Apple Caramel Cake

May 16, 2012 by jennifer

This moist, rich cake is lighter than a chocolate cake – the perfect dessert to have with coffee mid-afternoon. Come to think of it it would be delicious after dinner too…or even for breakfast. It’s that good.

Ingredients:

Streusel:½ cup brown sugar½ cup unsalted butter, softened½ cup quick-cook oats2 teaspoons cinnamonCake:½ cup dark brown sugar1 ¼ cups granulated sugar, divided½ cup unsalted butter, at room temperature (plus more for pan)1 teaspoon vanilla extract¾ cup cream cheese, at room temperature2 large eggs1 ½ cups all-purpose flour1 ½ teaspoons baking powder¼ teaspoon salt2 teaspoons ground cinnamon 3 ½ cups chopped peeled Granny Smith apples (about 3 large)Sauce:1 ½ cups brown sugar, packed4 tablespoons flour1 cup boiling waterdash salt2 tablespoons butter2 tablespoons creamvanilla, to taste

Directions:

1. Butter an 9" bundt pan and preheat the oven to 350 F.

2. Make filling: combine sugar, butter, oats and cinnamon. Mix with a fork or knives until butter is the size of small peas. Set aside.

3. Make cake: beat sugar, 1 cup granulated sugar, butter, vanilla, and cream cheese at medium speed until well-blended and light in colour (about 5 minutes). Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Combine flour, baking powder, and salt in a separate bowl. Add to creamed mixture, beating at low speed until just blended.

4. Combine ¼ cup sugar and cinnamon in a bowl. Add apples and toss. Add apples to batter and combine. Pour into prepared pan and sprinkle base (will be the top of the cake when removed) with half of the cinnamon/sugar/oat/butter mixture. Pour in half the batter, sprinkle in the remaining cinnamon/sugar/oat/butter mixture and pour in the remaining batter

5. Bake at 350 for about an 1 hour and 10 minutes or until the cake pulls away from the sides of the pan and doesn’t jiggle when you move it. Cool the completely on a wire rack. Serve with warm caramel sauce drizzled on top.

Sauce:
Mix sugar with flour in saucepan; blend well. Add water and salt. Stir while cooking for 6 to 8 minutes. If too thick add a little more water. Remove from heat; stir in butter, cream, and vanilla to taste.

After-Thoughts:

Serve with ice cream and watch your guests swoon. This cake is delicious.

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Apple Coffee Cake

May 16, 2012 by jennifer

This cake is sweet but not cloyingly so. It’s great as a dessert, as a decadent breakfast or as an afternoon snack when your blood sugar is a little low.

Ingredients:

2 cups brown sugar2 cups flour½ cup butter, room temperature¼ cup cream cheese, room temperature2 teaspoons cinnamon ¼ teaspoon nutmeg1 teaspoon baking soda½ teaspoon baking powder½ teaspoon salt1 cup buttermilk1 teaspoon vanilla1 teaspoon coffee liqueur2 medium-sized apples, chopped into ¼" dice1 apple, cored and sliced into 1/8" thin slices

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 F.

2. Mix the sugar, flour, and butter until it has the consistency of fine crumbs. Remove ½ cup of crumb mixture and mix with the cinnamon and nutmeg and set aside for the topping.

3. To the remaining flour mixture add cream cheese, baking soda, baking powder, salt, buttermilk, vanilla, coffee liqueur, and apples, mixing well.

4. Turn the mixture into a greased 9-inch square cake pan. Layer the apple slices on top and sprinkle the reserved crumb mixture over the top.

5. Bake at 375 F. for about 40 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

Recipe Origin:

A Domestic Goddess Original.

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Recipe: Coffe-Infused Bundt Cake

May 16, 2012 by jennifer

You can never have enough coffee and this cake is one answer to that craving.

