Tag Archive: cake

Jan 01 2014

#FirstOnTheFirst: Sticky Toffee Pudding

Categories:

Baking, First on the First, Food, Recipes

Getting Seasonal…

#FirstOnTheFirst Sticky Toffee Pudding

When we plan our challenges for First on the First, we try to take the time of year into consideration. Croquembouche, for example, was set for June because it is traditionally served at French weddings and June is often thought of as the height of the wedding season. When we get to projects we’ll be preparing around Christmas-time, treats like last month’s Homemade Candy Canes come to mind. It may not be a food we typically serve–I hadn’t eaten Sticky Toffee Pudding before this challenge, for example–but it shouldn’t seem completely out of place. I think we hit the mark quite well this time. Visions of Dickens’s A Christmas Carol filled my head as I got to work, transporting me to a Christmas past without the need of any spirits. Well, except for a little Cointreau.

Sticky Toffee Pudding

The funny thing is that, at least, according to Sharrow Bay Hotel in the UK, Sticky Toffee Pudding has only been around since the early 1970s, when it was invented by Francis Coulson. In other words, my idea of a traditional Victorian Christmas could use a little revision. I’m off by 100 or so years. Oops. I really should find more time to read…

Sticky Toffee Pudding

Regardless, you can’t get more Christmas-y than this sticky cake with its ginger undertones and deep, rich flavor. My husband surprised me by actually liking it (have I told you what a picky PITA he is?) and the kids couldn’t wait to have another serving. By baking in these mini Bundt-like pans, each was treated with his/her own cake to devour. The plates were all licked clean.

Getting Sappy…

Sticky Toffee Pudding

As we close out another year of First on the First, I want to thank Kate of Food Babbles for her unending patience! We’re pretty opposite in our planning strategies and she has been a saint in putting up with my last-minute nonsense! I want to thank all the participants for struggling along with us. Sometimes the challenges are–literally–a piece of cake. Other times, you wonder why you even bothered. But we’re in this together, and I appreciate you coming back, month after month, for more abuse. Last, I want to thank all of you for reading about our journeys! It’s not easy to share when something you’ve tried in the kitchen is a flop, especially for the whole world to witness. But you have made it easier to see the big picture and understand that, in the grand scheme, something good comes from each of these experiments. Your support and wonderful comments encourage us to keep on trying.

Getting Sticky…

Now…who wants some pudding? Grab a fork and dig in!

And for February…

We’ll be starting the year with Steamed Buns. Sounds like I need to pick up some new kitchen equipment first! If you’d like to join in, please click on the First on the First tab above for details. We’d love to see what you create!

Sticky Toffee Pudding

Sticky Toffee Pudding
 
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Author:
Recipe type: Dessert
Serves: 10
Ingredients
Pudding
  • 1 cup water
  • 1½ cups chopped pitted dates (about 6 ounces)
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • ¼ cup candied ginger, chopped
  • ¼ cup (4 Tablespoons) unsalted butter, softened, plus more for greasing the pans
  • 1½ cups all-purpose flour, plus more for the pans
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1 cup organic sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 2 large cage free eggs
Toffee Sauce
  • ¾ cup turbinado sugar
  • 2 Tablespoons Lyle’s Golden Syrup
  • ½ cup heavy cream
  • ¼ cup (8 Tablespoons) unsalted butter
  • pinch flaky sea salt
  • 2 teaspoons Cointreau, or other orange-flavored liqueur (optional)
  • ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
  • Whipped cream or vanilla ice cream for serving
Instructions
Pudding
  1. In a medium saucepan, combine the water and dates and bring to a boil.
  2. Remove from heat and stir in the baking soda; it will foam up; then stir in the candied ginger. Set aside to cool a bit.
  3. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease and flour 10 mini Bundt pans (or 10 cavities in 2 pans of 6-cavities… I know, that sounds confusing). Set aside.
  4. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
  5. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
  6. Beat in the vanilla extract.
  7. Add 1 egg and beat until it’s fully incorporated.
  8. Add half the flour mixture and half the dates, mixing until incorporated.
  9. Beat in the other egg, then add the remaining flour and dates, mixing until incorporated.
  10. Fill prepared mini Bundts half-way.
  11. Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted in the center of one of the cakes comes out clean.
  12. Cool on a wire rack for 15 minutes, then cover with a wire rack, invert, and release onto wire rack to cool.
Toffee Sauce
  1. Bring the sugar, syrup, cream, butter, and salt to a boil over medium-high heat.
  2. Boil gently for about 5 minutes, stirring frequently to keep from burning. Once it coats the back of a spoon, it’s done.
  3. Remove from heat, add the Cointreau and vanilla extract (it will bubble up a bit–be careful!), and stir.
Serving
  1. Place a mini Bundt in the center of a shallow bowl. Spoon warm toffee sauce over the top of it. Top with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream, if desired.
Notes
If you can’t find Lyle’s Golden Syrup in the baker’s aisle of your local grocery store, you can substitute unsulphured molasses. You’ll get a deeper, richer flavor doing this.

