip Cookies

Be warned: I am not an avid chocolate lover. I know, it's embarrassing, but I feel like it's only fair to immediately admit this for your consideration. What I really love is the chewiness of the cookie when it's fresh and warm, and the perfect crunchiness of the cookie with those toffee chips the day after. They're thin and buttery and remind me of Brussels cookies, which I adore. So... that said, adjust chocolate to cookie ratio accordingly.


(adapted from allrecipes after a Google of "fat, chewy cookies")

Ingredients:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup (1.5 sticks) unsalted butter, melted
1 large egg
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1 cup toffee bits

Preheat the oven to 325°F. Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper.

In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda and salt. In a separate bowl, cream together the melted butter, brown sugar and white sugar until well blended. Beat in the vanilla and the egg until the mixture is light and creamy. Mix in the sifted ingredients until just blended.

Stir in the chocolate chips and toffee bits by hand using a wooden spoon. Gather balls of cookie dough sized about 2 tablespoons and slightly flatten them before pressing them one at a time onto the prepared cookie sheets.

Bake for 15 to 17 minutes, or until the edges are lightly toasted. Cool on baking sheets for a few minutes before transferring to wire racks to cool completely.

Chocolate Tart with Fresh Strawberries

Sweet Tart Dough (Pate Sucree)
from Paris Sweets by Dorie Greenspan

Makes enough for three 9-inch tart crusts. To be used with sweet dessert tarts.

Ingredients:
2.5 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature
1.5 cups confectioners’ sugar
1/2 cup ground blanched almonds (I substituted 1 tbsp of almond extract)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 large eggs, room temperature
3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

Blend the butter in a food processor or in a large bowl with a handheld mixer until creamy. Add the confectioners’ sugar blend well. Add in the ground almonds, salt, and vanilla, and continue to process until smooth.

Lightly beat the eggs in a separate bowl and, with the machine running, add them to the work bowl. Once well-blended, add the flour and pulse until the mixture just starts to come together. When the dough begins to look like cornmeal and begins to clump into a ball, stop. The dough will be extremely soft.

Gather the dough into a ball and divide it into 3 pieces. Gently flatten each into a disk and wrap each disk in plastic wrap. Allow the dough to rest in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours, or for up to 2 days, before rolling and baking. It can also be kept for much longer in the freezer.

When making the pie crust, it is easiest to roll it out between sheets of plastic (Freezer size Ziploc bags work really great, or even just plastic wrap). Turn the dough over often while rolling and lift the sheets of plastic occasionally so they don’t crease. If the dough becomes too soft to work with, just slip it with the plastic onto a baking sheet and refrigerate for a few minutes.

Carefully remove one sheet of the plastic and flip the dough over the tart pan, so that the dough is centered with the exposed side facing down. Remove the other sheet of plastic and press the dough firmly against the bottom of the pan and up against the sides. (Be careful not to stretch the dough out). Roll your rolling pin across the rim of the pan to cut off the excess.

Chill for at least 30 minutes in the refrigerator.

To par-bake the crust, preheat the oven to 350°F. Line the crust with parchment paper and fill with dried beans or pie weights.

Bake the crust for 20 to 25 minutes. If the crust needs to be fully baked, remove the parchment and beans and bake the crust for another 3 to 5 minutes, or until golden. Transfer to a rack to cool.


Chocolate Tart Filling

Ingredients:
1 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup milk
10 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
2 tablespoons sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs, at room temperature

Fully bake one tart shell, and lower the oven temperature to 325°F.

To make the filling, heat the heavy cream and milk in a saucepan over medium-low heat, until it simmers slightly around the edges. Remove from heat.

Add in the chocolate and stir until melted and smooth. Add the sugar and salt and whisk. Beat the eggs in a small bowl and add them to the chocolate mixture. Stir until completely blended.

Pour the filling into the cooled tart shell and bake for 15 to 20 minutes until the filling is set and the surface is glossy. If you see any bubbles or cracks forming on the surface, remove the tart immediately (overbaked). Let cool before topping with fresh sliced strawberries.