Ingredients:

3 cups cake flour1 ½ teaspoons baking soda½ teaspoon salt1 ½ cups sugar½ cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled2 large eggs, at room temperature1 teaspoon vanilla1 ¼ cups buttermilk1 cup demarerra (dark brown) sugar1 tablespoon ground cinnamon1 tablespoon finely ground coffee groundsFor topping:confectioner’s sugar strongly brewed coffeeturbanado sugar

Directions:

1. Position rack in middle of the oven and preheat to 350 F. Butter a 10" nonstick bundt pan.

2. In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda and salt. In the bowl of a mixer, whisk together the sugar, melted butter, eggs and vanilla until well blended. Whisk in the flour mixture alternating with the buttermilk (in three batches), beginning and ending with the flour mixture. Transfer � of batter to pan.

3. Mix brown sugar, cinnamon and coffee grounds together and sprinkle on top of the batter in the pan. Swirl with a knife and then pour the remaining batter on top.

4. Bake until a toothpick inserted near center comes out clean, about 50 – 60 minutes. Meanwhile, make icing by mixing enough icing sugar with enough coffee to form a thick (but not paste-like!) icing.

5. Transfer to a rack and let cool in pan for 10 minutes. Invert onto the rack and let cool completely. Transfer to a plate and drizzle the icing evenly over the cooled cake, allowing it to run over the sides slightly. Sprinkle turbanado sugar on top and let stand until icing sets, about 1 hour.

6. Serve or store at room temperature, covered, for up to 2 days.

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Lion Cake (Chocolate Birthday Cake)

May 16, 2012 by jennifer

I made this cake for Leith for his 2nd birthday and he loved it. It was quite simple to make and very impressive…to a 2 year-old who has a passion for lions.

Ingredients:

Cake:1 ½ cups unsweetened cocoa powder, plus more for dusting1 ½ teaspoons salt3 cups all-purpose flour1 tablespoon baking soda¾ cup vegetable oil1 ½ cups buttermilk3 cups sugar1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract1 ½ teaspoons baking powder3 large eggs, lightly beaten1 – 1 ¼ cups hot waterFrosting:1 ½ sticks unsalted butter, softened1 pound (3 2/3 cups) confectioners’ sugar1 to 2 tablespoons milk (optional)

Directions:

Cake:
1. Preheat oven to 350 F. Butter cake pan(s) – either 2 8" round pans or one shaped pan, depending on how old the birthday celebrator is. Butter pan(s) and dust with cocoa, tapping out extra.

2. Whisk together cocoa, flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and sugar into bowl of an electric mixer. Slowly beat in oil, buttermilk, vanilla, eggs, and hot water (don’t let the mixture get to runny with the addition of the water) one at a time. Beat (on low) until smooth, about 2 minutes.

3. Pour batter into pan(s). Bake 55 minutes to 1 hour and 10 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

4. Let cakes cool in pan(s) on wire racks, 20 minutes, before inverting to remove. Cool completely on racks.

5. Frost (if baked in a shaped cake pan) any outlines with a small-holed tip (#3 or #5) and then fill in each section with stars (with a small star tip).

Frosting:
1. In a mixing bowl, cream butter until smooth.

2. Gradually add confectioners� sugar; beat until smooth. If too thick to pipe or spread, beat in 1 to 2 tablespoons milk.

Recipe Origin:

Based on a Martha Stewart recipe.

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Chocolate Birthday Cake

May 16, 2012 by jennifer

This is your quintessential chocolate birthday cake – rich and tasty with a easily spreadable icing all over. The coffee in the batter really defines and enhances the flavour of the chocolate cake – makes it a little more robust than it would taste without it.

Ingredients:

½ cup boiling water½ cup hot brewed coffee¾ cup unsweetened cocoa powder½ cup whole milk1 teaspoon vanilla2 cups all-purpose flour1 ¼ teaspoons baking soda½ teaspoon salt2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter, at room temperature1 ¼ cups packed dark brown sugar¾ cup granulated sugar4 large eggsIcing:10 oz fine-quality milk chocolate, finely chopped5 oz fine-quality semisweet chocolate, finely chopped1 ½ cups sour cream1 teaspoon coffee liqueur

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 F. Butter 3 (8" x 2") round cake pans and line bottoms of each with parchment paper. Butter paper and dust pans with flour, knocking out excess.

2. Whisk together boiling water, coffee and cocoa powder in a bowl until smooth, then whisk in milk and vanilla. Sift together flour, baking soda, and salt in another bowl.