You can make the cakes a day in advance and the toffee sauce as early as a few hours before serving. Just reheat the toffee sauce before spooning over the cakes.
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Happy New Year!

May 2014 bring you good health, wealth, and happiness! I hope you’ll continue following our journey–and even consider participating!

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12 comments

Sep 25 2013

Chocolate Cinnamon Bread: Warm Spices of Fall

Categories:

Baking, Food, Recipes

Have you heard? Starbucks launched their new pastries from La Boulange this week! I stopped by my local shop on Tuesday–conveniently across the street from where I work–and was greeted with pink banners and bows, a celebration for the occasion. Honestly, I knew it was coming and I was thrilled to find it happening so soon. I figured those of us on the East coast would have to wait longer. This is one time I’m happy I was wrong!

Chocolate Cinnamon Bread

What’s the big deal about La Boulange? It is an artisinal bakery in San Francisco with a reputation for quality going back to 1996. As much as I love my occasional stops at Starbucks–a treat I infrequently allow myself–the pastries were sometimes meh, especially the morning buns. They could have been great if they were fresher, but they often tasted like they’d been sitting around for a week.

Chocolate Cinnamon Bread

On Tuesday I sampled the chocolate croissant–I have been waiting for this! Imagine my surprise when I wasn’t handed my highly anticipated delicacy immediately, but was instead informed that it would be warmed for me. In fact, all baked goods would now be heated before consumption, freshening them up a bit to better resemble hot-from-the-oven-goodness. The croissant? Crisp on the outside, soft on the inside, and the melty chocolate was amazing. So much better! Today, I opted for the Ham and Cheese Savory Square. It’s like an updated version of my ham and cheese croissant sandwiches that I make at home and heat up in the toaster oven. So far, so, so, so good!!! I look forward to eating my way through the case of La Boulange treats!

Chocolate Cinnamon Bread

What was missing? Chocolate Cinnamon Bread. It’s officially Fall now and the absence of this spicy, chocolatey cake was definitely felt, even with my complaint about stale baked goods. Lucky for us, Starbucks has shared the recipe for this treat on their website! I made some tweaks to better suit my needs–I didn’t want to bake 2 loaves at a time and the sugar was way too high, plus I used white whole wheat for a teeny bit of a nutritional boost–and now I can make this any time I miss it. It’s the best of both worlds!