Nutmeg-Maple Cream Pie

Okay, this was supposed to be a recipe for pie. This being my first attempt at par-baking (and why is it called par-baking? Shouldn't it be called pre-baking?) and at using a tart pan, I didn't understand all the warnings and comments about the crust "collapsing". Well... let's just say I learned my lesson, my pie came out rather more like a deflated custard cookie, and the pictures weren't pretty. So let's just focus on the pie crust instead, and look at pictures of butter instead, shall we?


Very nice.

The pie was still delicious, and the pie crust flaky and buttery. I can probably only say that because I don't have any standards of comparison. That's okay. Mostly I had fun using a tart pan.

Lessons learned:
1. Don't just stick little bits of dough haphazardly around the edge of the pan in a desperate effort to patch it up. Those spots you don't think are going to show? They do.
2. I figured out that the beans or the pie weights are to keep the sides from falling down more than they are to keep things from rising up. So fill 'er up all the way.
3. Par-baking for n00bs might not be worth it.

Onward!


Recipe for really great Pie Crust: (I promise, mine just wasn't pretty.)

Ingredients:
1/2 cup ice water, add ice cubes to keep cold
2.5 cups flour
1 tbsp sugar
1 tsp salt
1 cup unsalted butter (2 sticks), cut into 1/2 inch cubes (keep cold)

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, and salt.

Sprinkle the butter cubes over the flour and begin working them in with a pastry blender, using it to scoop and redistribute the mixture as needed so all parts are worked evenly. (Alternately, you could use a food processor for this part). Stop when the mix resembles a coarse cornmeal; this won’t take long. Don't worry about the butter pieces being different sizes or still rather chunky: apparently, these little pockets of butter will somehow allow the pie to become flakier while baking... I don't understand the exact science, but it tastes real good.

Drizzle 1/2 cup of the ice-cold water (but not the cubes) over the butter and flour mixture. Using a rubber spatula, gather the dough together. Add more ice water a tablespoon at a time until the dough comes together fully. Once it's come together in large clumps, remove the spatula and use your hands. Gather and pat all the clumps together into one giant mound.

Divide the dough in half and pack each half in a few layers of plastic wrap. (For an open top pie, only half the dough is needed). Chill the dough in the refrigerator for at least an hour before use. The remainder of the dough can be kept in the fridge for up to a week, or in the freezer for longer. (I also read that freezing the dough for at least half an hour before use keeps the crust from that terrible little collapsing problem.)

More details, photos, and expertise to be found here and here, if you want to see what it's all supposed to look like, instead of what it accidentally did.

Now let's talk about the maple goodness that redeemed my poor pie's looks. It was like discovering a good personality. Warm, sweet, noticeable without being overbearing. And melt in your mouth. Appearances can be forgotten if you're eating with your eyes closed, and you might have to with this one.

Nutmeg-Maple Cream Pie
(New York Times)

3/4 cup maple syrup
2 1/4 cups heavy cream
4 egg yolks
1 whole egg
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 9-inch pie crust (half the dough)

Par-bake pie crust: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line pie refrigerated pie shell with foil or parchment paper and fill with pie weights or dried beans (FILL). Bake 10 to 12 minutes or until beginning to set. Remove foil with weights and bake 15 to 18 minutes longer or until golden. If shell puffs during baking, press it down with back of spoon. Cool on wire rack. Lower temperature to 300 degrees.

Prepare filling: In a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, reduce maple syrup by a quarter, 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in cream and bring to a simmer. Remove from heat.

In a medium bowl, whisk together egg yolks and egg. Whisking constantly, slowly add cream mixture to eggs. Strain mixture through a fine-mesh sieve into a cup or bowl with pouring spout. Stir in salt, nutmeg and vanilla.

Pour filling into crust and transfer to a rimmed baking sheet. Bake until pie is firm to touch but jiggles slightly when moved, about 1 hour. Let cool to room temperature before serving.

Yield: One 9-inch pie, 8 servings

Almond Poppy Seed Bread

(as found at The Kitchen Sink)

Ingredients:
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
3 egg whites, lightly beaten
1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons buttermilk
3/4 cup sour cream
1 tablespoon almond extract
2 cups all-purpose or white whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon poppy seeds


Preheat the oven to 350. Grease a large loaf pan.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Add the egg whites, buttermilk, sour cream and almond extract to the butter-sugar mixture and beat until combined.