3. Beat together butter and sugars in a large bowl with an electric mixer until pale and fluffy, then add eggs 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in flour and cocoa mixtures alternately in batches, beginning and ending with flour mixture (batter may look curdled).

4. Divide batter among pans. Tap pans on the counter to remove any large bubbled and smooth tops with an offset spatula. Bake in upper and lower thirds of oven, switching position of pans halfway through baking, until a tester comes out clean and layers begin to pull away from sides of pans, 20 to 27 minutes total. Cool layers in pans on racks for about 20 minutes, then invert onto racks, remove parchment paper, and cool completely.

5. Make icing: Melt chocolate in a large metal bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water, stirring occasionally. Remove bowl from heat, then whisk in sour cream and liqueur. Cool to room temperature, stirring occasionally (frosting will become thick enough to spread).

6. Put 1 cake layer, rounded side up, on a cake plate and spread with about ½ – 1 cup icing. Top with another cake layer, rounded side up, and spread with another layer of icing. Top with remaining cake layer and frost top and sides of cake with remaining icing.

* Alternatively, you can top this cake with sweetened whipped cream or chocolate whipped cream in a pinch – the chocolate cake will really shine through then.

After-Thoughts:

This recipe is perfect to make either cakes or cupcakes with this batter – just adjust your cooking time. Little and big mouths alike will love you for the effort.

Recipe Origin:

Based on two different Gourmet Magazine recipes

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Cinnamon Blueberry Cake

May 16, 2012 by jennifer

This cake makes me feel as though it is still somehow summer. I stood at the window with the light streaming into my kitchen and the smell of rich blueberries and cinnamon tempting my senses. And it’s delicious. Trust me.

Ingredients:

6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled1 cup packed Demarerra (dark brown) sugar½ cup whole milk yogurt1 large egg1 ½ cups all-purpose flour1 ½ teaspoons baking powder1 teaspoon cinnamon½ teaspoon salt2 cups fresh or frozen (not defrosted) blueberries

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 F. Butter and flour a 9" springform pan and set aside.

2. Whisk together butter, brown sugar, yogurt, and egg in a bowl until combined well. Whisk together flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt in a separate large bowl. Add yogurt mixture and stir until just combined. Fold in blueberries gently (do not overmix).

3. Pour batter into pan and bake in the middle of the oven until it starts to pull away from the sides and a wooden pick inserted into center of a muffin comes out clean, 25 to 30 minutes.

Recipe Origin:

Based on a recipe from Gourmet Magazine

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1950′s "Zebra" Cake

May 16, 2012 by jennifer

Simple but really delicious in that way that eating Nutella straight out of the jar is. Yum.

Ingredients:

1 package plainChocolate Wafers2 cups (500 ml) whipping cream½ cup icing sugar1 teaspoon vanilla

Directions:

1. Whip cream with ½ cup sugar and vanilla until quite stiff.

2. Put a generous amount of whipped cream on the first cookie, place the second on top of it and add more cream. When you have 7 or 8 cookies stacked, lay them down on an oblong or rectangular dish like a log. Continue adding wafers and cream to the log.

3. When you have used all the wafers, spread a generous amount of whipped cream over the entire log to completely cover it end to end and top to bottom. Refrigerate for 2 or 3 hours.

4. Sprinkle with unsweetened cocoa powder just prior to serving, then slice on a 45 degree angle to give the desired zebra effect.

After-Thoughts:

A kitshcy dessert but one that will make you smile, I promise.

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Chocolate Guinness Cake

May 16, 2012 by jennifer

Beer and chocolate should be all wrong together, but in this recipe they somehow work. As Nigella says, this cake has a "resonant, ferrous tang" and is absolutely delicious with ginger ice cream…or if you’re feeling especially beer-oriented, with Guinness Stout Ice Cream.

Ingredients:

250ml Guinness1 cup butter75g cocoa 400g caster sugar 140ml sour cream 2 eggs1 tablespoon vanilla extract275g plain flour 2 ½ teaspoons baking sodaIcing:300g cream cheese 150g icing sugar 125ml heavy cream1 heaping tablespoon Les Perles Valrhona chocolate drops

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 180C/355F, and grease and line a 9 inch springform tin.