Chocolate Cinnamon Bread
 
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Author:
Recipe type: Quick Bread
Serves: 1 loaf
Ingredients
Chocolate Batter
  • ½ cup buttermilk
  • ½ teaspoon vanilla bean paste
  • ½ cup (8 Tablespoons) unsalted butter, softened
  • ¼ cup coconut oil, softened
  • 1¼ cups organic sugar
  • 3 large cage free eggs, room temperature
  • 1 cup white whole wheat flour
  • ⅔ cups unsweetened cocoa powder
  • ½ Tablespoon (1½ teaspoons) ground cinnamon
  • ½ teaspoon Himalayan pink salt
  • ¼ teaspoon baking powder
  • ¼ teaspoon baking soda
Topping
  • 3 Tablespoons organic sugar
  • ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • ¼ teaspoon unsweetened cocoa powder
  • dash ground ginger
  • dash ground cloves
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease the bottom only of a 9x5x3 loaf pan, line it with a parchment paper sling, and set aside.
  2. Measure out the buttermilk and stir in the vanilla bean paste. Set aside.
  3. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter, coconut oil, and sugar, beating until light and fluffy, 3-5 minutes.
  4. Beat in the eggs one at a time, waiting until the first is fully incorporated before adding the next. Scrape the sides as needed.
  5. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, cinnamon, salt, baking powder, and baking soda.
  6. Alternate adding the flour mixture and buttermilk in 3 additions, starting with the flour and ending with the buttermilk.
  7. Beat until just incorporated, then remove bowl, scrape the sides, and stir a couple times, just to be sure there are no dry spots.
  8. Spread the batter evenly in the prepared loaf pans.
  9. In a small bowl, whisk together the topping ingredients.
  10. Sprinkle the topping evenly over the top.
  11. Bake for 50-55 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
  12. Cool on wire rack before removing from the pan carefully, so as not to dump off any excess topping.
Notes
The type of pan you use will change your results. I recommend stoneware, if you have it. If baking in a glass or dark metal pan, you should reduce the temperature by 25 degrees and watch the time at the end.
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Which La Boulange treats are you looking forward to trying?

Disclosure: I was not compensated for, nor has Starbucks endorsed, this post. All opinions and photos are my own.

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6 comments

Sep 01 2013

#FirstOnTheFirst: Gâteau Basque

Categories:

Baking, First on the First, Food, Recipes

Gâteau Basque is a cross between a cake, a cookie, and a pie and supposedly originated in the Basque region of France. There are two versions, according to Joe Pastry: the Basque version with a cherry filling and the French version with pastry cream. While I adore pastry cream, since I already had an abundance of egg whites after #IceCreamWeek, I couldn’t bear the thought of accumulating more. Traditional filling it is!

Gâteau Basque

According to cookbook author Dorie Greenspan, if you travel the Basque region, there’s even a museum dedicated to this sweet. Or, at least a baking demo in a little cottage. There are some pretty strict rules involved–you should only ever use a cherry jam made in Itxassou for the filling, for example. But you know what? Some rules are made to be bent a little.

Gâteau Basque

Since I hadn’t made Gâteau Basque before, I picked a recipe that should be a winner–I selected one from Dorie Greenspan’s book, Around My French Table: More Than 300 Recipes from My Home to Yours. It was easy to put together the dough (a lot like making cookies) and the hardest part was waiting at least 3 hours for the dough to chill. On my first attempt, it actually softened a little too much and my top piece broke. I just squished the pieces back together and carried on. It was fine. The resulting cake is a little dry, but it’s more because it’s like a giant filled cookie than the kinds of cakes we’re used to. The verdict? Magnifique! If I ever open a bake shop–and the idea has crossed my mind before–this will be on the menu!

Gâteau Basque

#FirstOnTheFirst: Gâteau Basque
 
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Author:
Recipe type: Dessert
Serves: 8
Ingredients
  • 10 Tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
  • ¼ cup light brown sugar, lightly packed
  • ¼ cup organic sugar
  • 1 large cage free egg
  • ½ teaspoon vanilla bean paste
  • 2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
  • ½ teaspoon Himalayan pink salt
  • ¾ teaspoon baking powder
  • ¾ cup Bonne Maman cherry preserves
  • 1 large cage free egg + water for egg wash
Instructions
  1. In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream together the butter and sugars, beating for 3-4 minutes, or until light and fluffy.
  2. Beat in the egg, scraping the sides as needed, for 2-3 minutes.
  3. Mix in the vanilla bean paste.
  4. In a medium bowl, stir together the flour, salt, and baking powder.
  5. With the mixer on medium low, slowly add the flour mixture to the butter mixture in 4 additions.
  6. Mix until just combined.
  7. Divide the dough into 2 equal portions and put each in a gallon Zip-top bag.
  8. Pat out the dough into discs, then use a rolling pin to roll out each disc to about 9 inches.
  9. Place the bags of dough on a flat surface and refrigerate for at least 3 hours.
  10. When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Take out the dough discs and let them sit at room temperature for a few minutes (don’t let them get too warm, though!)
  11. Grease and flour a 9″-10″ springform pan (or use baking spray). Set aside.
  12. Transfer one of the dough discs to the bottom of the pan.
  13. Spread out the preserves to about 1″ from the sides of the dough.
  14. Place the second dough disc over the top and try to seal the sides (some of the preserves may squeeze out a bit).
  15. Beat the egg and some water with a fork for an egg wash. Brush over the top of the gateau.
  16. Traditionally, you can tell a jam gateau by the Basque cross on top, but I wasn’t talented enough to pull that off. Run a fork across the top of the dough, then do the same in the opposite direction, making a crosshatch (this design is actually for the French pastry cream version, but it’s all good).
  17. Bake for 35-45 minutes, or until the top is golden brown.
  18. Remove to a wire rack and, after 5 minutes, remove from the springform pan to cool completely on the wire rack.
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Gâteau Basque