In a separate medium-sized bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. With the mixer running on low speed, slowly add the whisked dry ingredients. When the mixture is almost combined, add the poppy seeds. Beat until the wet and dry ingredients have just combined and the poppy seeds are distributed throughout the batter.

Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan and use a rubber spatula or spoon to smooth the top. Bake for 60 to 65 minutes, or until the top of the loaf is golden brown and a tester inserted in the center of the loaf comes out clean.

Black-Bottom Cupcakes

(From The Great Book of Chocolate by David Lebovitz)

Yield: 36 mini cupcakes or 12 full-size cupcakes. I endorse only mini-cupcakes. (Solely for the cuteness factor. Well, and the fact that it feels like you have so many more.)

Cheesecake filling:
8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg, at room temperature
2 ounces bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped (or mini chips)

Chocolate cupcakes:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
5 tablespoons natural unsweetened cocoa powder (not Dutch-processed!)
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup water
1/3 cup unflavored vegetable oil
1 tablespoon white or cider vinegar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat to 350°F. Grease a muffin tin or line the tin with paper muffin cups.

For the filling:

Beat together the cream cheese, granulated sugar, and egg until smooth. Stir in the chopped chocolate pieces. Set aside.

For the cupcakes:

In a medium bowl sift together the flour, brown sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt.

In a separate bowl, mix together the water, oil, vinegar, and vanilla.

Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and stir in the wet ingredients, stirring until just smooth. (Do not stir for too long or you will over mix the batter and end up with not-so-tender cupcakes.)

All together now:

Divide the batter among the muffin cups. Spoon a teaspoon of the filling into the center of each cupcake, dividing the filling evenly. Fill the cups about 80-90% full.

Bake for approximately 25 minutes, or until the tops are slightly golden brown and a toothpick comes out clean. (Keep a close eye on the cupcakes for the last few minutes. This is key, as the lovely white of the cheesecake can become a slightly-less-lovely golden brown within a minute. Mine were perfect at 28 minutes.)

Cranberry Crumble Bars

This was originally a recipe for blueberry bars, and while I would much prefer them that way, luck would have it that I decided to begin self-imposed culinary school in the winter rather than the summer. I guess my distaste for summer school trumps my distaste for cranberries. Well, distaste is too strong a word - more like indifference. I was hugely disappointed in my fresh Cranberry-Pear Relish for Thanksgiving dinner (It's such an unpleasantly sour berry. My teeth hurt just thinking about it), so I decided to give them another go. I refuse to be beaten by this pygmy of an opponent.

The crumble bars turned out far better than the relish (read: I was actually able to eat them). Still a bit tart for me, but I prefer sweet fruits and berries, which of course, means that using cranberries not once but twice was a painfully stupid idea. My family appeared to really enjoy them though, but I think that's just because they like to eat. For those who are not fond of pucker, I would probably up the amount of brown sugar, maybe add some maple syrup. The ice cream also helps enormously. I ate a lot of it that way. A lot.


(adapted from Smitten Kitchen's recipe for Blueberry Crumb Bars)

Ingredients:

Crust and crumble:
1 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
3 cups all-purpose flour
zest of 1 small navel orange
1 cup cold butter (2 sticks)
1 egg
1/4 teaspoon salt

Filling:
juice of one small navel orange
3 cups fresh cranberries, chopped
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup light brown sugar
4 teaspoons cornstarch

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Lightly grease a 9×13 inch pan.

Using a medium bowl, sift together the dry ingredients for the crust, and add in orange zest. Use a fork or pastry cutter to blend in the butter and egg. Dough will be crumbly. Pat half of dough into the prepared pan.

In another bowl, stir together the 1/2 cups of white and brown sugar, cornstarch and orange juice. Gently mix in the cranberries. Sprinkle the cranberry mixture evenly over the crust. Crumble remaining dough over the berry layer.

4. Bake in preheated oven for 45 minutes, or until top is slightly brown. Makes 24 small squares. Serve hot with vanilla bean ice cream, or at room temperature.