2. Pour the Guinness into a large saucepan, and add the sliced butter. Heat until the butter is melted, and remove the saucepan from the heat. Whisk in the cocoa and sugar. Beat the sour cream with the eggs and vanilla, then pour into the saucepan. Finally, beat in the flour and baking soda.

3. Pour the batter into the greased and lined tin, and bake for 45 mins to an hour. Leave to completely cool in the tin – it is quite a damp cake.

4. For the icing, beat the icing sugar and cream cheese together. Add the cream, and beat again until it’s a spreadable consistency. Ice the top of the black cake until it resembles the frothy top of a pint of Guinness, topping with chocolate drops to resemble bubbles.

After-Thoughts:

I would imagine that were you so inclined, you could make this cake with root beer or ginger ale…but why mess with perfection?

Recipe Origin:

From Nigella Lawson’s Feast

“

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Coffee Bundt Cake

May 16, 2012 by jennifer

This extremely moist and utterly delicious cake is the perfect thing to serve when trying to decide what to make for Christmas meals. Cut a slice, serve with a cup of coffee and just relax – it’s amazing.

Ingredients:

Streusel½ cup brown sugar1 tablespoon cinnamon½ cup finely chopped walnutsCake1 cup butter, at room temperature1 cup granulated sugar2 eggs, slightly beaten1 teaspoon vanilla1 teaspoon butterscotch extract1 cup plain yogurt1 teaspoon baking soda1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour¾ cup whole wheat flour1 teaspoon baking powder½ teaspoon saltConfectioner’s sugar for sprinkling on top

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 F and butter and flour a 7 or 9 inch bundt pan.

2. Make streusel: combine brown sugar, cinnamon and nuts. Set aside.

3. In a the bowl of a mixer, cream butter then add sugar and beat until light and fluffy. Add eggs slowly, beating well after each addition. Beat in vanilla and butterscotch extracts.

4. In a separate bowl. combine yogurt and baking soda. In a third bowl. sift together flour, baking powder and salt.

5. Beat flour mixture into butter-egg mixture alternating with yogurt, starting and ending with dry ingredients. Spoon one third of batter into bundt pan.

6. Sprinkle 1/3 of streusel over batter. Cover with another 1/3 of batter and sprinkle another 1/3 of streusel over that. Cover with remaining batter and sprinkle with remaining streusel.

7. Bake for 40 or 50 minutes in preheated oven or until a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean. Cool in pan. Turn out onto a serving platter and sift confectioner’s sugar over the top.

Recipe Origin:

Based on a recipe from Food & Drink magazine, Holiday 2004

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Mini Coconut Bundt Cakes

May 16, 2012 by jennifer

These little darlings are beautiful, just out of the pan, cooling on the rack… the perfect cross between doughnuts and cakes.

Ingredients:

3 cups cake flour½ teaspoon salt1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature2 ½ cups sugar6 large eggs2 teaspoons vanilla extract½ teaspoon coconut extract1 ½ cups canned unsweetened coconut milk2 cups sweetened flaked coconut1 ¾ cups powdered sugar2 ounces semi-sweet chocolate, meltedAdditional sweetened flaked coconut

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350F. Generously butter mini bundt pan and dust with flour.

2. Stir 3 cups cake flour and salt in medium bowl to blend.

3. Beat butter in bowl of stand-up mixer until fluffy. Gradually add sugar, beating until well blended. Beat in eggs 1 at a time, then both extracts.

4. Beat in flour mixture in 4 additions alternately with 1 cup coconut milk in 3 additions. Fold in 2 cups flaked coconut.

5. Transfer batter to prepared pan; smooth tops.

6. Bake cakes until top is golden brown and tester inserted near center comes out clean, about 30 minutes (if making a full-sized bundt pan, cook for approximately 1 hour). Cool cakes in pan 5 minutes. Turn cakes out onto rack; cool completely. This recipe will make 12 individual mini-bundt cakes.

7. Whisk powdered sugar and remaining ¼ cup coconut milk in medium bowl to blend. Spoon glaze over half of the cakes and top with additional coconut. Blend the remainder of the coconut milk into the melted chocolate and pour over the other half of the cakes, topping with additional coconut.