Don’t forget to check out all the other #FirstOnTheFirst bakers’ Gâteaux Basque this month!

Please do join us next month! We’ll be making Penuche, perfect for the Fall fair season. For more details on how you can participate, please check out the First on the First tab above!

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11 comments

Jul 10 2013

#BundtaMonth: Buttermilk Bundt Cake with Salted Caramel Icing

Categories:

Baking, Bundt a Month, Food, Recipes

I expected to be a little more refined by this point in my life. To have moved on from the struggling 20s to a sense of being more settled, having matured and grown up. Instead, I find the bar is still far out of reach and while I keep trying, I swear someone is moving it further and further away.

Buttermilk Bundt Cake with Salted Caramel Icing - poet in the pantry

Those who know me are well acquainted with my bad luck with automobiles. It’s nearly epic, actually. The whole 5ish years I was a stay-at-home mom, I drove a 1998 Chevy Blazer that was riddled with … quirks. First the wipers grew a mind of their own, selecting their own speed and often refusing to be stopped by a mere flick of a switch. A bit of recall work should have fixed that nuisance but, alas, it returned. Then the air conditioning went. The leather seats I loved became pretty darn uncomfortable in the summer, but it was manageable. I didn’t grow up with air conditioning–it can hardly be called a necessity. When the heat went, I had to remember to dress warmly and plan to pull over periodically to de-ice the windshield, if necessary. Most of my trips were in town, so it didn’t matter much, but driving to school and back could get interesting at times. I was pretty annoyed when the 4WD went, and the fix that was supposed to fix that didn’t work, but hey, I had some flexibility. I just wouldn’t drive if the roads were bad. The Blazer was paid for–it didn’t owe me a thing.

When I returned to the work force we decided to replace the Blazer with a more reliable mode of transportation. My Christmas gift that year was our first car loan in years on a 2005 Volkswagen Beetle with less than 90,000 miles. It was Sundown Orange and it was a dream by comparison. At least, until the transmission started acting up. By the time I had had the car for 7 months, I could no longer drive it. Once the car was well warmed up, the transmission got jumpy and it wasn’t exactly safe to drive. Stuck between a rock and a hard place–having the loan to pay but no extra money to replace or repair the transmission–it found a shady spot in the driveway to hunker down and I was back to driving the Blazer.

Buttermilk Bundt Cake with Salted Caramel Icing

By the Fall, my husband needed replacement transportation. Enter my grandfather’s 1992 Geo Metro Convertible. It was as basic as a car could be with hand-crank windows, a tape player, and little noise reduction padding. But it was free, so it was the right price for me. By the end of October, with winter looming and no desire to drive a rear-wheel drive vehicle 40 miles round-trip every day, I started driving the Geo. It was a small victory in that it was the first time I had driven a standard transmission since my partial paralysis to my left leg–it scared the hell out of me at first, actually–but I grew used to it and drove it the next 6 months.

All the while, the Beetle remained, a constant reminder of how the best laid plans don’t always work out the way we expect.

Buttermilk Bundt Cake with Salted Caramel Icing

This June, a co-worker replaced her 1997 Subaru Outback Wagon and offered it to us, free. It came with rust holes in the rear wheel wells and the caveat that it may not last 6 months, but it didn’t cost me a thing other than the registration. And right now, that works for me. It has air conditioning. It has heat. The wipers work the way they’re supposed to. And the seats are my favorite–leather. It may not be flashy, and today the exhaust fell apart on the way to work, but it works. It gets me there and back. Which is more than I can say about Clementine, that damn Bug I want to squash in my driveway.