Honey Apple and Clementine Tart with Whipped Mascarpone

Ingredients:
2 sheet frozen puff pastry (half of 17.3-ounce package), thawed
2 small Golden Delicious apple, halved, cored, thinly sliced
3 small clementines, halved and thinly sliced
1 cup of orange juice
2 tbsp and 1 tsp orange liqueur
2 tbsp sugar
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
4 teaspoons sugar
8 teaspoons honey
1 cup mascarpone cheese
Flour, for dusting


Thaw the puff pastry according to directions (approximately 40 minutes). Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Cut each sheet of puff pastry into 9 even squares. Separate the squares and leave some room between them on a lightly floured baking sheet. Create a border around the inside of each square by scoring about 1/2-inch around the inside the square, and folding over the edges. Prick the dough inside the small square. Cover and refrigerate for at least 20 minutes.

In the meantime, place the clementine slices in a small saucepan with the orange juice, 2 tbsp liqueur, and 2 tbsp of sugar over medium heat until the liquid evaporates or the rind is soft and sweet (15 minutes). Remove the clementine slices from the pan and place to the side.

On each pastry square, fill with slices of apple and a slice of the candied clementine within the border.

Brush fruit on each tart with the melted butter and sprinkle with sugar.

Bake tarts until pastry is golden and apples are tender, about 20 minutes. Drizzle each tart with 1 teaspoon honey. While tarts are cooling, whisk the mascarpone with orange liqueur. Top each cooled tart with a dollop of flavored mascarpone.


If you're short on time or want to go for a simpler route, you can opt out of the clementines entirely and make an apple tart. Alternately, you could make it an apple and nectarine tart, which is what the recipe originally called for. No candying. I, however, got confused while at the market, and ended up with a different fruit that also had lots of consonants and vowels.

Caramel Apple Pie with Streusel

This was my first attempt at working with dough, and it turned out fantastic. That's right, I said fantastic. It's super easy, makes the kitchen smell amazing, and, added bonus: people actually find the act of making pie crust from scratch more impressive than the pie-making overall. True story.

Ingredients:

Pie Crust:
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sugar
1 cup butter
1/3 cup ice water
1 tablespoon vinegar
1 egg, beaten

Filling:
6 large Granny Smith apples, peeled and sliced
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon vanilla
4 tablespoons heavy cream
4 tablespoons butter

Streusel Topping:
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon butter
4 ounces of toffee
4 ounces of chopped pecans

Directions:

Pie Crust:
Chill all ingredients, including the flour and vinegar. Combine the flour, salt and sugar. Cut in shortening with a pastry blender until the mixture resembles cornmeal. In another bowl, mix water and vinegar with the beaten egg. Add the liquid mixture, 1 tablespoon at a time, to the flour mixture, tossing with a fork to form a soft dough. Wrap dough in plastic wrap and chill for 10 minutes.

To turn into pie shells, cover a surface with plastic wrap and lightly flour. Slightly flatten the dough out with your hand before rolling the dough out with a rolling pin. Working quickly, roll the dough into a circle ¼-inch thick or smaller. The size of the dough round should be about four inches wider in diameter than your pie pan. Gently fold the dough in half, and then into quarters. Carefully pick it up and place it into the pie plate so the center point of dough is in the center of the pan.

Carefully unfold the dough: it should be centered in the pan. Without stretching the dough, press the pastry firmly into the pan and trim any excess dough from the edge.

Filling:
Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.

Peel and slice apples. Sprinkle with lemon juice. Combine dry ingredients in large bowl and add apples. Toss to mix. Add vanilla and cream. Melt butter in heavy skillet. Add apple mixture and cook approximately 8 minutes, to soften apples. Turn into pie shell.

Streusel Topping:

Combine the flour and sugar. Mix in butter with fork until coarse crumbs. stir in the toffee bits and pecans. Sprinkle over pie. Add top crust. Seal, flute edge and vent top. Brush with beaten egg white and sprinkle with sugar. Bake for 15 minutes. Reduce heat to 350 degrees F and bake 45 minutes longer.

Alternately, you can opt out of the top crust since the streusel does a pretty good job, and fill two 9" pie pans instead. I would suggest throwing in an extra apple for the two pie plan.

I didn't get a chance to take any pictures of my pies... but here's some Christmas cheer, until next time.

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