After-Thoughts:

At the last minute while I was making the coconut glaze I thought about chocolate-coconut doughnuts…and made half of them with a coconut-chocolate glaze. Yum.

Recipe Origin:

Based on a recipe from Bon Appetit, October 2000

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Chocolate Gingerbread

May 16, 2012 by jennifer

This cake is moist and delicious with it’s decadent combination of molasses and chocolate. Add to it a ginger-ale/chocolate icing and you get what I would consider the best gingerbread I have ever had.

Ingredients:

Cake:175 grams unsalted butter125 grams dark brown (muscavado) sugar2 tablespoons white sugar200 grams golden syrup200 grams molasses¼ teaspoon ground cloves1 teaspoon ground cinnamon2 teaspoons ground ginger1 ¼ teaspoons baking soda2 tablespoons warm water2 eggs250 ml milk275 grams all-purpose flour40 grams cocoa175 grams chocolate chipsIcing:250 grams icing sugar30 grams unsalted butter1 tablespoon cocoa60 ml ginger ale

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 170 C or 340 F. Line the bottom and sides of an 11" x 9" x 3" (or thereabouts) pan with foil or parchment paper.

2. In a large saucepan melt the butter along with the sugars, syrup, molasses and spices. In a separate bowl dissolve the baking soda in the water.

3. Remove the pan from the heat and beat in the eggs, milk and baking soda in its water. Stir in the flour and cocoa and beat with a wooden spoon to mix. Fold in the chocolate chips, pour into the prepared pan and bake for about 45 minutes – until risen and firm to touch. Remove to a wire rack and cool in the pan.

4. Sieve the icing sugar. In a heavy-bottomed saucepan heat the butter, cocoa and ginger ale. Once the butter is melted, whisk in the icing sugar. Leaving the gingerbread in the pan, pour the icing over the top of the slightly warm cake and leave to cool. Cut into large hunks and serve when cooled and set.

After-Thoughts:

Nigella instructs you to remove the cake from the pan to ice but I found it easier to ice and then transport by leaving it in the pan. This also kept it nice and moist.

(For recipe conversions.)

Recipe Origin:

Recipe from Nigella Lawson’s Feast”

“

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No-Bake Cheesecake Petit Fours

May 16, 2012 by jennifer

These tiny two-bite delicacies are so simple to make you can make them for dessert at the last minute and still really impress your guests. Or make them in advance and keep them in an air-tight container in the freezer for up to two weeks for a last-minute sweet treat.

Ingredients:

1 package (7 oz.) chocolate wafer cookies2/3 cup plus 3 tablespoons sugar8 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted2 8-oz. packages cream cheese2 tablespoons vanilla½ cup heavy (whipping) cream10 ounces good quality dark chocolate, chopped finelyicing or pre-made icing decorations

Directions:

1. Line a 9×9" baking pan with foil. Place cookies in a food processor; process until finely ground. Combine cookies and 3 tablespoons sugar in a bowl. Add the melted butter, and mix well until crumb mixture holds together.

2. Transfer cookie mixture to the prepared pan, and pat out evenly to make the crust, only filling the bottom of the pan – notlining the sides. Place in freezer while proceeding.

3. Combine cream cheese, vanilla, and remaining 2/3 cup sugar in a mixer, and beat until combined. Lightly whip cream to soft peaks, and fold into cream-cheese filling.

4. Remove crust from freezer, and pour filling evenly into pan. Cover with plastic wrap, place in freezer for 30 minutes, or over night.

5. Remove pan from freezer, allow cheesecake to soften slightly. Remove from pan (should be easy with the foil liner) and slice into 1-1.5" squares. Return to freezer for 30 minutes or overnight.

6. Melt the chocolate in the top of a double boiler until smooth. Turn off heat. Remove cheesecake squares from freezer and dip each one in the chocolate – covering them completely. Allow to cool on a cookie rack and decorate with icing, melted white chocolate, or pre-made/bought decorations. Store in freezer, allowing at least 10 minutes at room temperature prior to serving.

Recipe Origin:

Based on a Martha Stewart cheesecake recipe

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Directions:

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