While I may have a questionable vehicular past, it has taught me much, too. Tolerance. Appreciation. When your gas gauge can’t be relied upon, your tripometer is your best friend. Always stash a rag somewhere safe under the hood. If you smell something sickeningly sweet, you better check your coolant. That when your engine is overheating, you need to check the radiator for leaks, add water to the coolant tank, as needed, and blast the heat to draw the hot air away from the engine–at least for a few miles, til you can get it looked at. If you turn the key and the car doesn’t start, you can tell by the sounds if it’s the battery (and possibly the alternator) or the starter that’s the problem. There are certain places jacks go if you have to change a tire. (And scissor jacks should be outlawed!) Rain-X should be handed out with all cars–but most especially with those that have schizophrenic wipers. I can check my own oil and have to, often. I can add more, too.

Butermilk Bundt Cake with Salted Caramel Icing

No, this is not the glamorous life I had hoped to lead by this age, but it’s not such a horrible thing. I don’t have a fluffy, Angel Food Cake existence, but there is salted caramel from time to time, and we eat cake, too, even if it’s a little more dense. It’ll be okay. There will be time for that later, right?

5.0 from 2 reviews

Buttermilk Bundt Cake with Salted Caramel Icing
 
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Author:
Recipe type: Dessert
Serves: 12
Ingredients
Cake
  • 1 cup (16 Tablespoons) unsalted butter, softened
  • 2¼ cups granulated sugar
  • 3 large eggs
  • 1½ teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 3 cups all-purpose flour
  • ¾ teaspoon baking powder
  • ¾ teaspoon baking soda
  • ½ teaspoon Himalayan pink salt
  • 1 cup buttermilk
Icing
  • ¼ cup (4 Tablespoons) unsalted butter, cubed
  • ½ cup light brown sugar, lightly packed
  • ⅓ cup heavy whipping cream
  • ½ teaspoon fleur de sel (flaky sea salt)
  • 1 cup confectioners’ sugar (sifted, if you want to avoid lumps)
Instructions
Cake
  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease and flour (or coat in baking spray) a 10-cup Bundt pan and set aside.
  2. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar, beating until light and fluffy (3-4 minutes).
  3. Beat in the eggs one at a time, fully incorporating the first before moving on to the next. Scrape the sides of the bowl as needed.
  4. Beat in the vanilla extract.
  5. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
  6. Alternate adding the dry ingredients and buttermilk to the butter mixture, starting with the dry and ending with the buttermilk in 3 additions.
  7. Spread in the prepared Bundt pan and bake for 45-50 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted in the middle comes out clean.
  8. Cool on a wire rack for 15 minutes, then place a cooling rack over the top and invert the pan, releasing the cake onto the rack. If it doesn’t release immediately, let it cool a little longer. You may need to loosen the sides with a butter knife.
Icing
  1. In a small saucepan, heat the butter, brown sugar, and cream.
  2. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly.
  3. Remove from heat and transfer to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment.
  4. Sprinkle the fleur de sel over the surface and turn the mixer onto 7 or 8 for 2 minutes.
  5. Turn off, add the confectioners’ sugar, and whip again for another 2-3 minutes, scraping the sides as needed.
  6. Place some wax paper or aluminum foil under the cake, still on the rack, and pour the glaze over the top of the cake (I spooned it over the top, adjusting to try to get an even coating).
  7. Let sit for 2 hours before serving.
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Here’s how you can be a part of Bundt-a-Month:

  • Simple rule: Bake us a Bundt using caramel
  • Post it before July 31, 2013
  • Use the #BundtaMonth hashtag in your title. (For ex: title could read #BundtaMonth: Caramel Swirl Bundt)
  • Add your entry to the Linky tool below
  • Link back to our announcement posts

Here are this month’s caramel creations from the other Bundt-a-Month bakers:

Even more Bundt fun!

Follow Bundt-a-Month on Facebook, where we feature all our gorgeous Bundt cakes. Or head over to our Pinterest board for inspiration and to choose from hundreds of Bundt cake recipes.


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